Omega Manual chapter 25

 Sensitivity

In reality, besides treating him, Irey didn’t have any other option.

Shelley lost his wallet, along with all his cash, so Irey had been footing the bill for all their expenses these past few days.

The first time, Shelley felt a bit embarrassed, murmuring that he would reimburse Irey double when his card arrived. The second time, he didn’t feel any psychological burden, and now it was almost as if he took it for granted. He would stand in front of a stall, buy a crab roe bun, then turn around and beckon to Irey, “Halton, pay.”

So Irey had no choice but to act like a lackey following a young master, trotting over to pay.

The stall owner was a middle-aged woman in her fifties. As she took the money, she smiled and said, “Wait a moment, it’ll be ready soon.”

Soon enough, a fragrant and piping hot crab roe bun was handed to Shelley. Shelley’s hands were burned, so he shook them twice, blew on them for a while, then cautiously took a bite.

Shelley actually had a small mouth, something only noticeable when he ate. What others could finish in one bite, he had to divide into two or three. At first, Irey thought it was some aristocratic reserve, but later he realized that Shelley truly couldn’t eat much at once.

Usually, he kept his lips pursed, with a clearly defined lip line, but in reality, his lips were thicker, softer, and more prone to swelling than ordinary people’s. Eating something spicy, or even a slight kiss, would make them turn a deep red, contrasting sharply with his fair skin.

Irey forced himself to look away from Shelley’s lips, focusing on the crab roe bun in his hands.

“Although it’s called a crab roe bun, there’s actually no crab roe inside,” Irey whispered. “It’s actually—”

“Stop!” Shelley looked at Irey angrily. “I don’t want to know.” 

Irey chuckled.

Shelley quickly finished the crab roe bun without any crab roe, the hot and crispy texture, coupled with the delicious filling, made him sweat on his forehead.

At times like this, Irey felt like his boss was actually quite childish.

No matter how serious and stern he appeared on the surface, he would still be drawn to things he hadn’t seen before. He would squint with enjoyment when eating delicious food and show curiosity when seeing something new.

Perhaps it was related to his upbringing since childhood, even in such an era, he still retained a childlike innocence and purity.

This was something Irey had stopped hoping for since he was a few years old.

“It’s so hot,” Shelley complained, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “How can it be this hot in the middle of winter?”

“It’s all from people’s body heat,” Irey said. “Turning the place into a furnace.”

“Don’t say that, it sounds disgusting,” Shelley frowned.

“Do you want to buy some ice?” Irey pointed to a cart ahead. “They don’t have fancy ice cream here, but they have shaved ice.”

“What kind of water is it made of?” Shelley looked wary. “Won’t it give us diarrhea if we eat it?”

“If you were going to have diarrhea, you would’ve had it by now,” Irey said, pulling Shelley’s hand without hesitation, heading towards the shaved ice cart.

Irey’s palm was very hot, even in the crowded crowd, it still warmed Shelley’s heart.

Leading him through the crowd, past the drunken old men, past the dirty shops, dodging splashes of beer, they finally arrived at the shaved ice cart.

“What flavor do you want?” Irey asked him.

“Blueberry,” Shelley glanced over the options on the cart.

“A bowl of blueberry shaved ice,” Irey turned to the vendor. “How much?”

“Three bucks,” the vendor said.

“Can you do two?” Irey pulled out two coins and haggled with the vendor. “I don’t have that much change on me.”

The stall owner furrowed his brow. “Brother, today is the Beer Festival, and I’m already selling at cost. Can’t do it, can’t do it.”

“Then forget it.” Irey put the coins back in his pocket, about to leave. “With two bucks, I can buy two pancakes and three skewers of grilled vegetables from next door. I’ll eat something else.”

“Hey hey!” Irey hadn’t left yet, and the stall owner was anxious. “Come back, come back, two bucks it is, just take it!”

Irey smirked and raised an eyebrow, placing two steel coins on the stall in exchange for a bowl filled with blueberry shaved ice.

Shelley took the shaved ice from his hand, unable to suppress a smile at his triumphant expression.

“To be honest, how many steel coins do you really have in your pocket?” Shelley asked him in a lowered voice.

“About a dozen or twenty,” Irey also lowered his voice. “All’s fair in love and war, and it never fails.”

Shelley laughed so hard that his whole shoulder shook, finally managing to scoop up a spoonful of crushed ice and put it in his mouth.

The ordinary ice chips mixed with inferior quality dyed syrup, apart from being sweet, didn’t taste like blueberries at all. However, as the ice melted coolly in his mouth, it was refreshing.

“Do you want some?” He raised the paper bowl, scooping out a spoonful of ice chips.

Irey lowered his head and took a bite off Shelley’s wrist.

“How is it?”

Irey frowned, his face wrinkling into a knot. “Too sweet.”

At this moment, there were fewer people than in the morning, and the surrounding space finally felt a bit more breathable. Pedestrians kept passing by from behind, and he and Irey were like two stones, pausing in the surging stream.

“Halton,” Shelley suddenly spoke.

“Yeah?” Irey’s hands were in his pockets, looking down at him.

“Thank you,” Shelley didn’t look up, but his voice was deep and sincere, each word carefully enunciated.

After saying this, he didn’t speak anymore, just focused on eating the bowl of shaved ice.

Irey silently watched him, feeling that the way he ate was really like a rabbit.

An innocent, clean, and pure rabbit without any sense of danger.

He didn’t know how many times it had been today, the feeling of restlessness surged up from the depths of his abdomen again, like a hungry beast rampaging in his body, about to break free from its iron chain restraints. Irey closed his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, suppressing this beast forcibly again, not knowing how many times he had done it.

Although this street was mixed with various smells, he could distinctly pick out the faint scent of flowers from Shelley’s body, like a small hook, tugging at the heavy darkness in his heart.

He took a deep breath, slowly exhaling the air from his lungs. Then, in the instant he opened his eyes, he was stunned.

A piece of white sleeve with two holes flashed past him, his memory struck as if by lightning.

“Eating ice in this season is indeed a bit too cold,” Shelley furrowed his brows, looking up. “Halton, why don’t you—”

Before Shelley could finish his sentence, Irey next to him suddenly rushed out like an arrow released from its string, his speed so fast that the people around couldn’t react in time.

“Halton!” Two seconds later, Shelley dropped the half-eaten shaved ice and chased after him.

Irey ran fast, but there was someone faster in front of him.

A young man, short and slender, was running out of the street as if flying. The speed indicated he was used to fleeing and familiar with the surroundings. Irey had caught up at his fastest, but there was always about half a meter between them.

“Stop!” Irey shouted loudly as he chased, “You damn thief—”

Being cursed like this only made the young man run faster. But Irey was even more incensed, sprinting with his long legs, trying to reach out and grab the edge of the youth’s clothes.

However, the next second, the youth, taking advantage of the terrain, made a sharp turn at a small alley, catching Irey off guard. He couldn’t turn in time and ended up several meters behind.

The youth disappeared into the complex alleys, and Irey hadn’t chased far before he vanished in the winding lanes.

“Halton!” Shelley panted as he caught up, running these few steps nearly out of breath, but Irey showed no sign of slowing down. As Shelley grabbed his arm, he still tried to continue forward.

“What’s going on?” Shelley pulled him forcefully. “Stop for a moment! Who is he? Why are you chasing him?”

“Thief! The thief who stole your wallet at the bar!” Irey raised his voice, panting, “He was sitting right next to you, it was this bastard who stole it!”

During Shelley’s daze, Irey pushed him forcefully. “Let go! I damn well have to catch this brat today!”

Shelley hadn’t expected Irey’s push to be so strong. He had no preparation at all and fell directly to the ground, his palms scratched against the ground leaving a trail of blood.

But Irey turned his head, intending to continue chasing. Shelley gritted his teeth as he climbed up from the ground, grabbing his arm.

“Halton!” Shelley roared, “He’s long gone, why chase after him? Get a grip!”

Irey looked back at Shelley, panting heavily. His eyes were bloodshot, the redness abnormal, sweat dripping from his forehead and his chest heaving up and down.

But more obvious than all these were his pheromones, thick and full of aggression, like a malfunctioning high-pressure valve that overflowed the entire alley in an instant.

“Halton…” Shelley’s Adam’s apple moved, trying to maintain the stability of the conversation, but the instinctive pressure still made his voice tremble slightly, “You’re not quite right.”

“I know,” Irey’s voice was hoarse, “Boss, you should stay away from me right now.”

Part of Shelley’s rationality was telling him that what he said was right. As an Omega, he shouldn’t approach an Alpha when he was most unstable.

But as a person, as Irey Halton’s boss, even with just a little observation, it was clear that he was in a bad state and needed help.

Shelley pursed his lips and made a choice within two seconds. He walked over, his arm slipping under Irey’s armpit, supporting his body with force, while his other hand wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“I’ll help you back, we can talk about whatever it is there,” Shelley said calmly. “You’re like a pheromone bomb here, everyone within a ten-mile radius can smell it. If other Omegas get too heated up prematurely, it’ll be a disaster…”

Shelley’s hair fell against Irey’s neck, and the faint floral scent became richer as they drew closer. Irey’s nose almost touched the soft golden strands, beneath which hid the hidden nape of an Omega, emitting an enticing scent gland less than an inch from his lips.

The old house wasn’t far from this alley, but Shelley felt like it was the longest walk of his life. The unstable pheromones of the Alpha continued to affect him, and by the time they reached the doorstep, the sweat on both of them was like being drenched in a downpour.

As the door closed behind them, Shelley finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright, you—”

Before he could finish his sentence, Irey suddenly grabbed his wrist and pressed him against the wall, lowering his head to kiss him.