After recreating the crime scene from half a month ago, Dou Changxiao’s subconscious finally felt satisfied.

With everything back on track, he felt secure enough to release Ning Zhu. Stepping back, he lowered his gaze to observe Ning Zhu, only to notice another discrepancy: this man’s face shouldn’t be this flushed.

But such a discrepancy didn’t affect the overall situation, so Dou Changxiao let it be.

Ning Zhu’s expression had gone blank. He raised his hand and roughly wiped his face, then turned to look at the passersby filming.

The Beta holding the phone snapped out of the shock of the previous scene, lowered the phone slightly, and said awkwardly, “Sorry…”

He then asked Ning Zhu considerately, “Would you like me to call the police?”

Ning Zhu: “.”

His well-intentioned offer backfired, and the bystander felt quite apologetic. After Ning Zhu coolly replied, “No need,” he immediately assured Ning Zhu he would delete the video.

The truth behind the misunderstanding was revealed. Upon learning the drunken man was a friend of Ning Zhu, the onlookers soon dispersed.

Dou Changxiao hadn’t noticed the commotion around him at all. His eyes never left Ning Zhu’s face, as if afraid the criminal might slip away from under his watch.

It took Ning Zhu a moment to dismiss the crowd, and by then the heat in his face had mostly subsided.

After regaining his composure, he turned to meet the drunkard’s unblinking stare—a gaze that might as well have been fixed on a criminal. Annoyed yet amused, he retorted, “I kindly helped you find someone, and this is how you ‘repay’ me?”

“You’re so ungrateful,” he muttered.

Now that Ning Zhu’s head had cooled, he had the presence of mind to replay the earlier chaos in his mind. Something felt off.

While drunk behavior defied rational analysis, why on earth would this kid suddenly mistake him for a molester? And with such obvious disdain?

Though “truth comes out when drunk” wasn’t entirely accurate, it held some truth—sometimes revealing subconscious thoughts.

Ning Zhu recalled the unfinished deal from half a month ago, a pang of doubt stinging his heart: Could it be because of that?

But that had been a straightforward transaction—clear terms, mutual consent. He hadn’t threatened or coerced. If anything went wrong, it was leaving his bank card in the car without permission that day—but that was meant to show sincerity, nothing more.

Besides, Dou Changxiao had actively reached out afterward. Even when the deal fell through, he hadn’t pursued it further, had he?

Even if he’d initially overstepped, it hardly amounted to harassment.

He wondered if Dou Changxiao had simply mistaken him for someone else. Clinging to a sliver of hope, he pointed at himself and asked for confirmation: “Do you know who I am?”

Dou Changxiao answered without hesitation: “The one with the surname Ning.”

Ning Zhu: “…”

…Forget it.

Ning Zhu felt a complex mix of emotions.

Only now did he realize that in the other person’s eyes, he was perceived as an utterly despicable harasser? And his moniker with Dou Changxiao was “the guy with the surname Ning “—which spoke volumes about how poorly Dou Changxiao regarded him.

Just then, a call came in. The driver waiting in the underground garage, seeing his boss hadn’t arrived, assumed Ning Zhu hadn’t found the place and called to ask if he should meet him in the lobby.

Ning Zhu shot Dou Changxiao a slightly disheartened glance, almost tempted to just leave the kid here and be done with it.

“No need, I’ll be there soon,” he replied to the call, keeping the line open as he turned to ask Dou Changxiao, “Hey kid, are you still looking for someone?”

Before the other could answer, Ning Zhu suddenly lost patience again. Sighing, he declared, “I’m not sticking around with you anyway.”

With that, he decisively walked out on his own.

Dou Changxiao stood alone for a moment, his thoughts as blunt as a dull knife, utterly clueless about his current predicament.

He wanted to return to where he’d been sitting earlier, waiting until his thoughts cleared before leaving, but he wasn’t sure he could find his way back.

Dou Changxiao struggled to formulate his next move with his muddled consciousness when a faint sound reached his ears from nearby.

He looked toward the source of the noise. The man who had departed so decisively moments ago reappeared at the exit.

Ning Zhu leaned casually against the marble wall, his shoulder barely touching it. “Are you going to wait here for whoever you’re looking for, or come out with me? I’ll have someone drive you home.“

Dou Changxiao merely stared at him. It seemed less like indifference and more like a delayed reaction.

”Are you coming or not?“ Ning Zhu asked him. ”If you don’t move, I’m going to take off and live freely beyond the reach of the law.”

Perhaps stung by the “reach of law” part, Dou Changxiao finally moved, obediently stepping forward to follow.

Ning Zhu led an oversized Alpha down to the parking lot. Old Zhao, the driver, was startled, glancing nervously at the rearview mirror several times, wanting to look but afraid to stare.

Having just endured a recent ordeal, Ning Zhu had little energy for explanations once seated in the car.

Old Zhao started the engine, slowly maneuvering the vehicle out of its parking space toward the exit.

He couldn’t help but glance at the young Alpha sitting quietly in the backseat. Clearing his throat twice, he asked Ning Zhu cautiously: “Mr. Ning, are we… heading straight to your place?”

“…”

Why speak like that? Why all the sneaky business?

When Ning Zhu said “No,” the peculiar awkwardness on Old Zhao’s face finally returned to normal.

He asked Dou Changxiao for the address: “Where do you live?”

Dou Changxiao, mustering his last ounce of consciousness, gave his dorm room number: “403.”

Ning Zhu: “What 403?”

Dou Changxiao added the dorm building number: “Building 5, Room 403.”

Ning Zhu: “I asked… which district, which street, which residential complex?”

The string of information was too long for Dou Changxiao to process on the spot. He simply shut up.

Perhaps still remembering Ning Zhu’s past “misdeeds,” Dou Changxiao subconsciously guarded against revealing private details like his address.

After a few seconds, Ning Zhu shot him a murderous glare. Only then did he add indifferently, “Enter through the east gate.”

Ning Zhu: “.”

Who asked you that?

Driver Old Zhao silently listened to their roundabout conversation up front, his finger hovering over the in-car navigation for ages. Seeing Ning Zhu cover his eyes and fall silent, he asked, “Mr. Ning, where should I take you first?”

Ning Zhu pondered for a moment.

He couldn’t very well drop someone off right here.

He tried several approaches, alternating between coaxing and asking to get information. Yet Dou Changxiao, who answered questions about pheromone scents with refreshing candor and caused trouble in unpredictable ways, now became evasive when asked about serious matters.

The car had already exited the parking lot, and without a specific address, Old Zhao dared not turn off the road.

Old Zhao pulled the car over temporarily, but this wasn’t a designated parking spot. He glanced at Ning Zhu through the rearview mirror, looking troubled.

Ning Zhu: “…”

The vehicle finally came to a stop beneath Ning Zhu’s apartment building.

The sky was still bright, the midday sun blazing hot and clear. Bringing an Alpha home wouldn’t exactly spark any unsavory speculation.

As he opened the door to enter, Aunt Lin happened to be working in the first-floor living room. Hearing the movement, she glanced toward the doorway.

Ning Zhu assumed Dou Changxiao would sober up and leave by evening, so he hadn’t contacted Aunt Lin beforehand to prepare a guest room, nor had he warned her he’d be bringing someone home.

Therefore, when she saw Dou Changxiao following behind Ning Zhu, Aunt Lin’s secretly appraising, astonished gaze mirrored Old Zhao’s exactly.

She had been employed at Ning Zhu’s household for several years now, and aside from Xiao Tao and Wei Tingfeng, she had never seen Ning Zhu bring anyone else home. The former two were both Omegas—one usually came for work, while the other always carried a small medical kit. Aunt Lin never understood Wei Tingfeng’s purpose, and Ning Zhu never explained it. So every time she spotted that intimidating little medical case in his hands, she’d spend ages nervously watching from the first floor.

So when she suddenly saw Ning Zhu leading a tall, handsome Alpha back, Aunt Lin’s eyes lit up like light bulbs. Her gaze was like that of a mother catching her child bringing home a partner without a word.

Ning Zhu felt a chill run down his spine, unnerved by her piercing gaze.

Stepping into the living room, he realized the person who’d followed him had vanished. Turning around, he found Dou Changxiao still frozen at the entrance, standing before a row of storage cabinets.

Ning Zhu turned back to retrieve him.

Perched atop the storage unit sat a pair of sunglasses, their frames inlaid with tiny diamonds. Ning Zhu had worn them just yesterday, casually setting them there when he returned to change his shoes, forgetting to put them away.

Dou Changxiao’s eyelashes were half-lowered, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on the sunglasses.

Ning Zhu leaned closer, noticing the situation, and casually asked, “You like them?”

“…”

Despite his drunkenness, Dou Changxiao managed to form an expression that was hard to describe.

Ning Zhu, head bowed, missed the signal and said, “Even if you like them, I can’t give them to you. They’re a gift from a friend.”

“…Cheng Li gave it to you?” Dou Changxiao suddenly spoke, startling Ning Zhu. “That Alpha.”

Hearing “Cheng Li” from Dou Changxiao’s mouth, Ning Zhu’s eyes widened in surprise. “How did you know it was him? Strange… Did I ever mention Cheng Li’s name to you before?”

Ning Zhu carefully recalled, but couldn’t remember when he might have mentioned Cheng Li to Dou Changxiao.

…I’m only twenty-six. Am I already starting to forget things?

Ning Zhu frowned deeply, consumed by self-doubt.

After a long moment, he snapped back to reality. Dou Changxiao still stared down at the sunglasses, his profile bearing an inexplicable coldness, as if he found the sunglasses deeply unsettling.

Ning Zhu couldn’t fathom why someone would harbor resentment toward a pair of sunglasses, so he interpreted it as the frustration of “if I can’t have it, I’ll destroy it.”

Fearing this drunkard might truly act out of jealousy, Ning Zhu swiftly stowed the sunglasses in a storage cabinet.

He instructed Dou Changxiao, “I’ll get you a glass of water. Find a place to sit.”

The latter paid no heed to his words, fixated on the small compartment holding the sunglasses.

“…” Ning Zhu pulled him over in exasperation, forcing him down onto the living room sofa.

He desperately wanted Dou Changxiao to sober up and leave. After settling him, Ning Zhu scanned the living room, searching for anything that might help sober him up.

Back when he frequently attended social events, Ning Zhu kept hangover remedies stocked at home. He hadn’t consumed much in the past two years, but he suspected there might still be one or two boxes left in the medicine cabinet. Aunt Lin, aside from cleaning, rarely touched his belongings. Even when discarding expired medications, she would always inform Ning Zhu first.

Ning Zhu rummaged through the cabinet and actually found a box.

This stuff worked better before drinking than after. Still, better than nothing. He glanced at the label, saw the expiration date was still months away, and decided to pop two pills into Dou Changxiao’s mouth.

Weekend traffic was gridlocked. Old Zhao drove in stop-and-go traffic, stretching the twenty-minute trip to nearly an hour. Dou Changxiao, already drunk, grew even more dizzy from the jostling ride. Now sitting on the living room sofa, he seemed unusually still. When Ning Zhu offered him the pills, he accepted them without resistance and swallowed them with water.

Dou Changxiao’s subconscious trust in Ning Zhu was downright bizarre—he wouldn’t give out his address, yet didn’t worry about the other man robbing or killing him…

Watching him swallow so readily, Ning Zhu propped his face in his hands beside him, at a loss for what to say.

When he first interacted with Dou Changxiao, he’d assumed the man was sharp and wary. That impression had now been completely overturned.

…If a crook beckoned him with a finger, this kid might just hand over his underwear.

Watching him finish, Ning Zhu stood to put the remaining medicine away.

As he stowed them in the cabinet, his gaze lingered on the two suppressant vials at the front. He paused.

Having lived with his gland for over twenty years, Ning Zhu understood its quirks quite well. He sensed he’d need the suppressants in that cabinet within the next couple of days.

Through the outer packaging of the suppressant, Ning Zhu pinched the seal cap of the syringe.

He glanced again at Dou Changxiao nearby, and the scales in his mind tilted subtly toward Dou Changxiao.

He couldn’t help but feel like he was losing his mind. A potent, natural, side-effect-free cure sat right there, yet he was choosing to ignore it. Instead, he was about to inject himself with that body-damaging suppressant—and the damn thing hurt like hell when injected!

Noticing his gaze, Dou Changxiao turned his head to look at him.

Ning Zhu tossed the suppressant aside, closed the cabinet door, walked over, and sat down on the sofa, choosing a spot slightly farther from Dou Changxiao.

It was a precious holiday. He’d spent the morning making a pointless appearance in front of that idiot Ren Shaokun, only to feel sick to his stomach after rubbing him the wrong way. He couldn’t just waste the rest of his day off.

The living room TV had a projection feature. He selected an older Western to play as background noise. The film’s pace was relatively slow, its structure simple—even if his mind wandered occasionally, he could easily pick up the thread again.

Halfway through, the film cut to a long shot with only ambient sound, the score vast and distant. Ning Zhu noticed the person beside him hadn’t made a sound in a while. Glancing over, he saw Dou Changxiao had tilted his head against the sofa pillow and fallen asleep.

Ning Zhu turned the volume down a notch. After the film ended, he didn’t turn off the projector but switched to a thriller instead.

Unnoticed, dusk had fallen outside. Aunt Lin passed through the living room on her way home from work and whispered, “Young Master Ning, I tidied up the guest room and made the bed. You should have this gentleman you brought home… go upstairs to sleep.”

Ning Zhu: “…Didn’t I say there’s no need to trouble yourself? He’ll leave once he wakes up.”

Aunt Lin nodded cheerfully.

Ning Zhu felt she’d imagined all sorts of things, yet Aunt Lin said nothing, leaving him no room to protest.

Aunt Lin closed the door softly behind her.

Ning Zhu watched her leave, then turned back just as the female desiccated corpse sitting with its back to the camera on the screen turned around.

The camera zoomed in precisely on the corpse’s face, startling Ning Zhu so much he shuddered.

After stiffening for a moment, he glanced at Dou Changxiao sleeping soundly beside him. Only then did his body gradually relax.

He found this feeling of having someone watch TV with him rather pleasant. Even if the other person was just sleeping quietly in a corner, it made boring shows less tedious… and gave him the courage to watch horror films he’d normally avoid.

He wondered if having a pet might produce a similar effect.

But Ning Zhu worried he might outlive any pet he acquired. This concern always quashed his thoughts of getting one, so he never took action.

Ning Zhu suspected Dou Changxiao had drunk counterfeit liquor. After the second movie ended, the other hadn’t woken up yet.

Outside, night deepened. It was mid-autumn, and the weather had turned cool. Come evening, the living room temperature began to drop.

Ning Zhu leaned over and nudged Dou Changxiao, but he still didn’t respond.

He cupped his hand around his mouth and shouted into the other’s ear: “—Hey!”

Dou Changxiao’s eyelashes fluttered twice before reluctantly opening.

Ning Zhu squatted down to look at him, lowering his voice: “Hey, sobered up? You should be leaving.”

Dou Changxiao remained silent.

The living room lights were off, and only the faint glow from the projection screen was flickering. It reflected in Dou Changxiao’s eyes, his pupils gleaming with an obsidian-like sheen. He looked cold, yet paradoxically, a hint of softness lingered.

He stared straight ahead at the culprit who had woken him, his brow slightly furrowed. His gaze remained fixed, neither shifting toward the illuminated projection screen nor wandering to any other corner of the living room. He simply stared at Ning Zhu’s face, shrouded in darkness.

Ning Zhu attempted to meet his gaze with a threatening glare, but soon found himself uncomfortable under the intense stare and looked away. He shifted his eyes from Dou Changxiao’s face for a few seconds, suppressing the inexplicable awkwardness rising in his chest.

Avoiding Dou Changxiao’s gaze, Ning Zhu frowned skeptically. “You little brat… you’re not trying to pull a scam on me, are you?”

Dou Changxiao didn’t reek of alcohol. Earlier that afternoon in Old Zhao’s car, the enclosed space had only allowed Ning Zhu to catch faint whiffs of alcohol.

Receiving no response to his question, Ning Zhu resignedly slumped his shoulders and went upstairs to fetch a large, thick blanket.

Not letting this kid sleep in the guest room was Ning Zhu’s absolute bottom line.

Ning Zhu was now extremely sensitive to the word “harassment.” He certainly didn’t want Dou Changxiao waking up tomorrow morning and misunderstanding what he’d done to him.

He tossed the blanket over Dou Changxiao, unconcerned whether the other would remember it upon waking. “You’re the one who insisted on staying here,” he declared, speaking for himself. “Once you sober up, don’t twist the truth and falsely accuse me.”

Dou Changxiao hadn’t heard a word he said, clutching the blanket tightly.

“…It doesn’t matter if you twist the truth.” Ning Zhu smiled in good humor, seizing the moment to pinch Dou Changxiao’s cheek. “This time, I have evidence.”

Dou Changxiao tilted his head slightly and wrenched free.

Ning Zhu withdrew his hand, straightened up, and retreated to the study for two minutes. When he emerged, he held a miniature silver USB drive.

He returned to the living room, fetched paper and pen, and scribbled a note: [Leave upon waking. Exit via the right door.]

Signed: Ning 🙂

Ning Zhu placed both items on the living room coffee table, right within Dou Changxiao’s reach.

He then left the projection screen on as a nightlight for him before heading upstairs to his bedroom to wash up and sleep.