Xu Cong returned to the room to find Xia Yan no longer on the bed. Instead, the bathroom light was on.
Walking over, he found him leaning over the sink, his face wet and his hand covering his mouth, looking unwell.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Cong immediately approached, steadying Xia Yan by the arm.
Xia Yan waved him off. “It’s nothing serious. I just got nauseated by that smell outside. It’s like moss—so disgusting.”
As he spoke, his stomach convulsed again, though he had already vomited earlier and had nothing left to bring up.
He grabbed a nearby air freshener, spraying it into the air before asking Xu Cong, “What’s going on out there? Did an alpha enter their heat period?”
“Yes, a crew member,” Xu Cong confirmed. He thought it was rather unfortunate—just as filming was about to wrap, something like this had to happen. “The island’s medical team was slow to respond but finally got them to the hospital.”
Xia Yan turned around and leaned against the sink, his face pale.
His headache had prompted him to splash cold water on his face, but it hadn’t helped. His head still buzzed, and his entire body felt strangely uncomfortable, as if thousands of tiny hammers were tapping at him.
Spotting the corner of a cigarette pack peeking from Xu Cong’s robe, Xia Yan didn’t bother asking. He simply reached out and plucked it from Xu Cong’s pocket.
Before Xu Cong could react, Xia Yan had pulled out a cigarette and put it between his lips.
Somehow, he’d also found a lighter.
Click.
The flame illuminated his striking features.
A faint minty smoke curled between Xia Yan’s long fingers. With his pale complexion and slightly furrowed brows from discomfort, he exuded an uncharacteristic air of disheveled allure, like obsidian in a glass case—darkly enticing even in weariness.
Xu Cong, torn between exasperation and admiration, frowned. “You’re unwell, and you’re smoking?”
“I’m smoking because I feel unwell,” Xia Yan countered, leaning against the cold marble behind him in an effort to relax.
But he was unwilling to show weakness, so he just vaguely said, “I feel too awful. I’m using the nicotine to distract myself a bit.”
Xu Cong stared at him. Although Xia Yan didn’t say much, just by looking at his pale face, Xu Cong could guess how much pain he was enduring.
“Did you take the medicine?” he asked.
Xia Yan had been taking the medicine prescribed by Dr. Li regularly. The alpha in his heat period had already been carried away, so logically, the effects should have subsided.
Xia Yan lowered his eyes. “I took it, but maybe it hasn’t taken effect yet.”
He was also feeling unusually restless and couldn’t understand why the medicine, which had always worked well, wasn’t effective this time.
He didn’t want to worry Xu Cong, so he added, “It’s fine, I’ll be okay in a bit. You go to sleep, I’ll finish this cigarette and then lie down.”
Xu Cong certainly didn’t leave.
He softly said, “I’ll stay and talk with you for a while.”
Xia Yan laughed lightly, “Talk about what? We’re together all the time, and we don’t have that much to talk about.”
Xu Cong also smiled slightly.
Right now, he was nothing like the cold, aloof person he had been outside.
They both knew this wasn’t the truth.
Ever since they were assigned to the same dorm when they were seventeen or eighteen, even though they saw each other every day, they still had endless things to talk about.
Even though Xu Cong had never been a talkative person.
Xia Yan took a few steps, pulled open the bathroom’s Venetian blinds, and looked out through the gap, inexplicably concerned about the alpha who had been carried away earlier.
“That alpha is quite unlucky. The medical care on this island isn’t very advanced, and most of the population is beta. They probably don’t have much experience with it.”
“There should still be some standard medications. As long as his condition isn’t critical, a shot of suppressant should resolve it,” Xu Cong said as he approached.
The heat period for alphas also varied in severity.
From what he had observed earlier, that alpha seemed to have a significant problem.
But he didn’t say it aloud.
He glanced at Xia Yan. Actually, compared to others, Xia Yan’s situation was the most problematic. If he needed treatment, the island didn’t have the medical capabilities to match.
This made Xu Cong feel uneasy, a sense of foreboding weighing on him.
But he kept those thoughts to himself. He didn’t want to speak such ominous words aloud.
…
Xia Yan finished the cigarette, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and sat back on the bed.
He seemed a bit better than before, and Xu Cong’s heart, which had been suspended, slowly settled.
Xia Yan fiddled with his phone and continued talking to Xu Cong, “It’s fine, I think I’ll be able to sleep soon… Dr. Li’s medicine is having some effect. I don’t feel the pain as much as before.”
But before he could finish his sentence, his hand suddenly trembled as if it had cramped.
His silver-white phone slipped from his hand and fell to the floor with a muffled thud. At the same time, he suddenly bent over.
In just a few seconds, cold sweat appeared on his face.
“Ah…”
Xia Yan made a vague sound from his throat.
Xu Cong immediately got up from the bed and supported him.
As soon as he touched Xia Yan’s skin, he was startled. Xia Yan was obviously burning up.
And he couldn’t stop shaking.
Xu Cong had never seen him like this. He knew it was definitely the side effects of the Alpha’s heat period. Xia Yan’s hormone levels were already unstable, and the incident earlier had made it worse.
His heart felt like it was being twisted. He immediately said, “I’ll take you to the hospital.”
“No.”
Xia Yan grabbed him firmly.
“Are you crazy?” Xia Yan said laboriously. “The program crew is all over this place, and there’s only one hospital on the island. Now there’s another alpha in his heat period there. If you take me there, everyone will find out I’m an omega. Don’t cause trouble. Bai Yu will really kill you.”
“Then let him come find me,” Xu Cong said coldly. He grabbed Xia Yan’s hand and could see Xia Yan wasn’t cooperating. “You’re in so much pain right now. What’s more important, the news or your health?”
But Xia Yan immediately responded.
“The news.”
“I’m not going,” Xia Yan tightened his grip on Xu Cong’s hand and emphasized again. Despite being in so much pain that he could barely stand, his strength remained, and his gaze was as sharp as a knife, warning Xu Cong, “I’m your captain, and you need to listen to me. If you send me to the hospital against my will, don’t blame me for falling out with you.”
The words were serious.
Xia Yan looked at Xu Cong coldly, not the usual negotiable way he was known for.
In their team, Xia Yan had always been tough and detached, especially when it came to his personal matters.
Xu Cong clenched his teeth and didn’t answer. He knew Xia Yan was serious.
Xia Yan looked at Xu Cong’s solemn face and softened his voice. He spoke while gasping for breath, needing to lean on Xu Cong to feel a little better.
“I’ll be fine,” he said. “Dr. Li said that during this differentiation period, when my pheromones are very unstable, I can increase the dosage. Go get my medicine, I’ll take another pill. I’ll wait for half an hour, and if my condition gets worse, I’ll go to the hospital.”
They stared at each other intensely.
Xia Yan’s peach blossom eyes were especially calm at this moment, even though he was about to faint from discomfort and his face was as pale as paper, he wouldn’t show any weakness.
His hand was clutching Xu Cong’s so tightly it almost hurt.
Xu Cong stared at him silently for a minute before loosening his grip on Xia Yan’s hand.
“I’ll get your medicine.”
He stood up and got Xia Yan’s medicine.
Xia Yan poured out a white pill from the bottle and swallowed it.
He silently prayed that this pill would work.
Xu Cong sat on the edge of Xia Yan’s bed and dialed Dr. Li’s number.
Dr. Li, who had been woken up in the middle of the night, was furious and wanted to curse. Anyone having their sleep interrupted like this would definitely lose their temper.
But when he saw the name displayed on the phone, he froze for a moment.
“Hello?”
“Dr. Li, it’s me, Xu Cong.” Xu Cong glanced at Xia Yan again. Even though Xia Yan was wearing pajamas, Xu Cong could see the red marks on his neck. Xia Yan was trying hard to endure, but Xu Cong could tell that he must be in pain all over, which was why he was shaking slightly.
“Xia Yan’s differentiation period has suddenly worsened,” Xu Cong said concisely. “He and I are recording a show on Zhouyun Island. Today, an alpha entered his heat period and was staying in the room next door. His pheromones might have affected Xia Yan. Despite taking medicine, Xia Yan hasn’t improved. He’s in pain, vomiting, has rashes, and is sweating cold sweat.” He raised his hand to touch Xia Yan’s forehead. “He also has a slight fever.”
Xia Yan was momentarily stunned and, half-believing, raised his hand to feel his forehead.
He hadn’t even realized he had a fever.
“Dr. Li, is there anything we can do to alleviate Xia Yan’s pain?” Xu Cong asked. “I recommend taking him to the hospital, but he refuses. He’s afraid his omega identity might be exposed. He wants to wait another half hour. At the same time, I’m worried that the medical technology on this island might not be sufficient. I don’t think they can handle the current situation.”
Dr. Li immediately realized it was a tricky situation.
Xia Yan’s differentiation side effects, simply put, were caused by pheromone imbalance. His condition was already one of the more severe types, but it could usually be managed with medication.
The situation had gotten out of control today, likely because the alpha’s heat pheromones were in extreme conflict with Xia Yan’s, leading to a greater impact.
“This really is tricky,” Dr. Li sighed. “Has he taken another pill?”
“Yes, he has.”
Dr. Li felt a bit relieved. “Then we can wait a bit longer.”
He suggested, “For cases like Xia Yan’s, if the symptoms subside within half an hour, then there’s no need to worry. But if they don’t, he’ll need to go to the hospital. I’m concerned the pheromone imbalance might cause permanent damage to his glands. But there isn’t much we can do for him now. If we had a pheromone extract that’s a perfect match for him, it would soothe him, but…”
Dr. Li sighed again, knowing that wasn’t realistic.
Xu Cong took note of the mention of the pheromone extract, but since it wouldn’t help Xia Yan, he didn’t ask further.
He told Dr. Li, “I’ll arrange a car to pick us up. If his condition doesn’t improve in half an hour, I’ll take him to the nearest hospital. His situation can’t be delayed much longer. I have connections with a private hospital, but it’s too far. Even by helicopter, it would take more than two hours.”
At this point, Xu Cong couldn’t help but feel a bit irritated. The production team really picked a godforsaken island.
It was desolate, and the medical technology was mediocre.
Dr. Li understood Xu Cong’s frustration.
The nearby hospital not only had subpar medical standards, but it would also be difficult to ensure confidentiality.
But judging from this young master’s tone, it seemed like confidentiality was no longer the priority.
“I understand. Just talk to Bai Yu about it,” Dr. Li sighed again. Ever since he became the team doctor for D.A, his life expectancy had definitely shortened.
But just as he was about to hang up…
Dr. Li suddenly yelled, “Wait, what island did you say you’re on?”
“Zhouyun Island.”
Dr. Li nearly snapped the pen in his hand.
He said, “I have a junior who works very close to that island. He’s at a private hospital in Zhongshan City. The hospital is small, not well-known, but it specializes in pheromone treatment and has all the necessary equipment.”
Zhouyun Island was actually part of Zhongshan City. There was a cross-sea bridge on the edge of the island, and it took only about 40 minutes to drive to the city center.
Xia Yan also overheard this through the speaker and exchanged a glance with Xu Cong.
Xu Cong immediately said, “Send me the address. I’ll take Xia Yan there right now.”
