Take a Whiff: The Alpha's Hidden Scent | Chapter 32 | It’s Yours Now | Novela.app

After Tang Zihe left, Jiang Wei huddled under the covers and fell back asleep. It was not a peaceful slumber. At first, the dream was silent, save for the occasional clink of glassware. After a long while, a human voice finally drifted through the quiet. "Time’s up." A man wearing a white lab coat and what appeared to be white rubber gloves walked over slowly. His voice carried no emotional inflection whatsoever, sounding like a robot with a newly installed linguistic system. He asked coldly, "What can you see right now?" Jiang Wei heard the voice but didn't answer. He could feel himself struggling, trying to sit up. The sensation of his hands gripping the leather of the medical chair was vivid; he could even feel the scratch marks he had left there before. But he couldn't see anything clearly. The scene before him was shrouded in a layer of white mist. He blinked desperately, trying to make out his surroundings. The man speaking was likely only a step away, yet Jiang Wei could only see a blurry, misty white shape that vaguely resembled a human. This realization terrified him. He raised a hand, wanting to rub his eyes to prove that this was all just an illusion. If he could, he would have even slapped himself to see if he could wake up. But the moment he moved, he heard the man’s flat voice again: "The teacher said that during the dosage testing period, you are not allowed to move." Two points of pressure suddenly slammed onto his shoulders, forcing him back into the chair. The impact of his head hitting the medical chair made him feel nauseous, but he could only grit his teeth and endure it. The grip on his shoulders didn't loosen immediately; they seemed to be checking if he would violate the rules again. Only after a full ten seconds did the hands let go. There were at least two men standing behind the medical chair, one on each side. Jiang Wei clenched his fists. Opening and closing his eyes made no difference—there was only white and black. It was as if his visual senses had been stripped away. Being unable to discern his environment plunged him into a state of primal panic. How big was this place? What was its layout? What did the man standing in front of him look like? What exactly was this so-called "medicine"? And... how many other people were in here, watching all of this from near or far? He felt like a clown stripped bare under a spotlight, with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. This realization made him feel as though he had fallen into an ice cellar, his breathing becoming uncontrollably rapid. "What can you see right now?" Jiang Wei looked up. He couldn't see anything clearly, yet he still stared fixedly at the man in front of him. Perhaps his gaze was too fierce, for the man didn't immediately resort to forceful measures. Instead, he repeated: "Subject 001, the answer to this question will determine the dosage of the medication you are about to take. Please answer truthfully." "What can you see right now?" This stalemate was ultimately pointless, and Jiang Wei realized it. If they wanted to, they had many ways to force the medicine down his throat. If he chose to cooperate, he could at least choose a less painful way to take it. "I... I can't see clearly. I can't see anything." Jiang Wei heard his own voice. It hadn't changed much, though it wavered due to his heavy breathing. "Please describe it specifically." Jiang Wei stared at the man. "I can only see that you are a white, human-shaped mass. Everything around me is just patches of white..." Only white. This was a problem he had only just noticed. He wasn't sure if his eyes were having trouble distinguishing colors, or if everything around him truly was white. He couldn't sit up to check the color of his own clothes, so he couldn't confirm his suspicion. The man seemed to turn around to record something. The place was so quiet that the only sounds were Jiang Wei’s heavy breathing and the scratching of a pen against paper. Then he heard footsteps again. Simultaneously, the same heavy pressure returned to his shoulders, pinning him to the chair. He was unable to move, forced to watch as the man drew closer and closer. "Next, I will examine the condition of your eyes." The man’s voice was practically pressed against Jiang Wei’s face. He couldn't see what the man was holding, but he could sense the glint of metal. Terror of the unknown surged in his heart, and he began to struggle with all his might, twisting his body uncontrollably to break free. He even heard a sickening *crack* as his right shoulder dislocated. The piercing pain caused him to break out in a cold sweat. But from beginning to end, the two forces pinning him down didn't lighten in the slightest. They only intensified, growing stronger and stronger. He was like a fish pinned to a cutting board, flopping desperately to find a sliver of hope, only for its efforts to be trivialized by the hands holding it down—waiting for it to exhaust itself and suffocate. He felt utter despair. *Click—* A faint sound echoed near Jiang Wei’s ear. This sound definitely didn't belong to the dream. He sat up abruptly as a reflex, gasping for fresh air, his eyes fixed on the dormitory door. A second later, he seemed to realize that the scene before him was entirely different from the dream. While not exactly vibrant, it was clear enough. He sat there dazed, one hand clutching the quilt and the other braced against the bedsheet, chanting in his heart over and over: *I’m back.* Even if the texture of this bed wasn't much better than that leather medical chair, it at least proved he was back. He had left that place and returned to the real world. He was back. *** Tang Zihe was carrying two containers of vegetable porridge from the cafeteria. On his way back to the dorm, he sent Jiang Wei a message saying he was coming over to drop off food, but after waiting for a long time, he received no reply. *Did he fall asleep after taking the cold medicine?* Tang Zihe stood at the door, his hand poised to knock slowly lowering. He looked down at the small potted plant in the corner. Jiang Wei had mentioned to him before that to prevent being locked out if he forgot his keys, he had hidden a spare under the plant just in case. So, he crouched down, moved the plant aside, and took out the key, but he didn't open the door immediately. It was better to let the other person know first. He put the key in his pocket and typed out a message with one hand. After waiting for a full ten minutes without a reply, he realized the porridge would get cold if he waited any longer. He remembered that Jiang Wei didn't like eating food that had gone cold. *Don't blame me for this,* Tang Zihe muttered to himself. He took the key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. *Click—* Tang Zihe walked in and saw the person on the bed gasping for air. Frowning, he walked over quickly. "What's wrong?" Jiang Wei waved his hand and coughed hard a few times before patting his chest, indicating he had just choked and was fine. "Why are you here?" Once Jiang Wei caught his breath, he smiled and rolled out of bed, walking over. "Used the key under the plant?" "Yeah." Tang Zihe placed the key and the porridge on the table. "Were you asleep?" Jiang Wei nodded, not caring at all about Tang Zihe’s unauthorized entry—if anything, he was actually grateful Tang Zihe had opened the door at that moment and shattered the dream. He took out the porridge; it was still warm, but it would be cold soon if he didn't eat it now. "You're sweating so much. Did you have a nightmare?" Tang Zihe took out a small plastic spoon and handed it over. Jiang Wei ate a few bites hungrily and took a large gulp of water before sighing in relief. He hadn't realized it while asleep, but now that he was awake, he found he was absolutely famished, having missed both breakfast and lunch. After a while, once he had wolfed down half the bowl, he finally realized something. He touched his forehead and temples; they were indeed covered in a slick layer of sweat. It must have been from the fear in the dream. He wiped it away casually with a tissue and said, "No, I always sweat when I sleep with a fever. It's probably just a normal reaction to the fever breaking." "The fever's gone?" Tang Zihe didn't seem to believe someone could recover in a single day. He frowned and pointed to the bag he had left on the table earlier. "There's a thermometer in there. You can check later." Jiang Wei nodded in agreement, though his mind wasn't on it at all. Tang Zihe also picked up his bowl. He scanned the single-occupancy dorm but couldn't find an extra chair. Jiang Wei followed his gaze. Realizing the problem, he stood up to offer his chair and sat on the edge of the bed instead. Tang Zihe was always quiet when he ate, but in a one-on-one situation like this, the silence made Jiang Wei feel a bit restless. "Did anything important happen in class today?" Jiang Wei took the initiative to start a conversation. Because of the pheromone leak, Tang Zihe had gone to Director Shi’s office at noon to help request a leave of absence for the afternoon. This meant Jiang Wei had spent the entire day in bed, missing four more classes than expected. Tang Zihe thought about it. His first instinct was to shake his head, but then he seemed to remember something interesting. He met Jiang Wei’s gaze and nodded slightly. "There was... I'll explain it to you during evening self-study. It's not much." Jiang Wei never doubted the person in front of him in this regard, so he relaxed and agreed. "That's good then." The two chatted about miscellaneous things for a while. However, since Tang Zihe still had to attend evening self-study—even with a self-reflection essay hanging over his head, "Brother Tang" felt that basic image management for a top student couldn't be abandoned. After all, who knew if Director Li would suddenly decide to check Class One on a whim? Jiang Wei didn't plan on keeping him. He very naturally gathered the trash after eating and handed the bag to Tang Zihe as he was about to leave. Tang Zihe looked at the trash bag in his hand, then at Jiang Wei, who was already fitting a new liner into the bin. He seemed stunned by this brazen sense of entitlement. After a moment of silence, he asked, half-amused and half-exasperated, "...No compensation?" Jiang Wei’s hand paused. He seemed to actually consider the question. Then, he clapped his hands, hopped over to the table, and picked up the key. "This is yours now." Without hesitation, Jiang Wei placed the key in Tang Zihe’s hand and smiled. Tang Zihe stared at the object in his palm. It took a few seconds before he looked up at Jiang Wei with a look of disbelief and confusion. "You know, this was supposed to be my spare... but well, you're my ally in keeping this secret now. To ensure you can handle any future emergencies without obstacles, and to show my sincerity..." "Plus, I'm a very straightforward person, so—" "It's yours now." ***