As soon as Shi Qi got close to Shang Sui, a wave of dizziness washed over him, his instincts flaring with the sense of impending danger, like he was about to be devoured.
All his warm breath landed in Shang Sui’s palm. With his neck tilted back, Shi Qi panted softly, almost like he was pleading for help.
“Lin Yan…” Shi Qi heard him ask where he wanted to go and replied in broken fragments, “I want to find Lin Yan.”
“For what?”
The moment Shang Sui heard someone else’s name, a gleam darkened in his eyes, though his voice stayed gentle and coaxing. “I can help you too. I’m much more useful than him.”
As he spoke, he took hold of Shi Qi’s hand like he was offering something, and pressed it to his neck. “Why don’t you try me?”
Shi Qi’s fevered mind couldn’t keep up.
When he heard that Shang Sui wanted to help him, his thoughts reflexively jumped to the vulgar comments he’d seen online: During heat, of course you need help. First he gives you candy, then he’ll give you milk.
At first, he hadn’t even understood what “milk” meant. It only clicked after a bunch of people replied with hehehehe.
At that thought, Shi Qi yanked his hand back like he’d been shocked, warning himself, “No—! Stop!”
He couldn’t think anymore. If he kept thinking, he would…!
How did it come to this?
For the first time, Shi Qi felt completely hopeless.
What if Shang Sui found out? Would he think he was sick?
Shi Qi frantically tried to comfort himself.
It’s totally normal to have a reaction during heat. Perfectly reasonable. No Yasuo[mfn]Yasuo is a League of Legends character[/mfn] in mid lane… Anything, just think about anything else! Stop thinking about that!
The pale skin of the Omega’s neck flushed like peach blossoms, the color trailing down beneath his collar. The glands at the back of his neck were already slightly swollen, betraying their owner’s will—desperate to be filled with pheromones.
Shang Sui narrowed his eyes as Shi Qi shoved him away.
For a split second, Shi Qi’s resistance nearly tipped him into giving in to the urges stirring in his mind.
But just marking him wouldn’t be enough. He wanted to tie Shi Qi to the bed and gag him to keep him from saying no again.
Even imagining the scene made his fingers tremble, a jolt running down his spine.
Jiang Yan wasn’t the brightest, but his instincts had been right.
He really was a bit crazy. Definitely not normal.
After almost losing control, Shang Sui forced himself to calm down. He asked, seemingly well-intentioned, “If you’re looking for Lin Yan, what could he even do to help?”
Compared to using force, he preferred watching Shi Qi walk step by step into the trap he’d woven, until he fell completely.
As expected, Shi Qi froze at the question, staring at him in confusion.
The moment he realized suppressants wouldn’t work, he’d instinctively sought something familiar…
But even if he saw Lin Yan, it wouldn’t really help.
At most, Lin Yan might’ve taught him how to manage it on his own. That would take at least a week, and it wasn’t realistic to expect someone else to stay with him the entire time.
Besides, when an Omega went into heat, it could trigger the same reaction in others. If he dragged Lin Yan into this, it’d just make everything worse.
But… who else could help him?
The fingers gripping his wrist suddenly let go without warning. Shi Qi instinctively looked at Shang Sui, not understanding why the other had suddenly chosen to keep his distance.
His reaction resembled that of a small animal—one that shied away from even the gentlest touch, wanting to hide in a corner.
But once those hands truly withdrew, he found himself lost in the sudden freedom, peeking out and yearning to be held again.
“In that case, go find him.” Shang Sui opened the door in a seemingly thoughtful gesture. “Lin Yan’s room is at the end of the hallway. I ran into him earlier.”
Once there was space between them, the dizziness eased slightly, but that only ushered in a new kind of torment.
Precisely because he had tasted the comfort of being soothed, the clarity that followed withdrawal now felt unbearable.
Compared to being left alone, there was even a moment when he longed more to be confined by the sweet scent of the Alpha like before.
A faint protest slipped from Shi Qi’s throat. “No…”
Shang Sui watched him step right into the trap without realizing it, and his eyes gradually filled with satisfaction.
“You don’t want this, don’t want that. Xiao Qi, what do you want?”
Shi Qi followed the sound of his voice and lifted his head, meeting the fox-like eyes of the Alpha.
His foggy brain turned like rusted gears, always half a beat too slow. But at last, he realized who was truly capable of saving him.
“Can you… give me a temporary mark?”
He and Shang Sui had a high compatibility rate. As long as he received a strong enough dose of Alpha pheromones, his heat would end quickly.
Shang Sui’s expression didn’t change. “How do you want me to do that?”
“Bite me,” Shi Qi stammered, “Bite my glands.”
Just a bite?
Shang Sui sighed inwardly.
What a pity.
He’d hoped that while Shi Qi wasn’t fully clear-headed, he might have wanted to sleep with him.
Still, for a dazed little fool like this one, taking the initiative to request a temporary mark was already a big step.
Seeing his silence, Shi Qi couldn’t help but ask, “You don’t want to?”
Ever since they’d met, Shang Sui had always indulged him. Shi Qi had never even considered the possibility of being rejected.
But there was no answer, even after a long pause. The shame amplified by his heat, the sting of rejection for the first time… all kinds of emotions tangled together, bubbling up with a hint of unreasonable grievance.
Shi Qi even thought irritably: It’s just one bite. It’s not like I’m asking Shang Sui to sleep with me. He’s not losing anything, is he?
In that moment, his emotions were already hijacked by the hormones surging through his body. He didn’t even know where he got such a bad temper. It was strong enough to temporarily override his instinctive dependence on the Alpha.
Shi Qi gritted his teeth, eyes burning, and headed straight for the door without a second thought.
“Forget it if you don’t want to. I’ll figure it out myself—”
Before he could take another step, a long, strong arm looped around his waist and pulled him into an embrace.
Shi Qi stumbled, barely managing to stay upright.
Shang Sui lifted him up from behind, kicked the door shut, and swiftly locked it with his free hand. His actions made it clear whether or not he truly wanted this.
The heat radiating from the skin pressed tightly against his own made Shi Qi lower his head. His already flushed cheeks now felt like they were about to catch fire.
Through the haze, he suddenly sensed something strange.
He wasn’t heavy for someone his height, and there was quite a difference in build between him and Shang Sui, but how was Shang Sui able to lift him so easily with just one arm…?
As the Alpha carried him forward, his slippers slipped off and landed on the floor with a crisp sound. Shi Qi’s pale, slender feet dangled in the air, kicking aimlessly a few times.
Before he could process anything else, he was tossed onto the bed.
The clean hotel sheets carried a subtle scent of ebony. Realizing whose bed this was, Shi Qi instinctively curled into a corner.
“Come here.” The Alpha stood by the bed and asked with a bright smile, “Where do you think you’re hiding?”
Shang Sui’s robe had come loose, revealing a large stretch of bare skin. He didn’t seem to mind at all, calmly observing the person curled up on the bed.
Under his gaze, Shi Qi’s head began to spin again. The heat in his body returned all at once.
He let out an “Oh,” his mind foggy as he slowly crawled toward Shang Sui.
So cute.
I want to kiss him.
For a split second, Shang Sui even wished Shi Qi were completely unconscious, then he could do whatever he wanted without him knowing.
He couldn’t hold back anymore. Reaching out, he grabbed the snow-white ankle and, without meaning to, tugged a little harder than necessary.
“Mm…!”
Shi Qi flailed like a clumsy little seal, only for the long-waiting Alpha to press down over him. The rich, sweet scent of pheromones enveloped Shi Qi completely.
Drawn in by Shang Sui’s pheromones, his body grew hotter. His awareness returned, but a bit too late. By then, Shang Sui was pressing down on him so heavily he could barely breathe. There was no way to escape.
So heavy…
Why is Shang Sui so heavy!
And he still had one arm braced on the bed—he wasn’t even using his full weight.
Shang Sui looked down at him, the messy strands of his wolf-cut hair falling with the motion. His waist and abdomen were firm, every muscle line flawless like a sculpted statue.
Shi Qi turned his gaze away in a panic, only to lock eyes once again with the beautiful butterflies tattooed on Shang Sui’s collarbone.
“Want to touch it?” Shang Sui suddenly asked. “You’ve been staring here the whole time.”
As he spoke, he grabbed Shi Qi’s hand and pressed it against his collarbone.
With every breath Shang Sui took, the butterfly tattoo seemed to flutter, so vivid it looked like it might come to life.
The skin beneath Shi Qi’s fingers was warm and delicate, illuminated by the flowing light in the room. Because of their intimate proximity, every texture and contour was revealed in perfect clarity.
Shi Qi stared at him, utterly entranced.
So beautiful…
Every part of him is beautiful.
Maybe his mind was completely fried from the fever, because when Shang Sui let go, Shi Qi’s fingers instinctively wandered lower.
Shang Sui let out a “Hm?” and asked in a flirtatious tone, “Taking advantage of me now, baby?”
Shi Qi snapped back to himself as if stung by a scorpion, yanking his hand back in a flash.
The Alpha above him laughed happily, but there was clear mischief in his eyes. Even that affectionate nickname sounded like it was meant to tease him.
“…”
Thinking about how he still needed Shang Sui’s help later, Shi Qi forced himself to hold back the urge to kick him, even if the guy was being insufferably smug.
And really, what was so wrong with touching him once?
Shi Qi had abs too, from dancing. He even had defined V-lines. Lin Yan ogled them all the time and had touched them more times than he could count.
Pushing past the heat in his face, Shi Qi forced himself to act calm. “You can touch me back.”
“Then I won’t hold back.”
As Shang Sui said that, he pressed a hand to Shi Qi’s waist.
Since entering the hotel, Shi Qi hadn’t changed clothes. He had only taken off his coat, still wearing a white sweatshirt and sweatpants, the hem of which was easily lifted.
When those long, agile fingers snaked their way in like a snake, Shi Qi couldn’t take it anymore. “Don’t touch there. It tickles—”
Before he could twist away, Shang Sui leaned up slightly and flipped him over.
With one hand pressing down on the back of Shi Qi’s head, he sank his teeth into the already burning glands on the nape of his neck before Shi Qi could react.
Shi Qi was this overheated and still had the energy to bicker for so long.
“—Wu!”
Shi Qi’s eyes flew open, his whole body tensing as all he could think was: Help. Help me…!
Perhaps worried he might suffocate, Shang Sui eased the pressure and instead reached to tilt Shi Qi’s chin up, half-forcing him to breathe.
As the pheromones were injected, Shi Qi’s hands scrabbled at the bedsheets, finally gripping them with trembling fingers.
His dark gray eyes slowly lost focus, shimmering slightly with tears.
Knock knock, knock knock knock—
Someone knocked on the door all of a sudden. Lin Yan’s anxious voice came from outside. “Shang Sui? I heard from Qin Shuhe you’re inside. Something’s not right with Shi Qi’s condition!”
When no one responded, Lin Yan’s knocking grew more urgent. “Shi Qi? Shi Qi, are you okay—?”
Ugh, seriously…!
Shang Sui barely held himself back, forcibly swallowing his irritation at being interrupted.
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, revealing his smooth forehead. The slightly long strands soon fell back down, half-hiding his eyes again.
Unlocking his phone, Shang Sui called Lin Yan. As he stood up, he didn’t forget to give Shi Qi a soothing rub on the head. After the call connected, he held the phone up to the dazed Omega’s ear.
“Come on, talk to your friend.”
“Tell him you’re fine. Tell him to leave.”
Shi Qi was shaking all over, with no strength left to think. All he could do was obey.
“I’m fine—”
His head was buried in the bed, letting out involuntary whimpers, like the sobs of someone who no longer had the strength to resist.
With the Alpha’s pheromones flooding his body, even though the mark hadn’t been completed, the sensation was overwhelming, like even his bones were being corroded. For Shi Qi, already tormented by heat, it felt as though he were floating on clouds. More than pain, what he felt was a dissolving comfort that pulled his consciousness into a haze.
From the moment the call connected, Lin Yan had gripped his phone tightly. Hearing Shi Qi’s voice left him frozen outside the door.
He’d waited downstairs for a while without catching sight of Shi Qi. It wasn’t until he asked around that he learned Qin Shuhe, in all his brilliance, had actually sent Shi Qi, who was in heat, to Shang Sui’s room.
Lin Yan was the only one who understood the true nature of their relationship. And despite Qin Shuhe shouting behind him, “Don’t worry about it! They’ve probably already fought and made up in bed!” Lin Yan had rushed back in a hurry.
“Fuck! What are you two…?”
The second that cursed line from Qin Shuhe replayed in his head, Lin Yan completely lost it. “Holy shit!”
But he quickly came to his senses. There really wasn’t a better option.
With Shi Qi going into heat again so soon, it had to be hitting him hard. Lin Yan had been worried he wouldn’t be able to manage it alone and might end up in the hospital.
In the end, all he could choke out was, “…Remember to wear a condom.”
Shang Sui, who had been silent the entire time, took the phone at that moment. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him.”
Whether intentionally or not, he put extra emphasis on the words “take good care.”
Lin Yan’s hand trembled. What he heard instead was: fuck him real good.
“…You done with the call?” Shi Qi, hearing the sound of the call ending, turned his head groggily and glanced sideways at Shang Sui.
His dark gray eyes were wet, shimmering with light. He looked like a beautiful, haughty cat still waiting to be petted.
“Yes. Good job.”
Shang Sui praised him for his cooperation, then tossed the phone aside.
He pressed down on Shi Qi’s hand, which was still gripping the bedsheet, and slowly slid his fingers between Shi Qi’s one by one. Looking down at him, he smiled. “Let’s continue.”
Author’s note: Two people who both think the other is beautiful.
