ABMSI Chapter 16

Central Hospital

Winter nights were always colder than any other time of day. There weren’t many people in the hospital, and because the heating had recently broken down, the chill seeped straight through the corridors, making Duan Wei shiver.

He held the registration slip he had just collected from the window, feeling a bit uneasy.

After sitting for so long, Duan Wei had finally calmed down. He could smell the obvious scent coming off his own body, something new and unnerving for someone who had never been able to sense pheromones before.

Because he had just differentiated, he couldn’t control his pheromones like other Alphas or Omegas could. The entire corridor was filled with a strong orange scent, and several patients in the hallway turned to look at him.

Hunching his shoulders against the cold, Duan Wei suddenly heard a faint rustling beside him. Fu Duqiu had taken off the jacket he wore inside and held it out toward Duan Wei.

“I’m not cold.” No sooner had Duan Wei spoken than a draft swept through. His last word trembled from the chill.

Fu Duqiu lowered his gaze at him, draped the jacket over Duan Wei’s shoulders, and said, “Put it on.”

After sitting a while longer, Duan Wei’s name was called from inside the consultation room. He slowly got to his feet, and just as he pushed the door open, he looked back to see Fu Duqiu standing by the seats, watching him.

“I’ll wait for you outside,” Fu Duqiu said.

Duan Wei pressed his lips together and gave a small nod.

The doctor seeing him was a female Alpha. After a few basic questions about his age and symptoms, she pulled out something resembling a stethoscope and reached toward the back of Duan Wei’s neck.

The moment the instrument touched his skin, Duan Wei instinctively flinched. He could feel his entire body unconsciously tensing into defense at the doctor’s touch.

But she seemed accustomed to such reactions. From the thick medical file she drew out a small booklet and placed it before him. On the cover were the words: “Omega Precautions.”

Then, from behind him, she spoke:

“Omega glands are delicate and precious. After differentiation, you must take good care of them. Do you have enough money on you? The first heat cycle will last a long time. I’ll prescribe you a few doses of suppressant. In a few days, go to the Omega Association to register your information; they’ll give you a medical insurance card. Or, if you bring a student ID to the hospital in the future, suppressants will be cheaper.”

As she spoke, Duan Wei’s mind drifted. He barely moved his eyes over the booklet. Until she sat back down, brows knit tightly above her mask.

“Why do you still have Alpha pheromones on you?” she asked.

“…” Duan Wei froze, then remembered he was still wearing Fu Duqiu’s jacket.

The scent on the clothing was faint, not much different from what Duan Wei had smelled in the classroom earlier. Unlike his own fruity notes, Fu Duqiu carried a uniquely cool fragrance that could seize one’s attention in an instant.

“My classmate’s jacket,” Duan Wei said after a pause. “You’re saying this is pheromone scent?”

“Yes.” The experienced doctor nodded with certainty.

Duan Wei’s wandering thoughts snapped back. His gaze fell on the bold print in the booklet: Do not casually inhale Alpha pheromones.

“…”

He had been about to ask why, but thought better of it and stayed silent.

The doctor pulled out a form, scribbled a few lines, pressed a red seal on it, and handed it to Duan Wei. “Take this to the police station in a few days and update your personal information.”

“Huh?” Duan Wei stared blankly at her.

“Change your status from Beta to Omega,” she said.

Even when he reached the small pharmacy window, Duan Wei still hadn’t recovered from her words. He muddled through picking up several doses of suppressant, all of which Fu Duqiu ended up paying for because Duan Wei’s phone was dead.

On the way, the doctor kept giving instructions. Duan Wei followed quietly, while Fu Duqiu occasionally asked a few questions, which she answered one by one.

“You’re a high-quality Alpha, aren’t you?” The doctor glanced at Fu Duqiu—the tall, striking boy radiated a clean, refined pheromone signature.

Fu Duqiu gave a small affirmative sound.

“Transitioning from Beta to Omega is unusual. He’ll need to learn more about physiology. Remind him to take care of himself,” the doctor paused, eyeing the jacket on Duan Wei with caution. “Of course, you mustn’t overstep your bounds either.”

“…” Fu Duqiu paused briefly. “Understood.”

The two of them were led into an office. The Alpha doctor turned to look at both of them and said, “Right now, you still can’t control your pheromones. Once you take the suppressant injection, you can go home.”

After speaking, she walked straight out.

The office suddenly fell into a long silence. Fu Duqiu glanced at Duan Wei, who was standing nearby, then took out the newly bought inhibitors from the plastic bag, tore one open, and handed it to him.

Duan Wei looked at the thing in his hand and suddenly felt that the world was just too bizarre.

A few days ago, he only learned about inhibitors because of Peng Yan’s susceptible period, but now he was the one needing it.

He pulled off the cap of the syringe, then abruptly realized—he didn’t even know how to use it.

Seeing him holding the inhibitor for ages without moving, Fu Duqiu spoke:
“Did you actually take in what the doctor just said?”

“Nope.” Duan Wei shook his head, still sitting in the chair.

At that, Fu Duqiu sighed, set the plastic bag on the desk, and walked forward. He knelt down on one knee in front of Duan Wei, took the syringe from his hand, pressed it slightly until a little liquid seeped out, then pushed up Duan Wei’s sleeve.

Duan Wei finally reacted when Fu Duqiu grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing??”

“Don’t move,” Fu Duqiu held onto his hand as it tried to pull back. “I’m giving you the shot.”

His grip was strong—an arm that could send Li Shao tumbling to the ground was pinned down tight. With the syringe in his other hand, Fu Duqiu brought it close to the crook of Duan Wei’s elbow and said softly,
“Relax.”

“I can’t.” Duan Wei tried for a moment, then frowned. “I can’t relax.”

The sensation was unnerving. He didn’t know why, but his whole body was taut, the hand Fu Duqiu was holding trembling uncontrollably. That sense of losing control left him short of breath, desperate to get away.

The office air was thick with pheromones. He tried to rein his in, but they only grew more chaotic.

Fu Duqiu frowned as well, unsettled by the way Duan Wei’s scent stirred him up. Lowering his head, he saw Duan Wei’s clenched fingers flushed faintly pink, and his pale arm shivering.

Fu Duqiu slowly released his own pheromones. Alpha pheromones could calm an Omega, and soon he felt the resistance in Duan Wei’s hand weaken.

Keeping his composure, he seized the moment to inject the inhibitor. When the needle sank into his skin, Duan Wei gave a muffled groan, quickly swallowing the sound down into his throat.

The injection didn’t take long, but the air was filled with the tangle of their pheromones. Once the drug settled in, Duan Wei finally calmed down. He stared at the floor in silence, saying nothing.

Fu Duqiu stood, tossed the syringe into the trash, and looked down at him. He felt he should say something to comfort this suddenly differentiated Omega, and after hesitating, he tried,
“Actually, Betas and Omegas aren’t so different. Each heat cycle, as long as you get the inhibitor—”

“At least it’s not a shot in the butt.”

“…What?” Fu Duqiu turned his head, cut off mid-sentence.

Duan Wei raised his head, the flush on his cheeks fading. “That day when you gave Peng Yan the inhibitor, I thought you were going to stick it there.”

“…” Fu Duqiu was briefly speechless. “Why would you think that?”

“Otherwise, why wouldn’t you let me watch?” Duan Wei asked, matter-of-fact.

“I only…,” Fu Duqiu started, then sighed, giving up on explaining.

He looked at Duan Wei again, saw his expression had returned to normal, and asked tentatively,
“So just now, is that what you were thinking about the whole time?”

Duan Wei shook his head, lowered his gaze to his shoes, and fell quiet again.

Fu Duqiu opened the window a little, letting the breeze carry away some of the pheromones lingering in the room. He sat with Duan Wei for a while.

He didn’t know how much time passed before Duan Wei finally came back to himself. He stood and said,
“Let’s go home, or else that old witch will scold me again.”

“Mm.”

Fu Duqiu rose with him, picked up the plastic bag from the desk, and the two walked out of the hospital side by side.

The hospital wasn’t far from Duan Wei’s place—a round trip was less than half an hour. The night was cold. Duan Wei took off his jacket, meaning to hand it to Fu Duqiu, but was refused, so he obediently put it back on himself.

The fabric still carried a lingering pheromone scent—like a crisp floral fragrance drifting faintly from a damp, misty forest. Distinct, striking, unforgettable.

After a moment of breathing it in, Duan Wei asked,
“Your pheromone—what does it smell like?”

“White pine resin,” Fu Duqiu answered.

Duan Wei nodded. He’d never seen white pine, but the scent was indeed pleasant.
“Alphas really have it good—their pheromones are all so high-class.”

“No. Yours smells good too.”

He didn’t know if it was Duan Wei’s influence or something else, but words Fu Duqiu normally would never say slipped out. And then he remembered the Alpha doctor’s warning—don’t cross the line.

But Duan Wei didn’t notice his unease. He turned his head as they walked and asked,
“How exactly does it smell good?”

Fu Duqiu glanced sideways. Under the streetlight, Duan Wei’s hair looked pale, his fair skin tinged with warmth—like a child not yet grown out of boyishness.

Like a child—that was the impression Fu Duqiu had of Duan Wei’s pheromones.

The honey-orange scent wasn’t cloyingly sweet like most Omegas, nor sharp-edged like Alphas. It was light, clear, carrying a gentle sweetness.

He turned his head back and said lightly,
“Don’t expect me to praise you.”

“Tch…” Duan Wei rolled his eyes, but his mood had clearly lifted.

After walking a bit further, Duan Wei saw the faint glow of lights from his home.

They stopped at the intersection, the traffic light blinking on the other side. He took the bag of inhibitors from Fu Duqiu, about to speak when he suddenly remembered the backpack Fu Duqiu had left at the alley.
“Do you still have your keys on you?”

Fu Duqiu shook his head. “They’re in the bag.”

“Anyone home?” Duan Wei asked, but then remembered the day he’d seen that big house—pitch black inside, obviously empty.

Sure enough, Fu Duqiu shook his head again.
“I’ll just stay at a hotel tonight.”

“…Alright then.”

Duan Wei nodded, handed back his jacket, and after saying goodbye, stood watching as Fu Duqiu walked off down another street.

The winter wind howled; the street was silent. Dead branches creaked as he passed, his breath fogging in the cold air.

After a few meters, Fu Duqiu put on the jacket, the familiar white pine resin scent and honey-orange fragrance mingling around his nose.

He had just taken out his phone to book a hotel when hurried footsteps came up behind him.

Duan Wei had run back at some point, panting as he looked at him.
“Do you… want to crash at my place for the night? And maybe… teach me how to control my pheromones?”