Married the Abandoned Puppy Alpha - Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Suppressor Patch

Shi Qingze’s toiletries were actually citrus-scented!

He Xinglou looked at the shower gel in his palm with a complex expression, feeling as if he were holding a heavy, weighted orange.

He was definitely doing this on purpose.

From the moment they entered the house, Shi Qingze had been intentionally or not replicating everything from three years ago. Now, he had even brought back the exact brand of toiletries He Xinglou used to buy.

He Xinglou gritted his teeth and looked toward the guest room door.

But it was late at night. If he really wanted to make a scene over something this small, he’d have to go knock on Shi Qingze’s door.

Shi Qingze had undoubtedly bet on the fact that he wouldn’t leave the guest room.

Resigned, he could only put on the pajamas Shi Qingze had prepared for him and sit on the bed.

The apartment had an excellent view. The city center was bustling; even at three in the morning, the floor-to-ceiling windows revealed a city shimmering with a sea of lights.

Looking at the scenery outside, He Xinglou suddenly found it a bit ridiculous.

Was there any difference between Shi Qingze’s current behavior and the idiom of “marking the boat to find the sword”?

Three years ago, the two of them lived in a tiny capsule apartment in the slums. At night, they could climb onto the dilapidated roof to rest, looking out at nothing but a pitch-black sky and the faint, shimmering lunar craters in the distance.

The nights in the slums were terrifyingly quiet, the wind carrying only the scent of desolation. In that darkness where no future was visible, they had only each other to rely on.

Actually, back then, news reports about Shi Qingze’s disappearance must have been everywhere, and the Imperial Capital must have deployed massive forces to find him.

But He Xinglou had no money to subscribe to news broadcasts, and the slums were a self-contained ecological circle, information was blocked, and no matter how big the storm was, it couldn’t blow inside.

He had been living in a beautiful dream, feeling that since traveling to this world, he finally had an anchor. From then on, he would no longer be alone; he would always have a home to return to and someone waiting for him.

Xiao Ze was his younger brother; he belonged to him.

But Shi Qingze did not.

So, no matter how hard Shi Qingze tried to replicate it now, the two of them could never go back to that roof from three years ago.

At this thought, a piece of He Xinglou’s heart seemed to collapse.

“I should leave as soon as it’s light out,” he cautioned himself inwardly.

As it turned out, whether the citrus scent was too hypnotic or the night’s exertions were simply too exhausting, he unexpectedly slept soundly. By the time he woke up, the world outside was already fully bright.

“Crap.” He Xinglou blinked and sat up with a start.

In a moment of panic, he opened his communicator and began messaging his two best friends.

[I’m giving you an address now. Can you take a hovercar and fly to the window on the 79th floor to pick me up?]

Lin Shuyan: [Jumping out of a window is dangerous! Where are you? Don’t do anything reckless.]

Song Xiao: [Can you wait 3 days? The hovercar needs to be modified before it can fly that high.]

Lin Shuyan: [Tell us your location first. If necessary, you can start a live stream; they won’t dare keep you if you’re broadcasting.]

He Xinglou, now fully awake, hurriedly replied: [Never mind, I was just having a nightmare haha.]

He couldn’t exactly say he was at Shi Qingze’s house.

If his two friends actually showed up at the door, that would turn into a real nightmare.

Left with no other choice, He Xinglou quickly put on his clothes which had dried overnight. He crept to the door and pressed his ear against it to listen for movement in the living room.

It was silent outside the guest room.

He opened the door and peeked through the crack.

He saw that Shi Qingze hadn’t slept in the master bedroom. Instead, he was lying on the sofa with his back to him, motionless, as if he hadn’t woken up at all.

The two of them had returned together and stayed up half the night. Shi Qingze likely didn’t fall asleep until around 3:00 AM, so he was naturally sleep-deprived and unable to wake up early.

He Xinglou felt relieved. He returned to the room to grab his things, then tiptoed out of the bedroom, hugging the wall as he moved toward the front door.

Even though every movement was silent, Shi Qingze suddenly shifted, rolling over to face He Xinglou’s direction.

He Xinglou froze in terror, eyes wide as he watched the other’s face. Only after confirming that Shi Qingze’s eyes were still tightly shut did he relax.

And in that glance, he saw the wound on the other man’s cheek.

Now that the daylight was clear, he realized the cut was actually quite deep. He could vaguely see the red, swollen flesh beneath the opening a clear sign of inflammation.

Yesterday, Shi Qingze had been so focused on making sure he applied medicine that he hadn’t treated his own wound. He Xinglou remembered that the wire fences in the slums were rusty.

Could it be tetanus?

He Xinglou pursed his lips. After a moment of silence, he couldn’t help but change direction and walk toward the sofa, gently placing the back of his hand against Shi Qingze’s forehead.

It felt slightly cool; at least he didn’t have a fever.

He Xinglou breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to get up and leave, but his wrist was suddenly grabbed. He looked over in shock only to see Shi Qingze open his eyes—he looked completely awake, without a hint of drowsiness.

The bastard was faking it!

Furious, He Xinglou struggled to wrench his wrist free.

Shi Qingze’s grip had been heavy, but the moment he sensed resistance, he immediately let go.

He Xinglou hadn’t expected him to let go so suddenly; with the force of his own pull, he stumbled backward from the momentum.

Shi Qingze lunged upward, leaning forward quickly. His long arm hooked around He Xinglou’s waist and pulled him back.

The two of them instantly tumbled into a heap.

He Xinglou, shaken, tried to steady himself. His hands had no choice but to press against Shi Qingze’s shoulders; beneath his palms, he felt unfamiliar, burning muscles.

Is this guy about to enter his rut?!

The chaotic scene of Shi Qingze’s differentiation from three years ago flashed before his eyes. Panic-stricken, He Xinglou scrambled to get up and put some distance between them.

Perhaps He Xinglou touched something during his struggle, as Shi Qingze frowned as if in pain, pleading in a breathy voice: “Brother, don’t move. I’ll help you up.”

Having said that, he summoned strength from somewhere, gripped He Xinglou’s waist with both hands, and actually lifted him into the air.

Then, he gently placed him down on the nearby sofa.

Like picking up a cat.

Even though he knew Shi Qingze’s physique was much larger than his now, this difference in strength was just too ridiculous, wasn’t it??

He Xinglou’s face burned fiercely, and a layer of sweat broke out on his nose.

He didn’t dare look at Shi Qingze’s expression, fearing the other would mock him. He just lowered his eyes and said in a muffled voice, “Thank you.”

Shi Qingze sat a small distance away from him: “I thought Brother would leave directly this morning. I figured you wouldn’t want to say goodbye to me, so I pretended to keep sleeping. I didn’t expect you to come over, so I opened my eyes out of curiosity.”

“So, am I supposed to say sorry?” He Xinglou retorted crossly.

Shi Qingze was genuinely amused by him, but the laughter tugged at the wound on his face, causing him to hiss in pain.

Hearing the sound, He Xinglou turned his head. His gaze settled on the wound, which had started to seep blood.

“…You should clean that wound properly. Be careful, it might get infected.”

Hearing the softened tone of concern, Shi Qingze’s eyes lit up. He nodded: “I took anti-inflammatory medicine yesterday. I just didn’t put a bandage on.”

He Xinglou withdrew his gaze: “That’s good then.”

No wonder he didn’t have a fever despite being injured and caught in the rain; he had taken medicine.

But then He Xinglou remembered something else and spoke up to remind him: “Your body is burning up. Is your rut about to start?”

Shi Qingze’s expression froze. He blinked but didn’t say anything.

He Xinglou took his silence as confirmation. He reached into the small bag he had hurriedly brought with him, took out a suppressor patch, and handed it over.

His lips moved, originally wanting to say something more, but his rationality returned just in time. He told himself not to lose his sense of boundaries.

The words of concern never made it out of his mouth.

Shi Qingze silently took the patch, but before He Xinglou could withdraw his hand, he gently squeezed He Xinglou’s fingertips and placed the patch back into his palm.

He Xinglou asked in a low voice: “You don’t want it?”

Shi Qingze shook his head: “My rut hasn’t started yet. It’s for another reason.”

What reason? He didn’t have a fever when he touched his forehead earlier… did the fever start just now?

He Xinglou didn’t quite understand.

But then Shi Qingze smiled at him: “On the contrary, Brother… your heat is about to start, isn’t it?”

He Xinglou froze for a second, then reflexively moved away, reaching up to touch the back of his own neck.

He knew his heat was due soon, which was why he carried suppressor patches with him. Now that Shi Qingze had called it out, it was obvious his pheromones had begun to leak out uncontrollably.

If he didn’t deal with it quickly, who knows what kind of out-of-control scene would unfold? After all, the current Shi Qingze was a bona-fide Alpha.

The kind of Alpha that could get him pregnant.

He Xinglou’s voice was hurried: “Can I use your bathroom?”

Shi Qingze sat still and nodded: “Be my guest, Brother.”

He Xinglou scrambled into the bathroom.

Unlike the citrus scent he had smelled in the guest room, the fragrance in this bathroom was entirely fig-scented. Brand-new bottles were lined up on the vanity, as if they had only just been opened and used.

He Xinglou only gave them a cursory glance and didn’t pay much attention, busy dealing with the suppressor patch in his hand.

But perhaps it was the influence of the approaching heat, but his mind was a mess, unable to settle down.

His mind uncontrollably replayed the image of Shi Qingze’s smile just now, the warmth on his fingertips and palms, the hug in the rainy night, and even further back… that chaotic differentiation period two years ago.

Back then, He Xinglou had prayed every day that his “brother” would differentiate into an Omega to put an end to any improper thoughts Shi Qingze might have about him. But clearly, heaven had completely ignored his prayers.

When Shi Qingze started running a high fever, the aggressive scent of pine pheromones directly enveloped him, forcefully triggering He Xinglou’s heat.

That time, they had almost…

Splash—

He Xinglou turned the faucet on hard, letting the splashing cold water douse his face.

He looked up at the shimmering, watery eyes in the mirror, wishing he could punch himself awake.

Was he crazy? Why was he thinking about Shi Qingze at a time like this?