On the way back, Xiao Can sorted out the information he had obtained amidst all the chaos today and roughly put together the whole story.
That day at the hotel, someone with ill intentions hid drugs in the flowers and placed them in He Xingzhou’s room.
He Xingzhou was influenced by drugs and completely entered a state of loss of control.
Because the door was not closed properly at that time, he was attracted by the scent of his pheromones and entered his room. Afterwards, he was influenced by the pheromones, and the two of them got entangled.
He Xingzhou briefly lost consciousness, and when he left, it seemed that he did not close the door properly, causing Tan Zhen to experience the same experience as him.
He Xingzhou was confused throughout the process and did not realize that there was a change in person in between.
When he woke up, Tan Zhen had not left yet, and after that, they decided to start dating.
Looking at it this way, he seemed to be an incredibly unlucky person.
It’s unclear what Tan Zhen thought about all this—whether he already had feelings for He Xingzhou, or because he was marked and decided to give up on it, or simply because he thought He Xingzhou was beneficial to him.
The last option sounds a bit despicable, but Xiao Can completely understood.
In fact, after publicly announcing his relationship with He Xingzhou, Tan Zhen did receive a great deal of attention and his career soared.
Xiao Can pondered, it seemed that he had missed out on a great opportunity.
After all, with his relationship with He Xingzhou, simply collaborating would be enough to attract attention. If the two suddenly announced their relationship, it would definitely be an exciting and explosive news that would excite everyone.
Xiao Can didn’t want a relationship, but didn’t mind using it for publicity.
However, if it required him to actually get engaged to He Xingzhou, he would politely decline.
He’d rather marry Charlie than He Xingzhou.
It’s pointless to think about these assumptions now that everything was done. He resigned himself to accepting this loss and could only accept it.
More important than the impossible assumptions was another matter he cared about.
When he went out at noon, he was extremely upset, but now, his emotions had become very stable.
During his interaction with He Xingzhou just now, although his emotions fluctuated dramatically, his thoughts were basically clear and he didn’t feel as out of it as he had been for the past few days.
Thinking back to his experience during the last recording session, he vaguely realized that it seemed to be related to He Xingzhou.
After returning home, he tried searching online and got the expected answer.
Apart from incomplete marking, an Omega might fall into a hormonal imbalance after marking due to various reasons. At such times, the pheromones of their own Alpha were the best comfort.
Even the extremely subtle amount of pheromones naturally secreted in daily life, which was difficult to detect, could affect the Omega.
In other words, his previous feeling of improvement wasn’t because of medication but because of dealing with He Xingzhou.
This annoying Alpha was more effective for him than medication.
This was truly unfortunate.
In the short term, he wouldn’t have the opportunity to meet He Xingzhou again.
It seemed that he could only endure it.
When Xiao Can made the decision, his body felt light, his mind was clear, and his mood was calm. He felt that there were no difficulties he couldn’t overcome.
Two days later, when he felt dizzy and his head was buzzing with noise, his thoughts completely changed.
Since he already knew He Xingzhou’s address, why not just ambush him?
Just squat outside He Xingzhou’s house for a while and maybe he could catch a bit of pheromones. If he was discovered, he could say he was missing Charlie.
This idea was too absurd, and he certainly wouldn’t actually do it.
Troubles never come singly. While he was suffering from physical discomfort, one trouble after another popped up.
A while ago, he felt obligated to Mr. Ma’s nephew as a friend at the dinner table because of social etiquette.
This Alpha, who was currently attending university, almost messaged him every day, being overly enthusiastic and oblivious to Xiao Can’s perfunctory responses and lack of boundaries.
Xiao Can had a close relationship with Baitao, and they would continue to cooperate in the future, so he had to reluctantly deal with it. He would reply every three days with two sentences, one of which would always be, “I was busy just now.”
This Alpha occasionally boasted to him, like sending a photo of a sports car and then saying, “I’ll take you for a ride when I have the chance.”
Xiao Can couldn’t help but sarcastically reply, “It looks just like the one Mr. Ma drives.”
The other party replied matter-of-factly, “My uncle has no children, so sooner or later, it will be mine.”
Xiao Can just wanted to roll his eyes.
This guy was just annoying, but another trouble made Xiao Can feel extremely bitter.
His mother contacted him again and told him that “Xiao Yi” had already bought a plane ticket and would arrive the following week. Before that, remember to find a suitable place for this 28-year-old Alpha to stay.
“An Alpha?” Xiao Can was so annoyed that he felt dizzy. “You want an Alpha to live with me? Are you crazy?”
“You can just rent a house for him. You said you’re busy now. He’s also looking for a job, so you can let him work for you. It’s a win-win situation!” His mother spoke confidently.
“I don’t want to talk to you.” Xiao Can said and directly hung up the phone.
Ten minutes later, he received a call from his father.
Unlike his assertive mother, his father, as a Beta, always appeared gentle, spoke slowly and calmly, and was sincere in his attitude.
But he was always on the same page as his spouse.
He sighed on the phone and asked Xiao Can why he always made his mother angry. He said he knew Xiao Can was working hard, but he still hoped that he could consider the elders more. After all, his mother cared a lot about her face. Once she agreed to something and then changed her mind, it would be harder than killing her. Finally, he added, “I’m begging you on behalf of your mother, okay?”
Xiao Can was helpless.
“Okay, I can temporarily find a place for him to settle,” he told his father, “but since it was your decision, I’ll deduct all the expenses from the monthly living expenses I send you.”
He didn’t lack that bit of money, but he couldn’t swallow his pride and wanted to teach his mother a lesson so she wouldn’t keep finding trouble for him.
“Why are you being so calculative now?” His father asked.
“I’ve always been very particular,” Xiao Can said.
It’s just that he didn’t show it in the past.
From a very young age, he learned to hide his favorite toys in the corner under the bed, eat his favorite snacks right away, tidy up everything on the table when guests came, and never share anything with visiting children in front of his parents.
Even so, it didn’t stop his mother from casually giving him things. If he showed any displeasure, he might even get beaten.
Under the years of parental education, he became more and more calculating.
A few days later, the legendary “Xiao Yi” arrived.
Xiao Can drove to the train station to pick him up, and upon meeting him, couldn’t help but secretly wonder if he had remembered the person’s second gender wrong.
Xiao Can himself was a rather tall Omega, and Xiao Yi stood next to him, with almost no height difference.
Unlike Xiao Can, who was dealing with him in a perfunctory manner, Xiao Yi was in high spirits, talking non-stop all the way, saying he wanted to become an internet celebrity, emphasizing his talent, and stating that finding an ordinary 9-to-5 job like everyone else would completely waste his talent.
“I just don’t have enough traffic right now,” he told Xiao Can, “but if you take me under your wing, I’ll definitely become popular.”
Contemporary netizens have a strong curiosity, and all sorts of strange things on the internet have the potential to become popular. Xiao Can didn’t dare to make any casual comments and just laughed it off.
When they arrived at the arranged accommodation, Xiao Yi took the initiative to share his work and eagerly invited Xiao Can to appreciate it.
Xiao Can reluctantly watched it, and faced with Xiao Yi’s expectant eyes, he didn’t know how to express his opinion decently.
Awkward, rough, amateurish, meaningless, inexplicable, without any appeal.
“Isn’t it talented and full of artistic expression?” Xiao Yi said proudly. “If we collaborate, with some exposure, I can definitely become popular.”
“Our styles are too different,” Xiao Can said. “It might not be suitable.”
“It’s okay, I’m very adaptable and versatile. Whatever you require, I can fulfill,” Xiao Yi confidently said.
“Really impressive,” Xiao Can said expressionlessly.
Xiao Yi waved his hand grandly, “Don’t worry, once I become famous, I’ll collaborate with you for free!”
“No rush, you just arrived. Take a rest first and let’s discuss it later,” Xiao Can said. “I have other matters to attend to. We can talk about it later if there’s a chance.”
As he escaped from Xiao Yi’s accommodation, Xiao Can felt extremely grateful that Xiao Yi’s place wasn’t near his own home.
He didn’t dare to guarantee that Xiao Yi’s bizarre video style definitely wouldn’t become popular. After all, the internet is full of miracles, and no one knows when the next opportunity will arise.
And with his current level of popularity, even if he collaborated with a maggot, it would certainly attract a lot of traffic.
But he really didn’t want to owe this favor.
Aside from being embarrassing, with Xiao Yi’s mental state, if he became famous, who knows what inappropriate things he might do. If any scandals were to arise, it would implicate him as well.
Feeling upset, he returned home, and on the elevator, he received a call from Tan Zhen.
Seeing Tan Zhen’s name, Xiao Can’s mood became extremely complicated.
Tan Zhen’s tone over the phone sounded very cheerful, “Have you listened to the song? Our voices match so well!”
“The song?” Xiao Can quickly realized what the other person was talking about. “Not yet, is it ready?”
“Haven’t sent it to you yet? Maybe they still want to make some adjustments…” Tan Zhen said, “Let me send it to you, have a listen!”
Xiao Can guessed that it was probably a song He Xingzhou had privately let him listen to.
“Oh, okay,” he nodded.
After returning home, Xiao Can quickly received the music file sent by Tan Zhen.
After clicking play, his original nervousness quickly turned into surprise and excitement.
Tan Zhen sent a message.
-“How is it? Don’t we match perfectly?”
Xiao Can felt a little ashamed for a moment.
The post-production was too strong. At first listen, there was hardly any difference between him and Tan Zhen, and they blended together perfectly.
With the arrangement, the whole song was fresh and moving, simply a masterpiece.
Seeing that he didn’t reply, Tan Zhen sent a very happy emoticon package and asked him again:
-“Are you captivated?”
Xiao Can replied with embarrassment:
-“I feel like I’m cheating.”
Tan Zhen sent a laughing emoticon, and then asked:
-“Do you have time tonight?”
