The Dangerous Omega Who is Good at Disguising Always Wants to Hook Me! - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Why Would You Like Me?

Shen Yunshu moved quickly, working overtime through the night. With Qi Yan’s cooperation, he swiftly extracted and purified the Alpha’s pheromones, injecting them into Shen Xiliu before he even regained consciousness.

“How are you feeling?” Shen Yunshu asked Qi Yan teasingly. “Does it feel complicated? Personally extracting your own pheromones, purifying them, and then injecting them into an Omega’s body?”

As a fellow Alpha, Shen Yunshu felt he understood the instincts and possessiveness of their kind. Even if it was a medical extraction and injection, it was hard to avoid a few subtle, primal thoughts.

Qi Yan, realizing Shen Yunshu had a rather mischievous streak, replied speechlessly, “…Director, you aren’t acting very professional right now. Shouldn’t the priority be observing Mr. Shen’s condition?”

Shen Yunshu was an expert in pheromone research; extracting pheromones for study was a daily occurrence for him. Why the interrogation?

While Qi Yan did feel a bit of that “subtle complexity,” it was only because Shen Xiliu had expressed those feelings for him and said those things the night before.

“Don’t worry, his recovery is faster than expected,” Shen Yunshu said. “It seems your pheromone compatibility is even higher than I thought.”

Measuring exact pheromone compatibility without error takes time. Shen Yunshu had originally estimated it to be between 90% and 95%, but looking at the current results, it was likely above 95%. That was why Shen Xiliu was recovering so rapidly.

“As long as it helps Mr. Shen.” Qi Yan didn’t care about the specific percentage; as long as it was over 90%, it was enough.

Qi Yan didn’t stay at the hospital. He had finished work at 2:00 AM and had been busy with Shen Xiliu and Shen Yunshu until morning. Now that Shen Xiliu’s condition had stabilized, Shen Yunshu told him to go home and rest.

“Thanks for the help. Get some sleep; it’s already 8:00 AM.” Shen Yunshu checked the time. He had been working non-stop since Shen Xiliu went missing and was feeling the exhaustion.

“Pulling all-nighters is bad for the health. I’m getting older; I can’t handle the strain like you young people.”

Qi Yan had been working alongside Shen Yunshu all night through the extraction and purification process. Seeing that Shen Xiliu was stable, he didn’t refuse the car Shen Yunshu arranged for him.

Once Qi Yan left, Shen Yunshu went outside for a cigarette to clear his head. He returned to the ward and waited quietly by the bed.

Shen Xiliu slowly opened his eyes and turned his head toward Shen Yunshu. Messy black hair fell across his narrow, dark, brooding eyes. His face was pale, his silhouette cast in shadow, and his lips were nearly colorless. His expression was cold.

“Is he gone?”

“What did you expect?” Shen Yunshu stood over him, hands in his lab coat pockets. “What, did you want your ‘savior’ who helped you all night to stay and keep nursing you?”

Shen Xiliu ignored him. He raised his right hand; the sleeve of his blue hospital gown slid down to reveal a slender arm still bearing the marks of the needle—the puncture where Qi Yan’s purified pheromones had been injected into his body.

His fingertips lightly brushed the injection site. The surrounding pale skin was tinged with faint bruising. Shen Xiliu lowered his lashes, his dark eyes shimmering with a faint, fractured light. His cheeks bore a sickly, feverish flush, and his gaze seemed a mix of trance-like daze and madness.

“Are you satisfied now?” Shen Yunshu’s voice cut through the air.

Shen Xiliu’s gaze slowly drifted toward him. If his second uncle hadn’t been there, he could have arranged for a doctor to communicate with Qi Yan personally.

In that scenario, he could have induced Qi Yan to mark him. With Qi Yan’s gentle and responsible nature, that so-called “crush” would no longer be a threat. Even if Qi Yan didn’t love him initially, the influence of the pheromones after a marking would have made him fall in love eventually…

Thinking this, Shen Xiliu whispered, “Uncle, you’re really in the way.”

Shen Yunshu, who had labored all night: “…”

The “anger mark” veins throbbed on his forehead. A second later, a roar echoed from the room:

“You ungrateful brat! If you want to die, just say it! Don’t force me to save you and then make me want to beat you to death!!!”

…

Qi Yan slept for only three hours before waking up. His insomnia hadn’t been as severe lately; his dreams had become numerous and chaotic, though he couldn’t remember them clearly.

Worried about Shen Xiliu, Qi Yan sent a message to Shen Yunshu but received no reply. He guessed the director was resting or too busy to check his phone. After a moment of hesitation, he couldn’t stay away and decided to head to the hospital to check on Shen Xiliu himself.

“Qi Yan, you’re here.” The moment he pushed open the door, he met Shen Xiliu’s eyes. The over-bed table was out, holding a laptop and some documents; he was already handling business.

After everything that happened last night, he could start working the moment he woke up?

Qi Yan went silent for a moment, then sighed. “Mr. Shen, when did you wake up? Are you feeling better?”

Looking at Shen Xiliu, who hadn’t been wearing his glasses since last night, he seemed more aloof than usual. His pale complexion added a touch of sickly fragility.

“Hmm, I woke up around 11:00.” Shen Xiliu’s gaze was gentle. He tilted his head, his usually perfectly styled hair falling against his cheek as he seemed to recall the time slowly.

“I feel much better now. Just a moment, I’m almost finished with this.” Shen Xiliu maintained an incredibly elegant and calm demeanor, almost like a different person from the night before. He stared at the screen, his hands moving steadily.

In this state, Qi Yan couldn’t tell at all that he was a patient suffering from Pheromone Disorder.

Has the Shen family run out of people? Why are they letting a patient who just woke up work?

He couldn’t say that out loud. Seeing that Shen Xiliu was indeed much better, he said, “No rush, Mr. Shen. I just came to check on you. Since you’re fine, I won’t disturb you—”

“Have you had lunch?” Shen Xiliu interrupted.

“Uh… not yet.” He had planned to eat after waking up, but he had been so preoccupied with Shen Xiliu’s condition that he had just grabbed a cab and came straight here.

He hadn’t even had breakfast—he’d gone straight to sleep the moment he got home.

Shen Xiliu’s gaze grew even softer. He closed the laptop and said to Qi Yan, “I just had my assistant bring some over. If you don’t mind, let’s eat together.”

“After all, we need to talk about what happened last night, don’t we?”

— Once you’re sober, we’ll have a real talk. — If your thoughts haven’t changed after you’ve cleared your head… — I’m willing to cooperate with the hospital and ‘treat’ you together.

The matter Qi Yan had been trying desperately to ignore was suddenly brought up. His heart hammered twice. Everything from last night rushed back to him; for a moment, he felt a wave of embarrassment.

Especially under Shen Xiliu’s calm gaze.

“I understand. Since we’re going to talk, let’s do it now.” Qi Yan fell silent for a beat, reining in his emotions and choosing not to evade the other man’s feelings any longer.

He sat in the chair by the bed and looked at Shen Xiliu calmly. “Mr. Shen, would you like to speak first, or should I?”

“…Before that, let me ask you a question. Why are you being so serious? It’s as if you’re facing a great enemy.”

Shen Xiliu leaned his elbow on the table, resting his face on the back of his hand as he watched Qi Yan. His posture was relaxed, carrying a certain indescribable charm he didn’t usually show. He narrowed his eyes and smiled.

Compared to the situation last night, the roles seemed to have reversed. Now that the Shen Xiliu who had gone mad from illness was sober, he seemed much more adept at this than Qi Yan.

Qi Yan was taken aback by the look. His emotions flickered, but he didn’t look away. He said very calmly, “Because this is important. We should respect both parties, right?”

Shen Xiliu didn’t possess such high moral character; Qi Yan wouldn’t even reject someone without giving them a graceful way out. Such a gentle refusal usually did nothing but make a person more obsessed, but Shen Xiliu wouldn’t say that out loud.

“Well said. However, what I said last night still stands. I like you, and I hope you will date me.” Shen Xiliu spoke with absolute bluntness. His long, dark, beautiful eyes remained fixed on Qi Yan. With his cold and aloof appearance, he didn’t look like someone who would ever take the initiative to confess.

Qi Yan was stunned for a long time by the directness. He maintained his serious posture, his brow furrowed with the same rigor he applied to a laboratory experiment, effectively killing the romantic atmosphere.

“Why would you like me?” Qi Yan asked sincerely.

He didn’t believe in “love at first sight”—that was just an attraction to looks.

Before last night, Qi Yan might have suspected that Shen Xiliu was mistaking the reliance he felt from those few times Qi Yan helped him for love. But after everything last night, he was even more confused.

Shen Xiliu’s feelings were far deeper than he had imagined, but it didn’t make sense. They hadn’t known each other long. Qi Yan couldn’t find a reason for Shen Xiliu to be so fixated on him.

Could I be a substitute?

Is Shen Xiliu projecting his feelings for someone else onto me?

Qi Yan frowned, feeling a bit of revulsion. He shouldn’t suspect someone like that.

The answer could only come from Shen Xiliu himself.

Shen Xiliu tilted his head and watched him, whispering, “Why wouldn’t I like you?”

“If you want reasons, I can give you plenty. Since we met, you’ve helped me many times—whether it was the respiratory alkalosis, the sprained ankle, or almost getting knocked over in the bar. Is it strange to like someone who helps you?”

“If those reasons aren’t enough, why couldn’t I have fallen for your looks at first sight? And then been attracted to your inner qualities? After all, our interactions so far have been very pleasant, haven’t they? Or do you think your charm is so poor that I shouldn’t like you?”

“It’s not that… I just can’t quite figure it out…”

Qi Yan was well aware of his own physical advantages. Shen Xiliu’s words were logical, but he could sense that Shen Xiliu was hiding something.

Shen Xiliu knew what Qi Yan didn’t understand, but he didn’t dare speak his true thoughts. He gazed at him and said, “Liking someone is just liking someone. There are thousands of reasons, and you can never list them all. But my liking you is just about you—it’s not influenced by anything else. It has nothing to do with pheromones, and it has nothing to do with anyone else. It’s simply because you are Qi Yan.”

You are Qi Yan. That is enough.