Chapter 110 – So hard… it hurts

Translator: ChuRen/ YuQiChen

The entire room was filled with the sharp and overwhelming scent of an S-rank Alpha’s pheromones, making Tang Qing feel uncomfortable all over. His whole body trembled slightly.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Xie Qingzhi noticed the unusual behavior of the cat in his arms and looked down with concern.

“Meow~”

The Maine Coon let out a faint sound from its throat, burying its head against Xie Qingzhi’s shoulder with a soft whimper.

Xie Qingzhi tried his best to retract his mental energy, afraid that the overflowing energy would make the cat in his arms uncomfortable.

But then he noticed that the cat in his arms suddenly felt much heavier, and the fluffy texture disappeared.

Instead, what met his touch was a patch of smooth, delicate, and tender skin.

Xie Qingzhi looked down.

The cat in his arms had actually transformed into a stunning beauty—completely naked, with skin fairer than snow.

This wasn’t the first time Xie Qingzhi had seen his young wife naked. His body was as beautiful as ever, every inch of his skin snow-white and soft.

But it was the first time he had seen it so up close.

His wife, who had been hailed as the empire’s number one beauty since he came of age, was not only flawless like porcelain all over but also had two small, perky buds on his chest, tinged with a soft pink hue.

“Your Grace…” Tang Qing bit his lip awkwardly.

“Tang Tang, are you a shapeshifting cat?” Xie Qingzhi couldn’t help but ask.

“No, sir, I’m human. It’s just that sometimes, for some reason, I can’t control myself and turn into a cat…”

“So that’s how it is.” Xie Qingzhi’s breathing grew increasingly heavy, and he turned his head away somewhat unnaturally.

“Your Grace, could you put me down first? You’re holding me too tightly, and…” Tang Qing spoke with embarrassment, “there seems to be something hard below you… it’s pressing against me.”

Tang Qing, completely naked, was held tightly in Xie Qingzhi’s arms. Without any clothing to block the sensation, he could more directly feel how robust the physique of an S-rank Alpha was.

Every muscle in his body was firm and hard, pressing uncomfortably against his.

And right where he was sitting, some kind of object was pressing against his soft, round, snow-white flesh, its presence particularly intense.

That’s strange. Did the Alpha have something hard in his pocket?

Xie Qingzhi released Tang Qing.

Tang Qing raised his hands, flustered as he tried to cover himself. His fair face was slightly flushed, and even the small mole at the corner of his eye seemed to become a deeper, captivating red.

“Put on my clothes first.”

As he spoke, Xie Qingzhi walked to the wardrobe and took out a white shirt.

Tang Qing accepted the garment without much thought, turning around to put it on.

He didn’t notice that his husband-in-name was glancing at him, intentionally or not.

His fair and elegant back, beautiful and delicate shoulder blades, and the full, rounded curves below.

Tang Qing finished putting on the shirt. Since Xie Qingzhi was simply too tall—over 190 centimeters—there was no way Tang Qing could fit into his pants. He had no choice but to wear only the shirt, leaving his legs bare.

Fortunately, Xie Qingzhi’s shirt was long enough to just cover the top of his thighs.

The scent of cedarwood pheromones in the room grew stronger.

Remembering how unwell Xie Qingzhi had looked earlier, Tang Qing asked cautiously, “Your Grace, are you feeling better now? Would you like me to massage you for a while?”

He’d heard that when girls had menstrual cramps, massaging their abdomen could make them feel more comfortable.

But for Xie Qingzhi… well… he probably didn’t need an abdominal massage, right? Maybe massaging the acupoints on his head would help instead.

Seeing that Xie Qingzhi didn’t refuse, Tang Qing stepped forward and placed his hands on Xie Qingzhi’s temples.

This was actually a somewhat boundary-crossing gesture.

As an Alpha with extremely strong territorial instincts, few would ever place such a vital area in someone else’s hands.

But at this moment, Xie Qingzhi wasn’t thinking about that.

He only felt that his wife, standing before him, smelled so enticing.

Tang Qing didn’t notice that as he raised his hands, the hem of the shirt naturally lifted along with the movement.

Revealing a pair of long, pale, and straight legs.

The hair on his body was very light, and his legs were almost completely hairless—more beautiful than a model’s.

As Tang Qing applied the massage with just the right amount of pressure, Xie Qingzhi’s manic state actually began to ease somewhat.

However, Xie Qingzhi didn’t notice this change in himself.

He only felt a dry thirst in his throat.

“Tang Tang, have you always been able to turn into a cat since you were young?” Xie Qingzhi asked.

“Yes, but since I reached adulthood, I’ve gotten much better at controlling the transformation,” Tang Qing explained. “Just now, it was probably your pheromones that affected me.”

Xie Qingzhi suddenly changed the subject, adopting a casual tone as if making small talk: “By the way, Tang Tang, have you ever been to Nameizi Planet? I heard it’s great for tourism.”

Tang Qing thought for a moment before replying, “I went there a few years ago. The ocean there is really beautiful.”

Xie Qingzhi feigned curiosity and asked, “Did you meet any interesting people or encounter anything memorable on Nameizi Planet?”

Tang Qing pondered carefully.

“I suppose there was one thing that left an impression. Once, when I was out playing in my cat form, I passed by a very old, large house. It was ancient and run-down, with a creepy atmosphere.”

“Then I saw a whole group of huge rats—this big,” Tang Qing gestured with both hands, his expression still tinged with disbelief. “It was the first time I’d ever seen rats that large, and there were so many of them.”

“A whole swarm of rats was surrounding a tall, well-built man, practically chasing after the poor guy.”

“And then what happened?” Xie Qingzhi’s face remained expressionless, but out of Tang Qing’s sight, the tendons in his hands tightened subtly.

“Then I just yowled at that group of big rats a few times, and they all ran away scared~”

Tang Qing looked somewhat proud, his voice cheerful as he continued,

“After all, I’m a huge Maine Coon cat. No matter how many or how big the rats are, dealing with them is as easy as crushing ants to me.”

Xie Qingzhi suppressed the urgency in his heart and asked at an unhurried pace, “Did you see what that unlucky man looked like?”

He gazed at Tang Qing as if merely curious.

Tang Qing found it a bit strange that Xie Qingzhi was suddenly being so nosy, but he still answered earnestly: “I didn’t really notice. I only saw his back. I just remember that he was very tall and had a good figure.”

Tang Qing carefully studied Xie Qingzhi and added, “He was a bit like you, sir.”

Xie Qingzhi forced a smile and said nonchalantly, “What a coincidence. But I’ve actually never been to Nameizi Planet. I’ve only heard the scenery there is beautiful—I haven’t had the chance to visit yet.”

Tang Qing didn’t overthink it and nodded.

Xie Qingzhi asked casually, “Tang Tang, do you think that man was… pathetic?”

He forced a few dry laughs from his throat, joking stiffly, “Such a tall, well-built man, and yet he’s afraid of mice. Heh heh.”

Tang Qing thought about the man’s back and said seriously, “Not at all. We don’t know what he’s been through. Maybe he had some bad experiences in the past, which is why he’s afraid of mice.”

“Besides, we shouldn’t hold onto stereotypes. Even a tall, strong man can be afraid of mice, can like fluffy stuffed animals, and can love pink kittens.”

“It’s just like how some people faint at the sight of blood, some have megalophobia, and some have trypophobia. These are all normal things—nothing to laugh about.”

The pheromones in the room gradually softened, no longer as aggressive.

Tang Qing then remembered he was only wearing a large shirt and asked, “Sir, are you feeling better now?”

Xie Qingzhi relaxed slightly: “Thank you for your hard work, madam. I’m much better.”

Seeing that Xie Qingzhi was no longer agitated, Tang Qing somewhat sheepishly tugged at the hem of the shirt. “Then I’ll go to the bedroom to change clothes.”

Xie Qingzhi nodded, watching Tang Qing’s retreating figure, his eyes dark and unreadable.

There was indeed a reason he hated mice so much.

When he was a child, his mother, the Empress, had once punished him by locking him in the basement for three full days and nights. The basement was dark and pitch-black, with several mice squeaking in unseen corners, as if they might dart out at any moment…

Since then, he had developed an extreme aversion to mice.

The sight of them always brought back those dark childhood memories.

Xie Qingzhi reached up and touched his right cheek.

It was marked by a faint, raised scar, crimson and sinister-looking.

With the current medical technology on the Imperial Planet, such scars could easily be removed.

But he had never sought treatment.

Partly because facial flaws made him ineligible to contend for the throne, which helped lower the guard of his half-brother, the Crown Prince.

More importantly, he wanted to keep these scars—to constantly remind himself of what his father and mother had done to him.

But today, for the first time, he felt a twinge of regret.

He had once been a handsome Alpha, but now his wife had seen this ugly, flawed side of him.

However, contrary to his expectations, Tang Qing—such a delicate and beautiful person—didn’t scream in horror at his disfigured face like his mother had.

Instead, he treated him just the same as always.

Xie Qingzhi recalled Tang Qing’s fair, serious little face as he spoke earnestly earlier, and the fluffy, beautiful cat in his arms that hadn’t shown the slightest disgust toward his grotesque scars.

Not only was the cat not repulsed—it even seemed to lean in, as if wanting to lick his face.

Why had he pushed the big cat away at that moment?

Suddenly, he couldn’t quite understand what he’d been holding back for.

Gazing at the bright sunlight outside the window, the man felt his cheeks growing warm beneath his mask for some inexplicable reason.

This… this must be because of his hormonal imbalance during his sensitive period, and because fluffy things were just too adorable.

That’s what Xie Qingzhi told himself.

…

Night fell. The crescent moon hung like a hook in the tranquil, pitch-black sky studded with scattered stars, as a gentle night breeze brushed by.

After bidding his husband goodnight, Tang Qing lay his head on the pillow and fell into a peaceful sleep.

But Xie Qingzhi, breathing in the orchid-like scent that clung to Tang Qing, couldn’t sleep.

He watched Tang Qing’s sleeping face for a long time, but in the end, he did nothing. Instead, he went to his study.

In the dead of night, Duke Austen was indulging in drunken revelry on a woman’s bed when a call from Duke Xie Qingzhi interrupted him.

Startled, thinking some urgent crisis had occurred, he immediately pushed the woman aside and answered, “Your Grace, is there an emergency?”

His nerves were stretched taut. As Xie Qingzhi’s secret ally, he was always prepared for battle at a moment’s notice.

“Austen, you’ve had more experience with Omegas. Tell me—is it possible for an 18-year-old Beta to undergo a secondary differentiation into an Omega?” Xie Qingzhi wore a thoughtful, serious expression, yet he asked such a question.

Duke Austen was instantly speechless, feeling the urge to curse.

He repeatedly reminded himself that this was the royal family’s madman, his ally, and that they were involved in a conspiracy capable of overthrowing the entire imperial hierarchy.

He took a deep breath, plastered on a professional fake smile, and forced himself to respond, “Your Grace, to my knowledge, such cases are very rare. Most Omegas differentiate before the age of 18.”

“Unless… their rank is extremely high—an Omega of SS-tier or above.”

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