Watching Jian Song’s triumphant expression, a smile flashed in Lu Yingchi’s eyes. After Jian Song had finished petting each of the cats, he stood up and brushed the dust off his trousers.
No sooner had he stood up than the sun hit his eyes. Jian Song shielded them and shook his head. Why did he suddenly feel so dizzy?
Lu Yingchi noticed that Jian Song’s stance was unsteady and stepped forward to support him. “Brother Jian, what is wrong?”
Jian Song felt a heavy, swimming sensation in his brain. He tried hard to keep his eyes open and stabilize himself, but the scenery in front of him began to blur and fade.
“I, I do not know. Why do I suddenly feel so hot?”
Especially near the wounds on his back, it felt as if he were being roasted by fire. Jian Song’s brows knit together tightly. He opened his mouth, but the world began to spin and invert violently. Jian Song’s body went limp, and he collapsed directly into Lu Yingchi’s arms.
Lu Yingchi’s face turned pale with alarm. He scooped Jian Song up, holding him horizontally in his arms. Because Jian Song had insisted on taking him to a place, the taxi he had hailed earlier had already left. Lu Yingchi, cradling Jian Song, frantically flagged down another taxi by the side of the road, his voice urgent: “To the hospital, the nearest hospital!”
He looked down at Jian Song, whose face was flushed with an unnatural, feverish heat. Just having his hand brush against Jian Song’s cheek felt like touching something scorched.
When they arrived at the hospital, Lu Yingchi pulled cash from his pocket, threw it onto the car seat, and sprinted out with Jian Song in his arms. The driver looked at the red hundred-yuan note and called out from behind, “Hey, you have not taken your change!”
Lu Yingchi was sweating from the sheer panic of the situation; he had no capacity left to worry about change. “Keep it! Thank you!”
He rushed into the hospital with Jian Song. He did not even have time to register; he immediately cornered a nurse. Despite the summer heat, holding another Alpha, even if it had not been for long or far, left Lu Yingchi drenched in sweat. He could not tell if the sweat was caused by the heat or by the sheer terror of Jian Song’s condition.
“Nurse, nurse, please, please look at him! He has fainted.”
The nurse took one look at Jian Song in Lu Yingchi’s arms, and her expression changed instantly. She led Lu Yingchi straight to the emergency room. After the doctor’s examination, Lu Yingchi sat on a chair outside, waiting anxiously for the results. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, his mouth dry, his eyes constantly darting toward the examination room.
He waited for a long time, but instead of the doctor coming out, a nurse directed Lu Yingchi to go wait in line to pay the fees and get the registration number. When he returned, the doctor was finally stepping out. Seeing Lu Yingchi, the doctor beckoned him over. “Are you the one who brought this patient in?”
Lu Yingchi hurried over. “Yes, I am. What is wrong?”
“The patient has woken up. Come in.”
Lu Yingchi walked in to find Jian Song sitting on the hospital bed. Jian Song had just regained consciousness and was still a bit dazed; his gaze toward Lu Yingchi was clouded and unfocused.
The doctor said, “I have applied medicine to the wounds on his back. Here is the prescription for the medication you need to pick up; you can collect it directly from the pharmacy.”
Lu Yingchi nodded. “Alright.”
The doctor’s expression turned serious. “Now, let us discuss the condition that has manifested in this Alpha patient.”
Jian Song turned his gaze to the doctor. The doctor first asked, “What is the relationship between you two?”
Jian Song and Lu Yingchi exchanged a glance. Jian Song said, “We are classmates. Why do you ask, Doctor?”
The doctor replied, “What I am about to discuss may touch upon your personal privacy.”
Jian Song looked at Lu Yingchi. “It is fine, Doctor. Please, go ahead.”