Chapter 50

Chapter 50

The person beneath him had a flushed face. Fearing he might suffocate, Shi Yue pulled back slightly, but as he lifted himself, Juan Yun followed, eyes closed, eyelids thin and red, kissing him.

Shi Yue looked down at Juan Yun’s unwitting yet proactive expression, restrained himself, then supported his waist and pressed a knee against the bed. Just then—

The door creaked open.

A doctor in a white coat walked in. "If the IV drip is finished, we can change—"

His words halted, his expression a tableau of surprise.

The room was thick with mingled pheromones. The omega lay on the bed, face turned away, his expression unclear, but his neck and ears were flushed red, his hand pressed against the Alpha’s chest, pushing him away.

The Alpha’s lips still bore bite marks, and both their clothes were disheveled—what they had just been doing was glaringly obvious.

Shi Yue glared darkly at the uninvited guest.

The doctor paused, coughed once, and backed out, closing the door as he said, "Ah, youth... so full of vigor. I understand, I understand."

Juan Yun closed his eyes as if facing execution. "..."

Shi Yue: "..."

Just as the door was about to close, the doctor poked his head back in and added, "While a permanent mark is generally better done early, his hormone levels are unstable during heat. I’d recommend just a temporary mark for now~"

"Carry on, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll come back later to check his blood and see how things are."

With a final "click," the door shut completely. Shi Yue turned to look at Juan Yun, whose sleek black hair was disheveled, his complexion flushed and lips full, still breathing lightly. Gone was the sickly pallor from earlier, replaced not by his usual aloof indifference but by fluttering, curled lashes.

Seeing Juan Yun like this, Shi Yue couldn’t resist leaning down again.

"Don’t get carried away in the medical room—only temporary marks allowed, nothing else!"

As if he had X-ray vision, the doctor’s voice came through the door crack, repeatedly reminding them.

Interrupted again, Shi Yue: "..."

He hadn’t planned on doing anything else anyway—

Just a kiss, that’s all...

Juan Yun tilted his face slightly, eyes welling like pools of water, lashes lowered, as he softly, without much conviction, murmured:

"No more kissing."

If they kept kissing, he wouldn’t be able to handle it either.

Juan Yun turned over, tugged his collar down a little, revealing the gland covered by a brown inhibitor patch.

His pale, flushed fingers rested on the edge of the patch, peeling it open a little. Intense pheromones, a hundred, a thousand times more concentrated, burst forth.

Exposing such a fragile and sensitive spot to him, Juan Yun couldn’t help but gasp and, almost involuntarily, glanced at Shi Yue.

Those eyes, watery with slightly upturned corners, were utterly captivating. Unaware, Juan Yun averted his gaze—he’d only looked because his pheromones were unstable, wanting to confirm his Alpha was still there with him.

As the patch came off, rich pheromones exploded in the room. Shi Yue’s breath grew hot as he gripped the back of Juan Yun’s neck and pulled him closer.

"You..." Juan Yun pushed at him urgently, "I didn’t mean to—"

Before he could finish, his lips were captured. Juan Yun’s eyes reddened at the corners; he lifted a hand and thumped Shi Yue’s chest.

Shi Yue’s kiss was intensely aggressive, holding the back of his head, kissing him until his lips hurt. Juan Yun tried to struggle but had little strength left.

If he’d known lifting the inhibitor patch would make him like this... he wouldn’t have removed it.

He’d only meant for Shi Yue to give him a temporary mark.

He never expected to be seized, kissed, and bitten.

Juan Yun panted, mist clouding his eyes.

He’d underestimated their 98% compatibility.

"Shi Yue... Shi Yue..."

"Temporary mark... give me a temporary mark..."

Fortunately, Shi Yue heard him. The frantic kisses slowed slightly; he licked the red marks left from kissing, trailing over exposed, fair skin. Juan Yun trembled lightly, belatedly feeling a thread of fear at his inability to resist.

He felt lips brush gently over his gland, then a sharp bite—

"Ah—"

A soft, short moan escaped. Juan Yun buried his face hard into the sheets, only his trembling shoulder blades visible.

Shi Yue reached across his chest to lift his chin, gripping half his face. Sharp teeth pressed against thin, tender skin again, biting through it, injecting pheromones. Juan Yun bit his lower lip, desperately suppressing his instinctive physical reaction to jerk away, fingers clawing the sheets until they turned white.

Shi Yue poured abundant pheromones into his gland. Juan Yun gasped uncontrollably; this temporary mark lasted longer than any before, so long he began to struggle.

Grabbing his resisting wrists, Shi Yue switched from biting to licking, lapping repeatedly at the broken, swollen gland. Then he lifted a hand, gently stroking it—his rough thumb scraping over the tender, sensitive spot. Instantly, Juan Yun shuddered violently, burying himself deeper into the pillow and blankets.

Shi Yue exhaled heavily, unable to contain his excitement.

Finally, he was his.

Juan Yun was drenched in his pheromones, forehead sweaty, lying limply on the bed, too tired to lift a finger. Shi Yue got up, took a handkerchief from his coat, and wiped his sweat.

Holding the olive-scented handkerchief, Shi Yue couldn’t resist leaning down to inhale its rich personal scent.

"Can I have the handkerchief?" he asked hoarsely.

Juan Yun was still processing the overload of brandy-scented pheromones. Surrounded excessively by the Alpha’s scent, he felt lazy and drowsy all over, unable to lift a finger, ears red, eyelids half-closed as he mumbled an indistinct "Mhmm."

Tucking the handkerchief into his own pocket, Shi Yue contentedly held his hand, playing with his fingers, then kissing them.

A long time later...

Juan Yun finally recovered. Face buried in the bed, his voice muffled by the sheets, he gloomily informed him:

"Let’s break up."

!?

Shi Yue’s eyes snapped open. "Reason?"

We just got together and you want to break up?

Juan Yun: "You bit me way too hard."

Every time.

"From a medical standpoint, you're in your refractory period, where all your senses are heightened, so it hurts more."

Juan Yun went to pull his hand back, but Shi Yue held tight, gave his palm a squeeze, then lifted it to his lips and kissed his damp hand.

"I'll be more careful next time, just give me another chance."

Juan Yun was silent for a long moment.

"We'll see," he said coldly.

"Don't break up," Shi Yue tugged his hand, suddenly turning back into that pitiful public admission student: "I don't wanna break up~~"

Juan Yun: "......"

Affection kept bubbling up uncontrollably. Juan Yun pressed his lips together and gave a cold, indifferent "hmph."

After the temporary mark, he was a bit tired, his eyes blinking slowly, and he was getting sleepy again. This heat cycle had come on quickly, but fortunately, Shi Yue was there. His fever hadn't lasted too long, and with the temporary mark, he might just need to sleep it off—after some sleep, the fever would likely break.

Shi Yue found a new scent patch in the medical kit. He returned and checked Juan Yun's forehead:

"You've still got a fever. Let me put this scent patch on for you, then you can sleep."

Juan Yun nodded groggily; he was already on the verge of falling asleep.

Hearing Shi Yue's words, he rolled over decisively, exposing the faint red marks on his clean, slender neck, completely unguarded before Shi Yue.

The gland was red and swollen, pulsing slightly. The freshly injected alpha pheromones mixed with the omega's own scent, leaking out faintly.

Shi Yue's eyes gradually darkened. He took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing those unhealthy thoughts.

His mind screamed at him to taste this vulnerable, pheromone-leaking omega, but Shi Yue showed no outward sign, restraining himself with a grim expression as he peeled off one corner of the scent patch and placed it over the gland.

The hot breath against his skin made Juan Yun feel as if a wolf were circling behind him, sniffing and testing where to bite.

Juan Yun frowned and had just sensitively turned when a hand pressed down on his shoulder.

Shi Yue's palm was warm, his voice a bit hoarse. Thinking of Juan Yun's mention of breaking up, he spoke with a tone of restrained politeness:

"Don't move around, or it'll be crooked."

"Oh......"

Juan Yun turned back. He had been somewhat disoriented from the fever all along, and hearing Shi Yue say that, he thought to himself that Shi Yue probably wouldn’t disturb him further. With that, he drifted into sleep.

Just then, the door was pushed open gently, and footsteps approached. Shi Yue didn’t look up, pressing down the final corner of the scent patch.

He had used a medical-grade scent patch, which effectively contained the pheromones emitted by the gland.

Lu Sihua stood at the doorway, observing Shi Yue's carefulness.

The scent of olive pheromones still lingered in the room. Even though he was also an alpha, being exposed unprotected to an omega's scent triggered a slight stress response.

Buried deep in his bones, the possessiveness and longing for omegas were stirred—especially for this omega he had liked since childhood. It took great effort not to approach and disturb Juan Yun sleeping in the sunlight, but he couldn’t help taking a few steps forward.

Yet the alpha guarding the omega, though so close, showed even greater restraint, not taking advantage of the vulnerable omega but instead watching over him as he slept.

He knew Shi Yue liked Juan Yun, but only now did he realize it might be even more than he had imagined.

He believed that if it were him, it would be difficult to resist doing something to the omega he liked in such a situation.

He couldn’t even imagine an omega in heat trusting him enough to fall asleep in his presence. He considered himself a gentleman, but at times, an alpha's dark desires toward an omega were truly hard to suppress...

But Shi Yue could.

He could forcefully suppress his alpha instincts, refraining from touching the sleeping omega, sitting quietly beside him, waiting until the alluring omega scent in the room gradually faded, waiting for the omega to wake.

Just holding his hand and keeping him company quietly.

Lu Sihua watched silently for a while before speaking: "How is he?"

Shi Yue hadn’t accepted his friend request, nor Liu Yuanyu's, but he had accepted others'. To find out about Juan Yun's condition, he had to come in person.

Shi Yue held Juan Yun's hand, lowering his head to look at the white half-moons on his pink nails, rubbing his fingertips without looking up:

"Low blood sugar, not in great health... but that's none of your concern."

His words were sharp and aggressive. Lu Sihua sneered, reminding him: "Seems like it's none of your business either. You should know, he's from the Juan family."

"Of course I know," Shi Yue had no patience for his rival, replying coldly, "I've known since the day I met him."

Lu Sihua: "And you still dare to provoke him?"

Shi Yue let out a cold laugh, as if hearing something incredibly amusing. He placed Juan Yun's hand back under the covers, stood up, and walked over to him.

The imposing presence of his 1.9-meter height and his deep, steady voice pressed down on Lu Sihua, who instinctively released his alpha pheromones in response.

Shi Yue scoffed: "Why wouldn't I dare? Actually, there's a question I've always wanted to ask you: do you really like him?"

Hesitant, timid, and indecisive.

"I've known him since kindergarten. I understand him better than you do."

"So what? You like him, yet you stood by and watched him get engaged to the Ye family." Shi Yue, slightly taller, looked down at him with disdain:

"The Lu family—nothing more than this."

Lu Sihua's hands clenched tightly, his teeth gritted: "That's because the Juan family favored the Ye family! I had no other choice. Otherwise... you wouldn't have had a chance to appear before Juan Yun."

Now, seeing Shi Yue and Juan Yun growing closer, he suddenly realized: the Ye family shouldn’t be an obstacle, nor should Ye Xinyan. After all, Juan Yun didn’t like her, so why couldn’t he try to make Juan Yun like him instead?

He could change the arranged marriage.

If Juan Yun didn’t even reject Shi Yue, a public admission student, did that mean he might have a chance too?

This thought became uncontrollable once he noticed Juan Yun and Shi Yue growing closer, leading him to consider confessing to Juan Yun.

He and Juan Yun had been friends since childhood, knowing each other for so many years. Maybe Juan Yun actually felt—

"You think it's because you had no choice?" Shi Yue cut off his thoughts. "That's because he doesn't like you."

He cruelly revealed the truth: "Otherwise, how would there be no way to be together? He just doesn't like you."

Lu Sihua froze, never having considered that he might already have no chance left.

What did he do wrong?

Since childhood, he had suppressed his own feelings because he felt that Juan Yun and he were the same kind of people—and those who are alike understand each other best, as well as the survival rules of their kind.

If speaking certain things would cause trouble for Juan Yun, he chose to remain silent.

After all, they were both expected to enter arranged marriages. Without being 100% sure that the Juan family would choose him, he decided not to pressure Juan Yun or cause him any distress. Instead, he quietly stayed by his side, even attending Juan Yun and Ye Xinyan's engagement banquet in formal attire to give them gifts.

Was that wrong too?

He knew Juan Yun would not defy the Juan family's orders—they were both pawns, unable to escape their fate. So he held onto a sliver of hope: even if Juan Yun was engaged, he didn't like Ye Xinyan.

He was prepared to stay by Juan Yun’s side for a lifetime if necessary. Even if Juan Yun and Ye Xinyan eventually married, he could stand beside him as his friend-zone best man, witnessing his wedding.

They were all powerless against their circumstances.

It wasn’t until Shi Yue appeared that he realized things weren't like that.

After all, Juan Yun wasn’t married yet—only engaged—so he could still compete.

If Shi Yue could fight for him, why couldn’t he?

Compared to Shi Yue, he couldn’t understand why Juan Yun would rather choose a publicly admitted student over him.

What exactly is he lacking?

Shi Yue chuckled: "You like him? But you have no chance anymore. I just told Juan Yun how I feel."

Patting his shoulder, Shi Yue curled his lip and informed him:

"He said yes."

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Author's note: Perfect timing—no one else to show off to anyway.

[Sending hearts][Sending hearts] Red envelopes for Dahongpao tea in the comments section.