Chapter 21: Extreme Push and Pull

Zhu Zhixi’s mind exploded with a bang, short-circuiting for a second.

No. Wait a minute. Didn’t Li Qiao say he wouldn’t do this kind of thing during his susceptibility period?

What was going on? Was this because I gave him the wrong injection?

“Hurry up, do it with me.”

No, no, no. This person isn’t Fu Rangyi right now. He has no reason; he’s a small animal in heat.

Zhu Zhixi talked a big game, but in reality, he had zero experience. Just hearing these words made his ears turn bright red.

“Hey, stop talking. Just shut up. You’ll definitely regret this when you wake up.”

But Fu Rangyi’s mouth wouldn’t stop. Slowly, in a semi-commanding tone, he made the most erotic requests, like a teacher, yet also like a child.

“You, come here.” His voice grew more indistinct.

“Rabbit…”

“Bad… rabbit.”

Zhu Zhixi misheard. “Vomit? You want to vomit? Oh no, oh no…”

Was this also a side effect?

He quickly moved the trash can over, squatted and held it up for a long time, patted Xiao Fu’s back, then held it up again.

However, the young master had no intention of vomiting at all. Instead, he rebelliously raised his head. “I want to touch.”

“Huh? Touch what?”

I’m the one who really wants to touch my own head, but I can’t reach it.

“Tail, give it to me.”

Has he gone mad?

“No, it’s been millions of years since monkeys evolved into humans! Where would a tail come from? Aren’t you an archaeologist? Why are you supporting atavism…”

Even a passion for academia couldn’t awaken the man’s reason. The delirious speech symptoms worsened.

“Touch the tail, on… the bed.”

“Have a baby… Rabbits, have two uteruses, very fertile.”

“No, how are you getting more and more ridiculous? Why are you getting into biology now!”

It was too terrifying. Zhu Zhixi’s face was hot enough to fry an egg. He was at a loss for what to do. Without thinking, he reached over the muzzle to cover his mouth. This obviously had no effect whatsoever.

What was going on?

Was it because he didn’t take the capsule?

Right, the oral liquid only slowly restored cognitive ability. The capsule was what suppressed physiological desires.

Zhu Zhixi quickly found the capsule he had failed to feed him earlier, tried to mix the medicine in the ice cream, and then feed it to him again.

“Do it…”

He paused for a second, cajoling and deceiving, “Eat first, then we’ll do it.”

But Fu Rangyi wouldn’t eat it at all. He forced a little in, and it was pushed out with the tip of his tongue.

“No, what’s with you…” Zhu Zhixi was so angry he laughed. “I’ve medicated dozens, if not hundreds, of cats. I’ve never seen one as difficult as you.”

This top Alpha in his susceptibility period gave him an innocent look again, but his mouth was anything but innocent. “Hurry up, do it with me.”

Zhu Zhixi’s face fell for a second, then he smiled again, picking up the wooden spoon. “Okay, okay, let’s play a little game of eating ice cream together.”

The player rejects your game invitation. Spits it out.

No, why is the effect of this oral liquid on restoring intelligence so slow?

He took a deep breath and decided to try one more time.

Just as he broke open a new capsule, a long vibration occurred. Zhu Zhixi turned his head to see that the caller was Zhou Ming.

It’s over.

He had arranged to meet at the museum at two o’clock to discuss the venue design. He had completely forgotten!

Zhu Zhixi quickly answered. But the ice cream was melting too fast, and the capsule was getting soft. He had no choice but to turn on the speakerphone and talk while busy.

“Hello? Zhixi, are you on your way?”

Zhu Zhixi quickly knelt in apology. “Um, Director Zhou, I’m so sorry, so sorry. I’ve run into an emergency situation here, I can’t make it now, I…”

Suddenly, Zhu Zhixi was knocked to the ground. The spoon and medicine in his hand scattered, and his words were cut off.

What the, I didn’t mean a literal sliding kneel!

He was dizzy and hadn’t yet realized what had happened when a scorching hot body pressed down on him.

“Fu Rangyi, why are you again…”

Not understanding what was happening, Fu Rangyi, who had been sitting obediently just a moment ago, had suddenly lost control again, knocking him down like a wild beast.

The body pressing down on him was hot, the hand gripping him was scalding, but the muzzle was so cold it made Zhu Zhixi tremble. The metal bars ground cruelly against his neck, digging into his flesh. The sharp fangs gnashed, loud and eager, wanting to chew, to tear, to devour him.

“Zhixi? Are you okay?”

Fu Rangyi was clearly even more agitated. Knowing it was futile with the muzzle on, he still bit desperately.

“No…”

I’m still on the phone!

Zhu Zhixi struggled to free his hand, using his experience in dealing with wild animals to save himself.

Propping himself up on his elbow, he blocked the chest pressing down on him, creating space. While panting, he stretched his fingertips until they just barely touched his pocket.

Hiss—

He held his breath, gripped the calming spray, and aimed it at Fu Rangyi, spraying wildly.

Soon, the hand that was about to crush his wrist slowly loosened. The body also gradually lost its strength, finally collapsing heavily on top of him.

Help me.

The iceberg was crushing him again. But Zhu Zhixi was much more at ease this time. He hung up the phone and let out a long sigh of relief.

With a heart full of gratitude, he picked up the spray can. “What would I do without you…”

After saying this, he kissed the bottle several times, mwah, mwah, mwah, very loudly.

Who knew that the person on him would move again.

This scared him badly. He thought it was a zombie reanimating, so he quickly sprayed a few more times.

Now he was completely still.

Unexpectedly, the effects of the spray and the tranquilizer injection were not the same. It didn’t cause a complete loss of consciousness, but rather a state of physical weakness and distraction.

He pushed Fu Rangyi off and found that his eyes were still open. The soft golden light in the bathroom was transparent and clear, like white wine spilling over him, soaking his somewhat disheveled body.

The previously frivolous eyes were now even more noticeably red, moister, welling with water, tearful. But his gaze had no focus; he was completely dazed. Soon, tears streamed down his morbidly flushed cheeks.

This was the first time Fu Rangyi had cried in front of him.

Zhu Zhixi was somewhat mesmerized, as if watching a piece of ice melt. Unconsciously, he reached out his hand to catch the tears, carefully wiping them for him.

“Oh my, don’t cry…”

He soon realized something was wrong.

Why couldn’t he control these tears?

He couldn’t wipe them all away. There were more and more, making Fu Rangyi’s entire face wet.

Was it because of this spray?

Zhu Zhixi took out the medicine box, unfolded the instructions, and found the line about adverse reactions.

[This product is an irritant. Overuse may cause the patient to cough, have photophobia, and tear up.]

…Am I really taking care of a person?

Zhu Zhixi was so anxious he wanted to bite his nails.

This already difficult susceptibility period seemed to have become even more dangerous because of him.

When Fu Rangyi woke up, he would definitely say sarcastically, “I’m so lucky to have you.”

But the current Fu Rangyi was not like that. The eyes soaked in tears showed unprecedented vulnerability and helplessness, as if he particularly needed him. He had completely lost the composure and dominance of an elder, let alone restraint.

Right now, he couldn’t control anything.

Seeing him with red eyes, crying quietly, Zhu Zhixi felt even more guilty.

He moved in front of Fu Rangyi, gently pressed a tissue on his reddened eyelids to blot the tears, muttering as he did so.

“Professor Fu, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I’m spoiled, can’t tell grains apart, and I’m lazy. I only know how to take care of small animals, not people…”

Fu Rangyi was lying on the floor, his face also pressed against the tile. It looked too pitiful. Zhu Zhixi lifted his head, but there was nowhere to put it, and there were no pillows here.

After thinking for a moment, he finally placed it on his own thigh. “Is this better?”

Fu Rangyi stared at him blankly, blinking his wet eyes.

So pitiful. Zhu Zhixi’s heart filled with pity. He lowered his head, gently covered Fu Rangyi’s eyes with a tissue, and apologized again, his tone soft. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault for spraying too much. Do your eyes hurt a lot?”

The bathroom was very quiet. No one answered him.

An unknown amount of time passed, so long that Zhu Zhixi had forgotten his own apology and was just mechanically dabbing away his tears, one tissue after another. But suddenly, the Alpha resting on his thigh spoke, his voice low and hoarse.

“It’s okay.”

This made him suddenly widen his eyes and remove the tissue.

Fu Rangyi took a deep breath and said in a raspy voice, “It’s my problem…”

“You’re awake?” Zhu Zhixi was ecstatic, leaning down desperately, his face almost touching Fu Rangyi’s. “You’re conscious!”

Thank heavens, my husband is finally back to normal!

It seems the oral liquid worked. His intelligence is back. He’s finally not a little kitten in heat anymore.

His hand was still on Fu Rangyi’s cheek. He spoke quickly, trying to recount what had just happened, but leaving many details.

“I just gave you an injection, you drank this medicine, and then you kept talking nonsense. But there’s one more medicine you haven’t taken. You spit it out whenever I feed it to you. You can take it now.”

Fu Rangyi frowned, listening in silence, his breathing still heavy. The muzzle seemed to make him very uncomfortable. He raised a hand and tugged at it.

After a while, he asked, “What nonsense did I say…”

Zhu Zhixi fell silent.

You wouldn’t want to know. Human atavism and the extreme reproductive capabilities of rabbits. Hearing either of these would make you want to kill me to silence me.

“Nothing.” He changed the subject, helping Fu Rangyi sit up and lean against the wall again. “My leg is numb… Let’s take the medicine first.”

The ice cream had completely melted into water. He took out the capsule and placed it in his palm.

“I’ll take it myself.” Fu Rangyi’s chest rose and fell slowly, his breaths long and deep. “Give it to me.”

Those words made Zhu Zhixi’s ears turn red, though he himself didn’t notice. He keeps saying things that are hard to look at directly.

“How can you take it yourself? You’re wearing this. I’ll feed it to you with chopsticks.”

After his cognitive ability returned, Fu Rangyi’s high self-esteem seemed to have returned to this out-of-control body. He was no longer as docile and obedient as before, becoming a bit stubborn.

“I’ll take it myself…”

He raised his hand, touched the muzzle on his face, and looked at Zhu Zhixi with red eyes, his voice still trembling a little. “Take this off. I’ll put it back on after I take the medicine.”

“I…” Zhu Zhixi hesitated. He was always cautious.

You’re stable now, but you won’t just bite me as soon as I take it off, will you?

“But that doctor said I shouldn’t take it off for you.”

Fu Rangyi said nothing. He frowned, silent for a few seconds, seemingly trying to figure out who “that doctor” was.

“Is this a new muzzle?” he asked in a declarative tone.

He really was conscious.

Zhu Zhixi nodded quickly. “Yes.”

“You have the permission.”

“Yes. But I can’t open it for you.” He thought for a moment and decided to listen to Li Qiao. Although he was really unreliable and didn’t explain anything in advance, since he had specifically instructed this, it must be important.

Fu Rangyi closed his eyes and didn’t insist on unlocking it anymore.

Zhu Zhixi let out a huge sigh of relief. This was much better. What was wrong with him just now, suddenly going feral? Thank goodness he’s recovered.

Although he was still running a fever and had trouble breathing, his speech was like that of a completely different person.

“I haven’t eaten for nearly ten hours. Many medicines can’t be taken on an empty stomach… There’s nutrient solution in the freezer, in a sealed bag. Can you take it out and defrost and heat it in the microwave for me?”

“Oh, you have nutrient solution? Then you can drink it with a straw! I was about to order some porridge for you.” Zhu Zhixi quickly stood up. “I’ll go get it now! Wait.”

“Thank you.”

His hand was suddenly grabbed again.

“Thank you.” Fu Rangyi’s breath was unsteady, so he enunciated slowly. “Luckily… I have you.”

Zhu Zhixi felt as if he had been suddenly struck by something. His whole being started to feel off. He lowered his head and stared at the hand holding his wrist.

See? Why did you have to hide away by yourself and not let me come?

Zhu Zhixi scratched his cheek with his other hand. “Actually, I didn’t help much…”

I just made more trouble for you.

If he were to participate in some “best little nurse” competition with today’s performance, he would definitely come in last, not to mention the judges would write the most scathing comments about him for public display.

But today, the judge who usually found fault with the whole world was unusually quiet and gentle, would say thank you, made no demands, and only glanced around, asking warmly.

“Where’s my phone?”

“Huh?” He followed his gaze. “I don’t know. I didn’t see it just now. Should I call it to find it?”

“Never mind.” Fu Rangyi propped himself up with his hands on the floor, looking very weak. “Let me borrow yours, okay? I feel… still very uncomfortable. I want to call the doctor, see if I can be hospitalized…”

“Okay.”

As expected, the judge still didn’t trust him. It was only because he had no one else to rely on right now that he didn’t say anything harsh.

Going to the hospital was a good idea too. A professional was better than a half-baked amateur like him.

Zhu Zhixi took his own phone from the sink, unlocked it, and handed it to him. “You rest a bit. I’ll go heat up the nutrient solution. I’ll be back soon.”

“Okay.” His tone was docile, and he nodded obediently.

Just as Zhu Zhixi left, he quickly ran back, holding a little rubber ducky. He squeezed it, and the duck squeaked in his palm. He stuffed the squeaky duck into Fu Rangyi’s hand. “If you need anything, just squeeze this. I’ll come back as soon as I hear it.”

The sound of footsteps faded away.

Through the room and the hallway, Fu Rangyi heard the sound of the refrigerator opening.

Soon, he lowered his head, stared at the duck Zhu Zhixi had given him, and squeezed it very lightly.

Quack—

What is this… a nurse call bell?

He placed the duck carefully by his leg and picked up Zhu Zhixi’s phone. The wallpaper was a photo of him surrounded by a group of kittens. He was in the middle of them, like a human catnip, letting countless cats climb and squeeze onto him, getting all messy, but he was still smiling.

After staring for a while, Fu Rangyi swiped through the phone, but he didn’t open the call interface. He had no intention of calling the “doctor” at all. Instead, he checked the installed apps.

Not finding what he was looking for, he frowned.

So hot.

Raising his hand, he undid a few more buttons. Fu Rangyi felt sticky. He looked down and saw his body was covered in red wine. Not caring about cleanliness, he took a few deep breaths and opened WeChat.

Glancing at the pinned chat, he froze for a second. The profile picture was easy to recognize—it was him. It was a photo of the soil he had brought back from his first archaeological fieldwork, which he had poured into a tall glass wine goblet to take a commemorative picture.

When was this pinned…

Although it was one of several pinned chats.

His gaze moved to the text to the right of the photo. Fu Rangyi frowned.

What the hell is this contact name.

His gaze moved down. He found Li Qiao’s chat, opened it, scrolled up, and sure enough, he found what he was looking for. He clicked it, and it redirected to a web page.

“Password…”

Input.

Password incorrect.

Input again…

He struggled for a long while.

Zhu Zhixi finally found the nutrient solution in the freezer and put it in the microwave. He was hungry and thirsty. He wanted to eat a few more frozen strawberries, but as soon as he opened the freezer and saw the strawberries, his mind started to fill with dirty thoughts.

He had to find an apple to munch on instead.

While waiting for it to heat, he glanced at the countdown.

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

It’s been paused this whole time?

Is it because of all the physical contact we had today?

If only it could stay paused like this forever.

He sat at the kitchen island to rest, his mind blank, his gaze wandering. It landed on the floor of the wet bar, attracted by a glint of light. A closer look revealed it was the syringe from the tranquilizer Li Qiao had used to take down Fu Rangyi earlier.

He glanced down at his bare feet and shivered, afraid of stepping on it. He immediately went over to pick it up and put it back in the medical kit.

Ding. The microwave beeped.

He carried the warm nutrient solution towards the master bedroom. On the way past his own room, he quickly changed into a thin sweatshirt, as his previous one was soaked. He was in a hurry when he left and almost tripped over his hiking bag.

The bag fell over, and the outdoor gear he always kept inside spilled all over the floor.

“I’m back.” Zhu Zhixi, holding the bag of nutrient solution and a straw, pushed open the half-closed bathroom door. But Fu Rangyi wasn’t there.

“Where did he go?”

Puzzled, he suddenly felt something was wrong. That familiar feeling of submission washed over him again. In an instant, his legs became heavy and numb.

Sure enough, the next moment he was pounced on and knocked down again.

“Fuck!” His knee hit the floor, and he couldn’t help but curse. “Fu Rangyi! This is the third time…”

But this time was different.

He had just cursed when a sharp pain shot through the back of his neck.

Zhu Zhixi was naturally sensitive and more afraid of pain than most people. Even a slight pinch would make him cry out.

This was a pain he had never felt in his life. Sharp fangs pierced his skin, and some liquid was injected. The pain made tears well up in his eyes. His hands and feet curled, his knuckles white from clenching.

The new clothes he had just put on were soaked with sweat again. He bit his lower lip but still couldn’t hold back a moan. “Mmm…”

He was marked.

After a while, the sharp canines withdrew, but the burning pain was still spreading. Under the stimulation, all the muscles in Zhu Zhixi’s body tensed up, and tears welled up.

It hurts so much…

I’m a Beta! Are your teeth just that itchy that you have to bite a neck to feel comfortable…

Forced to lie on the floor, Zhu Zhixi struggled to open his eyes. The first thing he saw was the muzzle thrown under the sink.

That’s not right. How did it get unlocked?

Isn’t there a password? What kind of crappy muzzle is this, so easy to open?

Damn Li Qiao. A doctor, my ass. Did you two good-for-nothing brothers conspire together to screw me over!

Before he could finish cursing in his head, the ambushing Alpha behind him suddenly grabbed his waist and flipped him over like a pancake.

Without the muzzle, Fu Rangyi swung his leg over and straddled him, his face submerged in shadow. Tears were still streaming from the corners of his eyes, but his gaze had completely lost its earlier softness and vulnerability. It was dark and heavy, like a predator hunting.

His lips were slightly parted, his canines snow-white.

Zhu Zhixi’s shoulders trembled. He was pinned down by his left hand. Seeing Fu Rangyi raise his other hand, he instinctively tried to dodge, but the next moment, those scorching fingers were touching the corner of his eye, wiping away the tears of pain.

Then, the shadow expanded, descended, and completely enveloped him like a dark cloud.

“No, let me go…”

Is he going to bite me from the front now? Is he crazy! That would be fatal!

His heart pounded with fear. He raised his hands to protect his throat and arteries, struggling with all his might, trying to awaken Fu Rangyi’s reason. “Fu Rangyi, let me go! Wake up! Cough, cough! I-I’m…”

What came before the intense pain was an unprecedented softness.

“Mmph…”

Fu Rangyi cupped his chin, lowered his head, and sealed all his cries for help with a kiss.

---

Author’s Note:

Congratulations to the little couple on their first kiss of the new year! Kiss from the Year of the Dragon to the Year of the Snake for me!

—Mini Theater of Using Any Means Necessary—

Finds the muzzle management page from the chat history. A four-digit password field pops up. From1 thinks for a few seconds, ruling out the first option that came to mind: countdown 56200520.

Four digits…

Inputs the marriage registration anniversary: 1214—Password incorrect.

Frowns.

Zhu Zhixi really doesn’t care about this marriage at all. His frown deepens.

Thinks. What number would the bad rabbit think of first?

Inputs bad rabbit’s birthday: 0523—Password correct.

Click. The muzzle unlocks. Takes it off, throws it away. Goes back to the WeChat interface, clicks on one of the pinned chats. Clicks on his own profile picture, looks at it once, goes back, looks at the contact name. Exits again.

Puts away the bad rabbit’s phone.

Hides behind the door, waiting for the rabbit to walk into the trap.

Pounces on the rabbit. Nips the rabbit’s neck. Kisses the rabbit.

Marking accomplished.