# 17
When Duan Baisui woke up, he was surrounded by the scent of green grape candy.
The bedroom was dark, with curtains drawn tightly, not allowing any light to seep in.
He didn’t know what time it was, nor could he tell whether it was day or night.
The fresh, sweet and sour fragrance enveloped him, making him feel much calmer.
Although the scent was similar to Zuo Nian’s, he felt it wasn’t as fragrant as Zuo Nian’s, nor was it as sweet.
He supported himself to slowly sit up and reached out to turn on the bedside lamp.
The dim light shone on the nightstand, where two large boxes of nutritional supplements and a soothing spray were placed.
Duan Baisui leaned against the headboard, staring blankly for a while, then reached under his pillow to find his phone.
The screen was filled with WeChat messages.
Some were from the doctor, some from Duan Yan and Xu Yi, and some from… Zuo Nian.
Duan Baisui rubbed his aching temples and looked through the messages one by one.
Duan Yan and Xu Yi were simply concerned about him, asking him to call once he woke up.
The doctor had sent a long list of precautions, reminding him not to go out for the first three days and not to continue injecting strong suppressants.
Lastly, there were Zuo Nian’s messages.
He had sent several long voice messages, speaking softly with guilty remorse: “Brother, Year-year just consulted with the doctor. The doctor said that at this time, an Omega should be by your side. But Year-year isn’t there. Year-year is really a fool, always unable to help brother, and even making brother suffer so much.”
When Duan Baisui heard him mention the doctor, he remembered their video call the night before when Zuo Nian talked about his new friend.
He wasn’t sure if the person Zuo Nian was referring to now was that man.
If it was, had they even exchanged contact information?
Were they chatting with each other?
By this time, the voice message had automatically moved to the next one: “Brother, you should… drink more water, and use fewer suppressants. Dr. Jin said that since we haven’t completed the marking, it’s not good for either of us. It’s all Year-year’s fault. Year-year is not a qualified Omega. Year-year will be better soon, will come back very soon.”
“Brother, I’m sorry… Year-year misses you so much.”
The suspicion and resentment that Duan Baisui had just accumulated were shattered by the soft “Year-year misses you.”
He tapped on Zuo Nian’s profile picture and sighed softly: “Fool, how can you mention another man in front of an Alpha during his sensitive period?”
The phone vibrated slightly, and the chat box displayed: I patted Zuo Nian.
Ah, he had forgotten that WeChat now had this feature.
Almost immediately, Zuo Nian replied to his message: Brother, are you awake? Are you alright?
Duan Baisui checked the time. It was 9 AM in China, which meant it was already evening where Zuo Nian was.
“Mm, I’m fine,” Duan Baisui downplayed last night’s painful experience.
The chat box at the top kept showing ‘The other person is typing…’
Duan Baisui waited for quite a while before Zuo Nian sent: Can I see you?
Can I see you?
This short sentence made Duan Baisui’s emotions boil up again.
He got out of bed and ran to the washbasin. The mirror reflected a face with stubble, haggard and weary, really not very presentable.
Duan Baisui quickly shaved and used some hair gel to style his hair, only then feeling marginally acceptable.
The bedroom was too messy from his earlier state, and he was embarrassed to let Zuo Nian see his clothes piled on the bed and floor. Duan Baisui opened the curtains, sat in the single armchair in front of the floor-to-ceiling window with his back to the window, and only then calmly replied with two words: Alright.
It had been ten minutes since Zuo Nian sent his message.
Duan Baisui wasn’t sure if he would still see the message in time.
He held the phone with one hand and supported his chin with the other, waiting for Zuo Nian’s reply.
Only a minute had passed, but to Duan Baisui, it felt interminably long.
Had Zuo Nian gone to take a bath?
Or had he already fallen asleep?
While he was randomly guessing, a video call request popped up in the chat box.
Duan Baisui accepted calmly, trying to keep his expression neutral.
Zuo Nian was still wearing the SpongeBob pajamas from yesterday, holding Little Sui in his arms, with a worried expression.
They looked at each other for a while before Zuo Nian spoke: “Brother, you’ve lost weight…”
The Omega’s eyes were large, with black, bright pupils that looked at people with sincerity and innocence.
Duan Baisui smiled slightly: “It’s not that dramatic.”
“It’s true…” Zuo Nian was very distressed. “Auntie Liu said you haven’t been able to eat lately, only drinking nutritional supplements. Is that enough?”
“It is,” Duan Baisui said softly.
“Year-year should have been at home. If Year-year were home, I could take care of brother…”
Duan Baisui thought that if Zuo Nian were really at home, he would indeed be much more comfortable, but Zuo Nian would have suffered.
From the bottom of his heart, he didn’t really want Zuo Nian to see that side of him.
He wanted to be perfect in Zuo Nian’s eyes, not as he was yesterday, driven by instinct and in a wretched state.
“I’m fine. I don’t need care. Take care of yourself,” Duan Baisui said.
Zuo Nian blinked: “But, but Dr. Jin said you should need me. I’ve become very good now; I can help brother.”
“Is Dr. Jin the new friend you met?” Duan Baisui suddenly asked.
Zuo Nian nodded: “Mm.”
“Dr. Jin is very professional. Dad said he’s a very good doctor. You can ask him about any problems.”
Dr. Jin, always Dr. Jin.
That Dr. Jin whom he had never met, yet who kept popping up in Zuo Nian’s conversation.
Zuo Nian couldn’t stop praising him—in ten sentences, eight would be about him.
It was as if Zuo Nian’s former admiration for him had all transferred to this Dr. Jin.
Duan Baisui asked with a half-smile: “Have you been meeting with Dr. Jin frequently lately?”
“Mm,” Zuo Nian nodded honestly. “Every day. Dr. Jin answers all my questions and tells me a lot about how to take care of an Alpha.”
Duan Baisui said coldly: “Everyone’s situation is different, and doctors’ words aren’t always right. You don’t need to listen to everything he says. I don’t need anyone’s help.”
Zuo Nian was stunned for a moment and responded with some dejection: “Oh.”
He lowered his eyelashes, looking unhappy.
They were both silent for a long time. Duan Baisui didn’t understand why Zuo Nian’s expression had suddenly changed. Was it just because he hadn’t acknowledged that doctor?
Both sides were too quiet, creating an awkwardly strange atmosphere. Zuo Nian spoke first: “Brother, Year-year needs to go take a bath now. I’ll hang up, okay?”
Duan Baisui was reluctant but knew he shouldn’t disturb Zuo Nian’s rest. He said flatly: “Go ahead.”
Zuo Nian waved at the camera: “Goodbye, brother.”
“Mm.”
The screen went dark again.
Duan Baisui threw his phone on the crystal coffee table in front of him and stared blankly at the snowy scene outside the window.
He childishly thought, if Zuo Nian didn’t return soon, would that Dr. Jin soon replace him in Zuo Nian’s heart?
How annoying.
_
The night in the suburbs was quiet.
Zuo Nian sat on the bed, holding his phone and hugging his legs, with the side of his face resting on his knees.
When Duan Baisui just said that his sensitive period didn’t need anyone’s help, was he subtly expressing that he didn’t need him at all?
But they were in a legal relationship, existing for each other, and should lose control and become impulsive for each other—this was instinct.
Both physically and mentally, he desperately needed Duan Baisui.
But in this relationship, he seemed to be dispensable to Duan Baisui.
He was too weak, so weak that even during the other’s sensitive period, he could endure it alone without thinking of him at all.
Zuo Nian touched the small raised area on the back of his neck.
The doctor said he was recovering well.
No different from a normal Omega, and even because of his closeness with his loved one, he could smell the other’s pheromones and had faint signs of going into heat.
This proved that his glands were gradually maturing.
From now on, he would become more dependent on his Alpha.
As his level increased, his compatibility with Duan Baisui would become higher and higher.
He would go crazy for him.
But… Duan Baisui wouldn’t.
Because he couldn’t entice his Alpha.
Zuo Nian harshly hit the back of his neck and murmured: “Useless, really useless.”
“No matter what form a fool takes, they’re still a fool! Completely useless!”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
