Pleading for Mercy

"Chi Li, come here." After saying that, Si Jinyan went into the bedroom.

Si Jinyan was clearly in a bad mood. Not knowing what had happened, Chi Li looked to the butler for help.

At the door, Uncle Yuan merely said, "Go in. Sir is still waiting for you." Then he turned and left.

The lights were off in the room, and Chi Li could only make out a vague figure sitting on the sofa.

"Marshal," Chi Li said softly.

"Come here," Si Jinyan said.

Chi Li did not turn on the lights either, feeling his way forward by the moonlight outside the window.

Before he could get close to the sofa, Si Jinyan yanked him into his arms.

Chi Li did not know what was wrong with Si Jinyan today. He said nothing, yet he was fiercer than ever before, reminding Chi Li of their first meeting, when the other man had been like a savage beast that had lost all reason.

Chi Li could not take it anymore.

The young man's face was streaked with tears as he nearly cried out in pleading, "Mar... Marshal..."

After the chaos ended, the young man curled up in a corner, his eyes rimmed red.

Even Chi Li himself did not notice that his pheromones were still being released, drifting out in intermittent wisps beyond his control.

When Si Jinyan came out after washing up, the young man was still like that. Si Jinyan sat down by the bed. "Did I scare you?"

Chi Li said nothing. He was a little angry.

Si Jinyan reached out, wanting to touch Chi Li's face, but Chi Li shrank back and avoided his hand.

Si Jinyan took out the thing containing the pheromones. "You put this here?"

Only then did Chi Li look up at him, his voice muffled. "Mm."

Si Jinyan pinched the chibi Chi Li's cheek, and the chibi Chi Li seemed to smile even more happily.

Chi Li wanted to snatch it back.

But Si Jinyan grabbed him again and pulled him into his arms, leaning close to his ear. "I thought you missed me too much, so I couldn't hold back."

Warm breath brushed against Chi Li's ear, making half his face burn.

Chi Li explained quietly, "It contains my pheromones. If you keep it with you, your pheromones will be a little more stable too."

"The doctors also told you to replenish your pheromones regularly."

"Mm, I know. I'll replenish them regularly." Si Jinyan held Chi Li and lay down.

Chi Li felt that Si Jinyan meant a different kind of replenishment.

The young man in his arms was somewhat stiff, his pheromones faintly wafting out. Si Jinyan's gaze darkened as he sighed. "You can't even control your own pheromones anymore?"

Only then did Chi Li realize that he was still releasing pheromones. At first, he had thought it was merely the lingering scent still hanging in the room.

It was the first time Chi Li had encountered such a situation. Lacking knowledge in this area, he did not know that after reaching a certain extreme, an omega affected by an alpha would continue releasing pheromones for some time.

Chi Li reflexively assumed something had gone wrong with his omega pheromones, and his entire body stiffened.

Si Jinyan, however, knew that he had bullied him too harshly, which was why pheromones were leaking out in little bursts.

"Why are you so nervous?" Not knowing what Chi Li was thinking, Si Jinyan slowly released soothing pheromones.

After a long while, Chi Li still did not react, though his muscles had deliberately relaxed. Si Jinyan said, "Chi Li, why are you so afraid of me?"

Chi Li answered vaguely, "I'm not."

After a moment, when he realized Si Jinyan was not going to say anything else, Chi Li let out a breath of relief and decided that the next time he received an omega modification agent injection, he would ask what exactly was going on.

Over the past few days, the emperor had made new moves. Si Jinyan had to handle Federation affairs while also dealing with the emperor.

However, as soon as he returned home, he discovered that someone had installed a tiny invisible surveillance robot in the bedroom. Such surveillance devices were extremely expensive, and the residence had a military-grade access system. Other than people on the emperor's side, hardly anyone could have higher clearance. Si Jinyan was furious over this.

After Chi Li's "treatment," his pheromones had indeed become much more stable recently, and he no longer needed Chi Li by his side so often.

Furthermore, Si Jinyan's suspicions about Chi Li's identity had not been completely dispelled.

He had originally intended to use tonight to intimidate Chi Li and see whether he could uncover anything. The military had plenty of interrogation methods that could make someone wish for death, and his pheromones alone could make Chi Li suffer terribly. Yet when he saw Chi Li's tear-filled eyes, he could not bring himself to do it.

"Turn around. I want to look at you." Behind him, Si Jinyan held Chi Li tighter.

Perhaps he was overly exhausted. Rarely, Chi Li's consciousness grew hazy even beside Si Jinyan, and he was on the verge of falling asleep when something Si Jinyan said made him groggily open his eyes.

The moment Chi Li opened his eyes, Si Jinyan flipped him over like a pancake.

There was a hint of wariness in Chi Li's bleary gaze. His eyes were still red, his face marked with mottled traces.

"It's fine. Go to sleep." Si Jinyan looked heavily at Chi Li's face.

Only after seeing Si Jinyan close his eyes did Chi Li say hoarsely, "Good night, Marshal."