“What is it?” Shen Louchen asked calmly.
“Here. Look at this.” Lin Yunzhou handed the examination report to Shen Louchen.
Shen Louchen reached out to take it a little too quickly. His eyes swept over the pages covered in dense data and wavering curves. The title block at the top had the word “Abnormal” circled in bright red.
Among all the analysis results, one section stood out sharply, almost painfully, like a blade pressed against the page. It was the part about the pheromone content in Fu Xu’s blood.
The report clearly stated that the substance in his blood was not the usual calming pheromone that an Omega would produce for an Alpha. Instead, it was a very rare form of glandular gene.
“Look here,” Lin Yunzhou said, tapping one set of comparison data with his finger. Then he pulled out another sheet taken half an hour after the first sampling and held it in front of Shen Louchen.
“This was the sample taken right when he was brought in. The amount of active pheromones in his blood was unbelievably high, almost ten times higher than a normal Omega, and it showed a very obvious restorative effect. But look at the results half an hour later. The pheromone level drops straight off a cliff. It is almost the same as having nothing.”
Shen Louchen’s fingers tightened abruptly. The edge of the paper crumpled beneath his grip.
He remembered, with a sudden clarity, the faint sweetness tinged with iron that had brushed past his teeth earlier, and the burning heat of the gland that followed.
He had felt it distinctly. It had not been the usual soothing sensation caused by pheromone compatibility. It had been something deeper, something that dug into the very core of his body and calmed him from the inside.
His brows furrowed even more tightly. His fingertip skimmed across the word “Restorative,” and the strange calming sensation he had experienced when Fu Xu’s blood entered his system rose in his memory like a tide.
“So what use is he to me?” he asked quietly.
“Honestly, I cannot say yet,” Lin Yunzhou replied, raising both hands helplessly.
“I have never seen anything like this before. My guess is that it has something to do with his biological state at the time. Maybe a stress response from gland damage or something similar. Whatever it is, this Omega’s blood is extremely unusual. I cannot make any conclusions without a more comprehensive examination.”
Shen Louchen fell silent. His gaze drifted toward the tightly closed door of the treatment room.
Fu Xu lay inside, barely showing any noticeable rise and fall of his chest. His whole form looked like a worn out rag doll.
Shen Louchen remembered the way Fu Xu had trembled violently when his gland had been bitten, biting down on his lip with such force that blood nearly came out, refusing to let a single sound escape. A long breath escaped Shen Louchen’s lungs.
“I am going to check on him.”
He folded the report, slipped it into his pocket, and though his voice returned to its usual cool, hard tone, his steps unconsciously softened.
Lin Yunzhou followed him back to the ward. It took more than ten minutes before Fu Xu’s eyelashes trembled faintly and he slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing that the timing was about right, Lin Yunzhou turned around to open a new set of disposable tools, preparing to replace the bandage on Fu Xu’s neck.
“The nerves around the gland are dense. I will try to be as gentle as possible,” he reminded.
Fu Xu nodded obediently, quietly letting him work.
The moment the disinfectant touched his skin, Fu Xu’s already pale cheeks twitched. His eyelashes trembled violently, but he pressed his lips together harder, refusing to make even the faintest sound.
Lin Yunzhou shook his head slightly, deliberately slowing down his movements. He watched Fu Xu’s reactions closely, and only when the cotton swab brushed across the deepest bite mark did Fu Xu finally fail to hold back a soft sound that seeped out of his throat.
“If it hurts… Tell me” Lin Yunzhou said, raising an eyebrow as he smoothed a fresh blood stopping patch over the wound. “If you do not say a word, I cannot know if I accidentally touched the glandular nerves. If that happens, it will affect my judgment.”
Only then did Fu Xu release his lips, which had been bitten until all color had drained from them. His voice was barely audible, like a mosquito brushing across the air. “Just now… that part… it hurt a little…”
In the Fu family, pain had never been something that brought sympathy. It only earned impatience and scolding. He was long accustomed to enduring it. Compared to the pain he knew, this hardly counted.
At that moment, Shen Louchen walked to the bedside. Fu Xu immediately tensed up and looked toward him.
Shen Louchen sat down on the edge of the bed and extended his arm in front of Fu Xu.
“If it hurts, you can hold on to me.”
His tone held no particular emotion, yet Fu Xu felt an inexplicable sense of comfort spread through him.
It was the first time someone had ever offered to be his support.
That familiar scent drifted in the air again. Shen Louchen inhaled quietly, his gaze shifting briefly toward Lin Yunzhou. The doctor continued working without pause, showing no reaction, as though he could not sense the pheromones at all.
A faint crease formed between Shen Louchen’s brows. Something did not feel right, something subtle, something he could not fully grasp. Before he could pursue the thought, it slipped away in an instant.
Once the bandage was secured, Lin Yunzhou cleared his throat and looked at Fu Xu.
“You saw it yourself. Your husband’s body is not in good condition. When his pheromones lose control, the destructive power is not much different from a dangerous weapon. If it were not for your blood earlier, he might be lying in the emergency room right now.”
Fu Xu jerked his head up, his eyes instantly fixed on Shen Louchen, filled with worry. “Sir… are you alright?”
“He is fine,” Lin Yunzhou answered casually, waving his hand. Inwardly, he thought Omegas were truly strange creatures. Even when they hovered at death’s edge themselves, the Alpha was still all they cared about. No wonder affairs among Alphas had become so commonplace.
Lin Yunzhou continued in a deliberately light tone, “He just needs some special treatment. And from the looks of it, your blood seems to help. But we need to understand the mechanism behind it before we can treat him properly, so…”
He paused a moment, his eyes locking onto Fu Xu with a burning intensity.
“Would you be willing to cooperate with us on some experiments?”
“Ex… experiments?” Fu Xu echoed softly. He had only ever heard that Omegas were taken for drug trials or even dissected. Would he be the same?
“Just some blood monitoring. We may need to draw a little more blood than usual, and also run some gland stimulation tests. I reviewed your medical records. You have undergone gland differentiation surgery, so this is better than that.” Lin Yunzhou fired off the explanation quickly. His tone sounded polite, yet left no room for refusal.
Shen Louchen’s brows tightened sharply. He was about to object when Fu Xu spoke first.
“I am willing.”
The three words were clear and steady, even carrying a hint of urgency. Fu Xu lifted his head and looked at Shen Louchen with unwavering eyes.
“As long as it can help you, I… I do not mind.”
He remembered Shen Louchen’s expression during the loss of control earlier, the pain in his eyes. He also recalled what the Fu family had said today. He knew Shen Louchen had taken him away to help him escape.
This Alpha appeared cold and domineering, but at the very least, he had given him a chance to live. He had given him a sense of safety he had never known before.
If his blood could help, then what was a little pain?
Lin Yunzhou glanced triumphantly at Shen Louchen, as if to say, “See? He agreed on his own.”
Shen Louchen’s face darkened instantly. “No.”
His rejection fell like a blade.
“I will not use him like this.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Lin Yunzhou exploded immediately. He dragged Shen Louchen into the side room and slammed the door shut behind them.
“This is not about what you want. This is a chance to fix your condition. Do you even understand how dangerous your pheromone episodes are? Do you know how long you can survive like this? Have you ever thought about the Shen family? Or about the security team? Or the brothers who fight beside you? If you die, do you think any of them will be safe? Before, you had no solution. But now there is a living medicine standing right in front of you, and you are lecturing me about principles?”
“I will take care of everything,” Shen Louchen answered coldly. His voice was like ice, unyielding and sharp. “Before I die, I will protect everyone. But…” He paused, clearly searching for the right words, and finally spoke stiffly.
“He is only an Omega that my grandfather forced upon me. I said before that I would simply keep him alive. I will not make him endure unnecessary suffering for my sake.”
“Who told you it is unnecessary?” Lin Yunzhou snapped, nearly ready to hit him. “He agreed himself. He is just an Omega. Being able to exchange his life for yours is something he should feel honored about.”
“This ends here,” Shen Louchen said.
His voice was steady, final, and unshakeable. No matter how “valuable” Lin Yunzhou claimed the boy to be, he would never let an innocent Omega gamble his life for him. That, to him, was what was truly worthless.
The soundproofing in the hospital was excellent. Fu Xu did not know what they said behind the door. He only vaguely sensed that they had argued. When he saw Shen Louchen step out, he spoke softly.
“Sir, I really am grateful that you helped me and took me in. If there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, then can you let me try? Consider it… consider it my way of repaying you.”
He had nothing to his name. He had left the Fu family entirely alone. He had so little he could offer. Compared to being sent to a breeding facility, meeting Shen Louchen felt like encountering a god who descended to save him. He remembered hearing the story of returning kindness with loyalty. He should do something for him.
Shen Louchen remained silent for a long moment. His eyes lingered on Fu Xu’s pale but determined face.
There was no fear in the boy’s eyes. Only a pure, earnest desire. That purity was like a pebble dropped into the still lake of his heart, creating ripples that irritated him for reasons he could not name.
He did not like being needed or perhaps, he did not like the idea of needing someone else.
“I will allow it,” he finally said. His tone was firm, leaving no room for debate. “But only under the condition that he remains safe and healthy. No excessive harm is permitted.”
Lin Yunzhou finally breathed out in relief. “Good. This is the right decision.”
Fu Xu also let out a tiny breath, the corners of his lips lifting into a small smile.
In the days that followed, Fu Xu stayed at the hospital and cooperated with every test Lin Yunzhou arranged.
Blood draws, gland scans, pheromone fluctuation monitoring. Lin Yunzhou was like a man who had discovered a new continent, coming up with new methods every day.
Fu Xu cooperated with all of them, enduring every bit of pain in silence.
Sometimes, to observe the changes in his blood after gland stimulation, Lin Yunzhou had to apply micro electrical pulses to the gland. The pain sent cold sweat down Fu Xu’s back instantly. His lips split under his own teeth, but not a single tear fell.
Whenever Shen Louchen visited, he would always see new needle marks or red imprints from medical instruments on Fu Xu’s skin. He tried to stop Lin Yunzhou from pushing too far, but the doctor always had a string of excuses ready, and Fu Xu himself always repeated the same words.
“I am fine, Sir.”
Shen Louchen had no way to refute him.
One evening, after finishing work, he arrived at the ward just as Lin Yunzhou completed another blood draw. Fu Xu looked rather cheerful, his lips curved in a small smile.
Shen Louchen set the bag he carried onto the bedside table. His gaze darkened slightly when he noticed the indwelling needle still taped to Fu Xu’s arm.
Even with the top nutritionist he had hired to improve the boy’s health, Fu Xu’s complexion remained faint and lacking warmth because of the constant examinations.
Fu Xu shifted uncomfortably under the man’s gaze. He tugged at the sleeve of the hospital gown and forced a tiny smile. “Sir…?”
“You… You heard everything?”
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
And thus, the humble translator awaits their coffee-shaped reward. ✧
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Substitute MarriageChapter 2 · PleaseChapter 3 · Thank you, Mr. ShenChapter 4 · Mr. Shen, are you going to throw me away?Chapter 5 · You don’t have to please me in everythingChapter 6 · Is This For Him?Chapter 7 · Do you know you don’t have long to live?Chapter 8 · But what about you? What will you be then?Chapter 9 · That’s a vehicle from the logistics department.Chapter 10 · What do you take my Shen family for?Chapter 11 · Can I bite your gland?Chapter 12 · He is not my “medicine catalyst”Chapter 13 · Who is that Alpha?Chapter 14 · Perfectly matched omegaChapter 15 · Perhaps you could call him, baby?Chapter 16 · That’s… Fu Xu’s scent?Chapter 17 · It was made by the masterChapter 18 · Abusing a pregnant omega is a serious crime.Chapter 19 · Mr. Shen is the best alpha.Chapter 20 · Family elderChapter 21 · Shen Louchen’s berserk periodChapter 22 Part 1 · You are my wifeChapter 22 Part 2 · You are my wifeChapter 23 · Aren’t we mutually in love?Chapter 24 · Which alpha did you go to see?Chapter 25 · Fu Xu, tell me you like meChapter 26 · Could Mr. Shen possibly have a little crush on him?Chapter 27 · Get out!Chapter 28 · Stay close to meChapter 29 · Mr. Shen and I are a legally married coupleChapter 30 · Spit it outChapter 31 · He’s been acting increasingly strangely latelyChapter 32 · Do you listen to everyone except me?Chapter 33 · Monthly ExamChapter 34 · Parent Teacher MeetingChapter 35 · The classroom was cold at nightChapter 36 · Court deathChapter 37 · Wife, Kiss meChapter 38 · This omega trying to steal a kiss from him?Chapter 39 · His omega turned out to be a little cunning.Chapter 40 · Is this little omega taking advantage of him?Chapter 41 · “Madam Shen” is your trump card, understand?Chapter 42 · Mr. Shen, I don’t know how to wear it…Chapter 43 · HusbandChapter 44 · Why is Shen Louchen acting like a peacockChapter 45 · I won’t abandon you, and I never willChapter 46 · Omega with a 92% match rateChapter 47 · Are you waiting for him?Chapter 48 · How can someone magically transformChapter 49 · Now it’s all good, two kids.Chapter 50 · Mr. Shen, will you regret it then?Chapter 51 · What is regret?Chapter 52 · If you’ve got the guts, say it again!Chapter 53 · That’s my milk teaChapter 54 · What he wanted to replace was the alphaChapter 55 · How do you know I’m not part of Mr. Shen’s plan?Chapter 56 · Why don’t you just kill me?Chapter 57 · Are we sending him away?Chapter 58 · Are you angry?Chapter 59 · Inhibitor or marker?Chapter 60 · Let Fu Xu mark himChapter 61 · There should be limits to joking, right?Chapter 62 · Do you really not like Young Master Lian?Chapter 63 · Will you still love me after I go to school?Chapter 64 · You are the best husband in the worldChapter 65 · Extra 1Chapter 66 · Extra 2