“The wound isn’t very deep, and there are no bone issues, but the area is quite extensive, so be careful not to get it wet,” the doctor told Jiang Heng. “Also, your body temperature is slightly high. I suggest getting a blood test done in a while to decide whether or not you should get a tetanus shot.”
After the doctor’s explanation, a nurse came over with the supplies to bandage Jiang Heng’s wound.
“It might sting a bit, so please bear with it,” the nurse said gently as Jiang Heng lay down on the hospital bed.
Jiang Heng nodded. He had been through injuries before; nobody is born invulnerable.
When he was younger and his parents had a good relationship, Jiang Heng was a well-behaved child. Both Xie An and his father had good tempers, especially Xie An, who was incredibly gentle with everyone.
However, after his parents began to argue, Jiang Heng slowly turned into a schoolyard bully. When he moved to the distant city with Xie An, he had originally intended to keep a low profile, but some malice always forced him to raise his defenses.
Throughout his life, Jiang Heng had lost count of how many fights he had been in and how many injuries he had sustained.
Xie An was always busy, and he never complained about the pain.
Jiang Heng tightly gripped the white hospital bedsheet beneath him.
The nurse hadn’t started cleaning yet, but seeing his expression, she felt a bit sorry for him. They dealt with so many patients each day, many of them omegas who cried and whimpered. Jiang Heng’s wound, though not deep, was quite large, so it must have hurt. Yet he didn’t have red eyes, and he had come in with a smile on his face. While he wasn’t particularly pitiful-looking, he was still quite endearing.
The nurse glanced at him and then called out at the door, “Where are the patient’s family members? Come in and help!”
As the nurse shouted, the doctor was finishing up cleaning Shen Huaizhi’s wound. His injury wasn’t severe and didn’t require bandaging, only a simple cleaning of the superficial layer.
Shen Huaizhi, unusually, froze for a moment and turned to look towards the door of the other room, his brows furrowing.
Although Jiang Heng hadn’t openly admitted that he was in pain after his injury, he had, in a way, alluded to it. However, the way he had said it seemed artificial, but Shen Huaizhi understood that a wound like that couldn’t be painless.
The doctor smiled, “You’re fine, there’s no major issue with your wound. You can go inside and keep him company.”
Inside the room, when Jiang Heng heard the nurse call for the patient’s family members, his heart rate inexplicably sped up. He rarely got sick when he was younger, and in the few instances he did, Xie An had come to see him, even though the lab work often kept her busy.
Despite not yet starting the cleaning, Jiang Heng’s grip on the bedsheets tightened. His knuckles turned white, and the veins on the back of his hand became more pronounced.
After the nurse’s call, she started to rearrange the equipment and medications. Then, Jiang Heng heard the door to the room open. The sound was normal, but it was accompanied by the “thump-thump” of his heartbeat, which made him involuntarily glance towards the entrance.
Everything in the hospital was white, but when it came to Shen Huaizhi, it was like he brought color with him. Shen Huaizhi’s appearance wasn’t strikingly handsome or flashy. In contrast to Jiang Heng’s appearance, Shen Huaizhi had a gentle, unassuming look that lacked aggressive features. However, it was undeniably attractive. It was a look that could make people remember him at first glance and be charmed instantly.
But right now, Jiang Heng felt that it shouldn’t be a moment for immediate charm. It should be a moment of collective concern.
He was burning up, but he remembered the warmth of Shen Huaizhi when he held him after falling.
Jiang Heng thought, “This person feels so cold.”
Shen Huaizhi glanced at the nurse and said, “Sorry, we were just dealing with the wound.” Then, he looked at Jiang Heng.
Injured people often appear more fragile than usual, especially when they are lying in bed without their usual strong posture.
The nurse, uninterested in wasting words, immediately instructed Shen Huaizhi, “Go over there, hold the patient’s hand, or let them bite on something. There might be dirt inside the wound, and the cleaning process could be painful.”
Jiang Heng blinked and looked at Shen Huaizhi with eyes that held something different from usual. Shen Huaizhi couldn’t quite understand what it was.
He acknowledged with a sound and moved to the bedside. Squatting down, he proactively held Jiang Heng’s hand. In an unusual hushed tone, he sounded almost like he was comforting someone, “If it hurts, hold on tight.”
Jiang Heng lowered his head, gazing at their intertwined hands.
It was strange; the sensation was different from grasping the wrist. Shen Huaizhi, being an alpha, had larger hands even when holding his.
Jiang Heng hesitated for a moment. The nurse hadn’t even started cleaning yet, but the patient, who had been lying peacefully, suddenly displayed a sense of injustice and clung to the alpha’s hand, trembling softly, “Captain, it hurts so much.”
Shen Huaizhi tightened his grip on Jiang Heng’s hand.
The nurse, unfazed by this display, began the cleaning process.
“Captain! It hurts!” Jiang Heng clung to Shen Huaizhi’s arm, his upper body quivering with each movement.
The nurse fell silent for a moment, “Don’t move around, or I might be rough.”
Jiang Heng protested, “Captain, she’s going to be rough!”
Shen Huaizhi hesitated for a moment but then patted Jiang Heng’s back with resignation, “Just endure it for a while.”
The nurse: Can you please let me finish a sentence!
“Captain, it hurts! I want to cuddle and sleep!”
“Why should I, a delicate little omega, endure such pain!” His tone was quite indignant, and his voice trembled like it was genuine.
“Then hold tighter.”
“Endure it a little longer.”
It genuinely hurt, but Jiang Heng could endure it. After every sentence he spoke, he looked at Shen Huaizhi’s expression. Seeing that Shen Huaizhi didn’t seem disgusted, he took more liberties. At first, he just asked for Shen Huaizhi’s hand, but after the procedure, he ended up hugging Shen Huaizhi’s arm and wouldn’t let go.
The scent of an alpha was always able to dissipate some of the heat in his body. Jiang Heng was too infatuated.
Once the medications were administered, the nurse was left sweating.
“Lie down for a while and then go get your blood tested,” the nurse instructed before leaving.
Jiang Heng lay on the bed, facing Shen Huaizhi, and sweat glistened on his forehead and neck. His chest slightly rose and fell. Shen Huaizhi’s arm was held tightly to his chest.
The warmth spread.
Both of them remained silent for a while.
Jiang Heng suddenly chuckled lightly. He tilted his head back, his eyelids carrying a hint of moisture, but his eyes sparkled. When he laughed, he lacked his usual mischievousness, making it somewhat unfamiliar.
He whispered, “Captain, you’re really kind.”
“Willing to accompany someone as fragile as me.”
Shen Huaizhi lowered his eyes, seeing Jiang Heng’s face had regained some color. He overlooked a certain adjective in Jiang Heng’s words, merely acknowledging it with a sound, and pulled his hand back from Jiang Heng’s embrace.
His arm had been held too tightly, causing a slight tingling sensation. But most apparent of all was the rich scent of omega pheromones.
Jiang Heng had lost control for a moment earlier. Even the pheromone suppressant couldn’t prevent his pheromone scent from seeping out.
It disturbed Shen Huaizhi’s composure.
Jiang Heng lay on the bed for a while. The process of applying the medication was difficult to endure, but once it was done, he felt much better, except for some discomfort in his leg.
He held the blood test form given by the nurse and adjusted his shirt that had been messed up.
When they left, Jiang Heng stood in place, staring at Shen Huaizhi’s back with a somewhat uncertain tone. “Captain, why did you roll down with me earlier?”
Perhaps it was due to his duty as the captain.
Given Shen Huaizhi’s disciplined and responsible nature, he would probably save anyone who fell down at that moment.
Jiang Heng tightened his grip on the blood test form.
Damn it, why ask this now?
Upon opening the door, Shen Huaizhi replied, “My mother told me to take care of you.”
Implicitly, it was a sense of duty.
Jiang Heng just nodded, lowering his gaze and raising it ever so slightly, just a bit.
At least it wasn’t Shen Huaizhi’s responsibility anymore.
The hospital was quite crowded. Shen Huaizhi accompanied Jiang Heng for the blood test, and it was already close to mealtime.
The blood test report was delivered quickly, but Jiang Heng didn’t look at it. After all, he couldn’t understand it. He handed it directly to the doctor.
The doctor examined the report and said, “No fever.”
Jiang Heng had an expression as if he expected it. He rarely got sick, and there was no reason for him to have a fever.
The doctor seemed to assume that Shen Huaizhi was Jiang Heng’s alpha, and there was no hesitation as they continued, “Your heat period is approaching.”
Jiang Heng was momentarily stunned.
After differentiating into an omega, Xie An provided him with some information. Omegas have a heat period, which is different from the susceptibility period. Differentiated omegas will experience a heat period, and those without an alpha partner usually use suppressants to get through this time. During the heat period, omegas tend to rely heavily on their alpha, and marking can alleviate the symptoms.
Both Jiang Heng and Shen Huaizhi had a moment of stiffness. Although there had been incidents of omegas mistakenly going into heat and causing disturbances at school, Shen Huaizhi had never really paid much attention.
“But if you have an alpha, it makes things easier,” the doctor continued, “I checked your blood test, and it shows the presence of suppressants. The components of this suppressant are quite unique. Did you have any illnesses before?”
Jiang Heng nodded, not concealing anything, “I have Information Scent Deficiency Syndrome, and I took suppressants yesterday.”
He finished speaking, not noticing Shen Huaizhi raising an eyebrow as he glanced at him.
The doctor nodded and went on, “That might be why this suppressant has caused your heat period to come earlier. Personally, I don’t recommend continuing to take suppressants during your heat period, given your current condition. It could potentially harm your body. It would be best to have your alpha mark you temporarily or permanently.”
Jiang Heng had a blank expression for a moment. He didn’t look at Shen Huaizhi and simply rejected the suggestion, “Thank you, Doctor. I’ll prepare more suppressants.”
Marking was just not a possibility.
After leaving the hospital, Jiang Heng finally checked his phone messages. He received a message from He Ci asking how he was doing. Jiang Heng thought for a moment and replied with two words: “Not bad.”
Their homeroom teacher had already returned to the resort, and Lu Zhuan and Chen Xingchi were nowhere to be seen. It was just him and Shen Huaizhi now.
Shen Huai Zhi stood by the roadside, waiting for a car. The area outside the hospital was rather quiet at the moment, with the occasional passerby looking back at the two of them.
Wearing a school uniform, the alpha looked handsome, and he had a good physique. Anyone who saw him couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.
Jiang Heng stared at Shen Huai Zhi’s back for a while and then pinched his phone case. After a while, realizing that Shen Huai Zhi had not noticed him, Jiang Heng reluctantly unlocked his phone and sent another message.
【Waterworks King行: Under what circumstances do alphas want to mark an omega?】
He was just asking, with no hidden meaning.
Author’s Note: Ouch, my face hurts.
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️”
