Chapter 44: High and Mighty Alpha Young Master

Shen Yanzhi woke to an empty embrace. Zhou Wu was no longer beside him.

He frowned at once and sat up.

“Zhou Wu?”

He stepped out of the room and spotted Zhou Wu sitting alone on the sofa outside.

Shen Yanzhi let out a quiet breath of relief.

Leaning against the doorframe, he called out, “What are you doing over there? Come here.”

Zhou Wu lifted his gaze, looking at him in a daze, but he didn’t budge. With a sigh, Shen Yanzhi crossed the room himself, intending to scoop him up and carry him back to the bedroom.

As he reached out, though, he caught the tension in Zhou Wu’s frame.

Shen Yanzhi paused, then simply stretched out on the sofa beside him. He leaned in for a kiss, but Zhou Wu barely responded.

A flicker of dissatisfaction stirred in Shen Yanzhi.

Hadn’t they been kissing so eagerly just yesterday?

He tried again—and then it hit him.

The pheromones.

Zhou Wu couldn’t smell them anymore.

Shen Yanzhi studied him anew. They were pressed close, yet Zhou Wu hugged his knees to his chest in a guarded posture, his eyes flicking toward the door.

An odd pang of unease twisted in Shen Yanzhi’s chest.

“Look at me.”

He gently turned Zhou Wu’s face toward his own. “No pheromones, so you don’t want to kiss anymore?”

An inexplicable surge of defiance rose in Shen Yanzhi.

Zhou Wu startled. Why had this man gone straight for that…?

He started to refuse, but Shen Yanzhi wouldn’t let up.

“Being with me still feels good, doesn’t it?”

He guided Zhou Wu’s hand to his chest.

“Not even a little?”

“…”

Zhou Wu’s ears flushed pink.

“W-Wait, wait…”

A knock sounded at the door.

Shen Yanzhi froze, brow furrowing in confusion. This was his private property; he hadn’t shared the address with many people.

Dawn hadn’t even broken. Who could it be?

Something felt wrong. His gaze landed on his phone, sitting next to Zhou Wu.

His expression darkened. He threw on a robe and yanked the door open.

Sure enough, his parents stood there, their faces as stormy as his own.

Shen Yanzhi’s annoyance boiled over.

Zhou Wu watched in silence as the argument erupted.

“Will you people never stop? I’ve already had the gland removal surgery done on him. You made a deal—now honor it and butt out!”

His parents’ expressions soured further at his words. Their son had surely lost his mind.

“Yanzhi, how could you… how could you decide for someone else whether to remove their gland?”

“Wasn’t it your ‘brilliant idea,’ Father? Now you’re playing the saint?”

“That was sarcasm! Meant to make you see reason, to show you how ridiculous this all is!” Father Shen’s voice shook with fury.

“Where’s the ridiculous part?”

“I’ll prove it to you. It’s not ridiculous at all! He’ll stay right by my side.”

“Yanzhi! You… your pheromones are wrong.”

His mother abruptly stepped back, tugging Father Shen with her.

The room reeked of aggressive Alpha pheromones, thick and invasive.

It stemmed from Shen Yanzhi’s unchecked possessiveness—and it was far too potent.

“Are you… is your susceptible period coming on?”

Shen Yanzhi blinked in shock. He pressed a hand to his forehead as sudden throbs of pain lanced through it, accompanied by waves of irrational heat and dizziness.

Composing himself, he muttered, “…Some medicine will fix it.”

“Enough! You can’t stay with him another second!”

“It’s fine.” Shen Yanzhi dug in his heels.

“I told you—he has no pheromones now! What’s the issue?”

An Alpha teetering on the edge of susceptible period had no room for logic.

Father Shen had come prepared. The bodyguards surged forward.

Zhou Wu tensed as violence loomed, worried Shen Yanzhi would get hurt in a fight.

But they were thorough, pressing a sedative cloth over his mouth and nose. Darkness claimed him swiftly.

Zhou Wu knelt beside the fallen Shen Yanzhi, shaking him gently in helpless confusion.

For the first time, Mother Shen felt a true ache of pity for the boy.

Softening her tone, she asked, “Did Yanzhi really have his gland removed?”

“Call that friend of his,” Father Shen said wearily, massaging his brow.

Mother Shen knelt down, her voice as gentle as she could make it. “It’s all right, good child. Don’t be scared. We’ll take you to Little Bai, okay?”

“…Little Bai?” Zhou Wu hesitated at length before nodding.

Back at the old mansion, Su Bai arrived in a frantic rush. Once he grasped the situation, his face drained of color.

“What? How could he?”

He yanked Zhou Wu close, inspecting the back of his neck with care.

Thankfully, only a tiny needle prick marred the skin, surrounded by faint swelling.

“We checked with the doctor,” Mother Shen murmured nearby. “Just a potent suppressor. It’s temporary.”

Su Bai’s rage burned undimmed. “So next they’ll actually cut it out?

Is Zhou Wu some animal he can just ruin?”

Mother Shen sighed, placating him. “I’ll set you up in a safe place where Yanzhi can’t find you. Stay there for now, all right?”

Distrust filled Su Bai’s eyes, but options were slim. Clutching Zhou Wu’s hand, he said, “Let’s go.”

Zhou Wu glanced back at Shen Yanzhi’s unconscious form in the bedroom.

Su Bai drew a deep breath and pulled him firmly outside.

“I know you convinced yourself you liked him for a while. Even with me, you’d think of him.”

“When he snapped at you before, it hurt, didn’t it?”

“But that’s just the pheromones. The marking’s effect. It isn’t real.”

Outside, Su Bai gripped Zhou Wu’s shoulders, voice laced with urgency and pain.

“And he doesn’t deserve it. He’s never cared about you—only himself!

Did he ever respect what you wanted? No! He tried to rip out your gland.”

Su Bai’s agitation mounted. “If he decided chopping off your hand would make you obey better, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

What kind of person is that!”

“Stop thinking about him, please?”

“But, Little Bai…”

“Zhou Wu! If you pick him again, I’ll really lose it.”

Zhou Wu’s voice dropped to a whisper. “He said he’s carrying my baby.”

“That’s—wait, what?” Su Bai gaped.

“You two… you… ? …What?”

Zhou Wu furrowed his brow in concentration. “Shouldn’t daddy take care of mommy and the baby?”

“No. I mean…”

Su Bai shook his head hard, switching to blatant favoritism. “Even so, it’s his mess—he brought it on himself!

“05, you don’t need to worry about him.”

Though Su Bai insisted on no more contact with Shen Yanzhi and dragged him away by force.

In truth, 05 hadn’t wanted to leave at all.

They said Shen Yanzhi was actually in his Susceptible Period? Didn’t that mean he needed pheromones even more?

Unfortunately, his current persona didn’t allow him to do anything more. He could only wait.

Fortunately, the Shen parents were soft-hearted. A week later, they contacted Su Bai again, their voices laced with unprecedented exhaustion and helplessness.

They described Shen Yanzhi’s condition as dire, almost beyond control. Before Su Bai could even respond, they showed up at his door.

Su Bai had no other choice. He brought Zhou Wu along to check on the situation.

On the way there, the Shen parents painted a grim picture, as if the sky itself were collapsing. They repeatedly stressed that they were truly at the end of their rope.

Zhou Wu listened with growing concern, convinced that Shen Yanzhi must have some terrible illness.

But the moment they arrived at the Shen Residence, the sight that greeted them left him stunned.

They had barely stepped into the grand hall when a scene of utter devastation hit them.

Shards of priceless antique vases littered the floor. Half of the silk curtains had been savagely torn down. Expensive solid-wood furniture lay toppled in every direction, and one chair with a splintered leg had somehow ended up flung against the staircase.

So this was what they meant by “poor condition” and “uncontrollable.” Young Master Shen had gone on a rampage, demolishing the house so thoroughly that his parents were left panicked and helpless.

More than a dozen bodyguards stood in a tense semicircle, nerves on edge. Yet every one of them held back, afraid to strike the young master too hard.

Shen Yanzhi, at the eye of the storm, had no such qualms. He swung a visibly expensive rosewood chair with abandon—first at the bodyguards, then toward his father’s prized blue-and-white porcelain vase.

Zhou Wu could feel Father Shen’s fingers trembling with rage beside him.

Mother Shen had reached her limit. “Enough! Zhou Wu is here! Look—Zhou Wu’s here!”

Her words landed like a sudden silence in a symphony. Shen Yanzhi’s movements froze on the spot.

He whipped his head around. His gaze cut through the chaos, zeroing in on Zhou Wu at the doorway with unerring precision.

In the next instant, he dropped everything in his hands and stumbled forward. He crushed Zhou Wu into a fierce embrace, burying his face deep in the crook of his neck.

“Zhou Wu.”

A collective sigh of relief rippled through the room.

The bodyguards gazed at Zhou Wu like he was some divine savior descended from the heavens.

Zhou Wu: “…”

“Zhou Wu.”

Shen Yanzhi transformed in a heartbeat—from ferocious tiger to needy stray cat. His voice quivered as he nuzzled against Zhou Wu’s face, clutching him even tighter.

“I missed you so much.”

Zhou Wu blinked in surprise.

A closer look revealed Shen Yanzhi’s flushed cheeks, sweat-dampened hair at the ends, and feverish skin. He was clearly still in bad shape.

Zhou Wu patted his back, but Shen Yanzhi only seemed more distressed.

He sniffed desperately at Zhou Wu’s body, searching—but finding nothing. At last, he sank to his knees in exhaustion, clinging to Zhou Wu’s legs.

“Give me some pheromones… please.”

“I beg you.”

“Zhou Wu… I feel awful.”

“…Shen Yanzhi.”

Zhou Wu’s face was a picture of helpless confusion.

“I don’t have any pheromones left.”

Shen Yanzhi looked up at him, and his heart twisted painfully.

There was no blame in Zhou Wu’s eyes, no resentment—just the same lost bewilderment he’d shown back at the hospital.

Shen Yanzhi’s mouth opened, but his throat felt clogged. Instead, tears welled up, reddening his eyes.

“I’m sorry… it’s my… fault.”

Even the Shen parents were at a loss.

A typical single Alpha could tough out their Susceptible Period alone. But this was a different story.

They never imagined the inhibitor would fail their son so completely. He was exhibiting every symptom of an Alpha’s frenzy and desperate attachment to their partner. Whatever the cause, he needed pheromones now.

Otherwise, he’d never make it through this Susceptible Period. Something would give way eventually.

The doctor said their only option was another dose of Inducer for Zhou Wu. But it would clash with the previous injection, leaving him in discomfort.

Su Bai’s face hardened at once. He was clearly against it.

The Shen parents hesitated, wondering how to ask—and what compensation to offer.

Then Zhou Wu spoke up softly.

“If I get the shot… will it help Shen Yanzhi?”

He glanced around, his expression pure and guileless.

“Then go ahead.”

Su Bai: “Zhou Wu!”

Shen Yanzhi’s head snapped up toward him.

His heart swelled with an emotion he’d never known before—stuffed to bursting, eyes burning.

Zhou Wu had been terrified of the needle last time.

“No need…” Shen Yanzhi went pale. He yanked Zhou Wu’s head against his chest, his voice thick and muffled.

“I don’t need it… I don’t want it…”

The Shen parents fell silent, choked with disbelief. Just an hour ago, who had been screaming hysterically that without Zhou Wu’s pheromones, they’d die? Now their son was making them look like the bad guys.

Still, they ached for him. Mother Shen sighed. “We should… still do it.”

Zhou Wu nodded in agreement. Su Bai stalked over, exasperated beyond words. “05, what have I told you?”

Zhou Wu’s face crumpled in grievance. “But… Baby.”

Su Bai clapped a hand over his mouth in a panic.

The Shen parents clearly didn’t know about Shen Yanzhi’s unique condition yet. If they found out, things could turn even uglier for them.

Shen Yanzhi, still wrapped around Zhou Wu, locked eyes on Su Bai’s hand the moment it neared. He batted it away, then pressed Zhou Wu’s face back to his chest.

Su Bai nearly rolled his eyes.

In the end, Zhou Wu endured another injection, though it would take time to kick in. The Shen parents were worn to the bone after days of this.

They fitted Shen Yanzhi with a Bite Guard, fastened a Collar around Zhou Wu’s neck, and left the pair alone in the room.

Su Bai hovered, words on the tip of his tongue but no real recourse.

“Just half an hour.”

The door clicked shut.

Zhou Wu turned to Shen Yanzhi and gently touched his stomach.

Shen Yanzhi was nothing like his usual self. His pupils were blown wide, bangs plastered to his sweaty forehead, cheeks blazing red as he clung tight.

“Zhou Wu.”

He seemed delirious, the Bite Guard mask doing nothing to stop him from trying to kiss Zhou Wu—rubbing until his skin stung.

Zhou Wu tried to pull away, and Shen Yanzhi tensed in panic.

“Don’t hate me.”

He refused to let go, his arms squeezing until they hurt.

“It was my fault, Zhou Wu.”

“Don’t be mad… don’t hate me. I was wrong.”

After fruitless minutes of trying to reach Zhou Wu’s lips, Shen Yanzhi looked ready to lose it again.

“Fuck me, okay?”

Zhou Wu’s eyes went wide. So blunt?

Was this really Shen Yanzhi?

“No.”

Zhou Wu’s ears flushed scarlet as he tried to fend him off.

“Wait—just wait. The pheromones will come soon!”

“I want it. I want Zhou Wu’s cock.” Shen Yanzhi was now so frank about it, he might as well have been a child throwing a tantrum for candy. Without a second thought, he stripped himself completely bare.

……！！

Zhou Wu frantically grabbed at him to hold him back, all the while subconsciously scanning the room for… any hidden cameras.

Good. There didn’t seem to be any.