Chapter 19
Yan Weiqiu was discharged from the hospital the next day.
The doctor advised him to rest, to minimize contact with Alphas for the time being, and to let his gidh levels stabilize. Because of his late differentiation and the stimulation of his glands, his pheromones were disordered, and he could lose control and go into heat at any time.
The best solution was to rest.
As for the other injuries on his body, they weren’t serious and would heal in a few days with some medication.
As Yan Weiqiu left the hospital, he looked back at the inpatient department. One of the buildings was even surrounded by iron bars, with security guards patrolling. It looked more like a prison than a hospital.
That was the building where they quarantined Alphas in rut.
Xiaobai must be there.
“Mom, when can Xiaobai be discharged?” Yan Weiqiu looked away and got into the car.
Fang Xiu: “An Alpha’s rut lasts quite a while. He has to stay in the hospital for five days before he’s allowed to be discharged.”
“I see.” Yan Weiqiu responded faintly.
His pheromones wouldn’t stabilize in a short time. Five days wasn’t enough. Jiang Yuebai would definitely come looking for him after he was discharged, and then he would immediately find out what had happened.
He needed to find an excuse to avoid seeing Jiang Yuebai.
But would Jiang Yuebai believe him?
He wasn’t stupid.
Yan Weiqiu bit his finger anxiously, a troubled expression on his face.
Fang Xiu glanced at him, amused by his worried look. “What are you thinking about?”
Yan Weiqiu said listlessly, “I don’t want to tell Xiaobai about the differentiation yet, and the doctor also said to avoid contact with Alphas for now. I can’t just hide at home for two months, can I?”
Xiaobai had keys to their house, and to his room.
And hiding for two months? Impossible.
Fang Xiu suggested, “If you don’t want to tell Xiaobai about the differentiation yet, I’ll help you keep it a secret. How you handle it is between you two; I won’t interfere. But I’d like you to stay at the tea plantation for a while. It’s a good place to rest.”
Yan Weiqiu: “Everything is good at Grandpa’s place, except for the internet.”
Sending a message would take forever, watching a movie meant buffering every minute, and sending a picture would result in a bunch of exclamation marks.
Fang Xiu smiled. “I’ve already talked to your grandpa. When he heard you were coming to stay for a while, he immediately had someone fix the internet.”
Yan Weiqiu: “Then I’ll pack my bags and go after I get home.”
Lest he stay any longer and risk being discovered.
He had felt uncomfortable staying in the hospital last night. He didn’t know if it was because of the differentiation, but he had become very sensitive to smells.
The hospital was filled with the smell of disinfectant, the pillows, blankets, and patient gowns were no exception, and even the water tasted like it.
He had tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Thinking about his situation with Jiang Yuebai made it even worse.
He had spent most of the night thinking but still couldn’t figure out how to tell Jiang Yuebai that he had differentiated into an Omega.
He had originally planned to confess to Jiang Yuebai during their trip after the college entrance exams, once everything had settled down.
He had even prepared himself to step aside if Jiang Yuebai met an Omega he liked in the future.
He hadn’t expected to differentiate into an Omega himself, and he still hadn’t fully accepted it.
How was he supposed to tell Jiang Yuebai?
Jiang Yuebai was so resistant to Omegas; would he accept him?
Even if they couldn’t be lovers, could they still be like before?
He didn’t know, but the only thing he wanted now was for Jiang Yuebai not to find out, and he didn’t want to lose Jiang Yuebai as a friend.
Yan Weiqiu only packed a few sets of clothes and his notebooks. While checking if there was anything else he needed to bring, he glanced at the teddy bear Jiang Yuebai had given him.
Fang Xiu: “Why are you bringing that?”
Yan Weiqiu: “Mmm, it’s comfortable to hug while sleeping.”
Fang Xiu: “So you’re not telling Xiaobai about the Omega thing, and you’re not telling him about going back to the countryside either?”
“I’ll tell him I’m sick.” Yan Weiqiu was also worried about this.
Jiang Yuebai had prepared the itinerary and plans for their trip in advance, everything ready to go as soon as he agreed.
He hadn’t expected to stand Jiang Yuebai up in the end.
He couldn’t travel casually in his current condition, and he couldn’t spend a prolonged period of time with Jiang Yuebai.
Jiang Yuebai already disliked Omegas. If he found out that he couldn’t go on the trip because he had differentiated into an Omega, it might be a double blow to him.
Fang Xiu nodded, sighing. “That child will definitely be heartbroken for days.”
Indeed.
He would be disappointed, regardless of the reason.
Yan Weiqiu pursed his lips, tears silently sliding down his cheeks.
After a two-hour drive, they arrived at the tea plantation.
The air quality here was excellent. Yan Weiqiu rolled down the car window and took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the scent of grass.
He could see many workers picking tea along the way.
After Fang Xiu helped him unload his luggage, she met with her father and chatted for a while before preparing to return to Haicheng. She had work tomorrow and couldn’t stay for long.
“Behave yourself at Grandpa’s place, and don’t cause him any trouble, okay?” Fang Xiu helped him unpack and couldn’t help but give him a few reminders.
“Xiaoqiu is the most well-behaved child. He won’t cause any trouble. Just relax and have fun here.” Grandpa was delighted to see Yan Weiqiu and wouldn’t let his daughter criticize his grandson.
“Exactly.” Yan Weiqiu said cheekily, “I’m here to help Grandpa pick tea. I’m very well-behaved.”
Fang Xiu: “What work can you do? Just stay put and don’t run around. The doctor told you to rest.”
Yan Weiqiu: “I can wake up early every morning and do morning exercises with Grandpa.”
Grandpa said with a smile, “That’s good, good for your health.”
Fang Xiu looked at her child, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Forget it, she wouldn’t expose him.
The result—
On his first day, Yan Weiqiu enthusiastically helped his grandpa roast tea leaves, though he complained about his sore hands after only a few minutes. He even went fishing in their pond in the evening.
Dinner was a fish feast prepared by Grandpa.
After watching the news with him for a while, he went back to his room to sleep.
The next morning, when Grandpa knocked on his door, Yan Weiqiu was still asleep.
Grandpa called out energetically from the doorway, “Xiaoqiu, time for morning exercises.”
Yan Weiqiu sleepily glanced at the darkness outside, lay back down, and mumbled, “Grandpa, it’s still dark. I’ll get up in half an hour.”
Grandpa looked at his watch, didn’t say anything, and went to the courtyard to practice tai chi. Half an hour later, he knocked on Yan Weiqiu’s door again.
Yan Weiqiu covered his ears with the blanket, rolled over, and continued sleeping.
Grandpa was silent for a moment.
No wonder his daughter had hesitated yesterday when she heard her son say he wanted to do morning exercises. So that’s what she meant.
When Yan Weiqiu finally got up, it was already ten o’clock. He looked at the time and almost fainted.
He went to the living room awkwardly, where Grandpa was making tea. He gave him an ingratiating smile. “Good morning, Grandpa.”
Grandpa smiled faintly. “Not so early. The sun is already high in the sky. A little later, and you could have woken up for lunch.”
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
Grandpa: “There’s a bowl of porridge in the kitchen for you. Go eat it. Lunch is still a while away; don’t starve.”
Hearing this, Yan Weiqiu quickly slipped away.
Grandpa looked at his retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.
Before going to bed that night, Yan Weiqiu declared confidently, “I’ve set my alarm for tomorrow morning.”
Grandpa smiled and didn’t say anything.
The next morning, Grandpa went to Yan Weiqiu’s room. Before he could knock, he heard the alarm ringing inside. The sound stopped after only a few seconds.
He stood at the door and waited quietly for five minutes, but there was no movement from inside the room.
Grandpa couldn’t help but smile and sigh softly.
Since he was sick, he should rest well.
Yan Weiqiu got up at ten o’clock again. Seeing Grandpa drinking tea, he cheekily sat down and poured himself a cup, making an excuse without changing his expression. “I stayed up late reading last night, that’s why I couldn’t get up this morning.”
Grandpa smiled and nodded, not exposing his lie, and just reminded him to eat breakfast.
On the fourth day, Grandpa didn’t even bother knocking and went to do his morning exercises.
Yan Weiqiu also stopped making excuses.
There was a tacit understanding between them.
On the fifth day, Jiang Yuebai called him.
Seeing the caller ID, Yan Weiqiu panicked. He was roasting tea leaves at the time and almost burned himself.
Just as the ringtone was about to end, Yan Weiqiu answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Xiaoqiu, I’m discharged.” There was excitement in Jiang Yuebai’s voice. He was on his way home.
Yan Weiqiu didn’t know what to say and just asked softly, “Are you feeling okay?”
“Mm, have you packed your bags?” There was apology in Jiang Yuebai’s voice. He hadn’t expected to suddenly go into rut. He and Yan Weiqiu had originally planned to have seafood buffet that night.
“Um…” Yan Weiqiu hesitated, unable to speak.
Jiang Yuebai was looking at flight tickets, saying as he browsed, “If everything’s okay, we can leave tomorrow. Should I book the tickets now?”
“Xiaobai.” Yan Weiqiu looked at the small blister on his hand from the hot tea leaves. He opened his mouth, stammering, “I… no, listen to me, don’t book the tickets yet.”
Jiang Yuebai’s finger, which was scrolling through the screen, froze slightly. “What’s wrong?”
Tears welled up in Yan Weiqiu’s eyes. He took a deep breath, afraid Jiang Yuebai would notice his unusual behavior. “Xiaobai.”
But no matter how hard he tried to hide it, his choked voice betrayed him.
“I’m sorry, I can’t go on the trip with you.”
Jiang Yuebai tightened his grip on the phone, his heart aching at the sound of Yan Weiqiu’s crying. He said softly, “Xiaoqiu, don’t cry. It’s okay if we can’t go on the trip.”
Hearing this, Yan Weiqiu froze, tears streaming down his face. He said with a thick nasal voice, “How can it be okay?”
Jiang Yuebai hated seeing him cry.
Hearing Yan Weiqiu crying like this, Jiang Yuebai panicked, his words tumbling out incoherently. “It’s okay, really, it’s okay. If we can’t go this time, we’ll go next time. It’s the same. We have plenty of time. If we can’t go during summer vacation, we’ll go during winter break. If we can’t go this year, we’ll go next year. We have plenty of time. Don’t cry. I’ll buy you ice cream, okay? Häagen-Dazs? Or do you want another brand? I’ll go buy it now.”
Yan Weiqiu: “I don’t want ice cream.”
Jiang Yuebai continued coaxing him, “Then what do you want? Dessert? Fried chicken? Seafood?”
“I can’t eat snacks right now. I just got discharged from the hospital, and the doctor told me to rest.” Yan Weiqiu sniffed. Perhaps because Jiang Yuebai was comforting him, he suddenly felt justified about going back to the countryside to recuperate without telling him.
Jiang Yuebai: “What?”
Yan Weiqiu used the doctor’s words as an excuse. “I was hospitalized a few days ago. The doctor told me to rest.”
Jiang Yuebai’s expression changed drastically, his heart clenching. He quickly asked, “What happened? Are you okay now? What else did the doctor say?”
Hearing the anxiety in his voice, Yan Weiqiu gradually relaxed and complained, “An Alpha pushed me down, very hard, and injured my waist. It still hurts.”
“Did you put any medicine on it?” Jiang Yuebai frowned with concern.
Yan Weiqiu wiped his tears, exhaled softly, and apologized again. “Xiaobai, I’m sorry I can’t go on the trip with you.”
Jiang Yuebai chuckled softly. “It’s okay, just focus on getting better. I’m almost at your house. Let me see how badly you’re injured.”
“Uh, about that, Xiaobai.” Yan Weiqiu helplessly confessed, “I’m not in Haicheng. I went back to the countryside to recuperate. I won’t be back for a while. We probably won’t see each other until school starts.”
The smile froze on Jiang Yuebai’s face. He felt like his world had just collapsed.
