50

Chaos, blurred vision full of unfamiliar faces. Wen Ran hadn't memorized all the bodyguards Gu Yunchi assigned him anyway, and in this state he couldn't tell them apart. He shoved away every hand reaching for him indiscriminately, barreled forward, and toward the one vaguely familiar figure running down the corridor — screamed, voice tearing: "He Wei!"

"Everyone stop!" He Wei barked, rushed over with his people, and yanked Wen Ran out of the crowd.

More than a dozen security guards poured in from the other end of the corridor. He Wei tossed off "Grab everyone, doesn't matter which side" and dragged Wen Ran toward the elevator. Heart pounding like it would explode, Wen Ran gasped, words tumbling out: "Gu Yunchi... is Gu Yunchi..."

"His car got blocked on the way from the airport. He took a tranquilizer dart — inside it—" He Wei glanced at Wen Ran quickly. "Inside was high-match Pheromone."

His hammering heart sank to the bottom. Wen Ran asked, voice thin: "And now?"

"On the way to 195 Institute. No idea what the situation is — I just got word myself. Then I remembered you're high-match, you're probably a target too, so I came straight here."

The elevator doors opened, they ran out of the hotel and into a car. Wen Ran stared at his knee, unconsciously rubbing his left hand with his right, until the burn he'd just gotten from the fire was rubbed raw and bloody. Only then did he finally feel a little pain and stop.

He Wei was on the phone the whole drive, his brow knotting tighter with every call. Wen Ran was so terrified he didn't dare ask, afraid of hearing an answer he couldn't bear.

The driver pushed the speed limit all the way to the Hospital entrance. Wen Ran's teeth were chattering when he got out. After they got in the elevator, He Wei finally noticed his hand: "How'd it get like this? Go get it treated."

"No, it's fine." Wen Ran shook his head stiffly. "Let's go — let's go see him first."

Out of the elevator, through several glass doors, into an unusually quiet and highly private area. Outside one hospital room stood a crowd of doctors, nurses, and bodyguards. Lu Heyang was reading a report; hearing footsteps he looked up, but his gaze passed over Wen Ran's shoulder and he called toward someone behind him: "Grandfather."

Wen Ran turned around blankly and realized Gu Peiwen was walking right behind him — must have just arrived too.

Wen Ran immediately moved to the wall. Gu Peiwen hurried past him, took the report from Lu Heyang and flipped through it. A doctor beside him handed over a tablet: "Director Gu, this is the room's surveillance. The patient has entered his Susceptibility Period. All indicators are abnormal, Pheromone activity is too high. We can't give him a sedative, but if we don't take other measures, he'll go into shock soon, and it'll be even more dangerous."

He Wei stood to the side, stunned speechless. Clearly he hadn't expected Gu Yunchi's Susceptibility Period to be this severe.

Not just the 195 Institute doctors — even Gu Yunchi's private physician, who'd followed him for years, had no experience with his Susceptibility Period. There wasn't another case like it in the entire League. "Tricky" wasn't accurate enough — it was nearly unsolvable. They could only try.

"The plans we prepared earlier haven't been implemented yet. The Pheromone concentration the patient's emitting is too high — even with the Wristband and Neck Ring on, there's a risk of impact. Some doctors and nurses have already fainted. And the Alpha is in a high-alert state during his Susceptibility Period, showing aggressive behavior. So my recommendation is, without a high-match Omega Pheromone, we may need to use forceful measures to restrain the patient first — inject a specialized Inhibitor, then take further steps."

Gu Peiwen watched the monitor, his face heavy, brow furrowed. He nodded. Before the doctor could issue the order, Wen Ran said: "I — I can provide high-match Pheromone."

Everyone looked at him. Wen Ran looked at Gu Peiwen — this elder who always greeted him with a smile, now staring at him with a sharp, scrutinizing gaze.

No time to feel hurt by it. Wen Ran understood Gu Peiwen's suspicion. The leak of Gu Yunchi's Susceptibility Period secret, the Omega Pheromone in the tranquilizer dart, the Wen Family's previous collaboration with the Tang-Wei Clan — from every angle, he was someone who should be suspected.

If he were Gu Peiwen, at this moment, he wouldn't believe it either — that this Omega called "Wen Ran" had any real feelings for Gu Yunchi.

"You can watch the monitor. I'll take an oral Inhibitor in, try to get him to drink some, then release some Pheromone — it might help." Wen Ran spoke in a tone he himself didn't realize was almost pleading. "If he hits me it's fine, just let me try. If it doesn't work, I'll cooperate with the doctors on other plans."

Silence. Gu Peiwen watched him for a few seconds, then finally said: "Whatever role you played in all of this — this time, I hope you genuinely want what's best for Yunchi."

Wen Ran couldn't even answer without shame. He nodded, took the Inhibitor and a pen-cap-sized push-to-talk communicator the nurse handed him. The nurse reminded him: "If anything happens, press the button and tell us. Also, try not to let the patient take off his Wristband — otherwise we can't monitor his vitals in time."

"Okay."

The doctor swiped a card and opened the door. Wen Ran walked in.

The hospital room was pitch black. Wen Ran remembered reading somewhere that Alphas in their Susceptibility Period hated light, liked hiding in the dark — like nocturnal beasts.

Maybe this was the symbiosis of nature and society in an S-Class Alpha — the stronger the body, the sharper the reflexes, the more developed the senses, the closer to a wild animal in extreme states.

There was another one-way glass door inside. It slid open automatically as Wen Ran approached. In an instant, Alpha Pheromone came crashing in like a towering wave at high tide — even with the Neck Ring on, it seeped in through every breath, every pore of skin. Wen Ran's back was drenched in hot sweat within five seconds.

He had to breathe through his mouth, carefully stepping further in. He could vaguely see that all the equipment and furnishings in the room had been removed, to make sure Gu Yunchi wouldn't hurt himself.

"Gu Yunchi." Wen Ran swallowed. The heat had already climbed from his spine to his face. He called softly again: "Gu Yunchi?"

The back of his head suddenly went faintly numb — like his body sensing something and warning him. Wen Ran turned around. What met his eyes was a figure darker than the darkness itself — his heart skipped a beat, he couldn't help but shiver, completely unprepared for Gu Yunchi to be behind him.

It had been a while since they'd seen each other. If he'd known the next time he saw Gu Yunchi he wouldn't be able to see his face clearly, Wen Ran would have looked at him a few more times when they last parted.

"Are you feeling awful?" Wen Ran had never thought Gu Yunchi was this tall. He wanted to touch him, but didn't dare. "I brought you an Inhibitor. Will you drink some?"

Gu Yunchi didn't answer. He dipped his head toward him. The genetic fear of an S-Class Alpha made Wen Ran's palms so sweaty he could barely hold the Inhibitor and communicator. He tried to pry open the Inhibitor cap but kept slipping — until Gu Yunchi reached out and gripped his Neck Ring. Wen Ran froze.

"Take it off." Gu Yunchi tugged the Neck Ring, voice low and hoarse.

"Okay." Wen Ran couldn't predict what would happen if the Neck Ring came off, so he first flipped the one-way switch and set it to the lowest setting.

Omega Pheromone drifted out gently, mingling with the Alpha Pheromone in the air. Gu Yunchi's breathing immediately grew heavier. His hand moved to cup Wen Ran's face, voice even lower: "Take it off. Can't you hear me?"

He seemed to not recognize him at all. Wen Ran, afraid of angering him, nodded obediently and took off the Neck Ring.

At the same moment — as if a hand were gripping his throat and covering his mouth and nose — the air around him pressed in like something solid, crushing him until his legs went weak and he could barely stand. He grabbed the hand Gu Yunchi had on his face, gasping hard through the suffocating pressure, belatedly realizing it wasn't the air pressing down on him — it was the high-concentration Pheromone of an Alpha in his Susceptibility Period.

He had never smelled Alpha Pheromone this intense. To him it was outright terrifying.

Gu Yunchi was unmoved by Wen Ran's violent reaction. His hand slid along the side of his neck to the back, to the Gland. His palm was scorching. Wen Ran flinched at the touch. He didn't understand what it meant for an Alpha to touch his Gland — just as he didn't know how to soothe an Alpha in a Susceptibility Period. He thought releasing enough Pheromone would be enough.

"Feeling any better?" The Neck Ring fell onto the carpet. Wen Ran released Gu Yunchi's hand, touched his face. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Gu Yunchi pressed and kneaded his Gland, stepping closer.

A sour, tingling sensation shot down his spine. Wen Ran had to grab Gu Yunchi's hem just to stay upright. He wanted to explain, to lay everything out — but this wasn't the moment.

Wen Ran managed: "I want to... do something for you."

Before the words were out, Gu Yunchi ducked his head and bit hard into the side of his neck, lifting him up.

……