FIO CH33

Chapter 33: Alpha Marking

Lu Fangchi’s eyelashes fluttered slightly as he slowly opened his eyes. A throbbing pain emanated from his temples, his throat was so dry that swallowing felt like choking, and his entire body felt as if it had been run over by a truck, as if it were falling apart, especially his thighs, which had almost lost all sensation.

Moving slowly, Lu Fangchi sat up and glanced to the side, where Zhou Zheng was sleeping soundly. Memories quickly surfaced and filled his mind.

He had been too unrestrained.

Although he had said it was okay, Zhou Zheng had really let loose. How on earth did he come up with the idea of using the spinning bike in that position? The intense rhythm and the tingling sensation on his scalp made Lu Fangchi shudder involuntarily—it was terrifying.

So why was he still sleeping? Feeling a sense of injustice, Lu Fangchi reached out and pushed him.

A wave of intense heat flooded into his palm. Huh?

Lu Fangchi frowned slightly and raised his hand again to touch Zhou Zheng’s forehead—it was scorching.

He had a fever.

Having experienced this before, Lu Fangchi immediately reached out to shake him awake and take him to the hospital.

After a few vigorous shakes, the sleeping Zhou Zheng suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes. Almost reflexively, he raised his hand and grabbed Lu Fangchi’s hand, which was resting on his shoulder, his face full of caution.

This slightly aggressive gaze made Lu Fangchi daze for a moment. He looked down at his hand, which had turned white from the grip. “You…” Before he could finish, Zhou Zheng released his hand. When he looked up again, the alpha’s expression had wilted, and the ferocity in his eyes seemed to have vanished like a fleeting flower.

Lu Fangchi blinked, feeling that he might have overthought it. The young man licked his lips and said, “You have a fever. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“No need,” the alpha’s voice was deep and hoarse, and he rejected the idea outright.

Perhaps realizing that his tone was too harsh, the alpha cleared his throat and added, “I won’t go. I’ve taken some medicine. I should be fine later.”

Lu Fangchi blinked again, a strange sense of discomfort rising in his heart. Was this how Zhou Zheng usually acted?

The alpha spoke again, “Don’t worry about me. You should go to work. I’ll be fine after a good sleep.” With that, he turned over, burying his face in the quilt.

As he moved, most of his back was exposed. Lu Fangchi’s gaze fell on the back of his neck, where there were two half-circle bite marks, red and purple in color, perfectly covering the gland area. Against the pale skin, these marks stood out prominently. Lu Fangchi remembered that these were likely his doing.

He sniffed the air, and everywhere he sensed was the faint fragrance of noon lotus, especially strong on Zhou Zheng, who seemed to be the source of the scent.

Lu Fangchi blinked, and only then did he realize that he had marked the alpha.

He pursed his lips, got up, and felt for his phone on the bedside table. He opened the “Abo Life Manual” and flipped to the section on alphas, scrolling down.

Quickly skimming over first differentiation, alpha characteristics and orientation, how to get through the sensitive period…

There it was. Lu Fangchi’s finger paused, and he slowed down his scrolling.

Can alphas be marked?

No, but there is a possibility of being infused with pheromones.

Special note: Alphas, please take precautions. It is not recommended to be infused with pheromones. No death cases have been found, but there are a series of sequelae such as pheromone disorder.

Further down, what are the reactions of alphas after being infused with pheromones?

1. Lethargy and emotional instability; 2. Fever and chills; 3. Vomiting and other symptoms.

How should alphas deal with being infused with pheromones?

1. Rest quietly; 2. Drink plenty of water to metabolize the foreign pheromones.

It means there is no real solution, just endure it. Lu Fangchi frowned and continued reading.

How long does it take for alphas to return to normal after being infused with pheromones?

The time is uncertain, ranging from a couple of days to several months.

Warm reminder: Please relax and rest quietly, trust in the alpha’s healing ability. There is no need to seek medical treatment and waste medical resources.

Seeing this sentence, Lu Fangchi finally felt relieved. It seemed there was no serious issue; just drink more water to metabolize the pheromones.

Lu Fangchi got out of bed, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, his knees buckled involuntarily.

Degenerate, truly degenerate.

Lu Fangchi pursed his lips, straightened his legs, and walked towards the kitchen, pouring a glass of warm water and taking a sip to moisten his dry throat. The phone on the kitchen island vibrated and buzzed.

Pressing the answer button and activating the speaker, the assistant’s voice, slightly distorted through the phone, came through: “Mr. Lu, how long do you think it will take for you to get to the company?”

Lu Fangchi glanced at the top-left corner of the screen, which read 12:00 PM. It had already been three hours past his usual work start time.

So truly degenerate.

Then he might as well go all the way. He was a bit worried about leaving Zhou Zheng alone at home. Lu Fangchi raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes as he replied, “I have some personal matters. I won’t be coming in today.”

“Ah,” the assistant’s tone was slightly hesitant, “There’s a shareholders’ meeting at one in the afternoon. It was set a week ago, and it might be hard to change the time at short notice.”

Ah, right, he had forgotten about that.

“Mr. Lu, what do you think…?”

“I know, I’m on my way,” Lu Fangchi hung up the phone.

Lu Fangchi poured a glass of warm water and placed it on the bedside table, addressing the lump under the quilt, “Baby, I have a meeting this afternoon and can’t stay with you.”

Whether he didn’t want to talk or had fallen asleep, Zhou Zheng didn’t make a sound, his face buried motionless in the quilt.

Lu Fangchi leaned down and gently kissed the bite mark on the back of the alpha’s neck, softly instructing, “Drink plenty of water to metabolize it. If anything happens, send me a message. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.” He tucked the quilt around him, patted his back, and watched for a moment before getting up and walking out.

“Ding—” The front door closed, and the previously silent Zhou Zheng suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze deep and meaningful.

At six in the evening, Lu Fangchi was the first to rise from his seat and, in one go, walked back to his office and sat down on the swivel chair. He reached out to loosen his tie, twisted open the cap of the mineral water bottle on the desk, and drank more than half of it with a series of gulps.

The annual shareholders’ meeting was always an energy-draining affair, lasting at least three to four hours. Everyone had their own opinions and spoke at length, engaging in heated discussions that made one’s brain feel bloated and numb from all the talk.

Fortunately, a conclusion had been reached. Under the principle of majority rule in voting, the shareholders had reached a consensus. The outline for the company’s goals in the new year had been set, and there was no need for further meetings to discuss the matter.

Lu Fangchi let out a long sigh of relief, took out his phone, and opened WeChat to check the top conversation.

Huh? After such a long time, not a single message had come through. Zhou Zheng was unusually quiet today.

It seemed he was really feeling unwell.

Lu Fangchi tapped on the screen and took the initiative to ask: “How are you doing?”

After waiting for about five or six minutes, the phone remained still.

Lu Fangchi typed again: “I’m heading back now.”

As Lu Fangchi was about to turn off his phone and get up, there was a “knock knock” at the office door.

“Come in,” Lu Fangchi said, sitting back down.

The assistant pushed the door open and reported, “We have a visitor.”

“Who?” Lu Fangchi asked, not recalling any appointments at this hour.

The assistant pursed her lips and lowered her head, saying, “Xie Xing.”

Lu Fangchi was silent for half a second before nodding in agreement, “Let him in.”

“Yes, sir.” The assistant bowed and withdrew.

A few minutes later, the office door was pushed open again. An omega wearing a white down jacket, hands in pockets and walking briskly, entered and plopped down onto the sofa swivel chair in front of Lu Fangchi. He tilted his head and spoke in a familiar tone, “Long time no see.”

Lu Fangchi nodded and replied, “It has been a while.”

Noticing the wariness in Lu Fangchi’s eyes, Xie Xing leaned forward, propped his arms on the desk, and lightly knocked on it with his hand. “Brother Chi, don’t be so tense. I’m not here to cause trouble this time.”

Lu Fangchi, whose thoughts had been directly exposed, didn’t feel embarrassed. He smiled helplessly and admitted, “Alright, I was a bit afraid you’d cry like last time.”

Lu Fangchi would have been better off not mentioning it, but as soon as he did, Xie Xing’s nose began to tingle. He slightly turned his head, tried hard to frown and hold back the tears, and waited until his emotions had settled before turning back to Lu Fangchi to explain his purpose: “You said you’d take care of the photos, right?” The omega extended his hand.

There had indeed been such an agreement. Lu Fangchi bent down, opened the bottom drawer, and took out the group photo that was lying at the very bottom. He placed it on the desktop.

Without looking down at the photo, Xie Xing quickly reached out, put it in his chest pocket, and said “Thanks” before getting up and turning to leave in a very nonchalant manner.

As he was about to grasp the office door handle, he stopped, paused for a moment, and then turned his head to ask, “I haven’t eaten yet. It’s not too much to ask for a meal, is it?”

The omega’s nose was red, his upper lip tightly biting his lower lip as he tried to widen his eyes, but he still looked on the verge of tears.

Lu Fangchi sighed and nodded in agreement, “It’s not too much.”

Following the principle of proximity, they went to the mall next door. After all, it didn’t matter where they ate; what was important was the conversation that was about to take place.

Sure enough, as the dishes were being served one after another, Xie Xing didn’t even bother to unwrap the chopsticks and got straight to the point: “I saw your street interview.”

Lu Fangchi had anticipated this and nodded unsurprisingly, “Mm,” as he reached over to take the bowl and chopsticks in front of Xie Xing, placed them in front of himself, rinsed them with tea water, and then pushed them back to the omega.

“Are you getting married?” Xie Xing asked again.

Without responding, Lu Fangchi picked up a slice of lotus root and placed it in the bowl in front of him.

Xie Xing seemed not to need Lu Fangchi’s answer and began to talk to himself: “We were together for three years, and you never mentioned marriage. How come after just a few months with him, you’re getting married?”

As Xie Xing spoke, his emotions became agitated. He nodded frequently, as if mocking: “So you never really loved me, did you? Yes, I was the one who was wrong first, but don’t you think you’re too indifferent? As soon as I mentioned breaking up, you agreed without asking for a reason or trying to keep me. It’s as if my existence was optional, and I can’t feel any of your care.”

Faced with Xie Xing’s accusations, Lu Fangchi pursed his lips into a straight line. Not to mention that bringing up the past now was meaningless, but also, wasn’t breaking up the answer? What was wrong with preserving one’s dignity?

Fortunately, Xie Xing had come today not to cause trouble, as he had said. He took a deep breath to suppress his restlessness, “I’m sorry, I got excited again.”

Lu Fangchi shook his head to indicate it was fine and reached for the kettle to fill the cup in front of Xie Xing with water.

Xie Xing didn’t drink it but instead picked up the chopsticks and stuffed food into his mouth, asking indistinctly through a mouthful, “I just want to ask you, did you ever really love me…”

“I did.”

Xie Xing’s eyes quickly reddened, and he lowered his head to eat.

For the rest of the meal, the two didn’t speak another word. When it came time to pay the bill, Xie Xing had returned to his usual self, quiet and beautiful like a porcelain doll.

Walking side by side out of the mall, Xie Xing pointed north and said, “I’m heading this way. What about you?”

Lu Fangchi lifted his chin towards the parking lot to the south, “My car is over there.”

So they parted ways. Xie Xing raised his hand and waved, “Bye then.”

Lu Fangchi nodded and said, “You go ahead.”

“Alright,” Xie Xing agreed, turned, and walked towards the north.

After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned around, ran back, and threw himself into Lu Fangchi’s arms, tightly hugging his waist with both hands.

The sudden action startled Lu Fangchi, leaving his hands hovering in mid-air, unsure of what to do.

A muffled voice came from his embrace: “This is really goodbye. I hate you, but I wish you happiness.”

Lu Fangchi smiled and gently patted the omega’s back.

This time, Xie Xing let go, turned around, and walked away without looking back, even waving goodbye with his back turned.

Lu Fangchi watched his figure disappear from sight. He turned to leave, only to catch sight of Zhou Zheng, who had somehow appeared beside him.