BDBE 37
Chapter 37 Vulnerable Period
The weather was perfect, the next day was sunny and the temperature was pleasant, perfect for going out.
The most famous tourist attraction in Xiaoli City was the lavender field on the outskirts of the city, which was said to be the largest landscape flower field in the province.
Zhou Mingchen carried a game console with him and was playing it enthusiastically in the car. In stark contrast to him was Lin Anyi, who was wearing earbuds and watching the scenery outside the window. Upon closer listening, the cheap earbuds were emitting not music, but English listening comprehension exercises.
Shen Wanchao turned around from the front row, pointed to Zhou Hui next to him, and whispered to Zhou Mingchen, “You should wear headphones too, your father is sleeping.”
Zhou Mingchen looked up and saw that his father was indeed asleep, his neck tilted back in his chair, looking restless. He wondered if his game console was giving him nightmares.
Zhou Mingchen had no choice but to put away the game console, and then, unable to resist, he reached out to take off Lin Anyi’s earbuds to listen to some of his music.
But as soon as the earbuds were in his ears, Zhou Mingchen’s eyes widened in shock: “What the hell? Do you have any humanity? You’re out having fun and you’re listening to English listening exercises?”
Lin Anyi glanced at him disdainfully and silently snatched back his earbuds. Shen Wanchao looked at Zhou Hui with concern. Although catching up on sleep in the car was normal, he noticed something amiss on Zhou Hui’s slightly tired face.
Not long after, Shen Wanchao suddenly caught a whiff of a familiar ebony scent.
His expression turned serious, and when he turned to look at Zhou Hui, his eyes met Han Zhen’s.
Shen Wanchao quickly looked at Lin Anyi, who had noticed something as well, but his expression was normal, so he didn’t seem to be affected.
Only the oblivious and clueless Zhou Mingchen was completely unaware; he even took out his phone and started to scroll.
The professional secretary, Han Zhe, reacted quickly. He took out an inhibitor patch from his bag and extended his arm to hand it to Shen Wanchao, who was sitting next to Zhou Hui.
“Could you please remind Mr. Zhou?” Han Zhen said.
Shen Wanchao took the pack, tore it, and called Zhou Hui while sticking the patch to the side of his neck.
As soon as the patch was on, Zhou Hui frowned and finally woke up.
He touched the patch on his neck, looked at Shen Wanchao with a worried expression, and quickly guessed what had happened.
“Sorry.” A hint of annoyance appeared on Zhou Hui’s face.
Shen Wanchao breathed a sigh of relief and asked him worriedly, “Are you feeling unwell? Should we change our route and go to the hospital?”
“No need.” Zhou Hui used a smile to ease the atmosphere in the car, “I just fell asleep and couldn’t control myself.”
Shen Wanchao looked at him with some doubt, but since he insisted, he didn’t press him further.
Half an hour later, the group arrived at the lavender field.
Zhou Hui’s condition had improved considerably after waking up, and Shen Wanchao finally regained his vacation mood.
Shen Wanchao peeled one of the roasted chestnuts he had just bought from a small shop, and put it in his mouth. He subconsciously squinted and licked his lips contentedly.
After eating three or four chestnuts, Shen Wanchao looked up…only to see a bare expanse of green grass.
The imagined sea of pale purple lavender was nowhere to be seen.
Zhou Mingchen was disappoint, saying, “Where’s the promised sea of flowers?”
Lin Anyi explained from the side, “Lavender blooms from July to August; we’ve come too early.”
“That’s so boring.”
Zhou Mingchen complained. He regretted again that he hadn’t stayed home playing games during the holiday.
No wonder there weren’t many other tourists on their way here; it wasn’t the best season for viewing flowers yet.
“It’s okay,” Shen Wanchao said to him. “I saw a sign ahead saying there’s a rose garden 500 meters away. The roses should be in bloom by now. Let’s go take a look.”
The four then moved to the rose garden.
The rose garden was much smaller than the lavender field, but thankfully, just as Shen Wanchao had said, the vibrant roses were in full bloom, each proudly displaying its buds, proclaiming its beauty to the sky. All of them were fiery red, looking like tiny flames burning in the field.
Zhou Mingchen finally stopped complaining, and raised his phone to take pictures among the flowers. Lin Anyi stood by the roadside, wearing earbuds and hands in his pockets. He was unimpressed by the beautiful scenery, until Zhou Mingchen returned and forcibly dragged him away.
Shen Wanchao and Zhou Hui walked to a small hill on the outskirts of the rose garden, where the view was more expansive.
Sunlight, like scattered gold, unevenly fell on the delicate red petals. The sight was breathtaking.
Shen Wanchao couldn’t resist taking a few pictures, but they couldn’t capture even a fraction of what he saw in person.
“You really like it?” Zhou Hui took a step closer to him. “If you like it, I’ll buy this manor and give it to you.”
Shen Wanchao turned to look at Zhou Hui; he saw his own reflection in his irises.
“Mr. Zhou, you’re spending so much money for me, aren’t you afraid your spouse will be angry if he finds out?” Shen Wanchao asked with a smile.
Zhou Hui was stunned for a moment, then chuckled.
The Alpha leaned closer, and whispered in Shen Wanchao’s ear, “As long as you don’t tell, how will he know?”
Shen Wanchao hooked the tie hanging from Zhou Hui’s neck: “Then you’ll have to make me happy, Uncle… um!”
Zhou Hui pulled out a peeled chestnut from somewhere and stuffed it into Shen Wanchao’s mouth before he could finish speaking.
“Uncle is giving you candy to sweeten your mouth.”
“Hmph.” Shen Wanchao’s eyes sparkled as he chewed the chestnut.
Meanwhile, Zhou Mingchen and Lin Anyi had already ventured deeper into the rose bushes.
Zhou Mingchen was getting a little bored after taking many similar photos of roses on his phone. He looked up and saw Lin Anyi reaching out to touch the most vibrant and proud rose at the top of a bush.
Lin Anyi’s fair skin reflected the golden light of the midday sun, and set against the fiery red rose, he resembled a beautiful yet pristine oil painting.
His expression was focused, his movements cautious, afraid of accidentally crushing the delicate petals.
Almost unconsciously, Zhou Mingchen pointed his phone camera at him and secretly snapped a picture.
“Click.”
The sound of the shutter betrayed his furtive actions.
Lin Anyi, drawn by the sound, looked up: “Have you taken enough pictures?”
Zhou Mingchen’s cheeks turned bright red: “I…I didn’t…”
Lin Anyi walked over, glanced at his photo album, and Zhou Mingchen, feeling guilty, quickly turned off the screen. Lin Anyi then said,
“They’re all the same roses, what’s the point of taking pictures of them? You’ve taken dozens already, that’s enough. Anyway, I’m leaving.”
Zhou Mingchen stole a glance at Lin Anyi’s expression. He didn’t seem to have noticed him secretly taking a picture.
Whew.
Thank goodness.
…
The group’s accommodation at the lavender field was a small, pastoral-style courtyard. Three bungalows facing south and a bamboo fence enclosed a small courtyard where they could barbecue and watch the stars.
The Milky Way was dazzling.
With the help of the estate staff, Shen Wanchao and the others set up a grill, preparing for a fully self-service outdoor barbecue.
However, by the time the first skewer of chicken wings was cooked, the night sky had long been filled with stars, and Zhou Hui, who had said he was just going to take a nap, still showed no sign of coming out of his room. Shen Wanchao couldn’t help but worry as he recalled Zhou Hui’s unusual behavior that morning. He got up and went to Zhou Hui’s room to check on him.
Zhou Mingchen took a bite of a chicken wing as he watched Shen Wanchao’s figure disappear behind the door, “Why is Shen Xiaochao more worried about my father than I am?”
Lin Anyi’s gaze had also been fixed on Shen Wanchao’s back until he saw him enter Zhou Hui’s room. He suddenly said,
“Don’t you think Shen Chao looks a lot like Uncle Shen?”
Zhou Mingchen casually explained, “Because Shen Chao is the son of my maternal grandfather’s youngest brother, my dad’s cousin, so they look alike.”
“Cousins can look that alike?” Lin Anyi asked while flipping the skewers on the grill.
Zhou Mingchen’s expression immediately became very serious. He stared at Lin Anyi, remained silent for a moment, then lowered his voice, “You also think they look a bit too alike?”
Lin Anyi looked up; he didn’t answer, but his eyes showed agreement.
The two were like secret agents communicating through coded language during wartime.
Zhou Mingchen clenched his fist: My good brother!
Lin Anyi blinked: What is he doing?
…
The room was dark, and the curtains were drawn tightly, making it feel like entering an endless darkness.
“Zhou…”
Shen Wanchao was about to call out when the thick, almost condensed ebony scent invaded his nose and mouth.
The sudden influx of pheromones was so powerful that Shen Wanchao’s legs went weak, and he barely managed to avoid falling to the ground by grabbing the wall.
A few seconds later, his eyes adjusted to the darkness, and Shen Wanchao looked into the depths of the room.
Unexpectedly, he met a pair of dark eyes that gleamed with a cold light.
The room was quiet; Shen Wanchao could hear his own breathing, his heartbeat, and even the sound of blood flowing in the veins of his neck.
Zhou Hui sat in a chair directly opposite him, in the same posture as when he listened to his subordinates’ reports in the conference room, as if the powerful and uncontrollable pheromones filling the room were not emitted by him.
Shen Wanchao understood the situation: “You’re in your vulnerable period.”
Zhou Hui crossed his hands and placed them on his lower abdomen; he said in a low voice, “Go call Han Zhen over.”
Shen Wanchao took a step forward and frowned: “Why do you need to call Han Zhen?”
“Don’t come closer.” Zhou Hui stopped him, then softened his tone when he realized he had been too harsh, “Be good, Shen Xiaotu.”
Upon seeing Shen Wanchao finally stop, Zhou Hui almost wanted to shout “Thank God!”
Heaven knew that being in the vulnerable period was hard enough, and Shen Xiaotu still had the audacity to come closer, without even a protective patch on his neck. The sweet, slightly cool minty scent seeped in everywhere, forcing Zhou Hui to pinch the back of his hand to barely maintain his sanity.
In just a few dozen seconds, two voices had split in Zhou Hui’s mind.
The rational voice told him that his current state was not right, and he could easily hurt Shen Xiaotu. He had to stay calm and get Shen Xiaotu away quickly.
Another, almost insane voice urged him in a seductive tone, “Don’t worry about anything else. Shen Wanchao is your spouse. You two were legally bound by the mark. He should receive your desires. Hold him. Kiss him. Mark him. Let his body be enveloped in your scent once more.”
Then Zhou Hui suddenly remembered taking Shen Wanchao to Qi Xiao for a checkup.
Regardless of the reason for Shen Wanchao’s current state, the examination showed that his current physical condition was indeed only that of an 18-year-old. This meant that his still-developing glands could not withstand any overly intense stimulation.
After the bonding mark disappeared, he would be a completely unfamiliar Alpha to Shen Xiaotu’s body. If he couldn’t control himself, he would definitely get hurt.
Zhou Hui suppressed his discomfort and patiently explained to Shen Wanchao, “Secretary Han is an Alpha, so he won’t be affected by my pheromones. He has my suppressants and tranquilizers. Go and call him over for me.”
Shen Wanchao only then realized that Han Zhen was actually an Alpha.
But he quickly dismissed this new information and continued walking forward. He looked at Zhou Hui as he asked, “Since when have you started carrying suppressants with you?”
With each step he took, Zhou Hui’s body stiffened further.
Finally, Shen Wanchao stopped in front of Zhou Hui, took his hand, and knelt down in front of him.
Shen Wanchao looked up at Zhou Hui and asked, “Is it because the mark disappeared that your pheromone levels became unstable? That’s why you suddenly entered your vulnerable period. And that’s why you were so skilled at injecting suppressants for me last time, right?”
Zhou Hui exhaled and honestly replied, “Yes.”
Shen Wanchao suddenly felt apologetic.
Although he didn’t know why he had become younger, or why the mark had disappeared along with his body’s changes, Zhou Hui’s distressed appearance pained his heart. He felt it was all his fault.
Logically, the pheromone instability caused by the sudden disappearance of the mark should have been most severe in the first few days.
At that time, Shen Wanchao had just become younger and used going abroad as an excuse to stay temporarily at Tao Yan’s house, handling various identity and formalities. During that time, he had complained more than once about why Zhou Hui hadn’t replied to his messages for half a month.
It was probably not that Zhou Hui didn’t want to reply, but rather that he was in his vulnerable period and simply didn’t have time to spare…
Shen Wanchao’s heart ached.
He himself didn’t experience any maladjustment from the disappearance of the mark, so he naturally assumed that Zhou Hui wouldn’t either.
But he hadn’t expected it to be like this.
Shen Wanchao stood up again; he kneeled on one knee on the chair, and reached out to hug Zhou Hui: “Let me help you, okay?”
Zhou Hui didn’t respond.
Reason told him he should refuse; Shen Wanchao’s body was still too immature.
Before he could react, his arms instinctively wrapped around the supple body in front of him, as if he wanted to use all his strength to bind him.
Shen Wanchao lifted Zhou Hui’s chin, making him look up at him.
Zhou Hui tilted his head back, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked into Shen Wanchao’s amber eyes.
Shen Wanchao smiled when he saw through his desire. He lowered his head, and just before his lips touched Zhou Hui’s, he deftly turned and whispered in his ear,
“But Uncle, I’m still a minor. Isn’t it a little inappropriate for us to do this?”
Zhou Hui laughed, perhaps out of anger.
Then, a pair of soft lips, cool with the scent of mint, pressed against his.
Zhou Hui didn’t make any further moves and simply closed his eyes to enjoy the sweetness of those lips. This taste easily soothed the restlessness of his vulnerable period, finally allowing him to catch his breath.
Then, Shen Wanchao opened his mouth, enticing Zhou Hui to respond as they exchanged breaths.
When the kiss ended, a blush rose on Shen Wanchao’s cheekbones. His breathing was slightly erratic.
He gradually lost his reason in the ebony scent.
Shen Wanchao, unlike Zhou Hui, hadn’t endured the agonizing ten-day heat cycle. In his previous heat cycles, he always had a partner by his side, who satisfied all his desires until he was too exhausted to even lift a hand.
Therefore, he was very bad at controlling himself.
Shen Wanchao found himself sitting on Zhou Hui’s lap. He wrapped his arms around his neck, and pleaded with complete abandon, “Mark me, Zhou Hui.”
The veins on Zhou Hui’s hand bulged.
Shen Wanchao didn’t realize how offensive his words were to Zhou Hui in his current state. He only knew that Zhou Hui was like this because the mark had disappeared.
So, if he marked him once again, everything would be resolved.
They were married, and had already done more intimate things, so Shen Wanchao made the suggestion without hesitation.
Shen Wanchao cupped Zhou Hui’s face in his hands again, nose to nose, and said words that could lead someone into an abyss:
“I am your spouse, I don’t want to see you in pain, I want to help you.”
“As long as you mark me, I can help you with my pheromones, and you’ll naturally feel better.”
Zhou Hui slowly closed his eyes as Sen Wanchao spoke the first sentence, and only opened them again after he finished speaking. He chuckled softly, a somewhat wicked laugh.
“Shen Xiaotu, you really are sent by God to torment me.”
“You won’t be satisfied until you see your dear husband explode in front of you today.”
Shen Wanchao blinked: “?”
Zhou Hui gave him a kiss on the lips, then lifted him up and placed him on the ground. He got up and went to the bedside table, took out his phone, and sent a message.
Just as he was about to turn around and let Shen Wanchao leave first, he was hugged again.
Shen Wanchao hugged Zhou Hui tightly from behind. With his ear pressed against Zhou Hui’s back, he could hear the Alpha’s strong, slow heartbeat.
“Why won’t you mark me?”
Shen Wanchao’s voice trembled as he asked.
He couldn’t help but recall the day after the sports meet, when Zhou Hui calmly but resolutely asked him, “Do you still love me?”
He also thought of Qi Xiao’s damned projection theory.
Did he no longer love him, or did Zhou Hui no longer love him?
No matter the answer, Shen Wanchao couldn’t accept it.
Zhou Hui keenly sensed Shen Wanchao’s unease. He turned around and lifted his chin.
In his eyes, Zhou Hui saw tears, not only mist from passion but also a touch of sadness.
“Don’t overthink it.” Zhou Hui kissed his eyelids. “I’m just afraid of hurting you.”
Shen Wanchao calmed down a little; he felt somewhat embarrassed. He lowered his eyes, unwilling to look at Zhou Hui, and whispered, “What about a temporary mark?”
Zhou Hui laughed. “Aren’t you afraid of my social death now?”
Okay.
The boomerang he threw had finally struck his own chest.
Zhou Hui’s warm hand gently stroked Shen Wanchao’s neck, beneath which lay the most hidden glands of an Omega.
Shen Wanchao trembled.
“Besides, didn’t Qi Xiao say you have a chance to heal your glands?” Zhou Hui reminded him. “For your future health, you should take good care of yourself.”
After saying that, Zhou Hui leaned down and placed a kiss on Shen Wanchao’s neck.
Just a kiss, no further action.
Shen Wanchao was led to sit on the bed by Zhou Hui, his arms wrapped around Zhou Hui’s waist like a koala.
“Then what about you?” he asked.
“There are inhibitors,” Zhou Hui said.
Shen Wanchao had received an inhibitor injection not long ago and knew the discomfort it caused. He shook his head and said, “That’s not a long-term solution.”
As he spoke, Shen Wanchao tried to release his pheromones.
His glands, which were not yet fully developed, could hardly produce high concentrations of pheromones.
A faint minty scent mixed with the rich and restless ebony aroma was like a mud ox sinking into the sea; it appeared only briefly before being enveloped and swallowed by the stronger woody scent around it.
“Will it be better?” Shen Wanchao asked uncertainly, not expecting that he could only release such a small amount of pheromones.
Zhou Hui nodded and answered seriously, “I’m much better now.”
“Really? Are you kidding me?” Shen Wanchao didn’t believe him. “I can’t even smell myself.”
Zhou Hui leaned down and took a deep breath on his neck, and said in a slightly flirtatious tone, “I can smell it when I’m close.”
Shen Wanchao was tickled by the breath on his neck and hugged him tightly again.
“Mr. Zhou! I’ve brought the inhibitors–shit…!”
The situation was urgent. Upon receiving Zhou Hui’s message, Han Zhe immediately went to prepare the inhibitors. He didn’t even bother knocking before pushing the unlocked door.
Then he witnessed a scene that could be devastating to his career.
His beloved, wise, occasionally annoying but mostly open-minded, and most importantly, married for many years with a kid eating barbecue outside, Mr. Zhou was shamelessly embracing a high school student who wasn’t even an adult yet. His Mr. Zhou even had his mouth on the student’s neck, intending to mark him.
In that instant, Han Zhen thought of Mr. Shen, the stock price of Linshan Group, and his dream of earning a million and retiring to the countryside.
These three things teetered before his eyes.
Just 0.3 seconds later, Secretary Han made the most correct decision, he put down the box containing the inhibitors, turned around, and closed the door.
He saw nothing, he knew nothing. As long as he kept his mouth shut and no one else knew, everything could continue as before!
Shen Wanchao: “…”
Zhou Hui: “…”
Oh wow.
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