Yan Yi was cocooned in a pair of strong, powerful arms. The familiar touch was momentarily untraceable in his memory. Back when Lu Shangjin had held him down beneath him, there were plenty of times of forceful contact; the tender, simple embraces had gradually faded from his recollection.
No matter the circumstances, he could have easily resisted these hands’ control—but he had never done so. He had never rejected the warmth or the pain these hands gave him.
During the last cold snap of April, the purple veronica in the flowerpot outside trembled in the chill breeze. Yan Yi, wearing only a shirt, shivered in Lu Shangjin’s arms.
Lu Shangjin tightened his grip and scooped him up: “Want to take a shower?”
He actually wanted to carry him to bathe.
Yan Yi remained tense, pushing against Lu Shangjin’s chest: “Put me down.”
Lu Shangjin froze for a moment: “You don’t like being held?”
Things weren’t unfolding as expected. Lu Shangjin was surprised. His little bunny had always adored him—so much so that even a single tender glance would make him overjoyed. He had cherished every gift Lu Shangjin gave him; he had been thrilled when he received a carrot-shaped brooch for his birthday, and had even clutched a little dumpling in the hospital, tears in his eyes.
What had changed?
The more Yan Yi struggled, the weaker he felt. He broke free from Lu Shangjin’s embrace but, weakened by the side effects of the overdose of suppressants, his body betrayed him. He collapsed onto the bed, curling up protectively over his small belly. Accidentally, he pressed against the bruised needle marks on his arm, sending sharp bursts of pain through him.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Lu Shangjin noticed the pain etched across Yan Yi’s face and quickly bent over to soothe his back, releasing calming pheromones, while supporting the needle-marked arm. “Let’s go home. We’ll go to the hospital, and I’ll stay with you to recover.”
Yan Yi hardly recognized the man before him.
The pheromones were still potent and insistent, the scent of narcissus overwhelming. His expression remained as cold and unapproachable as ever, yet his actions surprised Yan Yi into silence.
“It’s me,” Lu Shangjin said, lifting a hand to gently touch Yan Yi’s little bunny ears. Seeing him not flinch, he rested his hand against Yan Yi’s cheek, simultaneously releasing calming pheromones.
Yesterday’s struggle had drained him too much, and his glands had not fully recovered. Lu Shangjin disregarded his own limits, releasing pheromones liberally, intent only on coaxing his little bunny back.
Yan Yi avoided his gaze, looking down at his toes. “You threw me out. Was it your father who made me go back?”
The mere mention of Lu Lin churned nausea in Lu Shangjin’s stomach.
“No.” The word felt harsh to his ears; Yan Yi had lumped him together with that vile man.
“Come here,” Lu Shangjin coaxed, moving closer.
Yan Yi was on edge, likely sensitive due to his body’s current state, flinching like a frightened bird.
He had once hoped that Lu Shangjin would return to him, but the unpredictable swings of affection were too much for any heart to endure.
He had been personally thrown out by Lu Shangjin, left alone in a narrow, cold inn to cry and make desperate phone calls, pitiful as a child lost in a crowd.
Now, Lu Shangjin’s pheromones were reawakening his glands; the little bunny, still in heat, grew more irritable.
Pain surged through his veins.
Lu Shangjin continued to advance. When Yan Yi had no room left, he overturned a small round table, screaming, “Lu Shangjin, what exactly do you want?!”
He was shocked by his own outburst.
Since Lu Shangjin had met him, Yan Yi had never raised his voice so loudly. Objects from the table rained down on him, and Lu Shangjin lunged forward, seizing him by the arms, pinning him against the wall. From behind, he kissed the back of Yan Yi’s neck.
The agitation came from being in heat, still in a violent phase.
“You’re in heat. I’ll help you,” Lu Shangjin said, restraining his hands and forcing submission.
Yan Yi pressed his head against the wall, voicing a hoarse plea: “Stop… it hurts so much.”
“Hurts?” Lu Shangjin suddenly realized he had applied too much force, quickly easing his grip. Yan Yi pushed him away, twisted open the door, and stumbled out.
Gu Wei, nursing a sore back from last night, tied her apron and tidied the tables downstairs. The previous night’s scuffle had left the bar in disarray, but nothing of real value had been broken—except for a few items destroyed, likely by her own clumsiness.
Hearing hurried footsteps on the stairs, she glanced up to see a small white rabbit, wearing only a shirt, dashing down the stairs.
“Hey! Stop!” Gu Wei grabbed a jacket from behind the bar and tossed it to Yan Yi. “Don’t run out bare, it ruins the shop’s appearance.”
Before Yan Yi could reach the bottom, Lu Shangjin chased him down and scooped him up.
“I’m not going back! I don’t want to see you with them…” Yan Yi cried.
“I won’t. I promise. Don’t run. Let’s talk this out, alright?”
Seeing someone bullying her employee, Gu Wei pulled Yan Yi behind her, brandishing a broom at Lu Shangjin. “Who the hell are you?”
Yan Yi used the jacket to cover himself, crouching on the floor, head down: “Boss, please make him leave.”
Lu Shangjin and Gu Wei locked eyes. He caught the scent of geranium pheromones on her, then released his own dominant pheromones. The M2 differentiation glands overpowered her J1 aura. Gu Wei immediately tucked her tail: “Understood.”
“Ah Yan, last night counts as work injury. I’ll include it in your pay,” she said, tail still tucked, sweeping the corners.
Watching Lu Shangjin take Yan Yi back upstairs, she muttered: “Oh my god.”
On the top floor, a high-level J1 omega and an M2 ultra-high alpha were entangled—was this The Young Mistress Escapes a Hundred Times or CEO Chases Wife: Baby Can’t Run?
Gu Wei posted to Weibo:
#DerelictBar# Personally witnessed an eagle catching a little white rabbit. Do CEOs always speak like this? [hehe]
She included a funny selfie of her big nose.
The bar’s owner was handsome, gaining minor online fame. Comments ranged from “The owner’s voice rivals top singers” to “So cute, give him an alpha rating.”
Meanwhile, in the northernmost resort hot spring of Nanqi, the pools were cleared for a gathering. Pineapple floated in the quiet water.
A spider-alpha leaned in the pool, tossing a piece of pineapple into his mouth, eyes veiled in mist.
Shao Wenjing avoided the noisy friends, found a secluded pool, and finally felt relief when the intrusive godfather was removed by Lu Shangjin.
A small omega ran up to him: “Brother, you’re back for once, come play with me.”
“I’m tired. Rest,” Shao Wenjing leaned back, taking the phone from the little brother to play with it.
“Humph,” the omega sulked, tossing the phone.
Shao Wenjing scrolled Weibo, seeing a recommended post from #DerelictBar#.
He paused, noticing a familiar shadow in the corner of the photo.
“Yo,” he whistled.
“小 bunny, hee hee.”
—
Lu Shangjin carried Yan Yi back to the bedroom, locking the door.
Wiping dried blood from his face, he had wanted to clean Yan Yi last night, but the trembling little bunny clung to him, pleading softly for him not to leave. All he could do was wipe him with tissues and let him sleep.
Reluctantly, Yan Yi was stripped and placed in the bathtub. Lu Shangjin rolled up his sleeves, tested the water, and began washing the blood off him.
“You’ve gained weight?” Lu Shangjin lightly touched Yan Yi’s small belly. “Some fat, but you feel lighter overall.”
“Gained weight?” Yan Yi looked at his belly. The little bunny inside had barely moved; the slight curve looked more like small flesh. Only Lu Shangjin could so ruthlessly treat his own child as a lump of meat.
Yan Yi hugged his legs, cradling the baby, hesitating whether to reveal its existence to Lu Shangjin.
What difference would it make?
The sudden attentions, like a moody child, came with the most innocent expression yet wrought the cruelest effects—without even realizing it.
Lu Shangjin carefully washed Yan Yi’s hair. His little bunny ears flicked water, splashing Lu Shangjin’s face.
“Got your ears wet,” Yan Yi murmured. “Don’t get water in them.”
“Okay.” Yan Yi finally spoke a normal sentence. Lu Shangjin was relieved; his restless heart finally settled. Now, only Yan Yi mattered.
He meticulously washed Yan Yi’s hair, wiped the dirt from his face, rinsed the body clean, and carried him out.
The wet tail became fine and smooth; Lu Shangjin focused on drying it into a soft, fragrant white fluff.
“All done. Let’s finish drying your hair.” Lu Shangjin released Yan Yi’s tail. The little bunny knelt on the bed, staring blankly at the corner.
“What… are you doing?” Yan Yi fretted, rubbing his wet hair. “Have you gone mad? All these years, you ignored me. When I left, you refused me back. You just like seeing me like this, don’t you?”
“Sir, why do you like breaking something only to fix it again? Doesn’t it hurt?”
“I apologize,” Lu Shangjin said helplessly. “I missed you.”
A soft light appeared in Yan Yi’s eyes.
An apology.
So rare.