CH 27

Normally, if you wanted to test compatibility, you needed to go to the hospital and wait in line for registration. The test results also required a long wait of 24 hours.

Gu Zhongyi relied on his connections and opened a backdoor that led into the research institute.

After waiting for a while in the lobby, they were led into the testing room by a staff member. The staff member assured them that the testing equipment in the research institute was the latest model, and that they would receive the results in three hours.

“Dr. Ji will be here soon. Please have a seat for now.”

“Thank you.”

After about ten minutes, an Omega referred to as “Dr. Ji” rushed into the testing room.

As soon as he opened the door, Gu Zhongyi stood up, “Uncle Ji.”

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Dr. Ji, who was already quite old, looked young, perhaps due to good maintenance.

Gu Zhongyi showed great respect, introducing Lin Yuxing, “Uncle Ji, this is my boyfriend, Lin Yuxing.” He then turned to Lin Yuxing and said, “Yuxing, this is my uncle’s partner. You can call him Uncle Ji.”

Lin Yuxing realized that the person in front of him, Dr. Ji, was Ji Mu, the partner of Gu Yuenchen, the current CEO of Gu’s Group.

Lin Yuxing had been hoping to work at Gu’s Group after graduation, so he hurriedly bowed and said, “Uncle Ji, hello!”

“Hello.” Ji Mu smiled, maintaining a distant attitude as an ordinary elder. He said gently, “Please have a seat and fill out this electronic form.” He handed them a tablet.

Soon, a faint scent of gardenia filled the air, which was Ji Mu’s pheromone.

Lin Yuxing couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Gu Zhongyi noticed and said something to Lin Yuxing in a gentle tone, smiling.

Ji Mu, who was next to them, was surprised to see Gu Zhongyi smile. He glanced fondly at Lin Yuxing, who was sitting upright.

Lin Yuxing met Ji Mu’s gaze and stiffly returned a smile, his mind focused on not offending anyone from Gu’s Group.

Ji Mu took it as Lin Yuxing was scared and comforted him saying, “The tools for extracting pheromone fluid have been upgraded. It won’t hurt at all, so don’t worry too much.”

With a flushed face, Lin Yuxing replied, “It’s alright, I’m not scared of the pain.”

His obedient appearance made him look like the most likable child in the eyes of any elder.

After a brief exchange, Ji Mu didn’t waste any more time. He asked Gu Zhongyi to sit in the designated position first. He swiftly performed the extraction of alpha pheromone fluid from Gu Zhongyi’s arm in just a few seconds.

As for the extraction of omega pheromone fluid, it needed to be done on the gland at the back of the neck.

At first, Lin Yuxing thought his pheromones would also be extracted from his arm, but when he heard that he needed to expose his gland, he hesitated.

“Can’t it be extracted from the arm?”

“It’s more accurate on the gland.” Ji Mu treated Lin Yuxing’s hesitation as shyness. He adjusted the small device in his hand without looking up and said to Gu Zhongyi, “Zhongyi, please step aside.”

Gu Zhongyi stood up and gently patted Lin Yuxing’s shoulder, saying, “Don’t be nervous.”

After Gu Zhongyi left the room, Lin Yuxing still hesitated, standing in place.

Ji Mu had a meeting to attend in a while and if Gu Zhongyi hadn’t used his connections to arrange this, he would have been in a meeting in the conference room by now. Unfamiliar with Lin Yuxing, he found the omega student too conservative and asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

“…Do we have to extract from the gland?”

“Yes,” Ji Mu answered patiently, glancing at the time on his watch.

Lin Yuxing didn’t want to be a nuisance, so he swallowed his saliva and sat down with an evasive gaze. He pinched his own hand, gathering courage, and slowly pulled down the collar of his turtleneck sweater…

The moment his gland was exposed, Ji Mu froze.

It was a piece of distorted skin, covering Lin Yuxing’s gland in a cruel and visually repulsive manner after scabbing and peeling off. It was “disgusting” to the point where one couldn’t bear to look at it.

To put it plainly, there probably wasn’t an alpha willing to mark such a gland with their bite.

Ji Mu’s eyebrows furrowed, and he instinctively put on gloves and conducted a simple examination on Lin Yuxing. Lin Yuxing felt Ji Mu’s gentle touch on his gland and couldn’t help but shrink.

“Don’t move, I need to examine your gland,” Ji Mu said seriously.

Lin Yuxing dared not move, trembling due to the strange sensation on the back of his neck. “My gland just looks ugly, but it’s not painful at all.”

But Ji Mu’s expression, still cautious, asked “Is it a burn? How long ago did it happen?”

“At that time, I was in a place with limited medical resources.” Lin Yuxing paused for a moment. “I remember for about two years, I couldn’t sense others’ pheromones, and I didn’t have any myself, but it got better afterward.”

He didn’t tell Ji Mu that he had been injured at the welfare institute.

“Have you had your gland’s recovery checked during the years after that?”

“No.” Lin Yuxing seemed unwilling to mention his past experience. He hesitated and said, “Does that mean I can’t extract pheromone fluid through the gland?”

Ji Mu knew he had crossed a boundary and apologized, “No, I will extract it now.”

The process ended in a few seconds, but Ji Mu seemed like he had been operating for a long time. Looking at the ugly gland, Ji Mu slightly adjusted his collar, noticing that the scar extended downward.

Ji Mu was certain that Lin Yuxing must have suffered a lot for that kind of burn. He looked at the young Lin Yuxing and couldn’t help but feel sorry for him.

After the extraction, Ji Mu tidied up Lin Yuxing’s turtleneck sweater out of habit, and his warm fingertips gently touched Lin Yuxing’s slightly cool skin. The rough texture of the woolen sweater once again hid the scar and a dark memory.

Lin Yuxing said, “Thank you.”

Ji Mu seemed to have something to say but hesitated.

Lin Yuxing stood up first and said hoarsely, “Uncle Ji, I…”

“I won’t pry anymore into your privacy.” Ji Mu didn’t rush to call Gu Zhongyi in. He asked Lin Yuxing to sit down and intended to have a chat. “Are you thirsty? I’ll make you a cup of tea.”

Lin Yuxing shook his head and said politely, “This is the testing room…I”

This place is not exclusively a testing room. It’s more casual.”

Ji Mu went outside the door and called Gu Zhongyi,  claiming that the extraction for Omega wasn’t fast and would take a while.

Gu Zhongyi may be inexperienced, but after multiple encounters with Ji Mu in the previous life, he understood Ji Mu’s character and said, “I’ll wait in the car.” He knew they must’ve had something to discuss. He glanced inside at Lin Yuxing with his back turned and left.

Ji Mu closed the door, turned, and walked to a cabinet. He actually found a box of tea leaves.

In just a moment, the overflowing fragrance of tea relieved the tense atmosphere.

Lin Yuxing blew on the tea and took a small sip before placing it down.

Ji Mu was not someone who liked to waste time. Seeing that Lin Yuxing’s expression had relaxed, he went straight to the point, “From the surface, I can’t tell if there is any internal damage to your gland. If you’re willing, I need to draw some blood for a test.”

Lin Yuxing didn’t respond.

They sat across from each other, like a teacher and student, or a boss and employee.

Ji Mu didn’t want to make the atmosphere tense. He tried hard to appear kinder and gentler.

“Your injured gland should be examined every few years for safety reasons,” Ji Mu said. “Lin, you should take your gland seriously; it’s important for an Omega.”

The condition of a gland could  even affect an Omega’s lifespan.

“…,” Lin Yuxing remained silent in the face of Ji Mu’s words.

Ji Mu concisely said, “Don’t worry, I have no ulterior motives. You and Gu Zhongyi are about the same age, both my juniors, so I want to help you.”

That reason was simple enough.

Lin Yuxing hurriedly said, “That’s not what I meant!”

“Okay, then what’s your answer?”

Lin Yuxing remained silent again, hoping Ji Mu wouldn’t meddle further, and his goodwill would end but perhaps due to a lack of care since childhood, the osmanthus fragrance on Ji Mu made Lin Yuxing feel comfortable and warm. He looked at Ji Mu, his fingertips rubbing against his pants, and hesitantly spoke, “How much does this test cost?”

Ji Mu responded with a questioning sound, “Hmm?”

Lin Yuxing boldly estimated a figure and quietly revealed his entire savings at the moment, “200 yuan enough?” He wouldn’t do it if it exceeded 200 yuan, as that was his monthly living expenses.

Ji Mu quickly dispelled his concerns, “It’s free.”

“Ah?”

“This isn’t a hospital, you don’t need to pay.”

Lin Yuxing suddenly brightened up, immediately changing his expression and enthusiastically said, “Uncle Ji, I want to do it! Thank you so much for your trouble!”

For a moment, all worries and troubles vanished.

Ji Mu felt both amused and frustrated in his heart. He thought Lin Yuxing was worried about something else, but it turned out it was about the price.

In recent years, the Gu family frequently used backdoors in the research institute, just as they frequently opened their own closet at home. Ji Mu had been in the Gu family for many years, immersed in their ways, and had to grasp the essence of it.

After all, almost two-thirds of the projects in the research institute were funded by the Gu family.

Drawing blood from the gland was not as easy as extracting pheromone fluid. Lin Yuxing would definitely feel the pain.

The gland was a sensitive area on an Omega’s body, and even a slight negligence would cause allergies and swelling. Now, a long needle went in, sucking out a whole tube of blood before it stopped.

Lin Yuxing’s face turned pale from the pain, but he didn’t utter a word. He was happy to have the check-up for free because, after all, earning money and maintaining good health were the most important things in life.

After Ji Mu helped him stop the bleeding, Lin Yuxing was afraid of keeping Gu Zhongyi waiting for too long so he didn’t rest for long and prepared to leave.

Ji Mu called out to him again, “Lin, wait!”

Lin Yuxing stopped and turned around.

Ji Mu approached and handed him a business card, saying, “This is the contact information of a gland doctor at the Central Hospital in City C. In the future… if you want to repair the burn scars on your glands, you can consult with him.

Lin Yuxing received the business card with both hands and carefully put it into his backpack. He politely said, “Thank you, Uncle Ji. When I graduate and have money, I will go.”

After leaving the examination room, Lin Yuxing hurried to the parking area.

From a distance, he could see Gu Zhongyi standing outside the car, waiting for him.

The cold wind blew, the sky was dark, and the lights of the research institute building were on.

Gu Zhongyi stood on the damp concrete ground, his ears slightly red from the wind. As soon as he saw Lin Yuxing, his blurry figure instantly turned into a shining dot under the light, swirled in the wind, and fell into Lin Yuxing’s eyes.

Lin Yuxing headed straight for Gu Zhongyi.

“Senior, why didn’t you wait for me in the car?” Lin Yuxing was a bit cold, but as soon as he approached Gu Zhongyi, he felt warmth all over.

Gu Zhongyi replied, “I was worried about you.”

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Yuxing reached out and patted Gu Zhongyi’s arm, like a friend, and said, “I’m fine. It’s just that Uncle Ji said Omegas should take care of their glands, so he wanted to do a free test for me. He will contact me after getting the results. I’m a bit slow in extracting pheromone fluid, so I was afraid there might be a problem, I had to agree.”

Gu Zhongyi frowned, not fully believing, “Really?”

“Really.” Lin Yuxing said gratefully, “Everyone in your family is so kind, including Uncle Ji. This test would cost a lot of money at the hospital..so I’m grateful I could get it done here for free.”

Lin Yuxing smiled and talked endlessly, not mentioning the scar anymore.

Anyway, his scar didn’t affect anything.

In winter, he mainly relied on high collar T-shirts to cover it, and in the other three seasons, Lin Yuxing always wore slightly higher collars and kept his hair a bit longer. As long as he didn’t get too close to people, it wouldn’t get noticed.

Even Su Li, his roommate, hadn’t noticed it.

That night, the compatibility test report arrived on their phones as scheduled.

The data showed a compatibility of 77%, not low, but it didn’t reach the level of 85% to 100% for a soulmate. Therefore, in a sense, they could attract each other and also sever the connection with a pheromone barrier.

As the phone vibrated, Gu Zhongyi immediately received the second compatibility test report, this time for Lin Yuxing and Xu Xiangchi.

Gu Zhongyi had easily obtained the pheromone data that Xu Xiangchi had left during the school examination, although the data was not as accurate as the pheromone fluid they extracted with Lin Yuxing, it was enough to understand the approximate value.

The test result showed that Lin Yuxing and Xu Xiangchi had only 9% compatibility.

It was pitifully low, almost negligible.

Gu Zhongyi felt completely relieved. He remembered the compatibility between Qu Xing and Xu Xiangchi back then, which had reached a terrifying 90%.

It seemed that Omegas who looked the same didn’t necessarily have the same compatibility with the same Alpha.

Meanwhile, in the dormitory, when Lin Yuxing saw their compatibility was 77%, he jumped up happily from the bed.

Su Li took off his headphones and exclaimed, “You didn’t bring back cake, yet you’re so happy!”

Lin Yuxing quickly handed the phone to Su Li.

Su Li took a glance and said, “I don’t know what you’re so happy about. This compatibility is pretty high. I guess if you’re not careful, you’ll end up madly in love”

“It’s only dangerous when it reaches 85%.” Lin Yuxing smiled and took out the pheromone barrier. He clasped his hands above his head and thanked modern science and the Gu family.

Su Li shook his head and ignored him, putting on his headphones again to play games with his online boyfriend.

Liang Xie: [Do you want cake?]

Su Li joked and typed a string of characters: [Not really. My roommate was to bring me back cake but he is instead jumping around]

Liang Xie didn’t reply and disappeared for a few minutes.

Liang Xie: [I ordered one for you, don’t be sad.]

Su Li covered his heart in adoration. How could his online boyfriend be so adorable?

Su Li: [Hehe, love you (づ￣3￣)づ╭?～]

Liang Xie: [Okay.]

Su Li took advantage of the situation: [I might be even happier if I could meet you in person!]

On the computer screen, the character controlled by Liang Xie just focused on attacking the enemy camp and seemed to have completely ignored Su Li’s message, without any response.