YPSSS Chapter 32

Liu Yutong stood up in surprise. “Junior?”

Xie Ji gave a short hum in response.

Liu Yutong had only met Xie Ji once before, not long after the semester started, at a bar. The lighting was dim at the time, so he didn’t get a clear look at his appearance.

He only knew that Xie Ji was very tall, even slightly taller than all the Alphas in the Department of Particle Physics, and quite well-known.

Although they weren’t in the same department or year, Liu Yutong often heard his name mentioned around campus.

Not knowing why he came to the campus clinic, Liu Yutong looked at him a few more times before his gaze suddenly froze. “Junior, what happened to your face?”

From the side, there seemed to be a slight redness.

Looking more carefully, his complexion also seemed off. His eyelids drooped slightly, and there was an air of barely restrained aggression around him.

In any case, he looked quite different from when Liu Yutong first met him.

Xie Ji lifted his eyes slightly and replied flatly, “Nothing.” Then he asked, “Is Xia Shiruan inside?”

Liu Yutong nodded, then realized something was wrong. “Junior, where did you come from? Are you here for your face… no, you’re here looking for Xia Shiruan?”

Given how things had escalated, it wasn’t strange that his junior would know about it. Without thinking too much, Liu Yutong launched into a detailed account of what had happened in the library earlier, ending with: “Chen Jiu really fucking deserves a beating. Even I wanted to hit him when I saw it. If only…”

“Yeah,” Xie Ji said. “I beat him up.”

Liu Yutong paused, silently swallowing back his unfinished sentence about “being afraid of the security team’s electric batons.”

Liu Yutong took another look at the redness on Xie Ji’s face, and decided not to ask where he’d come from. Damn, he really went for it. Wonder how Chen Jiu’s doing now.

Suppressing his other questions, he asked awkwardly, “Then what about the security team…?”

The campus security officers, like regular police, carried electric batons.

The electric batons of Year 299 of New Era were different from before. During major social fights, nothing else could subdue raging Alphas.

Science University averaged two student conflicts per year, and the security officers showed no mercy when using their batons on thick-skinned Alphas. Liu Yutong was a coward, and he was terrified of them.

“I’ll deal with that later.” Xie Ji didn’t bother explaining further, his face expressionless as he asked, “Senior, can I go in to see Xia Shiruan?”

“Oh… sure.” Liu Yutong snapped back to attention, pointing to the inner room. “He’s lying down in there. Not sure if he’s awake yet.”

Xie Ji gave a slight nod and pushed open the door to the inner room.

The campus doctor had ignored their conversation. After Xie Ji went in, he picked up the prescription slip and handed it to Liu Yutong, “Take this slip to get the medicine later. And what I mentioned earlier, I don’t know if you remember…”

Liu Yutong interrupted him as if waking from a dream, “Doctor!”

The campus doctor responded with a puzzled look.

“It’s like this!” Liu Yutong exclaimed as if making a discovery, choosing his words carefully. “Did you see that Alpha just now? Later, you should tell him everything you just told me!”

The doctor stared at him blankly. I genuinely don’t understand young people these days.

Xia Shiruan had already woken up.

He had a long dream that started out oppressively. He felt like he was suffocating under countless layers of heavy blankets, with an intensely agitated feeling in his chest that had no outlet.

Later in the dream, he went hiking and finally found a comfortable place with birdsong, flower fragrance, and a sweet scent. There seemed to be someone else there too.

He felt so comfortable that his whole body went slack, and he didn’t want to wake up.

But eventually he did wake up. There was no one beside him, just white walls and a bed.

Xia Shiruan turned his head to look around the room, let out a breath, then moved his head back to lie properly on the bed.

He closed his eyes briefly, and all the unpleasant memories from before flooded back into his mind.

…He’d lost count of how many times this had happened, these sudden losses of control.

Perhaps the doctor was right. While medical suppressants had no documented side effects, they might not be entirely suitable for his special constitution?

His heat cycles, which couldn’t be fully stabilized even with medical suppressants, were like a snowball for him. He never knew which time would land him in serious trouble.

When Xie Ji pushed open the door, he saw Xia Shiruan lying flat on the clinic bed, expressionless, his hands obediently folded over his stomach, revealing a small stretch of slender, fair wrists.

Xie Ji stood at the doorway for a moment.

Xia Shiruan sensed someone entering and slowly turned his head.

Xie Ji was watching him with dark eyes.

Xia Shiruan, like a puppy catching the scent of canned meat, took only a second before his eyes widened, staring straight at Xie Ji.

Xie Ji froze for a moment at that look. His lips moved as he walked forward to the bedside, about to speak.

But before he could say anything, Xia Shiruan quickly threw off the blanket, got down barefoot into his slippers, tilted his head up to wrap his arms around Xie Ji’s waist, and leaned against him.

The series of movements flowed smoothly, without a hint of hesitation.

Xia Shiruan took a deep breath of his scent and relaxed.

Like a small animal finding its comfort zone, he even turned his neck slightly, almost letting out satisfied little hums.

The Omega’s arms were soft, and his body temperature was slightly elevated, probably because he had just gone through his heat, even though it had been suppressed by medication.

A sweet scent came from him, not just his pheromones but something like body wash.

The scent crept into Xie Ji’s nose as those warm, soft arms wrapped around him.

Every muscle in Xie Ji’s body tensed the moment Xia Shiruan leaned against him. It took immense self-control not to lower his head and seek out that most vulnerable spot at the Omega’s nape.

Xia Shiruan held on for quite a while, showing no signs of letting go.

“Xia Shiruan.” Xie Ji kept his hands at his sides, neither embracing nor pushing him away, only reminding him, “Had enough?”

Xie Ji’s voice was slightly hoarse but calm, so calm to the point of coolness.

The arms holding him stiffened instantly.

As reason returned, Xia Shiruan realized he was doing the same thing Chen Jiu had done.

Xia Shiruan snapped to his senses and quickly released his arms from around Xie Ji. He looked up, his eyes momentarily confused before quickly turning uncertain.

After two seconds of silence, Xia Shiruan said softly, “Sorry.”

Xie Ji looked at Xia Shiruan, rubbed the side of his face, and silently sighed.

Xia Shiruan’s lips were still pale, and he looked rather haggard and pitiful.

After a while, Xie Ji couldn’t help saying, “You don’t need to apologize. That’s not what I meant.”

Xia Shiruan blinked and looked at him.

Xie Ji watched the stray hairs on his forehead and spoke slowly.

“I’m an adult Alpha.”

Xia Shiruan had nice hair, the soft black kind that looked pleasant to touch. A few strands were sticking up now from lying down too long.

Xie Ji couldn’t resist reaching out to smooth them down.

“If the person I like keeps hugging me and saying they want to smell my pheromones…” Xie Ji took a breath and continued, “Of course I wouldn’t mind. I’d be happy about it.”

“But I might misunderstand and do things you might regret.”

“So, Xia Shiruan, be sure before you hug me.”

Xie Ji spoke in an ordinary tone that seemed casual, almost indifferent, without any suggestive undertones.

But Xia Shiruan felt like something was blocking his throat, leaving him speechless.

After waiting for a while and receiving no response, Xie Ji noticed that the person in front of him was still lost in thought.

He flicked that stubborn strand of hair and bent down to look at him. “Want to think about it now?”

Xia Shiruan stood frozen in place.

He thought he might still be dreaming, that he hadn’t woken up yet, which was why he heard what Xie Ji just said.

The person he likes? Who was that?

Xia Shiruan struggled to analyze it, but no matter how he thought about it, it seemed to be referring to himself.

Xia Shiruan was good-looking, and although he was a bit reserved, he’d received confessions before.

Those had been the most insignificant parts of his life, requiring no response, something that didn’t require a response and could be easily discarded.

The only time it left a deep impression was perhaps because he was young, or because it was so absurd, or maybe for some other reason. In any case, Xia Shiruan remembered it for many years.

He didn’t expect to hear similar words from the same person again.

The words were different, but the meaning was the same.

And the situation was very similar to last time. Xia Shiruan’s heart was racing.

Back then it was from panic, but now?

Xia Shiruan spoke, his voice unsteady, “…I don’t know. I didn’t hug you because of… that.”

Xie Ji stared at him and asked, “Then why?”

Because I like your pheromones’ scent, it’s sweet.

“Because…” Xia Shiruan opened his mouth, then felt that wasn’t quite right. Saying that would seem too casual. So he stopped and hesitantly said, “I don’t know.”

Two consecutive “I don’t know”s were very unlike Xia Shiruan.

Xia Shiruan liked rigorous reasoning and logically sound answers. When encountering something he didn’t understand, he would always take time to figure it out.

But he seemed to have encountered his first puzzle where every question involved Xie Ji. Xia Shiruan had answered them one by one, writing countless conflicted “don’t know”s, hoping there would be answer keys to check against.

He wanted to wait until the end to check his answers, but the answer column clearly showed “omitted.”

“Never mind.” Xie Ji’s lips twitched as he straightened up. “Take your time thinking. I’m not in a hurry.”

He touched the still-red spot on his face, letting out a soft hiss, then said casually, “I have to go, need to visit the security department. Are you getting discharged today? Or staying?”

“…I’ll stay.”

Xie Ji nodded and walked to the door. Just before pulling it open, he turned back to look at him once more. “Chen Jiu won’t bother you again.”

After a pause, he continued, “Next time something like this happens, tell me.”