Chapter 64 Subconscious

Chapter 64: Subconscious

"Mmm..."

A muffled groan escaped Qi Yanshen lying on the hospital bed. Lu Yan, who had been keeping a close watch on his childhood friend's condition, immediately called for doctors and nurses.

The medical staff arrived quickly, conducting a comprehensive examination of Qi Yanshen. Although his rut wasn't completely over, his body was already fine. With about ten days of proper rest and recovery, he would fully recover.

After the examination, the doctors and nurses left to avoid disturbing the patient's rest.

Having not had any water for two days, Qi Yanshen's throat was hoarse. After drinking some water to moisten it, he managed to speak with difficulty, "How... how is Ji Anzhi?"

At that time, Qi Yanshen had not been in his right mind, but the moment the bomb exploded, he instinctively shielded Ji Anzhi and activated his personal protective shield. Unfortunately, the distance was too close. He sustained serious injuries himself, while Ji Anzhi probably didn't have many injuries.

Now awake, Qi Yanshen could clearly recall every detail of that scene. He was the one at fault.

Lu Yan had guessed Qi Yanshen would ask about Ji Anzhi. He drew back the isolation curtain nearby, revealing Ji Anzhi lying peacefully on the other hospital bed. "Still unconscious. His body is okay, but he just won't come to. The medical department wanted to examine him, but Chi Yan... that omega from the Medical major who's very close to Ji Anzhi, blocked the examination."

Qi Yanshen, who had just started to relax, felt his heart tighten again. He pressed, "So, did the medical department examine him or not?"

Lu Yan replied, puzzled, "No. Chief Na also stepped in to stop the examination. The reason given was that Chief Ji doesn't like it. No idea how she managed to persuade that bunch of omegas. And what's up with your reaction?"

Before Qi Yanshen could answer, two people walked in through the door, both people he knew very well.

Jian Fuxu and his omega father—Yun Huaifeng.

Yun Huaifeng was the head of the Pharmaceutical Department at the research institute. He was often holed up there working, so the moment he received news of Qi Yanshen's incident, he rushed to the medical room to provide treatment agents. He had just been making medicine for his own child. Hearing that Qi Yanshen had regained consciousness, he immediately came from the research institute to the medical room.

Lu Yan was really intimidated by Uncle Yun. He immediately stood up to greet him, "Hello, Uncle Yun!"

Yun Huaifeng replied kindly, "Hello, Xiao Yan. No need to be so formal."

Despite his words, Lu Yan remained tense. Yun Huaifeng didn't have time to reassure the younger man now. He directly addressed Jian Fuxu and Lu Yan, "I need to talk with Yanshen. Could you two step out for a moment?"

Jian Fuxu and Lu Yan obediently left, closing the door behind them. With Uncle Yun here this time, Qi Yanshen was probably in trouble.

It was class time, so the medical room wasn't busy. Lu Yan whispered gossip, "Do you think Qi Yanshen and Ji Anzhi are really secretly together? That day, Ji Anzhi was covered in floral scent, it nearly choked me..."

Jian Fuxu promptly interrupted, "Don't jump to conclusions. Qi Yanshen clearly wasn't himself at that time. His endurance has always been among the top of our generation. It was probably due to the influence of that banned drug last time. If it were someone else, Ji Anzhi wouldn't have just been soaked in alpha pheromones."

When an alpha loses control, they will prioritize finding a nearby omega to mark. If there are no omegas, the out-of-control alpha will go after a beta. However, this can be of two kinds: either fighting or marking. Qi Yanshen's subconscious made him choose the latter. Qi Yanshen must have feelings...

"What is your relationship with him?"

Facing his father's question, Qi Yanshen replied without hesitation, "Roommates."

Yun Huaifeng raised an eyebrow, sitting down on the stool beside the bed. His eyes curved as he asked in return, "Roommates?"

Before Qi Yanshen could answer, Yun Huaifeng continued, "An alpha in an uncontrollable rut will first attack other alphas within range, then proceed to mark omegas. If neither is present at the scene, and only a beta is available, attacking should still be the priority, not marking."

Hearing his father lay it out like that, Qi Yanshen was speechless. He had no idea himself why he had thought about marking at that time...

Yun Huaifeng sighed. He knew Yanshen had inherited this from his mother, so he needed to spell things out clearly. He was aware of the rumors circulating in the military academy. He had previously thought they were just rumors, but now it looked like they weren't entirely baseless.

Yun Huaifeng said meaningfully, "Yanshen, what's your beta roommate like?"

Qi Yanshen immediately replied, "Gentle, considerate, resilient, kind-hearted, and exceptionally talented."

"If someone bullied him, what would you do?"

"Make them pay."

"What if Lu Yan and your roommate both fell into the water? Who would you save first?"

"Ji Anzhi..." Realizing he answered too quickly, Qi Yanshen immediately added, "Lu Yan is an S-class alpha. He wouldn't drown right away."

Yun Huaifeng said with a laugh, "Have you considered that the roommate I mentioned might be Jian Fuxu?"

Qi Yanshen fell silent. Through this series of questions and answers, he realized he really did pay too much attention to Ji Anzhi...

Knowing his child had become aware of the issue, Yun Huaifeng didn't intend to dwell on it. When children fall in love, we elders don't need to meddle too much.

The choice is their own. As long as they don't regret it.

"Next question, why is there residual NSI-9 in your body?"

NSI-9 is a drug component that can trigger alpha pheromone flare-ups—the main ingredient behind what happened on his birthday.

Yun Huaifeng knew his child well. Seeing Qi Yanshen's eyelashes flutter twice in quick succession, he knew Qi Yanshen was about to lie. He smiled and warned, "Tell the truth."

After a long silence, Qi Yanshen finally said, "An accident, not intentional harm."

"Explain."

"...On my birthday, I accidentally inhaled it while drunk. The drug was something Ji Anzhi carried for self-defense." The content was entirely true, though he omitted some crucial parts.

Yun Huaifeng didn't need to guess who provided the alcohol; it was obviously Lu Yan. Ever since they turned twelve, the three of them got chewed out three times a year for drinking on their birthdays. That kid, Xiao Yan, was stubborn as a mule; even getting it from both his parents hadn't broken him of the habit.

Yun Huaifeng could buy that explanation, however reluctantly. It wasn't strange for a beta to carry some self-defense drugs. As for who got drunk, Yun Huaifeng didn't press further; pushing further was useless.

Yun Huaifeng said calmly, "Watch yourself from now on."

"Third question, why is there an activity-inhibiting component in his body? Do you know?"

Qi Yanshen looked up sharply, his expression clearly asking, 'Father, how do you know?'

A slight smile curled at the corner of Yun Huaifeng's mouth. "Do you think I'm really that naive? Your brother never asks about such activity-inhibiting drug components, but recently he's inquired several times. Your roommate's friend stopped the medical department from conducting a detailed examination on him. How do you think I figured it out?"

Also, how could kids your age compare to us old-timers? After all, your father is a frequent visitor to the Interrogation Department. A little questioning was all it took to confirm it.

After hearing his father's explanation, Qi Yanshen calmed down instead. He stated calmly, "I know there's an activity-inhibiting component in his body, but I don't know the reason. Ji Anzhi isn't willing to talk about it either."

Getting the info he needed, Yun Huaifeng had a rough guess. It seemed like a personal grudge. If the party involved doesn't want to talk, the military academy didn't need to get involved. However, if the other party pushed things too far, then the academy won't hold back either.

Yun Huaifeng stood up, taking out two boxes of medicine and placing them on the bedside table. "The box on top is for you. It can quickly expel the residual NSI-9 from your body. The box below is for your roommate. It works like the medicine Xiao Jin came up with, once a week, but it's slightly better with fewer side effects."

"I've already handled the explosion incident. The official reason is improper experimental operation. Don't worry about it. The dormitory has been rebuilt. You and your roommate will have to identify and collect your leftover personal stuff."

"Thank you, Father."

Yun Huaifeng said with a hint of disdain, "Don't be like your mother."

So wooden-headed that he, an omega, had to drug and offer himself.

With that, Yun Huaifeng left. As the head of the research institute, he was a busy man and couldn't stick around.

After bidding farewell to Uncle Yun, Jian Fuxu and Lu Yan immediately entered the ward to ask about the situation. Qi Yanshen only mentioned that his father knew about the drinking and the banned drug incident. Lu Yan, crestfallen, hid in the corner. He was gonna get a beating when he went home this term...

Paying no mind to the dejected Lu Yan, Qi Yanshen asked about Ji Anzhi's condition, "How is he now?"

Looking at Ji Anzhi lying on the other side of the hospital room, Qi Yanshen felt conflicted. Looking closely, everyone was at fault, yet it also seemed like no one was...

However, he was certain of one thing: if he didn’t handle his relationship with Ji Anzhi properly, his mother would absolutely kill him.

Jian Fuxu remained as indifferent as ever, saying, “There’s nothing wrong with his body. All the external injuries have healed, but he just won’t wake up.”

Qi Yanshen frowned. That didn’t make sense...

He remembered that the protective shield had blocked ninety percent of the explosion’s force, and he had absorbed almost all of the remaining ten percent. He had also made sure to protect Ji Anzhi’s head specifically, so Ji Anzhi should have only suffered external injuries...

“How long was I unconscious?”

“Two days.”

Two days wasn’t too bad, but the fact that Ji Anzhi hadn’t woken up in two days was troubling. Unfortunately, neither of them were experts in this field, so they could only wait quietly for Ji Anzhi to wake up.

Fortunately, Ji Anzhi woke up around five in the afternoon. Dr. Shenmu Yi immediately rushed over to check on him and perform a simple external examination.

The members of the Star Chart Department had also wanted to visit, but Shenmu Yi threatened to leave if they disturbed the treatment again, so they reluctantly left.

After the examination, aside from a slightly sickly pallor, Ji Anzhi was as gentle and kind as usual, answering every question. When he saw Qi Yanshen, his expression remained unchanged.

For some reason, seeing Ji Anzhi react this way made Qi Yanshen feel a pang of discomfort.

After all the medical staff had left and Jian Fuxu and Lu Yan had returned to the dormitory, Qi Yanshen finally apologized, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that at the time.”

Ji Anzhi smiled and said, “It’s fine. An alpha’s rut period... I understand.” Unfortunately, the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

However, Ji Anzhi hadn’t expected Qi Yanshen’s next words. “I’ll take responsibility for you.”

Ji Anzhi turned to Qi Yanshen in surprise. Had he misheard? An alpha actually said he would take responsibility for him? Am I hearing things, or is he out of his mind?

Faced with Ji Anzhi’s undisguised astonishment, Qi Yanshen said, “Even though it was an unconscious act on my part, it still happened. I’ll take responsibility for you.”

Ji Anzhi figured it out. Qi Yanshen felt guilty for taking advantage of him and wanted to make amends.

Ji Anzhi had already gotten over what happened that day. The main reason was that the situation had reminded him of something from his childhood, and the fear caused by the overwhelming strength of the alpha had driven him to choose mutual destruction in a moment of panic.

Now that he had survived, Ji Anzhi could calmly reflect on that day. Qi Yanshen had been controlled by the primal urges of an alpha, so it wasn’t entirely his fault. Moreover, Ji Anjue had been chattering in his ear nonstop, and he knew that the current situation was entirely his own doing.

If he hadn’t drugged Qi Yanshen on his birthday, Qi Yanshen wouldn’t have lost control during his rut, and none of this would have happened.

But as the person involved, even though Ji Anzhi knew it was an accident caused by himself, he couldn’t immediately come to terms with it.

In response to Qi Yanshen’s offer to take responsibility, Ji Anzhi smiled lightly and said, “There was no mark, so there’s no need to take responsibility.”

Those light, casual words made Qi Yanshen frown. Was Ji Anzhi worried he wouldn’t take responsibility? Just as he was about to explain properly, Ji Anzhi continued, “I’m not an omega.”

Qi Yanshen froze. It was the first time he had understood something so quickly. Because Ji Anzhi wasn’t an omega, he didn’t need an alpha to take responsibility. An alpha’s responsibility meant nothing to a beta.

Qi Yanshen fell silent. He felt he was being irrational. Rubbing his forehead, he wondered how he could make it up to Ji Anzhi. Ji Anzhi didn’t want him to take responsibility, and he couldn’t offer money as compensation—that would be an insult.

Just as Qi Yanshen was growing anxious, Ji Anzhi said, “If you really want to make it up to me, can I just have that small starship?”

Qi Yanshen hadn’t expected Ji Anzhi to ask for this. After a moment of thought, he said, “I’ll ask my mother. She’s the one who makes decisions about this.”

Knowing there was hope, Ji Anzhi thanked him and turned over to sleep. He was truly exhausted.

Seeing Ji Anzhi fall asleep in less than five minutes, Qi Yanshen inexplicably felt relieved. After what had happened, he hadn’t yet figured out how to face Ji Anzhi.

Qi Yanshen recalled his father’s words: during a rut, an alpha is controlled by desire, but when faced with a beta who has minimal pheromones, an undeveloped gland, and cannot be marked, the alpha acts on subconscious instincts.

At the time, he hadn’t felt the slightest urge to attack. Instead, he had pinned Ji Anzhi down, wanting to leave a mark. This proved that, subconsciously, he had feelings for Ji Anzhi—feelings that might have unknowingly crossed the boundary of friendship...

When did it start?

Qi Yanshen couldn’t figure it out. His first impression of Ji Anzhi was still that gentle young man descending the stairs. That image had indeed left a deep impression on him, but it was only a good impression of a roommate.

Was it later, when Ji Anzhi helped Lu Yan resolve his disciplinary issue? Or when he defeated a fourth-year student and earned Qi Yanshen’s respect? Or was it when Qi Yanshen used underhanded methods to force Ji Anzhi to take care of him?...

Qi Yanshen didn’t know, but his attention toward Ji Anzhi had indeed, without him realizing it, surpassed that toward his childhood friends Lu Yan and Jian Fuxu.

Before, Qi Yanshen might have thought it was just because he wanted to recruit talent. After all, Ji Anzhi was truly exceptional—so exceptional that he seemed like heaven’s favorite. So, out of admiration for his talent, Qi Yanshen had paid extra attention to him.

But his subconscious during his rut didn’t lie. He liked Ji Anzhi, and this liking had crossed the boundary of friendship.

Ah, let nature take its course...