Help You

Chi Li froze. Before he had a chance to react, Si Jinyan's broad, scorching palm was already pressed against his back. Chi Li's spine trembled as though it had been burned.

The next second, Chi Li's whole body stiffened. He did not know what Si Jinyan intended to do—did he need Chi Li's help through his sensitive period, or had he learned something and meant to punish him?

Si Jinyan was merely checking Chi Li's wounds. His rough fingertips brushed over Chi Li's pale skin, which was covered in scars, most of them already scabbed over. Bandages still wrapped his arms, shoulders, and legs.

"You're hurt," Si Jinyan said, his voice carrying a faint, almost imperceptible ache.

Only then did Chi Li confirm that Si Jinyan merely wanted to inspect his injuries. But they were still in Bai Qi's garden, and servants could pass by at any moment. Footsteps seemed to sound nearby.

Si Jinyan did not care in the slightest. His gaze was dark, and he showed no intention of stopping. Chi Li's robe hung wide open, and Si Jinyan even bent down to inspect his thigh, which was also wrapped in bandages.

Perhaps Si Jinyan was too close. Chi Li could even feel the heat of his breath brushing against the skin of his thigh.

Chi Li stepped back half a pace, only for Si Jinyan to seize his ankle. A particularly obvious scar ran across half of Chi Li's right calf. It was the most conspicuous of all his scars, and it was hard to imagine how horrifying it must have looked when it was fresh.

As an alpha, Chi Li had never taken such minor wounds seriously. Injuries were unavoidable on missions; surviving without losing an arm or leg was already a blessing. Si Jinyan's body bore who knew how many times more scars than his. Yet Si Jinyan's serious expression now left Chi Li both startled and uneasy.

His clothes barely covered him, and the unfamiliar footsteps were drawing nearer. Chi Li had no choice but to remind Si Jinyan, "Someone's coming."

Chi Li felt a little embarrassed. Si Jinyan paused at his words, straightened, and stared into Chi Li's eyes. Then he directly scooped Chi Li up around the waist. Chi Li was suddenly lifted off the ground, and Si Jinyan carried him back the way they had come without even looking back, leaving no room for resistance.

Chi Li had wanted to say goodbye to Bai Qi before leaving, but clearly, there was no opportunity now.

They did not encounter a single servant along the way. The manor gates stood open, and two spacecraft waited outside. Both belonged to Si Jinyan's people.

With such a commotion, Bai Qi could not possibly have been unaware. Seeing the manor gates thrown wide open, Chi Li thought that Bai Qi had perhaps received word long ago. And just as Bai Qi had said, he did not wish to interfere in anything.

At that thought, Chi Li relaxed instead.

In a moment of distraction, he had already been carried into the spacecraft. The door closed, leaving only him and Si Jinyan. The air fell silent, and Si Jinyan's sandalwood pheromones, laced with desire, grew richer.

The robe covering Chi Li was stripped away completely.

Si Jinyan held Chi Li in his arms, his brows faintly furrowed. "So many injuries. What else did they do to you?"

Chi Li sat on Si Jinyan's lap. In that position, his back had no choice but to press tightly against Si Jinyan's chest.

Chi Li gave him a softened version of what had happened, without mentioning that his pheromones had been extracted.

Si Jinyan's expression darkened with every word.

Inside the sealed cabin, Si Jinyan's pheromones, mixed with desire and agitation, became even more intense. It had been nearly five days since Chi Li disappeared. Based on past experience, Si Jinyan should have reached some critical point by now and been suffering badly.

Chi Li released his pheromones to soothe Si Jinyan and said softly, "I'm much better already. It wasn't serious."

After a brief silence, Si Jinyan suddenly hugged Chi Li tightly, then kissed his forehead. His guilt-filled gaze rested on Chi Li as he said hoarsely, "I'm sorry."

His black eyes were bottomless. Chi Li felt as though his heart had been fiercely gripped and dragged down into that abyss. His heartbeat suddenly quickened, leaving him both surprised and shaken.

No matter how slow Chi Li was, he had sensed Si Jinyan's feelings—the subtle yet intense emotions woven together from ambiguous concern and care.

Chi Li had disappeared, and Si Jinyan had been anxious. Chi Li had been hurt, and Si Jinyan felt sorry for failing to protect him.

Was all of this truly just the effect of their highly compatible pheromones?

But regardless of the reason, the real Chi Li could not respond, nor should he.

Si Jinyan buried his face in Chi Li's neck. Warm breath fell over Chi Li's skin, bringing a tingling itch that spread all the way to his heart.

"You don't need to say that to me," Chi Li said.

After a short silence, Si Jinyan raised his head and kissed Chi Li's lips.

Si Jinyan kissed him with the force of someone who wanted to devour him whole. Chi Li even felt a chill down his spine at Si Jinyan's overwhelming, undisguised desire.

The air grew hotter and hotter.

After a long while, Chi Li's taut nerves finally relaxed, a thin sheen of sweat beading on his forehead...

A sudden knock sounded outside the cabin Chi Li and Si Jinyan occupied.

The spacecraft was already on its way back. Si Jinyan had carried Chi Li into one of the cabins, and the person outside was from the neighboring cabin.

Then Lu Jiu's voice came from outside. "Si Jinyan, Chi Li is injured right now. He can't withstand you messing around with him. In your current state, can you control yourself? You might feel good, but what about Chi Li?"

Si Jinyan's condition had been extremely unstable after Chi Li left, so Lu Jiu had stayed by his side almost the entire time these past few days.

Even before this, Si Jinyan's condition had only worsened gradually. Never had such dangerous fluctuations appeared in such a short time. His eyes had turned gold several times, and dark scale-like patterns had even surfaced on his skin.

Unless he truly could not endure any longer, Si Jinyan would never seek out Lu Jiu. Lu Jiu was worried, so he had no choice but to follow Si Jinyan all day.

Inside the cabin, Chi Li seemed to suddenly come back to himself. Lu Jiu's words through the door made his face burn.

Si Jinyan was one thing, but how had he also let things get out of hand?

Chi Li pushed Si Jinyan away and said, somewhat awkwardly, "Marshal, let's talk after we get back."

Only then did Si Jinyan let him go. He wrapped Chi Li from head to toe in a long robe before rising and opening the door with a grim expression.

The moment the door opened, pheromones thick with desire rushed straight at Lu Jiu. As an alpha himself, Lu Jiu did not take it well, and his stomach churned.

Si Jinyan's expression worsened further at being interrupted by another alpha during his sensitive period. As if he already knew what Lu Jiu wanted to say, Si Jinyan said, "No examination now. We'll discuss it after we return. Tell them to fly directly to the research institute."

Lu Jiu let out a breath of relief. Before the word "okay" could even leave his throat, the door in front of him had shut again.

Si Jinyan turned and walked back toward Chi Li.

Little Chi Li had been released once already and had gone limp.

Si Jinyan, on the other hand, was still full of vigor.

Perhaps noticing Chi Li's gaze, Si Jinyan said, "Your body hasn't recovered yet. I'll just hold you."

Chi Li was pulled back into Si Jinyan's arms. He felt as though he were being held by a huge lion. Si Jinyan hugged him tightly, rubbing his head against the back of Chi Li's neck.

The moment Chi Li moved, he felt it press against him. He knew Si Jinyan was enduring it painfully.

Si Jinyan inhaled Chi Li's pheromones, taking deep breaths as he tried his hardest to calm the desire in his body. Then he suddenly heard the person in his arms say, "I'll help you, like how you helped me just now."

At Chi Li's movement, Si Jinyan's eyes darkened. The fragile balance he had been barely maintaining inside completely collapsed.