Inhibitor

'What did you buy for me?'

Shi Qi took the dessert bag from Shang Sui and asked curiously.

A hand-drawn red wreath was printed on the lake-blue bag, and the packaging looked oddly familiar. Shi Qi untied the ribbon bow at the seal, saw the cake box inside that also looked familiar, and surprise slowly surfaced on her face.

'How did you know...' I wanted this?

A second before the question left her mouth, Shi Qi stopped herself just in time.

Shang Sui probably did not know her social account, so was this just a coincidence?

Last night, Shi Qi had posted a new update on her social account: a mirror selfie taken during a break in the dance studio. She had pulled the frame far back and held the phone in one hand. Because her face was small, it was almost completely hidden behind the phone, with only a sliver of pale cheek showing.

Behind her was the grinning Dance Club She Zhang. While Shi Qi was taking a photo, she made a V sign above her head, like rabbit ears standing up.

@1717177: [Practice.]

[Damn, still camped out in the studio at two-thirty in the morning? You guys are intense.]

[Darling, you finally post a photo and still will not show your face. I am starting to forget your beautiful features...]

[Ahhh, I am so excited! Xiao Qi is finally choreographing again! What style is it this time? Are you representing A University in the competition?]

[The pretty girl in the back has such gorgeous hair color! That pink is stunning!]

After dropping the photo and running, Shi Qi turned around and liked a dessert shop's seasonal special, then left a tongue-out smiley in the comments.

Something like leaving a mark, meaning she would come eat there later?

Thanks to algorithmic recommendations, Shang Sui happened to scroll across the post, and other fans had noticed Shi Qi too.

[Caught 17!]

[You were just calling her cold and aloof for dropping a photo and replying to nobody, and now you are staring at little cakes with shining eyes?]

[The kid got hungry practicing at midnight and is drawing herself a cake to stave it off.]

Because of that sudden burst of traffic, the owner happily pinned Shi Qi's comment to the top. Shang Sui glanced at the dessert shop address attached below the post and, by chance, it was not far from where he lived.

Xie Professor happened to have asked him to come by Meiyan Academy, so Shang Sui went and bought the Osmanthus Chestnut Cake Shi Qi had liked, along with the other limited chestnut flavors.

Thinking it would be better to buy more so Shi Qi could share with the others, and after the owner mentioned that this series ran sweet, Shang Sui added some regular desserts too. He ended up carrying three or four bags and was successfully mistaken by Jiang Yan for a delivery guy.

'This shop is downstairs from my place,' Shang Sui said naturally. 'I had a feeling you'd like this kind of flavor, so I bought all of them.'

He found Shi Qi's current habit of casually recording her life interesting and, not wanting to disturb that for now, had not said that he followed her account.

So it really was just a coincidence.

Shang Sui had happened to bring exactly what she most wanted to eat right now. Hugging the bag, Shi Qi said, 'Mm. I like it.'

It really did feel as if she and Shang Sui had a kind of tacit understanding.

At the thought, Shi Qi's mood lifted a little more, and she said to him with a smile, 'Thank you.'

'As long as you like it.'

Shi Qi looked especially well-behaved just then. Shang Sui held back the urge to reach out and pat her head, and gestured to the other two bags. 'I wasn't sure whether Lin Yan likes sweet things, so I also bought some strawberry flavors.'

'Lin Yan eats anything.'

Shi Qi took the remaining dessert bags and, after a moment, asked tentatively, 'Do you want to go back with me?'

She was a little curious to have Shang Sui come back with her and watch her dance.

She had clearly never wanted to show herself to any particular person before, yet now, for no reason she could name, she felt a trace of anticipation.

'Xie Professor is looking for me about something. I have to go over.'

Shi Qi gave a small sound of assent and ignored the slight disappointment in her chest. 'Then go take care of it first.'

'I'll come watch on the day of the competition. That's this Friday, right?'

Thinking of Shi Qi still practicing dance at two in the morning, Shang Sui had originally wanted to tell her not to work too hard, but on second thought, when you get to do something you love, hardship probably comes with its own share of pleasure.

Shang Sui smiled at her. A lingering tenderness stained those seductive fox eyes of his. 'Good luck, Xiao Qi.'

Shi Qi nodded before she could stop herself.

Even after she went back to the dance studio, the image lingered in her mind for a long time.

She pressed the back of her hand to the gland at her neck, which felt faintly hot, and thought distractedly:

Why have I felt warm so often lately?

Could my Heat Phase be coming up?

'You're back? Why were you gone so long?' Lin Yan's voice broke Shi Qi's train of thought.

'Talked for a bit.' Shi Qi handed one of the bags to him. 'Shang Sui bought this for you.'

Lin Yan froze. 'There's something for me too? He's that thoughtful.'

Three bags were still left. Shi Qi said to the others, 'Does everyone want dessert? There is a lot. Let's eat together.'

'Thank you, Xiao Qi! Bless you—!'

With a cheer, the president ran over first, and the others gradually gathered around too.

Lin Yan felt more and more satisfied with Shang Sui and whispered in Shi Qi's ear, 'Can he really be your boyfriend?'

'One cake and you've been bought off?'

'What I see is not the cake. It's the emotional intelligence behind the cake.' Lin Yan spoke from the heart. 'I repent now. If I'd known he was this nice, I should not have said he was... ahem, well.'

Seeing Shi Qi stop eating and look at him with an indescribable expression, Lin Yan argued, 'But that wasn't entirely my fault. One, Fu Siyue gave false intel back then. Two, every Alpha I've met who knows how to dress, unless it's for work, is basically trash, and each one has slept with more people than the last.'

'Someone like Shang Sui, I really have never seen before.'

'Give it a rest.' Shi Qi speared a pistachio cream puff and shoved it into Lin Yan's mouth. 'He kindly bought you food and still can't shut you up.'

'...Mmff!'

Lin Yan struggled for two seconds, then chose to submit to fate and chewed and swallowed it.

-

To encourage exchange within University Town, the organizers of the Dance Competition had built up plenty of momentum. Not only had they promoted it across the universities, they even gave everyone half a day off on Friday.

With time off, people were naturally willing to join the event. A University, the host campus, was packed. Students from different schools gathered in one place while staff moved through the crowd handing out glow sticks.

The prizes were generous too. First place came with a full ten thousand yuan, second got half that, and even third came with two thousand.

Out of respect for the prize money, the students competing were full of drive. Every team had rehearsed properly and done their styling in neat order, and some had even hired professional makeup artists. With people coming and going everywhere and the whole place running hot, it almost looked like the set of an idol survival show.

The first group's performance was already underway. Cheers and music did not let up, and the stir out front made the students still preparing backstage pick up the pace without thinking.

Shi Qi's group had drawn the last slot, so they would not go on until around sunset.

The president and two other girls were in charge of doing everyone's makeup. When they got to Shi Qi, the president swept a hand grandly. 'You don't need makeup. You're naturally perfect. Just wash your face and go onstage.'

After saying that, she looked Shi Qi up and down with shining eyes.

Shi Qi was wearing a black-and-white distressed knit top with a tie-dye pattern, and around her waist were two wide belts hung loose and studded with metal chains, cinching her waist into a clean, narrow line.

Because her legs were long, all those layered pieces did nothing to flatten her height. If anything, they made her look taller and leaner, like a little idol out of a comic.

'Not bad, Xiao Qi. Who picked that belt for you? It is the perfect finishing touch. Pretty, handsome, and sexy as hell!'

She had specifically reminded them earlier that Shi Qi was the center and should wear something eye-catching if possible.

Even though it was still the black and white she always liked to wear, the accessories changed the whole atmosphere.

Shi Qi fell silent for a moment. '...Lin Yan.'

Thinking of how Lin Yan had previously said Shang Sui dressed slutty, Shi Qi thought: what goes around comes around. Today it had come around to him.

This outfit belonged to Shi Qi herself, while the chain-studded waist belt was generously supplied by Lin Yan. Supposedly it was a new lethal weapon he had bought for clubbing. He had not worn it out yet, but he firmly believed that any Alpha who saw it would be unable to walk away.

Besides that, Lin Yan had also contributed a cool headband, going for contrast.

The president noticed what Shi Qi was holding. 'You still haven't put the headband on?'

Lin Yan had run off to the bathroom. Shi Qi tried a few times, but really could not manage it alone. 'I don't really know how to wear it.'

The president was just about to help when someone called her away. Gu Cheng, standing nearby, noticed and offered on his own initiative, 'I'll help you put it on, Xiao Qi?'

As he spoke, Gu Cheng stepped forward a few paces, closing the distance between them.

The heat was on backstage, and voices were loud all around them. Shi Qi already felt vaguely overheated, and her sense of smell had become especially sharp. Gu Cheng's Pheromone came at her head-on.

It smelled like grapes, but not the bright freshness of ordinary fruit. It was sour in a way that had already gone rotten and fermented.

A restless irritation rose in Shi Qi, hard to describe, as if an outsider had trespassed on her territory. When Gu Cheng saw that she did not answer, he simply reached out, as though to take the headband himself.

Shi Qi did not like physical contact with people she was not close to. She instinctively stepped back and happened to collide with someone else's chest.

A clear, sweet Honey Flavor spread around her like translucent amber, wrapping Shi Qi inside it.

'What is it?' Shang Sui asked.

As he spoke, he lifted his eyes from behind Shi Qi and looked at Gu Cheng.

In contrast to that sweet Pheromone, the light overhead fell into Shang Sui's eyes and narrowed there into a razor-thin line, making his light brown pupils look like the cold, slick vertical slit of a flower snake.

Under that gaze, Gu Cheng's scalp went numb, and without noticing, a layer of cold sweat broke out across his back.

By the time he came back to himself, he only felt that this man was unnervingly strange, and he stepped back on instinct.

Hearing the familiar voice, Shi Qi unconsciously let out a breath.

'It's nothing.'

The scent on Shang Sui eased that sudden irritation. Calming down, Shi Qi said to Gu Cheng, 'We are not that familiar, are we?'

'What?' Gu Cheng had still not recovered from the near-suffocating feeling. He froze at her words.

Shi Qi's face stayed blank. 'I mean you'd better call me by my full name.'

'...' Gu Cheng was silent for a long moment, then put the smile back on his face. 'Got it. Sorry. Don't be mad.'

Perhaps feeling he should not stay any longer, Gu Cheng quickly left. Shang Sui withdrew his gaze and said instead, 'Xiao Qi?'

'Mm?' Shi Qi answered at once.

Shang Sui signaled with his eyes toward the thing in her hand. 'Want me to help you put it on?'

'Okay.'

The performance had reached the seventh group. There were about twenty minutes left before they went on.

The president came running back once she had finished what she was doing. Seeing Shang Sui helping Shi Qi with the headband, she raised the spray bottle in her hand and asked, 'Do you want the hair set?'

'No need.' Shang Sui slowly adjusted the position of the headband so the prettier pattern showed. 'The headband will hold it in place. Even if it comes loose while she dances, it should still look good.'

The president had not expected to find someone here who actually knew what he was doing. The other boys about to go on all had small eyes and yelled and complained while she tried to do their eyeliner. She had nearly been driven crazy by them.

'Fine, fine, fine, I'll listen to you!' She looked at Shang Sui as if she had found a soulmate, then hurried off again.

Shang Sui carefully drew out Shi Qi's pale blond bangs bit by bit. In the process, his fingers could not avoid brushing her skin.

As if afraid of hurting her, Shang Sui used very little force. Shi Qi could hear the soft rasp of his fingers moving, and her nose was full of that enticing Alpha Pheromone. The sweetness made her instinctively thirsty, and she swallowed in a small, involuntary motion.

Shang Sui's fingers paused. Then he suddenly asked, 'Are you in heat?'

'What...??'

Shi Qi went blank for a moment, and her face instantly burned red.

The question was too blunt, too rude. If anyone other than Shang Sui had said it, she could have flipped them on the spot. Shang Sui realized too that his wording had been off. 'Sorry. What I mean is... something seems wrong with you.'

The back of Shang Sui's hand touched Shi Qi's face, which was almost hot enough to smoke. Worried, he said, 'Your face is really hot.'

Only then did Shi Qi realize that Shang Sui had merely been stating an objective fact.

Because of gland degeneration, her Heat Phase was irregular and came less often than it did for most Omegas. A lot of the time, she forgot that she even had such a thing as a Heat Phase.

With Shang Sui's reminder, she finally understood what had been behind her earlier abnormal reactions.

'What happened? What happened?' Lin Yan finally came back from the bathroom at a run. He was very familiar with Shi Qi's Pheromone, and almost the moment he got close, he caught the agile, crisp scent of flowers.

That spring-bright scent, as if touched with dew, really was Shi Qi's one-of-a-kind Pheromone.

Lin Yan's expression changed. He immediately pulled out Isolation Agent and sprayed Shi Qi all over, temporarily blocking the Omega Pheromone that was on the verge of spilling out.

The commotion on their side drew everyone else's attention. The president had only just finished being busy, and one look at them standing there as if facing a great enemy made her ask, 'What happened?'

'Shi Qi isn't doing well. She...' Lin Yan paused, then lowered his voice. 'Heat Phase.'

'What?? How did this happen!!'

The president looked at Shi Qi with worry. An Omega's Heat Phase was hard enough to get through on its own. But the next second, she sharply realized how serious the problem was. 'Then can Xiao Qi still go onstage?'

Even if they gave her an Inhibitor now, it would take at least half an hour for her to recover fully. By then, forget the competition. The whole event would already be over.

And they were the final group, so they could not even switch with someone else to buy time.

The members of the Dance Club all crowded over in concern. The area around them was noisy, full of all kinds of Pheromone scents. Shi Qi's head swam, and the heat in her body kept rising.

In her daze, Shi Qi thought of something and tugged on Lin Yan's clothes. '...Do you have Enhanced Inhibitor?'

She had seen Lin Yan use it before. It took effect in two or three minutes and completely suppressed Heat Phase.

'I do,' Lin Yan said, touching his pocket, 'but the aftereffects on this stuff are nasty.'

'Last time I used it, I felt drunk afterward. Dizzy as hell, couldn't tell up from down, and kept grabbing people and talking nonsense. If you take it, you won't be able to get up there and dance at all.'

'Give it to me.' Shi Qi tightened her grip a little.

'Are you sure?' Lin Yan hesitated.

Enhanced Inhibitor had been developed purely for emergencies. Compared with ordinary Inhibitor, there was no room to care about comfort or anything else. Side effects like Lin Yan's dizziness were considered mild. Some Omegas got nausea and vomiting after using it, and there was even a chance of an allergic reaction.

If she took it and still could not dance, would that not just be asking for trouble?

Compared with Shi Qi's decisiveness, Lin Yan could not help thinking of the worst. 'What if you're allergic? Even if the odds are tiny, what if you pass out...?'

'I hardly ever get allergies,' Shi Qi said. 'How will we know if I don't try?'

'Give it to her,' Shang Sui said then.

His reaction to accidents was the opposite of Shi Qi's, one cold and one hot, but both carried a certainty that steadied people. Under both their gazes, Lin Yan gritted his teeth and took out the Enhanced Inhibitor. Shang Sui raised a hand to accept it, then said to Shi Qi, 'Want me to inject it for you?'

Shi Qi answered softly.

Omegas in Heat Phase rarely had much strength, and their hands shook easily, so having someone else help with an Inhibitor shot was normal.

Other than Shang Sui, everyone else present looked hesitant, not quite daring to help.

Someone stared at the blood-red tube of Inhibitor in Shang Sui's hand and asked with a grimace, 'Is this Enhanced Inhibitor really safe? Why does it look so terrifying?'

'Maybe forget it, Shi Qi.'

Seeing that Shang Sui had already aimed the needle at Shi Qi's arm, the president called Shi Qi by her full name for the first time. 'You only came in as a last-minute rescue. If we make you take on even more risk, I really can't live with it.'

Someone beside her echoed, 'Yeah, yeah... maybe we should just forget it.'

'Didn't we say we were going for at least third place?' Shi Qi cut them off. 'We've practiced this long. How does it make sense to back out at the last minute?'

Almost at the same moment Shi Qi spoke, Shang Sui's hand did not shake in the slightest. Before anyone could react, he had already injected the Inhibitor.

Lin Yan, standing closest, hissed.

Shang Sui was ruthless. Not a trace of hesitation. In that way, he really did match Shi Qi, reckless as she was.

When everyone saw that tube of blood-red Inhibitor fully enter Shi Qi's body, they all fell silent.

Someone, no one knew who, was the first to murmur, 'Holy shit. That was incredible. I'm fired up now.'

'Nobody is allowed to call her Xiao Qi today. Call her Brother Qi!'

'That move from Brother Qi is on the level of me getting motion sickness in 3D and still swallowing pills just to play a 3D game.'

'You have a glorious record like that? Then how come your sniper position still plays like shit?'

'Honestly...' The area around them turned noisy again, and the heavy tension from before eased a lot. Even so, the president still warned her, 'See how you adjust. If you really can't do it, don't force yourself onstage. What if you faint?'

Enhanced Inhibitor worked fast. About two minutes later, the heat in Shi Qi's body had mostly faded, and her over-sensitivity to Pheromone had eased to a great extent too.

Shi Qi stood up. She pressed at her arm, turned her head to the left, twisting to a certain angle, then to the right, testing how her body moved.

She was a little dizzy, but it was still within a range she could control.

Fine.

She could dance.

'I won't faint, and I won't mess up,' Shi Qi said in reply. 'Don't worry.'

'Xiao Qi.' Looking into her bright eyes, Shang Sui suddenly asked, half joking and half not, 'Can I marry you?'

'—Holy shit, Shi Qi, that thing you just did was insanely cool! I'm into you too now. Will you take responsibility for me?'

Shi Qi took it as everyone joking and played along. 'You can,' she said, pointing at Shang Sui, then lifting her chin toward the boy shouting behind him. 'You can't.'

'Shi Qi, you're so biased!'

The president vaguely sensed that something between Shang Sui and Shi Qi was subtle. Raising her voice, she said, 'Then grow up to look like handsome Shang first.'

'We're going on. Come here, come here. Everyone together!' As she spoke, the president grabbed the nearest club member.

One by one, everyone stacked their hands together. Shi Qi's hand rested on top. Seeing Shang Sui standing off by himself, she grabbed his hand without thinking and pulled him to her side.

'Three, two, one—'

Everyone shouted together, 'Let's go, let's go, let's go!'

The previous group's performance ended, and after a quick reset, the host was just about to begin the introduction.

Just as Shi Qi was about to head forward, a tiny sound reached her ear.

By the time she realized what had happened, the necklace she was wearing as part of the look had already snapped and rolled once across the floor.

Shi Qi could not hold it in. She cursed in her head.

Fuck.

When it rains, it pours.

It was not a major problem, but one mishap after another before going onstage inevitably affected her mood. Without saying a word, she picked up the broken necklace in two pieces and set it on the dressing table.

At that moment, someone removed their own accessory, and a broken shimmer flashed past Shi Qi's eyes. 'Do you want to wear mine?'

Shi Qi focused and saw the necklace in Shang Sui's hand.

It was two diamond-studded crosses layered together, one large and one small, dazzling and striking in gold.

Normally, she did not like accessories that flashy, but the moment she thought that it was Shang Sui's necklace, it felt as if she could draw a little luck and strength from it.

'Mm.'

Shi Qi had not expected that after she nodded, Shang Sui would not hand the necklace to her, but would choose to put it on her himself.

Time was short, and this was indeed faster. Shi Qi lowered her neck slightly and, without any guard at all, exposed the snow-white back of her neck beneath Shang Sui's eyes.

At the same time, she asked in a low voice, 'Why didn't you come over on your own to cheer me on just now?'

At first hearing, it sounded like a complaint, but Shi Qi's tone held the spoiled edge of someone who knew she would be indulged.

Shang Sui's hands paused. He smiled at her. 'I didn't say it earlier, but you know this, right? You've always been incredible.'

Shi Qi had not expected him to say it so seriously. Now that she had actually received Shang Sui's praise, her face felt hot again.

'Actually, it's not that much. It was just an Inhibitor shot. I'm not as impressive as you make it sound—'

Maybe even Shi Qi herself had not realized that because of her decision, the atmosphere had changed completely in a short time. Everyone had become eager again, even more driven than at the start.

Shang Sui looked at the embarrassed way she seemed and felt something inside him soften.

Six years had passed.

You are still as brave as you were in my memory. Of course that is remarkable. You will always be remarkable.

Shang Sui fastened the necklace. To anyone else, it looked as though he had wrapped both arms intimately around Shi Qi's neck, while the Omega enclosed within them had no intention at all of slipping away.

Shang Sui said softly, 'You'll do wonderfully.'