“Pa!”

The syringe with the inhibitor hit the ground with a crisp sound.

But this sound did nothing to wake the omega from his dazed state. He barely twitched his eyelids before opening his mouth again, biting down even harder.

The alpha’s hand was cold, and as soon as Li Po’s lips touched it, the chill made him flinch. His lips, already swollen and red from excessive biting, became even more vibrant as the cold only intensified the color.

The burning desire overshadowed the coldness at the corner of his lips. Li Po closed his eyes in embarrassment, biting down forcefully.

He still had a faint sliver of clarity, knowing exactly what he was doing at the moment. Just one second—one second, and the inhibitor would have been injected into him. One second, and he would have escaped this terrifying state and regained his sanity. Yet, he couldn’t hold on and lost control at the last moment.

He watched helplessly as he knocked away the inhibitor, watched himself shamelessly bite the alpha’s wrist, and watched himself spiral into the whirlpool of desire.

Little by little, Li Po’s face paled, until it turned completely ashen.

His eyes trembled with panic, filled with helplessness. The sensation between his lips and teeth became more distinct. The skin beneath his lips began to warm, melding with his own body temperature.

Li Po couldn’t hold on any longer. He had never felt so humiliated or endured such torturous yet pleasurable feelings. Under the dual stimulation, he could only close his eyes and pretend to block out the gaze from above.

But with his vision obscured, his sense of touch became even sharper. His teeth bit down on the thin layer of skin, and underneath it was the hard wrist bone, so solid that it made Li Po’s teeth ache.

He tried to loosen his grip, wanting to release Jiang Yu’s wrist, but his strength was fading. His lips barely lifted before quickly returning to press against it again, his teeth sinking even deeper.

He didn’t need to look to know that Jiang Yu’s wrist would definitely bear a deep bite mark.

Li Po felt utterly helpless. He opened his tear-filled eyes, looking desperately at the alpha, hoping Jiang Yu would push him away or even pull out that dark-gold pistol and shoot him in the arm—anything that could wake him up and stop this humiliation. He didn’t care what it took.

Shameful tears began to fall, sliding down the omega’s cheeks and landing on Jiang Yu’s wrist. The salty tears followed the skin down into Li Po’s mouth, filling his mouth with the taste of salt.

The more uncontrollable his tears became, the more ashamed Li Po felt. He even began to resent Jiang Yu. Why didn’t he push him away? Didn’t he have any control over himself?

Just when Li Po’s resentment was reaching its peak, a gentle scent suddenly appeared beside him.

The cool, calm pheromones surrounded the omega, covering him entirely in the alpha’s scent. But instead of sobering him up, this icy pheromone pulled him deeper into his haze.

…It feels so good.

He remembered how he would go to the vacation resort every summer and soak in the cold springs. The icy water would flow over his forehead, his nose, and finally fall into his lips, where he would swallow it.

And now, this sensation was strikingly similar to that—except this time, there was no refreshing spring water, only the increasing warmth between his lips.

Suddenly, Li Po felt a bit thirsty.

He glanced at Jiang Yu’s hand, and with just one look, a wave of heat surged in his eyes.

Jiang Yu’s hand was very attractive, with defined knuckles, long, slender fingers, and beautiful bones. Beneath the thin skin, faint veins traced a clear path, exuding strength, making one want to bite down.

…Wait, what nonsense am I thinking?

Li Po suddenly snapped back to reality, quickly shifting his gaze, his eyelashes trembling with fear. An omega in heat was naturally sensitive and fragile, unable to handle the slightest stimulus. Even a ridiculous, half-formed thought could startle him.

In his panic, he lost control of his bite and accidentally bit down harder.

Oh no.

The moment he tasted blood, Li Po had only one thought:

He’s doomed.

–

A faint sting spread from his wrist.

Jiang Yu froze, his gaze falling to the omega, who had buried his head in his wrist.

The omega’s teeth were sharp, and his bite was forceful. Even with Jiang Yu’s high tolerance for pain, he could still feel it, a testament to how hard the omega was biting.

From his angle, he could only see the omega’s bowed head and the flushed side of his face. Calmly, Jiang Yu thought the omega must be in a great deal of distress, probably on the verge of tears.

No, he was already crying.

Jiang Yu stared at the growing streaks of tears on his wrist, his face devoid of expression.

He should have immediately pulled his hand back, picked up the inhibitor from the ground, and injected it into the omega. But perhaps due to the omega’s heat-induced pheromones or the sight of those teary eyes, he didn’t do that.

Instead, he quietly observed the omega, releasing a small amount of soothing pheromones to ease the omega’s suffering.

He thought this would help the omega regain some clarity and let go of his wrist, but after a moment, the concentration of pheromones in the air doubled instead.

The rose-scented pheromones rushed toward him, even clinging to his clothes. Jiang Yu frowned, but before he could react, a sharp pain shot through his wrist.

—The omega’s teeth had broken the skin.

The omega’s canines were sharp, piercing his capillaries just enough for blood to seep out. The moment blood welled up, a flicker of panic appeared in the omega’s eyes. His pupils quivered as if unsure what to do, and instinctively, he stuck out his tongue to gently lick it.

A shiver, like an electric current, shot up Jiang Yu’s spine, his back stiffening.

The next second, as if realizing something, his expression turned cold, and he spoke abruptly:

“Don’t swallow.”

But it was too late.

Li Po had already been thirsty, and the moment his tongue touched the blood, he swallowed it along with his saliva. The cold taste of the pheromone slid down his throat, leaving a cool aftertaste that made him feel incredibly comfortable.

Truth be told, he wanted to taste it again. But before he could get closer, Jiang Yu’s wrist was abruptly pulled away, leaving him with nothing.

Li Po felt dissatisfied and was about to protest when his jaw was suddenly grabbed by a cold hand, forcing him to lift his face.

“Did you swallow?” Jiang Yu stared into his tear-filled eyes, his voice cold.

Li Po’s mind was still muddled. He wanted to nod, but with Jiang Yu holding his chin, he couldn’t move. After thinking about it, he decided to stick out his tongue for Jiang Yu to inspect.

“…”

Jiang Yu clearly hadn’t expected the omega to do that. He quickly let go of his chin, his gaze shifting away. His usually composed face showed a rare trace of emotion, which he quickly suppressed, leaving no sign of any flaw.

On the other hand, Li Po was now completely out of his mind. Before biting the alpha, he had maintained a sliver of clarity, aware of his actions. But after swallowing the blood mixed with the alpha’s pheromones, he felt light-headed, as if drunk, and was no longer aware of anything.

His arms were still weak, and the heat he thought he had suppressed began to rise again. Li Po leaned against the wall, tilting his head back, breathing heavily as he inhaled the alpha’s pheromones from the air.

“Does it hurt?”

Suddenly, a cold voice came from above him.

“…No,” Li Po answered instinctively.

His voice, once clear, was now hoarse and rough, like sandpaper scraping against his throat. It hurt like fire, and even just saying two words sent waves of burning pain through his throat.

So thirsty.

Li Po thought in his muddled state.

He was going to die of thirst.

Jiang Yu stood in front of him, looking down with an inscrutable expression.

How could it not hurt?

As an SS-class alpha, Jiang Yu knew how overwhelming his pheromones were. Even battle-hardened alphas found it hard to bear, let alone an omega with E-class mental strength.

Aside from the calming pheromones he had consciously released, the rest would inevitably cause the omega harm. That’s why he had been careful to control his pheromones, preventing the omega from being exposed to too much.

Moreover, he didn’t know how compatible their pheromones were. He had never met an omega whose compatibility exceeded 50% with him.

The lower the compatibility, the more dangerous the interaction between their pheromones. Earlier, the omega had tasted his blood, coming into direct contact with a high concentration of alpha pheromones. Logically, it should have made him uncomfortable or triggered a stress response.

But reality seemed different from what Jiang Yu expected.

Lowering his gaze, he glanced at the bite mark on his wrist, his face expressionless. The inhibitor lay by Li Po’s feet, and Jiang Yu bent down to pick it up, speaking calmly:

“Give me your hand.”

Li Po didn’t move.

He hadn’t even heard him.

The earlier heat had been momentarily suppressed by the alpha’s strong pheromones, but after a while, it returned with even more intensity and urgency.

He felt like he was going to burn up.

Just then, his hand, hanging limply by his side, was suddenly grabbed by someone. That person unceremoniously pinched his wrist, and an icy, sharp object pressed against his vein.

“!!!”

What’s that!?

Startled, Li Po reflexively struggled, pulling his hand back. Jiang Yu, caught off guard, gave him an opening.

The needle had just pierced his vein, but before the liquid could be injected, it was pulled out again, bringing with it a few streaks of blood. The pheromones in the blood were particularly strong, and Jiang Yu frowned slightly as he held the inhibitor.

Suddenly, the culprit let out an aggrieved voice:

“It hurts.”

“What?” Jiang Yu frowned.

“You…”

Li Po’s voice was hoarse, as if filled with sand, and Jiang Yu couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. He could barely distinguish a few syllables that sounded like “poke” and “rub.”

Rub?

Jiang Yu’s frown deepened.

He had no time to think about what Li Po was trying to say. He just wanted to inject the inhibitor as soon as possible. He had a vague sense that something about his state wasn’t right.

This time, Jiang Yu was more cautious with the omega. To prevent him from pulling away, Jiang Yu deliberately moved closer. His expression remained cold as he bent down, found the omega’s wrist, and carefully inserted the needle into the vein.

To his surprise, this time, the omega was extremely well-behaved throughout, neither resisting nor causing a fuss. He simply stared blankly at the needle being inserted into his vein, his face expressionless.

It hurts…

It hurts so much…

Finally, the long injection ended. Jiang Yu withdrew the needle, intending to discard it immediately, but before he could straighten up, he found himself unable to move.

—Because the omega had wrapped his arms around his waist.

The inhibitor hadn’t taken effect yet, but Li Po had regained some of his strength. His mind was still not entirely clear, but he was drawn to the alpha’s warmth and scent. Sensing that Jiang Yu was about to leave, he instinctively wanted to hold him back but didn’t know how, so he followed his instincts and hugged his waist.

Though Jiang Yu had just injected him, Li Po didn’t mind. He was quite magnanimous about it.

“It hurts,” Li Po muttered, burying his face in Jiang Yu’s shirt, complaining in a low voice.

The rose-scented pheromones clung to Jiang Yu, making his expression turn cold. His voice was laced with a touch of frost:

“Let go.”

But Li Po didn’t let go. He felt uncomfortable, both physically and emotionally, and refused to move. Seeing that Jiang Yu wasn’t pushing him away, he even took it a step further, rubbing his face against Jiang Yu’s body.

“…”

At that moment, Jiang Yu’s face was frighteningly cold.

No one had ever dared to act so boldly in front of him, let alone rub against him. This was a direct challenge to Jiang Yu’s limits.

He hated unnecessary physical contact with others. Earlier, he had tolerated the omega biting his wrist because of the heat, but now that the inhibitor had been injected, why was this omega still clinging to him?

Jiang Yu couldn’t understand.

He stood there, holding the empty syringe in one hand, his other hand hanging by his side, his face expressionless. He glanced down at the omega’s head leaning against his waist, feeling an unusual headache for the first time.

Perhaps due to the high concentration of omega pheromones, an instinctive sense of protection stirred in Jiang Yu’s heart. Instead of immediately pushing the omega away, he stood there coldly, his entire demeanor warning others to stay away.

At that moment, he noticed a discarded cardboard box in the corner.

The box that had originally held the inhibitor was now empty, thrown carelessly aside. That wasn’t important. What caught Jiang Yu’s attention was that the omega clinging to his waist belonged to someone else.

The realization hit Jiang Yu like a bucket of cold water. His expression darkened as he coldly pulled the omega off of him without a second thought.

Li Po, now pulled off, looked up in confusion, his red-rimmed eyes filled with innocence and bewilderment. “Are you angry?”

Angry?

Jiang Yu glanced at him coldly, denying it.

“Not quite.”

It was just his alpha instincts and possessiveness acting up.

“Oh.” Li Po responded slowly.

His condition had improved significantly, the heat now suppressed by the inhibitor. However, his mind was still foggy, and he felt sluggish.

After such a long ordeal, Li Po felt hot. He absentmindedly brushed his hair back from his forehead and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.

Without the fringe of hair covering his face, his features were fully exposed, sharp and eye-catching. The white shirt had been neat before, hiding everything beneath it. But now, with the top two buttons undone, one could catch glimpses of his collarbone, giving Li Po an air of coldness with a subtle hint of something else—something elusive, indescribable.

In an instant, the omega’s entire demeanor changed. The docile, obedient appearance was completely gone, replaced by an unmistakable sharpness.

Jiang Yu’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment before he averted his eyes.

Footsteps echoed, and Li Po looked up at the sound, catching only a glimpse of a cold, distant figure.

The heat in his body had subsided, and the overwhelming desire and reliance on the alpha had completely disappeared. Li Po no longer needed him, so he didn’t pay it much mind, closing his eyes and leaning back against the wall to rest.

When he opened his eyes again, clarity had mostly returned to his gaze.

…But the truth was, he didn’t really want to be clear-headed.

As his rationality returned, all the chaotic memories flooded back into his mind. The more he recalled, the more horrified he felt.

Could someone please tell him what exactly he had just done?

Biting someone’s wrist, hugging their waist, and saying a bunch of ridiculous things… Li Po was in a daze. Was that really him?

When did he become so shameless!?

It’s over, Li Po thought, he would never be able to face Jiang Yu again.

He hadn’t even started building a good impression, and now it had dropped into the negatives. How absurd was that?

Just thinking about it was enough to drive him crazy!

After venting his frustration, Li Po finally calmed down. His expression suddenly turned more serious.

At least one thing was clear from this experience: his mental strength was definitely not E-class.

On the contrary, it was at least A-class.

But if his mental strength wasn’t E-class, then how did Bian Lu fail to detect it back then? Li Po thought back to the time when his mental strength was tested, and the more he thought about it, the more something seemed off. However, this doubt couldn’t be resolved for the time being, so he pushed it to the back of his mind.

Right now, he had a more pressing issue to deal with: the omega’s heat.

Li Po had never imagined that an omega’s heat would come so suddenly, without any warning. He didn’t even have time to prepare before being thrust into the full force of it, almost unable to escape.

If Jiang Yu hadn’t happened to discover him, he wouldn’t even want to imagine what state he’d be in right now. And he didn’t dare think about what might have happened if a malicious alpha had found him instead.

During heat, an omega’s instinctive craving and reliance on an alpha was beyond control. Li Po deeply realized this.

Alpha pheromones could temporarily soothe him, alleviating the heat, but it was only a short-term solution. Only a real pheromone injection could fully suppress his overwhelming urges. Otherwise, everything was just an illusion, a wasted effort.

Thinking about this, Li Po suddenly felt lost. What if he didn’t want to be marked by someone? Was his only option to rely on inhibitors for the rest of his life? If this situation happened again, would he be nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter, leaving his fate in someone else’s hands?

Even just thinking about it left Li Po feeling scared.

He had always hated people who only thought with their lower bodies, so whenever he encountered men who only coveted his face, he rejected them without hesitation. But now, having crossed over to this world, he realized that it was impossible for alphas here to not be driven by desire.

The only reason Jiang Yu had been able to resist touching him was probably due to the massive gap in their mental strength or because their pheromones weren’t highly compatible. Otherwise, if an omega with 100% compatibility appeared, he wouldn’t believe that Jiang Yu could hold back. And as for himself…

Li Po bit down on his lip heavily.

At first, he had been able to maintain some semblance of reason, but once Jiang Yu came in and he caught a whiff of his pheromones, everything changed.

The little bit of shaky rationality he had left felt like a joke. Li Po had even seriously thought that even if he really shot himself in the leg with that pistol, so what? Things would still happen; it would just be bloodier.

As he thought about this, Li Po coldly curled his lips. He picked up the platinum pistol from the ground and put it back in its place, then looked around the room, intending to pick up the inhibitor packaging and thin film.

But to his surprise, the trash was gone. Did Jiang Yu take it with him?

—That seemed like the only possibility.

Li Po sighed softly, lifting his foot to walk towards the door.

Just as he stepped out, about to close the door behind him, he caught sight of a familiar figure.

…Wait, is it too late to slip away now?

As the person walked up to him, Li Po forced a smile. The smile was natural, not at all forced, and completely concealed the fact that he had just been the omega tormented by his heat to the point of tears.

“Sir.”

Jiang Yu’s expression was as indifferent as ever, his gaze revealing no emotion, just as it always had. “Are you better now?”

Li Po nodded obediently. “All better. Thank you, Sir.”

Jiang Yu nodded at his response, saying nothing more.

“Oh, right, Sir,” Li Po suddenly remembered something and asked, “Can the scent of heat pheromones dissipate naturally? I think I might have left some in the room…”

“No, contact White Tower,” Jiang Yu replied briefly.

“Okay.” With his answer, Li Po smiled brightly, his eyes curving into a pleasing arc.

Once Jiang Yu left, Li Po’s expression instantly dropped, and he sighed deeply. His gaze scanned the surroundings, and finally, he spotted a public communicator in the corner of the armory.

Of all the people in White Tower, Li Po only had one person’s contact information, so without much hesitation, he contacted Bian Lu.

Logically, Bian Lu, as a medical officer, wouldn’t normally handle such trivial tasks as cleaning up pheromone traces. But when he heard that Li Po had unexpectedly gone into heat in the armory, Bian Lu, being responsible for his patients, personally rushed over.

Li Po debated whether to wait for Bian Lu.

Although an omega’s heat could last anywhere from three days to a week, he had already taken the inhibitor today, so he shouldn’t have to worry about it. But even if he waited for Bian Lu, what could he ask?

Should he ask, “Do you know you misdiagnosed my mental strength?”

Or, “Do you know how upset I was when I found out I was classified as E-class?”

Neither question seemed realistic.

In a place like S District, where strong individuals were everywhere, unless you were exceptionally outstanding, showing weakness at the right time wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. When strength was equal, sometimes brains were more important than brawn. Li Po had always firmly believed this.

Besides, Bian Lu had always treated him well, so unless absolutely necessary, Li Po didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.

After weighing his options, Li Po decided not to wait and headed for the door.

But just as he stepped out of the armory, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of something white.

An ominous feeling surged in his heart as he slowly lifted his gaze, staring blankly ahead. Sure enough, Bian Lu was standing by the roadside, waving at him with enthusiasm.

“…”

Well, too late to run now.

…

Li Po was forced to return to the armory.

He hadn’t noticed it earlier, but after going out and coming back in, he realized just how overwhelming the scent in the room was. The door wasn’t even fully open, just slightly ajar, but the scent rushed out, hitting his nose directly.

He felt like he was going to faint from the smell. How had Jiang Yu managed to stay in there for so long?

As these random thoughts crossed his mind, Li Po sniffed the air. But just as he took a breath, he awkwardly held it in—he realized that amidst the overwhelming rose scent, there was a faint trace of alpha.

Even Li Po could smell it, so naturally, Bian Lu, being a doctor, could as well. The moment Bian Lu caught the scent, his face changed colors, an expression both vivid and complex.

As a doctor, his professional ethics forced him to maintain a calm demeanor, but internally, he was a mess of emotions. To make sure he wasn’t mistaken, he deliberately took a few more sniffs, just to be sure.

There was no mistake. Absolutely no mistake.

Li Po was his only omega patient, so there was no way he could have confused him with anyone else. And Jiang Yu was the only SS-class mental strength user in S District. He had diagnosed Jiang Yu countless times, so there was no way he could be wrong about him either.

So, this…

Bian Lu’s eyes slowly widened. He put on a pheromone-blocking mask with an indescribable expression, glanced at the omega hiding in the corner, and then walked in to begin the pheromone cleanup.

Once Bian Lu walked in, Li Po’s expression dropped again. He covered his face in embarrassment, leaving only his eyes exposed, filled with awkwardness.

Why hadn’t he thought about the fact that Bian Lu was also familiar with Jiang Yu?

If he had realized this earlier, he definitely wouldn’t have dawdled until Bian Lu showed up!

Just thinking about the look Bian Lu gave him made Li Po’s cheeks burn. He suddenly felt like S District had a personal vendetta against him. Why did he keep losing face in this place?

The pheromone cleanup didn’t take long, and as Bian Lu removed his protective gear, he cast Li Po a meaningful look.

Li Po: “…”

Great, here it comes again.

He guessed that Bian Lu had been holding back from asking anything earlier and was now going to question him thoroughly.

But to his surprise, Bian Lu didn’t ask about his relationship with Jiang Yu. Instead, he asked, “Why were you in the armory?”

Bian Lu considered himself somewhat familiar with Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu wasn’t someone who would bend the rules. Without the proper permissions, he wouldn’t have brought an omega into the armory. So there had to be another reason why the omega was there.

And indeed, Bian Lu’s guess was correct. Li Po pondered for a few seconds before replying, “Another alpha brought me here to test out some weapons.”

“Another alpha?” Bian Lu frowned.

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and asked, “By the way, didn’t you mention before that an alpha once brought you to the armory to try shooting?”

Li Po nodded.

Bian Lu’s frown deepened. He mulled over it for a while before speaking: “Do you know why they wanted you to try out the weapons?”

At those words, Li Po’s lips curled into a smile. He looked steadily at Bian Lu, the smile in his eyes faint: “Doctor Bian, you should be able to guess that, right?”

“…” Bian Lu was momentarily speechless.

Yes. In fact, ever since Li Po had first mentioned it, he had vaguely guessed something. But to avoid stirring up trouble, he had pretended not to understand and brushed it off.

Now, Li Po had brought it up again, saying almost the same thing. Bian Lu understood, yet he still chose to confirm the answer by directly asking the omega.

Wasn’t that just rubbing salt into his wounds?

Bian Lu had assumed the omega wouldn’t notice, but it turned out he was much smarter than he appeared. His impression of the omega had always been of someone who, despite causing trouble, was overall obedient and easy to get along with. But today, things felt… different.

Bian Lu’s eyes narrowed as he began to seriously observe the omega. Today, the usual fringe of hair that covered his forehead was brushed back, fully revealing his strikingly beautiful face. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing his fair skin…

For some reason, Bian Lu felt like the omega standing before him was different from the one he used to know. But what exactly had changed, he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Sensing Bian Lu’s gaze, Li Po suddenly realized something.

Oh no, he had forgotten.

Feeling frustrated with himself, Li Po forced a gentle smile at Bian Lu. Then, he raised his hand and reached for the buttons on his shirt. Bian Lu immediately caught on, quickly averting his gaze, pretending to look elsewhere.

For the first time, Li Po genuinely smiled. He fastened the two buttons and pushed his hair back down over his forehead, looking just like his usual self.

After tidying up, Li Po walked over to Bian Lu and asked, “Doctor Bian, what were you looking at?”

Only then did Bian Lu turn back around. He smiled at Li Po and said it was nothing, all the while sneaking another glance at him.

Strange. Was it just his imagination? Now, the omega looked exactly the same as before, obedient and sensible.

Bian Lu couldn’t figure it out. He studied the omega’s eyes and gradually formed an idea in his mind.

“Li Po, have you ever thought about helping out at White Tower during your free time?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Li Po froze.

He blinked slowly, looking at Bian Lu in confusion: “What did you say?”

Bian Lu repeated gently, “Helping out at White Tower during your free time.”

“…Can I really do that?”

Seeing the disbelief on the omega’s face, Bian Lu chuckled. “Why wouldn’t you? It’s just helping out at White Tower, not going on a mission. It’s not difficult.”

“No, no,” Li Po quickly explained, “I wasn’t thinking it would be difficult. I just wondered, would the higher-ups agree?”

At this, Bian Lu thought seriously for a moment: “If I speak for you, there shouldn’t be any issues.”

“…Pfft.” Li Po was successfully amused by that comment.

To be honest, Bian Lu’s offer came as a pleasant surprise. Nearly everyone in S District knew Li Po had gotten in through the back door, which meant that almost no alpha wanted to interact with him.

Even those alphas who coveted his looks didn’t respect him; they looked down on him. So Bian Lu’s suggestion felt especially valuable.

If Li Po actually ended up working at White Tower, whether he was there to do odd jobs or pick up trash, it would all be under Bian Lu’s guidance. As a medical officer, Bian Lu wasn’t just well-respected in White Tower but also throughout S District. The fact that he was willing to protect Li Po from being bullied by those alphas and associate with him was honestly touching.

However, working at White Tower wasn’t originally part of Li Po’s plan. After giving it some thought, though, he realized it might not be a bad idea. He just needed time to weigh the pros and cons. What if he hastily agreed to Bian Lu’s offer and later found it wasn’t suitable for him? He didn’t want to end up in an awkward situation.

So after considering it carefully, Li Po said, “Doctor Bian, can I think about it and give you an answer tomorrow?”

“Of course,” Bian Lu replied with a warm smile.

–

After they parted ways, Li Po returned to his dorm, and Bian Lu headed back to White Tower.

On the way, Bian Lu couldn’t resist pulling out his communicator to message Jiang Yu.

Since he had just been unblocked by Jiang Yu not long ago, this time he carefully considered his words to avoid sounding too nosy:

Bian Lu: [I went to the armory today to help clean up the omega’s pheromones. Guess what else I smelled while cleaning?]

Three minutes later.

Bian Lu: [Are you there?]

The next second, a message popped up on the screen:

[You have been blocked by the user. Please do not disturb.]

“…”

Bian Lu was utterly dumbfounded once again.

Meanwhile, in the omega dormitory.

After returning to his dorm, Li Po collapsed onto his bed in exhaustion. He had used up too much energy today, and now he was so tired that he didn’t even want to move a finger.

But he couldn’t stand the scent of pheromones all over him. After thinking about it for a moment, he decided to quickly take a shower.

Once he was done, he stood naked in front of his wardrobe, picking through his clothes. He didn’t have many options. The white ones were already worn and unwashed, so he could only wear black. He didn’t really like black, but there was no choice. He had to wear whatever was available.

After changing into his clothes, Li Po picked up the ones he had worn earlier and headed to the bathroom to wash them.

As he was about to toss them into the laundry basket, he paused for a moment.

The next second, he picked up the shirt, brought it to his nose, and took a sniff.

A cool scent filled his nostrils, instantly refreshing him. Li Po closed his eyes in satisfaction, then happily threw the shirt into the basket.

He had to admit, Jiang Yu was cold, and so was his pheromone scent. But while the pheromones smelled good, Jiang Yu as a person was just cold and distant, without any friends.

After tidying everything up, Li Po threw himself back onto the bed, burying himself in the blankets.

He closed his eyes, relaxing as he sorted through all the clues he had gathered so far. Once he had finished, he regrettably realized that all the people he had access to were small fry, with little influence or power. The people who knew the real story were all keeping things to themselves, refusing to share anything. Jin Mu was a perfect example of this.

As for Jiang Yu…

Forget it. Just thinking about Jiang Yu made Li Po’s ears turn red. He hadn’t even paid attention to how deep the bite mark was; he only knew it had drawn blood. If he had left a scar, what would he do…

Wait, stop!

So, for now, was his only option to accept the connection that Bian Lu was offering him?

Reality told Li Po that yes, it was.

Sighing softly, Li Po made up his mind. After enduring the rest of his heat, he would go to White Tower to work.

–

At White Tower.

Yu San was busy examining a sample in a petri dish. He carefully used tweezers to pick up a thin slice and placed it in a special reagent.

The reagent was a dark green color, and as the thin slice was dropped in, it quickly sank to the bottom. Yu San picked up the test tube, ready to peer inside, but suddenly his vision blurred.

Was he not sleeping well again? Yu San rubbed his eyes and squinted at the test tube.

This time, his vision cleared. He let out a long breath of relief, finally feeling more at ease. It wasn’t unusual for researchers like him to develop nearsightedness. If the degree of nearsightedness was minor, there was no need to wear glasses during experiments. But if it was severe, then special glasses were a must.

The problem was, while those glasses were useful, they were also outrageously expensive. Yu San couldn’t bring himself to spend the money. A pair of glasses cost at least three thousand star coins, and Yu San’s monthly salary in S District was only three thousand. It wasn’t worth spending that kind of money just for two lenses.

Just as he finished that thought, his eyes started itching again.

Yu San had a habit of rubbing his eyes, and lately, they had been itching more frequently. At first, rubbing them would relieve the discomfort, but now the more he rubbed, the worse it got. His vision had even started to blur, which was making him panic.

He had even considered going to White Tower’s ophthalmology department to have it checked out, but truth be told, he really didn’t want to go.

The eye doctors at White Tower were a bunch of old foxes, always recommending glasses regardless of how severe the nearsightedness was. He wouldn’t admit it, but he knew that for every pair of glasses they prescribed, they got a 20% commission. He wasn’t stupid. There was no way he was going to be part of that racket.

So, he was stuck putting up with it for now. But today was particularly strange—his eyes were itching intensely, like there was an eyelash stuck in there. Unable to resist any longer, Yu San grabbed a mercury mirror and opened his eyes wide in front of it.

Oddly enough, no matter how much he moved his eyes, he couldn’t find that damn eyelash. Had it fallen out when he wasn’t paying attention?

Yu San blinked a few times, and suddenly, his vision cleared. It seemed like the irritation was really gone, and his eyes didn’t itch anymore!

But his relief was short-lived. Yu San glanced at his reflection and sighed. He had been pulling too many all-nighters lately, and now his eyes were bloodshot, with red veins crisscrossing his sclera. Even his colleagues in the lab had been asking what was wrong with his eyes.

What else could it be? Obviously, it was the lack of sleep. Just look at that one blood vessel in his left eye—it was nearly a centimeter long!

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Another loooong chapter!!!
I hope the next chapter not as long as the previous 2~