Zhu Shinian, from the slums, the lowest class of citizen in the empire.

To pay for his family’s medical treatment, nineteen-year-old Zhu Shinian climbed into the bed of his superior officer, Gu Zhen.

Gu Zhen came from a prominent family, was aloof by nature, and was the object of everyone’s envy—a true child of privilege. Between him and Zhu Shinian, there was almost a world of difference.

Zhu Shinian felt that Gu Zhen was actually very, very good to him. He didn’t boss around commoners like other nobles did, and he never had any other lovers.

Except it hurt a little when he bit Zhu Shinian’s gland, which shouldn’t have been markable, until it was red and swollen.

Zhu Shinian had always been very clear that he and Gu Zhen were not a good match.

When he heard Gu Zhen was getting engaged, not wanting to humiliate himself, he took the initiative to go to Gu Zhen and propose ending things.

Gu Zhen frowned, displeased.

“It’s just a marriage of convenience with him, Zhu Shinian. Can’t you be a little more sensible and stop throwing tantrums all the time?”

—–

The night before Gu Zhen’s engagement banquet with someone else, Zhu Shinian locked himself in his room, his gland burning fiercely.

He had taken physiology classes and knew that was a precursor to secondary differentiation.

After the age of twenty, secondary differentiation was extremely rare. But over the years, Gu Zhen had almost used Zhu Shinian, an alpha, like an omega. Alpha pheromones had been injected into his gland time and again, and his long-atrophied reproductive cavity had been pried open repeatedly.

Zhu Shinian was so miserable he felt like he was about to faint and die. In his dazed state, someone unlocked his bolted door and walked in.

That person’s embrace was as cool as cold jade, like the only safe haven in this painful secondary differentiation.

“How pitiful,” the person looked down at his wretched state. “Let me help you.”

Gentle kisses fell on Zhu Shinian’s brow, lips, and gland. The pheromones he had longed for slowly entered his bloodstream through his gland, flowing through his entire body.

It felt so good…

It was a completely different kind of comfort compared to when Gu Zhen, back when Zhu Shinian was still an alpha, had bitten through his gland.

In his haze, Zhu Shinian looked up and saw the alpha’s face clearly.

It was Gu Zhen’s fiancé, Jiang Huaiyan.

—–

When Gu Zhen saw Zhu Shinian again, it was the fourth winter after Zhu Shinian had defected from the empire and joined the resistance army with Jiang Huaiyan.

On a snowy morning, he arrived very early at the negotiation site, but at the entrance, he encountered a little boy eating tanghulu, whose features bore a striking resemblance to Zhu Shinian from before.

“Daddy! You’re here! Tanghulu, there are five left, for Daddy to eat!”

“You eat it, Daddy doesn’t like this,” Zhu Shinian smiled, picking him up and kissing his cheek, but unexpectedly caught sight of a familiar, tall alpha in military uniform a block away.

Zhu Shinian was almost stunned. His omega gland seemed to recognize the other person even sooner than he did, beginning to burn faintly.

Gu Zhen wasn’t holding an umbrella. Snowflakes drifted onto his eyelashes, as if about to freeze him solid.

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