Why?

Li Po glanced at the bloodstains by the door of the operating room, feeling conflicted. He lowered his eyes and didn’t answer the question directly. Instead, he asked:

[Commander, where are you now?]

A few seconds later, the screen lit up. Li Po opened the message, which contained only two words: [Black Tower].

Black Tower? He’s back?

Li Po’s heart stirred, and he quickly made his way to the light elevator. He still had unfinished business from the interrupted video call last time, and now that Jiang Yu was back, he needed to seize the opportunity.

Walking briskly, it wasn’t long before Li Po arrived.

He reached the top floor of Black Tower and, following his memory, found Jiang Yu’s room. He knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

No response.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

Still no answer.

Finally, Li Po realized something and felt a hint of frustration flash through his eyes. Jiang Yu had only said he was at Black Tower, not where exactly he was. Li Po had assumed too much.

As he lowered his hand, preparing to take out his communication device, the door suddenly opened. A blast of cold, domineering pheromones swept out, cutting through the air like sharp blades and wrapping around Li Po mercilessly.

At the same time, a cold, emotionless voice came from inside: “Get out.”

“…?”

Li Po was stunned.

The oppressive, aggressive pheromones of an Alpha enveloped him, pressing down like a crushing weight, sharp and terrifying. The force of it felt like a sword or a hammer, crashing down on his chest.

If it had been any other Omega, they would have already collapsed, coughing up blood under this pressure. But Li Po wasn’t like other Omegas. He stared blankly at the small cut on his finger and softly asked:

“What’s wrong with you?”

The moment those words left his mouth, the overwhelming pheromones came to an abrupt halt. Then, like a tide receding, the invisible pressure instantly vanished, leaving no trace behind.

In the next second, Li Po noticed a piercing gaze fixed on him—

“Are you hurt?”

Hearing this, Li Po lifted his head, meeting that gaze.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but Jiang Yu seemed off. The earlier release of pheromones didn’t feel intentional, but rather like he’d lost control and lashed out indiscriminately. When he reined them back in, it didn’t seem like he was in control but rather suppressing something.

What was he suppressing?

“Mm.” Finally, Li Po raised his hand, pressing on the small cut with his finger. He squeezed hard, and a tiny bead of blood emerged. He stared down at it and calmly said, “I’m bleeding.”

At his words, a rare flicker of emotion appeared in Jiang Yu’s eyes. He hesitated for a moment before suppressing his reaction and coldly said, “Leave here and go to the White Tower to get treated.”

Li Po paused, his face unreadable. He tilted his head slightly and said, “Commander, I’m bleeding. Don’t you think you should take responsibility?”

“…Leave first.”

Li Po chuckled softly but didn’t move. Taking advantage of the door still being open, he stepped inside and, as if remembering something, closed the door behind him.

He ignored the complex look Jiang Yu gave him and walked further into the room. Only when he got closer did he notice the scattered medicine boxes on Jiang Yu’s desk. One of the boxes had been opened, and the syringe inside had been half-used. For some reason, the injection hadn’t been finished, and the syringe lay abandoned on the desk.

Li Po’s sharp eyes noticed a bit of blood on the needle. Linking it to the earlier surge of pheromones, a guess formed in his mind: “Did I interrupt you just now?”

Jiang Yu didn’t respond. Instead, he stood up and, staring directly at Li Po’s face, asked, “Where are you hurt?”

Li Po suddenly remembered the cut on his finger. If he didn’t treat it soon, the wound would heal on its own. He glanced around, grabbed a piece of tissue, and pressed it against the tiny cut. “Here.”

Staring at Li Po’s pale, slender fingers, Jiang Yu remained silent. He knew his own pheromones well, and he knew they wouldn’t cause just a minor injury like that. He assumed Li Po was lying. “Tell the truth.”

But Li Po was telling the truth. Tossing the blood-stained tissue into the trash, he casually picked up one of the scattered medication boxes and glanced at it. While inspecting it, he asked:

“Tell the truth about what? That you told me to get out and injured me with your pheromones? Commander, you may be powerful, but that doesn’t mean you can act unreasonably.”

The professional terms on the medicine box were incomprehensible, and after a moment, Li Po gave up trying to understand them. Just as he set the box down, Jiang Yu spoke again: “I didn’t know it was you.”

Li Po had expected this. If Jiang Yu had known it was him, he probably wouldn’t have opened the door in the first place. Nodding nonchalantly, Li Po picked up the syringe from the desk. “You didn’t finish the injection. Want me to do it for you?”

Jiang Yu’s eyes lowered, focusing on Li Po’s hand holding the syringe. “I’ll do it myself.”

Li Po smiled faintly. “Alright.”

With that, he walked around Jiang Yu’s desk, standing beside him and offering him the syringe.

Jiang Yu’s fingers twitched, but he didn’t reach for the syringe, nor did he look at it. His gaze remained locked with Li Po’s. “There’s no rush.”

No rush, my ass.

Li Po smirked internally. Lowering his eyes, he held the syringe in one hand and, taking advantage of Jiang Yu’s momentary distraction, placed his other hand on Jiang Yu’s.

As expected, his hand was freezing, like it had just been pulled from a snowbank, devoid of any warmth.

Li Po’s palm was soft and warm, but in the face of Jiang Yu’s cold touch, that warmth was fleeting. In an instant, the heat was absorbed, leaving his hand feeling numb from the cold.

“No rush?” Li Po stared into Jiang Yu’s eyes, amusement tinged in his voice.

Pheromones raged inside Jiang Yu’s body, his exhaustion evident in the furrow of his brows and the chill of his skin. As Li Po’s hand grasped his, Jiang Yu could feel the warmth gradually drain away, leaving both their hands cold.

After a brief, silent standoff, Jiang Yu looked away without saying a word.

Seeing this, Li Po proceeded to inject the liquid from the syringe into Jiang Yu’s bloodstream. Luckily, Bian Lu had recently taught him how to administer injections, or he wouldn’t have known what to do.

As the cool liquid entered his veins, Jiang Yu’s brows furrowed even deeper. The rampant pheromones within him slowly subsided, but his ability to control them was steadily weakening.

Earlier, when he was interrupted during the injection, Jiang Yu had lost control of his pheromones, leading to the initial outburst. Upon realizing it was Li Po at the door, he had forcibly removed the needle and stopped the injection, attempting to regain control and prevent harming him.

But now, as the remaining liquid coursed through his body, his pheromones once again threatened to spiral out of control.

As the injection neared its end, Jiang Yu felt the pheromones within him reaching their breaking point. Just before they completely burst forth, he raised his hand and pushed Li Po’s waist, urging him out: “Be good, leave now.”

But there was no way Li Po would listen. He simply tossed the empty syringe into the trash, placing his cold hand on the one gripping his waist. Then, with a mischievous smile, he teased, “Commander, are you harassing me?”

Jiang Yu froze.

Undeterred, Li Po continued, “I didn’t expect someone as serious as you to grab an Omega’s waist. You know, Commander, you really shouldn’t touch an Omega’s waist. It’s… sensitive.”

The moment those words left his lips, the hand on his waist was immediately pulled back. Jiang Yu, thoroughly distracted by Li Po’s teasing, forgot what he had intended to say. In the next instant, a flood of pheromones crashed over Li Po like a tidal wave. If Jiang Yu’s pheromones were bullets, then Li Po was the living target.

This time, the distance between them was far too close for Li Po to avoid the onslaught. Unlike before, when he’d only been hit by the pheromones outside the door, he was now standing face-to-face with Jiang Yu, so close that there wasn’t even space for a chair between them.

The overwhelming pheromones slammed into him all at once, causing his body to sway slightly, his lips paling.

A suffocating dizziness overtook him. This time, the pheromones felt different. The previous attack had been like a barrage of bullets, aiming to tear him apart. But this time, it felt like deep ocean water trying to drown him.

Li Po wasn’t sure if it was due to his own body, but he found that while he could withstand the first wave of pheromones, the second was far more suffocating. He was struggling to breathe.

For a moment, he regretted everything.

Why hadn’t I just left? If I had listened when Jiang Yu told me to leave, I wouldn’t be in this mess!

He was practically asking for trouble!

Just as he was about to collapse, dizzy and disoriented, a hand suddenly caught him.

This time, the hand didn’t touch his waist but rested on his shoulder. Through the thin fabric of his shirt, Li Po could feel the coldness of the touch seeping into his skin, sending a shiver through him.

Dazed and unsteady, Li Po instinctively leaned toward the source of support.

Jiang Yu’s pheromones continued to run wild inside him.

But instead of releasing aggressive pheromones, Jiang Yu instinctively switched to calming ones, hoping not to hurt Li Po. However, even calming pheromones, when overdone, could have adverse effects—leaving Li Po woozy, collapsing into Jiang Yu’s arms, struggling to catch his breath on his shoulder.

Jiang Yu, feeling a rare sense of helplessness, knew he should have just pushed Li Po away earlier. Now, they were locked in this confusing embrace.

—Because, after all, the Omega in his arms already had an Alpha.

And Li Po, curled up in Jiang Yu’s arms, wasn’t doing much better.

He didn’t understand why calming pheromones were affecting him so much, when aggressive ones hadn’t. But right now, he couldn’t think about that. He could only cling to Jiang Yu like a drowning man holding onto driftwood, gasping for breath against his shoulder.

He had made a mistake. He should have never pushed things this far, should have never stayed in the room.

But now, it was too late to change anything.

All he could do was helplessly sink into the cold depths of Jiang Yu’s pheromones.

It felt like he was drowning in a freezing spring, completely soaked by the icy waters. He was cold, so cold that he wished he could jump into lava instead.

Buried in Jiang Yu’s chest, Li Po’s pale amber eyes widened in shock. His body wasn’t trembling, nor did he feel fear, but his chest heaved with every rapid breath he took.

The Omega’s slender frame fit perfectly into Jiang Yu’s embrace, but that also meant that their closeness amplified every small contact between them.

Jiang Yu had just returned from a mission and wasn’t wearing his military uniform, only a simple black combat suit. Li Po, on the other hand, was dressed in a white shirt he had grabbed from his dormitory. Black and white fabric pressed together, creating a soft rustling sound as they brushed against each other. But neither of them paid attention, allowing the sound to grow louder.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Jiang Yu’s pheromones began to retreat within manageable limits.

He gradually pulled back the overwhelming amount of calming pheromones, leaving just a faint trace to comfort the Omega in his arms.

Li Po eventually emerged from the suffocating haze. His fox-like eyes, which had been misty at first, regained their usual sharpness.

Pulling away from Jiang Yu’s chest, Li Po looked at him in confusion and asked, “What just happened to me?”

He had expected it to be like before, where he’d just get a small cut or something. But this time, it had felt so intense, so… strange.

Jiang Yu didn’t answer him. Instead, he pulled a tissue from the desk and handed it to Li Po. “It’s nothing. It was my fault.”

Of course it’s your fault, Li Po thought.

But he didn’t press further. He stepped back, increasing the distance between them. Then, pointing at the syringe on the desk, he asked, “What is this?”

Jiang Yu gave him a glance but didn’t respond.

Li Po wasn’t pleased with his attitude. How can he still be so cold even after all that? He felt like no matter what he did, Jiang Yu was just a block of ice that wouldn’t melt.

Frustrated, Li Po felt an urge to bite something, maybe Jiang Yu’s shoulder.

Suddenly, he remembered the candy in his pocket.

With a quick motion, he pulled out a piece of candy, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into his mouth. As for the wrapper… his eyes gleamed mischievously as he stuffed it into Jiang Yu’s hand.

Unlike the others in S District, Li Po wasn’t afraid of Jiang Yu at all. In fact, he wasn’t afraid of anyone. Other people might be intimidated by Jiang Yu’s strength or his status in S District, but not him.

He wasn’t even from this world, so why should he care what others thought of him?

As for his facade of compliance… it was all just part of his game.

Jiang Yu glanced at the candy wrapper now in his hand.

When he saw what it was, a flicker of exasperation crossed his eyes. It was the kind of look a parent gives when indulging a mischievous child.

Li Po didn’t miss the fleeting expression, but it annoyed him.

What kind of look is that? Like I’m a little kid?

Sure, his body might look younger, but he was still a grown adult!

Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he decided to change the subject. “Commander, can I ask you a question?”

Jiang Yu’s voice remained indifferent. “Go ahead.”

“Um… how old are you?”

Jiang Yu glanced at him, his gaze unreadable. But for some reason, Li Po found it oddly dangerous.

“Twenty-five,” Jiang Yu finally replied, his expression neutral.

Twenty-five, huh…

Li Po repeated the number in his mind.

His current body was around 18 years old, which meant Jiang Yu was a full seven years older than him. That would make Jiang Yu a bit of a cradle robber…

But in reality…

He was only three years older than Li Po’s true age, which was just right.

Feeling somewhat pleased, Li Po reached into his pocket again and pulled out a piece of yellow candy.

It was lemon-flavored, incredibly sour, and he hated sour things.

Suddenly, a mischievous idea popped into his head. He quickly unwrapped the candy and, while Jiang Yu wasn’t paying attention, shoved it into his mouth.

Li Po’s warm fingers brushed against Jiang Yu’s cold lips, causing him to flinch slightly. Surprisingly, Jiang Yu allowed the candy to be pushed into his mouth.

As the industrial-strength sweetness hit Jiang Yu’s taste buds, he grimaced slightly in discomfort.

Li Po had hoped to see Jiang Yu’s face scrunch up in reaction, or better yet, spit it out in disgust.

But things didn’t go as planned. After a brief moment of adjusting to the sourness, Jiang Yu calmly swallowed the candy and gave Li Po a cold, sidelong glance.

“Happy now?”

Li Po didn’t dare say anything. His pale amber eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Jiang Yu. “You didn’t think it was sour?”

“Mm.”

“…”

Li Po had always known that Alphas had impressive physical resilience, but he hadn’t expected their taste buds to be so adaptable as well.

Right now, his heart felt just as sour as that lemon candy.