Chapter 27 Am I Disturbing You?

Chapter 27: Am I bothering you?

"Nonsense, big brother, you're the best alpha in the world!"

Li Ran is afraid of alphas, but he likes Chen Su. Chen Su is the best alpha in the world, different from other alphas.

Li Ran asked again, "Big brother, after you coughed up blood last time, did it happen again? Are you sure you don't need to see a doctor?"

"No, don't worry."

"Alright... then what do you want for dinner tonight? I only took one day off. I'll cook for you tonight, and after eating, I'll go back to school."

"Anything is fine."

"Okay." Li Ran smiled and went downstairs to cook for Chen Su.

In the afternoon, Zhao Jinzong sent Chen Su a message: "Dinner together tonight?"

Chen Su: "Can't make it."

Zhao Jinzong replied after a long pause, "Got plans?"

Chen Su: "Yeah."

Zhao Jinzong asked, "Coming back tonight?"

Chen Su: "Yeah."

In the evening, Chen Su had dinner with Xiao Li, saw him off at the airport, and then went back to the Chen residence to have a drink. Forcibly erasing a mark does have aftereffects, especially recently—his gland has been throbbing and burning.

Chen Su found a bottle of wine, looked it over, and opened the bottle he had previously sent to Zhao Jinzong and then gotten back. He hadn't even had a few sips before he got drunk and collapsed on the couch. Fortunately, the house had underfloor heating, so he wouldn't get cold. He rolled over, facing away from the TV that was still on.

Falling asleep with background noise always helped him sleep more deeply.

But the more he wanted to sleep, the more awake Chen Su became. Even drinking didn't help.

Chen Su curled up and lay there for a long time, until the doorbell rang downstairs.

At this hour, no one would come.

Soon after, Chen Su's phone rang.

Chen Su fumbled for his phone and answered. "Mm..."

"Asleep?"

"No."

Zhao Jinzong's voice was deep. "Come downstairs."

"..." Chen Su rubbed his temples to wake himself up, hung up, and went downstairs to open the door. After drinking too much, many senses became dull. Chen Su walked downstairs and opened the door, only then realizing he wasn't wearing shoes.

Zhao Jinzong looked down at Chen Su's feet.

"Need to change shoes?"

"You don't have to."

Zhao Jinzong smelled the alcohol on Chen Su. "Been drinking?"

"A little, to help me sleep."

Zhao Jinzong took off his coat, draped it over Chen Su's shoulders, and picked him up in one go. He carried him upstairs and set him down on the couch.

"Bathroom?"

Chen Su pointed to a spot.

Zhao Jinzong went in, and when he came out, he had a towel in hand. He knelt in front of Chen Su, held Chen Su's ankle, placed it on his knee, and wiped his foot.

Chen Su watched the Enigma who had lowered himself so much, feeling the scorching warmth of his hand on his ankle.

Perhaps the wind from the open door had stirred up his drunkenness; he really did feel drunk.

"Zhao Jinzong."

"Yeah."

"You smoked?"

The Enigma had a faint smell of tobacco on him when he walked in.

"A bit."

"Cut back on smoking."

"Okay." Zhao Jinzong wiped Chen Su's other foot.

Chen Su's hands braced on the couch, his body leaning back slightly. The leg held by Zhao Jinzong had its toes tense. "Don't keep touching me."

"..."

"There's something wrong with me."

Zhao Jinzong looked up at Chen Su. "What?"

"I have skin hunger, and it's severe."

Zhao Jinzong's ears started ringing, as if the little tower he had built with such difficulty over the past two months had crumbled, leaving only ruins and suffocating dust sticking to his throat and nostrils.

His hand paused. "Okay."

Zhao Jinzong took hold of Chen Su's pant leg, lowered his foot to the floor, and helped him put his shoes back on. "Go on back to sleep."

"Mm." Chen Su stood up and made his way to the bedroom on his own, his steps unsteady.

Zhao Jinzong frowned, his eyes dark and deep. He reached out and caught Chen Su's waist, carrying him to bed. "Cut back on the drinking."

"Mm."

"I'm heading back."

"..."

Zhao Jinzong reached over to turn off the light. In the darkness, Chen Su took Zhao Jinzong's hand. "Candy."

"Chen Su, no candy today."

Zhao Jinzong's voice was icy.

"Zhao Jinzong." Chen Su looked at the hand that was holding his—slender finger joints, full fingertips with thin calluses, giving a sense of strength.

"Hmm?"

"..." Chen Su fell silent again.

"Chen Su, if you drink again, no more candy."

"Okay." Chen Su let go, and as his hand dropped, Zhao Jinzong held it back and gently tucked it under the blanket.

Somehow, a few candies suddenly appeared in Chen Su's palm.

Green apple flavored candies.

Chen Su fell asleep clutching the candies.

The next morning, Chen Su took a shower. When he went downstairs, he was startled to realize that he was at home, and there was no steaming hot porridge. When a person, an object, or a habit becomes part of your life, it takes a long time to completely erase it.

Chen Su realized that no matter how carefully he tried to keep his distance, Zhao Jinzong had still worked his way into his life.

He didn't know how Zhao Jinzong had managed it.

Today, Chen Su ended his one-week suspension and drove back to the Drug Supervision Bureau. He just ate a quick meal in the cafeteria and then entered the experimental base. Meng Suizhi, holding a bottle of milk in his hand, said, "I've already submitted the medication application to Director General Zhao. He's been busy lately; approval will take two to three days."

"Mm, thank you."

"No problem. I'm heading to work." Meng Suizhi dived into the lab.

Just as Chen Su entered, Tan Zhou knocked on the door and came in, accompanied by a young alpha. The alpha looked at him with gentle eyes and said, "Senior."

Tan Zhou: "This is your junior who just got here yesterday. Take him around and show him the ropes."

"Okay."

Tan Zhou handed the guy over to Chen Su and left without even mentioning his name.

Chen Su was pretty troubled. He really didn't want to show someone around, but the new batch of medications had arrived and the classified project team was extremely busy. Chen Su's application hadn't been approved yet, and members from other project teams weren't in this experimental base. He was currently the one with the most free time, plus the other guy was his junior...

Ning Congnan smiled and said, "Senior probably doesn't remember me. My name is Ning Congnan. You can call me Congnan from now on."

Chen Su replied flatly, "Mm."

Ning Congnan: "Senior, have you eaten?"

"Mm."

"Okay, then thanks for your time."

"Mm."

Chen Su took the person around the Drug Supervision Bureau, and along the way, Ning Congnan kept smiling, looking very gentle. But Chen Su rarely responded; he mechanically introduced to Ning Congnan the experimental projects of the different bases of the Drug Supervision Bureau.

"Senior, I heard from Professor Ning that you were the most promising candidate to enter the Drug Supervision Bureau after graduation. Why did you skip the exam?"

"Supervisor Ning is your..."

"He's my dad. He's always regretted that you missed the exam. Fortunately, you still got into the Drug Supervision Bureau. He always says you're very talented; if you'd come in earlier, you'd be Deputy Chen by now."

Supervisor Ning was Chen Su's graduate advisor. He had mentored many students and praised many for their talent, but those geniuses seemed mediocre after he met Chen Su. Even after Chen Su graduated, even if he didn't enter the Drug Supervision Bureau, Supervisor Ning would often mention him, always saying, "I have a genius student."

But when asked about this genius student's research, he would always shake his head with regret.

Chen Su frowned. "At that time, my younger brother wasn't feeling well, so I took him to the hospital."

"I see... Is he doing well now?"

"Mm, much better." Chen Su said, "How's Supervisor Ning been lately?"

"He's doing well, but he's always talking about you. Senior, when you have time, you should go see him."

"Okay."

Chen Su led Ning Congnan to the area near the lab, which was right next to the General Bureau. He looked up at the distant gate of the General Bureau and stopped in his tracks. Last night he had drunk too much, but he remembered everything that had happened.

He had told Zhao Jinzong to stop smoking, and had confessed to him that he had skin hunger.

Zhao Jinzong had said that if he drank again, there would be no more candy.

But last night, he still got candy.

Chen Su suddenly stopped. Ning Congnan looked down at him and asked, "Senior, what's wrong?"

Chen Su rubbed his forehead. "It's nothing."

He turned around to leave, but bumped into a solid frame. A hand steadied him, while another hand froze in mid-air—it was Ning Congnan's hand.

Before Chen Su could look up, he first saw the silver tassel and then smelled the burnt-incense scent of his pheromones from the Enigma.

"Careful."

Zhao Jinzong withdrew the hand that was steadying Chen Su's waist and slid it into his pocket. His gaze stopped at Ning Congnan's hand suspended in the air, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

"General Director, I'm Ning Congnan. I just arrived at the Drug Supervision Bureau."

Zhao Jinzong's gaze rested on Chen Su's chin. "Mm."

Ning Congnan added, "Senior Chen is showing me around the Drug Supervision Bureau."

The Enigma let out a soft laugh and took a step forward. His black short boots lightly stepped on Chen Su's leather shoes. His handsome face was full of aggression. Zhao Jinzong's gaze darkened as he asked, "Am I interrupting?"