16

Qu Moyu rushed over to the restroom only to find Shen Dai in the furthest cubicle.

He was curled up next to the toilet, arms wrapped around himself, shivering. A thin layer of powder now covered his snow-white neck, like a puppy abandoned in winter.

The air was filled with the fragrance of epiphyllum pheromones, which, though still faint, was normally imperceptible at this distance. The pheromones released during heat were all-pervasive, invading the senses of all Alphas around them.

Qu Moyu frowned and crouched down.

”Shen Dai.”

Hearing the sound of movement, Shen Dai visibly shrank back and didn’t dare turn around. “My inhibitors are in my laptop bag,” he said,

“I brought them,” replied Qu Moyu, passing the bag over to him.

Only then did Shen Dai slowly move over, careful to avoid accidentally touching Qu Moyu, and quickly grabbed the bag. He retrieved two vials of medication from inside his laptop bag, unscrewed them, and swiftly gulped them down

”You have to take two?”

“Maybe even …three.” Without a doubt, Shen Dai knew that overdosing on inhibitors was harmful to the body. After all, inhibitors alone were already bad for the body. But his heat was far more intense than that of the average person. If two weren't enough, he might still need to increase the dose.

Qu Moyu looked at Shen Dai. His face was covered in a thin layer of sweat, his cheeks flushed and eyes misty, with eyelashes fluttering rapidly like a butterfly caught in torrential rain, as if he could shatter at the slightest touch.

The inhibitor would not take effect so quickly; they were usually taken in advance. Until then, there was no other way to relieve the excessive heat of his body. Shen Dai lowered his head, not daring to meet Qu Moyu’s eyes. “President Qu, I’m sorry. I’ve caused you trouble again. I…I’m not doing it on purpose,” he said, his voice choking up.

How could a fully-grown adult like him be reduced time and again to such a wretched state? He had carefully monitored his body’s reactions and carried inhibitors with him throughout the year. After twenty years of hard work and struggle for a hard-earned career, if it turned out that he had ruined it all for something as silly as this…

Qu Moyu murmured, “It’s not your fault.”

The accident three years ago had been investigated, with the cause was eventually found to be a competitor who had drugged him, resulting in that individual's subsequent firing and expulsion from the university. This time, however, it was clear that he had been heavily influenced by alpha pheromones, leading to his current state.

"Can you take me away?” asked Shen Dai softly.

"Alright," Qu Moyu said, removing his coat and wrapping it around Shen Dai before carrying him up.

In that instant, Shen Dai’s body, which had been too weak even to exert strength, became as stiff as a board. Qu Moyu's Alpha pheromones had forcefully infiltrated his sense of smell, which felt to him at that moment like pouring kerosene on a fire.

As he was still in a clear state of mind, he didn’t dare move, fearing that he might do something that would overstep his boundaries.

Yan Mingxiu was still waiting outside. Upon sensing Shen Dai’s pheromones, he took a step back: “Is he alright?”

Even though Shen Dai wasn't fully in heat yet, the pheromones he was releasing were already difficult for ordinary alphas to resist. However, since all S-class Alphas had exceptional self-control, both of them managed to remain cool-headed.

”He’s taken an inhibitor, but the sooner we leave here the better. President Yan, could you lend us your bodyguard for a while to escort us to the lift?”

"Of course."

As they were leaving the bathroom, Shen Dai buried his face in Qu Moyu’s chest.

At this moment most of the audience was still in the auditorium, and there were only a few people scattered around the corridor, so the worst-case scenario he had imagined—being surrounded by many onlookers—did not occur.

But then the main culprit behind his mishap appeared. He heard Qu Chengchen’s voice accompanied by the sound of approaching footsteps: 'What’s going on here? Is everything alright with Engineer Shen?

Qu Moyu glanced at him coldly and turned to leave.

"Could it be that he's in heat?" said Qu Chengchen, catching up to him. Seemingly unable to stifle his laughter, he tried to cover it up with a cough. “Oh no, it must have been our fault. Engineer Shen, I’m so so sorry!”

Shen Dai was seething, his teeth gritted, yet he couldn't unleash his anger. He clutched the lapel of Qu Moyu’s coat tightly. All he wanted was to leave as quickly as possible, to a place where there was no one, a place where he could feel safe.

“Big brother, where are you taking him? What he needs now is professional assistance. We could call the emergency-"

Qu Moyu suddenly halted, glaring darkly at Qu Chengchen.

“Oh no, you’re angry now! You should really calm down! If you end up releasing pheromones again, I’m not sure if he’ll be able to take it,” said Qu Chengchen with a smile.

Qu Moyu uttered under his breath, “Get lost,” before turning on his heel and heading towards the lift.

The private lift went directly to the underground parking garage. The driver wasn't there, so Qu Moyu unlocked the car using an app on his phone, first putting Shen Dai inside, then shutting the car door and calling Old Wu to come down.

Wrapped in Qu Moyu's coat, Shen Dai curled up on the car seat, wishing he could completely encase himself without any gaps. He leaned as much as possible towards the car door, futilely trying to put more distance between himself and Qu Moyu.

Why wasn’t the inhibitor working yet? Why was his mouth still dry, and his thoughts running wild? Why was his mind getting more and more muddled, his body hotter and hotter, his urges more and more intense - should he be taking another inhibitor?

In less than five minutes, Old Wu hurriedly arrived. Glancing at Shen Dai through the car window, he asked, ”Young master, what happened to Mr Shen?”

The look that Qu Moyu gave him implied that he shouldn’t ask.

Old Wu grasped his meaning immediately and the both of them boarded the vehicle.

As soon as the car door shut, the cramped and hermetically sealed compartment instantly filled up with the fragrance of the epiphyllum. Qu Moyu glanced at Shen Dai hiding under his coat, his gaze deepening and darkening. He loosened his tie and then rolled down the window. Only when the cold air from the exterior flowed in, dispersing the faintly intoxicating floral scent, did he dare to breathe at a normal rate again.

"How long until we get home?"

"Within forty minutes."

”Hurry.”

“I want to go home,” said Shen Dai, his voice trembling.

“We are going home.”

“Not your home. My home…” Straining to keep a grip on his consciousness, Shen Dai recited his address. Going home meant his grandmother could look after him, and he could lock himself in his small room to endure the toughest days—what he desired most at this moment was a safe haven, rather than relief from his sexual desires.

Old Wu entered the address into the navigation system: ”It’s a little far away. There might be congestion on the way out of the city, it'll take over an hour.

"Head back home,” commanded Qu Moyu.

“Alright.”

Shen Dai was letting out quiet sobs, writhing under the coat in discomfort. He tugged at the fabric on his body and rubbed his legs together, but none of it could soothe the dry-heat in his body that was getting increasingly scary…somewhere else had started to swell to the point of aching.

Qu Moyu realised that he couldn’t leave the window open any longer. The fragrance of the epiphyllum pheromones was getting thicker and thicker. At this rate, it could potentially affect the pedestrians around them. He had no choice but to close the window.

Although Old Wu was only a Beta, even he could guess what had happened. He stole a glance in the rearview mirror before quickly averting his eyes.

Shen Dai felt like he wasn’t going to be able to bear it any longer. His sensory perception had been amplified in his current state. Despite covering his nose, the ebony wood pheromones were inescapable. The scent of a top-tier Alpha was that potent, that savage, that oppressive, that charged with powerful masculine strength,. It triggered all his primal urges, making him want to recklessly fulfil the reproductive duties driven by his genetic instincts.

He rolled off the seat, painfully curling into a foetal position on the floor mat.

He knew there was little chance of holding out until they reached home before he would lose his senses. This time, after taking medication to delay his heat, he had been affected by the pheromones of dozens of alphas, wreaking havoc on his endocrine system. The severity was perhaps comparable to the incident three years ago when he was drugged. Two oral doses of inhibitors hadn’t worked; a third was unlikely to work either. What he needed was something much stronger. He said hoarsely, 'A... a hospital, or a pharmacy. I need a high-efficacy inhibitor.

High-efficacy inhibitors were directly injected into the gland. Despite their detrimental effects on the body, they were able to suppress heat within the shortest possible time. These types of inhibitors were not sold over-the-counter. A pharmacy would typically need a prescription from a doctor. But during an emergency, it was possible to take them first and have the prescription filed later. And this was definitely an emergency.

The fragrance of the epiphyllum was an assault on the senses. At first, Qu Moyu had forced himself to look out the window. But now, he could not help but turn around to look at the person beside his feet. Cheeks that were flushed. Eyes brimming with sexual excitement, the corners of which were reddened and glistening. Tears streaking down his cheeks. Hair clinging messily to skin. And a shirt collar which had been torn open to reveal much of his fine collarbone. The agony of self-restraint could also incite the utmost temptation.

Having turned to look, he could no longer look away.

Old Wu gave Qu Moyu a meaningful glance from the rearview mirror, inquiring whether they should head to a hospital or pharmacy.

Qu Moyu shook his head. With a car worth tens of millions and an Omega in the thick of heat, any bystander with a mobile phone could turn him into the subject of unthinkable gossip the very next day. His uncle was always watching for him to slip up, and this incident would certainly be blown out of proportion, potentially affecting the share price. He was not willing to take that kind of risk.

Bending down, he slowly reached out his hand, and wiped the tears from Shen Dai's face. Holding Shen Dai’s chin gently between his thumb and fingers, he studied him impassively.

”Please…” Shen Dai kept begging, yet wasn’t sure of what he was begging for exactly. Was he begging him to take him to the hospital, or begging him to alleviate his suffering, right there and then?

With the push of a button by Qu Moyu, the partition separating the backseat started to gradually turn opaque, obscuring the view of the driver.