Chapter 58

“Want some late-night snacks? I got you a portion.” Liao Ji asked.

Li Jicheng shook his head. “Not in the mood. Lin Si’s blood test results are out.”

As soon as he said that, no one else had the appetite to eat.

“What’s wrong with me?” Lin Si asked.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not that serious. I just didn’t expect the previous surgery to affect his glands so much.” Li Jicheng sat down, glanced at the coffee table, found no place to put the documents, then stood up again and pointed to the desk. “Let’s talk over there.”

They all sat down again, eagerly waiting for Li Jicheng to speak.

“I initially thought Lin Si just needed Alpha pheromones to help develop his glands, but I didn’t expect that after his first heat, his glands would enter a state where they desperately need Alpha pheromones to be soothed. The neurology department responded that it’s highly likely due to the surgery five years ago—almost severing his gland nerves—which led to pheromone imbalance. The fact that his pseudo-heats and heats happened only days apart proves that his pheromone demand is almost constant, making it impossible to determine his heat cycle for now.”

“So you’re saying his glands still haven’t fully developed?” Liao Ji asked anxiously. “Was there any permanent damage from the surgery?”

Li Jicheng waved his hand. “No need to be so pessimistic. He has already had a normal heat once, which at least shows that his glands are developing in a good direction.”

Lin Si pressed the back of his neck, always feeling different from normal people.

“Treatment plan?” Lu Wei asked.

Li Jicheng hummed. “The emergency solution is for you to give him a temporary mark, then Lin Si can go to the spray room for a long-lasting pheromone suppressant. Tomorrow, he can go back to work as usual. As for solving the underlying issue, it can only be treated slowly—any quick fix would have side effects. And of course, surgery is out of the question.”

“How exactly do we treat it slowly?” Lin Si asked.

“You two… aren’t living together anymore, right?” Li Jicheng asked.

Lin Si nodded. “I’ve been staying at the film crew’s hotel. I can’t go home.”

“Is there really no way to go home?” Li Jicheng asked.

“The film set is a two-hour drive from Xijiang. He wouldn’t get any sleep,” Liao Ji said. “And the schedule is unpredictable—sometimes he doesn’t wrap up until two or three in the morning. By the time he gets back to Xijiang, the sun would be up.”

Li Jicheng asked again, “Then what if Lu Wei goes over to stay with him?”

“…But he has to work too,” Lin Si said. “It would be exhausting for him to travel back and forth all the time.”

“I don’t mind,” Lu Wei said. “I can drive over.”

Liao Ji refused. “The hotel the crew arranged isn’t very secure. If you come and go frequently, the paparazzi will catch on. Ever since the incident with Bai Fan, we’ve still occasionally noticed paparazzi trailing us.”

Li Jicheng propped his chin on his hand. “How much longer will the filming take?”

“Not sure. The schedule keeps getting delayed. It was originally planned for four months, but now it might take over half a year.” Liao Ji said. “Lin Si has a lot of scenes and will be filming until the very end.”

“Then for now, you two figure it out yourselves—meet up at set intervals for a temporary mark,” Li Jicheng rubbed his forehead. “If you two were dating, you could also sleep together, but avoid sexual activity for now—the situation is still unstable.”

Liao Ji’s face immediately turned red at that remark, but the two people involved—one remained expressionless, while the other just nodded seriously.

“Then go ahead and do the temporary mark,” Li Jicheng stood up and hesitated for two seconds. “Or do you want to go home for that? I can get you some suppressant spray.”

Lin Si was about to say, “Let’s just do it here,” but Lu Wei cut in just in time: “We’ll go home. The drive from here to the film set and from Xijiang to the film set is about the same.”

“Then let’s go home. I’d like to check on Bubble too,” Lin Si said.

Liao Ji: “…”

“Lin Si, come with me. You take the nanny van back, and pick him up at Xijiang tomorrow morning,” Lu Wei instructed.

Li Jicheng spread his hands, but Liao Ji still looked uneasy. As they went down to the parking lot, while Lu Wei went to get the car, he quickly grabbed Lin Si’s arm.

“If you’re going home with him, just let him do a temporary mark, you understand?”

“What else would we do?” Lin Si asked.

Liao Ji: “He didn’t like you before, so he definitely wouldn’t have done anything. But now it’s different—if he loses control during the mark and does this and that to you…”

“Didn’t Dr. Li say that’s not allowed?” Lin Si quickened his pace. “He won’t.”

Liao Ji grabbed his hand. “Lin Si, are you thinking that… it wouldn’t matter if you did it with him?”

“I…” Lin Si was momentarily speechless. He glanced at Lu Wei’s car, hesitated for a moment, then said, “Let’s wait a little longer.”

“When is ‘later’ exactly?” Liao Ji asked. “It’s fine if you like him and want to date him, but you need to protect yourself, understand? Whatever you do, never let him give you a lifelong mark!”

Lin Si let out an “Oh.”

Liao Ji was exasperated. “Don’t just ‘oh’ me! I’m being serious right now!” He looked up at the ceiling of the parking garage, pointing at nothing in particular. “Your relationship is already different from a normal one, and besides, Lu Shaoming is still his father. He likes you now, but that doesn’t mean he always will. You’re young and good-looking, but with his status and position, there’s no guarantee he won’t change his mind in the future. If you two don’t end up getting married, you absolutely cannot let him mark you for life. Do you understand?”

“Lifelong marks can be removed now, right?” Lin Si asked.

“And then what? Even if you get it removed, do you think you can just pretend nothing ever happened when you move on to someone else?” Liao Ji asked. “Can you lie about it, Lin Si?”

Lin Si pressed his lips together and said, “He wouldn’t do that. I don’t think Lu Wei would.”

“Whether he would or not is another matter. Just make sure you think it through.”

Lu Wei’s car pulled up. Lin Si glanced over, quickly said, “I got it,” and ran toward the car.

Liao Ji could only watch his back and sigh.

Lin Si got into the passenger seat, closed the door, and buckled his seatbelt.

It was his first time sitting in Lu Wei’s car, as well as his first time watching Lu Wei drive. The interior smelled cool and crisp—just like an Alpha’s personality.

“Want to listen to some music?” Lu Wei asked as he turned the steering wheel.

Lin Si eagerly suggested, “Do you want to hear my new song? It’s not released yet.”

“Sure,” Lu Wei said.

Lin Si found his new song, ‘Thinking of You’, on his phone and played it the whole way. By the end, he seriously suspected that he had brainwashed Lu Wei with it.

“Do you like it?” Lin Si asked as they took the elevator up.

“Mm,” Lu Wei unlocked the door and said, “It sounds great.”

Lin Si happily followed behind him. “It’ll be released in a few days, and in half a month, I’ll be going on a promo tour. I’m so excited! My first movie is about to premiere! I’ll book out a theater and invite everyone from your company to watch!”

“Alright.” Lu Wei took the bag of suppressant patches from his hand.

Lin Si looked for Bubble in a living room for a while, but didn’t see it. “Where’s Bubble?”

“Probably in my room,” Lu Wei said.

Lin Si leaned against Lu Wei’s doorframe, peeking inside. Lu Wei walked past him and turned on the light. Bubble was sprawled out like a long plush cat toy, sleeping at the foot of Lu Wei’s bed.

Sensing their presence, Bubble quickly woke up, arching its back and staring at them. After a moment, it cautiously approached Lu Wei’s feet, rubbing against him before tentatively stretching out a paw toward Lin Si and licking his foot.

“Why isn’t it close to me?” Lin Si asked. “I miss the Bubble from the virtual world—it was so clingy.”

“Maybe because she’s a female cat.” Lu Wei picked Bubble up and handed it to Lin Si. Then he asked, “Temporary mark—now or after you shower?”

Bubble jumped out of Lin Si’s arms and bolted out of the room, then dashed back, circling around their feet.

“I’ll take a shower first.” Lin Si crouched down to pet Bubble’s head. “Then we can do the mark.”

“Okay.” Lu Wei opened the wardrobe, then paused. “Do you want to use your own pillow or take one from me?”

“Why would I take your pillow?” Lin Si looked up at him.

Lu Wei took a vacuum-sealed pillow identical to his own. “Your attending doctor said you should sleep with me.”

Lin Si tugged at his pant leg. “Are we really sleeping together? That feels so… intimate.”

“…” Lu Wei set Bubble down and said, “Go shower. I’ll tidy up the bed.”

Lin Si was dismissed and had no choice but to follow instructions. It had only been a few days since he has been away from home, yet stepping into the bathroom gave him an odd sense of returning. There was nothing in the air, but he still felt as if Lu Wei was right beside him, making it impossible for him to fully relax.

When he came out, Lu Wei was pouring cat food for Bubble. Lin Si, wrapped in a bath towel, bent down to watch. Lu Wei reached out and pressed his forehead.

“Hm?” Lin Si froze. “What’s wrong?”

“Your hair is dripping. It doesn’t like water in its food.”

Lin Si quickly stepped back. “Didn’t you used to soak its food before feeding it?”

“It’s spoiled now,” Lu Wei said.

Lin Si chuckled and dried his hair with the towel. “Do you want to do the mark first, or shower first?”

The way he asked made it sound like they were preparing for something else entirely, rather than just a temporary mark.

Lu Wei sealed the cat food bag and set it aside. “Not afraid of the pain anymore?”

“I’ve never been marked by you while conscious… I don’t really remember if it hurts or not.” Lin Si pressed the back of his neck. “How painful is it?”

There was no way for Lu Wei to describe the pain to him. Instead, he reached out and pressed Lin Si’s hand. “I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

After quickly tidying up, Lu Wei went to shower. Lin Si vigorously dried his hair with a blow dryer, then found himself unsure of where to sit. Sitting in the living room felt wrong, but sitting on Lu Wei’s bed felt even weirder. In the end, he sat cross-legged on the carpet outside his own bedroom, playing a game while waiting for Lu Wei to finish.

“Why are you sitting here?” Lu Wei asked when he came out.

“Waiting for you.” Lin Si didn’t even look up, fully focused on tapping the screen, showing no sign of actually waiting for Lu Wei.

“I’m blocking for you, how did you still die?” Lin Si spoke into his headset. “Don’t panic, we still have a chance… Did you hear our teammate call you a noob just now, Lu Nan?”

Lu Wei stood there for two minutes, and when he saw Lin Si still immersed in the game, he crouched down beside him and glanced at the screen.

They were playing a MOBA mobile game, a new release from LeYou this year. Lu Wei had even contributed to the core coding. But in Lin Si’s hands, the game suddenly seemed harder than ascending to heaven.

“Why are you playing this tank hero?” Lu Wei asked.

Lin Si fumbled with the controls, and his screen turned gray. “Lu Nan told me to play this.”

“Give it to me.” Lu Wei’s cool fingers nudged against Lin Si’s hand, signaling that he wanted to try.

“You know how to play?” Lin Si handed it over skeptically. “I feel like you don’t play games.”

Lu Yan: “Not very well, but I know the basics.”

“Oh,” Lin Si told Lu Nan over voice chat, “Hold on, my… my friend is going to play for a bit.”

Lin Si propped himself up on the carpet, nearly leaning against Lu Wei’s right chest, craning his neck to watch him play.

On the screen, the tank hero landed a crowd-control skill, lifting four enemies into the air. Their teammates seized the moment to deal massive damage. Lu Wei then finished off a few kills and corrected Lin Si’s earlier mistake of buying mage equipment instead of warrior gear.

Lin Si slowly grabbed Lu Wei’s arm and started giving orders from the side. “Hit him, hit him, hit him!”

Against all odds, they managed to turn the game around. Both Lin Si and Lu Nan in voice chat cheered. Lu Wei handed the phone back to Lin Si and suddenly spoke into the mic, “Don’t bully Lin Si.”

Surprisingly, Lu Nan obediently responded, “Oh, got it, got it. Next time, I’ll let him play carry.”

Lin Si finally won a game and happily said goodbye to Lu Nan. After closing the game, he hugged his phone and grinned. “You’re amazing! You got nine kills!”

Lu Wei pressed down on the back of his head. “It’s almost 1:30.”

Lin Si checked the time and muttered, “Oh,” before getting up. “Then I’ll sleep in your room?”

“Yeah.”

They got into bed, each lying on one side. Lin Si pressed his lips together, feeling his heartbeat accelerate.

Lu Wei was right next to him. He reached out to adjust the temperature control on the bedside panel, then unfolded the neatly stacked blanket and said, “Let’s do the marking before we sleep.”

“Oh.” Lin Si’s breathing became unsteady. He turned away, lowered his head, and obediently exposed the back of his neck. “I think it’s better if I don’t watch…”

In the dim bedroom, Alpha and Omega pheromones intertwined. Lin Si gradually felt heat rising from his back, sweat forming on his forehead. His glands tingled faintly, as if urging for something.

Lu Wei placed a hand on his shoulder, making Lin Si shiver.

The soft bedside light bathed them in a hazy glow. The Alpha buried his face in the Omega’s neck, his hands gently soothing Lin Si’s shoulders as he whispered words only the two of them could hear.

“How often should I come see you in the next few days?”

The atmosphere was thick with intimacy, sweet and warm, like the burst of juice from a ripe fruit. Lu Wei’s voice soaked into Lin Si’s ears, cheeks, and every pore. He mumbled, “Once a week, maybe?”

“I’ll come whenever I have time, okay? I’ll make sure no one sees.”

Lin Si’s entire body, not just his neck, felt itchy now. His heart was racing. He stammered, “Then you have to tell me in advance…”

“Okay.” The Alpha, satisfied after coaxing his Omega into agreement, lowered his head and pressed a kiss to his gland, even his breath carrying a hint of triumph.

Lin Si trembled, his body filled with an overwhelming sense of anticipation. His flushed cheeks resembled a tempting glass of fine wine under the night light—one sip enough to leave someone drunk for days.

At that moment, Bubble suddenly leaped onto the bed, standing on its paws and staring straight at them. With a loud “meow,” Lin Si’s floating sense of reason was immediately yanked back.

Lu Wei murmured, “Wait a moment,” got up, picked up Bubble, and carried it outside. He stared it down until it dared not move before closing the door.

Lin Si was still breathing in small gasps, his hand pressing over his gland.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Wei asked.

“It’s… throbbing.” Lin Si murmured. “Bite me already, hurry.”

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Author’s Note: I’m back! I’m back!

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