Chapter 39: The ring that belongs to someone else

Xu Lin did not want to suspect Ji Jinxuan. He believed that Ji Jinxuan was not that kind of person.

There was no scent of anyone else on Ji Jinxuan’s body.

Perhaps it was because Xu Lin was a Beta—even if there were such scents, he wouldn’t be able to smell anyone else’s pheromones.

Every time his thoughts uncontrollably drifted in this direction, Xu Lin would stop himself with frustration, cutting the line of thinking short.

All of this was merely his own speculation. He thought that perhaps he had gone a little crazy living here all alone, letting his imagination run wild.

There was no evidence. If he confronted Ji Jinxuan and ended up wrongly accusing him, what they would face would not be a simple quarrel—it would touch upon the most crucial issue in a marriage: trust. He did not want to casually plant a seed of doubt in the heart of the person who slept beside him.

But once the seed of suspicion took root, it spread like a virus through his body, maddeningly pervasive, clinging like a bone-deep ailment that was nearly impossible to eradicate.

He was not the kind of person who could keep things bottled up, nor did he like to let problems fester until they grew too serious to handle. He thought he would just ask, and if the situation took a wrong turn, he would stop himself in time.

One early morning, Ji Jinxuan got up first and stood by the bedside putting on his shirt.

Xu Lin hesitated for a long while, then wrapped himself in the blanket and asked, in a tone that tried to seem casual,: “Have you been going out lately? I…”

He wanted to ease into the topic gradually.

But Ji Jinxuan answered in the very next second, “No.” There was not a hint of hesitation in his reply.

The question that was about to leave Xu Lin’s mouth got stuck in his throat.

Xu Lin sat there in a daze, as if he had fallen into an icy chasm, cold seeping through his entire body.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing his expression was off, Ji Jinxuan sat down on the edge of the bed and reached out a hand to ruffle his hair.

“…”

Xu Lin turned away, and Ji Jinxuan’s hand grasped at empty air.

“It’s nothing,” Xu Lin said.

Ji Jinxuan took hold of his shoulders and turned him back, studying his expression carefully. “Then why did you suddenly ask that?”

“I thought I heard you get out of bed last night. Probably just a dream.”

Xu Lin did not want to look at him anymore. He pulled the blanket over his head. “I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

From outside the blanket came Ji Jinxuan’s muffled voice, “I’ll have the doctor prescribe you some calming tonic.”

“…Mm.”

Xu Lin lay beneath the thin blanket, his body taking a long time to warm back up.

He was lying.

He was deceiving him.

Ji Jinxuan was lying to him.

There was no need to ask any further questions.

Ji Jinxuan had not been honest from the very beginning. If they kept talking, no matter how many questions Xu Lin asked, he would never be truthful. If he was determined to deceive him, he could naturally come up with countless reasons that would make Xu Lin believe him.

Had he deceived him just this once, or had he done it before as well?

Xu Lin could no longer tell which of Ji Jinxuan’s words were true and which were false.

Where had Ji Jinxuan gone during that year or more when he left home? Who had he been with? What had he done? No matter how much Xu Lin asked, he would not tell him.

After finally waiting for Ji Jinxuan to return, and receiving his solemn promise to stay home with him, Ji Jinxuan had instead been stuffing sleeping pills into his mouth every night and sneaking out.

Why was he doing this?

What was the necessity?

Xu Lin bit his own lip neurotically.

That night, Ji Jinxuan went out as usual. After he left, Xu Lin spat out the pill from his mouth.

It was a whole tablet.

Since Xu Lin had said he was not sleeping well, Ji Jinxuan had increased the dosage, afraid that he might wake up in the middle of the night and find him gone.

Xu Lin clenched his fingers, crushing the pill in his hand.

He gazed at the empty side of the bed.

Perhaps he did not know Ji Jinxuan as well as he had thought.

Ji Jinxuan noticed that Xu Lin had started folding paper dragonflies again.

Sometimes in the bedroom, sometimes in the living room, sometimes while watching a movie—whenever he looked around, the floor would be littered with a pile of colorful paper dragonflies, which Xu Lin would later clean up.

Xu Lin had grown quieter. Ji Jinxuan thought he was feeling unwell and asked him several times, until Xu Lin finally said he was just a little homesick and felt stifled cooped up in the villa.

“In a while, I’ll take you out for a change of scenery.”

In a while? Xu Lin had no idea how long that “while” would be.

After a long period of internal struggle, he still chose to believe in Ji Jinxuan. He did not think Ji Jinxuan would betray him emotionally. Sneaking out at night might be because he really had some important matter that he absolutely had to attend to, but for certain reasons, he simply could not tell him.

Of course, he was still very hurt.

Grieved that Ji Jinxuan had lied to him.

They were the closest of people, yet he would not tell him anything, kept him in the dark.

Even if Xu Lin could not be of any help, he only wanted Ji Jinxuan to show him an honest attitude, not to make him feel like he was a completely insignificant person in this marriage, with no right to know anything.

Such a small, simple thing.

The days passed one by one, and one day Xu Lin glanced at the date on his phone and realized that the end of the year had arrived once again. This would be their sixth New Year since getting married.

That evening, just like the New Year they had spent together last time, they shared a reunion dinner, set off fireworks, and stayed up to welcome the new year. Xu Lin had no appetite and did not feel like eating, so Ji Jinxuan cooked a table of dishes himself. The young master, whose fingers had never touched kitchen water, was cooking for the first time. He followed the recipe the entire time, yet managed to make quite a decent show of it.

He fed Xu Lin a couple of bites and asked nervously, “How is it?”

Xu Lin could barely taste anything, but he said, “Didn’t you try it before taking it off the heat?”

“…I forgot.” Ji Jinxuan looked a little uneasy. “Is it too salty, or too bland?”

“No,” Xu Lin said. “It tastes pretty good.”

Hearing this answer, Ji Jinxuan finally let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Then I’ll cook for you from now on.”

“…” Looking at the smile at the corner of his mouth, Xu Lin felt a surge of some nameless emotion in his heart.

Back when they were still in school, every time Xu Lin ran into Ji Jinxuan, his face was almost always cold and unfeeling. Even during the first two years of their marriage, he had been the same—cold and distant, showing little emotion.

Ji Jinxuan was a man of few words and rarely smiled. Xu Lin knew that was just his nature and never pushed him.

But over the years, Ji Jinxuan had changed. He smiled much more often in front of Xu Lin than before.

Xu Lin loved seeing Ji Jinxuan smile.

He loved watching the composed and steady Ji Jinxuan show emotion because of him—it made Xu Lin feel that he held great weight in Ji Jinxuan’s heart.

He resented Ji Jinxuan for keeping things from him, yet at the same time, he craved that little bit of special treatment Ji Jinxuan gave him.

“Is that alright?” Ji Jinxuan asked again, not having heard his reply.

Xu Lin did not know what to say, so he just nodded.

“Alright.”

The calendar on the nightstand had been taken away by Ji Jinxuan.

He had understood the meaning behind all those red crosses marked on it.

He had told Xu Lin that they would never need it again.

But that promise was overturned by him personally in the third month of the sixth year.

That day, Ji Jinxuan told him he needed to go out for a while.

“I’ll be back the day after tomorrow.”

Xu Lin asked, “Really the day after tomorrow?” His credibility with Xu Lin was not what it used to be. Ji Jinxuan pulled him into an embrace and promised, “Yes, I’ll be back on time.”

“Got it.”

Before he left, Xu Lin watched him get into the car, and for some reason, his eyelids suddenly twitched twice.

He felt a little short of breath, his chest tight with a strange unease.

As if something was about to happen.

He did not forget to remind him, “Drive carefully.”

Ji Jinxuan nodded, started the car, and drove away.

After he left, Xu Lin returned to the room and folded two paper dragonflies. Then it occurred to him that he had not contacted Shuangshuang in a long time.

He took out the phone from under the mattress, turned it on, and sure enough, dozens of messages flooded in all at once.

Xu Lin dialed a number.

The call was picked up quickly, and a voice burst through. “Hey there, you finally remembered me?”

Xu Lin quickly apologized. “Sorry, sorry. I’ve had some things going on lately.”

“Alright, I’ll let it slide.” Shuangshuang said excitedly, “Wanna come out and hang?”

Ji Jinxuan was not around, and Xu Lin did not want to stay home either. But he glanced at the sky and said, “Tomorrow.”

Shuang-shuang agreed readily, “Okay.”

“Same place as always tomorrow.”

At noon the next day, by the time Xu Lin arrived at the food stall, Shuangshuang had already ordered. As soon as he walked in, she waved, “Over here!”

Xu Lin sat down and saw that there were noticeably fewer dishes than usual on the table. He asked, “Eating so little today? On a diet?”

“No way! Why would I diet? I’m saving my stomach for dinner.”

“Dinner?”

Shuangshuang poured him a glass of beer and said mysteriously, “Remember I told you last time I’d take you to a great place? We’re going tonight to crash a feast! You eat light too—save room for a big dinner tonight.”

Xu Lin remembered now.

She had mentioned before that her older brother’s good friend was getting engaged.

“Is the engagement today?”

“Yep.” Shuangshuang was eating skewers as she spoke. “I went to check it out this morning—wow, the setup was huge. So many important people showed up.”

Xu Lin hesitated upon hearing this. “…Then maybe it’s not appropriate for me to go. Never mind, I won’t go.”

“Oh, what are you afraid of? I have an invitation. You’ll come as my plus-one. N one’s going to embarrass me. Don’t worry, follow me and I’ll make sure you eat well.”

She saw him wavering and asked, “What, do you have plans tonight?”

“…” Xu Lin told the truth. “Not really.”

“Then come with me. It’s settled! Here, eat this.” She shoved a lamb skewer into his hand. Having made up her mind, Xu Lin did not argue further.

After lunch, Shuang-shuang took him to another hill to ride around for a couple of laps. They played hard until the sky began to darken. Seeing that it was about time, she put on her helmet. “Follow me.”

They rode one after the other down the mountain road into the city. Shuangshuang led him into a shop where she seemed to be a regular—as soon as they entered, a staff member escorted them to a VIP room. Shuangshuang changed into a champagne-colored mermaid gown, and picked out a charcoal-gray suit for Xu Lin, paired with a khaki striped tie.

He changed into the suit and stood in front of the mirror for a long time.

He had only ever worn a suit once—on his wedding day. That one had been white, and he still had it hanging in his closet. He rarely had occasion to wear such clothes.

Xu Lin had a tall, lean frame, and dressed in formal wear, he carried a certain refined elegance.

Shuangshuang could not stop praising him: “You look great.”

He said, “You look great too.”

She smiled. “Then let’s go.”

Now that they were dressed up, they could not ride their bikes anymore. They parked not far from the shop in a lot, and Shuang-shuang called for a driver. They took the car to their destination.

By the time they arrived, it was already dark.

It was a manor.

After presenting the invitation, Shuang-shuang’s car was allowed through, and someone came automatically to park it.

Xu Lin followed behind Shuang-shuang, looking around curiously. He had thought the villa he lived in was already quite nice, but compared to this place, it was like a cottage next to a palace—the very air he breathed along the way seemed to be infused with the word grandeur.

At the entrance of the main building, security was posted. Guests had to hand over their communication devices before entering; no electronics were allowed inside.

Shuangshuang turned in her phone. The security guard looked at Xu Lin, who shook his head. “I don’t have my phone with me.” He had not brought it out.

The guard scanned him with a handheld device twice and nodded.

Only then were they allowed through.

Xu Lin asked in a low voice, “Why is the security so tight at an engagement party? They’re even taking our devices?”

Shuang-shuang lowered her voice to answer: “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Once inside the main building, the first thing that caught the eye was a massive ceremonial platform directly ahead, with a beautiful champagne tower displayed to one side.

The couple of the day would hold their ceremony up there and exchange rings.

Every visible corner of the main building was filled with guests—men in suits and ties, chatting and laughing, glasses clinking—each one looking far from ordinary.

Seeing him looking at the crowd, Shuangshuang leaned close to his ear and whispered, “Those over there are from the Academy of Military Sciences—really impressive researchers. Those are the bride’s relatives—they’re in venture capital. And those are from the military district—they rarely show up in public settings…”

She gave him a brief introduction, and the more Xu Lin heard, the more unsettled he became. It was exactly as he had suspected. He had never seen so many prominent figures all at once, and he could not help but say, “They’re all so impressive.”

“Of course. That’s why they confiscate devices to keep anyone with ill intent from sneaking in photos. They even have signal jammers here today, nothing works.”

Xu Lin asked, “To have guests like these, the couple must be something special, right?”

Shuangshuang shrugged. “It’s a marriage alliance. Everyone’s getting what they need—picking the most valuable candidate from a pool of options. I heard their pheromone compatibility is 92%, and I imagine that played a big part too.”

Xu Lin nodded vaguely, “That is pretty high.”

“Strange, where did my brother go?” Shuangshuang looked around, muttering to herself. “I was going to introduce you to him.”

They chatted for a while, and then the lights inside the main building dimmed.

Shuangshuang said, “Ah, looks like the ceremony is starting.”

The long tables inside were laden with delicacies. Shuangshuang had not forgotten why they came today. “I’ll go grab us some food. We can eat while we watch.”

Xu Lin nodded.

Shuangshuang ran off to the tables, leaving Xu Lin alone in the area where he stood.

After the lights went down, soothing music began to play, and the guests turned their attention toward the platform.

Xu Lin looked over as well.

The doors at the far end opened, and two figures were illuminated under the spotlight, with nowhere to hide.

The bright lights stung Xu Lin’s eyes. He squinted slightly, and once his eyes adjusted, he made out the two figures clearly.

Or rather, he made out the Alpha standing beside the beautiful Omega.

And then his pupils slowly, slowly dilated.

The beautiful Omega was holding the Alpha’s arm as they walked together down the long aisle, flanked on both sides by blooming flowers, their fragrance filling the air. The guests below watched the couple with smiles.

They wore matching formal attire and walked hand in hand. They read their vows and exchanged rings.

They looked perfect together—a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

The ceremony went smoothly.

The Omega’s parents gave speeches, and the Alpha’s grandfather also stepped up to speak. Warm applause rang through the venue, lasting a long time.

The guests’ congratulations and applause pierced Xu Lin like needles, seeping into him from every angle.

They pierced through his eyes, through his lungs.

His mind went blank, as if even his breathing had stopped. Air rushed backward into his ears. He stared blankly, bewildered, at the Alpha on the stage.

The ring on the Alpha’s finger glinted with fine specks of light, slowly corroding Xu Lin’s gaze.

This Alpha, just yesterday, had told him he was just stepping out for a while and would be back the day after tomorrow.

How was it that after being away for only a day, he showed up here?

Why was he wearing a white suit again, but this time with someone else by his side, at someone else’s engagement banquet?

The ring on Xu Lin’s ring finger felt like a manacle that drank his blood, covered in barbs, cold and biting, gouging at his flesh.

For six years, he had never once taken off this small silver band.

But Ji Jinxuan—his partner, his husband….

How could he now be wearing a ring that belonged to someone else?