Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The scene was a mess of chaos.

The urgent sirens of police cars and ambulances mingled with the frantic shouts of doctors: "Clear the way!" "The patient’s heartbeat is slow and he’s lost too much blood—contact the blood bank for backup immediately!"

The doctor had to use considerable force to pry Yan Gui’s death grip off Shen Hui before they could place him on a stretcher.

Shen Hui felt a chill creeping in, but he lacked the strength to move and finally chose to stop fighting.

Forget it. Let it be.

The gates of consciousness slammed shut, and Shen Hui slowly sank into a silent abyss, swallowed by darkness.

Shen Hui, Shen Hui... Shen Hui!

Exhausted to the point of collapse, Shen Hui only wanted to sleep soundly, but a persistent voice at his ear refused to leave him in peace.

Unable to bear it any longer, Shen Hui irritably opened his eyes. The blinding white light forced him to shield them with his hand. When the glare faded, he realized he had fallen asleep slumped over Yan Gui’s hospital bed.

Nineteen-year-old Yan Gui, just after receiving his differentiation injection.

Yan Gui’s differentiation hadn't gone smoothly; he had experienced a severe rejection reaction, spiking a high fever for two consecutive days.

Shen Hui had kept vigil by the bedside for three full days and nights, until Yan Gui’s alpha pheromones finally stabilized and he regained full consciousness.

The newly differentiated alpha’s first reaction upon seeing Shen Hui was delight, followed by a look of immense pride as he rasped, "I got it."

Shen Hui was momentarily stunned before realizing he was referring to the final block of Yan family shares they had been scheming to obtain for so long.

Years ago, Chen Shang had taken over all of Yan Gui’s shares under the guise of being a family friend, then quickly diluted and sold them off, rendering Yan Gui’s holdings nominal and leaving him destined to be a mere figurehead. Over the past three years, Shen Hui had secretly helped Yan Gui reclaim most of the equity, with only the largest portion remaining in the hands of Yan Gui’s second uncle.

This second uncle appeared to be a wealthy idler on the surface, but he had long been in league with the Chen family. He was even the one responsible for the deaths of Yan Gui’s parents, using that to secure a massive stake and become the public face of the Yan Group.

However, this wealthy idler’s family was fraught with discord. To give his mistress a sense of security, he had transferred those shares directly to his illegitimate son. Following Shen Hui’s plan, Yan Gui spent years posing as a frivolous playboy to get close to him. Finally, seizing the moment when the illegitimate son couldn't cover his gambling debts, Yan Gui negotiated to buy the shares. The illegitimate son gladly agreed to meet at a bar to sign the contract, but secretly drugged Yan Gui on behalf of Chen Shenzhi.

This was what had led to Shen Hui going to the bar to rescue him in the first place.

Shen Hui eyed Yan Gui, who was practically begging for praise, and narrowed his eyes. "You knew he drugged you?"

Hearing this, Yan Gui scrambled to sit up, brimming with pride. "Did he really think his petty schemes could get past me? It was just some low-life drug anyway, probably to catch me in a compromising position so he’d feel safe..."

His voice trailed off, finally falling silent under Shen Hui’s increasingly dark glare.

"Isn't that right?" Yan Gui asked nervously, feeling guilty.

Shen Hui sighed but didn't say more, pressing the call button by the bed. "This time, I miscalculated. I noticed Chen Shenzhi’s movements but failed to stop you in time..."

Thud!

The next moment, Shen Hui was pinned to the bed. Yan Gui loomed over him, his eyes burning with possessiveness.

The temperature in the room suddenly soared.

"Don't mention his name," Yan Gui commanded domineeringly.

Shen Hui raised an eyebrow in surprise. He knew newly differentiated alphas could become insecure and anxious, but this was usually directed at omegas with high compatibility rates.

"Stop being crazy. Get up," Shen Hui said, assuming he wasn't thinking clearly. He reached out to push him away, but the brat pushed his luck, leveraging his alpha physique and strength to grip Shen Hui’s wrists and pin them above his head.

It was an incredibly ambiguous and dangerous position. Because they were so close, even through the thin hospital gown, he could feel the alpha’s burgeoning strength.

"Don't mention his name, don't go see him, and don't you dare like him," the alpha demanded unreasonably, instinctively nuzzling against him.

Although Shen Hui was a beta, his body was as soft and cool as an omega’s, tempting one to...

The alpha’s gaze grew increasingly heated.

Shen Hui had had enough and was about to free a hand to slap some sense into him when the hospital door swung open.

"Is he awake? I brought the students—"

Professor Zhao’s voice cut off abruptly. The doctors and nurses behind him widened their eyes.

The thin blanket had slipped to the floor during the struggle. On the bed, the conscious alpha had Shen Hui pinned down, one hand firmly locking his wrists above his head. Shen Hui’s shirt was a mess, revealing a section of fair, supple skin, and his knees were held fast. Their bodies were pressed so tightly together that not even a sheet of paper could fit between them.

The two on the bed turned to face the spotlight-like stares, their expressions blank for a moment.

Slam!

Professor Zhao swiftly shut the door. Through the wood, they could hear him scolding the students.

Professor Zhao: "How could you not knock before a ward round?! You have to respect the patient’s privacy!"

The students nodded in agreement, too afraid to argue.

Shen Hui was speechless with fury. "Get off!"

The thwarted alpha reluctantly released him, muttering under his breath that Shen Hui hadn't agreed yet.

Five minutes later, Professor Zhao entered as if nothing had happened to examine Yan Gui.

"Top-tier alpha," Professor Zhao said, his heart finally settling back into his chest. At least he had preserved his old friend’s lineage. If the boy had really turned into an omega and been "cut down" by Shen Hui, how could he ever show his face again?

He continued reviewing the report. "The pheromone scent is fire? A natural element?"

Shen Hui detected the anomaly. "What’s wrong?"

"It’s just very rare for pheromones to be purely natural elements," Professor Zhao explained. "There’s an advanced theory in gland studies that suggests AOs with natural elements might, under specific conditions, be able to control or use the corresponding elements."

Both were surprised. "If that were true, what would it be? A superpower?"

"Impossible, right?"

Professor Zhao shot the student a disdainful look. "A hundred years ago, before secondary genders existed, people didn't believe men could give birth or women could grow a cock to fuck men!"

Student: The logic is sound, but your wording is a bit too crude...

Yan Gui wasn't interested in these theories, but when Professor Zhao uttered those last few words, he instinctively glanced at Shen Hui.

The tips of his fingers still retained that warm, jade-like touch. The hot-blooded alpha suddenly found Shen Hui incredibly... alluring.

Except for formal occasions where his role as a butler required a uniform, Shen Hui wore neat, clean shirts and trousers year-round. His wardrobe was like a series of copy-pastes, yet the simplest outfits accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs, highlighting a perfect waistline.

He looked so crisp and clean that it made one want to break and ravish him.

The alpha suddenly felt that a certain organ, post-differentiation, wasn't quite obeying his brain. He awkwardly adjusted his posture and looked up, only to meet Shen Hui’s blade-sharp, warning gaze.

"Is there definitely nothing wrong with his body? What we discussed before..."

Professor Zhao carefully reviewed the values and shook his head. "He just underwent differentiation, so even if there are symptoms, they won't show up immediately. But no one can say for sure when it comes to aftereffects—it's best to come back for a full checkup every year."

Shen Hui nodded, taking note of the instructions, then grabbed Yan Gui by the scruff of his neck and dragged the young Alpha away.

Yan Gui followed obediently behind Shen Hui like a large golden retriever, though his mind was filled with thoughts—can Betas bond too? Shen Hui's backside is so full...

"Do you remember what we need to do today?" Shen Hui sat in the driver's seat and turned to look at Yan Gui, who was clearly still out of it.

Yan Gui: "Huh?"

Shen Hui stared at him without speaking. Yan Gui struggled to dig the important matter out from the trashy thoughts in his head—today, they needed to take back the chairman's position right from his second uncle at the shareholders' meeting.

The process went surprisingly smoothly. Second Uncle Yan was still under the delusion that Yan Gui had differentiated into an Omega and that Shen Hui was Chen Shenzhi's trusted aide. He never expected his nephew to show up radiating Alpha pheromones, with Shen Hui by his side, and kick him straight out of the company.

The two of them quickly purged the company of internal threats, and by the time they caught their breath, three days had passed.

On their way home, however, they were ambushed. It wasn’t hard to guess whose brainless idea that was.

That day was the first time Yan Gui saw Shen Hui use a blade—a strikingly beautiful Tang-style sword.

Back to back, surrounded by dozens of foreign mercenaries armed with cold weapons, Yan Gui relied on his peak Alpha physique to seize a weapon bare-handed and use it as a cudgel.

Unlike Yan Gui’s reckless, head-on approach, Shen Hui’s every move was precise and efficient. His blade never missed its mark. Though his silhouette seemed slender and frail from behind, each swing carried immense force, like a dance of stark beauty and lethality.

Yan Gui’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to Shen Hui, who suddenly turned and sent the Tang sword flying past him, shouting sharply, "Don’t move!"

The blade skimmed precisely past Yan Gui’s temple, pinning the assassin behind him to the wall.

Shen Hui calmly retrieved his sword and glanced sideways at the young Alpha. "Daydreaming while your life hangs in the balance? You’ve really outdone yourself."

But instead of backing down, the Alpha suddenly closed in, pulling Shen Hui into an embrace. In a flash, he seized another attacker by the neck and cleanly snapped it.

Then he shot Shen Hui a provocative look: "Likewise."

Shen Hui raised an eyebrow in surprise, then wearily rubbed his temples.

He’d been exhausted lately, working around the clock for half a month since Yan Gui’s incident.

"Let’s go." He tried to push Yan Gui away and step forward, but Yan Gui didn’t let go.

Shen Hui gave him a puzzled look, only to be suddenly pinned against the wall. His hands were restrained behind his back, and Yan Gui used his knee to force Shen Hui's legs apart.

Cold wall at his back, scorching Alpha chest in front.

"What’s gotten into you?!" Shen Hui struggled to create distance, but Yan Gui pressed their foreheads together.

Yan Gui stared intently at him, maintaining a distance just a breath away from a kiss. "Shen Hui, why did you insist I differentiate into an Alpha?"

Why help me?

Why be so good to me?

Every moment of their past interactions, every version of Shen Hui, suddenly became vivid and bright.

In that instant, the newly differentiated Alpha had an epiphany. Gazing tenderly at the wary Beta before him, his eyes held an affection he himself was unaware of.

A sudden surge of emotion flowed straight from his heart.

"Shen Hui, I like you."

Regardless of gender, regardless of anything—it’s you I like.

Author's Note:

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Yan Gui clenches his fists, staring intently: Kiss! Kiss him already!

Yan Gui angrily grabs Teacher Diao by the neck: I confessed! Why won’t you let me kiss him!

Diao: Shen... help!

Shen Hui sips tea leisurely: Serves you right!

Teacher Diao: Deceased.