Such a visual impact made Shi Yuxing involuntarily suck in a cold breath. “Who performed this surgery?” It was terribly done—hypertrophic scarring and knife marks, like a centipede straddling between his head and torso.
Chilling.
Shi Yuxing’s every hair stood on end, the blood spreading from his heart mixed with electric currents numbing his fingertips. Shi Yuxing finally understood why he was a soldier yet still kept his hair half-long. Putting himself in that position and imagining that scar on his own body… Shi Yuxing shuddered. If something like that were on him, he’d drag the surgeon down to hell with him.
Wen Lan let his hair fall back down, and that centipede scar disappeared. But Shi Yuxing’s furrowed brows did not.
“Pretty terrifying, right? I had my gland removed.” It was only then, looking directly at him, that Shi Yuxing noticed—his eyes carried exhaustion and helplessness. He looked again at Gu Lingzhou in the corner. Gu Lingzhou was looking back at him, expression calm. From his reaction, he must have known about this already.
“So, you came to see me because your gland—is there a problem with it?”
“My neck has been aching on and off these past few days. The military doctors aren’t specialists and couldn’t find anything wrong, so I rushed back as soon as I was done there to get it checked. Though it seems General Gu isn’t too happy about me being here.” As Wen Lan spoke, those tender, slender eyes darted toward the doorway. “Thank goodness Dr. Shi let me in. Otherwise, I might have just died from the pain.”
With that, this glandless alpha placed his hands on the desk and leaned forward slightly.
Not far away, Gu Lingzhou’s hands clenched into fists, forcibly suppressing the urge to punch him. The more he watched, the more agitated he became. He could only shift his gaze from Wen Lan’s back to Shi Yuxing’s face—only then did his breathing ease slightly.
Shi Yuxing noticed his little reaction but had no idea what this guy was sulking about.
“Dr. Shi, aren’t you going to prescribe me some medicine?” Shi Yuxing reached for the mouse on the desk. “Hold on. You didn’t bring your medical records, so I need to look them up here. Give me your ID number.”
Wen Lan recited a string of numbers, his gaze drifting downward, landing on Shi Yuxing’s hand gripping the mouse. Shi Yuxing’s fingers were slender and bony, the knuckles slightly pink, his nails trimmed smooth and round, leaving just the right amount of white at the tips—making his fingers look even longer.
His index finger scrolled the mouse wheel. The serious Dr. Shi flipped through Wen Lan’s medical records and found several traces of missing connections from redacted sections. He’d had his gland removed five years ago. The reason was written vaguely—”lesion”—without specifying what caused it. Gland disease? Or something more severe than Chu Xiaoyun’s gland injury, severe enough to threaten his life and necessitate removal?
His fingertip moved again. The glow of the screen fell across Shi Yuxing’s face, making it look even paler and brighter.
Wen Lan’s post-operative recovery was far too careless. The surgeon’s poor skill combined with a lack of proper aftercare—no wonder he’d grown a centipede on his body.
Suddenly, warmth covered the back of his hand. Shi Yuxing whipped his head around and immediately pulled his hand away. “What are you doing?”
At the same time, Gu Lingzhou also saw Wen Lan’s movement. No longer able to suppress the rage in his heart, he let out a “Ha” and crossed the distance in three strides, grabbing Wen Lan’s collar and bellowing: “You’re here for a consultation, yet you can’t keep your hands to yourself! What do you think you’re doing!”
Half of Wen Lan’s body was lifted by Gu Lingzhou, yet his face still carried that calm, unruffled smile. “I just noticed Dr. Shi’s hands were too cold—they’d turned red.”
“So you put your hands on him? Wen Lan, you shameless bastard—that’s my wife!” With that, he let go. It all happened in the blink of an eye. Shi Yuxing didn’t even have time to stop it before Wen Lan tumbled to the floor along with his chair.
Shi Yuxing hurriedly stood up. “Why are you making such a scene?! He’s a patient, at least!”
Wen Lan lay on the ground, looking utterly frail and helpless. “General Gu, I was merely concerned about Mrs. Gu’s wellbeing. I had no intention of doing anything to your wife. Why must you pick a fight with me?”
His words made Shi Yuxing, who had been about to reach out and help him up, withdraw his hand instantly—as if he’d just had a vision of someone else. At first, Gu Lingzhou had ground his teeth seeing Shi Yuxing’s outstretched hand, but when he saw him pull it back, he immediately seized Shi Yuxing’s hand tightly, glaring at the “goods” on the floor.
In the end, Wen Lan picked himself up on his own. Shi Yuxing told Gu Lingzhou to stand properly and not interfere with the consultation. The latter’s eyes were filled with unwillingness, his whole face falling as he stood behind Wen Lan, watching his every move.
“What exactly was wrong with your gland that it had to be removed? Looking at your medical history, all I see are the simple words ‘lesion.’” Shi Yuxing voiced his confusion.
Wen Lan let out a long breath. “That… I’m not entirely sure myself. I only know the gland couldn’t stay.”
Shi Yuxing’s intuition told him he was lying. How could anyone not know why they had their gland removed? It would be like someone suddenly changing gender but not knowing why—that was just nonsense.
Unable to get anything useful out of him, and with Gu Lingzhou’s aura being far too overpowering and intimidating, Shi Yuxing prescribed him some placebo vitamins and sent him on his way. The man didn’t even have a gland anymore. Six years post-surgery, the observation period for complications was already over. Aside from vitamin supplements, there was no other medication to give.
“Thank you, Dr. Shi,” Wen Lan stood up. “If any issues come up later, can I still come to you?”
Looking at that red mole, Shi Yuxing was dazed for a moment. Fortunately, Gu Lingzhou’s hand slammed heavily onto Wen Lan’s shoulder. “You. Should. Get. Lost. Now.”
“Dr. Shi, I really trust you. After all, you’re the best doctor in the Imperial Hospital’s Glandular Department.” Wen Lan was still smiling, ignoring Gu Lingzhou’s warning.
Shi Yuxing replied in an official tone: “Just book a regular appointment.”
Those slender eyes narrowed, like a fox’s. “If there’s an emergency, I’ll message you.”
Wen Lan left. Gu Lingzhou went berserk with interrogation: “When did you add him? How come I didn’t know? Delete him. Delete him right now.”
Shi Yuxing looked at the time—consultation hours were approaching—and covered his mouth. Just now, when Gu Lingzhou had escorted Wen Lan out, there were already patients lined up outside. “Don’t make a scene. There are people outside. Why are you shouting so loud?” He paused. “I added him ages ago. He delivered something from Grandmother once.”
At the time, Shi Yuxing had taken the item from Wen Lan’s hands with a very unpleasant feeling. He hadn’t expected the man to pull out his phone and proactively ask to add him as a contact. Why had he agreed back then? He thought it might be to see what kind of warning this deputy general could give him.
“Has he been harassing you? Delete him. He’s a pervert.” Gu Lingzhou’s reaction was off. Shi Yuxing had a vague feeling that aside from Wen Lan being an alpha, Gu Lingzhou was definitely hiding something else from him.
“Gu Lingzhou, first tell me—what is Wen Lan to you?”
The general’s face was full of impatience and disgust. “He’s a petty man.”
?
Shi Yuxing was baffled. He quickly composed himself and organized his words. “What I mean is—so many people are saying you two are having a secret affair behind my back. Aren’t you going to explain that?”
Gu Lingzhou’s expression shifted from disgust to disbelief. “What are you talking about? How could I have that kind of relationship with him? Are you misunderstanding something?” His brows furrowed, his eyes dropping from Shi Yuxing and beginning to wander aimlessly.
Something was breaking through the surface. Shi Yuxing chose to get to the bottom of it: “You didn’t know? All those people outside saying you and Wen Lan are involved—you didn’t know?”
Gu Lingzhou looked like he’d just swallowed a fly. His gaze darkened instantly, his expression suggesting he was ready to kill. His voice was grim: “Who said that?” Shi Yuxing pondered for a few seconds, his gaze freezing. Could he say? Lots of people said it—his annoying colleagues, and some online comments.
“Who’s trying to drive a wedge between us?” Gu Lingzhou said indignantly.
Shi Yuxing blinked, propping his chin on his palm, those beautiful peach-blossom eyes looking up at him. “Gu Lingzhou, so Wen Lan isn’t your mistress, right?”
“Of course not. I, I only have you.” Shi Yuxing’s face was reflected in his eyes, as if afraid Shi Yuxing wouldn’t believe him. He desperately wanted to prove it but couldn’t find anything to show—so he could only wrap his hand around Shi Yuxing’s other hand resting on the desk. “I only have you.”
The next second, the alpha’s nose wrinkled. “Besides, can’t you tell that Wen Lan likes you?”
A blast went off in his head, and Shi Yuxing couldn’t recover for a moment.
His slightly parted lips let out a soft “hiss,” and it was a good while before he managed: “What?” His brain spun at full speed, rusted gears turning, sparking with friction. His back went rigid, his cheek separating from his palm. “He likes me?”
Gu Lingzhou kneaded his hand, eyes lowered. “He’s a pervert. There are photos of you in his album. I found them by accident.”
No wonder. No wonder it had been so strange earlier. Shi Yuxing saw everything clearly after shifting his perspective. If Wen Lan liked him, then all those previous actions weren’t provocations aimed at him at all—they were provocations aimed at Gu Lingzhou.
Ha, haha. So the one on the green prairie wasn’t him—it was Gu Lingzhou.
“Hurry up and delete his contact info.” Gu Lingzhou squeezed his palm again and again, neither too hard nor too soft. The warmth from his large hand transferred over, making Shi Yuxing’s hands much warmer, and his mood naturally lifted. Gu Lingzhou looking like a jealous husband only made him more pleased. “That won’t do. Wen Lan is an alpha who’s had his gland removed. If he has an emergency and needs me, wouldn’t I be letting him die if I didn’t help?”
General Gu probably hadn’t expected Shi Yuxing to answer him like that. The light in his eyes shattered. The next moment, he released Shi Yuxing’s hand and reached for his phone on the desk, intending to do it by force. “What’s the password?”
“I’m about to start work.” Shi Yuxing wasn’t afraid of him at all, because the password was something he’d never guess. He added a warning: “If you lock my phone, you can sleep by yourself tonight.”
Gu Lingzhou behaved. His fingertips hovered in midair, not daring to touch a single thing wrong.
Shi Yuxing glanced lightly at the clock, walked over, and reached out his hand. “Be good. Give it back. I’ll still eat your cooking tonight.” The tall alpha pressed his lips together, seemingly wrestling with himself internally. Shi Yuxing let out a laugh, his mouth moving faster than his brain: “I’m married to you—would I really cheat on you?” As soon as he said it, he froze. Uh… er… that didn’t count. Those two were both Gu Lingzhou, so it wasn’t cheating.
“I’m not interested in Wen Lan. He’s not as handsome as you, not as tall as you, and doesn’t have—your sense of style.” The word at the tip of his tongue took a detour. Shi Yuxing glanced at his outfit and spat out something else instead.
The phone was returned to its rightful owner. Gu Lingzhou still wasn’t at ease. He suddenly pulled Shi Yuxing into a hug, resting his chin on the beta’s shoulder. “Fine. If you won’t delete him, at least block him.”
Shi Yuxing was amused. Blocking and deleting weren’t much different. “It’s time. I have patients to see.” He patted Gu Lingzhou’s back. Up close, he could smell the faint woody scent on him—whether it was Gu Lingzhou’s pheromones or cologne, he couldn’t tell.
Gu Lingzhou savored the warmth of the person in his arms, breathing in the air. There was only his own pheromones on Shi Yuxing—that was excellent. His wife could only be his.
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