Chapter Text
The waiting room is filled with women of all ages, though those with wrinkles around their eyes are the majority. Dressed in all sorts of clothes, from those that speak of their owners' rich lineage to workers' uniforms, the only thing that unites them is their gesture, a mix of tiredness and poorly concealed revulsion, but even so, they manage to make Jiang Cheng feel out of place.
Jiang Cheng thought that he had already overcome his prejudices about being an omega, but the furtive glances from the women in the room make him relive the nightmarish days after he presented. Jiang Cheng not only had to deal with the changes in his body and the horrible lust that had come over him, making him yearn for an alpha, but he also faced his parents’ disappointment.
Yu Ziyuan and Jiang Fengmian expected their child to be an alpha, but they had produced another omega, just like their first daughter, Jiang Yanli. Since he presented, Jiang Cheng had had to get used to a new reality, almost always designed for women (who tend to present as omegas more often than men) and to belong to an alpha, with all that implies.
It hadn't been easy, especially after his best friend presented as an alpha and several of his friends turned out to be betas, thereby ranking higher than Jiang Cheng in the social hierarchy, but in the end, he succeeded. Or so he believed until he found himself in that tiny white waiting room with dark blue couches.
Jiang Cheng fiddles with the variety magazine resting on his lap. His fierce gaze doesn't fit with that of an omega at all, but he stopped caring about looking like everyone else long ago. His old fears may still be there, but that doesn't mean he shows them to the world, and this time is no exception.
Yes, I am an omega, just like you. Have you never seen one before? he thinks, looking around the room, forcing several women to look down in shame. And yes, just like you, I suspect my alpha is cheating on me. Why is that so strange when it comes to a male?
Jiang Cheng sighs. Maybe booking an appointment with the most famous private detective agency in town wasn’t the best idea, but he doesn't know what else to do. He definitely can't tell his parents, who would take it as another failure in their son's long list of mistakes even though they were the ones who arranged the marriage. Jiang Yanli? His sister would certainly listen to him, but Jiang Cheng doesn't want to bother her when she must be too busy taking care of her first child. As for his friends... Well, Jiang Cheng doesn't want to bother them any more than he already does.
Wei Ying and Nie Huaisang (alpha and beta respectively) hadn’t agreed to Jiang Cheng marrying the alpha chosen by his parents, so while they would be justified in reminding him of how much they warned Jiang Cheng against marrying Wen Xu, Jiang Cheng doesn’t want to hear them. What’s done is done. He married Wen Xu, son of the most powerful man in town and a pure-blooded alpha, when he turned twenty-one, and now he has to do his best to save a marriage they promised each other would last till death do them part . It doesn't matter that Jiang Cheng is not in love with his husband, nor that Wen Xu hasn’t bitten him—Jiang Cheng will not tolerate another failure.
"Jiang Wanyin?" the secretary says, peeking through a door at the far end of the waiting room.
"Yes, it's me," Jiang Cheng says, snapping out of his thoughts to stand up.
“Detective Lan will see you now. If you’d be so kind as to follow me…”
Jiang Cheng feels the gazes of all the women on him as he walks through the waiting room, but his step doesn’t waver and he keeps his back straight at all times. However, he would be lying if he said that he was not relieved to leave them and their assumptions about his failed marriage behind.
"Is everything in order?" the secretary asks him, looking Jiang Cheng up and down as if she doubted his collar could protect his neck properly.
"Of course," Jiang Cheng says. “Do you want proof that I took my suppressants today?”
The woman has the decency to blush.
“No. That won't be necessary,” the secretary says, using the excuse of opening the door to a second office behind her to avoid Jiang Cheng's gaze. “Detective Lan is waiting for you.”
“Thank you.”
Jiang Cheng enters the office, decorated in the same style as the living room. The furniture, however, is mahogany, and reproductions of famous paintings hang on the walls, perfectly framing the figure seated behind the single desk.
“Good afternoon, please have a seat,” Detective Lan says, gesturing to the chair in front of the desk.
He’s a young man around thirty-five years old, very different from what Jiang Cheng imagined when he read an advertisement for his services on a website. Jiang Cheng expected to find a gray-haired, mustachioed man dressed in a patched-up old jacket smoking a pipe, but maybe he got carried away by his imagination fueled by too many detective movies.
Detective Lan is not only young, but his suit is so impeccable that it looks brand new. Also, he has no mustache and his hair is black, though it appears brown in the sunlight coming through the window behind him. He's an alpha—Jiang Cheng detects it as soon as he walks into the office and takes a seat, though the man takes great care to mask his scent.
“Would you like something to drink?” Detective Lan asks.
Jiang Cheng shakes his head.
“Alright. You may leave, I'll let you know if we need anything,” the man says, addressing his secretary. Only when she closes the door behind her does the man turn to Jiang Cheng again. “Good. How can I help you?”
Jiang Cheng takes a deep breath, weighing his words. It certainly won't be the first nor the last time that Lan Xichen (so reads the plaque on his table) hears the sad story of a broken marriage, but something in Jiang Cheng still refuses to admit it out loud. How many men and women have cried in that same chair, confessing what must be obvious? Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, has no tears to shed.
"I think my husband is cheating on me," Jiang Cheng says, not breaking eye contact.
Lan Xichen nods.
"Tell me what makes you think that."
Straight to the point. Jiang Cheng begins to see why he’s the busiest detective in town (although he doesn’t doubt that Lan Xichen’s attractiveness contributes to his popularity).
"He smells like another omega."
“I see,” Lan Xichen says in a neutral tone. Then he turns slightly in his chair to grab a notepad from one of the wall cabinets. “Sorry. Could you tell me your name? I think we skipped the introductions.”
Jiang Cheng does his best not to rub his hand over his face. In the end, he was unable to help but sound like a desperate husband as he jumped right into talking about his problems without even having the decency to introduce himself.
"Jiang Wanyin," he says with a resigned sigh.
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang," Lan Xichen says, writing his name on the top of the page dedicated to his case. His handwriting is beautiful, almost block-printed. “Please, go on. Tell me about your husband. When did you become suspicious of him, and what evidence do you have against him?”
Lan Xichen leans back in his seat, fingers touching in front of his face. He only needs glasses to look like a teacher waiting for his student's answer, but even without them, Lan Xichen makes Jiang Cheng feel judged. Jiang Cheng shifts in his seat.
"Do you want me to lie down too and close my eyes?" Jiang Cheng asks despite himself, and to his surprise, Lan Xichen chuckles.
“That won't be necessary unless you prefer it. Although unfortunately, I don't have a divan.”
"Okay," Jiang Cheng says with another sigh. He takes his gaze away from his fingernails to focus on his interlocutor again. “My husband's name is Wen Xu, son of tycoon Wen Ruohan, you might have heard of his family. Well, he…”
“Take your time,” Lan Xichen says, noticing how Jiang Cheng's voice trembles. However, what he initially took for sadness is soon revealed to be anger when Jiang Cheng speaks again.
“He's a jerk, so I'm not surprised he's cheating on me. Our marriage was arranged by our parents,” Jiang Cheng adds to lighten the mood. “He's a respectable alpha,” he says with a sneer, “so my parents hoped he'd take care of me, their omega son. We didn't marry for love or anything like that.”
“How long have you been married?”
“Five years,” Jiang Cheng says with a snort. Five years of putting up with his husband's family, especially his rude brother-in-law, their constant drunkenness, and their rather extravagant lifestyle. Although their marriage had brought benefits to both the Jiang and Wen families, especially financially, Jiang Cheng has to pay for them every day when he goes to bed with a man who reeks of alcohol.
"Do you have children?"
“No,” Jiang Cheng says without hiding his relief.
Lan Xichen makes a couple more notes on his notepad. Jiang Cheng would love to read what he’s writting, but he would have to crane his neck to do so, so it's probably better that way. Jiang Cheng wouldn’t like to discover the word "pathetic" written in the detective's careful handwriting. Not when Jiang Cheng hasn’t even begun to tell him his story.
“Okay. When did your suspicions begin?”
“Half a year ago. My husband has the habit of coming home drunk on weekends, so I'm used to the smell of alcohol,” Jiang Cheng says, wrinkling his nose as if he could smell that sour stench of alcohol as it evaporates through his husband’s sweat. “And yes, before you ask, I'm also used to my husband reeking like other people. I know that it’s inevitable that he will be impregnated with other aromas at a party. However, this time it was different.”
Lan Xichen nods, urging him to keep talking.
Jiang Cheng remembers that night perfectly. Not because his heart was broken and not even because of the humiliation of being replaced, but because they stopped being intimate that day. Wen Xu had announced his arrival by knocking over one of the porcelain vases at the entrance and had undressed on his way to the room so that when he slipped under the blankets next to Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng felt his cold skin brush against his.
Jiang Cheng had tensed, waiting for the moment his husband would hug him from behind, releasing pheromones to arouse his sex drive, but it had never come. After several minutes of silence and immobility, the next thing Jiang Cheng received from his husband was a long snore that prompted him to turn around to ensure Wen Xu was not playing a prank on him. But he wasn’t. Wen Xu was sound asleep with his mouth open and half his body out of the bed.
Jiang Cheng found it strange, but he was grateful that he didn't have to satisfy his husband that night.
The omega turned over once more, ready to drift off to sleep, when an aroma of caramel and oranges invaded his senses, making him sit up. At first, Jiang Cheng had tried to convince himself that it was nothing special—after all, it’s inevitable that the scents of other alphas and omegas permeate clothing even after the slightest touch—but this one scent permeated the room, suffocating him.
Jiang Cheng had been forced to sniff around, searching for the source of the scent (although he unconsciously already knew where it came from), until it led him to his husband’s sleeping figure. The aroma of caramel and oranges spread through Wen Xu's body, barely hidden by the smell of alcohol, telling Jiang Cheng that it had not gotten there by mistake.
Despite being an omega, anger rose through Jiang Cheng's body at the realization that he had been cheated on, making him clench his jaw. But in the end, Jiang Cheng had managed to suppress the reproachful screams that fought to come out of his throat and he had let his husband sleep in peace. Jiang Cheng had convinced himself that perhaps it had only been a one-night thing or that his husband had gone to a strip club, receiving a private show from an omega who had impregnated him with his aroma, possibilities that, although humiliating, he could accept.
After all, his sex life with Wen Xu had never been as extraordinary as other omegas had led him to believe it would be. Both respected each other's mating period and fulfilled their obligations, but although the mating sessions were pleasurable, Jiang Cheng considered them a waste of time. Spending a week locked in his room with his husband, letting him sate the stupid beast inside him when he could be doing something useful, was an ordeal for Jiang Cheng. So he wasn't surprised that Wen Xu was seeking pleasure elsewhere—all alphas are the same, and since they're not tied to their omega in the same way that their omegas are to them, what else could he expect?
Jiang Cheng passed it off as a one-time incident and forgot about it until a week later he detected the scent of caramel and oranges in his room again. An aroma that, until that day, remains a constant in his marriage.
“Okay,” Lan Xichen says, propping his elbows on the table when he notices that Jiang Cheng has finished his story. He's seen everything in his office, from tearful omegas to vengeful betas, but still, he can't bring himself to classify Jiang Cheng into any group. “If I understand correctly, you don’t care about your husband nor does his betrayal hurt you particularly. So why do you require my services?”
“I may not love my husband, Mr. Lan,” Jiang Cheng says, leaning across the table. His eyes glow fiercely, causing Lan Xichen's alpha instincts to kick in immediately, releasing calming pheromones. However, these do not have the desired effect, as Jiang Cheng continues, unfazed, “but I will not tolerate being disrespected. I don't care that he’s an alpha and that it’s common for alphas to want to impregnate all the omegas that cross their path. If we are married I expect loyalty.”
Lan Xichen nods. Usually, his work as a detective also involves some emotional support, but something in Jiang Cheng’s features tells him that, no matter what he says, the omega will take it as a cliché.
“So? Will you take my case?”
“Yes,” Lan Xichen says, taking a form from one of the folders to his left. For the second time that day, Jiang Cheng has gotten him to break the protocols he established for his job as a detective, accepting his case without first concluding the round of interviews he conducts to select the most urgent cases. “Give me all your husband’s information. Schedules, license plate number, phone number... If you don't have them now, you can mail them to me later. My secretary will provide you with a card with my number and e-mail.”
“It won't be necessary. I know them all. Ask away.”
Lan Xichen lowers his head, pretending to concentrate on his calligraphy, to hide the smile that Jiang Cheng's words had brought to his face. Certainly, Jiang Cheng is not the typical omega that requires to be protected, yet there is still something about him that makes Lan Xichen want to do it anyway.
“Lastly,” Lan Xichen says, glancing at his wristwatch after finishing filling out the form. He should have finished with Jiang Cheng half an hour earlier, so now he will have to get ready to reassure all the omegas in the waiting room. “I need something that has your husband’s scent on it. You can hand it to me within the next five days, at which time I will begin the investigation.”
“That won't be necessary,” Jiang Cheng says, rummaging through his backpack. Then he produces a red scarf with phoenixes embroidered in gold thread that he slides over the table.
Lan Xichen should no longer be surprised at how well prepared Jiang Cheng is to unmask his husband, but the fact that he’s chosen the perfect garment to help Lan Xichen with his investigation makes him realize just how scary he is.
Lan Xichen takes the scarf and puts it in a ziplock bag which he then stores in one of his desk drawers. Even so, the aroma of ashes and salt that comes from the garment reaches his nose, making him bare his teeth and wrinkle his nose. It's not that the aroma itself is unpleasant, Lan Xichen is sure that more than one omega may find it delicious (Jiang Cheng among them), but his alpha instincts cannot tolerate it.
“I'm sorry,” Jiang Cheng says, standing up to open the window behind Lan Xichen's back. “I should have put it in a bag. Do you want a glass of water?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Lan Xichen watches as Jiang Cheng moves around the office as if he owned it, opening all the windows before leaning out the door to ask the secretary to bring Lan Xichen a glass of water. However, Lan Xichen doesn’t blame him, because it works and by the time his secretary shows up, Lan Xichen is back to normal.
“If that's all…” Jiang Cheng says, standing by the door.
“Yes. My secretary will tell you about my fees and other stuff,” Lan Xichen says, standing up and holding out his hand. “Have a nice day.”
“Thank you, Detective,” Jiang Cheng replies, giving Lan Xichen’s hand a firm squeeze before leaving the room with Lan Xichen's secretary.
Lan Xichen still hears Jiang Cheng’s voice for a few minutes while he talks to the secretary and then silence falls again. However, Lan Xichen doesn’t start his next interview right away, as he first has to get rid of the subtle scent of lotus flowers and wet earth that Jiang Wanyin left behind—and of his memory too.