Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Ji Qingyu spent the night by Lin Ying's side. Lin Ying lay so still, as if merely asleep. Ji Qingyu's thoughts drifted; he imagined that when a person departs, it might be like a butterfly, fluttering lightly into the air, then perhaps dissolving into mist, or something else entirely.

Ji Qingyu pushed open the hospital room door. On the TV in the lobby, a video of the lawsuit between the Ji family and Fu Han was playing—sensational entertainment news, stirring up a storm. Ji Qingyu walked past without even a glance. He replaced the plant on Lin Ying's bedside table with a pot of lucky bamboo.

His perception of his own body had grown numb. He should have felt exhausted, yet he felt nothing.

A transparent IV tube was taped to Lin Ying's hand, steadily infusing saline solution into her body.

"Mom, I've started another stage play project. Let me play the song for you. Our performance was excellent; it's already been submitted for a competition. I can take care of myself now." Ji Qingyu forced a smile. "I have some good news—I'm pregnant."

"You don't need to worry about me anymore, Ms. Lin Ying. You know, the eighteen years I spent with you were the happiest and most fulfilling of my life."

*So, no matter what problems or troubles come my way, I can handle them.*

Ji Qingyu played the song and drifted off to sleep again by Lin Ying's bedside. He didn't know how much time had passed when a few taps on the window glass vaguely roused him. Rubbing his eyes, he saw Ma Yu outside, looking at him with an anxious expression.

Ji Qingyu pushed the door open and stepped out. Ma Yu immediately embraced him tightly, muttering, "You scared me to death."

"Last night, Fu Han called me, saying he hadn't heard from you and asking if you were at my place. I thought something terrible had happened to you."

"I'm fine," Ji Qingyu said, letting Ma Yu hold him. He felt utterly drained, his arms hanging limply.

"What's really going on?" Ma Yu stared at Ji Qingyu. "You're not yourself—something must have happened. Is it Auntie...?"

Ji Qingyu didn’t answer. He gently returned the hug, burying his head in Ma Yu's shoulder, silent. Ma Yu felt a damp patch spread on his clothes.

Realization seemed to dawn on Ma Yu. He stiffened for a moment, then awkwardly patted Ji Qingyu's back, his own eyes welling up.

They sat outside the room for a while. Learning that Ji Qingyu had been at the hospital the entire time without eating, Ma Yu insisted on taking him downstairs for a meal. There were many food stalls near the hospital, but Ji Qingyu couldn’t stomach anything—everything felt too greasy. He managed to force down a little food, but ended up vomiting it all back up.

In the end, he only ate some plain congee before setting down his chopsticks.

It was strange—Ji Qingyu had never been particular about food before, eating anything and everything. Now, he seemed so fragile. Perhaps being an omega was truly a curse—trading a strong, healthy body for the ability to bear children. Most omegas grew increasingly weak dueened to their physiology and hormones, even if it wasn’t what they desired.

Seeing Ji Qingyu’s unusual reaction, Ma Yu had a bad feeling. Outside, car horns blared, adding to the noise. After hesitating for a long time, Ma Yu finally asked, "Qingyu, you’re not…?"

"Yeah," Ji Qingyu nodded, not planning to hide it. "I'm pregnant."

Ma Yu froze. Ji Qingyu didn’t look at his expression. After a long pause, Ma Yu asked, "Then this child…"

"I’m keeping it," Ji Qingyu said without hesitation.

"Alright. Given our friendship, I should be the child’s godfather, right?" Ma Yu tried to lift Ji Qingyu's spirits.

"Don’t worry, I’ll save a spot for you," Ji Qingyu said, finally offering a faint smile, though it remained very subtle.

"...Qingyu, Auntie would have been happy too."

*Would she be happy?* Ji Qingyu thought about it. *Perhaps not—more than happy, she would probably feel heartache for me.*

Ma Yu knew him too well—they had grown up together, like brothers. Before they presented, Ji Qingyu thought they would both be betas. Instead, one became an omega and the other an alpha. But they still saw each other as family. After what happened to Lin Ying, Ma Yu lent Ji Qingyu over one hundred thousand yuan—who knows how long he would have to sell fruit to earn that back, penny by penny.

"Xiaoyu, what are you planning to do next?" Ma Yu continued to support him like family.

"I plan to settle everything, then leave." Ji Qingyu's phone rang again. He glanced at it—a familiar name—and muted it.

Ma Yu saw it too and frowned. "What about Fu Han? After you disappeared for just one day, he almost turned City A upside down. If you leave, do you think he’ll let it go? You should have heard how he sounded on the phone yesterday—it was terrifying."

"Let’s talk about it later…" Ji Qingyu hadn’t given it much thought.

"Do you want to stay at my place these next few days?" Ma Yu asked.

"No, I don’t want any more complications. I just want everything to end peacefully." Ji Qingyu looked out the window—the sunlight was harsh.

In the afternoon, Ji Qingyu returned to the hospital, and Ma Yu stayed with him.

"Qingyu, grape sales are doing really well in Jiangcheng lately. I’m thinking of selling the land I leased here in City A and trying my luck in Jiangcheng. If you’re interested, come with me."

After Ma Yu left, Ji Qingyu remained with Lin Ying. He felt exhausted—the pregnancy was more taxing than he'd expected. He had been awake for over a day and night, almost thirty-six hours without sleep. As darkness fell, he finally stood up and took a taxi back to the villa.

It was very late when he returned. No one was home, and the house was dark. Ji Qingyu took off his coat and curled up on the bed. His hands and feet were cold, and he closed his eyes.

Despite his exhaustion, he slept poorly, plagued by fragmented, surreal dreams—all about Lin Ying. In his dreams, he was a child sitting by the fish stall, watching Lin Ying skillfully stun the fish, the blade slicing open the belly cleanly. Lin Ying could unload an entire crate of fish by herself. He tried to help but ended up dropping and shattering the fish.

Lin Ying found him hiding nervously behind the truck, laughed, and pulled him out. "You broke so many fish—that’s enough for our family to eat for a month."

"Sorry."

"Then tomorrow, come help Mom unload the goods, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Qingyu, Mom would never blame you for something like this. You’re my treasure. Remember, as long as Mom is here, you’ll always have a safety net. You can do whatever you want."

Lin Ying pulled out a guitar from behind her. "You stared at it for a long time outside the music store that day, right? Go on, try it."

A smile touched Ji Qingyu's lips as he finally drifted into a hazy sleep. He didn’t know how much time had passed when the door clicked open.

The air was silent for a few seconds before the alpha strode over, grabbed Ji Qingyu's wrist, and yanked him upright. The little sleep Ji Qingyu had managed to gather was shattered. The alpha’s gaze was dark and gloomy. "Where have you been? Why didn’t you answer your phone?"

"Didn’t you tell me not to come back?" Ji Qingyu coldly averted his gaze. He didn’t speak, not even bothering to placate him. He just wanted to sleep—he was utterly exhausted.

"That was said in anger." Fu Han's voice grew steadier as he tossed a chip onto the bed. "We found out—the files in the phone were planted there beforehand. See this chip? It automatically records audio and video, transmitting whenever there’s a signal."

"Chenxing Construction contacted us. Ji Ran had dealings with them—the files were most likely leaked from their side." Fu Han's voice remained calm. "Why would he do that? To frame you specifically?"

"I want to sleep." Ji Qingyu didn’t want to engage with Fu Han. Hearing all this only made him irritable. He tried to pull his hand free, but Fu Han’s grip tightened.

Ji Qingyu struggled but couldn’t break free. Suddenly, he felt overwhelmingly frustrated. All the pent-up negative emotions surged through his bones. He felt nauseated, almost recoiling from the person in front of him as if by instinct.

"And since it was a misunderstanding, why didn’t you explain?" Fu Han's tone was heavy, almost sinister.

"I did explain. I’ve explained many things clearly before." Ji Qingyu spoke flatly. He closed his eyes. Outside the window, scattered lights still glimmered in the night, casting blurry, dim shadows. A thick, impenetrable mist hung in the air.

Fu Han seemed even angrier. A faint vein bulged at his temple, his brows furrowed. After a moment, he said, "You didn’t answer your phone all day yesterday. Do you have any idea how many places I looked for you? What if something had happened to you?"

"I didn’t ask you to look for me." Ji Qingyu was truly exhausted. He had just been dreaming of Lin Ying, and those illusions had been shattered by Fu Han. He sighed inwardly, yanked his hand free with force, lay back down, and buried his head under the covers.

Fu Han’s heart clenched. He had a vague sense that something was off about Ji Qingyu’s state, but he couldn’t pinpoint the cause. It felt like they were on two parallel lines—he could see him but couldn’t reach him.

Ji Qingyu was like the dim, hazy light outside the window—distant and detached, his very outline blurred into the night. All Fu Han could see through the shadows was his pale skin, his well-proportioned, beautiful body exuding an air of cold indifference.

With his back to Fu Han, Ji Qingyu lay on the narrow bed in the secondary bedroom—much smaller than the master bedroom. The person behind him hadn’t left. After a few seconds, Fu Han spoke again. "I bought a fund for you. I’ve also set aside a portion of the company’s shares for you, as compensation for our contractual relationship."

"Oh, thanks." Ji Qingyu’s eyes were already closed, his voice slow and cold. "So, is this an apology?"

"An apology?" Fu Han laughed coldly. "You never apologized for what happened back then, either."

"Yes." Ji Qingyu went quiet, smiling soundlessly. The room grew still.

Fu Han stood for a moment, a vague, inexplicable panic seizing him, his heart feeling as though it were being clenched and dragged downward.

He didn’t leave. Instead, he lay down and wrapped his arms tightly around Ji Qingyu from behind, like a warm furnace. Ji Qingyu, lacking strength, pushed weakly a couple of times. When it proved futile, he simply gave up and let himself be held. He was nearly asleep.

As his consciousness blurred, he faintly heard Fu Han’s voice again, as if through an impermeable layer of sandpaper. Though lying on the same bed, the two of them seemed separated into different worlds, unable to see each other clearly. The alpha’s voice was low, carrying a barely perceptible grievance: "Why have you become so distant?"

"Those funds and stocks are more than enough for a lifetime... I only yelled at you a few times. I admit it was my fault."

"Ji Qingyu, don't take advantage of my leniency."

No one responded to him, and no one tried to cozy up to him again. Even when Fu Han pressed his teeth to Ji Qingyu’s neck, the other showed no reaction, as if nothing mattered anymore.

Even though omegas are typically frail, Ji Qingyu, with his extraordinary willpower, had endured on his own for six years. Once he made up his mind—whether about a decision or a person he intended to leave behind—no amount of dominance or arrogance from the other could sway him even slightly.