Chapter 51

Chapter 51

"What, a whole day and night?!"

Ruan Shuyang's eyes widened in shock, and he gasped sharply, utterly unable to imagine what it would feel like to be pinned to a bed for twenty-four hours straight.

Normally, if he stayed up a little late, he'd be sluggish the next day. If he couldn't sleep for a whole day and night…

He'd probably pass out.

Oh, is an Enigma's stamina really that terrifying?

Pei Siyue heard only faint breathing on the other end of the line, realizing the young omega was startled by his words. He softly reassured him, "Don't worry, I won't do that to you."

Unseen by Ruan Shuyang, Pei Siyue closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing. His expression was one of restrained endurance, his deep eyes swirling like an impending ocean storm.

He truly yearned to pin the young omega to the bed for a day and a night.

No, more than that—for many days and nights.

Ruan Shuyang grew a little scared and whispered, "Brother."

"Don't be afraid." Pei Siyue paused, then told him, "I won't hurt you."

Ruan Shuyang no longer dared to ask about the physical compatibility between Enigmas and Alphas. He was genuinely frightened—no wonder Alphas were considered the most suitable. Such stamina would be incredibly difficult for an Omega to bear.

He said, somewhat helplessly, "Mm."

Pei Siyue didn't want to continue the discussion and changed the subject: "I'll be back tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Did you enjoy the auction?"

"Aside from some unwelcome interruptions, it was quite enjoyable."

Pei Siyue coaxed him, "If you're unhappy, you can bid on more items."

"No need," Ruan Shuyang touched his nose sheepishly. "I might not have occasions to wear so many items—it would be wasteful."

Pei Siyue: "It won't be wasteful. If you like it, that's enough."

"Brother," Ruan Shuyang called out coyly, speaking into the phone, "I miss you so much."

Pei Siyue's breath hitched for a moment, his voice low and hoarse as he said, "If you keep saying things like that, next time I go on a business trip, I won't care if you have classes—I'll take you with me."

Ruan Shuyang immediately behaved. "Brother, no, I have to attend classes."

He was a good student and needed to focus on his studies.

"Good boy," Pei Siyue coaxed him with restraint. "Go to sleep early."

"Okay."

But after hanging up, Ruan Shuyang couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

A whole day and night? So terrifying.

Should he start exercising in advance?

Although Omegas were naturally delicate and soft, their bodies conditioned for nurturing infants, making it difficult to build muscle, it wasn't entirely impossible to exercise.

If he didn't exercise, he was truly afraid he might break.

**

However, Ruan Shuyang's exercise plan didn't succeed.

The weather turned cold, and Pei Siyue, fearing he might get sick, made him bundle up heavily every day when going out, leaving no opportunity for exercise.

Time flew by, and it was soon the end of December.

A piece of news rocked the medical world: the post-operative medication for Omega Mark Cleansing Technique received early market approval.

Following that came even bigger news—

The patent for this medication was sold by Ruiji Technology to the government for just one yuan. When used in public hospitals after the Mark Cleansing Technique, patients only needed to pay the production cost of the drug.

Moreover, this medication was not only useful for Omegas who had just undergone the surgery but also had certain effects for those who had the surgery long ago, improving their quality of life and extending their lifespan.

The announcement of these two news items sent almost all Omegas into a frenzy. They praised Ruiji effusively and even spontaneously organized to ensure Ruiji wouldn't suffer losses, buying out all their stock of blocking patches and inhibitors, clearing all inventory. Pre-orders were backed up for six months, with promises of no refunds unless there were quality issues.

Dong Huaijin, the general manager of Ruiji, came forward and joked that they had to seize this immense prosperity, arranging for factories to work overtime to meet production demands.

Ruiji Technology's corporate image became extremely positive and proactive. Countless people called on other domestic pharmaceutical tech companies to learn from Ruiji, to develop truly useful and market-ready products. As long as the product quality was good, sales would never be a worry.

At the same time, everyone was curious about who founded Ruiji Technology.

Ruiji Technology was initially established as a company in the U.S., but now it had sold such an important patent to the domestic government at what was almost a giveaway price. Many believed Ruiji was founded by someone from the country, and various speculations ran rampant.

There were also rumors that industry insiders claimed the founder of Ruiji Technology was indeed a domestic individual who had studied in the U.S. for many years, hence establishing Ruiji there.

The founder was actually a young, capable scion of a wealthy family.

This narrowed down the possibilities significantly, and many began guessing who it might be. Some said it was purely fake news, accusing others of reading too many novels and dreaming.

How could a major enterprise like this be founded by a young person? It must be someone with decades of experience in the business world to have such capability and skill.

Of course, some Alphas with vested interests expressed disdain and even mocked extensively, saying this person was just showboating, deceiving everyone into buying products, and that the post-surgery medication might be useless and just a money grab.

The broader online response was: you could also put on such a show if you had the ability. As for whether the medication worked, it was better left to those who used it to decide.

Later, as everyone grew too curious about Ruiji's founder and why he would give away such an important patent, a state television station stepped in to conduct an interview, finally reaching Pei Siyue himself.

However, Pei Siyue requested not to show his face during the interview. The camera did not capture his full face, only his profile. While those familiar with him might recognize him, the general public couldn't tell.

During the interview, the reporter asked Pei Siyue why he had almost donated for free the patent for this medication, which cost over a billion yuan (about $140 million) to develop, to the government. Pei Siyue calmly replied, "This is the wish of two generations."

"My mother was a medical researcher and also a victim of the Mark Cleansing Technique. She spent most of her life dedicated to developing post-surgery recovery medication. Before she passed away, she had made some progress but couldn't complete the drug's development due to surgical complications leading to her early departure."

"After I came of age, I took over the research and development to continue advancing it, fulfilling my mother's wish."

"My fiancé is a very kind Omega. He hopes that more Omegas who have undergone the Mark Cleansing Technique can use this medication."

"The wishes of two generations led me to make this decision."

At the end of the interview, the camera focused on the engagement ring on Pei Siyue's hand.

After the interview, news spread that the chairman of Ruiji Technology had been appointed as a guest professor by several universities and had also begun serving in the national medical department.

Ruan Shuyang curiously asked Pei Siyue if it was true, and Pei Siyue said yes.

He smiled and said congratulations, adding that it was Pei Siyue's own career decision and he had no intention of interfering.

While almost everyone was gossiping about the news, Pei Siming fell into unspeakable rage and despair.

He never expected that Ruiji would sell the patent rights of that project—and for just a single yuan!

This meant his investment of 100 million yuan was a total loss. That was his last cent, his final assets, all gone just like that?!

In despair, he desperately called Liang Qiang, only to receive a reply that it was the board's decision and he had no right to interfere.

He began trying to find out who Ruiji's chairman was, suspecting that the investment had been a trap from the very beginning. Otherwise, why would such a promising project let him invest 100 million yuan for a share? Perhaps the other party had planned all along to donate the research results.

But he still couldn't understand: to cheat him out of 100 million, would someone really give up a project they had invested over a billion in?

He refused to believe that anyone in this world would be charitable by donating such important scientific achievements.

He clung to disbelief, refusing to accept it.

But he couldn't find out who Ruiji's chairman was. The company was registered under a foreign name, and almost nothing could be traced. The search made no progress; even when he went to Ruiji to cause a scene, security kicked him out.

In desperation, he tried to approach Ruan Shuyang, but Pei Siyue had arranged bodyguards at the university gate. Whenever Pei Siming showed up, they would immediately escort him away. Ruan Shuyang also had bodyguards during his daily commute, leaving Pei Siming no chance to get close.

It wasn't until he saw the news interview with Ruiji's chairman that he almost instantly recognized Pei Siyue from the profile.

It was Pei Siyue!

Suddenly, everything made sense.

He knew Jiang Ruowan had died prematurely due to complications from the Mark Cleansing Technique and that she had once been a doctor.

Pei Siyue was fulfilling his mother's legacy—and his fiancé's.

Fiancé—Ruan Shuyang.

This thought contorted his face with pain.

He was supposed to be his fiancé—how dare Pei Siyue steal him away and openly claim him as his own on TV?

Did Pei Siyue take Ruan Shuyang just to get revenge on him, or was it genuine?

The recent events drove Pei Siming almost mad. All his money was gone, taken by Pei Siyue, yet this "scam" was something he couldn't even reclaim. His lawyer had told him that even in court, he would lose—the investment contract only stated profit-sharing terms but did not grant him any right to interfere with the project's operations.

When Pei Siming signed it, he never imagined someone would willingly lose billions.

No, perhaps it wasn't a loss after all—he heard Ruiji's blocking patches and inhibitors were selling incredibly well, with sales reaching several billion.

But that was revenue from Ruiji's other projects—what did it have to do with him? His 100 million was a complete loss!

Driven by madness and despair, Pei Siming went to the Pei Group to confront Pei Siyue.

The security guards recognized him as the Second Young Master of the Pei family and hesitated to stop him. Pei Siming stood outside Pei Siyue's office, blocking the entrance, while the assistant and security looked on uncomfortably.

After contacting Pei Siyue, Cheng Yi said, "Second Young Master, Mr. Pei asks that you wait in the reception room."

"No." Pei Siming glared intensely toward the elevator. "I'll wait right here."

Pei Siming looked nothing like the former Second Young Master of the Pei family—his clothes were wrinkled, his hair disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and his expression deranged.

Cheng Yi didn't dare force him, only stood by watching.

About an hour later, Pei Siyue arrived at the top-floor office of the Pei Group headquarters and wasn't surprised to see Pei Siming waiting by the elevator.

Pei Siyue signaled for Cheng Yi to leave, then strode over to Pei Siming.

Pei Siyue stood half a head taller, looking down at him coldly without saying a word, as if Pei Siming were nothing more than worthless trash.

By then, everyone else on the top floor had left, leaving only the two brothers.

Pei Siming could no longer contain himself, shouting as he tried to grab Pei Siyue's arm: "You did this on purpose, didn't you? Deliberately seduced my fiancé, gradually stole him away. Deliberately had Liang Qiang lure me into the deal, made me invest all the money I had, and now it's all gone. You hate me, you want to take everything from me, just because my mother took your father—so you have to take everything from me too, isn't that right?!"

"You pathetic loser, always having nothing, only knowing how to take from others—what do you even have yourself—"

Before he could finish, Pei Siyue threw him to the ground.

Pei Siming's hand hadn't even touched Pei Siyue before it was caught. Pei Siyue showed no mercy, yanking his arm and throwing him hard onto the floor.

Pei Siming's shoulder and head hit the solid wood floor with a heavy thud, leaving him dazed and seeing stars for a long time.

When he finally regained some strength, he struggled to look up at Pei Siyue standing nearby and said, "You've had your revenge by now… surely it's enough…"

"I have nothing left." Pei Siming tried several times to get up, but his shoulder hurt too much to move. He could only lie on the ground, gasping for air, and say to Pei Siyue, "So release my fiancé, return him to me, give…"

"Give Ruan Shuyang back to me."

Pei Siyue originally had no intention of engaging with Pei Siming and was about to have Cheng Yi escort him away. But hearing this, he stopped and walked over to where Pei Siming lay helpless on the ground. With an indifferent expression, he put his foot on him.

The pressure of an Enigma made Pei Siming, whose pheromone levels were inferior to Pei Siyue's, feel suffocated and extremely uncomfortable.

Then, Pei Siming didn't know where Pei Siyue stepped, but it felt like his body was about to explode—every organ seemed to be bleeding. His screams of agony echoed throughout the top floor.

"Let me remind you." Amid Pei Siming's cries, Pei Siyue's voice remained cold and clear. "He has nothing to do with you anymore. He is not your fiancé."

"He is mine."

After saying this, Pei Siyue had Cheng Yi bring security to carry Pei Siming out and throw him out of the building. He also instructed that Pei Siming never be allowed inside again.

Pei Siming was thrown out of the building and left on the ground near a side entrance. He lay there for a while before gradually coming to, feeling pain all over his body and nauseous, though there were no visible injuries.

He sat on the ground for a long time. Just as he was about to leave, a somewhat familiar voice came from nearby.

"Second Young Master, long time no see."

Lu Zheng stood by the secluded side entrance of the building, his usual secretary and bodyguards standing further away.

He lit a cigarette with a lighter, watching Pei Siming coolly and saying, "It seems you haven't been doing well lately either. Was it your good older brother's doing?"

Pei Siming frowned. "What do you mean, Mr. Lu?"

"Nothing much." Lu Zheng exhaled a smoke ring. "Would the Second Young Master be interested in cooperating? The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Did Lu Zheng also have a grudge against Pei Siyue?

Pei Siming had never heard of this. As far as he knew, the two weren't familiar—at most, they might have had business disagreements, but not enough to be enemies.

He suddenly noticed Lu Zheng's appearance—his face was haggard, filled with worry, and he looked much more weathered than before, a shadow of his former self in the business world.

Pei Siming couldn't help but ask, "What happened to you?"

Lu Zheng took a fierce drag of his cigarette. "Pei Siyue."

"What do you mean?" Pei Siming immediately thought, "Are you saying Pei Siyue was behind this?"

"Yes," Lu Zheng replied hoarsely. "Around the end of August, I noticed several business ventures were failing one after another. After investigating for a long time, I found out the Pei family was behind it."

Lu Zheng had built his fortune from scratch and had some assets, but he couldn’t compare to the deeply rooted and long-established Pei family. If the Pei family was determined to ruin his business, they could certainly do it.

"I called in many favors and finally got to meet Pei Siyue. I asked him if there was some grudge and why he was targeting me. He didn’t answer, just told me to leave."

"Afterward, I thought about it for a long time but couldn’t figure it out. It wasn’t until I saw the news of Pei Siyue’s engagement to Ruan Shuyang that it dawned on me it might be because of Ruan Shuyang."

At the time, he couldn’t believe the engagement news, thinking it might be some business strategy or temporary arrangement. But then he saw that Ruan's Jewelry was about to go under, with little value left even for acquisition, let alone boarding the Pei family’s powerful ship.

Under such circumstances, if Pei Siyue was still willing to get engaged, it could only be because of Ruan Shuyang himself.

So the reason Pei Siyue was targeting him became clear.

Because of Ruan Shuyang.

Even though he couldn’t believe or understand why Pei Siyue would do such a thing for an Omega, it seemed to be the only explanation.

"Your half-brother might be the world’s number one romantic," Lu Zheng took another fierce drag of his cigarette. "Otherwise, I really don’t understand why he’s targeting me."

Pei Siming was stunned into silence for a long time, an irrepressible dread surging through him. It felt like someone had squeezed his heart, making it hard to breathe.

"Could it be... could it be that Pei Siyue isn’t doing this to take revenge on me, but because... he actually likes Ruan Shuyang?"

This was an answer he had never wanted to believe, nor was he willing to believe it.

Because he knew clearly that he could never compete with Pei Siyue. It had always been that way since they were children.

Although he always believed he was no worse than Pei Siyue, just unlucky, when faced with harsh reality, he had to admit he could never win against Pei Siyue.

To Pei Siming, Pei Siyue was like an impossible to climb mountain, towering over him since childhood, excelling in everything.

"That Ruan Shuyang, your former fiancé?" Lu Zheng’s expression darkened at the mention of Ruan Shuyang. "It’s all because of him that I’ve landed in this mess."

Pei Siming scowled and said nothing.

At this point, Lu Zheng came out and asked Pei Siming: "Second Young Master, there’s something I’ve always been curious about. Back then, was it intentional that you didn’t lock the VIP room door?"

Pei Siming gazed vacantly outside the side door for a moment before answering softly, "Yes."

He had intentionally left the door unlocked, intentionally left an escape route. Even then, he couldn’t bear to hand Ruan Shuyang over to someone else, though he never dared admit it.

He didn’t dare admit he liked an illegitimate child, didn’t dare admit that even after going from an illegitimate child to a legitimate one, he still couldn’t escape the stigma of illegitimacy.

Lu Zheng let out a light scoff. "I never expected the Pei family to be full of hopeless romantics. But it doesn’t matter if you’re a romantic—that Ruan Shuyang probably can’t leave your brother now. You should cut your losses and work with me to take down your brother."

Pei Siming’s expression turned particularly dark at these words. "What do you mean? Why can’t Ruan Shuyang leave Pei Siyue?"

Lu Zheng looked at Pei Siming with confusion and surprise. "You really don’t know?"

"Know what?"

"You’ve been around Pei Siyue for so long. Haven’t you felt how overpowering his aura is?"

Pei Siming answered with a dark expression, "I’ve felt it. His pheromone potency is very high."

He just didn’t know what level it was, but it made him, an S-class Alpha, feel deeply unsettled.

Seeing that Pei Siming truly didn’t know, Lu Zheng let out a dismissive click. "Your brother is an Enigma. His pheromone potency is the highest on the food chain. Not only can he turn Alphas into Omegas, but his pheromones are also irresistible, people can't break free."

"Even if you told your ex-fiancé he could leave, he wouldn’t want to. Once you’ve experienced an Enigma’s pheromones, no one can resist."

Because of this, Lu Zheng didn’t dare face Pei Siyue directly. He’d heard that Enigmas were born leaders, and the gap in pheromone levels made him instinctually afraid. He only wanted to get his business back, not bring the entire Pei family down.

"E... Enigma?"

Pei Siming had never heard of Enigmas, but Lu Zheng’s words made him suspect something. He immediately looked into it.

**

By the end of December, the weather seemed to have hit a sharp temperature drop. Daytime temperatures dropped from 3 degrees Celsius to -7 degrees Celsius in no time.

The sky seemed frozen by the cold air, turning a clear, icy blue—beautiful and transparent but devoid of warmth.

Ruan Shuyang wrapped up tightly every day when going out, afraid of getting sick.

But on Thursday night, he stayed up late finishing an assignment. The next day, even though he drove to class and wrapped up tightly, he still got chilled while walking to the cafeteria for lunch.

By the afternoon class, he was lethargic with a headache. After returning home, he had a low-grade fever—not too high, but his body felt extremely weak and tired. He thought he’d crash on the couch before deciding whether to go to the hospital, but he ended up falling into a feverish sleep not long after.

In his sleep, Ruan Shuyang felt very cold. The cold crept in through his clothes, but he didn’t have the strength to get up and grab a blanket from upstairs. Instinctively, he curled up and continued sleeping fitfully until Pei Siyue returned home and found him running a high fever.

That afternoon, after Ruan Shuyang finished class, Pei Siyue had texted him asking if he wanted to watch the fireworks that night.

With New Year’s approaching, fireworks occasionally lit up the sky. Ruan Shuyang loved watching them. Pei Siyue had even arranged a fireworks display for their engagement. Whenever there were fireworks, if he had time, he would ask if Ruan Shuyang wanted to watch together.

But this message got no reply.

Seeing that Ruan Shuyang’s GPS showed he was home, Pei Siyue called, but again, there was no response.

Worried, he decided to leave work early and head home.

When he arrived, he found a small figure curled up on the sofa, knees drawn to the chest, face buried. His forehead was burning hot, but his hands and feet were icy cold.

Pei Siyue’s heart dropped instantly, cold and heavy.

He disliked winter.

During winter, hospitals filled with patients. Respiratory, infection, and ENT departments were always crowded with people suffering from respiratory illnesses.

Jiang Ruowan had passed away in winter.

That winter had been bitterly cold, much like now. Jiang Ruowan had a weak constitution and poor immunity. That winter, after a high fever that refused to go away, it turned into pneumonia. She didn’t survive the cold winter and passed away just before New Year’s.

Next Tuesday would be the anniversary of Jiang Ruowan’s death.

He had originally wanted to ask Ruan Shuyang if he would like to pay respects together, but now it seemed that wouldn’t be possible.

Logically, he knew most high fevers were self-limiting and would pass in a few days. But emotionally, he couldn’t help worrying.

Omega bodies were fragile, with weak immune systems. He was terrified that Ruan Shuyang would end up like Jiang Ruowan, lost to a high fever.

Ruan Shuyang hazily felt himself being lifted and pressed against a warm chest. His body warmed instantly, but his hands and feet remained cold.

The Enigma’s pheromones around him were cold, like the oppressive, dark waters of winter, making him uncomfortable.

He struggled to open his eyes and saw that it was Pei Siyue holding him. A mix of sourness and injustice welled up in his heart. His fair, smooth cheeks were flushed an unhealthy purplish-red from the fever, and his breath came out hot.

His eyes were red from the fever, and he called out helplessly, "Brother."

"I... I feel awful."