CH 21

In the corridor of the school hospital, Gu Zhongyi leaned against the wall with a gloomy expression.

He walked to a window and called Yang Qing.

Yang Qing, who was busy studying for the final exams in the dormitory until late at night, realized it was already morning when he answered the phone. He spoke with an exhausted voice, “You’re asking about Xu Xiangchi? He’s been interested in other omegas recently and hasn’t been bothering Lin Yuxing.”

Gu Zhongyi was skeptical, “Are you sure?”

“Why would I lie to you?” Yang Qing said, “I was afraid the people assigned to watch him weren’t doing a good job, so I even approached one of his roommates to keep track of his whereabouts myself.”

Even though Yang Qing was slow to catch on, he could still sense Gu Zhongyi’s dislike and caution towards Xu Xiangchi.

Yang Qing told him, “Ever since you became Lin Yuxing’s boyfriend, Xu Xiangchi has been keeping his distance from both of you. He wouldn’t dare to provoke Lin Yuxing again.”

It’s worth mentioning that the small company owned by Xu Xiangchi’s family could be crushed by the Gu family in a matter of minutes.

So, Yang Qing was curious as to why Gu Zhongyi was so concerned about Xu Xiangchi.

However, Gu Zhongyi still couldn’t give an answer to Yang Qing.

“Okay  please continue to keep an eye on Xu Xiangchi for me. Use the money from the card I gave you wherever it’s needed. I have something to take care of now, so I’ll hang up.” Gu Zhongyi wiped his face, and his restless and anxious emotions continued to spread within him.

He wouldn’t let the things that he failed to stop happen again.

In the world before his rebirth, Gu Zhongyi didn’t study at C University, nor did he have the chance to reunite with the person he longed for in time.

When he returned to the country after a long delay and finally met the other person, everything around him had turned into a void of whiteness.

Back to present…..

The smell of disinfectant in the hospital was strong. He pushed open the door and followed the light, only to see a face that was looking thin and lifeless.

In those eyes, hope had long been lost, plunging into an abyss without end.

As a nurse passed by Gu Zhongyi’s side, she changed the bandage on the patient’s wrist.

“Failed suicide attempt.”

An old lady, who had been taking care of the old man in the adjacent bed, happened to come back with some fruits and was intercepted by Gu Zhongyi.

Helplessly, she whispered to Gu Zhongyi, “He… sigh, it’s pitiful. He has cancer and seems to have no money for treatment. No one from his family has come to see him either. Just a few days ago, someone came to see him, but they didn’t even say a kind word… I guess he couldn’t hold on anymore. Just a few days ago, he secretly took the fruit knife I use to peel fruits and cut his wrist in the middle of the night. It scared me to death!”

The old lady shook her head, still unsettled by the scene. “Are you his friend? Please try to persuade him.” Saying that, she noticed that Gu Zhongyi had empty hands and kindly handed him a box of pineapples she had bought.

“He likes to eat pineapples. Last time, I shared half a box with him, and he was particularly happy. He finished it in a few bites. Take it and talk to him, help him feel better.”

Gu Zhongyi reluctantly took the box of pineapples, feeling heavy in his hands.

He turned to look at the person on the sickbed, observing his face that looked exactly like Lin Yuxing’s but with a completely different expression. His heart gradually shattered into pieces.

Since that day, Gu Zhongyi decided he would buy a box of pineapples every day to visit that hospital room.

The person on the bed remained indifferent and never showed him any affection.

A sudden ringing of a mobile phone interrupted Gu Zhongyi’s thoughts.

The caller ID on the screen showed Lin Yuxing’s name.

While answering the call, Gu Zhongyi quickly walked back to Yang Zhou’s consultation room. As soon as he entered, he saw Lin Yuxing kneeling on the floor, looking at him with a helpless plea for help in his eyes.

“I don’t have the strength. I can’t stand up… Can you help me up?”

From childhood to adulthood, Lin Yuxing had always faced his illnesses alone. Whenever he sought help from others, he would feel anxious deep inside.

But he had no other choice. When he woke up, there was no one in the consultation room. He thought everyone had left and wanted to leave as well, but he found his legs weak and unable to walk properly.

At the same time, he still felt drowsy, with heavy eyelids and an extremely weak body.

In fear, he could only seek help from Gu Zhongyi.

In the instant the call connected, Lin Yuxing’s anxious emotions were immediately calmed.

After Gu Zhongyi helped him up, he didn’t know what was happening to him. His voice became nasal, and he softly said, “Where did you go?” There was a hint of complaint in his tone, like a child who had woken up and didn’t get any candy, helplessly throwing a tantrum.

But Lin Yuxing’s temper was like a spark after a fire, quickly extinguishing in front of Gu Zhongyi.

Gu Zhongyi couldn’t help but touch his cheek and apologized in a gentle voice, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have left.”

Feeling dizzy, Lin Yuxing soon fell into Gu Zhongyi’s embrace with closed eyes, murmuring, “Senior, I’m so sleepy…”

Gu Zhongyi responded and hugged him tightly, saying, “We won’t go back to the dorm today, okay?”

Lin Yuxing shook his head and said, “I’m too tired. I don’t have the energy to work today…”

“We won’t work. I’ll take you to a place where you can rest properly,” Gu Zhongyi said.

Lin Yuxing hesitated for a moment, unable to think clearly.

“Yuxing?”

Lin Yuxing nodded slightly and softly responded, “Mm.”

With his consent, Gu Zhongyi called for a driver.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Gu Zhongyi picked up the sleeping Lin Yuxing and securely held him in his arms.

As he walked towards the entrance of the school hospital, he coincidentally met Su Li, who was delivering nutritional fluids.

Su Li, encountering an “acquaintance,” automatically stepped aside.

Taking the initiative, Gu Zhongyi greeted, “Su Li.”

Su Li was surprised that Gu Zhongyi remembered his name. That was probably the first time Gu Zhongyi had acknowledged him. He then glanced at Gu Zhongyi’s embrace and saw that the person was Lin Yuxing!

Before he could say anything, Gu Zhongyi hurriedly explained, “Yuxing won’t go back to the dorm today. He’s feeling unwell, so I’m taking him to my place for the night.”

“Your place?!”

“Yes.”

After Gu Zhongyi finished speaking, he greeted the driver nearby and directly got into the backseat of the car, leaving Su Li standing alone in the cold wind, feeling a little confused.

Lin Yuxing, who knew nothing, was deeply asleep due to the medication, not even waking up when Gu Zhongyi put him on a bed filled with bitter orange fragrance.

Glancing at the time, Gu Zhongyi placed a glass of water on the bedside table.

He adjusted the heating at home to a comfortable temperature for sleeping.  He wanted to change Lin Yuxing into a more comfortable set of clothes but he thought such actions would be inappropriate.

He planned to wait until Lin Yuxing fully woke up before getting him some suitable home clothes.

However, Gu Zhongyi found Lin Yuxing’s high-necked sweater uncomfortable, so he felt that he should at least help him take it off or fold down the collar.

But as his hand approached, even in his sleep, Lin Yuxing instinctively protected his neck.

Gu Zhongyi thought that was a reflexive self-protection of Lin Yuxing’s glands, and instantly felt heartbroken by Lin Yuxing’s actions. He didn’t know what Lin Yuxing had experienced, but other Omegas wouldn’t be so cautious even when they were asleep.

Gu Zhongyi couldn’t help but sit at the edge of the bed and gently stroke Lin Yuxing’s head, wanting to dispel his nightmares.

Feeling the warmth of Gu Zhongyi’s palm, Lin Yuxing leaned against it like a cat.

That surprised Gu Zhongyi, and he couldn’t move his gaze away.

“Mm.”

Lin Yuxing murmured in his sleep, rubbing his hand against Gu Zhongyi’s. As he turned to the side, his soft lips brushed against Gu Zhongyi’s palm.

“Yuxing?” Gu Zhongyi called him hesitantly.

Lin Yuxing remained unaffected.

Gu Zhongyi couldn’t bear to withdraw his hand. After hesitating for a long time, he leaned closer to Lin Yuxing.

A gentle kiss landed on Lin Yuxing’s forehead, the first time Gu Zhongyi had ever kissed him.

Lin Yuxing shrugged his shoulder and unconsciously grabbed hold of Gu Zhongyi’s hand, furrowing his brows in response to the disturbance caused by the kiss.

Gu Zhongyi didn’t dare to disturb him further and simply watched the sleeping Lin Yuxing. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes had turned red.

He spoke as if talking to himself, yet it was as if he was speaking to Lin Yuxing.

This time, he was absolutely certain.

“You are not him,” Gu Zhongyi chuckled, the end of his words carrying a slight tremor. His speech was filled with the joy of recovering what was lost. “This time, I have finally found you.”

You are my star, the true one.

However, much to Gu Zhongyi’s surprise, the warmth didn’t last for more than half an hour.

Because less than half an hour later, a doorbell sound echoed from outside his apartment.

Under normal circumstances, there wouldn’t be many people coming to his apartment. Even Yang Qing would give him a heads-up before coming over. Gu Zhongyi thought someone had pressed the wrong doorbell and didn’t immediately go to answer it.

Compared to anything else, he wanted to stay with Lin Yuxing.

But the insistent doorbell sound kept testing his patience, even almost waking up Lin Yuxing.

Gu Zhongyi had no choice but to reluctantly withdraw his hand.

Through the display screen, he saw two people standing downstairs and furrowed his brows. However, he still unlocked the door and let them come upstairs.

He saw his Omega younger cousin, Gu Nuan, waving at him and awkwardly smiling. “Hey, Zhongyi, long time no see… Sorry for disturbing you out of the blue.”

Gu Zhongyi remained silent with a cold expression. His gaze gradually fell on the Omega hiding behind Gu Nuan.

Su Li, with a determined expression, stepped forward. “Hello, senior. I was worried about Yuxing, and I didn’t know where you lived, so I asked Gu Nuan for help…”

By saying that was like essentially questioning Gu Zhongyi’s integrity, suspecting that he might be a beast who would commit improper acts against the unconscious Lin Yuxing.

The three of them fell into silence simultaneously.

Knowing he had said the wrong thing, Su Li felt helpless and tugged at Gu Nuan’s sleeve, seeking help.

Gu Nuan, equally afraid of the cold-faced Gu Zhongyi, pointed to the cake box in his hand and tried to defuse the tension. “I bought a cake. Do you want to have it together?”

In the current atmosphere, Gu Zhongyi’s face was extremely cold.

It had been a long time since he had been so unfriendly.