Chapter 77
Lin Xiaoran had slept deeply.
He had been suffering from a cold, had just finished his night shift, and then experienced a series of events that left him physically exhausted. So, from the moment he collapsed into Gu Yang’s arms in the morning, he hadn’t woken up again.
He was unaware of how Gu Yang had carried him into the emergency room, how the doctors had treated his wound and given him an IV, or how hospital leaders had come to visit. He didn’t know that Lu Ting had been taken away by the police or that the whole hospital was gossiping about him. He had no idea about any of it.
When he finally awoke, it was already evening.
His eyes fluttered open in a daze, and they immediately met the familiar amber gaze, filled with pain and concern.
“Ranran…” Gu Yang, who had stayed by his side the whole day without even drinking a sip of water, spoke hoarsely, his voice cracked. After a pause, he asked, “You’re awake? How do you feel?”
Having slept all day, Lin Xiaoran was still groggy, his mind fuzzy. His eyes, still clouded with drowsiness, blinked slowly at Gu Yang. The memories from before he lost consciousness slowly began flooding back, and he understood why Gu Yang was looking at him with such an expression.
Gu Yang was holding his hand, and Lin Xiaoran moved his fingers slightly. He gently pinched the back of Gu Yang’s hand, then parted his dry lips to whisper, “Gu Yang, I’m fine.”
His throat was hoarse from dehydration and still congested from the cold, his voice soft and fragile. The sound was almost painful to hear, and it made Gu Yang’s heart ache.
He had been the one in danger, injured, and yet the first thing Lin Xiaoran said upon waking was to comfort him.
Gu Yang couldn’t quite express what he was feeling. His emotions overwhelmed him, and he leaned down to embrace Lin Xiaoran, burying his face in his neck, his voice choked and full of sorrow. “Ranran, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t protect you well… I’m sorry.”
This guilt and self-blame had been weighing on him all day. He was finding it hard to bear.
If he hadn’t come to pick Lin Xiaoran up that morning, what would have happened now?
Although Lin Xiaoran was a hidden Omega and Lu Ting couldn’t possibly mark him, who knew how far a desperate Lu Ting might have gone after realizing he couldn’t claim Lin Xiaoran?
Even though Gu Yang had arrived in time, Lin Xiaoran was still hurt.
He had carried Lin Xiaoran into the emergency room, watching the doctors cut away his clothes and reveal the gaping, blood-soaked wound beneath. His heart felt like it had been stabbed.
So much blood had flowed, and the doctors had struggled to stop it. After that, they had to stitch him up, doing more than twenty stitches.
At that moment, Gu Yang couldn’t help but blame himself. Why hadn’t he protected his Omega?
He forced himself to watch everything, imprinting the scene in his mind. He wanted to remember it forever, to never forget the pain he felt when Lin Xiaoran was hurt.
He promised himself he would never let this happen again.
Lin Xiaoran reached up and gently brushed his hair. “Gu Yang, this was an accident. It wasn’t your fault, nor was it mine. Don’t overthink it.”
He had known Gu Yang would feel guilty.
Although Gu Yang never tried to control his freedom just because he was an Omega—he always supported whatever Lin Xiaoran wanted to do—his Alpha nature still remained.
Since Lin Xiaoran was with him, since he had claimed him as his Omega, Gu Yang subconsciously felt it was his responsibility to protect him. When Lin Xiaoran was hurt, it felt like his failure.
While Lin Xiaoran appreciated Gu Yang’s protective instincts, he didn’t want it to feel like a burden.
After all, this situation had been an accident, and none of it could be blamed on Gu Yang.
“And besides, I’m fine,” Lin Xiaoran added with a slight smile, seeing Gu Yang’s worried expression.
“Still fine?” Gu Yang finally released him and looked at the bandages wrapped around Lin Xiaoran’s leg. His brow furrowed deeply, his fingers hesitating to touch him as if afraid any contact would cause pain.
Lin Xiaoran couldn’t help but laugh at Gu Yang’s careful, anxious expression. “I’m really fine. It’ll heal in a few days. I’m a doctor; I know my own condition.”
Gu Yang couldn’t help but feel helpless seeing Lin Xiaoran smile despite his pale face and bloodless lips. He knew Lin Xiaoran was telling the truth—he really did feel fine.
Even in such a condition, Lin Xiaoran still believed he was okay. How could Gu Yang not be worried?
Still, seeing Lin Xiaoran awake and more alert reassured him a little. He reached out and pinched Lin Xiaoran’s cheek, smiling softly. “Then, Dr. Lin, do you know that you’ve slept all day without eating anything? What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it for you.”
Lin Xiaoran shook his head. “It’s fine, I’ll eat when we get home.” With that, he tried to lift the blanket and get out of bed.
Gu Yang quickly stopped him. “Your injury…”
“I’m just occupying a hospital bed here; it’s not helping anything. It’s the same if I go home, I’ll just come back later to have the stitches removed.” Lin Xiaoran knew Gu Yang was worried, so he patiently explained. Then, before Gu Yang could react, he opened his arms toward him, his voice soft, “Yang Ge, I’m hurt, I can’t walk. Could you carry me out?”
Huh?
Gu Yang hadn’t yet decided whether he wanted Lin Xiaoran to be discharged when the beautiful Omega suddenly started acting coquettishly, opening his arms and asking to be held. Who could resist that?
Without a second thought, Gu Yang abandoned his doubts and lifted Lin Xiaoran off the bed, carrying him out of the room.
As they left, the pair couldn’t avoid being seen by many people, all of them curious and gossiping. However, neither of them cared about other people’s stares; they didn’t pay it any mind.
Moreover, Gu Yang was still basking in the joy of Lin Xiaoran’s sweet and playful gesture. This joy lasted until they reached the car, at which point it slowly faded, and he came to his senses. He chuckled softly and reached over to pinch Lin Xiaoran’s cheek. “Dr. Lin, you’re getting more and more cunning. To achieve your goal, you’re willing to sell your looks?”
Lin Xiaoran rarely acted coquettishly with Gu Yang; it wasn’t in his nature. But when he wanted something, he could be subtle about it.
Like just now—he worried that Gu Yang would overthink things and insist on him staying in the hospital. So, while Gu Yang wasn’t paying attention, he threw in a little flirtation.
Gu Yang was usually caught off guard, and it worked, just like now.
Having succeeded in his little plan, Lin Xiaoran raised an eyebrow, feeling quite pleased with himself. “You don’t want me to go home? Looks like I’ll be able to take a long break after all.”
Gu Yang’s expression softened at the mention of his injury, and his gaze turned filled with tenderness. He gently touched Lin Xiaoran’s face, sighing. “I’d rather you didn’t take a break—it’s too much of a price to pay.”
Lin Xiaoran knew Gu Yang was feeling guilty again. Just as he was about to say something to distract him, his phone rang—it was a call from Lin Lan.
He glanced at Gu Yang, who immediately knew what he was about to ask, and shook his head. “I didn’t tell Auntie.”
He knew Lin Xiaoran didn’t want to worry Lin Lan, so he hadn’t informed her of the incident.
After confirming that, Lin Xiaoran answered the phone, speaking in the same tone as usual. “Hey, Mom, have you eaten yet?”
Gu Yang suddenly remembered something from a long time ago—he had seen a similar scene in the alley behind the school. After Lin Xiaoran had gotten into a fight, he swiftly fixed his hair and clothes with practiced ease and, without skipping a beat, answered a video call from Lin Lan, acting as if everything was perfectly fine.
In Lin Lan’s eyes, Lin Xiaoran was always the obedient, well-behaved child. She would never have imagined that, just where she was video calling from, three people lay on the ground, completely beaten and unable to stand, all victims of her son.
Gu Yang’s thoughts wandered as he didn’t pay attention to what Lin Xiaoran was saying on the phone.
When the call ended, Lin Xiaoran tapped his cheek to bring him back to reality. Gu Yang turned to meet Lin Xiaoran’s clear gaze.
“My mom, dad, and even my grandparents know now. They’re coming to see me. So troublesome!” Lin Xiaoran pouted.
“Huh?” Gu Yang was surprised, his lips moved but he didn’t speak. He suddenly realized something.
It must have been because he called Secretary Yang to handle Lu Ting’s case, and since it involved Lin Xiaoran, Secretary Yang must have informed Lin Xiu Yuan.
Lin Xiaoran probably guessed as much.
“They’ll probably sentence him, right?” he said.
Mentioning Lu Ting caused Gu Yang’s smile to vanish, and his expression grew cold, something Lin Xiaoran had rarely seen.
“He should be sentenced severely!” Gu Yang’s tone was firm. “I heard his dad is some government official. Let’s see if he can bail his son out.”
Lin Xiaoran looked at him but didn’t say anything.
Gu Yang rarely spoke with such arrogance or used his family’s background to bully others, but this time, he was truly angry.
Thankfully, he was still rational and hadn’t done anything reckless to Lu Ting.
Back then, when Lin Xiaoran had been cornered, Gu Yang had appeared just in time. At that moment, Lin Xiaoran had broken down and couldn’t hold on any longer.
However, when he collapsed into Gu Yang’s arms, he was still somewhat worried.
If the roles were reversed, and one day Gu Yang was trapped like that, Lin Xiaoran knew he would lose control, too.
That’s why he was still worried about Gu Yang’s reaction at the time.
Luckily, Gu Yang was fine!
As for Lu Ting, Gu Yang could handle him however he wanted; Lin Xiaoran didn’t care anymore.
Since Lin Xiaoran was recovering from his injury at home, Gu Yang canceled all his work and stayed by his side, not leaving for a second.
Lin Xiaoran felt it was a bit excessive. He could move around with one leg, and he wasn’t completely incapacitated, so there was no need for Gu Yang to be with him all the time.
But Gu Yang refused to listen.
He was already heartbroken over Lin Xiaoran’s injury; how could he not take care of him properly?
Moreover, this incident had made one thing very clear to him—he was going to mark Lin Xiaoran completely, once and for all!
Gu Yang wasn’t sure how they had been so foolish in the past, always postponing this because of their studies or work, until Lin Xiaoran almost got hurt this time.
But now, he was resolute—no matter what, he would stay by Lin Xiaoran’s side, especially making sure not to miss his heat.
It seemed the heavens were helping him, too. After five days of staying cooped up at home, that evening, after finishing his shower, Gu Yang came out of the bathroom. The sweet fragrance of candied pear filled the air, growing stronger and more intense, gradually filling their entire bedroom.
From under the covers, Lin Xiaoran peeked out, his pale face flushed with a soft red, his beautiful eyes misty. He reached out a soft hand toward Gu Yang. “Gu Yang, I feel uncomfortable.”
