Dreamscape

Two days after returning home, Shi Qi received a message from Yu Wan.

Yu Wan: [Xiao Qi, is there anything you like? Auntie wants to give you a gift.]

Yu Wan: [I picked out some clothes for you. Your skin is fair, so everything will suit you.]

Yu Wan: [I also picked out some jewelry, all in a more ornate style. There's an exotic necklace that would look beautiful on you.]

Seeing how enthusiastic she was, Shi Qi felt relieved.

It seemed Yu Wan didn't think he was strange.

As she spoke, she sent pictures.

Yu Wan: [Take a look, do you like these?]

Yu Wan: [Or do you usually prefer a certain style of clothes or accessories? Auntie can go pick out more.]

He thought she'd only chosen one or two items, but Yu Wan sent over twenty pictures in one go.

He'd seen Shang Sui buy things before — buying a huge pile at once, sometimes collecting the same item in different colors or various limited editions like he had a hoarding habit.

Now he finally knew who Shang Sui inherited his taste and habits from.

17: [They're all very beautiful, thank you, Auntie.]

17: [You're too kind, you don't need to give me so many gifts.]

Yu Wan: [It's not too much! Auntie really likes you. It might not be appropriate to say, but it's like you're my own child.]

The clothes and accessories Yu Wan picked were all expensive. Although the uncles and aunties around him had always liked him since he was young, only his family elders had ever given him so many costly gifts at once.

Shi Qi wanted to refuse, but since Yu Wan had put it that way, he was afraid of dampening her spirits.

Thinking of this, Shi Qi opened his chat with Shang Sui.

Their conversation had stopped the day before yesterday afternoon, when he'd provoked Shang Sui and run off, and the other had messaged him to wait.

Even through the screen, Shi Qi felt a chill down his back; the originally cute emoji even seemed to carry a hint of sinister ghostly aura.

After a brief moment of panic, he started to find it interesting, even curious about what the other would actually do.

It seemed that provoking Shang Sui was thrilling in itself.

But he didn't dare provoke Shang Sui again now, pretending he hadn't seen that 'you wait'.

17: [Auntie wants to give me gifts.]

17: [She chose a lot, and I don't know how to refuse.]

Shang Sui's tone was natural, as if the previous incident had never happened:

Ss: [She originally wanted to give you a house.]

Ss: [I said she'd look like a creepy auntie, so she dropped it.]

If she'd only thought Shi Qi was good-looking and cute before, now that she knew who he really was, Yu Wan was immensely grateful and wanted to put him on a pedestal.

She happened to own a house near A University, and when she heard Shi Qi was studying there, Yu Wan wanted to give it as a meeting gift. It was only when Shang Sui asked if she wanted them to live separately that Yu Wan switched to giving gifts instead.

Still unsatisfied, she started asking when they could get married. At least mention it to Shi Qi, right? Omegas could marry at twenty, and Xiao Qi looked very popular — earlier was safer.

If before she'd needed Yu Wan to cooperate in acting out the marriage pressure, now it was completely genuine.

Ss: [Her taste is good, just accept them.]

Ss: [She just likes you. Whoever she likes, she loves giving them things.]

Seeing the messages, Shi Qi felt a little embarrassed.

Shang Sui's mother... had such a good impression of him?

Before Shi Qi could reply, Shi An knocked on the door from outside.

Shi Qi: 'Come in.'

As soon as Shi An entered, he saw him curled up on the bed playing with his phone, clutching a pillow, clearly lost track of time and in a good mood.

Shi An urged: 'Get up quickly. We're going to Ningshan Hospital today. Their vice director's appointments are impossible to get; if we miss this one, who knows how long we'll have to wait next time.'

Shi Qi made an 'oh' sound, threw off the covers, and got out of bed to find clothes to go out in.

'I had your dad look into it. Your boyfriend's family is the one in power at Huanyun Group, not just some executives.'

Since they were considering marriage, Shi An had specifically asked Jiang Li to look into Shang Sui.

The more he learned, the bigger the background seemed, and Shi An's expression turned sour: 'His mother's side isn't simple either. Yu Fuxing is his maternal grandfather.'

Shi Qi had a vague impression that this name appeared in the news sometimes.

'Actually, you didn't need to look into it. I could have just asked him directly.'

Thinking that initially saying Shang Sui was a teaching assistant at Meiyan Academy had made Shi An distrust him, Shi Qi explained: 'I didn't know any of this at first because I didn't ask. Shang Sui never hid anything from me.'

'It's not that,' Shi An said. 'Even if you asked, you wouldn't get much out of him. I can tell you don't care about anything except his face.'

'...'

'His personal information is hidden like crazy — can't even find a single photo. I heard his family protects him closely; wherever he went, there used to be bodyguards around him.'

'Huh?' Shi Qi was a little surprised. 'Shang Sui doesn't have bodyguards.'

Besides, Shang Sui was in his Special Susceptibility Period and could use Mind Manipulation.

To be fair, there probably weren't many people who could match him. Even if his status was extraordinary, he probably didn't need bodyguards.

'Really? Maybe not these past few years, but he used to.'

Shi An followed Shi Qi all the way to the bathroom. He'd been worrying about this all night, afraid Shi Qi would be mistreated in the future: 'Their family is so powerful, are the rules very strict?'

After saying that, Shi An added: 'But you don't have to listen to them. Your own happiness is what matters most.'

After washing his face, Shi Qi turned to look at Shi An: 'Auntie Yu said she really likes me.'

Seeing his naive expression, Shi An poked his head: 'Silly, that's just politeness. Only your dad and I love you the most.'

Shi An had booked an appointment for ten in the morning. Ningshan Hospital specialized in treating diseases caused by secondary genders; an entire building was dedicated to ABO-related departments.

Shi Qi followed Shi An up to the third floor. On the way, Shi An chatted with him: 'The doctor treating you is the youngest vice director at Ningshan. Besides common secondary gender illnesses, he's also very knowledgeable about Special Susceptibility Periods.'

'Special Ease Periods are mostly handled by institutions. There are very few doctors in the country who hold a license and can independently conduct a Psychological Assessment for the Special Ease Period, and he is one of them.'

Hearing this, Shi Qi took the opportunity to ask: 'What do you think about Special Susceptibility Periods?'

'Nothing special, but I wouldn't want your future partner to be in one,' Shi An said casually. 'Being with someone in a Special Susceptibility Period is troublesome, and you might face greater pressure.'

Shi Qi didn't say anything.

Special Susceptibility Periods were too rare, so Shi An didn't think much of it and brought the topic back: 'Besides his medical skill, this doctor himself is also very remarkable — a hero-like figure.'

'Do you know about the Haicheng Serial Killings? You were young when it happened, so you probably don't remember much.'

He'd been hearing about this case frequently lately. Shi Qi was a little surprised but nodded.

Seeing this, Shi An said: 'Apparently this vice director and his mother were originally the killer's targets. He was still a minor back then, but he subdued the killer and held him until the police arrived.'

'Afterward, the victims' families were extremely grateful and collectively thanked him.'

'Maybe it was because of that incident that he later wanted to understand Special Susceptibility Periods and get his license,' Shi An said, admiration showing in his eyes. 'He's a doctor with great skill and ethics, which is why I wanted him to take a look at your gland condition.'

'Oh, by the way, this doctor's surname is Shen.'

'Please come in.'

Hearing the appointment number called, Shi Qi knocked on the door outside, and a voice came from inside.

As soon as he stepped into the room, Shi Qi paused: 'Shen Qianyu?'

The doctor, who had been looking down at a file, looked up at the sound, equally surprised: 'Shi Qi?'

Shi An looked from one to the other: 'You know each other?'

Shi Qi replied: 'He's Shang Sui's friend.'

'Hello, you're Shi Qi's family?'

Shen Qianyu greeted Shi An, then said to Shi Qi: 'Have a seat.'

His mind worked quickly. Logically, if anything serious were wrong with Shi Qi, Shang Sui would have already made a bigger fuss than anyone.

If it was an illness Shang Sui didn't know about...

Realizing things were a bit tricky, Shen Qianyu asked gently: 'What's bothering you?'

Shi An had brought Shi Qi's medical records. He'd thought another examination would be needed, but this young doctor carefully reviewed all the data and gave the result directly: 'No later than August this year. It can't be delayed beyond that.'

'In the later stages, even if the body shows no obvious abnormalities, the gland lesion may prevent complete marking. Even if marking is possible, there's a very rare exception: after marking, the gland can't fully heal in a short time. At that point, the marking will degenerate along with the incompletely healed gland, like an automatic washing procedure, ultimately resulting in marking failure as well.'

'After August, there's a risk of marking failure. The second scenario can't even be detected. I personally don't think it's worth taking that risk.'

Shen Qianyu added: 'Your Compatibility Index with Shang Sui should be very high? Prolonged contact might slightly delay the progression, but at most, it would only buy about a week.'

His tone was calm, but his words were firm. Shi An's heart pounded as he listened.

Previous doctors mostly had Shi Qi undergo many tests, and few dared to give a definitive date. But this one gave a deadline right away.

According to the last doctor, he'd originally thought it could be delayed until the end of the year, but unexpectedly it was four months earlier.

Gland Atrophy Syndrome was a rare disease with very few cases domestically and internationally. Shi An had never heard of the second scenario before and felt lucky they'd come today.

Grateful, Shi An thanked him and asked many detailed questions, which Shen Qianyu answered one by one. Finally, he asked: 'If it's convenient, could I have a word alone with Shi Qi?'

Remembering they already knew each other, Shi An agreed.

Once the consultation room door closed, Shen Qianyu got straight to the point: 'Does Shang Sui know about your illness?'

Seeing Shi Qi shake his head, he was silent for a moment, then said: 'In that case, I won't tell him.'

'But why don't you want him to know?' Shen Qianyu could only think of one possibility for now. 'You... don't plan on letting him help?'

Shi Qi hesitated and didn't speak.

Seeing this, Shen Qianyu's heart sank.

He'd originally thought Shi Qi and Shang Sui were together by mutual consent, but now it seemed Shang Sui had indeed used some means, making the other hide something so important from him.

Shen Qianyu asked tactfully: 'Are you with him voluntarily?'

'?'

Shi Qi finally realized his behavior was misleading: 'It's not like that. I want to find the right time to tell him. If I suddenly let him know I have Gland Atrophy Syndrome, it would seem like I'm forcing him to give me a Lifelong Mark.'

After a Lifelong Mark, his condition would be cured, but correspondingly, he wouldn't be able to wash off the mark like other Omegas, and would need the Alpha who marked him for comfort for the rest of his life.

'If it comes to that, he'd have to marry me, right? And it'd be a marriage that can't end in divorce.'

He was clearly different from normal Omegas. Hoping things would just take their natural course seemed too naive.

But...

'Bringing this up feels like forcing a marriage proposal. It's not the end yet, and I don't want to force him, or myself, for now.'

After hearing his reasoning, Shen Qianyu's expression was complicated.

He could understand Shi Qi's thinking. Being together because of an illness and naturally coming together through feelings were indeed two different things.

Before meeting Shang Sui, Shi Qi had managed to live with the pressure of gland degeneration for so long alone. It seemed that having the freedom to choose marriage and life was very important to him.

But there was one thing Shi Qi hadn't realized.

For Shang Sui, a Lifelong Mark might not be coercion at all, but something he'd desperately want.

'I understand your thinking, but this concerns your life. If you haven't spoken up by May, I'll tell him for you, okay?'

The atmosphere was a bit heavy, so Shen Qianyu made a joke: 'If I know and don't report it, the consequences are hard to predict. Our young master's temper... you know. I might not be able to stay friends with him.'

Shi Qi couldn't help but laugh and nodded.

After hearing what Shen Qianyu said, he'd originally planned to tell Shang Sui by May at the latest. He never intended to hide it forever, just delay it a little.

'One more thing,' Shen Qianyu said. 'Gland Atrophy Syndrome during Differentiation is often accompanied by various complications, such as high fever, allergies, loss of taste and smell, and in severe cases, even paralysis.'

Thinking of Shang Sui saying Shi Qi had forgotten everything, he made a bold guess: 'Did you lose a period of memory?'

With just a few lines of conversation, Shen Qianyu had hit the mark. Shi Qi was amazed: 'You're amazing.'

He still remembered waking up to see the hospital room ceiling, Shi An beside him, tears falling the moment he opened his eyes.

Shi An said he'd been unconscious for three full days. The medical conditions in Qi Jiang weren't good, so they'd brought him back to Capital City on the first night. The doctor said if he didn't wake up that night, he'd have to go to the ICU.

His phone had been lost in Qi Jiang. When buying a new one, Shi An had also changed his number. But he had no memory of any of this, not even of going to Qi Jiang.

The memories of an entire summer had vanished from his mind.

Seeing him agree, Shen Qianyu watched him for a long time with a complicated expression.

Just as Shi Qi was about to ask if there was a problem, Shen Qianyu finally spoke: 'If you want to recover your memories, you could consider taking medication.'

Gland Atrophy Syndrome was a disease related to Pheromones. If medication was combined with the Pheromones encountered during Differentiation, it might be possible to recover the memories.

Because he had been induced to differentiate by Pheromones, and the only high-Compatibility Index Alpha around was Fu Siyue, the doctor guessed Fu Siyue was the key to his Differentiation.

Fu Siyue dutifully accompanied him for a week, releasing Pheromones for Shi Qi every day.

Fu Siyue's Pheromone was tobacco. Shi Qi was immersed in the smell of smoke for a whole week, eventually getting so dizzy that he felt this memory wasn't worth recovering anyway.

'I tried it, but it didn't work.'

Shen Qianyu had already roughly guessed who the real key to Shi Qi's Differentiation was, but he couldn't say it directly, so he simply fudged it: 'You're now at a critical stage of your gland condition. If you take the medication, the result might be different from before.'

Shang Sui had been sticking close to Shi Qi recently, so they should have exchanged Pheromones.

Plus, with their high Compatibility Index, they might gradually recover memories through interaction anyway, and the medication would make it twice as effective with half the effort.

Shen Qianyu spoke with such conviction that Shi Qi didn't doubt the truth of his words.

From what Shi An and the others described, the memory he'd lost wasn't anything special. Every summer, their family would vacation in various places. If not for the Gland Atrophy Syndrome, it should have been a relaxed and pleasant holiday.

But he'd always been curious about what exactly he had forgotten.

Could it have been something very important?

This thought had faded with age, seeming indeed as his family said — that summer was like many others, nothing special.

Before leaving, Shen Qianyu reminded him: 'Memories mostly appear in the form of dreams or flashbacks. Initially, they may be very chaotic and lack logic, but as you recall more fragments, you'll gradually be able to piece them together.'

'During the medication process, memory and imagination may mix. People who don't exist in your memories might also appear.'

'You might have some strange dreams, see some strange scenes.'

'Over time, you'll naturally be able to distinguish which are your real memories.'

Following Shen Qianyu's instructions, Shi Qi took the medication before bed.

He hadn't held out much hope, but unexpectedly, as his consciousness gradually grew hazy, he unknowingly stepped into a field of Endless Summer flowers in his dream and looked up to see a familiar figure.

It took Shi Qi a moment to realize he was dreaming of that Alpha from before.

He'd dreamed of him once in Qi Jiang. Seeing the same person a second time, Shi Qi was a little surprised.

Could this possibly be his lost memory...?

Last time, the other had been indifferent to him. This time, they seemed to have become familiar.

Shi Qi saw his dream self nimbly climb over the balcony railing, unceremoniously pick up the mille-feuille on the small table, as if knowing it had been prepared especially for him.

He ate while watching the Alpha paint, chatting now and then, until the sun set.

Unlike usual, thick black clouds gathered in the distant sky, as if a fierce thunderstorm was approaching.

'I'll go now? It might rain soon.'

Shi Qi put the fork and plate back on the small table. The Alpha looked at him and suddenly said: 'You're just like those three downstairs.'

What?

Shi Qi looked down and saw a tabby, an orange cat, and a calico huddled together, happily eating from a cat bowl.

By the flowerbeds downstairs, a cat bowl had been placed. The chef would fill it on time, and the local strays would come to eat.

After finishing the food in the bowl, the cats left one by one.

The Alpha commented: 'Eat and leave.'

'Not the same. I place orders,' Shi Qi said, withdrawing his gaze, unabashed. 'I want Strawberry Cake tomorrow.'

The Alpha seemed speechless, then laughed.

He rarely smiled. Shi Qi's lips also curled up slightly, and he finally said: 'Then, bye?'

The Alpha nodded and watched him leave.

After he was gone, the other went inside and stood by the sofa, motionless.

After a long time, he let out an irritated 'tsk'.

Shi Qi was hiding in a corner of the balcony, watching his series of reactions, confirming his guess.

He hadn't walked far when he thought about how the Alpha had hesitated to speak several times, and how his comment about eating and leaving hinted at a sense of being left behind.

'Hey,' Shi Qi said. 'If you don't want me to go, you can just say so.'

Hearing his voice, the other turned around abruptly.

As if not expecting him to come back, the Alpha's eyes showed surprise.

A low rumble of thunder came from outside the window, drawing closer. Soon, a downpour would fall.

Shi Qi guessed: 'Are you afraid of thunderstorms? I can stay with you tonight.'

The Alpha didn't answer directly: 'If you don't go back, won't your family worry?'

Shi Qi always went home at sunset to avoid missing dinner.

He knew the villa Shi Qi's family was renting was at the foot of the mountain, about half an hour away.

'Dad and Papa went out to sea. They're on an island and won't be home for a couple of days.'

Thinking no one could control him, Shi Qi's eyes lit up with excitement at being in charge: 'Xiao An Dad originally asked my sister to watch me, but she secretly went to the neighboring city to see her girlfriend.'

As he spoke, he showed the Alpha Jiang Yoning's message.

Jiang Yoning: [Xiao Qi, I'm not coming back tonight.]

Jiang Yoning: [Take care of yourself, remember to lock the door, and don't get lured away by weird people, okay!]

The Alpha's gaze lingered on the last line.

He wondered if he counted as a weird person.

Shi Qi didn't notice his inner thoughts. They'd mostly only been on the balcony before; this was the first time he'd entered the bedroom.

Carpet, books, paintings, scattered pigments, furniture in various colors, worn pink walls...

Everything was like a scene from an oil painting. Shi Qi found everything interesting.

After looking around enough, Shi Qi quietly took a shower and changed into the pajamas the other had given him.

Seeing him being so careful, the Alpha finally couldn't help asking: 'Why are you acting like a thief?'

Shi Qi looked up: 'Aren't there guards watching you?'

This time, it was the Alpha's turn to freeze, then he smiled: 'Mm, right.'

The Alpha's pajamas were far too big for him. As Shi Qi walked a few steps, he accidentally stepped on the hem and nearly fell.

Luckily, the other was quick and caught him first.

The Alpha took the opportunity to lift him up. The wide pant leg rode up as they made contact, revealing a stretch of smooth, fair calf.

Shi Qi finally realized the difference between them. He hadn't differentiated yet, while the other was almost an adult. Lifting him with one hand was easy; his calf was almost as thin as the other's arm.

Shi Qi's slippers fell off. Seeing him dazed, the Alpha placed him in the center of the bed and mischievously stuffed a pillow into his arms.

He didn't react for a while. Just as the Alpha thought he was upset, Shi Qi finally snapped out of it and actively crawled under the covers.

After a moment, he poked his head out and said with sparkling eyes: 'Your bed smells so good.'

The Alpha watched his movements without speaking.

There was no incense in the room, and the bedding only carried the scent of laundry detergent, but mostly the smell of his own Pheromone.

Shi Qi seemed to really like this scent. As he moved, the linen pillows rustled, some rolling onto the carpet.

Shi Qi originally wanted to pick them up, but thinking they were both sleeping and there was no room for these pillows, he simply sat on the bed and asked: 'Why are there so many pillows?'

'I'm used to holding something when I sleep.'

The Alpha's knee pressed onto the edge of the bed as if he was about to move closer. Shi Qi only then realized how close they were and felt a belated wave of nervousness.

He'd thrown the pillows away — was the other going to hold him to sleep?

Thunder roared outside the window. He looked up, and the Alpha looked down at him. After a long moment, he reached out—

Another pair of hands reached around Shi Qi's waist from behind first, pulling him into an embrace.

His back pressed tightly against a solid, broad chest. Realizing someone had appeared in the bed without him noticing, Shi Qi broke out in goosebumps, almost thinking he'd seen a ghost.

A familiar, gentle voice asked: 'Is Xiao Qi sneaking a taste behind my back?'

Shi Qi's eyes widened. For a moment, he couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality.

He turned his head. The person behind him had half their face in shadow, but he could still make out the high-bridged nose and sharp contours.

'Shang Sui...?'

Shang Sui asked with an unreadable tone: 'How can you sleep with someone else?'

With Shang Sui's appearance, he no longer seemed like the un-differentiated youth, but had become himself.

Shi Qi was dizzy: 'I didn't, I don't know what's going on—'

Before Shi Qi could explain, Shang Sui's hand circled his neck, then slowly moved up to grip his face with moderate pressure.

Forced to turn his head, Shi Qi faced the other Alpha.

The warm indoor light contrasted with the doomsday-dark thunderstorm outside, rendering everything like a scene from a fantasy film.

Shi Qi's eyes flew open.

He finally saw the Alpha's face clearly.

The person had a face identical to Shang Sui's. High nose bridge, fox-like eyes, younger, and colder.

Seeing Shang Sui drag him away, the Alpha stood silently in place, broad-shouldered and lean, beautiful as a blade at its sharpest.

Shang Sui asked affectionately: 'Baby, who do you think he looks like?'

Hearing Shang Sui's address to Shi Qi, the other seemed provoked. He also got on the bed, grabbed Shi Qi's ankles with both hands, and silently pulled him toward himself.

Shi Qi instinctively resisted: 'Wait! Let me go!'

'Hey,' Shang Sui said, jerking his chin at him. 'Get lost.'

The Alpha replied coldly: 'You're the one who should get lost.'

They stared at each other, two identical faces showing mutual disgust. Then, as if reaching some agreement, they both looked at Shi Qi.

The Alpha spoke first: 'You choose him or me?'

Shang Sui coaxed: 'You'll choose me, right? After all, you don't even remember him.'

...

Shi Qi's eyes snapped open.

He was completely dazed for a full half minute before realizing everything just now was a dream.

What a mess. Was Shen Qianyu giving him fake medicine?!