The Things You Shouldn’t Reply To

Recognizing him as one of the supervising teachers from Hongtie High School, he didn’t stop him.

Wu Qie asked to see Pei Qingyu’s latest test results.

After glancing through them, he discovered that Pei Qingyu hadn’t been exaggerating at all.

The report in his hands was practically a rainbow of warning signs.

Every single result, taken on its own, was enough to make any parent of an Alpha let out a horrified scream.

“The situation wasn’t good to begin with.”

The nurse complained while shaking his head.

“And then this morning, during that ridiculous storm, he sneaked off to the back mountain.”

“No one knows what he went there for.”

“We asked, but he refused to tell us.”

“He came back completely empty-handed and soaked through.”

“This afternoon his fever hit forty degrees.”

“It scared us half to death!”

“Young people these days really don’t care about themselves.”

“Whether they’re Omegas or Alphas, they never take their heat or rut seriously.”

Wu Qie unconsciously licked his dry lips.

“Are all these complications caused by his rut?”

“Oh?”

The nurse looked surprised.

“You don’t think inhibitors are free of side effects, do you?”

“Especially the specialized inhibitors used by S-rank Alphas.”

Ever since presenting as a Beta, Wu Qie had never paid much attention during physiology classes.

Whenever articles about pheromones, inhibitors, or medical breakthroughs appeared online, he skipped past them without a second glance.

Naturally, he knew very little about any of this.

“What usually happens in situations like this?”

The nurse shrugged.

“It’ll get better once the rut ends.”

“The reason we’re considering transferring him is only because the complications have become a bit too severe.”

“Oh.”

Wu Qie set down the report.

Then he started walking deeper into the ward.

Unexpectedly, the nurse shifted sideways and blocked the door.

Teacher Wu raised an eyebrow.

The nurse awkwardly scratched his cheek.

“Someone’s visiting him right now.”

“…Honestly, if nobody interrupts them, maybe a miracle will happen.”

At first, Wu Qie had absolutely no idea what he meant.

Naturally, he had no intention of listening to this kind of nonsense.

After years of studying abroad and consuming far too many American dramas full of wealthy families plotting murder and betrayal, his first thought was:

Someone’s taking advantage of the situation to kill Pei Qingyu.

Acting on this completely ridiculous assumption, he ignored the nurse and walked down the corridor toward the treatment room.

The closer he got, the darker it became.

The air grew colder.

A mixture of disinfectant and something harder to describe lingered in the atmosphere.

At first he assumed the chill came from the building’s emptiness.

The loneliness.

The lack of human presence.

But very quickly he realized that wasn’t the case.

The suffocating cold filling the air had nothing to do with winter.

Nothing to do with the possibility of snow later that night.

What he was smelling…

Was pheromones.

The treatment room was the only place in the entire corridor with its lights still on.

Warm orange light spilled through the thick observation window.

Through the glass, Wu Qie clearly saw that Pei Qingyu wasn’t alone.

The Alpha who should have been resting in bed was sitting barefoot at its edge.

His expression was calm.

Cold.

Indifferent.

Standing between his legs was Duan Bairui.

His clothes were disheveled.

His eyes were red.

The scent of pine forests filled the room.

And amidst them, winter plum blossoms bloomed.

On a stool beside the Omega rested a cheap anti-bite collar that had clearly been removed moments earlier.

At that very moment, Duan Bairui was pulling down his own collar.

Exposing a gland that had already been bitten until it was bloody and mangled.

Offering it directly to the Alpha’s mouth.

Pei Qingyu opened his lips.

Sharp white canines gleamed beneath the light.

Under Wu Qie’s rapidly constricting pupils—

He bit down again.

Hard.

Duan Bairui’s legs immediately gave out.

His body collapsed into Pei Qingyu’s lap.

But the Alpha offered no comforting embrace.

No tenderness.

No warmth.

The cold, mechanical act of marking left the Omega trembling helplessly.

Wu Qie suddenly felt the long-degenerated organ at the back of his own neck throb painfully.

The world spun.

Without thinking, he slammed his palm against the glass.

At that moment, he finally stopped lying to himself.

Every twisted part of Pei Qingyu.

Every cold part.

Every pathological part.

He accepted all of it.

Because there was only one possible reason this scene existed.

An hour ago, in the group chat, he had casually told Pei Qingyu:

“Why don’t we work hard and overcome it?”

And this…

This was Pei Qingyu’s solution.

Mark an Omega.

End the rut.

Overcome it.

Wu Qie lunged for the door.

Locked.

From the outside.

Unable to enter, he rushed back to the observation window.

Inside the room, Duan Bairui’s face was completely flushed.

His body had gone limp.

He practically melted across Pei Qingyu’s lap.

Bang!

Bang!

Outside the treatment room, the black-haired Beta pounded furiously against the glass.

Even though he knew it was already too late.

Even though he knew nothing would change.

Eventually he was practically smashing the window with his hands.

The glass didn’t budge.

Pain exploded through his palms.

Numb.

Sharp.

Burning.

Yet he didn’t stop.

Inside the room, Alpha and Omega were engaged in the most primitive form of compatibility.

The Omega had no ability to resist.

Like prey already torn open by a predator’s jaws.

Bloody.

Helpless.

Completely unaware of how to fight back.

The warm yellow lights of the treatment room seemed to transform into blood-red dawn.

The pristine white sheets became crimson velvet.

The hospital bed became a banquet table.

Duan Bairui’s pale eyes turned black.

“Open the door!”

“OPEN THE DOOR!”

Wu Qie drove his elbow into the glass.

The impact nearly made him hear the fragile cracking of his own bones.

His eyes turned red from pain.

Then suddenly—

Strong arms wrapped around his waist from behind.

Dragging him away from the unmoving window.

“Shh.”

“Shh.”

“Duan Bairui and Pei Qingyu have extremely high pheromone compatibility.”

“Duan Bairui is willing.”

A low voice sounded beside his ear.

Zhao Shu.

It had taken considerable effort to restrain the struggling Beta.

One arm locked around Wu Qie’s waist.

Both of Wu Qie’s wrists were pinned behind his back.

Compared to ordinary Betas, Wu Qie’s strength and determination were absurdly high.

To keep him under control, Zhao Shu had to press his chest against Wu Qie’s shoulder blades.

Forcing him between himself and the wall.

The sound of heavy breathing filled the dark corridor.

Everything happening inside the treatment room seemed distant.

Muted.

Unreal.

In the dim light, Zhao Shu lowered his head.

His chin rested against Wu Qie’s shoulder.

When he turned slightly, his cracked lips brushed lightly across Wu Qie’s soft earlobe.

The touch made him pause.

As though suppressing an urge to lick.

Or bite.

When he spoke again, his voice was frighteningly hoarse.

“If both sides want it…”

“Why are you making such a fuss?”

After struggling for a few moments, Wu Qie finally forced himself to calm down.

His palms hurt so badly they were almost numb.

Expressionless, he turned his head and looked directly at Zhao Shu.

“Pei Qingyu only made this choice because I told him to stay.”

“Didn’t he?”

Zhao Shu didn’t mock him.

Didn’t accuse him of being self-centered.

His silence was answer enough.

Wu Qie’s heart sank.

Zhao Shu narrowed his eyes.

“So.”

“Have you learned your lesson yet?”

“Sometimes there are messages you shouldn’t reply to.”

“…He’s going to bite him to death.”

Zhao Shu snorted.

Then buried his face against Wu Qie’s neck.

Rubbing against him.

“He won’t.”

He grabbed Wu Qie’s jaw and forced him to look back toward the room.

“Look carefully.”

“The noise you were making was loud enough.”

“But neither of them even noticed.”

Inside the treatment room, the scene had indeed changed.

Duan Bairui’s arms were now wrapped around Pei Qingyu’s neck.

His eyes were unfocused.

His face was even redder than before.

“See?”

“Duan Bairui has probably wanted this day for a very long time.”

“Being marked by someone with high compatibility is a happy thing for an Omega.”

“You’re a Beta.”

“If you don’t understand, then stop interfering.”

Before Wu Qie could continue looking, Zhao Shu turned his head away.

Pressing closer.

Their cheeks brushed.

The intimacy of the gesture stood in sharp contrast to the darkness in his voice.

“Unless…”

“You’re still reluctant to let go of Pei Qingyu.”

Wu Qie didn’t answer.

The question felt ridiculous.

Zhao Shu clearly knew it was ridiculous too.

He wasn’t blind.

When Pei Qingyu kissed Wu Qie earlier, Wu Qie had shown less reaction than when Zhao Shu kissed him.

Zhao Shu pressed even closer.

His rough lips brushed against the smooth skin at the back of Wu Qie’s neck.

His nose buried itself in the soft ends of his hair.

There were no pheromones there.

Only the faint scent of body wash.

He couldn’t quite describe it.

Something sweet.

Something that reminded him of figs.

Thin skin.

Soft flesh.

A fruit that would burst with sweetness beneath his teeth.

“Stop worrying about them.”

A damp tongue traced the smooth skin of Wu Qie’s neck.

Sharp canine teeth hovered there.

Restless.

Dangerously eager.

“The next time Pei Qingyu tries to kiss you…”

“You should reject him.”

“Because if something like this happens again, I really…”

His teeth pressed down slightly.

Just enough to threaten the untouched skin.

Before he could finish—

Wu Qie moved.

Perhaps Zhao Shu had lowered his guard.

Or perhaps he never intended to stop him.

One of Wu Qie’s hands slipped free.

He grabbed Zhao Shu by the hair.

Twisted.

And slammed him against the wall.

BANG!

The Alpha grunted.

Their positions instantly reversed.

Zhao Shu’s face was crushed against the wall.

Yet despite the dark look flashing through his eyes, he made no attempt to resist.

Wu Qie drove a knee between his legs.

Grinding down with unmistakable threat.

“Zhao Shu.”

His voice was completely flat.

“I told you before.”

“If you ever try something like that…”

“I’ll kill you.”

Zhao Shu laughed.

Wu Qie could distinctly feel what his knee was pressing against.

Hard.

Very hard.

The Alpha whose hair he was still gripping turned his head slightly.

And kissed Wu Qie’s wrist.

“Sure.”

“Then when the time comes…”

“You can attend my funeral carrying my pheromones with you.”