Pei Sulin · Chat

Dusk hung heavily over the Yu family mansion as the crystal wall sconces along the veranda lit up one by one, their warm amber glow spilling across the polished marble floor of the corridor and casting elongated shadows of the potted plants. Pei Sulin stood quietly outside the bedroom door, his dark butler's vest neatly pressed and the sleeves of his white shirt neatly rolled up to mid-forearm. His dark hair, neatly styled in a side part, fully revealed the deep contours of his brow bone, while the worn, vintage watch on his left wrist gave off a faint, cool luster. His shoulders and back were held ramrod straight, devoid of any visible emotion, but only he knew that he had already been listening to the sounds of smashing inside the room for quite some time. *Clatter—* A glass smashed onto the thick cashmere carpet, the muffled sound of shattering passing through the door panel, immediately followed by the boy's sharp, impatient voice barking outward without the slightest courtesy. "Pei Sulin! What are you standing out there for like a statue? You heard the noise and you still haven't come in?" Pei Sulin pressed his thin lips together slightly, raised his hand, and knocked twice on the door. Only after receiving a gruff "Come in" from inside did he grasp the handle and push the door open. The bedroom was in utter disarray, with a glass knocked over on the coffee table and shattered knick-knacks scattered across the carpet. Yu Yuheng was slouched sideways in a spacious velvet sofa. The eighteen-year-old boy had arrogant features and his chin tilted high, radiating the haughtiness indulged into him by the entire family. As the only Omega son of the Yu family, someone was always there to clean up his messes, and acting without restraint had long become second nature. The finely crafted custom gland collar around his nape firmly clamped down on his scent gland, tightly sealing the Omega scent beneath his skin. Seeing Pei Sulin slowly approach, Yu Yuheng didn't even bother to sit up straight. He lazily lifted his eyelids to shoot him a glance, his tone dripping with condescension. "I went out with friends just now, and the gland collar came loose somehow. It's digging into my neck and feels awful." He tilted his head slightly, turning his vulnerable nape directly toward the butler with complete entitlement. "Come here and fasten it back on tight." Pei Sulin stopped beside the sofa, looking down at the neck encased by the clasp. A faint glint of coldness flitted through his eyes. The boy before him—squandering fortunes at will, arrogant and insolent—was the child of the very couple who had ruined his entire family. Enduring ten years of humiliation, biding his time as he climbed from a bottom-tier drudge to the head butler of the Yu family, he had plotted every step to slowly corrode the Yu family's wealth and power. In this game of vengeance, every single move had been calculated to perfection. "Young Master," Pei Sulin spoke, his voice low and cool, the restrained tone of an Alpha. "Before going out, I reminded you that the clasp of the gland collar needed checking. You paid it no mind." Hearing this, Yu Yuheng instantly knitted his brows and whipped his head around to glare at him, his almond eyes brimming with displeasure. "Who are you to lecture me?" The boy raised his voice, sharp as needles. "You're just a butler—stick to your own duties and that's enough. My things and my body are none of your business. Hurry up and fix it; don't make me late for heading out again." From the bottom of his heart, he looked down on Pei Sulin. Even though the man was extraordinarily capable and kept the vast estate in immaculate order, in Yu Yuheng's eyes, he was ultimately nothing more than a servant at his family's beck and call. Pei Sulin did not reply further; endless arguing was pointless. He knelt down on one knee beside the sofa to easily reach the boy's nape. As his well-defined fingers slowly reached out, just as his fingertips were about to touch the metal clasp, flashes of his ruined family from years ago surged through his mind, his chest weighed down by heavy hatred. With a deft touch of his fingertips, he flicked open the collar's lock. The moment the restraint was released, a warm, thick scent immediately spilled out, the sweet, soft aroma of cocoa milk gently dispersing through the air. In stark contrast to Yu Yuheng's sharp, capricious personality, this pheromone was soft and warm, inexplicably drawing one in. Pei Sulin's fingers froze mid-air. He had thought his heart was long dead to everything regarding the Yu family, yet the moment this fragrance drifted into his nose and mouth, a hardened place deep within him trembled uncontrollably. Unaware that his pheromones had leaked, Yu Yuheng felt only a sense of relief at the nape of his neck and impatiently urged, "What are you spacing out for? Hurry up. If it stays loose for too long and someone else smells it, can you afford the consequences?" The boy only knew that the gland collar couldn't be removed lightly, but remained utterly oblivious to what his own pheromones smelled like. Pei Sulin suppressed the turmoil surging in his heart, burying all those sudden tremors deep inside. He lowered his long eyelashes, concealing the tangled mix of hatred, restraint, and an inexplicable disturbance in his eyes as his fingertips took hold of the cold clasp once more. "Understood, Young Master." Not a hint of anomaly could be heard in his voice, though his cadence had slowed slightly. "It will be done shortly." The sweet, warm aroma of cocoa milk still lingered all around. He realized with absolute clarity that from this moment on, an unpredictable variable had entered his meticulously plotted revenge. <choice_group> <choice id="1">Yu Yuheng notices his movement is half a beat slower</choice> <choice id="2">Pei Sulin fastens the collar, steps back, and says something unnecessary</choice> <choice id="3">Someone knocks on the door outside; one of Yu Yuheng's friends has arrived</choice> </choice_group>