When Jin Yan received the call, the bouquet of Polestars in his arms crashed to the floor.
Ignoring everything else, he rushed to the hotel. By the time he arrived, Julia was at the front desk, her fury nearly hitting the ceiling.
"Julia, what happened? What’s wrong with Zhou Shu?"
The moment Julia saw Jin Yan, the fire in her eyes instantly condensed into a mist of tears. She grabbed his arm, her voice trembling.
"Tree-ge was set up! We just checked the surveillance; he was taken away by an Omega. It looks like a trap." She finished and slammed her fist onto the front desk. "Keep looking! What do you mean you can't find that Omega's registration info? The cameras show him coming to the desk—are you all in on this?"
The desk Julia hit began to crack. The receptionist, terrified, called for security.
"What was the last thing the cameras caught? Could they have left the hotel?" Jin Yan clenched his fists, the muscle in his brow twitching incessantly.
He didn't dare guess what those people wanted to do to Zhou Shu. He didn't dare imagine what kind of state Zhou Shu was in right now. If it was some filthy, wretched scheme...
Jin Yan gritted his teeth, and the Enigma pheromones erupting from his very bones suddenly surged outward.
The receptionist shrieked as the sudden, oppressive cold wind bore down on them. Trembling, they opened the surveillance footage. Their speech was incoherent, so Jin Yan pushed in to look for himself.
"This angle doesn't show which floor they went to. It looks like it could be the 60th, 66th, or 68th." Jin Yan forced down the rage in his chest, maintaining a final shred of composure as he spoke to Julia. "Julia, I’ll take the 68th floor. You take the 60th. Have the hotel staff check the 66th. Search every single room!" With that, he sprinted toward the elevator.
When Jin Yan reached the 68th floor and the elevator doors opened, his footsteps faltered.
There were sixty rooms on each floor. If he searched them one by one, there was no telling how long it would take. Jin Yan’s clenched fists turned white, his nails digging into his palms.
If only he had marked Zhou Shu back then...
If he had, he would be able to sense Zhou Shu’s pheromones immediately; he would have found him in the next second. He wouldn't be standing here helpless, nearly losing his mind with panic.
But his Enigma awakening skill could only sense small animals, flowers, plants, wind, and rain...
In that moment, Jin Yan had a sudden realization: was it because the human heart was too complex that he couldn't perceive their emotions?
Just as he was about to start searching the rooms at the end of the hallway, a thought struck him.
If he released a high concentration of Enigma pheromones, given their extremely high compatibility, perhaps the pheromones would guide him to Zhou Shu.
Thus, Jin Yan cast all regulations and rules aside. With bloodshot eyes, he stood in the center of the 68th floor and released the highest concentration of pheromones his body could muster.
In an instant, the lights in the hallway flickered like a bolt of lightning descending from the heavens. Then, the entire floor seemed to be reset, falling into a silence as profound as a heavy downpour.
Jin Yan closed his eyes, his mind racing through every memory he shared with Zhou Shu from childhood to the present. His thoughts spun rapidly, and a few seconds later, as the final image flashed by, Jin Yan’s gland gave a sudden throb.
He could sense Zhou Shu’s location...
The pheromones he had just released seemed to have found a tether, pulled forward by something.
Jin Yan’s heart beat so hard it felt like it would leap from his chest. He knew that this rain was about to merge into the sea.
Following the call of that scent, he ran recklessly to a room door.
Jin Yan stopped, his body shaking as he pounded on the door. "Ge, are you in there?"
He retracted his pheromones, and then he smelled it—the overwhelming concentration of the ocean scent coming from inside the room.
As he thought...
There was still no response from within. A sudden surge of fury turned Jin Yan’s eyes red; he couldn't wait another second. He began to smash at the door lock, his movements frantic and oblivious to pain.
He had to see Zhou Shu as quickly as possible. He had to confirm his safety in the very next second.
Finally, after his arm was cut, he managed to break the door open.
He saw Zhou Shu curled into a ball in the darkness, already in so much pain he could barely breathe.
"Zhou Shu!"
It was the first time Jin Yan had ever screamed like that, losing his voice. He was on the verge of losing control.
"Ge, Ge, look at me. Wake up."
Then, he felt Zhou Shu’s clammy arm and, in the dim light, a wound where the blood had already dried.
Jin Yan’s eyes burned instantly. His whole body trembled, yet he had to struggle to suppress his emotions; if an Enigma lost control, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Perhaps sensing the scent of blood mixed with heavy rain, the person in Jin Yan’s arms fluttered their eyelashes.
"Jin..."
"Ge, you’re awake? Don't scare me..."
"Jin... Jin Yan-gege..."
Jin Yan froze, his heart suddenly seized with a tight grip. "Duo Duo? Duo Duo, are you okay?"
He hadn't seen Zhou Shu, and panic immediately flared up again. "Zhou Shu... where is Zhou Shu-gege..."
Zhou Duo’s lashes trembled as he reached up to touch Jin Yan’s face. "Jin Yan-gege, don't cry... The lights were out just now. Zhou Shu-gege was just too scared, so he fell asleep..."
"Okay, okay. As long as you're both okay." Jin Yan pulled Zhou Duo into his arms, his entire being shaking. "Duo Duo... I was really scared to death..."
Jin Yan waited for the mist in his eyes to clear before lifting his head. He looked at Zhou Shu’s arm, his brow furrowing deeply.
Zhou Duo gently touched his hand and said weakly, "Someone sprayed Zhou Shu-gege with an inducing agent, that’s why he’s like this..." Zhou Duo’s nose crinkled, and tears finally became uncontrollable. "Don't blame him... Zhou Shu-gege was very brave..."
Jin Yan’s heart ached terribly. He immediately pulled the boy closer, his voice low and soothing. "Alright, Duo Duo, don't talk anymore. I know. You were very brave too, incredibly brave. Thank you for protecting Zhou Shu-gege."
"Jin Yan-gege, I feel so bad..."
"Be good, Duo Duo. Close your eyes and sleep for a bit. I’m taking you to the hospital right now."
Jin Yan lifted him in a horizontal carry. Zhou Duo nodded and closed his eyes.
He murmured dizzily, "Zhou Shu-gege was right... you would find us right away..." With that, he drifted off.
Jin Yan carried Zhou Shu all the way to the lobby, where Gou Feifei and Julia were already waiting.
When Julia saw Zhou Shu’s state, she burst into tears. She shot a cold, biting glare at the surrounding hotel staff before following them into the car.
Earlier, as soon as Gou Feifei had reached the lobby, he sensed something was wrong. He called Julia to come down immediately, saying Jin Yan had likely found Zhou Shu.
Only then did Julia go downstairs to interrogate the staff again.
To her shock, several crucial segments of surveillance footage had already been deleted. For a moment, Julia didn't know what to feel toward this filthy industry. Hatred and disappointment saturated her being, and she bit her lip until it bled.
Gou Feifei pulled her aside, kissed away the beads of blood on her lip, and whispered, "With Jin-ge there, Tree-ge will be fine."
Only then, smelling the familiar scent of maple leaves, did Julia find a brief moment of peace.
But now, seeing the two of them emerge covered in blood, Julia wanted nothing more than to tear the place down.
No one spoke in the car. Julia had a headache from the intensity of Jin Yan’s pheromones, but she forced herself to stay conscious. Gou Feifei also drove with a deep frown; fortunately, he was also an Enigma, otherwise, no one would have dared drive them to the hospital.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Jin Yan opened the door and stepped out, finally allowing Julia to breathe normally.
She composed herself and followed. Jin Yan took Zhou Shu straight to the emergency room while she handled the aftermath and answered the medical staff's questions.
When the doctor examined Zhou Shu, they found that his physical condition wasn't too dire. Although the concentration of the inducing agent was strong, a few injections to promote metabolism and some rest would return him to normal.
However, the problem was that while Zhou Shu’s body was that of an Alpha, the current personality was an Omega.
They couldn't choose the most appropriate medication in a short time. If Zhou Shu’s primary personality woke up while he was sedated, the Omega-specific reagents would cause significant harm to his body. Conversely, injecting Zhou Duo with Alpha reagents would have the same effect.
When they explained this to Jin Yan, he remained silent for a long time.
"Excuse me, is the patient's family here? We need a signature." Jin Yan took the form from the nurse. Before he signed, the nurse asked, "What is your relationship to the patient?"
Jin Yan’s eyes darkened, and he said hoarsely, "I am his legal husband."
"This..." The nurse took a second to process this, then her eyes widened. "Wait here, I’ll go get the doctor!"
The doctor rushed over and asked in a pleasantly surprised tone, "You are the patient's legal husband? And an Enigma?"
Jin Yan nodded. The doctor’s worry turned to joy. "That’s wonderful!"
"What?" Jin Yan looked up, frowning.
"If you are the patient's Enigma, it’s easy! As long as you mark him now and inject Enigma pheromones into the patient's gland, the pheromones within his body will be soothed," the doctor said. "Regardless of whether the patient is currently an Alpha or an Omega, you can perform the marking."
"I..." Hearing this, Jin Yan’s pupils dilated, but he couldn't speak.
He looked at the person lying on the hospital bed, the waves inside his heart churning relentlessly.
Yes, he had dreamed of marking Zhou Shu. But he loved Zhou Shu even more, so he had never been willing to touch his gland. Even when Zhou Shu, in the heat of passion, would proactively offer his gland to him, Jin Yan would only give it a few gentle kisses.
But now, was this "dream" they had shared since childhood really going to be realized under these circumstances?
If Zhou Shu woke up and found he had been marked while unconscious, what would happen? Would he be angry? Would he be unable to accept being marked by an Enigma?
The bitterness in Jin Yan’s heart circulated through his body with his blood, but he knew he couldn't hesitate any longer.
Sensing the Enigma’s emotional turmoil, the doctor gave a soft reminder.
Jin Yan snapped back to reality. He nodded his thanks to the doctor, then walked into Zhou Shu’s room and closed the door.
He touched Zhou Shu’s face, checked the bandaged arm, and picked up the hand that still bore traces of blood to kiss it.
In the next second, the faint, sweet scent of sea salt drifted into Jin Yan’s nose. This scent instantly filled his nasal cavity and struck his tear ducts. Two scalding raindrops fell, landing on Zhou Shu’s fingers.
Jin Yan adjusted his emotions and lay down on the bed beside Zhou Shu. He turned the other man onto his side and held him from behind.
"Ge, tell me... will you be angry when you wake up?" He nudged the gland with the tip of his nose, then gave it a reverent kiss.
The skin was still smooth, without a single mark. But soon, it would become uneven; it would bleed and scab. And the wonderful sea salt scent stored within this Alpha gland would, from now on, only be smelled by this one Enigma.
"Ge... is this what you want too?"
He held the person in his arms tightly. The fine rain fell upon the ocean, and the ocean gave an imperceptible ripple. The ocean always silently accommodated everything about the rain, but who knew the bitterness of the raindrops?
Jin Yan struggled for a long time before finally sighing.
"Ge, I’m sorry. I’m going to mark you."
With that, Jin Yan leaned toward that gland he cherished like a precious treasure and gently bit down.
In an instant, the storm swept through the waves, and the ocean accepted it with sweet surrender.
***
