"I don't really remember, but I know you took me home."
"..."
"Why? Did I do something inappropriate?"
Shen Yi's hands paused as he tied the tie, caught off guard by the question.
He should have looked up, but his gaze stubbornly remained fixed near the other man's neck.
"No. You just seemed very drunk, so I thought I'd ask." His fingers resumed their deft movements.
Soon, a perfect knot took shape. Shen Yi gently smoothed it with his fingertips, then released it and stepped back, restoring an appropriate distance between them.
"All done. Let's head to the office."
Once they arrived at the office, they each settled into work.
Despite drinking until the early hours the night before, Yuan Chen remained impeccable, without the slightest sign of a hangover. His thoughts were surprisingly clear. Apparently, curling up on the couch had given him a decent night's sleep after all.
Two knocks sounded in a familiar rhythm. Unsurprisingly, it was Shen Yi who entered, carrying a stack of documents awaiting approval.
Shen Yi approached the desk and began briskly arranging the documents. Yuan Chen glanced at him, then returned his attention to his work.
Before long, however, his calm gaze paused over the documents, and his brows drew together.
He looked toward his side again. Shen Yi, who had just finished arranging the files and was about to straighten up, also stopped.
"What's wrong?"
On the surface, he looked no different from usual, but his pheromones were fluctuating wildly.
It wasn't just today. There seemed to have been signs yesterday, too. Yuan Chen had assumed he simply wasn't feeling well and hadn't looked into it, but today's blatant display made it clear that things hadn't improved.
Shen Yi's heat period was still a long way off. Had his cycle become