Yan Yi seemed to instinctively know how to carry himself in grand or formal settings, walking naturally at Lu Shangjin’s side with a polite, faint smile on his face.
Even he himself found it a little surprising.
As they entered, Yan Yi noticed a familiar omega sitting alone on a sofa by the glass curtain wall.
The moment he saw Yuan Mi, his heart tightened slightly.
It felt like seeing someone he didn’t like—but after thinking it through, the sense of familiarity probably came from Yuan Mi’s fame.
He followed him on Weibo, and just a few days ago had seen his movie stills. The harsh comments from anti-fans might have influenced his impression of the actor as well.
When Yuan Mi noticed Yan Yi looking at him from afar, his heart sank.
Was this going to turn into some dramatic scene where the original partner regains favor and publicly tears into the “other man”?
He pretended to cough, awkwardly set his wine glass down, and took advantage of the break before the exhibition opening to slip into the restroom.
Inside a stall, he smoked a cigarette alone, calculating that by now Yan Yi should have gone to the exhibition booth with Lu Shangjin. Only then did he relax a little and step out to the sink, glancing at himself in the mirror.
His bleached eyelashes had been dyed back to black, and the cursive “freedom” tattoo around his neck had been removed. Paired with a light gray suit, he looked restrained and well-behaved.
Some people in the circle knew the inside story—after ending his arrangement with Lu Shangjin, he had gone through a brief career slump. But soon enough, a new alpha had been willing to support him.
Unlike Lu Shangjin, this one preferred obedience.
Yuan Mi washed his hands. When he looked up again, he saw Yan Yi reflected in the mirror. Yan Yi hadn’t noticed him and was leaning against the sink, scrolling through Weibo with focus.
From the mirror, Yuan Mi could clearly see that Yan Yi was browsing his account. He even caught sight of the username: “How Can You Eat Bunny.”
The unlucky netizen who had once praised his acting—only to be mistaken for sarcasm and attacked by fans—turned out to be him.
Yuan Mi steadied his breathing, not daring to act rashly in front of the legitimate partner currently in favor, silently hoping Yan Yi wouldn’t notice him.
Assistant Xiao Ning brought over a brand-new suit vest for Yan Yi to change into, apologetically taking away the jacket that had been splashed with a bit of alcohol.
Yan Yi adjusted the cat’s-eye cufflinks in the mirror, then suddenly noticed Yuan Mi. He tilted his head and gave a polite smile, releasing a gentle, candy-sweet scent of pheromones.
Yuan Mi froze for a moment, then responded with a faint trace of iris scent—far weaker in concentration, a gesture acknowledging the other’s higher status.
“You changed your gland?” Yuan Mi asked in surprise. Yan Yi’s pheromones felt much less oppressive than before. He had heard rumors that Lu Shangjin once found a hamster omega with high compatibility in a private room and had someone forcibly remove his gland.
Judging from how carefully Lu Shangjin now cherished Yan Yi, it seemed likely he had already replaced it with one of higher compatibility.
“What?” Yan Yi blinked, confused.
“…Sorry.” Yuan Mi assumed he simply didn’t want to talk and gave an awkward smile. “I must have mistaken you for someone else.”
After Yan Yi left, Yuan Mi leaned against the sink, staring blankly for a while. He absentmindedly scrolled through his phone and searched for Yan Yi’s account.
The most recent post was from a month ago—just two photos. In one, Lu Shangjin hugged Yan Yi from behind, smiling at the camera with an almost unbelievable gentleness. In the other, he turned his head and kissed Yan Yi’s hair.
That foolish little rabbit had gotten his wish.
Yuan Mi forced a faint smile and exited the page.
Suddenly, his phone was snatched away. He looked up and met the burning gaze of an alpha.
It was the strikingly handsome alpha who had played the prince opposite him in a previous drama—now his patron, and his husband.
“The exhibition’s starting. Come with me,” the alpha said, not giving him a chance to refuse. He wrapped an arm around Yuan Mi’s waist and led him away, his grip tight against his ribs. Even though it hurt, Yuan Mi kept smiling.
Yan Yi was right—when he wasn’t acting, his acting really was quite good.
—
The exhibition proceeded smoothly. A renowned jewelry designer presented a series of peacock-themed pieces for charity auction.
The designer happened to be the omega father of the little gray rabbit rescued from PBB earlier. After exchanging a few polite words with Lu Shangjin, he expressed deep gratitude and subtly distanced himself from Shao Wenjing.
Yan Yi sat on a single sofa, staring at his reflection in the glass wall, rubbing his temples.
He hadn’t expected the words “gland replacement” to linger in his mind—it bothered him the more he thought about it.
It felt like something that had happened before, yet when he tried to recall it carefully, it seemed as though it hadn’t.
“What are you thinking about?” Lu Shangjin pressed a hand to his head and ruffled his hair, leaning casually against the armrest. “Tired? Is this kind of event exhausting for you?”
Taking advantage of a quiet moment, Yan Yi pulled him into the stairwell, hiding in the narrow space behind the door.
“Ge… I don’t feel well,” Yan Yi said softly.
Lu Shangjin’s nerves tightened instantly. He checked him from his neck gland down his body. “Where does it hurt? Should we go to the hospital?”
“No…” Yan Yi grabbed his sleeve and guided his hand to his chest. “It feels a little empty here. Like getting a message from you saying ‘I’m not coming home for dinner tonight.’ Have you ever sent something like that?”
“No.” Lu Shangjin swallowed, steadying him by the shoulders. “I always try to come home early. If I really can’t, I call you. Right?”
Yan Yi still looked unsettled. “Is our compatibility very low?”
“No! Of course not!” Lu Shangjin pulled him tightly into his arms, panic flashing across his face as he cupped his cheeks and kissed him. “Don’t think like that… please don’t…”
His gland had grown again—he didn’t know how many years it had advanced.
The intensity of Lu Shangjin’s reaction surprised Yan Yi. He released a small amount of pheromones to soothe him. “I was just asking. It’s okay. I won’t leave you.”
His alpha was always so insecure. Yan Yi squeezed his hand gently. “Sorry, did I bring up something you mind?”
He seemed a little distant now. At a loss, Lu Shangjin could only hold him tighter, awkwardly changing the subject. “Are you hungry? There’s a buffet on the second floor—you’ll probably like it. I’ll go with you.”
Yan Yi didn’t want to interfere with his work, but he felt that his alpha needed some company.
“Okay. I won’t take up too much of your time,” he said with a smile.
Lu Shangjin stood there helplessly, quietly taking his hand. “All my time can be yours… This exhibition was just meant to make you happy.”
Maybe it had the opposite effect. Should he organize a carrot exhibition next time?
Lu Shangjin skillfully selected vegetables, fruits, and desserts that Yan Yi liked. While hesitating over which pudding flavor to choose, a pair of soft arms wrapped around his waist, and a warm body pressed against his back.
“You remember everything I like,” Yan Yi said, lifting the plate he had picked. “But I don’t even know what you like. Do you like what I chose?”
Lu Shangjin only needed one glance to know—it was exactly what he liked.
His heart tightened. For a fleeting moment, a dangerous thought crossed his mind—mark Yan Yi now, and even when he regains his memories, he won’t be able to leave.
They moved to a private lounge to eat. One moment they were feeding each other, the next they were tangled together on the sofa.
Lu Shangjin buried his face at the back of Yan Yi’s neck, kissing his gland again and again. His sharp canine teeth trembled against the fragile skin, but after a long hesitation, he pulled away in pain.
Yan Yi had been bracing himself for the bite—for the sharp pain of being marked—but instead, he was enveloped by soothing pheromones.
Lu Shangjin held him tightly, releasing far more soothing pheromones than usual, almost desperately. Like an inexperienced boy, he asked softly, “Yan Yan… does this feel better?”
Yan Yi felt as if he were drowning in that overwhelming gentleness. He turned with difficulty, cupping Lu Shangjin’s face. “It feels good… What are you afraid of… slow down… I’m yours…”
Lu Shangjin kissed his lips, then his ear, then his gland—reverent, like kissing the feet of a god.
Releasing so many pheromones made his gland ache, as though an invisible force were squeezing it dry, giving everything he had to make up for the gap in their compatibility.
“You’re not mine…” Lu Shangjin’s voice was hoarse, choked with restraint.
“You’re drifting farther and farther away.”