“I also bought a cake. Do you want to try some?” Lu Zisheng sat on the floor and unpacked the box. “I didn't know what flavor you liked, so I picked strawberry.”
“Okay.”
The tear tracks on Shen Yannan’s face had been wiped away minutes ago, but his eyes were still rimmed with red, making him look even more delicate and fragile.
It was tiring to talk while looking down, so he stood up, intending to sit on the floor as well.
Lu Zisheng saw his intention and quickly stopped him. “It’s autumn now. The floor is cold; you’ll catch a cold.”
Shen Yannan frowned, thought for a few seconds, and then pointed to the chair by the window. He had been so preoccupied lately that he’d almost forgotten the chair even existed.
Lu Zisheng scratched his head, demurring, “It’s fine. I’ve been sitting on the floor for so long, my pants are dirty. I don’t want to get your chair messy.”
“My neck hurts. If you sit in the chair…” Shen Yannan turned his head away, his voice dropping a few decibels, “it’ll be easier for you to keep me company and talk.”
“What are you laughing at?”
Lu Zisheng didn't answer immediately. Instead, he happily followed Shen Yannan’s wish and moved the chair over.
“Nothing, I just think…” Before he could finish the sentence, he started laughing even harder. “How can you be so cute?”
Golden fallen leaves brushed against the windowsill, carried by an exceptionally gentle breeze. They tumbled into deep yet clear eyes, rippling into a shimmering smile.
*My birthday is in ten days. Isn't that a coincidence?*
*When the time comes, I’ll come find you right after class. Come spend my birthday with me by the lake—just the two of us.*
*Patients aren't allowed to leave the grounds whenever they want…*
*Forget it,* Shen Yannan had started to say, but he cut himself short. On second thought, the nurses would probably be thrilled if he expressed a desire to go outside.
*Okay.*
Perhaps it was because Lu Zisheng’s expression when he made the request was too enticing, but Shen Yannan found himself bewitched into agreeing.
As the days drew closer, he spent more time looking at his phone. Yet, with only three days left, he still hadn't chosen a gift.
He realized belatedly that he actually knew very little about this person.
*Forget it,* Shen Yannan put down his phone. Blindly guessing wouldn't solve anything. He would just ask him in person later and make up for it with a gift afterward.
That afternoon, Shen Yannan did something rare: he scrutinized his appearance in the mirror. He wore a simple khaki hoodie paired with black trousers and sneakers. Even his hair, which he usually couldn't be bothered to style, had been meticulously combed until it looked refined.
Not bad.
“Shen Yannan! Someone is here to see you.” The nurse knocked and entered, setting down a cup of freshly poured hot water. “A girl, surname Gu. She says she’s here to deliver a message.”
Shen Yannan frowned. He didn't remember anyone by that name, but he nodded and let her in.
The moment she walked in, Shen Yannan remembered who she was.
The "Class Monitor."
“Long time no see, Shen Yannan.” The girl carefully surveyed the patient room, finally coming to a halt in an empty space near the door—as if entering any further or touching anything would leave an unwashable stain on her clothes.
Shen Yannan looked at her, waiting for her to speak.
“Lu Zisheng asked me to bring you a message. He said the temperature dropped today and it’s too cold by the lake. The wind will pick up once the sun sets, so the location has been changed to the small woods nearby. The time is also moved up by an hour. You’ll see him as soon as you get there.” The girl crossed her arms, chin tilted slightly, and let out a sneer. “You don't need to be so hostile toward me. I don't know what methods you used to bewitch him, but you two simply don't belong in the same world. Even if you can interfere with his life for a moment, a relationship like this can't last.”
“Then again, you’re locked in a ward because your head isn't right, yet you can still seduce someone into being so devoted to you. That incident before… you probably seduced him too, didn't you?”
“I suppose that’s your only talent. So what if you’ve temporarily hooked Lu Zisheng? You don't know him at all, do you? Aside from knowing he’s an Alpha, what else do you know?”
Shen Yannan’s continued silence only fueled the girl’s arrogance. When she finally finished her tirade, he looked up at her.
“Are you done?” He stood up, stretched his wrists, and took two steps forward.
The girl instinctively backed away. Just as she was about to hit the door, Shen Yannan suddenly let out a low laugh.
“The door is dirty. Watch your precious clothes; don't touch it.”
“All this talk, and it’s just because you’re afraid I’ll steal him.”
“Do you really have so little confidence in yourself?”
As Shen Yannan spoke, he reached out and took the water cup from the table. The water the nurse had poured minutes ago was now lukewarm. With his other hand, he pulled open the door.
*Splash—*
The water hit her squarely, not a drop wasted. The girl screamed and tumbled out the door.
“I only spared your face because you’re a girl,” Shen Yannan said coldly as he placed the empty cup back on the table. He leaned down and added, “I hope someone taught you not to pick fights with people who have 'mental issues.'”
“Also, thanks for the message.”
Based on everything that had happened, Shen Yannan didn't think Lu Zisheng would be stupid enough to send this girl—whom he clearly wanted to punch—to deliver a message.
But the details of the message were too specific; the time and place were correct, which made him hesitate.
After dealing with the nurse’s inquiries, he sat quietly in his room for nearly ten minutes before rubbing his face and standing up again.
Regardless of whether it was true… the name “Lu Zisheng” alone was enough to make him take the gamble.
*I’ll go,* he comforted himself. *I’ll try.*
When Shen Yannan stepped out of the sanitarium gates, he felt a momentary sense of disorientation.
Come to think of it, how long had it been since he’d been outside?
He… couldn't quite remember.
The lake Lu Zisheng often mentioned wasn't far from the sanitarium. After walking for less than five minutes, Shen Yannan saw the prominent small woods.
Because the surrounding areas only held weeds and wildflowers, this grove of towering trees appeared exceptionally deep and dark.
Shen Yannan didn't rush inside. Instead, he began to circle the edge of the woods.
To an observer, he looked like he was simply admiring the wildflowers and weeds on the ground.
He was indeed drawn to a cluster of flowers in the grass, but before he could lean in for a closer look, he heard footsteps approaching.
Shen Yannan spun around, his pupils shrinking. He only had time to raise his arm to take a heavy blow from a club.
It happened too fast. He was knocked back several steps, and before he could regain his footing, he fell to the ground to avoid the next swing.
“Tsk, this guy is more troublesome than that girl said.”
Seeing that two strikes hadn't knocked him out to proceed with the next step of the plan, the assailant was clearly annoyed.
Shen Yannan sat on the ground and took two deep breaths. His right arm throbbed so painfully he could barely lift it, yet the pain stimulated his nerves, making him feel a faint, involuntary surge of excitement.
“Brother, if we break him too much, it won't be fun to play with him later.”
The other man seemed to hesitate upon hearing this, then nodded.
Shen Yannan’s mind raced; he already understood exactly what was happening.
“Hey,” the man poked the ground with the baseball bat, threateningly. “If you don't want to be crippled, get up and come with us.”
Shen Yannan silently used his left hand to brush the dust off his knees. Just as the man grew impatient and reached out to grab him, Shen Yannan suddenly lunged upward, using the momentum to land a vicious punch squarely in the man’s eye socket.
“Fuck!”
Shen Yannan shook his hand, ignoring the man’s curses. He immediately moved to snatch the baseball bat from the man’s grip.
He wasn't an idiot. If they actually made it into the woods, his stamina and strength were clearly inferior to the two of them. Even if he tried to run, he would likely get lost in the unfamiliar terrain.
Besides, he didn't plan on running.
Shen Yannan grinned, then licked his lips, tasting a familiar hint of copper.
The other man cursed and charged at him. Shen Yannan dropped low and delivered a kick to the man’s knee.
Precise, steady, and ruthless.
Lu Zisheng had skipped his special training class today specifically so he could spend time grooming himself at home before heading out.
He had even put on his favorite clothes and shoes.
However, just as he was leaving, his mother called him over to discuss some matters, making him twenty minutes later than planned.
He urged the driver to hurry the entire way, terrified that Shen Yannan would have already left.
Fortunately, he hadn't.
But the scene before him was enough to be etched into Lu Zisheng’s mind for a lifetime.
Two of his classmates from the sketch training class were lying on the ground—people he’d seen but couldn't name. They were writhing and groaning in pain. One was bleeding from the nose, cowering and begging for mercy. Beside them, a figure crouched, using a baseball bat to support his swaying body. Blood dripped from his fingertips, leaving winding trails on the bat. Yet he was grinning, as if he couldn't feel any pain at all, a sight that sent an involuntary shiver down one's spine.
“Shen Yannan?”
The tentative question caused the expression on Shen Yannan’s face to vanish instantly. He turned his head stiffly, meeting Lu Zisheng’s shocked gaze.
The excited nerves snapped abruptly, and his supporting strength evaporated in an instant. Shen Yannan felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar; the surrounding air was cold enough to make him tremble.
He didn't even notice when he collapsed onto the ground.
Lu Zisheng, however, ran toward him unexpectedly. He knelt on one knee beside him, his heart aching as he used his hand to wipe the blood from the wound on Shen Yannan’s face. “Does it hurt?”
Shen Yannan shook his head, his lips trembling. Before he could speak, one of the men on the ground shouted, “Lu Zisheng, stay away from him! This guy is a total fucking psycho!”
*I’m not… I’m not a psycho…*
Shen Yannan desperately wanted to defend himself, but the words wouldn't come.
He was the one who felt excited at the taste of blood, and he was the one who had beaten them like this… If one ignored the motive, wasn't he exactly that—a violent madman?
To his surprise, Lu Zisheng treated the words like wind passing his ears. He leaned closer and continued softly, “Can you tell me what happened?”
The classmate’s gaze toward Lu Zisheng changed. “You even have to ask? Look at what he did to me! This stupid bitch started it—”
“Watch your mouth,” Lu Zisheng finally turned his head and spoke slowly toward them. “If I hear another word like that, I’ll pull you up and give you a beating myself.”
“You…”
“It’s okay. If you don't want to talk, then don't. Do you have the strength to walk?” When he turned back to Shen Yannan, Lu Zisheng’s voice was peaceful again. Seeing Shen Yannan instinctively shake his head, he changed his posture to crouch in front of him. “If you can't walk, that’s fine. Get on. I’ll carry you back.”
“No…” Shen Yannan finally snapped out of it, immediately shaking his head to refuse.
“Come on, get up. Otherwise, my legs will go numb and I won't be able to stand. Then we’ll both have to roll into the lake like a pair of lovebirds,” Lu Zisheng teased flippantly. He successfully coaxed Shen Yannan onto his back, then, without a single glance at the men on the ground, he headed back the way he came.
Shen Yannan’s head rested on Lu Zisheng’s shoulder. Like a lethargic little fox, he felt drowsy.
“The wound on your face hasn't stopped bleeding. I can even smell your pheromones drifting out,” Lu Zisheng said halfway back. Actually, a wound like that wouldn't normally cause pheromones to leak, but because they were so close, he could catch a faint, ethereal scent. “It smells really good. The fragrance is so light. What flower is it?”
“Linaria…” In this state, Shen Yannan was extremely easy to talk to, answering almost every question.
“Oh.” Lu Zisheng silently memorized the name, deciding to look up what the flower looked like when he got home.
After that, Lu Zisheng downplayed the incident and made up a story for the nurses to explain away Shen Yannan’s injuries. He then resumed his daily, unwavering "visits."
Except now, Shen Yannan would usually be sitting in the courtyard outside his room reading a book, waiting for him.
It wasn't until a month later that Shen Yannan finally presented his "belated" birthday gift.
“This is…” Lu Zisheng took the small flowerpot from Shen Yannan’s hands. Inside was a cluster of flowers. “Linaria?”
Shen Yannan was shocked that Lu Zisheng recognized a flower that looked so much like a common weed, unaware that this flower had become Lu Zisheng’s favorite a month ago.
“I remember you said… your pheromones smell like Linaria…” Lu Zisheng sat down beside Shen Yannan, smiling. Suppressing the fluttering in his heart, he teased intentionally, “Can I take this to mean… you’re confessing to me?”
“Give it back then.”
“No way. It’s a gift now; there’s no taking it back.”
Lu Zisheng nudged Shen Yannan’s shoulder gently. “Come on, say it.”
“Fine, fine…” Shen Yannan didn't avoid the topic as he had countless times before. Instead, he spoke slowly.
“If you say it is, then it is.”
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 姬金鱼草 | Linaria | Also known as Toadflax or Baby Snapdragon. Shen Yannan's pheromone scent. |
| 鸳鸯 | Lovebirds | Literally "Mandarin ducks," a symbol of a couple. |
| 姓顾 | Surname Gu | The surname of the class monitor. |
| 勾搭 | Seduce / Hook up | Used derogatorily by the class monitor. |
| 结合热 | Heat | The estrus cycle for Omegas in the ABO setting. |
| 信息素 | Pheromones | Biological scents in the ABO setting. |
| 疗养院 | Sanitarium | The facility where Shen Yannan is staying. |
