It had definitely been more than five days, Chen Yu thought. He had called Li Yan’s phone so many times he’d lost count, but every time, the line was off.
Today was the seventh day. It had been a full week without any word from Li Yan.
Still, Li Yan had left a generous amount of money with the caretaker. Chen Yu sat in his wheelchair, still very weak. But perhaps because of the particularly bright sunlight today, he appeared healthier.
In the hospital’s garden-like green lawn, Chen Yu rested his chin on his hand, watching a child running around in the distance. The child held a balloon, while his mother stretched her arms out, smiling as she urged him to slow down.
Just then, a tall, slender Alpha entered through the side gate ahead. He wore sunglasses that covered half his face, but the visible part revealed a sharp jawline and gracefully curved lips.
Two bodyguards in black suits followed behind him. Chen Yu remained calm, unaware of anything unusual, until the three of them began heading directly toward him.
The caretaker leaned down slightly and asked, “Mr. Chen, do you know them? Are they here for you?” Since taking on Chen Yu’s care, she hadn’t seen anyone visit him.
Chen Yu composed himself, moving the hand that had been casually propping up his chin to the armrest of his wheelchair. The imposing Alpha had already reached him and asked in a confident yet slightly flippant tone, “Chen Yu?”
Chen Yu didn’t answer. Judging by the man’s demeanor, he figured that even if he wanted the caretaker to wheel him back to his room, it wouldn’t be possible.
“Excuse me, sir, may I ask who you are?” Chen Yu lifted his face, the sunlight highlighting his beautiful and fair features.
Lu Lianning replied, “You don’t need to know who I am.” He lowered his face, hidden behind the sunglasses, pressing his lips tightly together. “The money on this card should cover your medical treatment and living expenses for the rest of your life.” He held the card out to Chen Yu.
Chen Yu was taken aback, and then a thought struck him. He cautiously ventured, “Are you a friend of Xiao Yan-ge?”
At the mention of that name, Chen Yu saw a subtle change in the Alpha’s expression. The man’s lips tightened even further, a clear sign that his reaction was anything but friendly.
“Yes. A very good friend.” Lu Lianning twisted his lips abruptly.
Chen Yu was perceptive enough to sense something wasn’t right. “I’ve called and texted him many times, but he hasn’t replied. Is he okay?”
“He’s fine,” Lu Lianning replied.
The curt answer made Chen Yu pause, but he didn’t press further. He reached out his thin, pale fingers and took the card. He flashed a sweet smile. “I’m relieved. Xiao Yan-ge has made a friend like you. That explains it.” He appeared to express understanding toward the generosity of this unknown Alpha.
Lu Lianning repeated in a low voice, “So, you’re relieved.”
Chen Yu’s smile froze for a fraction of a second, but he quickly recovered and nodded. “Yes, of course I’m happy that he has a friend like you.”
“A friend like me? What kind of friend do you think I am?” Lu Lianning pulled off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of cold, ruthless eyes that studied Chen Yu with scrutiny. “You’re happy? Happy to get the money?”
He stared at Chen Yu’s face, which was showing a false and fragile smile, and sneered, “Is this how you’ve clung to Li Yan to save yourself? Why don’t you ask how he managed to scrape together the money for your surgery, or what price he had to pay for everything you have today?”
Chen Yu could no longer maintain his smile and stopped pretending altogether. Clutching the bank card in his hand, his expression reverted to its usual sickly and gloomy state. “So what if he did? He did it willingly. Why shouldn’t I accept it? If I don’t, wouldn’t all his efforts be wasted? I just want to live, and that’s what he wants too. I can’t throw away what he’s worked so hard for.”
He glanced at Lu Lianning. “Besides, I’ve always hated the absent-minded look in his eyes when he looks at me. He’s only seeing my sister in me. He’s using me to ease his guilt over not being able to save her.”
Chen Yu was clever. He understood everything all too well. As for what Li Yan had done for him, he felt perfectly justified in accepting it. Each time he offered a simple “thank you” to Li Yan without ever questioning the wounds on his body or how he had managed to gather the money for his surgery so quickly. The truth was, he didn’t care.
At this moment, Lu Lianning saw this clearly. He suddenly found it all absurd—especially Li Yan himself.
He looked at Chen Yu’s face, now stripped of guilt or any fake concern, and said, “He sold himself to me. That’s how he got the money.”
Chen Yu paused briefly, then looked at Lu Lianning with a grin. “Well, that’s not so bad. You seem wealthy enough, so Xiao Yan-ge will be taken care of…”
“No, he didn’t do it willingly,” Lu Lianning cut him off, speaking with a malice that even surprised himself. “I forced him. When he resisted, I whipped him with a belt. And when he could no longer bear the pain, I pushed him to the ground, his body covered in blood.”
Chen Yu’s face turned deathly pale, his teeth clenching. “Shut up!”
But Lu Lianning had no intention of stopping. “Do you know why he hasn’t contacted you for so long? Because he kept trying to leave to see you, so I locked him up…”
“I said shut up! Don’t say another word! I don’t want to hear it!” Chen Yu abruptly sat up, gripping the wheelchair’s armrests, his eyes brimming with hatred as he glared at Lu Lianning.
“You crack me up! Why are you looking at me like that? How do you think a Beta who dropped out of high school managed to afford your surgery? Do you really believe that by ignoring the truth, you can pretend you didn’t know!?”
This was something Chen Yu truly hadn’t anticipated. In fact, he had felt a vague suspicion when Li Yan visited him once, faintly carrying the scent of an Alpha’s pheromones. Li Yan was a Beta—neither particularly sensitive to pheromones nor knowledgeable about how to mask them.
But Chen Yu was different. He was almost certain that scent belonged to a high-tier Alpha.
He had assumed that Li Yan had gotten involved with an Alpha, someone who was likely quite fond of him. After all, Alphas rarely chose Betas as partners. If this Alpha had chosen Li Yan, he surely wouldn’t mistreat him.
Reassured by that assumption, Chen Yu had accepted everything Li Yan provided for him with a clear conscience.
His chest heaved violently, and he looked at Lu Lianning, trying to calm himself down. “Save your breath. No matter what you do, he’ll never like you. You’ll only push him further away. He likes Omegas. He’d never choose an Alpha.”
“He thinks all Omegas need protection because he saw my sister as gentle and kind. He has this instinct to protect them. Deep down, he’s very traditional…”
Lu Lianning suddenly interrupted him. “You’re mistaken. I don’t need his affection. He’s only a plaything in bed. I just find him ungrateful.” He cast a condescending look at Chen Yu. “For someone like you, trying to play tricks on me is nothing short of foolish.”
Lu Lianning then burst into laughter. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ll teach him to be smarter.”
Despite the bright sunlight and Lu Lianning’s handsome face, a shiver ran down Chen Yu’s spine.
After speaking, Lu Lianning slipped his sunglasses back on. He had lingered here far too long already.
Chen Yu, watching him turn to leave, felt a surge of panic. “Stop! Where is Xiao Yan-ge!? You can’t just…”
“You bastard! I don’t want your money!” Chen Yu hurled the card toward Lu Lianning’s retreating figure, but in his emotional outburst, his body lurched forward, causing him to fall from his wheelchair directly onto the lawn.
The caretaker cried in shock and rushed over to help him. Chen Yu clenched his teeth, his face filled with hatred. The card he’d thrown didn’t even come close to grazing Lu Lianning’s clothing.
Lu Lianning could no longer hear the curses behind him; they were left behind like some farcical scene.
