Shen Qiuxun was licked awake. Opening his eyes, he was met with a pair of glistening green eyes, startling him.
Xu Zhiyuan had somehow broken free of the ropes, but he wasn’t causing trouble. He was obediently crouched by the bed, licking Shen Qiuxun’s chin. If he had a tail, it would have been wagging furiously.
Still a bit confused by the situation, Shen Qiuxun sat up cautiously and observed for a long moment. His tone was grave:
“Does the Bonding Heat also affect IQ?”
【…】
It seemed to be a special case, or perhaps… the blow to the head last night had broken something. Though, if he was broken, wasn’t that fine? It was very beneficial for completing his mission!
He sat still. Unable to lick his chin, Xu Zhiyuan crouched by the bed and used the top of his head to nudge Shen Qiuxun’s hand. He tilted his head, those grass-green eyes fixed on him with hope, like a puppy begging to be petted.
His brain was definitely addled.
Goosebumps rose on Shen Qiuxun’s arm. He stiffly raised a hand and rubbed the silver hair. The grass-green eyes narrowed in contentment, and a soft, tiny purr-like rumble came from Xu Zhiyuan’s throat.
“I think…”
【That makes sense.】
The feeling was still too bizarre. Shen Qiuxun yanked his hand back as if burned. He got up, threw on his jacket, and prepared to go out immediately to buy a Suppressant. He was supposed to have had a wonderful day off, only needing to take over Ellie’s night shift tomorrow. Ruined!
With a wooden expression, Shen Qiuxun went to wash his face and brush his teeth. Xu Zhiyuan followed him like a giant, clingy pet, every step of the way, eventually crouching at the bathroom door. He watched Shen Qiuxun with those puppy-dog eyes, so green they looked ready to drip water—mournful, pitiful. It was as if not petting him was an unforgivable sin.
“…” How terrifying.
【This is the perfect time for flirting (x) building a relationship!】
Gurgling to spit out his mouthwash, Shen Qiuxun finished washing up at lightning speed. He wrapped his scarf around his neck and headed for the door. He found Xu Zhiyuan sticking close to his side. Given the man’s terror level, Shen Qiuxun had to change course mid-way, leading him back to his bedroom. He then used the same rope from last night to tie it around his neck.
Xu Zhiyuan’s expression morphed back into that aggrieved look, as if Shen Qiuxun had deeply wounded him. Tears streamed down his face like a broken string of beads. After a brief struggle, a horrifying red mark appeared on his neck, chafed by the rope.
Shen Qiuxun’s heart was as hard as iron. Expressionless, he patted the man on the head and took a deep breath. “I’m going out to buy medicine for you. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”
“Not sick. Won’t take medicine.” Xu Zhiyuan’s eyes were red-rimmed as he looked at him accusingly.
“…” What patient ever admits they’re sick? Unable to bear it any longer, Shen Qiuxun cupped the man’s face in his hands, wanting to get this over with quickly. “Be good. You need medicine when you’re sick.”
The grass-green eyes stared at him for a long time before calming down. Xu Zhiyuan rubbed his cheek against Shen Qiuxun’s palm. When his guard was down, he pounced and pecked the corner of his mouth, then reluctantly spoke:
“Be good.”
‘So terrifying. Can this really be cured?’
【Don’t you like it?】
Shen Qiuxun felt they were talking at cross-purposes. Having finally soothed the man, he stood up, reached out to ruffle that fluffy head one more time, and walked out with a resolute gaze, locking the door behind him.
The moment the footsteps outside faded away, Xu Zhiyuan—who had been crouching obediently in the corner just moments ago—turned his head to stare at the bed two steps away. Those bright grass-green eyes rapidly clouded over, staining a deep, dark ink-green. He just stared intently. His Adam’s apple bobbed. Suddenly, he crawled forward, only to be pulled short by the rope around his neck.
The neatly made bed was like a meaty bone. A faint, delicate fragrance relentlessly teased the man’s olfactory nerves. Fragrant. So fragrant. It was unlike any scent he’d encountered before. The aroma entering his nostrils was like an accelerant, igniting a craving in his very bones and marrow. Every cell was screaming with desire. The desire to get closer. Until the rope bit into his neck, turning it purple and blue.
Xu Zhiyuan frowned. A flicker of doubt crossed his mind as he turned to look at the end of the rope. It was tied to the doorknob, the knot pulled very tight, restricting him to this small patch of floor near the door. After a long moment, he crawled over and painstakingly loosened the rope bit by bit. Clutching it in his hand, he finally moved close to the side of the bed.
The moment he buried his whole face in the bedding, inhaling greedily, his furrowed brows finally relaxed. The corner of his mouth curled up. In those dark, ink-green eyes, something seemed to writhe like restless snakes. A pleased rumble came from his throat. He reached out, bunching the bedding into a tight ball. His potent liquor-scented Pheromones enveloped the blankets like a thick, impenetrable syrup.
The faint, delicate fragrance wrapped around him, but it didn’t fill the chasm in his heart. Instead, it made him thirstier. Not enough… not enough…
What wasn’t enough?
An itch crawled up from the roots of his teeth. He savagely bit and tore at the bed sheet.
…
“Wait, Suppressants are this expensive?” Shen Qiuxun couldn’t believe his ears after hearing the price.
He’d rushed all the way to the pharmacy, only to have this bombshell dropped on him. It seemed Xu Zhiyuan really did have a good reason for working illegally here.
Ellie gave him a cold look. “An Alpha in Heat is violent and irritable, with an extremely strong destructive urge. Without the soothing of an Omega or the aid of a Suppressant, they will destroy almost everything in sight—including people.”
In many places, Alphas who couldn’t get relief—or rather, for whom Pheromones and Suppressants alone were insufficient—would often vent their frustrations by torturing Omegas or Betas. Because Omegas were rare, Betas were more often used as human punching bags. Even if someone died, tossing out some money would usually smooth things over.
In fact, what Ellie described was only part of it. During the Bonding Heat, an Alpha’s mental power would spiral out of control. That berserk mental power could sometimes effortlessly tear down a house or strangle a cow.
Shen Qiuxun recalled the scene from last night, deep in thought. In the end, he didn’t buy the Suppressant. Mainly, he didn’t have that kind of money. And this place didn’t accept credit!
If he had the money, he definitely would have bought it! Really!
Ellie’s words had spooked him a little. He was also worried that if he stayed away too long, Xu Zhiyuan, like a wild horse off its reins, would blow up his rental house. Then he’d definitely take the blame. He’d be saddled with a colossal debt.
So, after hesitating downstairs for a long time, Shen Qiuxun decided to go back and try his luck. ‘Actually, that guy was still a little normal, right?’
【Yeah.】
It was the first time he’d gotten an affirmative answer from the System, but he still felt very uneasy.
Shen Qiuxun carefully opened his door. The room looked like it had been raided by thieves. The bedding and sheets were a chaotic mess, piled at the foot of the bed. They looked like mangled corpses, ripped and torn by some unknown beast. The only iron table was also missing limbs, lying collapsed on the floor. Only the steel cabinet was sturdy. A few things had fallen off it, but otherwise, there wasn’t too much damage.
A husky had ransacked the place.
Shen Qiuxun sucked in a sharp breath.
Xu Zhiyuan was obediently crouched in the corner. He looked up at Shen Qiuxun with those limpid, grass-green eyes. In that instant, a brilliant light burst within them. The rope remained securely looped around his neck. He knelt quietly beside that pile of torn bedding, looking up at him. Peaceful, serene. It was as if he had absolutely nothing to do with the wrecked state of the room.
His fists hardened.
His fists literally hardened.
Shen Qiuxun woodenly looked at Xu Zhiyuan. Right before his eyes, the corners of the kneeling man’s eyes visibly reddened. Then, uncontrollably, tears began to fall. They were like raindrops in a storm, huge drops splattering onto the floor, enough to make one suspect they’d leave deep dents.
‘What is this now?!’
【Playing pitiful (x)】
‘This man is so terrifying.’
【Agreed.】
For a moment, Shen Qiuxun was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He could only stand frozen, face blank. Half his body was inside the door, half outside. If he wasn’t afraid that bolting would get him instantly tackled to the ground, he would have fled long ago.
Seeing that crying for a while had no effect, Xu Zhiyuan paused slightly. He sniffled and crawled over on his knees, using his head to nudge Shen Qiuxun’s hand. His hands clutched at the hem of Shen Qiuxun’s pants. He tilted his head, looking up, his grass-green eyes seeming to convey just how much he missed him. The tears kept falling like worthless water.
Why won’t you pet me? Why won’t you hug me? Why won’t you kiss me?
“Stop crying.”
With that single command, someone started crying even harder.
‘Nooo, bro.’ Shen Qiuxun wailed inwardly, face blank.
【…】
“Cry again, and I’ll throw you out.” Shen Qiuxun crouched down to wipe the man’s tears away. He truly had no talent for comforting people. In the end, he just lifted the hem of his shirt and covered the man’s eyes.
Xu Zhiyuan gave a hiccupping sob. Suddenly, he leaned forward to hug him tightly. His arms wrapped around Shen Qiuxun’s waist, tightening inch by inch. His chin rested on his shoulder. The grass-green of his eyes was again overtaken by that thick, ink-like black. He stared at that pale nape. An unbearable itch flared from the roots of his teeth. A flicker of crimson bled from the depths of his eyes.
Where Shen Qiuxun couldn’t see, his entire body was nearly swathed in Pheromones. Especially the back of his neck. Serpentine mental power was baring its fangs.
“No crying!” Shen Qiuxun’s expression was fierce.
Damn it, you did all the bad stuff, how dare you cry!
Hot breath ghosted over his nape. Before he could even flinch back, he felt a bite. It jolted him like an electric shock.
Shen Qiuxun’s first thought was that the man finally couldn’t hold back and was going to eat him. Instinctively, he reached out to frantically twist the rope around the man’s neck. His resistance was taken by the Alpha in Heat as a form of coyness. So Xu Zhiyuan grew more active. He pushed the person in his arms down onto the floor. The two of them rolled a few times on the floor in a sticky tangle.
The nape of his neck seemed to be treated as some sweet pastry—Xu Zhiyuan was reluctant to devour it in one bite. He just held it in his mouth, nibbling delicately, licking slowly. The pale skin was abraded into a pitiful, red and swollen mess, which only stimulated the mindless Alpha further.
He finally couldn’t resist anymore. Driven by instinct, he tried to inject his Pheromones.
The sensation of pressure and fullness at his nape wasn’t pleasant. It was strange, even causing a dizzy, tipsy feeling.
Shen Qiuxun was so angry he could faint. He felt like he was about to strangle the man with the rope, but the action at his nape didn’t stop. There was no other robot on the steel cabinet to bash him with, so he had to think of another way.
He used his weight to roll them over forcefully, his hands pulling the rope tight. He finally managed to reverse their positions. Xu Zhiyuan’s eyes were bloodshot, and he started crying again.
Expressionless, Shen Qiuxun slapped him across the face. He saw the expression on the man below him freeze. But quickly, other emotions—joy—replaced the shock and filled his face. The man’s cheeks were flushed. His lips parted and closed. Finally, he panted softly: “Wife… I like you so much…”
“???” Expressionless, Shen Qiuxun used both hands, left and right, to deliver two more slaps. The moment the man’s expression showed any change, he’d slap him again. It was only when Xu Zhiyuan seemed to register the anger in the slaps and put on a pitiful act that Shen Qiuxun stopped.
His face was thicker than a city wall.
But Shen Qiuxun’s own palm was slapped red.
‘What did he just call me?’
【Wife.】 The System observed its Host’s expression with considerable tension.
‘Then my mission… is it basically complete?’
【Heh.】 The System fell silent.
Fine, taking shortcuts was a no-go. Nobody told him that an Alpha in Heat would just latch onto anyone and call them Wife?!
Terrifying.
Xu Zhiyuan knelt on the floor, biting the hem of Shen Qiuxun’s pant leg. He was confused as to why his Pheromones were getting fainter and fainter.
Instinct told him that the next step after injecting Pheromones was domination.
But reality was laid bare before him: his Wife didn’t seem to be affected by his Pheromones at all. So he began to panic and feel anxious.
A wolf is a natural-born king. He fiercely… bit down on Shen Qiuxun’s pant leg.
He was rewarded with a few more slaps to the face, which finally seemed to satisfy him.
Having pacified the mad dog, Shen Qiuxun sat on the edge of the bed and downed a bottle of Nutrient Fluid. Then he let out a heavy sigh.
“…” Look on the bright side. At least he hadn’t torn the house down. The ceiling was still there. The situation was still pretty optimistic.
No big problem.
Two poor souls clinging to each other.
Shen Qiuxun glanced at the man beside him and kicked him again without mercy. “How did you end up this broke? Couldn’t even save yourself a dose of Suppressant. Honestly.”
When this guy woke up, would he actually want to kill him to silence him?
