Cen Chi lightly touched his neck.
“Stop,” Chi Zhan said sharply. “It hasn’t healed yet. Don’t mess with it.”
“Did you forget? I’m a medical student—I know more about this than you do.” Cen Chi’s voice was still uneven, halting between breaths. “Even if it’s bleeding… it’s not a big deal.”
“Shut up.” Chi Zhan could hardly deal with him anymore. He was finally realizing that Cen Chi wasn’t some gentle, well-mannered Imperial roommate. On the contrary—he was cunning, shameless, completely fearless. It was like the man didn’t have a single weakness.
Chi Zhan grabbed the bandage. Cen Chi glanced at the spray beside him and said, “This stuff seems expensive. You really used that much on me? That’s… kind of a waste.”
Hemostatic spray wasn’t a free supply item—it had to be bought with academic credits. It worked exceptionally well, but the cost was nearly as high as gold. Chi Zhan had just sprayed nearly half the bottle on him, practically dumping it on like he was afraid Cen Chi might drop dead then and there.
At this point, Chi Zhan really didn’t want to see Cen Chi’s infuriatingly smug smile anymore. He silently finished wrapping the bandage and said flatly, “Change rooms.”
“Me?” Cen Chi asked.
“If you won’t, then I’ll request a transfer.”
“I refuse.”
“Then I’ll—”
“You’re not allowed to leave either,” Cen Chi cut him off.
“You don’t have the right to control me,” Chi Zhan snapped, turning away and starting to pack his things.
“I’m not going to do anything to you. Why won’t you trust me?” Cen Chi asked. “If you’d actually killed me just now, you would’ve seen that for yourself…”
“Are you trying to piss me off? Or is this just another one of your schemes? Whatever you’re after—it’s not going to work.”
“That wasn’t my intention. It was just a couple of kisses. Are you really that angry?”
“You—” Chi Zhan was livid, but the person standing in front of him had just been injured. He’d already threatened him, couldn’t hit him, and swearing wasn’t in his vocabulary. All he could do was force out, stiffly, “Are you some kind of pervert?”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“Oh, so you do know. Let me tell you something else—kissing someone without their consent is extremely inappropriate. If I were an Omega, you’d already be locked up in a cell…”
But before he could finish, a terrifying and utterly unwelcome thought shot through Chi Zhan’s brain—
That scent from earlier…
Could it have been Cen Chi’s pheromone?
Even in a society built around pheromones, Betas lived on the periphery. They couldn’t perceive pheromones—no matter how intense they were. At most, they might feel a little uneasy or experience oppressive pressure that made it hard to speak or move.
But they would never be able to smell a pheromone.
Betas were the only “normal” people in this society—or, rather, the only truly abnormal ones.
While Alphas lost control over an Omega’s scent, and Omegas ripped each other’s hair out over an Alpha’s, Betas could only stand on the sidelines wondering, What the hell is wrong with you people? Stop fighting. Are you even mentally stable?
That’s how it had always been for Chi Zhan.
So when the realization struck, his first instinct was to pretend nothing had happened—that he hadn’t smelled a thing.
Because if that was a pheromone, then they were in deep, deep trouble.
Luckily, Cen Chi didn’t seem to notice Chi Zhan’s reaction. “If you want,” he said calmly, “you can call the police and have me arrested right now.”
“You really need to leave. Or I will.”
He resumed packing, moving with urgency. His mind was in chaos, nerves on edge, gripped by the feeling that something major was about to happen.
Cen Chi didn’t stop him. Instead, he said, “If you apply for a room transfer, then your appointment as the Crown Prince’s secretary… will be made public.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Still playing cold?” Cen Chi said, unfazed. “That’s fine. People say rumors stop with the wise—but facts speak louder than gossip. Once everyone finds out, I imagine your school life is going to get very interesting.”
Chi Zhan narrowed his eyes. “Are you threatening me?”
“Not just that. I also happen to know something else quite intriguing. For instance… your compatibility with the Crown Prince actually beat out every single Omega. Fascinating, isn’t it?” His tone was mild, lips curved in a constant smile. “Is that enough for you? If not, I can offer a few more tidbits—like what happened in the hygiene chamber the day His Highness visited…”
“What exactly do you want?”
“As long as you don’t move out, none of this will ever leave this room.”
“…Are you joking?” Chi Zhan’s tone was wary, almost incredulous.
“Of course not.” Cen Chi glanced at the disbelief written all over Chi Zhan’s face, then pretended to think for a moment.
To Chi Zhan, the silence that followed was excruciating—drawn-out and quiet like a form of torture. Despite his cold exterior, his mind was already exploding with exclamation marks.
How the hell did Cen Chi know so much?
He’d just dropped the mask completely—wasn’t even pretending anymore.
Who the hell wanted to live with a lunatic like this?!
What now? Report him? On what grounds—nonconsensual kissing? That’d just turn into juicy gossip for the whole school.
No matter how he turned it over in his head, aside from that kiss, Chi Zhan couldn’t find a single piece of leverage on Cen Chi.
He was terrifyingly meticulous.
While Cen Chi was “thinking,” he glanced over with an unreadable look, earning a glare so cold it could freeze a star. But Cen Chi didn’t seem to care. A beat later, he said:
“Well then… I’ll just be your boyfriend.”
“I refuse.”
“Mmm… that was expected.” Cen Chi smiled. “But here’s the thing—I really don’t like being used. Unless you can keep me completely in the dark. But unfortunately… you didn’t. How about this—I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend. That way, if we run into Xiao Xing again, your lie won’t fall apart so easily.”
“What?” Chi Zhan looked stunned. “I don’t—”
