Chapter Summaries

Shen Yi and Yuan Chen negotiated with Nuohe Pharmaceuticals, refusing a patent transfer in place of a public acknowledgment and apology from the old duke. After Karl von Heinrich apologized on his father’s behalf, Shen Yi accepted but maintained his demand, while Yuan Chen’s closeness left Shen Yi struggling with his feelings as they departed.

• Shen Yi confronted Duke von Heinrich’s attendant about the sedative and demanded to know what he had expected to happen during Shen Yi’s heat period.
• Nuohe Pharmaceuticals offered to transfer the Zemigla patent in exchange for confidentiality, but Shen Yi refused and insisted that the old duke apologize publicly and acknowledge the facts.
• Karl von Heinrich arrived and apologized for his father, and Shen Yi accepted the apology while keeping his demand for the old duke’s personal acknowledgment and accountability.
• Yuan Chen arranged for Lawyer Hao to handle compensation negotiations, and he and Shen Yi left the suite.
• In the elevator, Yuan Chen called himself Shen Yi’s first priority and moved close to him, leaving Shen Yi flushed and unable to calm his racing heart.

At Anshun Medical’s anniversary gala, Yuan Chen reunited with his childhood friend Dai Ciling, who had recently differentiated as a recessive omega and returned to stay. As Yuan Chen and Dai Ciling resumed their easy closeness, Shen Yi struggled with an unexplained ache and watched them ride together, where Dai Ciling noticed a faint omega scent mixed with Yuan Chen’s pheromones.

• Yuan Chen attended Anshun Medical’s anniversary gala with Shen Yi and drew attention from guests in the medical industry.
• Dai Ciling reunited with Yuan Chen and told him he had differentiated into a recessive omega and had returned to stay.
• Yuan Chen introduced Shen Yi to Dai Ciling, then explained that they had been childhood friends and had lived together in America.
• Madam Lin warmly welcomed Dai Ciling and invited him to dinner, then asked Yuan Chen to drive him home.
• Dai Ciling rode with Yuan Chen while Shen Yi sat in front, and Dai Ciling detected a faint omega scent alongside Yuan Chen’s pheromones as Shen Yi felt increasingly constricted.

Yuan Chen told Shen Yi that Duke von Heinrich had publicly apologized and faced an investigation, then reassured him that the man who had touched him had been dealt with. At a family lunch, Dai Ciling joked about marrying Yuan Chen, and after a news story misrepresented their outing, Yuan Chen questioned Shen Yi about controlling his pheromones before Dai Ciling called him.

• Yuan Chen told Shen Yi to prepare a coordinated response to Duke von Heinrich’s public apology and investigation, then said he had dealt with the man who had touched Shen Yi.
• Dai Ciling joined Yuan Chen, Shen Yi, Madam Lin, and Professor Yuan for lunch, where Madam Lin suggested Yuan Chen and Dai Ciling marry and Dai Ciling jokingly asked Yuan Chen to consider it.
• Reporters photographed Yuan Chen and Dai Ciling leaving the family home, and the press sensationalized the outing as a romance while blurring Shen Yi in the background.
• Yuan Chen instructed Shen Yi to issue an official clarification and asked why he kept his pheromones under such tight control; Shen Yi said it was necessary for work.
• After Shen Yi finished drafting the clarification, Dai Ciling called him from an unfamiliar number and introduced himself.

Shen Yi met Dai Ciling in secret and learned that Dai was considering a marriage alliance with Yuan Chen, while treating Shen Yi as a possible lover who could remain on the side. Later, Dai pursued Yuan Chen more openly, and Shen Yi overheard Dai ask whether Yuan Chen’s condition was nearly cured.

• Dai Ciling summoned Shen Yi to a parking garage and asked whether he and Yuan Chen were dating.
• Shen Yi said he and Yuan Chen were only partners, and Dai suggested their relationship could continue even if he married Yuan Chen.
• Shen Yi rebuked Dai for discussing Yuan Chen’s private affairs with him and left, deciding he would end his relationship with Yuan Chen rather than become a lover on the side.
• Dai Ciling repeatedly called on Yuan Chen and visited his company in an attempt to win him over.
• Dai tried to seduce Yuan Chen in his office and asked whether his tolerance for Dai’s pheromones meant his condition was nearly cured.
• Shen Yi paused briefly while serving tea, then lowered his eyes as Yuan Chen turned his attention back to Dai.

Dai Ciling proposed marriage to Yuan Chen, and Shen Yi struggled with jealousy and uncertainty about their relationship. Yuan Chen denied any intention of marrying Dai Ciling, but Shen Yi avoided deciding whether their relationship should continue, leaving Yuan Chen frustrated by his emotional distance.

• Dai Ciling proposed that he and Yuan Chen get married, while Shen Yi overheard and left without learning Yuan Chen's answer.
• Yuan Chen and Shen Yi drove home together, and Yuan Chen kissed Shen Yi as soon as they entered the house.
• Shen Yi asked whether Yuan Chen planned to marry Dai Ciling and said he would end their relationship if Yuan Chen married.
• Yuan Chen denied considering marriage and asked Shen Yi whether their relationship still had a purpose, but Shen Yi deferred answering and went to shower.
• Yuan Chen noticed Shen Yi suppressing his pheromones during sex and grew frustrated at the distance between them.

After realizing he had fallen for Yuan Chen, Shen Yi decided to cut off his feelings by accepting a blind date. The date left him startled when he discovered the man waiting for him was Xiao Jun, a doctor in Yuan Chen's circle.

• After their encounter, Shen Yi left Yuan Chen and admitted to himself that he had secretly fallen for him.
• Professor Yuan called Shen Yi and suggested a blind date, and Shen Yi agreed in hopes of moving on from Yuan Chen.
• Two days later, Shen Yi dressed to conceal the mark on his neck and went to meet his blind date at a café.
• Shen Yi recognized the man waiting for him as Xiao Jun, the doctor in Yuan Chen's circle of friends.

Shen Yi discovered that Xiao Jun had once asked Yuan Chen to arrange an introduction, but Yuan Chen had apparently blocked the chance because he did not want Xiao Jun to pursue Shen Yi. Shen Yi admitted he loved Yuan Chen, while Yuan Chen learned that Shen Yi was on a blind date and reacted with anger.

• Shen Yi and Xiao Jun met as blind dates, and Xiao Jun explained that he had not arranged the meeting himself.
• Xiao Jun revealed that he had asked Yuan Chen to introduce him to Shen Yi, but Yuan Chen had only contacted Shen Yi that day to arrange a driver.
• Xiao Jun guessed that Yuan Chen had deliberately kept him from Shen Yi, and Shen Yi admitted that he loved Yuan Chen.
• Xiao Jun accepted Shen Yi's feelings and asked him to keep the conversation secret from Yuan Chen, and they continued their coffee together.
• Yuan Chen sat through a blind-date gathering arranged by both families for him and Dai Ciling, rejecting the idea that he and Dai Ciling might marry.
• Madam Lin told Yuan Chen she had arranged a blind date for Shen Yi, and Yuan Chen reacted with undisguised anger.

Yuan Chen interrupted Shen Yi’s blind date with Xiao Jun and reacted jealously, prompting Shen Yi to confess his feelings and demand an open relationship. Yuan Chen finally admitted that he liked Shen Yi, and they agreed to be together.

• Madam Lin told Yuan Chen that Shen Yi was on a blind date, and Yuan Chen demanded to know where.
• Xiao Jun advised Shen Yi to ignore Yuan Chen’s repeated calls, and Shen Yi turned off his phone before continuing their date.
• Yuan Chen arrived at the café, seized Shen Yi, and dragged him to the elevator and then his car.
• Yuan Chen kissed Shen Yi angrily and confronted him about going on a blind date while still bearing Yuan Chen’s marks.
• Shen Yi confessed that he liked Yuan Chen and asked him to choose an open relationship or let him go.
• Yuan Chen kissed Shen Yi and agreed that they would be together.

After their confession, Yuan Chen and Shen Yi were interrupted by mall security while making out in a car, but Madam Lin’s butler handled the situation. Yuan Chen took Shen Yi on a few days of leave disguised as a business trip to make him pay for his mistrust and blind date, leaving Shen Yi exhausted and unable to get out of bed.

• Yuan Chen and Shen Yi were interrupted by mall security, and Madam Lin’s butler resolved the complaint before asking Yuan Chen to contact Madam Lin.
• Yuan Chen arranged a trip through Secretary Li and told him that Shen Yi would accompany him.
• Yuan Chen admitted he was jealous and warned Shen Yi he would pay for his mistrust and blind date.
• Yuan Chen and Shen Yi spent the next few days together, leaving Shen Yi exhausted by Tuesday.
• Yuan Chen lifted Shen Yi into his arms after Shen Yi was too weak to get up and eat.

After becoming lovers, Shen Yi and Yuan Chen kept their relationship secret while finding small ways to show affection. After a business dinner on Christmas, Yuan Chen stopped the car so he and Shen Yi could visit the riverside lights together.

• Yuan Chen found Shen Yi’s refrigerator nearly empty and threw away his expired instant noodles before sharing water with him and expressing his affection physically.
• Shen Yi and Yuan Chen agreed to keep acting as usual around other people while privately embracing their changed relationship.
• In a crowded elevator, Yuan Chen secretly hooked his little finger around Shen Yi’s, and they parted without drawing attention.
• Yuan Chen stopped the car beside the Christmas lights and told the driver to return without them so he and Shen Yi could walk by the river.
• Yuan Chen headed toward the river and slowed to wait for Shen Yi to catch up.

Shen Yi and Yuan Chen’s Christmas-market date grew more intimate as they shared snacks and held hands. At a shooting-game stall, Yuan Chen won the required balloons with ease, then challenged Shen Yi to try.

• Shen Yi pulled Yuan Chen to a stall and bought two starch sausages, coaxing him to taste one.
• Shen Yi and Yuan Chen watched couples posing for photos, and Yuan Chen brushed sauce from Shen Yi’s mouth.
• Yuan Chen agreed that they were on a date, then took Shen Yi’s hand as they walked through the crowd.
• Yuan Chen paid to play a shooting game and hit five balloons in a row, claiming the toy gun had been tampered with.
• Yuan Chen raised an eyebrow and asked whether Shen Yi could do it.

Yuan Chen bought a stuffed koala that reminded him of Shen Yi, photographed him with it, and kissed him. When Gu Qingheng's affair scandal erupted, Yuan Chen moved quickly to cut business ties, then brought Shen Yi to stay at his home after reporters crowded Shen Yi's residence.

• Yuan Chen bought a stuffed koala because it reminded him of Shen Yi, took a picture of him holding it, and kissed him.
• Shen Yi and Yuan Chen learned that Gu Qingheng was accused of having an affair with a married omega, and reports spread rapidly online.
• Yuan Chen ordered Gu Qingheng's promotional materials removed and told Shen Yi to have the legal team review related contracts and calculate damages.
• Shen Yi and Yuan Chen found reporters crowding the entrance to Shen Yi's residential complex, so Yuan Chen took him to stay at his home.
• Yuan Chen told Shen Yi he wanted to spend time with him, and they walked together along a secluded path.

A month into living together, Shen Yi and Yuan Chen spent a playful morning at home before Ms. Lin Shulan arrived unexpectedly. Shen Yi hid in a storage room as she began entering the house.

• Yuan Chen urged Shen Yi to get up and exercise, then massaged his sore waist while Shen Yi asked when Yuan Chen had realized he liked him.
• Yuan Chen teased Shen Yi until Dai Ziling called, and he declined the call after Shen Yi said he did not want to answer.
• Ms. Lin Shulan rang the doorbell and called Yuan Chen, saying she had something important to deliver.
• When Ms. Lin Shulan entered through the gate, Shen Yi hurried to hide in the storage room as the door lock began beeping.

Lin Shulan brought Yuan Chen and Shen Yi a supply of tonics, and Shen Yi shared one with Yuan Chen before they kissed. At work on Monday, Shen Yi’s secretaries spotted a mark on the back of his neck and suspected he was dating someone.

• Lin Shulan visited Yuan Chen and left separate tonics for him and Shen Yi, urging Yuan Chen to treat Shen Yi well and introduce him to her.
• After Lin Shulan left, Shen Yi emerged from the storage room and read the tonic instructions.
• Shen Yi drank a sachet of tonic, offered one to Yuan Chen, and kissed him before Yuan Chen carried him toward the bedroom.
• On Monday, Secretary Chi noticed a dark-red mark on the back of Shen Yi’s neck, and the secretaries crowded around to ask whether he was dating someone.

Shen Yi’s coworkers teased him about his relationship, while Yuan Chen noticed his worsening illness and sent him home from work. At the pharmacy, Shen Yi bought medicine for his persistent symptoms, and the pharmacist asked whether he might be pregnant.

• Shen Yi’s secretaries speculated about his boyfriend, and Secretary Pang bet that he was handsome.
• Shen Yi developed a lingering cough, low fever, chest tightness, and indigestion at work.
• Yuan Chen recognized that Shen Yi was unwell, ordered him to leave early, and arranged for Secretary Chi to take over his schedule.
• Shen Yi went to a pharmacy and described several days of low fever and chest discomfort to the pharmacist.
• The pharmacist asked Shen Yi whether he had recently checked if he might be pregnant.

Shen Yi discovered a home test indicated that his mental imprint was fusing, despite believing fusion was impossible for him. After a week of worsening pain, he went to the hospital and left the examination in shock, rushing to the restroom.

• A pharmacist suggested Shen Yi test for early-stage mental imprint fusion, so he bought a test kit after initially dismissing the possibility.
• Shen Yi spoke with Yuan Chen, then took the test and saw a positive result, but doubted its accuracy and delayed going to the hospital.
• A week later, severe abdominal pain drove Shen Yi to tell Yuan Chen he needed to go to the hospital, and Yuan Chen arranged a car and told him to rest afterward.
• At the mental imprint bonding department, Shen Yi was called in for an examination and blood test.
• Shen Yi emerged dazed and rushed into a restroom stall, overwhelmed by confusion and helplessness.

Shen Yi learned that his and Yuan Chen’s mental imprints were beginning to fuse, but the news filled him with fear and uncertainty. He considered ending the fusion, yet left the decision unresolved as he continued working through worsening discomfort.

• Shen Yi learned from the doctor that his mental imprint was fusing with Yuan Chen’s and that they could apply to adopt a child together once the fusion was complete.
• Shen Yi hid the diagnosis from Yuan Chen, claiming he had a stomach ulcer and concealing his panic about the fusion and the possibility of raising a child.
• Shen Yi returned to the doctor and said he did not want the fusion, but he could not decide whether to have it terminated.
• Shen Yi left the report on the dining table and gave himself more than a month to consider whether he could accept the fusion willingly.
• Shen Yi continued working as Yuan Chen’s secretary despite the doctor’s warning, coping with nausea and dizziness by sucking on lemon candy.

Shen Yi collapsed at the conference from severe abdominal pain and nausea, and Yuan Chen took him to a lounge instead of letting him face it alone. Yuan Chen discovered that Shen Yi’s imprint fusion had begun, and Shen Yi admitted he was afraid and intended to stop it; Yuan Chen comforted him and promised not to blame him.

• Shen Yi’s abdominal pain worsened during the conference until he stumbled and collapsed among the secretaries.
• Yuan Chen abandoned the proceedings, carried Shen Yi out, and took him to a nearby lounge after Shen Yi refused to go to the hospital.
• Yuan Chen confronted Shen Yi about hiding what was wrong and asked whether the imprint fusion had begun.
• Shen Yi confirmed it had and said he intended to stop the fusion and handle everything himself.
• Shen Yi broke down and admitted he was scared, while Yuan Chen held him and assured him he had done nothing wrong.

After Shen Yi learned Yuan Chen would support whatever decision he made about the pregnancy, the two returned to City A and followed the doctor's orders for his recovery. While caring for Shen Yi at home, Yuan Chen confessed that he loved him and proposed marriage, leaving Shen Yi stunned.

• Yuan Chen promised to respect Shen Yi's decision about the pregnancy, asking only that he not leave him.
• Yuan Chen took Shen Yi to the hospital, where the doctor found minor bleeding and prescribed a week of bed rest and monitoring.
• Yuan Chen brought Shen Yi home to recuperate, stayed by his side, and insisted on accompanying him whenever he went out.
• Shen Yi asked Yuan Chen how he would feel if Shen Yi kept the baby, and Yuan Chen said he would support his choice but cared most about keeping him close.
• Yuan Chen confessed that he loved Shen Yi, said he wanted to marry him, and asked him to consider it seriously.

Shen Yi confronted his guilt and fear over the imprint’s integration, then chose to let it continue and take responsibility. He brought the ultrasound photograph to Yuan Chen and asked what he thought of the decision.

• In a dream, Shen Yi apologized to the koala representing the life he had feared and promised to love it while they were together.
• After waking, Shen Yi noticed a change in his body and went to the hospital, where the doctor said the imprint was integrating and stable for now.
• A distracted man knocked Shen Yi down on the hospital stairs, and Shen Yi feared the fall might affect the integration.
• Shen Yi spent the afternoon weighing his choices, then decided to let the integration take its course.
• Shen Yi went to Yuan Chen’s office with an ultrasound photograph, explained his decision, and asked what Yuan Chen thought.