Chapter 55: Don’t be scared

Translator: Abo Dammen

☆

Case Three: Nucheng’s Past Events

---

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! 🎉✨ Wishing you lots of joy, peace, and great moments in the year ahead.

---

“Hungry.” Xu Pei lay lazily sprawled on the bed, dragging out the final sound of the word.

The swelling in his reproductive cavity hadn’t yet subsided. His lower abdomen was bulging, looking full, but in reality, his stomach was empty and urgently needed food. 

An image of He Yixun cooking appeared in his mind—the fragrant beef short ribs seemed to be beckoning to him. Having been ‘fed’ down below, Xu Pei felt, rather ungratefully, that He Yixun in an apron was more enticing than He Yixun completely naked.

He was already eagerly anticipating being fed, but just as He Yixun started to get up, he pressed down again: “Okay.”

His teeth were pried open by a probing tongue, and an amorous atmosphere swirled between their lips and teeth. Xu Pei was kissed until his head spun, and his body showed signs of going soft again. But in his sober state, food was the top priority. “Aren’t you going to cook?”

He Yixun’s movements halted: ? 

“My stomach is hungry,” Xu Pei said.

He Yixun: ….

The puppy has two mouths to feed. Reasonable.

He stopped to calm down for a moment, lowering the flag that had been raised. He Yixun let out a soft breath, adjusted his breathing, got up, and started putting on clothes. “You get up. I’ll go cook.” 

“No.” Xu Pei wrapped himself tighter in the blanket, staunchly guarding his territory. “Bring it to me after you make it.”

The puppy actually wanted to eat in bed. This completely crossed He Yixun’s bottom line. No matter how much he indulged Xu Pei’s whims, he would never allow this to happen.

“No,” He Yixun disagreed. “Eating in bed is unhygienic.”

“But I’m in heat,” Xu Pei pursed his lips. “I can’t leave my castle. I’ll feel insecure.” 

He Yixun remained unmoved. “It seems to me you’re fine now.”

The bottom line absolutely could not be yielded, otherwise Xu Beagle would only become more and more unruly.

“I’m only temporarily relieved, my heat isn’t over,” Xu Pei argued. “Your… essence can keep me clear-headed for a while, but the real peak period hasn’t arrived yet. Taking care of an omega in heat itself requires a great deal of patience. Are you already getting impatient just after starting?”

Hygiene and impatience were two different things. He Yixun could easily refute Xu Pei’s accusation. But, for once, he didn’t argue logically and instead asked, “Peak period?” 

“During the entire heat cycle, an omega’s pheromone levels follow a normal distribution. They keep rising for the first two days, peak around days three or four, and then slowly decline after that,” Xu Pei explained. “Don’t be fooled because I seem clear-headed now. My pheromone levels are still abnormal. So, nesting behavior is an objective physiological phenomenon, it’s not that I’m lazy.”

It was the first time He Yixun had heard someone describe laziness so plausibly, and he couldn’t even refute it. He was silent for a moment, then said, “Understood.”

Considering they would probably end up undressed again later, He Yixun didn’t bother putting all his clothes back on, just pulled on a pair of trousers and went to the kitchen. He reheated the beef short ribs, cut them into small pieces, tossed the vegetable salad, and, not wanting too many dishes to appear in the bedroom, put all the food into one bowl. Then he carried a dining chair over to the bedside.

Although it wasn’t cold in the room, Xu Pei had bundled himself up tightly, looking very insecure. It seemed the nesting behavior might not have been a complete fabrication after all. 

Seeing He Yixun return with the food, he sat up and reached for it, but He Yixun held the bowl out of reach. “I’ll feed you.”

This was already the absolute limit of his bottom line.

He could not tolerate food appearing within the boundaries of the bed.

Xu Pei was happy to be served. Wrapped in the quilt, he sat cross-legged, slightly opened his mouth, and waited obediently to be fed. But then He Yixun, after spearing a piece of beef, didn’t bring the fork forward at all. He precisely controlled the fork right at the line of the bed’s edge, forcing Xu Pei to lean forward and bite the beef off the fork. 

This worked. Puppy Xu could eat, and He Yixun’s principle wasn’t broken.

“How does it taste?” He Yixun asked.

“Delicious,” Xu Pei praised. “I’m also eating down below.”

He nearly dropped the bowl, saved only by the sling supporting his hand. He Yixun’s face stiffened. “No talking while eating.” 

Xu Pei was baffled. “You were the one who asked me first!”

Speaking of which, He Yixun still had a lot of serious matters he hadn’t had time to ask Xu Pei about.

He speared another piece of beef and waited for Xu Pei to lean forward to eat it. “You’ve taken several days off. Won’t your colleagues talk?”

Xu Pei bit onto the fork, replied with a “They will,” pulled back, and said, “There are gossipers everywhere. But coincidentally, my lab was disbanded, so probably not many people are paying attention to me.” 

He Yixun nodded and continued feeding him. “What did you and Zhan Gao talk about?”

“He wants to register and get married next week,” Xu Pei spoke.

The hand holding the fork unconsciously lowered. Xu Pei strained to reach forward, almost tumbling onto He Yixun.

He Yixun snapped back to attention and fed the beef into Xu Pei’s mouth. “Is he really Zhan Gao?” 

“He felt more like Zhan Yuan to me,” Xu Pei recalled that despicable behavior, then added uncertainly, “But his pheromones had the ocean scent, which is indeed Zhan Gao’s scent.”

He Yixun: “The twins’ pheromone scents are different?”

“Different,” Xu Pei shook his head. “Generally, the pheromones we use for social interaction are odorless; they only convey friendly or hostile intent. Like before in the bank, the pheromone suppression Zhan Yuan released was hostile. And Zhan Gao forcing me into heat was ‘friendly’—of course, it far exceeded the normal scope of social interaction.

“Generally speaking, emotions like joy and optimism correspond to friendly-intent pheromones. Conversely, fear, disgust, and so on, correspond to hostile-intent pheromones. 

“These kinds of signals are very everyday. Even if unintentionally revealed and shared with others, it doesn’t really count as leaking privacy.

“But there’s one type of signal that’s very private: all information related to ‘sex,’ including pheromone scent, whether one is in heat, whether one desires to mate, etc… This category of signal usually isn’t released lightly, because if you’re not careful, you can be accused of sexual harassment.

“Blockers mainly shield this type of information too, but they’re useless against high ranks.

“Originally, Zhan Gao didn’t intend to force me into heat. He released his pheromone scent, and I instinctively rejected it, which angered him. The reason I felt he was like Zhan Yuan was his unstable temper. The old Zhan Gao wouldn’t have been like this.” 

“However, if he really is Zhan Yuan, it suggests that S-grade Alphas can also mimic others’ pheromone scents.” Xu Pei stroked his chin, saying thoughtfully, “This means our speculations are likely all valid. For example, that S-grade Alphas can mark other alphas, etc. Normally, alphas cannot be marked.”

“If only we could get a vial of Zhan Gao’s blood, then we could find out who he really is.”

He Yixun’s hand had been hovering in mid-air for a long time. He waited until Xu Pei finished his rapid-fire explanation before asking, “Do you just not want to eat the vegetables?”

Discovered. 

On the fork was a piece of purple cabbage. It really didn’t taste good at all.

Xu Pei had said all that just to wait for He Yixun to take the fork back.

“Omegas in heat can’t eat purple cabbage,” Xu Pei declared righteously.

“Why?” He Yixun asked. 

“It puts me in a bad mood.”

He Yixun: “……”

He put the purple cabbage into his own mouth, then forked a piece of beef and brought it to Xu Pei’s lips. “You said scents can’t be released lightly. So, do other people know you’re honey-scented?”

According to Xu Pei’s explanation, this was a person’s privacy. Which meant he might be the only one who… 

“Zhan Gao knows, he’s my fiance,” Xu Pei said bluntly. “And that taxi driver probably smelled it too.”

He Yixun expressionlessly withdrew the fork and bit off the beef himself.

Xu Pei’s mouth was already open, watching helplessly as the meat flew away from his lips. He glared at He Yixun. “What are you doing? Abusing an omega in heat, is that it?”

“If I were abusing you, I wouldn’t even give you my semen to drink,” He Yixun said flatly. “Zhan Gao’s identity is questionable. What do you plan to do about the engagement?” 

What’s with this ‘drink’ talk. Xu Pei grumbled internally, then said, “I’ll first report his harassment to the police, to create a record, and drag out the engagement.”

“And then?”

“And then… we’ll see.”

Actually, Xu Pei hadn’t figured it out either. 

He always felt, since Zhan Gao could drag it out for ten years, why can’t I?

But subconsciously, he also knew this wasn’t a solution. Did he really want to violate the Marriage Charter and go to jail?

Or perhaps… to escape jail by leaving this world.

He Yixun didn’t press further, seemingly also pondering this complex problem. He became like a merciless feeding machine, delivering the fork to Xu Pei’s mouth again and again, as if forgetting who had just emphasized no eating in bed. 

Throughout the night, Xu Pei’s condition remained stable, and he didn’t run a low fever again.

He searched online for other omegas’ experiences during heat and confirmed that He Yixun’s semen, like his blood, had a strong calming effect. Otherwise, he should probably be starting round two with He Yixun by now.

However, no matter how strong the effect, it couldn’t directly end the heat period. Xu Pei used the measuring gun on his gland. The screen turned red, indicating his pheromone concentration was still extremely high.

After his shower, He Yixun entered the bedroom, lay down in the bedding on the floor, pulled out his phone, and started looking up information. 

Xu Pei rolled over to look at him. “What are you doing?”

He Yixun: “Using my phone.”

“I mean, what are you doing sleeping there?” Xu Pei asked discontentedly. “Alphas have an obligation to sleep with an omega in heat, you know?”

Although it was normal for He Yixun not to know, his initiative was really somewhat lacking. He Yixun didn’t say much. He put away his phone and squeezed into the narrow castle. 

The pleasant juniper scent permeated the surroundings, like a natural sleep aid. Xu Pei, pillowed on He Yixun’s arm and leaning against his solid chest, grew drowsy.

The screen’s glow never disappeared. Noticing He Yixun was looking at his phone with intense concentration, Xu Pei curiously moved closer. “What are you looking at?”

“It says here that an alpha doesn’t need to immediately enter the omega’s reproductive womb. Rubbing outside can enhance the omega’s sense of anticipation.”

The screen was filled with obscene words, and the illustrative diagrams were even more unsightly. Xu Pei’s face flushed red. He snatched He Yixun’s phone and placed it on the nightstand. “Don’t learn this kind of nonsense) stuff!” 

With the phone’s light gone, the surroundings instantly darkened.

As if nothing had happened.

He Yixun was silent for a moment, then asked, “Didn’t you say your pheromone concentration would gradually increase?”

“Normally, yes, but your… fluid seems very effective.” Xu Pei nestled comfortably in He Yixun’s arms, murmuring drowsily. “I estimate the calming effect will last until morning.” 

Morning? He Yixun thought. Not bad.

As it turned out, by the third day, Xu Pei still hadn’t experienced any more bouts of delirium.

He was still unwilling to leave his nest. Apart from occasionally getting up to move around, he spent the vast majority of his time curled up in bed.

He Yixun had already done his research. During the mid-phase of heat—though he wasn’t sure if this was the mid-phase—an omega’s nesting behavior intensifies, their self-protection awareness increases, they refuse to leave their safe space, and they strongly depend on their alpha’s care. Therefore, regarding the ‘puppy’ lying in bed, He Yixun could only relax his bottom line and allow him to eat in bed. 

Placing a new electrolyte drink by the bedside, He Yixun asked his daily question, “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty good,” Xu Pei replied. “For lunch, I want to…”

The second half of his sentence was interrupted by the doorbell. Xu Pei asked, “Did you already buy the groceries?”

“No.” He Yixun found it strange. He walked to the entryway to check and was surprised to find the person outside was Zhan Gao. 

He was wearing a well-tailored suit, his hair clearly styled with care, and he held a large bouquet of red roses.

Xu Pei in the bedroom also sensed something was wrong. Suppressing his aversion, he got out of bed, pulled on one of He Yixun’s loose T-shirts, and followed to the entryway.

“It’s me.” Zhan Gao sensed Xu Pei’s approach and spoke to him through the door. “I heard you’re on heat leave.”

“What are you doing here?” Xu Pei asked. 

“Pei Pei, have you forgotten I’m your fiance?” Zhan Gao’s tone was gentle, unhurried. “I apologize for the other day. I truly didn’t expect you to refuse me, so I was a bit angry…”

Xu Pei didn’t want any trouble and was about to tell Zhan Gao to leave when, with a click, He Yixun opened the door. His tone was flat. “Apology received.”

Zhan Gao’s expression visibly stiffened, the softness in his eyes instantly replaced by gloom.

He casually threw the roses to the ground, glanced at Xu Pei’s bare legs, and sneered, “I thought you’d actually used an inhibitor. So you’re just playing around with this impotent guy who doesn’t even have a gland.” 

“Just go, Zhan Gao.” Xu Pei had a faint, uneasy feeling. “This has nothing to do with you.”

“You called the police to report me for harassment, which took me some effort to settle.” Zhan Gao’s gaze was icy. “So, have you honestly reported your own adultery?”

He Yixun, however, remained calm. “Did you report it first?”

Under Nucheng’s strict legal system, Zhan Gao’s accusation could hold water, but morally speaking, it was completely preposterous. 

“Ha!” Zhan Gao laughed in anger, glaring venomously at He Yixun. “Where did you even pop out from? You’re really like a lingering ghost.”

The familiar line made He Yixun’s eyes darken. He assessed Zhan Gao impassively. “Do you have anything else?”

“You want to delay? Fine.” Zhan Gao looked at Xu Pei. “In a few days, I’ll pick a time to hold a press conference announcing our engagement. You’d better attend. Otherwise, I’ll have you sent to jail on grounds of delaying marriage.

“You can try and see if I’ll actually do that to you.” 

Zhan Gao left, the roses on the ground trampled to pieces.

Xu Pei seemed to have all the strength drained from him in an instant. He took a step back. He Yixun quickly caught him, frowning slightly. “Are you afraid of him?”

“No. You don’t understand, the laws here are really strict.” Xu Pei answered. “You shouldn’t have opened the door.”

He Yixun pressed his lips together. “Sorry.” 

Looking at it now, there really seemed to be no need for him to open the door, but just then he had acted on impulse… This really wasn’t like him.

“Let’s not worry about him for now.” Xu Pei was breathing heavily, cold sweat continuously breaking out on his back. “Carry me back to bed, and get me the measuring gun.”

After such a big scare, Xu Pei’s pheromones were extremely unstable. Returning to his nest, a sense of security washed over him, but when he used the measuring gun—

The screen was red, almost black. 

He Yixun looked at the reading on the measuring gun, recalling the research he’d done. “Isn’t this value a bit high?”

It wasn’t just a bit high; it was ridiculously high.

“Um, He Yixun.” Xu Pei was taking deep breaths, giving a heads-up. “Omegas in the outbreak phase can be… quite… thirsty. D-don’t be scared.”