Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Studying all night turned out to be great for helping him sleep. Su Xingze nibbled on braised snacks, and when it got spicy, Lu Xingwen would just pop a few pieces of fruit into his mouth. When thirsty, he drank the pear drink that Aunt Zhang had brought.

By the end of studying, he was full and drowsy, with a full, round belly, but not a single piece of knowledge had made it into his brain.

Afraid he might get bloated, Lu Xingwen fed him a few hawthorn berries.

Su Xingze wrapped himself in the blanket and rolled over, curling up in bed to find a comfortable position to sleep in.

Tomorrow, Aunt Lu was coming to pick them up from the hospital, so they couldn't sleep in. They had to get up early, so they should turn in early tonight.

Su Xingze fell asleep early, but Lu Xingwen worked until midnight. He had no idea when the other man finally went to sleep.

At six in the morning, it was still dark. Lu Xingwen quietly got out of bed.

He dressed carefully, and as he passed by Su Xingze's bed, he glanced at the sleeping figure.

Sure enough, Chenchen wouldn't be waking up at this hour.

Lu Xingwen went to the next room to shower, wash his face, and brush his teeth. Fortunately, he hadn't eaten dinner last night, so his breath didn't smell bad.

At 6:30, his assistant Xu arrived with a stylist.

Assistant Xu yawned: "Boss, I've brought him. This is the best stylist in Zecheng."

The stylist was a Beta in his thirties. Many big celebrities sought him out for their styling, and almost every look he created became a huge success. That was why he never took morning shifts and refused weekend work—he did things on his own terms.

Assistant Xu had to be extremely generous to get him here.

"Mr. Lu, I'm Hu Mingze. What kind of style are you looking for?" His professional pride meant he took every job seriously.

Lu Xingwen smiled: "After biting a gland, I want to look reliable."

Assistant Xu: "..."

Since when did biting a gland require this kind of ritual?

"No makeup," Lu Xingwen added. "Just make me look good while I'm lying in a hospital bed."

It wasn't just Assistant Xu who was silent—even Hu Mingze had nothing to say. In his entire career, he'd never heard such a request.

It seemed there were still challenging requests in this world.

Hu Mingze took out his styling kit and asked before starting: "Mr. Lu, I find your requests quite challenging. I hope you'll consider hiring me long-term."

Lu Xingwen: "Talk to Assistant Xu about it later."

Hu Mingze perked up at the thought of such challenges every day. "Thank you, Mr. Lu."

Lu Xingwen came back to the hospital room at 7:10.

The moment he walked in, he saw Su Xingze awake, sitting on the bed dozing off.

Perhaps because he'd gone to bed so early, Su Xingze had woken up and found it was just after six. He'd turned over to sleep more but noticed that Xiaolu's bed was empty.

He hadn't gone to the bathroom, and he'd been gone for a long time. Worried something might be wrong, Su Xingze sat up to wait.

When he finally saw him come back, he asked: "What were you doing?"

Before Lu Xingwen could answer, Su Xingze laughed and yawned: "Shouldn't you say, 'Ah went to get Boss Hu to give me a fancy new hairstyle'?"

Lu Xingwen: "..."

The Alpha, freshly styled, had fluffy hair, every strand perfectly in place. When the morning light hit it, it had a warm glow.

Su Xingze squinted, rubbed his eyes, and looked again: "Your hair does look a lot better, like you just had it done."

Seeing that Lu Xingwen didn't find the joke funny, Su Xingze dropped it.

As long as Xiaolu was fine, that's all that mattered. He lay back down, wrapped himself in the blanket, and let out a long, deep yawn: "I'm going back to sleep. You should too. Don't push yourself too hard—there's always more work."

"Okay." Lu Xingwen stood by the bed watching the little sleepyhead who was already dozing off within three seconds, then sat down in a chair nearby.

Sleeping would mess up his hair, so he'd just sit and wait for Chenchen to wake up.

At 8:00, Su Xingze was still asleep.

At 8:30, Su Xingze was still asleep.

At 9:00, Su Xingze was still asleep.

At 9:30, Dr. Zhao finished the discharge paperwork and brought it over.

At 10:00, Su Xingze rolled over but still didn't wake up.

Lu Xingwen: "..."

Lu Hean called and asked: "Bro, are you two ready? We'll arrive at 10:30. Mom said since I didn't let her visit you on your birthday last time, she has to come this time. She even dragged Dad along."

Lu Xingwen asked: "About Su Xingze and me..."

"Don't worry, I told them. They won't tell anyone." Lu Hean sighed: "After all, Su Xingze used to come over all the time when he was little. Mom really likes him. Especially after hearing he presented as an Omega, she's even more protective of him."

"Thanks." Lu Xingwen said.

Lu Hean was about to ask for some research equipment when Lu Yeqing grabbed him by the ear and hung up the phone: "That's your brother, not your ATM!"

Lu Hean covered his ear and tried to defend himself: "Mom, I just want some research equipment. It's for a good cause."

"Ask your father for it." Lu Yeqing shoved her son toward Lu Huan, fuming: "Look at the son you raised!"

Lu Huan quickly comforted his wife and shot Lu Hean a few glares.

They'd wanted a well-behaved child—how did they end up with such a rebellious son!

At 10:15, Lu Xingwen couldn't take it anymore. He got up to wake the still-sleeping Su Xingze.

The effect was minimal—the Omega rolled over, showed signs of waking, then buried his head in the blanket and fell back into deep sleep.

At 10:20, Lu Hean texted that they'd arrived at the parking lot.

Lu Xingwen looked at Su Xingze, still fast asleep. He leaned down, opened the wrapped blanket, gently pulled down half of the top, and pressed a kiss on the Omega's sensitive gland through the gland patch.

No reaction.

At 10:23, Su Xingze still hadn't woken up. Lu Xingwen went into the bathroom and injected a strong suppressant.

Then he walked straight to the bed, knelt on it, gently peeled off the gland patch, and bit directly into the tender gland.

Unlike the previous licking, this bite was meant to be a temporary mark, so it sank in firmly, injecting the pheromones.

Su Xingze woke from his sleep, his first reaction was pain, but what followed was a pleasure so intense it made his scalp tingle.

Just as he tried to struggle, he was grabbed from behind, an arm locked around his neck, giving him no chance to resist.

Earlier, in the isolation room, he'd run off in embarrassment and told Xiaolu that he hoped for a surprise marking, one completed before he even realized it.

Today, before he was even awake, Lu Xingwen had pressed him down and completed the temporary mark—truly unexpected.

A tingling numbness spread through him, making half his body go weak. Su Xingze opened his mouth, gasping helplessly, hoping to take in more fresh air.

The pheromone injection felt long and agonizing. He wrapped his arms tightly around Lu Xingwen's waist, whimpering, "Ouch... it hurts..."

Though the temporary mark was pleasurable, it also hurt. Su Xingze hoped that, thanks to his reminder, Lu Xingwen would bite more gently.

But to his surprise, upon hearing his struggle, Lu Xingwen bit down even harder. His teeth sank into the gland, ferocious, as if trying to devour him whole.

Su Xingze couldn't see the state of his gland, but he knew it must have turned a delicate red, pitifully tormented and roughed up.

His childhood friend seemed different now—no longer as gentle and easygoing as before. He bit fiercely, and no matter how Su Xingze pushed him, it was useless.