Chapter 4 Only Three Months Left to Live

Chapter 4: Only Three Months Left to Live

Late at night, at the Mu residence.

The courtyard was brightly lit as Mu Yuanying stumbled out of his car, heavily intoxicated.

Madam Mu rushed forward to steady him: "How did it go? Was the wedding date set— Ah!"

Mu Yuanying roughly shoved her away, his drunken face contorted with rage: "Wedding date? Wedding, my foot! Where's Mu Yi? Get that brat out here... Go on!"

Madam Mu was terrified, collapsing to the ground in a daze.

"Worthless woman!" Mu Yuanying spat, storming straight into the house.

In a bedroom adorned like a princess's chamber, Mu Yuanying dragged the sleeping Mu Yi from under the covers and slapped him across the face:

"Bastard!"

Mu Yi, roused abruptly from sleep by the slap, froze.

Several seconds passed before the pain registered, and then he burst into tears.

His piercing cries even reached the courtyard. Madam Mu scrambled up and stumbled her way upstairs.

"You hit me?" Mu Yi covered his face, tears streaming, disbelief in his eyes. "You actually hit me?"

*Smack!*

Another heavy slap landed.

"That's exactly who I'm hitting!"

Mu Yuanying was so furious he felt his lungs would burst: "What the hell did you do? I'm asking you what you did this afternoon! Huh?!"

"Do you know what Zhou Yu said tonight? That you're arrogant, conceited, and look down on everyone! That I failed as a father! That he hates pretentious people more than anything in his life!"

"What the hell did you actually do? Who gave you the nerve to show attitude to Zhou Yu's people? I'm asking you a question, speak up!"

Furious, he raised his hand for another slap, but someone grabbed his arm from behind.

Madam Mu's elaborate makeup was completely ruined by tears as she desperately held Mu Yuanying back. "What are you doing, what are you doing! Why are you taking it out on the child for no reason!"

"I'm taking it out on him?" Mu Yuanying pointed at himself, eyes wide. "Why don't you ask him what good deed he did? Don't you know how harsh Zhou Yu's words were? My reputation has been completely ruined by him!"

"Oh, President Zhou has always been blunt," Madam Mu said anxiously. "Couldn't you just bear with it? Or did something go wrong with the marriage talks?"

"Something wrong?" Mu Yuanying snorted in anger. "He made it clear tonight he was making a fool out of me! And it's all thanks to your precious son!"

"Why are you blaming me!" Mu Yi shouted, his face already swollen, crying from the pain. "Wasn't it you who taught me? That Omegas need to be delicate and reserved so Alphas will value them! I did everything you taught me, and now you blame me!"

"You! I—" Mu Yuanying raised his hand.

This time, Mu Yi snapped out of it. Instead of sitting there and taking the blows, he stood up and rushed forward, even attempting to fight his father.

Madam Mu quickly stepped between them: "Oh my god, what's going on here!"

She cried, slapping her thighs: "We're all family, why are we fighting!"

Mu Yi seized the opportunity to push both his parents out of the room, slammed the door shut, and locked it with a key.

"Everything is always my fault!" his sharp voice came through the door. "I don't believe Zhou Yu would reject me. I'm an S-class Omega. Maybe you said something wrong during dinner and offended him, and now you're blaming me for it!"

"You! You're completely out of control!" Mu Yuanying's face turned crimson, his eyes bulging as if about to pop out.

Madam Mu grabbed his arm, as if finally realizing something, yet hardly daring to believe it.

"The marriage... it's really, really off?"

Mu Yuanying glared at her furiously, then at the dark door.

"It's off!"

He stormed off.

***

The next day, birds sang and flowers bloomed.

Zhou Yu walked into the company briskly.

Having vented his frustrations by scolding someone last night, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.

The thought of opening the door and seeing Secretary Lin's handsome face made him even happier.

He stood at the office door, carefully smoothing his hair and collar, ensuring he looked amiable and handsome.

Then he pushed the door open casually.

Huh?

Secretary Lin's seat was empty.

Zhou Yu quickly pulled out his phone to check the time: 9:02.

Two minutes past clock-in time.

Secretary Lin is... late?

Zhou Yu's eyes widened involuntarily. This was unheard of. Secretary Lin was actually late?

But it was only two minutes, no big deal. Others couldn't be late, but Secretary Lin must have a reason.

Zhou Yu decided to pretend he didn't notice.

Time ticked by until the hour hand moved to the next whole hour. Zhou Yu finished a regular meeting, yet Secretary Lin's seat remained empty.

He finally sensed something was wrong and quickly called Guo Shengyao over.

The young girl knocked on the door, peeking her head in. The boldness she had when complaining to him yesterday was completely gone; now she was timid and deferential.

"B-Boss, you wanted to see me?"

Zhou Yu: "...I called you here, not to hit you."

"Ah?"

"...Forget it," Zhou Yu waved his hand. "Where’s your *shifu*? Why is he so late today?"

"It's not being late!" The young girl’s voice instantly grew louder. "He took sick leave!"

No way, being late would mean a deduction from his pay!

But sick leave wouldn't. She was determined to protect her *shifu*'s wallet.

Thinking of this, she deliberately emphasized, "*Sick. Leave.*"

Zhou Yu paused, his expression turning serious as he put down the pen in his hand. "What happened? Explain carefully."

Lin Yunshu wasn’t the type to take leave casually. He usually toughed out minor colds, and even when Zhou Yu insisted on giving him time off, he would refuse.

Today, he had actually taken leave on his own.

"It was last night," Guo Shengyao said. "*Shifu* said he wasn’t feeling well and went to the hospital for an IV drip... But don’t worry, he followed procedure, and he’s already arranged all the work for today. It won’t cause any delays!"

"I’m not talking about that."

Zhou Yu frowned, feeling that this girl had picked up some of Lin Yunshu’s difficult habits.

Did he care about the work? Work was nowhere near as important as Secretary Lin’s health!

"What I mean is," Zhou Yu said slowly, word by word, "what illness does he have, and how is he?"

"Well..." Guo Shengyao looked troubled.

Zhou Yu sighed, couldn’t be bothered to argue with her, and tapped his phone to call Lin Yunshu directly.

"I thought, since *shifu* went to the hospital in the middle of the night and had a rough night, he’d probably be resting or getting an IV during the day, so I didn’t call to disturb him..."

Her voice grew softer as she spoke, her eyes darting to the bold name "Lin Yunshu" on her boss’s phone screen.

Zhou Yu: "..."

Before the call could connect, it was hung up. Zhou Yu slammed his phone face down on the desk.

"Do you think I don’t know he needs to rest?"

Guo Shengyao: "..."

"Alright," Zhou Yu waved his hand, his good mood for the day gone again. "That’s all. You can go."

Guo Shengyao bowed hastily and scurried away.

***

In the hospital.

Lin Yunshu drifted awake while receiving an IV.

As his vision cleared, he found himself lying on a bed in the emergency room, an IV needle in the back of his hand, his palm numb and throbbing.

He tried to sit up but was pushed back down by a nurse as soon as he lifted his upper body.

"Director Liu," the nurse called out loudly, "he’s awake!"

A few minutes later, Lin Yunshu, with the IV still attached, was wheeled into the doctor’s office in a wheelchair. The doors and windows were shut, and the doctor’s expression was grave.

Lin Yunshu felt a pang of anxiety. "Doctor, is... is there something wrong with me?"

The doctor sat down opposite him. "It’s alright, no need to panic yet."

He took a sip of water, as if carefully choosing his words, and looked at the young man sitting alone before him. "Where is your family? Didn’t anyone come with you?"

*Oh no*, he’s asking about family.

Lin Yunshu instinctively clenched his fingers.

"I..." Images of his aunt and her family flashed through his mind. Lin Yunshu knew they weren’t the kind of people who could be relied on.

He shook his head.

The doctor looked surprised. "No family?"

Lin Yunshu nodded, his expression already calm again. "You can speak directly to me. I can make my own decisions."

The doctor looked troubled, but this patient’s condition couldn’t afford any more delays.

After a moment of hesitation, he said, "You know you have a congenital genetic defect, right?"

"Yes," Lin Yunshu said.

The doctor continued, "It manifests as an acute adverse reaction to alpha pheromones, including but not limited to intense pain, fainting, and even effects on the central nervous system."

Lin Yunshu nodded. "That’s why I’ve been using second-generation suppressants and inhibitors to control it."

"Then you should also understand that your condition is fundamentally a genetic issue. No matter how many suppressants you use, they only treat the symptoms, not the root cause." The doctor’s tone was stern. "Moreover, while inhibitors are effective, they’re meant for temporary use during an omega’s mating cycle. Long-term use has serious side effects."

Lin Yunshu’s expression darkened, and he said softly, "*I know*."

But he had no choice. Without the strongest medication, he couldn’t completely block pheromones.

At first, he just wanted to make things a little easier for himself, but gradually, he became dependent on the medication.

"You knew, and yet you kept using it?" The doctor was exasperated. "Last night, your coagulation system collapsed, and you actually took a taxi to the hospital by yourself? Didn’t you know you were basically a walking blood bag at that point?!"

The doctor’s angry tone didn’t frighten Lin Yunshu. He only caught the key word in the other’s words: "Coagulation... collapse?"

As the words fell, the world seemed to stand still.

Lin Yunshu first felt a ringing in his ears, then a deafening silence.

Rubbing his temples, he asked as if he hadn’t heard clearly, "I’m sorry, you said how long?"

The doctor held up three fingers. "Three months."

*Boom!*

Lin Yunshu’s world completely collapsed.

Three months...

He only had three months left to live?

Three months.

He might not even make it to this year's bonus payout.

"Director Liu," Lin Yunshu drew a deep breath, "is there any other way?"

He was clearly panicking, but he tried hard to steady his voice, not wanting to appear vulnerable and helpless.

A flicker of compassion appeared in the doctor's eyes. "At the very least, you need to stop using inhibitors. But given your current condition, stopping abruptly would be too hard on your system. I’ll write you a prescription later—you’ll need to gradually reduce the dosage as directed."

Lin Yunshu nodded. "I’ll follow the instructions."

His survival instinct was remarkably strong.

"Stopping the medication is only part of it," the doctor continued. "More importantly, before you completely stop, you need to find your one true matched Alpha. Using their pheromones instead of medication to stabilize your condition might still offer a chance."

"Perfectly matched" referred to an extremely rare compatibility level, even higher than 100%—a last-ditch treatment for genetic defects.

Or rather, this genetic defect was caused by an Omega’s physical rejection of all other Alphas due to an excessively high compatibility with one specific Alpha’s pheromones.

The doctor looked at the young man before him and said with grave seriousness: "If you need it, I can submit an application to higher authorities to search the national gene database for you."

By national regulation, every Alpha and Omega was required to have their data archived in the national gene database after they present. To protect citizens' privacy, this information was kept strictly confidential, but it could be accessed when necessary.

Lin Yunshu’s situation could now be classified as a special necessity.

After all, with a population in the billions in the country, the chances of him finding that one true matched Alpha on his own were virtually zero.

The doctor was ready to write the report immediately, but he noticed the patient seemed dazed.

"Hello," he waved a hand in front of the patient’s eyes, "hello, are you listening?"

The patient seemed lost in thought, looking somewhat unsteady. After a moment, he lifted his head and managed a faint smile on his pale lips.

"Thank you, but that won’t be necessary," he said. "I’ve found him."

***

Four PM.

Zhou Yu sat on the sofa, staring through the open door at Secretary Lin’s empty desk.

He hadn't exactly been idle all day—he’d attended three meetings, inspected a subsidiary company, and even had a middling lunch with a business partner.

But after handling all his work, it was only Four PM.

Secretary Lin’s workstation was as neat and tidy as the man himself, with books and reports meticulously organized and sorted.

Zhou Yu stared blankly.

"Is he really sick?" he murmured. "Or did I say something too harsh yesterday that upset him?"

But that wooden-headed man never could read between the lines!

Then again, Secretary Lin wasn’t the type to make a fuss over small things.

He took his work more seriously than anything else. Even if he was angry, he’d probably choose to get back at me by working overtime, not by taking leave.

So he must really be sick.

No wonder Lin Yunshu had been looking so run-down lately, always seeming sleep-deprived and drained—turns out he was ill!

Zhou Yu abruptly grew restless. Arms crossed, he paced around the office a couple of times, then grabbed his jacket and headed out, driving straight to the hospital.

***

After finishing his IV drip, Lin Yunshu lined up to collect his new prescription.

He straightened his clothes and got his emotions under control. Now, he needed to figure out what to do next.

Lin Yunshu had always known that Zhou Yu was his one true matched Alpha.

Having worked by Zhou Yu’s side for three years, he knew him inside out. Even Zhou Yu’s annual physical reports were sent to his phone first.

He had long known that the person who could save his life was right in front of him.

But he had never acknowledged this connection.

First, Lin Yunshu had never been much moved by romance or attraction. He refused to be ruled by pheromones like some animal and preferred to rely on medication to suppress his condition by force.

Second, Zhou Yu was his superior. He didn’t want to introduce a new variable into an already complicated professional relationship.

But now, it seemed there was no way out.

Without Zhou Yu’s help, he had only three months left to live.

Yet if he came clean about everything, Zhou Yu might help him, but he would certainly not allow someone gravely ill to continue working.

But Lin Yunshu desperately needed this job.

He needed a steady stream of income to cover his exorbitant medical expenses. He needed to see his bank account always showing a balance to feel secure.

He had worked his whole life and couldn’t bear the thought of becoming useless at the very end.

What should he do?

Lin Yunshu’s thoughts were in chaos.

*Beep beep—!*

Two honks sounded from ahead.

Lin Yunshu snapped back to awareness and realized he had unconsciously walked out of the hospital entrance. Not far away, the reflective logo of a showy car glinted, forcing him to squint.

The car window rolled down, and Zhou Yu leaned out to look.

Lin Yunshu saw his bright, lively eyes with their distinctive upward tilt.

"Secretary Lin," Zhou Yu called out, "get in the car."