Chapter 17: If One Shot Isn’t Enough, Ten Will Do

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Xie Chenzhou had done it on purpose. He used the situation as an excuse to get closer to Shen Shuyi, to act out under the guise of losing control.

But Shen Shuyi couldn’t know that.

If he found out what kind of person Xie Chenzhou really was, everything Xie had carefully built up until now would be wasted.

Shen Shuyi helped Xie Chenzhou over to the guest sofa. His collar was stained with blood.

Zhao Jian rushed in again, carrying iodine.

“Mr. Shen, are you alright? Do you need help with the medicine?”

“Zhao Jian,” Xie Chenzhou rasped from the side, “have someone bring a change of clothes.”

He had spare clothes in the lounge attached to his office. If he was asking for clothes to be delivered, they could only be for Shen Shuyi.

“I’m fine…” Shen Shuyi realized what was happening. “Secretary Zhao, you should go have lunch.”

It was already past lunchtime.

Zhao Jian hesitated, glancing at Xie Chenzhou.

Xie nodded and gestured for him to leave the iodine.

Zhao Jian set it down and left as instructed.

On his way down in the elevator, he called the high-end menswear store in the mall.

Xie Chenzhou was ordering lunch for Shen Shuyi. Shen wanted him to rest and take a shower, but his wound was aching. The angle was awkward, and even with a cotton swab, he couldn’t reach it.

Xie Chenzhou put down his phone and walked over.

There had been half a sofa’s distance between them. As soon as Xie stepped around the coffee table, Shen Shuyi flinched.

Xie Chenzhou stopped abruptly.

Was he afraid?

Xie lowered his gaze.

“I… I mean…” Shen Shuyi realized his reaction had been off. “I can’t reach the wound. Could you help me apply the medicine?”

Xie Chenzhou came closer.

The collar was in the way. Shen Shuyi took off his jacket, unbuttoned his shirt, and pulled the collar halfway down.

His pale skin and the graceful curve of his neck made him look like a swan grooming itself. Only the wound at the nape stood out in stark red.

Xie Chenzhou took a fresh cotton swab, dipped it in iodine, and carefully applied it to the wound.

Shen Shuyi stayed quiet, but Xie noticed him frown slightly.

He hesitated, then leaned down and gently blew on the wound.

Shen Shuyi shivered again.

Xie Chenzhou neatly set the swab and iodine aside.

“I’m going to shower,” he said.

He stood, removed his jacket, and headed into the lounge.

Shen Shuyi sat on the sofa for a while. From outside the office, footsteps approached.

“President Xie, your lunch has arrived. I’ve left it at the door.”

The delivery person didn’t even come in.

Shen Shuyi walked to the door and saw two elegant lunch boxes placed on the table outside.

He brought them in.

Xie Chenzhou soon finished his shower and came out in a fresh suit, his face back to its usual calm and unreadable expression.

Anyone unaware of the situation would never guess he had just gone through rut.

Most Alphas experience rut for several days, sometimes up to two weeks. Suppressants help, but they’re not foolproof. The most effective solution is marking.

After the initial surge of pheromones fades, another wave can hit at any time.

During this period, Alphas are often dazed and unfocused. It’s best for them to stay alone with their suppressants.

But Xie Chenzhou was different.

He looked completely lucid, as if nothing had happened.

“Do you need to go home and rest?” Shen Shuyi asked. “There are a lot of people at the company. Isn’t that risky?”

“Yes,” Xie Chenzhou replied. “I’ll take a week off.”

Even though he seemed fine.

When the company’s internal group chat announced that Xie Chenzhou would be on leave due to rut, the entire staff was stunned.

Chats across work platforms exploded.

          Group name: No-Boss Wage Slaves

{ Wait, am I seeing this right? President Xie is taking rut leave?

It’s not strange for Alphas to take rut leave, but the person taking it is President Xie. That’s what’s strange.

I always suspected he didn’t even have rut.

Same here…

I’ve been at Xie Cheng for six years. I saw him rise to the top. I can confirm he’s never taken rut leave.

I thought he spent his rut working in the office…

True. Only authorized Beta staff can access the top floor. And I heard his office ventilation system is completely independent from the rest of the building.

I used to admire him. Thought he could work through rut. Meanwhile, I want to take leave every single day…

He’s changed. Everything changed after he got married…

OMG, don’t say that

Why not? It’s the truth }

Shen Shuyi wasn’t entirely reassured. He had lunch with Xie Chenzhou, then called Zhao Jian to ask about his condition.

“Though you might not believe it,” Zhao Jian said over the phone, “I’ve never seen President Xie go through rut.”

“Then the suppressants he keeps…” Shen Shuyi stood by the window, glancing back at Xie Chenzhou, who was tidying up the lunch boxes.

“They’re just standard issue. Every Alpha citizen is required to keep them, right?”

Shen Shuyi had no response.

If that were true, something didn’t add up.

A normal Alpha with glands couldn’t avoid rut entirely.

At most, the cycle might be longer or the symptoms less obvious. Some Alphas could suppress their pheromones well, even during rut.

Maybe Xie Chenzhou was one of them. Maybe he just never talked about it.

That had been Shen Shuyi’s initial thought.

As the head of a major company, he was needed at countless important events. Taking a week off for rut every time wouldn’t be ideal. It would hurt his image.

He remembered that Xie Chenzhou had only been acknowledged by the Xie family three years ago.

Those three years must have been full of pressure.

Shen Shuyi felt he shouldn’t doubt him so much. He was only worried.

But no matter what he did, it wouldn’t change the fact that he had crossed a line.

The new clothes Zhao Jian ordered had arrived. Shen Shuyi checked the sizing and borrowed the shower in Xie Chenzhou’s lounge.

Xie Chenzhou wasn’t working that afternoon. He planned to go straight home.

Shen Shuyi, after finishing the file sorting for Xie Cheng, still had to prepare for his interview at Huada Affiliated Hospital.

After showering and changing, Shen Shuyi stepped out of the lounge.

His phone buzzed.

While fixing his hair, he unlocked it and opened the message.

It was from Sheng Hengye.

@WildBoy: So? Did you add Tan Yu?

Shen Shuyi had almost forgotten.

He replied: Not adding him. Doesn’t feel right.

Sheng Hengye replied quickly: What’s wrong with it? It’s not like you’re cheating. Tan Yu just wants to contact you. He said he has an Omega relative struggling with pheromone dependency and asked if you know any reliable gender psychology doctors. He wants to find someone trustworthy for therapy.

Shen Shuyi: I’ll ask around.

That reason did make it hard to refuse.

He opened his contacts, wondering who to reach out to. Or maybe Tan Yu’s relative could just register at Huada Affiliated?

His phone buzzed again. A friend request popped up. The message read: I’m Tan Yu.

Shen Shuyi accepted.

A message came through immediately: Hello, I’m Tan Yu. Do you remember me?

Shen Shuyi wasn’t in the mood for small talk.

He replied: Sheng Hengye already told me. I recommend registering at Huada Affiliated Mental Health Center. It’s more formal. I don’t have any recommendations for expensive private clinics.

Tan Yu asked: Why didn’t you come to the last reunion?

Shen Shuyi paused and looked at Xie Chenzhou.

He was organizing the documents he planned to take home. Noticing Shen Shuyi’s gaze, he looked up from behind the desk.

Shen Shuyi replied: School’s been busy. I didn’t have time.

Tan Yu said: Come this weekend. We’re having another gathering. We’re almost seniors now. Some are going abroad, some are starting internships. It won’t be easy to meet again.

Shen Shuyi hesitated.

Xie Chenzhou seemed to sense something. He stopped organizing and looked at him.

Shen Shuyi pressed his lips together and replied: I’ll think about it.

He never liked rejecting people.

It was just his nature. If someone was too enthusiastic, he didn’t know how to say no.

Tan Yu asked a few more questions about pheromone dependency treatment, then ended the conversation.

Shen Shuyi felt relieved.

He put down his phone and noticed Xie Chenzhou was still watching him.

“What is it?” Shen Shuyi asked cautiously. “Do you need another suppressant?”

Xie Chenzhou lowered his eyes. His phone screen was still on Tan Yu’s profile. He exited and turned off the screen.

“Too much work to finish before leave,” he said suddenly.

“What?” Shen Shuyi didn’t understand what he meant.

“I’ll wait for you to get off work.”

So he was saying he’d go home with Shen Shuyi today.

But worried that Shen Shuyi might feel uneasy, he added, “I’ll need a suppressant.”

“You want to take another shot now?” Shen Shuyi glanced at the drawer beside him. “Maybe wait a bit? Overusing suppressants can cause side effects. You seem fine right now. How about we wait until after work?”

“Alright,” Xie Chenzhou said.

He wanted to leave with Shen Shuyi. If that meant taking another suppressant, so be it.

Even if he didn’t actually need it.

If one shot wasn’t enough, ten would do.

After all, those side effects meant nothing to Xie Chenzhou.

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Translator note: 📌

I will be posting 2 chapters everyday at 9:30 PM ~ Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) zone.

Thank you for reading 💖 see you again in the next chapter~ cherries 😘