Chapter 20: Adverse Reactions

Hearing the last sentence, Zhu Zhixi almost choked.

He wouldn’t have believed it before, but things were different now, because not long ago, his own little tailbone had personally verified this fact.

“Then he…”

“Don’t worry, he won’t do it, and he won’t allow himself to do it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up in this state of being neither human nor ghost.” Li Qiao sighed. “Normal Alphas have their own safe channels for relief, either a partner, or…”

As he spoke, he looked at the pure face before him, which was clearly uncorrupted by the physiological knowledge of AOs, and paused. “Anyway, ever since he fully differentiated into an Alpha at 15, he’s been getting by on medication.”

Zhu Zhixi didn’t understand. “Why?”

Why would he rather go against his nature and use drugs to suppress it than accept an Omega partner? And even… enter into a fake marriage with him, a Beta who was of no use at a time like this.

What did Fu Rangyi stand to gain?

Li Qiao didn’t answer.

He glanced at his watch. “I’m in a hurry, I have to go. To make a long story short, what I just injected him with wasn’t a suppressant, but a short-acting tranquilizer. It’ll only last for thirty minutes. Here’s another vial. Use it as little as possible; it has side effects.”

“I brought four types of suppressants: capsules, oral liquid, calming spray, and an inhibitor injection. They’re all new drugs he hasn’t developed a resistance to yet. The effects increase in that order. There are instructions in the boxes, remember to read them.”

Zhu Zhixi nodded and asked, “The… malignant susceptibility syndrome you just mentioned, will it affect his intelligence?” He won’t turn into a dumb dog, will he?

At the mention of this topic, Li Qiao expression turned a little strange. He gave a vague answer, “…It’s hard to say.”

But Zhu Zhixi didn’t notice. “But wasn’t he able to give a presentation during his last susceptibility period?”

Li Qiao rolled his eyes. “You have no idea how many days in advance he started taking medication to attend that conference, or how many injections he got later. He’s resistant to that drug now. And this time is abnormal. It’s so early. Aside from his own subjective consciousness, it’s very likely it was induced…”

He added, “None of that matters now. In short, the situation is special. These new drugs are all very potent, so they should barely be able to suppress it.”

Would such strong drugs cause any problems?

Zhu Zhixi was very worried. “Are these new drugs of yours compliant with regulations? Have they been tested on animals? They won’t… break him, will they?”

“What are you saying? Would I harm him? At most, there will be some adverse reactions, which he’s used to. But the best method is, of course, to follow animal instincts and mate. It’s the safest and most efficient way.” Li Qiao smiled. “Of course, that’s with an O. The more compatible the pheromones, the better the effect.”

Zhu Zhixi fell silent.

He thought of the Omega he had met at the mall. If it was really as Fu Liaoxing said, that person’s pheromones were highly compatible with Fu Rangyi’s.

Did he induce Fu Rangyi’s early susceptibility period?

As he was thinking, Li Qiao took a small bottle from his medical kit and tossed it into his arms.

“This is a strong calming spray. If he goes wild like he did just now, just spray it at him. It can take down a bull.”

“You should have said you had pepper spray earlier!” Zhu Zhixi instantly felt a sense of security.

After giving his instructions, Li Qiao added him on WeChat with his phone and patted his shoulder. “Thanks for your hard work. Contact me on WeChat if you have any problems, but I might only be able to reply at night. I’m off.”

“Stay, brave warrior…”

“Can’t stay for a second longer. If I do, I’ll be disbarred!”

Then you could at least help me get him onto the bed before you go.

The door slammed shut.

The man had appeared like a whirlwind and left just as quickly. The house fell silent again.

Zhu Zhixi sighed repeatedly. Using all his strength, he managed to haul his unconscious fake husband back onto the master bedroom’s large bed.

“You look so tall and thin even when you wear such thick clothes, but you’re surprisingly heavy! Did you build this body just to torture me…”

Zhu Zhixi plopped onto the floor, his eyes vacant.

He couldn’t afford to rest. By his calculations, the tranquilizer would wear off in ten minutes at most.

He had to hurry and give him the medicine.

Opening his phone, he saw that Li Qiao had shared another link.

[Li Qiao: I’ve given you access to his wristband’s permissions. This can monitor the wearer’s pheromone concentration, stress levels, heart rate, and other data in real-time. It will alarm if there are abnormalities. You can use the data to decide on the medication.]

He clicked the link, and indeed, a lot of data appeared. Almost every item was in red, which was terrifying to look at.

“Time for medicine, time for medicine.”

According to the doctor’s orders, he should take the capsule first, then the oral liquid. These two had the mildest side effects. The former reduced abnormal libido by regulating hormone levels, while the latter reduced the control of pheromones on cognitive abilities.

One is a chemical cold shower? And the other helps restore intelligence?

But Fu Rangyi was currently unconscious and wearing a muzzle, making it inconvenient to feed him medicine, and he couldn’t swallow on his own.

To be safe, he had to start with the injection.

He had almost no experience caring for people, but he had previously volunteered for an animal protection medical team and had a lot of experience caring for small animals. He had fed milk to a baby kangaroo, given intravenous injections to an injured baboon, and bandaged a small cheetah. It was all a piece of cake.

Now it was just a 187cm Alpha in his susceptibility period. It should be about the same…

Reading the instructions, preparing the medicine, and drawing it into the syringe, Zhu Zhixi took a deep breath and pulled Fu Rangyi’s arm over.

His clothes were almost soaked with sweat, sticking to his skin. Zhu Zhixi held his wrist and struggled to push up the sleeve.

Fu Rangyi’s hands were so beautiful it was hard to ignore. Very fair, much larger than his own, with long, strong fingers that had thin calluses. The knuckles were distinct, and blue veins were faintly visible. The minor scars, far from detracting from this beauty, added a rough tension.

The most wonderful part was the mole. Pinned to the thin membrane at the web of his thumb, it moved with his every action, as if it were alive.

Fu Rangyi’s skin always had a porcelain white quality, free of impurities. It was cold, and even if it got marked, the marks wouldn’t last, vanishing with a rinse of water.

But now, every one of his knuckles was tinged with pink, as if he had forcefully clenched or kneaded something. This flush of blood, along with the blue veins, snaked upwards from his wrist to his elbow.

His heart rate was already above normal levels, as was his pulse, beating powerfully and heavily, making Zhu Zhixi’s palms sweat. This was the first time he had seen Fu Rangyi’s bare arm.

Unlike his beautiful, almost androgynous face, Fu Rangyi’s body showed clear signs of exercise. His muscles were perfectly full, with smooth lines.

But none of this surprised him.

Zhu Zhixi frowned. What truly astonished him was that there were numerous scars, both deep and shallow, on the inside of Fu Rangyi’s forearm. They were clearly not the small wounds left from work, but cuts made with a sharp object.

They were very old, one next to the other, firmly embedded in the skin.

His breathing became heavy, and his heart sank with it.

Why would he hurt himself like this?

Did he hate being “alienated” into an animal by his pheromones? Did he want to use pain to stay clear-headed?

The tip of Zhu Zhixi’s nose tingled. His hand, now slick with Fu Rangyi’s sweat, couldn’t get a firm grip.

He couldn’t think about it anymore.

Taking a deep breath, he found the biceps muscle according to the instructions. After disinfecting the area, Zhu Zhixi, his brows tightly furrowed, plunged the needle into the muscle.

He watched for a reaction. Fu Rangyi’s brow also furrowed, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

A high concentration of suppressant was pushed into his body.

Although he couldn’t smell it, in an enclosed environment, an overly high concentration of pheromones could also intimidate and affect a Beta.

It seemed to be happening now; Zhu Zhixi was having some trouble breathing.

Getting up from the bedside, he wanted to open a window, but as he stood up, he felt dizzy. He steadied himself against the wall. He hadn’t eaten anything since waking up and was a bit hypoglycemic.

Zhu Zhixi caught his breath, grabbed his phone, and went downstairs to a convenience store to quickly fill his stomach.

While munching on a rice ball, he surprisingly discovered that the countdown had been paused the entire time.

[47 days, 01 hour, 42 minutes, 05 seconds]

Was this his reward for his labor?

Yes, it wasn’t like he had intentionally run over to take care of him; it was just a coincidence.

And… taking care of him could extend his life. That was the real motive.

Wasn’t that why he had entered into this fake marriage in the first place?

Rubbing his palms together, Zhu Zhixi stopped looking at the countdown. After finishing the last bite, he grabbed a few bottles of electrolyte water from the cooler, bought some ice cream, and carried it all back to the apartment.

This time when he entered, the oppressive feeling of the pheromones was noticeably less, at least not affecting his normal activities.

“Professor Fu? I’m back.”

He put the ice cream in the freezer, popped a few frozen strawberries into his mouth, poured the electrolyte water into a cup, inserted a straw, and carried it into the master bedroom.

Strangely, there was no one on the bed. He jumped, nearly spilling the water in his hand. But soon, he heard the sound of water coming from the bathroom.

Was he awake?

So obsessed with cleanliness. The first thing he does after regaining his senses is take a shower?

The bathroom door was slightly ajar. Zhu Zhixi, afraid he would catch a cold, wanted to close it for him. But with just one glance through the crack, he saw a pair of long legs, not standing, but lying on the floor.

There was also red liquid on the floor.

He suddenly thought of the old scars on Fu Rangyi’s arm. His temples throbbed several times, and he abruptly pushed the door open. “What’s wrong with you!”

Fu Rangyi was lying on the floor, half-curled up, his clothes almost completely soaked, with a large patch of red spread across his chest.

But there was no smell of blood in the bathroom, only the sweet aroma of wine.

“Pinot Noir?” Seeing the overturned wine bottle, the breath Zhu Zhixi had been holding was released. He leaned against the bathroom wall and slid to the floor.

“You scared me to death…”

After calming down for a moment, he set the wine bottle upright. There was almost nothing left inside. It was most likely the one Fu Rangyi had brought to the room last night.

“You were trying to sober up by drinking? What kind of logic is that?”

And at that moment, Fu Rangyi suddenly showed a slight reaction, his eyelids fluttering, his mind scattered.

“Wash…” he said with some difficulty. “Clothes, need to wash…”

So he woke up, wanted to drink, but couldn’t because of the muzzle, got it all over himself, and then, feeling dirty, ran to the bathroom to wash?

“Young master, you’re too obsessed with cleanliness… Forget about the clothes for now. Since you can open your mouth now, take your medicine first.”

Zhu Zhixi crunched loudly on the frozen strawberries, went back to the room, and brought the oral liquid and capsules.

It was obvious that the clean freak hadn’t fully recovered yet and was in a semi-conscious state.

He sat down, supported Fu Rangyi’s shoulders, and almost pulled the man halfway into his embrace. Using his phone, he unlocked the first layer of the face muzzle, placed it on the sink, and through the metal cage, brought the straw of the oral liquid to his lips.

He had thought feeding him the medicine would be difficult, but the truth was, as soon as the straw touched the corner of his lips, he began to suck, so proactively it surprised Zhu Zhixi.

“Are you very thirsty?”

However, feeding him the capsule became a huge problem. It was already inconvenient to deliver medicine through the muzzle, and after finally managing to get it in with chopsticks, the man simply wouldn’t eat it, frowning and spitting it out.

After several consecutive attempts, the capsule fell to the ground, got wet, and was about to dissolve.

“Bro, can you give me a break? I’m sweating from feeding you…”

Zhu Zhixi was really exhausted from the ordeal. He helped him up. “You lean against the wall and sit for a while. I’ll… I’ll read the instructions first.”

Maybe taking the inhibitor injection and the oral liquid together was enough.

Should he just skip the capsule?

What did the capsule even do?

He flipped through the instructions and sent a voice message to Li Qiao, but the other party didn’t reply.

“…Precautions… Before using the injection, a certain dose of oral suppressant must be taken first to ensure relative stability of pheromones in the body. If injected directly during an outbreak, it may trigger side effects…”

“Huh??? There’s an order to it?” Zhu Zhixi was dumbfounded.

That quack! Why didn’t you emphasize something so important!

He vented by bombarding Li Qiao’s phone with a bunch of messages.

What were the side effects?

Zhu Zhixi continued to read. “Syncope, abnormally high fever, delirious speech…”

Before he could finish, he suddenly heard Fu Rangyi’s voice. The timbre was the same, like cold water. But the tone was completely different—light, slow, unclear, unsteady, his breath chaotic. As if he had become a different person.

“I want…”

[Delirious speech]

The side effects were here.

Zhu Zhixi felt a little desperate and a little guilty. He wiped his hands with a cold, wet towel. “I’m sorry, Professor Fu, I really have no experience…”

Let alone an Alpha in susceptibility, I, a little Beta, have never taken care of anyone at all.

“I want…”

He moved closer and asked in an accommodating tone, “Want what? I’ll get it for you.”

“To mark, you.”

Zhu Zhixi was stunned. “Huh?”

This isn’t right.

Did he mistake me for someone else?

Zhu Zhixi straightened his head. “You… you can’t mark me.”

Fu Rangyi’s head rested against the wall. He was tilted back slightly, his pale face flushed with an abnormal red, the tip of his nose also red. All of this made him look softer and more docile than usual, not distant.

Only his eyes were different.

The eyes now, without the barrier of a metal frame and glass lenses, were staring straight ahead, like bright hooks, locking onto his gaze, refusing to let go.

“Zhu Zhixi…” his lips moved, murmuring repeatedly, “I want to mark you.”

This was the first time Zhu Zhixi had seen Fu Rangyi like this. It was a bit strange, and yet… very novel.

Putting down the towel, he held his burning face with both hands, his tone very serious, as if teaching a child. “That’s impossible, little classmate Fu.”

This was too interesting, teaching someone four years older than him? A professor who was seen by everyone as righteous, proper, and promising.

“I can’t be marked by you.”

Fu Rangyi suddenly smiled. He had never smiled like this before. It was strange, very…

Frivolous.

“Then who do you want to be marked by?”

He exuded the aroma of overripe grapes, sweet with a hint of sourness. Those cool eyes were now filled with a base lust, the corners of his eyes pink. Sweat snaked down like a thin serpent, disappearing into his brow.

“Who… tell me.”

Zhu Zhixi stared at him, suddenly feeling his mouth go dry.

He quickly brought himself back to his senses. “What do you mean, ‘who do you want to be marked by’? I’m a Beta, no one can mark me. You took the wrong medicine… no, I mean, you got the wrong injection. It’s made you confused.”

“No,” Fu Rangyi’s speech was very slow. “I’m so hot. What did you give me to drink?”

“Medicine, and water.” Zhu Zhixi felt wronged and immediately held up the medicine bottle and water bottle for him to see. “I even went out of my way to buy electrolyte water. I didn’t do anything else.”

But he did mess up the order. The high fever was also a side effect. This point was irrefutable, so Zhu Zhixi felt a little guilty.

“Then… are you uncomfortable anywhere else? Besides being hot.”

Fu Rangyi’s breathing was heavy. He was clearly still unable to think properly, only repeating, “Hot, so hot.”

“Okay, okay, I get it. Hold this for a bit.” He stuffed the wet towel into Fu Rangyi’s hand. “I’m going out for a second.”

Just as he was about to get up, his hand was grabbed.

Fu Rangyi’s hand was scorching hot, gripping his fingers like red-hot iron tongs. But his eyes were soft, staring wetly, not letting him leave.

Zhu Zhixi’s mood was a bit strange. His tone softened a little as he soothingly patted his hand.

“I’m going to get you some ice cream. Eating something cold will make you feel better.”

He used a bit of force to pull his hand away and ran to the kitchen.

When he returned, Fu Rangyi was still in the same position, sitting on the floor, his long legs stretched out in front of him, his back against the wall, head tilted back, panting.

Hearing the door open, he turned his head slightly, looking up at Zhu Zhixi like a puppy seeing its owner return.

If this person had a tail, it would definitely be wagging nonstop right now.

Zhu Zhixi tried hard not to look at a certain overly conspicuous area, imagining him as a little puppy or kitten in heat.

Instantly, he felt upright, clever, and reliable.

Next to Fu Rangyi, he squatted down, took a small tub of vanilla flavor from the bag, unwrapped it, and scooped a little with a wooden spoon. He carefully extended it through the gap in the muzzle and brought it to his lips.

The ice cream was melting too fast.

“Is it okay? I know you don’t like sweets, but at least it can cool you down?” He handed the ice cream tub to Fu Rangyi. “Do you have the strength to eat it? Or… do you want me to feed you?”

Fu Rangyi stared blankly at the ice cream for a while, then his gaze scattered again, traveling along his arm to the convenience store bag.

“I want…” he lifted his eyelids slightly, “strawberry.”

“You want strawberry flavor?” Zhu Zhixi was quite surprised.

Was this a susceptibility period or a complete personality change!

“But I didn’t buy strawberry flavor,” he said, then suddenly thought of something. “Wait, I know. Wait for me.”

He ran off so quickly that Fu Rangyi’s outstretched hand grasped at empty air, clenching a beat too late.

But he returned just as quickly, sitting cross-legged and face-to-face. “Look, the ones I froze a few days ago.”

He proudly showed off his results, picked up the chopsticks, and grabbed a tiny frozen strawberry. He carefully inserted it through the muzzle and brought it to his lips.

Gripping a round, slippery piece of fruit steadily was not simple. Feeding it through the muzzle without dropping it was even harder, so Zhu Zhixi was especially careful, his tone even softening unconsciously.

“Eat up. It’ll be a bit cold. Just hold it in your mouth.”

Fu Rangyi slowly raised his eyes and did as he was told, obediently opening his mouth to take it, while also staring intently at Zhu Zhixi’s lowered eyes.

“That’s right, so good,” he praised subconsciously.

No, this isn’t a kitten or a puppy, this is Fu Rangyi.

But being praised by him seemed to be a good thing. Fu Rangyi actually raised his hand and placed it in Zhu Zhixi’s palm.

So… so fun.

Looking at the hand resting in his palm, Zhu Zhixi felt a small part of his heart sink.

Unlike AOs, as a Beta who had differentiated early in puberty, he was unaffected by pheromones and naturally had no interest in such things. He always slept through his physiology classes. This was his first time taking care of an Alpha in susceptibility.

And he was special, different from other Alphas.

A playful impulse arose. Zhu Zhixi stared at those moist, full lips, and the sharp, snow-white canine teeth within.

For some reason, as if possessed, he reached out his hand and slowly moved it forward. The tip of his index finger probed the gap of the muzzle.

Will you bite me?

He squeezed the hand Fu Rangyi had offered him.

You won’t, right? You should see me as your master now.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard a crisp sound—the pores all over his body trembled, and he yanked his finger back—it was the sound of upper and lower teeth snapping shut together.

He was still bitten a little.

“That hurts, Fu Rangyi! You actually bit me!”

Against the bathroom light, Zhu Zhixi pinched his fingertip and looked at it again and again, glaring fiercely at the perpetrator before turning his head and squeezing the bitten fingertip.

Why is there no blood?

Even a tiny bit would do.

Finally, enduring the pain, he managed to squeeze out a pinprick of blood. He immediately held it up like criminal evidence, thrusting it right in front of Fu Rangyi’s eyes. “Look, you bit me. You made me bleed! And you said before you wouldn’t touch a single one of my fingers.”

“Apologize to Zhu Zhixi right now.”

Fu Rangyi’s eyes were moist, his gaze even more innocent.

He moved his head forward, getting closer. The hot vapor of his breath enveloped Zhu Zhixi’s hand.

So hot.

The muzzle pressed against him, a little cold.

Zhu Zhixi felt a lingering fear and wanted to pull his hand back, but in the next second, his fingertip was passively guided through the gap in the muzzle, inch by inch, forced closer to the lips locked within.

The dangerous perpetrator opened his lips, but didn’t bite. Instead, he stuck out the tip of his tongue and licked his “injured” finger.

A jolt went through Zhu Zhixi. His legs went weak, as if he were an O easily affected by Alpha pheromones. It felt like an electric current shot through him, from the crown of his head to his toes, his whole body going numb for a moment.

And that moist tip of the tongue actually… swirled around his finger.

“Wait, what are you…”

His heart pounded a few times, as if hammering against his chest, and it also woke him up. He quickly withdrew his hand and backed away until his back slammed against the opposite wall. He clutched his finger and stared at Fu Rangyi.

This is “not touching a single finger”? Not only did you touch it with your hand, but you also touched it with your tongue!

Liar.

He swallowed, then rubbed his fingertips, feeling uneasy all over. He put his hand down, propped it on the floor, and gripped it tightly.

Fu Rangyi didn’t react at all, also watching him through the hot, humid air.

His tilted-back neck was long and slender, his Adam’s apple particularly prominent, bobbing up and down. His cheeks were puffed out, still holding the frozen strawberry, his breathing slightly calmer than before.

Faintly, Zhu Zhixi heard some sounds—a muffled, sticky swallowing, and the crisp sound of the hard-frozen strawberry knocking against teeth.

The playful mood from just now vanished instantly, replaced by a complex emotion.

Lust, pheromones—to him, they were all things he couldn’t see or touch. So were viruses.

He could clearly feel these viruses spreading silently, seeping into his body that should have been immune to all poisons.

“I…” Fu Rangyi’s lips moved.

“What?” He couldn’t hear clearly. He propped himself up with his hands on the floor and cautiously moved closer. “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

“Do it.” His teeth ground together, making a creaking sound. “I want to do it.”

“Quickly, give it to me.”

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Author’s Note:

It’s a long one today! (Puffs out chest proudly)

Normal Fu Rangyi: Devoted to academics, chaste and celibate, cultured but not a scoundrel…

Susceptibility Period Fu Rangyi: Seductive top.

Someone is about to start using “any means necessary.” The first susceptibility period arc is quite long, because for our upright, clever, and reliable Nurse Zhu, it’s a bit of a rollercoaster.