Chapter 25: You Were Forced into Heat
The scent of mint liqueur floated in the air, faint and teasing.
Like probing vines, entangling tentatively but not annoying.
Xie Ren pressed against the cold wristband. Strangely, even though he was the one releasing pheromones, his breathing became disordered unknowingly. That wisp of pheromone desperately wanted to find its own kind, itching unbearably after grasping nothing.
He couldn’t sense a trace of Omega pheromones.
While he was distracted, Yu Shi shook him off and took the reins back.
“I think you’re seriously ill,” he said coldly. “To say such nonsense, you should go to a hospital.”
Xie Ren smiled indifferently. “Instructor Yu doesn’t want my pheromones, then what about other Alphas’? Are you that confident you can meet a suitable date? I heard the previous ones weren’t reliable either.”
“They wouldn’t talk crazy like you unless they wanted the whip,” Yu Shi said with a chilling tone.
He held the handle of the riding crop and flicked it in the air, carrying a heavy warning.
Unexpectedly, Xie Ren didn’t dodge. Instead, he climbed up the pole, grabbing the end of the whip and staring straight into his eyes.
“Oh—” He dragged out the tone, smiling. “I spoke so much crazy talk, yet Instructor Yu didn’t whip me. Is it because you don’t find me repulsive?”
Yu Shi frowned fiercely, realizing he fell into the kid’s trap. He immediately yanked the whip back and turned the horse around.
The arriving servant hurriedly took the reins and led him back to the ranch building.
Xie Ren looked down at his right hand. A shallow whip mark was left on the back of his hand. He couldn’t help but chuckle.
When Yu Shi walked into the restaurant, everyone else had arrived. Liu Yin said, “Where did you go? Making elders wait so long, hurry and sit over here.”
Before he could speak, Xie Chengfeng said, “No matter, the dishes aren’t all served yet. Looks like Little Yu is interested in warhorses. See any you like? I’ll give you one.”
His attitude had undergone a subtle change, but this man’s superficial manners were always sufficient; none of the three Yus noticed.
Yu Songwei stopped him. “No need, no need. Your horses are for competitions, hard to come by. Besides, he doesn’t know how to raise them. Wouldn’t it be a waste of heavenly treasures if he raised it poorly?”
“It’s fine. I have many experienced masters here who can help Little Yu take care of the horse. If he likes it, he can come anytime.” Xie Chengfeng sized him up subtly.
Yu Shi glanced at the floor-to-ceiling window.
At this time, the horses had returned to the stables. The pasture outside was empty, and Xie Ren was nowhere to be seen. If not for the residual mint scent at the tip of his nose, he would have thought it was a hallucination just now.
“Thank you for your kindness, Uncle. I’m busy with work, afraid I won’t have time,” he replied faintly.
Xie Chengfeng nodded. “Pressure is high for your generation. Alright, I won’t force you. However, no matter how busy work is, don’t forget to find a suitable person for company.”
Seeing him cut to the chase, Liu Yin coughed, exchanged a look with Yu Songwei, and prepared to play along.
She smiled. “Does Big Brother Xie have anyone suitable to introduce?”
“I have to think. Little Yu, what requirements do you have for an Alpha?” Xie Chengfeng asked seriously. “Like men or women? Older or younger than you? Any requirements for personality or family background?”
Hearing this, both Yu Songwei and Liu Yin froze.
Wasn’t he supposed to introduce his son? Why was he actually asking?
And until now, that legendary son hadn’t appeared. The two couldn’t help showing slight dissatisfaction.
Yu Shi looked at his parents and said, “No special requirements. High pheromone compatibility is enough.”
Just this point was already very difficult.
Liu Yin patted the back of his hand comfortingly.
Xie Chengfeng looked thoughtful. “Heard you couldn’t find a high match in the database. Originally I wanted to say my son is quite compatible with you, but that kid—”
He shook his head with feigned depth. “Not suitable for you.”
The Yu couple was thoroughly stunned, looking at each other in confusion.
Xie Chengfeng said, “His temper is unstable, good and bad at times. That’s one. In recent years, he’s thrown himself into his career, still has no fixed abode, and rising up in the future is also a problem. That’s two. Most critically, he didn’t inherit a single one of my strengths. Can’t please an Omega, personality straight and rigid. In elementary school, an Omega chased him, and he turned around and scared them to tears with a rat. Deserves to be single till now.”
Liu Yin’s expression was colorful. She hesitated, “Your son doesn’t seem like what you say. The Old Master said the child is excellent, motivated, willing to endure hardship…”
Xie Chengfeng threw her a look, and her voice gradually lowered.
“He’s just impersonal in private. Little Yu, do you plan to accompany the army in the future? He’s always running to war zones these years. The environment there is very harsh; I’m afraid it will delay you,” he said earnestly.
Yu Shi cleared his throat. “Uncle, my job at the Third Institute is very stable.”
This was a disguised refusal.
Xie Chengfeng revealed a strange smile, nodding with satisfaction. He even thoughtfully added a few more dishes for Yu Shi, as if the one rejected wasn’t his son.
Not only were Yu Songwei and the others puzzled, but Yu Shi also felt baffled.
Inecxplicably ate a meal, inexplicably went on a blind date, inexplicably got sent away.
Perhaps Xie Chengfeng wasn’t satisfied with him and deliberately said these words to dissuade him.
He didn’t take it to heart. After returning to school from the ranch, he sweated a lot on the way and felt his body heating up.
Thinking it was the hot weather, Yu Shi took a shower and went for evening roll call.
As time passed, things started to feel increasingly wrong. His whole body was scorching hot and drained of strength. A feeling of fatigue attacked his limbs, making even walking difficult.
After nine o’clock that night, he developed a high fever. The thermometer showed thirty-nine degrees. He immediately called Chen Qingming.
“Dr. Chen, the suppressants aren’t working. Why is this happening?” Yu Shi’s voice was calm, but careful listening revealed strange tremors.
Probably due to carrying a chip for years, he had only experienced heat once after coming of age. Almost all his knowledge in this regard came from physiology books.
However, this time seemed different from the last. Last time, he had a continuous fever for a month, scaring Liu Yin and Yu Songwei bad. Aside from weakness, lethargy, and nausea, there were no other symptoms.
But this time, there was an unspeakable abnormality.
—Between his legs became wet and sticky. He could clearly feel something flowing out. Washing several times didn’t help.
He didn’t mention this point on the phone.
Unease grew in his heart.
Chen Qingming immediately said, “I’m in the dorm. Wait, I’ll come over to check.”
He was a Beta. Although he couldn’t smell scents, he could sense pheromone density. Just stepping into Yu Shi’s bedroom, he detected a wave of high-level pheromones hitting his face, almost making him drop his medicine kit.
The room was dark, with only a small lamp on the desk. Yu Shi lay on the bed, voice hoarse. “Don’t turn on the light.”
Chen Qingming walked quickly towards him. “Are you okay? You were fine during the day, how come suddenly…”
His voice stuck in his throat.
The air conditioning in the room was very low. Yu Shi had gathered knitted blankets and clothes into a circle, sitting curled up hugging his knees on the bed, head hanging low.
It was a posture lacking security—a standard self-protective stance of an Omega in heat without a mate.
His hair was wet with sweat, sticking darkly to his pale face. His eye sockets and brow bones were flushed watery red, expression listless, looking extremely uncomfortable. His chin was buried in the fabric, revealing a struggle to hold on, looking like a completely different person from the daytime.
Chen Qingming was experienced and saw the situation at a glance. He gasped instantly. “You were forced into heat! My god, did an Alpha force you? Do you need me to call the police?”
Hearing the last few words, Yu Shi didn’t figure out the situation but shook his head quickly.
Raising his eyebrows, Chen Qingming took out a stethoscope and instruments to measure his status.
Yu Shi seemed too weak to speak, panting slightly throughout, brows tightly knit.
Chen Qingming didn’t dare lift his clothes, listening to his heartbeat through the fabric, observing his face carefully to ensure he really hadn’t been harassed.
After the examination, he said in disbelief, “It is indeed forced heat. How could this be… Recall carefully, did you smell any unusual scent today?”
He explained, “Forced heat is divided into several cases. The first is the most common, an Alpha using pheromones to oppress, causing a painful heat for the Omega. This kind can definitely send him to prison. The second is using banned drugs on the market, similar to ‘obedience water,’ making one become a slave to desire obediently. But your condition doesn’t look like drug ingestion…”
“Then it can only be the third type. That Alpha has a very high compatibility with you, at least over 95%, and you happened to smell his pheromones during your heat phase…”
He muttered, “I understand. The reason the suppressant didn’t work is that you encountered higher-level pheromones, causing the suppressant to fail.”
Yu Shi listened to him dazedly, his whole body feeling like it was soaking in boiling hot springs, brain too dizzy to think. He remembered that mint liqueur scent he smelled today.
It was Xie Ren.
Although he had long guessed their compatibility wouldn’t be low, being this high was still surprising.
“How long… will this last?” he asked, steadying his breathing.
This was the first time Chen Qingming had seen him lose composure like this. One could imagine how great the impact of that high-level pheromone was.
Chen Qingming sighed. “Hard to say. Maybe a day or two, maybe until the heat ends. By the way, there is a quick solution, which is to accept a temporary mark from the other party. Of course, I guess you won’t accept. If you can’t get his pheromones, settling for the next best thing—getting intimate clothing stained with his pheromones can also alleviate it.”
“…I understand. Thanks for coming over. Thank you.” Yu Shi lowered his eyes, chest heaving continuously.
Chen Qingming drew a syringe and rolled up his sleeve. “I’ll give you a shot of compound nutrients to prevent dehydration from excessive sweating. For the rest, you have to rely on yourself. Can you contact that Alpha?”
Yu Shi turned his face away. “I can handle it.”
Chen Qingming said, “Alright. If you can’t handle it, tell me.”
He glanced at Yu Shi, distracting him. “You seem very afraid of injections. Why?”
Under the dim light, he saw the faint scar exposed on the back of Yu Shi’s neck. His hand shook slightly as he sent the needle in.
Yu Shi grunted. Chen Qingming said hurriedly, “Sorry, heavy hand.”
Moments later, he couldn’t help asking, “You’ve had a chip implanted?”
Regarding his doubt, Yu Shi didn’t seem offended, nor did he intend to hide or explain. He just gave a soft “Mn.”
Seeing he didn’t plan to talk, Chen Qingming could only push the nutrients in step by step, eyes somewhat complex.
After the injection, he reminded, “Glands with chips are not suitable for marking. Before bonding, it’s best to take it out first. I know a chief surgeon…”
“Dr. Chen,” Yu Shi interrupted him with eyes slightly closed. “Thank you for coming tonight. Please don’t tell anyone about this.”
Chen Qingming sensed his intention to see him out, so he packed the medicine kit. “Don’t worry, I won’t leak patient privacy. I’ll write you a sick leave note; fill in the days yourself.”
He left the note on the table and gently closed the door.
Yu Shi opened his eyes in the dark. Watery sweat beads slid down his forehead. He had a bit of strength after the injection, but the heat in his heart hadn’t subsided in the slightest.
He licked his lips, propped himself up, and dug out a sun hat and glasses from the closet.
Twenty minutes later, a black figure flashed past the training ground locker room.
…
Monday morning, Chen Qingming got up for morning training. A graduate of a military medical school, he retained the habit of training with the army. In the crowd on the playground, he actually saw Yu Shi, who looked in decent spirits.
“Instructor Yu, good morning.” He greeted in surprise. “You… are recovered?”
Yu Shi nodded at him. As they passed shoulders, a strong smell of suppressants wafted over.
Chen Qingming’s expression froze. He knew it was impossible for him to be cured by suppressants. This kind of cheap suppressant with added fragrance seemed more like it was intentionally masking other smells. He looked at Yu Shi’s retreating figure strangely.
Behind him, Alphas’ voices sounded.
“Really strange. The surveillance just happened to break too. Could it really have been carried off by a rat?” Zhao Yi said. “This is too ridiculous. Who would believe it?”
Chen Qingming turned and asked, “What happened?”
Zhao Yi pointed at the depressed Xie Ren. “The homework he left in the locker room, six whole exercise books, all gone! And a hat he liked most also vanished into thin air… Wait, we had very little homework these days. Why did you have so many booklets?”
Xie Ren said with a dark face, “Instructor Yu assigned them, for me to hand in to him this week.”
Chen Qingming rolled his eyes, asking tentatively, “You finished all that homework?”
“Nonsense. I stayed up all night writing page by page.” Xie Ren was unhappy. “You suspect I didn’t write it and threw the homework away on purpose?”
“No… I didn’t mean that.” Chen Qingming’s mouth twitched. “Tell Instructor Yu the truth; he will understand.”
Zhao Yi said, “Come on, even I don’t believe it. Whose rat specializes in stealing homework, and steals six books at once?”
“…”
Yu Shi returned to the office from the playground, preparing for the first class, but found an extra desk in the office.
Li Yang said while munching bread, “A new logistics guy came today. The Principal said there are few people during summer training, so he sent him to our room for company.”
Yu Shi nodded, looked under the desk, and frowned asking, “Where is the bundle of paper I put here?”
“Oh, that bundle of waste paper? I saw it was folded messily and had water stains on it. The cleaning auntie came up just now, so I told her to take it down.”
Yu Shi’s face instantly turned strange, ears flushing red. He wanted to say something but held it back forcefully, turned around without a word, and ran out.
“Hey, why did you leave? Weren’t you getting courseware?” Li Yang shouted.
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