Evil Love Appears chapter 41

“Fu Xiaoyu, you were drugged by Zhuo Yuan, that’s why you suddenly went into heat.”

Up to this point, all the evidence had pointed to this answer, so strictly speaking, it was a question that didn’t need to be raised again.

But Fu Xiaoyu still answered.

He had lost control only for a moment earlier, but after steadying himself by holding onto the table, he was evidently working hard to maintain his usual composure.

“Yes,” he raised his head, gazing directly at Xu Jiale, and softly said, “But…”

His voice stopped suddenly, and his expression seemed hesitant.

Fu Xiaoyu said yes, but what troubled Xu Jiale more than the “yes” was the “but.” But what?

Hidden in that “but” were countless possibilities. But now was clearly not the time to dig into every detail.

“I’m sorry…”

Wen Ke’s voice was utterly hoarse. He had been haggard to the extreme since his arrival at B university in the morning. Now his lips had lost all color. He broke free from Xu Jiale’s support but had to lean against the boxes, slowly slumping to the ground.

“It’s my fault, Xiaoyu.”

This omega, who had always been resilient, seemed to have completely broken down, using his head to hit the boxes repeatedly.

“Sorry, it’s my fault. Zhuo Yuan’s target was originally me. It should have been me…”

He continued to repeat these fragmented murmurs, like someone on the brink of exhaustion.

Xu Jiale’s heart ached as he watched him. It was only then that he realized how out of control he had been a moment ago. He quickly suppressed the violent mint pheromones that had surged out of him.

“Wen Ke!” Fu Xiaoyu had already knelt down beside Wen Ke, holding onto his shoulders tightly. “What are you thinking? Look at me!”

“I’m sorry—”

Wen Ke couldn’t control himself any longer. He trembled and hugged Fu Xiaoyu tightly.

Fu Xiaoyu’s body stiffened for a moment. His personality was not particularly affectionate, and he had rarely been close to Fu Jing, not to mention people with the same omega sex as him. In fact, the last time he had been held like this was when Wang Xiaoshan, after breaking up with his Alpha, had worked for three consecutive days and drank too much, ending up hugging him and crying. That had infuriated Fu Xiaoyu, but he had reluctantly given him a week off.

He took a deep breath, then reached around and held Wen Ke in return.

“Wen Ke, you can’t think like this. You’re not the one doing bad things.”

Wen Ke shook his head, miserably saying, “It’s me. I should have known… Zhuo Yuan can be a wicked person, but I damn well preferred to live like an ostrich. Xiaoyu, Han Jiangque was right. He knows Zhuo Yuan’s true nature better than I do. I’ve been deceiving myself, thinking I could start a new life without looking back just because I left Zhuo Yuan. I’m a complete idiot. And I got you involved in this…”

He couldn’t help but choke up as he continued, “You’re an omega, and I know how crucial the heat period is and your first time happened like this…”

Before, when they were at the hospital and Han Jiangque unintentionally blurted it out, Fu Xiaoyu had guessed that all the people present knew he was still a virgin. Wen Ke had only just learned about it then, while Han Jiangque had known for a while. 

Although it was a bit embarrassing, seeing how red Wen Ke’s eyes had become, Fu Xiaoyu suddenly felt sad..

He remembered Han Jiangque once told him: Wen Ke’s first heat had been temporarily marked by Zhuo Yuan through coercion and abduction. Back then, Wen Ke had just undergone differentiation, and he had the weakest pheromones, so no alpha with even a little empathy would have been so eager to enter his reproductive tract.

Although Fu Xiaoyu had heard a lot from Han Jiangque about the hardships Wen Ke had endured, he had never really empathized with him before. But in this moment, he saw Wen Ke’s heartache as he held him tightly.

He had finally realized that there was an emotional connection between omegas that alphas couldn’t comprehend.

Since the end of his heat, he had rarely thought about the seriousness of the situation. Perhaps those days of happiness had dulled his vigilance. It wasn’t until this moment, when he saw Wen Ke so terrified while holding him, that he began to feel a bit frightened himself.

Yes, he was an A-level omega, and he knew how many alphas would lust after him due to their physiological instincts. Once he entered a heat state, his glands would swell in response, and in that situation, any alpha could easily enter his reproductive tract, biting his protruding glands and giving him a permanent mark.

For any omega, it was a disaster.

Even though he was the CEO of IM and an A-level omega, he was still only a step away from becoming the same kind of victim Wen Ke had been. In this moment, Fu Xiaoyu suddenly regretted his haste on New Year’s night when he had said to Han Jiangque, “I don’t really care about what Wen Ke went through. It’s all in the past.”

He had been too naive at the time.

Some injuries never truly faded away.

He was just fortunate to have found Xu Jiale.

Xu Jiale had taken care of him in various ways during his first time.

“Wen Ke!”

Fu Xiaoyu hugged Wen Ke even tighter. “What’s already happened is something none of us can change, but you shouldn’t let your imagination wear you down. I’m fine; I’ve been doing well this heat, and I haven’t been accidentally marked.”

His voice was gentle, but each word was firm and composed. He continued, “Wen Ke, you’re not to blame for what happened to me. The one who did wrong is Zhuo Yuan, and only Zhuo Yuan. You can’t take the blame for his actions. That’s irresponsible.”

Fu Xiaoyu believed he wasn’t merely comforting Wen Ke; he genuinely saw things in black and white.

Just like how he disliked when Wang Xiaoshan pushed the responsibility of ordering the wrong coffee onto someone else and didn’t enjoy Wen Ke taking on the blame for the evil deeds of others.

His tone became stern as he delivered the second sentence.

But it was precisely this sternness that made Wen Ke lift his head, as if he was regaining some of his composure from the previous slump.

Fu Xiaoyu and Wen Ke embraced each other, while Xu Jiale had been squatting on the side, watching them all this time.

He was, after all, an alpha, and even if he was worried, it wasn’t convenient for him to reach out and hold Wen Ke. With Fu Xiaoyu covering Wen Ke’s back, he couldn’t even find a suitable spot to pat his back, so he awkwardly patted Wen Ke’s head.

“Silly Wen Ke,” he sighed inwardly.

Self-blame was a pain that only belonged to the good-hearted, which was quite ironic.

At a time like this, Fu Xiaoyu’s strictness provided an odd sense of security. He wouldn’t allow anyone to wallow needlessly in their emotions. He was like a resilient ivy that instinctively climbed upward.

It was, in fact, a rare form of resilience.

Suddenly, Xu Jiale became a little absent-minded.

…

“Wen Ke, you need to pull yourself together.”

After quite some time, Xu Jiale spoke softly.

Wen Ke nodded in silence, then nodded again.

He slowly stood up while leaning against a cardboard box, holding Fu Xiaoyu’s shoulder. His eyes were somewhat red as he spoke slowly and deliberately, “Xiaoyu, please believe me. I won’t let you get hurt for nothing.”

“Alright,” Fu Xiaoyu replied simply.

“Wen Ke,” Xu Jiale said, “First, find Han Jiangque. Once he’s back, we can deal with Zhuo Yuan’s matters together.”

His tone was calm in front of Wen Ke. He knew that Wen Ke was already emotionally hurt due to their argument with Han Jiangque. Wen Ke carried an overwhelming sense of guilt, and any outward anger from him would only add to Wen Ke’s burden.

From the moment he realized his pheromones were out of control until now, he had kept himself in check, appearing exceptionally calm.

However, as they parted ways from Wen Ke, he found himself increasingly unable to suppress the chaos of his emotions.

Damn Zhuo Yuan.

“Wait for me in the car,” Xu Jiale said to Fu Xiaoyu. He then made a sharp turn into a small alleyway and, after opening the car door, stepped out.

Standing in front of the grimy wall, with his back to the Tesla, he lit a cigarette and, as he smoked, made a phone call.

“Hello, it’s me,” he said in a low voice. “Find out what Zhuo Yuan has been up to in City B.”

“Don’t worry about what my dad thinks. Just tell him I asked you to do it. He can’t control me.”

Even after hanging up the phone, the residual anger continued to flow within Xu Jiale. He had to stand in that dirty alleyway, finishing the cigarette slowly.

Zhuo Yuan should definitely pay for what he had done.

But the chaotic emotions he felt at the moment couldn’t be appeased just by dealing with Zhuo Yuan.

Does Fu Xiaoyu like him?

Does he like him as a person, or does he like something else?

Had these questions ever crossed his mind before today?

Yes.

Sometimes, when pondering these questions in his mind, it was like playing a game of hide and seek that the other person didn’t know about. He was merely speculating, not actively seeking specific answers. The process of contemplation was enjoyable.

Okay, it was more than enjoyable; he even admitted to being somewhat smug.

Regardless, being approached by an omega as clumsy and subtly intent as Fu Xiaoyu, he couldn’t deny that it was satisfying. He had a sense of pride because, no matter what, he had genuinely pleased Fu Xiaoyu, who was usually so proud.

If he didn’t acknowledge this slight satisfaction, it wouldn’t be right.

Just yesterday, he had told Fu Xiaoyu, “Until now, I still don’t understand why you chose me back then. But I hope it wasn’t because you liked me.”

He had expressed his indifference, as he didn’t even care about the underlying reasons.

Indifference came from standing at a high and safe position.

He occupied this position because he always thought – he helped Fu Xiaoyu.

He was the giver, the helper who reached out a hand. He had nothing to reproach himself for. Even if he reached the pinnacle of pleasure while helping, he could still withdraw.

But something changed, and now Xu Jiale suddenly felt…

He could no longer stand in such a high and safe position purely and easily.

This time, he had to seriously start to investigate why Fu Xiaoyu chose him.

If, if, hypothetically, Fu Xiaoyu chose him purely because of the influence of the drug and was satisfied due to that reason.

Then what was it about Xu Jiale that prompted Fu Xiaoyu to continue to approach him after everything had ended?

The cigarette was finished, and Xu Jiale had to sit back in the car with a serious face.

“Are you okay?” Fu Xiaoyu couldn’t help but ask.

Xu Jiale turned his head. Fu Xiaoyu, dressed in a soft white sweater that was different from his usual attire at the office, had a small face. Because he hadn’t rested well, his pale complexion looked exhausted.

Xu Jiale suddenly got distracted. He thought about the early morning he left Fu Xiaoyu at Junya apartments after his hospital discharge, and he used to think he had done the right and cool thing by walking away.

But at this moment, his heart suddenly ached.

It was an emotion that even he couldn’t understand or interpret.

“Fu Xiaoyu,” he suddenly spoke up, “I understand. The first time is priceless, and even Wen Ke is sympathetic about that.”

Damn it, Xu Jiale.

He really wanted to shut up and stop sounding like a preachy parent.

But he still spoke softly, “But… It’s not the kind of priceless that others see as expensive, like diamonds or watches. It’s the kind of priceless that you will always treasure in your heart. You shouldn’t think that it loses value just because it’s not the first time anymore… If in the future, someone says something like that or implies it, don’t listen, okay?”

He said these words with difficulty, and his hand on the steering wheel even had veins popping out, almost as if he was speaking with a clenched jaw.

From his perspective, he knew that saying this might seem like a case of “easy for him to say,” but with every word he spoke, he felt a bit of heartache.

It was as if he had already started to fear in advance. He was worried that this omega might encounter an alpha who wasn’t gentle or kind enough and that the world might look at him with vulgar and unkind eyes.

“Xu Jiale.”

Fu Xiaoyu turned to look at him, and in that moment of silence in the quiet car, they could almost hear each other’s breathing.

He hesitated for several seconds and finally said softly, “The time I spent with you a few days ago… is the kind of priceless I will forever treasure in my heart.”