On Saturday, at the Fang family’s banquet.

The Fang family had immigrated in the early years. At the time, they were considered quite wealthy, but with the recent economic downturn, they were already teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. 

Unwilling to return to his home country defeated, Fang Zhen was unexpectedly thrown a lifeline. Seth Bolton wanted a marriage alliance with his family, and he specifically asked for Fang Chen—the same “fake young master” who had just been kicked out of the house because of a scandal over his true parentage.

The Bolton family was immensely powerful, dominating the entire northern continent. 

Logically, such a pie-in-the-sky stroke of good fortune shouldn’t have fallen on their family. But as it happened, the two of them actually had a connection from their childhood. Back then, Fang Chen was still a young master, and the Fang family hadn’t fallen on hard times. 

They had a seaside villa in Weizhou, and Seth happened to be staying next door one summer. Over time, the two became familiar with each other. It was just that after returning from vacation, Fang Chen fell ill. A high fever lingered for half a month, and in the end, he forgot some things. Including Seth.

---

On Saturday, Fang Chen dawdled, but still went to the Fang residence. Although he didn’t know what they were up to, he did miss his grandmother. Since he had already been swept out the door, even the family’s servants gave him a cold shoulder, telling him to go in with a lukewarm attitude. Fang Chen didn’t care about this. He changed his shoes and walked inside, his eyes immediately landing on the tall man surrounded by the Fang family members.

Fang Chen froze. What was going on? He hadn’t even managed to get his secret photos; was he here to complain to the Fang family?

As Fang Chen stared in a daze, the man seemed to sense it. He turned his head slightly, his gaze passing over the crowd to look directly at him. His grey-blue eyes were like a block of ice, but when they landed on Fang Chen, they melted without a sound.

He curved his lips. “Fang Chen, come here.”

Fang Chen really couldn’t understand the situation. He shuffled over, and just as he reached Seth’s side, the man suddenly took his hand and squeezed it tightly. Fang Chen was like a startled rabbit, nearly jumping out of his skin.

Seth said in a low voice, “Long time no see.”

What “long time no see”? Didn’t we just see each other yesterday?

Fang Chen gritted his teeth, trying to pull his hand away, but Seth held on tight. Seeing this from across the room, Father Fang smiled so much his eyes narrowed. “It seems the wedding is approaching.”

Fang Chen’s eyes went wide. A wedding?! Whose??

Facing Father Fang, the gentleness on Seth’s face faded, and his expression became somewhat cold. He didn’t say anything, just gave him a cool glance before leading Fang Chen away by the hand.

The whole way, Fang Chen struggled to break free, but the man’s hand was like an iron hoop, not moving at all. It wasn’t until they reached a quiet corridor that Seth slightly loosened his grip. Fang Chen quickly pulled his hand back and looked up, glaring at him. “What exactly do you mean by all this?”

Seth lowered his eyes. “I want to marry you.” To Fang Chen, he didn’t want to use a cold word like “marriage alliance.”

“…”

Fang Chen looked at Seth in disbelief. “With me? We only just met yesterday.”

Seth frowned imperceptibly. “So what?”

Fang Chen was too angry to speak.

“What if it’s a contract marriage?” the man suddenly spoke. “Even if it’s not me, the Fang family will probably continue to entangle you. There will be no shortage of blind dates and marriage alliances like this. Why not solve the problem once and for all?”

“Besides—” the man drew out his words, looking at Fang Chen with a half-smile, “next time you come looking for me, you can enter the boxing gym openly and take pictures of whatever you want.”

Fang Chen’s face reddened.

Seth’s tone was coaxing, like a demon from the abyss, luring the young angel to fall step by step. “I won’t bully you. I won’t do things you don’t like. Under any circumstances, I will put you first.”

Fang Chen was slightly stunned. He was used to being looked down upon and ignored; this was the first time someone had so seriously said, “I will put you first.”

Fang Chen bit his lip. “Then what about you? It sounds like all the benefits of this marriage are on my side.”

Seth smiled. “Marrying you is the biggest benefit for me.”

Seeing that Fang Chen still looked wary, the man had no choice but to explain. “Due to long-term overexertion, I have a pheromone disorder that causes neurological headaches and insomnia. But yesterday, after smelling your pheromones, I slept very well.”

“So you need my pheromones to help treat your illness?”

No. I need you, Seth said silently in his heart. But to get Fang Chen to lower his guard, he gave a slight nod.

Fang Chen thought for a moment. “This is a big deal. I need to think about it.”

Seth, looking like a perfect gentleman, spread his hands. “Of course. As you should.”

After their discussion, they walked out. The Fang family’s hall was still bustling. Fang Chen couldn’t be bothered to look at these vexing people and went straight upstairs to his grandmother’s room. After talking with her for a while, he came downstairs, grabbed his clothes, and prepared to leave. He didn’t want to stay for another minute.

Seth had been sitting on the sofa, patiently dealing with the others. The moment he saw Fang Chen come down, he immediately followed him. “I’ll take you back.”

Fang Chen deliberately said, “Are you going to send me off?”

Seth smiled. “Why do you think I came here?”

Fang Chen was taken aback for a moment.

Seth helped him with his things. “Let’s go.”

Leaving the noisy Fang residence, Fang Chen’s mood relaxed a bit. But when he looked up at the tall figure in front of him, his heart felt a little heavy again. Should I really get married? To a strange man.

Although Seth was walking in front of him, he seemed to notice Fang Chen had slowed down. He stopped and looked back at him. “What’s wrong?”

Fang Chen shook his head and quickened his pace to catch up.

A day later, sitting in the passenger seat of this car again, Fang Chen couldn’t help but stare out the window in a daze. A tissue was handed to him.

“Your mouth,” the man said in a low voice.

He had just eaten a cookie in his grandmother’s room and probably had some crumbs on him. A little embarrassed, Fang Chen quickly took the tissue and wiped his mouth clean. There was a small trash bin in the console, and he casually tossed it in.

He had only been there once, but Seth seemed to know Fang Chen’s address like the back of his hand. He didn’t even use navigation and just stepped on the gas. When they arrived, Seth stopped the car, but the doors were still locked.

This man, who always appeared so high and mighty in the news, lowered his head slightly, his voice deep and hoarse, as if coaxing, as if pleading. “Can you release a little bit of your pheromones for me?”

Fang Chen’s heart skipped a beat. Such an unreasonable request sounded like sexual harassment. But coming from this man’s mouth, it seemed to take on another meaning, like damp water droplets floating in the air. Fang Chen subconsciously wanted to refuse, but then he thought about what the man had said: he can only sleep well after smelling my pheromones.

He turned his head slightly and saw the man’s dark gaze. His heart felt like it missed a beat. After hesitating for a few seconds, Fang Chen lowered his head slightly and tentatively released a little bit of his pheromones. The citrus scent drifting in the air was obviously fatally attractive to the man. His eyes darkened bit by bit, his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he made an obvious swallowing motion.

This act of actively releasing pheromones for a man to smell was clearly going too far.

“Is that enough?” Fang Chen’s ears were pink with shame. He turned his head away, not daring to look Seth in the eyes. “I’m going home now.”

The man gave a hoarse “mm,” and didn’t stop him this time. The car doors unlocked, and Fang Chen, like a rabbit chased by a hunter, quickly got out of the car and ran.

The person was gone, but his scent seemed to linger in the car.

Just… it wasn’t enough. Far from enough.

Seth was like a traveler in the desert who, after his lips touched a single drop of water, began to greedily pray for more. He wished he could hold the boy in his arms, ignore his struggles, and bite down on his neck, filling it with his own pheromones. As he thought this, a vein throbbed on Seth’s temple. Something deep inside him was about to burst out, unable to be suppressed.

He picked up the tissue Fang Chen had just used from the trash bin. The tissue had just wiped the boy’s mouth, which was so soft and beautiful. If he were to press his own lips against it forcefully, he believed it would quickly turn a pretty shade of red.

Seth couldn’t resist. He lowered his head and sniffed it.

First day wifey is gone. Miss him.

---

Back home, Fang Chen took a shower and came out to see a new text message on his phone.

[This is Seth. Do you want to come to the boxing gym for an interview tomorrow? Photos, recording, even a video interview. Anything is fine.]

To date, Seth had not publicly accepted an interview from any media outlet. One could imagine the commotion it would cause if this got out. The fish was hooked in a second.

He quickly replied, “Okay. I’ll go!” Traffic is money! Who would say no to money?

The next day, Fang Chen was ready to go. He was the photographer, reporter, and post-production editor all in one, essentially carrying the entire team himself. This time, he didn’t have to sneak into the boxing gym. Seth had probably given instructions in advance. The receptionist greeted him politely and took him to Seth’s office via a private elevator.

In that short time, the man inside, eager to see his wife, wanted to just push the door open and greet him. But he didn’t want to seem too eager, afraid of scaring Fang Chen away. After knocking and hearing a “Come in,” Fang Chen gently pressed the handle and pushed the door open.

In the spacious and bright office, Seth was sitting lazily in his office chair, one hand propping up his chin, looking nonchalant. “Oh, Reporter Fang is here.”

Hearing him use that title, Fang Chen actually felt a sense of relief and became less nervous. He quickly got into work mode. He set up the camera and took out his script. To prepare for this visit, he had stayed up almost all night, binge-watching several of Seth’s fight videos and cramming knowledge about boxing to avoid appearing unprofessional.

After asking a series of questions, Fang Chen gradually relaxed. Seth was very cooperative, answering every question in great detail, never being ambiguous. It was a very pleasant interview.

Just as he was about to turn off the equipment, Seth suddenly spoke. “Reporter Fang, aren’t you going to ask me some personal questions?”

Fang Chen was stunned. “What?” He had never seen an interviewee proactively ask for questions.

With a smile on his lips, Seth said to the camera, “I’m planning to get married recently. I’m still in pursuit. The other person is very cute.” He turned his head slightly, watching as the boy’s face and neck flushed red in unison, and added with a smile, “And also very shy.”

Fang Chen couldn’t take it anymore and slapped the machine off with a “thwack.” “What nonsense are you talking!”

Seth frowned imperceptibly, his tone serious. “I’m not talking nonsense. Everything I said is true.”

The man stood up and walked closer. Perhaps because of the height difference, Fang Chen always felt an inexplicable sense of pressure whenever Seth was near.

He lowered his eyes and muttered softly, “I haven’t decided yet.”

Seth gave a low “mm.” “No rush.”

He said “no rush,” but his hand was already passing his phone to Fang Chen, politely asking, “Would this look good as a wedding ring?”

“…”

Fang Chen asked, confused, “Do you need these things for a marriage alliance?”

“Of course. Wedding rings, a wedding ceremony, we will have it all.”

Fang Chen was inexplicably led astray. “We’re having a ceremony too?”

Seth absolutely adored the way he looked. He moved closer without a sound, lowering his head to sniff the citrus scent wafting from him. “If you don’t want a big one, we can just invite a few friends for a meal. What do you think about having it on an island?”

Fang Chen nodded. “Okay, I don’t want a big one.”

…Wait a minute! He hadn’t even agreed to get married yet!

There was a hint of a smile in Seth’s eyes. He pressed close to Fang Chen, almost pulling him into his arms.

“Whatever you want, baby.”