chapter 41

Chapter 41: The feeling of being cared for is pretty nice.

They spent over an hour on this hotpot meal. By the time they finished, it had gotten dark. Yan An, feeling his full belly, stood up.

"Thanks for the hospitality, sister-in-law. I should be going."

Being addressed as "sister-in-law" so many times, Nanyi still felt a tad shy, his face turning a shade of red.

After Yan An left, Nanyi followed closely behind Heyu Shen like a loyal aide, contemplating several times whether to hand over his phone but hesitating each time.

At most, Heyu Shen would just lightly tease him. Sitting on the bed, he consoled himself for a while, and finally, when Heyu Shen came out after freshening up, Nanyi mustered the courage to approach him.

The man emerging from the bathroom was wrapped in just a towel. His hair was damp, droplets collecting at the tips and falling, unseen, onto the towel.

"Blow-dry."

Nanyi paused briefly, then meticulously began to dry Heyu Shen's hair.

This was Nanyi's first time blow-drying someone's hair.

He held the dryer at a distance, fearing he might burn Heyu Shen.

"The wind's too weak."

Heyu Shen's tone seemed somewhat frail. When he first came out of the bathroom, his forehead was slightly sweaty. Nanyi assumed it was just condensation from the steamy room.

However, as he dried Heyu Shen's hair, an accidental touch to his forehead revealed an icy coldness, making Nanyi shiver.

Heyu Shen wasn't one to keep the air conditioner too warm, but this was far colder than one would expect after a shower.

Nanyi felt something was off, put down the dryer, and leaned in for a closer look.

Heyu Shen's face had turned even paler, with one hand clutching his stomach.

Nanyi suddenly recalled the steward, Song, mentioning once that Heyu Shen had stomach issues.

Thinking about the spicy hotpot and that pot of tea from earlier in the evening, Nanyi grew anxious.

He wanted to ask Heyu Shen how he felt, but being mute, he could only squat down and look up at him for answers.

Not only was his face pallid, but his normally rosy lips were also pressed tightly, devoid of color.

"Why did you stop?" The voice even weaker.

Nanyi, in growing panic, instinctively placed his hand on that pale yet still handsome face.

The soft touch made the ailing Heyu Shen pause.

Lifting his gaze to Nanyi, the edges of his eyes reddened. A worried Omega was squatting in front of him, a delicate hand still resting on his face.

Nanyi's rosy lips opened and closed in distress, but he seemed to have forgotten he couldn't speak, only emitting soft, raspy sounds.

If those lips could speak, they would undoubtedly be filled with words of concern and care.

The tight-lipped expression gently curved into a small smile.

He reassured in return, "Don't worry, go call the steward to summon a doctor."

His words acted like a wake-up call for Nanyi, who immediately rose and hurried out.

Heyu Shen, clutching his stomach, tilted his head back.

Ling Ran had departed when he was just a child, and Heyu Zhang never gave him any attention. Due to his resentment towards Heyu Zhang for abandoning Ling Ran and remarrying, Heyu Shen never relied on Heyu Zhang.

Ever since developing his stomach ailment, he endured as much as he could.

"I don’t need anyone's concern," he always thought.

However...

Recalling the reddened eyes and the worried Omega who momentarily forgot he couldn't speak, Heyu Shen realized that perhaps being cared for wasn't so bad after all.

Nanyi took only three minutes, returning breathless to the bedroom with a cup of warm milk in hand.

He hurriedly approached Heyu Shen, offering the milk to his lips.

Heyu Shen hesitated, but under Nanyi's anxious gaze, drank more than half of it.

Seeing him drink, Nanyi set the milk down and gestured for him to get in bed.

Heyu Shen understood, but he was momentarily lost in the sight of Nanyi's anxious face.

Seeing no movement, Nanyi, standing by the bed, anxiously patted it again.

The corners of Heyu Shen's lips curled up more. Holding his stomach, he staggered to the bed and lay down as Nanyi indicated.

Nanyi thoughtfully placed a pillow under his head.

The hand clutching his painful stomach was gently moved aside. As Heyu Shen looked on in surprise, a pair of hands returned, massaging his stomach gently and with just the right pressure.

A sweet, calming pheromone began to waft into the air.

It was faint; an inferior Omega couldn't emit a strong pheromone, but it still calmed him.

With a pillow under his neck, Heyu Shen's line of sight was limited to slightly uplifted eyelashes and a small rounded nose.

The stomach pain seemed to lessen with the massage and the calming pheromones, and he instinctively reached out to grasp one of Nanyi's massaging hands.

Nanyi's actions paused, fearing the pain had become unbearable for Heyu Shen. He anxiously glanced upwards.

On that pale, weak face, a pair of deep eyes stared intently at him.

The Omega, kneeling on the bed, held his own stomach, his eyes filled with worry and urgency as they met Heyu Shen's.

This moment of genuine concern was undeniable.

Nanyi was sincerely worried about him.

"Are your... hands tired?" The pain made it difficult for him to speak, his breaths heavy and ragged.

Nanyi paused momentarily before shaking his head.

"Young Master, the doctor has arrived."

The voice from outside had barely faded when the partially open bedroom door was pushed open.

A man wearing a cocoa-colored sweater, pajama bottoms, and slippers, carrying a medical kit, stood frozen at the entrance.

The alpha on the bed lay flat, one hand still holding the person half-kneeling by its side.

The pervasive scent of the omega's pheromones filled the room.

"Should I... come back later?"

Seeing the doctor, Nanyi quickly stood, making way for him. Although the doctor looked a bit offbeat, any doctor attending Heyu Shen couldn't be taken lightly.

Nanyi feared he might hinder the doctor's examination of Heyu Shen.

"How did it become so severe all of a sudden?"

The doctor approached Heyu Shen's bedside, locking eyes with the pale, cold-sweat-covered patient.

Nanyi, in his anxiety, took a half-step forward, then turned to glance at the steward by the door.

Heyu Shen noticed his movements and flashed a faint smile.

"I had some hotpot tonight; it was a bit spicy," admitted Heyu Shen.

"Didn't I instruct you to maintain a bland diet, avoid cold and spicy foods, and get plenty of rest?"

The doctor frowned, pulling out various medications.

"Young Master Heyu, you ignored my advice about keeping medications at hand. Paying the price now, aren't you?"

"Less... chatter."

Clearly, even speaking caused him pain, yet he maintained his haughty demeanor.

"Didn't I tell you to have the medications ready?"

"Dear, could you fetch a cup of warm water for us?" The doctor turned his gaze to Nanyi standing by.

Nanyi nodded and began heading toward the door.

"Madam, I'll handle it," the steward interrupted, stopping Nanyi in his tracks.

"Madam? Didn't you marry a high-quality Omega?" The doctor inquired, perplexed, glancing at the compliant Nan Yi standing beside.

The pheromones in the room are sweet, not quite like those of a high-quality Omega.

The doctor's comment made Nan Yi feel embarrassed; he averted his eyes and slightly lowered his head.

"Are you a doctor or a gossip journalist?" He Yu Shen cast a brief glance at the downtrodden Nan Yi and weakly remarked.