Equivalent Harm [AO Crematorium]

Wen Ning was once the pampered young master of his family. Then his family fell into ruin, his father went to prison, and his mother killed herself. Unable to repay his enormous debts, he was sold to a nightclub.

In a private room, he lowered his head and listened as several big-spending clients discussed how much to pay for a beautiful omega's first night.

"I'll take him."

At the sound of that voice, Wen Ning looked up and froze when he saw a face both familiar and strange. The boy had outgrown his youth and become a tall, broad-shouldered man with striking, sharp features and an intensely dominant pheromone scent.

It was him, Shen Mingxuan.

Wen Ning's eyes grew wet as he lowered his head. If there was anyone he least wanted to see him like this, it was Shen Mingxuan.

They had met in school. Shen Mingxuan was the only person Wen Ning had ever loved.

Shen Mingxuan took Wen Ning back to his villa and coldly ordered him, "Take everything off, lie on the bed, and spread your legs."

Wen Ning stared at him, eyes reddening. The alpha he had known wasn't like this. Shen Mingxuan used to bring him breakfast, patiently help him with the problems he got wrong, and carry him to the infirmary...

"Mingxuan..."

Shen Mingxuan said coldly, "You don't deserve to call me that."

After that painful, humiliating night, Wen Ning became Shen Mingxuan's secret lover.

The alpha treated him coldly, yet took him roughly again and again, as if using him to vent his anger.

Only later did Wen Ning learn that his father had destroyed Shen Mingxuan's family. After dropping out of school, the alpha had shed blood and sweat to claw his way to his current glamorous position.

So Shen Mingxuan had paid a fortune to buy him just to take revenge. Their sweet past had only ever been one-sided.

One day at a banquet, someone asked Shen Mingxuan, "You've kept that little bird by your side for quite a while, haven't you? What's the deal, do you like him?"

Wen Ning heard Shen Mingxuan's cold, grating reply: "He owes me. I want him to bear me a child."

Half a year later, Wen Ning got pregnant. Shen Mingxuan became less rough and cold, occasionally stroking the omega's swollen belly.

Wen Ning watched his profile, gentler than usual, and thought that he really did want a child so badly.

On the day he gave birth, Wen Ning suffered a difficult labor and unbearable pain. In the end, the baby had to be delivered by C-section.

As he lay weak and helpless in his hospital bed, Wen Ning saw Shen Mingxuan carefully holding the baby, a rare smile on his face. Exhausted, Wen Ning closed his eyes, feeling relieved.

-

That day, Shen Mingxuan came home with a cherry cake Wen Ning loved, only to find that the omega and his suitcase were gone.

The cake fell to the floor and shattered.

He searched the entire villa, but found only a note on the baby, who wasn't even a month old. It was written in Wen Ning's hand:

I've repaid what I owed you.

A mutual crush from their youth turned into years of tormenting each other.

The child will call the bottom "Mom." If that's a squick for you, please decide for yourself.

The core premise will stay the same, though the title and blurb may change.

I'll write something sweet to recover before starting this one. This kind of regret-and-redemption story really hits the spot!

Core Theme: Begin again.