Disappearance

When Chi Li woke up, sunlight was streaming through a gap in the curtains.

His limbs were sore and weak. Chi Li's eyelids merely fluttered before closing again.

Breathing came from behind him. Chi Li felt the arm around his waist tighten as Si Jinyan pulled him closer.

Only after a while did Chi Li fully open his eyes. Judging by the light through the curtains, it should have been early morning.

Si Jinyan nuzzled the back of his neck, his voice low. "Awake?"

Chi Li responded to Si Jinyan with a single sound from his throat. Right now, he could not even be bothered to move a finger.

Si Jinyan tenderly kissed the back of Chi Li's neck. "You've worked hard."

"Sleep a little longer." Si Jinyan propped himself up on one elbow, and the blanket slipped down with his movement, revealing broad swathes of ambiguous marks. As if still unsatisfied, Si Jinyan kissed the ear of the drowsy Chi Li again.

Chi Li had his eyes closed, his lashes long and delicate. Bathed in the morning light, the bedroom was quiet and beautiful. The possessiveness pounding in Si Jinyan's heart swelled further, and his desire to keep Chi Li forever enclosed in his arms grew even stronger.

Si Jinyan got up and left. Before long, Chi Li fell back into a deep sleep.

During the final days of Si Jinyan's susceptible period, Chi Li remained half-asleep and half-awake.

Whenever Chi Li opened his eyes, Si Jinyan would lean over to kiss his tear-damp lashes, murmuring something softly. Chi Li looked at the person so close before him with the confusion of someone who had gone deaf. His body responded on instinct, while his mind had long since become a blur.

On the day Si Jinyan's susceptible period ended, Chi Li finally got a good sleep. He did not fully wake until evening, his awareness gradually returning.

Si Jinyan had been working in the bedroom the entire time, seated at the desk beside the bed. After two weeks, quite a few documents had piled up awaiting his review.

Hearing Chi Li get up, Si Jinyan, who had been constantly watching for movement from this side, put down the document in his hand. "Awake?"

Chi Li pressed his heavy head, which felt as though it had been filled with lead, and gave a muffled "Mm."

Si Jinyan called for the butler to bring food and asked, "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

Chi Li frowned slightly and said bluntly, "It hurts." There was not a patch of intact skin left on his body.

Si Jinyan massaged Chi Li's shoulders without mentioning the permanent mark, and Chi Li did not notice anything was wrong.

An omega could not always distinguish whether the mark an alpha left on them was temporary or permanent.

During a susceptible period, an alpha excessively transferred x-targeted genes into the back of an omega's neck, commonly known as marking. Permanent marks lasted longer.

The consciousness of an omega forced into a susceptible period was often muddled, so they sometimes could not tell whether they had received a permanent mark or a temporary one. But after some time, if the mark had not faded, it could be confirmed as permanent. During that period, they could also purchase test strips or go to a hospital to check whether they had been permanently marked.

After waking from the side effects of his susceptible period, Si Jinyan also realized that he had lost control far too severely this time.

In the past, he had only given temporary marks during his susceptible periods.

For a permanent mark, he should have obtained Chi Li's consent.

During the time after regaining his senses, Si Jinyan thought that he hoped Chi Li could gradually accept him before learning that he had already been permanently marked.

If Chi Li insisted on removing the mark in the future, he would bear all the costs until Chi Li had fully recovered.

He could treat Chi Li even better, treat him very well. If Chi Li could accept him, then telling him about it afterward would be for the best.

With that thought, Si Jinyan's gaze toward Chi Li grew gentler.

Chi Li relaxed under Si Jinyan's massage, leaning sideways against Si Jinyan's chest as he enjoyed the marshal's exclusive massage.

Yuan Ru walked in carrying dinner and happened upon the scene. The setting sun fell over the two of them, making the sight so lovely that he could not bear to disturb them, but Si Jinyan quickly noticed him.

Si Jinyan released Chi Li and had him eat something first to settle his stomach.

A few days later, at the Federation Central Government.

Qiu Rui was preparing the materials he needed to submit to Si Jinyan for review that day when Lu Jiu pushed open the door and entered.

Watching Lu Jiu take a bouquet from behind his back, Qiu Rui glanced at it before lowering his head again. His voice was calm and flat. "If you're here to deliver flowers, see yourself out, and take the flowers with you."

"Who said they were for you?" Lu Jiu said.

Qiu Rui looked up at Lu Jiu again. His expression remained blank, but his gaze had finally settled on Lu Jiu.

The fingertips clutching Qiu Rui's documents tightened almost imperceptibly. He did not notice it himself, but Lu Jiu saw it clearly.

It was a small habit Qiu Rui displayed only when he was embarrassed or annoyed. Lu Jiu had only figured it out after suffering quite a few setbacks with Qiu Rui.

As a doctor, Lu Jiu always noticed more details than others. It was a habit developed from observing patients, and when the subject was specifically Qiu Rui, Lu Jiu took it to the extreme.

"You can have the front desk pass them along," Qiu Rui said. "I don't handle that here."

Lu Jiu walked around the desk and stuffed the flowers into Qiu Rui's arms. "I was teasing you. Who else could I give them to but you? Pretty, aren't they? The first bouquet of pink roses picked this morning."

Qiu Rui stared at the flowers that had been forcibly shoved into his arms, his expression darkening by the second. After a moment, he threw them away.

Lu Jiu silently calculated that it had taken 0.09 seconds longer than last time before Qiu Rui threw them.

In a very good mood, Lu Jiu changed the subject. "Si Jinyan isn't here yet?"

"The marshal will arrive promptly at nine," Qiu Rui said.

Sure enough, just as the nine o'clock chime rang, Si Jinyan pushed open the office door right on time.

Lu Jiu looked behind Si Jinyan. Si Jinyan noticed. "What are you looking at?"

Lu Jiu shrugged. "Nothing."

They both knew perfectly well whom Lu Jiu was looking for. Si Jinyan gave him a glance, ignored his words outright, and headed toward his office.

Lu Jiu followed him inside.

"What is it?" Si Jinyan asked.

"As your personal doctor, I have to come check on you responsibly," Lu Jiu said.

"Your susceptible period just ended. You need an examination."

Si Jinyan said nothing and followed Lu Jiu to a small medical room next door. The two staff members Lu Jiu had brought had already activated the portable testing equipment, and the machine began automatically analyzing Si Jinyan's physical data.

Lu Jiu opened the recorder and began calculating Si Jinyan's various physical indicators after his susceptible period. Suddenly, he froze and shouted, "You marked someone?"

When an alpha injected sex-targeted genes, the omega would also return genes to the alpha.

Si Jinyan had given temporary marks before, but Lu Jiu noticed that the level of sex-targeted genes in Si Jinyan's body that did not belong to him was clearly higher than before. This indicated prolonged injection, making it highly likely to be a permanent mark.

Si Jinyan did not evade the question and nodded slightly. "Yes."

Lu Jiu's eyelid twitched first, then he asked in disbelief, "A permanent mark?"

Before Si Jinyan could answer, he added, "You marked him because you lost control?"

Si Jinyan looked at Lu Jiu without answering. Lu Jiu took that as tacit confirmation.

Lu Jiu stopped the testing equipment. For a moment, he did not know how to discuss this with Si Jinyan. He sat down nearby, his expression serious. "Have you considered the consequences?"

Si Jinyan said nothing. Lu Jiu continued on his own, "The stabilizing effect the mark has brought you is obvious, but it will also restrain you. That is true for alphas, and it is true for enigmas. Though the effect may not be as severe for an enigma, it still exists."

Several days earlier, Lu Jiu had analyzed the information he had obtained from Qiu Rui together with Si Jinyan's various physical data after Chi Li arrived.

Because of Chi Li, Si Jinyan's symptoms had come under control by leaps and bounds. However, Si Jinyan's physical condition was showing an increasing tendency to depend on Chi Li. When Chi Li was absent, Si Jinyan's condition rebounded even more severely.

Lu Jiu had still been worried about this when he suddenly learned today that Si Jinyan had already permanently marked Chi Li.

After a long silence, Si Jinyan finally said, "If I have to make a decision in the future, having Chi Li remain by my side would not be a bad choice."

Lu Jiu did not want to delve into whether that choice concerned his health or his feelings. "Then have you considered Chi Li's safety? And yours? You cannot have a weakness, Si Jinyan. You know how many people are watching your position, trying to devour you until nothing remains. They will not let you go. Perhaps you will ultimately die here."

Si Jinyan remained silent. Lu Jiu stood, finished entering the final data, then turned and left.

However, a few days later, Lu Jiu suddenly received a call from Si Jinyan, asking him to come to the office the next day.

It had not even been long since their last meeting. The following day, the moment Lu Jiu pushed open the office door, Si Jinyan asked directly, "Can a permanent mark disappear?"

Si Jinyan paused, a slight frown between his brows as though contemplating an unsolvable question, then added, "Can a permanent mark disappear like a temporary mark?"