Chapter 58

Chapter 58

If those words had come from anyone else, An Nuo might have actually wondered if his expression was off.

But coming from Sean, An Nuo’s first thought was that he was being sarcastic.

Something like—Are you out of your mind?

Because An Nuo didn’t believe he could possibly have a fever.

His mind was perfectly clear, no dizziness or headache, and apart from the discomfort of the gland wound, he felt no other issues.

An Nuo replied, "No, don’t jinx me."

"..."

An Nuo’s tone wasn’t particularly forceful. He was usually mild-mannered, and even when he tried to be assertive, he rarely succeeded.

But these words truly didn’t sound like him. Sean, having been unexpectedly snapped at twice, clearly didn’t want to engage further and silently returned to his seat.

An Nuo continued to scroll on his phone, slacking off, while his other hand occasionally pressed against his scent gland, scratching the itchy skin around it.

He really wanted to tear off the dressing—he was sure it was an allergic reaction.

When Lenny returned from printing, he passed An Nuo and noticed his hand movements seemed a bit unnatural. Concerned, he asked, "An Nuo, is something wrong with your hand? Or your collarbone?"

"..."

An Nuo’s movements paused.

He almost instinctively wanted to retort: None of your business.

Fortunately, he caught himself before speaking.

It was one thing to be impulsive with Lu Yunyan and Sean, but Lenny had always been so caring towards him; there was no reason for An Nuo to lash out at him.

Something wasn’t right.

This was truly abnormal.

Perhaps there really was something wrong with his head.

Realizing this, An Nuo quickly reined in his irritation with rationality: "...Last night, I was lying down looking at my phone and it accidentally fell on me, so it’s a bit sore."

Having been hit like this too many times, he casually used it as an excuse without raising any suspicion.

Lenny chimed in, "Yeah, that hurts. I’ve dropped my phone on myself a few times too."

"...Yeah, I’m going to the restroom."

Although this slightly abnormal emotion could be suppressed by reason, once he became aware of it, the agitation seemed to grow stronger.

At the same time, the stinging and itching of the wound became more noticeable.

An Nuo couldn’t take it anymore and decided to remove the dressing.

The restroom was empty, with no one else around. An Nuo unbuttoned his collar and saw that the skin under the transparent dressing had indeed turned red.

It was definitely an allergic reaction.

He quickly tore off the dressing, only to find that the wound where Lu Yunyan’s canine teeth had pierced him was oozing a clear fluid.

Not only was the skin itchy, but it also felt warmer to the touch than the surrounding area, almost hot.

He had heard that improper marking outside of heat cycles could lead to wound inflammation... Was he really this unlucky? Did he actually end up with an infection?

His phone vibrated—another message from Lu Yunyan.

Lu Yunyan: [Where did you go? Didn’t see you at your desk.]

An Nuo’s inexplicably irritable mood immediately worsened.

Even though Lu Yunyan hadn’t said anything particularly offensive, just seeing his profile picture made An Nuo feel an unidentifiable rage burning inside him.

This was outrageous.

Even An Nuo himself found it absurd.

Was he possessed by something strange?

They had just completed the permanent marking yesterday—he should be feeling clingy and dependent toward Lu Yunyan, shouldn’t he?

Why was reality the complete opposite?

Not only was there no sense of attachment, but he also found Lu Yunyan extremely irritating, as if all the violent tendencies in his body had been awakened, making him want to beat Lu Yunyan up.

An Nuo: [Stop bothering me]

An Nuo: [You’re so annoying]

At the moment he sent these messages, An Nuo was genuinely annoyed and irritated.

He hoped Lu Yunyan would take the hint and stop disturbing him.

Lu Yunyan: [You used to get upset when I didn’t reply to your messages, so why are you annoyed with me now?]

Lu Yunyan: [Now that you’ve gotten what you wanted, you don’t care anymore, huh?]

Lu Yunyan said: [You little jerk]

But at this point, An Nuo still hadn’t realized the difference between written words and spoken language.

He didn’t think his messages were meant to be flirtatious or to attract Lu Yunyan’s attention, so when he saw Lu Yunyan’s replies, he frowned deeply.

Then, in a fit of anger, he directly blocked Lu Yunyan.

Goodbye.

You idiot who can’t understand human language.

An Nuo stayed in the restroom for a while, taking several photos of his wound, hesitating whether to post them online for medical advice.

But in the end, too embarrassed to do so, he gave up. When someone else entered the restroom, he quickly left and returned to his desk.

Blocking Lu Yunyan didn't have any immediate consequences.

There were no major meetings or outings scheduled for that morning, so Lu Yunyan had no excuse to deliberately approach An Nuo.

It wasn’t until the lunch break, when all the colleagues went to eat, that An Nuo, with no appetite and in no mood, stayed alone in the office without moving.

Lu Yunyan finally found an opening to approach An Nuo openly and justifiably.

"What happened this morning?"

Lu Yunyan's tone sounded oddly hurt: "Ignoring my messages is one thing, but why did you block me?"

Who could understand the confusion and helplessness of enjoying his partner's affectionate behavior one second, only to find himself blocked the next?

Lu Yunyan realized belatedly that An Nuo's words weren't playful or *tsundere*—they were genuinely meant.

But the moment An Nuo looked up at him, all Lu Yunyan's grievances and confusion vanished, replaced by pure panic: "...Do you have a fever? You look terrible."

An Nuo: ?

Why was he being accused of having a fever again? What about him seemed feverish?

Before he could retort, Lu Yunyan's large hand was already pressed against his forehead.

For the first time, An Nuo felt that Lu Yunyan's palm could actually be cool.

"You really do have a fever."

Not that he liked the conclusion Lu Yunyan had drawn.

"You were fine when you left this morning... When did you start feeling unwell?"

"..."

An Nuo still had no chance to argue before Lu Yunyan hauled him up from his seat.

"I'm taking you to the hospital. Right now."

...

At the hospital, the truth quickly came to light.

It was indeed an inflammation from the marking wound.

The inflammation had caused a fever, triggering a rare side effect.

Holding the medical report, the doctor sighed in a tone of exasperation: "...Unbelievable, just unbelievable. No matter how many times we warn people, we can't get through to couples like you, hormone-driven."

"Don’t perform permanent marking outside of heat—don’t do it! Isn’t this common knowledge? Isn’t it? Why don’t you listen? Tell me, why don’t you listen?"

"Only during heat does an omega’s body reach the ideal condition for marking. The substances that numb the pain also speed up wound healing, ensuring no harm comes to the omega."

The doctor glared at Lu Yunyan: "Now look what you’ve done—you’ve messed him up with that bite, haven’t you?"

"And you bit so deep—what was that about? Showing off your teeth? Besides making the wound harder to heal and more prone to inflammation, there’s no other benefit."

For once, Lu Yunyan was unusually quiet and obedient, standing still to take the scolding without daring to show any defiance.

"Besides, you’re an alpha and omega pair with gland issues to begin with. What on earth possessed you to go for a permanent mark like that?"

"You two are the least suited for this kind of situation. I can't even—was the urge really that irresistible?"

"..."

If An Nuo had heard these words while in his right mind, he would probably have been so mortified he’d just wish to literally crack open the ground and disappear.

There was also a high likelihood of blaming Lu Yunyan, thinking it was entirely his fault and that he should bear the primary responsibility.

But at this moment, An Nuo was in a strange mood, completely different from usual.

After listening to the doctor's long explanation, he calmly said, "Doctor, are you done talking? The way you’re talking is unpleasant. Please stop."

The good thing was that he still maintained a bit of politeness.

The bad thing was that this bit of politeness barely mattered.

The doctor was taken aback and a little annoyed, turning to look at Lu Yunyan—only to find Lu Yunyan smiling, clearly finding An Nuo endearing—which made him even more annoyed and exasperated.

Lu Yunyan feigned seriousness and cleared his throat. "You know, he's not usually like this. He's usually very well-behaved... So why is he acting like this? How long will it last?"

The doctor replied irritably, "Because the alpha's pheromones are affecting him. It’s not a heat cycle, got it? Do you get it now? His body isn't accepting it; it's rejecting it... It'll be fine once his body fully accepts these pheromones. He can also take some medication to recover faster."

"Are there significant side effects from the medication?"

"Not really, it may upset his stomach. Just make sure he doesn't take it on an empty stomach."

"Then let's get some medication."

"Understood," the doctor sighed. "Then go get the wound on the scent gland treated and bandaged. Keep it dry for the next few days, and take some anti-inflammatory medication. That should do it."

"His fever isn't too high. The anti-inflammatory medication can also help reduce fever. Try that first, and his temperature should drop. If it hasn't dropped by tonight, then give him fever-reducing medicine."

"Okay."

Lu Yunyan made sure to remember all of it.

"But what if the fever-reducing medicine doesn't work either?"

"It won't be that serious," the doctor said. "As long as his temperature drops by tomorrow, it should be fine. Unless it rises again, then he'll need to come to the hospital for an injection tomorrow."

After leaving the hospital, An Nuo still had no appetite. However, to take the medication, Lu Yunyan persuaded him to eat some bread and take the medicine first.

Fortunately, the medication worked quite quickly. Half an hour later, An Nuo's fever hadn't subsided, but his irritable mood gradually eased, and the fiery discomfort he’d felt lessened.

However, his head began to feel heavy.

When he was actually feverish, he had been quite energetic and didn't feel like he had a fever at all.

But after taking the medication, his head grew heavier and heavier, and he just wanted to lean against something solid.

So An Nuo leaned against Lu Yunyan's shoulder, his eyes opening and closing, looking like he was about to fall asleep.

"Sleepy?" Lu Yunyan held him and whispered gently, "If you're sleepy, go to sleep. I'll ask for sick leave for you this afternoon."

But the treated and bandaged wound hurt even more, perhaps due to the medication. A faint, constant stinging pain persisted, making it hard for An Nuo to sleep well even if he tried.

"...No, don't ask for sick leave."

An Nuo shook his head. "What intern keeps taking sick leave all the time? And disappearing at the same time as you would seem too suspicious."

"Is how others perceive you more important, or is your own health more important?"

"Both are important."

Faced with the choice, An Nuo chose both.

"......"

"It's fine. There's nothing much going on today anyway, and I'm not that uncomfortable. I'll just sit around and take it easy for the afternoon—it'll pass quickly."

An Nuo insisted on returning to the office, and Lu Yunyan couldn't very well keep him trapped at home.

"If you feel unwell anywhere/anytime, make sure to tell me right away. Don't push yourself too hard... By the way, can you take me out of the blacklist now?"

Who just blocks their husband over some little argument?