MVCFO CH17

After receiving Lu Cong’s message, Tang Luyu had been excited nonstop, eager to check on Lin Xiangqi as soon as possible.

Although Lu Cong only briefly mentioned that he might have smelled Lin Xiangqi’s pheromones — and didn’t rule out the possibility that he misidentified the scent while not fully conscious — the actual situation still needed a blood sample for confirmation.

But by the time school let out, Tang Luyu’s car was already parked outside Lu Cong’s house. She could barely wait.

Of course, Tang Luyu was only excited internally and didn’t show it outwardly.

She hoped Lin Xiangqi’s rare condition could be cured under her care — a feat that would surely earn her a place in the annals of medical history across the Alliance.

Still, she was a seasoned professional, used to major situations. She knew very well that without concrete results, everything was still uncertain.

Acting too excited would only influence Lin Xiangqi emotionally, especially as the patient.

If she gave him false hope and the results turned out disappointing, wouldn’t that make Lin Xiangqi’s joy for nothing?

So Tang Luyu was very cautious not to say anything unnecessary. She first drew blood samples from both Lin Xiangqi and Lu Cong’s glands.

She could tell that Lin Xiangqi was especially nervous during the blood draw.

At first, she thought he was afraid of the pain and gently reassured him, “Don’t be scared. This isn’t like a needle puncture — it’s even easier than a finger prick. Close your eyes and count to three, and it’ll be over.”

Lin Xiangqi forced a small smile, then obediently lowered his head, revealing the back of his neck covered with multiple barrier patches.

When she peeled back the layers and saw the mess underneath, Tang Luyu’s hands trembled.

It took a great deal of effort to control her expression and keep herself from blurting something out — but she still couldn’t stop her eyes from betraying her. They stared directly and sharply at Lu Cong.

Perhaps Lin Xiangqi believed that everything that happened last night was just a loss of control on Lu Cong’s part, an accident, so he didn’t complain or get angry — he had already processed the strangeness on his own.

But Tang Luyu understood what had really happened with one glance.

She knew very well: if Lu Cong had been able to suppress his susceptibility for eighteen years, it meant he had strong enough self-control at his core. It wasn’t possible that missing just one dose of suppressants would make him lose himself entirely.

Releasing pheromones may let instinct take over his brain — but it wouldn’t make him go insane.

In short, for Lu Cong to leave Lin Xiangqi in this condition could only mean one thing: he had wanted to do it for a long time.

He just managed to hold back in the past — but didn’t, last night.

Tang Luyu sized Lu Cong up.

Lu Cong didn’t avoid her gaze and looked back at her calmly.

Tang Luyu silently mouthed the words: “You went too far.”

Lu Cong raised an eyebrow slightly. Though he didn’t respond, his calm, unreadable expression made it clear — he felt no remorse at all.

“Dr. Tang?”

Lin Xiangqi had been holding his neck forward for quite a while, holding his breath since he was afraid of needles. But since Tang Luyu hadn’t drawn his blood yet, he grew uneasy and asked softly, “Is there something wrong that makes it hard to draw blood?”

He knew what state his gland was in.

That morning, he’d seen the deep bite marks in the mirror. Even though they had scabbed over, it was still obvious how violently his nape had been treated.

These were the inevitable marks left by an Alpha’s marking — except his were too heavy, too deep.

Even though the Alpha’s pheromones had filled them and were constantly soothing his nerves so that he didn’t feel pain, he was still afraid that the bites were so dense that there would be no place to insert the needle.

“There’s no issue.” Tang Luyu pulled her gaze away from Lu Cong and immediately reassured him. “I was just observing your gland. Surface changes are also part of the check. Don’t worry — let’s proceed with the blood draw now.”

Lin Xiangqi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her. “Okay.”

Drawing blood from the gland really didn’t hurt — probably because of the Alpha’s pheromones. His gland was in an extremely stable state.

Lin Xiangqi barely felt the needle before it was already over.

This time, since Lu Cong had specifically instructed her beforehand not to perform any other checks besides drawing blood, Tang Luyu hadn’t brought much equipment with her.

But there were some things that needed to be said — even without formal tests, she still had to give some preliminary advice.

“Lu Cong didn’t use any suppressants and released his pheromones fully. The bite marks are very deep, which means the pheromone infusion was significant. I think this mark may last for three to five days.”

After reviewing all the details, Tang Luyu gave a summary analysis of the situation to both of them:

“During this time, avoid any more temporary markings. But Lu Cong, you can regularly release pheromones to Xiaoqi — let him try perceiving, accepting, and voluntarily absorbing them. That’s a good habit to help with gland development.”

Hearing this, Lin Xiangqi silently let go of a heavy weight in his heart — he truly didn’t want another marking anytime soon.

It wasn’t that he hated the experience, just that… he hadn’t recovered yet. He didn’t dare to try again.

Besides…

Lin Xiangqi still remembered how, when Lu Cong pinned him against the wall and bit into his gland, his own body had reacted in ways he couldn’t hide.

Too embarrassing to admit. Better to delay things for now.

Before she left, Tang Luyu specially pulled Lin Xiangqi aside and gave him her personal number.

Lin Xiangqi wasn’t sure why she did that, but assumed it was out of goodwill, so he didn’t question it. He saved the number and said, “Thank you for making a special trip today.”

Tang Luyu looked at him with a kindly gaze. “You’re welcome. If you ever feel unwell, you can contact me directly — I can come anytime.”

Lin Xiangqi felt a bit shy. “That’d trouble you too much.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m half like the Lu family’s private physician. I should be on call anyway.” Tang Luyu smiled with a mysterious air. “You and Lu Cong are so close — you’ll be family one day. Visiting you is part of my duty.”

Lin Xiangqi thought Dr. Tang was truly a wonderful doctor — skillful and gentle.

He was about to thank her again when suddenly, Tang Luyu lowered her voice and said, “Also, even if it’s not a medical issue, you can still come to me quietly. For example, if one day Lu Cong—”

“Dr. Tang.”

Lu Cong had silently walked up behind them. His deep voice interrupted her before she could finish her sentence. “Shall I walk you out?”

Tang Luyu nearly twisted her ankle in fright when she saw him and laughed awkwardly. “Sure, let’s go.”

Lin Xiangqi blinked, sensing that something felt off about the look they just exchanged.

Watching Lu Cong walk Dr. Tang out, he figured they must have something important to discuss, so he obediently returned home.

Meanwhile…

Lu Cong not only walked Tang Luyu to her car but got in himself.

“…Are you trying to silence me?” Tang Luyu asked, looking glum.

Lu Cong chuckled. “You seem to be assuming something strange.”

Seeing that he wasn’t as upset as she’d expected, Tang Luyu relaxed a bit and shrugged. “I’m just preparing for the highly probable outcomes.”

Lu Cong’s tone was calm, but the pressure was palpable. “If it hasn’t happened yet, don’t stress about it now.”

“I’m just afraid that by the time it does happen, it’ll be too late to stress.” Tang Luyu wasn’t intimidated. She met his gaze and asked, “Should I notify your parents ahead of time?”

Lu Cong rubbed his forehead in mild exasperation. “Aren’t you overthinking this?”

“Am I overthinking, or are you afraid to think about it?”

Tang Luyu gave him a distrustful look and asked indirectly, “…Does he know nothing?”

Lu Cong responded with a question, “What should he know?”

His answer left Tang Luyu speechless for a second. Frustrated, she scratched her head. “You’re just like your father — if you don’t have absolute confidence, you never reveal anything.”

Lu Cong didn’t respond.

“But your father used all that calculation and strategy for military campaigns. You think he’d dare use those tactics on your mom in daily life?” She snorted. “Be careful your cleverness doesn’t backfire.”

With that, she didn’t wait for a reply and shooed him out of the car. Then she hit the gas and drove off.

For once, Lu Cong got a face full of exhaust — but he didn’t mind.

He watched her car vanish around the corner and found himself mulling over what she had said.

“Outsmarted by your own cleverness”… huh?

Tang Luyu’s good news arrived the next afternoon in a message sent to both of them.

At the time, Lin Xiangqi and Lu Cong had just finished their lunch break.

While stretching, Lin Xiangqi felt his phone buzz. He glanced at the screen — and immediately jumped to his feet.

He and Lu Cong turned to each other at the same time, eyes lit with the same joy.

But since Lin Xiangqi couldn’t expose himself as an Omega at school, he held back his excitement. After exchanging a look with Lu Cong, he calmly sat back down.

The news was far better than they had expected.

The first major result: Lin Xiangqi’s gland had started to secrete pheromones.

Although it was still just a trace, and not voluntarily released — it only occurred subconsciously under Alpha stimulation — it was already an enormous breakthrough for him.

Because this small change meant everything.

As long as the gland could secrete pheromones, it meant it already had basic functionality and could metabolize some of the unreleased pheromones.

That meant Lin Xiangqi no longer had to worry about pheromones accumulating in his body again.

It also meant that Lin Xiangqi’s gland would definitely not suffer from any abnormal conditions!

He wasn’t going to die!

Lin Xiangqi was so overwhelmed with emotion that he didn’t know what to do—he could only bite his fingers.

In the original story, his ending had been written so hastily and miserably. But now, he had changed his own future.

He would no longer suddenly drop dead on a quiet night just because his gland was clogged with unprocessed pheromones!

Not only that, Tang Luyu even told him that his gland had now developed to the level of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy.

Though twelve or thirteen might sound immature, for a gland, that was already a healthy sign.

Most Omegas complete their differentiation between ages 12 and 14, which meant that Lin Xiangqi’s gland already showed signs of re-differentiation!

All of this, of course, was thanks to the large amount of pheromones Lu Cong had given him.

Even so, the progress was still astonishing.

After the first temporary marking, Lin Xiangqi began to show signs of redevelopment. It had only been a few days, and his gland had already been stimulated into accelerated maturation and was now capable of secondary differentiation.

Even Tang Luyu was so excited that she could hardly speak coherently. She had initially thought that only a permanent marking could heal Lin Xiangqi quickly—who would have thought that Lu Cong’s pheromones alone could be this effective in treating him?

Of course, that might also have something to do with the marking session that lasted nearly the entire night…

After all, Tang Luyu had recommended just one temporary marking per day.

But that night, Lu Cong had held Lin Xiangqi and marked him over and over again. Every time his body just finished processing one batch of pheromones, new ones were immediately introduced. That cycle repeated continuously.

Naturally, Lin Xiangqi absorbed far more pheromones than in an ordinary marking.

On top of that, their compatibility was a perfect 100%, which meant the resonance and fusion between their pheromones were a hundred times stronger than average. No wonder the treatment worked so well.

In short, the current situation was: Lin Xiangqi was already half an Omega.

He could even be considered a healthy person now!

Lin Xiangqi couldn’t hide his good mood even if he wanted to.

From the moment he woke up from his nap, he hadn’t stopped smiling. From time to time, strange little giggles like “hehe” and “kiki” escaped him.

The classmates seated around him began to seriously suspect he’d secretly won the lottery—like, two hundred million or something.

Lin Xiangqi responded, “It’s something even better than winning the lottery.”

Just-woken Chen Qiutian rubbed his sleepy eyes and muttered, “Better than winning the lottery? Did my OTP get married? And I was the witness?”

Lin Xiangqi froze for a moment, then pounced on him like a startled cat and grabbed him by the neck: “Chen Qiutian, I’m going to kill you—!”

That afternoon during P.E., their class had to go out to the track to rehearse their entrance formation for the sports day.

Before the homeroom teacher arrived, the class sports rep reorganized the lines.

Lin Xiangqi was placed near the front. On one hand, his height among the boys was fairly average, so he could fit in anywhere. But putting him in the middle would be a waste of that pretty face, so they pushed him up to the very front as part of the “aesthetic team.”

But he shamelessly stood on his tiptoes and insisted he had to stand next to Lu Cong.

And Lu Cong was at the very back.

Zhang Kebo, the sports rep—tall and broad—glared at him and said, “With that height, you want to stand in the last row?”

Lin Xiangqi, though unreasonable, held his ground confidently: “When you’re faced with a problem, the first thing you should do is try to solve it—not shoot me down. There are always more solutions than obstacles. Never say ‘no’ to any possibility, Zhang Kebo. That’s your first life lesson from me. You’ve got a long way ahead.”

Zhang Kebo took a sharp breath through his teeth, furious. “Then tell me—how are you going to stand next to Lu Cong without looking comically short?”

Lin Xiangqi’s eyes lit up with a trick: “When you guys march in step, I’ll hop as I walk. If I jump fast enough, visually I’ll look about the same height.”

Zhang Kebo: “Lin. Xiang. Qi.”

Lin Xiangqi: “No need to say it out loud if you’re in awe. I get it.”

“I really want to punch you.” Zhang Kebo clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and finally gave up. “Fine, whatever. Stand wherever you want.”

He knew he couldn’t out-argue Lin Xiangqi. If he tried to go head-to-head, that little troublemaker would probably cause even bigger problems later.

After some thought, Zhang Kebo figured he might as well wait for the teacher to show up—Lin Xiangqi would behave then.

So he gave up trying to persuade him, but made one last attempt: “But you’re only allowed to stand next to the class president. No messing around with anyone else.”

Zhang Kebo thought he was being smart. He assumed that with the class president there, Lin Xiangqi would at least behave a little. Then he moved on to adjust the rest of the class and stopped bothering with Lin Xiangqi.

Lin Xiangqi was practically in heaven at the back row.

He was grinning from ear to ear. Whether they were standing at attention or marching, he kept gazing at Lu Cong with joy and admiration.

Lu Cong knew Lin Xiangqi was thrilled about the test results.

His gland was developing normally. Although he couldn’t yet secrete pheromones on his own, it was already showing signs of re-differentiation—meaning he was more than halfway healed.

So Lin Xiangqi was grateful for Lu Cong’s help and admired how powerful his pheromones were.

That was the entire story written across Lin Xiangqi’s face.

Lu Cong couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless under his gaze, but he didn’t send Lin Xiangqi back to his original spot. During the march, he simply reminded him: “Watch where you’re going.”

Lin Xiangqi bumped his shoulder playfully and said, “I watch you, you watch the road—basically the same thing.”

“…,” Lu Cong chuckled, looked at him for a moment, then raised a hand to ruffle his hair. “Be good.”

Lin Xiangqi leaned into his palm with his chin tilted up, enjoying it. “But I’m so happy right now.”

“I know,” said Lu Cong.

“Can we celebrate tonight?” Lin Xiangqi asked. “I want to buy a birthday cake. It’s not really my birthday yet, but we can celebrate that I—”

—came back to life.

He didn’t say the last few words, but Lu Cong understood what he meant. He nodded and said, “We’ll buy it after school.”

Lin Xiangqi lit up again, bouncing around in the already messy back row.

Lu Cong, worried he’d trip, reached out and held his hand.

…

The homeroom teacher was held up by something and hadn’t arrived yet, so the sports rep just had them practice the routine.

But after a while, the line got messy.

A lot of people started chatting and goofing off.

Near Lin Xiangqi’s diagonal, a group of students were already gossiping.

“Huh? Why’s Class 3 doing P.E. with us today?”

“No, their homeroom teacher gave up their own class period so they could practice their formation. Said they wanted to shine at their last high school sports day.”

“Wow, that’s kinda touching—wait, how do you know that? You dating someone from their class?”

“Hehehe.”

“No way! You are dating someone?!”

“Keep your voice down, don’t let Lu Cong hear. I only just confessed to her last night while we were texting.”

Someone grumbled, “Last week I passed a tiny note to Qiao Xi and got publicly scolded by the class president. And now you’re out here full-on dating with proof and everything?”

They weren’t being particularly quiet, and their voices would spike every now and then.

Lin Xiangqi hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but the word “puppy love” rang out loud and clear and hit his ears anyway.

He curled his lip in slight disdain.

Lin Xiangqi had a bit of a trauma when it came to those two words.

Last semester, he and Lu Cong had been falsely accused of being in a relationship thanks to that guy Chen Qiutian. As a result, they had to write two “No Puppy Love” pledge letters in the homeroom teacher’s office.

It hadn’t been Lin Xiangqi’s first time writing a self-reflection, but it was definitely the most exhausting one.

Because in the past, whenever he got into trouble, Lu Cong always wrote the reflection for him. He just had to copy it.

Lu Cong was great at writing—whether it was essays or self-reflections, he always scored full marks. His writing could instantly calm down an angry teacher.

Lin Xiangqi had never once worried about any self-reflection.

But this time, with the “No Puppy Love” pledge, even Lu Cong didn’t know how to begin.

That day, Lu Cong stared blankly at a sheet of white paper for a long time and couldn’t write a single word.

In the end, Lin Xiangqi couldn’t take it anymore. Feeling a sense of responsibility as if he had been chosen by the heavens, he rolled up his sleeves and decided to handle it himself.

He even joked with Lu Cong, saying, “What, you’ve run out of inspiration? Writing a pledge not to fall in love is way easier than writing one about skipping class! Watch this—I could write 3,000 words with my eyes closed. I’ll give you a copy when I’m done.”

Lu Cong didn’t respond—he just looked at him silently, either being cautious or skeptical.

Two hours later, Lin Xiangqi proudly handed over his freshly written, personally crafted pledge to Lu Cong.

“See? Not worse than the ones you write, right?”

But to his shock, Lu Cong tore it up.

He tore! It! Up!

Even now, the memory made Lin Xiangqi boil with anger.

What right did Lu Cong have to destroy his hard work?!

That was a heartfelt, meticulously written “No Puppy Love” pledge that took him two full hours to complete!

Lu Cong’s only comment was: “It’s not good.”

But Lin Xiangqi didn’t agree—how was it not good? He thought it was great!

Wasn’t it just a bunch of repetitive nonsense like, “I promise I’m not in a relationship with Lu Cong, I definitely won’t fall in love with Lu Cong, we’re only going to study hard and make progress every day”?

He wrote it so well—every sentence was loud and clear, every word sincere!

Lin Xiangqi firmly believed the issue wasn’t with his writing—it was just that Lu Cong’s standards were too high.

In the end, of course, Lu Cong ended up writing both versions himself, and Lin Xiangqi had to copy them.

Lu Cong’s wording was excellent as always, almost like a model essay for self-reflections. But the whole thing was filled with lofty, empty talk, mostly about respecting school rules and regulations.

The part actually related to “puppy love” was limited to the very last paragraph—

[I, Lu Cong;
I, Lin Xiangqi,
hereby promise that in the coming year we will attend classes seriously, focus on our studies, work hard to improve our grades, and make every effort to prepare for the college entrance exam. We vow not to engage in romantic relationships or any other activities unrelated to learning during this crucial time in our third year of high school.]

[Signatures attached.]

While copying it, Lin Xiangqi complained, “Yours isn’t even better than mine! You rambled on for 800 words before getting to the point, and the last line sounds so high and mighty. Why do you get to decide yours is better? Just because you always get full marks in essays, you think you can tear up my pledge?”

He kept grumbling for ages, but Lu Cong didn’t say a word.

Only after confirming that Lin Xiangqi had copied it exactly and didn’t change anything did Lu Cong finally sign his name in silence.

Even now, their homeroom teacher had probably long forgotten about the whole incident. But Lin Xiangqi still found it hilarious whenever he thought about the scene of them handing in that pledge in the office.

[Class rep! We’d like to report someone! Someone in our class is in a relationship!]

Lin Xiangqi was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts by a loud shout.

A few boys who had just been joking around now raised their hands, eager to report their buddy.

“Dude, don’t mess around… Hey, hey!”

“Hmph! Being single is sad enough, but watching a friend fall in love is even more painful. I can’t stand it anymore. Today, we must break up the couple—Class rep! Lu Cong! Someone’s in a relationship—aren’t you going to do something?!”

Since the teacher wasn’t around, everyone dared to be this loud and chaotic.

But judging by past experience, this was exactly the kind of situation where Lu Cong would step up to act on behalf of the homeroom teacher.

Lu Cong’s reputation as the class’s enforcer against romance had already become deeply rooted. The bystanders quickly quieted down, ready to watch the drama unfold.

Even Lin Xiangqi couldn’t help glancing over at Lu Cong, curious about how he’d handle it.

Meanwhile, the very proud Tong Wei—who had just announced his relationship—was now trembling with fear.

He regretted it. Deeply regretted it.

He should never have shown off!

If Lu Cong found out about a relationship, it was no different from the teacher or his parents finding out. His budding teenage romance was about to be uprooted on the very day it sprouted!

Tong Wei was filled with dread. He didn’t even dare lift his head to look at Lu Cong.

He silently prayed that Lu Cong hadn’t heard them, or if he had, that he’d just brush it off like they were joking.

Unfortunately, his prayers weren’t answered.

Not only had Lu Cong heard them, but he also turned in their direction and calmly asked, “Who’s in a relationship?”

As soon as he spoke, everyone else went quiet. They didn’t want to get dragged in—suddenly they all looked guilty.

Most of them were just trying to rile up Tong Wei for fun, not actually intending to be snitches.

But there’s always that one or two people—either too dense or too eager for attention—who blurted out Tong Wei’s name without a second thought:

“It’s him, class rep! Tong Wei! He’s dating a girl from Class Three!”

Tong Wei’s face turned green. He looked awkward and shrank into himself, his mind racing through excuses and lies—but deep down he knew that if Lu Cong decided to press him, there was no way he’d get away with it.

Just when he was overwhelmed with panic and sure he was doomed, he suddenly heard Lu Cong speak again—his tone light and even a bit amused:

“Oh? Then congratulations.”

Tong Wei: “?”

Other students: “???”