While washing dishes in the kitchen, Baitang became so startled when Yunshu touched him and asked where the clean sheets were that he dropped several plates. The dishes shattered. In his panic, Baitang fell onto the broken glass.
When Yunshu rushed to help, Baitang recoiled in terror and covered himself, desperately begging not to be hit for his mistake.
At that moment, Yunshu finally understood. The original owner of this body had abused him. Everything — the obedience, the fear, the constant anxiety — was the result of repeated mistreatment. Yunshu was horrified. He could not believe he had been reincarnated into the body of such a despicable person.
Gently, he reassured Baitang that he was not going to hurt him. He only wanted to prevent him from being injured further by the broken glass. As they left the kitchen, Yunshu silently promised himself that he was not the man who had caused all of this suffering, and that he would never harm Baitang again. He carefully treated the wounds and told him that if the pain became too much, it was all right to cry.
Fortunately, the cuts were not deep, but they still hurt enough that Baitang unconsciously released pheromones. The sweet scent nearly caused Yunshu to lose control. He remembered the pamphlet he had been given about alpha and omega pheromones, but he had never imagined their effects would be so powerful. Despite the temptation, he forced himself to remain calm and finished treating the injuries.
As soon as he was done, he escorted Baitang back to his room and quickly distanced himself to avoid any unwanted incidents. Later, Yunshu took an ice-cold shower to suppress his alpha instincts and clear his mind.
Meanwhile, Baitang remained suspicious. The alpha had never behaved this way before. When Yunshu entered the bedroom later, Baitang became convinced that the abuse was about to resume. He immediately apologized for releasing pheromones.
Instead, Yunshu sat beside him and asked whether they had married of their own free will. Although Baitang confirmed it, he did so with obvious fear. Yunshu apologized and explained that because of his memory loss, he could not remember whether he had hurt him in the past. However, he promised that from now on he would become a better person.
He even suggested that if Baitang felt uncomfortable staying married, they could divorce. He would make sure Baitang received compensation in the form of money, property, or anything else he needed. Believing that Baitang hated him, Yunshu assumed divorce would be what he wanted.
Instead, the terrified omega immediately dropped to his knees and begged him not to leave. If he had done something wrong, he promised he would change.
Alarmed by such a desperate reaction, Yunshu quickly helped him up and assured him that they would not divorce. After rebandaging the wound on Baitang's hand, Yunshu made a new decision. Now that he was staying in this world, he would help heal every broken piece of this wounded omega and make sure he was never hurt again.
Unfortunately, Baitang remained unconvinced. He vividly remembered how the original Yunsu had taken out his frustrations on him after bad days at work. Whenever Baitang tried to escape the beatings, Yunsu threatened him with divorce. Because Baitang feared separation more than anything, the alpha had used that fear to manipulate him. That was why Baitang believed Yunshu had not actually lost his memory. In his eyes, the alpha was simply pretending in order to mock him.
No matter how kindly he acted, Baitang refused to trust him. Even when Yunshu prepared a nutritious meal full of meat to help him gain weight, Baitang insisted that he could not eat it. Yunshu began to suspect that it was not a matter of being unable to eat meat at all. Rather, the previous owner had likely forbidden him from doing so. Not wanting to pressure him further, Yunshu simply allowed him to choose whatever he wished to eat. As expected, Baitang served himself only vegetables.
Later, Yunshu told him not to bathe that evening, because his wound should not be exposed to water. However, Baitang insisted on washing himself. He had been conditioned to believe that if he was not perfectly clean, he would be punished. Although Yunshu tried to help him, Baitang firmly refused. He still vividly remembered all the times the original Yunsu had tried to hurt him in the bathtub. For his part, Yunshu gave him space, hoping he would feel safe. This left Baitang wondering why talking to him had suddenly become so easy.
Back in the master bedroom, Yunshu decided that Baitang should never have to see those cruel objects again. He began gathering them to throw them away. Some of them were still stained with dried blood, grim reminders of the pain they had inflicted on the omega.
Unable to understand why Baitang had never divorced such a terrible man, Yunshu anonymously asked online why an omega might refuse to leave an abusive alpha. The answers shocked him. Some people explained that omegas were believed to be unable to live without an alpha. Others said that a divorced omega was treated like worthless trash, because no alpha would want an omega already marked by another. Because the birth rate in this world had been declining for years, many divorced or abandoned marked omegas were forcibly sent to centralized fertility centers. These facilities, established by local governments, existed to pressure omegas into producing more children.
Only then did Yunshu understand why Baitang had endured years of abuse without leaving. The society they lived in was deeply unfair.
Determined to get rid of every object that had caused him pain, Yunshu continued sorting through them. But the moment Baitang saw the items piled together, he collapsed to the floor in terror. Crying uncontrollably, he apologized over and over, begging not to be beaten.
The years of abuse had left him with severe post-traumatic stress. Simply seeing the objects brought back every painful memory. As Yunshu held him in a comforting embrace, Baitang tearfully confessed that he did not want to be thrown away like garbage. Yunshu gently guided him to the bed and reassured him that everything would be all right. He promised he would never abandon him, and that all of those harmful objects would be discarded.
However, when Baitang noticed a pair of diamond-studded handcuffs among the pile, he immediately stopped him. He explained that Yunsu had purchased them at an auction for a fortune, and had personally designed them. At the time, he had warned Baitang that if he ever damaged them, he would pay dearly for it. That was why Baitang clung to the handcuffs so desperately.
The severity of his trauma was obvious. Yunshu knew that before he could convince Baitang to seek therapy, he first had to earn his trust. To calm him down, he swore that no one would ever hit him again, and gently asked for the handcuffs so he could dispose of them.
At the same time, Baitang remained suspicious. Part of him believed the alpha was only looking for an excuse to punish him. Yet another part wondered if he truly had lost his memory, since he had never needed excuses to hurt him before.
Eventually, Baitang handed over the handcuffs. Wanting to remove him from a place filled with painful memories, Yunshu carried him to a different bedroom where he could rest peacefully. Before leaving, he carefully changed the bandages on his injuries. Baitang watched in silence as Yunshu's hands became stained with blood, knowing that the old Yunsu had always hated getting dirty.