# 16
Zuo Nian had been gone for three days.
At first, Duan Baisui thought he was just being overly sensitive from drinking too much, but now he truly felt how unaccustomed he was to Zuo Nian’s absence.
Every time he stepped through the door, he would instinctively look for Zuo Nian.
He expected Zuo Nian to be napping on the sofa, playing with the kitten in the baby room, or talking to his Abei Bei in the bedroom.
But he wasn’t anywhere.
At night, lying in bed, Duan Baisui gathered all of Zuo Nian’s blankets and pajamas around himself, but Zuo Nian’s scent was fading more and more.
He anxiously bought large quantities of green grape candies online. He wanted to fill the entire room with them, to make the place smell completely like Zuo Nian.
When this crazed thought surfaced, he finally realized that his rut period had arrived.
In the past during these times, he would feel repulsed by Omegas. He refused to let anyone with an unfamiliar scent come near him, attempting to comfort him.
But now, he felt somewhat resentful, wondering why Zuo Nian wasn’t by his side during this time. Zuo Nian, who smelled so sweet.
He had comforted Zuo Nian when Zuo Nian didn’t have his Abei Bei, had given him hugs, but Zuo Nian had slipped away to another country during his rut period.
So far away that he couldn’t immediately bring him back.
Duan Baisui shook his head, forcing himself to get up. He pulled open the bedside drawer and took out a suppressor.
Without the slightest hesitation, he injected it into the blue vein on his wrist.
Two years ago, the doctor had told him that for an Alpha of his level, the best way to get through a rut period was to find a compatible Omega. Suppressors would gradually become ineffective over time.
He had been dismissive then, believing he would never be controlled by instinct.
But now, he paced neurotically around the bedroom. The suppressor hadn’t made him feel any better.
He ran to the closet, bringing out armfuls of Zuo Nian’s clothes. What else, what else still carried his scent?
The bedroom was left in complete disarray.
The agitation and aggression within his body prevented him from settling down.
He sat on the floor, burying himself in the pile of Zuo Nian’s clothes.
His tequila pheromones were now rampaging through the room, demanding comfort.
The WeChat notification “ding-ding” sounded twice. He didn’t want to respond, but privately hoped it might be a message from Zuo Nian.
He groped around on the bedside table, finally finding his phone in the corner.
Unlocking the screen and entering WeChat, Zuo Nian’s name jumped to the top. It was indeed him.
Zuo Nian: Brother, are you asleep?
Duan Baisui laughed pathologically.
He didn’t reply with a message, but directly sent a video call request.
Zuo Nian seemed to have been waiting for him, immediately accepting as soon as the call went out.
The Omega on the screen appeared to have just finished washing up. Still wearing his yellow SpongeBob pajamas, his hair half-dried, he sat on the edge of the bed like a delicious little cake.
“Brother?” Zuo Nian tentatively called.
Duan Baisui had turned off all the lights in the bedroom. At this moment, he could clearly see Zuo Nian, but Zuo Nian couldn’t see him.
“Mm.” Duan Baisui responded with a low sound.
“Did I wake you?” Zuo Nian asked apologetically.
Zuo Nian was in New York. By his calculations, it should be around 10 PM in China. Usually at this time, Duan Baisui was either still awake or out for business dinners. He had sent the message just to try, not expecting Duan Baisui to immediately video call him back.
He was delighted inside.
But looking at the dark screen on the other end, he felt vaguely uneasy.
“No,” Duan Baisui’s voice betrayed no emotion. “I just got home.”
“Why don’t you turn on the light?” Zuo Nian asked, finding it strange.
Duan Baisui, holding Zuo Nian’s pajamas, stared fixedly at the obedient face on the screen and said, “Don’t want to.”
“Brother, what’s wrong? You seem a bit unhappy.” Zuo Nian leaned closer, as if trying to see him through the dark screen.
Duan Baisui’s grip on the phone tightened. He thought, if he could, he would definitely pull Zuo Nian out from inside the screen.
Make him stick close, release his sweet pheromones, and tangle with him intimately.
“Nothing.” Duan Baisui suppressed the wild thoughts in his mind and calmly asked, “Are you doing well over there?”
“I’m fine. Although my English is poor, it’s good to have father with me.” Zuo Nian smiled shyly.
“Mm, are you with your father every day? Have you made any new friends?”
Alphas in rut are sensitive and suspicious. Unable to keep their Omega by their side, they can’t help but probe.
“New friends? I’ve met a doctor,” Zuo Nian said, completely unguarded. “He’s Chinese too, so we can communicate well.”
Duan Baisui smiled oddly, “Is he an Alpha?”
“How did you know?”
“What did you talk about?”
Duan Baisui was grateful he had turned off the lights, otherwise Zuo Nian would certainly have seen his gloomy, terrifying face.
“Nothing much.” Zuo Nian scratched his head. “Brother, I feel like time here is so slow…”
Duan Baisui didn’t speak.
He was wondering what Zuo Nian and that Alpha doctor might discuss.
Would Zuo Nian speak to him with the same soft tone, dragging out the last syllable like a spoiled child?
Would he be equally docile, eyes curved in a smile?
Would he look at that Alpha with the same admiring gaze?
The more Duan Baisui thought, the more agitated he became. His hands began to tremble slightly.
It was anger, but also the excitement of being challenged.
“I’m not used to the food here. Nian Nian really misses Auntie Liu’s crab roe wontons.”
“But Nian Nian will be back soon.”
After talking to himself for a while with no response from Duan Baisui, he asked in confusion, “Brother, are you asleep?”
“No.”
“Brother, are you sick? You don’t sound well.”
“No,” Duan Baisui still answered concisely.
His fingers began to trace Zuo Nian’s outline on the screen.
So beautiful. If he cried, he would be even more beautiful.
“Honey, are you up?” Ason’s voice came through as he knocked on the door.
Zuo Nian turned his head to answer, “I’m up, father.”
“Then I’m coming in.”
“Okay~”
After responding, Zuo Nian said to Duan Baisui, “Brother, you should rest early. Nian Nian will hang up now.”
Duan Baisui: “Mm.”
“Good night, brother.”
“Good night.”
“Beep.” The screen went dark again.
Duan Baisui closed his eyes, trying hard to calm his breathing.
Fine beads of sweat seeped from his temples. It felt like millions of ants were crawling inside his body; every inch of his skin and bones was burning and itching.
Maintaining his rationality, he pulled another suppressor from the drawer and forcefully injected it into his wrist.
This time, it seemed to barely suppress the violence within him. His body was not as hot and restless as before.
“Knock, knock.” Someone rapped on the bedroom door twice, followed by Auntie Liu’s voice: “Young master, are you alright? Mr. Zuo just called me. He said you might be sick. Do you need me to call a doctor?”
The discomfort of the rut period had lessened somewhat, but the two strong suppressors had given Duan Baisui tinnitus and palpitations.
He leaned against the bed, breathing heavily.
“Young master? Young master, I’m coming in then?”
Auntie Liu was a Beta, so she couldn’t smell pheromones at all.
The moment she pushed the door open, the corridor light spilled into the dark bedroom.
The sight of the man huddled in a pile of clothes made her cry out in shock.
She had been with the Duan family for quite some time.
She clearly recognized that Duan Baisui was in his rut period, and the situation wasn’t good.
She dared not approach an Alpha in this special period, as such closeness from an outsider could easily anger him, causing him to hurt someone in his irrational state.
With Zuo Nian absent and no pheromones to soothe him, Auntie Liu immediately closed the door and went to the living room to call the family doctor.
After the doctor promised to arrive as soon as possible, Auntie Liu called Duan Yan.
Duan Yan had already gone to bed, but he quickly sat up when he received Auntie Liu’s call.
As an Alpha himself, he understood all too well.
For Duan Baisui to be in such a state, it was very likely that suppressors had already lost their effectiveness on him.
And now, he was very dangerous in his rut period.
Duan Yan got up to dress, and Xu Yi, having overheard Auntie Liu’s words, wanted to go along.
Duan Yan anxiously said, “You’re an Omega, and you’re still sick. Is it appropriate for you to go? Be good and stay home. I’ll let you know of any developments as soon as possible.”
Xu Yi slumped back onto the bed. Duan Yan couldn’t bear to see him so dispirited, so he bent down to kiss his forehead and said, “Everything will be fine, don’t worry. Wait for my call.”
“Mm.”
The roads were slippery with snow, so the driver drove slowly.
By the time Duan Yan arrived, the doctor was already examining Duan Baisui.
The young Alpha had fallen unconscious, lying pale-faced on the bed, still clutching the cartoon pajamas and refusing to let go.
Duan Yan felt dizzy and confused from the pheromones in the room, but since it was his own son, it wasn’t too unbearable for him.
He asked, “Dr. Lu, how is my son?”
Lu Congqian picked up two empty vials from the floor, looked at the numbers and letters on them, and sighed, “Mr. Duan, these are enhanced suppressors. The young master injected himself with two, which is why he passed out. Currently, his physical condition isn’t too serious, but I recommend isolating him and finding his Omega as soon as possible.”
Duan Yan: “His Omega is in America and might not be able to return in time.”
Lu Congqian frowned. Logically, a married couple would keep track of each other’s sensitive periods and wouldn’t be too far apart during these times.
Was this young master’s Omega really so careless? To go abroad at such a critical time?
Truly, wealthy families have many grievances.
Lu Congqian dared not inquire further and cautiously asked, “Perhaps you know what the young master’s Omega’s pheromone scent is?”
—
Since Duan Baisui had just injected two strong suppressors, Lu Congqian didn’t dare administer random medications. He didn’t even dare use sedatives, only using inhalable spray to ease Duan Baisui’s rapid breathing, and applying physical methods to lower his temperature.
Duan Yan called Zuo Nian to inquire about his pheromones. Zuo Nian was very worried and asked if something had happened to Duan Baisui.
Duan Yan reassured him it wasn’t a major problem and told him not to worry.
After hanging up, Duan Yan asked his assistant to purchase large quantities of green grape candies and perfume of the same scent.
Lu Congqian instructed Auntie Liu, “Please remember, you cannot open the windows, cannot let the young master leave the bedroom. He is a top-tier Alpha. If his pheromones spread, nearby Alphas and Omegas will all suffer.”
Auntie Liu had never encountered such a serious situation.
She only knew that in the past, whether it was Duan Baisui or Duan Yan, they would be fine after injecting suppressors during their rut periods. They could move around normally at home, just rarely went out, and their appetites would worsen a bit. Why was this time different?
“Then, what about the young master’s meals?”
“I’ve left three days’ worth of nutritional supplements, so don’t worry about his meals.”
Auntie Liu nodded repeatedly, “Good, good, good.”
After seeing Dr. Lu off, Duan Yan called Xu Yi to briefly explain Duan Baisui’s condition, reassuring him.
Xu Yi could hardly be at ease.
He sighed, “Alex has always refused to mark Nian Nian. I thought he still hadn’t truly accepted Nian Nian. But I never expected that during his rut period, he would so desperately crave Nian Nian’s pheromones—that clearly shows he likes him very much, but he himself hasn’t realized it at all. Alex is so dense when it comes to emotions, torturing himself and his lover.”
Duan Yan irritably smoked a cigarette and complained, “That he would have a Platonic marriage in this day and age—that’s what I truly never expected.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
