“I was so incredibly sad last night,” he said.
Xiao Shuqing felt as if something had gently brushed against his heart.
It was a ticklish, softening sensation.
How can an Alpha be this soft and adorable? He wondered.
It made him want to throw caution to the wind, pull the boy into his arms, and rub his head to comfort him.
But there were boundaries between Alphas and Omegas—especially since the boy was going to meet the person he liked tonight. Resisting the urge, Xiao Shuqing could only reach out to gently ruffle the hair at the crown of the boy’s head before turning around to pull out a tissue and offer it to him.
“Don’t cry. Good boy, it’s all my fault.”
He then gently stroked the Alpha’s soft hair. “It’s still early. Why don’t you go back to sleep for a bit? Hmm? You can sleep for an hour, and I’ll wake you up at eight.”
The young Alpha took the tissue to wipe his tears, sniffing as he spoke. “It’s fine. I couldn’t sleep last night, so I stayed up all night working. I can just head over there this afternoon.”
As he spoke, he let out a soft yawn. “My colleagues are covering the morning shift, so they’ll handle any issues. Yawn. Professor Xiao, what do you want to eat?”
Three yawns in a single sentence.
Moreover, the kid’s eyes were bloodshot from staying up all night, and both his eyelids and the tip of his nose were red and swollen from crying—yet he was still asking what he wanted for breakfast.
If there were any onlookers, they would undoubtedly brand Xiao Shuqing an absolute brute.
Looking at the boy’s wet eyelashes, Xiao Shuqing pulled out another tissue and gently wiped them for him.
With a sigh, he said, “Go sit down for a moment. I’ll go boil some mini wontons. I didn’t sleep well either, so we can catch up on sleep together after breakfast.”
The boy subconsciously closed his eyes under his gentle touch.
“Mm, okay,” he replied obediently, his voice carrying a milky sweetness.
After wiping away the young Alpha’s tears, Xiao Shuqing stood up and went into the kitchen.
The mini wontons in the freezer had been bought a couple of days ago at a large wholesale supermarket. The kid had been incredibly excited, dragging him over and pulling a shopping cart to stock up.
The supermarket was the kind that offered wholesale quantities at great prices. Things were cheap, but the packaging was massive, forcing you to buy in bulk. Xiao Shuqing didn’t have a habit of hoarding goods; he usually bought daily necessities as needed. Living alone, he didn’t require that much food, so he had never patronized that store before.
Yu Siyuan, on the other hand, was intimately familiar with the layout. He didn’t even need to look at the signs to know where everything was, tossing items into the cart as they walked.
He had bought ten bags of these mini wontons alone, spanning five different flavors.
Now, looking at the packed freezer, Xiao Shuqing randomly selected two bags—shrimp and shepherd’s purse with pork—and dropped them into the bubbling pot.
He then opened the seasoning packets and leaned against the counter, waiting quietly.
The person outside the kitchen didn’t seem to be idle either. There was a rustling sound of him bustling about, interspersed with the pacing of a large dog and the faint mechanical hum of the robot vacuum.
It brought an inexplicable sense of warmth.
When the plump, white wontons all floated to the top, he scattered a handful of chopped scallions and cilantro, then threw in a handful of dried baby shrimp. The fresh, savory aroma instantly drifted out with the steam from the pot.
It was the comforting scent of a home-cooked meal.
Just as he turned off the stove, a glass of warm water was offered to him. Turning around, he found the kid blinking up at him.
“The honey arrived yesterday. You’ve been drinking coffee constantly lately, Professor Xiao, which might upset your stomach. My dad said this specific honey protects the stomach, so you should have a glass every morning.”
As he spoke, he naturally took the bowl and ladle from Xiao Shuqing’s hands. “Thank you for your hard work, Professor Xiao. Let me serve it.”
He then skillfully mixed the seasonings and scooped out two bowls of steaming soup.
Whenever Yu Siyuan made soup dishes, he liked to add sesame oil. Every time he cooked, the delicious aroma would fill the entire apartment.
Today was no exception.
Xiao Shuqing lowered his head and quietly sipped the honey water. Smelling the familiar fragrance, even his persistent headache began to soothe.
“Thank you. This feels very nice,” he said.
The Alpha bit his lip, revealing two endearing, self-conscious canine teeth. “You’re welcome, Professor Xiao.”
After breakfast, they put the bowls in the dishwasher and returned to their respective bedrooms to catch up on sleep.
Yu Siyuan went to the office after waking up in the afternoon. Xiao Shuqing, still feeling somewhat unwell, simply sat on the sofa to read a book and reply to emails.
He didn’t expect to be summoned to the hospital by a phone call.
The university intern on the line urged him repeatedly, completely flustered:
“I’ve been calling you for three days straight. Thank heavens you finally answered! If you hadn’t, we were going to call your university!”
“Dr. Ning asked me to inquire if you’ve been suffering from insomnia, vivid dreams, or physical and mental exhaustion lately. If you are, get over here immediately.”
“Oh, come on, you’re so young—why avoid the doctor? Besides, it’s just a follow-up exam, not your first time seeing him. What is there to be afraid of? Actually, those were Dr. Ning’s exact words. Are you afraid he’ll scold you? Sob. If you don’t come, he scolds me every day, complaining that I can’t even manage patient relationships. For the sake of my course credits please do me a favor, okay? Being a student isn’t easy, I’m begging you!”
Exasperated by the relentless pestering, Xiao Shuqing had no choice but to make a trip to the hospital.
Seeing him arrive, the older doctor looked at him askance. “Heh, completely listless. Did you ignore every single thing I said?”
He then slapped a check-up slip in front of him. “Pay first, then get examined. Take a left on the first floor—you know the way anyway. Come back and see me when you’re done.”
And so, resigned to his fate, he went to get the tests done.
Xiao Shuqing had expected to be chewed out thoroughly, but to his surprise, the doctor’s expression softened considerably upon reviewing the results.
Adjusting his glasses, the doctor scanned the data line by line. “There isn’t much change in the gland. It actually looks a bit healthier than last time, haha. Probably just because you haven’t been injecting suppressants. You can’t inject them anymore, do you hear me? The pheromone levels in your body are still lower than a normal Omega’s, but there’s no need to worry; it was much lower last time. You’ve been applying your pheromone topical every day since your heat started, right?”
Xiao Shuqing: “?”
He hadn’t applied it at all. He had even tried to apply it once while drunk, only to accidentally smash a vial.
“I haven’t used it,” he said, pressing his temples. “My insomnia has been terrible lately. I thought my gland condition was deteriorating severely.”
The doctor: “?”
“Why haven’t you used it? Forget it, forget it. It’s typical of you not to. Your heat cycle is currently erratic, and your insomnia is a byproduct of that. Just focus on getting more rest.”
Halfway through his sentence, the doctor flipped to the next page of the lab report.
And froze completely.
Though he couldn’t read the doctor’s mind, Xiao Shuqing felt he could literally see sparks of fury igniting in the man’s eyes.
The next second, the experienced veteran doctor slammed his hand on the desk with a loud thwack!, causing the interning student nearby to shudder.
“Look at this nicotine level! And you still have residual alcohol from a hangover? Is this how a patient is supposed to take care of themselves? Aren’t you afraid of overloading your heart and dropping dead! And you complain about severe insomnia—if you didn’t have insomnia while sabotaging your body like this, I’d stand on my head and swallow an IV bottle!”
He then pointed at the report, roaring like a fierce lion, “Cut it out! Cut all of it out! No cigarettes, no alcohol, no coffee, and no milk tea! It’s bad enough that you refuse medication, but you’re completely reckless with your lifestyle! Are you planning to blame the doctor for being useless while you actively look for trouble? I’m busting my hump trying to drag you out of the river, and the moment I turn around, you jump right into a lake! What am I doing this for? To get some exercise, or just to satisfy my own ego?”
Xiao Shuqing: “!”
If he recalled correctly, those were the exact words he usually used to lecture his own students.
“I’m sorry. I won’t touch any of those anymore.”
He never expected that the very words he used to discipline his students would one day be turned back on him.
Seeing him rub his brow, the old doctor glared at him, his beard practically bristling with rage. “You look reluctant?”
Xiao Shuqing was at a total loss for words.
Just as he was pondering how to respond, a knock sounded at the door.
Then, the slightly ajar door was pushed open.
A gentle, refined voice drifted in. “My apologies, I saw the door was open so I just walked in.”
The newcomer wore a casual white shirt. He froze for a moment upon spotting the person inside the examination room, before his fox-like eyes curved into a warm smile. “Shu, you’re here too? Are you here to see the doctor?”
His eyelashes were so long that even a gentle blink seemed to stir up a tiny breeze.
Xiao Shuqing finally understood where that little “eyelash extension” of an Alpha back at his apartment got his genes from.
Indeed, the newcomer was Yu Siyuan’s Omega father.
“Yes, I’m here to see the doctor,” Xiao Shuqing replied in a low voice.
Remembering the older man’s own gland condition, he added out of concern, “What brings you to the hospital? Is something wrong with your health?”
The man’s gaze swept over the lab report in Xiao Shuqing’s hand, then flicked to the old doctor, who was still huffing and puffing with rage. He blinked and said, “Oh, it’s not for me. Yuanyuan begged me to come. He said he had a bit of trouble controlling his pheromones today, so he asked me to come over and ask about it. Don’t be fooled by how soft and sweet our Yuanyuan usually is—he’s actually a very powerful Alpha. This is the first time his pheromones have ever gone out of control, so I thought I’d better consult a professional.”
Xiao Shuqing: “?”
Cough.
If he wasn’t mistaken, he was likely the one responsible for that particular loss of control.
However, before he could even attempt to explain, the doctor beside him beat him to the punch. “A top-tier Alpha losing control of his pheromones? If there are no other symptoms, it just means he ran into an Omega he likes and got aroused.”
The father caught his breath, then cast a deeply meaningful look at Xiao Shuqing. “Is that so? Then perhaps it’s because they’re newly wed, and he just can’t restrain himself?”
The doctor crossed his arms and shook his head repeatedly. “Tsk, tsk. A newlywed Alpha is full of youthful vigor, and he’s got a wife he just moved in with at home—what is there to restrain? Tell him to just rough it out under the blankets a few more times, and everything will be perfectly fine.”
The older man pressed his lips together to hide his rising smile, bringing a half-curled fist to his mouth. “Cough, cough. Doctor, you might want to hold that thought. Our family’s in-law is standing right here.”
The old doctor looked around the room in utter confusion. “Your family’s in-law?”
Suddenly realizing what was happening, his finger trembled as he pointed straight at Xiao Shuqing. “Him?”
He then looked at Xiao Shuqing in pure disbelief. “I don’t see you for a single month, and you pull off a stunt this massive?”
Words failed Xiao Shuqing.