Chapter 53: A Temporary Solution

In over twenty years of practice, the doctor had seen plenty of secondary differentiations and gland atrophy with level regression, but this was the first time he’d seen a level rise.

Shen Zheming stood nearby. Hearing this, he lowered his head and glanced at Lu Shi.

Lu Shi sat stunned in the chair, his hands on his knees curling slightly.

The doctor muttered a few words about how rare it was, then pondered for a moment before looking up to ask, “Has your gland been injured before?”

“Yeah.”

“What kind of injury? An accident or man-made?” the doctor said. “Don’t worry, the hospital will keep it strictly confidential. This is just to more accurately determine the cause of your sudden level increase.”

Lu Jinguo’s face appeared in his mind.

Some distant, unpleasant memories surfaced one by one.

Lu Shi couldn’t remember exactly which time.

His throat tightened. In the end, he picked the one that left the deepest impression and said in a light tone, “It was probably a cigarette burn.”

There was a small round scar on the back of Lu Shi’s neck, very close to the gland. Shen Zheming had seen it before.

Although he had already anticipated the answer, when the words came so simply from Lu Shi’s own mouth, Shen Zheming’s clear eyes still flashed with a cold light, like broken snow falling into a freezing lake.

The doctor fell silent, his face grim.

He picked up his pen and wrote his diagnostic opinion below, saying as he wrote, “Your original level should have been quite high. The man-made trauma caused you to drop to F level. Have you recently been in contact with a high-level Alpha? For example, spending a long time together or having a temporary mark?”

Lu Shi licked his lips. “Ah, yes…”

And that high-level Alpha was standing right next to him.

The doctor: “That’s it. This high-level Alpha’s pheromones probably match your real level quite well. So during your time together, they happened to help treat you. How long ago was the last temporary mark?”

Who would remember that?

Lu Shi tried to count backward in his head. He didn’t even know what day it was today.

“Thirty-three days.”

The person standing beside him spoke.

The doctor looked up at him, understanding something.

The doctor said to Shen Zheming, “There’s currently no targeted drug treatment plan. I suggest you give your Omega another temporary mark to see how things go.”

Lu Shi’s shoulders slumped. He helplessly clarified, “Um, doctor, we’re not…”

Shen Zheming picked up the diagnostic opinion and test sheets from the table. “Okay.”

Before Lu Shi could finish his sentence, he was pulled to his feet. He had no choice but to swallow the rest of his words.

The hospital was crowded. The corridors were a mix of pheromones, especially in the AO area.

Lu Shi thought Shen Zheming didn’t like the smell and wanted to leave quickly.

“Brother Shen, do you know this can easily lead to misunderstandings?”

Shen Zheming led the way. A hospital cleaner pushed a huge long mop toward them. He stopped without warning, and Lu Shi, following behind, nearly crashed into him.

“Misunderstand what?” Shen Zheming asked.

Lu Shi looked around and coughed dryly. “Misunderstand that we’re a couple. Don’t you mind?”

Shen Zheming pulled him aside to keep the mop from hitting him.

“Why would I mind? We won’t see them again anyway.”

Lu Shi thought about it. That made sense. The doctor seemed very professional and didn’t gossip about the upper circles of the capital. He probably wouldn’t spread it around.

When they reached the elevator, it had a temporary malfunction and needed maintenance. A bunch of people were crowded at the stairwell entrance.

Going up and down the stairs, someone accidentally bumped into a patient. The patient’s family got agitated and started arguing on the stairs.

In the air, the smell of disinfectant mixed with rising pheromone concentrations.

Lu Shi held his breath. The back of his neck was irritated by these chaotic pheromones. An itch spread along his skin, not sharp, but lingering and impossible to ignore.

It felt like the slow recovery of the gland, a prickling sensation like needle tips piercing the skin, burrowing along the blood vessels toward his heart. His whole body tensed uncomfortably.

Lu Shi gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to scratch.

Suddenly, the corridor before him blurred.

He was pulled by the back of his neck by Shen Zheming and led into the nearby restroom.

This hospital was high-grade in the capital, with complete facilities. The restroom was clean and new.

A sign saying “Out of Service” was hung outside one of the cubicle doors.

After hanging the sign, Shen Zheming turned around. “You okay? Your pheromones are leaking out.”

“I’m fine,” Lu Shi exhaled, telling the truth. “Just a bit unsteady on my feet…”

Shen Zheming looked at him.

His legs were weak.

Lu Shi leaned against the door. “Brother Shen, you heard the doctor. It should be your pheromones helping my gland recover a bit. I might need a temporary mark.”

“You want me to do it now?”

Lu Shi said “Mm” and reached to unzip his down jacket.

But as soon as he pulled it down a little, his wrist was caught.

Shen Zheming’s palm was dry and warm, his eyelashes covering the dark look in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was a little hoarse. “Although I’m happy to help, this isn’t really the place.”

“Why?” Lu Shi looked up, heat spreading from the skin where he was held.

Shen Zheming pressed his lips into a cold, hard line. His gaze swept over Lu Shi’s face as he looked up at him, his eyes darkening.

Just as the doctor said, Lu Shi’s original level wasn’t low, and their match was high, which was why Lu Shi was gradually improving under the influence of his pheromones.

Shen Zheming still remembered that Shen Luo had done a pheromone match for them. The result was in the seventies, but even then, he had really liked Lu Shi’s fresh mint scent.

Now that Lu Shi’s level had jumped three levels, their match should have increased significantly.

The moment the refreshing Omega pheromones seeped in with each breath, Shen Zheming felt an unprecedented “threat.”

The fragrance stirred his nerves, challenged his limits. It was a threat and a test to his rationality.

The Alpha’s gland began to burn faintly, as if responding. His own pheromones started to fluctuate too.

Since differentiating into an S-level Alpha, his back had never been this tense.

Shen Zheming’s Adam’s apple bobbed repeatedly. He averted his gaze. “There are too many people in the hospital. Wait here for me and don’t wander off. I’ll go buy you some suppressants.”

He needed to cool down first, at least until they were in the car.

But Lu Shi didn’t know what he was thinking.

“Don’t worry, I won’t make a sound.”

With a zip, he pulled the zipper all the way down. Lu Shi took off his down jacket and hung it on the hook inside the cubicle.

Underneath, he wore a low-neck black cashmere sweater, making his skin look startlingly pale.

Without the jacket blocking it, the cool mint scent became stronger.

Shen Zheming’s breath caught.

Then he heard Lu Shi’s muffled voice urging, “Bite quickly.”

“…”

Lu Shi tugged at his collar, considering whether to support himself with his palm or his arm.

The next moment.

The person behind him suddenly released pheromones, grabbed the back of his neck with one hand, and pressed him against the door in a posture that brooked no refusal.

S-level Alphas had a lot of strength, but since the down jacket was hanging on the door, Lu Shi’s face hit it without pain, just a bit of surprise.

To breathe more easily, Lu Shi stiffly turned his restrained neck to the side.

At this rate, something was bound to happen. Shen Zheming felt he had to make Lu Shi understand one thing: “Do you know what you just looked like you were doing?”

Shen Zheming’s voice was deep and muffled, his breath spraying on his ear.

Lu Shi had some self-awareness, but not much: “Seduction?”

“No.”

Shen Zheming lowered his eyes and said softly.

“Looking for a *.”

📚 Also on NHV Novels

Miss Witch, Please Kill Me

FantasyGender BenderMagical

Read Now →
Not interested