"Call a doctor, now!" Sihan commanded, his voice sharp with authority.
"Yes, sir. Right away," the assistant replied, bowing deeply before rushing out to make the call.
In the silence of the room, Qixian struggled to adjust himself against the headboard, his body feeling like it was made of lead. "Where... where am I?" he asked, his voice barely a rasp as he leaned heavily against the pillows.
"You're at my estate, why? did you forgot I'm also a rich man?" Sihan answered, leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed.
"Oh, I thought this is a Hospital,"
He watched Qixian with a mix of pity and frustration. "You're calling my guest room a hospital?"
"No, sorry about that, but am I safe here? I mean I might endanger you..."
"Don't worry, you're safe from your enemies. For now. I guess,"
"I'm sorry... for dragging you into this... trouble," Qixian whispered, looking down at his bloody hands.
"Is that why you left the Zhou family?" Sihan asked, his gaze fixed on his friend. "Because they treat their own blood and flesh like... like an animal... no, maybe worse than an animal."
Qixian remained silent, his jaw tightening as he stared at the ceiling.
"You're not gonna answer?" Sihan asked but still, Qixian didn't answer, sighing Sihan asked, "then, do they even know?" Sihan's voice dropped, laced with genuine worry. "Does your family know that you're actually an Omega?"
Qixian finally made a reaction, his head snapping up, his eyes widening in pure shock. "How did you... how could you possibly know that?"
"It's evident, since earlier. I saw that your suppressants are failing you," Sihan said casually. "I suspect that... is why Yichen has been pestering you about it so relentlessly. He can sense the truth beneath the scent, since he's... different, but he kept pestering because he need you to confirm it."
Qixian let out a shaky breath, slumping back. "To answer your question earlier, no. They don't know. To the Zhou family, I am... and always have been... an A-tier Alpha."
"How did you even manage to fool an entire household of high tier Alphas for nearly a decade?" Sihan asked, genuinely curious.
"By begging and bribing the doctor who performed my secondary gender identification," Qixian admitted, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. "Gender manifests between thirteen and fourteen. I was already a 'genius' by then, and... I knew exactly which strings to pull and which records to forge. Why? Are you amaze?"
"Don't flatter yourself too much," Sihan countered. "But how did you survive? An Omega in a household that values nothing but Alpha dominance... how did you stay undiscovered?"
"Because I am stronger than they give me credit for, and I happen to be a good liar, and besides, my mother's also an Omega." Qixian said. He paused, glancing at Sihan with a calculating look. "But speaking of which... aren't you being affected right now? My scent is a mess."
"Well, I'm immune to your charms because I already have a partner," Sihan stated with a smirk. "An Alpha who has already bonded with his own partner isn't easily swayed by the pheromones of another, regardless of their tier, right? Thought you said you're a genius."
Qixian froze, his eyes narrowing. "You have a partner? Since when?"
"Haoran is my partner," Sihan admitted, his voice warming slightly. "I marked him just a week ago. We decided to keep it quiet while the clinic was under so much stress, but Yichen figured it out on his own almost instantly."
"You... you marked Haoran?" Qixian was stunned, his mind racing with the realization that his twin was now bonded to the man standing before him. "Wow..."
"I know it's a lot to take in, but was it really not obvious?" Sihan teased, a smirk returning to his face. "Or were you just too preoccupied with your constant flirting with Yichen to not notice what was happening right in front of you?"
"We are not flirting," Qixian snapped, his pale face flushing with a sudden heat.
"Well, you can't say that too confidently, since Yichen knows that me and Haoran are partners, yet he still flirts with you." Sihan added.
"He's annoying." Qixian said flatly.
"And engaged. With you." Sihan deliberately mentioned the engagement.
"Argh! That's going to break anyway!" Qixian yelled in annoyance despite his injuries.
"Whatever you say. That's just my interpretation," Sihan said with a shrug. "But don't worry. I'm a man of my word. I won't tell them you're a Zhou, and I certainly won't tell them about your real gender."
A soft knock interrupted them. "Sir, the doctor has arrived," the assistant announced through the door.
"Let him in," Sihan called out. He pushed off the wall and turned toward the door just as the physician entered. "I'm going to step out and call Haoran and Yichen to let them know you're safe."
The moment Sihan stepped out of the guest room, he dialed Haoran. The line barely had a chance to ring before it was snatched up.
"Sihan? Did you find him? Where is he?" Haoran's voice was immediate, the sound of his anxiety sharp enough to make Sihan wince.
"Yes, I found him. It turns out there really was a massive emergency at his workplace," Sihan explained, forced to construct a lie. "His phone died before he could call us, but luckily I happened to be passing by his office and spotted him."
"Oh, thank god," Haoran breathed, his relief palpable. "Will he be able to come home now?"
"He said he wouldn't be back for a few days," Sihan said, a matter-of-fact. "The situation there is pretty serious."
"Then I should go see him! Can you send me the address of his workplace?" Haoran requested eagerly.
"I'm sorry, Haoran, but I can't disclose that. His colleagues were very strict, it's a high-security situation and they've requested no outside visitors until the matter is resolved," Sihan lied again, his heart sinking, his guilt nearly overwhelming him. 'I feel like such a bastard lying to my own partner like this,' he thought bitterly.
"I see... I just hope they solve it soon so he can come home," Haoran said softly. "Well, you should head back and get some sleep. It's already past midnight. I'm sorry I troubled you so much."
"You're my partner, it's never a trouble. Rest well, Haoran," Sihan said, ending the call with a heavy sigh. He stared at the screen for a moment. "I should just text Yichen. It's safer."
Sihan: Hey, Yichen. I found him. He's stuck at work on an emergency. Phone's dead, that's why he couldn't inform us, he felt sorry...
"There. Done," Sihan muttered. But before he could even set the phone on the table near him, it vibrated violently in his hand. He rolled his eyes. "I knew it. I think I understand Qixian now,"
"Hey, Yichen," he answered.
"Can I talk to him?" Yichen demanded immediately, his voice a low, and possessively desperate.
"No. I've already left and headed back to my place. I couldn't interrupt his work for more than a minute," Sihan said—a carefully crafted half-truth.
"Why is he still working at this hour? It's literally midnight," Yichen asked, his annoyance bordering on suspicion.
"He's staying overnight at the office until it's fixed. He's already eaten and settled in, but he can't leave his post," Sihan explained.
"I see. Then when will he—?"
"He can't, Yichen. Not until the problem is solved."
"Fine. But can I at least visi—"
"No. It's a restricted area," Sihan cut him off again.
"You didn't even let me finish a sentence," Yichen snapped, clearly agitated.
"It's late, Yichen. I'm exhausted and I need to sleep. Talk to you tomorrow," Sihan said, hanging up before the Enigma could argue further.
As Sihan pocketed his phone, the family doctor stepped out of Qixian's room.
"How is he?" Sihan asked, his voice turning professional.
"Has he been exposed to any experimental serums?" the doctor asked, looking puzzled.
"I... I don't know. Why?"
"There's something in his pheromone glands. It's a dangerous, highly volatile serum that I can't fully identify. It seems to be... merging with his own," the doctor explained, glancing back at the unconscious Qixian. "Based on the results, his original secondary gender was almost completely shattered years ago. This serum is the only thing holding his system together, but it's incredibly dangerous for an unmarked Omega, especially since it has a backflow,"
"What happened?..." Sihan murmured, a chill running down his spine.
"Well, his physical injuries are stable now, but he needs absolute rest. He is an Omega, after all," the doctor said, patting Sihan's shoulder. "Thank you for calling me, Lu Sihan. Take care of your friend."
"Thank you, Doctor. Sorry for waking you up this late," Sihan watched the elderly man leave, then turned back to the closed door.
"I wish I could tell them the truth, but it looks like it would only set your life in an even worse situation," Sihan whispered to the empty hallway.
He turned to his assistant who was waiting in the shadows. "Double the security at the clinic, immediately. And make sure no one had follows us here. Once his enemies realize he's truly escaped their grasp, they're might go to any means just to find him."