The man, who was supposed to return to Xi'an Street today, was currently sprawled across the hotel bed, looking half-dead.
Li Zi had already called for a delivery service to bring medicine. She injected herself with a suppressor and bought several ointments for Li Zhenting’s body.
In the early hours of the morning, Li Zhenting—who had been silently enduring the endless demands of an Alpha’s rut—suddenly suffered a fit of tremors, crying out for her to stop. His body shook uncontrollably as he curled into a fetal position, clutching his abdomen. The sight had jolted Li Zi out of her pheromone-induced indulgence.
She shook her head and bit her tongue, forcing herself to withdraw from her desires and pull away from him. Seeing his pained expression, she was momentarily at a loss, not even daring to touch him.
"What’s wrong, Ting? Are you okay? Does it hurt?"
Li Zhenting’s face was deathly pale and slick with sweat. He gave a slight nod, then a shake of his head.
"What is it...?" Li Zi asked anxiously. What did a nod followed by a shake mean? "Are you injured?"
She pressed him urgently, "I'm sorry, I should have controlled myself."
Guilt washed over her, but she tried her best to stay calm. She tentatively reached out, placing her hand over the area he was clutching. "Does it hurt in here?"
This position... didn't seem right.
The moment she touched him and applied the slightest pressure, the man broke into another fit of trembling.
"Ugh—don't... touch it."
Li Zi knew this couldn't continue. She grabbed her phone, intending to take him to the hospital. To her surprise, Li Zhenting reached out a hand to stop her. "Where... are you going?"
"To pack our things. I'm taking you to the hospital."
Upon hearing her answer, Li Zhenting’s expression froze, replaced by a look of indescribable complexity. "I’m not going."
"Why not? You're in so much pain." Li Zi was baffled.
"...I'm just not going." The man stubbornly turned his head away, hugging his stomach and withdrawing into himself.
Li Zi couldn't force him, so she sat back down and pulled him onto her lap, gently stroking his back to soothe him. "Then we’ll observe for ten more minutes. If it doesn't get better, you're going to the hospital with me."
Li Zhenting’s head moved slightly against her thigh in a gesture of agreement.
The tattoos on his body stood out against his flushed skin. Li Zi’s rut had only just begun; though she had forcibly suppressed it out of panic, being so close to her partner’s body caused waves of destructive desire to surge within her once more.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, fighting down the agitation. Pheromones leaked continuously from her gland, saturating every corner of the room, screaming in dissatisfaction.
Just then, Li Zhenting seemed to experience another bout of pain. Seeing this, Li Zi tried to lift the blanket to check on him, but he gripped the edge tightly, his face turning red as he refused to let her look.
"?" Li Zi was truly bewildered now. "Does it not hurt anymore?" she asked.
"...It hurts. But it’s eased up a bit," Li Zhenting replied. His expression did indeed look less agonized.
Li Zi was also struggling; her gland was burning hot, as if it were about to sear through her neck. She stood up and said, "I'll get a towel to wipe the sweat off you." She walked quickly toward the bathroom.
As Li Zhenting watched her back, his nose suddenly twitched. A strange fragrance drifted into his nostrils, and a look of confusion crossed his face.
"What is that smell?"
It was a familiar, delicate fragrance—somewhat like osmanthus, but not quite. It was lighter, with a subtle, elegant coolness. Was it the hotel’s aromatherapy? Why hadn't he noticed it before?
In the bathroom, Li Zi braced her hands against the sink, staring at her bloodshot eyes in the mirror. She helplessly splashed cold water onto her burning gland. It was better than nothing.
Sighing, she pushed her own discomfort aside for the moment. She turned on the hot water, soaked a towel until it was steaming, wrung it out slightly, and walked back out.
"Feeling better? Let me wipe you down." She crouched by the bed and pulled back the covers.
She moved too fast for Li Zhenting to stop her. He looked panicked, as if trying to hide something. Li Zi used the towel to wipe the sweat from his face and neck before moving lower.
She paused, holding the towel, her expression turning strange. "You... this...?"
Li Zhenting ignored the throbbing pain in his lower abdomen and lunged to snatch the blanket back, covering himself. His face was a deep crimson. "Don't... don't look."
"What's going on?" Li Zi wasn't about to drop the subject. "Why is there..."
"Don't ask!!!" Li Zhenting snapped. He was on the verge of a breakdown. He was the one who was most confused; why did she have to keep hounding him?
Generally speaking, only Omegas possessed the physiological function of secreting fluids during intimacy; it was extremely rare in Alphas or Betas. But Li Zhenting’s situation didn't quite seem like an Omega's either.
Li Zi frowned, appearing lost in thought. Li Zhenting watched her apprehensively, terrified that he might see a hint of disgust on her face.
Fortunately, the woman he relied on so deeply showed no sign of displeasure. Instead, she approached him solemnly and placed her hand back on his abdomen.
"Tell me," she said. "What exactly happened just now?"
Li Zhenting choked up, hesitating. But Li Zi’s eyes remained fixed on him, searching for an answer, so he finally confessed.
"Well... at the very beginning, it was a bit too... much. It felt like you hit something inside. I couldn't take it for a moment, but then it felt okay." He struggled to describe his sensations during their intimacy. "But you seemed to lose control. After you noticed I was reacting strangely, you got even worse. I kept telling you it hurt, that I couldn't take it, but you acted like you didn't hear me. You just got more excited."
At this point, he spoke through gritted teeth.
"And then... just now, there was this tearing sensation. For a second, I thought I was going to pass out. The pain made me convulse. I know I'm not an Omega and I can't satisfy your rut properly, but please, try to think about 'sustainable development.' No matter how good a body is, it can't stand that kind of torture."
As she listened to his complaints, Li Zi’s expression grew even more peculiar. She looked at Li Zhenting’s stomach with a complex gaze.
"I've encountered your situation before," she said.
"What?!" Li Zhenting was stunned. How could Li Zi have encountered this?
"There was a patient at the hospital whose friend went through this. They were so scared they came in for an exam."
"And then?" Li Zhenting asked.
"And then... the doctor gave him a full-body checkup and found the cause."
Li Zhenting looked at her, exasperated. "Can you finish your sentence all at once? Stop leaving me hanging. Also, what patient? One of your father's?"
Li Zi’s eyes flickered. She paused, then nodded. "Yes, a patient my father treated. It's hard to explain the specifics. I'll call someone to bring some medicine first. You rest. I'll take tomorrow off and take you to the hospital for a checkup."
She pressed her brow tiredly. Another symptom of the rut—the low phase of the depressive-manic cycle—was beginning.
Li Zhenting felt bad for her and said hesitantly, "You're feeling really uncomfortable, aren't you? Actually, I'm fine... do you want to continue?"
Li Zi ignored him. She climbed onto the bed, pulled the exhausted man into her arms, and pressed her nose against his neck.
"Didn't you just tell me to think about sustainable development?"
"...Your comfort is more important."
"Don't worry. It's just a rut. I'm not a beast."
"If you aren't a beast, how did I end up like this?" Li Zhenting muttered under his breath.
***
The next morning, Li Zi took a mostly recovered Li Zhenting to the Zhunnan City Central Hospital.
After Li Zhenting hesitantly explained the situation to the doctor, the physician calmly wrote out a slip and told him to complete the listed tests.
He had blood drawn, his gland examined, an abdominal ultrasound, and a sample taken of the secretions from his gland. After finishing the rounds, he returned to the doctor with a stack of reports, Li Zi by his side.
The doctor, a middle-aged man, pushed up his glasses and frowned as he flipped through the pages one by one.
Finally, he asked Li Zhenting, "Your gland was injured before, wasn't it? Before you differentiated?"
Li Zi nodded, answering for him. "Yes. When he was fifteen, his gland was slashed. He was in the emergency room. The doctors said there might be aftereffects, but since none appeared later, he never went back for a follow-up."
Li Zhenting shrank back slightly. So Li Zi knew he had skipped all his follow-up appointments.
The doctor listened, then asked for a detailed account of last night’s symptoms before turning to Li Zi.
"You two are a couple, right? How long have you been together? Have you had a deep union? Do you usually inject your pheromones into his gland?"
Faced with such private questions, Li Zhenting was incredibly uncomfortable, but Li Zi answered each one with serious composure.
"Yes, we've been in a committed relationship and sexually active for over a year. We have a deep union during every rut. I inject pheromones every time I mark him. Since he's a Beta, I assumed it wouldn't have any effect."
The doctor nodded to show he understood, then asked the bewildered Li Zhenting, "Have you ever smelled your girlfriend's pheromones?"
Li Zhenting shook his head reflexively. "No. I'm a Beta, how could I possibly smell—"
Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
"But yesterday... for a moment, I thought I smelled flowers. I wasn't sure if it was the hotel's incense or something. It smelled like osmanthus."
Upon hearing this, Li Zi looked at him in shock.
He was confused. "What is it?"
The doctor asked, "Young lady, what is the scent of your pheromones?"
"Ink Orchid. It smells like osmanthus."
"!!!!"
Li Zhenting stood up in disbelief. "How is that possible? I'm a Beta! Why can I smell it?"
The doctor tapped the desk, telling him to calm down. He glanced at Li Zi and noticed she was deep in thought, her brow furrowed. He tapped his pen again, urging Li Zhenting to sit. The man had no choice but to sit back down sullenly.
"Cases like yours are rare, but not unprecedented. The gland continues to grow before differentiation. A few years before adulthood, the physiological organs are nearly mature—the Alpha’s reproductive cavity atrophies, and the Omega’s reproductive organs finish developing. It’s just that the rest of the body’s physiological mechanisms haven't caught up yet, which is why there's a one or two-year wait before the differentiation stage."
"I once had a patient who also suffered a gland injury before differentiation and later differentiated as a Beta. But after being with an Alpha, he suddenly became pregnant and came in for an exam. We discovered he was originally meant to be an Omega, but because of the injury, his sex hormones couldn't provide enough support for the transition, so he ended up as a Beta. However, his reproductive system was fully mature. Because he was likely a high-level pheromone match for his partner, his body was constantly stimulated by the Alpha's pheromones. The Omega traits that had partially developed in his gland began to grow again."
The doctor’s explanation was complex. Li Zhenting didn't quite follow it all; he only focused on two points.
"So I was supposed to be an Omega? Will I turn into an Omega in the future?"
"And... I can get pregnant?"
The doctor said, "Yes, theoretically. You and your girlfriend must have a very high compatibility. If you are willing to undergo hormone therapy, there is hope for you to differentiate into an Omega. Since your reproductive cavity reacted during the deep union with your partner yesterday and you could smell her pheromones, combined with your test results, you are fully capable of conceiving."
Differentiating into an Omega?
This option had suddenly reappeared in a life he had long ago resigned to. For a moment, Li Zhenting didn't know what to do.
He looked to Li Zi for help, only to find that her shock was no less than his own. Her expression wasn't just shock; it was mixed with many emotions he didn't understand—realization, guilt, and a strange, inexplicable sense of regret and pain.
"Li Zi?" He tugged at her hand, wanting a reaction.
Li Zi blinked and finally looked at him. "What is it?"
"I... I don't think I want to become an Omega." He lowered his eyes, afraid of her reaction.
*Can I be that selfish? If I become an Omega, so many problems would be solved. I wouldn't have to worry about Li Zi’s family arranging a marriage with an Omega. I could even help her through her ruts safely, so she wouldn't have to end every session with a sense of lack.*
*But... I'm already satisfied with my life as a Beta.*
"Then you don't have to change." Li Zi placed both hands on his shoulders, as if giving him strength. "If you don't want to, you don't have to."
Li Zhenting looked up sharply, meeting Li Zi’s gentle gaze. He tightened his grip on his knees and said softly to the doctor, "I... I don't need to continue differentiating."
The doctor wasn't interested in their sentimentality. He simply grunted an "oh" and began scribbling on another slip.
"Then there's no problem. Just keep things as they are. You might experience some unusual symptoms occasionally, but you two can handle those between yourselves."
"I've prescribed some medicine to reduce the swelling. The reproductive cavity is a very fragile place, after all. Next time you have a deep union, don't be so reckless, or it will be very uncomfortable."
He handed the slip to Li Zhenting and went back to his work. Li Zhenting stared at him blankly, waiting for him to say more, but the doctor gave him a confused glare.
"Something else?"
He shook his head.
"Then go get your medicine. I have another patient." He waved them away.
Li Zhenting quickly stood up, gathered the stack of documents, and walked out with Li Zi.
When they returned to the hotel, a strong sense of unreality still hung over them. Li Zhenting stared blankly at the reports in the bag—the papers that had turned his world upside down.
Li Zi didn't speak to him. She stood by the window, watching the weaving traffic below, the emotions in her eyes shifting constantly.
*So that’s how it was.*
*So that’s really how it was.*
If she hadn't been so buried in work back then, if she hadn't been so arrogant and aloof, if she hadn't been so immature...
If she had been willing to care more for the people around her, to show them the same understanding and patience she gave her patients...
So many tragedies, such a terrible ending—perhaps none of it would have happened.
If only she had paid more attention to Li Zhenting, things would never have reached that dead end...
She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms.
***
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
My Fierce Beta Husband is Surprisingly Sweet | Chapter 38 | The Awakening Scent | Novela.app | Novela.app
