Chapter 12 Niannian Is Not Broken

Chapter 12: Niannian Is Not Broken

Being bitten on the back of the neck by another alpha and injected with pheromones never feels pleasant; an alpha's gland is inherently repelled by another alpha's pheromones. Zhu Shinian must have been in terrible pain, crying and trembling uncontrollably.

The bathroom was like a shattered bottle of rose essential oil, the floral pheromones oppressively thick.

No matter how gentle and restrained an alpha might be compared to others, their pheromones can never be completely non-irritating. The high-grade, high-concentration pheromones left even Gu Zhen stunned for two or three seconds, making him feel uncomfortable.

For Zhu Shinian, losing control of his pheromones was even more humiliating than the physical stimulation—like he had completely lost command over his own body.

The bright white bathroom light made him cry even harder. Zhu Shinian was almost completely exhausted; if Gu Zhen hadn't been holding him, he would have slid down the side of the bathtub.

Gu Zhen kissed his closed eyelids and told him to open his eyes and look at him.

"It smells wonderful. I love it. And no one else has smelled Niannian's pheromones."

"See, Niannian isn't broken. It was just a bit too intense all at once."

"I'll fix Niannian. A kiss will make everything better."

"I..." Zhu Shinian tried to speak, but choked up with sobs. Gu Zhen reached out and gently patted his back.

Mustering what little strength he had, Zhu Shinian reached up and wrapped his arms around Gu Zhen's neck.

Gu Zhen held him even tighter. Zhu Shinian's body, burning from the heat of arousal, pressed against him, almost scorching.

"I was wrong... I know I was wrong. Don't treat me like that..."

"I won't do it again, Gu Zhen. I swear I won't."

"What won't you do again? Do you even know exactly what you did wrong?" Gu Zhen asked.

"Gu Zhen..." Zhu Shinian sobbed his name again, then buried his face in Gu Zhen's shoulder, falling silent.

His shoulder felt a little heavier than before. Gu Zhen carefully turned to look at him and found Zhu Shinian with his eyes closed—whether unconscious or just too exhausted and had fallen asleep.

But Zhu Shinian's arms around his neck were still locked tightly, as if afraid Gu Zhen would abandon him.

Zhu Shinian simply couldn't live without him. He couldn't bear being apart even for a moment. And yet he had the audacity to call for a breakup, to leave him and join the Arctic Wolf Squad.

If he actually agreed to the breakup, he'd probably be crying alone in his dorm bed, wouldn't he?

A domestic kitten used to the warmth of its owner's embrace, even if it sneaks out the window one day, could never survive the hardships of the outdoors.

Gu Zhen lifted him out of the bathtub, dried his body and hair with a prepared towel, dressed him in pajamas like dressing a doll, and let him lean against his chest while blow-drying his hair.

Zhu Shinian looked very peaceful in his sleep. His hair was soft, his eyelashes cast fine, dense shadows, his lips appeared red and tender—a small piece of skin had been bitten off his lip by Gu Zhen earlier. The low collar of his pajamas revealed the red marks Gu Zhen had left on his pale chest.

Seeing him like this, Gu Zhen regretted being so rough with him earlier.

As an alpha himself, Gu Zhen couldn't possibly imagine what it felt like to have another alpha bite his gland and inject pheromones. Judging by Zhu Shinian's reaction, it must have been agonizing.

If it were him, he would have instinctively turned around and thrown a punch—hoping to draw blood, to leave the other person unable to stand. But Zhu Shinian didn't. Instead, after it was over, he clung to Gu Zhen's neck, terrified of being abandoned.

For a moment, Gu Zhen felt he might have gone too far. Zhu Shinian, after all, couldn't leave him even if he wanted to. Not only did he naturally rely on Gu Zhen, but no matter where Zhu Shinian applied for a transfer, the application would never get past him.

He could easily keep Zhu Shinian by his side without any effort—so why did he have to lose his temper today and force him like that?

Normally, Zhu Shinian would have crawled into his arms, rested a while, then leaned in and kissed his cheek like a kitten licking him.

Gu Zhen felt unsettled, though he couldn't pinpoint why. Lately, he seemed to get angry easily, and most of that extra fire was directed at Zhu Shinian.

But then he thought about Zhu Shinian secretly drinking with Jiang Huaiyan and secretly signing up for the Arctic Wolf Squad, and he found himself too furious to speak.

......

When Zhu Shinian woke up, it was already the middle of the night.

The familiar necklace was gone from his neck, and he panicked for a moment. Gu Zhen was already asleep beside him, so he didn't dare turn on the light. He groped in the dark for the bedside table.

It wasn't on his side. Zhu Shinian struggled to get out of bed and slowly made his way to Gu Zhen's side of the nightstand.

His legs were weak, and his inner thighs ached terribly. Maybe it was because of the alcohol—an S-class alpha's body rarely recovered this slowly.

After toasting with Jiang Huaiyan, there was a long stretch of time where his memory was blank. It was only now that he was fully awake.

Zhu Shinian had never been much of a drinker, but back in military school, some of his classmates could manage three or four beers before getting drunk on their first try. He never imagined his tolerance would be this bad.

Fragments of memory slowly surfaced. It seemed Mr. Jiang had brought him home. Then Gu Zhen helped him bathe, bit the gland on his neck, and asked why he had secretly drunk with Jiang Huaiyan, why he had secretly signed up for the Arctic Wolf Squad—if he really wanted to leave him, and if he had only been with him all along because of his grandmother's illness.

Being bitten on the gland hurt, but what made Zhu Shinian even sadder were Gu Zhen's words.

Gu Zhen said that his engagement to Jiang Huaiyan was forced by circumstances, that there was no other choice. He told Zhu Shinian he should be more understanding and considerate of his difficulties.

He also accused him of only being with him because of his grandmother's illness.

Gu Zhen was so contradictory. On one hand, he said Zhu Shinian was immature and didn't understand his difficulties. On the other, he claimed Zhu Shinian didn't care about him and was only with him for his grandmother's sake.

If only that were true. If only he really were with Gu Zhen just for his grandmother's sake, then he wouldn't be so heartbroken now that Gu Zhen was getting married.

No one in the world is truly generous enough to willingly share their lover with someone else.

The worst part was that someone else was Mr. Jiang.

Mr. Jiang was so wonderful—from a great family, capable, and incredibly handsome.

Even if he occasionally had a sharp tongue, he had a kind heart. Even his sarcastic remarks came out witty and inoffensive, like a unique, exquisite pattern on translucent jade. It was hardly a flaw.

If he were Gu Zhen, he would have long since stopped paying attention to a boring, jealous, and useless Zhu Shinian—who, on his very first mission, had gotten him hurt.

Zhu Shinian felt miserable and had no strength left. He sat down on the carpet by the edge of the bed, carefully searching for his necklace on the nightstand.

The thin silver chain was cold. Recognizing it as the necklace he always wore, he snatched it up immediately and put it back around his neck.

Still weak, legs aching, and dizzy from the alcohol, Zhu Shinian sat on the carpet, planning to rest against the bed for a while before returning to his side.

Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could discern a faint glimmer of moonlight.

Zhu Shinian carefully opened the pendant and looked at the photo inside.

In the photo, his mother and brother were still alive. They were a family of four.

Zhu Shinian was twelve then, at a slightly rebellious age. But kids in the slums didn't have much room for rebellion, and with the famously easygoing temper he'd inherited from both parents, his rebellion only went as far as pretending to be reluctant for the photo—just to look cool.

In the photo, his brother was leaning slightly toward him. Zhu Shinian had long forgotten what his brother had said then—probably trying to coax him into smiling at the camera.

His brother was a man of few words, but with Zhu Shinian, he had endless patience and words to say. Like many in District 26, he didn't like school and started working after presenting as an alpha at fourteen.

When Zhu Shinian brought him meals, his brother would chat nonstop while eating his packed meal. His coworkers said they'd never seen him talk so much in a month. He talked about their grandmother's illness, about their mother's employer's family, and about Zhu Shinian's school.

But in fact, until his brother passed away, Zhu Shinian never knew what hobbies his brother had, who his friends were, what his favorite fruit was, or whether he had any omega he was interested in.

The faint moonlight was not enough to make out the people in the photo. Zhu Shinian's nose suddenly stung for no reason he could name. He snapped the locket shut and pressed it against his chest.

His body heat soon warmed the locket.

Zhu Shinian could never truly bring himself to blame Gu Zhen for anything.

His mother had died of illness; his brother had died in an accident while trying to raise money for their grandmother's treatment. Illness had been an unbearable mountain pressing down on Zhu Shinian and his family. Yet Gu Zhen was the one who helped him find the best medical resources, allowing his grandmother—who should have been the first to go—to hold on until now, even long enough for a cure for her terminal disease to appear.

As long as Gu Zhen still wanted to make use of him, even though his heart ached, Zhu Shinian would shamelessly remain by his side.

Sitting on the carpet, Zhu Shinian watched the sleeping Gu Zhen. Gu Zhen had such good sleeping habits—he always left most of the bed for Zhu Shinian, or else he would hold him all night, and he would wake up in the exact same position he'd fallen asleep in.

Would Gu Zhen one day also sleep like that with Mr. Jiang?

Just thinking about it made Zhu Shinian's heart twinge.

He didn't dare think about it anymore.

Zhu Shinian turned his head away, no longer looking at Gu Zhen. He closed his eyes wearily, wanting to sit and rest a little longer.

It was a bit strange—lately, he got tired so easily. Before… before, with an S-level alpha physique, his body used to recover very quickly.

An injury like the one on his left shoulder should have been completely healed by now.

Author's note: