Soothing Pheromones

On the way back, Chi Li asked Geng Ji, "Will his leg ever get better?"

Geng Ji narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at him. "His leg was broken and nearly amputated. What do you think?"

Chi Li's hand at his side clenched slightly. He lowered his head and said nothing.

Geng Ji asked, "What are you going to do?"

Chi Li asked back, "What do you mean, what am I going to do?"

"What if..." Geng Ji paused, then said, "How do you plan to repay Si Jinyan? He broke a leg protecting you."

The moment the subject came up, Chi Li's mood grew heavier. He would rather Si Jinyan had not rushed forward at the time, and that he himself had lost a leg instead.

Chi Li did not want to owe anyone a debt of gratitude, least of all Si Jinyan.

At that point, Chi Li had not yet carefully considered why.

Geng Ji asked, "If he can't find a wife and nobody wants him anymore, will you take care of him?"

Chi Li found the question a little strange, but before he could think too deeply about what was strange about it, he had actually begun seriously weighing the matter.

Then Geng Ji suddenly shouted, "You hesitated! Si Jinyan got the short end of the stick!"

Chi Li frowned and came to his senses. The more he thought about it, the stranger that sounded.

"Let's go see whether Si Jinyan is awake." Geng Ji abruptly changed the subject, returning to his lazy, slack demeanor.

He clasped his hands behind his head, his palms resting against the back of his skull. He walked carelessly, looking nothing like a soldier and more like a handsome street punk.

When they reached the area outside a hospital room, several soldiers stood guard at the door, while a few doctors emerged from inside.

Chi Li's heart leaped into his throat, and his steps halted.

Geng Ji smacked the back of his head. "Come on. Weren't you the one clamoring to see the Marshal?"

The soldiers standing guard saluted Geng Ji.

The doctors all left.

Chi Li walked in. Other than Si Jinyan, there was no one else in the room.

Si Jinyan was already awake. He leaned against the headboard, though his face was still somewhat pale.

Geng Ji asked, "How do you feel?"

Si Jinyan's voice was slightly hoarse. "Not bad."

Geng Ji gave Chi Li's back another shove. "What are you standing there for? Didn't you insist on coming to see him?"

Si Jinyan looked at Chi Li.

Chi Li could not help looking toward Si Jinyan's leg.

He looked at Si Jinyan's face, then his leg, then his face again. Hesitating, he said, "Marshal, your leg..."

Si Jinyan noticed. "It doesn't hurt."

Si Jinyan looked as though he did not take it seriously, which eased Chi Li's worries, yet his heart tightened as though someone had gripped it. He felt even more guilty. Did losing a leg really mean nothing to Si Jinyan?

Seeing that Chi Li was still weighed down, Si Jinyan said to Geng Ji, "If you have nothing else to do, leave first."

Geng Ji still wanted to stay and watch the show. "You're kicking me out in such a hurry? Am I getting in your way?"

Si Jinyan's gaze shifted from Chi Li to Geng Ji. He raised one eyebrow slightly, his tone turning cold. "Do you have something else to do?"

Geng Ji took one look at Si Jinyan's expression, his eyes shifting as he thought, Leaving is fine too. Then he grinned. "I'll head out first, then. You two have a good chat."

That sly expression on Geng Ji's face made Si Jinyan feel that something was off.

After Geng Ji left, Si Jinyan saw that Chi Li was still standing far away and said, "Come closer."

Chi Li obediently walked over. Si Jinyan touched his hand and found it a little cold, so he tightened his grip slightly.

Si Jinyan asked, "Why didn't you change clothes?"

Chi Li replied dully, "I forgot. There wasn't time."

Si Jinyan asked, "Did you eat?"

"I did."

Si Jinyan touched Chi Li's face again and said gently, "It's fine. Don't take it to heart."

Chi Li's gaze kept drifting toward Si Jinyan's leg. Suddenly, he felt as though something was not quite right.

Si Jinyan pulled Chi Li over, intending to hold him and seat him at his side.

Afraid of pressing on Si Jinyan, Chi Li tried to avoid him while gripping Si Jinyan's hand to counter his strength. "Marshal, your leg," he said weakly.

Si Jinyan's back was injured too, but Chi Li had been fixated on his leg injury. Si Jinyan sensed that something was wrong. Remembering Geng Ji's expression when he left, he frowned and asked with a slight lift in his voice, "What did Geng Ji tell you?"

The strange sense of disharmony coming through the blanket covering Si Jinyan's legs grew stronger and stronger. At last, Chi Li caught hold of the odd feeling he had overlooked.

Chi Li said, "He said your leg was broken..."

Almost at the same time, Si Jinyan said, "Geng Ji said my leg was broken?"

Chi Li froze, his eyes widening, then nodded earnestly.

Si Jinyan's face darkened, and his displeasure became obvious.

Chi Li realized it too. Geng Ji had actually played him!

Geng Ji had been having fun at his expense.

Damn it!

Si Jinyan said, "Teach him a lesson next time."

Chi Li felt that Si Jinyan was cursing Geng Ji in his heart too. Geng Ji had run fast; otherwise, Chi Li feared he would not have been able to stop himself from punching him.

Si Jinyan lifted the blanket, reassuring Chi Li by showing him. "It isn't broken. The bullet was removed."

Si Jinyan was not wearing pants, and a bandage was wrapped around his left thigh.

Chi Li saw it at a glance, along with Little Yan.

After one look, Chi Li had Si Jinyan cover himself back up and even tucked the blanket around him. "That's good. Keep the blanket on. Don't catch a chill."

Watching Chi Li's slightly flustered appearance, Si Jinyan's lips curled faintly upward.

Other than necessary bandage changes, Si Jinyan refused all other medical care.

Chi Li served Si Jinyan his meals. Si Jinyan could clearly eat on his own, yet when he saw Chi Li pick up chopsticks and a spoon to feed him, he did not refuse. He opened his mouth and let Chi Li feed him, leaving Chi Li no choice but to give him bite after bite.

That night, when Chi Li saw that Si Jinyan could already get out of bed and walk around, he finally understood just how astonishing Si Jinyan's recovery was compared with ordinary people.

During the day, after confirming that Si Jinyan was fine, Chi Li began thinking over what had happened. Si Jinyan's speed had been abnormally fast.

Si Jinyan's medical examination reports were all classified. Only that leaked pheromone report had given the intelligence department an opening, because the research institute had been searching extensively for highly compatible omegas.

"What are you spacing out for?" Si Jinyan stood beside the bed, Little Yan standing at attention as it stared straight at Chi Li.

Time and again, Si Jinyan's shamelessness refreshed Chi Li's limits.

There was only Si Jinyan crossing Chi Li's bottom line; there was nothing Si Jinyan could not do.

He was far too energetic, and Chi Li's face reddened slightly.

When he helped Si Jinyan wash up and bathe, he saw that the big thing showed no signs of calming down and was still thrusting straight toward him. At last, Chi Li could not help asking, "Marshal, is it really okay for your body to be like this all the time?"

Si Jinyan said, "Then come help me."

Chi Li said, "."

Chi Li had not expected Si Jinyan to be serious.

Later, blood seeped through Si Jinyan's bandage, but Si Jinyan still showed no intention of stopping. Chi Li panicked and tried to cover the wound, getting blood all over his hands.

Chi Li could not persuade Si Jinyan either, so he could only cooperate as much as possible and keep Si Jinyan from moving too much. Si Jinyan seemed very pleased by Chi Li's initiative. Again and again, Chi Li thought it was time to rest, only for it not to end.

Chi Li fell asleep from exhaustion. Even in his dreams, his brows were tightly furrowed. Si Jinyan held him as he cleaned him up, then held him and lay on the bed for a while.

The lights in the hospital room had been turned off. Hazy moonlight streamed through the window, blurring the outlines of the furnishings.

Si Jinyan stared at Chi Li's face, releasing soothing pheromones as his fingertip smoothed over Chi Li's tightly furrowed brows.

Si Jinyan knew that what he had done then was not the judgment of a steady person, nor the behavior a partially modified human in a dangerous period should have displayed.

Yet as he looked at Chi Li's peaceful face, listened to his steady breathing, felt his heartbeat and the faint pheromones he unconsciously released, Si Jinyan knew he would still make the same choice.

Only after Chi Li's breathing had completely settled did Si Jinyan go out and call a nurse to change the blood-soaked bandage.