Chapter 37: Unexpected Care

“Can’t stand this anymore? And you dared to let an Alpha in heat mark you.”

Shen Zheming didn’t know if he was a dog or not. He only knew that if the suppressor collar hadn’t temporarily worked tonight, something much more serious could have happened.

He leaned over and grabbed a tissue.

Lu Shi slumped weakly against the car door. He shook his head, not very convincing. “No need. I didn’t cry.”

His collar hid half the back of his neck, but a deep red bite mark was faintly visible on the exposed skin.

The temporary mark had worked. The heat in his body began to fade the moment it was done, and he stopped shaking uncontrollably.

His neck ached a little, but it wasn’t bad. Bearable.

Inside the car, two strands of pheromones tangled together. Shen Zheming pressed his tongue against his canine tooth and tasted a hint of metallic sweetness.

“This was an emergency. Don’t ever say things like that to an Alpha in heat again. Including me.”

Shen Zheming slowly pulled his pheromones back in. His collar detected that he had calmed down and finally began to loosen, leaving a distinct mark on his neck.

Lu Shi recovered a little. He licked his dry lips. “Even you don’t have confidence in yourself?”

Shen Zheming gave him an unreadable look. “I don’t have confidence in you.”

His words were reckless, without considering the consequences.

Thankfully, today was the last day of his own heat period. Otherwise, the collar alone might not have been enough to restrain him.

Now both of them were covered in chaotic pheromone scents. Hanging around outside wasn’t a good idea.

In the end, Lu Shi went upstairs with Shen Zheming’s support.

He had a bit of strength now. He could hop on one foot or limp into the elevator himself, no need to trouble Shen Zheming to carry him.

Er Bai Wu had been about to shut down and rest when it heard the password being entered at the door. It lifted its head and slid over quickly, ready to greet its owner.

But when the door opened, the first thing it saw was Shen Zheming’s face. It hadn’t seen him in a few days, but it didn’t miss him at all.

Er Bai Wu slammed on the brakes, spun around smoothly, and prepared to return to its charging dock.

Shen Zheming called out. “Stop. What are you running from?”

Er Bai Wu turned around. The fake mustache Lu Shi had drawn on its face was still there.

Its screen flickered and displayed a line of red text: [Battery low!]

Er Bai Wu had thought it was Lu Shi opening the door. It didn’t expect Shen Zheming to be back a day early.

Lu Shi was different from Shen Zheming. Even though Shen Zheming told Lu Shi to order it around, Lu Shi never asked it to do anything. He was easygoing, friendly, often chatted with it, and even said thank you. He was easy to take care of.

Shen Zheming, on the other hand, just looked cold and didn’t talk much, but he actually made it work all day and never let it rest.

In comparison, even though Er Bai Wu hadn’t spent much time with Lu Shi, it liked Lu Shi much more!

Shen Zheming glanced at it. “If you’re not off, come help.”

Er Bai Wu’s flat mouth corners drooped by two pixels, barely noticeable.

It slid over slowly, its back looking reluctant. As it got closer, it noticed Lu Shi behind Shen Zheming, one foot hovering in the air, clothes rumpled, face pale, as if injured.

Its speed suddenly increased. Er Bai Wu extended a mechanical arm to support him.

But when it looked up and its screen faced Lu Shi, its system detected something odd.

It scanned Lu Shi from head to toe.

It was Lu Shi’s appearance, no mistake. But why was Lu Shi covered in Shen Zheming’s scent?

Lu Shi smelling like Shen Zheming, and at a high concentration. Very strange.

Er Bai Wu’s internal processors whirred, trying to handle this unprecedented situation.

But it was just a robot. This was completely beyond its understanding. It couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Maybe it was his imagination, but Lu Shi sniffed and thought he smelled something burning.

After a shower and clean clothes, Lu Shi felt much better.

He looked around and suddenly remembered something important. “Where’s my phone?”

“It’s with Shen Luo. She kept it for you. She’ll send someone to bring it over soon.”

Shen Zheming stood nearby, watching Er Bai Wu hold an ice pack to Lu Shi’s foot.

The ice pack was very cold, irritating his skin. Soon the skin around his ankle became swollen and hot, itchy and burning.

Er Bai Wu could do housework, but this kind of delicate task was clumsy. It couldn’t control its strength and kept missing the sore spot.

Shen Zheming watched for a while. “Alright, get lost. Wash that mustache off your face.”

Er Bai Wu’s ice pack was taken by Shen Zheming. He had a dry towel in his hand, seemingly out of nowhere. He crouched down in front of Lu Shi and placed the towel on his leg.

Lu Shi had been resting his foot on the chair in front of him, trying to piece together the night’s events.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his ankle. He jerked back to reality. “I think it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

He braced himself on the sofa arm and tried to pull his foot back.

Shen Zheming grabbed his calf. The world tilted, and Lu Shi slipped down.

“Ah…”

Lu Shi frowned. The lie he’d just told was disproven in less than two seconds.

Shen Zheming said, “Don’t move if you don’t want it to get worse.”

The ice pack, wrapped in the towel, pressed against his skin, dulling most of the cold. The hand holding the ice pack adjusted the angle slightly, pressing it firmly against the most swollen part.

Lu Shi half-lay on the sofa, his lower back tense and hovering in the air.

He was ticklish. A few places on his body were sensitive, and unfortunately, his ankle was one of them.

Melted water from the ice pack dripped down Shen Zheming’s long fingers, falling onto the purplish, swollen ankle bone.

Lu Shi’s toes instinctively curled. His calf trembled slightly.

Sensing his tension, Shen Zheming looked up, lightening his grip. “Relax,” he said softly.

Caught off guard by Shen Zheming’s eyes, Lu Shi froze for a moment.

When he was young, there was a small clinic near their home. It was small and old, with only one doctor in his fifties. Neighbors with headaches, fevers, or injuries would go to him.

There were no beds or chairs there, just two long wooden benches. A curtain hung above, and people sat on the benches getting IV drips every day. In front of them was an old TV with a small screen that played the same cartoons over and over.

The first time Lu Shi went, that doctor was startled.

Lu Shi was only about five then, without any adult. His knees and elbows were scraped, blood mixed with dirt. After an examination, the doctor prescribed a lot of medicine, but Lu Shi didn’t have enough money, so he only asked for iodine swabs.

“Hey, kid!”

Lu Shi was already at the door when the doctor called him back.

The doctor looked down at him. “Do you know how to use it?”

Lu Shi said, “A little.”

He’d seen a neighbor use it after a bike scrape.

The doctor led him back, sat him on the bench, cleaned the wound with saline, and then carefully applied iodine from the inside out with a swab.

The doctor said, “I won’t charge you this time. Be careful on the road next time. Don’t run around.”

Kids were active, especially boys. The doctor thought Lu Shi had fallen by himself. Only later did he learn it was a family issue.

The clinic was busy every day. Sometimes the doctor couldn’t handle everything, so Lu Shi learned to treat himself.

Later, as he grew older, he didn’t even need the doctor to tell him what medicine to use. He’d just put money on the counter and greet the doctor who was giving someone an IV.

“Uncle, give me a box of band-aids.”

“Some medicated oil and muscle relaxant pills.”

“A box of fever reducers.”

Except for that first injury when someone helped him, Lu Shi always took care of himself afterward.

It had been over ten years. He was no longer a child. Having someone help him like this again felt very strange.

Shen Zheming’s eyes were a natural gray-brown, long and sharp. Maybe because of his monolids, his gaze seemed indifferent, making him look cold.

Shen Zheming said, “What’s wrong?”

Only then did Lu Shi realize he’d been staring at Shen Zheming for a while.

Even though the temporary mark had already been made, his back inexplicably felt hot.

He looked away, somewhat flustered. “Nothing.”

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