Chapter 13: Temporary Marking

“Don’t…” Chi Han’s pheromones effectively soothed Yao Zhen, who gently shook his head, “It’s not about Song Kai, it’s my problem.”

Song Kai quickly chimed in, “It’s really not about me!” This was just too unlucky! If it weren’t for Yao Zhen’s truly awful expression, he would have suspected this person was trying to scam him!

Chi Han carried Yao Zhen up the side stairs. As they passed by someone, they exclaimed in surprise, “Mr. Chi!” But Chi Han remained expressionless. Only after pushing open the door did he ask Yao Zhen, “Didn’t you recover from your cold?” His gaze was calm yet penetrating, missing nothing. Under such scrutiny, Yao Zhen found it hard to stay calm. Helplessly, he could only rest his head lightly on Chi Han’s shoulder, as if seeking mercy or entrusting himself, which immediately threw Chi Han off balance.

Was this acting cute? Chi Han glanced at Yao Zhen, and in his heart, he affirmed it.

“After Grandpa’s birthday banquet, I’ll take you to the hospital for a check-up.” Chi Han’s tone was calm, but Yao Zhen knew that once Chi Han made a decision, it was hard to change. Instantly, he became nervous, blurting out hurtful words, “We… we’re divorced. You have to tell Grandpa sooner or later, Chi Han. Once divorced, there should be no entanglements. That’s what you said.”

A flash of anger crossed Chi Han’s eyes. He didn’t like Yao Zhen saying such things, but he couldn’t find a point to refute. The words had been said, and they couldn’t be taken back.

Chi Han tucked Yao Zhen in and stood up, saying, “Rest well, I’ll handle everything else.” He clumsily and mechanically followed his heart, just wanting to be good to Yao Zhen, but always felt there was a barrier he didn’t know how to break through.

Watching Chi Han’s back, Yao Zhen thought he really couldn’t understand him at all.

The room was filled with the scent of cedar left by Chi Han. A top-level Alpha could completely control their pheromones, but the room was so saturated with it that it seemed deliberate. Yao Zhen, however, couldn’t care less. His body was sore, and the soft mattress was enough to swallow his reason. The young man blinked and soon fell asleep.

Yao Zhen slept through lunch and dinner. During this time, Chi Han came up once, but the young man was sleeping soundly, his breathing even and undisturbed. It was as if something was parasitizing his body, and a ridiculous thought suddenly popped into Chi Han’s mind, feeling like something was constantly draining Yao Zhen’s life force.

“Still not awake?” As the evening banquet was about to end, Old Master Chi saw Chi Han coming down alone and looked towards the third floor in surprise. He had been sleeping all day.

“He’s been busy with work recently, might have hurt his health,” Chi Han replied, “I’ll take him to the hospital for a full check-up when we get back.”

“It’s all because of you!” Old Master Chi said irritably, “If you had been firm, would Qin Yaosheng dare? Anyway, I’ve never seen a father like that, hating his eldest son for being an Omega, so why make Yao Zhen work for him all the time?”

Chi Han nodded, showing an unusual restraint in the matter of Yao Zhen, “It won’t happen again.”

Qin Yaosheng didn’t come today, who knows what he’s afraid of.

The old house was crowded, and to avoid gossip, they used to share a bedroom when they came back, but they had separate dreams, drawing a clear line down the middle of the bed that neither would cross.

Tonight, however, was different. Chi Han pushed the door open, and the room was quiet. He clearly felt something change in his heart.

It was nine-thirty. He planned to read a bit, wash up, and go to sleep. His gaze scanned the bed like a laser, dividing it simply in two, but he kept glancing at Yao Zhen’s side. At that time, he didn’t realize that this constantly emerging emotion was called possessiveness.

Suddenly, Yao Zhen moved. Chi Han thought he was waking up, but the previously calm person suddenly let out a painful whimper and sat up abruptly, his face turning pale. Heavy, suppressed breaths squeezed out of Yao Zhen’s throat as he clutched his chest tightly, the corners of his eyes tinged with red, yet without any seductive charm. The pain was presented clearly before Chi Han.

Heart palpitations during pregnancy, some Omegas with weaker constitutions experience it, but it’s rare to see it as severe as Yao Zhen’s.

Chi Han quickly stepped forward, holding Yao Zhen without thinking, and directly released his pheromones.

Snowflakes buried the heart’s fire, pure white sweeping in overwhelmingly, quickly freezing everything, then flourishing into a cedar forest in Yao Zhen’s heart. The unbearable heart palpitations during pregnancy gradually eased. Yao Zhen looked up, meeting Chi Han’s dark eyes.

He couldn’t hide it anymore…

He had to find a convincing excuse, or the existence of the child would eventually be exposed!

Yao Zhen admired Chi Han but didn’t trust him. He vividly remembered what Chi Han had said back then: he didn’t need children, especially not ones he fathered.

Chi Han slowly withdrew, and the invisible line between them snapped, starting the interrogation.

“It has nothing to do with being sick or having a fever,” Chi Han said word by word, “You lied to me, Yao Zhen. Either tell the truth, or we go to the hospital now.”

The mint scent became chaotic. Chi Han could find out his true thoughts through any channel, and Yao Zhen couldn’t stop it. His lips trembled, the corners of his eyes red with silent pleading. To this day, Chi Han would soften for him, but this matter was an exception. Chi Han patiently waited for a few minutes, then lifted the blanket and opened his arms.

Yao Zhen’s psychological defenses crumbled, and he actively hugged Chi Han’s neck, trembling as he spoke a moment later, “Pheromone disorder.”

Chi Han was stunned, “What?”

Yao Zhen seemed to make up his mind, taking a deep breath, which instead numbed Chi Han to some extent. His behavior began to make the man believe it was really due to pheromone disorder.

“Pheromone disorder” is a comprehensive medical term, the most troublesome disease for Omegas to date, involving various complex psychological and physical symptoms. Currently, there are fifty-three known different manifestations, and it’s clear that these Omegas go to two extremes. The former hates all Alpha pheromones, but an Omega without an Alpha is like a plant without soil, eventually weakening until death. The latter is excessively dependent on their Alpha, to a near-pathological degree, and very few Alphas can endure such “entanglement.” Data shows that ninety percent of Omegas with the latter disorder die from being abandoned by their Alpha.

It’s a disease that can sentence an Omega to “death.”

“I’m sorry.” Yao Zhen forced a smile, the watery color spreading but stubbornly refusing to fall, just like the person, “I know I’m troublesome, you don’t have to care about me, after all, we’re already…” Yao Zhen suddenly widened his eyes, gripping Chi Han’s arm tightly, falling into a strange state of being lost.

Chi Han bit into Yao Zhen’s gland, his teeth piercing the flesh, the pain quickly drowned by an extreme pleasure.

He was temporarily marking him, a mark that usually lasted half an hour, with an effective duration of up to six months.

And Yao Zhen couldn’t even remember when he was last marked.