“Beep! Beep! Beep!”
The faint sound of medical instruments echoed in Shen Jiayu’s ears. The youth struggled to open his eyes, met with a piercing expanse of white.
His brain churned sluggishly. What… happened? He remembered… he seemed to have fainted…
Simultaneously, two different voices called out to him:
“Jiayu, you’re awake. Jiayu.”
“Nannan, Nannan…”
Shen Jiayu slowly turned his head. As his consciousness gradually cleared, he felt a dull ache in his chest and a wave of dizziness in his head.
Beside the bed, the Gentleman and his mother were watching him with anxious faces.
His pupils were still somewhat unfocused. Subconsciously, he wanted to call out to them, but his body was too weak, he could only part his lips and let out a faint, feeble sound.
The Gentleman and Mom are both here… they are both here…
His blurred consciousness finally snapped back into place. Shen Jiayu’s eyes widened instantly, and he struggled to sit up.
“Dad… gasp… Dad…” The youth’s voice was hoarse, so hoarse he couldn’t form a complete sentence. The moment he moved his body, a flash of white light crossed his vision and a sharp pain stabbed through his chest.
Wen Xiuheng and Shen’s mother immediately supported him, urging him to lie back down.
Shen’s mother’s eyes were brimming with tears. “Your father is fine now. The surgery was a success. He’s okay, Nannan.”
Wen Xiuheng continued to coax him in a warm voice: “You still have a fever, Jiayu. Be good and don’t move.”
Hearing the news that his father was safe, Shen Jiayu finally felt a sense of relief and lay back obediently.
Shen’s mother turned away to wipe her tears, then turned back to stroke Shen Jiayu’s head. “Don’t worry about your father, he’s already out of danger. You need to focus on recovering. Once you’re a bit better, I’ll take you to see him, okay, Nannan?”
Shen Jiayu’s eyes reddened instantly, and he nodded with a sob.
Standing by the side, Wen Xiuheng felt a searing pain in his heart. He clenched his jaw tightly. Fortunately, his little one had been rescued in time. The hours spent waiting outside the emergency room had felt like a slow execution, an agony akin to being burned by fire. Seeing Shen Jiayu’s bloodless face through the window had made his heart bleed.
Wen Xiuheng called the doctor for another check-up. Although Shen Jiayu was awake, his body remained extremely frail and he was still running a fever, he would need to be hospitalized for a period of treatment. Shen Jiayu cooperated obediently.
Wen Xiuheng and Shen’s mother took turns caring for him. On the second day of his hospitalization, Shen Jiayu insisted strongly on going to the upstairs ward to see his father.
Sitting in a wheelchair, Shen Jiayu stopped at his father’s bedside with his mother. His father was sleeping peacefully. With reddened eyes, Shen Jiayu grasped his father’s hand, and his mother’s hand gently covered his. The hands of the family of three were joined together.
The doctor said that through the surgery, the blood clot in the patient’s body had been cleared. Although the recovery wouldn’t be entirely smooth sailing, overall, things were moving in a positive direction. Following the procedure, the chances of the patient waking up had also increased.
On the third day, while Shen’s mother was accompanying him, Shen Jiayu fell asleep during his IV drip. Wen Xiuheng walked in carrying food for two, one portion for Shen Jiayu and one for her. These had been specially prepared by a private nutritionist arranged by Wen Xiuheng.
Shen’s mother took the food and thanked Wen Xiuheng, both for the meal and for his constant care of Shen Jiayu. Wen Xiuheng nodded and replied calmly, “It’s only right.”
Wen Xiuheng sat down beside Shen Jiayu as well, quietly watching the youth’s face.
His little one’s complexion was still pale, but he looked slightly better than the day before. Through two days of treatment, his high fever had subsided to a low-grade one, though he still occasionally felt dizzy or experienced chest tightness.
The Alpha looked down, his eyes filled with heartache. All of this was witnessed by Chen Yongxin.
In fact, what Shen Jiayu didn’t know was that shortly after he had moved into Wen Xiuheng’s home, Wen Xiuheng had gone to see her. At that time, the Alpha had told her calmly but sincerely that he would take good care of her son and fulfill his responsibilities as a partner.
At the time, Chen Yongxin had been very surprised. Before then, she had heard rumors of Wen Xiuheng’s ruthlessness and coldness, and because of that, she had been constantly worried about her son. She hadn’t expected the man rumored to be cold and heartless to proactively approach her and offer a commitment to this political marriage.
Later, every time Shen Jiayu came to the hospital to visit his father, he would occasionally mention Wen Xiuheng. When speaking of him, Shen Jiayu’s eyes would always curve into crescents as he talked about the Gentleman taking him to Esh Sea for his birthday or teaching him how to dance. From her son’s words, Chen Yongxin could often hear the care and protection provided by the elder man.
This time, when Shen Jiayu’s condition flared up again due to his father’s situation, it was thanks to Wen Xiuheng being by his side. It wasn’t until she reached the ward that she saw the marks on the back of Shen Jiayu’s neck that hadn’t yet fully faded.
Chen Yongxin didn’t want to interfere in her child’s emotional life, but Shen Jiayu was indeed still young, and his health had been poor since childhood. She had always felt guilty for not giving her child a healthy body. After much consideration, Chen Yongxin decided to have a talk with him.
She chose a time when Shen Jiayu’s health had recovered significantly and they were alone. Chen Yongxin had a gentle personality, and her chat with Shen Jiayu was as warm as usual. She simply asked him, as she always did, if he was getting along well with Wen Xiuheng lately.
Shen Jiayu lowered his eyelashes, recalling his recent interactions with the Gentleman. Since moving in, they had gone through the drunken incident at the banquet and the Gentleman’s rut. Although he had felt flustered and had avoided the Gentleman during those times, those events had passed. When he was with the Gentleman, he still felt the urge to depend on him.
After a moment, Shen Jiayu’s eyes curved into a smile, and he nodded, saying softly, “The Gentleman is very concerned about me and takes great care of me.”
Chen Yongxin noticed the pause before Shen Jiayu nodded, and a sliver of worry colored her heart. She took her son’s hand and asked the question she wanted to ask most.
“Then, Nannan… do you like him?”
Shen Jiayu’s breath hitched suddenly.
As usual, Wen Xiuheng arrived at the hospital to care for Shen Jiayu. Once he arrived, Chen Yongxin left.
Before she departed, Shen Jiayu had blushed, stammering and unable to answer that question. Chen Yongxin had gently told him it was okay, to take his time and think about it slowly.
That question remained lodged in his heart, and Shen Jiayu couldn’t help but drift off into thought.
“What is it, Jiayu?” Wen Xiuheng asked, holding a spoon, a worried expression on his face. “Do you not like this?”
Shen Jiayu snapped back to reality and looked at the Alpha. A faint blush crept onto his face as he whispered, “No… it’s not that.”
The man chuckled lowly, gently stroking the youth’s hair. “Mhm, be good. Eat more to get your nutrients so you can recover faster.”
“Okay…” Shen Jiayu answered obediently, and Wen Xiuheng brought the food to his mouth again.
Shen Jiayu pursed his lips slightly, his cheeks flushed, and said in a soft, waxy voice, “Gentleman, I can do it myself. You don’t need to trouble yourself to feed me…”
During these days in the hospital, Shen Jiayu felt as if Wen Xiuheng was treating him like a newborn baby. The Gentleman fed him his meals, held the cup to his lips so he could drink water, and even peeled and cut fruit into tiny pieces to feed him.
He felt that if this continued, he would be completely spoiled by the Gentleman.
But the Alpha sitting before him didn’t look the least bit annoyed, he wished he could spend every second by the little one’s side.
The man curled his lips into a doting smile. “You’re still on an IV, it’s inconvenient. I’ll feed you. Be good, open up.”
Shen Jiayu blinked and obediently swallowed the mouthful of food. He thought to himself silently that his IV was actually in his left hand, so eating with his right wouldn’t be a problem… but the Gentleman always seemed so worried about him.
Unsurprisingly, the entire meal was finished with Wen Xiuheng feeding him.
The Alpha cleared the small table on the bed and sat back down beside Shen Jiayu, carefully pulling him into his arms. “Come here, sweetie. I’ll rub your stomach for you.”
Shen Jiayu gave a soft, obedient “mhm,” lowering his eyes as he allowed the Alpha to pull him into his embrace.
Wen Xiuheng was always worried that while he was ill, he wouldn’t digest his food well, so he helped him rub his stomach after every meal.
The youth was a small, soft thing, sitting obediently in the Alpha’s lap, leaning sideways against his chest. His fluffy head rested against the man’s solid chest and arm.
Seen from behind, the Alpha’s frame completely shielded the youth, appearing like the sturdiest of city walls.
Holding Shen Jiayu, Wen Xiuheng had a clear view of the youth’s long, thick eyelashes, his delicate, straight nose, and his full, beautiful lips.
Due to his illness, his originally cherry-pink lips had turned pale, and his porcelain skin still lacked color. His whole being radiated a sense of frailty.
Wen Xiuheng only felt heartache. His little one was already slender, but after this episode, he seemed to have lost even more weight. Holding him was like holding a light feather, he felt weightless.
The Alpha sighed in his heart and reached out to touch his forehead, he still had a slight fever. Unconsciously, the man leaned down and kissed the crown of the youth’s head, praying more than once that the little one would recover as soon as possible.
Then, his large hand slowly moved to the youth’s flat, narrow abdomen. Wen Xiuheng gently rested his palm there, rubbing softly.
No matter what his little one ate or how much, his belly always remained soft and flat. Moreover, Shen Jiayu’s waist was so narrow and small that the Alpha’s single hand could completely cover his abdomen.
The warmth from the man’s palm seeped through the hospital gown and into Shen Jiayu’s stomach. It felt warm. Shen Jiayu’s cheeks were flushed as he curled into the Alpha’s arms like a little kitten, afraid to move. His ears hummed with the sound of the Alpha’s powerful heartbeat, making his eardrums feel numb.
After a while, he felt his stomach gradually becoming warm and soft. It was as if a warm current was rising from deep within his abdominal cavity and spreading to the rest of his body.
This sensation was a bit embarrassing to admit, even the tips of Shen Jiayu’s ears turned pink.
Soon, the Alpha’s deep, magnetic voice sounded in his ear, his tone laced with a smile: “Why is your stomach still flat? Sweetie, did you really swallow that food just now?”
Hearing this, Shen Jiayu widened his eyes indignantly, but he could tell the Gentleman was teasing him on purpose.
The “kitten” pouted, his voice carrying an inadvertent hint of acting spoiled: “You… you were just watching me eat.”
Wen Xiuheng laughed lowly, and Shen Jiayu felt his chest vibrating slightly.
“Mhm, you ate.” Wen Xiuheng looked down at him, seeing that little face filled with a mix of indignation and playfulness. As those moist eyes looked up at him, the Alpha’s heart melted completely.
How could his little one be so obedient and have such a soft personality?
The Alpha’s gaze inadvertently landed on Shen Jiayu’s neck. Those dense, varying shades of hickeys had faded a lot, and the dark red marks on his collarbone were almost gone, with the youth’s soft hair draped messily over them.
The Alpha’s eyes darkened, and he continued in a calm voice: “Be good. Eat more next time.”