Shen Louchen tightened his grip on the phone. On the other side, Lin Yunzou sighed, voice tinged with regret. “By the way, Louchen, your omega’s gland, I ran the comparison tests three times. The condition is even worse than we thought. His glandular tissue isn’t just underdeveloped; the cellular activity is far below the normal omega range and…”
Lin Yunzou hesitated for a moment, searching for better wording. “Judging from the report, there are obvious signs of artificial damage. Not natural degeneration during differentiation. More like someone tampered with it before differentiation, possibly even shortly after birth. I’ve only seen one alpha patient with similar gland scarring and the technique used was just as crude. It’s the type that destroys while avoiding complete removal.”
Shen Louchen stepped toward the balcony, voice low. “Deliberate destruction?” His tone dropped, edged with coldness.
“Most likely.” Lin Yunzou’s voice turned firm. “This kind of pattern matches long term exposure to concentrated inhibitor byproducts but the strangest part is, although his gland was damaged into a near ‘defective’ state, it still retains basic pheromone secretion. It’s just… extremely unstable.”
“Unstable?”
“Yes,” the paper rustled faintly as Lin Yunzou flipped the report. “I suspect the instability is tied to his mental condition. So here’s my bold hypothesis.”
Shen Louchen’s gaze drifted toward the youth sitting at the desk. Fu Xu sat with his head lowered, fingers twisting at the fabric of his clothes.
His thin shoulders curled inward, as if instinctively wary of everything around him. Shen Louchen lowered his eyes. “So forcibly influencing his mental state could trigger directional differentiation?”
“That’s right.”
“Anything else?”
“His immune system is definitely compromised,” Lin said heavily. “Abnormal gland function affects immunity directly. Beyond that… technology today simply can’t analyze further. The method used back then was hidden too well and after all these years, most traces have already been partially repaired by the body.”
A short silence passed, then Lin added, “My guess? Whoever did it either wanted to completely erase his omega traits or wanted to control the direction of his future differentiation using this method. They didn’t expect the incomplete destruction to backfire, causing him to undergo differentiation under extreme pain. Such procedures occasionally appear in illegal omega modification within the black market but cases starting in early childhood… are nearly unheard of.”
Shen Louchen swallowed, a muscle in his jaw tightening. His gaze flicked to the back of Fu Xu’s neck, hidden by the collar yet he could almost imagine the scars beneath, covering that fragile gland. “I understand. Send the report directly to my office.”
He ended the call.
When he turned back, all traces of cold fury were gone, leaving only a deep, heavy calm. Fu Xu looked up at him, eyes full of timid curiosity, as if sensing the call had something to do with him.
Shen Louchen walked over and turned on the desk lamp. Warm light spread across the table, washing over the test papers. The glow cast Fu Xu’s slender silhouette onto the wall, fragile and thin. Shen Louchen picked up a senior grade math test. “Let me walk you through the example problem.”
Fu Xu immediately straightened, forcing his attention back onto the page.
It was an analytic geometry problem, long, dense, the coordinate plane filled with complicated curves. Even reading the question was dizzying. Fu Xu bit his lip as he looked at it for a while, drawing crooked auxiliary lines on the draft paper. Eventually he shook his head in defeat.
He had only ever seen Fu Jiaze’s discarded textbooks. Compared to this, those dry definitions were nothing.
Without a word, Shen Louchen picked up a red pen and circled several key phrases. “Break these three conditions apart.” His pen tapped the ellipse equation. “Find the standard form first. I’ve written it here.”
Fu Xu blinked, then quickly copied the steps on his draft paper. It worked exactly as Shen Louchen said.
Next, Shen drew a straight line across the paper. “After setting up simultaneous equations, use Vieta’s formulas. No need to calculate the full values, remember this expression.” He wrote a string of symbols in place of the long fractions.
Fu Xu stared wide eyed at the sequence of letters, suddenly finding clarity where everything had been tangled before.
Shen pointed at several specific words in the question, then wrote down two core formulas. The remaining derivation he left for Fu Xu to figure out on his own.
This was as far as he would go. If Fu Xu’s level proved hopeless, there would be no point in wasting resources.
Outside, the sky had fallen completely dark. The study was filled only with the quiet rasp of pen on paper.
Sweat beaded on Fu Xu’s forehead, running down along his temple. He stared intently at his slowly forming solution steps, excitement flickering in his eyes.
Shen Louchen leaned against the bookshelf, reviewing documents. The sound of his pen stopped. A moment later, Fu Xu’s voice broke the silence. “M Mr. Shen… I… I solved it…”
“Mm.” Shen didn’t look up at first. Only after finishing the last note on his file did he take the paper. The steps were concise, the reasoning clear. For someone without foundational training, solving it in such a short time was impressive. He was teachable.
“Not bad.” Shen seldom wasted words. When he finally lifted his eyes, he noticed Fu Xu’s breathing was uneven and his lips were tinged with an abnormal flush.
He reached out and laid a hand on Fu Xu’s forehead.
The sudden touch made Fu Xu tremble. He instinctively tried to pull away but Shen held the back of his neck, his broad palm pressing against the delicate skin. Heat pulsed beneath the skin, far too warm.
“You’re running a fever.” Shen’s voice dropped.
Fu Xu’s eyelashes fluttered. He turned his face aside. “N.. not… not really…” His voice was thick with nasal congestion, ending with a faint tremble. He’d felt dizzy earlier while Shen was teaching but he didn’t want to stop. How could he waste such a rare chance?
Shen looked at the boy’s fingers wrapped tightly around the pen, knuckles whitening with effort. Ink stains dotted the gaps between his fingers. His cheeks burned red yet his eyes were bright, stubbornly fixed on the red pen marks on the test paper like they were his lifeline.
His voice grew softer, full of small, helpless grievances. “Did I… end up wasting Mr. Shen’s time…”
Shen took the pen out of his hand and lifted him from the chair. “Enough. Rest.”
Fu Xu staggered, steps unsteady but he still turned back to look longingly at the test on the desk.
The housekeeper soon arrived with a thermometer and fever medicine. When the glass thermometer slid under his arm, Fu Xu flinched but obediently stayed still. The reading, 39.2 degrees, made the housekeeper frown deeply. He poured warm water and watched the boy swallow the pill.
“Uncle Chen, take care of him. I still have documents to review.” Shen pressed his fingers against his temple. Ever since he took this omega in, everything had become more chaotic. By his usual schedule, he should have finished all this work long ago. Over something that was merely a “possibility”? What exactly was he doing?
Once Fu Xu lay down, Shen’s phone rang again. It was Zong Zhiyuan, voice urgent. “Minister, we found a large stockpile of illegal gland inhibitors in a warehouse in the southern district. The task force has surrounded the site but the suspects are armed. We can’t move in without your command.”
Shen walked to the window. Outside, a black sedan was pulling up.
“Have the team hold position. I’ll be there within twenty minutes.” Shen hung up and said to the housekeeper, “Watch him. When the IV finishes, have the doctor prescribe another round of nutrient solution.”
Butler Chen nodded in acknowledgment. He watched as Shen Louchen grabbed his suit jacket and strode quickly downstairs; a short, crisp sound of the front door closing echoed from the entryway. When he turned back, he noticed the young man on the bed murmuring something unconsciously, his voice so faint it was impossible to make out the words.
By the time Shen Louchen slid into the backseat of the car, Lin Yunzou had arrived in a hurry as well, practically running as he climbed inside with a stack of reports in hand.
“This is the latest toxicology analysis,” he said breathlessly, handing over the documents. “We just discovered something new. They detected trace amounts of a new element in Fu Xu’s system. This particular element has only ever been found in that abandoned pharmaceutical factory in the western district and the factory manager from ten years ago… was Fu Jiachi’s cousin.”
Shen Louchen flipped straight to the last page. The chromatogram of the newly identified element looked like a twisted serpent, its distorted pattern strangely familiar, as if he had seen something like it before.
“In such a rush…” Shen Louchen forced himself to calm down, piecing everything together one thread at a time. “And the illegal inhibitors smuggled from the southern district…”
None of this could be a coincidence. Whatever had happened, the truth would only reveal itself once they arrived.
The morning mist drifted through every corner of the villa, clinging lightly to the air. Fu Xu wasn’t sure when exactly he had fallen asleep; he only knew that waking up still came with a dull ache. He raised a hand to touch his forehead.
Warm, no fever anymore.
Strange. Back at the Fu household, even when he felt like this, he could still force himself to finish cleaning the main hall before resting and yet now, after merely cooperating with Dr. Lin’s examinations and following Shen Louchen’s orders to recuperate properly before treatment… just a few days of good rest had already made him feel this fragile?
Fu Xu pushed himself upright and fumbled inside his clothes for a small medicine bottle. He shook out two painkillers and swallowed them dry. Only then did strength slowly return to his legs. His right leg still ached sometimes whenever the weather turned gloomy; on misty days like this, half wet, half cold, it always felt as though icy wind seeped straight into his bones.
A knock sounded at the door.
“Madam, are you awake?” Butler Chen’s steady voice carried in from the hallway.
“I… I’m awake, Uncle Chen,” Fu Xu replied quickly, scrambling to pull on his clothes before opening the door.
Chen Zhiye stepped inside carrying a stack of books in his arms. “These are study materials the master bought for you. He said you have excellent talent and as it happens, the new school term starts next week, you’ll be able to join right on time.”
Fu Xu’s eyes brightened at once. He stared at the pile of books for so long that he didn’t even respond. His throat tightened and he swallowed hard. Even though the books were placed directly into his hands, he still found it difficult to believe.
“For me? They’re… mine?”
His own? Prepared specifically for him? Something that belonged solely to him and would continue belonging to him in the future?
“Haha, of course, Madam,” Chen Zhiye said with a warm smile. “Who else would they be for?”
Fu Xu accepted the books with both hands, unable to stop his heartbeat from racing wildly. His entire chest felt warm and full.
No matter what rumors people spread outside about how terrifying or unpredictable Mr. Shen supposedly was, Fu Xu had always believed he was the best alpha in the world. This was the first time someone had ever prepared something exclusively for him.
He had to repay Mr. Shen properly.
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
⚠️ TRANSLATOR COFFEE LEVELS CRITICALLY LOW ⚠️
☕ 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