Susceptible Period (2)

Chi Li was tormented into a haze of consciousness by the pain of his susceptible period. Only when a cool, powerful hand seized him did he regain a fraction of clarity.

That coolness rescued him from the torturous depths of suffering.

Si Jinyan had just placed a hand on Chi Li's back, intending to pick him up, when Chi Li—hot as a little furnace—went completely soft and clung to him.

Chi Li could not help wanting to get closer to that source of comfort, craving more of it.

Chi Li's hands groped wildly for something, like a drowning man struggling to clutch driftwood. He muttered under his breath as well. Si Jinyan leaned closer, but every word he uttered was indistinct.

Only after Si Jinyan held Chi Li tightly did Chi Li settle down somewhat.

Si Jinyan's brows were drawn tight. When he had seen that scene earlier, a fury he had not felt in a long time, mixed with worry, had surged straight to his head.

An omega in the midst of a susceptible period, with neither suppressants nor an alpha nearby—and Chi Li had not told anyone. If he had not come back, and the butler had not noticed either, was Chi Li planning to endure it alone?!

Everyone knew that forcing one's way through a susceptible period could cause irreparable damage to the glands, even to the body.

A susceptible period did not begin without warning; there were signs. Si Jinyan recalled how listless Chi Li had been the past two days...

And yet Chi Li had said nothing.

After settling down for only a moment, Chi Li's pheromones began tangling around Si Jinyan again, like a child seeking more comfort from him.

Si Jinyan moved close to Chi Li's gland and released a large amount of pheromones in response.

When he saw Chi Li like this, Si Jinyan found himself unable to say anything more. Before his anger could even rise, more than half of it had already dissipated.

For several hours, Si Jinyan helped Chi Li through the first wave of his susceptible period. During that time, Chi Li kept murmuring to himself—one moment saying he felt awful, the next saying he wanted more, then whimpering that it hurt and telling someone to get lost.

Si Jinyan listened to every word and indulged every request, gently kissing Chi Li's forehead. After Chi Li cursed "Get lost" again, Si Jinyan let out an almost imperceptible sigh. "You little ancestor."

A few hours later, Chi Li's temperature finally came down. Curled in Si Jinyan's arms, he was much more docile.

Following Si Jinyan's instructions, the butler delivered nutrient solution and left it outside the door. He knocked softly and asked, "Sir, is Mr. Chi feeling any better?"

Si Jinyan looked at Chi Li, sleeping peacefully in his arms. His earlier agitation gradually calmed along with Chi Li's slumber. "He's better. Yuan Ru, call Lu Jiu over and have him examine Chi Li."

The butler answered from outside the door.

When Si Jinyan had kicked the door open, Yuan Ru had been nearby as well. Even as a Beta who was not particularly sensitive to pheromones, Yuan Ru could tell that the pheromones in the room had been far too dense. He had only ever seen such an unstable susceptible period in the Marshal before, and he could not help worrying for Chi Li.

Only after Chi Li's condition improved did Si Jinyan closely examine his face. His tone was a little stern as he softly reproached the sleeping Chi Li, "Are you stupid? How could you do something so dangerous?"

Perhaps because he heard someone scolding him, Chi Li's eyelashes trembled uneasily, followed by a restless movement beneath his lids.

Half a minute passed before Chi Li slowly opened his eyes.

The moment Chi Li opened them, he saw Si Jinyan's enlarged face directly before him. Their noses were practically touching.

And at that moment, he was tightly wrapped around Si Jinyan in an inseparable, octopus-like embrace.

The next second, Chi Li caught the scent of two entwined pheromones in the air. His mind went blank for a moment before his awareness finally returned.

He had suddenly felt something was wrong while eating breakfast, so he returned to his room. Yet his body grew hotter and hotter while his limbs became utterly weak. Knowing that something was wrong, the last remnants of his awareness made Chi Li curl up beneath the covers, instinctively trying to conceal the secret in his heart.

Thinking of something, Chi Li's eyes flew wide open. He released Si Jinyan, then raised a hand to touch the back of his neck. It was already swollen beyond recognition.

Chi Li's heart pounded wildly. "You..."

"What about me?" Perhaps displeased that Chi Li had leaped away from him the instant he woke up as though he had seen a beast, Si Jinyan asked with a frown.

Looking at Si Jinyan's expression, Chi Li calmed down. Si Jinyan had not discovered it yet.

He had already retreated to the edge of the bed and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. But the moment he did, Si Jinyan dragged him back.

With a frown, Si Jinyan pulled Chi Li into his arms. "Your susceptible period isn't over yet. What are you struggling around for?"

As soon as Si Jinyan spoke, that burning heat surged up again. Chi Li's breathing grew more and more rapid.

Having Si Jinyan around really did feel much better. Chi Li took the initiative to nestle further into his arms.

"Still planning to tough it out alone? Are you angry with me?" Si Jinyan's tone was slightly grave, carrying a hint of reprimand.

Si Jinyan was referring to the political marriage.

By sheer coincidence, Si Jinyan had misunderstood him. Chi Li simply let him continue misunderstanding. He said nothing, but his body moved even closer to Si Jinyan.

Si Jinyan seemed quite satisfied. When he spoke again, his tone was much gentler. "I had Lu Jiu come examine you. Something isn't right with your susceptible period."

As he spoke, Si Jinyan's brows furrowed slightly. Chi Li was an omega, yet his susceptible period had erupted so fiercely and abruptly, as though it were a violent outburst after being forcibly suppressed for a long time.

Chi Li's heart skipped a beat. Even he could not say for certain whether this condition was a problem. Would Lu Jiu discover anything?

When Chi Li thought back on it, he found it strange as well. The researchers had anticipated such a possibility when testing this omega modification agent, yet nothing this sudden had happened during Chi Li's previous tests.

Chi Li did not want to see Lu Jiu, but Si Jinyan's words left no room for refusal.

Having no choice, Chi Li could only adapt as things came and try to stabilize himself before Lu Jiu arrived.

By the time Lu Jiu arrived, Chi Li had exhausted himself and fallen asleep again.

Lu Jiu examined Chi Li, then went with Si Jinyan to the room specially used for Si Jinyan's examinations.

Si Jinyan asked, "How is he?"

Lu Jiu looked puzzled. "It's indeed rare for a susceptible period to be this severe. Has he recently taken or injected any suppressant-type medication?"

After a moment of silence, Si Jinyan considered that there was no medication like that at home, while online purchases required approval through his secondary card. Only then did he say, "Probably not."

Lu Jiu said, "It is rare indeed. Maybe he was affected by you. Other than his susceptible period being unusually intense, I didn't find any other issues. Just spend more time with him."

Only then did Si Jinyan breathe a sigh of relief.

Lu Jiu changed the subject. "As for you, your susceptible period just ended. Why didn't you tell me?"

He knew he could not get much out of Si Jinyan. Si Jinyan never reported this sort of thing to him; only when it became severe enough to spiral out of control would Si Jinyan tell Lu Jiu and ask him for an injection.

Lu Jiu said helplessly, "Come on. Since I'm already here, I'll give you an examination too."

The room was fully equipped with medical examination facilities. Lu Jiu had insisted on moving them there back then, making it convenient for him to catch Si Jinyan at home and examine him.

When the results came out, Lu Jiu was somewhat surprised. Si Jinyan's pheromones were far more stable than he had expected. It seemed the omega kept by Si Jinyan's side had truly made a difference.

Lu Jiu said, "These results are good."

Si Jinyan was not surprised in the slightest.

Lu Jiu said, "Chi Li deserves a great deal of credit."

Only then did Si Jinyan nod. "Yes."

Lu Jiu reviewed the data several more times and remarked with admiration, "Keeping him by your side will be very good for you."

At those words, Si Jinyan's brows creased almost imperceptibly.

After the examination, Lu Jiu showed no intention of leaving.

Si Jinyan asked, "Is there something else?"

"Yes." Lu Jiu organized the documents, sat down in a nearby chair, and said, "You agreed to the political marriage?"

Si Jinyan gave a quiet "Mm," clearly not particularly concerned about it.

Lu Jiu sighed. "After you enter this political marriage, the Emperor will definitely further demand that you produce an heir. Have you considered that?"

The air fell silent for a moment.

Without waiting for Si Jinyan's answer, Lu Jiu continued, "If your child is successfully born, it will be a child who perfectly fuses human and Mermaid bloodlines. What that child will go through—you should understand better than anyone else."

Mermaids were vastly superior to humans in many ways. In the eyes of the greedy, they were perfect money-making machines, perfect killing machines. Not to mention the current ruler, who wore his greed and thirst for power plainly on his face.

After saying this, the burden on Lu Jiu's shoulders eased slightly. Given his position, he should not have said such things.

He had participated in the project and witnessed how Si Jinyan endured those inhumanly painful experiments. If new Mermaids were born in the future, Lu Jiu would still have to continue carrying out the project under orders.

The affection Lu Jiu felt for Si Jinyan had grown. From the perspective of a friend, if there was a chance, he did not want Si Jinyan to continue suffering this pain.

After a long while, Si Jinyan finally said, "I won't give them that chance."

Si Jinyan's expression was calm, but his clenched right hand at his side betrayed his fury.

Only then did Lu Jiu stand and begin packing his things. "It's good that you understand. As for the rest... I don't know what else I can say to you."

Lu Jiu paused before adding, "Also, Chi Li can help you. If possible, try to keep him by your side."

Chi Li's susceptible period lasted nearly half a month.

Once the most violent period, which required a constant infusion of Si Jinyan's pheromones, had passed, Chi Li was finally able to get out of bed. Yet he was still unstable at times, and during those times, he still needed Si Jinyan's pheromones.

Worried about Chi Li, Si Jinyan deliberately brought him to the Federation government.

Chi Li, in turn, gained another opportunity to get closer.

Geng Ji was just about to report for work when he saw someone unexpected. "Oh, a rare visitor."

Chi Li had just received a dose of Si Jinyan's pheromones. Wrapped in Si Jinyan's coat, he sat listlessly on the sofa. Hearing Geng Ji's voice, he only raised his eyelids and greeted him.

Si Jinyan frowned. "He isn't feeling well. Don't provoke him."

At that, Geng Ji raised his brows in surprise again.

During this time, the few subordinates who interacted more closely with Si Jinyan had gone from initial surprise to gradually growing accustomed to Chi Li's presence, and had become increasingly respectful toward him—except for Geng Ji.

One day, after Si Jinyan got off work, he saw Chi Li reading a report on famous buildings in the Empire and asked, "Want to go out and have some fun?"

Chi Li froze for a moment, then nodded. His eyes curved into crescents with a smile. "Sure."

Si Jinyan had the driver return first, then personally piloted his private spacecraft and took Chi Li around the Empire.

Chi Li visited the Empire's largest shopping mall and entertainment center, and saw its oldest buildings...

That evening, as they passed a garden, they happened to come across a pair of lovers proposing.

There were many people in the garden, and the surrounding crowd buzzed with excitement. The instant the proposal succeeded, cheers erupted loud enough to shake the air. Flying robots used the night sky as a backdrop to display dazzling images, while camera robots recorded the moment.

Drawn in by the liveliness, Chi Li could not help slowing down to look a little longer.

Si Jinyan was still holding a whale-shaped cotton candy. Seeing Chi Li slow down, he stopped as well.

It was winter. Both of them wore scarves that concealed half their faces. Si Jinyan rarely went out, and he had not deliberately disguised himself this time.

Yet the next day, a piece of news that nearly shocked the entire Empire seized the headlines—The Empire's Marshal, soon to enter a political marriage with the princess, had been exposed meeting his lover in a park!

Having just finished breakfast, Chi Li sat on the sofa browsing the Neural Computer when he suddenly saw the news. His eyelids twitched in shock.