Reservoir Dogs chapter 4
Atonement
Xiao Zhou hurriedly caught him.
Jiang Chengyuan’s head rested on Xiao Zhou’s shoulder, his eyes tightly closed, his eyelashes trembling slightly. Xiao Zhou felt the heat of his skin against his own, as if he were on fire.
With his weight completely on Xiao Zhou, and being half a head taller, Jiang Chengyuan would have easily crushed an ordinary Omega. Xiao Zhou glanced sideways; Jiang Chengyuan was in casual home clothes, his bangs falling down, softening his sharp daytime features. His facial features were handsome, with a high and straight nose, thick black eyebrows, long and slender eyes, and lips so thin that they slightly curled up when relaxed, giving him a gentle look that didn’t quite match this man’s tough aura. Xiao Zhou remembered him as cold and elite, but with closed eyes, he seemed less intimidating, more approachable.
Xiao Zhou tried to lift his hand and pushed him, asking, “What’s wrong with you?”
Jiang Chengyuan seemed to be in a daze, showing no response to his words, breathing heavily with lips parted, his body alarmingly hot.
Xiao Zhou touched his forehead and cheeks, feeling his intense heat. Jiang Chengyuan, already pale-skinned, now burned with an eerie crimson.
Sensing someone touching him, Jiang Chengyuan suddenly grasped Xiao Zhou. Despite his high fever, his palms were icy cold, creating a stark contrast.
Xiao Zhou tried to pull away, but Jiang Chengyuan held him firmly, burning yet surprisingly strong.
Concerned he might worsen, Xiao Zhou moved him towards the bed, then bent down to lift his legs onto it. Just as he was about to get up to fetch some water, he was pulled back and embraced.
As he leaned back, Xiao Zhou’s back collided with Jiang Chengyuan’s chest. In an instant, a sharp pain shot through his neck as it was bitten, the most sensitive spot invaded. Xiao Zhou cried out in pain, arching his back instinctively and elbowing backward. The first strike hit, and the person behind him groaned softly, but didn’t loosen his grip. Xiao Zhou continued to fight back, attempting to kick backward with his legs, but he missed.
A strong hand gripped his waist, lifting and turning their positions upside down. Before Xiao Zhou could react, he found himself face down on the bed, his chin hitting the edge of the bed frame, nearly biting his tongue.
Thrown off balance, he felt as if he were pressed by a scorching furnace against his back. His left hand was firmly clasped by another, stretched sideways with his arm straight, sinking into the messy bedding, completely unable to move. His right hand was twisted behind his back, the strain almost dislocating his shoulder, fingers tightly clenched and immobilized.
Sharp teeth sank into his neck, a brief pang of pain. Strands of hair tickled his face and skin.
With powerful alpha pheromones flooding the air, Xiao Zhou’s vision whitened, his mind dizzy, feeling sensations of pain, numbness, and itchiness spreading throughout his body. Even his fingertips felt powerless.
He struggled, but the person on top of him breathed heavily, overpowering him.
Gradually, a salty ocean scent permeated the air, mixed with a strong aroma of alcohol.
It was his first exposure to the pheromones, his body feeling feverish. Though his mind urged him to resist, his body seemed enamored and greedy, as if a long-standing emptiness had finally been filled.
His eyes glazed over, his body softened, lacking any resistance, eyes closed as he breathed softly against the sheets.
This seemed to alleviate the man’s urgency, as Xiao Zhou felt the person’s temperature decrease significantly, no longer scorching hot.
Actions became gentler, something wet softly licking at his wounds. Embarrassed, Xiao Zhou trembled, “Jiang Chengyuan, what are you doing?”
The man didn’t respond, just lightly sucking at the skin. Clothes piled up to his shoulders, hands clasped behind his back, fingers slowly massaging the tense muscles along his spine.
Knees pushed apart, pressing against his thighs, feeling the hardness.
But it was only pressing closely, no further action beyond the fabric.
Xiao Zhou’s scalp tingled, motionless, burying himself under the blanket, feeling like a dog gnawed on his back.
After some time, the hand restraining him finally loosened. Xiao Zhou’s arm remained twisted in an awkward position behind his back.
Jiang Chengyuan sat up, releasing Xiao Zhou, stepping aside. The warmth that had engulfed his body had faded, his eyes no longer red, but calm and cold.
Xiao Zhou stiffly sat up, head bowed, rubbing his stiffened arms. The bite mark on his neck still oozed blood, deeply imprinted with saliva, the skin swollen, strangely pale where it had been sucked.
Jiang Chengyuan stared at the mark for a moment, his expression shifting slightly, then wiped away the blood.
When his fingertips touched Xiao Zhou, he turned his head sharply, Jiang Chengyuan frowned, withdrawing his hand, “What were you just doing?”
Xiao Zhou’s gaze turned wary, glancing towards the trash can nearby.
Inside were discarded syringes and hormone injections.
Honesty prevailed, “Omega hormones, prescribed by the hospital, injected daily.”
Jiang Chengyuan frowned, glancing at them, seeming displeased, “Next time, do it when I’m not around.”
Xiao Zhou felt resentful. In just one day, Jiang Chengyuan seemed like a mad dog ready to go into heat at any moment. “What just happened?”
Jiang Chengyuan didn’t answer, his gaze cold and his face unfriendly, still regretting the loss of control just now.
Just now in the room, he suddenly smelled a strong pheromone, and because his body was in a sensitive period, too sensitive, despite taking suppressants, he instantly lost consciousness, completely controlled by instinct. He really hated this feeling of losing control. The reason he had chosen Xiao Zhou was because his scent was light enough that he could stay alert after smelling it. It provided comfort without being harmful.
He reached out and touched the patch on the back of his neck to make sure it was intact, then rolled out of bed. Xiao Zhou had hit him twice, the muscles twitching with dull pain each time.
Lifting his pajamas, he saw a bruise on his abdomen. The force had been considerable, aimed directly at his stomach without mercy.
If his brain hadn’t been excessively excited just now, numbing the pain, the initial impact might have incapacitated him. He was more of a pen and tongue guy, despite having a regular fitness routine and some amateur training, he couldn’t match the brutal strength cultivated in this prison.
Not only was Xiao Zhou deadly in intelligence, but his fighting skills were also formidable.
Xiao Zhou noticed the injuries and sullen expression on him, thinking he might be angry for being hit and hurriedly explained, “You came at me too suddenly, I was just defending myself.”
Xiao Zhou had injuries too, from earlier in the day and just now, more than what Jiang Chengyuan had. But his muscles were tense, scars faint, not as conspicuous as Jiang Chengyuan’s.
Listening to his explanation, Jiang Chengyuan nodded slightly, a mocking smile playing on his pale face. “Isn’t that what you said in court too?”
Xiao Zhou froze instantly, knowing Jiang Chengyuan was implying something. He felt embarrassed, as if his privacy had been exposed. “I didn’t mean to.”
Jiang Chengyuan said coldly, “Of course you didn’t mean to, that’s why you only got ten years. But even those ten years you don’t want to bear, is that fair to the dead?”
“I… I regret it,” Xiao Zhou said with difficulty.
“But that’s not enough,” Jiang Chengyuan replied.
Xiao Zhou trembled, eyes moist with anger, staring at him. “You know all this, so why choose me?”
Jiang Chengyuan looked at him and suddenly smiled. “Because I don’t have such a strong sense of morality. I’m neither a judge nor a victim’s family member. I don’t represent justice, nor do I have discretionary power.” He leaned down, lightly touching the bruise on Xiao Zhou’s jaw. “I chose you because you’re useful to me.”
“I said that just now to make you understand, there’s no free lunch in this world. If you don’t want to take responsibility for your past actions and escape a decade of prison, shouldn’t you pay the price? You might feel uncomfortable, but that’s the choice you made. No path is easy. Since you’ve committed a mistake, you must find another way to atone for it.”
Xiao Zhou breathed slowly, staring into Jiang Chengyuan’s eyes without blinking. “So obeying you is my way of redemption?”
Jiang Chengyuan shrugged. “I don’t like coercion, I don’t like using fists, and I’m not good at enduring pain. But this is a fair deal. I won’t resort to vigilante justice. I hope it’s mutual consent because we’ll be together for a long time, and I need your active cooperation. If you don’t like it, I won’t force you. You can go back.”
Xiao Zhou lowered his eyes. He disliked every word Jiang Chengyuan uttered, yet he couldn’t argue against any of them.
He remembered that parole required showing remorse. So every night before lights out, he lay on his bed for two to three hours writing confessions. He repeated the night’s events over and over, recounting painful memories, expressing remorse.
The words on paper were sincere and eloquent, but deep down he felt resentment and defiance. Like all prisoners, he had ten thousand excuses for himself, clinging to a shred of hope.
His excuses seemed more reasonable than those of criminals who committed heinous crimes like rape and murder, blaming parents and society without remorse, believing society had pushed them to their actions. This mindset seemed more forgivable.
But whenever nightmares of the deceased haunted him, waking him in a cold sweat, Xiao Zhou felt unworthy of any pardon.
He had committed a crime, whether intentional or not, he had taken a life.
Pages of paper were written and torn, rewritten and torn again.
It dragged on until a year ago when he received that letter. It was then he decided to submit his application.
Xiao Zhou took a deep breath, suddenly compliant, lowering his head and apologizing sincerely, “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”
“Do what?” Jiang Chengyuan asked.
“I won’t lay a hand on you.”
Jiang Chengyuan stared at him strangely.
Xiao Zhou rubbed his nose, sat cross-legged on the bed, tilted his head to expose his neck defiantly. “You can bite me again if you want. I promise not to resist.”
Jiang Chengyuan paused for a moment, half-smiling bemusedly. “Go to sleep early.” With that simple remark, he left the room, closing the door behind him.