Chapter 20
Jiang Yuebai was silent for a long time after hearing his words.
Yan Weiqiu sniffled. “Are you angry?”
“No, I’m not angry at you.” Jiang Yuebai chuckled softly and asked with concern, “Why do you need to recuperate for so long? Is it serious?”
Yan Weiqiu didn’t know how to explain to Jiang Yuebai.
Actually, the injury on his waist had almost healed. It wasn’t serious to begin with.
Saying he needed to recuperate for two months was a bit of an exaggeration.
But he couldn’t tell Jiang Yuebai the real reason.
He stammered for a long time, unable to form a complete sentence. Jiang Yuebai didn’t press him further, just saying, “Can I go visit you?”
“No.” Yan Weiqiu refused instinctively.
His answer was too quick, leaving no room for maneuver.
Yan Weiqiu bit his lip regretfully. He shouldn’t have refused so directly; he should have been more tactful.
Jiang Yuebai: “Okay, I understand.”
His voice was so soft that Yan Weiqiu felt like he was breaking.
Jiang Yuebai must be very disappointed in him.
He might even think he wasn’t really injured and was just making excuses not to go on the trip with him.
So he had secretly run away before Jiang Yuebai was even discharged and wouldn’t allow him to visit.
“Xiaobai,” Yan Weiqiu called out before hanging up, then said slowly, “I really am sick, and I’m not feeling well, so I need to recuperate in the countryside. I didn’t stand you up on purpose. As for what kind of illness it is, I can’t say.”
Silence on the other end. Yan Weiqiu continued, “I’m really sorry I couldn’t keep my promise.”
Even if he didn’t have pheromone issues, he wasn’t confident about going on a trip with Jiang Yuebai.
They would be together day and night; there was no way Jiang Yuebai wouldn’t notice he was an Omega.
They both knew the purpose of this trip.
But now that he had differentiated into an Omega, did the trip even have any meaning anymore?
He didn’t want their relationship to end on a bad note.
Even if they couldn’t be lovers, at least they could still be friends, brothers, like before.
Perhaps he was being too greedy.
Although the call was still connected, neither of them spoke, the silence stretching on.
Just as Yan Weiqiu thought Jiang Yuebai was about to hang up, he suddenly said, “It’s okay, Xiaoqiu. I’ll wait for you to come back to Haicheng.”
“Okay.”
Yan Weiqiu slowly squatted down, leaning against the wall, tears streaming down his face.
He knew this would always be a thorn in Jiang Yuebai’s heart.
…
…
Since that phone call, Yan Weiqiu felt a subtle distance between him and Jiang Yuebai.
Or perhaps it was just him towards Jiang Yuebai.
Time flew by, and it was the end of August before they knew it.
From exchanging good morning and good night messages every day, it had become Yan Weiqiu occasionally replying to Jiang Yuebai’s messages.
Jiang Yuebai: [No reply]
Jiang Yuebai: Xiaoqiu, have you had breakfast?
Jiang Yuebai: [No reply]
Jiang Yuebai: What are you doing today?
Jiang Yuebai: [No reply]
Jiang Yuebai: What are you busy with?
It wasn’t until after his evening shower that Yan Weiqiu finally had time to check his phone.
August was the harvest season, and Yan Weiqiu followed his grandfather around every day, helping with small tasks.
Seeing Jiang Yuebai’s messages, Yan Weiqiu quickly replied: I went to the mountains to pick tea with Grandpa today. The signal wasn’t good.
The next second, Jiang Yuebai’s call came.
Yan Weiqiu hesitated for a while before answering.
“Xiaobai.”
“Are you tired?” Yan Weiqiu’s voice sounded exhausted, and Jiang Yuebai frowned with concern. “Are you feeling better?”
“Mm, almost fully recovered.” Yan Weiqiu took a picture of himself hugging the teddy bear.
Jiang Yuebai looked at the calendar and reminded him softly, “Xiaoqiu, school is starting soon.”
“Mm, I’ll be back the day after tomorrow.” Actually, he wasn’t mentally prepared yet, and he planned to go to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow.
Yan Weiqiu silently changed his profile picture to the photo of him hugging the teddy bear.
He missed Jiang Yuebai. He had never been separated from him for so long.
Sleepiness washed over him, and Yan Weiqiu closed his eyes, whispering softly, “Xiaobai.”
“Hmm?” Jiang Yuebai was still looking at his new profile picture, trying to glean any clues about his current situation from the photo.
Silence on the call. After a while, soft breathing could be heard.
Jiang Yuebai listened quietly to his breathing, not hanging up for a long time.
It had been a long time since they had talked on the phone. They had barely spoken in the past two months.
He had wanted to visit Yan Weiqiu several times.
But he had given up in the end.
Yan Weiqiu didn’t want him to visit.
Regardless of the reason, he didn’t want Yan Weiqiu to be unhappy.
So he would obediently wait in Haicheng for his Xiaoqiu to return.
The next morning, Yan Weiqiu went to the hospital.
His test results showed that his gidh levels were much more stable than the last time.
After looking at his medical records, the doctor suggested, “You can’t avoid contact with Alphas at school, so it’s best to wear pheromone blockers.”
Yan Weiqiu had seen these blockers on some of his classmates’ necks before. They were much larger than regular band-aids.
He was still pretending to be a Beta in front of Jiang Yuebai. Wearing a blocker would be too obvious.
Yan Weiqiu’s eyes were filled with unease, even anxiety. He asked urgently, “Are there any other medications that can temporarily mask Omega pheromones so that Alphas can’t identify me?”
The doctor looked at him but didn’t ask any further questions, just saying, “There are. One pill can last for two to three days. It will block your pheromones, making them undetectable to Alphas.”
Yan Weiqiu’s eyes lit up slightly, and he asked the doctor to prescribe the medication.
As the doctor entered the information into the system, he reminded him, “This medication can also regulate your pheromone disorder, but taking it too often can lead to resistance. It can only hide your scent temporarily.”
Yan Weiqiu: “Mm, I understand.”
Yan Weiqiu almost fainted when he paid for the medication.
Although the doctor had subtly hinted that it was expensive, he hadn’t expected it to be this expensive.
Small, colorful pills like candies were packaged in a transparent bottle, and they even smelled fruity.
This tiny bottle cost him several thousand yuan, almost depleting his allowance.
Yan Weiqiu looked at his bank balance worriedly.
He didn’t know how long this small bottle would last; he would have to ration it.
On his last day at the tea plantation, Yan Weiqiu learned how to make small desserts with tea leaves from his grandfather.
This was a small gift to make up for standing Jiang Yuebai up.
After saying goodbye to his grandfather, he went to the bus stop with his suitcase, waiting for his mother to pick him up.
The late summer sun was still scorching, without a hint of breeze.
A black car stopped beside him.
“Xiaoqiu.”
Yan Weiqiu looked up and almost dropped his phone when he saw who it was.
His first thought was: Fortunately, he had taken the medication before leaving the house, just in case.
“Xiaobai, why are you here?”
“I knew you were coming back today, so I wanted to pick you up.” From the moment he saw Yan Weiqiu, his gaze was fixed on him.
He had lost weight, his skin was fairer, and there was an indescribable change about him.
He seemed gentler.
Yan Weiqiu sat in the passenger seat, numbly fastening his seatbelt, and discreetly glanced at him. “When did you learn to drive?”
Hearing him speak, Jiang Yuebai’s gaze returned to him. “I was bored during the summer, so I got my driver’s license.”
Yan Weiqiu: “Okay.”
He was still clutching the bag of small desserts.
Jiang Yuebai’s gaze made him nervous.
A faint lime scent filled the car.
The doctor had told him that if the other person wasn’t deliberately releasing their pheromones, then it meant he and Jiang Yuebai had a high compatibility, so even if Jiang Yuebai was suppressing his pheromones, he could still smell them.
This made him even more nervous.
He was worried that Jiang Yuebai would notice something was off.
Jiang Yuebai: “It’s been a long time since we last saw each other.”
“Yes, it has.” Yan Weiqiu gave a dry laugh, staring at the beautifully wrapped gift box in his hand, wondering how to give it to him.
After two months of not seeing each other, Jiang Yuebai seemed more mature.
It gave him a sense of a boy transforming into a man.
Jiang Yuebai suppressed the urge to pull him into his arms, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. He closed his eyes, trying to calm the emotions swirling within him.
“I haven’t congratulated you on getting into A University yet.” His voice was low, laced with barely perceptible restraint.
“Congratulations to you too, for getting into A University. We’re schoolmates again.” Yan Weiqiu’s pursed lips relaxed slightly, a smile playing on his lips. He handed him the beautifully wrapped gift box and said softly, “These are some small desserts I made for you.”
Jiang Yuebai looked at the box in surprise. He had noticed Yan Weiqiu holding it earlier and had assumed it was something valuable, not a gift for him.
Seeing the delighted smile on Jiang Yuebai’s face, Yan Weiqiu blushed slightly and said softly, “It’s an apology.”
Jiang Yuebai carefully put the gift away and said seriously, “But Xiaoqiu, you don’t need to apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Yan Weiqiu looked away, out the window, and muttered, “Of course it matters.”
If he had meticulously planned a trip, enthusiastically invited Jiang Yuebai, and waited excitedly for so long, only to be stood up, he would be very angry, maybe even to the point of ending their friendship.
Even if he knew it was due to unavoidable circumstances, he would still be angry.
That feeling of disappointment would linger for a long time.
Jiang Yuebai smiled indifferently. “If we can’t go during summer vacation, there’s still winter break. We can go to Harbin to play in the snow next year.”
This time, Yan Weiqiu didn’t dare to agree readily, as he wasn’t sure how long he could hide his secret from Jiang Yuebai.
The atmosphere became more lively as they talked, no longer as stiff as before, and Yan Weiqiu finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing his lack of energy and frequent yawns, Jiang Yuebai suggested, “Do you want to sleep for a while? I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”
“Okay.”
Yan Weiqiu quickly fell asleep.
He didn’t know that every time they stopped at a red light, Jiang Yuebai would look at him.
His gaze traced his features, greedily savoring their rare time together.
Jiang Yuebai wasn’t unaware that their relationship had become more distant during the two months Yan Weiqiu was away.
He didn’t want to make things worse, so he could only take a step back.
Jiang Yuebai sighed softly. “When will you finally understand my feelings?”
Yan Weiqiu didn’t hear his words, but he instinctively turned over, wanting to hug his teddy bear, only to grasp at air.
Jiang Yuebai: “What’s wrong?”
Yan Weiqiu mumbled drowsily, “I forgot I put my teddy bear in my suitcase.”
This instinctive action made Jiang Yuebai freeze for a long time. He swallowed hard, suppressing his complex emotions.
