The vast apartment felt empty after Qiu Sui and the medics left. Shen Zhixiao sat on the sofa, his Pheromones surging along with the throbbing veins in his body, soon erupting from his five viscera and six bowels in another wave of tearing pain.
The desire to Mark made his sharp fangs twitch instinctively, but he knew full well that the Beta had abandoned him and left. His five fingers pressed into the sofa trembled as they gripped tight, nearly ripping a tear through the soft fabric in an instant.
No matter how much I act weak, I’m still abandoned.
The thought churned relentlessly in Shen Zhixiao’s mind, filling him with unwillingness, but right now he couldn’t even step out the door to find Qiu Sui.
His Susceptible Period made it impossible to control the rioting Pheromones leaking from his body. Even after using Alpha Suppressant, he couldn’t fully stem the outflow.
Just a hint of Susceptible Period Pheromones from him in a public place would incite chaos among Omegas and lead to swift, forceful containment.
The desire to Mark, wrapped in thick Pheromones, dominated Shen Zhixiao’s nerves. He hated it so much that he clawed at the Gland on the back of his Alpha neck leaking Pheromones nonstop, digging until blood oozed from between his fingers before he finally stopped in fury. He stared fixedly at the tightly shut door as if he felt no pain, the desire to see Qiu Sui swelling endlessly.
In a frenzy, Shen Zhixiao fastened a new Pheromone Suppression Ring around his neck, but the overwhelming Pheromones beyond its tolerance limit made it blare alarms nonstop. The rampaging Pheromones still leaked out unchecked. Nearly frantic, he rushed back to the study and tremblingly opened the safe.
Inside sat a row of Experimental Potent Suppressants—the untested research results he’d recently brought back from the R&D center.
Soon.
Soon I can come find you, baby…
Shen Zhixiao lowered his head and slowly cracked a grin, his mind buzzing with excitement as he snatched an injector and plunged it into his body.
One shot might not fully suppress the Susceptible Period for the next few days. Amid the torment that felt like ants gnawing densely at his flesh, Shen Zhixiao jabbed two more into his arm. Three streams of drug flowed into his body one after another, instantly clashing with the high concentration of Pheromones.
Shen Zhixiao gripped the cabinet door, breathing heavily and scorching hot as he waited for the change in his body. Feeling the rampant Pheromones gradually leak less and less, a manic gleam lit his eyes. He slowly pushed himself upright.
Before joy could even register, his vision suddenly blurred.
The next moment, his tall frame toppled straight backward, crashing to the cluttered floor with a thud.
The once-frenzied Alpha fell utterly silent.
…
Pheromones from an Alpha in Susceptible Period could easily force Omegas into heat. After leaving Shen Zhixiao’s place, Qiu Sui sprayed Pheromone Blocking Spray all over himself, from head to toe, not sparing a single hair.
He tugged at his collar to cover the bite mark on the back of his neck, but pulling it up high exposed the hickeys on his collarbone. In the end, Qiu Sui opted to hike up the front, half-covering his neck as he slid into the back seat of the car.
Feeling deeply uncomfortable, he slumped against the seatback. On his phone, he ordered takeout to deliver back to school. As he went to close the app, something occurred to him. He bit his lip instinctively, his fingers stiffening as he typed into the search bar.
…Will a Susceptible Period Alpha giving a Beta a Lifelong Mark and Knotting have any effects?
Qiu Sui only vaguely remembered hearing Shen Zhixiao murmur “Lifelong Mark” in his ear last night in a haze—he couldn’t recall if it had actually succeeded.
Better safe than sorry, he stared tensely at the search results, his eyes slowly tracking each word. Seeing that Betas couldn’t be given a Lifelong Mark brought no relief, because his focus snagged on the Knotting part.
…A Beta’s Reproductive Cavity is severely degenerated and hard to locate, with extremely low fertility. Though the odds of successful impregnation from an Alpha Knotting in a Beta’s Reproductive Cavity are minuscule, the possibility still exists, such as with repeated attempts…
When Qiu Sui read that line, he hunched over in sudden alarm.
His mind unbidden flashed with news stories of wayward teens who slipped up due to poor protection, plunging his heart into instant anxiety. Clutching his phone tight—even if the odds were tiny—he bought emergency pills on a delivery app in a panic.
Remembering the faint aches from his neck and body, Qiu Sui also ordered a Gland Healing Patch and Anti-Inflammatory Ointment, hoping they’d arrive before he went home with Qiu Shun the day after tomorrow, without anything unusual showing.
By the time Qiu Sui got back to school, his takeout and meds had already arrived.
Afraid of bumping into acquaintances, he kept his head down on pins and needles, forcing normal strides as he hurried along.
Only when he shut the dorm door and leaned against it did his body slowly relax. The excessive exertion that day left him flushed and breathless as he panted with his head lowered.
Qiu Sui set the takeout on the table and eased into a chair, ignoring the discomfort as he dug into the porridge.
He desperately wanted to crawl into bed right away, but realizing he hadn’t showered yet, he endured after eating, slumping over the desk to settle his stomach before grabbing pajamas and heading to the bathroom.
Earlier, while changing, Shen Zhixiao had been pawing at the door from outside. Qiu Sui hadn’t had a chance to clean thoroughly, just wiping the uncomfortable spots haphazardly.
Now back in the dorm without that other presence, Qiu Sui braced against the wall as his taut nerves finally unwound.
Under the water flow, he washed the reddened marks from his waist and abdomen downward. Those deliberately forgotten scenes of raw intimacy resurfaced uncontrollably, shame creeping over his entire body.
Qiu Sui tried desperately to shove the memories away, but last night’s impact was too massive—bigger even than learning Shen Zhixiao liked him. He couldn’t calm down at all.
Not to mention how Shen Zhixiao had left him in the master bedroom and shut himself in the study to inject Suppressant, only for Qiu Sui to stumble out and crash into him.
Qiu Sui pressed a damp towel over his face, regretting powerlessly his drunken, muddled actions last night.
He stumbled out of the steamy bathroom in a daze, mindlessly blow-drying his hair.
The roar of hot air left Qiu Sui lightheaded and feverish. After drying off, he applied the Gland Healing Patch—the cool sensation eased the swelling on his neck considerably, though he wondered if the tooth marks would fade by the time he went home the day after tomorrow.
He swallowed the crucial pills, then wearily burrowed into bed. The moment he lay down, the all-over soreness melted into comfort, making him sigh long and narrow his eyes involuntarily.
Qiu Sui buried his slightly feverish cheeks in the sheets, inhaling his body wash scent that somehow still carried the fragrance from Shen Zhixiao’s apartment. His sensitive nerves twitched.
Shuddering, he squeezed his eyes shut. Last night was a total freak accident. I was drunk and out of it, he was in Susceptible Period and couldn’t control himself—no wonder things went wrong when we collided.
Qiu Sui had no idea how to face a recovered Shen Zhixiao after the holiday, especially now that he knew the guy liked him. He vaguely guessed why Shen Zhixiao had always pushed to be friends, and why being together felt charged with that indefinable vibe.
The more he thought, the deeper he burrowed under the covers. The AC blasted cold air overhead, but his face in the warm bedding still flushed hot. His spiraling thoughts halted abruptly at the awkward mental image of running into Shen Zhixiao post-holiday, veering off in another direction.
He recalled the dream from his differentiation—regardless of whether it was real or not, the current situation meant it probably wouldn’t affect his future anymore…
But what about Qiu Shun?
Will it affect him?
Qiu Sui’s breathing grew sluggish at the thought. But if the dream was real, the plot had already veered completely off-track—wasn’t that a sign Qiu Shun could break free from his original fate too? If he told Qiu Shun about the dream…
Lost in hazy thoughts, Qiu Sui drifted off in the cozy bed.
He woke past six in the evening.
Having slept too long, Qiu Sui felt lightheaded and unsteady getting out of bed.
Yawning, he changed into a turtleneck shirt and long pants, tugged on a baseball cap, and dawdled downstairs to grab takeout from the nearest cafeteria back to the dorm.
To his surprise, Xiao Mu waited at the dorm entrance.
Xiao Mu’s eyes held apology and sadness. Spotting him, he apologized nonstop for last night’s drunken confession and attempted kiss, then brought up his friend request being deleted, begging forgiveness.
Qiu Sui couldn’t get a word in, awkwardly clutching his takeout bag until Xiao Mu finished. Then he explained the friend-delete mix-up, looking somewhat apologetic at Xiao Mu before saying earnestly, “But I’ve thought it over, and I feel like continuing as friends might not be right. I’m really sorry…”
Xiao Mu’s emotions flared instantly. Staring at Qiu Sui, he couldn’t control his volume. “Why can’t we keep being friends? Liking you is my business—I won’t let it affect you!”
As he spoke, his gaze caught on Qiu Sui’s shirt collar, his expression turning tense. He reached out impulsively to yank it open and check.
Qiu Sui reacted quickly, raising a hand to block. Offended by the move, he frowned.
His strength far outmatched the shorter Xiao Mu’s—he shoved him away effortlessly, swiped his keycard on the smart lock, and grew distant. “But I already feel affected, Xiao Mu.”
Xiao Mu froze, realizing he’d overstepped. Nervously, he defended himself. “I just saw something on your neck…”
Qiu Sui’s back stiffened. He explained reflexively, “I scratched it.”
He twisted the handle swiftly and stepped inside. Seeing Xiao Mu try to follow, he stated firmly again, “Thank you for liking me, but I only saw you as a regular friend. Continuing that way wouldn’t be fair to you and would trouble me, so it’s better if we keep a classmate distance. I’m truly sorry.”
Behind him, Xiao Mu shot back almost angrily. “Even if not friends, I can still pursue you.”
He dropped the words, unwilling to hear another rejection, and stubbornly turned to run off.
Qiu Sui barely glimpsed his retreating back before closing the door in distress.
Back at the table, he checked the mirror on his collar, quickly applying Anti-Inflammatory Ointment to the telltale mark, hoping it’d heal before heading home.
Maybe from the AC blowing too cold after his midday shower, Qiu Sui felt off after dinner.
He cranked up the AC a bit, showered, then crawled into bed in a daze to read comics before dozing off unaware.
Qiu Sui dreamed of last night again.
He twisted restlessly in bed, feverish. The thin blanket over him lifted with his movements, clutched unconsciously to his chest and clamped tight between his thighs. The color bleeding through his cheeks buried in the pillow wasn’t quite normal.
The phone’s ringtone jolted him awake, still dazed. He stared at the ceiling, thighs rubbing uncomfortably before his body went rigid.
The phone by the bed kept ringing. Qiu Sui had no time to fret over the dream’s aftermath—he reached for it, certain he hadn’t set an alarm.
As he grabbed it, he realized belatedly the familiar tune was his WeChat call ringtone. His spirits sank further. He raised the phone to his face, and the glaring “Shen Zhixiao” made his heart skip, instantly deflating him.
Last night’s dream made seeing Shen Zhixiao’s name acutely embarrassing. More startling—why was he calling?
Isn’t he still in Susceptible Period?!
