On the third day of staying in White Tower, Li Po found himself deeply engrossed in counting the floor tiles. From the door to the window, there were about nine tiles. From the head of the bed to the opposite wall, around thirteen tiles.

He still had an IV drip attached, with about 50 drops per minute. Now, with more than half the IV left, he still had a long way to go. Li Po stared at it longingly, wishing he could somehow swallow it whole. The boredom was unbearable.

“45, 46, 47…” he muttered, his head drooping lower as he started nodding off. But just as he was about to fall asleep, the door to the room suddenly opened from the outside.

Li Po instantly perked up and looked toward the visitor. “Doctor Bian, has the compatibility test result come out?”

Bian Lu didn’t respond right away. He was holding a piece of paper and looking at Li Po with an extremely complicated expression.

Seeing this, Li Po’s heart sank, and he immediately felt like a deflated balloon. “…Is it really low?”

Without a word, Bian Lu walked over to the bed and handed him the paper, still silent.

A sense of foreboding crept up on Li Po. He took the paper and glanced down, immediately freezing in place.

The paper was filled with dense English, and not just ordinary English—specialized medical jargon he couldn’t understand at all. The only thing he could make out was the number at the bottom of the page. His eyes locked onto it, and in that moment, Li Po felt completely petrified.

The number looked a lot like the IV drip he was hooked up to—smooth and round. Yes, it was a big, fat zero.

…Not even 1%. Li Po couldn’t help but feel this was some sort of karmic punishment for being “zero” his whole life. The crisp white paper crinkled under his grip as a cold, chilling sensation ran through his body, leaving him feeling as if he were standing in a drafty, empty house, cold to the bone.

Minute by minute, he finally let go of the paper and forced a weak smile. “That’s a pretty round number.”

The next moment, his smile dropped. “How could it be zero… not even 1%…”

Bian Lu hadn’t been paying attention to Li Po’s reaction, still too lost in his own shock. Since starting compatibility tests for Jiang Yu, this was the first time he had encountered such a result, and his hands trembled with excitement.

Seeing Bian Lu’s overly emotional reaction, Li Po’s expression grew even more dejected. What’s the big deal about a zero compatibility score? Why did Bian Lu look so excited?

Only then did Bian Lu remember what Li Po had just said. He frowned and asked seriously, “What? You’re not satisfied with that?”

“…” Li Po’s light-brown eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at Bian Lu. He couldn’t understand why the doctor was mocking him. Li Po had always restrained his temper in front of Bian Lu, but that didn’t mean he had no temper at all.

Feeling a bit irritated, Li Po snapped, “So in Doctor Bian’s eyes, I don’t even deserve 1%, huh?”

After that, he turned his head to look out the window, lips pressed into a tight line.

Bian Lu finally realized something was off. He studied Li Po’s profile carefully, and when his eyes landed on the crumpled paper in Li Po’s hand, everything clicked. “You’ve misunderstood. That number isn’t the compatibility score.”

“What is it, then?” Li Po asked, clearly unhappy.

“Rejection rate.”

“…”

Those three words were like a thunderclap in Li Po’s ears. He blinked in confusion, unable to process the information for a moment. A rejection rate of 0… then that means the compatibility score must be…

100%?!!!

Li Po was stunned. His compatibility with Jiang Yu was actually 100%? Was he dreaming?

In disbelief, he raised his left hand and pinched his thigh.

Hiss… Damn, that hurt!

He didn’t hold back, and tears quickly welled up in his eyes. Calmly wiping them away, he looked up and confirmed, “So you’re saying… my compatibility with him is 100%, right?”

Bian Lu hadn’t noticed Li Po’s little self-punishment, assuming instead that the Omega had been moved to tears by the result. His jealousy toward Jiang Yu peaked at that moment. “Yes, you’re the first person to ever have 100% compatibility with him.”

Thinking for a moment, he added, “You’re also the first Omega to have a compatibility score above 50% with him.”

“…Does S District sell lottery tickets?” Li Po asked after a long pause.

“Lottery?” Bian Lu blinked, confused. “What’s a lottery?”

“Never mind.” Li Po sighed, looking down. With a 100% compatibility score, it seemed like a waste not to buy a lottery ticket.

Seeing that Li Po had calmed down, Bian Lu finally relaxed. He looked like he had something to say, but hesitated, as if unsure how to phrase it.

Sensing this, Li Po asked directly, “Is there something else you want to tell me?”

Bian Lu’s eyes flickered, and he took a moment to gather his thoughts. Finally, he spoke, “Li Po, do you like Jiang Yu?”

“…?” Li Po raised his eyebrows at the unexpected question.

It was a good question. Li Po had never been in a relationship and didn’t really understand what it meant to like someone. He knew that Jiang Yu fit his type, and he probably had some feelings for him. But as for whether it had reached the level of “liking”… he wasn’t sure yet.

With that in mind, he smiled but didn’t give a direct answer. “Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

Bian Lu didn’t catch on that Li Po was avoiding the question and assumed he was just shy. “No reason. I just wanted to discuss something with you.”

“What’s that?”

At this, Bian Lu’s expression turned more serious. He looked Li Po in the eye and asked, “You probably know a bit about Jiang Yu’s physical condition, right?”

Li Po hesitated before nodding.

Bian Lu didn’t beat around the bush. “I want you to go on missions with him and, if necessary, use your pheromones to calm him. Of course, this isn’t about using you—if you team up with him, I believe you’ll receive better treatment than you do now.”

“Is this another case of pulling strings?” Li Po smiled faintly after hearing him out.

Bian Lu faltered, unsure how to respond. “…It’s not really that. You’d both be benefiting from the arrangement, that’s all.”

“Mutual benefit,” Li Po repeated softly, then shook his head. “He won’t agree.”

Bian Lu, growing anxious, decided to exaggerate Jiang Yu’s condition a bit, telling Li Po how serious it was and even bringing up the fates of the previous four combat officers. He was desperate to convince Li Po to help.

As expected, Li Po hesitated after hearing the details. He looked down at the pristine white bedsheet, his emotions difficult to read.

“No one else can do it, but maybe you can. Don’t Omegas know how to act cute? You could try that with Jiang Yu—who knows, maybe he’ll agree if you pout a little? Besides, teaming up with him has no downside for you.” Bian Lu was so worried about Jiang Yu that he even dropped his professional demeanor, pleading with Li Po earnestly.

Li Po’s eye twitched at the mention of “acting cute.” He quickly stopped Bian Lu’s persuasion. “Alright, I’ll give it a shot.”

After all, he did want to go on missions with Jiang Yu.

Bian Lu immediately felt relieved. He checked the time and said, “Get ready. Jiang Yu will be coming to White Tower soon. I’ll make sure he comes to see you.”

Li Po asked with a deadpan expression, “Isn’t he busy?”

“He’s always busy. I’ve never seen him take a break,” Bian Lu replied, already heading for the door.

“Wait,” Li Po called out, stopping him. “About the compatibility… does the officer know yet?”

Bian Lu shook his head. “Not yet. I was going to tell him when he arrived.”

“Don’t say anything yet,” Li Po said after a pause. “I want to tell him myself.”

Bian Lu froze for a second before realizing what Li Po was thinking. He quickly agreed, understanding the desire to give Jiang Yu a personal surprise. Ah, these young people and their need for grand gestures. He’d become immune to such things by now.

Li Po had no idea what was going through Bian Lu’s mind. He glanced at the IV drip—only about a quarter left. The white test report in his hand had been crumpled from gripping it too long, but he didn’t care. All he could think about was how agonizing waiting could be.

He suddenly wondered how the people who used to chase after him had managed to stand outside his dorm for three hours straight. It was truly unfathomable.

An hour later, the door to the hospital room finally opened again.

Jiang Yu entered, bringing with him a chill that filled the room. His cold eyes glanced at the bed.

Li Po was fast asleep.

“…”

Jiang Yu stood still for a few seconds before turning to leave.

Li Po was a light sleeper, and the sound of someone in the room immediately woke him. Just as Jiang Yu was about to step out, Li Po called softly, “Officer.”

Jiang Yu paused.

He turned to look at Li Po but didn’t move any closer. Staring into those sleepy eyes, he said in his usual flat tone, “Bian Lu told me you were in pain.”

Li Po: “?”

“He said it hurt so much you cried.”

Li Po: “…”

Goodness, Bian Lu had really gone overboard with that story. No wonder Jiang Yu had bothered to come.

Li Po found it amusing, but he didn’t show it. Instead, he looked up at Jiang Yu and asked, “Officer, do you want me to cry?”

When Jiang Yu didn’t respond, Li Po grinned and added, “If you want, I can cry for you right now.”

“…”

Jiang Yu shot him a bland look, saying nothing. Finally, he closed the door to the room and walked over to the bed, looking down at Li Po. “Why did you call for me?”

“Do I need a reason to call you?” Li Po asked, tilting his head up.

Seeing Jiang Yu’s expression grow colder, Li Po decided to stop pushing his luck. He pulled out the test report from behind him and waved it in front of Jiang Yu. “Officer, our compatibility results are out.”

He put extra emphasis on the word our, just to gauge Jiang Yu’s reaction. Unfortunately, Jiang Yu remained as cold and indifferent as ever.

Feeling a bit deflated, Li Po asked, “Aren’t you curious about the result?”

Jiang Yu’s gaze lingered on the paper for a few seconds before shifting away. “What is it?”

Hearing the question, Li Po’s expression suddenly turned dejected. He clenched the report in his hand, bit his lip, and looked genuinely upset.

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Yu immediately guessed that the compatibility score couldn’t be very high. He lowered his eyes and didn’t bother glancing at the report again.

“Officer, aren’t you going to comfort me?” Li Po’s act of playing the victim was quite convincing. He deliberately looked down, avoiding Jiang Yu’s gaze, afraid that he might give himself away.

He hadn’t expected any reaction from Jiang Yu and had even prepared himself for the officer’s usual indifference.

But to his surprise, in the next second, he felt a light pressure on his head.

Someone had placed their hand on top of his head, awkwardly giving it a few pats.