The cold northern night wind scraped against exposed skin, seeping into the bones like it was gnawing, bringing a sharp, piercing pain.
Lu Shangjin wore only a thin shirt. He had been pacing for a long time in the corner near the alliance building, his hands buried in his pockets, tightly clutching that old wedding ring. That day, ignoring the construction crew’s obstruction, he searched through the ruins for an entire day. From among twisted steel and shattered debris, he dug out this ring, washed it clean by the sea, and had since kept it solemnly in the pocket closest to his chest.
The moment his A3 level stabilized again, there was only one thought in his mind: go back to Yan Yi immediately. Even if he would be beaten or kicked away, he still wanted to hold him at once, lock him tightly in his arms and never let go, shamelessly kiss him, love him.
Bloodstains mixed with nervous cold sweat soaked through the back of his clothes. He looked utterly disheveled. He should have gone back first to clean himself up properly, at least hide the injuries on his body—but he truly, desperately wanted to see him.
He stole a security uniform and an ID card, planning to quietly observe how Yan Yi was doing.
The omega’s resting room was empty. In the only open drawer were two full rows of medicine bottles.
Footsteps sounded outside the room. Lu Shangjin originally intended to directly confront Yan Yi with the medicine bottles, but then he saw a gray-backed falcon alpha standing behind him. He heard Yan Yi call him Mu Lan.
That alpha looked at Yan Yi with focused, attentive care—but Lu Shangjin did not notice that. All he saw was the coat on Yan Yi’s body, which belonged to him.
It was indeed colder at this time of year. Even if he searched his entire body, he could not find anything warm enough to give the omega.
He watched Yan Yi from afar, staring fixedly at his eyes. As long as even a trace of unwillingness appeared there, he would immediately rush out, pull Yan Yi into his arms, and use A3 pressure pheromones to forcibly drive away every alpha around him.
Lu Shangjin waited—but Yan Yi remained calm from beginning to end. Neither yielding nor resisting, he spoke in his usual indifferent tone, and even took a pile of unfamiliar pills.
At that moment, Lu Shangjin’s mind went completely blank. He could only stare at Yan Yi in a daze, and for some reason thought: maybe he would let their child call that alpha “father.”
Hidden in the corner, Lu Shangjin watched Yan Yi lie on that alpha’s lap and fall asleep. The warmth that had just returned to his body from the indoor heating instantly turned cold again.
His tightly clenched hand loosened unconsciously, and the wedding ring slipped deeper into his pocket.
He stood in the darkness the entire time. After Yan Yi woke and left, he rushed to the medicine drawer, anxiously searching through each bottle, entering each drug name into a search engine. The results were all the same—antidepressants.
His heart suddenly felt as if it had sunk under a heavy weight.
He investigated Yan Yi’s daily work and, through scattered clues, learned that Yan Yi was going to lead a team to eliminate a terrorist organization.
All of Lu Shangjin’s suppressed anger and frustration were vented onto the head of the Red-tailed Hawk alpha leader. He went alone, broke into the opponent’s base, and beat him until seven ribs were fractured.
But even after hearing the opponent’s screams, the tight pain in his chest did not ease in the slightest.
Later, he even cornered Mu Lan—but still could not lay a hand on him, because perhaps he was someone Yan Yi had allowed to stay by his side.
From that day on, he lost the courage to face them directly and could only approach their lives from the shadows.
When Yan Yi was not around, he would sit on a tree branch in the courtyard, staring through the floor-to-ceiling window at little Lu Yan inside, who was playing with building blocks in diapers. Sometimes he would stare too long, wanting to reach out and touch the child’s ears, to hug his little rabbit from afar.
Lu Yan noticed him, crawled to the window, and pressed his face against the glass, leaving a patch of drool. Since there were children in the house, the window was locked tightly for safety.
Lu Shangjin climbed onto the balcony, sat on the floor, and pressed his rough fingertips against the glass, aligning them with the child’s small hand. He taught him to call “Daddy.”
“Alpha daddy is only me. Remember that. Don’t call anyone else.”
The little rabbit blinked in confusion, then suddenly giggled, pressing his face flatter against the glass.
“Daddy.”
He had just learned to speak. He kept babbling “daddy” in a soft, unclear voice.
Lu Shangjin stared at him for a long time, then lightly pressed a kiss to the child’s forehead through the glass and whispered, “Daddy loves you too.”
He rolled over in bed and bumped his head against the corner, waking up abruptly and instinctively reaching for the omega beside him—only to realize he had fallen asleep on the floor last night.
Yan Yi was lying on his side, still asleep, one hand loosely holding onto the crib rail of Lu Yan’s bed.
Lu Yan woke up as well, crawled over, and started nibbling on Lu Shangjin’s hand in the crib, like a tiny rabbit exploring everything with his mouth.
Lu Shangjin did not stop him, only frowned slightly in concern.
He then picked the child up and carried him to the balcony. Only then did he realize: Yan Yi must have been trying his best to love the child, but no matter what, he could not fully make up for the missing half of alpha parental protection.
“Baby, I’ll stay with you both properly from now on. I promise you,” he said, linking his finger with the child’s.
“Mm!” Lu Yan smiled, showing tiny teeth.
On a day with good weather, the family would occasionally go out driving, or grill food in the courtyard. At night, the scent of roasted meat and vegetables filled the yard.
But near the time Lu Yan was supposed to start kindergarten, he suddenly fell ill.
A high fever in a child was not a small matter. At two in the morning, Lu Yan burned like a small furnace, burying himself in Yan Yi’s arms. His tender gland was red and swollen.
Yan Yi rushed downstairs with him, but the private hospital was too far, and the nearest hospital could not handle gland-related illness.
At the same time, Lu Shangjin was away on a business trip.
Yan Yi called him, fingers clenched so tightly they turned white.
Lu Shangjin rushed back overnight. Seeing Lu Yan in the emergency room, he immediately carried the child into his coat, released calming pheromones, and led them out.
“Don’t worry. It’s just a common infection,” he said later, holding Yan Yi’s cold hand.
Lu Yan recovered quickly after two days of IV treatment.
After sending the child to sleep, Yan Yi quietly left the room. Lu Shangjin was waiting outside and pulled him into his arms the moment he stepped out.
“You’re tired,” Lu Shangjin said softly, kissing his forehead. “Next time anything happens, call me first. No matter what.”
Yan Yi nodded.
“Good.” Lu Shangjin paused. “Do you love me?”
Yan Yi was silent for a moment, then leaned against him without answering directly.
—
Author’s Note: The title of this extra is taken from “What If.”
Chapter 94: Extra · The End of the Main Story
Just after the beginning of summer, the seldom-visited corner of the courtyard was shaded by dense greenery. Twisting mulberry branches hung heavy with dewdrop-laden mulberries, and a stone basin fountain held a few sparrows bathing in its pooled water. From the nearby park, the faint sound of insects could already be heard. A breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers swept across the balcony, passing through the greenery, carrying a scent as gentle and elegant as Lu Shangjin’s pheromones.
A baby’s bedding hung on the drying rack. A strip of sunlight cut through the gaps and landed precisely on Yan Yi’s shoulder, tinting it with a warm honey-orange glow.
Lu Shangjin rested his chin on his shoulder, leaning forward to embrace him neck-to-neck. His hands slid along Yan Yi’s back, the bones beneath the palm revealing a fragility that could not be hidden. The little bit of weight Yan Yi had gained during pregnancy had once again disappeared.
He was waiting for a single word—“I love you.” One minute passed, then another. The entrance remained silent. He already knew he would not hear it today.
So he changed his question.
“Am I useful?”
He asked it gently, leaving Yan Yi an easier way to respond.
Yan Yi sensed the alpha’s unease and lightly patted his waist. “You’ve always been a good father.”
It had been a long time since he spoke to his alpha in such a gentle omega tone. Yet when he said it, it did not feel awkward as he had expected. Instead, it felt like a release, as if a weight had finally lifted from his chest.
He rose onto his toes, pressing closer. The tip of his nose brushed against Lu Shangjin’s rough jaw. At times he wanted to approach him more intimately, yet something within him still held him back—an invisible barrier tied to pride and restraint.
Lu Shangjin could not perceive such subtleties. To him, Yan Yi had responded, and that alone was enough to make his entire heart feel as if it had been submerged in cream. He pulled him tightly into his arms, lowering his head to kiss him. His hands, unable to find a place to rest, slid to Yan Yi’s waistband, unconsciously lifting his shirt and touching his flat abdomen.
Like a large dog that had just rushed home, anxious and restless, he breathed heavily into Yan Yi’s ear.
The alpha had gone too long without comfort. Suppressants could only hold him back for so long; resistance had built quickly, and he was already in a frequent rut-like state. With just a trace of Yan Yi’s pheromones, he could easily lose control.
Now, Lu Shangjin’s compatibility with Yan Yi had reached an extremely high level. Yan Yi’s pheromone concentration had also risen to S4, amplifying their mutual attraction. The effect was akin to instinctual animal behavior in nature—males competing for the most suitable mate for reproduction—an attraction as addictive as a powerful narcotic.
Yan Yi saw the bulging veins on Lu Shangjin’s arms and neck, saw how he was being tormented by the very compatibility he once sought, trembling under forced restraint, sweat rolling down his jaw into his collar.
A gentle wave of soothing pheromones drifted over Lu Shangjin, calming the burning restlessness in his glands.
Lu Shangjin froze. Under Yan Yi’s silent permission, he lifted him up by the waist and carried him into his bedroom downstairs.
He habitually slept on a hard bed, so he laid a quilt down first to avoid hurting Yan Yi, then carefully placed him on it as if handling porcelain. Sitting at the edge of the bed, he stroked Yan Yi’s hair and ears.
The places he touched grew warm.
Yan Yi, drawn by his scent, leaned closer, yet did not actively respond.
“Yan Yan, kiss me. Just once.” Lu Shangjin pulled him onto his lap, looking up at him, body pressed tightly against his. “It’s been three years… aren’t you lonely?”
His tone was almost pitiful.
Yan Yi rested his forehead against his shoulder, hiding his slightly reddened eyes. He smiled softly.
“It’s been three years. Did you buy my ring?”
Lu Shangjin paused.
Then suddenly, he flipped him down onto the bed in excitement.
“I’ll buy it, I’ll buy it, I’ll buy it!” he blurted incoherently. “The old ones are still with me. Let’s get married. Let’s get the certificate.”
He kissed Yan Yi’s lips, and this time it was effortlessly opened. He deepened the kiss greedily, tasting the faint sweetness of milk candy.
Yan Yi’s hand rested on his waist, fingers tightening slightly as they intertwined.
In truth, forgiveness or not no longer mattered. The lost alpha had finally returned home, and the rabbit in the nest was still willing to wait. They warmed each other, inseparable.
When Lu Shangjin entered him, Yan Yi immediately tensed slightly.
The overwhelming stimulation made Lu Shangjin lose focus for a moment. His wings burst out unconsciously, feathers scattering across the room. The air filled with his pheromones, the scent of roses exploding violently.
Yan Yi complained breathlessly, “My furniture… your shirt is new… ever since your differentiation you waste so many clothes.”
“I’ll pay for it,” Lu Shangjin kissed his rabbit ears urgently.
Yan Yi lay back like flawless white porcelain. The scarless body of his past injuries had been erased after his fourth-stage differentiation. At the base of his spine, a trembling rabbit tail curled tightly.
Lu Shangjin parted his legs and slowly entered.
Yan Yi clutched his arm, trembling as he tried to adapt, the sensation overwhelming him like countless currents under his skin.
Lu Shangjin noticed his discomfort and slowed down, releasing calming pheromones. Yan Yi gradually relaxed, his body softening under the comfort, involuntarily responding.
The room filled with heat, breath, and instinct.
He clung to Lu Shangjin’s neck as if it were his only anchor.
“Relax… I’ve got you,” Lu Shangjin murmured against his ear.
Outside, the world was quiet.
Inside, they finally belonged to each other again.
Later, life settled into a calm rhythm.
When Lu Yan started kindergarten, chaos naturally followed.
One day, Yan Yi called Lu Shangjin from work.
“Your son caused trouble at school.”
Lu Shangjin arrived at the kindergarten and found several parents already gathered—including Tan Meng and Bi Ruiqing. Bi Ruiqing leaned against the car, amused.
The children had gotten into a fight. Plant-type class and herbivore class had turned a small conflict into chaos.
Lu Yan stood crying in the corner with Bi Lansxing, who secretly comforted him with a vine.
After explanations, the adults all looked at each other in complicated amusement rather than anger.
The fight ended in a group meal instead of punishment.
On the way home, Lu Yan pressed his face against the window, waving goodbye to Bi Lansxing.
Lu Shangjin, holding the child, grew slightly sour again.
Yan Yi, driving, let out a quiet laugh.
On his hand rested a new platinum ring.
Inside it were engraved their initials.
And on the inner surface, hidden when worn, was a line of letters:
“everlasting love”
That month, the nine-corner maple outside the old residence had turned red. Dense branches stretched diagonally into the second-floor window. Maple leaves, the size of small palms, would drift onto the open pages of the desk, willingly becoming makeshift bookmarks.
In the single armchair beneath the window ledge, an omega was curled up asleep, his body half-folded in on itself. His fingers unconsciously tightened around the cinnamon-colored blanket covering him.
The blanket had been pulled up over his nose, revealing two atrophied legs—now reduced to a thin layer of skin stretched tightly over clearly defined bone.
He could no longer walk on them.
Someone knocked twice on the bedroom door, but there was no response, so they pushed it open and entered.
“Dad? Why are you sleeping here?” Lu Shangjin walked over helplessly to the armchair, squatted down, and adjusted Ye Wan’s blanket before preparing to carry him to bed.
Ye Wan suddenly woke up. Instinctively releasing an uneasy pheromone, he opened his eyes abruptly and stared blankly at the young alpha in front of him.
Lu Shangjin was startled by the unfamiliar gaze his father gave him. Elderly people sometimes developed Alzheimer’s disease; he and Yan Yi had both been worried about his father’s mental state. He immediately used his pheromones to check and found nothing abnormal.
He lifted Ye Wan onto a wheelchair and, as if by habit, placed the cinnamon-colored blanket from the sofa into Ye Wan’s arms.
“Have you been very tired lately?” He massaged Ye Wan’s shoulders. “We’ll take you out for a walk later.”
Lu Shangjin opened the bedroom door and called out to Yan Yi, asking him to come help move the wheelchair.
Ye Wan had not yet recovered from his shock. Confused, he pressed the knuckle of his index finger against his lips.
Having been sleeping too much lately, he even dreamed that he had shot himself. He originally thought he had not yet reached old age, but in reality, his nervous system was already weakening. He sometimes could not distinguish dreams from reality, and his memory was becoming increasingly unreliable.
Ye Wan asked with relief, “Have you and Yan Yan made up?”
Lu Shangjin’s expression stiffened. “Yan Yi just got angry at me for ruining the roots of the daffodils on the balcony. I finally coaxed him into calming down—don’t bring that up again.”
Ye Wan thought for a moment and vaguely recalled that there had indeed been such an incident.
Right. His son and son-in-law had already been married for a full year.
He tried to recall more things he should have remembered, but Yan Yi was already approaching.
“Dad, be careful.” He had Lu Shangjin carry Ye Wan while he pushed the wheelchair downstairs. The first floor was being renovated; there was nothing but noise and dust.
“The cleaning staff will come in the afternoon. Shangjin, clear this area. I’ll watch the soup on the stove,” Yan Yi said, wheeling Ye Wan to a cleared space and waving to Lu Yan. “Come over and help Grandpa massage his legs.”
The little rabbit hopped over the construction debris like crossing mountains, then flung himself into Ye Wan’s arms and climbed onto the wheelchair.
The soft little child burrowed into his embrace. Ye Wan froze for a long time, then slowly placed a hand on Lu Yan’s small back and patted him.
“Grandpa!” Lu Yan’s rabbit ears trembled as he hugged Ye Wan tightly. He leaned close to whisper, “I don’t want to go to kindergarten anymore… Brother Xiao Xing already went to elementary school. I want to go too. Dad yelled at me and said if I’m not obedient, he’ll hit me.”
“He dares.” Ye Wan smiled faintly and pulled the little rabbit closer. “Grandpa will stand up for you. No one is allowed to hit our good baby.”
“Hehe, exactly.” Lu Yan happily clung to Ye Wan’s neck and quietly stuck out his tongue at Lu Shangjin, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
After the family of four finished lunch, they went out to the courtyard while the weather was crisp and pleasant.
Lu Shangjin had their precious little daughter seated on his shoulders, while Yan Yi pushed Ye Wan along a long tree-lined path.
Ye Wan remembered that the garden had once been filled with tulips, but now it was all lilies.
He asked where the tulips had gone, but Lu Shangjin and Yan Yi both looked confused and exchanged glances.
Lu Yan tugged at Lu Shangjin’s hair and said, “Wasn’t the house always planted with lilies? Because Grandpa’s pheromone is lily-scented.”
Ye Wan tried to recall what tulips had meant to him, but after thinking for a long time, he still could not find the answer. He only vaguely remembered that they were a kind of flower both passionate and sorrowful, something he did not need to dig into.
He smiled, letting it go.
Lu Shangjin called over the gardener who was tending the yard to take a photo.
In the camera frame, Lu Yan sat in Ye Wan’s lap. Lu Shangjin held Ye Wan’s left hand and pressed it to his lips, while Yan Yi held his right hand and placed it against his own chest.
The warmth and happiness transmitted through skin felt too real. Ye Wan had not been this happy in a long time.
The photo was framed and placed on the writing desk in the bedroom.
Every night before sleeping, Ye Wan would look at it carefully. He was holding the frame in a daze when the little child ran upstairs with a storybook, burrowing into his arms and puffing up his cheeks in protest.
“They said they had something important to do and told me to sleep with Grandpa today. What important thing do they have? They’re just kissing each other!”
Ye Wan laughed softly and covered Lu Yan with a blanket. “Alright, little tyrant. Grandpa will tell you a story.”
The two of them chatted until they gradually fell asleep. The little rabbit’s ears drooped softly as he curled up in Ye Wan’s arms. Ye Wan gently patted him, humming a lullaby under his breath.
“Please grant me shelter,
Please grant me favor,
Merciful deity,
Where are you…”
……
At the Lu family cemetery, a circle of lilies surrounded Ye Wan’s tombstone. Lu Shangjin and Yan Yi stood in solemn black suits, each wearing a lily on their chest.
Lu Yan quietly held Yan Yi’s hand, staring at the gentle portrait of the omega on the gravestone.
After the memorial ended, Yan Yi walked off with another omega to speak privately.
“Thank you. It was a long trip for you.”
The omega smiled. “Since the association president personally asked, how could I refuse?”
Owl species M2 differentiation ability:
Soul-Calming Song.
—Alters the consciousness of the deceased, causing them to believe in that world that they are living a happy life.
P.S. Because the customer service reader changed the book source, the chapter numbering is a bit strange—chapters 92 and 94 jump straight to 96. Sorry about that QQ, no content is missing in the text.
Now, the main text:
—
This morning, Lu Shangjin got distracted again and knocked over a cup of coffee, spilling it onto a stack of documents. This was already his third mistake since starting work—first and second incidents happened the day before yesterday and yesterday respectively.
At the entrance of the Alliance Building, a Bentley was parked. Lu Shangjin personally saw Yan Yi step down the stairs, shake hands with an alpha sitting in the back seat, and bring that person upstairs.
They shook hands for a full ten seconds.
When Yan Yi held his own hand, did it ever last ten seconds?
He couldn’t help but wonder. He had pushed aside the overly lively little lion, driven away Yan Yi’s former assistant—so why was there another one now?
Lu Shangjin noticed the alpha’s exposed ankle. The serial number was distinctive: PBBw000012.
At noon, he had a temporary meal with a friend. Xia Pingtian mentioned casually that his younger brother had been selected into the special forces, lifting his leg with pride as he spoke.
“The Storm Unit’s serial numbers all start with PBBw,” he said excitedly.
Lu Shangjin suddenly remembered—this alpha was one of Yan Yi’s former team members.
He asked the chef to cook two extra dishes and packed them to bring home as a late-night meal for Yan Yi. But when he entered the house, only the second-floor bedroom light was on. Yan Yi was sitting at the desk eating a bowl of minced meat noodles while flipping through documents. The little rabbit on the bed had already fallen asleep hugging a toy.
Lu Shangjin leaned against the iron balcony outside the bedroom, set the food container aside, and touched his pocket—only to remember he had already quit smoking.
He didn’t know how long he stood there with his mind blank. When he was finally pulled back by the sound of Yan Yi setting down his utensils, Lu Shangjin had already wrapped his arms around him from behind.
“Just eating this at night?”
Yan Yi replied softly, “Qiuqiu already ate at school. I was too lazy to cook.”
After a moment of silence, Lu Shangjin kissed the pheromone gland at the back of Yan Yi’s neck, the falcon insignia there, his voice slightly hoarse.
“Come downstairs and rest a bit.”
Yan Yi seemed to read something different from Lu Shangjin’s eyes. The alpha’s rut had just passed not long ago, and there was no real reason for intimacy.
But he still followed him downstairs. Their hands were tightly held the whole way, rings occasionally brushing against each other.
Lu Shangjin reheated the dishes and ate with Yan Yi. While eating, he casually brought up Yan Yi’s former team member.
Yan Yi choked slightly, his rabbit ears snapping upright. He had no idea how many “affairs” Lu Shangjin had imagined him to have.
“Insane,” he said.
Lu Shangjin looked much happier. He placed a warm hand on Yan Yi’s head, pressing down the upright rabbit ears, gently stroking until the fur smoothed back down.
That night, Yan Yi took a shower downstairs. He thought Lu Shangjin was excited and wanted to do something, but instead, the alpha simply hugged him from behind and murmured, “I love you.”
Yan Yi turned over and faced Lu Shangjin’s sleeping face. The alpha was tall, but slightly hunched as he slept beside him, one hand resting on Yan Yi’s waist without fully enclosing him.
It looked like he was raising two children at once—both needing to be soothed.
Yan Yi lay on his side, propping his head up as he looked at the faintly furrowed brows of the alpha, smiling. He ran his fingers through Lu Shangjin’s hair, kissed his lips, then kissed his forehead.
The next night, when Lu Shangjin stepped into the house, the entire room was dark and the atmosphere strangely off. Instinctively, he reached into a drawer for his gun.
The feel was wrong…
He pulled the trigger—only for the barrel to shoot out glittering sparklers, accompanied by a beeping electronic “Happy Birthday” tune.
Lu Shangjin stared blankly.
A faint light lit up the dining room, revealing a lavish table full of food. Yan Yi, wearing an apron, was bending over to light candles with a lighter.
The little one bounced into Lu Shangjin’s arms and awkwardly placed a paper birthday hat on his head, shouting “Surprise!”
“My good baby,” Lu Shangjin kissed Lu Yan’s little ears and walked to the table holding the child, the corners of his lips unconsciously lifting. “It’s been so many years since I last had a birthday.”
Yan Yi looked up and teased him, “So now you’ve really become an old man.”
“Hey, watch how you talk,” Lu Shangjin pinched Lu Yan’s cheek. “Did your dad prepare all this early? Was he very thoughtful? Does he really like me a lot?”
Lu Yan flicked his little ears. “Yes!”
“Yes what?” Yan Yi flicked Lu Yan’s tail ball lightly and tossed Lu Shangjin a set of car keys.
“The former team member I mentioned retired. He happens to be a Bentley mechanic. Didn’t you like that J**a? It’s a concept car. I had someone get it for you.”
Lu Shangjin stared at the keys, dazed.
Yan Yi pushed the ice cream cake forward. “Routine procedure. Make a wish?”
Still confused, Lu Shangjin was guided into closing his eyes.
He had many wishes. The candles were almost burned out before he finished thinking.
“I love you.”
He heard Yan Yi whisper softly by his ear.
“Working overtime again—did you miss me?” Xia Pingtian flirted with Doctor Zhong over the phone as he walked into a room at the bathhouse. “Tsk, that’s such a scripted reply.”
“How am I not being honest? Yeah, I’m heading to the room of a little escort right now. Beg me, and I’ll turn around and go back to the hospital.”
Xia Pingtian was clearly no longer as carefree as he had been when he slipped the room card into the escort’s waistband earlier. There was even a hint of irritation between his brows. He didn’t open the door gently either. The escort inside was about to have a rough time—someone had to help Young Master Xia vent the frustration he’d gotten from his little lover.
He kicked the door open, not too hard but not gently either. There was no freshly washed omega sitting on the bed. Instead, a young man stood by the tea table, wearing a white lab coat, his back to the door as he poured water.
The loose coat only made his slim, upright figure more apparent. As he lowered his head, a stretch of snow-white neck was revealed, and at the back, a soft red gland lay smooth and clean, releasing a fresh vine-like scent.
Xia Pingtian walked over almost instinctively, wrapping his arms around Doctor Zhong from behind. Lowering his head, he kissed behind his ear. “Kid. Came early, huh? Didn’t get to catch me in the act—regret it? I was actually looking forward to seeing you get jealous, make a scene over me.”
His hand slid down to the flat, toned abdomen beneath his palm, squeezing it. Even though he filled him up every time, this place had never been swollen or rounded, never grown him a well-behaved little sprout.
Doctor Zhong took a sip of water and smiled. “I just missed you, so I came. If you want three people together, I’m fine with that too.”
“Looking for a beating?” Xia Pingtian choked slightly, his hand on Doctor Zhong’s waist tightening unconsciously. If it had been any of the omegas he used to keep around, daring to joke with him like this, he would have already pinned them down and kicked them hard, maybe even drawn blood.
But not this one. Every inch of him was too good-looking—just the thought of spilling a drop of his blood made Young Master Xia’s chest ache.
“Not at all.” Doctor Zhong softened his tone, turning around to wrap his arms around Xia Pingtian’s waist. Tilting his head up slightly, he kissed the corner of his lips. The faint scent of green vine pheromones drifted out, lightly entangling with the alpha’s gland.
Xia Pingtian turned his head aside, grabbed both his arms, and pushed Doctor Zhong down onto the bed, forcefully pressing his lips down on his. The aggressive alpha pheromones flooded the room instantly.
A puma alpha’s build and strength were not something a plant omega could resist. Doctor Zhong quickly sank into the blazing heat of the red rose pheromones.
Xia Pingtian suddenly paused for a few seconds, the heat in his eyes fading by half.
He had caught the scent of the omega going into heat.
Doctor Zhong lay on his back, his white coat spread messily beneath him. He was already overtaken by his omega instincts. At this moment, even if it were not Xia Pingtian, any alpha with a high enough compatibility could have made the doctor fall just as deeply.
The wildly growing green vines wrapped around the alpha’s arms and waist. Red marks appeared across Xia Pingtian’s broad back as he gritted his teeth and cursed, “Damn little seductress.”
“Give me a little sprout—one that calls me Daddy. Damn it.”
——————————
After things quieted down, Xia Pingtian held the doctor from behind, his low, husky voice murmuring by Doctor Zhong’s ear. “Only come looking for me when you’re in heat.”
Doctor Zhong’s face still carried a satisfied flush. With his eyes closed in drowsiness, he said, “I came because I like you.” His whole body ached; he wouldn’t be getting out of bed anytime soon.
Xia Pingtian suddenly propped himself up on one arm, lying on his side, kissing down along Doctor Zhong’s neck to his gland. “Can I take that seriously?”
Doctor Zhong turned over, pressing two fingers against the sharp canine teeth peeking from his upper lip, and let out a small laugh. “Don’t take it seriously.”
Xia Pingtian looked a little tired. He pulled Doctor Zhong’s head into his chest and said in a low voice, “Do whatever you want.” If one day he felt like it, he could just chain him up in the basement, bite his gland until it was ruined, break him into obedience, and then let him out—it wasn’t like he couldn’t.
The soothing scent of red rose pheromones filled the room.
While Yan Yi was asleep, a pair of arms slowly wrapped around him from behind, settling over his lower abdomen.
They had agreed that Lu Shangjin would go to the supermarket with him, but something came up at the last minute and he couldn’t make it. At the office, Lu Shangjin couldn’t help checking his messages—Yan Yi had simply replied “got it” and didn’t bother him again.
Holding him from behind, Lu Shangjin kissed the peregrine falcon mark at the back of Yan Yi’s neck. Even after marking him, he still occasionally felt it wasn’t real. Yan Yi’s rank was too high—one mark alone had no binding force on him. On top of that, he had taken an anti-dependency barrier vaccine, which meant there was no attachment, no “can’t live without him” bond.
Yan Yi let out a low groan, curling up slightly. The fluffy tail ball pressed against Lu Shangjin’s thigh as it trembled. Irritated, he brushed away the hand resting on his abdomen and woke up.
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Lu Shangjin sitting by the bed, hand still raised, looking at him a little at a loss.
Like an alpha who had done something wrong, he frowned tightly. “I came to get a blanket.”
Yan Yi looked him over, then smiled.
“Qiuqiu’s staying at Tan Meng’s place tonight.”
“Still working late later?” Yan Yi shifted slightly to his side, making room for him. “Rest a bit. Work can wait until tomorrow.”
The bedroom wall lamp cast a soft glow over Yan Yi’s slender shoulders. His ears drooped softly into his hair. He was only wearing a pajama top, the collar slightly open, and nothing but underwear below. His fluffy tail was squeezed out behind him.
Lu Shangjin froze for a moment, then suddenly lunged forward, pinning Yan Yi to the bed and cupping his face to kiss him.
The alpha’s excited pheromones flooded the room. A few feathers drifted down onto the floor. A pair of falcon wings with brown speckles extended from behind him, wrapping the little rabbit up and enclosing him in a small, safe space.
He didn’t go any further, because Yan Yi had already calmed down in the gentle scent of Christmas rose pheromones, drowsily leaning into his shoulder.
So Lu Shangjin simply patted his back lightly and kissed his ear.
“Good night.”
Yan Yi buried his face in Lu Shangjin’s chest. A soft milk-candy scent of pheromones slowly spread out, gently soothing the alpha who had been busy all day.
“Go to the supermarket with me tomorrow,” Yan Yi murmured with his eyes closed, unclear whether he was awake or dreaming.
Even as he fell asleep, Lu Shangjin continued releasing soothing pheromones, his arms wrapped tightly around the omega in his embrace.
Yan Yi lay with his back to him. Though his eyes were closed, he couldn’t fall asleep. When the breathing at the back of his neck gradually evened out, he turned around quietly, placing a hand on the alpha’s cheek, tracing the clean, neatly shaved line of his jaw.
He looked just as handsome as before.
Yan Yi frowned slightly, lowering his head to kiss him. His tongue slipped tentatively between the alpha’s lips, trying to feel the connection of their mark with his eyes shut.
After more than ten seconds, Yan Yi calmly pulled away, lifted the thin blanket off himself, and glanced down at the alpha’s completely unresponsive body.
He was silent for a moment. Then he gently lifted Lu Shangjin’s arm aside and slowly walked out of the bedroom.
Lu Shangjin slept restlessly. His arms felt empty, and there was no soft, candy-like pheromone scent around him.
He suddenly opened his eyes. Seeing no one beside him, a thin sheen of sweat broke out in his palms.
Throwing off the blanket, he got out of bed, not even bothering to put on a shirt over his bare upper body. He hurried out of the bedroom and activated his M2 ability to locate Yan Yi.
He found him in the old wardrobe in the storage room. The wardrobe had been moved over from the old villa. Yan Yi wouldn’t let anyone touch it, nor throw anything inside away.
Lu Shangjin slowly pulled open the wardrobe door. A faint, aged scent of narcissus pheromones drifted out.
Yan Yi was curled up inside, asleep, covered with a coat Lu Shangjin had once worn.
In that instant, Lu Shangjin’s heart turned cold.
——
Yan Yi, deep in sleep, was stirred by a beam of light falling across his eyes. He let out a soft sound and half-opened them. The alpha’s body blocked the light completely. With the backlight, he couldn’t see Lu Shangjin’s expression—only felt a heaviness, something gloomy.
His instinct was right.
Lu Shangjin reached in, grabbed his sleepwear, yanked him out, and pressed him against the wardrobe, holding him down by the waist.
Years of suppressed insecurity seemed to break free all at once. His eyes burned red as he panted, roughly forcing the old coat onto Yan Yi. From behind, he bit down on his shoulder, his sharp canines pressing against the gland he usually didn’t dare touch, like a lone wild rabbit being torn apart.
Yan Yi cried out in pain, struggling, pushing against his hip. “That hurts—don’t make me use my ability.”
Lu Shangjin’s hoarse roar fell by his ear. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you… You’re the one who said you hated narcissus…”
By the end, his voice was trembling. Ignoring Yan Yi’s resistance, he pulled at his pajama pants and shoved his hand inside. His movements were rough, yet the moment he touched him, he couldn’t help but soften. The falcon wings behind him flapped out of control, feathers scattering everywhere.
In an instant, Yan Yi’s legs gave out against the wardrobe. Lu Shangjin turned him around, lifted him into his arms with his legs hooked up, and carried him back to the bedroom.
When he laid Yan Yi on the bed, he saw his eyes red and brimming with tears, rabbit ears trembling as they hid in his hair.
“Why are you crying?” Lu Shangjin’s heart softened into a mess, and his movements became gentler.
Why cry? He didn’t even know how to love this little rabbit enough. He had already placed his whole heart inside the rabbit’s nest, letting him claw and gnaw it to pieces.
——
The oversized alpha coat slipped off Yan Yi’s body, revealing half of his thin shoulder, trembling like a fallen leaf under the warm yellow light.
“I’m not the one you like anymore?” This was the third time Lu Shangjin had taken him that night. His anger hadn’t lessened in the slightest—if anything, he grew fiercely jealous of the coat carrying a faint trace of narcissus scent.
Yan Yi was nearly unconscious, arms wrapped around the alpha’s neck, breathing softly by his ear. The gland at the back of his neck was swollen and bruised. Lu Shangjin kept biting it tirelessly, pouring large amounts of Christmas rose pheromones into it.
The powerful A3-level pheromones forced their way in without mercy. Yan Yi’s nails dug into his palms, only to be pried open by Lu Shangjin, who kissed the reddened skin and placed his hands against his back.
Thin nail marks pressed into the alpha’s broad, strong back.
Afterward, Yan Yi curled up in Lu Shangjin’s arms, his rabbit ears resting on his shoulder. Only then did he feel a little more familiar with the scent of Christmas rose—this gentle fragrance finally felt like it was truly embracing him, instead of being warm yet distant like before.
Lu Shangjin sat on the bed, holding the small rabbit breathing peacefully in his arms. One hand cupped his backside absentmindedly, idly playing with his damp tail, while the other held his phone.
Below the search bar were recent queries:
“How to deal with a rabbit not recognizing its owner’s scent?”
“Seven-day food transition method”
“If a rabbit only likes old scents, how to help it adapt to a new one?”
…
After getting his answers, Lu Shangjin gathered up his usual clothes and hung them all in the old wardrobe, even placing a narcissus-scent deodorizer inside.
——
The next day, when Lu Shangjin walked over, Yan Yi was wearing an apron, focused on sweeping the floor. There was already half a pound of feathers in the dustpan, with another small pile by his feet.
“Off work?” Yan Yi glanced at him, sweeping harder, sending a few feathers flying.
Lu Shangjin didn’t even bother changing clothes. He took the broom and finished cleaning in a few quick motions, then pulled Yan Yi into the sofa and held him.
“Why not use the robot vacuum…?”
Yan Yi shot him a glare. “I’ve broken three robot vacuums in a month. Do you have a mine at home or something?”
“I actually do have four or five. I’ll take you to see them sometime…” Lu Shangjin smiled, kissing the back of his neck. “I’ll clean, I’ll clean. You don’t have to worry about it.”
“Don’t throw those away. Save them and take them to the tailor—make a down jacket for Qiuqiu this winter.”
“Alright, alright. My wife really knows how to run a household.”
Only then did Yan Yi’s ears relax and droop comfortably as he leaned into Lu Shangjin’s arms. The alpha’s scent was strangely complex today—besides the rose pheromones, there was also a hint of narcissus.
“Did you put on perfume?” Yan Yi leaned closer, sniffing lightly. “Smells kind of… omega-like.”
Lu Shangjin raised an eyebrow, flipped him over, and pinned him to the sofa.
According to the internet, the best way for a rabbit to get used to a scent was to spend more intimate time together—so that no matter when, the little rabbit would always be surrounded by it.