ACBAM 25: Pulsing

Gu Weiyang brought suppressants.

There were some in the glove compartment, more stored in the trunk, and every time he went out, he would always carry two in his pocket just in case.

He could feel the frequency of his glands pulsing faster, and a faint heat spreading through his body. It was clear he could no longer keep it under control.

This was the second time since meeting Su Shijin that he had lost control of his emotions, causing his susceptibility period to flare up frequently.

The first time was the night they met for their arranged date. After Su Shijin left with the agreement in hand, that initial encounter, combined with the high compatibility of their pheromones, had triggered his susceptibility period.

Counting from the last time, it hadn’t even been that many days, and now the second time had already arrived.

This had never happened before meeting Su Shijin.

Gu Weiyang took a suppressant from his pocket and with practiced ease, gave himself an injection.

But resistance to the drug was a real issue. Despite the injection, Gu Weiyang’s glands were still hot and restless. The discomfort was intense, and even his teeth itched, aching for something to bite down on to release the urge.

This was the alpha’s instinct to mark an omega.

Fortunately, Gu Weiyang had worn a suppressant ring when he left the house, and with the suppressors, no matter how unwilling his pheromones were, they were still brought under control.

Gu Weiyang didn’t waste any more time. After closing the trunk, he got in the car and started it.

Su Shijin had already fastened his seatbelt and was looking down at his phone.

Jian Lexin had sent a barrage of frantic messages, along with several voice notes each up to 60 seconds long. Su Shijin had converted them to text, and he still hadn’t finished reading them all even now.

As soon as Gu Weiyang got in the car, Su Shijin sensed something was off.

He sniffed lightly and asked, “Mr. Gu, I think I caught the scent of your pheromones.”

It was from the slight leak earlier. Despite the inhibitor, the scent still clung to him and hadn’t dissipated yet.

Gu Weiyang rolled down the window, opened a suppressant patch and pressed it to the back of his neck. “Sometimes my pheromones get a little hard to control. At this level, it shouldn’t affect you, right?”

The suppressant patch wouldn’t do much at this point anyway. It was just a gesture to put Su Shijin at ease.

The two of them were in a confined space, and with an alpha’s pheromones slightly out of control, it was perfectly reasonable for the only omega in the car to feel uneasy.

Sure enough, after seeing him apply the suppressant patch, Su Shijin didn’t ask any further questions.

Though he did find it odd that Gu Weiyang’s pheromones were still leaking despite the suppressant ring clearly visible on his wrist as he rested his hand on the steering wheel, he could tell Gu Weiyang didn’t want to explain and wisely chose not to press the issue.

Everyone has their own secrets, and someone like Gu Weiyang, with such a complicated background, was bound to have even more things he didn’t want to talk about.

Su Shijin wanted to get through this one-year agreement-based marriage peacefully, so whenever he sensed the other party didn’t want to answer, he would never press.

Besides, Su Shijin was wearing a suppressant ring himself. This faint trace of pheromones wouldn’t affect him anyway.

There were few cars on the road at night, and they hit green lights almost all the way home.

As soon as they got inside, Gu Weiyang instinctively knelt in front of Su Shijin’s wheelchair to help him change into slippers—only to realize, just as he crouched down, that Su Shijin had gone out today already wearing slippers.

His ankles were especially swollen today. There was no way he could fit into his usual shoes for going out. Even the slightest touch to his ankles was excruciating, so he had simply chosen to wear slippers.

Gu Weiyang simply stayed crouched there and lifted the hem of Su Shijin’s pant leg to check his injured ankle.

On the second day after the sprain, Su Shijin’s ankle looked even worse than the first. It was swollen, red and purple, puffed up like a steamed bun.

Gu Weiyang felt a pang of sympathy, but as the saying goes, muscle and bone injuries take a hundred days to heal. All they could do now was take care of it cautiously and no matter how anxious he felt, there was nothing more he could do.

“Did you take your medicine at noon?” Gu Weiyang’s fingertips stopped about an inch above his ankle, afraid of hurting him. He didn’t even dare to touch it.

“I did. I took it right away when you brought it over,” Su Shijin replied.

“And the spray too?”

“Yeah, I used it twice this afternoon. I’ll spray it again before bed,” Su Shijin nodded.

“Good,” Gu Weiyang said, gauging his body’s reaction and deciding he could still hold out for now. He stood up and added, “Go ahead and rest upstairs. I’ll bring you a warm glass of milk.”

Su Shijin wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but Gu Weiyang had already turned toward the kitchen, lazily rubbing the back of his neck as he walked.

Su Shijin thought about thanking him but then remembered that Gu Weiyang didn’t like being thanked. His lips moved slightly, but in the end, he swallowed the words.

After a moment’s thought, Su Shijin maneuvered his wheelchair into the kitchen and said, “If you ever need to do desensitization treatment, just let me know.”

Having been on the receiving end of Gu Weiyang’s care all this time, Su Shijin felt a bit uncomfortable not giving anything back—it was like carrying a debt he hadn’t repaid.

“As long as I have the time, I’ll definitely cooperate with your treatment,” Su Shijin said.

Gu Weiyang had just taken the small milk pan out of the cabinet when he paused at those words, then gave a nod.

He understood Su Shijin’s personality. If he wasn’t allowed to do something in return, it would probably be hard for him to keep accepting Gu Weiyang’s care and attention. So he didn’t turn him down.

“Next week then. Let’s wait until the swelling in your ankle goes down.”

Su Shijin relaxed ever so slightly, the corners of his mouth lifting in a faint smile. “Alright.”

—

While Gu Weiyang was in the kitchen warming up the milk, Su Shijin figured there wasn’t much he could help with for now, so he headed back upstairs.

Since he wasn’t sure when Gu Weiyang would come up, he didn’t change his clothes. Instead, he adjusted the angle of his wheelchair, leaned back against the seat, and continued reading the messages Jian Lexin had sent him.

Jian Lexin had sent so many messages, and since Su Shijin didn’t like looking at his phone while riding in a car—it made him carsick—he still hadn’t finished reading them all.

By the time he had converted all the voice messages to text and read through everything, five minutes had already passed.

Considering how long he had gone without replying, Su Shijin figured Jian Lexin was probably angry by now. He glanced at the time and called him directly.

Based on what he knew of Jian Lexin’s schedule, he wouldn’t be asleep before 1 a.m.

It was still early and he was most likely lying in bed playing games.

Sure enough, the moment the call connected, Jian Lexin’s wail came through, “Su Shijin! I just got killed because of your call!!!”

Su Shijin quietly took the blame. “Alright, next time I’ll text you first before calling.”

“No need for that,” Jian Lexin chuckled sheepishly. “You know how I am. Every time I lose a game, I just look for excuses.”

Su Shijin knew. Back in college, when Jian Lexin lost a game, he would even blame it on the weather and said that the wind was too loud and it distracted him.

“Are you still playing now? Want me to wait until you’re done before we talk?” Su Shijin asked.

“It’s fine, talking on the phone doesn’t affect my game. I’m trash anyway, just getting carried through dungeons by pros,” Jian Lexin said, sitting cross-legged in front of his computer. He put the phone on speaker and set it down casually beside him, unwrapped a lollipop, and popped it into his mouth. “But why are you calling this late? Something up?”

Su Shijin was silent for a moment, then said softly, “Did you forget you sent me a ton of messages this afternoon?”

Jian Lexin was in the middle of healing teammates in-game and nearly jumped out of his chair when he heard that!

“Right!!! I was just about to ask you!”

“Didn’t you say you would think it over? I figured you would take at least ten days or maybe even half a month to decide. Even if you were leaning toward saying yes, I thought you would at least spend some time getting to know the guy first before making a decision!”

“How did you suddenly go and get a marriage certificate?!”

“Aaaah damn it, Gunner, you died again?! Can’t you dodge the boss’s attacks?!”

Jian Lexin furiously tapped away at his mouse and keyboard, angrily questioning Su Shijin while still finding time to yell at his noob teammate.

Su Shijin felt that Jian Lexin was really busy but that made this the perfect time to call. When he was gaming, he got distracted, and at least wouldn’t ask too many questions.

“I did think it through. I feel like Mr. Gu isn’t the same as the rumors say. Besides, I want to get married.”

Marriage could put an end to a lot of trouble.

Of course, that last part was something he could only keep to himself.

Even though Jian Lexin was his friend and knew about the agreement between him and Gu Weiyang, there was no need to lay bare the true purpose behind the marriage.

Jian Lexin was stunned by Su Shijin’s last sentence. “You want to get married too?”

His hand slipped on the controls, almost missing a heal.

He quickly steadied himself and asked, “Are you serious? You really want to get married? He didn’t force you into it or anything, did he?”

“No, don’t worry,” Su Shijin said with a small smile.

But Jian Lexin was still annoyed. “I just can’t believe you went and got your marriage certificate without saying a word and then posted it on your Moments!!! You barely post on there more than a few times a year, and now you’re out here showing off your relationship?!”

“Do you have any idea what kind of shock that was? I was slacking off in my boss’s office when I saw your post. I literally shouted out loud, and my boss asked me if the file had bitten me.”

Su Shijin couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“Don’t laugh—it’s your fault,” Jian Lexin grumbled, conveniently ignoring the fact that he had been slacking off at work.

In the middle of their conversation, there was a soft knock on the door.

Su Shijin said into the phone, “Hold on a second,” then called toward the door, “It’s not locked. Come in.”

Only then did Gu Weiyang open the door and walk in while carrying a tray.

“Still not resting?” Gu Weiyang’s gaze swept over his clothes as he walked in and set the tray down on the table by the bed.

“In a bit,” Su Shijin replied, noticing that besides the milk, there was also a neatly prepared fruit plate on the tray.

“Eat it if you want. If not, we can bring it out again tomorrow,” Gu Weiyang said.

He just couldn’t stay still while heating the milk, so he had sliced up some fruit as well.

Su Shijin nodded and replied, “Alright.”

Gu Weiyang didn’t linger. As he left, he reminded him, “Don’t forget to spray your ankle.”

Su Shijin gave a soft “mm” with a slight smile, watching as Gu Weiyang closed the door behind him before picking up his phone again.

“Sorry, something came up just now. It’s fine now,” Su Shijin said.

Jian Lexin stayed silent for a long time. It wasn’t until Su Shijin called his name that he finally spoke, his voice low, “You just got the marriage certificate, and now you’re already living with him?”

Su Shijin hadn’t planned to hide it, so he nodded and replied, “We’re going to be living together anyway. Might as well start getting used to it.”

“Then what was he doing in your room this late? Don’t tell me he’s up to something shady!!”

“He brought me milk and fruit. Jian Lexin, I think you’re being biased against Mr. Gu. He’s really not like the rumors say.”

Su Shijin knew Jian Lexin was just worried about him, but still felt it was a bit unfair for Gu Weiyang to be judged like that, and instinctively spoke up for him. “Even if you don’t trust Mr. Gu, you should at least trust my judgment. I wouldn’t be with someone who has ulterior motives toward me.”

Jian Lexin thought it over and realized Su Shijin had a point. “Alright, I’ll silently apologize to your Mr. Gu in my heart, and I won’t associate him with the rumored Gu Weiyang anymore.”

Your Mr. Gu.

Those words nearly left Su Shijin at a loss for how to respond.

Fortunately, Jian Lexin didn’t give him time to react and quickly changed the subject. “Did you get hurt? I think I heard him remind you just now to spray your ankle?”

“Just a minor sprain, it’s nothing serious,” Su Shijin replied.

Jian Lexin let out a breath of relief. “That’s good. Well, living with him might not be so bad then. At least if your ankle’s hurt, he can help take care of you.”

Su Shijin: “…Mm.”

He couldn’t deny it. That really had been part of the reason for moving in together in the first place. It was to make it easier for Gu Weiyang to look after him.

“Alright then, since you’ve thought it through, I won’t try to talk you out of it anymore.”

“But as your friend, I’ll always be on your side. If Gu Weiyang ever dares to bully you, you tell me! I’ll make sure he pays for it!”

Su Shijin felt a wave of warmth in his chest. “Got it. Go back to your game, I’m going to wash up and get some rest.”

“Alright~ Let’s plan a shopping trip sometime. We missed it last time, so we’ll make up for it next time.”

Su Shijin agreed, “In two weeks. I need to go home for a bit this week.”

“Sounds good,” Jian Lexin replied readily.

After hanging up the phone, Su Shijin took off his suppressant ring, grabbed a change of clothes, and headed into the bathroom.

There was a bathtub in the bathroom. Since he couldn’t keep his balance under the shower, he always sat in the tub to bathe.

After finishing, he dried his hair and stepped out feeling refreshed. He picked up the still-warm glass of milk, took a sip, and eased the thirst that came from the hot shower.

The floor-to-ceiling window had been left open for ventilation since he went out that morning. After finishing the milk, Su Shijin slowly made his way over to close it.

Just as he was about to shut it, a faint trace of alcohol drifted in on the night breeze, causing his hand to pause mid-motion.

Su Shijin was already very familiar with that scent. He could clearly tell the difference between the smell of ordinary alcohol and Gu Weiyang’s pheromones.

What was coming through now was clearly Gu Weiyang’s.

But how could that be…

Gu Weiyang was next door so how could his pheromones drift over here?

Su Shijin pushed open the floor-to-ceiling window, steadied himself against the wall, and slowly made his way to the edge of the balcony. Gripping the railing, he glanced over at the neighboring unit.

The window on the other balcony was tightly shut, and the curtains were drawn all the way, barely letting a sliver of light escape.

But the scent lingering at the tip of his nose grew stronger. It was so thick it felt like it was wrapping itself around Su Shijin, making his whole body heat up. His glands suddenly stirred restlessly, and the arm propped against the railing went weak. He nearly lost his balance.

Something was wrong.

The concentration of this pheromone wasn’t normal.

Su Shijin clutched at his glands as the heavy scent of alcohol surged over him, wrapping around him so tightly he could barely breathe. An uncontrollable sensation swept through his entire body. His glands grew hot, swollen, and pulsed as if crying out for something.

He used all his strength to brace himself against the wall and make his way back to the room, trying to get to the suppressant ring.

But with his injured ankle, and no wheelchair or crutch, he was moving far too slowly. In the end, he stumbled and slid down the wall, sitting on the floor, while gasping for breath, letting out a low and strained moan from the discomfort.

In this moment, the high pheromone compatibility between them became unmistakably clear.

It really felt like he was going into heat.