Wu Jiangyuan looked gentle and soft in sleep, his untended black hair thick and curling softly, like a beautiful sleeping Persian cat.
The cat who usually bared his claws was completely defenseless now, his belly exposed, making it hard to resist touching him.
Pei Jinghe did exactly that, bending down and tracing his fingertips along the Alpha's exposed waist.
His skin felt smooth and delicate, like a fine piece of mutton-fat jade.
Wu Jiangyuan felt ticklish in his sleep and frowned slightly, but did not wake.
Instead, he buried his head deeper.
Intent on waking him, Pei Jinghe switched from stroking to rubbing, pressing his fingertips a little harder. A faint red mark immediately appeared on the fair skin.
Wu Jiangyuan's waist trembled, and his eyes flew open.
They met Pei Jinghe's unreadable gaze.
"..."
Wu Jiangyuan was a little dazed, but quickly registered the warm touch at his waist.
He glanced down, his brow twitching.
Looking back up at him, he forced himself to stay calm. "Why didn't you just say something to wake me?"
As he spoke, Wu Jiangyuan propped himself halfway up and tried to retreat.
But Pei Jinghe gripped his waist and pulled him back, lowering his head to rest his forehead against Wu Jiangyuan's. He asked softly, "Have you finished dealing with your friend's business?"
Wu Jiangyuan stared at him in surprise, never having expected him to do something like this.
They were too close, so close that Pei Jinghe's scent enveloped all his senses.
The tips of Wu Jiangyuan's ears began to heat. He raised an arm between them and turned his head away, frowning. "What's gotten into you?"
This made no sense.
Pei Jinghe said, "I'm very happy right now."
The corner of Wu Jiangyuan's eye twitched. "This is how you show you're happy? Get the hell up."
"I waited for you all night last night."
Pei Jinghe suddenly said this.
Wu Jiangyuan froze. Only after a long silence did he turn back in surprise. "Didn't I call and tell you we'd have to do it another day?"
"You did." Pei Jinghe lowered his eyes and brushed against the tip of Wu Jiangyuan's nose, his voice very soft. "But yesterday was our first night as a married couple."
There was a hint of grievance in his words, and Wu Jiangyuan's heart sped up a few beats.
He had not imagined what he heard last night. Pei Jinghe really had been upset.
Pei Jinghe could get upset because of him?
Confusion crossed Wu Jiangyuan's face at that question.
"Then I was very happy when I got your message today."
As Pei Jinghe finished speaking, the hand around Wu Jiangyuan's waist began to move, slipping beneath his shirt and slowly traveling up from his lower abdomen.
At the same time, he tilted his head and kissed the tip of his ear, his voice carrying a smile. "Now that I've seen you, I'm even happier."
He was so happy that he could not help himself.
Wu Jiangyuan's ears instantly turned red. He caught the wandering hand beneath his shirt and said through gritted teeth, "Talk all you want, but keep your hands to yourself."
Pei Jinghe said, "Sorry, I can't quite control myself right now."
Despite his words, his hand showed no intention of stopping.
"You bastard." A faint blush spread over Wu Jiangyuan's face. He said coldly, "Get up unless you want a beating."
Pei Jinghe looked at him through half-lowered eyelids and replied, "My rut is coming soon."
Wu Jiangyuan said, "..."
A clause from the contract suddenly flashed through his mind: [During a rut, both parties are obligated to help resolve it.]
His mind exploded.
With strength that came from nowhere, he shoved Pei Jinghe away and sat up.
"Don't lie to me."
"I'm not lying." Pei Jinghe sat down calmly on the sofa. "I know my body better than you do."
Wu Jiangyuan frowned. "Your ruts are more frequent than mine?"
Pei Jinghe said, "Perhaps because I'm an Enigma."
Wu Jiangyuan fell silent.
He knew nothing about Enigma ruts, only Alpha ruts.
An Alpha generally went into rut once every three months.
But Pei Jinghe had only just gone through his last month, and now another was approaching.
Didn't that mean once a month???
The realization made Wu Jiangyuan's scalp prickle, and he instinctively looked between Pei Jinghe's legs.
Noticing someone's gaze, Pei Jinghe said, "."
He turned to look at him and said evenly, "It hasn't started yet. Don't worry."
With a complicated expression, Wu Jiangyuan asked, "Do all Enigmas go into rut once a month?"
Pei Jinghe narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, then settled back into composure. "I'm not sure, but for me..."
"Yes."
Wu Jiangyuan said, "..."
A rut was a very special period, and in severe cases, one could even lose all reason.
According to his cycle, Wu Jiangyuan's rut should have arrived long ago.
But ever since that night, it still had not come.
He had asked a doctor about it, and the doctor said the temporary mark had delayed his rut.
As for how long it would be delayed, that was difficult to determine.
While Wu Jiangyuan sat in a daze, Pei Jinghe silently tapped his thigh, pondering how believable his words had been.
Each had something on his mind, and silence settled between them.
Only the chime of a phone notification brought Wu Jiangyuan back.
It was his phone.
He glanced at the silent Pei Jinghe, then picked up his phone and looked.
It was He Qu.
He said someone had approached them with a script, wanting Wu Jiangyuan for a villain role, and he was asking for his opinion.
Wu Jiangyuan was in no hurry to open the materials he had sent. His mind was not on this at all, and he could not take any of it in right now.
He switched off his phone screen and stood up to leave.
He did not want to face this issue for now, so he was going to run away.
As he hurried past Pei Jinghe with a stiff expression, a large hand suddenly reached around his waist and pulled him back.
Wu Jiangyuan landed squarely on his lap.
"..."
He turned and grabbed Pei Jinghe's collar, saying fiercely, "Pei Jinghe, don't make me hit you. Seriously."
Pei Jinghe raised his brows slightly, wrapping his arms around his waist from behind and burying his face in his neck. "You still haven't answered me."
A faint freesia scent drifted into his nose. Even though Pei Jinghe was not in rut yet, he could not help developing a few wicked thoughts.
He wanted to bite.
"What answer? What answer do you want?" Wu Jiangyuan asked, though he knew perfectly well.
Flustered and angry, he tried to pry the hands off his waist, but they were like iron, not budging an inch.
Pei Jinghe asked only one question. "Does our contract still count?"
Wu Jiangyuan took a deep breath. "If you mean doing what we did that night, no."
In other words, he absolutely would not sleep with Pei Jinghe.
A few low chuckles sounded behind his ear, followed by Pei Jinghe's voice. "I won't make you do anything excessive. I just want you to soothe me with your pheromones."
Wu Jiangyuan stopped struggling and turned his head, looking doubtful. "Just pheromones?"
Pei Jinghe nodded earnestly. "Yes."
Wu Jiangyuan's tense back finally relaxed. "You should've said so earlier. If it's just releasing pheromones, I can help."
Releasing a little soothing pheromone would not cost him a piece of flesh. It was easy enough.
Pei Jinghe curled his lips. "You're so good to me, Tangtang."
The name Tangtang sent a shudder through Wu Jiangyuan. "Don't say it so disgustingly. Let go."
This time, Pei Jinghe obediently released him, and Wu Jiangyuan quickly stood and headed upstairs.
Halfway there, he suddenly doubled back, folding his arms with an imperious expression. "I want to add another clause to the contract."
Pei Jinghe asked, "What do you want to add?"
Wu Jiangyuan tugged his lips into a smile. "You aren't allowed within a meter of me."
Without looking at Pei Jinghe's expression again, he turned and left.
He had put up with it earlier because of the suppressive effect of the Enigma's scent.
From now on, that bastard Pei Jinghe could forget about getting close to him.
Pei Jinghe said, "..."
Before you continue