The intense gardenia scent filled the entire car in an instant.
Yu Xi felt terrible—extremely terrible.
He had no idea how to describe his current physical state. It was a pain unlike anything he had ever experienced, as if countless insects crawled through his bones, gnawing at them and sucking out his marrow. He was in agony, but when the pain reached its peak, an even more indescribable sensation surged over him like a storm.
His heart raced as if it were about to take flight, and Yu Xi felt himself struggling more and more to breathe.
“Aren’t you going to do something?!” Yu Xi gritted his teeth, mustering all his strength to force out those few words.
“I’ve tried emergency measures, but they didn’t work. I called emergency services.” Yi Chen tried his best to appear calm, but the inescapable gardenia scent swirling around him made his composure seem overly forced.
In the past, he had never been able to stay calm around Yu Xi’s pheromones.
And now was no different.
“And then?”
“No signal. Couldn’t get through.”
“…” Yu Xi didn’t respond.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—he simply lacked the strength to speak.
For a moment, Yu Xi’s rationality, his willpower, all his emotions were swallowed by extreme pain. His brain felt torn apart, his thoughts shredded, leaving him as nothing more than a shell driven by instinct.
He smelled pomelo mint.
It was Yi Chen’s pheromones.
Instinctively, he wanted to draw closer to the source.
When Yi Chen couldn’t maintain his calm, he always had little movements that Yu Xi never noticed, along with unconscious mutterings.
“Let me think. I need to think.”
“Don’t worry, we can fix this. We can fix it.”
“Calm down, stay calm…”
“I’ve got it. There’s one more way…”
Yi Chen opened the storage compartment between the seats. Inside was an escape hammer.
He had prepared it in case the car accidentally drove into a river—accidents could happen in the strangest ways, and being prepared was always better than panicking when disaster struck.
Now it was coming in handy.
“I’ll just smash the car window. It’s fine, it’s fine…”
He kept repeating “it’s fine,” though it was unclear if he was reassuring himself or Yu Xi.
Yi Chen raised his hand, aimed at the impact point, but just as the hammer was about to hit the window glass, a force came from the back of his neck.
A hand grabbed his collar, scorching-hot fingers brushing his neck skin.
Yi Chen’s whole body jerked backward.
Yu Xi had somehow leaned in close, his eyes curved with a watery haze, a flush spreading from the corners to behind his ears. His gaze burned like wildfire, incinerating most of Yi Chen’s rationality in an instant.
There was no time to react.
The next second, Yu Xi leaned down and kissed him.
Yi Chen: “!”
Soft lips met.
In his shock—perhaps panic, or excitement, or maybe because the overly rich gardenia scent had already invaded his mind—Yi Chen had no idea what he was doing. One hand wrapped around Yu Xi’s scorching-hot nape, pressing against the soft gland, while the other hit the seat controls.
The seat instantly lowered to its flat position, creating a much better angle for kissing.
It was unclear how much time passed.
Yu Xi suddenly gasped, like a drowning man finally breathing air. Awareness gradually returned, and he realized he was in an intensely comfortable state. A profound satisfaction welled up from within, largely overshadowing the pain of the precursor heat.
But he was still a bit dazed.
So, he pulled back slightly.
Their lips were mere millimeters apart.
Yet in that instant, Yi Chen’s eyes darkened.
His rationality had been hanging by a single thin thread. With Yu Xi’s touch, what thread? What gentlemanly behavior? What gentleness? What “forget the past and start anew”? It was all just fragile scraps propped up by forced logic.
Their car was parked in a very remote spot, with no one around, and at this hour, no passersby. The anti-pry windows blocked any view inside completely.
In his impulsiveness, instinct, and uncontrollable heat, Yu Xi made countless excuses for himself.
They had kissed countless times before.
He was so used to it, so familiar, so fond of touching Yi Chen. They shared each other’s pheromones, touching the glands at each other’s napes—the next step, and the one after—
Beep—
A sharp chime rang out, slicing through the air between them like it scraped the scalp.
Beep beep—
The car, which hadn’t started moments ago, now hummed to life.
“Emergency maintenance system activated successfully. Vehicle restored to normal operation.”
The windows slowly rolled down, and the muggy night air slammed in like a hot slap, waking them both with a jolt.
The chaotic interior, disheveled clothes, exes who had broken up long ago, lips red and wet from kissing.
Yi Chen: “…”
Yu Xi: “…”
The late-night road had little traffic. Compared to the occasional congestion on the way there, the return trip was almost too smooth—hitting every green light just right.
Yu Xi and Yi Chen sped along unimpeded.
The windows stayed down, night wind howling into the car. They sat on the driver and passenger sides, neither speaking first. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
“You… what’s really going on with you?” After a long silence, Yi Chen couldn’t hold back and spoke first.
“Secondary differentiation.”
“Weren’t you unsure before? Didn’t they say it might just be gland inflammation?”
“Obviously, it’s confirmed now.”
If it weren’t for secondary differentiation, would he have kissed his ex?!
Yu Xi feigned casualness in his tone: “Just precursor heat. Haven’t you seen it before?”
Yi Chen: “Am I supposed to have? Have you seen it yourself?”
Yu Xi: “Yeah, just now. On me.”
Yi Chen: “…”
He floored the accelerator and said no more.
Nothing to say.
His thoughts were a mess right now; speaking lacked logic, and he couldn’t outtalk Yu Xi.
As the car sped on, Yu Xi watched the increasingly unfamiliar streets. Clearly, Yi Chen wasn’t heading to the hospital. He grew wary: “Where are you taking me?”
“To my place.”
Yu Xi: “?”
“Why your place? I need a hospital.”
“Which ABO Special Department is open at this hour? Even if one were, the meds they’d give you are the same as what you already have.” Yi Chen explained, “I’ve called a friend of mine.”
“Your friend?” Yu Xi recalled that before their breakup, Yi Chen had mentioned an older childhood friend who studied medicine. But that friend had been either studying abroad or interning domestically for years, and Yu Xi had never met him.
Yu Xi: “…Not that PhD who delayed graduation for three years, right? What’s his name again? Reliable?”
“He’s passionate about research.” As Yi Chen spoke, even he thought the excuse sounded dubious. He added, “He’s graduated now.”
Yi Chen paused, patching it up: “Key member of the ABO Special Department.”
Another pause: “Extensive clinical experience.”
Yet another: “He’s definitely fine.”
Yi Chen: “…Probably…”
Forty minutes later.
Yu Xi sat on Yi Chen’s sofa when the front door was kicked open. A figure flew in, hard leather boots thudding against the floor.
The newcomer wore a riveted leather jacket, black leather pants, punk boots, ear piercings, lip studs—a picture of wild abandon—dragging a black medical kit. Without looking, he bellowed into the room: “Where’s Yi Chen? Dragging my ass out in the middle of the night—I’m charging triple house call fee!!!”
Luo Qin, occupation: doctor, department: ABO Special Department.
Only after his aggressive shout did Luo Qin notice that in the living room, besides Yi Chen, there was someone already stunned…
Holy shit, him? He knew this guy—big star, Yi Chen’s rival. What was his name again?!
Yu Xi was genuinely stunned.
Wasn’t this his attending physician?!
Just a couple days ago, he’d seen this man in a white coat, steadily and professionally consulting him in the exam room—mild tone, calm demeanor, solid expertise, seemed reliable.
Damn, doctors went this punk off-duty?!
Yu Xi’s mouth hung open. When booking appointments, he only checked titles and photos, not names. After half a day, he couldn’t recall it. His lips parted and closed several times before blurting in surprise: “It’s you! Doctor?!”
Luo Qin knew the man before him was a big star, Yi Chen’s rival, and a patient he’d seen twice. But this scenario was too sudden—he hadn’t expected to see his patient at Yi Chen’s place. The name stuck in his throat; in his shock, he couldn’t spit it out and replied with equal surprise: “No way, what a coincidence! Patient!”
Yi Chen: “…”
“Looks like you two already know each other.” Yi Chen set down the freshly washed fruit and sat across from them. “No need for introductions then?”
“Of course not!” Luo Qin slapped the table. “We know each other! Your hot-tempered, petty, tight-lipped ex who wouldn’t even tell you the breakup reason—that coward. Seen him twice, remember him! Patient, what’s your name again?”
Yu Xi’s temple twitched. He smiled through gritted teeth: “No need for intros, of course. The PhD who delayed graduation three years, botched experiments and cried on transocean calls about dropping out daily, advising medicine is like tempting lightning but hey, hasn’t killed anyone yet so medical skills maybe reliable? Waste-of-a-childhood-friend doctor. What’s your name?”
“Ha, great intro!” Luo Qin’s glare knifed toward Yi Chen as he extended a hand to shake Yu Xi’s. “I’m Luo Qin.”
“Heh, I come off pretty distinctive in your words!” Yu Xi’s glare knifed toward Yi Chen, but he politely shook Luo Qin’s hand. “Just call me Yu Xi.”
Yi Chen: “…”
“Get to business, you two talk. I’ll step out—call if needed.” Battle-hardened, he stone-faced the dual glares, left the living room for his room, and shut the door tight, ensuring he wouldn’t hear a word.
Luo Qin had eaten dinner with him a couple days ago but hadn’t mentioned Yu Xi was his patient—professional ethics demanded patient confidentiality, and Yi Chen wouldn’t pry.
With no outsiders, Luo Qin got down to why he’d come.
He pinched his earlobe; the stud glinted under the light, looking hardly reliable.
“You… look different from at the hospital.” Yu Xi asked warily. “Can I trust you?”
“The hospital image is for the bosses and public.” Luo Qin said. “Off-duty, I dress as I please.”
