“Then… what can I do for him?” The alpha’s voice trembled even more than before. “He’s always been in good health, he’s never had any serious illness. Is this condition severe? What treatment does it require?” Because of his extreme nervousness, his words came out somewhat jumbled.
Li Qingchi patiently explained to him: “Pheromone resistance syndrome is different from an ordinary cold or fever. There’s currently no effective medication or treatment for it. The best remedy is a partner’s soothing pheromones. If you want to help him, you can release more soothing pheromones. The more soothing pheromones he receives, the lighter the physical pain he feels.”
The alpha asked tentatively, “So his illness requires me to use my pheromones to soothe him?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, I’ll try.” The alpha leaned forward slightly, took the beta’s hand on the hospital bed, and was about to release his pheromones when he seemed to remember something. He looked back with hesitation at the dozen or so pairs of eyes staring at him.
The doctors and nurses realized after a moment. What alpha would be willing to be watched while releasing soothing pheromones? That would be no different from a monkey in a zoo.
The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
“Pfft.” One doctor broke the deadlock. “The patient’s condition is much more stable than before. Why are you all still crowding around here? Go do your own things. Those who haven’t eaten, go eat quickly.” He urged them.
“Let’s go, let’s go, time to eat.” With that, the group of doctors and nurses filed out of the emergency room.
Li Qingchi pulled off his gloves and tossed them into the trash bin. After everyone had left, he said to the alpha, “You’re the only one he can rely on now.”
Hearing this, the alpha’s movements froze. He didn’t turn around, and only after a long pause did he slowly nod.
But in this world, who can truly be absolutely relied upon? There are only those who are the most trustworthy in the present moment, and only for that moment.
The beta on the hospital bed needed his spouse, his alpha, more than anyone right now. But whether the alpha would choose to become the beta’s pillar of support was up to him alone, no one could know.
Li Qingchi unconsciously thought of that detestable beta again. Was it because he had no one to rely on in the present that he came to coerce him?
He walked out of the isolation room, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number with no contact name saved. The person on the other end picked up almost instantly.
A deep voice came through the receiver: “Major General Li?”
“Help me look into someone.” Li Qingchi spoke directly, as if giving orders to a subordinate. “Wen Zhiyu. I want all his information, especially from when he was sixteen or seventeen, and whether he and I have had any past connections.”
“Understood.” The person on the other end replied respectfully. “I’ll investigate as soon as possible.”
With a few brief words, the call ended.
His chat window was empty, that detestable beta hadn’t even sent a message to urge him. He’d said earlier that he would come to the hospital, but there was still no sign of him. Had he changed his mind because it was too much trouble?
That beta was truly unpredictable. Just as he was thinking this, Li Qingchi pushed open his office door. It was quiet inside, with only the low hum of the air conditioner running. A familiar figure was slumped over the desk, fast asleep, even the creak of the door didn’t wake him. He didn’t know when the man had arrived, nor how long he’d been sleeping.
Having someone trespass into his private space wasn’t a pleasant feeling. Li Qingchi furrowed his brow: “Wen Zhiyu.”
This was the first time he’d called this beta’s name in front of him.
“Mmm…” The man slumped over the desk mumbled a drowsy response without even lifting his eyelids.
“Wake up.” Li Qingchi urged. “If you’re tired, go home and sleep. This is my office, not your room.”
Wen Zhiyu groggily opened his eyes, looking sleepily at the stern-faced alpha before him. It took him a moment to focus, his long lashes blinking before dropping again. He sat up straight and raised a hand to rub his cheek, which was marked with red creases from being pressed against the desk.
Freshly awakened, the beta lacked his usual careless, malicious edge. His hair stuck up in places, and his eyes held a hazy, misty quality, like a feline that had wandered into unfamiliar territory and was still dazed after being startled. He even revealed a hint of unguarded… softness?
The thought flashed through his mind and was quickly suppressed by Li Qingchi.
“Don’t come into my office without permission again.” Li Qingchi’s tone was calm and cold.
Wen Zhiyu was fully awake now. Instead of responding to that, he resumed his usual airy tone, though his voice still carried a hint of just-woken hoarseness: “Dr. Li, you really are a good doctor who takes responsibility for his patients.”
When praise came from his mouth, it seemed to take on an entirely different flavor. Or perhaps it was his own dislike and prejudice toward the man that prevented him from accepting the compliment at face value. Li Qingchi thought to himself.
“Shall we start the treatment now?” Wen Zhiyu offered proactively. He could already feel a faint ache spreading through his body, in about ten minutes, he’d likely be in full flare-up. “I have a feeling… this isn’t looking good.” His casual tone made his words sound utterly unconvincing.
Li Qingchi didn’t respond, didn’t even stir.
“If we keep stalling and it fully sets in…” Wen Zhiyu could see his distrust. He slowly rose to his feet, took two steps forward to close the distance between them, his tone carrying a hint of coaxing menace. “It’ll be much more troublesome to handle, right, Dr. Li? You wouldn’t want to deal with a delirious, writhing mess of a problem, would you?”
Li Qingchi caught the deeper meaning beneath his words, hurry up, don’t dawdle; if I hit the flare-up phase, the messier problems still land on your plate.
“I’ll start the treatment after I finish my rounds.” Li Qingchi mimicked his nonchalant tone. “You wouldn’t want to be interrupted mid-treatment, would you?”
Wen Zhiyu smiled slightly, offering no objection, a silent agreement.
Li Qingchi walked out of the office, his steps steady, though his mind was far from calm. He pulled out his phone and dialed that number again.
“How’s the investigation going?”
“Major, I’ve compiled his file and sent it encrypted to your internal email. I focused on his late teens, around sixteen or seventeen. His background… looks completely ordinary. He attended City No. 1 High School, decent grades, no disciplinary records, and a very simple social circle. I also found no direct connection between him and you. He was at the same school as you during freshman and sophomore year, but you transferred to the Capital First Military Academy in junior year, and after that, your paths never crossed again.” The voice on the other end was clear and composed.
“Are you sure?”
“I’ve double-checked everything. I can guarantee the sources are reliable, you can rest assured. His life trajectory… is utterly unremarkable. So unremarkable that there’s nothing worth noting at all.” A hint of confusion crept into the voice, as if wondering why Li Qingchi would investigate someone so ordinary.
“Understood.” Li Qingchi hung up.
Ordinary? Unremarkable? If that were truly the case, then how had he gotten his hands on that report? Coincidence? Or was the mundane background merely a facade, hiding something deeper?
Wen Zhiyu, this man was shrouded in a layer of mist, impossible to see through at a glance.
Pushing open the door, the anticipated urging didn’t come. Wen Zhiyu was lounging in his office chair, completely at ease, long legs casually crossed, head bowed as he scrolled through his phone.
Hearing the door, he looked up, his face expressionless. “All done?” His tone was flat.
Li Qingchi’s gaze swept past him and landed on the other side of the desk, there sat an insulated bag with a restaurant logo on it, beside it a clear plastic food container with the lid flipped open at one corner, revealing glossy red braised pork ribs inside. The insulated bag held a box of broccoli and rice, the food still steaming.
This must have been set out by Wen Zhiyu just now.
“Mm.” Li Qingchi acknowledged, walking around to the back of the desk, his eyes scanning the containers. “What’s this?”
“Dinner.” Wen Zhiyu put away his phone and stood, yielding the chair to Li Qingchi. “Passed by a restaurant and grabbed something to go. Figured Dr. Li must be exhausted from saving lives and probably hasn’t eaten yet.” His tone sounded casual, as if it truly were just a spur-of-the-moment pickup, but his gaze subtly observed Li Qingchi’s reaction.
Li Qingchi didn’t touch the food he’d brought, nor did he say thank you. He only replied flatly, “No need.”
Li Qingchi opened the encrypted file on his phone and quickly skimmed the investigation report on Wen Zhiyu, making no effort to hide it from the very man standing before him.
The information in the file matched what he’d gotten over the phone, unremarkable to the point of being barren.
The man before him, Wen Zhiyu, was merely an unremarkable beta youth lost in the masses, separated from the core circle of family connections Li Qingchi had dealt with before by an insurmountable chasm.
He closed the email and looked up at Wen Zhiyu, who stood before the desk, idly tapping his fingers against the surface, seemingly waiting for him to speak.
“Let’s begin the treatment.” Li Qingchi initiated this time, stepping around the desk and walking to the window, where there was comparatively more open space. “It’s getting late.”
Wen Zhiyu followed. The two stood together by the window, the darkness outside swallowing everything, a heavy night, scattered lights twinkling like stars in the universe.
“What position?” Wen Zhiyu asked. “Same as last time, an embrace?”
“No need.” Last time, Wen Zhiyu could barely stand, his condition far more severe than now. To maximize the treatment’s effectiveness, Li Qingchi had chosen the embrace position. Under current circumstances, it wasn’t necessary, and he had no desire for more physical contact with this beta.
So this time, there was no embrace, no excessive physical contact. Li Qingchi merely extended his hand, palm facing upward. Wen Zhiyu lowered his gaze, looking at the hand with its distinct knuckles, a doctor’s hand, and paused briefly.
Then he reached out as well, but instead of directly taking the other’s hand, he extended only his index finger and hooked it around Li Qingchi’s index finger, more like a symbolic connection.
The moment their fingers touched, it was as if a faint current of electricity shot through Li Qingchi’s wrist. Without revealing anything, he released calming pheromones.
The gentle, steady calming pheromones were like tender green sprouts breaking through the soil in spring, growing slowly.
Wen Zhiyu closed his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he were carefully sensing it. After a moment, he let out a soft breath, and the tension in his nerves visibly eased.
It worked.
The office was very quiet, with only the sound of their breathing and the hum of the air conditioner standing out. The pheromones flowed and spread in silence.