Fouls Prohibited

In the living room of the Chu residence, the visitors had been waiting for a long time.

Huo Tinglan, along with his personal assistant, lawyer, and notary.

Ye Ci dawdled for a long time before walking into the living room, and took a seat on the single sofa in the corner.

He was so nervous that his face was as white as bone china, but he still tried to keep his composure. His straight legs were wrapped in old whitewashed jeans, deliberately propped apart as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.

It was a rude posture for an Omega.

He presented himself as street stall goods of low quality.

He hoped that Huo Tinglan would dislike him and not dare to go too far.

Because Ye Hongjun’s life was still in Chu Wenlin’s hands.

Chu Wenlin looked gloomy and sent Ye Ci a warning with his eyes.

Ye Ci didn’t look at anyone at all. He lowered his eyes and swiped his phone quickly with his fingers, as if he was busy with something.

His instincts told him that Huo Tinglan was looking at him, and his gaze was a heavy weight pressing down on his head like a cold cloud.

Huo Tinglan should be wearing a pheromone blocker, but the pheromones of an A+ grade Alpha were too powerful, and slight leakage was unavoidable, so Ye Ci could still smell a trace of a scorching, liquor-like masculine scent.

The scent of tequila.

Alphas with A+ grade glands were extremely rare, and this was Ye Ci’s first time coming into contact with one.

Even a Beta, who were resistant to pheromones, would feel faintly uncomfortable under that sense of oppression and aggression, not to mention Ye Ci, who was in the Omega differentiation stage.

Like a string pulled from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, yanking hard, Ye Ci couldn’t wait to curl up into a ball in the crack of the sofa to avoid Huo Tinglan’s strong presence and scent.

He gritted his teeth to suppress the urge and straightened his body.

“Hello,” Huo Tinglan said.

His voice was low and magnetic, as typical for an Alpha.

Ye Ci resisted so much that his breath shook. He swiped across the cell phone’s home screen from beginning to end, then from end to beginning, moving the app icons around. His palms were covered in cold sweat.

After confirming that his voice would not tremble, he said coldly, “Hello.”

Chu Wenlin said that the child was introverted and afraid of strangers, so he hurriedly cut to the point and discussed the details of the marriage agreement.

The marriage was a purely commercial act. After the two parties concluded a marriage contract, the Huo family would cooperate with the Chu family to develop a huge government project that would bring astronomical returns for both parties. It was a mutually beneficial win-win situation.

The power of the Chu family was still firmly in the hands of Mr. Chu. After this project was completed, Chu Wenlin’s share of the benefits would be limited.

Therefore, for Chu Wenlin, the real key was not the project itself, but the in-law relationship between the third house of the Chu family and the Huo family, along with the great contribution he was about to make for the Chu family. This would become his capital in the battle for inheritance, and would greatly enhance his status in the mind of Mr. Chu. The first and second houses, as well as his four half-siblings, wouldn’t be able to keep up. In exchange, Chu Wenlin would provide his Omega eldest son as Huo Tinglan’s “human medicine jar.”

As a rare A+ grade Alpha, Huo Tinglan enjoyed the advantages of his glands and physical abilities, but also had to suffer more tortuous and frequent susceptible periods than other Alphas. It was double the physical and mental torture. Those who had not experienced it could not imagine it. Some A+ level alphas who could not bear the torture would even mutilate themselves during their susceptible period in order to take their mind off it.

Not only that, but an A+’s overly strong genes made it difficult for them to match with weak Omegas, making it even more impossible to seek a partner regardless of genetic matching. A+ class pheromones could cause a low-match Omega to go into shock or a coma at high concentrations. Therefore, the vast majority of A+ level Alphas would struggle with frequent and painful susceptible periods for the rest of their lives, and die alone.

Chu Wenlin knew that for such an Alpha, Ye Ci, who could relieve the symptoms of his susceptible period, was quite valuable.

Huo Tinglan was also happy to lead him to think so.

On the other side of the sofa, the youthful teenager had a cold face and a sharp temperament, like a little hedgehog.

He pretended not to care about this transaction, but he never dared to raise his eyes to look at anyone, and the fingers gripping the phone had turned white.

In Huo Tinglan’s eyes, this stern coldness that fooled outsiders was as flimsy as a wet piece of paper that leaked at a touch.

Since miraculously returning to the past, Huo Tinglan was in close contact with Ye Ci for the first time.

This was what Ye Ci looked like when he was eighteen. . . .

Huo Tinglan stared at him intently.

Ye Ci had never been in the habit of taking pictures, and even had some resistance against it, so apart from the indifferent high school graduation photos, Huo Tinglan hadn’t seen many photos from when Ye Ci was young.

Now he saw.

Fresh and full of life, as green as a scallion or the tip of a tea leaf plucked from a spring bud, stained with morning dew and morning light.

As if afraid of scaring him off, the expression in Huo Tinglan’s eyes was a mess of gentleness and tenderness.

Eighteen-year-old Ye Ci was too young.

Really too small and too thin.

Even his fingers seemed to be thinner than they were then.

. . . . was he getting enough to eat?

Huo Tinglan’s heart felt stuffy, and his thumb moved to rub the empty ring finger of his left hand.

Relying on Ye Ci’s daring to raise his head, he carefully glanced over at Ye Ci’s bright eyes. The tip of his nose was delicate, his jawline distinct and his lips soft . . . . It wasn’t until that icy little face couldn’t stand it anymore that his lips ticked up slightly. At the moment when Ye Ci glanced at him suspiciously, he turned his eyes away along with the greed and nostalgia in them, without making a sound.

. . . . Huo Tinglan wasn’t staring at him.

It was an illusion.

Ye Ci gave Huo Tinglan a surprise inspection and heaved a sigh of relief, his tense and aching facial muscles finally relaxing a little.

Over there, Chu Wenlin was finalizing the specific terms with the lawyer.

This marriage agreement had been drawn up prior to the meeting, and the two parties had communicated numerous times about the important terms. Huo Tinglan had obviously set his heart on this and was in a hurry to ask the important members of the Chu family, so all of the conditions were loosely set, and the marriage agreement and two sets of cooperative projects did not take more than a few days. Even Chu Wenlin felt that this surnamed Huo was frighteningly anxious to ask for his wife.

Huo Tinglan had come today to formally sign an agreement with Ye Ci.

Ye Ci pricked up his ears to catch the content of the agreement.

He could understand the gist of the business operations in a foggy way, but the part about being a human medicine jar for Huo Tinglan was simple and easy to understand.

According to the agreement, Ye Ci needed to use his own pheromones to help Huo Tinglan delay the arrival of his susceptible period and help him relieve the pain after it began. Reading between the lines, Huo Tinglan’s susceptible period seemed to come more frequently and last longer than a normal Alpha’s.

Ye Ci had taken a physiology class.

He knew that “helping an Alpha through their susceptible period” often meant embracing, kissing, temporary marks, borderline sexual behavior, and . . . .

He couldn’t think about it anymore.

Shame and anger reddened his earlobes and cheeks, and Ye Ci silently clenched his fists.

Treatment for a susceptible period was a high-sounding thing, but in fact it was not . . . .

He had already thought about it, and would refuse to embrace all the above requirements. Anyway, even if he couldn’t beat the A+ level Alpha, he couldn’t let the opponent do as he pleased. He would do his best to delay, and when Ye Hongjun got better, he would take her far away, settle down in another city, and try to dissolve this absurd marriage. He could study and work part-time, find a place to compete in more races, and slowly return the treatment fee to Chu Wenlin. If he didn’t owe him anything, he couldn’t be coerced by him again.

But . . . .

A thought flashed through Ye Ci’s mind.

Would Ye Hongjun’s health really improve?

She was relying on those expensive injections to prolong her life, there was no hope for a cure for the time being, and Chu Wenlin didn’t care about her illness . . . .

Suddenly, a light knock interrupted Ye Ci’s chaotic thoughts.

Huo Tinglan flexed his fingers and tapped twice on the corner of the table in front of Ye Ci with his knuckles, as if reminding an absent-minded student in class: Listen to the agreement.

His internal turmoil was seen through, and Ye Ci was so embarrassed that he glanced at Huo Tinglan again.

This person had a very handsome face. The contours of his facial features had that exclusive Alpha sharpness, and his irises were darker than those of ordinary people, hiding indistinguishable emotions. He wore a bespoke suit the color of lapis lazuli, and the front of his shirt was slightly stretched by his chest muscles. The fabric undulated with his breath, moving with subtle and ambiguous silky light.

So purely masculine.

Huo Tinglan didn’t even have to do anything; his very existence exuded a strong sexual overtone.

His eyes seemed to have been scorched by fire, and Ye Ci hurriedly turned his face away.

It was defiance, and in the eyes of outsiders, it was a little bit like shyness.

It took a few seconds before the lawyer’s flat voice reached Ye Ci’s ears as he read the rules and regulations.

“. . . . All forms of subjective and intentional physical contact against Party B will be strictly prohibited, including but not limited to: hugging and touching . . . .”

“. . . . It is forbidden to harass and make unwanted sexual advances upon Party B by means of words, texts, images, etc. . . .”

“. . . . Prohibited. . . .”

“. . . . Prohibited. . . .”

“. . . .Only provide pheromones in the form of non-direct contact, including but not limited to: releasing pheromones into the air and providing items that contain sufficient pheromones . . . .”

Huo Tinglan’s behavior was regulated and restricted in detail within the marriage agreement.

As expected, Ye Ci’s face became more visible.

Huo Tinglan stared at him. His dark pupils were like some kind of measuring instrument, observing and assessing his emotions, and based on this, he chose words to comfort him. He said soothingly: “I added some provisions to the agreement. Maybe this will make you feel more at ease. The Huo and Chu families are friends, and our relationship has always been close, so you still need to call me ‘Shishu’[1]. . . .”

The two older men were not actually close. If they called themselves friends, it was definitely the Chu family who had climbed to the moon. “The two families have a close relationship” was just diplomatic rhetoric, letting Ye Ci be a bit less panicked at being given to a stranger by his father as a bargaining chip.

“. . . . I will not use marriage as an excuse to do anything against your will,” Huo Tinglan said solemnly. “You don’t have to worry so much.”

Ye Ci quickly pursed his lips and said stiffly, “I don’t . . . .”

He wanted to say, “I don’t have any concerns,” but he was afraid of stammering, so he simply kept silent.

Huo Tinglan looked at him for a moment, then cleverly continued to pick out the things he wanted to hear: “Considering that you are currently enrolled in high school, studying should be a priority, and it is not suitable to publicize the marriage. My personal opinion is that your and my marital status can be kept secret from the media for the time being. All related matters will be arranged on the premise that they will not affect your studies, and that you have the best possible living environment. We’ll try to keep it low-key and simple, and the wedding can be postponed until after you graduate from high school, but . . . .” Huo Tinglan paused and said slowly, “Maybe my considerations aren’t sufficient. If you wish to reveal this to the outside world or hold a wedding sooner, I would like to respect your opinion. . . .”

Ye Ci was startled.

The wedding being postponed and kept secret was exactly what he wanted. Coupled with those gentlemen’s agreements, the situation was much better than he had imagined. It was like he had picked up a bargain. Afraid that Huo Tinglan would retract his offer, he hastily and dazedly plunged into the seemingly harmless net, and quickly said: “I don’t, don’t have an objection.”

A faint smile flashed through Huo Tinglan’s eyes. He raised his chin, and the lawyer pushed the final version of the agreement over to Ye Ci.

By signing this, the two would legally change from strangers to a married couple.

The eyes on him interlaced like a web. The air suddenly became thinner, and Ye Ci’s chest heaved up and down a few times.

Ye Hongjun’s sick face sunk deep into the soft pillow flashed through his mind.

He was truly at a dead end.

Ye Ci took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and grabbed the pen, holding it in his hand.

It was one of Huo Tinglan’s. The pen was heavy, and the golden-blue painted surface was stained with trace pheromones.

Afraid that the others would see his hands shaking, Ye Ci signed his name hurriedly and fiercely.

The word “Ci” slashed the contract paper sharply.

The author has something to say:

Dog Huo chased his wife using three steps.

The first step was to sign an agreement and act like a human being.

The second step was to take the wife home.

The third step was to tear up the agreement. 

Young Ci: ￥%&*&

[1] 世叔, or ‘Uncle Shi’ is an appellation applied to those who are younger than their own father among their parents’ friends.⮐