The next morning, when the alarm went off, Shen Qi immediately reached up to touch his forehead.
Thank goodness, the fever was gone.
A few streaks of morning sunlight leaked through the gaps in the curtains, landing on the quilt, warm and cozy.
He moved his fingers. The soreness throughout his body had subsided significantly, his breathing was much smoother, and that burning sensation had completely faded away.
After turning off the alarm, the phone screen remained lit. Without thinking, he tapped into his chat interface with Cheng Yanzhou.
Below the last message, “The doctor will be here in ten minutes,” the space remained empty.
Hmph.
“I am not replying to you either!”
Shen Qi turned off the screen and got up to wash up.
He purposely left half an hour earlier than usual. Since their departure times and destinations were usually similar, they often headed to the company together, though one would go straight to the CEO’s office, while the other would get off midway. It had never raised any suspicions.
Today, he was going on his own, and from now on, he would continue to do so!
He knew Cheng Yanzhou’s routine all too well: breakfast downstairs at 7:30 sharp, departing for the company at 8:00 on the dot.
Calculating the time, he changed his clothes by 6:50 and stepped lightly down the stairs.
The villa had a spiral staircase. As he walked down, he could hear the sounds of the housekeeper preparing breakfast in the kitchen, but he did not hear the sound of the leather shoes Cheng Yanzhou usually wore clicking on the floor.
As expected, he had not woken up yet.
Very good. A perfect bypass.
Shen Qi breathed a sigh of relief. After quickly finishing his breakfast, he pulled open the front door. The cool morning breeze rushed in, causing him to wrap his jacket tighter around himself as he climbed into the car waiting at the entrance.
The driver respectfully asked, “Young Master is so early today. Are you heading straight to the company?”
He nodded, closed his eyes, and leaned back in the passenger seat.
Step one of letting go of Cheng Yanzhou: Keeping our distance!
When he arrived at the company, Shen Qi walked straight to his office. Not many people had arrived yet.
He worked in the finance department of the Cheng Group. His position was neither high nor low, and while the workload was not exactly light, it was enough to keep him busy.
He opened his computer and pulled up the reports that needed processing, forcing himself to focus on the data. Yet, as his fingertips glided over the keyboard, he felt like something was missing.
In the past, he would always find various excuses before work to sneak up to the top floor and hover near Cheng Yanzhou’s office door. Even if it was just to catch a glimpse of the closed door, it would make him feel more at ease.
But now, he did not even have the urge to go up to that floor.
The morning passed quickly, and Shen Qi processed two tasks with high efficiency.
During his lunch break, he remembered the empty fever medicine box from yesterday and felt he should replenish the household’s basic medical supplies, so he planned to go to a nearby hospital to get some prescriptions.
The hospital lobby was bustling with people, and the smell of disinfectant permeated the air. Shen Qi wore a mask, queued up to register, and went to the pharmacy to get his medicine.
The process went smoothly. As he turned around with the medicine box, his peripheral vision caught a poster on the wall: “Spring Physical Examination Package, 20% off for a limited time. Love yourself, love your body.”
The words “Love yourself” caught his eye. He paused, remembering that it had been a long time since he had a full-body physical exam, so he turned his steps toward the physical examination center.
“The physical exam package is currently 20% off,” the nurse introduced enthusiastically. “It includes specialized AO/B checks, and results are available the same day. Would you like to do it, sir? You should be an Omega, right? Our new equipment this year can…”
Shen Qi shook his head, refusing her non-stop introduction. “I will just take the basic package. I am a Beta.”
Compared to AOs, a Beta’s physical exam was more like a standardized basic package. If it were an AO examination, one would have to layer on customized items targeting secondary sex characteristics, making the process much more complex and requiring higher standards for environment and privacy protection.
This was perhaps one of the greatest advantages of being a Beta. When he had accompanied Yu An for a physical exam before, besides the routine checks, there were pheromone sample collections, evaluations of pheromone concentration, compatibility tests, and much more. It was enough to tire anyone out just going through the process.
There was enough time before he had to return to work in the afternoon, so Shen Qi followed the instructions and went through each item one by one.
From drawing blood to the ECG, then the abdominal ultrasound, as he went through them, Shen Qi felt a strange sense of stability. So, this is what it feels like to take good care of yourself.
He suddenly felt that Cheng Yanzhou was right.
When you are sick, you do not need to count on anyone. Finding a doctor for treatment and getting your body healthy is what matters most.
He became even more certain that in the days to come, he would completely discard useless emotions and focus only on being good to himself!
After work in the evening, Shen Qi took a taxi to the examination center to pick up his report.
The sunset dyed the hospital corridor a warm yellow. As he walked out of the elevator holding the paper bag containing his reports, he saw that familiar figure.
He hurriedly ducked into a corner.
Cheng Yanzhou?
What is he doing here?
Is he sick?
Curiosity drove Shen Qi to sneak a look, only to glimpse the sign on the consultation room door, which clearly read: “Obstetrics and Gynecology.”
Cheng Yanzhou was dressed in a well-tailored black suit, waiting at the door. He stood tall and straight, slightly turned to the side, his head bowed as he fiddled with his phone.
A moment later, a young man with light pink hair walked out with a faint smile. Cheng Yanzhou immediately put his phone away and began speaking to the person beside him.
Both of them had smiles on their faces. The shorter one, upon hearing something the other said, huffed and poutily tapped Cheng Yanzhou on the shoulder. They looked exactly like a loving couple there for a prenatal checkup.
That person was Shi Nian.
Shen Qi’s breathing stopped instantly, and the report bag in his hand nearly fell to the floor.
He instinctively took a step back, hiding himself completely in the shadows of the elevator bay.
What is this? Did not Shi Nian just return to the country? Why is Cheng Yanzhou accompanying him to a prenatal checkup?
Could it be that even earlier, they had already met and already grown close?
Shen Qi dared not think further.
His heart felt as if it were being gripped by an invisible hand, throbbing with a dense, aching pain, even worse than the burning sensation he had felt while running a fever yesterday.
His nails dug deeply into his palms, the pain causing his eyes to sting.
He turned and left, his pace so fast it felt like running. The floor tiles in the hallway clicked and clacked under his feet, mixing with the sound of his own heartbeat, creating a chaotic mess.
He did not look back, nor did he dare to.
He was afraid of seeing the look in Cheng Yanzhou’s eyes if he were to be discovered, afraid of the surprise, the detachment, or even the impatience in those eyes.
The word “Healthy” on the cover of the physical exam report in his hand looked particularly glaring at this moment.
He had thought he had figured things out, thought he could learn to let go, but when he truly saw this scene, he realized that the pain in his heart could not be lied to.
Cheng Yanzhou and Shi Nian…
Shen Qi closed his eyes and buried his face in his arms.
His shoulders trembled slightly, but he did not cry.
His tears seemed to have run dry during his fever yesterday, and all that remained was a numbing ache.
He dragged his suddenly heavy feet into the elevator.
The moment before the elevator doors closed, Cheng Yanzhou’s gaze shifted toward him.