The weight on his head quickly lifted, but Li Po didn’t raise his head for a long time. He clenched the paper in his hand, his gaze lowered, somewhat at a loss, as he stared at Jiang Yu’s hand hanging by his side.

Jiang Yu had nice hands; Li Po had always known that. At this moment, he stared at the faint veins under the thin skin, and the calluses from gun handling on the side of his index finger, and something inside him was lightly stirred.

He didn’t like people touching his head, and no one had ever dared to. But if it was Jiang Yu, he could break his rule and forgive it once in a while—it wasn’t impossible.

But the most pressing issue wasn’t that…

Just thinking about what was coming next, Li Po instantly shut his eyes in despair. He didn’t dare to look up at Jiang Yu, so instead, he gently tugged at the hand hanging by Jiang Yu’s side, and slowly stuffed the report into it.

Jiang Yu’s hand was cold, and Li Po only realized this when he touched it. His brows furrowed slightly, and he pressed his warm palm against the back of Jiang Yu’s cold hand before letting go.

The warm, soft palm brushed across the cold skin, igniting a small spark, causing a slight shiver. Jiang Yu lowered his gaze, unfamiliar with the sensation.

Ignoring the odd feeling on the back of his hand, he raised it and glanced at the crumpled report.

“…”

Li Po, feeling guilty, averted his eyes.

The next second, the person in front of him lifted his foot, turning to leave.

Li Po panicked, quickly sitting up to grab Jiang Yu’s sleeve. His right hand couldn’t reach, so he had to use his left hand. Li Po hadn’t forgotten he still had an IV in his left hand, but he wasn’t one to spare himself when things got serious. In less than a second, he steeled himself, raising his hand, with the needle still attached, to grab Jiang Yu.

He lifted his hand too high, and the blood instantly flowed back into the IV tube, creating a shocking sight. Annoyed by the hindrance, Li Po directly ripped off the tape securing the needle and pulled it out, freeing his hand. As he did, the air was immediately filled with the scent of blood, mixed with the faint rose fragrance of Omega pheromones.

The moment Jiang Yu smelled the blood, he stopped in his tracks. He turned around, and his face darkened when he saw the bruising on the back of Li Po’s hand. His voice was cold as he asked, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Li Po’s hand was covered in a dark bruise, standing out starkly against his pale skin. He sucked in a breath, feeling a bit sorry for himself, but outwardly maintained an innocent expression. “Officer, are you mad?”

Jiang Yu replied expressionlessly, “No.”

A hint of sadness appeared on Li Po’s face immediately. “Then why are you suddenly ignoring me?”

Jiang Yu: “…”

The next moment, without looking at Li Po again, he turned and left.

“Bang—”

The door to the ward slammed shut, making a loud noise. Li Po stared at the door, his expression growing colder by the second.

Before leaving, Jiang Yu had left the paper on his bed. Li Po ignored the bruise on his hand and just picked up the paper, slowly tearing it into pieces. His eyes were lowered as he calmly ripped it apart, showing no emotion in his eyes.

Just as he finished and was about to throw it into the trash can, a noise came from the doorway.

A ripple of emotion instantly appeared in Li Po’s calm eyes, and he stared at the door without blinking. However, his hand quickly moved behind him, hiding the torn-up report.

When he saw who it was, Li Po stiffened.

…Why did he come back?

Wasn’t he already mad and gone?

While Li Po was still in a daze, Jiang Yu had already walked to the bedside. His face was cold, and his voice lacked any warmth. “Give me your hand.”

Only then did Li Po notice something in Jiang Yu’s hand. Squinting his eyes, he realized—it was a medical cold compress.

As if realizing something, Li Po’s mind went blank for a moment, and he dazedly extended his hand.

Jiang Yu’s hand was even colder now. Without any expression, he placed the cold compress over the bruised area on Li Po’s hand, then lifted his eyelids, saying coldly, “Give me the report.”

“…”

Li Po’s right hand was still behind his back. Upon hearing this, his eyelashes trembled, and his gaze suddenly became evasive. How was he supposed to tell Jiang Yu that he had torn the report to pieces in a fit of anger?

“…Officer, aren’t you still mad?” Li Po braced himself and tried to change the subject.

Jiang Yu’s eyes were indifferent as he stared at Li Po, his voice flat: “I’m not mad.”

Li Po sneaked a glance at him, but quickly looked away when he met Jiang Yu’s cold gaze. “Then why did you suddenly leave?”

Jiang Yu didn’t answer. Instead, he asked, “Why did you lie?”

Li Po pressed his lips together in silence. His expression was innocent and pitiful, like a child who had accidentally done something wrong, just acting out a little. But in reality, he was desperately thinking of a way to smooth things over.

While he was racking his brain for an excuse, Jiang Yu suddenly brought the topic back: “The report.”

…What the hell?!

Li Po was on the verge of tears, but he could only grit his teeth and pull his right hand out from behind him—along with a handful of shredded paper.

“…”

Jiang Yu stared at the pile of torn paper, and in an instant, his gaze turned dangerously sharp. His cold fingers pinched Li Po’s chin, applying just enough pressure to force Li Po to lift his head. “Are you throwing a tantrum?”

With his chin pinched, Li Po frowned uncomfortably. Forced to meet Jiang Yu’s unfeeling gaze, his pupils contracted as he saw the coldness in those deep-set eyes.

—He had never seen Jiang Yu like this before.

He hadn’t believed the rumors about Jiang Yu in S District, but now he did. Jiang Yu hadn’t earned his position as a combat officer just because of his poker face—his heart was cold.

Like now, staring at him with such a cold, murderous look in his eyes, it was terrifying.

Li Po wanted to turn his face away, to avoid Jiang Yu’s gaze, but Jiang Yu didn’t allow it. He held Li Po’s chin firmly, his voice chillingly commanding: “Speak.”

…Was this really necessary?!

All he did was tear up a report, but Jiang Yu was acting like he had shredded his marriage certificate or something. It was ridiculous.

Li Po was getting a bit angry. He no longer avoided Jiang Yu’s gaze and said heavily, “It hurts, let go.”

If Jiang Yu kept pinching like this, his cheeks would definitely bruise. And if his face got ruined, would Jiang Yu take responsibility?

An Omega’s skin was very soft. As Li Po spoke, Jiang Yu felt the smooth, soft flesh under his fingers, as if it might slip away at any moment. Despite the thin layer of calluses on his hand from handling guns, the touch was vivid, even the sensation of brushing against tiny hairs causing a faint itch.

Hearing Li Po’s complaint filled with grievance, Jiang Yu’s fingers stiffened for a moment but didn’t let go. He only eased his grip slightly. “Why did you tear it?”

Li Po’s eyes darted around, quickly coming up with a lie. “Since you didn’t want to see it, why keep it? Might as well tear it up, so I wouldn’t feel bad looking at it.”

Whenever he lied, he had a habit of lowering his head to avoid eye contact. Jiang Yu’s slight relaxation in pressure gave him just enough of an opportunity to reduce his chances of getting caught.

Li Po’s breath brushed against the skin between Jiang Yu’s thumb and forefinger. If Jiang Yu’s hand were any closer, he might have touched Li Po’s full lips. As if burned by the warmth, Jiang Yu finally released him, letting him go.

Li Po immediately raised his hand to rub his cheek.

It hurt! Hopefully, there wouldn’t be a mark, right?

“I didn’t want to avoid it,” Jiang Yu suddenly said softly.

Li Po looked doubtful. “Then why did you leave so quickly? You left so fast, I couldn’t even catch you…”

Jiang Yu glanced at him. “I hate being lied to.”

“I didn’t want to lie to you,” Li Po continued to patch up his lie. “I just wanted to give you a surprise. I didn’t expect you to react so strongly.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, “You even hurt me.”

Jiang Yu didn’t respond, just stared at him with an unreadable expression, unsure whether he believed him or not.

Li Po felt uneasy under his gaze. He touched the cold compress on the back of his left hand and casually asked, “Where did you get this? It’s really cold.”

“Bian Lu gave it.”

That name immediately reminded Li Po—he still hadn’t completed the task Bian Lu had assigned him.

Thinking of this, he quickly perked up and said seriously, “Officer, I want to go on the mission with you.”

Jiang Yu, as always, refused bluntly, “No.”

“Why not?” Li Po looked disgruntled. “We have a 100% compatibility rate. If you feel uncomfortable, I can calm you down with my pheromones.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yu suddenly glanced at him with an unreadable expression. “Can you control your pheromones?”

“…Yes.” Li Po braced himself. If he could control his mental strength, controlling his pheromones shouldn’t be a big deal, right?

“Then show me right now.”