Chà Chà Novel

They kissed for a long time.

Neither paid attention to how long. Instinct alone kept them from letting go.

Min Zhi remained above Fang Fengzhi, but his awareness grew increasingly heavy. He no longer wanted to move. With his eyes half-open, he let Fang Fengzhi kiss him.

Eventually, Fang Fengzhi realized he had stopped responding. He paused and drew back slightly, only to find Min Zhi’s eyes open, quietly watching him.

Before the distance could widen, a hand settled behind his head and brought them together again.

As though it had become a habit, the moment their lips met, they naturally sought each other.

Surrounded by the Omega’s pheromones, Min Zhi felt as though he were sinking into soft cotton. His entire body relaxed.

His movements grew slower.

Weaker.

Even with almost no strength left, he did not want the kiss to end.

Their lips were still touching when his awareness finally faded.

Only when Min Zhi became completely still did Fang Fengzhi pull away, breathing hard as though he had forgotten how.

But the air carried more than his own pheromones.

It was filled with the Enigma’s powerful gunsmoke scent.

By instinct, a marked Omega depended deeply on the person who had marked him and craved that person’s pheromones.

A few deep breaths left Fang Fengzhi light-headed.

He was already exhausted from the past several days. Now, surrounded by that reassuring scent, he could no longer keep his eyes open.

He slipped lower beneath the blankets until only his eyes showed.

The scent was strongest there. Enveloped in Min Zhi’s pheromones, he closed his eyes contentedly.

The Enigma stirred.

Somehow, Fang Fengzhi found himself drawn into his arms.

The scent came closer.

It felt like sinking into a hot spring, every part of him easing. He did not want to push Min Zhi away. Instead, he rested his head against his chest.

Soon his thoughts blurred too.

They fell asleep together.

Fang Fengzhi dreamed.

Before him stretched a parched landscape, broken only by a few clumps of withered grass. As far as he could see, everything looked the same.

He knew he was dreaming, so he wandered without direction.

After an unknown length of time, he caught a strong, scorched scent, like the air after artillery struck a battlefield.

He turned toward it.

Far away, dark gray smoke rose in thick coils, as though something were burning.

He tried to walk toward it.

But the closer he went, the harsher the smoke became. His throat prickled. He could not breathe.

He tried to open his mouth for air.

The movement pulled him awake.

So hot.

So stifling.

He opened his eyes and emerged from beneath the blankets.

Everything was dark. Apparently, he had slept until nightfall.

The pheromones in the room were extraordinarily concentrated. Although his heat had ended, they still left his limbs weak.

He pushed himself upright and switched on the bedside lamp.

Min Zhi’s complexion seemed much better.

Fang Fengzhi touched his neck. He was no longer as hot, though his temperature remained elevated.

He must have released a considerable amount of pheromones. The whole room smelled of him.

Fang Fengzhi slowly climbed out of bed.

If he stayed much longer, the concentration might trigger another heat.

It was only eight o’clock.

He had probably slept for four or five hours.

The housekeeper happened to return then, placing a large bag on the table. She greeted him.

“Mr. Fang.”

Still feeling weak, he smiled politely.

“You went shopping this late?”

“Mr. Min will probably need nutritional supplements for the next few days. We were running low, so I bought some more.”

“Nutritional supplements?”

People with a mark generally kept those ready for their heats. During the first few days, they could become too overwhelmed by instinct to eat properly. Supplements helped sustain them.

But Min Zhi was an Enigma without a partner. He should not ordinarily have experienced a rut.

Why had he needed them before?

“Has this happened to him in the past?”

“A few times.”

She glanced at Fang Fengzhi before adding, “But not because of a rut. His pheromones accumulate easily. If they aren’t extracted in time, he has to spend a day or two in bed.”

“He doesn’t have me come over then. He lives on the supplements.”

She sounded as though she were explaining to prevent a misunderstanding.

Fang Fengzhi had no real reason to know any of it. Yet her explanation seemed to place his relationship with Min Zhi somewhere intimate and ambiguous, with no easy way back out.

Embarrassed, he looked away.

After putting everything in the refrigerator, she turned to him.

“Mr. Fang, I’ve left everything here. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”

He blinked.

“You won’t be coming over for the next few days?”

“That’s right. Call me if you need anything.”

“All right…”

After she left, he stood there for a while, his ears and neck growing hot.

Previously, Min Zhi had managed these episodes on his own.

This time was different.

He had used too many suppressants to look after himself properly.

Naturally, that responsibility had fallen to Fang Fengzhi.

After all, he had played a part in Min Zhi’s present condition.

Still, it felt…

A little too far beyond the boundaries between them.

He took several bottles of nutritional supplement from the refrigerator, then found some suppressant capsules in the medicine box and swallowed them before returning upstairs.

The capsules were weaker than injections, but they would temporarily reduce the effect of Min Zhi’s pheromones.

At the bedside, he carefully lifted his head.

“Mr. Min, have something…”

Min Zhi’s eyes moved and opened a little.

He was still not fully conscious.

Fang Fengzhi helped him part his lips and brought the supplement tube to his mouth. Having cared for his mother, he was accustomed to looking after someone.

Min Zhi drank obediently.

After half a bottle, he stopped.

Fang Fengzhi set the remainder on the bedside table.

Then he noticed a familiar platinum wedding band gleaming faintly on the shelf below.

He looked at his hand.

His ring was gone, leaving a deep indentation around his finger.

He picked it up and slipped it on without thinking.

The mark on his skin seemed to have been waiting for it.

The ring fitted exactly as before.

Fang Fengzhi paused.

Only then did he remember that he had asked Fu Baiqi for a divorce.

He stared at the ring for several seconds.

Then took it off again.

When he turned, Min Zhi was quietly watching him.

His gaze was unchanged—tired and clouded. Perhaps he did not even fully recognize who was beside him.

Yet Fang Fengzhi felt strangely guilty.

The feeling came without explanation.

Had Min Zhi been the one who removed his ring?

Why would he have done that?

He had no time to consider it.

Min Zhi’s lips moved.

Thinking he wanted to say something, Fang Fengzhi leaned closer.

Instead, an arm suddenly wrapped around him.

Unprepared, he fell against Min Zhi. As he looked up, his lips touched something soft and familiar.

He froze.

Min Zhi was kissing him again.

His eyes were closed, the kiss slow but lingering. Despite his weakness, he seemed unwilling to let any distance open between them.

His warmth made Fang Fengzhi retreat a little, only for Min Zhi to follow.

The kiss was gentle and affectionate.

Even after taking medication, Fang Fengzhi could clearly sense the gunsmoke.

His hands rested against Min Zhi’s chest.

A small push would have been enough to stand and leave.

But watching Min Zhi’s breathing grow easier, he remained still.

He did not know how long passed.

As before, Min Zhi’s movements slowed.

Then stopped.

He had fallen asleep again.

Fang Fengzhi carefully sat up.

Only after making certain that he was sleeping soundly did he leave the bedroom.

Over the following days, he discovered that Min Zhi retained some awareness.

At least, he occasionally called Fang Fengzhi’s name.

Fang Fengzhi returned to the bedroom at regular intervals.

Not strictly to care for him.

Min Zhi had recovered a little. He could shower by himself and take his own supplements.

But he needed Fang Fengzhi’s pheromones.

He needed enough to soothe the agitation in his body, which meant Fang Fengzhi could not stay away for too long.

Besides releasing his scent, kissing helped too.

They did not have sex again.

But they kissed often.

Fang Fengzhi did not know whether Min Zhi ordinarily enjoyed kissing so much.

During this fever, at least, he certainly seemed to.

Whenever Fang Fengzhi entered, Min Zhi silently watched him with those sleepy eyes.

At first, Fang Fengzhi struggled with himself.

Soon, however, he grew accustomed to it.

After Min Zhi had looked at him for a while, he would bend and kiss him.

Until, every night before bed, he had to apply ointment to both their lips to bring down the swelling.