Chapter 28
The air was thick with the scent of honeysuckle, mixed with the unique substances of a heat cycle, making one blush.
Shu Ci used his last vestiges of clear thought to cope with Lu Wanqing’s attack training. Hearing his words, a moment of confusion crossed his face.
He looked somewhat at a loss, “Bloom? Bloom what?”
His brain hadn’t caught up; he thought it was some kind of special attack method.
Lu Wanqing was momentarily speechless.
His throat bobbed, “Feel your pheromones first.”
The substance of pheromones cannot be easily seen with the naked eye; the brain’s capture of their energy mimicry depends on the manipulator’s level of concentration.
Just now, Shu Ci had been immersed in the attack, all his senses mobilized to find Lu Wanqing’s weaknesses. The pheromones he controlled, following this instinctive perception, pursued Lu Wanqing’s pheromone energy, and the mimicry was completed naturally.
Therefore, he was completely unaware of how bold and arrogant his current mimicry was.
The vines entangled Lu Wanqing’s entire body.
Two strands branched off from his lean waist, tightly coiling around him. The upper strands snaked through his abdomen, chest, and arms, softly forming a circle around his neck; the lower strands wrapped around his long legs, preventing his movement.
And Lu Wanqing wasn’t angry or retaliating; he looked calm and docile, with a seductive air of availability.
Knowing it was an illusion, knowing that his cheap husband’s true strength far surpassed this, Shu Ci still licked his lips slightly, feeling his heart beating rapidly.
If he could really entwine him like this in reality, taking a picture would be amazing.
At this moment, Shu Ci had already thought about the lighting and composition.
“Don’t want me to let go?”
Seeing him staring without speaking, Lu Wanqing raised an eyebrow.
“Cough, no,” Shu Ci came back to his senses, “How do I bloom? Make the pheromones form into flowers on the vines? Let me think…I feel like blooming is harder than attacking. Do you think I can really do it?”
“…” You really can.
Shu Ci didn’t know Lu Wanqing’s intentions; he simply thought the boss’s special training was tailored to his abilities, perhaps to hone his mimicry precision. He took two steps back, stood firm, and closed his eyes.
For a moment, his thoughts flew.
As someone devoted to beauty and art, this training was no exception.
If he was going to bloom flowers, they had to be beautiful.
The lavender field in his debut film was quite nice.
However, that film had a tragic tone, and he didn’t want to present Lu Wanqing with tragic beauty; having his wife stolen by Gu Lan Zhu and not even having a role was already tragic enough.
So…
Lu Wanqing felt the vibration of energy in the moment he focused his attention on each of Shu Ci’s pheromones.
He patiently waited for him to bloom another flower while he was awake.
“Bang—”
He looked up and directly saw a newly bloomed peach blossom.
The pistil trembled slightly twice, then the vines around him gradually narrowed, condensing into crisscrossing branches, each blooming with clusters of luscious flowers.
The moment countless flower buds bloomed in succession, he was once again shocked by Shu Ci.
It wasn’t one flower, it was a whole tree.
He only wanted a small flower like the one that day, but he was given a whole tree full of blossoms.
And that wasn’t all; the pheromones that had dissipated into the air, under his influence, also gathered slowly, condensing into petal after petal, falling gently.
The coldly-toned ship’s rest room seemed to be transformed into a lively fairyland by him.
This was a spectacular scene that only they two, with their perception of energy, could “see.”
Lu Wanqing’s heart trembled.
He controlled a strand of pheromones, drifting to the nearest flower, attempting to touch its pistil.
Shu Ci gazed contentedly at his masterpiece, as if looking at the perfect shot on a monitor.
“‘Crimson like rain, forgetting the path we came from’,” he muttered to himself, a smile in his eyes. [1]
Soon, he shifted his gaze to Lu Wanqing, “Am I not bad? I just thought of the photos I saw in the stairwell at home last time, and I couldn’t help but try.”
It was more than just not bad; it had reached the level of extreme behavioral art.
Lu Wanqing was originally thinking that perhaps the scent of his pheromones was related to flowers, which is why he had such a talent for mimicking them.
Suddenly, hearing him mention the photo, he suddenly remembered his strange perception of Shu Ci touching the photo, and the pheromones reaching towards the pistil uncontrollably went straight into the depths of the petals.
Shu Ci was feeling proud when he suddenly felt a tingling sensation.
He unconsciously hummed, his whole body going limp, falling back onto the bed.
The strings of rationality at this moment seemed to be snapped; his willpower collapsed, falling into the abyss of desire.
The original peach blossom rain instantly became chaotic; the pheromones could no longer maintain their shape, like headless flies, sweeping through the narrow ship’s rest room, spreading everywhere, eager to stain every corner with their pheromones.
Lu Wanqing restrained his pheromones.
He had no time to think about how much it would cost to clean and deodorize the ship later; he stepped forward to check Shu Ci’s condition.
Shu Ci lay motionless on the bed, unable to lift his eyelids.
His eyes were filled with physiological tears; he hugged the blanket tightly, rubbing it dependently and petulantly, while yawning uncontrollably.
After a few seconds, he actually fell asleep.
It was understandable; the whole day, from morning training at home, to working at the film crew, to being kidnapped by Zhao Qian to Jiao Yuan Island, to driving a speedboat and cooperating with Lu Wanqing to deal with the strange black creatures, and finally entering a heat cycle while stargazing, hiding on the ship and using training to distract himself…
His physical strength, energy, and perception had all reached their limits.
If he could still go on, he wouldn’t be human.
Lu Wanqing breathed a sigh of relief; being able to fall asleep was the best thing.
After all, a normal heat cycle doesn’t involve continuous lovemaking with a partner for days on end; there’s always time for eating, drinking, and sleeping.
The difference between Shu Ci and other Omegasexuals is that other Omegasexuals fall asleep tired from their partner’s comfort and soothing, while Shu Ci was exhausted from overworking his pheromone mimicry all day.
He pulled the blanket out from under Shu Ci, pushed him inward, and covered him tightly with the blanket.
He thought, if you’re tired, just sleep well; try to sleep through the heat cycle, it’s good for both of us.
“Hot,” Shu Ci mumbled sleepily, tilting his head; his lips brushed against Lu Wanqing’s fingertips.
Lu Wanqing remained impassive, pulling the blanket down a bit, “You won’t be hot once you’re asleep.”
Several muffled thunderclaps sounded over the sea, and raindrops began to fall.
The intermittent sound of rain could be heard in the cabin, pattering down.
Shu Ci closed his eyes, unconsciously frowning, “It’s raining?”
“Mm, it is,” Lu Wanqing looked deeply outside. According to his previous analysis, after the unknown creatures appeared and the abnormal pressure disappeared, there would occasionally be intermittent rain in the area.
It was good that it was raining now; they hadn’t missed the meteor shower.
“Don’t like it,” Shu Ci’s voice trembled; he turned over in the blanket, covering his ears, softly complaining.
Don’t like the rain?
Lu Wanqing lowered his eyes, adjusted his sleeping position, sat on the floor by the bed, released his pheromones, enveloping Shu Ci’s ears like a hand.
If someone were present, they would see that Lu Wanqing’s mimicry was clearly visible.
Transparent in color, but with a physical form.
The ability to materialize pheromones, which had never been proven feasible, was being used effortlessly by him, simply to block out the external sounds for Shu Ci.
It seemed that their attack training had allowed their pheromones to gradually come into contact, becoming increasingly familiar. The moment he covered Shu Ci’s ears, the honeysuckle scent in the room flew over intimately, entwining with Lu Wanqing’s pheromones.
It was as if in a conditioned reflex attack.
Or perhaps it was just—flirting.
…
On Jiao Yuan Island, Yi Xing Shui frowned, bandaging Gu Lan Zhu’s hand, then went to Zhao Qian, who was kneeling on the ground, to treat the wound on his forehead.
The things on the table were scattered everywhere, the floor littered with glass shards, blood gushing from Zhao Qian’s forehead, oozing down from his eyelids. His back was straight as a pine tree, unyielding in his kneeling posture.
The dark brown bloodstains on the ground blended with the carpet.
It was easy to imagine what had happened.
After finishing the meeting, Gu Lan Zhu rushed to the island, only to find his treasured little jasmine missing. He called Zhao Qian, asked about the details, and was enraged.
Something seemed to have slipped his control. Annoyed, he yelled at the two of them, and had the search and rescue team rush to the sea area to search for the person.
But hearing that the missing person was near Dragonthorn Island, those rescue companies refused to come.
Gu Lan Zhu wanted to continue venting his anger on Zhao Qian.
Yi Xing Shui stood in front of Zhao Qian, “I took him out, and I allowed him to take the speedboat. Assistant Zhao just didn’t get him on the boat in time. Can you take your anger out on me?”
Gu Lan Zhu looked at this childhood playmate, his eyes showing obvious disgust.
He had a natural contempt for Betas and Omegasexuals. His long-term relationship with Yi Xing Shui was simply because their personalities were compatible; she never cared about his style and methods, diligently upholding her duty as a personal doctor.
Now, seeing her and Zhao Qian standing opposite him, accusing him, his anger boiled over.
He pushed Yi Xing Shui to the ground with a slap, looking down coldly, “How did your parents secure their positions as director and vice-director? How did they cooperate with the world’s largest pharmaceutical company? Did they give you the illusion that you have the right to challenge me?”
Yi Xing Shui’s eyes darkened, a sense of weariness rising in her heart.
In the past, she and Gu Lan Zhu had kept to themselves, merely helping each other; she had never gotten involved in his affairs. Now that her senior’s wife was involved, she increasingly felt that she couldn’t get along with Gu Lan Zhu.
She could even guess what he would say next.
Sure enough, Gu Lan Zhu pinched her chin, “Remember, you will always be my Gu family’s appendages. Don’t even think about defying me. Just a Beta, you don’t have the right to act independently.”
Yi Xing Shui sneered inwardly.
Gu Lan Zhu’s threat was nothing but a bluff. Her family had treated not only the Gu brothers and their supporters but also heard a lot of news. Unless they were silenced overnight, how dare he move her?
“Yes, we are all your appendages,” she unexpectedly spoke to taunt him, “The person you want to get will never depend on you in this life. That should be your retribution, right?”
Gu Lan Zhu’s red eyes narrowed into slits, glaring fiercely at her.
The force in his hand increased.
Yi Xing Shui didn’t flinch, even grinning, provoking him with lies, “Do you know that Shu Ci has pheromone disorder? His husband couldn’t eat or sleep well for this disease seven or eight years ago. How many years has he worried about his illness? And you? You’re just short of committing murder and arson. How can you compare to him?”
Gu Lan Zhu’s breathing became erratic, falling into self-doubt.
Shu Chang Hai couldn’t have deceived him; they had only met and married a month ago.
He thought that such a marriage with a low pheromone compatibility could easily be shaken, but what if Lu Wanqing had been secretly in love with him for many years? Did his strong-armed tactics really have a chance of success?
…
On the sea near Dragonthorn Island, Shu Ci slept soundly.
In his dream, he returned to his original world.
In a crowded movie theater, the screen showed his first film that won him the Best New Director Award. The dream suddenly flashed to the awards ceremony of that film, a gathering of stars, everyone celebrating him. His chosen new male and female leads stood on stage, holding the Best Newcomer awards, giving their thanks.
That male actor was quite handsome; at that time, he didn’t have many resources and not many actors he could work with. This actor was a moderately famous newcomer who had volunteered, and also the one who best fit the role’s temperament among the candidates.
Now, no one could compare to Lu Wanqing.
During filming, that man had repeatedly gone to the wrong room, his eyes flashing with seduction, trying to get him to spend a night with him. Shu Ci was extremely disgusted; he couldn’t stand it anymore, without telling anyone in the crew, he moved to another hotel.
He locked himself in his room.
In the following months of filming, except for the set, he didn’t meet anyone privately.
The awards ceremony banquet was a gathering for the crew after the filming. If he remembered correctly, his drink had been drugged that time. Compared to what he experienced immediately after being transported to this world with Gu Lan Zhu’s family’s product, it wasn’t as strong, but still annoying and hot.
He avoided the actor’s burning gaze, enduring the pain as he weaved through the crowd.
Until he found an excuse to leave, taking advantage of the moment he wasn’t reacting, and slipped into his car.
The dream was so real; he felt that his heat was exactly the same as that day. He huddled in the car, his fingers trembling as he called his assistant. The doors and windows were locked, afraid that someone might take advantage of his situation.
After a while, someone gently tapped on the car window.
Shu Ci carefully got up, poked his head out, and froze on the spot.
How could he see Lu Wanqing here?
He couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality, only feeling dazed, but the heat on his body unknowingly weakened the moment he saw Lu Wanqing.
Since when had Lu Wanqing become his only sense of security?
“Lu Wanqing? Is that you?” He rolled down the car window, cautiously asking.
On the ship, Lu Wanqing, with the supplies Cui You had prepared, heated up the rice balls in the galley and brought them in to feed him. An Omega in heat cannot take care of himself; he couldn’t mark him, but he had to take care of all his daily needs.
As soon as he came in, he heard his murmuring.
Lu Wanqing was used to it; if he didn’t respond to him in his dreams, he would cry.
“It’s me,” he closed the door, sat down by the bed with the plate, “Want to eat?”
Before he could sit down properly, Shu Ci’s arms emerged from the covers, suddenly hugging his waist.
Lu Wanqing’s breath hitched, almost dropping the plate.
In the dream, Shu Ci, with teary eyes, reached out of the car window, wrapping his arms around Lu Wanqing, who was standing by the car.
His burning cheek pressed against Lu Wanqing’s chest.
Shu Ci thought, this is my world, with my movies, without pheromones, there shouldn’t be any rejection?
His fingers hooked behind Lu Wanqing’s head, slowly approaching.
His nose followed his neck, all the way up, stopping at Lu Wanqing’s ear.
He gently bit the beautiful outline of his earlobe.
Author’s Note:
Shu Ci: Meek and timid in reality, striking hard in his dreams