Yan Jiu had originally planned just to show his face at the graduation ceremony and leave. His current condition made it unsuitable for him to linger in crowded places for long. Moreover, the venue was packed with youthful boys and girls, their sweet pheromones and chaotic hormones intertwined and swirling around, giving him a splitting headache.
He had just taken a dose of special-grade suppressant, and his violent, overwhelming rut had been forcibly suppressed. He felt like a block of black ice wrapped in magma, making his expression exceptionally gloomy and irritable. Even Consort Tang, who was usually the best at reading his mood, stayed far away and instructed the school leaders not to make any mistakes.
Yan Jiu had indeed been extremely irritable when he arrived, but the moment he entered the venue, amidst the myriad chaotic pheromones, he caught a hint of coolness. It was very cold and very faint, yet it successfully soothed his boiling pheromones through the suppressant. This was a scent he had only ever smelled during those seven days.
It was highly likely to be Shen Hui’s pheromone scent, especially knowing that Shen Hui might have undergone secondary sex differentiation into an omega.
That thought, which had lain dormant for three years and which he had almost given up on, burned brightly once again.
He had sent people to investigate, but no one other than him could smell this scent. Left with no choice, Yan Jiu had to endure and figure it out himself.
Soon, he locked onto the source of the scent, this year’s outstanding graduate representative, a clueless blockhead named Yang Bai.
Clear-headed, foolish, and just an ordinary, foul-smelling alpha.
The blazing fire instantly went out, and the overwhelming disappointment froze his limbs to the bone. Yet Yan Jiu was never one to give up easily; he had Yang Bai placed in the laboratory and even personally interviewed him, hoping to fish out any trace of Shen Hui.
However, he had severely underestimated the impact that damp pheromone scent had on him. The moment Yang Bai walked into the meeting room, the effect of the suppressant completely collapsed, and a tidal wave of scorching fire pheromones burned the air until it warped. With bloodshot eyes, Yan Jiu only wanted to find the owner of the pheromone and thoroughly mark them.
His remaining sliver of reason made him shove the blocking Yang Bai aside and charge into the restroom.
Only to see in the restroom the face that had driven him half-mad with longing day and night.
Thus, without a single shred of hesitation, he lunged forward, biting down hard onto the person, utterly devoid of reason.
Meanwhile, the moment Shen Hui saw him, his mind went completely blank, his hands and feet turned ice-cold, and cold sweat slid down his temples and onto his cheeks.
How should he face him? How should he explain? How could he escape? Every thought tangled and collided chaotically in his mind, and beneath that chaos, a lingering soreness of a long-awaited reunion faintly emerged.
Reason told Shen Hui that he should leave immediately, but the tall and solidly built Yan Jiu was blocking the only exit. Instantly, he took a step back on pure instinct.
Yet his subtle defensiveness instantly provoked Yan Jiu, who staggered forward toward Shen Hui and pulled him tightly into his embrace.
I’ve caught you.
Shen Hui was as stiff as a log, yet he noticed that something was off with Yan Jiu, as Yan Jiu did not seem entirely conscious.
Through his proper, well-fitted suit, he could feel the scorching, tense muscles, and Yan Jiu’s burning breath hit the back of his neck, stinging Shen Hui with its heat.
The next moment, Yan Jiu’s hand began restlessly rubbing against the fabric at the small of his back, refusing to let go like an addict who had just smelled catnip.
Shen Hui clearly heard his murmur: You’re so cool, so comfortable. Then Yan Jiu leaned closer to the back of Shen Hui’s neck and took a deep sniff: So sweet.
Those last two words completely shattered Shen Hui’s perception.
For an alpha to uncontrollably crave a certain scent meant only one thing: he had been dragged into a rut by a highly compatible omega, and that compatibility rate was at least over 95 percent.
Yan Jiu had dragged himself into a rut?
How was that even possible?
He was a beta, and his glands had been damaged long ago. What kind of madness was Yan Jiu pulling here?
Get up! Shen Hui reached out, trying to push Yan Jiu away, but someone forcefully grabbed his wrists and pinned them behind his back.
Don’t move. Yan Jiu bit down on the back of Shen Hui’s neck as punishment, making Shen Hui shiver.
Shen Hui instinctively felt that he had missed a crucial detail, but the current situation no longer allowed him to overthink. Yan Jiu’s wild hands had already reached for his metal zipper, and those scorching lips traveled all the way from his Adam’s apple backward, heading straight for the vulnerable glands on the back of his neck.
Yan Jiu! Shen Hui barked sternly, gripping Yan Jiu’s wrists tightly to stop him from succeeding: Snap out of it!
Awakened by his voice, Yan Jiu raised his head slightly to lock eyes with him. His blood-red pupils were entirely consumed by desire, staring fixedly at the prey before him, completely failing to recognize who was actually standing right in front of him.
With such a thorough state of rut, the compatibility rate was extremely likely to approach 100 percent.
Shen Hui cursed inwardly, and just as he was about to speak, his lips were sealed.
The scorching, burning breath forcefully stripped him of all his voice and air. A powerful torso pressed down inch by inch, and Shen Hui’s narrow, lean waist was pressed against the edge of the sink. His upper body arched backward to the absolute limit, and when he could no longer bear the load, Yan Jiu supported him with one hand, continuing the deep kiss like a robber.
The only sound beside his ear was the smacking of wet kisses and a heartbeat like a war drum. With dark spots dancing before his eyes and on the verge of fainting, Shen Hui suddenly burst out with force and shoved Yan Jiu away.
Because of the rut, Yan Jiu lacked his usual caution, and being pushed caused him to stumble backward. His immediate reaction, however, was to grab his omega’s wrist tightly.
Dragged down by the momentum, Shen Hui collapsed to his knees. The moment he steadied himself, he pulled a micro-stun baton from his pocket and jammed it without hesitation into the side of Yan Jiu’s neck.
Hiss. A faint electrical current pierced through the skin, and Yan Jiu’s limbs twitched once before he collapsed onto the floor, completely motionless.
Only then did Shen Hui let out a sigh of relief as he scrambled up, battered and bruised, secretly thanking Gu Yu for his thoroughness. Gu Yu had aggressively shoved this stun baton into his pocket, calling it specialized self-defense equipment for omegas, or rather, for patients.
He used the back of his hand to wipe his swollen lips, which carried a slight stinging sensation, as Yan Jiu had bitten the corner of his mouth.
You wild wolf cub! Shen Hui couldn’t help giving him a kick, but anticipating that the unconscious Yan Jiu would still follow instinct to grab his omega, he quickly pulled his foot back, making Yan Jiu grab empty air.
Yan Jiu frowned in dissatisfaction, but the stun baton was specifically designed for alphas; even in a rut, being tasered meant sleeping for a full half-hour.
Looking at Yan Jiu, Shen Hui suppressed the myriad thoughts in his heart and turned to leave. Yet, finding it hard to bear leaving the man lying on the cold floor, he walked back a few steps, gritted his teeth, and dragged him out onto the hallway bench. He even used the back of his hand to cushion Yan Jiu’s head from hitting the wall, and only after confirming everything was fine did he stride away quickly.
He had too many questions right now, and the most important one was to go find Gu Yu first.
It wasn’t until Shen Hui reached the school gate that he realized he had forgotten something: he had left Yang Bai stranded in the teaching building.
He immediately reached for his phone and saw several missed calls. Just as he was about to call back, Yang Bai called again, and he tapped answer.
Bro, did you forget you have a big, devoted bro? Are you abandoning me? Shen Hui could vividly imagine just how aggrieved Yang Bai’s expression was through the phone.
I’m waiting for you at the school gate. Hurry over.
Yang Bai instantly caught the odd tone in his voice: Bro, what’s wrong?
Realizing his own lack of composure, Shen Hui let out a long breath to calm himself: I have a slight fever; I need to go to the hospital.
Ah. I’ll be right there!
Running at a one-thousand-meter sprint speed, Yang Bai rushed to the school gate. Gasping heavily, he touched Shen Hui’s forehead and found it burning hot. Refusing to even wait for a rideshare, he immediately flagged down a taxi and headed toward the hospital.
Which hospital are we going to?
Qinghai Hospital, Department of Glandular Medicine.
Yang Bai froze: Bro, aren’t you a beta?
Only after asking did he realize his brother’s face was extremely pale, yet his cheeks were flushed red, and the corners of his mouth were slightly swollen. With utter straightforwardness, he asked: Bro, did you get heatiness?
With a chaotic mess inside his head, Shen Hui offered a couple of perfunctory replies to brush it off.
He had a very bad premonition. Things were quietly slipping out of his control, as if invisible spider silk were trying to drag him back into that darkness.
Just as Shen Hui stepped out of the car at the hospital entrance, he ran into Gu Yu, who had just finished his night shift. Gu Yu was biting down on a Lizi Yuan bread loaf, spinning his car keys on his index finger, and getting ready to head home for some shut-eye.
He looked up, only to find trouble dropping straight out of the sky.
Shen Hui?!
Shen Hui was pale-faced with a calm expression: I have a fever.
Damn it!
An hour later, Yang Bai was sitting in the examination room keeping Shen Hui company, while Gu Yu, now back in his white lab coat, furrowed his brows so deeply it looked like they could trap every mosquito in Qinghai.
He read the test results over and over again, his expression so serious that Yang Bai grew terrified.
Doctor, is my brother okay?
Gu Yu exchanged a look with Shen Hui and easily hoodwinked the kid out of the room: He needs to be hospitalized for intravenous treatment to bring the fever down first. Go pay the fees.
Panicked, Yang Bai hurried toward the door before Shen Hui called him back: Let me transfer the money to you first.
Brandishing his phone with a shake, Yang Bai headed out: Dad already wired money to me. He said if it’s not enough, just ask for more.
The two of them watched with solemn expressions as Yang Bai shut the door. The next second, Gu Yu lunged forward, grabbed Shen Hui by the collar, and demanded: Which alpha were you messing around with?!
Shen Hui stared back at him with a look that clearly asked what kind of psychosis he was having.
After his freak-out, Gu Yu realized how impossible that was, but his years of medical experience insisted that the test data wouldn’t lie. Consequently, he felt a throbbing ache in his head, his eyes, and everywhere else.
By comparison, the patient was far more composed: What on earth is going on?
Gu Yu took a deep breath and let out a long sigh: One piece of good news and one piece of bad news.
Give me the bad news.
All your current data indicates that you’ve turned into an omega.
As if he had anticipated it all along, Shen Hui merely furrowed his brow slightly: Why?
Gu Yu was equally baffled: That’s also why I wanted to keep you here. Two years ago, I checked your glands thoroughly; they were nearly necrotic, with only a tiny fraction of activity remaining near the roots connected to the main nerves. Otherwise, you would have died of glandular hormone failure long ago.
Shen Hui had heard this verdict two years ago; he waited for the qualification.
However, judging by all the test results just now, your omega pheromone concentration has hit a staggering 520 percent. Do you have any idea what the pheromone concentration of an ordinary omega in rut is?
140 to 180. Anything over 200 percent requires timely suppressants or finding a mating partner. Shen Hui had thoroughly researched these statistics years ago.
So, look into my eyes and tell me! Who is that wild man? Gu Yu looked like an angry grand-uncle whose prized cabbage had been plundered, opening his mouth wide as if wanting to devour someone.
Staring at his ferocious expression, Shen Hui asked calmly: What’s the good news?
Leaning across the desk, Gu Yu glared at him like a fish dying because it didn’t get its scoop of gossip, but since he had never won a staring contest with Shen Hui, he eventually gave up and rubbed his temples.
The good news is that aside from that specific wild man, nobody else can smell your pheromones. Otherwise, you would have caused a public disturbance and been placed in quarantine by now, Gu Yu said ungraciously.
Hearing this, Shen Hui’s heart sank.
From his expression, Gu Yu could tell that Shen Hui had already guessed seven or eight parts of it, and he let out a cold huff: Stop overloading your central processing unit with feverish thoughts here. Let me take you to the inpatient ward first.
Once Shen Hui was settled in a hospital bed with the fever-reducing intravenous drip running, Yang Bai returned after finishing the paperwork.
Gu Yu glanced at the clear-headed yet foolish alpha and silently hit the delete key in his mind.
I need to figure out what to do about your case, Gu Yu said, letting out a massive yawn: I’ll probably have to consult my mentor, but right now, this doctor needs to go home and catch up on sleep. I’ve been on duty for thirty-six hours straight.
Shen Hui looked slightly surprised: There should be quite a few doctors in the Glandular Department. Why the sudden back-to-back shifts?
A few people were suddenly transferred abroad for studies last month. Gu Yu spoke as if intentionally letting Shen Hui in on something: Who knows? Maybe some big shot had an issue.
Obediently, Yang Bai saw Gu Yu off, leaving just the two of them in the hospital room.
Looking at Yang Bai, who still seemed a bit shaken, Shen Hui patted the chair beside him: Thanks for running around back and forth. You must be tired, take a rest.
Like a robot programmed to obey commands, Yang Bai sat stiffly beside Shen Hui and subconsciously grabbed Shen Hui’s hand.
Shen Hui paused for a moment but did not pull his hand back.
The cool yet vibrant warmth radiating from the palm finally pulled Yang Bai back to reality. In a split second, his eye rims turned red, and teardrops rolled down, instantly throwing Shen Hui into a panic.
What’s wrong? Why are you crying? Shen Hui hurriedly pulled out a tissue and handed it to Yang Bai.
Yang Bai used the tissue to blow his nose, wailing with genuine heartbreak: I thought… I thought I wouldn’t make it in time.
For a moment, Shen Hui couldn’t follow his train of thought: What?
Nothing. Bro, what do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it for you, Yang Bai stammered, changing the subject.
Shen Hui shook his head: I’m fine. I haven’t asked you yet, how did your interview go?
Even though the big boss went crazy on the spot, it’s probably doomed. With his carefree attitude, Yang Bai began peeling an apple for Shen Hui. Being selected in the first place had been unexpected; getting in would mean striking gold, but not getting in was also expected. His mindset was remarkably calm.
Went crazy? Shen Hui furrowed his brows.
Yeah, Senior Yan Jiu. Recalling the situation, Yang Bai could still feel how his legs had turned to jelly under the pressure of a high-ranking alpha: During the interview, he suddenly seemed to enter a rut. I saw the interviewers looking completely bewildered too.
Shen Hui, however, furrowed his brows slightly, realizing something was wrong.
Normally, alphas could smoothly get through a rut with suppressants, but Yan Jiu’s condition didn’t look like that. His symptoms bore a much closer resemblance to the mania of an alpha post-bonding who had spent a long time without a partner’s soothing touch.
Such an alpha would be directly subjected to compulsory quarantine management if they refused treatment, fitted with shackles on all limbs, and strapped with a 24-hour electric shock collar that would instantly discharge electricity the moment their pheromones spiked.
At that thought, a sharp pang pierced Shen Hui’s heart.
Yan Jiu, where was he right now?