SDT 10

Chapter 10: Underestimating the Enemy.

After pondering for a while, Lu Kongyun made his decision. He then replied to the blackmailer: Come to my place. Is that okay?

艹: ?

艹: Why come to your place?

艹: Didn’t you say your military family compound is heavily guarded?

艹: Do you want our relationship exposed?

Lu Kongyun replied: I have an important video conference tonight. Your place isn’t a good backdrop.

艹: Haha. Then just don’t hold it.

艹: I told you, I’m your biggest meeting. Right?

Lu Kongyun typed: You just said you wanted to thank me today. Don’t bother with that kind of hypocrisy anymore.

A moment passed.

The blackmailer replied: Then how do I get into Orange Garden?

Lu Kongyun thought: As expected. The blackmailer still intends to exploit him. Given today’s circumstances, this small concession should be acceptable.

He replied: I’ll pick you up after work. You can ride in my car.

At dusk, Lu Kongyun drove toward the Municipal Bureau. Halfway through the journey, gusts of wind swept in, bringing another downpour.

Manjing was always like this. Endless summer, endless rain.

When he arrived at the meeting spot, he saw the blackmailer had already arrived, sheltering under a dense tree. Spotting Lu Kongyun’s car, he jogged over with a smile and got in.

The blackmailer had already changed out of his police uniform into casual, ordinary clothes. He lowered his head, squeezing water droplets from the ends of his hair and wiping the wet streak from his neck. Turning to look at Lu Kongyun, he remarked, “It’s raining again.”

“Mhm.”

The glistening moisture from the blackmailer’s neck transferred to his hands. Then he placed his hand on the air conditioner fan blades, pushing them aside. The moisture transferred to the blades.

Lu Kongyun turned down the air conditioner. He started the car.

Needing a reason and setup for what was to come, Lu Kongyun released a small thread of pheromones inside the car beforehand. Soon, the blackmailer noticed the anomaly and sniffed.

Lu Kongyun caught his movement and said, “I had a minor mishap during my experiment earlier. My pheromones will be unstable for a short while. You should have brought your inhibitor patches, right?”

The blackmailer rubbed the back of his neck, chuckling nonchalantly. “What could possibly be wrong? Your pheromones are as faint as a Beta’s.”

“.….”

“Hmph. Good.” Lu Kongyun then pointed to the water bottle beside the chair. “Water for you.”

The blackmailer unscrewed the cap and took a few gulps.

Lu Kongyun: “Drink more.”

The blackmailer hooked his lips, fixing Lu Kongyun with a gaze that seemed mocking. “What, did you spike it?”

He said this, yet took another sip.

Watching the blackmailer with water in his mouth, Lu Kongyun’s mind flashed back to those soaked cotton balls from last time.

Then he answered, “Just bought it on a whim. Worried you might get dehydrated if you couldn’t handle it.”

Blackmailer: “Are you implying I secretly drank your workplace’s nectar this afternoon?”

“…” Lu Kongyun turned the steering wheel. “No.”

The blackmailer fell silent for a moment before saying, “I really envy your future partner.”

“Dr. Lu seems like he’d make a caring husband.” The blackmailer took another sip of water. “Ever thought about getting married?”

“That’s none of your business,” Lu Kongyun said.

Blackmailer: “Yeah. Not at all. I just wanted to prepare your wedding gift early.”

Lu Kongyun found the blackmailer’s words laughable: “What kind of gift? Playing my dad’s video at my wedding?”

The blackmailer sprayed water from his mouth.

“Lu Kongyun, you just want to see your dad’s bodyguard shoot me dead, right?”

Lu Kongyun’s car entered the Orange Garden underground garage and parked in his private spot. The two then took the adjacent elevator up to the standalone house.

“Have a seat,” Lu Kongyun gestured toward the sofa.

The blackmailer sat down. Clutching his water bottle, he tapped it a few times before stopping and staring at Lu Kongyun. “Come here.”

Lu Kongyun obediently walked over and sat beside him.

The blackmailer was smiling at him again.

“You really like watching me,” Lu Kongyun offered a pointless remark he knew the blackmailer would jump on, based on recent observations.

True to form, the blackmailer curved his lips and murmured, “Yes. I like watching you.”

“So you want me to kiss you again?” Lu Kongyun proposed.

“…” The blackmailer looked genuinely surprised, but the expression vanished quickly. He gave a soft chuckle, rubbing the bridge of his nose with the back of his hand, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“But the countdown isn’t over yet. Do you really need to go this far?”

“The countdown hasn’t ended, but you can reset the timer to eight hours early,” Lu Kongyun said. “Then at least I won’t have to spend the rest of tonight in constant fear.”

The blackmailer paused, then his laughter took on a playful edge.

“Lu Kongyun, how can you speak about this so coldly?”

Then he exhaled softly, part sigh, part something else: “Deal.”

Without hesitation, Lu Kongyun drew near his face, nearing his lips, those lips stained with flower nectar that afternoon, now pale again. But the blackmailer dodged: “…Kiss my cheek.”

Their warm breaths barely touched before stiffly parting. Seconds later, Lu Kongyun’s lips touched the side of his face.

The blackmailer traced his finger along the edge of the neck inhibitor patch, then pulled out his phone and activated the countdown interface. He turned his back to Lu Kongyun and entered the password. Then he turned the phone to show Lu Kongyun: “Done. Reset in eight hours.”

Lu Kongyun stared into his eyes for a moment before saying, “You entered the password very quickly. Is it a number you know exceptionally well?”

The blackmailer returned his gaze.

“Yes, exceptionally well. Known to the bone. I’ll never forget it.”

Lu Kongyun furrowed his brow, then relaxed it immediately. His expression became resolute, tinged with deeper meaning.

Lu Kongyun deliberately observed how long it took the blackmailer to enter the password with his back turned, less than two seconds.

Evidently, the blackmailer didn’t need to think or recall this password at all.

This further confirmed that the password he’d given Lu Kongyun last time was indeed problematic. It meant that even in a subconscious state, he’d resisted the truth serum’s effects to protect the secret he wished to conceal.

This confirmed the blackmailer was no ordinary adversary.

Lu Kongyun’s use of temporary marking was necessary.

The blackmailer looked down at his phone, seemingly handling work-related messages. This caused more of his nape to peek out from his collar. Lu Kongyun lightly touched the deep red patch there with his finger.

The blackmailer’s typing fingers froze.

Lu Kongyun: “I already told you last time. Your drug dependency is severe, and this deep red inhibitor patch has the most significant side effects. You really shouldn’t use it.”

“The temperature of your gland has already started to become abnormal,” Lu Kongyun concluded in a doctor’s tone.

His fingertip traced the skin, locating the patch’s edge. With gentle pressure, he slowly peeled it away from the gland. His touch brushed the warm skin surrounding the blackmailer’s gland. Only then did the blackmailer lift his head sluggishly, his gaze absent-minded as if he had just awakened.

The blackmailer raised a hand, fingers trembling slightly, grasping Lu Kongyun’s wrist weakly. Lu Kongyun lowered his eyelids to look at the other’s face.

“I’m a doctor. You should listen to me.”

“I’m a cop. Put it back on right now.” The blackmailer’s voice was tight and hoarse.

Lu Kongyun didn’t move, but his pheromones intensified, animalistic in their release.

The blackmailer sniffed, frowning. “How long… how long will your pheromones remain unstable?”

“I don’t know,” Lu Kongyun replied.

The blackmailer pulled his hand away, reached for the back of his neck, and pressed the inhibitor patch firmly into place once more.

Lu Kongyun watched him silently.

The blackmailer turned on the TV. He flipped through channels absentmindedly. His expression remained unchanged, yet his skin was flushing.

After a moment, the blackmailer looked at him. “Lu Kongyun.”

“Mm.”

“Get me something to eat. Please.”

“.….”

His eyes were glistening. Lu Kongyun thought for a moment, then stood up and headed toward the kitchen.

He returned a moment later carrying some food, only to find the blackmailer gone. The TV blared so loudly he hadn’t even heard the door open.

…

Night had fallen completely, and the rain grew heavier. Yu Xiaowen stumbled and hurried through the curtain of rain.

Lu Kongyun was acting strange today.

Last time was an accident, but this time, this guy was definitely trying to make him go in heat on purpose.

The purpose?

Yu Xiaowen wasn’t sure. But the first thing that came to mind was heat marking. For an Alpha, marking an Omega wouldn’t mean much. But if an O was marked, they belonged to the Alpha.

Maybe Lu Kongyun wanted to use this to scare or threaten him.

Yu Xiaowen wasn’t afraid of the marking itself. He feared Lu Kongyun discovering he wasn’t just a low-quality Omega with a foul scent, but also a defective one who couldn’t be marked. Though this wasn’t a big secret at the police station, he still hoped Lu Kongyun would never find out.

Anyway, his “forever” wouldn’t last much longer. Why add another embarrassing black mark?

That little bastard! He’s got some nerve.

He’d underestimated him.

Yu Xiaowen confirmed his backup supply of inhibitor injections was full. He just needed to find a secluded spot to administer it to himself, then leave Orange Garden. After that, he’d deal with this little bastard even more thoroughly.

He’d make him send voice messages every night, personally saying “Goodnight, sweetheart!”

Yu Xiaowen pondered this while searching for cover amidst the chaotic downpour. He already felt his body heating up, his consciousness blurring. But first, he heard rapid splashing footsteps drawing near. Before he could turn, he was seized from behind.

“…Hey!”

“Where do you think you’re going? Huh?”

The victim. He yanked Yu Xiaowen around by the waist, turning him a full 180 degrees and forcing him back the way they came. This time, he hadn’t bothered with that death-dealer raincoat, stepping out into the downpour as he was.

“Let go…”

The words barely left Yu Xiaowen’s mouth before he felt embarrassed. Yu Xiaowen, runner-up in the citywide police mixed martial arts tournament, top fighter in the district, now found himself forced to utter words utterly uncharacteristic of his style before a mere doctor. He struggled fiercely, changing his tone: “I order you… to release me!”

But this time, the grip was far rougher and more forceful than before. The victim seemed to be feeling a kind of anger that didn’t quite fit Dr. Lu’s usual demeanor.

The victim only uttered that one sentence before falling silent. Holding the person who was silently competing with him, he quickened his pace back.

Soon they reached the familiar doorway. The victim led him inside, pushed him into the familiar chair, and repeated the routine, binding Yu Xiaowen’s hands. Then he pulled up a stool, sat directly opposite Yu Xiaowen, and stared at him with a grim expression.

After a while, the victim seemed to calm down. He swept his wet hair back, revealing his forehead and long eyebrows darkened by water, his aura becoming piercing. He asked Yu Xiaowen, “Where do you think you’re going? Did you call your colleague again?”

Yu Xiaowen knew his tear-streaked face must look disgusting. He blinked, forcing out tears to clear his vision. As he spoke, he struggled to swallow the saliva constantly pooling in his mouth.

“…The inhibitor injection is in my pocket. If you don’t want to keep polluting your eyes, I suggest you give it to me. Otherwise, you have no idea what I might turn into. I’m afraid you’d have nightmares seeing it. I’m thinking of you… I don’t care about anything. So nothing you do can threaten me. There’s no point in anything. Understand?”

Yu Xiaowen didn’t mention the mark directly, because it was only his guess. If the victim didn’t intend it, or even felt marking Yu Xiaowen was a disadvantage, saying such a thing would be embarrassing.

But he had given the other person a hint.

The victim showed no reaction. After a moment, he stood up, went to the kitchen to wash his hands, then returned carrying the same medical kit as before.

The victim silently repeated the previous actions. Gloves on, needle drawn, medication mixed. The movements were fluid.

Yu Xiaowen: “…Sedatives?”

Yu Xiaowen: “You made me go into heat just to justify giving me sedatives? So you can have plenty of time to mess with my crappy phone, like last time?”

“Such a trivial matter.” Yu Xiaowen relaxed. “You should’ve said so earlier. I might’ve played along with your charade. After all, Dr. Lu’s medicine must be expensive. At least it could be used on me.”

He was relieved he hadn’t mentioned anything about the mark earlier.

He watched as the needle injected into his arm. Soon, he felt his restless body slip into another strange state.

His own voice slowed: “Lu Kongyun, you really are bored.”

“…Good luck with that.”

Yu Xiaowen heard the other finally respond, but it felt distant, like a dream.

“Yu Xiaowen, you should have drunk more water just now.”