Reservoir Dogs chapter 109
Change
Xiao Zhou’s case was tried in the high court in November. After the media hype, the courtroom was packed, and reporters with cameras and microphones crowded outside the courtroom, all waiting to get the first news.
After a whole day of hearings, the provincial high court, following the trial supervision procedure, made a new ruling on Xiao Zhou’s intentional homicide case. Although the previous judgment was overturned, due to the inability to definitively determine the cause of death, it was ultimately dealt with in a compensatory manner, reducing the original ten-year sentence to five years.
The compensatory judgment essentially serves as a special form of acquittal, with a sentence corresponding to the time already served, avoiding issues with public legal departments and potential state compensation claims.
Xiao Zhou had already served five years and was now free, escaping the previous 13-year imprisonment. Since he had used the Clemency law for parole during the five-year term, this was also canceled.
After the verdict, a surgery date was scheduled for him. Seven days later, the surgery would restore his original identity, and the marks on his body would disappear due to the gland’s re-shrinking.
After the verdict, Xiao Zhou’s mother held him and wept tears of joy, and Xiao Ping also had red eyes.
They left the court with Lin Shen and were immediately surrounded by a large number of reporters. Lin Shen, in particular, was praised as a righteous lawyer who cleared the name of the innocent.
Xiao Zhou was the main character, the core figure of this grand drama, yet he had no intention of saying much.
After his release, he appeared dazed and numb, as if everything had nothing to do with him.
Leaving the court, he began to think about Jiang Chengyuan’s safety.
He knew very well that all of this was arranged by Jiang Chengyuan. He was free now, but Jiang Chengyuan, who had once tried his best to keep him, had now let him go. He didn’t understand why.
Jiang Chengyuan had fulfilled his previous promise and gave him a grand gift before his birthday. Although this gift meant that the previously unbreakable bond between him and Jiang Chengyuan was severed, making them once again unrelated individuals.
Even with such a huge price, Xiao Zhou had to admit his inner joy and longing. This joy of regained freedom, like a wave, almost drowned him, making him selfishly continue to avoid facing the sacrifices Jiang Chengyuan made and the unpredictable situation they were in now.
This joy was so heavy that he couldn’t bring himself to rejoice, almost choking him when faced with it. He didn’t know how to make amends.
Xiao Zhou fidgeted with the ring on his hand, the hard edges of the ruby bringing him a fleeting sense of reality.
As the day of the surgery approached, he became increasingly anxious. He wanted to have the surgery but felt that doing so would be a betrayal.
He could either be a bit more selfish and enjoy Jiang Chengyuan’s sacrifices with a clear conscience, or he could love Jiang Chengyuan a bit more, love him enough to ignore the opportunity before him and willingly become a dependent for life.
Unfortunately, he had none of these extremes, lost and helpless, wandering in between. Insomnia and anxiety tortured him to exhaustion, leaving him neither human nor ghost.
As time went by, he still couldn’t make a decision. He chose to do nothing, like a turtle pulling its head in, waiting for the opportunity to pass, which was also a way.
When the time passed, he reappeared. A group of people asked him what had happened, and Xiao Zhou avoided the question, saying he had lost track of time.
A few days later, Ji Yang found him and immediately asked why he hadn’t gone for the surgery.
Xiao Zhou was silent, quietly tending to a pot of flowers on the balcony, bright-colored cosmos.
He had previously wanted to see Jiang Chengyuan, but Ji Yang wouldn’t let him, almost treating him badly. Now, seeing Ji Yang, he was filled with pent-up anger. Uncontrollably, he plucked a petal, then regretted it and felt even more anger towards Ji Yang.
Ji Yang saw him sulking and sat down heavily on a chair, saying, “I’ve rescheduled the surgery for you. Hurry up and get it done.”
Xiao Zhou frowned, “You don’t need to worry about it.”
Ji Yang sneered coldly, “Do you think I want to worry about your affairs? You’d better handle your matters quickly so I can continue with mine. Both of you are stubborn. I can’t handle one, and now I have to deal with both sides?” After finishing, he left without caring whether Xiao Zhou understood or not, slamming the door behind him.
Xiao Zhou straightened up, dumbfounded for a while before he understood Ji Yang’s meaning.
When he entered the hospital, he fell asleep under the effect of anesthesia, and upon waking, he could feel the changes in his body.
He stayed there for another month before coming out, and the discomfort caused by the foreign object that had tortured him day and night was gone, replaced by a slight sense of unfamiliarity.
Sun Xu waved to him from the steps below. Xiao Zhou found it a bit strange, but still walked over and got into the black car. As soon as the door opened, he froze.
Sitting in the back seat was a familiar person, always in a well-fitted three-piece suit, with impeccably neat black hair, sharp eyebrows, deep-set eyes, a chiseled jawline, and pale skin.
Jiang Chengyuan leaned back casually, glanced at him, extended his hand, and a smile curved his lips.
Xiao Zhou’s heart pounded wildly, and he instinctively grasped the hand.
Jiang Chengyuan pulled him with force, making him sit on his lap, and pinched his chin. “What’s wrong? Are you so shocked to see me?”
Xiao Zhou stared blankly for a moment before lunging forward, hugging Jiang Chengyuan’s neck tightly, tears streaming down and landing on Jiang Chengyuan’s shoulder and neck. “Why didn’t you ask for my opinion before doing all this? Why didn’t you let me see you? Why did you make decisions on your own?!” He trembled as he spoke, his back rising and falling as if he could barely breathe.
Jiang Chengyuan couldn’t help but feel heartbroken. He wrapped one arm around Xiao Zhou’s waist and patted his back with the other. “Alright, I’m back now, aren’t I?”
“Do you know how worried I was?” Xiao Zhou’s voice was muffled in the soft fabric of the suit jacket, ruining the high-end custom-made suit completely.
Jiang Chengyuan kissed him. “I know, I know you love me the most.”
Xiao Zhou blushed. “Only a ghost would love you.” He rested silently on Jiang Chengyuan for a long time until he gradually calmed down.
Jiang Chengyuan held him with one arm, patting his back like comforting a child.
Then he told Sun Xu to drive. The vehicle started moving. Xiao Zhou leaned quietly against Jiang Chengyuan, hugging him tightly from thigh to chest.
Xiao Zhou finally felt at peace. He closed his eyes, completely exhausted after the outburst, with no extra energy left.
His nose brushed against Jiang Chengyuan’s neck, and he smelled a familiar yet slightly different scent. Unconsciously, he sniffed at his neck. “Why do you smell different?”
Jiang Chengyuan’s body heated up under his touch. He pressed his face into Xiao Zhou’s hair, glancing at Xiao Zhou’s now shrunken gland.
He touched it with his fingers. What was once a swollen, tender pink had turned into an ugly scar. An alpha scent surged forth, sharp and overwhelming, like a sword, strong and irresistible.
Jiang Chengyuan was somewhat astonished, cold sweat seeping from his forehead. Instinctively repulsed, he hugged the person in his arms tighter, murmuring almost to himself, “It really has changed.”
Xiao Zhou felt dizzy, tasting the pheromones Jiang Chengyuan was releasing, as if a fire had been ignited inside him.
He dazedly kissed Jiang Chengyuan’s neck, his teeth instinctively grazing the skin, stopping near the fragile gland, remembering Jiang Chengyuan’s taboo. “Has the mark been removed?”
Jiang Chengyuan felt a strange sense of territorial invasion. Xiao Zhou’s pheromones used to seep in like water, silently enveloping without causing any discomfort. But now it was too sharp and cold, like inorganic icy rain penetrating like arrows.
It seemed like a dangerous signal. He took a deep breath. “Not yet.”
Xiao Zhou slightly raised himself, his thick black eyelashes fluttering with curiosity and excitement. “Can I touch it?”
Jiang Chengyuan’s expression stiffened. After a moment, he nodded, stroking Xiao Zhou’s back. “Don’t bite.”
Xiao Zhou obediently lowered his head to kiss the gland. He licked it with his tongue. Saliva coated the surface, making the gland swell and heat up. His lips gently sucked on it.
Jiang Chengyuan’s breathing became rapid. He lifted Xiao Zhou’s leg to straddle him, their sensitive areas touching, pressing him down, letting him ignite the fire within.
The air grew thick with tension and ambiguity. After a long time, Jiang Chengyuan slowly smiled. “Is it fun?”
Xiao Zhou finally stopped kissing, pressing closer. “Going through marking again would be very uncomfortable, right?”
Jiang Chengyuan closed his eyes, holding him. “I can skip it, just as a memento.”
“Then what about during your sensitive period?”
Jiang Chengyuan stroked his hair. “You can help me. You’ll find a way, won’t you?”
Xiao Zhou understood what he meant. Even if he had turned back into an Alpha, he was still his, and that would not change.
They passed by a supermarket. Jiang Chengyuan suddenly stopped the car, asking Sun Xu to help buy some things. A moment later, Sun Xu returned, face red, handing the items to the back seat.
Jiang Chengyuan took them with a straight face, while Xiao Zhou almost wanted to crawl under the seat, too embarrassed to look at Sun Xu.
Jiang Chengyuan had been released on bail and was not truly free. His case had not yet gone to trial and was still under investigation, restricting his movements. Apart from staying at home, he had nothing else to do.
That night the two ended up entangled in bed. Xiao Zhou was nervous, his body tense like an untouched virgin, rigid as cold iron. Even with lube, he couldn’t accommodate.
Jiang Chengyuan impatiently touched his sweaty back, trying to get him to relax, but Xiao Zhou lay there like a dead fish, his forehead drenched in cold sweat, breathing in and out continuously without being able to calm down.
In the air, the scents of two alphas were battling, neither willing to yield.
Xiao Zhou was submissive, but the pheromones had a will of their own, trying to overpower the other. The stronger Jiang Chengyuan’s pheromones became, the more discomfort Xiao Zhou felt. The cold, sharp rain scent intertwined with the intense, strong scent of alcohol, like water splashing into boiling oil, sizzling and splattering, burning the very air. The desire to dominate and conquer had surpassed the mere release of lust, becoming a struggle for control.
Jiang Chengyuan, eyes red with anger, bent down to bite Xiao Zhou’s shriveled neck gland, but his usual tricks didn’t work. He bit down hard enough to draw blood but got no reaction.
Xiao Zhou arched his body, instinctively raising his neck, the gland hurting intensely, his hands clutching the bedsheets, shoulders and neck forming a beautiful, trembling line.
Eventually, Jiang Chengyuan lost patience, and the wound was torn open again. Xiao Zhou cried out in pain, clawing two bloody marks on Jiang Chengyuan’s back.
They stayed in that position without moving, their first time together after this change feeling more like a battle, all blood and wounds.
Jiang Chengyuan exhaled, finally laughing helplessly as his earlier arousal dissipated. He decided not to rush it.
He pulled out, lifting Xiao Zhou up. Xiao Zhou’s head drooped, his body covered in sticky sweat, face pale, and his body twitching from the pain.
Jiang Chengyuan felt a deep ache in his heart. As he held Xiao Zhou, he thought, forget it, if I can’t touch him, then I can’t. It’s better to let him recover first.