His breath was ragged, still laced with gasps for air. The joints of the hand clutching Cen Chi’s collar had turned bone white, veins bulging beneath pale skin—clear proof that he was using every last ounce of strength to threaten Cen Chi.
He had originally intended to handle the matter quietly, but things had spiraled far beyond expectation. After this, Chi Zhan would likely never again let his guard down so completely. Cen Chi sighed inwardly. His expression, however, remained calm and smiling as he said gently, “I’m not moving. You know I can’t beat you. Just… don’t panic. Try to breathe evenly, okay? Take a few deep breaths. Your head must be killing you right now…”
“Do. Not. Speak.” Chi Zhan forced out each word, voice low and cold, fingers tightening.
His body temperature was shockingly cold, and his fingers trembled faintly. To forcibly pull himself out of a hypnotic state and regain motor control almost instantly—what he was enduring now must have been hundreds of times more intense. His heart was racing at a dangerously abnormal pace. His brain was buzzing, and as Cen Chi had guessed, the pain in his skull felt like it might split him in two. He was on the verge of collapse.
But Chi Zhan didn’t show it. On the contrary, his eyes only seemed to shine more brightly—black and clear, like ink washed clean by rain—as he fixed an unwavering stare on Cen Chi.
A delayed sting pricked the back of Cen Chi’s neck—he was probably bleeding. Still, he remained motionless, using only a glance to communicate: Look, I’ve stopped talking.
“What the hell is your goal?”
Cen Chi’s gaze drifted over Chi Zhan’s tense jawline, sharpened further by pain. He hadn’t noticed that his own collar had come loose. From Cen Chi’s vantage, it was far too easy to glimpse pale, smooth skin and…
Bringing that up now would likely earn him a one-way trip to the school’s back courtyard well—courtesy of an enraged Chi Zhan.
***
Of course, there was no way Cen Chi could say, “I suspect you’re an Omega, so I kissed you to try triggering your Heat.” Nor could he confess his true intentions outright.
So he simply said, “You already know what I’m after, don’t you?”
There were still many things he didn’t understand about Chi Zhan’s fragmented memories, but one thing was clear: Chi Zhan had a close connection to the Crown Prince. The ever-disciplined, austere prince had actually waited like a predator in the hygiene chamber. Had Cen Chi not seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it.
Chi Zhan’s expression remained cold as ice in the face of Cen Chi’s evasive words.
“Don’t play dumb with me.”
“I like you,” Cen Chi said.
“If you don’t tell me the truth, I will use force,” Chi Zhan warned, temple throbbing. If it had been earlier, he might’ve had the strength to keep sparring with Cen Chi, but now he was completely drained. Dizzy, unsteady, emotionally unstable.
“Put down the knife, alright? I swear, I don’t intend to hurt you. Whether you believe it or not, what I’m saying is true.”
After a moment, Chi Zhan spat out a single word: “No.” Then added, “If you don’t tell me the truth, I’m not letting go.”
It was frustrating, but undeniable—this was just how Chi Zhan was. He seemed utterly unconcerned about his own physical state. He simply had to get to the bottom of everything.
Thoughts churned through Cen Chi’s mind. Finally, he offered a deliberately vague explanation.
“I admit I had other reasons. But… that doesn’t contradict the fact that I like you.”
“…What reasons?” Chi Zhan pressed.
Cen Chi continued to circle around him, speaking in riddles, completely unfazed by the knife at his neck or the blood dripping steadily down. Of course, Chi Zhan had no real intention of killing him, but his refusal to give a straight answer drove him to twist the blade slightly.
“My patience is limited. Before your blood runs dry, we’ll see who can outlast whom.”
One of them had already depleted nearly all of his mental strength, hands still trembling. The other had a cut across his neck, blood soaking into his shirt. It was a disturbing sight—but neither showed a hint of fear. It was as if they stood within a barrier that neither would step out of, waiting to see who would call it quits first.
Cen Chi turned his face slightly, completely ignoring the way the blade bit deeper into his skin. This time, though, it was no minor shift—the slow trickle of blood abruptly turned into a rush.
And Cen Chi was still smiling.
This lunatic!!
Chi Zhan had no choice but to back down. He eased his grip. With a loud clang, the butterfly knife hit the floor, the standoff declared over.
“Get that wound ban—” Chi Zhan didn’t even finish his sentence when, all of a sudden, a scent that had no place in the dormitory swept in—like a dense jungle on the training field, hidden in shadow, damp and lush. It attacked with impossible intensity, filling the entire room in an instant.
Chi Zhan’s head had already gone numb from pain, so he didn’t find it strange at first. But then, inexplicably, his physical discomfort began to ebb away like a receding tide, all under the influence of that scent.
He had never smelled anything so good.
Chi Zhan inhaled deeply, wanting to etch this scent into memory forever. But as his headache faded, his clarity returned.
Cen Chi lay half-reclined, gaze fixed unwaveringly on him.
His shirt was nearly soaked through with blood.
The sight jolted Chi Zhan back to himself. He spun around to grab the first aid kit, fingers trembling as he unwrapped the bandage.
But this time, it wasn’t from weakness.
It was panic.
Pain numbed the senses—for both of them.
Chi Zhan didn’t have time to question where the scent had come from. He racked his brain for first-aid knowledge and began wrapping Cen Chi’s wound.
A single finger tapped his arm, drawing his attention.
Cen Chi mouthed three silent words:
“Stop. Bleed. Agent.”
Chi Zhan threw aside the bandage and fished out the hemostatic spray, using it liberally on Cen Chi’s neck without the slightest hesitation.
The effect was instant. The bleeding stopped almost immediately. Cen Chi gave a short cough and finally found his voice again.
“If you’re going to fight,” he said, with a faint trace of a smile in his voice, “you should’ve gone all out.”
“Do you have a death wish?” Chi Zhan’s breath came a little too fast, but his mind was clear once more.
