Marked by the Milk-Soft Alpha I Picked Up (Entertainment Circle) - Chapter 6

When Lin Ruoyun woke up, she found herself in a hospital bed with an IV drip in her hand. She slowly opened her eyes. As her vision went from blurry to clear, her pupils reflected Guan Yinghan’s pure and innocent face.

Isn’t this the Alpha who was hiding in the stairwell of my building a couple of nights ago? she thought. Didn’t she go to an Alpha shelter? Why is she here?

The Alpha was staring at the IV bag like a statue, afraid that if she didn’t remove the needle in time, the bl00d would flow back.

Lin Ruoyun blinked in confusion. “How did I get here?”

Before they left the lab, Dr. He had injected Lin Ruoyun with medication after making sure she was stable. So, Lin Ruoyun would not remember anything that happened that night.

“Sister…” Guan Yinghan’s scattered gaze refocused, and in an instant, it was replaced by a foolishly innocent look. “You… you were sleeping in the grass, and you were so hot… So I called… the fat granny…”

The fat granny?

From her jumbled description, Lin Ruoyun got the general idea. She must have fainted from a fever in the grass, and this Alpha had called the chubby cleaning lady from the property management to take her to the hospital.

Lin Ruoyun reached out and gently ruffled the Alpha’s hair. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

Guan Yinghan was stunned. She looked up happily, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

Ten minutes later, Lin Ruoyun’s IV was finished, and a nurse came to remove the needle. After paying for everything, she prepared to leave the hospital. She had only taken a few steps when she noticed the Alpha was following her closely.

Lin Ruoyun couldn’t help but turn around. The Alpha immediately stopped, staying a few feet away, looking at her with an anxious, fearful expression.

Lin Ruoyun’s heart was stirred by the Alpha’s pitiable, puppy-like gaze. She turned back around fully. “You stay here. Don’t move. I’ll contact a help center for you.”

Tears quickly welled up in the Alpha’s eyes, and she lowered her long lashes. “Sister… I don’t want to go to a help center.” With that, she opened her tightly clenched hand, showing Lin Ruoyun her red palm.

Lin Ruoyun pulled her hand closer to look at it, and a quiet anger began to rise inside her. “Did someone at the help center hit you? Tell me, who hurt you? I’ll go tell the director.”

“I don’t remember,” Guan Yinghan said, slowly lowering her head. She squeezed her fingers tightly and pursed her lips nervously. “Sister, can you take me home?”

Lin Ruoyun’s breath hitched. She stared blankly at the Alpha’s pale crown. This…

If she were just a mentally disabled child, it would be one thing. But she was a grown Alpha, and she was… incredibly beautiful! Her striking features also had a unique coldness about them.

In this world, Alphas and Omegas are already rare. The fact that she was beautiful, had a kind heart, and was mentally disabled made her an easy target for malicious people. If she was tricked, there wouldn’t even be bones left.

That strange, protective feeling welled up inside Lin Ruoyun again. She gently rubbed Guan Yinghan’s reddened palm and asked softly, “What’s your name?”

“I…”

Guan Yinghan almost blurted out “Guanguan,” but then she remembered Dr. He’s words: Ruoyun now had a complete new memory chain, and she wouldn’t believe anything anyone told her. It would also hinder her investigation.

Guan Yinghan pretended to be simple-minded and shook her head. “I don’t remember.”

Lin Ruoyun didn’t ask again. Her gaze drifted slightly, falling on the long bench in the hospital lobby. A mother and daughter were sitting there. The little girl with pigtails was carefully peeling a white piece of candy and putting it in her mother’s mouth. The mother chewed it, a look of pure satisfaction on her face.

Broken images collided in Lin Ruoyun’s mind, causing a dull ache. Why did this scene feel so familiar? It was as if someone had fed her a sweet candy like that before.

Lin Ruoyun rubbed her forehead. After the pain subsided a little, she turned to meet Guan Yinghan’s hopeful eyes. “Then… how about your sister calling you ‘Naitang’?” (Naitang means “”milk candy.”)

Milk candy?”

Guan Yinghan’s lips twitched. Her Omega was still the same as when she was a child, always giving strange names to little animals.

“Hmm, I have a name now,” Guan Yinghan said, her eyes curving into a sweet, excited (but also resigned) smile. 

“From now on, my name is Naitang.”

Lin Ruoyun saw the subtle joy in her eyes and felt her heart soften. It was truly a strange feeling; she always felt this deep affection for the Alpha in front of her, as if it were ingrained in her very bones, a feeling she couldn’t resist.

“Then, Naitang, do you want to come home with your sister?”

Guan Yinghan was stunned for a moment, then nodded eagerly. “I do!”

“Then you stay right here. My sister will go get a taxi.”

“Okay!”

Guan Yinghan’s tense lips immediately curved into a smile. However, the moment Lin Ruoyun turned away, she quickly put on her obedient expression again.

******

The apartment complex where Lin Ruoyun rented was a temporary housing building with six floors. Years ago, before uniform regulations, the top-floor owners added a small attic. The attic was tiny, only big enough for a bed and a couch. Even the kitchen and bathroom were outside the main room.

Stepping into the small room, which was less than 20 square meters, Guan Yinghan’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. She remembered that Ruoyun was afraid of the dark and was very timid. 

Back in Dawan Village, as soon as it got dark, she would stick to her side like a shadow. Guan Yinghan couldn’t imagine how Ruoyun managed to walk down that dark hallway by herself every time she came home.

And this simple room, how could it be suitable for a delicate Omega? Since her mother had brought her back to Tianhai City, why weren’t they living together? Did her mother still see her as a burden and not want her around?

Guan Yinghan suppressed her questions and followed Lin Ruoyun into the small room. When Lin Ruoyun turned around, Guan Yinghan had already put on her obedient and naive expression, tilting her head to look at her innocently.

Lin Ruoyun’s heart fluttered slightly. She inexplicably found it… kind of cute.

“Naitang, come here!”

Guan Yinghan obediently walked over.

Lin Ruoyun took her hand and familiarized her with the small space. “Naitang, I don’t know if you understand, but I have to tell you, the living conditions here aren’t very good. It might not even be as nice as a shelter. So, are you sure you want to live with your sister?”

Guan Yinghan nodded heavily without a second thought.

“Okay,” Lin Ruoyun said, pointing towards the bathroom. 

“You go wash your hands first. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

After giving the simple instructions, Lin Ruoyun took the colander and went into the kitchen.

Guan Yinghan walked to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and perfunctorily rubbed her hands under the stream of water.

“Naitang!” Lin Ruoyun had quietly come to her side, her voice gentle and patient. “That’s not how you wash your hands. Come on, Sister will show you.”

Lin Ruoyun squeezed some hand soap into her palm and rubbed her hands together to create a fragrant white foam. She then wrapped her slender, soft fingers around Guan Yinghan’s and gently scrubbed her hands.

Guan Yinghan’s entire body went rigid. One side of her body was frozen, and she could only feel the soft touch on her hands, which stimulated every nerve ending. She slowly raised her head and peeked at Ruoyun.

Lin Ruoyun’s eyes were downcast, her long, curled lashes fluttering like butterfly wings on her almond-shaped eyes. Her lips, the color of cherries, moved slightly under the warm light. She was just breathtakingly beautiful!

“Do you understand?” Lin Ruoyun asked after explaining how to wash hands. “You have to wash your hands like this next time.”

Guan Yinghan nodded obediently. The tips of her ears, hidden by her dark hair, quietly turned red.

Lin Ruoyun then went back into the kitchen, dried her hands, and with graceful motions, pulled her wavy hair up and twisted it into a messy bun. A few stray strands fell by her face, making her skin look even paler and her demeanor more gentle and serene.

Guan Yinghan’s eyes followed her involuntarily. Lin Ruoyun had finished cooking the dumplings and looked up. The moment their eyes met, a sharp pain shot through Lin Ruoyun’s head again, as if something was trying to leap out of her mind.

Lin Ruoyun rubbed her forehead in distress. As the pain slowly subsided, she waved her hand. “Naitang, come eat the dumplings.”

Guan Yinghan walked closer and saw that the dumplings were all misshapen and different sizes. She pursed her lips, wanting to laugh, but quickly suppressed it. She clapped enthusiastically. “They smell so good!”

Guan Yinghan remembered that Lin Ruoyun wasn’t a good cook. Ruoyun had once lived a life of luxury and never had to lift a finger. But after her father passed away, the family lost their income. 

Her mother couldn’t bear the hardship and ran off with a rich man less than a month later. Ruoyun was only thirteen at the time. From then on, Ruoyun and her grandmother lived a hard life. Their meals were just potatoes and cabbage. 

They rarely had meat, let alone expensive foods like fish or shrimp. There were some vegetables she had never even seen before and didn’t know the names of. So, the only dish she knew how to make was stewed cabbage with potatoes.

But these pork and mushroom dumplings, despite their looks, tasted pretty good. Guan Yinghan was genuinely hungry and ate over a dozen of them. Lin Ruoyun felt a sense of accomplishment watching her eat with such gusto. 

“Are the dumplings Sister made delicious?”

“Delicious!”

Guan Yinghan stuffed the last dumpling into her mouth. After chewing a few times, she looked up and gave Lin Ruoyun a satisfied, unguarded smile.

Lin Ruoyun was a bit dazed by the sight. She turned her face away and looked at her from head to toe. Guan Yinghan’s silk shirt was all wrinkled and unwearable now. Lin Ruoyun went to her closet and took out a few of her T-shirts to hold up against her. She was a head shorter than Guan Yinghan, but luckily, she preferred to buy oversized clothes, so they would fit Guan Yinghan well.

But… What about a bath?

“Naitang?” Lin Ruoyun asked, her voice a little stiff. “Do you… do you know how to bathe yourself?”

Guan Yinghan’s long, curled eyelashes fluttered.

Do I know how to bathe myself?

Of course not!

If I know how to do so much, how will Ruoyun help me? Besides, my character is a mentally disabled Alpha with the mind of a five or six-year-old.

With that thought, Guan Yinghan tilted her head and looked at Lin Ruoyun with a confused, innocent expression, pretending to be at a loss. “Sister, I don’t.”