Shen Yuqing took a quick shower. As he stepped out, he happened to run into the Omega servant returning home.
Upon seeing Shen Yuqing, the servant immediately approached and said, “Young Master Shen, I went back to the Pei family today to report my duties. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you in any way?”
Shen Yuqing couldn’t help but notice that this Omega had been in the house for quite some time now, yet he seemed far more eager to please him than Pei Yiyan.
Stiffly, he replied, “No, you didn’t.”
The Omega smiled, his eyes curving into crescents. “Good.”
This time, after speaking, he turned and headed straight for the kitchen. Shen Yuqing let out a sigh of relief.
The beta servant had already finished their tasks and retreated to their room.
Pei Yiyan, however, remained seated on the sofa, waiting for the news broadcast to end—this was his usual habit.
Though today, with Lucky having been sent to the hospital and not returning until tomorrow, the absence of that rebellious child left an odd sense of emptiness.
Shen Yuqing sat down in the corner. The shower had left him feeling much more comfortable.
His gaze swept over the table in front of Pei Yiyan. The water glass had already been cleared away. So, when exactly had the Omega slipped the drug into Pei Yiyan’s drink?
The system had been urging him to return, but now that he was back, it had gone completely silent, as if frozen.
He couldn’t even ask a single question now. All he could do was wait.
Shen Yuqing took a deep breath. Just how long would he have to wait for this?
He exhaled and leaned back against the sofa. Before long, drowsiness began to creep over him.
“Young Master Shen, here’s some water for you.”
The Omega’s sweet voice sounded beside Shen Yuqing’s ear. He turned his head to see the servant standing beside him, holding out a glass of water.
Shen Yuqing didn’t say anything but took the glass, his guard instantly rising.
Sure enough, he watched as the Omega placed another glass in front of Pei Yiyan. “Young Master, here’s some water for you.”
Here it comes. It’s finally happening.
He needed to think of a way to stop Pei Yiyan from drinking that water.
Pei Yiyan seemed genuinely thirsty. Before long, he reached out to feel for the glass on the table. But just as he picked it up, his hand suddenly went empty. He frowned slightly, only to hear someone beside him say, “I want to drink yours. You can have mine. Don’t worry, I haven’t taken a sip.”
Then he felt another glass being pressed into his hand—this one slightly heavier, filled with warm water.
His original glass had held cold water.
Pei Yiyan lowered his gaze and took a couple of small sips before setting it down. The water tasted a little strange.
But since he didn’t usually drink warm water, he knew that heating it could sometimes produce odd flavors. He didn’t think much of it.
Only after watching Pei Yiyan take those two sips did Shen Yuqing turn his attention to the cold water in his own hand. To the naked eye, there was no sign that the water had been drugged—it looked like an ordinary glass of drinking water.
After a moment’s thought, he cautiously took a tiny sip. Hmm. Just water.
Was interstellar society this advanced? Drugs that were completely colorless and tasteless?
If he hadn’t gotten the plot points in advance, he wouldn’t have noticed a thing.
Shen Yuqing clicked his tongue. Well, he’d managed to stop the water from being drunk, but what about the rest of the plot? He still needed to figure out a solution.
Coincidentally, the news broadcast ended right then. Pei Yiyan stood up. Having been at home these past few days, he had grown familiar enough with the layout to move around without his cane. Slowly, he made his way to take a shower before retiring for the night.
Moreover, he felt his body temperature rising tonight. After just a few steps, he noticed a slight feverish warmth spreading through his body.
Groping his way into the bathroom, he found clean clothes already prepared for him by the servants.
Pei Yiyan closed the door and began unbuttoning his shirt with his slender fingers. But halfway through, he realized the heat was intensifying—a restless, prickling heat.
It felt like tiny flames were dancing through his veins, spreading to every limb. Not only that, but his strength seemed to be draining away bit by bit.
He reached out blindly, searching for something to steady himself, but in his disoriented state, he stumbled over his own slippers and lurched forward uncontrollably.
Shen Yuqing was just heading to his bedroom to play games when a loud crash from the bathroom startled him.
Frowning, he rushed over and called out, “Pei Yiyan?” No response.
“Pei Yiyan, can you hear me? Answer me!”
Still nothing.
His eyelids twitching nervously, Shen Yuqing pushed the bathroom door open and found Pei Yiyan slumped on the floor—one hand gripping the sink, the other braced against the tiles, his forehead pressed to his arm in obvious distress.
Shen hurried over and crouched beside him. “Pei Yiyan, what’s wrong?”
All he heard were ragged, labored breaths—Pei was in no state to reply.
Alarmed, Shen lifted Pei’s head and saw his forehead flushed crimson. His condition was clearly abnormal—his shirt half-unbuttoned, revealing skin flushed an alarming shade of pink across his chest.
Cold sweat broke out on Shen’s back. This… this looked exactly like the symptoms described in the plot points!
Without another thought, he hauled Pei up, supporting his weight as he half-carried him out of the bathroom. Only after settling him in bed did Shen summon a servant to fetch the family doctor immediately.
The room, divided by a curtain separating beta and omega spaces, revealed the omega’s absence.
If he wasn’t here… where had he gone?
Shen’s frown deepened. And Pei hadn’t even drunk the spiked water!
Why was he in this state?!
Unless… the drug hadn’t been in the water but something else?
The Shen family physician arrived promptly. After a swift examination, the diagnosis was clear:
Pei Yiyan was experiencing a pseudo-heat cycle, triggered by unknown causes.
Shen’s brows knitted together. “How could a pseudo-heat start out of nowhere?”
The doctor replied, “We’d need hospital tests to identify the exact cause, but typically… it’s accidental ingestion of certain… stimulating substances.”
The unspoken “did someone slip him an aphrodisiac?” hung in the air.
Shen turned to the beta servant. “What did Pei Yiyan consume today?”
The servant paled at the word “ingestion”—as the one responsible for their meals, any mishap would mean dire consequences.
In a rush, he listed everything Pei had eaten that day.
The doctor then added, “It seems it was just swallowed recently. An inhibitor shot and some rest should do the trick.”
Shen Yuqing suddenly recalled the two glasses of water placed in the living room.
He hurried over, only to find the glasses were now gone!
Meanwhile, the Omega emerged from the kitchen looking somewhat flustered, but quickly regained composure upon seeing them. “Young Master Shen, what’s happened?” he asked.
Shen Yuqing could tell from his demeanor that the evidence had already been destroyed.
He replied bluntly, “Nothing much, just calling the police.”
Then he turned to the beta servant standing nearby. “Go retrieve the surveillance footage from the kitchen and living room. Let’s see what exactly he was doing just now.”
It wasn’t until Shen Yuqing saw the Omega that the realization struck him.
Perhaps that glass of water was never meant for Pei Yiyan in the first place.
This Omega had come for him.
