Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Qi Heyan held Bai Qi’s hand in his, meticulously cleaning it. The Alpha sighed, "I'll find another doctor to give you a more thorough check-up."

The Omega withdrew his hand, tucking it against his chest. He hummed softly, no longer resisting. He truly felt unwell; the dull ache in his lower abdomen made him uneasy. Though Bai Qi had considered terminating the pregnancy, he didn't want to lose it this way.

Qi Heyan said nothing more. He stood to make a call, and by the time he returned, Bai Qi had already fallen asleep.

Perhaps due to the pregnancy, Bai Qi had been constantly drowsy.

The Alpha observed Bai Qi’s pale face but didn't touch him. He sensed the Omega’s rejection—not disgust, but more like… avoidance.

Qi Heyan draped a blanket over Bai Qi, then settled nearby to work. His parents had inquired about Bai Qi that morning, but the Alpha had feigned deafness, completely ignoring their questions.

His parents’ marriage was a commercial alliance between an Alpha and an Omega. Compared to his feckless father, his mother was far more ambitious. They had three children—two sons and a daughter. Qi Heyan was the eldest and the most unruly of the three.

His parents feared Qi Heyan would seize power, as his ideologies diverged from theirs. Even among blood relatives, the threat of turning on each other loomed.

Long ago, they had tried to arrange a marriage for Qi Heyan, carefully selecting a partner in hopes of controlling the Alpha. But now, Bai Qi had suddenly appeared…

Qi Heyan glanced sideways, absently tugging the blanket down. He couldn’t understand why the Omega liked to sleep with his head buried, seemingly unconcerned about suffocating.

"Bai Qi…"

Qi Heyan repeated the name a few times, feeling its meaning was rather unfortunate. Why choose the character "Qi"—meaning "abandon"?

.

The doctor, a female Beta, arrived swiftly. News of Bai Qi hitting someone had already spread, though it was unclear who had started the rumors, attempting to smear the Omega as shameless and greedy. When the doctor entered, she felt not only fear of Qi Heyan but also trepidation toward Bai Qi.

An Omega who could strike someone must be—

The moment the doctor saw Bai Qi, she froze. Such a delicate-looking Omega, appearing so frail—how could he possibly be violent?

"What are you looking at?"

Qi Heyan stared at her expressionlessly. "Is there a problem?"

The doctor jolted back to attention, immediately bowing her head and setting down her medical kit. "No, nothing."

She prepared to draw Bai Qi’s blood first, then scan his body with a diagnostic device. In this technologically advanced era, examinations were remarkably convenient.

But the moment she reached for Bai Qi’s hand, the Omega jolted awake. "Who are you?"

Bai Qi recoiled, his initially hazy eyes instantly clearing. "Who sent you?"

The doctor’s hand froze mid-air. Her gaze flickered to the side, and the Omega followed it, only then noticing the Alpha beside him.

Qi Heyan exhaled, meeting Bai Qi’s eyes briefly before looking away. "Draw his blood."

"Understood."

The doctor kept her eyes averted, doing her best not to pry into the lives of these powerful individuals. But Bai Qi spoke first. "What time is it now?"

The female doctor glanced up briefly before lowering her head again, her voice as steady as possible. "It’s almost noon."

"Oh."

Bai Qi watched as his blood was drawn and placed into a small container, his gaze fixed on it. "You seem afraid of me too. Did you hear about me hitting someone this morning?"

The doctor immediately paused, glancing at Qi Heyan. But the Alpha acted as though he hadn’t heard, busying himself and leaving all decisions to the Omega.

"Yes."

"Is there anything else?" Bai Qi finally looked away, meeting the doctor’s eyes. "About me, for instance. Can you tell me?"

"Um…"

The doctor hesitated. What was happening here? She didn’t want to get entangled in their personal drama. "Mr. Bai—"

"Go ahead." Bai Qi’s expression was gentle, his voice soft. "It’s fine."

The Beta wavered for a few seconds before speaking. "They say you drugged His Highness, then came forward after getting pregnant to shed your lowly status."

Bai Qi abruptly laughed, his gaze drifting casually toward Qi Heyan. The Alpha was watching him, his frown clearly indicating his displeasure. The Omega sighed. "What a shame. I’d love to return to the slums, but the one refusing to let me go isn’t me."

"It’s me." Qi Heyan smoothly interjected, his eyes fixed on the Beta doctor. "I recall ordering a stop to the spread of rumors. Yet from what you’re saying, the version has changed again."

As she scanned Bai Qi’s body, sweat beaded on the doctor’s forehead. "I… I’m not sure. That’s just the gossip going around."

"You should say that His Highness forced me—that it wasn’t my choice." Bai Qi chuckled, his eyes alight with curiosity. "What can you detect with that?"

He kept staring at the device in the doctor’s hands. The Omega had never seen such advanced technology before.

The doctor gave a strained laugh, but her expression soon turned grave. "Your health is poor. The fetus isn’t developing well either—there’s a risk of miscarriage."

Both men turned sharply toward her. The Omega immediately sat up, frowning. "Why?"

"Malnutrition, and you’ve probably been under significant emotional stress lately. You need plenty of rest now, and it would be best if His Highness stayed by your side. An Alpha’s pheromones are vital during pregnancy."

She sent the report to Qi Heyan. "This is Mr. Bai’s analysis. The Alpha pheromones in his body are dangerously low. An Omega’s pregnancy cannot lack their partner’s pheromones."

Qi Heyan became more solemn, nodding. "Just releasing pheromones is enough?"

"The best would be marking, kissing… Once Mr. Bai’s condition stabilizes, you can take things further."

The moment she finished speaking, Bai Qi’s eyes flickered. He opened his mouth to speak, but Qi Heyan tightened his grip on the Omega’s hand, shooting him a glance that clearly commanded silence.

His tone softened considerably. "Understood. You can go now. I’ll arrange for someone to oversee his diet later."

As soon as the Alpha finished speaking, Bai Qi pulled his hand free. The Omega frowned, turning to Qi Heyan in confusion. What was this sudden show of affection?

"Qi Heyan."

Bai Qi lowered his voice, lifting his gaze. "What are you trying to do?"

Qi Heyan watched the doctor leave before letting his eyes settle on Bai Qi’s abdomen, his voice quiet. "We can’t have people thinking—"

"—that we feel nothing for each other."