After Ning Zhu left, the temperature in Beicheng dropped for two consecutive days. It was freezing outside, but Dou Changxiao was exceptionally anxious, practically counting down the days until the weekend. That day, after finishing work, he changed out of his uniform, walked out of the hospital, and was stopped by a tall, slender Alpha on his way to the parking lot. “Dou Changxiao, right?” The tall, slender man wore a smile, but his gaze was sharp and menacing—clearly not someone to be trifled with.

Dou Changxiao sized the man up. It was a completely unfamiliar face, and he didn’t look like a patient. He said calmly, “What’s this about?”

The lanky Alpha smiled. “My boss wants to discuss a business deal with you.”

Dou Changxiao frowned but paid him no mind, stepping around him and continuing on. Out of nowhere, two more men emerged—both Alphas with exceptionally impressive physiques—and once again blocked his path.

This time, he stopped, observing them. He could tell these Alphas weren’t just physically strong—they were clearly trained fighters.

Dou Changxiao glanced around but couldn’t spot any security cameras. They’d deliberately chosen a blind spot to corner him. He turned back to the lanky Alpha and asked, “Who’s your boss?”

“You’ll find out once you get there.”

Dou Changxiao recalled what Ning Zhu had told him a few days ago: “If anyone you don’t know comes looking for you while I’m away, don’t go with them. Contact me immediately.”

But he hadn’t been listening to Ning Zhu for the first time. “Lead the way,” he said.

Not far away, a black car was parked—old and dirty, looking like it had been hastily hauled in from somewhere, with even the license plates fake. It would be easy to get rid of.

Dou Changxiao merely glanced at it before following the group into the car.

A dozen minutes later, he was taken to an abandoned factory. Before getting out, the lanky, tall man in charge demanded that Dou Changxiao hand over his phone.

Dou Changxiao didn’t put up much of a fight; he casually tossed the phone to the man.

The lanky man paused, giving Dou Changxiao a second look. He noticed the man was surveying his surroundings with a blank expression, his composure unnaturally calm. This wasn’t the behavior of a normal person—not a single trace of fear…

He found it odd, but still followed orders, leading Dou Changxiao into a dilapidated factory building and saying to the man inside, “Brother Ren, we’ve brought him over.”

An Alpha, a cigarette clenched between his teeth, was waiting for them inside.

Dou Changxiao got a clear look at the man’s face. He had a vague recollection of him—they’d met at the Ren family’s birthday banquet—but he couldn’t recall his name. Dou Changxiao never wasted brainpower remembering unimportant people.

Ren Shaokun narrowed his eyes, walked up to Dou Changxiao, studied him closely, and smiled. “I thought that photo looked familiar. It seems you came to my father’s birthday banquet with that guy surnamed Ning.”

Dou Changxiao asked, “What photo?”

Ren Shaokun reminded him, “A month ago, at Anjiang Square.”

Dou Changxiao had been shuttling between the hospital, school, and the Ning family’s home during this time. The only time he’d been to Anjiang Square in over a month was the day his susceptibility period was about to end.

At Anjiang Square, he had helped apprehend a rioting Alpha who had escaped from Qisheng.

While giving his statement, he heard the police say that the Alpha was a top-tier Alpha in his heat, but based on Dou Changxiao’s understanding of SAs, that individual shouldn’t have qualified as one.

Due to the mental confusion caused by his own susceptibility period, he hadn’t paid much attention to the matter afterward, but he knew it probably wasn’t a simple accident.

“Because you interfered, all the preparations I made went to waste. But regardless of that…” Ren Shaokun tossed his cigarette and crushed it with the sole of his shoe. “What’s your relationship with Ning Zhu? You two seem to have been spending a lot of time together lately.”

Dou Changxiao said nothing.

“Let me guess—either a fuck buddy or a kept man, right? Haha… That short-lived bastard named Ning—who knows how many years he has left? He can’t even find a normal partner, so at best he’s just looking for an Alpha to pass the time and have some fun.”

Dou Changxiao paused, fixing Ren Shaokun with a stare.

“Don’t get nervous. I’m not here to cause trouble today. I just want to discuss a business deal with you,” Ren Shaokun said. “Originally, I was supposed to discuss this deal with Ning Zhu’s nanny, but that old woman is too timid. My people just went up to say hello, and she ran off scared. Tsk.”

“Short-lived wretch,” Dou Changxiao repeated. “Why do you say that?”

Ren Shaokun wore an expression that said, “I knew it,” and said, “I figured he wouldn’t tell anyone about his weakness. Looks like he never mentioned to you that he has a glandular problem and can only stay alive by taking suppressants.”

Dou Changxiao: “He hasn’t told anyone, so how do you know?”

The question made Ren Shaokun frown. Instead of answering directly, he said, “You still haven’t answered my question. What’s your relationship with him?”

Dou Changxiao said, “Haven’t you already guessed? A sugar daddy arrangement. He pays me to support me.”  

“How much does he give you?”

Dou Changxiao had nothing to hide: “Five million. Per time.”

Ren Shaokun froze, then cursed, “Fuck, are you fucking with me?”

Dou Changxiao twirled his fingers and revised his answer to “50,000 a month,” hoping to keep the deal alive.

But that earlier figure had clearly angered Ren Shaokun. He kicked the broken machine beside him and snapped, “Stop fucking messing with me!”

However, once he confirmed the relationship between Dou Changxiao and Ning Zhu, Ren Shaokun seemed to have come to a realization and completely relaxed. Since the bond between these two was based on money, it could just as easily be broken with money.

“Kid, looking for a quicker way to make money?”

Dou Changxiao looked at him and said, “What?”

Ren Shaokun gave a snort of laughter before tossing two sealed vials across the room to Dou Changxiao.

Dou Changxiao glanced down at them. The vials were identical to the special-purpose inhibitors in Ning Zhu’s cabinet; to the naked eye, there was no discernible difference.

“That guy surnamed Ning usually gets an injection of an inhibitor during his heat cycle. Swap this out with his inhibitor.”

Dou Changxiao looked up and asked, “What is this?”

“Don’t worry about what it is—just do as I say. Once it’s done, I’ll give you a million-yuan down payment, and after that guy’s next heat cycle, I’ll give you another million. He doesn’t have many years left to live anyway; even if you stuck with him until he died, you wouldn’t make this much.”

Dou Changxiao lowered his eyes.

Ren Shaokun noticed that the other man’s expression seemed a bit strange, but he didn’t pay it much mind. After a few seconds, Dou Changxiao said, “Then I’d still rather stick with him until he dies.”

“……”

“If there’s poison in there, replacing his inhibitor would make me the murderer,” Dou Changxiao said calmly. “Risking my life for two million—I know exactly whether it’s worth it.”

Ren Shaokun cursed impatiently. “Don’t worry. This stuff is just a pheromone inducer at best. Some AO couples use it to spice things up when they’re looking for a thrill.”

But to Ning Zhu, this drug was no different from poison.

“The police will never trace it back to you,” Ren Shaokun sneered. “Haha, since they didn’t find me eight years ago, there’s no way you’ll be in trouble either.”

The drafty room suddenly fell silent.

Dou Changxiao squeezed the syringe packaging in his hand, his fingers suddenly making a sharp “crack” sound. It was just a single sound, and then silence returned immediately.

That abrupt, fleeting sound only served to heighten the eerie atmosphere.

However, after a moment, Dou Changxiao’s calm voice deepened that sense of foreboding: “Eight years ago, did you do the same thing?” 

Ren Shaokun frowned in annoyance: “Why are you asking so many questions? I’m paying you to do a job—where did all these questions come from?”

There was no reply for a long time, only the deep, measured breathing controlled by Dou Changxiao.

He should have chosen a more rational approach—like taking this so-called “inhibitor” and handing it over to Ning Zhu or the police. Though it probably wouldn’t be much use.

The bracelet’s blocking function had been set to maximum, yet some pheromones still leaked out uncontrollably, carried away by the howling cold wind, leaving no trace behind.

Dou Changxiao said, “You’ve chosen quite the spot to discuss ‘business.’ Are you planning to resort to force if persuasion fails?”

Ren Shaokun chuckled and sat down at a very old, solid-wood table. “I intend to negotiate with you amicably. But if you’re the type who only responds to force, don’t blame me.”

Dou Changxiao walked over and tapped the tabletop with his knuckles. It was hard. Solid enough. 

Ren Shaokun: “You’re—”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was grabbed by the hair and slammed violently into the solid wood table behind him. The “thud” was terrifyingly loud. It sounded exactly like two hard tables colliding violently, rather than a forehead hitting wood.

The table was truly sturdy—harder than the bed frame in Ning Zhu’s guest bedroom—and it didn’t even splinter. Ren Shaokun was silenced almost instantly.

Fortunately, he was a high-ranking Alpha, so an attack of this magnitude was unlikely to kill him. This allowed the game of slamming to continue unchecked.

By the fourth blow, the other Alphas finally reacted and rushed forward.

Dou Changxiao let go of his grip.

Ren Shaokun slid off the edge of the table like an eel, already knocked unconscious.

It was the depths of winter, and the nights in North City were bone-chillingly cold.

It was unclear how much time had passed before Ren Shaokun opened his eyes in the near-fatal cold.

Outside the factory, the sky was already beginning to lighten, as if an entire night had passed and it was now the early hours of the next morning.

His eyes were half-blurred with blood. He turned his head and saw several of his men tied up and leaning against the wall. They were all still awake, yet not a single one dared to move.

Numbed by the cold, he hadn’t even managed to utter a curse when a deep voice came from behind him: “Hmm. You’re awake.” 

“……” Ren Shaokun stiffly turned his neck.

Dou Changxiao had taken his original spot, leaning against the table. There were a few cigarette butts at the other man’s feet.

They were Ren Shaokun’s cigarettes, but Ren Shaokun hadn’t smoked them.

Ren Shaokun managed to force out a voice: “What do you want…”

Dou Changxiao said nothing. He took the two syringes from his pocket, opened them, filled them, and tossed them in front of Ren Shaokun.

“Inject yourself. Both at once.” 

“……”

“What’s the matter?” Dou Changxiao said. “Isn’t that exactly how you treated him?”

There was a faint whiff of pheromones in the air; the coconut scent seemed to have gone bad, with no trace of sweetness left. As fellow Alphas, the pheromones of a top-tier Alpha—which naturally carried an oppressive aura—made the people nearby feel agitated and frightened just from the smell.

Dou Changxiao’s voice remained flat as he continued, “This kind of heat-inducing drug is only seventy percent effective on Alphas. You’re getting off easy.”

Ren Shaokun’s eyelid twitched.

He knew he couldn’t count on those useless fools tied up behind him right now.

“You’d better do this yourself. Don’t make me help you.” Dou Changxiao’s finger tapped the table beside him very lightly.

The tapping sound made Ren Shaokun flinch reflexively.

He picked up the opened syringe beside him and, without a word, jabbed the needle into the skin behind his ear. About ten minutes later, the drug began to take effect.

A double dose, yet its effect on pheromone induction was more than just double.

Dou Changxiao walked over to the tall, slender figure by the wall, bent down, rummaged through the man’s pocket, and retrieved his phone. He turned on the video recording and aimed the camera at the man on the floor.

A massive surge of pheromones raged through the Alpha’s glands. Before long, Ren Shaokun was weeping uncontrollably, writhing on the floor in agony.

This behavior, resembling that of an animal in heat, was undoubtedly a tremendous humiliation for an Alpha.

Dou Changxiao frowned, feeling a wave of nausea, and averted his eyes from the screen.

After recording for a few minutes, he turned off the camera. Since communication with Ren Shaokun was now impossible, Dou Changxiao expressionlessly waved his phone at the group standing by the wall.

“Once the drug wears off, make sure to tell your boss that if he causes any more trouble…”

He’d intended to say something else, but he seemed too lazy to issue a threat. He put away his phone and turned to walk out into the cold, quiet morning light.