Chapter 165

Chapter 165

Yi Ye's eyes widened, and he tightly gripped Bai Chuan's arm.

"We're in trouble! The entire living room is filled with the scent of your perfume—Old Man Ke Wen is bound to notice!"

"Shh," Bai Chuan whispered softly, his voice audible only to the two of them. "He won't find out."

"How could that be? Your scent is all over the place; there's no hiding it."

Bai Chuan paused...

He'd been wanting to ask this for a while. He didn't particularly like using perfume, yet Yi Ye always claimed he smelled something on him. Truth be told, he had an inkling, but the matter was too important to jump to conclusions.

"What scent do you smell?" His heart raced as he asked nervously.

How could he even bring it up? The smell was so strong, even a person with a bad cold could catch a whiff!

"Could it be...?"

"Cedar?"

Yi Ye hesitated. "You knew it all along and still asked me. I've never seen you so into perfume before, dousing yourself all day—"

"It's not perfume, I swear."

Bai Chuan softly contradicted him, then suddenly kissed him again.

The intensity ramped up, ignoring Old Man Ke Wen's presence in the living room. They were consumed by overwhelming desire as Bai Chuan pressed fervent kisses onto Yi Ye.

The cramped space under the tablecloth made it hard for Yi Ye to sit up straight, and Bai Chuan, kneeling above him with his long legs spread apart, had it even worse. His hands braced against either side of Yi Ye, pressing down as his fingers tangled in the soft black hair that cascaded to the floor.

Their clothes were mostly undone, and every time Yi Ye's frantic hands brushed against Bai Chuan's heated skin—whether on purpose or not—it stirred Bai Chuan's heart. Unable to resist, he caught Yi Ye's hands and wrapped them around his neck.

Slender fingers dug into his taut back muscles, dripping with a mix of desire and shame.

Footsteps echoed nearby.

Bai Chuan's hands roamed over Yi Ye's pale thigh, their lips clashed fiercely, his tongue exploring every corner of Yi Ye's mouth, stirring up the last warmth before winter's chill.

He was overwhelmed with emotion—not because Yi Ye might differentiate into an Omega. Whether Yi Ye was a Beta or an Omega no longer mattered. What mattered was that Yi Ye could smell Bai Chuan's pheromones, leaking for him in heat. This was more like a leash than a bite mark, firmly tied around Bai Chuan's neck, making him feel he belonged entirely to Yi Ye.

Brother... Brother...

Bai Chuan murmured frantically in his mind.

In the quiet living room late at night, moonlight spilled in, the temperature slightly cool. Occasionally, the sound of Kewen Langley moving around could be heard, everything seeming warm and peaceful.

But Kewen Langley couldn't smell it. In fact, the entire room was saturated with Bai Chuan's courting pheromones, like air being pumped into a balloon, threatening to burst the small house.

And just a few meters away, beneath the blue-and-white tablecloth, two young men kissed passionately, their ragged breaths barely restrained. Bai Chuan's breathing was slightly disordered, but due to Mr. Langley's presence, he tried to stay quiet despite his excitement.

Yi Ye didn't dare to breathe, holding his breath until he was almost oxygen-deprived.

"You're so silly," Bai Chuan thought with a silent chuckle.

How could his brother be so clueless? His brother, who usually aced mecha operations and combat training without breaking a sweat, now couldn’t even get the hang of breathing.

Yi Ye shot him an exasperated glare.

Bai Chuan whispered an apology, sharing oxygen with him and teaching him to breathe in between kisses.

Footsteps suddenly closed in, stopping just beside them, only a thin tablecloth between them.

Yi Ye went rigid in an instant.

Peeking from under the tablecloth, they spotted a shadow looming close.

"Where the hell did that kid go? Not on the couch either."

Yi Ye sucked in a sharp breath.

Crap, did Old Man Ke Wen check the couch?

"Maybe he’s in Bai Chuan’s room?"

Outside, Kewen Langley scanned the living room one more time but still couldn’t find Yi Ye. Then he spun around and made for Bai Chuan’s room.

"If he realizes you’re not there, we’re screwed!"

Yi Ye seized Bai Chuan’s face, silently screaming at him.

Bai Chuan pretended not to hear, planting kisses here and there, then lightly sucking on Yi Ye’s Adam’s apple. Yi Ye shuddered, barely stifling a gasp. Especially when he felt something pressing against him, he was both nervous and indignant. He dug his fingers into Bai Chuan’s thigh, hissing at him for being so reckless.

The spot he pinched was way too close to *that* area, and Bai Chuan’s face contorted in pain, worse than any poison.

Yi Ye couldn’t care less about his pain. He lay on the floor, cautiously peeking through the tablecloth into the living room. Old Man Ke Wen had reached Bai Chuan’s door, but it seemed to be locked. He jiggled the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge, muttering curses under his breath.

Phew… Yi Ye clutched his chest and turned to Bai Chuan, whispering, "Why did you lock your door?"

Bai Chuan replied without changing his expression, "I have something to hide."

"…"

What the hell was he hiding? Definitely nothing good!

"What do we do now?"

If Old Man Ke Wen couldn’t get into Bai Chuan’s room and couldn’t find him, he’d surely turn the whole house upside down. It was all Bai Chuan’s fault for not sleeping properly in the middle of the night and acting so hormonal!

Yi Ye kicked him, warning in a low voice, "You caused this mess, you fix it!"

Bai Chuan grabbed his ankle and kissed his exposed calf.

"Any rewards?"

"You want a reward? I’ll give you a slap."

"Okay."

"…???"

Suddenly, Bai Chuan tapped on his terminal, covering the light as he input something quickly. Yi Ye couldn’t see what he was doing, but then they heard a terrifying dog bark from the yard.

A dog?

...Little Orange?! What the—

"What did you just do?"

Bai Chuan bent over and came closer: "I set off the dog alarm."

Yi Ye: "You… you’re something else."

The mechanical dog kept barking in alarm mode, and sure enough, Old Man Ke Wen’s attention was quickly caught. He headed out into the yard. Yi Ye snorted, thinking, *Finally, he’s got a conscience for once.* He was about to seize the chance to crawl out when his neck was suddenly grabbed from behind. Bai Chuan pulled him over and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.

That kiss was free of any desire.

Then Bai Chuan pushed him out from under the table, with a slight smile: "Goodnight, brother."

Yi Ye emerged from under the table, still reeling from that unexpected kiss.

Old Man Ke Wen returned from the yard and found him standing by the dining table, questioning: "You’re here? Where’d you go?"

"..." Yi Ye coughed. "I was just in the living room. It was too dark, Old Man, you must’ve missed me."

"Is that so? Then why didn’t you answer when I called you?"

He stiffly scratched his head: "I was probably asleep and didn’t hear you. Old Man, go back, I’m beat and need to sleep."

But Old Man Ke Wen didn’t want him to sleep outside and made him grab the blanket and come back with him. Yi Ye sneaked a glance under the table, hearing Old Man Ke Wen urging him from behind, and reluctantly picked up the bedding to return to the bedroom.

The master bedroom door clicked shut.

Bai Chuan slipped out quietly, lingering in the living room for a bit before returning to his room.

He couldn’t sleep; his pajama pants were tight, and he was extremely uncomfortable. He leaned against the door, taking deep breaths, before finally calming down a bit.

After being bitten by Yi Ye, the edge of his rut had dulled, but it wouldn’t easily dissipate either.

A normal Alpha's rut lasts 3-5 days, but his was more severe—he’d be stuck like this for the next week. If they were to have sex in this condition, Yi Ye would probably be in for a rough time, so he hadn’t actually planned to be intimate with Yi Ye tonight. He had already injected a sedative and thought of other methods.

But as soon as he saw the young man, he couldn’t help himself.

The desire he had stirred up was like setting fire to a pile of dry grass. It spread instantly, endlessly.

"Phew..."

Bai Chuan pressed the back of his hand against his eyes, his red eyes tightly closed, and let out a long breath.

Then he looked at the bed.

The blanket was thrown to the floor, the pillows were piled up, and the scene was a mess. In the center was a nest made of clothes, filled to the brim with clothes Yi Ye had worn and used.

Bai Chuan walked over and lay down in the nest. Among them was a military school uniform that Yi Ye often wore. He buried his face deeply into it and let out a hoarse sigh.

...

The next morning.

Yi Ye returned to his room and was tormented by Old Man Ke Wen’s snoring until almost dawn before he could fall asleep. He woke up groggily with the sun already high in the sky. During lunch, he was nagged by Old Man Ke Wen for sleeping in, and Yi Ye was annoyed. He didn’t even think about who was responsible for him sleeping so long!

"Soup?" Bai Chuan's voice rang out.

When he met those deep blue eyes, Yi Ye's anger flared up even more. This was another reason he couldn't sleep! But thinking about the kiss they shared under the table last night, he felt more discomfort than anger.

He turned his head away: "Go ahead, drink."

"Okay," Bai Chuan said, lowering his gaze.

...

In the middle of the meal, Bai Chuan suddenly mentioned that he would take Yi Ye for a health check today and had already made an appointment.

Yi Ye finished the soup quickly, pointed at himself upon hearing the news: "I'm fine, why should I go to the hospital?"

Old Man Ke Wen was confused too: "What's wrong with him? Is there something wrong with his brain?"

"Dad!" Yi Ye exclaimed angrily.

"Mr. Langley, do you notice any scent on me?" Bai Chuan didn’t explain but used the most direct action, controlling himself to release a bit of pheromone. But Ke Wen couldn't smell it at all, only the smell of the food.

"Isn't that just perfume?" Yi Ye sniffed, "It's quite strong."

Finally, Ke Wen understood, looked closely at Yi Ye for a moment, suddenly reached out to grab him, brushed aside the hair on his back. Pressed the gland twice, asked him: "Do you feel anything?"

Yi Ye: "Yes."

Ke Wen immediately looked serious: "What feeling?!"

Yi Ye: "Dad, your fingers are rough."

"..."

Slap! A hand hit his back, "I wasn't asking about that! Tell me about the gland!"

"Then no feeling," Yi Ye sat up and put his hair back. Wanted to continue eating, but Dad snatched the chopsticks and pulled him up: "Still thinking about eating when there's a crisis, get up, change clothes and go to the hospital."

Yi Ye: "..."

...

After waiting in line at the hospital and completing the full set of checks, Yi Ye was made to sit in a chair in the consultation room by Dad. The doctor looked at the report in hand and asked Yi Ye a few questions.

Ke Wen hesitantly asked: "Doctor, could this boy be going through secondary differentiation?"

He only has two sons, one Bai Chuan differentiated into an Alpha, now don't tell him his own son is also differentiating! That would be really unusual for our family.

"That's not it," the doctor put down the report, adjusted his glasses, "Cases of secondary differentiation are very rare, and they are quite different from the conditions of the Twelve Seats."

"How so?"

"Alphas and Omegas have fully developed glands from birth, capable of secreting strong pheromones to influence their own physiological development, hence Alphas and Omegas have certain differences in external characteristics. Betas are born with defective glands, making them unable to perceive or secrete pheromones."

"This is the main difference between Betas and the other two groups, but... the glands of the Twelve Seats have started to develop further."

"Secondary development? What's the difference from secondary differentiation?"

"The simplest understanding is, differentiation needs to go from 0→1, but the gland development of the Twelve Seats is a bit more complete than ordinary Betas, yet not to the extent of fully differentiating into A/O, which is why he can now smell pheromones but cannot discern the signals carried within them. To him, the pheromones of A/O are no different from perfume."

But this is just the most straightforward explanation, in reality, it's not that simple, the gland is a very complex and precise organ, Betas are born with defects, and it's almost impossible for secondary development to occur.

Bai Chuan: "Will it affect the body?"

"It doesn’t seem like it right now. However, the report mentions that the Twelve Seats also release some pheromones, though they’re very faint," the doctor said, looking at Bai Chuan. "Have you ever caught his scent?"

Ke Wen couldn’t pick it up, so Yi Ye immediately looked up at Bai Chuan.

Bai Chuan: "..."

Bai Chuan: "I have."

Yi Ye became curious: "What does my pheromone smell like? Is it pleasant?"

Bai Chuan had only caught it a few times, at first thinking it was just Yi Ye’s natural scent, but later confirming it as pheromones. It’s hard to put into words—like fresh sunlight with a touch of flowers, crisp and inclusive, irresistible to any Alpha.

Just being around him was enough to draw a crowd. With this pheromone, who knows how many would come running, like Eugene and the others.

Bai Chuan’s expression darkened as something occurred to him.

He wasn’t the only one who’d caught that scent. Eugene had picked it up at Blue Flower Star, and perhaps Ling Pei had too.

"Why are you so quiet?" Yi Ye sniffed his own arm. "Is it that bad? Do I smell like stinky tofu? I’d rather just be a Beta."

"Stinky or not, you think you’d smell like roses?" Ke Wen smacked the back of his head.

The doctor chuckled: "Either way, it shouldn’t affect you much right now. You can get a separate pheromone test to see if it matches A/O. By the way, this might be influenced by parental genes, so it’s best for your parents to get checked too."

Ke Wen suddenly fell silent.

"Perfect timing, Dad, you should get checked out too, and have your stomach examined while you're at it. Drinking every day, watch out for a stomach ulcer."

Ke Wen gave him a weird look, the scolding dying on his lips.

After the check-up, they stopped by the pharmacy for some gland patches. Bai Chuan helped Yi Ye put them on, and as they were preparing to go home, Ke Wen suddenly mentioned he was meeting an old friend, without specifying who, and hurriedly turned to hail a taxi.

"Has he seemed off to you?" Yi Ye watched the departing car.

Bai Chuan paused, then said quietly: "Maybe he has something important."

Not dwelling on the issue, Yi Ye changed the subject: "What does my pheromone really smell like? Fruit? Flowers? Or food?"

"Brother, do you really want to know?"

"..." Yi Ye immediately crossed his arms, tilting his chin up in warning. "No dirty talk."

Bai Chuan chuckled: "I’m serious. Brother’s scent is the kind that drives people wild."

"I said—"

"So you need to keep the gland patch on," Bai Chuan extended his fingertip, gently touching the back of the young man's neck.

He looked into Yi Ye’s bright black eyes, as if peering into the deepest abyss, whispering: "When an Alpha is completely controlled by lust, they turn into a devil. No matter how strong brother is, you can’t resist, you’ll only get hurt. I can’t always be by your side, I will leave too, so one day when I’m not here... brother, remember to keep it on."

"Why would you not be here?" Yi Ye retorted.

Bai Chuan: "..."

Bai Chuan: "Maybe I have something important too."

There seemed to be something more in his words, but Yi Ye agreed anyway.

The two of them headed back home, picking up some fresh vegetables along the way to cook for dinner.

The sky was gloomy. The weather on the capital planet had been unpredictable recently, and it hadn't been very good.

Bai Chuan, holding the vegetables in one hand, stood by waiting for Yi Ye to open the door. Suddenly, his terminal buzzed with a message alert. He glanced at the message, his expression turning serious.

Yi Ye looked over. "What's wrong?"

"A message from the Duchess of Wenz," he showed the message to Yi Ye. "She wants me to pass it on to you."

"There’s been a sudden turn of events at the palace. Just now, His Majesty King Cons has passed away."