Uncle Wang, who arrived a beat too late, was greeted at the door by such a high concentration of Alpha pheromones that he could barely open his eyes. Seeing Shen Zhiqi exposed to such intense Alpha pheromones, he rushed in, terrified, and pulled the little snake away.
Shen Zhiheng’s arms were left empty. He frowned in discomfort, instinctively casting a murderous glare toward the intruder. Uncle Wang was forced back a step by the high-level pheromones, yet he endured the pounding headache to pull Shen Zhiqi behind him.
“Young Master, the suppressant.”
In his palm was a powerful emergency suppressant, the needle already prepared.
Before Shen Zhiheng could reach for it, Uncle Wang’s hand was gripped by a pair of cool, small hands.
“Do not want this?”
Shen Zhiqi snatched the syringe away and held it against his chest. He remembered this scent. The faint smell leaking from the needle tip was the same pungent odor that had forcefully suppressed Brother’s scent back when he was molting. The little snake did not like this smell; he only liked the scent of Brother’s pheromones.
“Zhiqi, your brother is sick and needs this shot to get better. Will you give the medicine to Uncle, please?”
Uncle Wang tried to reason with Shen Zhiqi patiently. He knew the little snake was a very obedient child and must have his own reasons for taking the medicine away.
“S… sick?”
Brother looked visibly different than usual; his eyes were bloodshot and damp, and his complexion was poor. Believing the adult’s words, Shen Zhiqi handed the medicine over to Uncle Wang reluctantly, despite his dislike for the scent.
Uncle Wang handed the suppressant to Shen Zhiheng, not forgetting to gently nudge the little snake’s back toward the door. “Your brother is sick and needs this injection. You should not stay here; wait for him outside.”
He looked back at Shen Zhiheng, receiving a nod of confirmation. Shen Zhiqi turned around and shuffled toward the door, his back looking incredibly lonely.
“Alright but, Brother must get better quickly.”
He soon smelled the unpleasant scent and turned back, full of worry, only to be urged out by Uncle Wang. The frequency of his tail’s twitching had to increase as he moved, and he quickly left the room.
Watching Uncle Wang close the door, Shen Zhiqi immediately leaned in and tugged at his sleeve. “Uncle, why is Brother sick? What does Brother need to do so he will not be sick anymore?”
Uncle Wang scratched his head, not knowing how to explain Alpha ruts or Omega heats to a child, just as he would not know how to explain the origins of life. He hesitated for a moment and answered, “You will understand when you grow up.”
Shen Zhiqi widened his eyes in surprise and asked, “When I grow up, will Brother stop getting sick?”
“Err… I suppose that is not quite what it means. but, well, it could also mean that.”
Shen Zhiqi clapped his hands, believing it to be true just like that.
“Then I must grow up quickly! That way, Brother will not need that terrible-smelling medicine anymore!”
“This… I suppose..”
Shen Zhiqi did not notice the hesitation or the things the adult found difficult to put into words. He proactively moved to the floor-to-ceiling window to bask in the sun. He decided he would start from now: he would bask in the sun and eat more to grow up faster. As for why he chose to bask in the sun, he likely saw the green leaves and grass thriving in the sunlight and believed he could also grow faster with the help of the sun.
Shen Zhiheng took a long time to recover; the side effects of the powerful suppressant gave him a splitting headache. Perhaps because he was now an adult, the side effects were more painful than ever. By the time he felt completely better, his back was drenched in cold sweat.
He placed the incomplete files into the safe, rushed to the bedroom to change into clean clothes, and then went to the living room to look for the snake.
When he found Shen Zhiqi, the little guy was sleeping on the carpet by the floor-to-ceiling window, curled up into a messy heap.
“Xiao Qi, what are you doing?”
Shen Zhiheng walked to his side and reached out to touch the soft snake tail, which felt slightly warm from the sun. Perhaps it was his imagination, but the scent of freshly baked popcorn after being toasted by the sun seemed even richer and clearer.
“I am basking in the sun.”
Shen Zhiqi stretched lazily. As someone whose upper body inherited the snake’s flexibility, he could bend his waist and abdomen backward at a ninety-degree angle when stretching, like a lazy kitten. He somehow burrowed into the gap where his tail overlapped, resting his chin on his tail, turning into a snake ball.
“I want to grow up fast, just like the little green leaves.”
Shen Zhiqi said solemnly.
“You cannot perform photosynthesis.”
“What synthesis?”
Shen Zhiqi heard the unfamiliar word and muttered blankly.
“I do not care, anyway, I am green too.”
The dark green tail showed a beautiful luster under the sun. Shen Zhiheng could not help but place his hand on it; the tail felt like a piece of oily, warm jade.
He could not resist stroking it a few more times. “Do not bask for too long. Drink more water, and be careful of heatstroke.”
“I will drink plenty of water, Brother.”
Shen Zhiqi drawled lazily, flicking his little tongue rhythmically.
Shen Zhiheng kept the past of Xiao Qi in mind, collecting materials as much as he could and organizing them into a folder. The Omega Protection Association could not be trusted, but since the planet was undergoing a new round of ratings, his whistleblower letter would surely receive attention at this critical juncture.
The more he investigated the little snake’s past, the colder Shen Zhiheng’s heart became. He could not imagine what kind of scars those cold numbers represented, or how his little snake had hovered on the brink of death time after time under those conditions, only to be forcefully saved.
The scars on the snake tail would indeed fade over time, but the underlying health issues Shen Zhiqi bore would accompany him for his entire life. Things like a physical intolerance to cold and dampness, organ damage, and psychological stress responses.
Shen Zhiheng could not help but worry in advance about how he would raise this fragile little life, riddled with holes. But as things stood, he knew deeply that he could no longer live without this only family member.
He recorded everything as a constant reminder to himself to protect this fragile life. As his brother, he felt he should be stricter and more meticulous; anything concerning the little snake had to pass through his hands.
Fortunately, the semi-beast state allowed Shen Zhiqi’s genes to protect him, keeping his physical state somewhat better. However, as the little snake’s complexion became increasingly rosy, he would inevitably move closer and closer to the appearance of a human Omega.
In the middle of the night, Shen Zhiheng was sleeping with the snake-ball as usual, until in his dreams, he was kicked hard in the stomach.
Shen Zhiheng was jolted awake in a semi-conscious state, initially thinking he had a nightmare, only to realize the pain in his stomach was excruciatingly real. He turned to look beside him and saw a pair of excessively fair legs under the nightlight.
Legs. Wait, legs?!
After a brief mental crash, Shen Zhiheng snapped awake, all sleepiness vanished.
They were indeed legs, but just like Shen Zhiqi’s thin upper body, these legs were also so thin they looked like skin wrapped around bone. That thick tail was awkwardly connected behind Shen Zhiqi, smaller than when it directly replaced his legs, but still nearly as thick as his waist.
As he thought this, the restless Shen Zhiqi frowned and let out a soft hum, lifting his unfamiliar legs and kicking his brother hard.
“…”
Shen Zhiheng was grateful for his own “bulletproof” eight-pack abs.
The little guy beside him moved, curling his body into an awkward posture, presenting a defensive stance as he hugged himself into a ball. His forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and the newly appeared thin legs were trembling uncontrollably in spasms.
“Br… Brother.”
Shen Zhiqi called out instinctively, his eyes shut tight. He was still in a semi-conscious state of discomfort, yet the habit of relying on his brother had been carved into his bones.
“Baby, wake up. Where are you uncomfortable?”
Shen Zhiheng was terrified. While checking his optical terminal to summon people and searching for the strategies he had saved, he gently shook the little snake’s shoulders to wake him up.
Shen Zhiqi finally recovered from the “ghost pressing” state, slowly opening his eyes, tears hanging from his flushed eye corners. He hugged his own legs, which were already a bit unfamiliar to him, and curled into a trembling ball.
“Legs, why are there legs woo, Brother there is a bad thing biting me.”
Shen Zhiqi did not know how to describe his feelings, shivering as he said this.
Shen Zhiheng forced himself to stay calm and quickly rubbed his palms together to warm them up. “Do not be afraid, Baby. Brother is here. Brother’s hands are hot; let Brother help you with a warm compress, okay?”
Receiving the little snake’s hazy consent, Shen Zhiheng extremely carefully pressed his palms onto his spasming knees. The moment they touched, the small feet kicked wildly at Shen Zhiheng’s body.
A warm compress was needed at this time, but as a cold-blooded animal, the little snake could not withstand high temperatures, so human palms were the most suitable. Shen Zhiqi, waking up more, shivered and pressed his ankles down in a strange posture.
“Sor… sorry, Brother, I did not mean to kick you.”
He bit his lower lip hard, restraining his crying, his shoulders trembling with sobs. Anyone would feel heartache seeing him try to endure the pain in silence.
“Brother is fine. No need to endure it. Brother knows it hurts. You can cry when it hurts; it will feel better if you cry it out.”
Shen Zhiheng could not bear seeing the little snake try to bottle his pain inside, so he simply gathered him up and held him in his arms to coax him. “Good baby, Brother will not dislike you just because you cry. You do not have to be like this with Brother, okay?”
The gentle voice fell into Shen Zhiqi’s ears, finally allowing him to drop his defenses. His tense nerves relaxed, and he buried himself in his brother’s arms, sobbing loudly. He really felt very uncomfortable—the knees, the teeth, all of it—itchy and prickly.
Shen Zhiqi had not liked to cry before, especially after realizing that no one would coax him even if he cried until his tears ran dry, so he had thoroughly stopped crying. But here with Brother, the frequency of his crying had visibly increased. He did not know what was wrong with him; the more his brother coaxed him, the less he could control himself, and he cried even harder.
He could cry as long as he wanted without any burden, and as loudly as he wanted.
“Good baby, Brother has already asked Dr. Lin to send over the painkiller you can take. Please endure it for just a little longer.”
As he thought this, his brother patted his back again, coaxing him in a gentle voice.
Perhaps it was psychological, but Shen Zhiqi felt the pain became less unbearable. Brother’s embrace was excellent; it allowed his hypothermic body to gradually warm up, and there was that reassuring, pleasant scent.
He did not even know when Uncle Wang and Dr. Lin had entered the room.
“Are you sure this is a painkiller a fusion-type Omega of his age can take?”
Shen Zhiheng confirmed once more the child’s painkiller Dr. Lin had urgently brought.
“Rest assured, Young Master, it is just a painkiller; I have checked it three times.”
Dr. Lin, who had been urgently dragged from his sweet dream in the middle of the night, replied.
It took a lot of talking for Shen Zhiheng to coax the child into taking the medicine, holding the little snake and praying for the painkiller to take effect quickly. As the medicine took effect, the little snake in his arms finally stopped crying and trembling.
He leaned blankly in his brother’s arms as if stunned by the crying, his red, tear-filled eyes blinking in a daze. A gentle voice came from above: “Are you feeling better?”
“Better, better.”
Shen Zhiqi poked his legs in confusion, looking as if he were re-establishing a connection with his long-lost legs. “How strange, it seems the pain stopped all of a sudden.”
“Because you took the medicine, it will not hurt anymore. When have I ever lied to you?”
“Oh! Brother is so amazing.”
The silly little snake turned his worshipful gaze toward Shen Zhiheng.
The other three people in the room were amused by his dull remarks, all thinking in unison: Is this child too easy to be tricked?
“Brother is truly amazing. Every time I grew legs before, I would be so uncomfortable that I could not sleep for several days.”
Their smiles disappeared in unison, and the smiles shifted to the little snake’s innocent face.
“Thank you, Brother! Brother is the most, most, most amazing person in my world!”
Shen Zhiqi’s cheerful tone rose slightly, a sweet smile appearing on his tear-reddened face.
He was exhausted from the tossing and turning, leaning his head on Shen Zhiheng’s chest and panting slightly.
All that remained in the room was the little snake’s happy muttering. Shen Zhiheng maintained the posture of holding the little snake, but there was no smile in his eyes. He could not even manage a forced smile, his mind full of the thought: This is the first time in my little snake’s short life that he has eaten painkillers.
Finally, he could not help but turn to the side and stuff the little guy into his arms completely.
“Xiao Qi, Brother will not let you suffer ever again.”
Shen Zhiqi was inexplicably rubbed into his brother’s arms, his endless praise also stopping. He quietly thought for a while, blinked his eyes, and whispered: “Brother, what is pain?”
His voice was very light, carrying the nasal tone of a child who had just cried, and his unique innocence.
The word “pain” was too complex; in Shen Zhiqi’s cognition, there was pain, hunger, cold, bitter tears, and sweet candy. But he would not possess indelible memories like humans, and he would not keep track of pain.
In the little snake’s world, as long as he felt happy, he would be happy immediately; he would not diminish the happiness he had now because he had been in pain before.
Shen Zhiheng could not say a word, his throat blocked by a lump of cotton.
“Young Master…”
Uncle Wang, standing on the side, also felt his eyes heat up and could not help but speak to break this suffocating dead silence. “The young master just took medicine and is physically weak. You have been tossing all night; please take a rest.”
“Yes.”
Shen Zhiheng took a deep breath, forcefully pressing down the heartache surging in his eyes. He released the little guy in his arms, extremely gently stuffing the little snake back onto the soft pillow, and then carefully tucking the quilt in.
Glancing at those legs that were so thin that the blue veins could be seen, Shen Zhiheng could not help but feel a tremor in his heart. Poor little guy.
Dr. Lin also packed up his things and instructed: “After you both have rested, take Zhiqi to the hospital for a systematic check-up.”
Shen Zhiheng agreed and watched the two leave the room.
Once they were gone, Shen Zhiheng lowered his head and saw the little child looking at him with round, beady eyes.
“What is it? Are you uncomfortable anywhere else?”
Shen Zhiqi shook his head and buried his head in his brother’s embrace.
“I thought Brother was going to leave with the uncles, but it turns out Brother is staying to accompany me.”
“This is my bedroom. If I do not stay here to sleep with you, where else can I go?”
Shen Zhiqi thought about it and felt it made sense, closing his eyes peacefully in his brother’s arms. Through the soft quilt, the hand patting his back was rhythmic, soon coaxing him into a wave of drowsiness.
“No, Brother!”
“Hmm?”
Shen Zhiheng was also a bit sleepy himself, and hearing the little snake’s voice, he woke up a bit more.
“It… it is our bedroom.”
Shen Zhiheng chuckled lightly and replied.
“Yes, our bedroom.”