"You don't usually call me at this late hour, unless it's an emergency." Cheung Qi asked over the noise.
"Is everything all right?"
Before Hei Bao could answer, another question came almost immediately.
"How's Gou Feng? Is he still with you? He had a headache earlier. Did you make him take any medicine?"
Hei Bao fell silent.
"He had a headache?"
"He didn't tell you?" Cheung Qi sounded genuinely surprised.
"Don't tell me you didn't notice how pale he looked earlier. He wasn't feeling well even before you arrived at the restaurant."
A brief pause followed.
"...Wait."
His voice turned serious.
"Did something happen? Is Gou Feng all right?"
Hei Bao instinctively turned to look through the glass doors leading back into the bedroom.
Even from where he stood on the balcony, he could picture the young man sleeping quietly beneath the blanket.
He slowly rubbed a hand over his face, as a bitter feeling settled in his chest.
So that's why...
He hadn't simply been distracted. He had already been unwell, and instead of noticing it...
I lost my temper, and even released my pheromones on him.
The realization settled heavily in Hei Bao's chest.
He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath.
Why did I lose my temper in the first place?
It's unlike him.
Hei Bao wasn't a man ruled by his emotions. Centuries of experience had taught him to remain composed, even in the face of provocation.
Yet today, he had lost control over Gou Feng. His patience had unraveled far more quickly than it should have.
Hei Bao's brows gradually drew together.
What is happening to me lately?
Was it exhaustion?
Stress? Was something wrong with him?
For the first time in years, the pact leader found himself questioning his own condition.
After a moment of silence, another thought surfaced.
Perhaps I should schedule a pheromone checkup.
His pheromones had always been stable.
If they were beginning to fluctuate without reason...
He couldn't afford to ignore it. As the Pact Leader, losing control wasn't merely his own problem. It could endanger everyone around him.
"...A-Bao?"
Cheung Qi's voice pulled him back.
"Are you still there?"
Hei Bao exhaled slowly.
"Yes."
"So?" Cheung Qi pressed.
"What happened?"
Hei Bao remained quiet for another moment before answering.
"Can you accompany me tomorrow?"
Cheung Qi frowned on the other end of the line.
"Accompany you? To go, where?"
"I want to have something checked."
His answer only deepened Cheung Qi's suspicion.
"What exactly do you want to check? I'm not agreeing to anything until you tell me clearly."
Hei Bao leaned against the balcony railing, his gaze drifting toward the moonlit garden below.
"My pheromones."
Cheung Qi's expression immediately hardened.
"What about them?"
Hei Bao closed his eyes briefly.
"I think they're becoming unstable again. Earlier, I lost my temper, and I released my pheromones… on Gou Feng."
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
Cheung Qi's voice exploded through the phone.
"A-Bao, have you lost your mind?! He was already sick, and you released your Alpha pheromones on him? You could've killed my kid! What were you thinking?"
Hei Bao pinched the bridge of his nose.
"He's your adopted son on paper," he corrected flatly.
"And your kid in every other way!" Cheung Qi shot back without missing a beat.
Hei Bao let out a weary sigh.
"I've already admitted I was wrong. Stop barking."
"Barking?" Cheung Qi repeated incredulously.
"You nearly sent my son to the emergency room, and you expect me not to bark?"
Hei Bao opened his mouth to argue before deciding against it.
Correcting Cheung Qi over the word 'son' would only drag the conversation further off course.
He let it go.
"Where is he now?" Cheung Qi demanded.
Hei Bao glanced toward the bedroom again.
"He's fast asleep. In my bedroom."
Cheung Qi blinked. For a moment, he wondered if he had misheard.
"...Come again?"
"He's asleep in my room." Hei Bao repeated calmly.
"What?!" A sharp inhale echoed through the speaker.
"Wake him up."
Hei Bao frowned.
"What?"
"I said wake him up!"
Cheung Qi nearly shouted into the phone.
"Why are you letting him sleep in your room? He still hasn't presented!"
He didn't even pause for breath.
"A-Bao, he's already twenty-one, and he still hasn't undergone his second presentation. No one knows whether he'll become an Alpha, a Beta, or an Omega." Cheung Qi continued.
"So?" Hei Bao replied, unfazed.
"So?" Cheung Qi nearly choked.
"Do you have any idea how many late presenters awaken without warning?"
Hei Bao remained silent, completely unconcerned.
"What if he suddenly presents as an Omega while he's sleeping beside you?" Cheung Qi continued.
"Do you have any idea what could happen?" His voice lowered into a grim mutter.
"And don't tell me you're confident your pheromones won't react. Even if you can control yourself, his instincts might not."
Hei Bao's brows lifted slightly as he genuinely considered his younger cousin's concern. After a brief moment, he answered with his usual calmness,
"He has a fever."
"What?"
That single sentence instantly took the wind out of Cheung Qi's sails.
"He collapsed earlier today, and part of it was my fault." Hei Bao explained.
"He was exhausted, and only managed to fall asleep after having a nightmare. That's why I can't move him to the other room. If I move him now, who would monitor your... Kid."
A long sigh drifted through the speaker.
The tension in Cheung Qi's voice eased considerably.
"...Why didn't you say that from the beginning?"
One of Hei Bao's eyes twitched.
"Because you wouldn't stop talking."
Cheung Qi awkwardly cleared his throat.
"...Fair enough."
A brief silence followed before he asked in a much calmer voice,
"So... is that why you called me? Do you want me to come over and take care of a-Feng?"
Hei Bao exhaled slowly.
"No. It's something else."
"All right. What is it?" Cheung Qi asked.
"I need you to tell Shen Jiu and Huan Zhan to come to my office tomorrow afternoon."
Cheung Qi blinked.
"What for?"
"I have something to discuss with them."
"...That's it?"
"Yes."
Cheung Qi stared at his phone for a second before letting out an exaggerated sigh.
"Good grief. You could've called them yourself."
Hei Bao's expression remained unchanged.
"Have you forgotten already?" he replied flatly.
"Those two switch off their phones before they sleep. Even if I called them now, neither of them would answer."
"...Right."
Cheung Qi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"My mistake. Your cousin's a little tipsy tonight." He chuckled.
"Fine. I'll call them tomorrow morning. Anything else?"
He took another sip of his drink before asking,
"Anything else?"
"That's all." Just as Hei Bao was about to end the call, Cheung Qi spoke again.
"Oh, right."
Hei Bao waited.
"What was with you earlier?"
His brows drew together.
"What are you talking about?"
"Hao Mingyu."
Cheung Qi leaned back in his seat, lazily swirling the liquor in his glass.
"What exactly is your deal with him? He seemed perfectly polite, but the moment he spoke to you, your mood changed."
He paused thoughtfully.
"I've never seen you react to someone like that before. I mean I have. Just not in a very long time."
Everyone else had been eager to make Hao Mingyu's acquaintance.
Only Hei Bao had looked as though he wanted the conversation to end as quickly as possible.
"So," Cheung Qi continued,
"what happened?"
The moment that name left his cousin's mouth, everything from earlier resurfaced.
Mate.
The word echoed inside his head once again.
Hei Bao closed his eyes and released a slow breath.
"...Right."
He had almost forgotten about it. After Gou Feng collapsed, every other concern had been pushed aside.
For a while, his mind had been occupied entirely by the young man's condition.
He had been grateful for that brief distraction. Unfortunately, his younger cousin had just reminded him.
A low growl rumbled deep within him.
Leo.
His inner wolf had become restless again.
The sound was faint, but Hei Bao understood it well enough.
It wasn't anger directed at anyone. It was impatience.
Could Hao Mingyu be the reason his pheromones had suddenly fallen into disarray?
Such reasoning is not far fetched actually. It could possibly be truly the reason.
Hei Bao opened his eyes.
"Can you do me a favor?"
Cheung Qi took another sip of liquor before answering,
"Go ahead."
"I want everything you can find on Hao Mingyu."
Cheung Qi lowered his glass.
"Everything?"
"Everything."
Hei Bao's voice remained calm.
"His background. His family. His work. His relationships. His movements. Leave nothing out."
Cheung Qi's expression gradually turned serious.
"...That's unusual. You suspect him of something?"
"...I'm trying to confirm something." Hei Bao answered.