Chapter 10 Your Gland Feels So Hot

Chapter 10 Your Gland Is So Hot

The villa in the southern district was a little far from the company but very close to the newly built airport.

After a full day's work, Lin Yunshu accompanied Zhou Yu to his villa. By the time they arrived, it was already dark. Zhou Yu switched on all the lights on the first floor.

Lin Yunshu was quite hungry and pressed a hand to his stomach. "Boss, is there any food left in the fridge? I can whip up something simple for you."

Zhou Yu stood by the window, turned to look at him, and raised an eyebrow.

Lin Yunshu was startled for a second, then laughed softly.

"Senior," he corrected himself, "shall I make something for you?"

*It would be even better if he called him "husband."*

*But "Senior" was fine too—progress step by step.*

Zhou Yu was relatively satisfied. He took out his phone and gestured for Lin Yunshu to come over. "Don’t trouble yourself. Come sit for a while. I’ll call a cook."

"Won’t that be too much of a hassle?" Lin Yunshu said with an uncomfortable look. "It’ll take a lot of time just to get here, and they’d still need to buy groceries. Why don’t we just fix some noodles ourselves?"

He remained leaning against the island counter, not moving, occasionally pressing his stomach, his fingertips pressing into his upper abdomen until they went white.

Zhou Yu’s heart lurched. He put down his phone and rushed over. "Is your stomach hurting?"

"No," Lin Yunshu said, "I’m just a little hungry."

Zhou Yu clearly didn’t believe him.

He knew Lin Yunshu’s personality—always downplaying things. So "a little hungry" really meant it was painful.

Getting takeout or calling someone to cook really wasn’t suitable—it would take too much time.

"My bad," Zhou Yu said guiltily. "I should have taken you to eat something on the way back."

Lin Yunshu laughed lightly. "It’s nothing. Nothing beats home-cooked food."

As he spoke, he made a move toward the kitchen, but Zhou Yu held him back.

"I’ve got this."

Zhou Yu opened the fridge and took a look inside. The big walk-in fridge was pretty much empty, with only some eggs and vegetables left.

After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Yu turned to Lin Yunshu and asked, "How do tomato egg noodles sound?"

Lin Yunshu didn’t answer directly but instead asked in surprise, "You can cook?"

"It’s just cooking noodles—what’s so hard about that?" Zhou Yu said breezily.

He said confidently. "Don’t worry. My skills may not be as good as yours, but at least it won’t taste bad."

Lin Yunshu was still unsure. "How about I help you out?"

"Lin Yunshu." Zhou Yu’s expression darkened.

An alpha’s pride was everything. Lin Yunshu questioning his cooking ability was no different from questioning his sexual ability.

How could he tolerate that?

Lin Yunshu went quiet.

He quickly clamped his mouth shut. "Alright, thanks, Senior."

Only then did Zhou Yu feel better.

"Don’t just stand there. Take a seat," he said. "There’s warm water in the bottle on the dining table. Drink some to settle your stomach. You can take medicine after you’ve eaten something."

"Okay." Lin Yunshu did as he was told without argument.

Holding the cup, the steam warming his eyes, Lin Yunshu steeled himself.

*Whatever Zhou Yu dished out later, he would close his eyes and praise it as delicious.*

*Rank has its privileges.*

Zhou Yu put on an apron and started working busily in the kitchen. Lin Yunshu slowly bent over and laid his head on the table.

From his angle, he could see Zhou Yu’s back. Surprisingly, he seemed quite skilled at beating eggs and washing vegetables.

His stomach felt sour, bloated, and nauseous. After watching for a while, Lin Yunshu’s vision began to blur, forcing him to close his eyes and endure the pain.

He wasn’t sure if this pain was just his troublesome stomach acting up or another manifestation of his genetic illness.

It felt too similar—he couldn’t tell the difference.

Tomato egg noodles were simple to make. Zhou Yu finished in ten minutes. When he brought the bowls out, Lin Yunshu was lying on the table, almost as if he’d fallen asleep.

Zhou Yu set the bowls down, leaned in close, and examined Lin Yunshu under the dining room’s pendant light.

Lin Yunshu’s face was buried in his arms. Zhou Yu gently patted his back. "Yun Shu?"

The spine under his palm moved slightly. Lin Yunshu opened his eyes, his expression clear. He smoothed his hair and slowly sat up.

So he hadn’t been asleep.

Zhou Yu supported him from the right side, noticing his pale lips and the faint sweat on his forehead. Still concerned, he asked, "If it hurts badly, we should go to the hospital."

"It’s fine, not too bad." Lin Yunshu wiped his forehead, glanced at the table, and his eyes lit up.

Two bowls of tomato egg noodles steamed warmly, garnished with a few green vegetables. The red, green, and yellow colors made them look unexpectedly appealing.

"I’ll eat a bit first," he said. "Having something in my stomach will help."

Zhou Yu knew his temperament and didn’t press further. "Alright, taste it and see if the saltiness is right."

He sat down across from Lin Yunshu and watched as Lin Yunshu picked up his chopsticks, lifted a small portion of noodles, and took a delicate bite.

Waiting for the evaluation, Zhou Yu felt a long-lost sense of nervousness.

After all, he hadn’t felt this way since his first kindergarten merit flower.

"How is it?" he asked, pretending to be casual.

Lin Yunshu didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he savored it for a few more seconds before a delighted smile spread across his face.

"It’s delicious."

His eyelashes were damp from the steam, clumping together when he blinked.

Zhou Yu found that smile deadly cute.

"I told you I had some cooking skills, but you just wouldn’t believe me," he said, his confidence swelling even more.

Lin Yunshu grinned, his eyes crinkling, his small face almost buried in the wide bowl, reminding Zhou Yu of how he looked back in their university days.

"When did you learn to cook?" Lin Yunshu asked.

"I've known how for a long time," Zhou Yu replied casually.

In truth, the first time he had tasted Lin Yunshu’s cooking, it had been a bowl of tomato and egg noodles just like this.

Lin Yunshu was quite skilled in the kitchen—even a simple bowl of noodles could turn out extraordinary.

Back then, Zhou Yu had thought it was the best noodles he’d ever eaten in his life.

Later, while studying abroad, he often craved it so badly he couldn’t sleep. Eventually, Zhou Yu decided to learn how to make it himself.

And he was an intensely competitive person. Every time he cooked noodles, he would think about catching up to Lin Yunshu, surpassing him. He thought of Lin Yunshu while cooking, and while eating.

He missed Lin Yunshu constantly.

Until now—with Lin Yunshu sitting in his home, eating the noodles he had made, wearing that beautiful smile.

It was as if all those years of longing were finally wrapped in immense satisfaction.

"So, how is it? Not worse than yours, right?" Zhou Yu’s eyes brimmed with laughter.

Mentioning this made Lin Yunshu realize the taste felt strangely familiar, almost reminiscent of his own cooking.

"Of course," he replied smoothly, "much better than mine."

*He had honed his ability to flatter the boss quite well.*

Zhou Yu shook his head with a smile.

After finishing a bowl of hot noodles and taking his medicine, Lin Yunshu’s stomach finally settled down a bit.

Their flight was early the next morning, so Zhou Yu didn’t bring up work again. Once they had digested a little, he urged Lin Yunshu to shower and rest.

To save time, Lin Yunshu used the guest bathroom while Zhou Yu used the master bedroom’s.

Lin Yunshu had brought all his luggage for the business trip. After showering and drying his hair, he habitually took out an inhibitor, about to inject it into his arm.

But he stopped just before unwrapping it.

This was Zhou Yu’s home. Discarding used needles and syringes in the trash would be too easy to notice.

And inhibitors weren’t meant for frequent use—they were typically only taken during an omega’s heat when there was no alpha partner, to forcibly suppress and shorten the heat cycle.

They could be harmful to the body.

Zhou Yu knew he took medication and occasionally used inhibitors, but he didn’t know Lin Yunshu relied on them like daily meals, injecting several doses a day.

If discovered, it would be hard to explain. After all, in Zhou Yu’s eyes, his condition was merely hormonal imbalance.

Lin Yunshu felt a headache coming on.

After a moment’s hesitation, he put the syringe back and only took two blocker pills.

Looking at the bruised needle marks on his arm, Lin Yunshu put on his long-sleeved pajamas, adjusted the sleeves, and stepped out of the bathroom.

Zhou Yu had finished showering earlier and was already in his pajamas, lying on the bed.

Lin Yunshu paused mid-step.

Zhou Yu looked up, setting aside the book in his hand. "Aren’t you coming over?"

Lin Yunshu’s mind began to race.

He knew he needed Zhou Yu’s pheromones badly, but he wasn’t prepared to share a bed with him so soon. He felt conflicted.

It wasn’t that he feared Zhou Yu would do anything to him—he doubted he had that much appeal.

What worried Lin Yunshu was his own sleeping habits.

He slept terribly.

Extremely terribly.

So badly it was almost criminal.

Back in elementary school, when his aunt and uncle weren’t home, they would have him sleep with Chen Shuyang, who was still in kindergarten.

He once set a record of kicking Chen Shuyang off the bed five times in one night, making the little boy clutch his pillow and wail.

Lin Yunshu always suspected that Chen Shuyang grew up into the not-so-bright, aloof guy he was now because his brain had been damaged by those childhood kicks.

He was afraid of what Zhou Yu might think…

Feeling tense, Lin Yunshu’s pheromones began to leak uncontrollably.

He hadn’t taken the inhibitor, and faint traces of sweetness seeped out, mingling with the steam from the bathroom.

Zhou Yu’s expression shifted noticeably.

Their pheromones were a perfect match, with a compatibility level even exceeding the upper limits recorded in the gene database.

That was why Zhou Yu’s presence could save Lin Yunshu’s life, replacing medication.

And for the same reason, Zhou Yu was hypersensitive to Lin Yunshu’s pheromones. Even the slightest hint was enough to stir a heat within him.

He clearly sensed that these pheromones were both weak and disordered—Lin Yunshu wasn’t releasing them intentionally; he simply couldn’t hold them back.

Zhou Yu immediately got out of bed, approached Lin Yunshu, and pulled him into an embrace without another word.

"Are you uncomfortable?" he asked.

Lin Yunshu shook his head. "It’s just hard to control."

"Didn't you take your medication?"

"Not much."

Zhou Yu moved closer, enveloping him in a secure embrace, holding him tightly against his chest, then slowly, gradually, began to release his own pheromones.

It was a deliciously warm aroma.

Lin Yunshu couldn't quite describe what it resembled, but it instantly made him feel as though he were floating on clouds.

His heart pounded wildly—soothed yet simultaneously spooked by how perfectly matched they were.

It was almost as potent as opium; if he allowed himself to indulge, he might never be able to quit in the future.

And their contract was only for two years...

"Feeling better?" Zhou Yu asked him.

Lin Yunshu nodded, curling into the crook of his arm, lowering his eyes heavy with worry. "Thank you, it's very comfortable."

"For real this time?" Zhou Yu teased in reply.

Lin Yunshu pursed his lips. "Really."

Worried Zhou Yu might not believe him, he added, "Before, when my pheromones were unstable, I'd sometimes get headaches. Now there's none at all."

Zhou Yu knew it was the truth without needing Lin Yunshu to say it.

He could clearly feel Lin Yunshu's body softening, his always cold fingers warming up, lying in his arms like a pool of warm, sweet-smelling water.

He even sensed Lin Yunshu's comfort before Lin Yunshu even realized it.

He had asked just to coax a few more words out of him, and his trick had worked.

"If you're comfortable, close your eyes and sleep."

Zhou Yu gently massaged the back of his neck, watching under the moonlight as that pale, slender neck flushed pink under his touch.

A little further down, Zhou Yu saw the gland buried deep within his collar.

Small, pink, appearing extremely tender and swollen as if engorged with blood.

Normally, an omega's gland would retract automatically, only becoming prominent during his heat or when pheromones were unstable.

Lin Yunshu wasn't in heat, but due to his unstable pheromone levels, his gland had remained swollen, which was actually pretty painful.

No wonder he always wore collared shirts, buttoned all the way to the top.

Zhou Yu lightly touched it, and Lin Yunshu let out a soft, electric gasp.

"Yun Shu," Zhou Yu said, concerned, "your gland is so hot."

Lin Yunshu frowned, his voice strained yet still gentle. "It'll ease up in a bit."

Zhou Yu's heart ached, and he redoubled his efforts to help stabilize his pheromones.

Until the moon was high in the sky, Lin Yunshu's breathing became even, his gland retracted, and the skin on the back of his neck turned smooth and delicate.

Zhou Yu looked down at Lin Yunshu, watching as he drowsily closed his eyes in his embrace, his heart filled with overwhelming joy.

Lin Yunshu stirred, and Zhou Yu gently held his wrist. "What is it?"

Lin Yunshu half-opened his eyes, realizing how late it was.

"I'm fine now," he said. "You should go back and rest too."

Zhou Yu's smile froze instantly.

"What did you say?"

Lin Yunshu, soothed into extreme comfort and drowsiness, struggled against his fatigue:

"Go rest, I've taken too much of your time today. Thank you, Senior."

Zhou Yu's expression visibly cooled.

He hadn't expected Lin Yunshu to say such a thing, much less that he would be kicked out.

Even when driving someone out of bed, Lin Yunshu was gentle, his voice soft as a cat's meow, leaving no room for argument.

It made Zhou Yu furious.

He threw off the covers and got out of bed. "Got it."

Lin Yunshu faintly sensed Zhou Yu's cold attitude and wanted to ask, but he was too tired to even move a finger.

He hadn't been able to sleep properly for so long; all he could do was watch through heavy-lidded eyes in the dim darkness as Zhou Yu grabbed his clothes and walked out.

The moment the door closed, he fell into a deep sleep.

Zhou Yu stormed back to the master bedroom, slammed the door, crossed his arms, and paced back and forth, fuming.

"Use me and toss me aside?"

He glared at the closed door as if it were Lin Yunshu's infuriatingly peaceful sleeping face.

"Heartless little thing!"

Author's Note:

----------------------

Tyrant: You're comfortable now, but what about me! I'm about to %*&*^?#?%!

——

PS: I saw all the names you guys suggested for the kitten yesterday, so happy, thank you everyone~ [star-eyed emoji] Let me think about which one to choose, hehe [dog head emoji]