Ring... ring... ring...
"Ugh, who is it this time?" Qixian muttered, sprawled across his bed with no intention of reaching for the phone.
It had been two days, and though his head was still throbbing from the suppressants, they had undeniably worked. They hadn't just dulled the pain—they had slashed his recovery time in half. 'Only two days of suffering through a heat?' he thought with a small, triumphant smile. 'I'm practically back to normal.'
He paused, considering the strange sensation in his veins. The red serum was starting to feel natural, almost as if it were finally merging with his system. 'It's truly devouring my original pheromones. Soon, this will be my new normal, and I'll never have to suffer through a heat for days again. Well, it's not that bad having this red serum pheromones afterall but I don't really like hurting others because of it...nevermind I'm already bad anyway.'
His thoughts was cut off as the phone started to blare again. Rolling his eyes, he finally lunged for the device. "Hmm?"
Qixian answered the call. "What's so urgent, Chengli?" Qixian asked, sinking back into the pillows.
"Your twin brother came here earlier looking for you, I didn't tell you right away since I guessed that you're still suffering in your heat," Chengli's voice crackled on the other end.
Qixian stiffened. "And? Did he find out?"
"No, I intercepted him in time. He still has no idea you're a Zhou, don't worry, Young Master."
Qixian let out a long, shaky breath of relief.
"So why exactly did you call?" Qixian asked, his brow furrowing.
"The Chairman, he ordered his men to take me," Chengli reported, his voice tight. "Thankfully, my older sister arrived just in time."
"Why would that old man—" Qixian paused, his mind racing. "Oh. Is it because he lost track of me?"
"If that's the case... then does that mean—" Chengli started, but Qixian cut him off.
"No. He wouldn't know that Haoran is my twin. He likely just thinks we're friends."
"I see," Chengli said, his voice finally dropping an octave as he exhaled. "That's a relief, then."
"But how dare he do that to you?" Qixian growled, his voice dropping into a low, protective rumble.
"It's nothing I couldn't handle. Besides, I'm more worried about your condition, Young Master..." Chengli's concern was palpable even through the speaker.
"I'm fine now. The suppressants worked wonders," Qixian reassured him. "My head still hurts a bit, but that's all."
"I'm just glad I could help," Chengli said softly. "Anyway, you should probably call your twin."
"Yeah, I suppose I should. Thanks, Chengli." Qixian murmured before hanging up.
Qixian let out a sharp, frustrated breath. "How dare he touch my people? If he's sending spies, is Haoran next? Ha! That sly old man."
Rolling his eyes, Qixian forced himself out of bed and changed his clothes. "I should just go see him myself," he muttered, grabbing his car keys. His head was already throbbing from the initial dose of strong suppressants, but as he climbed into the driver's seat, he recklessly downed another round. The world tilted for a second, a sharp pain lancing through his skull as if it were about to split open.
"It's just temporary," he hissed, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white.
As he calmed down, he pulled out into traffic, his thoughts drifted. "I should call Haoran on the way... I wonder if he even worried about me?" He let out a self-deprecating huff. "It's not like he even knows we're brothers. But then again, how can I judge him when I don't even know what 'family' is supposed to feel like?"
Setting the phone to dial, he finally hit the call button.
The moment Qixian placed the call, Haoran picked up on the first ring.
"Hello? Who is this?" Haoran's voice crackled through the speakers.
"It's me," Qixian replied.
"Whoa! Qixian?! Where have you been? How'd you know this is my number? Oh, I got your number from Chengli... Actually, more importantly—why didn't you tell me you were going into a rut?! You scared me to death! Do you have any idea how worried I was?" Haoran's voice rose to a frantic yell.
'Thank goodness I have this on speaker and not a headset,' Qixian thought, wincing. "It was sudden," he managed to say. "It must have been triggered by something."
"Wait... was it because of me?" Haoran's tone shifted, laced with a heavy layer of guilt. "I mean, we live together, and I'm an Omega..."
"Don't be ridiculous," Qixian reassured him. "You've never let your pheromones slip around me. It probably happened while I was at the hospital."
"Then you should quit! ZH General Hospital is way too big anyway..."
"That's an option, I suppose, but I'm not doing that," Qixian said firmly.
"Still... fine. Just be careful, okay?" Haoran sighed, his worry still evident.
"I will. Don't stress yourself out over it."
"Are you at the hospital now?" Haoran asked. "You should come home if you're feeling better. Don't push yourself to work yet, you still need to rest."
"I'll be back soon," Qixian promised. "I just have something I need to settle first."
"Okay, but come straight home, alright?"
"I will. Bye, Haoran."
"Bye!"
The line went dead, leaving Qixian alone with the hum of the engine and the pounding in his head.
_________________
"Old Master! Old Master! The Second Young Master is here!" a frantic servant reported.
"Let him in," the patriarch ordered coldly.
A moment later, Qixian strode into the room, his presence sharp and demanding. "What do you want?"
"Is that the first thing you say to me after all this time?" The Old Master asked, his voice firm and disapproving.
"Why? Are you surprised I'm not playing the dutiful son after you tried to kidnap my loyal servant?" Qixian barked back. "Tell me, Father, why would I say anything else to you?"
"Zhou Qixian!" The Old Master slammed his cane against the floor with a deafening crack.
"You're calling me a Zhou now? Did you hit your head?" Qixian raised a mocking eyebrow. "Have you forgotten? You disowned me," he added, his voice dripping with venom.
"Is that really how you want to play this? You disrespected me, your mother, and your older brother!" his father shouted.
"Did I? All I did was tell the truth—"
"Enough! The Zhou name is being stained because of you! The rumors are spreading—that you aren't coming home, that you're staying at just anyone's house. If this goes any further, our reputation will be ruined!"
Qixian let out a harsh, dry scoff. "So that's it. You didn't bring me here because you regret disowning me. You brought me here because you're obsessed with your precious reputation. You're worried people will say the Zhou family favored their eldest so much that the younger son was forced to run away. Isn't that the real reason?"
"You only say that because of your petty jealousy toward your brother," his father replied coldly. "Stop pinning your failures on him and wake up!"
"Wake up? Why don't you wake up, Father?" Qixian's hands curled into tight fists as he eyed his father. "You haven't changed a bit. Your image is still more important than I am. You refuse to believe a word I say because you love him too much to see the truth."
"Is that how you see everything? I tried to treat the two of you fairly! Have you even forgotten that seven years ago I even got to such length just for your treatment!" his father yelled.
"How dare you mention what happened seven years ago? I told you it was just a side effects of me being an A-tier Alpha, you didn't even listen to me! Yet your saying you tried? You never even tried! And you dare say you treated us fairly? How is that fair when you only listen to whatever he says but when it comes to me you never did!" A bitter laugh bubbling up inside Qixian. "If that's all you have to say, I'm leaving." He turned on his heel and began to walk out.
"If you leave now," his father threatened, his voice dropping to a dangerous low, "I will order my men to destroy your shelter once I found out where you were hiding."
Qixian froze. His knuckles turned white as he squeezed his fists. He turned back, a bitter, jagged smirk crossing his face. "So that's it? You're going to ruin my life again?"
"So that friend of yours is much more important than your family?! You know well that I could just easily ruin them!"
"Touch them, let's see if I don't drag the Zhou family down with me" Qixian threatened.
"You—!" His father started to roar, but Qixian had already stormed out, leaving the room in a heavy, suffocating silence.