Although Ying Qiuman felt he’d made a lot of mistakes today, what Xu Shuyuan said now was a bit too unreasonable. He couldn’t help feeling stifled, so he turned his head and was about to leave.
But after only two steps, Xu Shuyuan pulled him back again. His tone still didn’t sound good: “Didn’t you say you couldn’t wash? Where are you going?”
“Not washing…” He didn’t think his tone sounded like acting spoiled, the word had nothing to do with him. So when he spoke again, he deliberately quickened his pace, to make it sound like he was angry.
But in his current state, being angry was useless. He was as soft as mud, so when he was hoisted up, he could only weakly thump at the other man before finally giving in.
No matter how good things were during the susceptibility period, he’d always think of it as a reward for what he gave. And once Xu Shuyuan regained clarity, he would forget it all. But this was different, he simply couldn’t face a sober Xu Shuyuan.
“I don’t want to!” He clung to the bathroom door in protest, but his hands were easily caught by Xu Shuyuan, like a big fish hauled ashore [1] stripped of every advantage and left helpless jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2564677_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2564677_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t move as nimbly as he could in water.
“Then should I call Uncle Liu to help you?” Xu Shuyuan had been kicked a few times, and he looked rather angry now.
Ying Qiuman lifted his eyes to look at him. His chest rose and fell for a moment, as if he were conflicted, or perhaps disappointed. In the end, he still stubbornly said, “I’m not washing.”
But unexpectedly, Xu Shuyuan didn’t throw him out the way he’d imagined. Instead, he bent down and sniffed near his neck, then said with a hint of distaste, “You stink.”
That one sentence made Ying Qiuman feel even more humiliated. He panted and glared at Xu Shuyuan for a moment, then seized the chance and shoved him away.
It wasn’t just a simple shove when his fingers met Xu Shuyuan’s face, they curled and scratched, drawing a cry of pain from the man.
Having succeeded, Ying Qiuman staggered as he tried to run out, but Xu Shuyuan reacted faster and grabbed him again at once.
Without thinking, he opened his mouth and bit down, only to have his jaw pinched and his sharp teeth blocked.
“You—” Xu Shuyuan’s grip was no small thing. Ying Qiuman struggled in pain a couple of times, then shifted his teeth and bit down on Xu Shuyuan’s hand instead.
“You bullied me first,” Ying Qiuman accused, the words muffled. His tongue couldn’t help brushing against Xu Shuyuan’s palm, but his glare looked fierce enough.
Xu Shuyuan didn’t expect to be the one bitten today, yet he couldn’t bring himself to get angry.
What was there to be angry about with a drunk person?
“Let go,” he ordered in a low voice. But however gentle Ying Qiuman usually was, right now he was just as stubborn. The bite didn’t hurt much, but the soft, warm tip of his tongue brushing against him now and then stirred up the heat inside him more and more.
Xu Shuyuan held out against him for a moment, then finally gave in: “Manman, stop biting.”
He’d originally meant to force Ying Qiuman to loosen his bite, but after he called out the name, Ying Qiuman actually eased off. His eyes seemed to brighten slightly as he looked up and asked, “Are you in your susceptibility period?”
An alpha’s susceptibility period wasn’t a fully frenzied, all-consuming seven-day state, Xu Shuyuan only had two or three days when he couldn’t completely control himself.
So he was indeed in his susceptibility period now though it might not be the “susceptibility period” Ying Qiuman had in mind.
Xu Shuyuan let out a “hmph,” then used his thumb and forefinger to pinch Ying Qiuman’s chin, forcing him onto his toes and closer. His eyes were half-lidded, looking like a threat, and like temptation too.
“Yes. Did you forget why you came back?”
Ying Qiuman wasn’t used to eye contact, especially from a lower position. That kind of pressure made him feel as if he were standing on an execution platform: innocent, yet still to be condemned, simply because he couldn’t defend himself.
He looked away from Xu Shuyuan’s gaze and suddenly buried himself in the man’s embrace.
He hugged him tightly, catching Xu Shuyuan off guard. The man’s hand was still suspended in the air, yet Ying Qiuman had already thrown himself into his arms.
“No shower, no hug,” Xu Shuyuan said bluntly.
Ying Qiuman was silent for a moment. In the end, he let go, stepped back, and turned on the shower.
He hadn’t taken off his clothes. Cold water poured down through them from above, making him shiver. Only afterward did he realize he should adjust it to warm.
Obedient and well-behaved, completely unlike his earlier fierce, biting self. Xu Shuyuan’s gaze darkened. He stepped forward, pulled him into his arms, and began helping him undress.
Ying Qiuman struggled a little, turning his head away, but he truly had little strength left, so he let Xu Shuyuan go on.
At some point he fell fully asleep no matter how Xu Shuyuan moved him, he didn’t wake.
When he opened his eyes again, he was completely sober. His mind went blank for a moment, and then the memories of his drunken behavior came crashing back. Before he even had time to feel embarrassed, he was pulled back under the blanket and pinned down.
His gland was bitten open, and as the pheromones were injected, Ying Qiuman still couldn’t endure the pain. He tried to grab on to something, but both hands found only skin there was no clothing or blanket left for him to hold.
Not long after, the alpha noticed his discomfort and took his hands, guiding and calming him, making him hold on to him instead.
Another person’s pheromones broke through his depleted gland, surging through the blocked passages and stimulating the nerves the previous night’s alcohol had left soft. Skin hunger and withdrawal anxiety were both soothed and satisfied at once.
Ying Qiuman couldn’t bear it and bit down on his own lip, but before he could press hard, his chin was caught and held.
His pupils were slightly unfocused, his gaze carrying a softness hard to describe. Xu Shuyuan brought the man’s hand to his lips.
“Manman, don’t bite yourself.”
During his susceptibility period, Xu Shuyuan called him by that intimate name. Over time it had become a signal that let Ying Qiuman relax and come closer.
He obediently bit Xu Shuyuan’s finger, but didn’t use much force. The next second, though, as if Xu Shuyuan meant it, he made him clamp down in a way he couldn’t resist.
……
Late at night, Ying Qiuman suddenly woke.
Xu Shuyuan had already shown signs of sobering up the night before, and he could move now as well.
He was about to shift away the arm resting on him, but in the dim light he saw several clear rings of bite marks on the arm holding him. Some had already broken open and formed dark scabs.
Ying Qiuman’s brows twitched unnaturally a couple of times. He turned back to look at Xu Shuyuan, who was still asleep, and felt uneasy. He fetched iodine and cotton swabs, and gently cleaned the wounds he’d bitten open, bit by bit.
When he’d finished, he leaned in somewhat reluctantly. His forehead stopped just short of touching Xu Shuyuan, paused for a few seconds, and then drew back.
His phone had run out of battery and been off for a long time. After charging and turning it on, missed calls and messages from Li Tian all popped up at once.
Monday’s messages:
【Mom said to come home for the Winter Solstice dinner.】
【Want me to come pick you up?】
A day and a night later:
【Is President Yuan in his susceptibility period?】
It was now 2:30 a.m., so Ying Qiuman didn’t reply. He switched to a different chat window:
【Can I really cure my condition like this?】
Ying Qiuman felt his symptoms hadn’t eased at allin fact, they seemed to be getting worse. His degradation anxiety had also started to affect his behavior.
Qiu Yuan, the night owl, was still awake. Soon the chat box showed “typing…”
Ying Qiuman waited a moment, and the other side sent a long reply.
【The precondition for healing is that you first build a correct understanding. Clearly, your current relationship isn’t enough for you to speak your mind freely, and therefore to healthily accept, take in, and complete the self-healing.】
【And second, you still need to ask a doctor. After all, all I know how to do is play games.】
Ying Qiuman lay on the big plush bear and thought for a while, then booked an appointment with a psychiatrist for the next day.
He tried to empty his mind and let exhaustion drag him into sleep.
The next day, in order to see the doctor early and get back to school as soon as possible, Ying Qiuman dragged his heavy body out of bed. He’d originally meant to ask Aunt Liang for some breakfast to eat on the way, but found that Xu Shuyuan was already eating in the dining room.
He pretended nothing was wrong and quietly tried to slip out, but he was noticed anyway.
“Come have breakfast.” Xu Shuyuan’s voice came from the dining room. Ying Qiuman couldn’t pretend he hadn’t heard, so he had no choice but to walk back in.
Aunt Liang carried breakfast to the table with a smile. “Xiao Ying, up so early today?”
Ying Qiuman smiled and nodded at her, then pulled out a chair and sat down.
His gaze couldn’t help drifting toward Xu Shuyuan, then was caught by the conspicuous bandage wrapped around the man’s finger.
That serious?
Ying Qiuman ran his tongue over his teeth and looked away, lowering his head to eat.
Xu Shuyuan noticed his gaze. Whether on purpose or not, he deliberately stretched out that finger, bandaged up fat as a radish, and made a small show of struggling to pick up the milk beside him.
Ying Qiuman caught the movement, and the tips of his ears turned red, the color slowly spreading outward.
He wanted to apologize, but his collar was still rubbing against the wound on his neck. Besides, he’d gotten up in the middle of the night to treat Xu Shuyuan’s hand. The wound wasn’t even deep, yet it had been properly bandaged as if it were something serious.
Ying Qiuman felt the one who ought to apologize was someone else. He quickly finished his meal in silence and stood up to leave.
This time, Xu Shuyuan didn’t stop him. The chopsticks fell onto the plate with a clatter.
The moment he went out, Ying Qiuman got another call from Li Tian.
“Hey, Brother.”
“Has President Yuan’s susceptibility period ended?”
“Yeah.”
Ying Qiuman had had almost no contact with the original body’s family. A year and a half ago, he’d suddenly been called home for a meal, and then his stepfather Li Cong had arranged a marriage alliance for him.
He instinctively felt this time wouldn’t bring anything good either. The Li family’s company, Lanxi Technology, had been in decline for three years. In the novel, this marriage temporarily brought in funding and a brief recovery, but later it collapsed completely, only to be saved after Li Tian’s reforms.
“I’ll come pick you up, then we’ll talk,” Li Tian said over the phone. Ying Qiuman didn’t refuse.
The novel was told from Ye Li’s point of view, only briefly touching on the cause of this crisis. It focused more on how Li Tian’s cold, proud exterior hid a weary, gentle soul also the starting point of Ye Li softening toward him and falling into a tangled emotional knot.
The plot was still unfolding.
Needing a distraction anyway, Ying Qiuman looked into analyses of Lanxi Technology’s stock performance over the past few years and consulted a few business-school classmates, roughly mapping out several possible scenarios.
He wasn’t going to follow the original novel’s plot and ask Xu Shuyuan for help, so he needed another one that would let him turn down Li Cong’s request.
The fact that Ying Qiuman had booked an appointment with a psychiatrist was soon uncovered by Xu Shuyuan, who’d been deliberately looking into him. The specific diagnosis, however, was kept confidential by the hospital, so he couldn’t find it out.
Back at work, Xu Shuyuan sat in his office unable to focus on anything. It wasn’t until his assistant knocked and came in that he snapped back to attention.
“President Yuan, do you still need to rest?” Assistant Tian Ji set several new documents on the desk and stole a glance at Xu Shuyuan’s phone.
Xu Shuyuan immediately turned off the screen and coughed lightly. “No need.”
Tian Ji had been Xu Shuyuan’s assistant for three or four years and had rarely seen him take a full seven-day leave for his susceptibility period. As an outside observer, he could sense something was off, but he knew his superior well enough not to ask.
“President Cheng will come to see you in a bit,” Tian Ji said, drawing out a document and handing it to Xu Shuyuan. “Word is it’s about Lanxi.”
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