Chapter 40 Temporary Mark (Part 1) The heat hasn't subsided...

My body... is so soft...

My footsteps... became increasingly unsteady...

Yan Quan struggled to open the door and run out.

But he found his muscles felt like they were filled with lead, limp and unable to lift. A strange chill mixed with a burning heat shot up his spine.

Fu Duannian's figure appeared as a distorted shadow in her blurry, swaying vision, slowly approaching.

“Shit, get lost—” Yan Quan muttered, then kicked Fu Duan Nian away again. Fu Duan Nian staggered backward from the impact, barely managing to separate the two by a little over a meter.

However, Yan Quan's body also leaned backward due to the recoil, his back against the wall, the coolness seeping into his skin through the thin fabric of his clothes...

However, it did nothing to dispel the rising, increasingly surging heat within Yan Quan's body...

Even more terrifying, a completely unfamiliar consciousness, not belonging to Yan Quan, violently assaulted his chaotic mind.

I want to hug, I want to kiss, I want to... be marked.

Yan Quan's body seemed to possess a will of its own, defying his desperate attempt to remain conscious. An impulse drove him, making him yearn to be near the only source of Alph essence nearby…

"Hmm..." Yan Quan's steps were unsteady, and he took a tiny step forward uncontrollably.

Fu Duannian's face instantly lit up with ecstasy, "Just as I thought, that's how omegas are, once they're controlled by pheromones, they'll fawn over you..."

"Yan Quan, come a little closer, a little closer..." Fu Duan Nian, with the unlocked handcuffs on his hands, took another step closer, his body itching to pounce.

The distance between the two instantly shortened.

“…Sizzle…” But just as Fu Duannian’s pheromones wafted over, Yan Quan suddenly felt a huge and sharp pain in the back of his neck.

A wave of disgust and nausea washed over her brain... Fine, allergic rashes suppressed her estrus mania and quickly climbed up the back of Yan Quan's neck—it was a rejection reaction.

Yan Ceyan's S-level Alpha permanent mark forbids Yan Quan from contacting other Alphas—even though Yan Quan has already removed that permanent mark...

The pain jolted Yan Quan back to her senses, and then... with all her might, she kicked Fu Duannian away again.

This desperate gamble was more intense than ever before, catching Fu Duannian completely off guard, and his body flew directly to the other side of the wall.

"Right now... we have to get out."

Yan Quan stumbled and leaned against the door, frantically trying to unlock it.

Yan Quan felt that her limp body was on the verge of collapse. Generally speaking, the moment when all reason breaks down is the arrival of heat.

No one knows better than Yan Quan herself what her previous heat cycles were like.

"I can't let you go..." Fu Duannian recovered from his fallen position, and once again opened his arms aggressively, trying to grab Yan Quan back.

"You are my muse! Without you, my art would die. I absolutely cannot let you go!"

Watching helplessly as Fu Duannian's "devilish claws" descended, Yan Quan desperately wanted to push him away... but truly, she had no strength left.

His vision began to blur... into a pool of sticky white spots, and Yan Quan's entire body felt like it was boiling and burning.

Heat has begun...

There's no escaping it now.

Yan Quan's body began to fall backward uncontrollably—a rapidly rising body temperature enveloped him, like a flame, evaporating, spiraling out of control, and then drying up...

"Bang—" was the loud noise of the door being forcibly broken open from the outside.

Fu Duannian's hand did not fall as he expected, and Yan Quan fell into an extremely gentle embrace.

The arms that were tightly wrapped around Yan Quan's waist were strong and taut, but the palm that was supporting the back of Yan Quan's head was warm, like holding a soft feather.

It seems like... a gentle spring breeze and timely rain, a welcome relief after a long drought.

In an instant, all the heat, stinging, and unbearable sensations caused by the rejection reaction in Yan Quan's body receded like the tide... leaving only the familiar, cool floral fragrance that lingered at the tip of her nose just like many years ago.

In a daze, fragments of her youth flashed through Yan Quan's mind like a revolving lantern—

"Hahaha, Yan Ceyan. You're an S-class Alpha, the fearsome King Yama! And your pheromones smell like flowers?"

"Aren't you Alphas all from frigid coniferous forests, like cedars and cypresses..."

“But you actually…” At that moment, the fox-eyed boy, smiling brightly, looked up and nuzzled the head of the Alpha who was hugging him from behind, “It’s such a fragrant flower.”

"This is a mandala."

"The entire plant is poisonous."

"An adult will die from poisoning if they accidentally ingest 3 to 10 seeds." At that moment, the Alpha's calloused fingers twirled through the boy's long, flowing hair, his tone soft yet overflowing with doting affection: "But..."

"The leaves, roots, and fruits of the datura can all be used in medicine."

In fact, fate had already given us a warning from the very beginning—

What others would avoid at all costs is a sweet antidote to Yan Quan.

...

"Yan, Ce, Yan?"

Yan Quan was burning up and had lost consciousness. His eyelashes fluttered with hot tears due to the intense physical heat. His head involuntarily burrowed into Yan Ceyan's arms, instinctively wanting to get closer to him.

"Hmm..." Yan Quan's thoughts were in disarray, and he murmured intermittently, "...I want...a hug."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yan Quan felt the arms around her waist tighten suddenly, and a familiar, deep voice descended into her ear:

"Don't worry, all the cameras outside have been cut off."

"Not a single word of what happened today will be leaked online."

"As for this guy..." Yan Ceyan said, stepping on the chest and abdomen of a fallen person, the bones of which made a creaking sound: "Heh... I'll settle the score with you later."

"Bang—" It was the sound of the door being locked from the inside again, and Yan Quan was back in the dark and deep room.

But this time was different. This time there was no fear, rejection, or nausea... A pair of familiar hands, warm and gentle, reached through Yan Quan's knees and lifted him up.

The dull footsteps scraped across the floor, each one like a tap on the back of Yan Quan's neck, sending a slight shiver through his body.

"Ha... He really did plan and arrange things carefully." When he entered the inner room, Yan Ceyan choked out a dry, mocking sound, as if he was subtly suppressing some kind of impulse.

"There's a bed here."

The Omega aphrodisiac faintly seeped into Yan Quan's nostrils, and the heat in Yan Quan's chest pushed him to hug Yan Ceyan tighter and tighter.

"Mmm...ooh." Yan Quan tilted her head back and opened her lips to kiss Yan Ceyan's lips, but Yan Ceyan deliberately turned his head away.

Helpless, Yan Quan could only bite Yan Ceyan's chin repeatedly.

But that wasn't enough; this level was far from sufficient. As Yan Quan continued kissing, he began to reach out and touch Yan Ceyan's neck, attempting to bite Yan Ceyan's glands.

Yan Ceyan, restless from the movements of the person in his arms, finally spoke up in exasperation. His low, husky voice was filled with complex desire: "Don't move."

"..." Yan Quan was stunned.

It seems that the brief moment of clarity pulled me back a little.

Soon, Yan Quan felt his back pressed against a soft backrest... Yan Ceyan put him on the bed.

His tall figure bent down, casting a deep shadow. Yan Quan huddled in the shadow, and when he looked up, he met Yan Ceyan's deep eyes.

A flame seemed to flicker within the vertical pupils, a flame capable of burning everything dry.

"Alright." Yan Ceyan cupped Yan Quan's face in his hands, his fingertips curling along Yan Quan's long hair.

Yan Ceyan seems to really like Yan Quan's hair. When they were dating in high school, he would always run his fingers through Yan Quan's long hair when they kissed.

Yan Ceyan then spoke, his voice even hoarser than before. "It wasn't possible before, but it is now."

Yan Quan belatedly realized that Yan Ceyan must be a bit of a germaphobe.

Just now on the ground... No.

I'm in bed now (though it doesn't meet Yan Ceyan's high standards of cleanliness)... but it's barely acceptable.

"Is it your heat cycle?" Yan Ceyan began to unbutton Yan Quan's already loose shirt.

"Your body temperature is very high."

Yan Quan's top shirt button was undone, revealing her delicate and beautiful collarbone. A thin layer of sweat glistened on it, making it appear almost glowing in the darkness.

"Hmm..." Yan Quan didn't think there was anything wrong with Yan Ceyan's behavior. On the contrary, he was a little anxious and wondered if Yan Ceyan could unbutton his clothes faster.

So Yan Quan climbed onto Yan Ceyan's neck, whimpering as he rubbed against Yan Ceyan's chin—he originally wanted to kiss Yan Ceyan's lips, but Yan Ceyan was too tall, and from this angle, he couldn't reach them.

"Ugh... Ugh." Yan Quan's broken whisper answered Yan Ceyan's question about whether she was in heat.

That's right, it's estrus...

"Hoo..." Yan Ceyan let out a low, hoarse breath after making his judgment. His eyes darkened instantly, filled with a mixture of desire.

If Yan Quan doesn't receive pheromones from the Alpha to appease him, he'll burn to death.

Ha, Fu Duannian. He's really got a clever plan. Trying to use this method to induce Yan Quan to give him a lifelong mark…

Yan Ceyan's possessiveness grew wildly, and he tightened his grip on Yan Quan's arm—Yan Quan was his, even after many years and with "hatred" in his heart. As an "enemy," Yan Quan could only be his.

Yan Ceyan lowered his head. Yan Quan finally managed to reach Yan Ceyan's lips.

The balance of power had shifted. The boy who had once taught Yan Ceyan how to kiss was now kissing Yan Ceyan's lips haphazardly and without any method.

Yan Ceyan initially remained unmoved, keeping his lips tightly closed, but he gave in after only a few seconds, pulling Yan Quan's chin to deepen the kiss.

Yan Ceyan "hates" Yan Quan.

But that doesn't stop Yan Ceyan and Yan Quan from kissing.

It was still a warm and wet kiss.

"Mmm... Huff..." In the midst of the passionate kiss, Yan Quan heard the sound of the pheromone blocking ring on his neck being downshifted.

"Click—" The sound was like a heavy hammer, jolting Yan Quan's disordered reason back to its senses.

Yan Quan blinked in surprise, her body stiffening: "Um... no, no..."

Yan Ceyan's hand, which was resting on Yan Quan's pheromone-blocking neck ring, stopped abruptly. His eyes darkened as he stared at Yan Quan: If Yan Quan is unwilling...

"Ugh... It's so hot." Yan Quan's rationality only lasted for a few dozen seconds before the overwhelming heat of her estrus swept over her again.

"Puppy, puppy..." Yan Quan whimpered, uttering only broken words. Her soft, weak voice sounded like it was mixed with half a pound of fruit wine, intoxicatingly alluring.

"I want more, I want kisses..."

"Bang—" Yan Ceyan seemed to hear the sound of his edifice of reason collapsing in his mind. He almost ground his back teeth to powder before he managed to calm himself down a little.

Yan Ceyan cupped Yan Quan's face in his hands again and looked into her eyes: "Yan Quan, who is 'puppy' calling?"

Yan Quan once affectionately called Yan Ceyan "puppy," but after appearing on a dating reality show, he called other Alphas "puppy."

Now, just hearing that title come out of Yan Quan's mouth is enough to ignite Yan Ceyan's burning jealousy.

However, to Yan Ceyan's surprise, Yan Quan simply stared blankly at Yan Ceyan's face, which was taut with anger, and then...

He gave Yan Ceyan a quick kiss on the right cheek: "I only have one puppy."

Yan Quan gave Yan Ceyan a quick kiss on the left cheek: "His name is Yan Ceyan."

"Bang—" This time, the edifice of reason was completely shattered... Yan Ceyan turned Yan Quan's face and lowered his head to once again steal all of Yan Quan's breath.

"Huff... Ugh..." The sounds of panting, mingling and overlapping, rose and fell like flowing water. Yan Ceyan could feel that Yan Quan's body was still burning hot...

Yan Ceyan's own body was getting hotter and hotter...

The lingering kiss lasted a long time, so long that when Yan Ceyan breathed heavily and they parted slightly... Yan Quan's lips were wet with a layer of water film.

However, the blush on Yan Quan's face caused by the heat did not fade... instead, it intensified, almost turning completely red.

Having probably lost his mind, Yan Quan became exceptionally candid after shedding his arrogant and aloof exterior.

"Ugh... but I still... feel so bad."

Kissing alone isn't enough. The heat hasn't subsided. I need to... mark them.

Therefore, Yan Ceyan held Yan Quan's nape, his fingers resting on the clasp of Yan Quan's pheromone-blocking ring, and pressed his forehead against Yan Quan's in a hoarse voice:

"Yan Quan, if you want me to mark you, then nod."

Actually, there was no suspense at all, because Yan Quan, who was in heat, had basically lost the ability to think and could only nod.

So why did Yan Ceyan go through the trouble of asking? Perhaps it was because Yan Ceyan finally realized, belatedly, that he had already fallen for her, cursing himself while uncontrollably succumbing to her charms.

Now everything is contrary to Yan Ceyan's original purpose for going on this show—Yan Quan had trampled on him so thoroughly, he should "hate" Yan Quan, he should "dislike" Yan Quan.

If Mingming Yan Quan were burned alive by a heat rash, he should be "clapping and cheering"...

However, the fear that gripped his heart instantly after Yan Quan's accident, and the overwhelming pleasure he felt when kissing Yan Quan... all loudly revealed how hypocritical Yan Ceyan was.

The heat of passion was merely an opportunity for Yan Ceyan to reveal his truest thoughts.

So the truth is—whether you hate or not, or rather, hate is inherently mixed with an almost absurd love.

Even now, Yan Ceyan still cares about Yan Quan. As a normal adult male Alpha, he wants to mark Yan Quan.

However, Yan Ceyan was conflicted and torn, unwilling to acknowledge these truths. Or perhaps, the deep scars of the past still haunted him, making him hesitant to gamble on that slim possibility again.

Therefore, he wanted to shift the "responsibility" onto Yan Quan and put the excuse of "wavering and falling" in Yan Quan's hands—it wasn't that Yan Ceyan "wanted" Yan Quan, but that Yan Quan "wanted" Yan Ceyan.

Only in this way could Yan Ceyan continue to "hate" Yan Quan while "deceiving himself." While "hating" him, he couldn't help but "get closer" to Yan Quan.

"I...I...I..." At the same time, Yan Quan's weak voice rang out haltingly, nodding repeatedly: "I want to bite you (your glands)."

"Yan Quan, you said it yourself." Having received permission, Yan Ceyan finally used his fingertips to gently lift Yan Quan's chin without any hesitation. "You're the one who wanted me to mark you."

"Snap—" The pheromone blocking ring was quickly removed and fell onto the soft mattress covered with cotton blankets.

Yan Ceyan grabbed Yan Quan's shoulders and easily flipped him over, pinning him against the headboard of the bed.

Yan Quan's long hair was now lying messily on the back of his neck, covering the glands.

Back in high school, Yan Quan had been pretending to be an Alpha. It was such an easy trick to expose, and Yan Ceyan and Yan Quan had such close physical contact, so why was he kept in the dark for so long...?

Perhaps it's because Yan Ceyan really likes Yan Quan too much.

Even though his heart had been racing with desire a thousand times over, Yan Ceyan still restrained and suppressed all his dark emotions... He wouldn't "offend" Yan Quan, and he wouldn't bite Yan Quan's glands like other gay men with double Alpha bodies.

Despite being at the most passionate and impulsive age of eighteen, she had a pure and simple love affair with Yan Quan.

But fate is so unpredictable and absurd. Even when they were deeply in love, Yan Ceyan had never seen Yan Quan's glands.

Despite their current distorted relationship of "neither hating nor hating," Yan Ceyan was able to hug Yan Quan from behind and brand a temporary mark on the back of Yan Quan's neck.

"Hmm..." Feeling Yan Ceyan's knuckles gently parting her hair, Yan Quan's neck trembled slightly as she lost the familiar sense of security.

"Don't be afraid." Yan Ceyan lowered his head and gently kissed Yan Quan's red, bleeding earlobe. "Don't be afraid, Sweet Orange."

"It will only hurt a little bit."

The soothing was very effective; Yan Quan instantly became as obedient as a kitten, even tilting her head to rub against Yan Ceyan's palm: "Mmm."

That soft voice stirred Yan Ceyan's heart again, and he quickened his movements as he brushed Yan Quan's hair aside.

The soft strands of hair were damp with sweat, exuding a faint sweet orange scent. Yan Ceyan lowered his head and sniffed lightly. He used his fingertips to brush aside the last layer of hair covering the nape of Yan Quan's neck.

But the sight that met his eyes made Yan Ceyan's eyes widen instantly, and all his words were swallowed up by a dry lump in his throat...

Because Yan Quan had a surgical scar on the back of his neck.

Yan Ceyan had mastered military medical first aid knowledge very well, so he recognized the source of such a standard surgical scar at a glance—the Omega Lifetime Mark Cleansing Surgery.

Omegas must be permanently marked before they can undergo a cleansing procedure.

Soon, a tremendous anger, a growing jealousy and possessiveness, and a pity for the shocking wounds all took over Yan Ceyan's mind.

What you cherish and protect with all your might is trampled and destroyed in the hands of others!

Yan Ceyan's face instantly turned gloomy and oppressive. He pressed his hand tightly against the back of Yan Quan's neck. Leaning close to Yan Quan's ear, he spoke through gritted teeth, each word distinct:

"who is he?"

"Ugh..." Yan Ceyan's movements behind him instantly changed from gentle to savage and domineering. Before Yan Quan could react and say anything... a tremendous pain spread from the glands at the back of his neck.

Yan Ceyan's canines bit into Yan Quan's gland, forcefully squeezing into Yan Quan's gland cavity without any warning.

"It hurts so much..." Tears streamed uncontrollably down Yan Quan's face. Yan Ceyan's movements paused for a moment, but instead, he bit even deeper.

His low voice rose with anger, but even more so, it was a heart-wrenching bitterness: "Does it hurt?"

"Yan Quan, when that person marked you like this, did it hurt this much too?"

"When? Yan Quan."

“You clearly had no chance. I’ve been monitoring you for the past seven years. You had almost no social circle outside of those white guys in the lab…”

The intense scent of datura pheromones, like a surging tsunami, instantly flooded Yan Quan's glandular cavity along with the Alpha's uncontrollable anger.

Yan Ceyan's voice clearly pierced Yan Quan's ears: "Was it during your gap year?"

"Was it the year I mobilized all the surveillance agents in Federation A, and you disappeared without a trace...?"

Just as Yan Ceyan uttered those words, his canine teeth were finally imprinted deep into the gland.

A surge of pheromones flowed through Yan Quan's glands and into his blood vessels. The restlessness in Yan Quan's limbs caused by his estrus cycle gradually subsided, returning him to a state of calm.

As her consciousness gradually returned, Yan Quan finally heard Yan Ceyan's questions echoing in her ears:

"Yan Quan, who exactly is he?"

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Author's Note: The protagonist is drugged → goes into heat → and cuddles with the other protagonist – this is a lady's hobby. (This chapter is so good. I read it twice after writing it myself.)

Here's a brief introduction to mandalas, which seems to fit Yan Ceyan's character perfectly:

①The whole plant is poisonous, with the fruit and especially the seeds being the most toxic. The main components are anaerobic alkaloids such as hyoscyamine, atropine, and scopolamine.

②According to the "Chinese Materia Medica," the leaves, roots, and fruits of Datura can all be used medicinally. It has a bitter and astringent taste, is warm in nature, and can dispel wind and cold, reduce swelling and relieve pain, promote wound healing and pus drainage, and kill parasites and relieve itching. In ancient China, Hua Tuo used Datura flowers to develop "Mafeisan" (a type of anesthetic).