After being marked, Fang Fengzhi felt very out of sorts. Although his scent glands no longer hurt, and he didn’t have to worry about suddenly going into heat when outside, the alpha’s pheromones left on him were overwhelming. At work, people often looked his way. His omega colleagues, who usually had a good relationship with him, kept their distance, saying that his pheromones were so strong it made them uncomfortable. They even teased him about having such a superior alpha husband.
Fang Fengzhi forced a dry smile in response, not replying.
His post-work routine had shifted as well. Worried that someone he knew might detect the change in his pheromones, he had no choice but to follow the Alpha’s suggestion and temporarily stay at his place. Fortunately, Fu Baiqi had mentioned earlier that he’d be working overtime and wouldn’t be home for about a month, so for now, he wouldn’t notice Fang Fengzhi’s absence.
It wasn’t that he wanted to keep it from Fu Baiqi—he just genuinely didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want a divorce. If he had never gotten this marriage in the first place, maybe he wouldn’t have held on to any illusions. But he had already gotten together with Fu Baiqi and had the legal proof—“the person I’ve liked since childhood becoming my husband”—that was simply too tempting a reality for him. Not to mention, they were a 100% fated match. His parents had also come together because of pheromone compatibility, and they were still very happy now.
He believed in pheromone compatibility—what he and Fu Baiqi needed was just time.
That was why he wanted to wait until the mark faded, then act as if nothing had ever happened—return to Fu Baiqi’s side and continue on like before. But doing so would be far too unfair to Fu Baiqi. He had already betrayed him. Fang Fengzhi couldn’t bring himself to stay by his side with a clear conscience.
This matter weighed heavily on his chest, neither rising nor settling, keeping his heart in a constant state of unease. He was terrified of unexpectedly running into Fu Baiqi or his family on the street. All he wanted was a bit of breathing room—a buffer period to quietly sort through everything and figure out what he should do next.
Living in someone else’s home—particularly that of an alpha who had marked him—Fang Fengzhi couldn’t shake off the constant sense of unease. Although the alpha had made a good impression on him before and had given a reasonable explanation for what happened that day, Fang Fengzhi still found it hard to fully trust his claim that he wouldn’t do anything to him.
Alphas who go into heat under the influence of pheromones are completely irrational—they don’t remember anything they said.
Fortunately, the Alpha had been true to his word and rarely came home. Fang Fengzhi hadn’t seen him these past few days, which finally allowed him to feel a bit more at ease.
He returned to the Alpha’s villa to find the housekeeper cooking. After changing his shoes, Fang Fengzhi went to help in the kitchen. Staying in someone else’s home always felt awkward—keeping busy was the only way he could feel a little more at ease.
The guest room farthest from the master bedroom was where Fang Fengzhi stayed. The Alpha had originally arranged for him to stay in the room next to the master bedroom, but even there, he could faintly smell the Alpha’s scent. His body was far too sensitive to that particular pheromone—just the slightest whiff was enough to make him feel flushed and feverish.
This was the stark contrast between being marked and unmarked. Before, Fang Fengzhi would go into heat when exposed to any Alpha’s pheromones. But now, after being marked, he only reacted to the pheromones of the one who marked him—and the response was far more intense. The Alpha’s mark had temporarily soothed the restlessness in his body, but it also made him even more cautious not to come into close contact with the Alpha’s scent, as it could easily trigger another heat.
Fang Fengzhi could technically check into a hotel somewhere else, but that wasn’t a viable option.
A major downside after being marked is that—
He would have an intense craving for the marker’s pheromones.
The Alpha’s pheromones remaining in his body were limited, and by now, most of them had already dissipated. Without the Alpha’s pheromones, an Omega would suffer from an intense craving, making it difficult to function normally. It was like lacking a vital nutrient for the body—he wouldn’t die, but he would suffer terribly.
In normal AO relationships, couples maintain the pheromone bond after marking through intimacy, but that wasn’t an option for Fang Fengzhi. He couldn’t have any further interactions with the Alpha.
Therefore, when he felt the intense discomfort, he would quietly stand by the Alpha’s bedroom door. Since it was the Alpha’s room, he didn’t feel comfortable going inside. Instead, he would carefully crack the door open just enough to let the pheromones leak out, briefly enveloping him. Once he had absorbed enough of the pheromones, he would quickly leave.
He inwardly despised himself for behaving like a pervert, but there was no other solution.
The housekeeper auntie happened to see his strange behavior at the bedroom door a few times and found it odd, so she called Min Zhi to report it. However, Min Zhi didn’t seem surprised. He had seen this in the surveillance footage. Having attended biology class, he knew that the Omega’s behavior was simply due to a lack of Alpha’s pheromones.
But seeing Fang Fengzhi so carefully absorb his pheromones, Min Zhi couldn’t help but feel like he was watching a little animal sneaking a bite of food. It was oddly amusing.
A few hours had passed since the call with the auntie, and in the afternoon, Min Zhi received another call from the villa. This time, however, the person on the other end of the line was the Omega.
“Mr. Min…”
Hearing his voice, Min Zhi was momentarily stunned. He hadn’t expected it to be the Omega calling and thought something might have happened. “What’s wrong?”
There was a brief pause on the other end before the Omega hesitantly spoke, “Sir, could I borrow one of your ties?”
“Tie?” Min Zhi picked up the file he had just put down. “Sure.”
After ending the call, Fang Fengzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had feared the alpha would press him with questions, but instead, the other party agreed without hesitation.
He’d felt unwell the entire day, with no appetite for anything he ate. He lingered by Min Zhi’s bedroom door for a long time, and during that time, the discomfort eased slightly. But after another ten minutes, it returned just as strong. With work still ahead in the afternoon and concerned something might go wrong, he had no choice but to borrow something that carried Min Zhi’s scent to temporarily ease the discomfort.
Worried that the scent of the pheromones might fade, Fang Fengzhi tucked the tie into his pocket.
They were sharing an office with several Alpha colleagues present. Just breathing the same air made Fang Fengzhi feel stifled, as though he couldn’t catch his breath. In a moment of desperation, he discreetly pulled out Min Zhi’s tie and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply.
In an instant, the scent surged from his nostrils to his brain, the intoxicating fragrance making Fang Fengzhi tremble. A strong, heated sensation started to flow from his gland to his limbs, overwhelming him.
Someone called out to him from behind, and Fang Fengzhi quickly snapped back to reality, hurriedly tucking the tie back into his pocket.
This tie seemed to have some kind of magic, constantly occupying Fang Fengzhi’s thoughts. Although the scent was a strong, pungent tobacco smell, he found it incredibly pleasant, almost addictive. Every so often, he would bring it close to his nose for a sniff. But he was reluctant to inhale too much, fearing he might absorb all the pheromones, leaving nothing behind.
The pheromones on the tie grew fainter, but Fang Fengzhi’s body became increasingly heated. His mind felt like mush, consumed by thoughts of those pheromones. It wasn’t until the heat became unbearable that he rushed to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, with his cheeks flushed and an expression full of longing for the man, it was like a jolt to his brain, snapping him back to reality.
It was strange that, despite being exposed to the alpha’s pheromones for so long, he hadn’t gone into heat.
Fang Fengzhi quickly retrieved the suppressant medication from his bag and swallowed it. Thankfully, since he was already marked, other alphas wouldn’t be able to do anything to him.
He just didn’t know why the medicine didn’t work, and his body was still groggy. After getting off work, he took a taxi back to the villa. He locked himself in the room, took a cold shower, and even rubbed his wet back to orgasm once, but the heat in his body was still there.
He could only take out a special inhibitor. The doctor had advised him not to use it last time, but in that moment, Fang Fengzhi injected the drug into his arm without hesitation.
At first, the body felt cold all over, which was normal. The inhibitor’s function was to forcibly suppress the estrus period. Although it was uncomfortable, the effects would subside after enduring this phase.
Strangely, even this powerful drug couldn’t suppress the heat coursing through his body. The alpha pheromone was too strong. He had barely taken a few sips of it, and now it was entwined with him. Without the pheromone itself to release the tension, his body could only suppress the desire, leaving him unbearably uncomfortable, too weak to even lift his hands.
In a daze, all he could think about was going to Min Zhi’s room, where the lingering pheromones would bring him relief and satisfy his overwhelming desire.
