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HOYSE CHAPTER 62
Chapter 62 — Moved
Some things are fine as long as you do not think about them. Once you do, they spin out of control.
Those few times before, they almost lost control, yet Rong Jing always managed to stop in time. Afterward he acted very calm, his eyes on him full of pity and gentleness, but nothing more than that. Desire? Feelings? Empty.
Back at the first marking, Gu Xi had sensed Rong Jing hesitate for a heartbeat. The pull between their information scents was too strong, so that hesitation was brief. After that, he had successfully coaxed Rong Jing into his pocket.
There were moments when Gu Xi wished his powers of observation were not so sharp, because more and more details kept flooding his mind. Calm down, Gu Xi. Nothing is confirmed, so do not jump to conclusions.
Gu Feng had just tried to say something when Gu Xi shut him down in his head: shut up.
Gurgle.
Liu Yu noticed Gu Xi drain the paper cup of warm water in one go, squeezing it so hard it crumpled out of shape. What happened, who provoked their precious golden treasure?
Right now the person running lines with Xia Manni was none other than Rong Jing.
In the original novel, the pairing of Fu Qianming and Consort De was a major draw. A high-ranking consort and a eunuch locked in a tug-of-war between power and sentiment: one who initially wanted nothing more than a little plaything to ease her boredom, only to grow unexpectedly attached.
The other, a spy planted by the Seventh Prince Shao Hua, who was never fully committed to his mission, intending instead to leverage Consort De’s influence to climb the political ladder and become a power in his own right. Both characters had layers of ambition, vulnerability, and conflict.
Plenty of depth to explore.
Rong Jing’s command of lines was, frankly, as astonishing as his acting. No wonder he had formal training. Liu Yu could feel the approving glances from several veteran actors. He had come prepared with two backup newbies, but it looked like he had worried too much. As long as there was no camera lens pointed straight in his face, Rong Jing was the best choice for Fu Qianming.
Only, Gu Xi’s attitude looked off.
Liu Yu thought: I only told them to act like strangers on the surface. Why does it feel like there is a real problem now? How are we supposed to shoot all those intimate scenes later? Turn a faceoff into an assassination?
Whenever he had no lines, Rong Jing would zone out a little. He glanced at Gu Xi, who stood out under everyone’s gaze. Gu Xi was still cool and distant to everyone, which was normal.
Rong Jing lowered his head and opened his notes. He had written out the specifics of temporary marking there. He had no experience in this and was not a native of this world, so he worried about doing a bad job and leaving Gu Xi with a shadow. Every time, though, it remained theory on paper. In reality, once Gu Xi’s scent hit him he was half drunk on it. Both times he had been a bit rough and Gu Xi had endured him.
By the time the table read ended, the internet already had rumors that Gu Xi and the newcomer in the new drama were not getting along. Some public accounts had plenty of comments from passersby:
“Feels like ever since Gu Xi decided to cancel his contract with that garbage old company, he started letting go.”
“Gu Xi used to be too perfect. This is more real.”
“He must have endured to the limit. The old company kept bleeding him for their rookies. He finally does not have to raise children anymore.”
“Am I the only one who thinks the newcomer is insanely good-looking?”
The two fandoms that had been bickering fell silent at the same time. On Gu Xi’s side, Mo Dian contacted the major fan leaders, asking them to focus on promoting their own idol’s work. On Rong Jing’s side, he did not need Gu Xi the group owner to say anything. The few founding fans already knew they were outnumbered, and as long as Xi-fans did not start something, they certainly would not.
It felt like a tacit truce. Neither side fanned flames and both promoted the new film. Unfortunately, Xun Jiarui’s fans then joined the fray. They said Gu Xi had no eye for talent and had picked some newbie who knew nothing. Just wait for the movie to flop. The entire industry was in an ice age. Did he think he was a pickaxe? On the other side, they said Rong Jing was a disgrace to the Film Academy who could not even handle stage plays. What role could he possibly act? He would just ruin it.
That set both fandoms off, their anger suddenly aligned against Xun Jiarui’s fans.
Xi-fans: it is clearly the director’s choice. What does this have to do with our Xi Xi? You are obviously looking for trouble. Come on then, we have never been afraid.
Jing-fans: our guy is gorgeous and talented. Did you not see the official account confirm Rong Jing? If he was not up to it, why was he not replaced? Everyone has some black marks. Stop digging up ancient history and droning on.
As if to back Jing-fans up, several credible accounts expressed optimism aboutat the end :') Royal Power
That evening, Rong Jing went outside the film city. The weather had turned cool, especially in the suburbs, and the wind was strong. There were not many pedestrians. Occasionally someone passed by.
He looked at Gu Xi’s WeChat reply, thinking about that word “kept.” He hadn’t taken it seriously. Gu Xi had never gone in for that sort of thing. Even those scumbag gongs hadn’t gotten anywhere with their threats and tricks. He didn’t have piles of cash anyway.
The whole idea was laughable.
What actually mattered was that Gu Xi’s heat was acting up. He remembered that ordinary Omegas went into heat about once every six months. He was already planning to take Gu Xi to a pheromone specialist.
He had already used the Xie family’s family doctor to make a late-night appointment with a friend who handled emergencies. The family doctor had said Gu Xi’s situation could not be evaluated by a regular checkup. You could not see much with just a look. He needed proper instruments in a proper hospital. Rong Jing decided there was no time like the present.
A street barbecue cart pulled up nearby. It was a father and son team. The son took orders and payments while the father manned the grill. The smell tempted Rong Jing, but earlier that day the assistant director had brought a digital scale to set, inviting anyone who wanted to weigh themselves to step on, reminding them not to get fat and go off-camera. Afterward Rong Jing discovered with sorrow that he had… gained weight.
The AD said sternly, “Our Fu Qianming is sometimes refined, sometimes petty, sometimes devious, sometimes flamboyant. He is complicated. Most importantly, he is thin.”
Rong Jing looked once, then again. He wanted to eat, but he was fat now.
The kid at the cart noticed his glances and smiled. “Brother, want some?”
Rong Jing wore a mask. The kid had seen plenty of celebrities out here by the film city. He knew the type.
Well, since he insisted, I should buy something. He hesitated and then hesitated again, wondering what to get. Not far away, under the mellow streetlight, a tall lean man was watching him, eyes curved like a crescent moon. He was probably smiling.
Now he was truly embarrassed. Who knew how long Gu Xi had been watching him.
“Boss, one candied haw skewers.” Rong Jing decided to just buy it and then run five laps to work it off.
“Sure, what flavor?”
“Original.” Candied hawthorn was the soul of it.
The kid bagged the skewer. Gu Xi walked over and stood beside Rong Jing. Their temperament together drew looks. “You two are celebs, right? So envious. You must get to see my idol.”
Rong Jing asked, “Who is your idol?”
The kid scratched his head and shyly showed his phone. The lock screen was Gu Xi.
Gu Xi asked, “If you met your idol, what would you want him to say to you?”
“Thanks for your business. Fifteen yuan.” The kid took the chance to answer. “I hope he would wish me luck on my second try at the college entrance exam and that I get into my dream school.”
The kid’s hands were busy with other customers, so he did not notice Gu Xi take the pen from Rong Jing’s breast pocket. It was the one he used for signing documents. Sometimes Zhou You would bring paperwork over, and Rong Jing would sign it on the spot, so he had picked up Xie Ling’s habit of keeping a pen there.
Gu Xi’s fingers brushed lightly over Rong Jing’s shirt, and the muscles on Rong Jing’s chest tensed.
Gu Xi tore a slip from a small notebook, scrawled something, tucked it in with the cash, and handed it over. The kid did not look closely. He set it aside while he tended the grill.
Only after the two of them got in the car did a shout erupt behind them, full of joy. Rong Jing could not help laughing. “You make dreams.”
Gu Xi glanced at him. “So do you.” You are my dream maker, the one close yet far.
Rong Jing thought he meant the acting profession. He opened the bag, pulled out the skewer, and offered it to Gu Xi.
Gu Xi wanted a bite. Rong Jing was about to hand it over when Gu Xi leaned across the small gap between them and with Rong Jing still holding it, took a bite.
The moment those red lips closed over the glossy hawthorn, Rong Jing froze, hand no longer his own. In that instant, Gu Xi was like a siren, born to enchant.
“Thanks,” Gu Xi said.
At the hospital they took his temperature, registered, and waited. It was late, so there were not many patients. Soon it was their turn. The doctor, a friend of the Xie family physician, listened carefully and wrote out slips for an MRI and several blood tests.
After studying the results, the doctor asked tactfully, “When you went to the scent-matching center, did you match with a lot of Alphas?”
Gu Xi nodded. “Ninety-nine.”
The doctor: “!!!” Are you human?
If he did not have medical ethics, he would have posted this to a pheromone forum already. These days, more than ten matches counted as high-grade. Ninety-nine… How fierce must those heats be? Would you drain your Alpha dry?
He looked over at Rong Jing like he was a perpetual-motion machine.
Rong Jing: “?”
“Is he your boyfriend?” the doctor asked.
Gu Xi: “No… no, just a friend. He came with me.”
The doctor gave the pair a thoughtful look. “Doctor, please be direct,” Rong Jing said, pressing a hand on Gu Xi’s shoulder in a reassuring way. “Is this serious?”
“The MRI looks fine. On the CBC, the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein is elevated. You have some inflammation. Do not keep using inhibitors, otherwise your pheromones will become even more disordered. Also, this is probably not something your school teachers ever covered, since it is extremely rare. The purer the pheromones, the bigger the trouble during heat. If there is no marking or no intimacy, the pain can be severe, bad enough to feel like dying.”
“Is there any way to ease it?”
“If you don’t mind the side effects, we can manage it with isolation and inhibitors. But if you want to avoid suffering, well at your apparent level, I can’t even classify you properly. Cases like yours are practically nonexistent in clinical records. Let’s call it S-rank for now.
Based on the typical S-rank profile, the only real solution is to have an Alpha with at least a 99% compatibility rate mark you. That would relieve the symptoms. The best course of action is to find that Alpha and proceed with matching and marking.”
Silence. They had matched and they had marked, twice.
Rong Jing glanced at Gu Xi and saw he was very calm. The more tense Gu Xi was, the more he held himself rigid.
“I had no heat for a year and a half before this. Lately it came twice, roughly a week apart. Is that normal?” Gu Xi asked.
“Of course not. That may be related to your pheromone disorder. After adulthood, heats are on a fixed cycle. They do not suddenly increase in frequency, otherwise no one could live. Unless you have been marked for life, and then it is a new calculation. I will prescribe you some medication for now. If this keeps happening, come back for more in-depth testing.”
As they were leaving, the doctor watched their backs. “Actually, there is another possibility…”
Legend says that for the most top-tier Omega, once the heart is moved, heat comes once a week. It must be soothed by the Alpha who first marked him. The conditions are extremely strict, but that is only a legend. No one has ever seen it.
They left with bags of medicine. Gu Xi looked at them with a long face. Rong Jing said, “I will make sure you take them.” Slightly teasing reminder, like a parent to a kid who hates pills.
Gu Xi listlessly, “Oh.”
He added, “What if they do not help?”
“Then we come back.”
“I hate hospitals.”
“Hate them and we still come.”
The idle chatter continued until they drove into the underground garage at the hotel. A figure abruptly stepped in front of the car, and Zhou You hit the brakes. It was Qi Ying, the one who had been told he would be paid off today and had to leave at once. He dragged a suitcase, eyes brimming with tears as he stared at the car.
“Wuu…” he sobbed, squatting there, sobs catching in his throat.
Zhou You could not pull forward or back and looked awkwardly to Rong Jing. Rong Jing pressed his lips together. “I will get out and see. You stay in the car.”
Gu Xi had been mulling over the doctor’s unfinished thought. Seeing Qi Ying jolted something in him.
Who was Qi Ying? An ex.
Male. A male.
Just by watching how Rong Jing treated Qi Ying, he could analyze at least whether Rong Jing had any interest in male Omegas.
Gu Xi snapped upright like a carp leaping from the water. The fog in his head vanished. For one instant, he even found Qi Ying’s annoying face slightly less hateful. He leaned forward and through the windshield, stared intently at the two men outside.
Zhou You: “!”
My god, you scared me. So the fairy does listen to gossip after all!
Little Note(s):
I got a little fed up with how inconsistently the drama's title has been translated. 😭😭😭 Sometimes it's Sovereign or Sovereignty, then out of nowhere it's Imperium, Imperium Power, or Royal Power. For the sake of consistency and my own sanity, I’ve decided to stick with Sovereignty throughout.
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