After everything that happened that day, Xia Yan’s memory was a bit fuzzy. Everything felt like a chaotic scene from a movie. The ambulance finally arrived, breaking down the door and taking Xu Cong away.
Before the medical staff arrived, Xia Yan finally realized, albeit belatedly, that he had no idea how to explain the omega pheromones filling the entire room.
But he surprisingly didn’t panic much.
He even felt somewhat indifferent. Compared to the fact that Xu Cong liked him, being discovered as an omega didn’t seem like a big deal.
Things had already gone this bad; a little worse didn’t matter.
But then Xu Cong knocked over a bottle of rose-scented perfume.
Before the medical staff broke in, Xu Cong opened the window and somehow produced a bottle of perfume, smashing it onto the floor.
The strong, overwhelming rose scent quickly filled every corner of the room. Even though the night breeze was blowing in, it couldn’t disperse it and successfully covered up all the other smells in the room.
Xu Cong turned around and coldly looked at him, his face bearing the grim black muzzle, like a shackling device prepared for a wild beast, ensuring Xia Yan’s absolute safety.
Afterward, Xu Cong was taken away. Xia Yan followed the ambulance and watched as Xu Cong was strapped onto a stretcher, bound completely by black restraints.
Throughout it all, Xu Cong remained very quiet.
The medical staff were somewhat puzzled because it was rare to see an alpha in heat remain so calm.
“Alphas in heat generally need to be isolated for three to five days, or even longer,” the medical staff dutifully explained to Xia Yan, “Although medication will be provided, it’s just a supplementary treatment that can slightly alleviate the pain. It doesn’t reduce their aggression. So during the isolation period, no one is allowed to approach. The alpha must stay in a specially designed room. We hope you, as a family member, can understand.”
Of course, Xia Yan knew this.
He didn’t bother correcting the medical staff’s terminology.
When the medical staff handed him the responsibility form for him to sign, he obediently signed his name.
Then, he leaned back against the hospital bench, silently waiting for Bai Yu to arrive.
He had called Bai Yu when he got into the ambulance. Bai Yu, clearly unaware of what had happened, spoke casually, saying he would come right over.
Xia Yan leaned against the wall, feeling as though every bit of energy had been drained from him. He only felt tired, a kind of indescribable fatigue, wishing he could just close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep.
He truly hoped that when he opened his eyes again, he would find that tonight had just been a dream.
But he knew it was impossible.
…..
When Bai Yu arrived, it was already late at night.
As soon as he saw Xia Yan, he was startled. “What happened to you?”
Xia Yan was wrapped in a large black coat, which concealed the marks left by Xu Cong, but his hair was messy, his lips were dry, and his expression was worn out—clearly someone who had endured great distress.
Bai Yu was stunned, grabbing Xia Yan’s hand. “It’s Xu Cong who’s in heat, not you. What happened to you? Why do you look so exhausted? Did something happen with Xu Cong? Don’t scare me.”
“Hah.”
Xia Yan laughed inexplicably.
“He’s fine,” he said, his voice a little hoarse, inventing an excuse, “Xu Cong is just having a normal heat period, it’s just that it happened at the wrong time. We were at a party, had to evacuate the guests, then brought him to the hospital. I got a bit tired.”
Bai Yu was doubtful. “Really?”
Others may not know, but he knew his team captain’s capabilities. Evacuating guests was a small thing; how could it have worn him out this much?
But he hadn’t expected Xia Yan to have the guts to enter the room of an alpha in heat. Left wondering what other reason there could be, Bai Yu could only trust Xia Yan’s words and sat down next to him.
But as soon as Bai Yu arrived, Xia Yan didn’t want to stay at the hospital anymore.
He stood up and said to Bai Yu, “Since you’re here to watch over, I’ll go get some rest. It’s been a long day. Xu Cong’s fine. The doctor just wants family to stay for half an hour for observation. Once the doctor says everything’s fine, you can leave. The media probably already knows; there were too many people at the party today. But a heat period isn’t something to hide. Make sure your assistant posts an announcement so no one tries to use this against us.”
Bai Yu nodded, still a bit puzzled. As the manager, he was supposed to stay vigilant to prevent any paparazzi from sneaking in.
But after watching Xia Yan walk away, he belatedly realized something wasn’t right.
Something was off.
Usually, when Xu Cong had a heat period, Xia Yan would stay to care for him, but why was he leaving so decisively this time?
…..
Xia Yan didn’t go far.
It was already late, and whether he went back to the villa or their D.A dorm, it was too far. So, he simply checked into a hotel across from the hospital for the night.
The front desk didn’t recognize him and wished him a pleasant stay.
Xia Yan entered the room, took a quick shower, and lay down on the bed. He thought it would be hard to fall asleep, but perhaps because so much had happened that day, he actually fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.
But he had a long dream. In it, he and Xu Cong were back when they were 18 or 19, writing songs in the dance studio.
The sunlight outside shone through the tree shadows onto the wooden floor. He wore a baseball cap and swayed while humming a song, sometimes brushing Xu Cong’s face, which Xu Cong would disdainfully swat away.
“Have you heard? The company is selecting a new boy group to debut, only alphas,” he said to Xu Cong in the dream.
“And?”
Xu Cong remained unmoved.
Xia Yan rolled his eyes and nudged him. “And, we’ll definitely be chosen. We’ll debut together, and still be together.”
Xu Cong stopped writing for a moment, looked up at Xia Yan under the cap, and gave a faint smile. “You really want to stay with me that much?”
“Yeah,” dream-Xia Yan said, “I want to be with you forever, never apart.”
When he woke up, 23-year-old Xia Yan, soon to be 24, stared at the ceiling for a long time.
That conversation in the dream had really happened.
It was a conversation from a few years ago, in the dance studio with Xu Cong.
Xia Yan put on his clothes and sat by the window. The window was open, and he hid in the shadow of the curtain, staring at the sky outside while slowly finishing a cigarette.
His phone still displayed a message from Bai Yu in the group chat, saying that Xu Cong was fine. The doctor mentioned that Xu Cong’s heat wasn’t too severe this time—his vitals were much better than before.
The other members in the chat responded, saying that was good news.
Only Xia Yan didn’t say anything.
He bent one knee, resting a foot on the edge of the chair, brought the cigarette back to his lips, and took a deep drag. His gaze lingered outside the window, lost in thought.
….
For the past few days, Xia Yan had been on break after wrapping up filming for ‘The Moon by the Silent River.’ He didn’t go anywhere, choosing instead to stay at the hotel across from the hospital.
By the third day, Xu Cong’s heat had officially ended, and he was ready to be discharged.
1
Author’s note:
After thinking it over, I feel like the wrap-up party should’ve been longer.
Xu Cong’s madness is still in his bones. Surrendering was real, but so was his willingness to go down with the ship.
