From the rearview mirror, Meng Chen noticed the expression on Yu Shiqing’s face and turned around. “Mr. Yu?”
Both he and the driver were Betas, so they couldn’t smell pheromones.
Yu Shiqing exchanged a glance with Jiang Yu before finally saying, “Today is my susceptibility period.”
Meng Chen was stunned for a moment, but he didn’t understand why Yu Shiqing suddenly brought this up. Susceptibility periods were an Alpha-only problem, but ever since suppressants were invented, it wasn’t that big of a deal anymore.
Well, except for Jiang Yu.
As Meng Chen was thinking about this, he heard Yu Shiqing speak again.
“Ren Bai took my suppressants.”
Meng Chen’s mouth fell open.
Jiang Yu also frowned. “Then earlier?”
Yu Shiqing replied, “It was my pheromones.”
Meng Chen looked horrified.
An Alpha in their susceptibility period without any suppressants, sitting in the back seat of a car with another Alpha. His brain practically froze just thinking about it.
Luckily, Yu Shiqing’s calm voice pulled him back to reality.
“So, we need to get home as soon as possible. I have backup suppressants there.”
“Got it!” Meng Chen nodded in a panic.
The driver had already heard their conversation and didn’t need any prompting. He stepped hard on the gas.
Jiang Yu finally asked, “Will we make it in time?”
Yu Shiqing looked out the window and calculated the distance. “If everything goes smoothly.”
Turning around to go back to Ren Bai’s place would take even longer, and if his pheromones suddenly surged on the way, it wouldn’t be safe.
Meng Chen was beyond nervous. Jiang Yu had two concerts scheduled for tomorrow and the day after. If something happened today, he didn’t even want to think about the consequences.
Yu Shiqing turned slightly and asked Jiang Yu softly, “How are you feeling?”
There was a faint scent in the air. It was cold and piercing like melting snow refreshing, but full of pressure.
Yes, he had smelled Yu Shiqing’s pheromones before, and this was exactly what it was like.
Jiang Yu frowned slightly. “I’m fine.”
Seeing his expression, Yu Shiqing assumed he was uncomfortable, so he moved further away.
Jiang Yu pressed his lips together and didn’t explain.
He hadn’t told Yu Shiqing that this morning, he had smelled the same scent.
Back then, when Yu Shiqing was in heat, Jiang Yu’s instincts had rejected his pheromones. But now, whether it was that accidental encounter in the morning or this moment now, Jiang Yu an Alpha felt no disgust toward another Alpha’s scent.
In fact, he felt no hostility at all toward Yu Shiqing, even during such a sensitive period.
That wasn’t normal.
Jiang Yu turned to look out the window too, but his gaze lingered on Yu Shiqing’s reflection in the glass, growing darker.
The atmosphere inside the car finally turned as heavy as Meng Chen had feared, though he had no satisfaction in having guessed right.
Even though he couldn’t smell pheromones, he was still terrified by Yu Shiqing’s susceptibility period. The whole way, he silently prayed for everything to go smoothly no surprises, no accidents.
Maybe his prayers worked. When the car finally arrived at the residential complex and stopped in front of the building, he saw that the two in the back seat were still sitting calmly. Both he and the driver let out a long sigh of relief.
But only Yu Shiqing and Jiang Yu could feel the strange tension that was quietly filling the car.
Yu Shiqing quickly noticed a familiar scent strong and sharp, the smell of tequila it was Jiang Yu’s uninhibited presence.
“Jiang Yu?”
Before the car even fully stopped, Jiang Yu had already reached out to open the door.
He grabbed the handle tightly, and hearing Yu Shiqing call his name, he turned his head. “I’m getting out.”
Yu Shiqing immediately noticed the effort he was making to stay composed.
As soon as he spoke, Jiang Yu looked away.
“Brother Jiang?” Meng Chen was confused. “Why are you getting out too?”
Yu Shiqing got out as Meng Chen was speaking and walked around to Jiang Yu’s side.
“What’s wrong?”
Jiang Yu instantly raised his hand and grabbed Yu Shiqing’s wrist. His voice was low. “Something’s not right.”
Yu Shiqing asked, “Your susceptibility period?”
“I’m not sure.” Jiang Yu frowned deeply, struggling to control his unstable pheromones. “But I can’t stay here.”
Even the nearest hotel would take time to check into. Suppressants were ineffective on Jiang Yu during his susceptibility period, so it was best not to take any risks.
Yu Shiqing said, “Come upstairs with me.”
At this point, there was no other option.
Jiang Yu turned to Meng Chen. “Come pick me up at the same time tomorrow.”
“What?” Meng Chen was stunned. “You two are staying together tonight?”
No, it’s not just tonight.
Mr. Yu was in his susceptibility period it usually lasted at least seven days!
And both of you are Alphas! Living under the same roof at a time like this is this a joke?
But clearly, his boss wasn’t planning to explain. After giving instructions, he turned and walked into the building with Yu Shiqing, leaving only their backs for Meng Chen to stare at.
Yu Shiqing and Jiang Yu stepped into the elevator.
As Yu Shiqing pressed the floor button, Jiang Yu loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top of his shirt.
He felt a wave of heat rushing through his blood. Every time he smelled Yu Shiqing’s pheromones, that heat got stronger.
This definitely wasn’t normal.
He looked up and saw himself in the elevator mirror.
His eyes were slowly becoming bloodshot. That wasn’t a symptom of a susceptibility period.
“Yu Shiqing…”
Ding— The elevator doors opened.
Yu Shiqing was pulling out his keys and turned to look at him. “Hm?”
“Nothing,” Jiang Yu snapped out of it and instinctively looked away. “We’ll talk later.”
Yu Shiqing said, “Just hold on a little longer. We’re almost there.”
As he spoke, his cold, piercing pheromones lingered at the tip of Jiang Yu’s nose.
A quiet hallway. Yu Shiqing’s back.
Jiang Yu reached up again to tug at his tie. His eyes slowly moved from Yu Shiqing’s profile down to his neck.
The sound of the key in the lock felt distant and unclear.
“You wait in the living room,” Yu Shiqing said as he took off his coat and closed the door. He headed straight for the study.
He had taken a suppressant yesterday. The medicine box was still on the bedside table.
As he reached the bedside and was about to open the box, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.
He turned. “Jiang Yu?”
Jiang Yu stood in the doorway.
His sharp, tidy suit was now messy. His tie hung loose, and his collar was slightly open.
“If there’s something you need, wait—”
Yu Shiqing suddenly paused mid-sentence.
He smelled a surge of pheromones in the air and saw the blood in Jiang Yu’s eyes and the raw desire behind it.
Heat period?
Even Yu Shiqing was momentarily stunned.
How?
While Yu Shiqing hesitated, Jiang Yu walked toward him.
Yu Shiqing had been in a similar situation not long ago and knew that Jiang Yu wasn’t in control. But just as he turned around to reach for the medicine box, Jiang Yu grabbed him and pushed him onto the bed.
Jiang Yu dodged his hand and leaned down close.
Feeling his hot breath brush down his face to his neck, Yu Shiqing frowned slightly, an odd sensation stirring inside him.
“Jiang Yu—”
This time, it wasn’t Yu Shiqing stopping. It was Jiang Yu who covered his mouth with a kiss.
Yu Shiqing’s pupils contracted.
Driven by the burning heat inside, Jiang Yu reached out to touch the side of Yu Shiqing’s face. The kiss was clumsy and aggressive.
When their lips parted slightly and the kiss deepened, Yu Shiqing came to his senses. He frowned and grabbed the back of Jiang Yu’s neck, trying to push him away.
But Jiang Yu’s lips moved down, brushing along his jawline and neck. His hand slid over the wrinkles of Yu Shiqing’s clothes, roughly caressing his waist.
Yu Shiqing froze slightly, then quickly grabbed Jiang Yu’s wandering hand. He lifted his knee between Jiang Yu’s legs, pushed with his back, and flipped him over onto the bed.
“Jiang Yu, stop messing around.”
Yu Shiqing held down his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the medicine box and reached for it. But the moment he loosened his grip, Jiang Yu wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed the side of his neck.
Jiang Yu’s eyes were filled with overwhelming desire.
Unable to find a gland, his pheromones had nowhere to go.
Yu Shiqing felt a sudden sharp pain in his neck and inhaled sharply. Just as he was about to push Jiang Yu away, he felt a warm, wet sensation on the wound.
His breathing became slightly heavier.
It was hard to break free from Jiang Yu when distracted.
But if his pheromones were indeed the trigger for Jiang Yu’s heat, the susceptibility issue needed to be solved first.
Temporarily ignoring Jiang Yu’s movements, Yu Shiqing pulled out the suppressant from the box, opened the bottle, and drank it all.
With Jiang Yu’s hands finally free, he’d already taken things a bit too far in that short moment.
Yu Shiqing froze slightly and immediately grabbed his hand again.
Jiang Yu struggled, and the friction made Yu Shiqing’s gaze darken.
But now that the suppressant was working, Yu Shiqing could finally restrain Jiang Yu’s wild energy. Yet a new problem emerged.
There were no heat suppressants here.
However, if his mark could ease Jiang Yu’s susceptibility, it might also help with the heat.
Thinking of this, Yu Shiqing looked down at Jiang Yu.
Those usually sharp black eyes were now filled with deep, glowing desire.
Yu Shiqing met his gaze and said, as usual, “Hold on.”
Then he lowered his head and bit into his gland.
Jiang Yu let out a muffled groan.
Without conscious restraint, his reaction was more raw than ever.
As the pheromones entered him, Jiang Yu used the last of his strength to grip the back of Yu Shiqing’s collar, breathing heavily by his ear.
Yu Shiqing’s hand paused on his forehead, then he hurried to complete the marking.
When it was done, he pressed his hand to Jiang Yu’s face and lifted himself slightly.
“Jiang Yu?”
Jiang Yu was already exhausted. He frowned, but upon hearing Yu Shiqing’s voice, he slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing Yu Shiqing so close, he froze in shock.
Yu Shiqing saw that most of the bloodshot redness in his eyes had faded and that he looked more alert.
Jiang Yu, uncomfortable under Yu Shiqing’s gaze, realized he had nowhere to hide. He turned away and frowned again.
Was this… a bed?
Looking down, he saw how tightly their bodies were pressed together, and his face immediately stiffened.
The silence in the room didn’t last long.
“Yu Shiqing.”
“Hmm?”
“Just now,” Jiang Yu looked up at him and awkwardly asked,
“…What happened?”
