Cen Chi held Chi Zhan in his arms and stood up, intending to lay him down on the bed. But Chi Zhan clutched tightly at his collar, refusing to let go no matter what. Cen Chi tried to pry his fingers loose, only to feel a sudden dampness spreading across his neckline.
Startled, Cen Chi froze. He tried to lift Chi Zhan’s chin to check if he was crying, but Chi Zhan stubbornly refused to turn his face.
“Don’t cry… Chi Zhan.”
For once, Cen Chi seemed at a loss, hurriedly reaching for the scattered vials on the table—tranquilizers, sedatives, painkillers. Which one should he use?!
He didn’t dare give Chi Zhan random medication anymore. But if this continued, things would only spiral out of control.
—Pheromone Research Institute—
Lin Feng was in a great mood, humming to himself as he got ready to clock out. He’d successfully asked out a cute Omega today—maybe he’d finally stop being single!
Just then, the phone rang, breaking the moment.
“Hello, sir, whatever it is you need, please wait until eight a.m. tomorrow. Thank you for your cooperation,” Lin Feng said politely.
“Can Betas use suppressant pills?”
The voice on the other end ignored him completely.
Lin Feng blinked. “What?”
“He’s entered his heat. Took a suppressant and it only got worse. I can’t control his pheromones. What should I do?”
“What?” Lin Feng was incredulous. “Hold on—let me get this straight. That Beta you mentioned earlier—he has pheromones? That’s impossible! Betas don’t go into heat!…Ah, uh, if that’s really the case, then I suggest you try a temporary mark. If you’re not confident giving him medication, and he’s that sensitive to your pheromones, then this is the safest route.”
“There’s no other way?” came the voice again.
“You could bring him in for a check, but you can’t just let someone lose control of their pheromones in public. That’s not safe. I’d come to you, but I can’t get into the military academy.”
“……”
Cen Chi ended the call, quietly brushing his fingers through Chi Zhan’s slightly damp hair. Then, without hesitation, he peeled off the pheromone isolation patch he’d placed earlier and tossed it aside.
It wasn’t working at all.
He pressed the pad of his finger lightly against the burning skin on Chi Zhan’s nape. The cold touch made Chi Zhan flinch.
The glands were the main site for pheromone secretion. In Betas, these glands degraded during differentiation, rendering them unable to emit or perceive pheromones.
But Chi Zhan…
Could he even be marked?
“I’m going to give you a temporary mark,” Cen Chi said gently. “It’ll only last two to four days. It won’t have any long-term effects.”
He knew Chi Zhan was listening.
“In your current condition, taking medicine is too dangerous. This is the only option. Even if you don’t agree, I’ll still do it,” Cen Chi added, his voice dropping a pitch. “I can’t just stand by and watch something happen to you.”
Chi Zhan’s fingers tightened again, his knuckles turning a pale blue-white. It seemed to restore some of his clarity. Gasping for breath, he lifted his head—only for Cen Chi to press it back down against his chest.
“If it hurts… then bite me.”
The pheromone density in the air was so thick, it felt like fresh honey—too viscous to even stir.
Chi Zhan’s ragged breathing began to sync with the steady rhythm of Cen Chi’s heartbeat.
Cen Chi lowered his head, lips nearing the back of Chi Zhan’s neck. Just as they were about to touch—
A knock sounded at the door.
***
Chu Xingxiao stood outside the dorm room, slinging a black satchel over his shoulder. He used the reflective tile to fix his messy hair.
Dorm buildings at the academy were strictly divided by gender. Alphas weren’t allowed in the Beta wing, so Chu Xingxiao had scaled the fence behind the building to get here and see Chi Zhan.
That whole “I’ll stop bothering him” spiel? Pure bullshit for Qi Song’s sake. He had no doubt Qi Song was sneaking around behind his back to see Chi Zhan anyway.
Besides, he had a legitimate reason to be here.
He’d pulled Chi Zhan’s class schedule from the academic system and planned to casually “bump into” him in class. But today, Chi Zhan hadn’t shown up at all—reportedly out sick.
How could he let his gege lie there all alone, sick and miserable in his dorm? What if his condition worsened? There was no one to take care of him.
Chu Xingxiao knocked on the door and reached for the knob. It didn’t budge. Thinking it was stuck, he twisted it harder.
Still wouldn’t open.
—It was locked from the inside.
Surprise flickered across his face before he let go and called out, “Gege, are you in there?”
Maybe he just didn’t want to be disturbed, so he locked the door? But even that didn’t seem right.
No response.
Chu Xingxiao’s ears perked slightly. His Alpha sensitivity picked up the faintest of sounds—irregular breathing, muffled whimpers, and… something wet?
He didn’t understand what he was hearing at first. But as the noises continued, his expression suddenly darkened.
A group of Betas passing by after class, arms slung over each other, noticed him standing motionless at the door, staring at it with intense focus.
“Hey, man, you new here?” one of them called out. “Why not go in? Don’t tell me your roommate locked you out?”
It wasn’t uncommon for Alpha roommates to get into spats and end up locked out overnight. Betas were usually more level-headed, but there were exceptions.
Chu Xingxiao turned to them calmly.
“Yeah, I got locked out. Lost my key too.”
“You two have a fight or something? Losing the key on top of that… that’s rough. The dorm manager doesn’t keep spares either.”
“No other way in? I need to get inside. It’s urgent.”
“Well… there is one way,” someone offered. “But it’s a little risky. You afraid of heights?”
Just one door away.
Chu Xingxiao’s voice stirred something in Chi Zhan’s hazy consciousness. He struggled to turn his head toward the door.
