CH 77

After speaking with the doctor, Zhou Rin returned to Ji Ning’s ward. He entered the Omega’s room and looked down at Ji Ning lying on the bed.

There was a faint sweet fragrance in the room. The Omega was still asleep, his face pale and his eyes tightly closed. bcR19e

His neck was smooth and pale, the skin surrounding his glands unblemished. There wasn’t any Alpha traces on him despite his heat, yet his body had already been branded by Zhou Cun.

“…”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Zhou Rin looked at the boy’s neck for a long time before reaching out and gently covering Ji Ning’s exposed fingers with the quilt and walking out of the room.

This Omega belonged to his brother. HlrONT

But after his older brother passed away, the doctor asked him to take his brother’s place and mark the Omega.

Even if it wasn’t a permanent mark, just a temporary mark would be enough to make Ji Ning his Omega.

The Zhou family showed an embarrassed attitude towards the doctor’s proposal. Out of sentimentality, they didn’t want Ji Ning to leave the Zhou family and look for another Alpha in the future, but it wasn’t realistic for Zhou Rin to mark Ji Ning.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want Zhou Rin to help Ji Ning. If he could replace the broken mark between Zhou Cun and Ji Ning and become the Omega’s partner, they were happy to accept it, but Zhou Rin had an instinctive hatred for Omega pheromones. If he married Ji Ning, it would only make him miserable, which would only bring another kind of harm to Ji Ning.

LQvZaT

The Zhou family discussed it for a long time and finally decided to find an excellent and worthy Alpha for Ji Ning. Yet, just as things were settled, Zhou Rin suddenly stood up and said to his family.

“It’s fine, I can mark Ji Ning.”

He pursed his lips, his hands clenched into fists at his sides as he finally revealed his secret.

“I don’t know if it’s because my pheromones are so similar to my brother’s, and my brother and Ji Ning’s pheromones were so compatible, but my body doesn’t reject Ji Ning’s pheromones. To me, he is like a normal Omega.” RLISNq

His parents and sister were a little surprised to hear this news. Maybe it was wrong to think so, but the fact that Ji Ning’s pheromones were the only ones Zhou Rin didn’t reject felt like a wonderful consolidation to them.

Perhaps it was fate. Before, there was no chance that he could ever spend his life with an Omega, yet now there was one that his body didn’t reject. At the same time, Zhou Rin’s pheromones were the best way to help Ji Ning, proving he was meant to become a part of the family. Even if Zhou Cun was gone, Zhou Rin could still help him.

Cruel as it may be, this could be how they were fated to meet.

Zhou Rin stood outside in the quiet courtyard. The setting sun was slowly sinking into the Earth, its afterglow dying everything a pale red. ejxgma

He watched the bloody sunset and lit a menthol cigarette, slowly exhaling a cloud of white mist. The haze obscured the emotions that moved across his face.

No matter how much he wanted to deny it, in the darkest corners of his heart, an unspeakable, shameless joy spread through him like a virus.

From now on, Ji Ning will be his Omega. He could hold him, kiss him, and possess him. Even though the guilt from his brother’s death threatened to suffocate him, he could almost ignore it by thinking about Ji Ning.

In this way, Ji Ning had a reason to accept him. HCxep

Even if he was only a substitute, or a dog crawling at Ji Ning’s feet, as long as he was close enough to touch Ji Ning, he didn’t care if he had to give up all of his dignity.

…So this time, won’t he just give him a glance?

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He lowered his gaze to watch the sparks from his cigarette flicker against the ground, making a silent wish in his heart.

But, when Ji Ning woke up, he rejected the doctor’s advice. sdFlN

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Father and mother Zhou felt extremely helpless to the situation and finally raised it subtly to Ji Ning that if he couldn’t accept Zhou Rin because of Zhou Cun, they could introduce other Alpha’s to him, but they were still gently rejected by Ji Ning.

“Thank you uncle and auntie.”

The weak Omega gave them a faint smile and said softly, “But I don’t need anyone else’s mark. Just continue to give me the suppression drugs and I’ll be fine.” I1sn3l

“Child, why are you so disobedient…”

The elders were moved by Ji Ning’s dedication to Zhou Cun, but they couldn’t bear to see him torture himself like that. They took him back to the Zhou family house and often left him alone with Zhou Rin, whether intentionally or not.

They had hinted to Zhou Rin more than once to take the initiative. Zhou Rin couldn’t stop the guilt he felt towards his brother, but he couldn’t help but yearn for Ji Ning. He tried his best to get closer to him, but couldn’t shorten the distance and could even tell that he was gradually being alienated by Ji Ning.

Ji Ning grew colder and colder towards him, even worse than before. Zhou Rin felt uncomfortable being hated but he refused to mark Ji Ning forcibly. He was afraid that if he angered Ji Ning he would simply leave the Zhou family. After all, Ji Ning wasn’t a member of the family, if he wanted to leave, the Zhou family had no right to stop him. Z8kXfp

Unless they imprisoned him there, he could leave as he liked.

Zhou Rin could only watch as Ji Ning continued to take suppressive drugs that caused his body to deteriorate. Even when taking the drugs, he would still enter heats and could only rely on Omega injections to calm down each time.

One night, Ji Ning was in heat again. Zhou Rin stood outside the door, listening to the Omega’s pained whines. His heart ached at the sound but he couldn’t help his infatuation with the fragrance that leaked through the door.

But it wasn’t long before the intoxicating aroma was mixed with a hint of blood. OZxBNd

Zhou Rin’s heart tightened in his chest as the scent of blood grew stronger and he grabbed the door handle. He rattled the handle, but Ji Ning must have locked the door from the inside. Without hesitating, he repeatedly slammed his shoulder into the door until the lock split from the wooden frame. When he entered the room, the first thing he saw was a puddle of dazzling blood.

The Omega lay on the furthest corner of the bed, curled up tightly into a small ball with a fruit knife clutched in his exposed hand. He slashed down on his arm again, cutting into the skin. The blood that poured out dyed his hands deep red.

There were three or four used needles scattered on the bed. Tears soaked his face, wetting his unnaturally flushed cheeks and smearing with the blood that stained his skin. Heats were supposed to feel sweetly arousing, but because of his Alpha’s passing, he’d fallen into extreme pain.

“Ji Ning!!” 3BCqzF

Zhou Rin’s heart almost stopped. He rushed over to the bed and snatched the fruit knife from the Omega’s hand, throwing it against the wall with a loud thud.

He clasped Ji Ning’s shoulders tightly, fingers digging in so hard the skin dented as he shouted with scarlet eyes, “Are you crazy, do you fucking know what you’re doing?”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Ji Ning opened his eyes with some difficulty and looked at the Alpha in front of him. Smelling a familiar scent, he whimpered, blood dripping from his fingertips as if it was blood gushing from his heart.

“Zhou Cun, Zhou Cun…” pgot70

“Zhou Cun is dead! Look at me, I’m Zhou Rin, I’m not Zhou Cun!”

Zhou Rin was almost driven mad by him. Panting heavily, his chest heaving violently, he stared down with eyes like a wild beast and slammed Ji Ning down against the bed. Ignoring his struggles and resistance, he bit fiercely on Ji Ning’s gland, injecting his own pheromones into his body.

The smell of fresh blood mixed with pheromones as Zhou Rin bit him until blood filled his mouth. Even as he savoured the rich taste, tears filled his eyes and threatened to roll down his face.

The housekeeper downstairs heard the loud noises from the bedroom and came up to check. Seeing the amount of blood on Ji Ning’s body, she screamed, bringing Zhou Rin back from his uncontrollable state of madness. hBKkTR

Looking again at the cut on Ji Ning’s arm and the blood that covered him, his chest throbbed and he carefully cradled Ji Ning against his chest and ran downstairs. With trembling hands, he roughly treated the wound, then drove Ji Ning over to the hospital.

His parents and sister came as soon as they heard the news. They were terrified to see Zhou Rin covered in blood, sitting outside the emergency room with his head down, but the doctor soon came out to inform them that although Ji Ning’s wounds looked scary, they weren’t fatal.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but the doctor’s next words made their hearts freeze.

The doctor warned them that this didn’t mean that Ji Ning’s condition was stable. The biggest issue was the condition his body was in. During his heat, his already weakened body had suffered severe wounds. Without extensive medical treatment, his condition would rapidly deteriorate and may even become life threatening. F1XHsn

Zhou Rin slumped forward, burying his head in his hands, and let out a low sob.

He had always respected Ji Ning’s wishes and never forced a mark on him. On one hand, he didn’t want Ji Ning to hate him for it. On the other hand, he didn’t want to disrespect the memory of his brother, so he chose to continue waiting. If one day, Ji Ning was willing to accept him, he might be able to let go of some of the guilt he felt towards his brother.

But at the same time, he was filled with hatred. He hated his own hesitation, he hated Ji Ning’s unwavering loyalty for his brother, he even hated his brother. Why did he have to die, and why had he temporarily marked Ji Ning before he died?

Not only was Ji Ning unable to move on in any way, even his body had become his brother’s property. Did his brother want to drag the Omega down to hell so they could rot together? ow62bB

Zhou Rin’s mind felt a little dazed. He leaned back on his chair then stood up slowly, ready to welcome Ji Ning as he came out, but the next moment, the light over the emergency room turned on again. A nurse from the emergency room pushed open the door and informed the doctor that the patient’s condition had sharply deteriorated and required immediate emergency resuscitation.

The doctor quickly disappeared into the emergency room when she heard the nurse’s words. Staring at the red light on the door of the emergency room, a double image gradually appeared in front of Zhou Rin’s eyes, reflecting a blood red colour.

His lungs were filled with the scent of epiphyllum flowers, mixed with the heavy stench of blood. The smell was so strong that it made it difficult for him to breathe. The static buzzing inside his ears grew louder as his chest felt so tight he wanted to rip out.

His consciousness seemed to flicker in and out of him intermittently. Sometimes he felt very awake, other times he was sure he was dreaming. Occasionally, his consciousness would be interrupted for a few seconds, as if he’d fallen asleep, when he was clearly not tired at all. YFhVci

The background voices inside the corridor grew quieter. It was probably late at night, but Zhou Rin had no idea of the time. He couldn’t even think about picking up his phone to check the time, there was only one thought left in his numb brain.

Don’t die.

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He can’t die.

Don’t leave him like his brother did. Cq5ozp

It seemed like forever passed before the lights in the emergency room went out and the doctor came out again. Her surgical gown was covered in blood as she removed her mask to speak.

Zhou Rin’s tinnitus was so severe that he couldn’t make out what the doctor was saying. He only saw that his sister burst into tears after the doctor made several shapes with her mouth.

The next moment, his body shook and he collapsed into his chair. Even if he wanted to stand up again, he found that he didn’t have the strength. He couldn’t speak a word, unable to move even his fingertips. He felt so numb that he wasn’t certain if his heartbeat had stopped or when he last took a breath.

He was covered in blood as he sat silently outside the door of the emergency room. Just like Ji Ning had when his brother died. tZzEpQ

He had also lost his beloved person.

On the day of Ji Ning’s funeral the weather was gloomy, as if the sky wished it could rain.

Zhou Rin wore a black suit and stood silently among the crowd of condolences. With dark hair and eyes and a pale complexion, he looked like a silhouette from a black and white photo.

The Zhou family didn’t choose to cremate him but placed Ji Ning’s body in a transparent coffin, intending to bury him. 1JytI0

Everyone was given a chance to say their goodbyes. When it was Zhou Rin’s turn, he walked to the coffin with a bouquet of white flowers in his hand. His eyes flickered across Ji Ning’s face. He wore a peaceful expression, as if he’d only fallen asleep.

Rain finally fell from the sky as the clouds turned darker. Many people opened their umbrellas, holding them high above their heads.

Someone pulled Zhou Rin’s arm, stuffing an open umbrella into his hand.

He held the open umbrella on his shoulder, blocking the vision of the people behind him. Rain dripped down his face as he looked down at Ji Ning. He leaned over slightly to put the bouquet in front of the coffin, when his ankle rolled and he fell to his knees, his upper body pressed against the lid of the coffin. Instead of getting up, he leaned down again, lowering his head slowly to gently kiss the glass coffin lid. sXAljb

Everything dies.

Zhou Rin sat at his desk, staring at the family portrait for a long time. Abruptly, he picked up the photo frame and popped open the back to take out a paper note that was pressed behind the photo.

The note was crumpled and weathered with age, written by him many years ago. Back then, his brother was still alive and everyone was happy. He was still that wilful and unrestrained second generation, and heartbroken because of his unspeakable, secret love. During an exam, he hadn’t written a single word, doodling on a scrap piece of paper, until he wrote the sentence.

“If I was my older brother…” nJdFNM

After writing that, he’d felt incredibly ashamed at the time and tore it out with a guilty conscience. He’d crumpled it into a ball and stuffed it into his school uniform pocket, planning to throw it away afterwards, but somehow it’d been left behind and preserved until now.

It was a strange thing to write. Other people wouldn’t understand it. If they read the sentence they would only assume he was jealous. In any case, they would probably never guess that it had something to do with Ji Ning.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

No one knew his secret wish. Originally he thought that if he was the elder brother, he would have met Ji Ning first and could make him fall in love with him. Later, he hoped that if he could die in place of his brother, Ji Ning wouldn’t have suffered so much, let alone die so young.

Reading the note, Zhou Rin curled the corners of his lips mockingly. He picked up the picture frame and was about to put them all back together when he suddenly heard a knock on the door of the office. eiv0J8

“Please come in.”

He turned the photo frame upside down, covering the photo and the note and said to the person outside the door in a low voice.

The door opened and his secretary walked in. The beautiful woman smiled at him and said, “Mr Zhou, it’s time for you to go.”

Zhou Rin was a little confused, he hadn’t remembered having any plans to go out in the afternoon and asked, “What is it?” rdUFqZ

“Don’t you remember?” The secretary looked a little surprised, then quickly laughed, “It’s a good thing you asked me to remind you. Your younger brother is going to participate in a city wide speech contest. You said that you had to be there to watch it, and it’s this afternoon.”

“My…younger brother?” Zhou Rin frowned, “Who’s my younger brother?”

The secretary looked even more surprised, “Who else could it be? It’s young master Zhou Cun.”

Zhou Rin’s heart thundered in his chest. eu1Fwm

After a while, he seemed to remember something and stretched out his hand to pick up the picture frame, only to find that the family portrait inside it had changed. It had become a past family picture of the five of them.

His parents still looked very young in the photo. They sat in the centre, with a teenager and a young girl either side of them. A smaller boy sat inside their father’s lap. The girl was his sister, and the teenager should have been his brother Zhou Cun, but now it seemed-

Zhou Rin’s eyes widened as he looked closer at the boy’s face. Although he had a similar appearance to his brother, it was obvious that the teenager was actually him, and the boy sitting on his father’s lap was Zhou Cun.

In the photo, he’d become the older brother, whilst his older brother Zhou Cun was the younger brother. iSmLGJ

The handwriting on the yellowed note had also changed.

「It is as you wish.」