Loving that Enigma

Huo Jin held Ji Chi, soothing him gently as he stroked his back.

"It's okay."

Huo Jin's voice sounded beside Ji Chi's ear. How could that tenderness, mellowed by time, sound so lovely?

Ji Chi clutched the clothes at Huo Jin's waist so tightly that countless creases formed beneath his fingers.

With Huo Jin beside him, he always seemed to feel safe.

But when he thought of Lin Jun, his resolve to distance himself from Huo Jin grew stronger and stronger.

Lin Jun was like a plaything in Ji Shengming's hands.

When Ji Shengming felt like it, he brought him out to cherish.

When he no longer needed him, he kicked him aside.

Ji Chi had been born at the top. He had a choice, and he would never follow in Lin Jun's footsteps.

Ji Chi did not push Huo Jin away.

He did not want to. His contradictions made him feel like a madman.

All of Ji Chi's suppressed emotions spilled out. Since he was already crying, he might as well cry his fill in Huo Jin's arms.

"I hate you. I hate you."

"I hate you...!"

Years of living in that family.

The unexpected accident that had left him marked.

Being stared at and mocked.

Three years of confinement. All of it...

Ji Chi held Huo Jin and cried for a long time.

Huo Jin's clothes grew wet with tears.

As the sobbing quieted, Huo Jin stroked Ji Chi's cheek and apologized. "I'm sorry."

Huo Jin eased Ji Chi back a little, then gently wiped away his tears with a handkerchief.

Huo Jin had never seen Ji Chi cry like this.

So he wanted to leave him that badly.

Even while crying in his arms, he said he hated him.

Huo Jin lowered his eyes, looking at Ji Chi, who had no tears left to cry. His voice was coaxing. "After two years, the mark will gradually fade."

"In less than three years, we can get divorced."

"I won't cling to you," Huo Jin said.

Ji Chi took a deep breath, his eyes still red. Talking about things he could not change would only make him miserable.

His expression was flat. "Do me a favor."

"Okay." Huo Jin agreed at once.

Ji Chi was always rude to Huo Jin. He knew better than anyone that he controlled their relationship, just as he could be certain Huo Jin would never refuse him. He used Huo Jin's love against him, and it worked every time. "After my dad is discharged, let him stay at your place for a while."

"He knows about us." Perhaps because he had vented his feelings, Ji Chi felt much better now, and spoke lightly.

"Okay."

Just then, Song Lin approached from the side and saw Huo Jin and Ji Chi standing together.

An inexplicable anger rose in him.

"Chi," Song Lin said, hurrying over. "Why did you call him here?"

Ji Chi glanced at Song Lin and reached out to take Huo Jin's hand. "He's my boyfriend. Isn't it perfectly normal for him to pick me up?"

At those words, Song Lin clenched his fists beneath his sleeves until his knuckles cracked.

He shot Huo Jin a sharp look, meeting his eyes.

Huo Jin looked down at him, calm and cold.

He knew perfectly well why Ji Chi had suddenly taken his hand.

Song Lin had merely developed feelings for him, and Ji Chi was already deliberately keeping his distance.

Huo Jin's own offenses must have been unforgivable.

Huo Jin stepped forward.

"Hello. I'm Chi-Chi's family."

"Thank you for bringing them to the hospital earlier."

"Hmph." Song Lin gave a loud scoff, his chest trembling slightly, his anger plain to see. "I brought Chi to the hospital. Who needs your thanks?"

Ji Chi took Huo Jin's hand and walked away, unwilling to listen to them trading barbs.

Ji Chi pulled Huo Jin over to the Stabilization Room, then released his hand at the door.

Huo Jin felt the lingering warmth in his palm.

He rubbed it lightly.

Two hours later, Lin Jun came out of the Stabilization Room, the wound on his forehead treated as well.

Ji Chi followed the wheeled bed into an ordinary hospital room.

Huo Jin greeted Lin Jun.

Lin Jun did not seem particularly surprised to see Huo Jin. He merely glanced at Ji Chi a few times before exchanging a few polite words with Huo Jin.

The first time Gu Baizhou saw Huo Jin, he guessed who he was.

A living, breathing Enigma...

Gu Baizhou did not dare look too long.

He examined Lin Jun's physical assessment report, his brow relaxing. "Your pheromones have stabilized now, and the wound on your head isn't deep."

"You don't need to be hospitalized. You can be discharged after another stabilizer injection in two hours."

"I recommend avoiding exposure to your partner's pheromones for the next few days."

"Keep your diet light."

Ji Chi listened and noted down each instruction. "Thank you."

Gu Baizhou looked around, his gaze passing over Huo Jin, Ji Chi, and Song Lin. Then he added, "Could everyone accompanying him step outside? I need to ask the patient a few questions in private."

They all left the room at Gu Baizhou's request.

Only Lin Jun and Gu Baizhou remained inside.

Gu Baizhou smiled with his lips pressed together. "Mr. Lin, I'd like to speak to you about your son."

"He's also my patient."

Lin Jun raised his eyes, his expression visibly growing serious.

Gu Baizhou spoke calmly. "But he refuses to listen to anything I say. As his father, I hope you can help him see things in a way that will benefit him."

Lin Jun propped himself up a little.

Most of his strength had returned. Though exhausted, he still had the mental energy to talk.

Seeing how serious Gu Baizhou was, Lin Jun's expression inevitably darkened.

"Please go ahead, Dr. Gu."

Gu Baizhou picked up a questionnaire from beneath his logbook.

His tone was grave. "Although it wouldn't be appropriate for me to ask about the specifics of your family situation, this form allows me to infer quite a lot."

"Ji Chi has been deeply affected by his family environment."

Lin Jun drew a deep breath, his voice muffled. "I know..."

"Do you know what I'm about to say?"

Lin Jun closed his eyes briefly. "Perhaps... I can guess some of it."

"He was marked by an Enigma, and..."

Lin Jun gripped the bedding. "And he's fallen in love with that Enigma, hasn't he?"

"Nothing gets past you."

"He's my child," Lin Jun said, his heart aching.

Gu Baizhou shook his head. "That's only the beginning of the underlying cause."

"He came to the hospital after his first heat, and again after his second."

"Ji Chi was born at the top of the pyramid. Deep down, he refuses to admit that he's fallen in love with someone stronger than himself."

"That belief has built a high wall around him."

Gu Baizhou explained slowly. "I asked him. He has no emotions associated with his heat period."

"Only memories. All emotional awareness is blank. Once he's lucid again, all he has are numb images."

Gu Baizhou had performed numerous tests on Ji Chi, and remembered every word he had said.

Gu Baizhou spoke seriously, giving a firm diagnosis. "This condition is neither schizophrenia nor a split personality."

After a brief pause, he looked at Lin Jun. "It's his way of protecting himself."

A hint of bitterness crept into Lin Jun's expression.

How could he not understand? "The more he loves Huo Jin during his heat period, the more he hates him once he's lucid again, doesn't he?"