Knowing it was impossible to hide it from Zhong Yu, Shi Jing said, “En.”
He had originally wanted to find a chance to reveal the whole thing later, but after all the commotion, his close friend had found out first instead.
Realizing that Shi Jing was feeling shy, Zhong Yu quickened his pace to catch up, slinging an arm around his neck. “Tell me about it. What kind of divine being is this Enigma of yours? How on earth did you two end up together, and why on earth were you willing to sleep with him?”
Shi Jing shoved Zhong Yu away. Hesitating for a moment without answering directly, he asked, “What should I do in my situation? I do not even know when this temporary mark will fade. Are there any gland patches made for Alphas?”
This was the first time Zhong Yu had ever seen him say so much in one breath, and he found it rather novel.
“You think this is a temporary mark?” Zhong Yu asked.
“Otherwise what? There is certainly no Omega gland function down there on me.”
Zhong Yu rubbed his chin, contemplating how to break the truth to his proud-as-a-peacock friend.
As an Alpha, trying to conquer others was supposed to be the instinct. Now, he had to tell him about a completely different outcome.
Seeing that he remained silent, Shi Jing urged, “Speak.”
Enigmas were simply too rare in this world. Most people would never encounter one in their entire lifetime, so aside from medical students, physiology textbooks from their school days never provided much explanation for this rare gender.
Moreover, because their numbers were so small, doctors and scholars were still very much in the exploration phase regarding research on this gender.
It was completely normal for Shi Jing not to know.
Zhong Yu patted Shi Jing’s shoulder. “How should I put it? All I know is that an Enigma’s pheromones unconditionally override the other three genders, so there is no such thing as a temporary mark.”
Shi Jing’s expression shifted slightly.
“You mean?”
“Saying it like that is not entirely accurate either. It is just that once the mark on the back of your neck heals completely, it will only fade. Whether it will ever disappear and when that might happen depends entirely on the Enigma’s abilities.”
Zhong Yu continued, “Just like Alpha pheromones are divided into different tiers, if the other party’s pheromone rank is considered high even among Enigmas, then you might just have to carry this mark for the rest of your life. The specifics depend on the other person’s test report, and only a specialized hospital can run that.”
Shi Jing: “…”
???
Shi Jing’s brain went boom, exploding into pieces.
Seeing him standing frozen in place like a fool, Zhong Yu poked him in the back. “Are you out of your mind? Can you tell me how the two of you started dating now? Did he tell you he was an Enigma beforehand?”
“We are not dating.” Shi Jing felt like he was having trouble standing steadily. “It was just a one-night stand. My grandfather found out, so I am going to enter a one-year contract marriage with him.”
Zhong Yu: “…”
Zhong Yu: “Ah?”
“Does your grandfather know he is an Enigma?”
“Not yet.”
Zhong Yu hesitated. “But your grandfather wants you to marry an Omega. He is not going to agree if he finds out.”
“Once we are married, he will not let us get a divorce because of face.” He just wanted to shut Shunhe Shi’s nagging mouth about urging him to marry.
Shi Jing’s lips pressed into a straight line, and he could not tell if it was from anger.
The successive emotional fluctuations made his discomfort flare up in his glands, and his temples were throbbing fiercely.
“Where can we get an Enigma’s pheromone rank tested around here?” he asked.
Zhong Yu sent a set of coordinates to Shi Jing. “This place can do it. If you want to go today, you can use the specialist emergency department.”
“Alright, I will treat you to a meal another day. I am heading out first.”
Shi Jing glanced at his navigation app and called Wei Qinan directly.
The other’s voice was warm, and even a simple hello made a tingling sensation crawl up the back of Shi Jing’s neck.
He knew very well that this was his pheromones acting up. “Where are you right now?”
Wei Qinan looked out the car window. “I am in your assistant’s car, heading toward the apartment right now.”
Shi Jing told Wei Qinan to put the phone on speaker.
Ye Li gave an acknowledgment and asked, “What is it, Boss?”
Shi Jing stood at the street corner, flagged down a taxi, and instructed, “Ye Li, take Wei Qinan to the Sixth People’s Hospital first, the ABO Specialist Building.”
With that, he hung up the phone.
By the time Wei Qinan arrived, Shi Jing had already been waiting for over ten minutes.
He led Wei Qinan straight into the emergency department without saying a single word. Upon seeing the doctor, he finally spoke, “Doctor Hu, please help test his pheromone rank.”
There were not many doctors who had researched Enigmas, and the one before them was the only one in this hospital.
Doctor Hu raised his head to observe Wei Qinan standing beside Shi Jing. After a few seconds, he turned his head to print out the requisition form. “We can only do basic testing here. If you want a detailed report, you will have to submit an appointment to an official professional testing institution.”
“Fine, no problem.”
“Testing department on the second floor. Results will take about an hour.”
Shi Jing: “Thank you.”
Testing pheromone ranks was not covered by medical insurance; it was considered an out-of-pocket item, and under normal circumstances, nobody would ever think to come test for this.
Shi Jing walked over to the machine to tear off the test slip and conveniently paid the testing fees for him.
Wei Qinan quietly followed behind him the entire time, and seeing this, he finally spoke, “Let me pay for this myself.”
“No need. Just think of it as a pre-marital physical exam.” Shi Jing’s tone was ice-cold as he lifted his chin to signal Wei Qinan to follow.
He looked unapproachable when putting on a stern face, and right now his killing intent was fully maximized. As he watched the nurse draw blood, his eyes looked as though they wanted to drill a hole straight through that thin tube.
Testing pheromone ranks was troublesome, and the nurse had to draw five tubes of blood in a row before stopping.
Wei Qinan pressed a cotton ball with one hand and asked, “Should we sit down and wait?”
The mere thought that the mark on the back of his neck might never disappear made Shi Jing incredibly anxious, and he grabbed a handful of his hair. “No. Let us go eat first.”
He randomly picked a reasonably clean noodle shop and sat there like a living king of hell, radiating an effect even stronger than the shop’s air conditioning.
Wei Qinan observed his reaction. “Are you angry?”
Shi Jing: “…”
How was he supposed to explain? He was not actually angry; he was terrified of what Wei Qinan’s pheromone rank might be.
What should he do if the rank was too high and he was stuck with this mark for the rest of his life? Just because he disliked the Omegas, he met on previous blind dates did not mean he was planning to stay single for the rest of his life.
Although Wei Qinan did not look half bad either, their genders simply did not match.
Damn it, if he had known, he never would have gone out drinking. Why on earth did he have to pick someone up off the street for no reason?
While he was deep in thought, his hand was gently brushed by someone.
Wei Qinan reached out and hooked his finger. “Stop being angry. I will not casually release my pheromones without your permission anymore.”