Chapter 40

The doctor’s words were straightforward enough.

This kind of situation wasn’t uncommon, which was why an organization called the Pheromone Center even existed—to address cases like this by providing help to Omegas or Alphas in need. It was a widespread treatment method.

Since Li Jia was currently unconscious, Ye Chengxing had to sign the forms on her behalf as family.

The situation was urgent; every second they delayed made Li Jia’s condition in the examination room even worse.

In Ye Chengxing’s view, this method wasn’t ideal, and given Li Jia’s history, she worried there might be complications. But…

She bit her lip. There were no other options left.

If things continued like this, Li Jia would spike a high fever, fall into a coma, and suffer a cascade of dire symptoms, with the potential risk of permanent damage to her glands.

Ye Chengxing pored over the consent form meticulously, questioned the doctor thoroughly about the Pheromone Center’s procedures, and only signed once she confirmed everything was safe and reliable. The doctor took the signed document and contacted the Pheromone Center staff. After hanging up, the doctor glanced at Ye Chengxing a few times before suddenly saying, “Speaking of which… I initially thought you were Miss Li’s partner.”

Ye Chengxing paused in surprise and quickly clarified, “We’re not in that kind of relationship.” It didn’t matter much for her as an ordinary person, but Li Jia was a celebrity. If rumors ever started flying, the fallout for Li Jia would be enormous.

The doctor nodded apologetically. “Sorry for the presumption.” On reflection, it made sense; true partners probably wouldn’t have ended up in a hospital.

Ye Chengxing waved it off. She pulled out her phone to check the time, then glanced at it again less than half a minute later.

Finally, someone from the Pheromone Center arrived.

After checking their credentials, Ye Chengxing exchanged a nod with the Alpha. She watched the doctor and the Alpha enter the room together, a strange, indescribable emotion bubbling up inside her. Frowning, she suddenly spoke up. “Can I come in too? I’m not comfortable leaving her alone.”

The doctor nodded, and the Alpha from the Pheromone Center raised no objections. “Of course, Miss Ye.” The entire treatment process was open and transparent, after all.

Inside the examination room, the Alpha prepared to begin the treatment right away.

Ye Chengxing’s eyes narrowed. “Aren’t you doing a Rejection Test? It’s right there in the consent form.”

The Alpha let out a hiss and only grudgingly started preparing the allergy test when Ye Chengxing held firm. “It’s really not necessary. Omegas almost never have allergies to Alpha pheromones, and a Rejection Test just wastes time…”

Ye Chengxing let out a cold laugh. “If that’s your attitude, then I’ll request a replacement.”

The Alpha fell silent at once.

Ye Chengxing’s gaze fixed on Li Jia. The unrelenting Heat Period symptoms had left her delirious and barely coherent, her face flushed with a hazy crimson, her fragility pushed to the extreme.

Ye Chengxing felt a dull ache deep in her chest.

But in the instant the Alpha released his pheromones to conduct the Rejection Test, the Omega on the bed let out a muffled grunt. A red rash bloomed instantly on her exposed skin.

Ye Chengxing spotted it the moment it appeared. “Wait! Stop!”

The Alpha froze for a second before scrambling to pull back his pheromones.

Even the doctor standing nearby could scarcely believe they’d hit that one-in-a-thousand chance—and that it was a severe Rejection Reaction, judging by the symptoms.

On the bed, the previously dazed Omega seemed jolted to sharper awareness by the sudden spike of pain.

Li Jia opened her damp, teary eyes. Her gaze was so blurred and unfocused that she couldn’t quite pinpoint Ye Chengxing’s position, but her hand twitched faintly outward. “Sister.”

The word “sister” made Ye Chengxing’s throat tighten. She answered softly and, seeing Li Jia reaching for her, clasped the hand tightly. “I’m right here, Xiao Li. Don’t be afraid. There are other ways—we’ll figure it out. It’ll be okay…”

Before she could finish, the doctor called out sharply, “Miss Ye!”

Ye Chengxing whipped her head around to see the doctor gesturing excitedly at their joined hands. The very instant their fingers had locked together, the allergic reactions began fading, rippling downward from head to toe.

The Alpha had been ushered out the moment the reaction flared, and machines had instantly purified the air in the room. But such reactions didn’t recede that quickly on their own.

There was only one explanation for a fade this swift…

The doctor hurried over. “Miss Ye, let’s test your Pheromone Compatibility with Miss Li.”

The Pheromone Compatibility results came back quickly.

The report showed a perfect one hundred percent match between Ye Chengxing and Li Jia.

The doctor’s hands shook as she held the report.

Li Jia’s condition was far too precarious. She couldn’t tolerate Suppressants, and she had a violent Rejection Reaction to Alpha pheromones.

In a case like this, the only viable option was an Alpha with exceptionally high Pheromone Compatibility.

Finding such a match in the vast sea of humanity was a needle in a haystack; some people searched their entire lives without success.

Fortunately, there was a silver lining.

“Miss Ye, right now, you’re the only one who can help her.”

Ye Chengxing had no real grasp of what Pheromone Compatibility meant, but the doctor’s words sparked immediate relief—Li Jia would pull through.

“So what do I need to do? Any precautions?”

As long as Li Jia made it through the day safely, she’d do whatever it took.

The doctor went over the soothing techniques and key precautions in exhaustive detail. Ye Chengxing memorized every word, terrified of overlooking anything that might lead to disaster.

With everything explained, Ye Chengxing returned to the examination room.

Li Jia’s Rejection Reaction had been so extreme that even the doctor stayed behind this time. Ye Chengxing entered alone.

She hurried to Li Jia’s side. Up close, she could see that the reactions weren’t limited to the sliver of skin at her wrist; faint rashes marred other exposed areas to varying degrees.

Fortunately, they’d caught it early enough that nothing had escalated to critical.

The doctor’s instructions had been straightforward: An Alpha could release their own pheromones while engaging in skin-to-skin contact—holding hands, embracing, and the like. All were proven soothing methods.

But just before Ye Chengxing entered, the doctor had delicately hinted that a Heat Period-induced reaction like this might resist simple contact. If that failed, they’d need a Temporary Mark—a technique the Pheromone Center employed too, but one demanding ironclad self-control from the Alpha to prevent any loss of control that could harm the Omega.

Ye Chengxing’s mind had been consumed with worry for Li Jia; she’d absorbed every syllable without a stray thought.

She knew Temporary Marking was profoundly intimate, even purely as medical intervention. It wasn’t something she’d take lightly.

She was already caring for Li Jia, but if it came to a Temporary Mark, she’d bear full responsibility—not merely as an older sister, but as an Alpha to an Omega.

Ye Chengxing’s eyes settled on Li Jia.

The air had been purified mere minutes ago, yet now the room brimmed once more with the Peach Scent wafting from Li Jia’s pheromones.

Ye Chengxing’s fingertips slid slowly between hers, locking their hands tight. At that simple touch, the aggressive Rejection Reactions clawing across Li Jia’s skin receded like a ebbing tide, as meek as lambs.

Ye Chengxing drew the Omega into her arms, gently smoothing back her disheveled long hair.

It was an embrace of absolute tenderness.

The Rejection Reaction eased completely, but Li Jia’s body remained scorching hot to the touch.

…Hand-holding and hugs alone wouldn’t cut it, after all.

Ye Chengxing’s gaze lingered on her, the fingertips of her free hand coming to rest at the nape of Li Jia’s neck. Her voice dropped low, soothing. “Next, I need to give you a Temporary Mark. It might sting a little, but I’ll be as gentle as I can. Xiao Li, don’t be scared.”

Li Jia’s complexion was naturally pale, her nape a expanse of delicate snow-white skin. Flushed from the heat, it now carried a faint blush.

No illicit fancies stirred in Ye Chengxing’s heart—only deepening heartache.

As her soothing words trailed off, Li Jia cracked her eyes open to peer at her. Her voice came breathless and faint. “…Actually, as long as it’s Sister, anything’s fine.”

The words were too soft; Ye Chengxing didn’t quite catch them.

Her hand drifted upward from the nape, gently ruffling the Omega’s hair.

She paused for two heartbeats but didn’t pull away.

Still in that position, she leaned down.

Ye Chengxing wasn’t entirely sure of the mechanics; she’d quizzed the doctor outside moments ago. The doctor had nearly cracked a smile at the question despite her gravity, but she’d outlined the process: The Omega’s glands lay at the nape. A bite to inject pheromones completed the Temporary Mark.

The instant her teeth sank in, Ye Chengxing was overwhelmed by the Omega’s pheromone flavor—vivid tenfold, like sinking into a ripe, juicy peach that tempted her to devour more.

The primal pull was stark and immediate, yet Ye Chengxing held steady, modulating the pheromone flow with unwavering gentleness from start to finish.

Li Jia trembled harder in her arms.

Their ragged breaths tangled together, impossible to separate.

The Omega’s fingertips clutched convulsively at the bedsheet, crumpling the fabric into deep folds.

Butterfly wings thrummed endlessly, dopamine bursting like fireworks alongside her racing heartbeat.

Sensing the uncontrollable shivers, Ye Chengxing paused, giving her time to recover.

Li Jia lay limp as if freshly pulled from water, strength utterly sapped. Without the embrace, she would have slumped to the floor.

Tenderly, Ye Chengxing brushed away the physiological tears beading at the corners of the Omega’s eyes. “Good girl. You did so well.”

Then she lowered her head again.

The Alpha’s oolong tea-scented pheromones gently and thoroughly permeated the Omega’s glands, completing the temporary marking.