Chapter 21: Extreme Push and Pull
Zhu Zhixi’s mind exploded with a boom, short-circuiting for a second.
No. Wait. Didn’t Li Qiao say he would not do this kind of thing during his susceptible period?
What was going on? Was it because I gave him the wrong injection?
“Hurry. Do it with me.”
No, no, no. This person right now was not Fu Rangyi. He had no reason. He was just a little animal in heat.
Zhu Zhixi had a sharp tongue, but in reality, he had absolutely no experience. Just hearing these words made his ears turn red.
“Hey, stop talking. Shut up already. You’ll definitely regret this when you wake up.”
But Fu Rangyi’s mouth would not stop. Slowly, in a half-commanding tone, he made the most obscene demands, like a teacher, and also like a child.
“Come here.” His voice became increasingly muffled.
“Rabbit…”
“Bad rabbit.”
Zhu Zhixi misheard him. “Vomit? You want to throw up? Oh no, oh no…”
Was this also one of the side effects?
He hurriedly moved the trash can over, crouched there holding it up for ages, patted Little Fu’s back, then held it up again.
Yet the young master showed no intention of vomiting at all. Instead, he rebelliously raised his head.
“I want to touch.”
“Huh? Touch what?”
I’m the one who really wants to touch my brain right now, but I can’t reach it.
“Tail. Give it to me.”
Had he gone crazy?
“No, wait. Monkeys evolved into humans millions of years ago! Where would a tail come from? Aren’t you an archaeologist? Why are you supporting atavism now…”
Even his passion for academics could not awaken someone’s reason. The delirium symptoms became even worse.
“Touch tail. Get on… bed.”
“Have babies… Rabbit has two wombs. Very good at giving birth.”
“No, why are you getting more and more ridiculous? Why have you started talking biology?”
Too terrifying. Zhu Zhixi’s face was so hot it could fry an egg. For a moment, he was completely at a loss. Without thinking, he reached out and covered Fu Rangyi’s mouth through the bite guard. This obviously had no effect at all.
What was going on?
Was it because he had not taken the capsule?
Right. The oral solution could only gradually restore his thinking ability. The capsule was what suppressed physiological desire.
Zhu Zhixi quickly found the capsule he had failed to feed him earlier, tried mixing the medicine into the ice cream, and fed it in again.
“Do…”
He paused for one second, then coaxed and tricked him. “Eat it first, then we’ll do it.”
But Fu Rangyi would not eat it at all. Zhu Zhixi forced a little in, only for him to push it out with the tip of his tongue.
“No, why are you…” Zhu Zhixi laughed from anger. “I’ve fed medicine to dozens of kittens, if not a hundred. I’ve never met one as difficult as you.”
This top Alpha in his susceptible period once again looked at him with innocent eyes, but his mouth was not innocent at all.
“Hurry. Do it with me.”
Zhu Zhixi’s face collapsed for a second, then he smiled again and picked up the wooden spoon. “Sure, sure. Let’s play a little game of eating ice cream together.”
The player has rejected your game invitation.
Spat out.
No, why was the oral solution for restoring intelligence taking effect so slowly?
He took a deep breath and decided to try again.
Just as he broke open a new capsule, a long vibration sounded. Zhu Zhixi turned his head and saw that the caller was Zhou Ming.
Oh no.
They had agreed to meet at the museum at two o’clock to discuss the venue design. He had actually forgotten completely!
Zhu Zhixi answered very quickly. But the ice cream melted too quickly, and the capsule softened easily when soaked, so he could only turn on the speaker and work while answering the call.
“Hello? Zhixi, are you on your way over?”
Zhu Zhixi hurriedly slid to his knees in apology. “Um, Director Zhou, I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. Something urgent came up on my end, so I can’t make it over right now. I…”
Suddenly, Zhu Zhixi was knocked to the floor. The spoon and medicine in his hand spilled everywhere, and his words were cut off.
What the hell? I wasn’t trying to literally slide to my knees!
He was dizzy and disoriented. Before he could react to what had happened, he was pinned down tightly by a burning-hot body.
“Fu Rangyi, why are you again…”
He did not understand what was happening. Fu Rangyi, who had been sitting obediently just now, suddenly lost control again, knocking him down like a wild beast.
The body pressing down on him was scalding, and the hand gripping him tightly was also burning hot, but the mouth cage was so cold that Zhu Zhixi shuddered. Those metal bars crushed hard against his neck, sinking into his skin. Sharp teeth ground together loudly, impatiently wanting to gnaw, tear, and devour him.
“Zhixi? Are you okay?”
Fu Rangyi was clearly even more irritable now. Even though he knew it was futile through the mouth cage, he was still biting desperately.
“No…”
I’m still on the phone!
Zhu Zhixi struggled hard to free his hand, almost relying on his experience wrestling with wild animals to save himself.
He propped up his elbow, blocked the chest pressing down on him, created some space, and while panting, stretched his fingertips with effort until they barely touched his pocket.
Hiss—
He held his breath, gripped the sedative spray, aimed it at Fu Rangyi, and sprayed wildly.
Very soon, the hand that had almost crushed his wrist loosened bit by bit. Fu Rangyi’s body also gradually lost strength, finally collapsing heavily onto him.
Help.
The iceberg had fallen on top of him again. But this time, Zhu Zhixi felt much more at ease. He hung up the call and let out a long breath.
With a heart full of gratitude, he picked up the spray. “What would I do without you…”
After saying that, he kissed the bottle several times, mwah, mwah, mwah, each one especially loud.
Who knew that the person on top of him would move again?
That frightened him badly. Thinking Fu Rangyi had resurrected, he quickly sprayed him several more times.
Now he was completely quiet.
Unexpectedly, the spray and the sedative injection did not have the same effect. It did not make a person completely fall asleep or lose all consciousness. Instead, it put them in a state where their body was weak and their mind wandered.
He pushed Fu Rangyi aside and discovered that his eyes were still open. The pale golden warm light in the bathroom was transparent and clear, pouring over him like white wine, soaking through this slightly disheveled body.
Those flirtatious eyes from earlier were now even more obviously red, even wetter, brimming with water and full of tears. Yet his gaze had no focus at all. He was completely dazed. Before long, tears streamed down his abnormally flushed cheeks.
This was the first time Fu Rangyi had cried in front of him.
Zhu Zhixi was a little entranced, as if he were watching a block of ice melt. For some reason, he subconsciously reached out to catch his tears, carefully wiping them away for him.
“Oh no, don’t cry…”
Very quickly, he realized something was wrong.
Why were these tears out of control?
No matter how much he wiped, he could not finish. More and more poured out, making Fu Rangyi’s entire face wet.
Was it because of the spray?
Zhu Zhixi dug out the medicine box, unfolded the instructions, and found the line about adverse reactions.
This product is irritating. Excessive use may cause coughing, photophobia, and tearing.
…Am I really taking care of someone?
Zhu Zhixi was so anxious he wanted to bite his nails.
This already difficult susceptible period seemed to have become even more dangerous because of him.
When Fu Rangyi woke up, he would definitely make some sarcastic remark: Having you around is truly my good fortune.
But the Fu Rangyi right now was not like that. Those eyes, soaked in tears, revealed a fragility and helplessness never seen before, as if he especially needed Zhu Zhixi. He had completely lost the steadiness and strength of an older person, let alone restraint.
Right now, he could not control anything.
Seeing his red eyes and his quiet tears, Zhu Zhixi felt even guiltier.
He moved in front of Fu Rangyi, gently pressed a tissue against his reddened eyelids, and dabbed away the tears while rambling.
“Professor Fu, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I was raised spoiled. I don’t know grain from grass, and I never lift a finger. I only know how to take care of small animals, not people…”
Fu Rangyi was lying on the floor, his face pressed against the ceramic tiles. It looked far too pitiful. Zhu Zhixi lifted his head up, but there was nowhere to place it. There was no pillow here either.
After thinking about it, he finally placed Fu Rangyi’s head on his own thigh. “Is this better?”
Fu Rangyi stared at him blankly, blinking his wet eyes.
So pitiful.
Zhu Zhixi felt tenderhearted. Lowering his head, he gently covered Fu Rangyi’s eyes with a tissue and apologized again, his tone soft.
“I’m sorry. It’s all because I sprayed too much. Do your eyes hurt?”
The bathroom was very quiet.
No one answered him.
After who knew how long, long enough that Zhu Zhixi had forgotten about this apology and was only mechanically absorbing his tears, tissue after tissue, the Alpha lying on his thigh suddenly spoke, his voice low and hoarse.
“It’s fine.”
This made Zhu Zhixi suddenly widen his eyes and remove the tissue.
Fu Rangyi took a deep breath and said hoarsely, “It’s my problem…”
“You’re awake?” Zhu Zhixi was extremely excited. He bent over desperately, his face almost touching Fu Rangyi’s. “You’re clear-headed!”
Thank heaven and earth. My husband has finally returned to normal!
It seemed the oral solution had taken effect. His intelligence had returned. He was finally no longer a kitten in heat.
His hand was still pressed against Fu Rangyi’s cheek. He spoke very quickly, wanting to recount everything that had just happened, but he skipped over many details.
“I gave you an injection just now and had you drink this medicine. Then you kept talking nonsense. There’s still one more kind of medicine you haven’t taken. Every time I fed it to you, you spat it out. Now you can take it.”
Fu Rangyi frowned and listened in silence, his breathing still heavy. The bite guard seemed to make him very uncomfortable. He raised his hand and tugged at it.
After a while, he asked, “What nonsense did I say…”
Zhu Zhixi fell silent.
You won’t want to know. Human atavism and rabbits’ extremely strong reproductive ability. No matter which of those two you hear, you’ll want to kill me to silence me.
“Nothing.” He changed the subject and helped Fu Rangyi sit up against the wall. “My leg’s gone numb from you pressing on it… Take the medicine first.”
The ice cream had completely melted into liquid. He broke the capsule apart and placed it in his palm.
“I’ll take it myself.” Fu Rangyi’s chest rose and fell slowly, his breaths long and deep. “Give it to me.”
Those two words made Zhu Zhixi’s ears turn red, though he did not notice it himself.
Always saying things that made people unable to look directly at him.
“How are you going to take it yourself? You’re wearing this thing. I’ll feed it to you with chopsticks.”
After his thinking ability returned, Fu Rangyi’s high self-esteem seemed to have returned to this out-of-control body too. He was no longer as obedient as earlier and had become somewhat stubborn.
“I’ll take it myself…”
He raised his hand and touched the bite guard on his face. With red eyes, he looked toward Zhu Zhixi, his voice still trembling a little.
“Unlock this. I’ll take the medicine, then put it back on.”
“I…” Zhu Zhixi was very hesitant. He had always been cautious.
You’re stable now, but you won’t start gnawing on me the moment I take it off, right?
“But that doctor said I shouldn’t unlock it for you.”
Fu Rangyi did not speak. He furrowed his brows and fell silent for a few seconds, seeming to think about who “that doctor” was.
“This is a new bite guard?” he asked in a statement-like tone.
He really was clear-headed.
Zhu Zhixi quickly nodded. “Yes.”
“You have access.”
“Mm. But I can’t open it for you.” After thinking about it, he still decided to listen to Li Qiao. Although Li Qiao was truly extremely unreliable and had not explained anything in advance, since he had specifically instructed him on this point, it meant it must really be important.
Fu Rangyi closed his eyes and did not continue demanding that it be unlocked.
Zhu Zhixi let out a huge sigh of relief. See, this was much better. What had happened just now, suddenly going beastly like that? Thank goodness he had recovered.
Although he was still feverish and short of breath, his way of speaking was completely different from earlier.
“I haven’t eaten anything for nearly ten hours. Many medicines can’t be taken on an empty stomach… There’s nutritional fluid frozen in the freezer, in sealed bags. Take it out and help me defrost and heat it in the microwave.”
“So there’s nutritional fluid? Then you can drink it through a straw! I was about to order you some porridge.” Zhu Zhixi hurriedly stood up. “I’ll go make it now! Wait here.”
“Thank you.”
His hand was suddenly held back again.
“Thank you.” Fu Rangyi’s breathing was unsteady, so his words came out very slowly. “Luckily… you’re here.”
Zhu Zhixi felt as though something had suddenly struck him, and his whole body began to feel wrong. He lowered his head and stared at the hand whose wrist was being held.
Exactly. So why did he have to hide by himself and refuse to let me come?
Zhu Zhixi scratched his cheek with his other hand. “Actually, I didn’t really help much…”
I only made more trouble for you.
If he entered some little nurse selection competition in today’s state, not only would he definitely come dead last, but the judges would probably write the harshest, most sarcastic comments on his evaluation and publicly display them.
But today, the judge who usually found the whole world unpleasant was inexplicably quiet and gentle. He thanked him, made no demands, only glanced around and asked softly,
“Where’s my phone?”
“Huh?” Zhu Zhixi looked around too. “I don’t know. I didn’t see it just now. Should I call it for you?”
“Forget it.” Fu Rangyi braced one hand against the floor, looking very weak. “Lend me yours, all right? I feel… still very unwell. I want to call the doctor and see if I can arrange hospitalization…”
“All right.”
Sure enough, His Honor the Judge still did not trust him. It was only because there was no one else to rely on right now that he did not say anything unpleasant.
Going to the hospital was good too. A professional was still better than a half-baked amateur like him.
Zhu Zhixi picked up his phone from the sink counter, unlocked it, and handed it to him. “Rest for a bit. I’ll go heat up the nutrition fluid. I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay.” His tone was docile, and he nodded obediently.
Zhu Zhixi had just left when he quickly ran back again, holding a small rubber yellow duck. He squeezed it, and the duck shrieked in his palm. He stuffed the screaming duck into Fu Rangyi’s hand. “If you need anything, squeeze this. I’ll come back right away when I hear it.”
His footsteps grew farther and farther away.
Through the room and hallway, Fu Rangyi heard the sound of the refrigerator opening.
Very soon, he lowered his head and stared at the duck Zhu Zhixi had given him. He squeezed it very lightly.
Quack—
What was this… a nurse call bell?
He placed the duck properly beside his leg and picked up Zhu Zhixi’s phone. The phone wallpaper was a photo of Zhu Zhixi surrounded by a group of kittens. In the middle of them, he looked like human catnip, letting countless cats climb and squeeze all over him, making him a mess, yet he was still smiling.
Fu Rangyi stared at it for a while, then swiped through the phone, but he did not open the call interface. He had never intended to call the “doctor” at all. Instead, he checked through the apps.
Not finding what he wanted, he frowned.
So hot.
He raised a hand and undid a few more buttons. Fu Rangyi felt sticky. When he lowered his head, he saw red wine all over himself. No longer caring whether it was clean or dirty, he took several deep breaths and opened WeChat.
When he glanced at the pinned chat, he froze for a second. The profile picture was easy to recognize. It was himself. It was soil he had brought back from his first field archaeology practice, which he had poured into a stemmed wine glass and photographed as a keepsake.
When had it been pinned…
Although it was only one among several pinned chats.
His gaze shifted to the text on the right side of the photo. Fu Rangyi frowned.
What the hell was this remark name?
His gaze moved downward. He found Li Qiao’s chat box, opened it, and scrolled up. Sure enough, he found what he was looking for, tapped it, and was redirected to the web page.
“Password…”
He entered it.
Incorrect password.
He entered it again…
He struggled with it for quite a while.
Zhu Zhixi finally dug the nutrition fluid out of the refrigerator and placed it into the microwave. He was both hungry and thirsty. He had originally wanted to eat a few more frozen strawberries, but the moment he opened the refrigerator and saw the strawberries, yellow waste started bubbling in his mind.
So he found an apple and bit into it instead.
While waiting for the food to heat, he glanced at the countdown.
47 days, 01 hours, 42 minutes, 05 seconds.
It had actually stayed paused this whole time?
Was it because they had had too much physical contact today to even count?
If only it could stay stopped like this forever.
He sat in front of the island counter and rested, his mind empty. His gaze drifted aimlessly until it landed on the floor by the water bar, attracted by a glint. Looking closely, he saw it was the sedative syringe Li Qiao had used earlier to take Fu Rangyi down.
He lowered his head and glanced at his bare feet. A shiver ran through him. Afraid he might step on it, he immediately went over, picked it up, and put it back into the medicine box.
With a ding, the microwave sounded.
Carrying the warm nutrition fluid toward the master bedroom, he passed by his own room and changed into a thin hoodie along the way. His previous clothes were completely soaked. He was in a hurry when he left and nearly tripped over his hiking bag.
The bag fell to the floor, and the outdoor gear he kept inside year-round spilled everywhere.
“I’m back.” Zhu Zhixi held the bagged nutrition fluid and a straw as he pushed open the half-closed bathroom door.
But Fu Rangyi was not there.
“Where is he?”
Just as he was feeling confused, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. That familiar feeling of submission swept over him again. In an instant, his legs became heavy and numb.
Sure enough, in the next moment, he was tackled to the ground again.
“Fuck!” His knee hit the floor, and he could not help cursing. “Fu Rangyi! This is your third time now…”
But this time was different.
The moment he cursed, a sharp pain came from the back of his neck.
Zhu Zhixi had been naturally sensitive since birth and was more afraid of pain than most people. Even a slight pinch could make him cry out.
This was a pain he had never felt in his life. Sharp fangs pierced through flesh. Something liquid was injected inside. The pain made tears surge out at once, his hands and feet curling up, his knuckles clenching until they turned white.
His newly changed clothes were damp with sweat again across the back. He bit his lower lip, but still could not stop a moan from escaping. “Mm…”
He had been marked.
After a while, the sharp canines withdrew, but the burning pain was still spreading. Under the stimulation, every muscle in Zhu Zhixi’s body tightened fiercely, and tears welled up.
It hurts so much…
I’m a Beta! Are your teeth just that itchy? Do you have to find a neck to bite before you feel better…
Forced to lie face-down on the floor, Zhu Zhixi struggled to open his eyes. The first thing he saw was the bite guard thrown beneath the sink counter.
No. How had it been unlocked?
Wasn’t there a password? What kind of lousy bite guard was this, opening so easily?
Damn Li Qiao. And he calls himself a doctor. Did you two good brothers agree in advance to gang up and mess with me?
Before he could finish cursing inwardly, the Alpha lying in ambush behind him suddenly reached out, grabbed his waist, and forcibly flipped him over like turning a pancake.
Fu Rangyi, now without the bite guard, raised one leg and straddled him. His face was submerged in shadow. Tears were still running from the corners of his eyes, but his gaze had completely lost the softness and fragility from earlier. It was dark and heavy, like the gaze of a beast hunting prey.
His lips were slightly parted, his canines chillingly white.
Zhu Zhixi’s shoulders trembled, and Fu Rangyi pinned him down with his left hand. Seeing Fu Rangyi raise his other hand, Zhu Zhixi instinctively wanted to dodge, but in the next moment, those scalding fingers touched the corner of his eye, wiping away the tears caused by pain.
Then the shadow expanded and sank, enveloping him completely like a black cloud.
“No, let go of me…”
Was he trying to bite him from the front now? Was he insane? That could kill someone!
His heart pounded with fear. He raised his hands to protect his throat and arteries, struggling with both arms and legs as he tried to awaken Fu Rangyi’s reason. “Fu Rangyi, let go of me! Wake up! Cough, cough! I—I’m…”
Before the severe pain could arrive, an unprecedented softness descended first.
“Mm…”
Fu Rangyi held his jaw, lowered his head, and sealed off all his cries for help with a kiss.
Author’s Note:
Mini-Theater: Resorting to Any Means Necessary
From1 found the bite guard management page through the chat history. A four-digit password box popped up. After thinking for a few seconds, he ruled out the first option in his heart: the countdown, 56200520.
Four digits…
He entered the marriage registration anniversary: 1214.
Incorrect password.
Frown.
Zhu Zhixi really did not care about this marriage at all. His frown deepened.
Think. What number would Bad Bunny think of first?
He entered Bad Bunny’s birthday: 0523.
Correct password.
Click. The bite guard unlocked. He took it off and threw it away. He returned to WeChat, tapped one of the pinned chats, opened his own profile picture, looked at it once, backed out, looked at the remark name, then backed out again.
He put Bad Bunny’s phone away.
He hid behind the door, waiting for the rabbit.
Pounced on the rabbit. Caught the rabbit’s neck in his mouth. Kissed the rabbit.
Marking achieved!
