MWMM Chapter 36: Severe Omega Rejection Syndrome

Spending the entire night held closely by Shen Ci, Yan Yuzhou woke up the next morning feeling surrounded by Shen Ci’s scent, even though Shen Ci was no longer in the room.

The strong, dominating scent of pine filled the air, impossible to ignore.

Worried about leaving a bad impression on the elder, Yan Yuzhou quickly freshened up and left the room. He saw Shen Ci and Grandpa Shen playing chess at the game table.

Quietly, Yan Yuzhou walked over just in time to meet Shen Ci’s gaze. His eyes were calm and indifferent, giving nothing away.

Yan Yuzhou didn’t speak and instead greeted Grandpa Shen, sitting down next to him. “Good morning, Grandpa.”

Grandpa Shen was kind and showed no sign of blame for Yan Yuzhou waking up late. On the contrary, when his grandson-in-law sat beside him, he smelled the lingering scent of Shen Ci and was utterly satisfied.

He smiled and asked a few questions about whether Yan Yuzhou was comfortable staying over. Then, he instructed the cook to serve breakfast.

After breakfast, Shen Ci had to go to work, and Yan Yuzhou needed to return to school, so the two left Grandpa Shen’s villa.

On the way back, Yan Yuzhou noticed something different in Shen Ci’s attitude. It was as if Shen Ci had grown colder. Although his pheromones still emitted warmth, his emotions felt distant.

This left Yan Yuzhou somewhat confused.

Tentatively, he asked, “Mr. Shen, did you not sleep well last night?”

Shen Ci’s eyelid twitched slightly. He didn’t turn his head but kept looking straight ahead, maintaining a cold and distant demeanor.

Yan Yuzhou stuck out his tongue, thinking it was pointless to show concern for this ice block. Whether Shen Ci slept well or not, what did it matter to him?

Unexpectedly, Shen Ci suddenly spoke. “This morning, Grandfather asked us to come back and visit more often. So,” he turned to face Yan Yuzhou, his presence commanding and impossible to ignore, even though he made no excessive movements.

“So from now on, we need to practice more often.”

“Practice what?” Yan Yuzhou asked instinctively, and the moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it. What else could they practice? It was obvious they needed to practice hugging, to get used to each other’s presence and scent.

“Oh.” Yan Yuzhou quickly responded, signaling that he understood. He didn’t dare look directly into Shen Ci’s penetrating eyes.

“So, please, get used to this as soon as possible,” Shen Ci added coldly, as if it were just another routine task to be completed.

“Got it.” Yan Yuzhou felt a bit disappointed, like he had hoped for something that never materialized. He hadn’t fully understood what he was expecting, nor did he intend to dwell on it.

He forced himself to interpret Shen Ci’s words pragmatically. They needed to share a bed every now and then to appease Grandpa Shen. Nothing more.

Shen Ci, seeing Yan Yuzhou’s expression, said nothing more. Both fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

Since there wasn’t enough time to attend military training that morning, Yan Yuzhou took the opportunity to request a leave of absence from his instructor. After Shen Ci left for work, the driver, Xiao Wang, dropped Yan Yuzhou off at the villa.

The traces of Yan Yuhe had been thoroughly erased. The house had been sterilized several times, and apart from the lingering scent of Shen Ci and himself, no other pheromones were detectable.

Yan Yuzhou remembered how disgusted Shen Ci had been by the lemon scent of omega pheromones a few days ago, yet still pulled him into his arms. His heart stirred.

For a moment, he felt as if he was needed.

Recalling Shen Ci’s strange temper, Yan Yuzhou thought he should clean up the mess his younger brother had caused to prevent Shen Ci from having another fit. Before Shen Ci returned home that evening, he decided to clean Shen Ci’s room again, just in case that ice block came in and took over his bed, leaving him tossing and turning all night.

With a cloth in hand, Yan Yuzhou began wiping down every corner of Shen Ci’s room, even adding a bit of disinfectant.

There was a spot on the floor beside the bed that hadn’t been cleaned. He walked over, squatted down, and prepared to wipe it. Just as he was about to clean it, something caught his eye—a piece of paper sticking out from under the bed.

It was probably one of Shen Ci’s documents that had accidentally fallen there. Yan Yuzhou pulled the paper out from under the bed and glanced at it.

When he saw the words “Follow-up Examination Report” printed at the top, his eyes instinctively grew more focused and serious.

He skimmed over Shen Ci’s name and the medical terminology he didn’t understand, going straight to the conclusion at the bottom of the report. When he saw what was written there, he was completely stunned, frozen in place, unable to react for a long time.

His fingers trembled slightly, and his vision blurred. He shook his head and read the report’s conclusion again.

“Severe omega rejection syndrome. Medication recommended, and regular follow-ups advised.”

The date of the report was from one month ago.

It turned out that all of Shen Ci’s unusual behavior had a reason. In fact, if he thought about it carefully, Shen Ci’s symptoms matched those of someone suffering from omega rejection syndrome.

And it was severe.

Yan Yuzhou felt his mind go blank, his ears buzzing. Panicking, he pulled out his phone and searched for information on the symptoms of this condition.

The more he read, the colder his heart grew.

Patients with severe omega rejection syndrome experience cold hands and feet, profuse sweating, nausea, dry heaving, full-body tremors, and an instinctive need to distance themselves when in contact with an omega. In extreme cases, they even experience physical pain.

So, for all these days, was this the torment Shen Ci had been enduring whenever he was near him?

Yes, he suddenly remembered the day when Yan Yuhe went into heat in Shen Ci’s room, flooding the air with the overpowering scent of lemons. Shen Ci’s face had changed instantly, and he had retreated to one side, dry heaving for a long time.

That scene had scared Yan Yuzhou at the time.

Thinking back on the little moments between them over the past days: how Shen Ci always rolled down the car window as soon as he got in, how he instinctively stepped back when Yan Yuzhou returned his jacket, how the entire villa was staffed only with betas, and how Shen Ci had repeatedly mentioned his dislike for omegas…

All of it made sense now when connected to this illness.

So, that’s how it was…

Yan Yuzhou put the report back where he found it, feeling powerless as he sat on the floor. He placed his hand over his chest, where an unexpected ache had formed.

During his heat, when Shen Ci had bitten him, let him smell his scent, practiced hugging during the day, and held him while they slept at night—perhaps all of this was Shen Ci’s duty as his legal partner. Or maybe it was just to keep up appearances for Grandpa Shen.

But even so, wasn’t this all too cruel for someone with severe omega rejection syndrome?

How much had Shen Ci endured on his own?

---