An Alpha in heat doesn’t look like they’re about to die

His hand was injured, and if he still wanted to play in the upcoming autumn league, Zhao Shu had no choice but to completely rest for now.

He had it casually bandaged at noon, and right after evening classes, he was hurriedly shoved into the family car.

Before the sky had even fully darkened, he was already home.

This was something new for him.

While changing shoes at the entrance, the old butler came up to him.

The moment he saw Zhao Shu’s face, he froze slightly, then lowered his voice and reminded him, “The eldest young master is also here.”

Zhao Guipu had skipped his usual social engagements and come home for dinner today.

Zhao Shu raised an eyebrow, thinking how one coincidence after another was lining up today—annoying.

He slipped into his slippers and dragged his lazy steps toward the living room.

The TV was on, broadcasting today’s evening news.

The female anchor spoke in a standard broadcast tone—

“October 22nd, the situation in the Losfa North conflict has further escalated. Over the past week, Losk has intensified its offensive in the eastern Donbas region and the frontlines of Haditon State…”

In front of the television, Zhao Guipu sat on the sofa.

A globe was placed before him.

At this moment, the man’s long fingers casually spun the globe.

When Zhao Shu approached, he didn’t even lift his head, only reminding him, “Let Xiao Ming take a look at your hand.”

Zhao Shu was currently extremely sensitive to anything related to “geography.”

Just looking at the globe made him want to throw up.

He suspected Zhao Guipu was doing it on purpose.

With a sour expression, he walked past the main sofa and toward the single-seat sofa beside it.

Sitting there was a smiling Alpha named Fei Yuming.

He was Pei Qingyu’s uncle and belonged to the same generation as Zhao Guipu.

Back in high school, the two had been dormmates and close friends.

Later, Zhao Guipu dropped out to take over the family business, while Fei Yuming pursued medicine.

After years in cardiothoracic surgery, he had stepped away from frontline work and moved into administration, now overseeing twelve private hospitals under the Fei family.

When Lin Zuwen had suffered temporary pheromone disorder during differentiation, he had been treated in one of Fei’s hospitals.

“Let me see… hey, this doesn’t look like just a hand problem—oh wow, Zhao Guipu, look at your brother, his face is swollen like a pig’s head!”

Zhao Guipu lifted his head and glanced over.

His gaze paused briefly on Zhao Shu’s swollen cheek before calmly turning to instruct the kitchen to boil two eggs.

The servant hurriedly fled to the kitchen.

Fei Yuming, unfazed by the low-pressure atmosphere, remained seated and stared at Zhao Shu in shock.

“Both your hand and face are injured? Aren’t you an S-class Alpha? What happened, how did you get beaten into this state? Did you fight with my nephew?”

Zhao Shu scoffed.

“As if he has that ability.”

As soon as he finished speaking, his peripheral vision caught movement.

Zhao Guipu, who had been facing the kitchen, slowly turned back to look at him.

Even without saying anything, Zhao Shu instinctively restrained his arrogant expression a little.

Seeing this, Zhao Guipu said nothing further and went back to fiddling with the globe.

Silence fell, the atmosphere subtly tense.

Zhao Shu suspected that even if he farted at school, his brother would know about it.

There was no way Zhao Guipu didn’t already know about what happened in the afternoon.

Which explained why Fei Yuming was here—

Playing the classic “CEO’s doctor friend” role.

Fei Yuming pulled out a medical kit from under the coffee table.

It was far more advanced than the one Wu Qie had used earlier, filled with rare, Alpha-specific medical supplies.

He examined Zhao Shu’s hand and clicked his tongue.

“Zhao Guipu, stop playing with that globe and come look—his entire nail’s been flipped off!”

“I think his face is more impressive.”

Zhao Guipu’s voice was calm and cool.

Even so, his gaze shifted from the globe to Zhao Shu’s hand.

The bandage was removed, revealing the mangled wound beneath.

The last layer of gauze had already stuck to the flesh, but Zhao Shu only frowned slightly when it was peeled off.

The pain had already passed.

Only the news anchor’s voice and the faint clinking of medical tools filled the living room.

For some reason, Zhao Shu suddenly felt like talking.

He licked his lower lip, sat up straighter, and called out, “Ge.”

As the elder brother, Zhao Guipu had always been strict.

Zhao Shu usually avoided him like a mouse avoiding a cat.

Hearing him call “Ge” so seriously made Zhao Guipu’s head ache.

He waved a hand, clearly not wanting to hear it, and pushed the globe toward him.

“Look at the continents bordering the Arctic Ocean. Combined with recent intensifying greenhouse effects, tell me what insight you get from the news just now.”

Zhao Shu glanced at it.

He couldn’t even find the Arctic Ocean properly.

“I want to cancel my engagement with Wu Qie.”

The living room suddenly went quiet.

Even Fei Yuming paused mid-action.

Zhao Guipu showed no expression.

“Did he beat your face like that?”

“… ”

“Forget it, don’t answer. As for your request—no.”

Clean. Direct. No room for discussion.

Zhao Shu sucked in a breath, getting irritated.

“What’s the point of this? The Wu family doesn’t want anything from us, and we don’t want anything from them either—”

“Who said that?”

Zhao Guipu replied lazily, “Your Uncle Wu is rich. Half our shipping fleet is outdated. I’ve been wanting to replace it.”

Hearing the teasing tone, Zhao Shu raised his voice.

“Ge!”

Zhao Guipu finally dropped the lazy attitude, leaned back, and lit a cigarette.

“Tell me. Why?”

Zhao Shu hesitated.

“I’m an Alpha. Alphas should be with Omegas. I’m not targeting Wu Qie, but Betas are like dead fish.

No pheromones, no comfort. I was injured today, in pain, pheromones leaking to the point it could count as a violation, and my fiancé just stood there watching.”

“Is that reasonable?”

Zhao Guipu didn’t react much.

“So Lin Zuwen could comfort you?”

“What does he have to do with this?”

Zhao Shu frowned.

“At least he and I are a genuine ‘Eye of Aphrodite.’”

Zhao Guipu let out a faint laugh, clear disdain on his face.

Zhao Shu couldn’t understand him.

He thought, if it wasn’t real, why had he stayed silent about the test results?

Through the haze of smoke, Zhao Guipu looked at his brother.

He wanted to scold him.

But suddenly, he remembered years ago—

A tiny child clinging to his leg, saying, “Ge, even if we go bankrupt and eat bran, I’ll stay with you.”

Now that child had grown into a top-tier Alpha.

Just… less likable.

Flicking ash off his cigarette, Zhao Guipu lost the urge to argue.

“You dislike Ah Qie that much?”

“You like him, you take him. I don’t want him.”

“You argued again?”

“…Not really.”

“Ah Shu, everything I decide is for your own good.”

“You’ve reached that age, huh?”

Zhao Guipu actually thought about it.

…He had.

He smiled faintly and tapped Zhao Shu’s injured hand with the cigarette.

“Doesn’t hurt?”

Zhao Shu stared at him.

“Stop changing the topic. You and Lin Zuwen are impossible.”

Zhao Shu didn’t argue much this time.

Lin Zuwen was just a convenient excuse.

“Ge, do you not like Lin Zuwen?”

“Or do you like him too much and want him for yourself?”

Zhao Guipu stared at him, speechless.

Zhao Shu mimed zipping his mouth shut.

“Treat your hand first. We’ll talk later.”

Zhao Guipu’s tone softened slightly.

The topic of canceling the engagement was left unresolved.

But Zhao Shu knew—if Zhao Guipu said no, it meant no.

Still, at least it was now under consideration.

From now on, he and Wu Qie had nothing to do with each other.

He didn’t know how he felt.

Expression blank, he only complained when Fei Yuming disinfected his wound.

“Brother Ming, lighter. You’re stabbing me.”

“Bullshit.”

“It really hurts.”

“You weren’t screaming like this when someone else bandaged you this afternoon.”

“…It didn’t hurt as much then.”

“Oh? Some Omega girl treated you or what?”

Zhao Shu clicked his tongue and went silent.

…

Meanwhile, Wu Qie was still processing the reality of Alpha dominance.

It felt like a sudden realization.

Maybe the engagement wasn’t about improving genetics—

Maybe it was about needing a powerful Alpha to anchor the Wu family.

Without one, a Beta like him could collapse under pressure in negotiations.

The more he thought, the more it made sense.

But now it was too late.

The engagement was already over.

Wu Qie felt a headache coming on.

That night, as rain fell outside, he stared blankly at his reflection in the car window.

Then remembered—

“Dead fish.”

“…Zhao Shu is insane.”

Wu Qie scrolled through his contacts from top to bottom.

In the end, he chose Li Ying—the female Alpha from his ex-boyfriend’s band, whose pheromones smelled like apple sparkling wine.

In Wu Qie’s eyes, she was probably the last Alpha in Jiangcheng with a functioning brain.

[Wu Qie: Have you ever slept with a Beta?]

It was just after seven.

The band’s performance hadn’t started yet, so Li Ying replied quickly—with a single question mark.

[Wu Qie: An Alpha just told me that Betas can’t compare to Omegas in bed at all.

That Omegas are alluring and full of charm, while Betas are like a block of wood…

But Betas also have needs.

So in this situation, isn’t it more likely that it’s just that Alpha’s problem?]

Li Ying didn’t bother typing. She called him directly.

Her first question:

“Why are you asking something this terrifying? Is that even something a normal human says out loud?”

Wu Qie stammered as he explained what happened in the lounge with his ex-fiancé earlier.

When he got to the part about the kiss, he stumbled over his words.

When he mentioned being called a “dead fish,” he stumbled again—then let out an indignant huff.

Li Ying was probably more shocked by Zhao Shu’s mouth than anything else.

“There’s no such thing,” she said, sounding casual over the phone.

“Come to my place anytime.

I can find someone who’ll make sure you can’t get out of bed for a week and then have them spread your ‘alluring charm’ all over this city.”

“……”

Wu Qie wanted comfort.

Not… this.

All he wanted to know was whether Betas really couldn’t react the same way as Omegas.

Though honestly, he thought Betas were fine.

Being soaked wasn’t exactly something to be proud of anyway—
you could achieve something similar just by… well.

Li Ying sounded way too serious.

Wu Qie broke out in a cold sweat and quickly clarified that his doubts only came from Zhao Shu, and that he was merely questioning Alpha standards—not including Li Ying, of course.

She could be the exception.

On the other end, the woman exhaled smoke and replied dryly,

“Wow, thanks.”

That night, Wu Qie ate casually and went to shower.

When he looked in the mirror, he realized his lip had been bitten open.

The wound at the corner of his mouth was obvious.

His mood instantly got worse.

He didn’t sleep well that night.

The next morning, he stood in front of the mirror with heavy dark circles, completely helpless.

His family still didn’t know about the explosive fight and the broken engagement.

If the real purpose of the engagement truly was to prevent him from ruining the Wu family one day—

Then ignorance had at least allowed him to pretend.

Now that he knew—

There was no way back.

The Wu family couldn’t end with him.

Unless…

After giving up Zhao Shu, he swore to find someone even more suitable.

Someone from the Zhao family.

Someone better than Zhao Shu in every aspect—

Zhao Guipu himself?

……

Just thinking about it made Wu Qie want to smash his head into the mirror.

Wu Qie gained a very profound new understanding of this world.

So much so that the next day, he felt like he couldn’t even look at Zhao Shu properly—

Otherwise, he might end up becoming some kind of “S-class Alpha s*ave.”

But when he arrived at school, things were… not what he expected.

First period was in Class C.

He overheard students gossiping about how Zhao Shu had been beaten into a swollen mess and had spent the entire morning self-study period lying on his desk in a bad mood.

The culprit was unknown.

As the actual culprit, Teacher Wu silently praised the basketball team for their tight lips and calmly finished teaching the class.

Second period was Class F.

Unavoidable.

Wu Qie arrived early and sat at the podium grading assignments.

Suddenly—

The classroom door was shoved open.

He looked up.

Zhao Shu walked in, face dark, like a gust of wind.

Their gazes met for a brief moment.

Zhao Shu noticed the black cat-shaped pen cap in Wu Qie’s hand—
apparently modified so the original black ink had been replaced with red for grading.

He wanted to sneer.

But couldn’t.

The young Alpha’s hair was messy.

Bandages wrapped around his head and one finger.

One side of his face was still swollen and bruised, turning purple-blue overnight—
half handsome, half disaster.

As he passed the podium, Zhao Shu didn’t look at Wu Qie at all.

Not even a glance from the corner of his eye.

The wind he carried with him brought a faint scent of tequila—

Instantly filling Wu Qie’s senses.

“……”

Wu Qie wanted to ask why he couldn’t control his pheromones like a normal person.

Zhao Guipu could suppress his completely.

He set his pen down.

Even the Beta students in the front row were exchanging looks—clearly they smelled it too.

Zhao Shu sat down.

Lin Zuwen leaned over, worried.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Zhao Shu replied expressionlessly,

“Didn’t sleep well.”

Then he pulled out a brand-new bite guard from his desk.

It was standard equipment issued to Alpha students—like a fire extinguisher in classrooms.

If they felt unstable, they were supposed to wear it.

A metal restraint covered the mouth area.

Uncomfortable.
Humiliating.

But necessary.

“Zhao Shu, is your sensitive period coming?” Lin Zuwen asked.

Zhao Shu adjusted the settings impatiently.

“No. Just didn’t rest well.”

It shouldn’t have been his sensitive period.

At least—that’s what he thought.

Until halfway through class—

He suddenly slid off his desk.

Wu Qie’s lecture stopped instantly.

Then Lin Zuwen screamed,

“Teacher! Zhao Shu’s sensitive period—!”

…

Unbelievable.

Running into a sudden episode in the middle of class.

Thankfully, Zhao Shu had already put on the bite guard, preventing chaos.

Wu Qie pushed through the crowd, adjusted the device to maximum suppression, and called over a few strong students.

They carried Zhao Shu—burning hot, curled up like a cooked shrimp—to the infirmary.

While waiting for the suppressant, Wu Qie sat by the bed, thinking—

‘Nice.
For once, he’s the one being carried in here.’

He was even drafting a message to Zhao Guipu—

When the bed creaked.

Zhao Shu, still wearing the bite guard, was tossing restlessly, drenched in sweat.

His shirt was disheveled, abs slick with moisture.

Eyes closed, expression pained—

His hand moved unconsciously, trying to remove the bite guard.

Wu Qie was startled and immediately grabbed his wrist to stop him.

Zhao Shu opened his eyes groggily—

And saw the culprit of everything right in front of him.

Memories flooded back.

The humid lounge.

The hard floor.

Wu Qie’s uneven breathing.

Their entangled tongues—

“Ugh.”

Zhao Shu violently shook his hand away.

The pheromones in the room were overwhelming.

His breathing grew heavier.

Eyes red.

Completely on edge.

Wu Qie sneezed.

Aside from the sharp tequila scent, he felt… nothing else.

“…Are you thinking right now that it’s a good thing Betas don’t have to deal with this?”

Zhao Shu’s voice was hoarse.

Wu Qie turned to look at him—

And nodded calmly.

“Yes.”

And also—

He found it ironic how fast karma worked.

“You said I’m like a dead fish in bed?”

Wu Qie blinked, glancing downward briefly.

“…I take that back.
You’re definitely not a dead fish.
Very fresh. Very… lively.”

Zhao Shu couldn’t hear a word.

His mind was burning.

Melting.

[Want him. Want him. Want to mark him.]

His hand braced against the bed—

Then suddenly reached out, grabbing Wu Qie’s shoulder.

His gaze dropped to those pale lips.

[Want to mark him. Mine. My scent.]

His rationality collapsed.

In one swift motion, he tore off the bite guard—

It hit the floor—

And he lunged forward—

But—

A hand pressed firmly against his face.

Stopping him inches away.

Wu Qie’s expression was calm.

His voice cool.

“You want to kiss me again?”

“Calm down.”

“We’re not the kind of relationship where you can just do that.”