The Sickly Omega Is No Longer Pretending to Be Good/Obedient - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Ringing the Bell – “I Owe Him”

When Wen Jiangchu returned to the villa, the sky was already verging on darkness. The rain subsided, leaving a sluggish rhythm that filled the empty world.

The cold air condensed on Wen Jiangchu’s thick black coat, and even his hanging hair felt chilly. However, when he rushed into the house, his eyes, which were fixed on Shen Qiudu, were particularly burning and fervent.

Shen Qiudu felt a prick in his heart and subconsciously turned his head away. For the convenience of the examination, he was only wearing a simple, thin white long-sleeved shirt. Sitting under the fluorescent light, he was almost melting into the snow-white wall, looking as docile as a white weasel in the snow.

“Oh, you rushed back so quickly? I thought those politicians would tie you up until tonight,” Xue Shankè teased, his eyes flickering between Shen Qiudu and Wen Jiangchu.

“I was invited to dinner, but I refused.”

“After all, someone is waiting for me at home.”

Wen Jiangchu casually placed his coat on the chair outside the door, skillfully walked up to Shen Qiudu, and spoke softly, “Qiudu, I’m back.”

Since rescuing his mother, Shen Qiudu hadn’t seen Wen Jiangchu much, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say. Even his hands at his sides seemed disorganized and unsure where to rest.

Perhaps it was the matter hidden in his heart that made him feel somewhat guilty in front of Wen Jiangchu.

“Mm.” Shen Qiudu responded softly, using Xue Shankè as a shield. “Since he’s back, can we start the treatment?”

Xue Shankè faintly suppressed a smile and remarked, “I thought there would be a whole series of questioning first. Seems I overthought it.”

Xue Shankè motioned for Shen Qiudu to sit down, then took a small tool and sat behind Shen Qiudu, beginning to examine the damaged part of the scent gland.

Shen Qiudu’s heart gradually grew frantic. He gripped the armrests anxiously and tightly closed his eyes.

Since his mother personally cut off half of his scent gland, he had grown to intensely dislike anyone touching any part of his neck. Even when dressing, he would choose high collars or shirts with built-in collars. He would also deliberately leave a lock of hair at the back of his neck.

Consequently, that area was overly sensitive to Shen Qiudu, far surpassing any other Omega. This also made him dislike having anyone walk behind him.

Due to extreme nervousness, despite the cold weather, a thin layer of sweat subtly formed on Shen Qiudu’s forehead. His thin, pale lips were held between his teeth. Even though he knew Xue Shankè had to do this, Shen Qiudu couldn’t overcome the high wall in his heart.

Therefore, when the cold tool gently touched the soft area of his scent gland, Shen Qiudu couldn’t help his instinctive reaction and suddenly got up and backed away like a rabbit.

He ended up bumping right into Wen Jiangchu’s embrace.

Shen Qiudu’s arms instinctively wrapped around Wen Jiangchu’s large body, clinging to him like the most suitable vine, feeling around for the most appropriate position, and finally adhering tightly.

Even though he had lost half of his scent gland, he was still an Omega, an Omega who would instinctively seek the protection of an Alpha.

Simultaneously, without realizing it, the scent of Dianthus permeated the entire room, with only Xue Shankè, the Beta, remaining oblivious.

Wen Jiangchu smelled too good.

This scent was too tempting, yet it inexplicably made Shen Qiudu feel familiar and reliant.

However, he simply attributed it to his inability to shake off the Omega characteristic.

Wen Jiangchu also took the opportunity to embrace him, his gaze sinking as he looked at Xue Shankè.

“Jeez, I haven’t even started yet!”

Xue Shankè froze, not daring to move, his eyes slightly wide. He was truly frustrated but couldn’t express it.

“Sorry, I was still… a bit unprepared.”

Shen Qiudu’s ears were red as he slowly backed out of Wen Jiangchu’s embrace, sat back down obediently, psyched himself up, and looked at Xue Shankè. “I’m really ready this time! Come on!”

“Fine, don’t try to falsely accuse me this time.”

“I’m really starting now, okay?”

Shen Qiudu nodded awkwardly. “…Okay.”

He held his breath. A tingling sensation spread across the soft area of his scent gland, and he closed his eyes.

Suddenly, another voice cut in—

“Wait a moment.”

“I swear, what is it now?!”

Xue Shankè’s strained nerves collapsed again, and he complained helplessly.

Wen Jiangchu, who was standing nearby, suddenly interrupted Xue Shankè’s action and reached out to take the tool from his hand.

“I’ll do it.”

“I also learned how to examine an Omega’s scent gland in medical classes.”

Xue Shankè was stunned and pointed at himself. “Then what do I do?”

Wen Jiangchu didn’t even glance at him, his entire focus on Shen Qiudu. “You watch me do it.”

Xue Shankè: “Is this right, big brother? Did I wait for you for hours for this?”

Despite his complaints, Xue Shankè resignedly folded his arms and stood aside.

Wen Jiangchu’s technique was very gentle, as if he was afraid of damaging or hurting Shen Qiudu. He leaned slightly forward, the faint scent of Dianthus lingering around Shen Qiudu.

Perhaps it was psychological, but Shen Qiudu’s tense body gradually relaxed. Even his sensitive scent gland slowly accommodated Wen Jiangchu’s actions.

The Dianthus pheromone made Shen Qiudu feel as if he was immersed in a large, soft field of autumn wheat. It was the sweetness of soft bread and the aroma of rice. In short, it smelled very comfortable.

However, as Shen Qiudu relaxed, Wen Jiangchu’s brows furrowed tightly.

He carefully examined the half of Shen Qiudu’s scent gland that was nearly numb. The nerves that should have been tightly intertwined were withered and broken, with even deep-seated dark red bl00d spots solidified from previous years mixed in.

It was very serious. Indeed, as the previous doctor had said, the probability of successful treatment was almost 0. Xue Shankè was no longer the flippant man from before. When dealing with medical issues, he was more composed than anyone else.

“Look here.”

Xue Shankè pointed to a soft, recessed area on the side of the scent gland. Wen Jiangchu carefully brushed it with the soft end of the instrument, and sure enough, a few fresh red streaks of bl00d appeared.

Shen Qiudu’s body trembled, and he cried out without thinking, “Wen Jiangchu! It hurts…”

Wen Jiangchu quickly withdrew the instrument, shoving it into Xue Shankè’s hand. He immediately pulled Shen Qiudu into his arms, rubbing his head and soothing him in a low voice.

Xue Shankè looked at the two in front of him and secretly rolled his eyes. “Alright, let him go back and rest first. We need to discuss the specifics.”

“It’s okay.” Shen Qiudu slowly poked his head out of Wen Jiangchu’s embrace. “I want to hear it too… Whatever the result, I accept it.”

“Fine. In a word: it can be treated, but it will be very painful.”

“Because we haven’t found an Alpha with a 100% match for you in the matching database. Also, the forcibly removed half of the scent gland is now completely necrotic. To prevent further infection of the wound, we can only install an artificial scent gland that perfectly matches your own first.”

“During the initial installation of the artificial scent gland, your body will have a rejection reaction. It will be extremely painful, to the point where you might lose the ability to move and will need manual assistance to walk. Furthermore, if your body’s resistance is strong, there is a risk of failure.”

“It will take a total of six months to adapt to and integrate the artificial scent gland. During this period, you will have to rely on medication to get through every rut. Moreover, your Alpha will not be able to form a permanent knot with you, and the pheromones emitted by other Alphas will not be able to provide you with 100% comfort.”

“If a 100% matching Alpha were found, would he not have to suffer so much?” Wen Jiangchu suddenly asked, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Xue Shankè’s heart skipped a beat, sensing something was wrong, but he chose to tell the truth. “Yes. If a permanent mark is knotted inside him immediately after the installation, the artificial scent gland will integrate into the body quickly.”

After hearing all this, Wen Jiangchu said nothing. He simply took Shen Qiudu back to his room, saying that the formal treatment would begin tomorrow.

Later that night, Wen Jiangchu woke up Xue Shankè, who was about to fall asleep, with his medical examination report.

Seeing Wen Jiangchu suddenly appear in the dark, Xue Shankè was startled and swore under his breath. “What the hell do you want, Wen Jiangchu, being up this late? Sleepwalking? I’m not Shen Qiudu. Why are you running into my room?”

Xue Shankè irritably reached out and turned on the light. The medical report immediately caught his eye, and an uneasy premonition surged in his heart.

“Wen Jiangchu, what are you going to do?”

“I checked.”

Wen Jiangchu took out another chart from his arms—the pheromone matching values with Shen Qiudu.

“The pheromone matching value between Dianthus and Chinese Trumpet Creeper is 95%.”

“But you’re an S-class, and Shen Qiudu is a B-class. No matter what, Shen Qiudu can’t be raised to S-class!”

“Who said I want him to be raised?”

Xue Shankè’s expression froze. He asked incredulously, “You… explain yourself. What are you going to do?”

Wen Jiangchu lowered his eyes and smiled lightly, slowly caressing Shen Qiudu’s ID photo from the small workshop on the chart. His tone was resolute.

“Xue Shan, perform a surgery on me.”

“I want to drop to B-class.”

“Are you completely insane?! Are you not fully awake this late at night? Wait right there, I’ll go get you a bucket of cold water.”

Wen Jiangchu grabbed Xue Shankè’s arm. “I am very awake right now. I know what I’m saying and what I’m doing.”

“You’re awake my ass!”

Xue Shankè angrily shook off Wen Jiangchu’s hand, pointing his finger at his nose, seething with frustration.

“I recall that you were the one who saved Shen Qiudu, not the other way around, right? Why are you being so good to him?”

“Putting aside what will happen to your body after dropping from S-class to B-class, the gossip from those circles alone will drown you.”

“I don’t understand. Who is Shen Qiudu to you that you would be so good to him? To the extent of sacrificing your own body?”

Wen Jiangchu lowered his head and remained silent. He carefully straightened the report and tucked it into his arms, his tone brooking no refusal. “Don’t say anymore. I’ve already made up my mind—”

“Since you put it that way, I’ve made up my mind too.”

Xue Shankè angrily folded his arms, staring intently at Wen Jiangchu. “I absolutely will not perform this surgery on you, and I won’t stand by and watch you court death.”

Xue Shankè knew better than anyone how dangerous it was for an Alpha to be downgraded. Even if the downgrade was successful, the ruts for the rest of his life would be a hundred, a thousand times more painful.

He couldn’t understand why Wen Jiangchu would go to such lengths for Shen Qiudu, an outsider.

Even if it was love—

He still couldn’t comprehend that kind of love.

“Alright then.”

Wen Jiangchu sighed softly in resignation, dragging his tall but lonely body towards the door.

“Then I’ll just have to find someone else to perform this surgery.”

“You dare!?”

Xue Shankè immediately picked up his phone. “You wait right there. I’m going to notify every hospital in Suzhou City right now to forbid them from performing any Alpha downgrade surgery on you!”

Xue Shankè had only one thought right now.

Ignorant love-struck fools should really be classified as a mental illness!

Wen Jiangchu felt it was futile. He had already made up his mind, and no one could stop him.

As his hand grasped the doorknob, a force suddenly slammed the door shut.

Xue Shankè gritted his teeth, firmly blocking the door. “If you don’t tell me why you’re doing this today, don’t think about leaving. And I won’t go to treat Shen Qiudu either.”

Xue Shankè knew the best way to control a person like this.

It was to threaten him with the person he cared about the most.

Sure enough, Wen Jiangchu’s expression softened. He sat down helplessly on the nearby sofa. The man, usually gentle and reserved, looked particularly miserable at this moment.

“I have to pay him back.”

Wen Jiangchu said.

“I owe him this.”

…

Shen Qiudu, deep in the night, was not asleep as Wen Jiangchu had wished. He was constantly searching for everything related to Xu Zhouye.

Xue Shankè’s words today had inspired him, so he clicked into almost every website and news report he could find regarding Xu Zhouye’s pheromone.

Finally, in a news report from a middle school over ten years ago, he found a clue.

In the dark of the night, the light from the phone screen was painfully pale. Shen Qiudu chuckled lightly, his body trembling slightly from excessive excitement.

He looked at the words in the news and finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Green Apple…”

“So, it’s Green Apple…”

With this, everything would be simple.

Shen Qiudu crept into his mother’s room in the dark. The beeping of the instruments sounded in the room. He sat like a wild ghost on the chair to one side, quietly watching his mother sleep.

Shen Qiudu had known for a long time that he couldn’t fight against others with just his body, nor could he use his identity as an Omega to escape his cage.

He was born with a weak, damaged body, the “sickly freak” everyone in the slum talked about. Even his wages for working were half of what others earned. People’s eyes would never fall upon him.

But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Sometimes, being easily overlooked could be the best means to achieve his goals.

“Mom.” Shen Qiudu tightly held his mother’s hand, a smile on his lips, but his eyes held the madness and obsession of someone determined to face death.

“We’ll be able to leave soon.”

“Soon… he will also disappear.”