A week later, Meng Chen’s eyes had recovered enough for him to see blurry objects. The first thing he did was visit the hospital room where he had stayed before. After all, they were long-term ward-mates, and that person had saved his life several times.
However, when he arrived, the room was already vacant.
“Beta” seemed to have left.
Ever since Meng Chen woke up, Zeng Lin had not appeared before him again.
He didn’t dare.
He was afraid of being disliked or rejected by Meng Chen—although that was the most likely outcome.
Meng Chen said he wouldn’t waste any more time with him.
Meng Chen said he truly didn’t like him anymore.
He had prepared himself, yet the moment Meng Chen woke up, he suddenly lost the courage to stand by his side.
Meng Chen was the “Little Prince.”
He was the “Fox” tamed by Meng Chen.
A month later, winter came gradually.
When Meng Chen was discharged, the yellow leaves had fallen all over the ground, only to be swept up by the wind and scattered in the air.
Perhaps his luck had turned, for Meng Chen felt that he had been quite lucky since his discharge.
Meng Chen worked at a coffee shop, and the manager treated him well.
On December 7th, a heavy rain fell. By chance, he forgot to bring an umbrella, but just as he was about to dash out, a little boy tugged at his clothes—handing him a “charity umbrella.”
On December 10th, Meng Chen luckily managed to buy his favorite pastry.
On December 22nd, Meng Chen’s checkup showed his artificial gland had almost perfectly matched his body.
This was the third time Meng Chen encountered that strange man whose back resembled Zeng Lin’s.
Zeng Lin—that name brought him both pain and joy.
Regarding the “beta” who appeared later in the hospital, he had always been puzzled.
Like the similar scar on his index finger.
Or the subconscious way he steadied Meng Chen.
Or perhaps the occasional muffled sobs when the “beta” couldn’t hold back his tears. Sometimes, Meng Chen pretended to be asleep while listening to the person in the other bed crying in a suppressed, desperate manner. But as soon as Meng Chen made a sound, the person would immediately fall silent—the “beta” grieved for him, not wanting Meng Chen to notice, silently suffering.
Who would be so heartbroken for a complete stranger? Meng Chen couldn’t think of anyone but Zeng Lin.
Yet strangely, he had never detected any alpha pheromones from that person.
When Meng Chen caught a glimpse of that figure again, he didn’t hesitate to chase after him. Seeing the man running farther and farther away, Meng Chen gritted his teeth and purposefully stumbled.
Hearing the clumsy footsteps behind him, the man stopped and promptly caught Meng Chen before he fell.
Both were panting, but neither spoke. Meng Chen looked at that familiar face—the man had grown too thin, with dark circles under his eyes.
“I, I…” The man stuttered like a beginner in Mandarin, unable to form complete sentences.
“What are you doing here?” Meng Chen still wanted to ask.
“I, I just came to see you.”
“I’ll be over there, I won’t disturb you.”
The man pointed to a tree in the distance.
Zeng Lin still had one arm around Meng Chen, his movements slightly trembling.
“Chen Chen, I’ve missed you so much.”
“I can’t control my thoughts; you’re there when I open my eyes, you’re still there when I close them.”
“But I’m such a bastard, I’ve done so many stupid things.”
“I…I’ll leave in a bit. Chen Chen, just for a little while…”
Held in the man’s embrace, feeling his trembling, Meng Chen eventually sighed and loosely hugged him back, as if comforting him.
Scalding tears fell on the young man’s neck as the man suddenly said,
“Chen Chen, I was so afraid I’d never see you again.”
“Back then, I thought if anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself.”
When the young man was hospitalized, and critical condition notices kept coming, he had already bought a burial plot right behind the young man’s.
He didn’t dare stay beside the young man, yet missed him dearly, so he chose a spot not too close, not too far.
Back at Meng Chen’s place, Zeng Lin still hadn’t regained his composure.
Had Meng Chen forgiven him? Or did he just pity him? He didn’t dare to think about it.
“What’s the matter with your pheromones?” Meng Chen had wanted to ask for a long time.
“I…” The man hesitated.
Meng Chen pulled down the man’s hood, revealing a black pheromone blocking patch on his nape. But no patch could completely block pheromones, especially an S-class alpha’s.
Meng Chen had a vague guess in his heart.
“Can I?” Meng Chen tugged at a corner of the patch, looking into the man’s eyes.
“Mm.” The man averted his gaze and mumbled in response.
Beneath the patch was a long scar, sliced open by a scalpel. The man had removed his gland, losing an alpha’s glory.
In its place was an artificial gland, just like Meng Chen’s.
“Did it hurt?” Meng Chen’s fingers trembled slightly, guessing was one thing, but confirming the reality made his eyes well up.
“No, no, it didn’t hurt,” the man said frantically, seeing Meng Chen’s reddened eyes. “Just a little while, medical technology is so advanced now…”
But how could it not hurt? The gland is connected to complex neural network so close to the brain, anesthesia was impossible in such a case.
Back then, the man lay bound on the hospital bed, bound all over his body, enduring ten excruciating hours, waking from the pain again and again, only to black out from the agony.
But if he didn’t remove the gland, he might lose that person forever. Thinking of Meng Chen gave him the courage to persevere.
“Why didn’t you remove the scar?” Meng Chen asked.
Zeng Lin gazed into Meng Chen’s eyes, not answering, but his expression revealed the truth.
It was atonement, yet also regret. Meng Chen had suffered so much, something Zeng Lin couldn’t comprehend before, so he endured the same suffering to stand on equal ground, waiting for a turnaround.
He was no longer the high-ranking someone, he was just an ordinary traveler, longing to be loved, trudging through the thorns, waiting for a glance back.
“Are you stupid?” Meng Chen’s tears finally fell, scorching and searing.
—–The End.
Raine: There is still one extra before this series ends.
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