Chapter 34

Su Louzhi opened her eyes and stared at the light outside the window.

It took a long while for her thoughts to slowly drift back. She had lost all sense of time, could barely control her own body.

…

…

Ji Kailan noticed the fear in her eyes, and even smiled with interest.

"Zhizhi, don't be afraid," he said hoarsely. "This is a knot. It won't hurt. It'll be over soon."

Su Louzhi had no capacity to think anymore. She couldn't understand what a knot meant; she only knew her belly was distended abnormally.

…

When she was hungry, Ji Kailan would carry her to the kitchen, take out a tube that looked like toothpaste from the cabinet. He bit open the cap, took a sip, then kissed her directly, feeding it into her mouth.

That thing was miraculous. A few swallows gave her a feeling of fullness, and she wasn't thirsty anymore.

She survived some unknown stretch of madness on just that one tube.

—

After who knew how long, Su Louzhi's thoughts finally began to drift back, her consciousness gradually clearing. She immediately realized—this madness had finally stopped.

She moved her eyes and looked at the bright daylight outside the window.

She tried to move her fingers.

It was difficult.

She seemed unable to control her body anymore; her whole body was numb.

She took even longer to recover, and sensation gradually returned. Only then did she feel that Ji Kailan was right beside her, still inside her, even.

She turned her head with difficulty to look at him.

Ji Kailan was already fast asleep.

She nearly cried with joy! He'd finally stopped!!!

She lowered her gaze slightly to look at her belly.

Sure enough, it was much more swollen than before. After that bout of madness, she naturally knew why her belly was so distended. Her face flushed with shame. She wanted to get up and clean herself, but the moment she moved, pain like her bones were falling apart shot through her entire body.

…

She thought, Ji Kailan seemed to have not slept at all this whole time. At least she'd lost consciousness at times, so that counted as rest. He must be very tired now.

He needed rest so badly, she shouldn't disturb him.

So Su Louzhi gently reached out and wrapped her arms around him, trying to ignore the strange feeling between her legs, and lay peacefully in his embrace.

Since Su Louzhi had already slept once, she wasn't sleepy for now. After a brief moment of clarity, her thoughts immediately turned to Ji Kailan's condition.

She called softly in her mind: System.

[Here.]

Can you check whether Senior Ji's condition has improved?

The System replied regretfully: [Unfortunately, I'm just a system to rescue readers from book droughts. I don't have the function to examine bodies. The reason I said earlier that sexual intercourse might improve his condition was based on a combination of the novel's plot, Ji Kailan's own words, and the System's speculation. But in reality, I can't detect anything.]

Su Louzhi was a little disappointed, but she could only accept the result.

Once Ji Kailan woke up, she'd have him go get a checkup and see if there was any improvement.

Perhaps because these past few days had been too intense, Su Louzhi had thought she was well-rested, but lying in Ji Kailan's warm embrace, drowsiness still crept up on her.

She fell into a deep sleep.

—

Ji Kailan opened his eyes.

He felt a clarity he hadn't experienced in seven years.

The cheap pheromones that had perpetually lingered at the tip of his nose, and the violent emotions that tormented him every waking moment—all gone.

He looked down at Su Louzhi in his arms and couldn't help but drop a gentle kiss on her forehead.

…

Ji Kailan's smile widened.

Then, he suddenly frowned.

He felt a sense of emptiness.

That warmth—it was gone.

He frowned. Just awake, recalling the bliss of these five days, he hadn't noticed they had separated.

That wouldn't do.

They fit so perfectly together; they were meant to be.

…

She fell into a deep sleep again.

Ji Kailan gazed at Su Louzhi in his arms, his heart full of tenderness. He couldn't help but raise his hand and stroke her back.

Unexpectedly, even in her sleep, Su Louzhi suddenly trembled slightly.

Ji Kailan's smile deepened.

His precious Zhizhi had remembered him.

She'd remembered the feelings he'd given her—even in sleep, without conscious awareness, she reacted to his touch.

That was the best news.

Ji Kailan's heart surged with excitement. Wrapped in Su Louzhi's warmth, his desire grew ever stronger.

Thinking of how she'd yielded to him in every way, he stopped holding back.

—

When Su Louzhi opened her eyes again, the sky was nearly dusk.

She was awakened by waves of rising pleasure.

The moment her eyes opened, Ji Kailan's smiling voice sounded by her ear: "Zhizhi's awake? How do you feel?"

Su Louzhi looked up at him.

Ji Kailan's eyes had returned to normal, no longer that terrifying blood red.

Sensing what he was doing to her at this very moment, Su Louzhi blushed, closed her eyes again, and turned her head away, not daring to look at him.

Ji Kailan saw her reaction—she was being violated, and yet she only blushed and closed her eyes instead of pushing him away—and the satisfaction in his eyes deepened.

"My precious Zhizhi," he rasped, "can you still take it?"

Su Louzhi could barely accommodate him as it was. Now, for some reason, he was even more excited, his force increasing. She couldn't bear it and frowned.

She opened her eyes again, her gaze full of watery light. Looking at Ji Kailan, she gave a slight shake of her head.

Ji Kailan looked at those speaking eyes of hers—teary, wanting to say something but holding back, full of dependence, that whole fragile, helpless look of someone at her limit—and he was thrilled.

"Good Zhizhi," he whispered hoarsely, "it'll be quick. Once it's over, I'll let you go."

Su Louzhi thought he was lying. He said it'd be quick, but in the end, it felt endless to her.

Fortunately, Ji Kailan kept his word—just once, and he let her go.

By the time he finished, Su Louzhi was too exhausted to lift her eyelids.

Ji Kailan didn't leave her body; he stayed inside, savoring the aftermath. He held her contentedly and asked with pleasure: "Is Zhizhi tired? Want to sleep?"

Su Louzhi shook her head gently in his arms.

Tiredly, she lifted a finger and wrote a single character on his chest: Wash

Ji Kailan understood.

Though he was reluctant to leave her like this, reluctant to let his essence flow out, he considered that she truly couldn't take any more, so he gently withdrew.

The moment he pulled out, there was a soft pop.

Su Louzhi immediately felt a rush of liquid surging out from inside her.

Ji Kailan went to the bathroom to draw a bath.

Su Louzhi, embarrassed, pulled the blanket up to cover her face.

She and Ji Kailan... had done that kind of thing.

Although her original intent was because the System had told her it might ease Ji Kailan's illness,

it wasn't until now that she had the chance to think it over properly—even if the System hadn't said it, if Ji Kailan had asked directly, she might, after a brief hesitation, still have agreed.

Su Louzhi sighed softly.

She quietly despised herself inside: What is this? How could she not bear to refuse him?

But she'd barely despised herself for a second when she immediately switched sides.

Forget it. Ji Kailan was so good to her; she couldn't leave him anyway. So what if she agreed? It wasn't like he'd ask anything too difficult of her, right?

She instantly forgot how much trouble she'd been in the first time he'd gotten a reaction in the media room, and this time when he'd lost control and demanded it directly.

Ji Kailan had drawn the bathwater. He came to the bedside, picked her up, and placed her in the bathroom tub.

Seeing that he still intended to wash her, and that neither of them was clothed, Su Louzhi was so mortified she couldn't hold back anymore. Blushing, she pushed him out.

Ji Kailan sighed regretfully.

"Are you sure you don't need my help?" he said seriously. "I can help scoop it out, you know. Some of it's very deep, might not flow out so easily."

Su Louzhi understood what he meant.

She instantly flushed pink all over, frantically shook her head, and pointed at the door, gesturing for him to get out.

Ji Kailan sighed and ultimately chose to respect his precious Zhizhi, leaving the bathroom.

Su Louzhi finally let out a long breath. She sank her whole body into the tub, leaving only the part above her nose out to breathe. She exhaled slowly a few times, and bubbles surfaced on the water.

Only now did she dare to work up the courage to take a look at her body.

Su Louzhi still had no idea how long the madness had lasted.

Throughout the entire process, she's been in a daze. When she'd just woken up, she'd been truly conscious for a moment. But before she could see herself clearly, Ji Kailan had pulled her back into his arms, and she'd fallen asleep like that. When she woke again, he'd taken her once more.

Perhaps because it was her first time, she found such things shameful and never dared to look. So she'd never had the chance to see what her body had become.

But now, she was alone.

Beneath the clear water, her body reflected—bruised purple and green, covered in kiss marks.

Only then did Su Louzhi truly understand: she and Ji Kailan had really done this. Ji Kailan was that wild in bed. Everything on her body was a mark he'd left.

She sighed softly, but inside she felt no resistance, no regret, no fear.

Though Ji Kailan's madness had indeed been hard for her to endure, at least now he'd returned to normal. And throughout the entire process, he never hurt himself again.

He was normal again—that was enough for her.

After showering and changing into the bathrobe left in the bathroom, the moment Su Louzhi pushed open the door, she froze.

Ji Kailan was still in the room, standing right outside the bathroom door, as if he'd been waiting here the whole time.

What made her blush most was that Ji Kailan wasn't wearing any clothes.

Su Louzhi instantly felt too shy to look at him.

But she couldn't speak, and she was a little anxious. She wanted to ask why he hadn't showered yet, but her phone wasn't by her side.

Ji Kailan watched her anxious, wordless expression, chuckled, and said softly: "I was afraid Zhizhi would be too exhausted and fall asleep in the bath. So I waited outside the door, thinking if there was no sound inside, I'd go in to check."

Su Louzhi felt both shy and moved.

Shy, because while she was bathing, Ji Kailan had been listening outside the door the whole time—who knew what he'd heard. Moved, because he was so attentive, worried she might fall asleep and something might happen in the tub.

She didn't know how to express it, so she gently reached out and took his hand. She stepped forward, pressed close to him, stood on her tiptoes as much as she could, and gave him a soft kiss on the chin.

Then she immediately stepped back, blushing, turning her head away, not daring to look at him.

Ji Kailan's smile deepened at this proactive kiss. Watching her so shy and adorable, he forcibly suppressed the desire that was about to burst from its cage, struggling to hold back the reaction in his lower abdomen.

He silently warned himself: his precious Zhizhi could no longer endure his plundering; he must not hurt her.

Raising a gentle smile, he said hoarsely: "Since Zhizhi's done showering, it's my turn now."

Su Louzhi nodded.

Ji Kailan entered the bathroom and closed the door.

Su Louzhi immediately let out a long sigh of relief, then anxiously searched for her phone.

Now, immediately, right this second—

She had to take advantage of Ji Kailan's absence to research the ABO worldview properly!

She finally found her phone on the bed in this room. Su Louzhi froze. This was the room where Ji Kailan had originally self-harmed. Because of the blood, they hadn't slept here since the first day. It was only later, when she'd discovered him missing in the night, that she'd chased him here.

Her phone should have been in the room where she and Ji Kailan had been sleeping.

Frowning in confusion, she picked up her phone and lit the screen, which displayed the chat interface with Shen Boyang.

She looked at it and suddenly felt embarrassed.

In the chat history, Shen Boyang had sent a message almost every half-day to confirm she was safe.

At first, she'd replied earnestly. But later, after she'd done that with Ji Kailan, all her attention had been consumed by him, and she'd completely forgotten her agreement with Shen Boyang.

Unexpectedly, Ji Kailan had remembered, and had been replying on her behalf all along.

She didn't dare to imagine: if she and Ji Kailan had been so consumed that they forgot everything, and Shen Boyang, thinking she was in danger, had barged straight in—how awkward all three of them would have been.

After all, this villa couldn't lock its doors.

Su Louzhi was about to reply to Shen Boyang when she suddenly remembered he'd said Ji Kailan only had seven-day episodes. She instinctively wanted to check if the episode period was over—

She hadn't looked, and it was fine. The moment she looked, she was shocked.

Today was already January 20th.

Su Louzhi stared at the date on her phone screen, stunned for a long time.

What did this mean?

This bout of lovemaking with Ji Kailan had lasted... five days?

That was insane.

She suppressed her shock and earnestly typed a reply to Shen Boyang: [Silent Little Tail: Thank you for your concern, Senior Shen. I'm safe now. Senior Ji is doing well too. It's been over seven days; he should be back to normal.]

Shen Boyang quickly replied: [Shining All Over the World: Good, then I'm relieved. I won't disturb you two anymore. You two get along well.]

[Silent Little Tail: Okay, thank you, Senior Shen.]

With the Shen Boyang matter settled, Su Louzhi finally had time. She immediately opened her browser and searched for ABO-related terms. Information quickly popped up:

[ABO is the modern society's secondary gender system, typically differentiating after age 15.]

[Alpha: Born leaders, at the peak of physical strength, intelligence, and charisma. Highly possessive, their pheromones are aggressive and intimidating. They have cyclical susceptible periods during which their emotions and bodies become unstable.]

[Beta: The majority of society, unaffected by pheromones or heat cycles. They are the cornerstone of society's smooth operation.]

[Omega: The primary bearers, possessing highly attractive pheromones. They periodically enter heat, during which they release large amounts of pheromones, lose emotional control, and need Alpha comfort.]

Su Louzhi suddenly understood—so this was alpha, beta, and omega.

Then what about the enigma Ji Kailan had mentioned?

She typed "enigma" into the search bar.

[Enigma: The rarest gender in the ABO world, standing at the apex of the gender pyramid by absolute advantage.]

[Differentiation mechanism: Not yet clear]

[Physiological characteristics: Not yet clear]

[…]

Su Louzhi was stunned.

Why were there so many "not yet clear" entries for enigma?

She remembered Ji Kailan had said he was the only enigma in the world at present.

Was it because this gender was so rare, with too few research samples, that almost nothing was known about enigmas?

Since information about enigmas was pitifully scarce, Su Louzhi decided to start from other angles.

She continued scrolling.

[Marking and Knotting]

[Marking is the process by which an Alpha leaves an exclusive imprint on an Omega through pheromones. It comes in two types:

Temporary mark: The Alpha bites the gland on the back of the Omega's neck and injects a small amount of pheromones. The effect is to briefly relieve the Omega's heat or declare ownership, usually fading naturally within about a week.

Permanent mark: A true one-on-one bond. It consists of two parts: pheromone injection into the neck gland + knotting inside the reproductive cavity. Once completed, the Omega can only be marked by this one Alpha for life.]

[The Definition and Mechanism of Knotting]

[Knotting is a specific physiological phenomenon that occurs when completing a permanent mark, and is the key difference between temporary and permanent.

Physiological definition: It refers to the rapid swelling of the Alpha's reproductive organ tip (corpus spongiosum) inside the Omega's body, forming a lock-like mechanism that lodges in the reproductive cavity, making it impossible for the two to separate briefly. The purpose is to increase the chance of conception and ensure sufficient pheromone exchange.

Accompanying phenomena: During knotting, both parties release large amounts of pheromones, forming a strong signal exchange between them, deepening the emotional bond and physiological dependence.]

When Su Louzhi saw this passage, her face flushed crimson.

So... Ji Kailan knotting inside her was just like this?

She froze for a few seconds, then suddenly thought of a possibility and quickly asked in her mind: System, can I get pregnant?

[The host and Ji Kailan have reproductive isolation; you cannot get pregnant.]

Su Louzhi let out a breath of relief, but she'd only half-sighed it when she froze again.

For a moment, she couldn't tell whether she should be relieved or regretful.

She didn't want to get pregnant. That was true.

But she didn't want to leave Ji Kailan either. That was also true.

Although her parents' broken marriage filled her with fear about it, if she wanted the two of them to be permanently bound together, there seemed to be no more reliable way than marriage.

She was clear she wanted to be with Ji Kailan forever.

But...

She couldn't bear children.

And she was mute.

Su Louzhi thought and thought, and suddenly felt very sad, very wronged.

Tears flowed down her face.