Reservoir Dogs chapter 50

 Inferior

All the headlights were extinguished, the light dimmed, and Jiang Chengyuan walked alone into the arena. In the empty space, the sound of his leather shoes stepping on the ground was particularly crisp.

The scene had already been evacuated, not a soul remained, only trash and filth covered the ground.

But the smell lingered, those mixed and inferior alpha pheromones permeating the air, like green algae covering the surface of the water, made Jiang Chengyuan extremely uncomfortable. His temples throbbed heavily, almost making him want to flee.

He barely endured it, closed his eyes, and amid the array of inferior and domineering scents, he caught a hint of sea water’s dampness. It was like holding onto a thin thread, faint yet tangible, heated by the sun, the vast sea surface, waves crashing against the rocks, stirring up fine white foam, soothing his nerves amid the other scents.

Jiang Chengyuan opened his eyes to see bloodstains on the ground. Perhaps a battle had taken place here, with hundreds of alphas and one omega in heat, their biological instincts erupting into intense conflict.

He followed the bloodstains forward, the scent of blood and sea water growing stronger. He looked up and saw the arena at the end, surrounded by iron mesh. The omega still locked himself in the cage.

The iron wires were twisted and deformed, indicating how frenzied the crowd had once been.

Jiang Chengyuan looked at the person curled up in the center, back arched, arms hugging legs, head buried in chest. His shoulders and neck were thin and slender, butterfly bones spread as if ready to fly.

Jiang Chengyuan removed his own suppressant patch, allowing pheromones to spread into the air.

People on the stage stirred, stretching their bodies, lifting their heads to sniff the direction of the scent. In their swollen eyes was confusion, gradually focusing as they fixed their gaze on Jiang Chengyuan.

For a moment, Jiang Chengyuan felt as innocent as a child needing comfort. But he remained silent, unmoving, simply watching the figure on the stage.

After a while, Xiao Zhou finally moved. He staggered to his feet, revealing how badly he was injured. His bare torso was covered in blood stains, deep bruises and bite marks, the work of an alpha whose gland he had bitten off. Jiang Chengyuan felt that such an outcome was self-inflicted; he had provoked a sharp-tongued little wolf.

His right ankle was swollen and unable to bear weight, Xiao Zhou limped towards Jiang Chengyuan, dragging his injured leg.

Two of his fingers were broken, making it difficult for him to unlock. It must have been painful; his ring finger and little finger hung limp.

The key was said to have been broken by Xiao Zhou himself. Perhaps fearing his heat would make him lose his mind and voluntarily let those alphas in.

Jiang Chengyuan suddenly realized that he still had some malicious thoughts. He wanted to see Xiao Zhou’s downfall after losing his protection. Would he regret wasting a clearly better choice because of his own fragile pride? He wanted to see his regret, so he could savor a bit of inferior satisfaction.

Undeniably, previously, he had been generous to the point of indulgence. He knew well the frailty of human nature, how to unconsciously steer things in the direction he desired. Everything had progressed smoothly, but Xiao Zhou’s resistance was a slap in the face.

He was not accustomed to such mistakes, nor did he like such resistance. After thinking about it, Xiao Zhou was not the best choice. Despite all his efforts, everything still fell apart.

But now he was here, standing here, as long as this person yielded, he would still take him away. It was interesting how even though he knew it was irrational, he would still succumb to emotion.

Xiao Zhou opened the door and stepped back a little, letting Jiang Chengyuan in.

Jiang Chengyuan walked up to him.

“I just saw you.” Xiao Zhou raised his head, one eye bloodshot and swollen.

Jiang Chengyuan’s gaze darkened. He thought Xiao Zhou was going to interrogate him, and blame him for not helping. 

But Xiao Zhou just approached him, raised his head, trembling, tiptoed to kiss his lips. Xiao Zhou’s lips were torn and scabbed, Jiang Chengyuan tasted a strong bloody taste, then heard him say, “But then you were gone, I thought maybe you had given up, I didn’t expect you to come back.”

Jiang Chengyuan remained silent.

“Can you hold me?”

Jiang Chengyuan didn’t move.

“I’m sorry,” Xiao Zhou sighed, actively pulling his arms around Jiang Chengyuan’s waist, burying his head in his neck, his lips slipping down to touch his neck.

“Why apologize?”

“For what I said before, I think I expressed it wrong.”

Jiang Chengyuan finally relaxed, placing his hand on the back of Xiao Zhou’s head, his fingers tangled in the sticky hair soaked with blood and sweat, “You know, if you lost this match, I wasn’t going to help you.”

Xiao Zhou blushed all over like a cooked shrimp, a bit unclear in his mind, “It’s okay, it was my choice.” He instinctively rubbed against the person in front of him, the scent made him feel at ease, his eyelashes wet and sticky, with viscous blood, “I was confused.”

Jiang Chengyuan didn’t know what he meant by saying that, but still lifted his arm to embrace his waist. Xiao Zhou’s waist was thin and slender, without a trace of excess flesh, warm to the touch, and smooth-skinned. He exerted a little force with his palm, indulging in exploration. These familiar curves and muscular strength evoked memories, the arching and stretching of the waist, the deep hollow of the lower back, each part capable of inducing ecstasy. Jiang Chengyuan suddenly softened; indeed, he couldn’t find a better match than this.

“Can you still walk?” he asked, and Xiao Zhou nodded. But seeing the furrowed brow, Jiang Chengyuan said, “Forget it, your condition is too bad right now.” Jiang Chengyuan lifted him up around the waist, allowing him to shrink into his embrace. His body was hot and sticky with sweat, blood, and secretions, making him appear dirty, but Jiang Chengyuan didn’t seem to mind much.

Xiao Zhou closed his eyes, breathing heavily, fingers tangled in Jiang Chengyuan’s shirt, gripping a button.

Outside the door, Liu Neng was waiting for them. When he saw Jiang Chengyuan carrying Xiao Zhou out, there was surprise in his eyes.

Jiang Chengyuan ignored him, first placing Xiao Zhou in the back seat. Xiao Zhou didn’t let go of his hand, gripping tightly, and the button was pulled off, held in the palm of his hand.

Jiang Chengyuan paid no attention, sitting down and taking the suppressant from Liu Neng that he had brought earlier, making Xiao Zhou lie on his lap, then administering the suppressant to him.

The pain on Xiao Zhou’s face finally eased a little.

Watching the medicine take effect, Jiang Chengyuan brushed Xiao Zhou’s sweaty bangs away from his forehead, revealing a pale and tender youthful face, sharp facial contours showing a fragile vulnerability after enduring prolonged torment. Jiang Chengyuan gazed for a moment before gently lifting Xiao Zhou’s head and leaning down to kiss him, soothing the cracked lips and gently licking the wounds inside. The feeling of this kiss was not as gentle as it seemed; the unhealed wounds throbbed with even the slightest stimulation, and Xiao Zhou’s brow remained furrowed.

Liu Neng sat in the driver’s seat, the rearview mirror reflecting the scene in the back seat, and with just a glance, he was shocked and frightened. This was not merely a chance encounter or a fleeting relationship. He recalled the words he had spoken recklessly in front of Jiang Chengyuan, worried that he might have messed things up, having offended someone unknowingly.

Only now did he catch the scent lingering in the air, suddenly realizing that the first time at the casino, Xiao Zhou had removed the suppressant patch emitting the scent of alcohol, not because of the bottle of alcohol he drank, but because he had already been marked. The smell of alcohol had permeated his body, but he had been completely unaware of it.

Liu Neng cursed inwardly. If he had known about this relationship, how could he dare to play so many tricks and torment this omega nearly to death?

After taking the painkiller, Xiao Zhou finally fell completely asleep.

It was only then that Jiang Chengyuan raised his head and met Liu Neng’s eyes through the rearview mirror. Fortunately, Liu Neng thought, Jiang Chengyuan didn’t seem to have any intention of blaming or resentment; he was still quite indifferent, despite the intense kiss just now.

“I might trouble you to give us a ride,” Jiang Chengyuan said politely, after all, Liu Neng wasn’t his subordinate.

How could Liu Neng dare to refuse? He nodded repeatedly.

Jiang Chengyuan gave an address and said nothing more.

When he got out of the car with Xiao Zhou in his arms, Jiang Chengyuan finally said to Liu Neng, “Thank you for today. Consider the money I won as compensation.”

The money he won… Liu Neng was dumbfounded, never expecting such good fortune to fall into his lap.

Jiang Chengyuan added, “But this matter ends here. Neither he nor his brother will step into your place again.”

Only then did Liu Neng realize that Jiang Chengyuan’s generosity was actually a large sum of hush money, and he nodded hurriedly, regretting his small actions that had nearly caused such trouble to the person.

Jiang Chengyuan smiled faintly, nodded to him, and turned away.

Whether it was Liu Neng’s imagination or not, he felt that Jiang Chengyuan’s temperament seemed much better than when they first met.