Chapter Index

    When Shen Ci saw Yan Yuzhou’s nervous expression, his heart melted into a puddle.

    Before he could respond, the small figure in front of him continued, red-eyed, and asked, “Every time you temporarily mark me, does it make you uncomfortable? I didn’t do it on purpose. I didn’t mean to see your medical records. I know that every time I get close to you, it must make things difficult for you. I know you’re repelled by omegas, yet I still ask you to temporarily mark me. Mr. Shen, I’ve been too selfish… I’m sorry.”

    By the time he finished speaking, Yan Yuzhou’s eyes were completely red, and his voice trembled as he spoke.

    He raised his head to meet Shen Ci’s gaze, and suddenly, there was a tragic sense of resignation in his expression, as if ready to face any consequence.

    Shen Ci would be angry, wouldn’t he? Would he use this as an excuse to distance himself, or perhaps—even divorce him?

    A flicker of shock passed through Shen Ci’s eyes. He hadn’t expected at all that Yan Yuzhou already knew about his condition.

    With a hoarse voice, he asked, “How did you find out?”

    Yan Yuzhou took a deep breath, sniffled, and assumed a contrite posture (Ps: Contrite posture basically means he stood there like a guilty criminal admitting his faults) . “The day after we stayed at Grandpa’s house for a night, I was tidying your room and accidentally… found it under the bed.”

    Shen Ci frowned slightly, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers as he sank into thought. Suddenly, a memory surfaced: it was around that time that Yan Yuzhou had started deliberately keeping his distance, even going so far as to move out of the villa.

    A surge of joy bubbled up in his chest. His usually deep gaze now carried a hint of warmth as he looked at Yan Yuzhou’s lowered head.

    “You moved out because of this?” he asked.

    After a long silence, Yan Yuzhou gave a soft “mm” in response, his voice barely audible.

    That single reply pulled Shen Ci out of a month-long emotional icebox, and in an instant, it felt like spring was blooming along the riverbanks.

    A quiet, pleasant chuckle escaped him, full of ease and contentment.

    The omega, who was still anxiously waiting for judgment, raised his head in confusion upon hearing that soft chuckle. His eyes met Shen Ci’s gaze, which now carried a hint of a smile, and his heart began pounding wildly.

    Shen Ci’s lips moved slightly, and deep, husky, yet maddeningly captivating words flowed out one after another:

    “I do have omega aversion, but with you, you’re the only exception.”

    “Yan Yuzhou, I hate omegas, but I don’t hate you.”

    Those two sentences brought Yan Yuzhou to tears. With a gentle blink, the tears that had long welled up in his eyes spilled over, sliding down his cheeks, to his collarbone, and soaking into his shirt.

    Crying and laughing at the same time, he wiped his tears with a hand and murmured, “I’m such a fool.”

    Foolish enough to move out of the villa, thinking he was making some noble sacrifice. In the end, it was Mr. Shen who had to rescue him.

    Shen Ci’s heart ached as he looked at him. He thought about how this omega had been taking those medications just to avoid inconveniencing him during heat periods. He thought about how Yan Yuzhou had moved into a dormitory to ensure that not even a trace of omega scent would linger in the house.

    This idiot.

    Shen Ci couldn’t help but take a step forward and then pulled this crying little bundle into his arms.

    After a long while, the person in his embrace stopped crying. Then, Yan Yuzhou poked his head out of Shen Ci’s chest, his face full of curiosity, and in a soft, cottony voice, asked, “Mr. Shen, why does your scent smell different?”

    Shen Ci froze for a moment, then suddenly remembered.

    Yesterday, in the bar restroom, when Yan Yuzhou had been half-dazed, he had mentioned that Shen Ci’s pheromones smelled not only of cold snow but also pine resin.

    At the time, Shen Ci had been too worried about Yan Yuzhou’s condition to pay much attention to what he said. But thinking about it now, it did seem rather odd. He distinctly remembered the first time he released his pheromones during a medical checkup. The report had simply stated: cold snow.

    So, with a face full of doubt and an uncertain tone, he asked, “Really? What does it smell like now?”

    Yan Yuzhou nodded firmly. “Mm! It smells like pine branches covered in a layer of winter snow. It’s very nice.”

    Shen Ci’s heart stirred as he looked at the upturned little face. He leaned closer and took a deep breath at Yan Yuzhou’s neck. After a long moment, he lifted his head, his expression tinged with satisfaction and delight.

    “Yours has changed too. It smells like faint black tea, with a hint of peach blossoms.”

    Yan Yuzhou let out a surprised “Oh,” then shyly fidgeted, squirming slightly before awkwardly asking, “Does… does it smell good?”

    Shen Ci chuckled softly, rubbing his head, his voice low and husky. “It smells good.”

    The next day, Shen Ci took Yan Yuzhou to the hospital where Fan Qidao worked. The two of them underwent a pheromone-related medical examination.

    Fan Qidao looked at their new pheromone test reports, his brows deeply furrowed. With an expression of amusement and curiosity, he stared at the reports for a long time.

    After a long pause, Fan Qidao, who had been watching Shen Ci sitting calmly and silently like a mountain, grinned and said, “Congratulations.”

    Shen Ci raised an eyebrow. “Congratulations for what?”

    With a mischievous smile at the corner of his mouth, Fan Qidao glanced back and forth between Shen Ci and Yan Yuzhou a couple of times. Finally, he placed the test report on the desk, leaned back leisurely in his chair, and said slowly, “Congratulations on encountering a medical case so rare it only happens once in a century. And the two of you are the lucky ones.”

    Hearing this, Yan Yuzhou grew a little nervous. Fan Qidao’s words made it sound as if he and Mr. Shen had contracted some incurable disease.

    “Cut the nonsense and get to the point.” Shen Ci, clearly unfazed by Fan Qidao’s theatrics, looked at the doctor with an air of calm indifference. His face, cold and expressionless, practically screamed the words: No emotions allowed.

    Fan Qidao’s mouth twitched slightly as he muttered under his breath, “Geez, won’t even let me have a little fun.”

    He cleared his throat softly, signaling that he was finally getting serious. Then, adopting a more formal tone, he began to explain their situation.

    “Your pheromones are 100% compatible, right? That’s correct—cold snow and black tea were practically made for each other. Now, because you temporarily marked him, this compatibility will remain constant. In other words, if one person’s pheromones change, the other’s pheromones will adjust to match the new scent.

    “To put it simply: your pheromones evolve together to maintain compatibility.”

    After finishing, Fan Qidao glanced at Shen Ci’s expression. As expected, it still bore the words: calm and unruffled.

    Tch, I thought he might get a little excited or something. How boring.

    “Why did the pheromones change?”

    The man with the emotionless face finally deigned to speak.

    Fan Qidao nodded approvingly. “Good question.” He picked up the two reports again and shook them slightly in front of Shen Ci. “This is exactly what I meant by a once-in-a-century case.”

    “Logically speaking, a person’s pheromones should only have one scent, which remains constant throughout their life. But both of your pheromones have undeniably changed. So, why is that?”

    Fan Qidao pondered for a moment before spreading his hands and shrugging. “There’s only one possible explanation: it’s related to your relationship as a couple.”

    The corners of Fan Qidao’s mouth curled up in a sly grin. His tone turned languid, full of teasing amusement.

    “Cold snow is a cool scent, pine resin is warm. Black tea is cool, peach blossoms are warm. The reasoning here isn’t hard to understand, is it?”

    Then, looking quite pleased with himself, he walked over to Shen Ci, bent down, and patted him on the shoulder with a hearty laugh.

    “Congratulations, brother.”

    Your illness is almost cured.

    ____________________

    T/n: Happy holidays~ Those two finally communicated!! I hope I can chip in one more update tmr before we enter a new year. Stay safe 🙂

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