MWMM Chapter 78: Addiction

When Yan Yuzhou woke up, the strong smell of disinfectant in the air immediately reminded him that he had been taken to a hospital. The words Shen Ci whispered while holding him, just before he completely lost consciousness, resurfaced in his mind, stirring a wave of inexplicable panic.

Ignoring the IV still attached to his hand, he yanked it out directly. Without even bothering to put on his shoes, he bolted out of the room.

The moment he rushed out, he instinctively froze and quickly ducked to the side, letting out a long breath of relief.

Shen Ci hadn’t left.

He was standing in the hallway, talking with Fan Qidao. Perhaps because Yan Yuzhou was barefoot and made no sound, neither of the two noticed him.

So he simply stayed hidden where he was, straining his ears to catch their conversation.

“If the cure is never found, what do you plan to do?” Fan Qidao asked.

After a long pause, Shen Ci answered hoarsely, “I’ve said it before. He’s my omega — for this lifetime, he will always be. At worst, we’ll have a marriage without intimacy, just like before.”

Fan Qidao fell silent for a moment, still carrying a trace of disagreement in his voice. “I know you’re fine with it. The problem is him. You have to understand, once someone becomes addicted, it’s incredibly hard to break free. By then, a single inhibitor shot won’t be enough.”

Addicted? Addicted to what???
Yan Yuzhou’s heart skipped a beat.

“I know,” Shen Ci’s voice grew even more hoarse. “But I can’t let him go. Even if he doesn’t want me anymore, I still—”

“Addicted to what?”

A thin, trembling voice suddenly broke into their conversation. Shen Ci stiffened at the sound. Turning his head, he saw Yan Yuzhou standing there barefoot, wearing an oversized hospital gown, looking fragile and heartbreakingly delicate.

Shen Ci’s expression changed immediately. Clearly, Yan Yuzhou had overheard their conversation. Before he could say anything, Yan Yuzhou walked up to him on his own, head tilted up to question him, his voice shaking uncontrollably.

“What illness do I have? Are you hiding something from me, Shen Ci?”

Both Shen Ci and Fan Qidao fell silent.

Yan Yuzhou stood there, pale and trembling, and continued,
“Is it because of the frequent episodes? Am I… addicted to his pheromones—?”

As he spoke, Yan Yuzhou suddenly choked up. The words that followed were so humiliating he could barely bring himself to say them, as if voicing them would turn his fears into an undeniable nightmare — a reality he couldn’t accept.

Shen Ci’s gaze darkened, his eyes brimming with sorrow. Watching Yan Yuzhou’s tear-filled eyes, he struggled to suppress the overwhelming urge to reach out and wipe his tears away.

“Zhouzhou, I’ll be with you,” Shen Ci said softly, his words an unspoken confirmation that this was indeed caused by the frequent episodes. He looked at Yan Yuzhou with deep tenderness. “The medical team is already working on a new inhibitor. It’ll just take a little more time. It’s not that serious, don’t be afraid, okay?”

As he finished, he glanced — almost meaningfully — at Fan Qidao beside him.
Fan Qidao caught on immediately and hurried to chime in, “Ah, yes, yes, Shen Ci’s right. Zhouzhou, the research team is already working on it. It shouldn’t take too long to see results.”

After speaking, he let out a few awkward chuckles.
Listening to him, Yan Yuzhou couldn’t help but feel that Fan Qidao was just trying to cover up his own guilty conscience.

Research?
When was it ever that fast?
At best it would take a few months, at worst, years.
By the time they developed anything, if he was even still alive, maybe this addiction would have already eaten him away.

Suddenly, a look of despair surfaced in his eyes — a hollow, empty look that Shen Ci caught clearly, making his heart seize with inexplicable panic.

Without thinking, Shen Ci stepped forward. Ignoring Yan Yuzhou’s instinctive flinch and rejection, he swept him into his arms, lifting the barefoot young man by the waist and striding back into the hospital room.

He carefully laid Yan Yuzhou on the hospital bed.
Just as he was about to straighten up, Yan Yuzhou suddenly pulled him down by the neck with surprising force until their foreheads touched.

Shen Ci’s body stiffened.
They had kept their distance for so long — and now Yan Yuzhou was the one initiating such closeness. He cherished this rare, fragile tenderness more than anything.

“Shen Ci,” Yan Yuzhou’s voice was muffled, “was it because of this that you’ve been avoiding me all this time?”

Shen Ci was silent for a moment, then gave a soft “Mm.”

Yan Yuzhou’s eyes remained red as he stared at Shen Ci intently, gathering up all his courage to ask,
“Then… have you really never fallen out of love with me?”

“Never.” Shen Ci answered without a second of hesitation, his eyes filled with guilt.
“I was just afraid your body would suffer. That’s why I didn’t dare to mark you. Zhouzhou, I’m sorry.”

Yan Yuzhou nodded in understanding. A faint, bittersweet smile curled at his lips as he shook his head.
“I don’t blame you. I know you were hurting too.”

He hesitated for a moment, then, biting the bullet, asked,
“And… about that girl, Ran Youyou… Is there anything between you two? Did you… ever mark her?”

Shen Ci shook his head, his gaze unwavering and firm.
“No. There’s nothing between us. I’ve been investigating her all this time — she’s Changfa’s lover.”

Yan Yuzhou bit his lip, signaling that he understood. His eyes dimmed briefly before he let out a long sigh and finally asked the last question he had been holding back,
“Then… do you still want me?”

At last, Shen Ci reached out and gently caressed him, pressing a light kiss to his forehead. His smile was indulgent, filled with a warmth that could calm any storm.
“I want you. I’ll always want you.”

That night, for the first time in days, Yan Yuzhou slept peacefully.
Though Shen Ci didn’t hold him like he used to, simply being in the same room with him — after everything — made Yan Yuzhou feel like a ship that had finally found safe harbor after drifting endlessly at sea. Even without skin-to-skin contact, he felt utterly at peace.

In his dreams, he even found himself wanting to laugh out loud.

However, when he was jolted awake by unbearable heat in the middle of the night, all the laughter vanished.

It felt as if millions of ants were gnawing at him from the inside out, infiltrating his bones and blood, making it impossible to resist. The back of his neck burned furiously, and every nerve in his body screamed the same message:
His addiction — his craving for that bastard’s pheromones — was flaring up.

Within mere moments, Yan Yuzhou’s pheromones had flooded the entire room.
On the other bed, Shen Ci was awakened the instant he heard Yan Yuzhou’s pained whimpers.

He bolted upright, quickly turned on the light, and rushed to Yan Yuzhou’s side to check on him.

Seeing Yan Yuzhou’s body drenched in sweat, twisting and turning restlessly, Shen Ci didn’t hesitate.
The addiction had hit.

He immediately called for the attending physician and activated the emergency protocol.
One injection of a sedative finally calmed the struggling boy into a deep sleep.

But Shen Ci knew — the sedative was only a temporary solution.
It treated the symptoms, not the root cause. Until the addiction was truly cured, they couldn’t rely on sedation forever.

What’s more, the effectiveness of the drug would diminish with each use.
If this kept up, one day, even sedation might no longer work on Yan Yuzhou.

After the doctor gave him a grim but gentle explanation, Shen Ci stood by the bed, staring at the quietly sleeping figure, his face growing darker with each passing second.
His heart ached helplessly — aching for him.

Even in his sleep, Yan Yuzhou seemed deeply distressed.
His small body trembled intermittently; his little head shook side to side; his long lashes fluttered restlessly; his lips kept murmuring something inaudible.

Shen Ci lowered his head silently, leaned in closer, and listened quietly.

Then, his eyes suddenly reddened.

From the bed, in a broken, repeating murmur, he heard the words:

“Mr. Shen… please don’t leave me…”

Baby, I swear on my life — no matter what happens,
I will never, ever leave you.