Chapter 8

Chapter 8

He squirmed uncomfortably for a moment, and Pei Siyue loosened his grip.

But once released, a fresh red mark circled his ankle, starkly visible against his cream-like skin.

"Sorry," Pei Siyue murmured, then retrieved an ointment from the glove box beside him. He unscrewed the cap, squeezed some onto his finger, and gently massaged it into Ruan Shuyang’s ankle.

"It’s for swelling and pain."

The Enigma’s fingers were pale, slender, and distinctly jointed, easily encompassing Ruan Shuyang’s delicate ankle. His warm touch, mingled with the cool ointment, rubbed over the reddened area with a slightly rough texture.

It felt peculiar, sending a shiver up his scalp.

Ruan Shuyang shifted his foot again, attempting a quiet, "I can apply it myself."

However, the Enigma seated opposite seemed not to hear, continuing to apply the medication.

This made it even stranger.

Ruan Shuyang had never encountered such an odd scenario—sitting in a car while an Enigma, whose full name he didn’t even know, applied ointment to his injury.

His body still craved the Enigma’s pheromones. The close proximity made his gland throb with desire, and his mind seemed incapable of processing anything beyond the scent.

Mid-application, he suddenly heard the Enigma ask, "Can you still feel the water now?"

Ruan Shuyang didn’t understand the question, but with no energy left for thought, he instinctively responded to his sensations.

"I can feel it. It’s a bit cold, but also very gentle."

Pei Siyue’s expression momentarily deepened and complicated, but he remained silent, meticulously continuing the application.

The ointment proved effective. By the time it was fully applied, Ruan Shuyang’s ankle no longer pained him.

But soon, a more pressing concern arose—the gland at the back of his neck was throbbing, and his blocking patch felt precarious.

He instinctively clamped his legs together, trying to resist the unfamiliar waves surging through his body.

Suddenly, a wave crashed over him, and he let out a soft "hmph," completely losing strength and slumping onto the back seat.

His body felt hot and inexplicably parched, and the Enigma across from him seemed to be the very source of water he craved.

Pei Siyue sat opposite, looking down at Ruan Shuyang sprawled on the seat. His dark, profound eyes revealed no emotion as he calmly asked, "What’s wrong?"

"I—"

Ruan Shuyang parted his lips slightly, breathing softly.

He didn’t know how to explain. Two thoughts waged a tug-of-war in his mind: one urged him to speak up quickly and seek help, while the other reminded him of his shame.

He was unacquainted with the Enigma across from him, and pheromones were an intensely personal matter. It was difficult to articulate his desire for the other’s scent.

Perhaps due to the lack of a clear answer, a few minutes later, Ruan Shuyang heard the Enigma’s cool voice again: "I can only help if I know the reason."

The Enigma’s handsome face was devoid of extra expression. His tone was calm, without a hint of scrutiny or probing, as if merely stating a fact—no ulterior motives, just a desire to understand and assist.

Dazedly, Ruan Shuyang gazed at the Enigma. His features were undeniably striking, with deeply sculpted contours, a prominent nose bridge, sharp brow bones, and an aura of cool nobility.

Simply sitting opposite him, without any other action, he gave Ruan Shuyang the impression that he knew everything, could resolve anything, and that nothing within the car could escape his notice.

He’s helped you twice, hasn’t he? Without even knowing who you are.

Ruan Shuyang thought hazily; at the very least, he didn’t seem like a bad person.

The physical craving was incinerating his rationality, urging him to reveal everything to obtain the pheromones he desired.

Unable to withstand the burning sensation, his subconscious chose to trust, and he confessed everything.

"My... gland didn’t develop properly. After you marked me last time, the pheromones stimulated its growth. The doctor said I need pheromone therapy, and it seems now only..."

Yours.

He left the last two words unsaid, as if boundless waves were crashing over him. He closed his eyes, bit his lip, and curled into himself.

The next moment, something was draped over him, and he was enveloped by soothing water.

The blocking patch on the back of his neck was gently removed, and the water immediately flowed over his gland, slowly surging and gently comforting him.

The water gradually seeped into his gland, feeling like tiny electric currents brushing through his body, slowly filling the emptiness within him.

Ruan Shuyang slowly recovered, regaining some strength and clarity. He realized a thin vest was draped over him—the kind worn over a shirt in air-conditioned rooms during summer, silver-grey and soft to the touch.

The pheromones on it told him who the vest belonged to.

Clutching the vest, he sat up, blushing, and stammered, "Thank you... and sorry about earlier."

What had just happened was essentially having a heat episode in someone else’s car—truly embarrassing and impolite.

Pei Siyue simply said, "It’s alright."

As if nothing unusual had transpired, as if everything were perfectly ordinary.

"This vest..."

"It’s cold in the car," the Enigma across from him said, not mentioning his need for pheromones but offering an alternative reason. He added, "Keep it on for now."

Though embarrassed, Ruan Shuyang obediently put it on. He desperately needed the pheromones now and dared not refuse, fearing that without them, he might lose control.

The car continued driving smoothly ahead. The Enigma across from him stared blankly out the window. Ruan Shuyang didn’t recognize the surroundings and had no idea where they were headed.

After a while, he softly asked, "Excuse me, where are we going now?"

"To the hospital," the Enigma across from him replied. "For your check-up."

Huh?

Ruan Shuyang was reluctant to go—he had no money and didn’t want to trouble others. But the person across from him seemed to be stating rather than asking, having already made the decision, leaving Ruan Shuyang unsure how to refuse.

While he hesitated, the car arrived at a private hospital. As they entered, he noticed the name: Ruiji Hospital (Main Campus).

Ruiji...

Ruan Shuyang remembered—wasn’t the banquet Pei Siming was taking him to hosted by Ruiji Technology?

Was the Enigma across from him connected to Ruiji, or was he simply bringing him here for treatment?

The car parked in the underground garage. The Enigma got out first, then leaned slightly and extended a hand to help Ruan Shuyang out.

Unaccustomed to being assisted, Ruan Shuyang whispered, "Thank you, but I don’t need help."

But the Enigma still didn't withdraw his hand, waiting calmly.

Ruan Shuyang tried to push himself up from the seat, but his legs gave way the next second, and he fell back onto the seat. Then the Enigma supported his arm with one hand, helping him stand and get out of the car. His strength was immense; Ruan Shuyang didn’t need to exert any effort at all.

It turned out that the support was indeed necessary—the other person had more foresight. Ruan Shuyang had been rendered weak and unsteady from the pheromones and truly needed assistance.

After getting out of the car, Ruan Shuyang blushed as he thanked him, "Thank you."

The Enigma waited until he was steady before letting go, saying in a low voice, "No need to thank me."

Then Ruan Shuyang felt the other person standing behind him and saying in a low voice, "Don’t move."

Something was applied to the gland on the back of his neck.

In the chaos earlier in the car, he had forgotten that he hadn’t put on a blocking patch for his gland before getting out.

As they stood there after exiting the car, Jiang Wu also got out from the passenger seat. The moment he stepped out, he saw Pei Siyue applying a blocking patch to Ruan Shuyang’s gland.

...The boss seemed beyond help.

Once it was applied, Ruan Shuyang noticed the tall alpha who had been in the passenger seat had also gotten out and was standing nearby, his gaze full of curiosity and speculation, as if he desperately wanted to know what had happened in the back seat, strongly suspecting something unspeakable had occurred.

...Actually, it was nothing much.

Ruan Shuyang thought guiltily—it was just that he had wanted pheromones, and the Enigma had draped a garment over him.

Pei Siyue ignored Jiang Wu’s scrutiny and simply said to Ruan Shuyang, "Let’s go."

Jiang Wu hurried ahead into the hospital to take care of arrangements, while Pei Siyue matched Ruan Shuyang’s pace, slowly walking into the hospital with him.

By the time they entered, everything had been arranged. Ruan Shuyang was taken by a doctor for blood tests and an ultrasound.

After all the examinations, he was taken to a rest room. The Enigma was also inside, working on his laptop, seemingly handling business matters.

Ruan Shuyang didn’t disturb him and quietly sat in a corner of the room, pulling out his phone to look up information about Ruiji Hospital.

Ruiji Hospital was a high-end medical institution under Ruiji Technology. It was established abroad ten years ago and entered the domestic market five years ago. It had established itself with its exceptional medical standards and quality, luxurious environment, and excellent patient experience, making it one of the most favored high-end private hospitals.

It didn’t seem problematic; on the contrary, it appeared to be a very good hospital.

Ruan Shuyang felt reassured.

Although everything that had happened today seemed surreal and strange, overall, things seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

About ten more minutes passed, and there was a knock on the door. The Enigma, who had been working on his laptop, closed his laptop and said to the person outside, "Come in."

Jiang Wu came in with the examination report, glanced at the two people sitting formally in the room with considerable distance between them, and felt truly baffled by the situation. But he didn’t dare ask too much about his boss’s affairs. After delivering the report, he left without another word.

After receiving the report, Pei Siyue looked through it quickly, then pulled out a chair beside him and said to Ruan Shuyang, who was sitting in the corner, "Come here."

Without thinking twice, Ruan Shuyang instinctively stood up and walked over upon hearing the words. It wasn’t until he sat in the chair the other had pulled out that he realized what he had done, he broke out in a cold sweat. How had he obediently come over and sat down just like that?

Was this... the control and submission of the mark?

His face paled.

Pei Siyue pushed the report in front of Ruan Shuyang and said, "Take a look first."

Ruan Shuyang blankly picked up the report and looked through it. The blood test showed several values that were high or low, but he couldn’t understand the implications behind these changes.

The ultrasound report was much easier to comprehend—it stated that his reproductive cavity was small.

But when combined with the blood test results, he was still confused.

He said honestly, "I don’t really understand."

Pei Siyue took the report and explained, "It says your pheromone levels are very unstable. Your gland and reproductive cavity didn’t fully develop during differentiation and are currently in a secondary development stage. They require external stimulation to complete this secondary development."

Ruan Shuyang blinked in confusion, "What kind of external stimulation?"

Could it be the alpha pheromones the doctor had mentioned?

Pei Siyue confirmed his suspicion, "It’s pheromones."

"Your gland and reproductive cavity’s secondary development relies on pheromone stimulation. You need to undergo pheromone therapy." Pei Siyue paused, then stated more plainly in a calm tone, "Receive pheromone therapy from me."

No one else’s pheromones could replace his Enigma pheromones. The other could only use his—this was an irreversible reality from the moment the mark was made.

They were linked by that mark.

Ruan Shuyang stammered, "M-Mr. Chi—"

But before he could finish, Pei Siyue cut him off.

Pei Siyue frowned, "My surname isn't Chi. Don’t call me Mr. Chi."

"My name is Pei Siyue."

Ruan Shuyang was completely taken aback.

Pei Siyue?

If he wasn’t mistaken, Pei Siming’s older brother, who had returned to the country a few months ago, was named Pei Siyue.

Was this person the cold-blooded, ruthless, and cruel older brother Pei Siming had described?