Chapter 20: Why Are You Smiling So Ripplingly?
Everyone’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. They looked at Yu Shi in sheer terror, unable to believe anyone dared to throw wine in that face.
The bodyguard, Zheng Xiao, was calmer than the rest. He ushered everyone out, and soon only two people remained in the private room.
Qin Yinâs face was covered in wine, his hair and eyebrows soaked. His eyes held an indiscernible mix of emotions, but a cold sneer played on his lips.
Yu Shi was rarely this irascible. His whole body radiated hostility and chill, his eyes sharp and aggressive. The tails of his eyes were flushed red with anger, looking as if he might grab a bottle and crack Qin Yin’s head open in the next second.
The last time he was this angry was when Qin Yin ordered a blockade of the port and seized a batch of legal armaments, causing ATC to lose an entire year’s revenue.
The smile on Qin Yin’s lips widened. He stood up, grabbed Yu Shi by the collar, and yanked him close, his tone fierce. “Splashing me with wine in front of so many peopleâdo you not want this life either?”
The word “either” thoroughly triggered Yu Shi’s reverse scale. He backhanded a strike across Qin Yin’s throat, forcing him back onto the sofa in an extremely aggressive posture.
“It really was you,” Yu Shi raged. “Why did you do it? Why go after a student?”
Qin Yin looked up, beaming. “Student? Are you talking about the student who destroyed an entire laboratory in Zone 9? or the student who slit a throat without knowing the opponent was an android? Such a ruthless student isn’t common.”
Yu Shi said in a deep voice, “He is my student. Assassinating a member of the Falcon Regiment is a capital crime. You can’t be unaware of that.”
Qin Yin smiled ambiguously. “Just found a few androids to play with him, why make it sound so serious? By the way, I heard the suspect committed suicide. Didn’t he confess the cause and effect? I find it strange tooâwhy target a ‘student’? Hmm, I have an immature guess. Could it be they wanted to train the androids, so they found a target with thick blood to practice on?”
He spoke softly, but his words were hair-raising.
“Have you heard of training wolf packs in the Colosseum? You have to throw the fiercest tiger into the wolf pack to trigger their group combat consciousness. Pity, this pack of wolves seems unsuccessful; they don’t know how to fight autonomously at all. Otherwise, we could have seenâ”
“The wonderful scene of a tiger being torn to shreds.” He chuckled lightly.
Yu Shi’s expression changed. He applied force with his hand, choking Qin Yin’s throat bone tightly.
Qin Yin coughed. “Cough cough… Director Yu wants to extract a confession by torture? I can’t breathe.”
Despite saying this, his expression remained normal, a smile still hanging on his lips, while his other hand reached toward Yu Shi’s waist.
Just as he was about to touch that waist, Yu Shi swiftly withdrew his hand and put distance between them.
Qin Yin rubbed his reddened neck, a mocking look appearing on his face.
Yu Shi said coldly, “Don’t touch him again. If there is a next time, I will throw you into the wolf pack myself to feed those monsters you raise.”
“Are you threatening me?” Qin Yin stopped smiling.
“I’m notifying you. If you aren’t afraid of death, feel free to try.”
A switchblade popped out from Yu Shi’s fingertips. They had been very close just now, yet Qin Yin hadn’t noticed the weapon’s existence at all.
If Yu Shi had wanted to, he could have slit Qin Yin’s throat at any moment.
Qin Yin’s eyes grew cold. “Interesting. How long have you known that Alpha? To turn against me for himâdid he mark you? Oh no, you don’t have anyone else’s scent on you. Or did you two sleep together?”
Yu Shi frowned deeply, staring at him with dark eyes, saying nothing.
Qin Yin sneered. “With that expression, looks like you haven’t.”
Such repeated, obscene provocations pushed Yu Shi beyond his limit. He closed his eyes briefly and said, “Don’t contact me in the future. Once I get the list, I’ll give it to you as soon as possible.”
“What did you say?” Qin Yinâs face turned grim.
“NDU is investigating this matter. All communication between you and me must be cut off. I assumed you had considered this before treating human life like grass.”
Yu Shi turned indifferently. “If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.”
Qin Yinâs breathing became heavy. After Yu Shi left the room, he violently swept the wine bottles onto the floor.
Zheng Xiao walked in and asked, “Major, should I continue following up on the Gun Expo?”
Qin Yin gradually calmed down. He adjusted his collar and let out a breath. “Of course. Help him get the list as soon as possible.”
“And Xie Ren?”
“If it’s convenient, get rid of him. No need to go out of your way.”
“Yes.”
Zhongxing Road was noisy late at night, advertisements standing like forests under the neon lights. The large screen overhead was broadcasting news.
“Today, officially confirmed by K9, Marshal Xie Chengfeng led a special operations brigade to destroy an illegal pheromone trafficking center in Zone 7 ten days ago. Over a thousand people involved were arrested. These centers mainly cooperated with welfare homes and nurseries. Currently, the criminals are being escorted back to Zone 1. Marshal Xie has not yet revealed relevant details…”
Yu Shi looked up, walked to a trash can, threw the freezing box he was carrying into it, and walked away without looking back.
After returning, he took two consecutive days of leave.
During class that day, everyone was chatting in small groups.
Zhao Yi said, “Haven’t seen Instructor Yu for days. Assistant Xu has been taking attendance at night. Is he still improving the robot dog? This batch isn’t smart, but their combat assistance is quite strong.”
9527 dutifully held a tray filled with snacks and soda, looking like it had transformed from a battlefield weapon into a personal attendant. It stole a spicy stick, chewed it for a few seconds, then spat it out pei pei, sticking its tongue out from the heat.
Ye Bingyang said, “He seems to be unwell. I saw him go to the infirmary this morning.”
Xie Ren was looking at a pheromone weapon schematic. Hearing this, he looked up. “Who went to the infirmary?”
Infirmary, Examination Department.
Chen Qingming looked at the report. “The pheromone fluctuation chart shows normal. There are no signs of entering heat for the time being. Did you use suppressants before?”
Yu Shi said, “I used a dose when I was on the battlefield.”
“A normal Omega’s heat cycle occurs one to three times a year, each time divided into three stages. The first stage is the first seven days. Itâs been over seven days since you returned from the battlefield, yet you haven’t entered the second stage. This isn’t normal… What brand of suppressant did you use?”
“A friend got it from military channels. I don’t remember the brand,” Yu Shi said. “You mean the suppression time of this drug is too long?”
“Quite long. Ordinary suppressants only last a day. Don’t think this means the drug is effective; suppressants are extracted from Alpha pheromones. The principle is to essentially use marking to alleviate the heat. Once the dosage is exceeded, it not only leads to drug resistance but also damages the gland. Ask your friend which manufacturer made it and don’t use it again.”
Yu Shi was silent for a moment. “Thank you. Can you prescribe me some ordinary suppressants?”
Chen Qingming spread his hands helplessly. “I want to, but that stuff expires easily. We don’t have storage vessels here. I’ll send you a pharmacy contact; you can just order delivery.”
He sent the pharmacy to Yu Shi, hesitating before adding, “You’d better find time to check your pheromone capacity, or do a comprehensive gland test.”
He sighed. “With your body this depleted, if you don’t find a highly compatible Alpha, it’s going to hurt like hell later.”
Yu Shi nodded and stood up to leave.
Back at the dorm, he ordered medicine online and asked 7072 to pick it up at the school gate.
7072 carried a small bamboo basket and took the elevator downstairs.
At the dormitory entrance, it met 9527, who was carrying a luggage bag. 9527 greeted proactively, “Hi 7072, are you going on a trip?”
9527 turned its head, eyes lighting up. “Hi 7072, I’m not traveling. My masters forgot to bring clothes for training, so they asked me to deliver them. Wow, you changed into a new dress! It’s so pretty! You look like a shining pearl. Your muzzle is pink, and your paw pads are pink too.”
7072 had changed into a light purple JK skirt, with lace bows on its socks. It blushed at the praise.
It tugged shyly at the hem of its skirt. “Papa made it. He spent all night making this skirt. I can’t get it dirty this time.”
“Beautiful Omega is truly skilled. I envy you so much, 7072.”
7072 said, “Actually, you can call me Yu Zhizhi. That’s the name Papa gave me.”
9527 paused. “Eh? A name?”
“Papa said there are many serial numbers, but a name is an exclusive title. It belongs only to me, a unique robot dog,” 7072 said proudly.
“Wow, that’s too cool!” 9527 drooped its ears. “I want a name too, but my masters never mentioned it.”
Yu Zhizhi smiled. “I can help you pick one! After I get my things, I’ll go back and look through the Book of Family Names and naming guides to pick the coolest name in the universe for you! I’ll tell you next time we meet.”
“Thank you, Zhizhi. You really are my best friend.” 9527 was moved to tears. It looked at the basket. “What are you going to pick up? I’ll help you.”
“No need, Papa asked me to get suppressants at the gate.”
“I’ll help you after dropping off the clothes! It just rained, and the ground is muddy. Don’t go out, you’ll get your socks wet,” 9527 bullshitted solemnly.
“T-Thatâs not good, is it?”
“What’s not good about it? We are good friends! You help me, I help you.”
“Okay then. Thank you, 9527.”
“Hehe, you’re welcome.”
9527 hummed a tune and trotted happily to the training ground to deliver clothes. The Alphas were training. It put down the clothes and was about to leave.
Xie Ren shouted, “9527, come over and set up the roadblocks.”
9527’s eyes rolled. “Master, the beautiful Omega isn’t feeling well. He asked you to help him get medicine at the gate.”
Xie Ren froze. “He’s really sick?”
Then he asked in disbelief, “He asked me to go? Are you sure?”
9527 nodded repeatedly, blinking its big eyes at him.
Xie Ren tossed the stopwatch to Ye Bingyang. “I have something to do. You guys practice first.”
He roughly guessed Yu Shi’s situation. He went to the locker room to change clothes to avoid carrying the scent of other Alphas, then drove a car to the gate. After picking up the suppressants, the suspicion in his heart was confirmed.
Instructor Little Fish was indeed in heat.
The car stopped at the school gate for five minutes before Zhao Yi ran over holding a huge bag of stuff.
He climbed into the passenger seat. “Brother Ren, I bought everything you asked for. That brand of nutrient solution was out of stock, so I switched to another. Should be fine, right? Wait, why the rush to buy these? Is your rut coming? No, wait, don’t you go home for your rut?”
“Don’t ask what you shouldn’t ask.” Xie Ren turned the steering wheel, driving toward the dormitory building.
Zhao Yi said strangely, “Why are you smiling so ripplingly… Holy crap, if you’re really in a rut, take leave quickly! I don’t want a heart attack triggered by your pheromones. Consider the Alphas on our floor, will you? Plus, there’s an Omega on the fifth floor!”
“Crazy. I’m not in a rut.”
“Then what the hell are you smiling about?”
Xie Ren exhaled. “If an Omega has an assistant but doesn’t use it, and doesn’t ask anyone else, but specifically asks you to deliver suppressants to him, what does that imply?”
Zhao Yiâs eyes went round. “Holy crap, are you being pursued by an Omega?”
Xie Ren raised the corners of his mouth. “Is it that obvious? I thought it wasn’t before.”
“Nonsense! What decent Omega asks an unfamiliar Alpha to buy suppressants? This is clearly a hint for you! Brother Ren, don’t be a log that doesn’t understand romance. Don’t let down their good intentions!”
Xie Renâs ears turned red. He said unnaturally, “That’s true, but… our status difference is huge. He has a stable job, unlike our line of work, dealing with guns and rain.”
He sighed lightly.
“Are you afraid that if you die on the battlefield, the other person will become a widow?”
“Fuck off, crow’s beak.”
Zhao Yi sighed with emotion. “You’ve changed. You never cared about this kind of talk before. Is that Omega good-looking? Is he better looking than Instructor Little Fish? Show me a photo… Ouch!”
Xie Ren slammed on the brakes, sending Zhao Yi smashing into the windshield.
The car stopped at the dormitory entrance. Xie Ren threw the keys to him. “Drive the car back to the training ground. Extra two hours of training today.”
“No no no, this bag is heavy. Let me carry it up for you…”
“Put it down. None of your business.”
“…”
Xie Ren carried the bag upstairs, casually locking the door between the fourth and fifth floors. No one lived on the fourth floor during Summer TrainingâAlphas lived on the third floor and belowâbut just in case, he locked it.
Everyone else was in the academic building, so the fifth floor was unusually quiet. He sniffed the air; there was no scent of pheromones.
Xie Ren walked to Yu Shi’s door and knocked. “Are you there?”
“Don’t open the door yet. I know it’s inconvenient for you right now. I left the things at the door. There are suppressants, invisible patches, clothes, and nutrient solution. I… heard in physiology class that some Omegas exhibit nesting behavior, so I was afraid you didn’t bring enough clothes… I’ll bring you three meals a day. Message me anytime if you need anything.”
He scratched his head, hesitating. “Suppressants have side effects to some extent. Actually, you could find a highly compatible Alpha to help… I-I’m not asking you to go on a blind date. Perhaps, perhaps you could…”
Before he could finish, the door opened from the inside.
Yu Shi was buttoning his shirt as he opened the door. “Xie Ren? Come in. I happened to be looking for you.”
Xie Ren froze, staring straight at his movements.
Slender white fingers slowly fastened the buttons, fingertips pressing down one by one. The silk shirt bore sleep creases, every wrinkle exuding an ambiguous aura.
The curtains in the room were drawn tight; only a small desk lamp was on.
The light was dim, and a faint fragrance lingered in the air. The Omega before him seemed to be inviting him warmly into his private territory.
Xie Ren’s head buzzed. His heartbeat became violent and surging, blood rushing wildly against the current, blacking out his vision.
Not only did he not go in, but he stiffly took a step back, looking as if facing a formidable enemy.
Yu Shi was puzzled. “What’s wrong? Is it inconvenient for you?”
Xie Ren: “…”
It seems YOU are the one who should be inconvenienced.
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