Chapter 80 Temporary Marking

Chapter 80: Temporary Mark

In Empire Year 787, Tao Juan resigned as Governor of the Rebel District due to illness.

The entire Rebel District let out a collective sigh of regret.

This legendary leader once led the Arctic Wolf Squad to create a legend among the Empire's special forces, and then, because of the Empire's cruelty, he resolutely led the squad to defect from the Empire, ushering in a great era. He was a hero for everyone in the Rebel District.

However, given the earlier news of his sudden illness and critical condition, the fact that he ultimately left his post due to illness rather than passing away was still relatively good news for most people.

After his condition stabilized, Tao Juan gave an interview, stating that after being discharged, he would continue to serve on the Civil-Military Joint Committee to the best of his ability, but he would leave major strategic decisions to the young people who were still sharp.

Meanwhile, the Committee held a public vote, and after more than a month, Zhu Shinian was elected with an overwhelming majority of votes.

Also, due to the expansion of the Rebel District's actual territory under control, the title of Governor of the Rebel District was officially changed to Chancellor of the Rebel District.

Zhu Shinian became even busier after leaving the battlefield.

He not only had to handle diplomacy, economics, and other affairs for the Rebel District, but also continue sending and receiving telegrams in his office, directing front-line operations.

He initially thought handling these matters would be difficult, but when he actually set to work, he found it was really just that simple.

It was like solving a problem, hitting a bullseye, or taking a city—no matter how difficult the task, it was just a matter of taking it step by step.

Besides, he still had Jiang Huaiyan, whom he had always considered incredibly capable ever since they were students.

When he was hesitant or lost, Jiang Huaiyan could always offer a strategic overview to help him see the situation clearly and make his own judgments.

But over the years, such relentless exertion inevitably took a toll on his health.

Especially during his heat cycles, he would use suppressants, and after the injection, he would continue working nonstop.

Eventually, after taking suppressants, he would develop a low-grade fever.

A low-grade fever was a normal side effect of suppressants—many people, other than S-level alphas and omegas, experienced this after taking them.

It was just mild dizziness and nausea, which didn't significantly affect work or daily life.

But Zhu Shinian's work was so critical that even the slightest mistake could lead to huge errors.

Tao Juan and his grandmother both advised him to find a partner through the matching center, even if it meant taking a little time for a temporary mark—it would be far better than relying on suppressants, which affected his performance.

But Zhu Shinian didn't want to do that.

He still couldn't forget the first time Gu Zhen had forcibly marked him—the feeling of his mind resisting while his body involuntarily gravitated toward him.

It was like his mind and body were completely split, utterly beyond his control.

His heart belonged to himself, but his body belonged to the alpha who had marked him.

Moreover, how could he trust that a stranger would be any more reliable than Gu Zhen? Would he respect him after marking him and not go against his will?

Zhu Shinian had his first argument with his grandmother—or not really an argument, more like when pushed to his limit, he raised his voice a little, and his grandmother, realizing he was upset, immediately fell silent, saying she would heat up a midnight snack for him.

Zhu Shinian knew his grandmother meant no harm, and he felt terrible for having raised his voice at her for the first time.

Later, Jiang Huaiyan said he could give Zhu Shinian a temporary mark instead.

If he had to find a matched alpha he didn't even know to do this temporary mark for him... then it might as well be Jiang Huaiyan.

Zhu Shinian was taken aback, as if considering this possibility for the first time.

Jiang Huaiyan’s health wasn’t good either; his level was low, and the side effects of suppressants affected him even worse than they did Zhu Shinian.

It had been almost two years since Zhu Shinian raided the Imperial base and brought back the cure.

By then, patients with conditions similar to Jiang Huaiyan’s had nearly recovered and no longer needed medication. Only Jiang Huaiyan, because he continued using suppressants frequently, still hadn’t gotten better.

His grandmother had also approached Jiang Huaiyan several times, urging him to register at the matching center. Even if the compatibility wasn’t very high, as long as the other person was kind and they could take care of each other, it would be fine. But Jiang Huaiyan seemed very resistant to the idea.

Zhu Shinian thought that having Jiang Huaiyan give him a temporary mark might not be so bad after all.

His own pheromone level was high—if they went through with the marking, Jiang Huaiyan's illness might get better faster.

Jiang Huaiyan’s teeth briefly sank into the back of his neck, and within seconds, he injected his pheromones.

But this was nothing like Zhu Shinian had imagined. It had been so long since he had any contact with an alpha that the stimulation from the alpha pheromones made his whole body tremble, and his mind went blank for a moment.

It was like the first time he'd bought an expensive suppressant after saving up for ages.

The moment he was marked, a pleasure like an electric current surged through his body. Seconds later, the discomfort that had been suppressed for days almost completely vanished.

It felt so good.

The familiar scent of cedarwood pheromones surged through his veins.

It instantly reminded him of a night long ago, when he was already lying in bed, and his older brother, just back from work and freshly showered, smelling of the same cedarwood.

From his pocket, his brother took out a golden, round, obviously expensive chocolate, carefully unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth, then casually climbed into bed.

“Mm!” Zhu Shinian exclaimed softly. The chocolate was so big it filled his mouth, leaving him speechless.

He wanted to say he'd already brushed his teeth, and eating afterwards would give him cavities.

But the chocolate was so sweet and delicious. His brother had already slipped under the covers, carrying a faint scent of cedarwood that felt fresh and calming.

Beneath the chocolate coating was a layer of crunchy nuts, and when he bit into the nuts, there was more sweet chocolate inside.

“Feeling better?”

A familiar voice sounded, and Zhu Shinian couldn't stop his body from trembling again.

*Let me help you. I'll make you feel better right now.*

The two figures in his memory overlapped, creating a strange, jarring feeling—as if he were desecrating the memory of his older brother and disrespecting Jiang Huaiyan's feelings at the same time. Zhu Shinian suddenly shoved Jiang Huaiyan away hard.

He had promised Jiang Huaiyan that his kindness was purely because he cared about him, simply because he wanted to be good to him.

Jiang Huaiyan was stunned too.

Then, the next second, as if realizing his action would hurt Jiang Huaiyan, Zhu Shinian did something even more incomprehensible.

He pulled Jiang Huaiyan back onto the sofa.

Zhu Shinian's strength was immense; his secondary differentiation into an omega didn’t affect his S-level physical capabilities. Coupled with the suddenness, Jiang Huaiyan had no time to brace himself and fell onto the sofa next to him.

Due to inertia, the two collided, and the fresh scent of cedarwood completely enveloped Zhu Shinian.

Jiang Huaiyan, afraid that he might fall backward, protected his back and pressed him into his embrace.

It felt very comfortable for Zhu Shinian to be close to the alpha who had marked him.

Jiang Huaiyan's embrace was just like that night when he first differentiated—cool like jade, making him feel comfortable, at ease, and as if he wanted to stay for a long, long time.

He stood frozen, doing nothing, until two or three seconds later, Jiang Huaiyan released him.

"Why are you bullying me like this?" Jiang Huaiyan smiled helplessly. "After being marked, you shove people around—are you treating me like Gu Zhen?"

"...That's a bit of a personal attack." Jiang Huaiyan said sarcastically, as was his habit.

Zhu Shinian felt that his whole body was acting strange, afraid that if he stayed with Jiang Huaiyan any longer he might do something else without thinking, so he immediately stood up.

"Sorry, I just now... didn't know what I was doing. I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Jiang Huaiyan waved his hand with a smile. "I'm not that fragile. I've got thick skin and I'm sturdy, didn't hit or bump anything—won't feel a thing."

"If you're scared, you should just stick to suppressants from now on. As for work, Lin Wenyuan and I will share some of the load. The people on the front lines have their own judgment—it shouldn't all be on you anyway. A general in the field is better off disobeying orders than following overly detailed commands."

"I'm not scared," Zhu Shinian quickly said.

He could sense that after marking him, Jiang Huaiyan's pheromones had become much more stable and normal.

For a C-grade alpha, marking turned out to be... such an important thing.

No wonder Jiang Huaiyan's fellow patients from the same period had all recovered—no wonder only his illness hadn't healed.

He should have known earlier—he was such a high-level omega. If he had let Jiang Huaiyan mark him sooner, Jiang Huaiyan's illness would have been cured long ago.

Jiang Huaiyan would have been able to... live a normal life long ago.

Every time he heard Grandma urging Jiang Huaiyan to go on blind dates and register for matching, a strange feeling of both agreement and opposition would well up in Zhu Shinian's heart.

He knew what Jiang Huaiyan was thinking—because of his illness, he always felt that finding an omega to be together would be for the purpose of curing his disease, with ulterior motives, unfair to that omega. Even though Grandma said it was just about finding someone to take care of each other, he couldn't go against his own conscience.

Zhu Shinian actually thought the same way. He selfishly wished Jiang Huaiyan would get better, but he also truly felt that it would be unfair to the omega who helped cure Jiang Huaiyan.

But if that omega were himself, then there would be no such concerns.

He knew everything—it was okay and possible for him to do anything for Jiang Huaiyan.

Besides, being temporarily marked was comfortable for him, not painful, and could hardly be called a sacrifice.

If it could also help Jiang Huaiyan cure his illness, then it couldn't be better.

"I'm not scared," Zhu Shinian repeated each word very seriously. "And it doesn't hurt... It's even more comfortable than suppressants."

"It's just that I haven't been treated like this in a long time, so I feel a little... not used to it."

Author's Note: