Alpha’s breath was scorching, burning the nape of An Xun’s neck, leaving it flushed with a large patch of thin red.

An Xun wrapped his hands behind him, internally scolding himself as he peeled off the ineffective barrier patch.

This action wasn’t by his own volition; he couldn’t control his own behavior anymore, every part of him craving the alpha.

Bo Xiangzhou didn’t disappoint him.

When his nose touched the vulnerable gland, sweet, cloying pheromones rushed into his body, igniting an insatiable fire within him. Bo Xiangzhou’s eyes darkened; he had been a gentleman for over a decade, always self-disciplined and proper—this was a first for him.

Feeling his reason slipping away, he felt an embarrassing urge to flee for the first time in his life.

An Xun turned to look at him, the hint of red at the corner of his eyes threw Bo Xiangzhou’s breathing into disarray, reminding him of the pitiful look on An Xun’s face when he was feverish.

Alpha’s protective instinct was triggered, his throat parched, “Turn around, don’t look at me.”

An Xun complied, more nervous than Bo Xiangzhou, half-closing his eyes, his thick eyelashes quivering like crow feathers.

His senses especially sharp, he felt the alpha behind him steady his breathing, then felt lips press against his gland, biting down hard.

The teeth breaking through the gland, the sensation of blood spilling was far from pleasant; he felt like a lamb being fed to the wolf. As the alpha’s pheromones flooded into his gland, his body went limp, collapsing against Bo Xiangzhou, his back pressing tightly against his chest.

He tried to get up but instead shed a few tears against his will.

He would rather have the fever; this old man bites too painfully, he doubted anyone advocating omegas find alpha marks had ever been bitten by one.

He lifted his neck; the temporary mark completed, Bo Xiangzhou didn’t push him away immediately. An Xun wiped his tears with his thumb, and in doing so, his nose brushed against Bo Xiangzhou’s chin—an intimate position that made An Xun catch a different scent on him.

It wasn’t another omega’s pheromones but something like perfume, a familiar scent. Seeing Bo Xiangzhou pulling away to create distance, An Xun hurriedly clutched his arm, following him and sniffing his neck, searching among the rich scent of agarwood for the unusual aroma.

Bo Xiangzhou was puzzled but remained silent, aware that a newly marked omega would be unusually reliant on the alpha. He just assumed An Xun’s heat was severe, making him clingy right after being marked.

Thinking of pursuing the answer, he momentarily overlooked the indecency of their position. An Xun clung to Bo Xiangzhou, his head buried in the alpha’s neck crease, his fluffy hair brushing against the sensitive, subtly moving Adam’s apple.

Amidst the scent of agarwood and ripe lychees, mixed with an out-of-place woody fragrance, he could tell it wasn’t anyone’s pheromones but rather a modern, man-made perfume.

He was as serious as if he were conducting a major experiment. After a while, he recalled fragmented memories.

This scent… it was the same as the alpha he bumped into at the bar entrance the day his stepmother forced him to come home and sign a contract.

An Xun was stunned; could it really be such a coincidence?

He recalled the details; that person’s style of dress was indeed very similar to Bo Xiangzhou’s.

Suddenly not dizzy anymore, nor weak, An Xun felt like he could run five kilometers. He turned and climbed decisively into his own bed, his actions crisp. If not for the mingling scents in the air and the lingering scent of agarwood on the other, Bo Xiangzhou might have thought the marking had been just a dream.

Inside the bed, An Xun was incredibly alert, his temporary heat and marking forgotten. He was glad he had worn his hood on the first day to avoid trouble.

Tao Nian’s phone kept ringing, startling him as he thought he’d been cursed at. Opening it, he saw messages from An Xun.

[Nian Nian]: You’re still up this late today?

After sending that, Tao Nian skimmed through the situation.

[Nian Nian]: There are only a few perfume scents, pick any major brand and they might overlap. Besides, lots of people wear perfume, how can you be sure it was Bo Xiangzhou?

[Nian Nian]: Everything was normal at the bar after you left. If Bo Xiangzhou had really been there, there would have been a commotion, you’re overthinking it, right?

An Xun was unsure, his instincts were usually accurate, rarely wrong.

[Gulu Gulu]: I don’t want to overthink it either, but what if it was him? Then his brain glitches and he runs into his omega, wouldn’t my cover be blown?

[Nian Nian]: Bo Xiangzhou wouldn’t glitch like that.

An Xun was speechless, that sounded about right.

[Nian Nian]: I have a friend who knows the bar owner, if you’re not reassured, I’ll ask for you tomorrow.

An Xun was touched.

[Gulu Gulu]: Baby, you’re the best.

[Nian Nian]: You haven’t replied to my first message yet.

An Xun scrolled up and replied: I was careless, indulging myself before my heat passed, fell asleep in the middle of the night and woke up tormented by thoughts of alpha, then Bo Xiangzhou bit me, it hurt so much I couldn’t sleep.

Tao Nian stroked his chin.

[Nian Nian]: Why did it hurt? Did he bite the wrong spot? That’s concerning, even the gland got misplaced; all those years as an alpha wasted.

[Gulu Gulu]: No mistake, it just hurts because it was a bite, whoever else suggests letting an alpha bite me, I’ll lose it with them. That’s not a bite, that’s devouring someone.

Tao Nian probed.

[Nian Nian]: It really hurt? That’s not what I read online, they said it’d feel better if alpha’s saliva was applied after the bite, didn’t you apply it?

An Xun felt a chill.

[Gulu Gulu]: Don’t make me puke, I wouldn’t want alpha’s saliva, my own saliva disgusts me.

·

An Xun used the excuse of feeling unwell due to his heat to lie to Bo Xiangzhou about taking a leave from work, spending days lying at home, almost becoming a couch potato.

Bo Xiangzhou was careful getting up, but An Xun’s nerves were tense from his suspicions early in the morning, any slight movement waking him.

He was about to speak out when he saw Bo Xiangzhou changing clothes with his back to him. An Xun’s eyes lit up, silently retracting his hand, feeling Bo Xiangzhou’s gaze and ducking his head under the covers.

Broad shoulders, narrow waist, beautifully flowing muscle lines, the raised muscles on his arms while changing clothes looked very powerful.

An Xun could only see his back, missing the view of the front, frustratingly grasping at straws, secretly comparing Bo Xiangzhou to the handsome guys he followed online.

After several different angle comparisons, Bo Xiangzhou barely won out with his gentle demeanor.

He still preferred maturity.

No news came from Tao Nian; his friend had gone traveling to some small place abroad, dealing with time differences and poor signals, messages sent might not even be received.

Knowing Bo Xiangzhou didn’t mind him watching him dress, it was like flipping a switch in his body. Once Bo Xiangzhou was awake, he would slowly get up and follow.

But this time, the first thing Bo Xiangzhou did upon waking wasn’t to dress but to pick up a water bottle and leave the bedroom, not returning for half an hour.

Having been steeped in alpha’s pheromones for three days, An Xun felt almost pickled. He didn’t mind it, but the thought of meeting others while carrying Bo Xiangzhou’s scent embarrassed him.

An Xun didn’t wait for Bo Xiangzhou to return, longing to watch the handsome man dress, so he got up to see what was happening.

Opening the door, he almost bumped into Bo Xiangzhou. Bo Xiangzhou retracted his movement to open the door, and An Xun was startled, the posture almost the same as that day.

He felt he was close to the truth, to better prepare for a potential disaster, he bravely took a small step forward, his nose lightly touching Bo Xiangzhou’s chest.

This familiar posture, this familiar height, it had to be him.

He had anticipated this internally, waiting for Tao Nian’s message was just to give himself a sense of security that his character had never collapsed.

Bo Xiangzhou stepped back, and An Xun’s lies sounded truer with each repetition, “Honey, I’m feeling dizzy.”

So it was dizziness that caused these strange behaviors.

Bo Xiangzhou instinctively reached to check his forehead, frightened by his sweaty appearance from before.

“No fever, just dizziness from poor sleep,” An Xun said. “Honey, why aren’t you going to work?”

Bo Xiangzhou laughed, “It’s the weekend, where am I supposed to work? Did you sleep your brains out?”

“The weekend, ah…”

Bo Xiangzhou gently pushed his shoulder, closing the door, “How are you going to work in such a daze?”

An Xun followed him, moving slower than a tortoise, thinking this was a good opportunity to tell him. His heat had just passed, and Bo Xiangzhou wouldn’t be too hard on him at this moment.

An Xun decided, one second his eyes radiating innocence, the next dimming. He pinched his thigh, tears welling up, he choked out, “I won’t be going anymore…”

Bo Xiangzhou: “?”

He staggered, despondent, as if he had lost the most important treasure in his life, sitting on the bed and skillfully hugging his knees, half-covering his face, “Wuu, I got laid off… I don’t know where I fell short, maybe the new employees who just joined the company are more eager and ambitious…”

His expression was one for the books, and Bo Xiangzhou felt an indescribable oddness but chose to believe him, comforting, “The company doesn’t know how to appreciate talent, I think you’re great.”

What a bluff, which employee in your company isn’t better than me? When I submitted my resume, it sank without a trace, still no news to this day; your employees would cry if they heard this.

An Xun appeared comforted, “Really?”

There was a slight break in his voice, Bo Xiangzhou thought he was too heartbroken, only he knew that he almost laughed out loud, feeling stupid for asking that.

Bo Xiangzhou: “Really.”

An Xun realized, this old man’s acting skills were on par with his own.

Bo Xiangzhou asked, “Do you need me to introduce you to a job?”

Eventually, the question still came.

An Xun replied, “No need, I need some time to recover emotionally.”

Bo Xiangzhou said no more, leaving him to it.