Extra 13 – One-way Passage

In that instant, Xia Wennan was struck dumb. He instinctively yanked his hand away from Ming Luchuan’s grip, but the man’s hold was too strong.

There was nothing friendly about his grip, and the alpha’s physical advantage caused Xia Wennan pain right away. The strong grip was accompanied by a surge of unstable pheromones, as if in a futile attempt to mentally overpower Xia Wennan. 

“Are you giving up just like that?” said Ming Luchuan, his voice cold as an iceberg.

Xia Wennan’s mind couldn’t even keep up. “Give up on what?” When he failed to extricate his hand, all his fury erupted. “Let me go first! Have you lost your mind?!”

“Our first pheromone perfume doesn’t even exist yet,” said Ming Luchuan. 

Xia Wennan immediately caught onto what Ming Luchuan meant. He still couldn’t free himself from Ming Luchuan’s hold, however, and the pain around his wrist, combined with Ming Luchuan’s blatant pheromone abuse, fueled his rage even more. He jumped up from the sofa and glared down at Ming Luchuan. “Fucking let go of me first! What pheromone perfume? Is that shit more important than my grandpa’s life?”

Ming Luchuan leapt to his feet and collided with Xia Wennan, forcing the latter back up a step until the underside of his knee hit the coffee table. 

“You promised me!” Ming Luchuan’s tone was relentlessly harsh.

Xia Wennan’s rage was unabated. “When did I promise you anything?! You were the one who dragged me to the office. What promise did I ever make?” 

Ming Luchuan’s lips curled. As he gazed at Xia Wennan, his throat bobbed up and down. “So you didn’t promise me anything, and it was all wishful thinking on my part? You’re free to leave whenever you want?”

“Of course I’m free to leave whenever I want. It’s just a job! It’s not like we’re in a relationship and I’ve made a lifelong commitment to you! Why can’t I leave if I don’t think this job is a good fit for me?!” With that said, Xia Wennan threw his all into shaking off Ming Luchuan’s hand and succeeded at last, but not without accidentally smacking Ming Luchuan’s face with the back of his hand. He couldn’t control his strength; the force of the blow made a resounding slap. It was as if he’d hit Ming Luchuan intentionally.

The slap stunned even Xia Wennan himself, his eyes darting in Ming Luchuan’s direction. 

Ming Luchuan pursed his lips, his face darkening. He abruptly turned away after two seconds, walked straight to the door, opened it, and stepped out.

The door slammed shut with a bang, and the old apartment shuddered, as if it was reeling from the argument that had just taken place. 

The next morning, Xia Wennan sat by his grandfather’s bedside, peeling an apple for him.

He’d brought the apples from a fruit vendor at the entrance of his apartment complex after selecting several large, ripe ones. His eyes weren’t on the apple he was peeling at all, rather trained absentmindedly on a corner of the hospital window. 

“What’s wrong?” his grandpa asked. 

Xia Wennan was too out of it to respond. 

His grandpa only tugged at the blanket covering his lap and sighed. 

After the doctor finished examining Xia Wennan’s grandpa at around ten, Xia Wennan followed him to his office. When he returned to his grandpa’s room, he found that there was one more person inside.

Ming Luchuan stood there in his white shirt and suit trousers from the night before. They were unmistakably crumpled, but he didn’t look unkempt at all, his posture ramrod straight. 

Seeing that Ming Luchuan was talking to his grandpa, Xia Wennan hovered at the doorway with no intention of entering.

Ming Luchuan had brought a gift for Xia Wennan’s grandpa—a large, intricate fruit basket. 

Xia Wennan suspected that Ming Luchuan had been ripped off. Those exceptionally well-packaged fruits weren’t worth the money.

Ming Luchuan noticed Xia Wennan the moment he turned his head, but instead of speaking to him, he only said a few words to Xia Wennan’s grandfather before taking his leave.

He brushed past Xia Wennan with complete disregard.

As he took his seat next to his grandfather’s hospital bed, Xia Wennan was a little downcast.

“Did you and that alpha have a fight?” asked his grandpa. 

“Nope,” Xia Wennan didn’t want to worry his grandpa, so he skipped over the details. “It’s nothing like that.”

“That alpha’s not bad, eh,” his grandpa whispered, casting a glance at the door. 

His grandpa’s thoughts were obvious from the look on his face. Xia Wennan sighed, saying, “What’s going on in that head of yours? He’s my boss. We had a minor disagreement about work. It’s not what you think.”

“And what was I thinking?”

“……”

“When the right opportunity presents itself, seize it. The fact that he’s your boss doesn’t matter.”

“He’s an alpha.”

“It’s not like you’ve never dated an alpha.”

Xia Wennan straightened up in his seat. “When have I ever dated an alpha?”

Xia Wennan’s grandfather leaned back on his pillow. “You think I don’t know, huh? Wasn’t the guy you dated in grad school an alpha?”

Several memories flashed through Xia Wennan’s mind. “Please, you old man, don’t ever bring him up again,” Xia Wennan pleaded, clutching his head. “I didn’t date him, and I’ll never ever date him.” Xia Wennan stood up and stated empathically, “I’m just not attracted to alphas.”

His grandpa looked at him and sighed. 

When Xia Wennan went to the window to draw the curtains halfway to block out the blazing rays of the summer sun, he instead caught a glimpse of Ming Luchuan in the garden below.

Xia Wennan’s hand froze. “I’m going downstairs for a bit,” he told his grandpa. 

As Xia Wennan made his way down to the garden, his pace slowed as he got closer to Ming Luchuan.

He took in the sight of Ming Luchuan sitting on a bench, broad shoulders slightly slumped forwards—he was the picture of loneliness. 

Xia Wennan slowly walked up to him, and said, “I’m sorry.”

When Ming Luchuan lifted his face, there was a slight redness on his cheek where Xia Wennan had accidentally hit him the previous night. The mark was less visible than before. 

“I didn’t mean to hit you,” Xia Wennan explained. He then paused for a beat before awkwardly adding, “I also didn’t mean to say that I’m quitting. I just wanted to find a way to get my grandpa settled.”

“Suit yourself,” Ming Luchuan responded icily.

Xia Wennan’s anger was instantly reignited. “Then I’ll quit.” He then turned around and walked away, but when he saw the entrance to the inpatient wing right in front of him, Xia Wennan came to a halt and strode back to Ming Luchuan’s side. “Why are you still here?” he demanded, gazing down at him. 

Ming Luchuan remained silent, face stormy.

“Fine then,” said Xia Wennan. “Run along now, the pheromone perfume project is over. Go back to HQ—go be a good little boy and make yourself useful in your little brother’s new lab. It’s time for Ming Yan to undergo a complete transformation!”

Ming Luchuan’s breathing grew rapid. He was squeezing his knees with a vice-like grip, as if he was holding back his anger. 

“How about you apologise to me right now?” Xia Wennan suggested. “If you do that, I’ll think about coming back with you.”

Ming Luchuan’s head whipped around. 

Xia Wennan looked skyward. “It’s all up to you.”

Ming Luchuan got up from the bench and fixed an expressionless gaze at Xia Wennan for two whole minutes before walking away without uttering 

At that moment, Xia Wennan’s emotions were indescribable. It was just that, once Ming Luchuan finally vanished from his view, he suddenly felt a twinge of melancholy, and it was as though he’d been transported back to his grad school days. 

Later that afternoon, Xia Wennan received a large bouquet of flowers. He assumed it was for his grandfather and checked with the person who delivered them several times. But it wasn’t until he saw his grandfather chuckling as he looked down at the bouquet that Xia Wennan opened the card that was slipped in the midst of flowers, on which was written I’m sorry. I’m downstairs.

The words immediately sent shivers down Xia Wennan’s spine. He looked downstairs, terrified at the possibility of being greeted by the sight of candles and roses on the ground, but there was nothing there save for Ming Luchuan, dressed in the crumpled clothes that he hadn’t had time to change.

☆ ☆ ☆

Extra 12 | TOC | Extra 14