Chapter 48
Sweat dripped unceasingly.
Avoiding the beads of sweat, the inhibitor spread from the needle in his muscle. A low sigh escaped the man’s throat.
A moment later, Lu Wanqing closed his eyes, the faint tremor of his eyelashes visible.
He understood; everyone was equal in the face of their biological cycles.
A fully developed Alpha in their susceptibility period would become restless, aggressive, more hostile toward their own kind, and their desire for the opposite sex would intensify.
This was normal. What wasn’t normal was him.
He had never experienced such an exaggerated, passionate reaction before.
A burning sensation spread from the root of his tongue down to his lower abdomen. The phantom from his dream lingered in his mind, impossible to shake.
In the dream, the Omega had rushed toward him with open arms, like a blossoming flower. And after he had embraced him, he never let go.
Those soft lips seemed to hold a magical power.
The touch was identical to what he had felt when Shu Ci pressed against the picture frame that day.
But for the him in the dream, a light taste was nowhere near enough.
He was like a traveler in the desert, crawling on the hot sand, thirstily burying his head in the clear pool of an oasis, desperate to drink it dry.
Frantic, obsessive, breaths mingling.
He tightened his arms, wanting to melt the person into his own chest.
It wasn’t until the person in his arms let out a pained whimper that Lu Wanqing clearly realized: this was a dream. He was in a dream.
In reality, their embraces no longer caused pain.
Only in his dreams could he see Shu Ci, eyes glistening with tears, looking at their touching skin and letting out an undisguised cry of pain.
A sliver of secret pleasure flashed through Lu Wanqing’s heart.
This was his dream. He could do anything in his dream without worrying that the secrets he had carefully hidden would be discovered.
So, he didn’t let go, despite the continuous pain between them.
He bent down, forcefully lifting the person in his arms. The tip of his nose traced the carotid artery up the side of his neck, before piously kissing the soft skin on the nape.
The tips of his teeth gently grazed the delicate texture of the skin.
Shu Ci’s hands gripped his back. Lu Wanqing took in every detail as his expression shifted from pained endurance to dizzying surrender.
Azure eyes looked at him, churning with a dark tide.
In the dream, Lu Wanqing’s voice was hoarse. With a hint of unspoken probing, he asked in a low voice, “Who am I?”
“…”
Shu Ci just looked at him without speaking. Tears of pain streamed from his eyes as he shook his head incessantly.
As if he were bullying him.
Lu Wanqing frowned, displeased.
He pinched his ribs as punishment, his mouth parting slightly as he moved toward the nape of his neck, his hawk-like gaze locked on the target.
As if to punish himself for the mad, demonic impulse to mark him against his will, the moment he gave in and bit down, the dream shattered.
Lu Wanqing crushed the empty vial.
The instant the glass shards dug into his palm, he wrapped the slightly overflowing pheromone mimicry in a protective layer, finally pulling himself back from the dream.
“No way…”
Cui You, who had been watching the now-composed Lu Wanqing from the side, felt a numbness in his legs. His face was a mask of horror. “You still haven’t marked him!?”
During a fellow Alpha’s susceptibility period, it was easier to tell from their pheromones whether they had marked someone.
It was related to the scent and expression of the pheromones.
Unmated Alphas mostly relied on inhibitors. Before they were completely calmed, their pheromones would be mixed with the smell of the inhibitor.
At this stage, an Alpha was in their courtship phase. While they desired Omegas, the hostility their pheromones showed toward other Alphas was often especially strong.
But after finding a partner, the use of inhibitors decreased. They would rely on their partner’s comfort. Married Alphas were even entitled to special leave during their susceptibility period, allowing them to put aside their work and find complete relief with their other half.
For an Alpha who had completed a marking, the amount of artificial substances in their pheromones decreased. Because they had an outlet or a permanent partner, they no longer needed to compete with other Alphas. The desire for Omegas in their pheromones deepened, while the hostility toward other Alphas lessened.
Cui You recalled the pheromones Lu Wanqing had momentarily released and then suppressed. It was brimming with overwhelming hostility. There was no mistaking it.
He rubbed his temples, confused. “You have incredible self-control, but for what?”
It wasn’t like he was devoid of passion. The meticulous care he had shown at the base was definitely not fake. And yet, he wouldn’t mark him.
Wasn’t feasting on meat more satisfying than a platonic relationship?
Lu Wanqing was silent.
His throat was dry, but disaster relief resources were limited, and he didn’t dare drink water casually. His gaze fell on the distant, seemingly calm but turbulent sea.
For a moment, he wanted to be submerged by the seawater, to extinguish the destructive impulse in his heart.
“I didn’t believe it when people from your Far Territory said you were strange.” Cui You looked at Lu Wanqing with a complicated expression. “Now I really don’t understand you.”
After joining Lu Wanqing’s command, Cui You had heard from Yu Xingxing’s gossip that General Lu was more like an ascetic Beta than an Alpha.
His pheromones were scentless, not easily detected.
They had apparently never even seen him use inhibitors for his susceptibility period.
The interval between susceptibility periods varied from person to person. For the more self-disciplined, it could be once every year or so, and the timing could be pushed forward or back depending on their physical condition and state of mind.
But the tiny bit that had just leaked out was enough for Cui You to see clearly—
How was this man ascetic?
He had clearly hidden his desires extremely well, burying them where they would never see the light of day, waiting for them to rot away.
If he ever broke his vow of abstinence, who knows which Omega could withstand the desires he had suppressed so deeply and allowed to fester for so long.
“They weren’t wrong,” Lu Wanqing said with a light sneer.
He was strange.
From the moment he realized his actions and trajectory were being controlled by some predetermined “fate,” he had accepted his strangeness.
On one hand, he watched the other people being pulled by the strings of fate with detached mockery; on the other, he felt a pitiful sense of compassion for them.
The people he saved at this moment would still helplessly walk toward their end at another.
So, he had gradually lost interest in this world, unable to generate any desire for greed, anger, or obsession.
But who would have thought that the one variable not bound by fate would rush to him on that night?
He was clearly used to the cold, damp nights, but from that day on, he began to long for the warmth of him in his arms, including the stinging pain that came with it.
“There’s nothing hard to understand. I just don’t want him to get hurt.”
Cui You didn’t know about their compatibility rating yet and just assumed Shu Ci’s body was weak and needed to be patiently nursed back to health before he could be marked.
Hearing this, he couldn’t help but open his mouth.
“…”
After a long pause, he spat out three words: “You’re something else.”
Cui You didn’t say what he was really thinking—
If you keep suppressing yourself to this degree, even after he’s nursed back to health, won’t you just end up tearing him apart?
Once awake, sleep was impossible.
Lu Wanqing decided to go on patrol with Cui You. As they reached the artificial barrier near the sea, the faint light of dawn was already rising from the horizon.
Rippling light shimmered in the distance.
Just then, Lu Wanqing’s communicator rang with an emergency alert. Cui You abruptly tore his gaze from the sea, the smile vanishing from his face.
This ringtone was for a dedicated, one-way communication line from the Marshal. It was an encrypted message sent directly to them, bypassing the layers of review at Central Command.
He held his breath, waiting for Lu Wanqing to receive the message.
When he saw him turn off the communicator, he lowered his voice. “What is it?”
Lu Wanqing stared at the horizon with a grave expression.
The message was from the research institute, relayed by He Lian. Weather monitoring had detected another abnormal pressure system, and its location was in the waters near the heavily affected Area Three of the Far Territory.
“Doesn’t that mean—they’ll be here soon?!”
Cui You remembered their fruitless, grid-by-grid search on Dragon Spine Island, and the spectacular, terrifying sight of those eel-like unknown creatures writhing and pouring into the sea.
Those creatures would appear shortly after the abnormal pressure system.
The research institute had confirmed they were influenced by Omega pheromones. Most of the victims in the disaster area were helpless and injured Omegas, who would undoubtedly become the creatures’ primary targets.
The existence of the unknown creatures was only known to a trusted few in the military, like He Lian. The personnel on the special mission to Dragon Spine Island had all undergone rigorous screening and investigation.
Now, with the chaotic and varied media presence in the disaster area, if they captured something and broadcast it directly on a public platform, the resulting mass panic would be unimaginable.
“Go back. Deploy a portion of the elite forces to the sea. Have Area Eight prepare to evacuate the victims.”
Lu Wanqing’s face darkened. He gave himself two more injections—one for energy, one to stimulate neural activity—casually disposed of the empty vials, and strode toward the settlement area.
As he turned, the sun rose over the sea.
The Alpha’s broad figure cast a long shadow in the morning light, a hint of loneliness hidden within the golden glow.
…
City A, downstairs at the headquarters of Shichen Jewelry.
Shen Ti got out of the car, bag in hand, and trotted over to Shu Ci, who was leaning against a wild-looking sports car. She looked him up and down.
“Whoa, finally learning to enjoy life?”
Shu Ci chuckled, not denying it.
Life had indeed been good to him lately. After getting his inheritance back from Shu Changhai at lightning speed, he had immediately bought a car and even hired bodyguards with his own money.
He could also directly use some of the funds from the island’s dedicated account. Today, he had even asked the management company to find a few film studios, planning to invest in a couple of scripts.
“It’s alright, I’m just not sleeping well.”
Shen Ti placed a hand on his forehead. “You’re not sick, are you? Why aren’t you sleeping well? Having nightmares?”
Shu Ci: “Yeah.”
He had been having nightmares for several days in a row, with only him and Lu Wanqing in them.
The setting always changed, but Lu Wanqing’s gloomy demeanor was a constant.
He would be sitting on a cliff’s edge or standing before the crashing waves, with no will to live.
In the dream, Shu Ci wanted to pull him back, but every time he lunged toward Lu Wanqing, the entire scene would vanish.
He had initially thought it was a sign of Lu Wanqing’s physical safety, so he followed the rescue news from Area Three every day.
There was nothing unusual.
Even the sealed training and research materials He Lian had sent him, fulfilling his promise, contained a hidden note reassuring him of Lu Wanqing’s safety.
“This morning, I even dreamed that he pushed me away and jumped off a cliff himself. Isn’t that a bit ridiculous?”
“Dreaming about your husband is perfectly normal. It means he’s on your mind, that you’re worried about him. And here I thought you were losing sleep over things at school.”
Shen Ti linked her arm through Shu Ci’s as they walked into the Shichen Jewelry building. The receptionist saw his VIP card and respectfully led them to a private lounge.
“What’s there to worry about at school?” Shu Ci shrugged.
The curriculum was similar to what he had studied before. Many things in the directing and acting departments were interconnected.
As for social relationships, it was much less complicated for him than for the original owner. After he sent the evidence to Bai Yue, the boy hadn’t sought him out again.
He didn’t know if he had joined another film crew, but he was nowhere to be seen at school. Even the melodramatic school bullying scenes from the original novel had completely vanished.
“My only occasional anxiety now comes from not knowing when Gu Lanzhu might pop up.”
Shen Ti smoothed down the hem of her trench coat and sat down. “You don’t have to worry about that for a while. I heard Gu Lanzhu has been on a business trip to the M Federation recently. It seems their overseas projects have been affected by a group called N.O. He’s in a real mess.”
“Huh?” Shu Ci turned his head in surprise. “Someone can actually shake the Gu Corporation’s business empire?”
The plot was really going off the rails.
“Right? That group is headquartered overseas, and the person in charge is pretty low-key. Even my brother has barely been able to dig up any information on them.”
“As long as he’s not coming back anytime soon, that’s good.” Shu Ci relaxed his shoulders and sank into the sofa.
“You know, it’s not good to keep so many things bottled up. You have to let them out, or you’ll risk psychological problems.”
Shen Ti raised her hand, and a receptionist on standby hurried over.
“A Puerh tea for this gentleman, and my usual. Also, have your general manager bring a laptop when he comes.”
The receptionist nodded after receiving the instructions and left.
Once the staff member was gone, Shen Ti leaned back. “Out of the blue, why do you suddenly want to look into the necklace your father left you?”
Shu Ci hadn’t told Shen Ti about the island, let alone the unknown mineral. He lowered his eyes and said simply, “There’s something I need to dig into.”
Shen Ti nodded, though she didn’t quite understand. “You definitely should. Your uncle was so young, and his death was so strange.”
“…” Shu Ci thought of the comical man who had recorded the video on the island and fell silent for a moment.
His cheap dad didn’t even care that he wasn’t his biological son. To be honest, he didn’t seem to care much about how he died either.
They hadn’t been chatting for long when the general manager of Shichen Jewelry hurried in. He sat down opposite them, and after hearing their request, he looked up in surprise, studying Shu Ci.
“What is it?” Shu Ci narrowed his eyes. “Don’t I have the authority to look into something my father left me?”
“Ah, no, that’s not it.” The general manager stammered for a moment. “This camellia necklace of yours is indeed one of our limited edition pieces from that season. However, Mr. Shu provided the raw materials for us to customize it. We don’t have any information on the materials, so there’s no way for us to check.”
“That’s not right. You’re not nervous because you can’t help us.” Shen Ti crossed her arms, staring at the general manager. “Spit it out. What are you hiding from your client?”
Shen Ti was a long-time VIP at Shichen Jewelry. She could read the general manager’s every expression, even understanding the subtle hints in his words when he tried to get her to pre-order next season’s new collection.
His current nervousness was completely inexplicable.
“I’m not hiding anything, I… I’m just a little confused.”
The general manager scratched his arm, then looked at Shu Ci. “Before you, two other people have already tried to investigate this necklace.”
It was supposed to be just an ordinary custom-made necklace.
But from the looks of it, it was anything but ordinary.
“Who were they?” Shu Ci’s expression sharpened.
The general manager shivered. “The first time was the young master of the Gu family.”
“Gu Lanzhu.” Shen Ti rolled her eyes. “That bastard again. And the second time?”
“The second time was a gentleman from the N.O. Group.” The general manager flipped through his records. “I’m not too familiar with this company, and I can’t quite remember the name.”
Shen Ti looked up at Shu Ci. “Wait, you know someone from N.O.?”
Shu Ci shook his head, looking baffled.
“His surname is Lu! It was a Mr. Lu,” the general manager said, looking up from his records with absolute certainty.
Shu Ci: “???”
Author’s Note: The time Gu Lanzhu investigated was at the very beginning of the story.
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