Vanished

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 morning.

Si Jinyan nuzzled the back of his neck, his voice low. "You're awake?"

Chi Li made a monosyllabic sound in response. At that moment, he could not even be bothered to move a finger.

Si Jinyan kissed the back of Chi Li's neck lingeringly. "Thanks for the effort."

"Sleep a little longer." Si Jinyan propped himself up on one elbow. As he rose, the blanket slid down, revealing broad swaths of suggestive marks. Still unsatisfied, Si Jinyan kissed the rim of sleepy Chi Li's ear again.

Chi Li had his eyes closed, his lashes long and fine. Bathed in the morning light, the bedroom was quiet and beautiful. The possessiveness pounding within Si Jinyan expanded further, and his desire to keep Chi Li in his arms forever grew even stronger.

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

During the final days of Si Jinyan's susceptible period, Chi Li remained in a state between sleep and wakefulness.

Whenever Chi Li opened his eyes, Si Jinyan would lean over to kiss his tear-damp lashes and murmur something softly. Like someone who had gone deaf, Chi Li stared dazedly at the person before him. His body reacted on instinct, while his mind had already become a blur.

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

Si Jinyan had been working in the bedroom, seated at the desk beside the bed. Over the past two weeks, quite a few documents requiring his review had piled up.

Hearing Chi Li getting out of bed, Si Jinyan, who had been watching for movement from that side all along, set down the document in his hand. "You're awake?"

Chi Li pressed a hand to his head, which felt heavy as lead after sleeping so deeply, and gave a muffled "Mm."

Si Jinyan had the butler bring food over and asked, "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

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

Si Jinyan massaged Chi Li's shoulders without mentioning the complete marking. Chi Li did not notice anything wrong either.

Omega could not always tell whether the mark an alpha left on them was temporary or permanent.

During a susceptible period, an alpha excessively injected sex-targeting genes into the back of an omega's neck, commonly known as marking. Permanent markings lasted longer.

An omega forcibly pushed into a susceptible period was often mentally muddled, so they sometimes could not distinguish between a permanent mark and a temporary one. But after some time, if the mark had not faded, it could be confirmed as permanent. During that time, they could also buy test strips to test themselves 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 badly this time.

In the past, he had only given temporary marks.

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

During this time after regaining clarity, 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 better, treat him very well. If Chi Li could accept him, then telling him about it afterward would be for the best.

With that in mind, Si Jinyan's gaze softened even more whenever he looked at Chi Li.

Chi Li relaxed under Si Jinyan's massage and leaned sideways against his chest, enjoying the Marshal's exclusive massage service.

Yuan Ru came 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 barely bear to disturb them, but Si Jinyan quickly noticed him.

Si Jinyan released Chi Li and had him eat something first to fill 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 walked in.

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

Lu Jiu said, "Who said they're for you?"

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

Qiu Rui's fingertips tightened slightly around the documents. He did not notice it himself, but Lu Jiu saw it perfectly clearly.

It was a small gesture Qiu Rui only made when he was embarrassed or annoyed. Lu Jiu had only figured that out after suffering plenty of setbacks with Qiu Rui.

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

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

Lu Jiu walked around the desk and shoved the flowers into Qiu Rui's arms. "I was teasing you. Other than you, who else could I give them to? Pretty, right? The first bouquet of pink roses picked this morning."

Qiu Rui looked at the flowers that had been forcefully stuffed 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.

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

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

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

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

Lu Jiu shrugged. "Nothing."

The two of them both knew who Lu Jiu was looking for. Si Jinyan glanced at him, ignored the remark outright, and headed toward his office.

Lu Jiu followed him inside.

Si Jinyan asked, "What is it?"

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

Lu Jiu added, "Your susceptible period just ended. You need an examination."

Without saying anything, Si Jinyan 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 turned on the recorder and began calculating Si Jinyan's various physical indicators after the susceptible period. Suddenly, he froze and shouted, "You marked someone?"

When an alpha injected sex-targeting genes, the omega would also feed genes back to the alpha.

Si Jinyan had given temporary marks in the past as well, but Lu Jiu noticed that the level of sex-targeting genes in Si Jinyan's body that did not belong to him was clearly higher than before. This indicated prolonged injection and was most likely a permanent mark.

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

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

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

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

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

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

As early as several days ago, Lu Jiu had combined the information he received from Qiu Rui with an analysis of Si Jinyan's physical data since Chi Li's arrival.

Because of Chi Li, Si Jinyan's symptoms had come under control at an astonishing rate. However, Si Jinyan's physical condition was becoming increasingly dependent on Chi Li. Whenever Chi Li was absent, Si Jinyan's condition rebounded even more severely.

Lu Jiu had still been worried about that, yet today he had suddenly learned that Si Jinyan had already completely marked Chi Li.

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

Lu Jiu did not want to probe whether that choice concerned his health or his feelings. "Then have you considered Chi Li's safety? And yours? You cannot afford to have a weakness, Si Jinyan. You know how many people are watching the position you hold, trying to devour you down to the bone. They will not let you go. Perhaps you will ultimately die here."

Si Jinyan remained silent. Lu Jiu stood, completed the final data entry, and turned to leave.

But several 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 the last time. 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 furrow appearing between his brows as if he were contemplating an unsolvable problem. He added, "Can a permanent mark disappear like a temporary mark?"