The room quieted down.
The young master on the sofa tightened the blanket around him and lowered his eyelids.
In a trance, it seemed like gentle snowflakes were falling around, and the delicate scent of citrus blossomed under the snow. Wrapped in the embrace of snow crystals, the originally pure and tender petals appeared even more translucent.
Until the phone rang, breaking the quiet in the room.
It was Wen Xiusen's phone that rang. The man glanced at the screen, hesitated in the motion to hang up, then turned to the young man in his arms.
"I'll take the call."
The young master nodded.
The mist on his eyelashes was thick, although it hadn't condensed into droplets, it made his long lashes seem somewhat heavy.
Wen Xiusen went to the study to answer the call, closed the door, and when he came out after finishing the call, he put on his coat near the door.
Approaching, he reached out and adjusted the blanket on Bo Xiyun's shoulders, saying quietly.
"Go to bed early."
The young man looked up at him, his eyelashes glistening with moisture.
"Are you going out?"
"Yeah."
Wen Xiusen continued, "There's something I need to take care of. I'm not sure when I'll be back. Get some rest early tonight."
After that, the man reached out, pulled the young master wrapped in the blanket into his arms, and his hand passed through the bend of the young man's knees.
Sensing the movement, Bo Xiyun subconsciously tried to resist, thinking he could manage on his own.
But he suddenly saw the veins bulging on the man's neck, and the young master suddenly stopped his movements, letting the man lift him up.
Wen Xiusen stood up, holding the person securely as he headed upstairs to the bedroom.
Gently placing him on the soft bed, Bo Xiyun, who had been observing the veins on the alpha's ear and neck for a long time, suddenly spoke, asking.
"What are you going to do?"
Even he could clearly sense the instinctive display of Wen Xiusen's possessiveness. If the alpha couldn't be comforted, the situation would certainly not improve.
However, when Bo Xiyun asked this, the usually steady Wen Xiusen paused.
It seemed like he didn't expect the young master to be concerned about his situation.
But it was just a brief moment, and the man quickly regained his composure.
"It's okay."
Wen Xiusen's expression remained calm, and his tone, unlike the rich scent of pheromones and the warmth emanating from him, was the kind of steady confidence typical of mature alphas.
"I'll handle it myself."
Only after ensuring that Bo Xiyun was settled did the man leave the bedroom.
The spacious room was left with only the young master. The abundant pheromones that had just emanated from Wen Xiusen made it feel as if lying in bed was akin to being enveloped in fluffy snow.
So even though the man was not there, Bo Xiyun did not feel any discomfort.
Various medications brought by He Jianqing were stacked on the bedside table, and Bo Xiyun's gaze fell on those bottles and jars.
In addition to suppressants for omegas, there were also some defensive medications for alphas.
Tonight, sensing Wen Xiusen's vaguely losing control, the young master couldn't help but recall those violent and dominant alphas.
But in the end, these defensive items did not come into play.
Bo Xiyun flipped through the suppressants again, suddenly remembering that he hadn't discussed with Wen Xiusen about the recent movements of the Bo family.
He took his phone, sent a message to his people, instructing them to contact Wen Xiusen's assistant.
After sending the message, the young master couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled.
Why did Wen Xiusen go out so late tonight?
It was only at this moment that Bo Xiyun realized that Wen Xiusen had deliberately avoided him when he answered the phone.
However, when the phone rang, Bo Xiyun, who was close to the man, unknowingly glimpsed the screen, displaying a caller from Hong Kong.
Throughout the night, Wen Xiusen did not return, and Bo Xiyun slept alone.
The next day, the alpha continued to be busy outside and did not return home.
Bo Xiyun's message was delivered promptly, and the man replied, acknowledging the receipt of the message and mentioning that he had to arrange for the engagement banquet today, so his schedule might be tight.
Wen Xiusen being busy at this time was normal, considering that the engagement ceremony was just two days away on Saturday.
However, what felt off was that after Bo Xiyun's people conveyed the message to Wen Xiusen's side, they brought back another piece of information.
Sitting in the study chair, Bo Xiyun, reading the just-delivered message, couldn't help but be surprised.
"His signal is in Hong Kong?"
Standing next to the desk, the robust young man looked serious and lowered his head.
"Yes."
This young man, with an intimidating aura, was the bodyguard Bo Xiyun had hired.
Despite his fierce appearance, the young man had a rather refined name—Yu Manzhou.
He was a bodyguard, but Yu Manzhou also served as an assistant, handling various duties. Bo Xiyun had hired him after the professional manager actively sought him out and introduced several capable assistants.
However, similar to the previous assistants, these new assistants were targeted by the Bo family almost as soon as they contacted Bo Xiyun, especially two of them who had previous contacts with Bo Er's special assistant.
These assistants naturally couldn't continue to be used, and even if they continued to change, it would probably be in vain. Bo Xiyun himself didn't mind much; he was accustomed to the intrusive nature of his older brothers and didn't expect to find any suitable assistants.
However, later on, the manager came up with another solution. They found several suitable candidates within Bo Xiyun's mainland company, forming an assistant team. Although the team members' positions were still officially under the company, and they didn't attract attention from Hong Kong while directly handling affairs for Bo Xiyun.
Yu Manzhou was also selected during this process. He was very young but had a remarkably stable personality. The manager highly valued his appearance. The young man looked quite fierce and could scare crying children with just his gaze—perfect bodyguard material.
Yes, Yu Manzhou played the role of a bodyguard but took on the responsibilities of an assistant. The manager later learned that Yu Manzhou's skills were indeed excellent, making him suitable for protection work.
In the end, when signing the salary agreement, Bo Xiyun directly gave him double the salary.
This time, it was Yu Manzhou who delivered the message to Wen Xiusen, but when he received the reply, he found that Wen Xiusen's location signal was in Hong Kong.
Bo Xiyun asked, "When did this happen?"
The young master, leaning back in the leather chair, supported his forehead with one hand, and his fingers slowly rubbed his temples. He frowned slightly, and his complexion turned somewhat pale.
Yu Manzhou replied promptly, "This morning at nine o'clock."
It had happened just an hour ago.
Bo Xiyun frowned as he looked at the tablet in his hand. This kind of location tracking was originally set up by Bo Xiyun's people as a safety measure for the young master.
Because the young master often spent time with Wen Xiusen, and the alpha frequently accompanied him, the security team had added Wen Xiusen's phone frequency to the tracking devices as a precaution.
However, they hadn't anticipated that today they would suddenly detect Wen Xiusen going to Hong Kong.
By calculations, the man should have moved last night and arrived there early this morning.
Bo Xiyun wondered why he would go to Hong Kong.
Bo Xiyun called Wen Xiusen, but he didn't answer. The contact quickly shifted to Wei Fang.
"Where is Mr. Wen now?" Bo Xiyun asked.
Wei Fang seemed busy at the moment, and the background noise during the call was quite loud. His words were intermittent and not very clear.
"He's busy, preparing for the engagement banquet. Can't spare time... Will return when he's free..."
The call ended abruptly after a few sentences.
Bo Xiyun felt a headache coming on.
His temples throbbed, and since waking up, the young master hadn't been feeling well today. He experienced occasional dizziness and vertigo.
When he received the information from Bo Er's side, he had to pause for a few seconds to clear the words on the screen.
"Confirm it again," Bo Xiyun said.
The young master spoke in a low, slow voice, taking a deep breath before finishing his sentence.
"Is the signal confirmed to be in Hong Kong?"
"Yes," replied the young man promptly, but he didn't leave immediately.
Yu Manzhou furrowed his brows, appearing even more fierce. He spoke to the young master.
"If you're not feeling well, it's best to call a doctor."
Bo Xiyun was surprised at the suggestion and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Mm."
The young master nodded.
"Wait for me to recover. Thank you."
Yu Manzhou left after that.
Bo Xiyun was dealing with information from Bo Er's side. Given Bo Er's malicious plans, the young master couldn't afford to wait idly.
For the past two days, his people had been discreetly tracking Bo Er's movements.
Unexpectedly, during the investigation of Bo Er, they accidentally discovered Wen Xiusen's frequent contacts with a certain place in Hong Kong.
The young master of the Bo family in Hong Kong had his own connections. Although the main focus was on tracking Bo Er's activities, they quickly investigated the peculiar situation with Wen Xiusen. Clearly, this was not a misunderstanding.
Wen Xiusen's frequent contacts led them to a pharmaceutical factory. The owner of the factory had the same name as the caller in Wen Xiusen's recent phone call.
In the meantime, Yu Manzhou brought back another piece of information. Wen Xiusen's signal was indeed located in Hong Kong, specifically at that pharmaceutical factory.
Bo Xiyun closed his eyes, pressing down on a wave of dizziness.
He had just taken suppressant drugs, but it would take some time for the medication to take effect.
He didn't want to enter his second heat at a time like this.
Bo Xiyun, in a calm voice, provided a series of numbers and said, "Dial this number, contact Uncle Wu."
The location of the pharmaceutical factory seemed particularly cramped, not resembling a legitimate pharmaceutical enterprise. Even the pollution control equipment did not meet standards, making it appear more like a private facility producing prohibited substances.
This kind of private location with potential legal violations would undoubtedly have strong defense measures. Ordinary people would find it challenging to gather information.
But not everyone.
That's why Bo Xiyun sought help from Lin Wenwu, the nightclub owner and influential figure in Hong Kong's underworld.
Uncle Wu's people were indeed formidable. In a short time, Bo Xiyun received a message from them.
Lin Wenwu had sent someone to retrieve the latest delivery list from the pharmaceutical factory. The list was highly professional, filled with abbreviations and alphanumeric codes, resembling symbols rather than clear words.
Nevertheless, He Jianqing, who came to the villa, understood most of it when he saw the list. He discovered that Uncle Wu had received this list and found it quite shocking.
"This isn't banned drugs?" he exclaimed when he saw the list.
Bo Xiyun, who was still massaging his temples, raised his eyebrows. "What?"
He Jianqing frowned, pointing to a circled portion on the drug list.
"Propionic acid salt, Gabapentin... The ingredients in these drugs are all tranquilizers. These kinds of medications are strictly prohibited."
[T/N: Propionic acid salt depends on the specific salt it's made of. Gabapentin is used to treat seizures and nerve pain.]
"How did you get this list?" He Jianqing questioned. "Was this circle drawn to mark the banned drugs?"
Bo Xiyun licked his lips.
No.
The red circle was marked by Lin Wenwu. It indicated the types of medications Wen Xiusen had picked up today.
"What are these drugs for?" Bo Xiyun asked.
He Jianqing glanced at the drug components again. "Most of them are SSRIs, typically used for treating depression or PTSD—Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder."
He frowned again. "However, according to medical regulations, only sertraline and paroxetine are approved SSRIs. The clinical effects of the other drugs on the list are still under investigation, and their side effects are too severe for general use."
[T/N: SSRI means Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. It is a class of antidepressant medications that work by increasing the levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, in the brain.]
"And," he pointed out the crucial point, "at the dosage specified on this list, even for the approved drugs, it would cause harm to the human body. I marked these as banned not because of specific ingredients, but because the dosage itself is a severe violation. If someone actually takes these, it's not therapeutic; it's like erasing memories directly."
Although on the surface, forgetting painful memories might seem beneficial, the cost of using these drugs was incredibly high.
"This is not a good thing," He Jianqing warned. "These drugs directly affect the nervous system, causing organ damage, numbness, and an inability to feel negative emotions."
He looked at Bo Xiyun vigilantly and asked again, "So, why do you have this list?"
The two had known each other for a long time, and He Jianqing was aware of Bo Xiyun's painful memories from the past involving that S-rank omega.
"Well..." Bo Xiyun hesitated, his headache intensifying, and even the glands at the back of his neck began to throb.
He massaged his temples, passing the explanation task to Yu Manzhou, who was standing by.
After Yu Manzhou summarized today's information, He Jianqing's expression immediately became difficult.
"Why would Wen Xiusen take these drugs?" he questioned.
"I don't know," Bo Xiyun, slightly recovering, replied. "I'll ask him when I get in touch."
He Jianqing frowned, expressing disapproval.
But seeing Bo Xiyun's pale complexion, he reluctantly held back the curses on the tip of his tongue and said, "Can you really trust Wen Xiusen to tell you the truth?"
As they were discussing, a new message arrived.
Yu Manzhou quickly glanced at his phone and reported to Bo Xiyun, "Mr. Lin Wenwu sent some news."
Bo Xiyun checked his computer, and indeed, there was an email with an attachment—a photo.
That was another form taken by Lin Wenwu's people when investigating the pharmaceutical factory.
The document detailed the customized requirements for the final drug order.
At the top of the form were various data points about the drug user, and He Jianqing's expression immediately turned serious.
"User—this is all your information!"
The order requirements were tailored specifically for Bo Xiyun.
"Wen Xiusen, how dare he..."
He Jianqing gritted his teeth.
"Is he really planning to use these banned drugs on you?!"
Almost simultaneously, Yu Manzhou also turned warily toward the door of the study.
There was no movement outside the door, and they couldn't see what was happening outside from here. However, the villa's perimeter was guarded by Wen Xiusen's bodyguards, and Yu Manzhou immediately started calculating how long they could hold on if something went wrong and how they could protect the young master.
He Jianqing, burning with anger, tried to calm down, suppress his rage, but it was barely successful.
"What does Wen Xiusen intend to do? Does he think erasing your memories will make everything smooth between you two?"
He became increasingly furious.
"Is he really planning to completely control you on a psychological level?!"
It was even more excessive than an alpha forcibly marking an omega. This was a complete mental invasion, an attempt to turn someone into their possession.
At this moment, the young master sitting at the desk didn't show any signs of excitement. He propped his forehead up, his beautiful face becoming paler.
"Wait a moment."
The omega's voice was weak.
"Ah Qing, please go outside."
He Jianqing was about to ask why, but suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
"You..."
Bo Xiyun had already called Yu Manzhou.
"Xiao Yu, in the right-hand drawer, take the suppressants for me."
Enduring the intense pain from his glands, the young man even had to use his hands to support the edge of the desk to barely hold up his body.
His heat... it seemed like it was approaching.
T/N: Bro...what the hell is this situation