Chapter 72 – Fever
Novel Title: 顶级掠食者 (Alpha Predator)
Author：水千丞 (ShuiQianCheng)
Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)
Protagonists: 沈岱 (Shen Dai -MC), 瞿末予 (Qu Moyu -ML))
*Please read at Novels Space.space, the original site of translation. TQ*
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That night, Shen Dai went to sleep with unease. He was already a light sleeper, so he woke up at Qiu Qiu’s first cry.
He was so sensitive to Qiu Qiu’s night cries that his body would react before his brain could, making him sit up in bed immediately. The lingering drowsiness made him momentarily confused. But he quickly snapped out of it, gently patting Qiu Qiu’s small chest and softly comforting him before picking him up and rocking him.
Cheng Zimei slept in the next room. She had to go to work during the day and had been sleeping poorly these past few days because of Qiu Qiu. Shen Dai was very eager for Qiu Qiu to calm down quickly. However, he soon realised something was wrong. His heart skipped a beat as he touched Qiu Qiu’s forehead—it was very hot. He then reached inside the child’s collar and felt the skin’s abnormal heat.
Shen Dai’s mind went blank for a moment, then was immediately filled with anxiety—Qiu Qiu had a fever! Generally, newborns don’t get sick much before six months old because they still have immunity from their mother. But because Qiu Qiu lacked the pheromones from an alpha father throughout the entire pregnancy, his constitution was weaker. The doctor had warned Shen Dai about the associated risks and urged him to provide Qiu Qiu with a stable and safe environment.
Flying, acclimatisation issues, being startled by Qu Moyu, and constant exposure to strangers—all these were significant stresses for an infant, now manifesting as illness.
Shen Dai felt immense regret. His heart burned with anguish. The most painful part was that he had no other options. No one could help him resolve his resignation issue, no one could fully take care of the child for him, and no one could stop Qu Moyu from continually approaching him.
The hardships of life are indescribable because just experiencing them drains all of his energy.
Shen Dai, burdened with guilt, woke Cheng Zimei up and asked her to accompany him to the hospital since he couldn’t manage both the child and the registration and payment alone.
By the time they got into a taxi, dawn was just breaking. Cheng Zimei, yawning repeatedly, checked infant fever care methods on her phone.
The driver, upon learning about Qiu Qiu’s fever, drove quickly and tried to comfort them.
At the hospital, Shen Dai consulted with the doctor, who recommended physical cooling and fever medication. They decided to avoid injections for now, and suggested a period of observation. After getting the prescriptions, Cheng Zimei went to pay and collect the medicine.
The nearest hospital was a public one. The paediatrics department was crowded with children of all ages. The continuous crying and wailing were enough to blow the roof off, making the environment extremely frustrating and headache-inducing.
The doctors and nurses were overwhelmed. After Shen Dai gave Qiu Qiu the medicine, he held the crying child for over an hour before a nurse came to help him wipe Qiu Qiu’s body with warm water. The nurse briefly instructed Shen Dai on how to do it. She only demonstrated once and then hurried off to attend to other patients.
Shen Dai, feeling like he’d been injected with adrenaline, was highly active but acutely aware of his fatigue. He said to Cheng Zimei, “You should go to work. I’ll stay with him for a few hours. If his fever goes down, he should be fine.”
“I’m not going. How can you manage alone?” Cheng Zimei, seeing how haggard Shen Dai looked, felt a pang of sadness. She sighed, “Raising a child is too hard. I don’t want to have one.”
Shen Dai wanted to say that raising a child alone is very difficult. It wouldn’t be so hard if a couple worked together. But he couldn’t say it because he was a prime example of the opposite.
“You take a rest, I’ll do it. I’ll wipe him down,” Cheng Zimei said, seeing Qiu Qiu’s eyelids drooping. “Look, he’s almost asleep.”
“I can’t leave him. If he can’t smell my pheromones, he’ll start crying again,” Shen Dai said, looking at Qiu Qiu’s trembling body and feverish red face. His nose tingled as he almost teared up.
During many, many difficult moments, such as going for prenatal check-ups alone, preparing delivery supplies by himself, enduring the pain of childbirth and postpartum recovery, the exhaustion of caring for the baby day and night, and watching his meticulously nurtured career get delayed, Shen Dai had questioned himself in the depths of his heart: Do I regret it?
He listened to his inner voice carefully each time. He analysed and thought it through calmly after the pain. But each time, the answer was: No. I don’t regret it.
He believed the hardest times were passing. He believed the faith and strength this child brought him far outweighed what he had lost.
Shen Dai didn’t dare rest for several hours, constantly watching over Qiu Qiu. He dozed off against the wall. Qiu Qiu’s temperature had lowered somewhat but the fever hadn’t completely subsided. Sometimes he woke up crying, sometimes he fell back asleep. The doctor told him to observe for another two hours before deciding whether to go home or proceed with further treatment.
***
When Qu Moyu entered the noisy paediatric ward, he saw Shen Dai’s thin and hunched back. His shoulder and head were pressed against the cold wall, unmoving like a statue.
Qu Moyu felt a pang in his heart. He was unable to accept that his omega had to endure such hardship and embarrassment. He walked over slowly, hesitating to approach. But Shen Dai sensed something before Qiu Qiu did and turned around.
Shen Dai’s eyes were surrounded by dark circles. They were bloodshot. His face was as pale as paper. His lips were chapped. He looked as if he were sick himself.
Qu Moyu felt both pain and anger. The children’s cries and screams around made the veins in his temples throb. He had never been in such an environment before. It was a purgatory built of pain, noise, anxiety, resentment, and the smell of hydrogen peroxide. He wanted to scoop his wife and child into his arms and leave immediately.
Shen Dai’s face turned even more ashen at the sight of him.
Qu Moyu took a deep breath. “I called you, but your phone was off. I went to look for you and the front desk said you took the child to the hospital in the middle of the night, so I found you here.”
Shen Dai was too tired to speak. He just glanced at him and then looked away.
“Come to my hospital. They’re understaffed here. The doctors and nurses can’t take proper care of Qiu Qiu,” Qu Moyu said softly. “You can’t take good care of him in this condition either.”
Shen Dai looked at the wheezing Qiu Qiu. His eyes grew redder.
“Don’t be stubborn at this time. Let’s go.”
Cheng Zimei, who had gone to buy coffee, returned. She widened her eyes at the sight of Qu Moyu.
Qu Moyu glanced at her. “Miss Cheng, right?” He knew she was Shen Dai’s classmate and friend. Although it was almost impossible for a male omega to have feelings for a female beta, Cheng Zimei had taken his place and role in this moment. This still made him feel uncomfortable.
“Crown- Mr. Qu,” Cheng Zimei looked at Shen Dai.
“Thank you for accompanying Shen Dai and Qiu Qiu to the hospital. I’ll take them to another hospital. You should go back to work.”
Shen Dai silently packed their things. He then picked Qiu Qiu up. “Zimei, you should head back. Thanks for all your help today.” He didn’t want any conflict with Qu Moyu in front of Cheng Zimei. Getting Qiu Qiu better was the priority.
Cheng Zimei nodded slowly, looking a bit stunned.
Shen Dai walked out of the ward holding Qiu Qiu. Qu Moyu quickly caught up and shielded him from a parent pulling their tantrum-throwing child in the corridor. His strong arm wrapped around Shen Dai’s thin shoulders.
The steady ebony pheromones cut through the sterilising smell like a sword piercing through clouds, drifting into Shen Dai’s nostrils. He couldn’t help but take in that scent, finding a momentary sense of peace from it.
***
Once they got in the car and closed the door, all three adults held their breath. They anxiously observed Qiu Qiu’s reaction.
Perhaps the fever had dulled Qiu Qiu’s senses, as he didn’t cry at Qu Moyu’s presence. He seemed completely unaware.
This made Shen Dai even more worried. He said, “Lao Wu, please drive faster.”
“Don’t worry.”
Qu Moyu, seeing Qiu Qiu’s flushed face, grew anxious as well. “How did he get a fever?”
“I don’t know.”
“We’ll have him thoroughly checked at the hospital. Don’t worry, he’ll get better soon.”
Shen Dai, looking at Qiu Qiu, murmured, “How do you know?”
“He’s my son. He’s our son. He’s strong,” Qu Moyu said, looking at Shen Dai, who was focused on Qiu Qiu. Compared to the confident and composed Mr. Shen of the past, the person before him seemed like a different person. He was trapped by life’s hardships. Although his features hadn’t changed, his face was pale and thin, lacking its former radiance. Yet, Qu Moyu couldn’t take his eyes off him. He saw a fragile yet resilient beauty in Shen Dai, someone who used his own shattered self to care for his child. It was a unique brilliance that transcended gender, emanating from the identity of a parent.
Qu Moyu’s heart ached for his omega. He just wanted to hold Shen Dai, shielding him from all storms and soothing all his pain.
The private hospital was worlds apart from the public one in terms of environment and experience. Coming here felt more like receiving a service than seeking medical care.
Qiu Qiu was placed in the best room, surrounded by doctors and dedicated nurses for diagnosis and care. The test results matched what the previous doctor had said. It was a common fever, best treated with medication and physical cooling. The difference here was the quiet and clean environment, with nurses constantly by Qiu Qiu’s side. Shen Dai’s chaotic mind began to calm down, making him less anxious and worried.
Qiu Qiu continued to alternate between sleep and crying. A nurse said, “When a child feels unwell, their mood worsens, which can slow down recovery. You need to release more comforting pheromones to soothe him. It’ll help him cry less, eat more, and sleep better. He’ll recover quickly once he has the energy.”
Shen Dai reached into his bag and pulled out Bai Xiangwan’s pheromone spray. But he hesitated. He had already used it, but it hadn’t worked. This substitute pheromone spray only deceived the baby’s sense of smell. But Qiu Qiu’s sense of smell was temporarily impaired. Human pheromone perception involves not just smell but also the nervous, circulatory, and endocrine systems. So, Qiu Qiu could still be soothed by his pheromones but couldn’t be comforted by Bai Xiangwan’s.
Qu Moyu snatched the nearly empty spray bottle from Shen Dai’s hand and threw it into the trash can. “Let me try,” he said, looking into Shen Dai’s eyes with sincerity. “I am his alpha father.”
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*Translator’s Note: ‘He just wanted to hold Shen Dai, shielding him from all storms and soothing all his pain.’ You are the cause of that pain, QMY. If QMY doesn’t repent soon, I’ll burn the forest next to my house. -K
Next update: 2022.07.08
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*Proofread by 2024.08.06* I will proofread these chapters slowly when I’m free. I prioritise the mature chapter first because of censorship. So please understand if there are any delays or discrepancies. TQ.
Proofread version of the rest of the novel will only be available on Novels Space.space while Mature Chapters will be released on my Blog.
