The temperature dropped at night, and it started to rain. The water level kept rising. They couldn’t stay there any longer. He1This should be Xu Jiu, it only says ‘he’ in the raws. took off his dry clothes and rolled them into a bundle, stuffing them into the bag with his gun.
Chen Songyan came out in the rain to pack up the tents. Xu Jiu helped him, so they finished quickly. Chen Songyan didn’t mention Xu Jiu’s tent, knowing it wouldn’t withstand the strong wind.
They would have to share one tent anyway.
The rain fell on Chen Songyan’s muscular upper body. His skin appeared unusually pale under the flashlight. He wore a necklace with a red cord around his neck, but Xu Jiu couldn’t make out what was hanging from it. It was something square-shaped, like jade.
The proportions of his muscles were perfect, like the patterns on marble, as if carved by an ancient Greek artist. His gaze was determined.
Xu Jiu stared in amazement. Not only was Chen Songyan academically excellent, but his body was also this impressive?
The raindrops beat heavily against Chen Songyan’s artificial gland. His neck hurt terribly, like being pricked by needles. The artificial gland was fine. He had learned to endure it since childhood. However, it had this one flaw: it would hurt badly in bad weather.
The rain grew heavier, forming a curtain that blurred their vision. Afraid of losing Xu Jiu, Chen Songyan grabbed him tightly and shouted, “Stay close!”
Xu Jiu responded obediently, “I won’t get lost.”
This was the worst weather they’d encountered in over a year of military exercises.
They walked along a muddy path as Chen Songyan led Xu Jiu to higher ground. They found a cave, and Xu Jiu was soaked through.
Chen Songyan’s bag was waterproof, so the clothes inside stayed dry.
He threw his bag to Xu Jiu. “Change out of your wet clothes. Wear mine for now.”
Xu Jiu didn’t refuse since he was cold. Chen Songyan’s clothes were big on him, completely covering even his butt2“pg” is an abbreviation for “屁股” (pìgu), which means “butt” . The clothes carried a faint scent of cedar. Xu Jiu stripped off his wet pants, revealing his long, straight legs under the loose black shirt.
Chen Songyan’s gland hurt badly, and his body burned with fever. He leaned against the cave wall, his left leg stretched out, his right leg bent. His right hand rested relaxed on his knee, and his left hand gently pressed against his gland.
His eyes occasionally flicked toward Xu Jiu.
Chen Songyan: [What a beautiful view, so lucky]
Xu Jiu wondered if Chen Songyan had gone crazy from the rain. It was pitch black outside, what could be beautiful about that?
Chen Songyan was also soaked from the rain, but he gave his clothes to Xu Jiu. Xu Jiu couldn’t let him get hypothermia.
Xu Jiu disassembled a bullet and carefully spread the gunpowder on the ground. He cut a piece of dry cloth from his clothes and placed it over the gunpowder.
Standing in front of Chen Songyan, Xu Jiu expertly loaded his gun and shot at the cloth. A small flame immediately sparked up. He quickly covered it with dried grass and leaves from the cave, then added stripped tree branches on top.
The fire was ready. Now they didn’t have to worry.
Chen Songyan: [So beautiful]
Xu Jiu turned his head when he heard Chen Songyan’s thoughts. What was beautiful? How could he still be in the mood to appreciate the scenery?
Then he noticed Chen Songyan’s eyes quickly shifting away from his thighs.
Xu Jiu belatedly realized what “beautiful view” Chen Songyan had been referring to.
Xu Jiu: …Dage, I’m an Alpha. Are you that desperate?
But Chen Songyan’s complexion looked strange, sickly even.
Xu Jiu felt worried, especially since he was still wearing Chen Songyan’s clothes.
He touched Chen Songyan’s arm and found it frighteningly hot. He withdrew his hand as if shocked by electricity.
Afraid Chen Songyan might think he was disgusted, Xu Jiu touched his arm again, pretending to wipe off the rainwater with his sleeve.
After some internal struggle, Xu Jiu finally spoke up:
“Chen Songyan, are you okay? Do you have a fever?”
Chen Songyan’s fair skin made his flushed cheeks stand out even more. His eyes were dark as he replied hoarsely:
“Go away, I’m fine.”
Chen Songyan: [Touch me more.]
Xu Jiu: ? Why are you saying one thing but meaning another3心口不一 (xīn kǒu bù yī) – heart and mouth at variance (idiom); keeping one’s real intentions to oneself / saying one thing but meaning sth different? Do you want me to clean it or not?
Xu Jiu didn’t notice that the pheromone concentration indicator on Chen Songyan’s collar had skyrocketed from 12% to 89%, and it was still showing signs of rising.
Xu Jiu sat beside Chen Songyan and began sorting through the remaining supplies. With enough ammunition, they could hunt for food tomorrow. As Xu Jiu was going through his bag, Chen Songyan sat next to him.
Chen Songyan caught sight of the name “Ranran” embroidered in gold thread on Xu Jiu’s small bag.
In an instant, bitterness flooded his mind. His unrequited love became a festering wound in his sanity.
Ranran was the Omega Xu Jiu had always liked.
Chen Songyan had seen that Omega before, beautiful and gentle.
They would have children together in the future. They would build a home together.
While he, Chen Songyan, would fade from Xu Jiu’s world, becoming just another nameless stranger.
Chen Songyan felt dizzy. His heart ached with bitterness, mixed with a hint of defiance.
He looked down at the necklace hanging on his chest. It was a baby tooth. The owner of that tooth sat right beside him.
He was clearly the one who met Xu Jiu first.
But Xu Jiu didn’t remember.
All these years, he had been obedient and followed the rules. Whatever his father told him to do, he did it.
He won countless awards and maintained perfect behavior just to earn a chance to attend the military academy with Xu Jiu.
Chen Songyan kept his head down and stayed quiet. Xu Jiu thought he had fallen asleep. Feeling bored while watching the fire, Xu Jiu muttered, “I wonder what Ranran is doing right now.”
Chen Songyan suddenly raised his head. Xu Jiu heard a mechanical voice,
“Pheromone concentration 100%.” Then there was the sound of metal dropping in the darkness.
Chen Songyan’s collar had fallen off. His eyes blazed like a starving wolf in the snow, staring intently at his prey. But he quickly realized his loss of composure and suppressed the wildness in his eyes.
Chen Songyan calmly said to Xu Jiu, “Where’s the suppressant? My rut seems to have come early.”
Xu Jiu fell silent for a moment, blinking his eyes, his voice turning soft,
“Chen Songyan, I’m sorry, I lost the suppressant.”
A vein bulged on Chen Songyan’s forehead. “Then lend me your collar to help ease it.”
Xu Jiu naturally unfastened his and put it on Chen Songyan. Xu Jiu had never seen the numbers on a pheromone collar change so quickly.
In just one second, it jumped from “0” to “100%”
Xu Jiu stepped back in fear. Something wasn’t right. Was the collar broken? How could an Alpha’s pheromone level be so high? Even during his rut, it only reached 92%.
The cedar scent in the cave instantly overwhelmed Xu Jiu’s white camellia fragrance.
Unless he had an artificial gland, but that should be impossible. Very few Alphas could tame artificial glands.
Artificial glands were inferior to natural ones. The implantation was extremely painful, and using them was equally agonizing. An Alpha would be lucky to survive the torture.
It was unimaginable, given how composed Chen Songyan usually was.
Xu Jiu was too curious. He secretly touched the back of Chen Songyan’s neck, where he found a jagged scar.
The answer was clear.
Chen Songyan must be inhuman to endure such pain, Xu Jiu thought as he tried to run.
But Chen Songyan grabbed him, with a terrifying look that Xu Jiu had never seen before, as if he wanted to devour him whole.
TL Notes
- 1This should be Xu Jiu, it only says ‘he’ in the raws.
- 2“pg” is an abbreviation for “屁股” (pìgu), which means “butt”
- 3心口不一 (xīn kǒu bù yī) – heart and mouth at variance (idiom); keeping one’s real intentions to oneself / saying one thing but meaning sth different
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