CHAPTER 9: IT WAS SO INTERESTING, IT WAS ADDICTIVE.

The voice recorder snapped open with a loud sound as Shi Zhiyuan was afraid it was not broken enough. He then fiercely smashed it with his phone several times, making sure there was no chance of recovery, before finally stopping with a wicked laugh.

Yu Jingxuan felt as if his entire body was frozen, with waves of coldness surging from the depths of his heart.

In a state of panic, he turned his head to look at Nie Zihang. In his clear black and white eyes, there was a plea for help that even he himself had not noticed.

The police car roared and stopped at the entrance of the office. The wind chimes tinkled as uniformed officers filed in, each wearing a pheromone protective mask.

Someone recognised Yu Jingxuan and quickly came over to check on him, saying, “Yu, you are here too. Perfect timing. Can you tell us what is going on here? Is it just an Omega in heat? Has anyone else been affected?”

Yu Jingxuan shook his head and said, “There was only one Omega releasing pheromones at the scene. There are not many people in the office, just Mr. Nie, who is an Omega, and a Beta girl at the front desk. I was discussing the case with Mr. Nie when this Omega suddenly started releasing pheromones.”

As they were halfway through their conversation, Shi Zhiyuan, who had been forcibly injected with suppressants, suddenly pointed at him and shouted, “That is not true at all! You, as an Alpha, used pheromones on me, triggering my heat!”

As the accounts of the incident diverged, the faces of all the investigating officers turned serious, their gazes locking onto another Omega present in the room.

“Mr. Nie, could you please accompany us to the police station to provide a witness statement and give a statement?”

One of the older Alphas approached and spoke to Nie Zihang.

Shi Zhiyuan panicked when he heard that Nie Zihang would be a witness. He could not believe it. If Nie Zihang became a witness, his fabricated story would be exposed.

“How can he be a witness? He is my ex-boyfriend; it is not allowed! According to legal regulations, he cannot be a witness!”

Nie Zihang let out a cold snort and called the girl at the front desk over, saying, “Is the surveillance footage ready? Daddy will take you to the police station for a team-building activity today.”

The girl excitedly waved the USB drive in her hand and proudly said, “It is done! I started copying the footage as soon as the voice recorder was smashed! There are four cameras, providing a 360-degree view with no blind spots. The footage is in high definition, and even the pheromone monitoring data is displayed clearly!”

Nie Zihang smiled and took it from her, saying, “Well done! I will give you a bonus for this.”

Then, Nie Zihang turned around, grabbed Yu Jingxuan’s arm, and placed the USB drive in his palm.

“Take it; this is Officer Yu’s livelihood. Intentionally releasing pheromones to seduce an Alpha, knowing that the other party is a police officer, and attempting to destroy evidence to frame him is an even greater crime. Officer Yu personally brought him to justice, and as a civilian, I am also happy about it.”

As the man spoke, his eyebrows and eyes were slightly curved, still maintaining that carefree demeanour, giving the impression that he was not taking it seriously at all.

But as Yu Jingxuan looked at the USB drive in his hand, he felt his eyes becoming unusually warm.

He slowly tightened his grip on the USB drive and said, “Okay.”

┈

The two of them went to the police station again and finished giving their statements. It was already evening.

Due to his intention to defame public officials, Shi Zhiyuan violated the “ABO Criminal Law.” This was not a matter that could be resolved with a simple administrative detention. Therefore, after consulting the prosecutor’s office, the local police station detained him in the city detention center. The trial would take place soon, and once the court had reviewed the case, a conviction would be determined.

Nie Zihang left the police station and checked the time. It was already seven o’clock in the evening.

The sun was just setting, and the streetlights had just turned on.

The distant mountains on the horizon were gradually darkening, with a faint hint of red lingering.

“What could have been resolved directly turned into a fake estrus, trying to shift the blame onto public officials and seeking criminal charges. This time, it won’t be just a year or two before he can get out.”

Nie Zihang casually put his hand in his pocket and hailed a ride using a ride-hailing app on his phone.

The screen immediately displayed the licence plate number of the assigned driver, but since it was the city centre and during rush hour, it showed that the taxi would take another ten minutes or so to arrive.

Nie Zihang suddenly remembered that the place where Yu Jingxuan and his friend had returned together last time was not far from where he lived. He turned to Yu Jingxuan and asked, “Does Officer Yu live in Fenghua Mansion? Or is it your friend who lives there? Last time, when you were drunk, I sent you back to that neighborhood. I live in the nearby Lake Palace. If it is on the way, we can share a ride back.”

Yu Jingxuan paused for a moment, and his ears turned red. He whispered, “That is where my home is.”

“Let us share a ride back together then.”

“Okay.”

┈

They did not have to wait long before the taxi arrived. The two of them took a seat in the back, and the car slowly moved through the long line of traffic.

Nie Zihang held his phone and replied to messages.

[I heard you are back at the police station again? Guys were saying that this Omega doesn’t seem like a stable person. Look, you got caught, didn’t you?]

[Caught? I got him in there. Criminal law, minimum sentence of 2 years.]

[Wow, you are amazing! No wonder you’re the strongest lawyer in our city. You really have a deep understanding of the law.]

[He was legally blind; I just took advantage of the situation.]

[If you ask me, at your age, you should not be playing these love games anymore. For people like us, 9 out of 10 relationships do not work out. You have already been through three, and you still have not seen through it?]

Nie Zihang inexplicably remembered the words that Shi Zhiyuan had said: “Alphas are naturally meant to be with Omegas. I cannot resist his pheromones.”

Nie Zihang stared at the message from his friend for a long time before finally typing a response: [Let us talk about it later.]

Then he put away his phone.

The glands at the back of his neck were slightly uncomfortable, and he could not help but press on them again. He glanced at the Alpha beside him, who discreetly clenched his fingers.

After spending such a long time with Yu Jingxuan, he had come to understand this Alpha quite well. This particular gesture indicated that he had something to say but was hesitant about it.

If the Alpha did not speak, he would patiently wait.

1, 2, 3…

17, 18, 19…

After silently counting to twenty-something in his mind, the person beside him finally made a move.

“Thank you for the last time at the barbecue restaurant. My friend and I got drunk… I apologise for the trouble we caused. And… could you please apologise to your friend on my behalf? I did not mean to do that that day…”

Nie Zihang crossed his arms and placed them in front of his chest, then turned his head and raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, you remember? I thought you blacked out from drinking and forgot everything. Not returning a favour goes against your style, Officer Yu.”

“That is because…”

After struggling for a while, he still could not come up with a single word.

Nie Zihang: “Last time, I did not even know which Alpha it was, but they used me as a pillow and even said I smelled good. You know about my habit of recording everything…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a strong and fragrant orchid scent rushed into his nostrils. Yu Jingxuan covered his mouth with a warm hand.

The thin calluses of the Alpha brushed against the skin of his lips, while the skin of his palm felt warm and soft.

“You do not have to say anything… I am drunk and not very clear-headed.”

Nie Zihang noticed that not only his ears but even his neck had turned red. Unable to resist, he held onto the Alpha’s wrist and laughed, saying, “Alright, let us stop talking. We cannot let it affect Officer Yu’s dignity as an Alpha.”

He received a big eye roll and said, “You are still talking!”

The driver sitting in the front row was a middle-aged Alpha uncle. Seeing the two of them having a good time in the back, he had a knowing smile and said, “Young couples have such great relationships. Back in the day, I also kissed my wife while drunk. Afterwards, I did not dare admit it, haha! I almost made my wife cry.”

“I am not saying this about you, but as an Alpha husband, if you do something, you should own up to it, you know? Luckily, your wife has thick skin and is willing to argue with you like this. If it were a slightly more difficult Omega, who knows how angry they would be behind closed doors¹means in private or when no one else is around. It refers to actions or behaviours that are hidden from public view..”

It was obvious that he saw the two of them, one Alpha and one Omega, as a couple.

Yu Jingxuan’s face turned even redder, and he hurriedly explained to the person in the front seat, “You misunderstood; we are not a couple…”

“Oh, oh, still chasing after her, huh? Look at you, what are you waiting for? I think there is just a thin layer of window paper²metaphorical expression used to describe a situation where there is only a small obstacle or barrier between two people or things. It implies that the barrier is easily overcome or that there is little separation between them. between you two. You are still too young, with thin skin. You won’t be able to catch your wife like this.”

Unable to argue his case, Yu Jingxuan looked towards the man next to him for help.

Nie Zihang took out a voice recorder from his pocket and said, “I almost forgot; I am recording now too.”

The Alpha next to them, who wanted to continue speaking, froze completely. His lips were tightly sealed, as if he wished they could be pressed into a straight line³figurative expression used to describe someone tightly closing their lips together, making them appear as a straight, thin line. It suggests that the person is suppressing their emotions or holding back from speaking..

Nie Zihang ignored him and played with the voice recorder by himself.

After a while, the scent of orchids from the Alpha suddenly approached. The next second, the voice recorder was already empty in his hand.

“You did not even turn on the voice recorder!”

Nie Zihang could not help it anymore and burst into laughter, saying, “Do you really think I am some kind of weirdo who records everything? Why do you believe everything I say?”

What should he do? Teasing the Alpha was too amusing, and now it seemed like he was getting a bit addicted to it.

• 1
  means in private or when no one else is around. It refers to actions or behaviours that are hidden from public view.
• 2
  metaphorical expression used to describe a situation where there is only a small obstacle or barrier between two people or things. It implies that the barrier is easily overcome or that there is little separation between them.
• 3
  figurative expression used to describe someone tightly closing their lips together, making them appear as a straight, thin line. It suggests that the person is suppressing their emotions or holding back from speaking.