Just two days ago, Meng Chuwu had given Xi Xiaoyan a temporary mark. She knew very well that, under normal circumstances, no ordinary Alpha would dare to approach Xi Xiaoyan right now.
Although the law punished any Alpha who assaulted an Omega severely, news reports still frequently covered cases where Alphas with poor self-control or bad intentions harassed high-ranking Omegas who had not yet been permanently marked.
Xi Xiaoyan was an S-class Omega, the highest level possible. Her pheromones were dangerously attractive to nearly all Alphas. Paired with her stunning appearance, she naturally drew attention. While lower-level Alphas might not pose much of a threat to her, the danger came from higher-level Alphas with ill intent.
If a high-level Alpha’s pheromones disturbed her balance and triggered a loss of control, her own pheromones would immediately attract all the nearby lower-level Alphas. The consequences would be unimaginable.
This had already happened once, on the day of Xi Xiaoyan’s second differentiation.
Back then, it was the scumbag Alpha who had triggered her reaction. Even so, the warmth and comfort of Xi Xiaoyan’s pheromones had made every Alpha within several kilometers restless and overwhelmed.
The original Alpha panicked. She had only intended to kiss her, never expecting things to spiral so wildly. In a rush, she called her childhood friend Ji Yi, who worked as a police officer, for help. Her assistant, A’Ting, also reacted quickly and called the pheromone emergency unit at the specialty hospital. It was only thanks to their combined efforts that the situation did not end in disaster.
That incident caused a stir across all of Lu City. The fact that Xi Xiaoyan had differentiated into a rare S-class Omega became public knowledge overnight.
Since then, it had been considered risky for Xi Xiaoyan to go out alone before being permanently marked.
After her full differentiation, her father, Commander Xi, assigned two Beta bodyguards to protect her: Luo Pi and Luo Pa. Ironically, these two were originally placed there to guard her against Meng Chuwu.
After the second differentiation incident, Commander Xi had completely lost trust in Meng Chuwu. He firmly believed that one day she would hurt his youngest daughter, so he instructed Luo Pi and Luo Pa to keep close watch over Xi Xiaoyan, report every move Meng Chuwu made around her, and protect her when necessary.
As soon as Meng Chuwu heard that Xi Xiaoyan had gone out, she began to feel uneasy.
And as always, the thing you fear the most tends to happen. Just as she got into her car and was about to call Xi Xiaoyan’s bodyguards, Luo Pi called first. Her voice was anxious as she said, “Miss Meng, the second young miss appears to be experiencing a temporary heat response. Can you come immediately?”
“Where is she?” Meng Chuwu’s heart sank. She pressed her foot hard on the gas pedal.
“Seventh Street. Dear Owl Café.”
As soon as her car hit the road, she sped off like a storm. Onlookers who saw her weaving through traffic probably thought the driver had lost their mind.
Seventh Street was quite a distance from Meng Chuwu’s house. Normally it would take an hour to drive there. But even in heavy evening traffic, she managed to reach the Dear Owl Café in just over thirty minutes.
She had not even stepped out of the car when she saw that the café was already surrounded by police officers. A police barricade had been set up, and an ambulance was parked nearby.
Earlier, when Luo Pi asked if she should call the police, Meng Chuwu had hesitated because of Xi Xiaoyan’s reputation.
But in the end, safety was more important than public image. She told Luo Pi to hang up and contact the authorities right away.
Once the police received the call and heard that the incident involved an S-class Omega, they immediately requested the name of the individual. Upon confirming it was Xi Xiaoyan, they activated a public safety emergency response. A large police force was dispatched to the scene. They quickly controlled the agitated Alphas who had been drawn to her pheromones and used loudspeakers to instruct bystanders to leave immediately to prevent further harm.
There were two main reasons why the police dared not delay. First, Xi Xiaoyan was an extremely rare S-class Omega who had not yet been permanently marked. According to the law, individuals like her were under strict protection. Second, most people in Lu City instinctively respected her father, Commander Xi Chengchuan.
As soon as Meng Chuwu opened the car door, the chaotic scent outside made her frown.
This thick, overpowering blend of pheromones must have come from dozens of Alphas.
She pushed through the still-curious crowd. After confirming her identity as a family member, the officers stationed outside allowed her to enter.
Inside the café, the atmosphere was completely different. There was almost no scent of pheromones at all.
Meng Chuwu quickly noticed the reason. A high-level Alpha’s pheromones had suppressed all the lower-level Alpha scents.
It was clear that this Alpha had used medication to conceal their own scent, which was why she had not smelled anything earlier.
Luo Pi and Luo Pa were both there. As soon as they saw Meng Chuwu, they rushed over to greet her.
Meng Chuwu asked urgently, “How is Xiaoyan?”
Luo Pi replied, “The doctor has already administered both a sedative and a suppressant. She’s about to be taken to the hospital for further observation.”
Meng Chuwu turned and saw that a temporary medical setup had been arranged near the café’s front counter. She rushed over.
Behind the privacy screen was a medical bed. On it, Xi Xiaoyan lay unconscious, clearly still recovering from a high fever. Her face was flushed with sweat, her eyes tightly shut, and her brows deeply furrowed. The sight of her in such a state made Meng Chuwu’s heart ache.
“How is she?” Meng Chuwu asked the woman in the white coat, her voice trembling with worry.
The attending physician recognized her immediately and replied, “Please don’t worry, Miss Meng. Miss Xi should be alright now. We were fortunate that Miss Jiang was here to help. Otherwise, the situation could have become very serious.”
Only then did Meng Chuwu notice Jiang Tianyang standing nearby.
Their eyes met, and Meng Chuwu could not quite read the expression in her clear and elegant gaze.
The doctor continued, “It seems that Miss Xi had recently received an injection of suppressants, which is why they didn’t work very well this time. Thankfully, Miss Jiang released a small amount of pheromones. Alpha pheromones can calm an Omega experiencing heat, even if the Omega hasn’t been permanently marked. Whether through inhalation, a temporary mark, or a permanent one, the calming effect varies but still exists. Because of that, she slowly began to stabilize. The situation was too urgent to get permission from the family first. I apologize.”
For an Omega experiencing uncontrolled heat, if suppressants fail to work, using an Alpha’s pheromones to calm them is considered standard emergency treatment.
Meng Chuwu did not immediately thank Jiang Tianyang for stepping in to help. Instead, she continued questioning the doctor.
“How did she suddenly enter heat? As you just said, she received a suppressant injection two days ago. She also has my temporary mark on her.”
Meng Chuwu was an S-class Alpha, the highest rank possible.
Everyone present understood what her words implied. Unless it was an Alpha of equal rank, no one should have been able to break through her temporary mark and trigger Xi Xiaoyan’s heat response.
“The temporary mark was overridden by a new heat episode. As for the cause, we need to bring Miss Xi back to the hospital for further tests,” the attending physician explained.
“Please rest assured, Miss Meng,” Jiang Tianyang suddenly spoke. Compared to Meng Chuwu’s urgency, her voice was calm and steady, filled with a quiet confidence.
“The police have already sealed off the café and are collecting evidence. But for now, the most important thing is getting Xiaoyan to the hospital.”
The fact that her pheromones had successfully calmed Xi Xiaoyan made it obvious. She too was an S-class Alpha.
“I hope I never find out who was behind this,” Meng Chuwu said as she gave Jiang Tianyang a long, meaningful look.
Jiang Tianyang was not bothered by her suspicion. Before Meng Chuwu arrived, she had been the only S-class Alpha at the scene. On top of that, she was the one who invited Xi Xiaoyan out. It was only natural that people would question her.
“I’m sorry. I failed to take proper care of Xiaoyan,” Jiang Tianyang said.
Meng Chuwu ignored her and stepped forward.
The nurse who had been leaning over to wipe sweat from Xi Xiaoyan’s forehead suddenly felt a wave of pressure and instinctively moved aside.
Meng Chuwu took Xi Xiaoyan’s right hand in her left and gently placed her right palm on her forehead. Her skin was still warm but no longer burning.
“Miss Xi is stable now. There’s no time to waste. We should take her to the hospital immediately,” the attending doctor said.
“Alright,” Meng Chuwu replied with a nod.
She straightened up, her eyes meeting Jiang Tianyang’s once again.
Her gaze was so pure, so clear, as if nothing in this world could ever taint her. It was the kind of clarity that made even the nearby doctors and nurses feel that doubting her kindness was somehow wrong.
But Meng Chuwu could sense it. Besides herself and Jiang Tianyang, there was another powerful Alpha’s pheromone lingering inside the café.
Right now, the question of whose pheromones had broken through the protection of the temporary mark and pushed Xi Xiaoyan into a heat episode was at the forefront of everyone’s mind. The doctors, the police, and Meng Chuwu herself all needed that answer.