During his days in the hospital, Jin Yan’s care was meticulous. For a moment, Zhou Shu found it hard to believe that the child he had raised and doted on had actually become a husband capable of looking after his every need.
At the thought of the word "husband," Zhou Shu’s face still flushed slightly.
Even though he had already silently accepted the title in his heart.
It was only then that Jin Yan realized Zhou Shu’s reaction to being marked wasn't what he had expected. Instead, Zhou Shu was incredibly calm—and seemingly more clingy.
Zhou Shu would call Jin Yan whenever he went downstairs to buy food; if only five minutes had passed, he would ask why he wasn't back yet. During baths, he would follow every instruction, holding his arms high in the bathtub with reddened ears, letting Jin Yan’s hands roam over his body.
This was especially true when his "gland was being soothed..."
Whenever a tongue brushed against that gland, Zhou Shu would involuntarily tremble all over. A few more strokes, and his breathing would quicken, his body undergoing certain changes. He would become like a fish caught in a whirlpool, rolling and spinning with the current of desire, drowning in the depths of the sea.
Jin Yan saw all of Zhou Shu’s changes. He knew that after being marked, his brother’s body had become more sensitive, especially the gland. Thus, he loved to hold Zhou Shu from behind while they slept, smelling his own scent within that gland, along with that hint of the ocean that only he could perceive.
A heart could easily be filled with water, warming until it nearly boiled over.
During the hospitalization, Xiang Shan heard about what had happened at the hotel and came to visit Zhou Shu once. He was very apologetic, saying that if it hadn't been for his impromptu invitation that day, Zhou Shu wouldn't have suffered such an ordeal.
Both Jin Yan and Zhou Shu comforted him, telling him not to blame himself. The intentions of kindness and malice were worlds apart and should not be conflated.
After leaving the hospital, Xiang Shan sent Zhou Shu a message, saying he would design the pair of couple rings as quickly as possible and give them to them as an apology. This time, Zhou Shu didn't refuse, turning his gratitude into anticipation. He looked forward to putting a ring on Jin Yan’s finger, and to having the other man's name pressed against his own ring finger.
Three days later, Zhou Shu was finally discharged. The two of them went straight back to their apartment. They hadn't told their parents about what had happened recently; while the internet was still quiet, they planned to focus on recovery first.
Besides, the Enigma had been celibate for so long. While helping the Alpha bathe during this period, his eyes had already envisioned that body a thousand times over.
The moment the door lock clicked open, their breaths intertwined, and they kissed with an inseparable intensity.
"Brother... you're so hot..."
Every moment of their tangled tongues was filled with an ambiguous haze. The Enigma spoke unclearly while plundering insatiably.
"Go shower..."
The Alpha’s desire also invaded his neural pathways. In the next second, he was picked up by the Enigma, and the two of them squeezed into that narrow space.
...
In the bathroom, the ocean and the rain were inseparable. From now on, only the raindrops would know the scent of such pleasant sea salt.
At this thought, the tireless Enigma pressed his head against the Alpha again.
"...Go away."
Lying on the bed, Zhou Shu warily covered his gland. Jin Yan paused, then burst into laughter as he held his brother, whose skin was still flushed.
"Brother, I'm not that much of a beast. I just bit you; I won't do it again."
Thinking of the scene just now, Zhou Shu coughed twice. "Licking isn't allowed either."
"Mhm, okay, I'll listen to you." Jin Yan nuzzled against Zhou Shu with a curved smile. He knew exactly how sensitive his brother’s gland had become; every light touch of his tongue would...
Jin Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He decided he couldn't dwell on those memories any longer.
"I'm hungry. We haven't had dinner yet."
Jin Yan immediately got up and kissed Zhou Shu. "I'll go see what's in the kitchen. You rest well in bed."
Zhou Shu hummed in response, hooking his arms around Jin Yan's neck to return the kiss. "Go on."
The owner of the pheromones left the room, but the scent of heavy rain still lingered. Zhou Shu felt his face heat up as he smelled it. He got up to close the bathroom door, only then feeling a bit more composed.
Just then, his phone chimed with a notification. Zhou Shu opened it; it was from Xiang Shan. He said the design sketches were mostly conceptualized and asked Zhou Shu to send him their ring sizes.
Zhou Shu thought for a moment and dialed Zhu Lili’s number.
"You're out of the hospital and actually have time to look for me?"
"Where did you write down the ring sizes I asked you to record last time?"
"Oh, I sent them to your phone's memo app."
"Okay, got it."
"Goodnight, Brother Shu. Rest well, and use protection."
"...Scram."
Zhou Shu hung up with a smile in his eyes. He opened the memo app, found their ring sizes, and copied them to send to Xiang Shan. Just as he was imagining Jin Yan’s reaction to receiving the ring, his finger slid to the main page of the memo app.
His gaze lingered for a moment, catching the "1" marked next to "Recently Deleted"...
Zhou Shu was a bit puzzled. Most of the memos were work schedules sent by Zhu Lili. Since his cloud storage was sufficient, Zhou Shu never deleted these work records.
So what was this "1"?
Zhou Shu thought for a while and tapped on the record marked with the yellow dot.
In an instant, a swelling pain surged into his chest. Zhou Shu forgot how to breathe.
...
When Jin Yan came in carrying the prepared soup, Zhou Shu was staring blankly out the window. He placed the soup on the nightstand and leaned in toward Zhou Shu’s lips, only to be dodged.
Jin Yan froze, looking at the mole beneath the lip that had turned away from him. His heart skipped several beats.
"Brother? What’s wrong?"
Zhou Shu didn't speak, his brow furrowed as he kept his head turned away.
Jin Yan felt a wave of panic. He grabbed Zhou Shu’s hand; this time, Zhou Shu didn't pull away, but there was no other response either. He was as indifferent as if he were treating a piece of driftwood floating in the ocean, not needing to spend any effort on whether it stayed or left.
"Brother... don't scare me." Hearing the tremor in Jin Yan’s voice, Zhou Shu finally looked up at him.
"Jin Yan, didn't you say that differentiating into an Enigma was the last thing you were hiding from me?" His tone was cold, filled more with disappointment than anything else.
After a moment of reflection, Jin Yan quickly understood what Zhou Shu was talking about. Yet he didn't know how to explain, only reaching out frantically to grab his hand.
This time, Zhou Shu pulled his hand away and held the memo that Zhou Duo had deleted in front of him.
"Explain this. What does it mean?" He gripped the quilt tightly, his voice trembling. "You know that the more connections there are between us, the faster Duo Duo will disappear."
"You marked me." Zhou Shu looked at him, his eyes shimmering with moisture.
Jin Yan’s heart was suddenly seized, his breathing turning sour and painful.
"No, Brother, don't be like this..."
"No?" For a moment, Zhou Shu felt betrayed. He didn't know if he was angry that Jin Yan had lied to him again, or angry that he was the last one to know this "secret." "Jin Yan, tell me, what were you thinking?"
At this moment, his reason was clouded by anger and loss; his tone became aggressive.
Although Jin Yan understood Zhou Shu’s emotions, his heart was also full of grievance. Under the circumstances of that day, he had no second choice. He had to mark Zhou Shu, otherwise he would have been pushing that body onto a dangerous precipice.
"Fine, don't talk then." Zhou Shu finished and tried to get up, but Jin Yan finally spoke.
"Zhou Shu, am I really that unworthy of your trust?"
Except for moments of deep passion, Jin Yan never called Zhou Shu by his full name. Even if he did, it was usually a "warning" regarding a dangerous action. But this time, he was also stifled by the repeated questioning. The feeling of being at a loss surged into his throat and came out with his words.
"Back then, Duo Duo and I went behind your back to get the marriage certificate. You didn't believe me; you thought I only did it to marry an Omega. Now that I've marked you, you still don't believe me. You think I want Duo Duo to disappear."
Jin Yan’s eyes were flushed with helplessness, and a sense of powerlessness swept through his body. "I won't say I did all this just for you, nor will I deny my selfishness. But I never wanted to control your thoughts, nor did I ever want Duo Duo to disappear."
*Even though the doctor said the existence of a second personality isn't a permanent solution, I never thought about influencing your decision...*
Jin Yan’s eyes were bloodshot, his hands caught in a dilemma.
"Do you dare say you never minded having to interact with two different personalities?" This was the first time Zhou Shu had expressed his thoughts this way. It was only at this moment that Jin Yan realized Zhou Shu’s coldness and distance weren't entirely because of Zhou Duo.
Having a second personality emerge for no reason—he should be the most conflicted person of all. Yet he had to endure the accusations and misunderstandings of everyone around him alone, protecting this exceptionally pure, eighteen-year-old younger brother at all costs.
Jin Yan felt both heartache and helplessness. He took Zhou Shu’s hand and sighed softly. "You are you. Whether or not you have a second personality makes no difference to me. It’s been twice now... is our bond still not deep enough that you distrust me this much?"
Hearing this, Zhou Shu felt a sudden void in his heart, as if he had been pricked by something sharp. No blood was visible, but the pain was unbearable.
"I didn't..." He fell silent for a moment, his heart softening after all. "Forget it, Jin Yan. My mind is a mess right now." With that, he got up to leave the bed.
"Don't..." Jin Yan’s heart tightened. He suddenly pulled Zhou Shu into a hug, his previous anger completely replaced by pure pleading.
"Brother, I was wrong..." Jin Yan’s arms wrapped around the person in his embrace, afraid that if he let go, he would be left alone again. "I... I was a bit angry and anxious just now. I'm sorry, Brother. Don't go, okay?"
He spoke with a trembling voice, his eyes red as he tugged at the cat chain on Zhou Shu’s wrist. He had seen this chain every day recently; it was like a part of Zhou Shu’s body, nothing unusual. But now, Jin Yan looked at it like a life-saving straw, clutching it tightly and refusing to let go, just like on the day of his second differentiation.
"Brother..." Seeing that Zhou Shu remained silent, Jin Yan called out again.
Zhou Shu’s heart ached. It took a long time before he exhaled a breath of bitterness. "Yan Yan, let me be alone for a bit, okay?"
"Okay..."
"Then... I want to go back to my own place to stay tonight. Is that okay?"
Jin Yan clenched his hands. He held Zhou Shu for a long time before finally letting go.
"Okay... I'll drive you back."
***
