Chapter 46
Bai Yan hooked the man’s finger and secretly pulled him toward him.
But the Alpha was as if rooted to the spot, as stiff as a stone. No matter how much force he used, he didn’t move an inch.
The young man finally gave up. He tightened his grip on the man’s little finger and shook it gently. His soft lips parted and he said softly.
“Mr. Pei, were you just confessing to me?”
The man’s mind went blank, his pupils trembling. As if in a dream, he let the young man take his hand and slowly turn him around.
The man looked back in a daze and saw that the Omega in the hospital bed was already in tears.
His almost pure white hair rested on his forehead. The young man’s eyes and the tip of his nose were red from crying. Against his pale skin, it created a startling beauty.
But the Omega was completely unaware. He looked up, his moist, red eyes shimmering with water, his soft lips trembling as he tried to force a smile.
He shook their joined hands and said in a hoarse voice, “You haven’t even heard my answer. Why are you leaving?”
Before he could finish, a few more crystal-clear teardrops welled up at the corners of his red-rimmed eyes and rolled down his cheeks.
Before Pei Tingyu’s reason could react, he had already reflexively crouched down. His hooked fingers quickly slipped between Bai Yan’s, and they clasped hands.
His other hand rose, trembling, and the pad of his thumb touched the young man’s face, gently wiping away the shimmering tears at the corners of his eyes.
The Alpha’s eyes unconsciously turned red. His low, magnetic voice was extremely hoarse. “Then, may I know the answer?”
The young man blinked his hazy, tear-filled eyes. Even though his vision was blurry, he tried his best to see the man’s face clearly.
He looked directly into Pei Tingyu’s dark eyes and didn’t speak. Instead, he raised their clasped hands, and his other hand, with the IV drip, also pressed against his cheek, nuzzling it gently.
A smile touched Bai Yan’s lips, his lashes trembling uncontrollably. His soft voice was tinged with tears. “Mr. Pei, you already know.”
“I like you too, Mr. Pei. I want to be your lover, for more than just the three years of the agreement.”
His voice trembled as he asked, word by word, “Xian sheng, xian sheng, will you be my lover for the rest of my life?”
He didn’t know when, but the trust and dependence in the name of family had suddenly changed.
He would suddenly feel sad when he couldn’t smell the warm orange blossom scent. He would feel a longing when he didn’t see the familiar figure at Yǎyuán.
When Mr. Pei looked at him with a gentle gaze, his heart would pound uncontrollably, and he would instinctively crave more.
He wanted to see his husband every day. He wanted his husband to only smile at him. He selfishly hoped that his husband would forget the three-year agreement and wanted to be with him forever and ever.
He wanted his husband to love him.
How fortunate he was that the person he loved also loved him.
The more than ten years of wandering and being adrift suddenly didn’t seem so bitter anymore.
Because he knew that for the rest of his life, for many years to come, someone would always be there to catch him.
The young man tried his best to maintain the smile on his face, but the tears were like a broken string of pearls, constantly welling up from his eyes, instantly blurring his vision.
Pei Tingyu cupped his face, his gaze always focused, his movements gentle, as if holding the only treasure in the world.
The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty. He answered in a trembling voice, “It would be my honor.”
His eyes were red. He let out a light chuckle and said deliberately, “And you say you’re not a little rabbit. You look even more like one when you cry.”
The young man lowered his lashes and wiped his eyes messily with the back of their joined hands, pouting pitifully as he mumbled, “I’m happy, happy.”
The Omega lowered his gaze in embarrassment, wanting to withdraw his hand. His eyes froze. A flash of white seemed to fly past his eyes.
Before he could see clearly, the Alpha in front of him suddenly stood up and pulled him into his arms. Pei Tingyu held the back of the young man’s neck, his other hand clenched into a fist, hovering over the young man’s back.
A kiss as light as a dragonfly’s touch landed in Bai Yan’s hair. After a long moment, the young man could feel a moist warmth dripping onto the top of his head.
“I know. Me too, my Yanyan.”
The usually calm and indifferent man had lost his composure for the first time in front of his lover.
Thank you, thank you for being willing to love me, my precious.
Fate had finally smiled on him.
He had thought he would be cast back into the cold hell, but he had never expected to be welcomed into heaven.
The warm, bitter orange blossom pheromones lingered at the tip of his nose. The nerves in Bai Yan’s back slowly relaxed, and he quietly pressed against the Alpha’s firm, strong chest.
The jasmine happily leaped into the orange blossom’s embrace, securely enveloped.
Thump—thump—
The man’s heartbeat showed his uncalm mood. The high-frequency heartbeat sounded in his ear, but Bai Yan couldn’t stop crying. He was very happy, and also very wronged.
Is this the taste of happiness?
Happy that you’re finally here, and wronged that you took so long to come.
I’ve been waiting for you, waiting for you for so, so long.
But it’s okay. We can finally walk the road ahead together.
…
A nurse gently knocked on the door of the hospital room and came in to remove the IV needle from Bai Yan’s hand.
The young man’s hand was too pale, the pale blue veins clearly visible beneath his skin.
The man watched as red blood seeped from the back of the young man’s hand. It was a shocking sight, and his heart ached.
But Bai Yan was used to it. He skillfully pressed a cotton swab to the wound, a smile on his lips as he offered the Alpha a sweet, obedient smile. “It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
The young man had a check-up in the afternoon. Pei Tingyu had originally wanted to stay in the hospital room, but the accompanying secretary had rushed in to report that something had come up at the company and needed the CEO’s immediate attention.
Pei Tingyu’s face was displeased. He was just about to call Song Jian to postpone the agenda when Bai Yan pressed his hand.
The young man’s eyes curved into a smile, his eyes still slightly red from crying. But he said seriously in a soft voice, “Mr. Pei, you go to work. I’ll be fine on my own.”
The man’s gaze was gentle, but he sighed to himself. He knew his precious didn’t want to trouble him again.
But he was still worried and reminded him, “Alright, I’ll have Auntie Chen come over. Don’t rush the check-up, and also, um…”
“Mr. Pei,” Bai Yan said, both amused and exasperated. He quickly raised his hand to cover the man’s thin lips.
The Omega’s moist, shimmering eyes were sincere, as if he were about to swear to the heavens. “I’m an adult. I really can take care of myself.”
The end of the young man’s voice was like a little hook, sounding like he was acting coquettishly.
“Alright.” A gentle smile appeared in the Alpha’s eyes, but he placed a soft kiss on the palm of the young man’s hand.
Watching Bai Yan snatch his hand back with a swoosh, his cheeks instantly flushing a deep red, Pei Tingyu winked mischievously and asked teasingly, “Are you still going to call me Mr. Pei?”
The man’s sharp, cold features were incredibly gentle, his low, magnetic, and sexy voice vibrating against the young man’s eardrums. “Can you not be so distant in the future, Yanyan?”
After the Alpha left, the young man still hadn’t come back to his senses. He clutched his pounding heart as if it had been struck and fell into the bed, slowly wiggling deep into the covers, forming a white dumpling on the bed.
Mr. Pei, please stop exuding your charm immediately!
Otherwise, my heart really won’t be able to take it.
After a long moment, a few muffled chuckles escaped from the white dumpling.
So this is the happiness the books talk about. My heart is so full, it’s about to overflow.
…
When Lin Yu learned that Bai Yan was hospitalized, he rushed over from school that afternoon.
Bai Yan took the seaweed crackers he threw at him, feeling a little guilty, and leaned weakly against the pillow in the hospital bed.
Lin Yu was busy with his baker’s certification exam, and he hadn’t even told him what had happened at school.
And now he was unexpectedly hospitalized again. Bai Yan hung his head in dejection, already prepared to face his friend’s questioning.
As expected, Lin Yu’s face was dark as he berated Bai Yan. “And here I was, remembering you don’t like IV drips and your mouth gets bitter, so I specially brought you crackers.”
“And you, you hid so much from me! Do you still consider me a friend? If I hadn’t been able to contact you and had to go to your husband’s assistant, when were you planning to tell me?”
With every word Lin Yu said, Bai Yan’s head sank a little lower. Hearing his friend’s rising volume, he worried about his ears and quickly took his hand.
He defended himself in a small voice, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s my fault. Forgive me, okay? Old rule, I’ll let you try new flavors when I’m better, how about that?”
He explained the whole story to his friend in a few words. The Beta’s face grew uglier and uglier. Only after hearing that the person who had spread the rumors would face jail time did he relax his clenched fists.
He gritted his teeth resentfully. “So it was this Beta who has been spreading rumors behind your back since you started university, which is why you have a bad reputation at your school?”
Bai Yan nodded obediently. “The school has already issued a statement to clarify. As for Cen Yang, I also plan to continue to sue him through legal channels.”
“I’ve done what I should. As for whether they believe it or not, I don’t care.”
Lin Yu was still not appeased. He raised his chin, still a little worried, but still pretending to be angry, and asked stiffly, “You’re not thinking of letting that Beta go, are you?”
“Of course not,” Bai Yan shook his head and said matter-of-factly, “Since he’s done it so many times, he should have thought of the consequences of being exposed.”
“Besides, I’m not the only one he’s spread rumors about. If I let him go this time, who will seek justice for the other victims?”
Lin Yu ruffled his friend’s hair and said with relief, “That’s right. That’s the A-Yan I know.”
He glanced at the needle mark on the young man’s hand, and his angry expression couldn’t be maintained. He asked awkwardly, “Then what was the reason for your hospitalization this time?”
Bai Yan’s action of opening the crackers paused. His hand suddenly closed around the plastic bag.
Amidst the rustling sound, a hint of shyness flashed in the young man’s eyes. He said slowly, “Dr. Li said my gland might be undergoing a second development. It might… be upgraded to a 3A or S-class.”
“What?” The oblivious Beta boy’s face immediately showed a look of surprise.
“That’s great news! If you upgrade your level, your physical constitution will also be strengthened! You definitely won’t get sick so easily in the future.”
An Omega’s pheromone level is determined at presentation and rarely undergoes a second development under external stimulation, let alone an upgrade in level, which is even rarer.
Li Xiaoxiao had said that his situation was special. He had presented late, and his gland was still in a state of development. Therefore, under the stimulation of highly compatible pheromones, there was a possibility of a second development.
But…
Bai Yan hesitated, blushing as he glanced at his friend.
Unfortunately, Lin Yu was so happy that he completely missed the complex expression on the young man’s face. “That’s great. We’ve both finally made it through the hard times.”
“Let the past be the past! I’m sure I’ll have no problem with my baker’s exam this time. After I graduate, I’ll find a cake shop to be an apprentice, save some money and experience, and in a few years, I can open my own shop.”
“Then I can bring my own little cakes back to see the director and the children.”
Bai Yan looked at his excited friend, his lips moving. But in the end, it was too hard to say. He clenched the crackers in his hand and secretly buried his shyness in his heart.
But Sister Xiaoxiao’s words couldn’t help but flash in his mind.
“The only way to upgrade your level is to be continuously and completely marked by a highly compatible Alpha.”
The beautiful female Alpha had smiled, but the words she said were not so innocent.
“My dear boy, your heat this time will probably be very intense. You need to be prepared.”
