Chapter 1 is not a particularly good one...
It wasn't a particularly good day; the muggy heat and the constant chirping of cicadas made Ji Qingyu uncomfortable. He wiped the sweat from his brow, bowed his head, and said goodbye to his students.
He disliked this kind of weather; the heat solidified into sweat on his eyes, and whenever this happened, he felt a dull ache in the ugly bite marks on his neck.
When Ji Qingyu received the news, he had just stepped out of his student's house. His eyes held a peaceful weariness, yet remained clear.
"Teacher Ji, be careful on your way back, Nannan, say goodbye to your teacher."
"See you next week, teacher! I'll treat you to osmanthus cake next week!"
Ji Qingyu patted the little girl's head, revealing a beautiful smile. Her tone rose, and her eyes, like tiny crescent moons, softly said, "Okay, see you next week, little girl."
The phone was buzzing and vibrating in my pocket.
He looked down to pick up his phone, a strand of hair falling from his loose braid onto his delicate, porcelain-like profile. He slipped, and the phone fell down the stairs, cracking open.
He sighed and went over to pick it up.
The person on the other end told him to go to the hospital as soon as possible. He asked, "What happened?"
"Everything's fine now, but if you don't come soon, I can't guarantee anything."
"...I'll be right there."
The sunlight was so intense that he could barely open his eyes.
He thought it was just an ordinary day. Perhaps Ji Ran was having some trouble in the industry and was venting his anger on him. He didn't feel anything special, after all, he had been living like this for a long time.
This is the most expensive private hospital in the city. The decor is clean and bright, and the corridors are spacious. If you didn't know better, you would think it was a five-star hotel.
Ji Qingyu didn't wait for the elevator. He climbed the stairs to the corner, familiar with the way, and there was already someone waiting outside the ward he had visited countless times.
The man's face was completely obscured, and he was wearing large sunglasses. He was looking down at his phone. When he saw Ji Qingyu arrive, he turned his head to look at her and said in a relaxed and familiar tone, "You're here?"
"What's wrong? Did something happen to my mother?" Ji Qingyu asked anxiously. "Where is she?"
Seeing Ji Qingyu so anxious, Ji Ran calmly said, "What's the rush? I've moved Auntie to a VIP ward. I've found the top team, and the attending physician said she's doing very well lately and looks like she's about to wake up. She might be discharged soon."
Ji Qingyu blinked, her eyes wary, and remained silent.
Ji Ran sighed, somewhat helplessly, "Brother, if I really wanted to make things difficult for you, would I need to lie to you?"
Ji Ran reached out and pulled Ji Qingyu's arm to walk forward. "Don't be so wary. Actually, I called you here today because I have something to discuss with you."
Ji Qingyu turned her head to look at Ji Ran, her brows furrowing as she tried to pull her hand back. "Discuss?...What is it?"
"It's a good thing. The Fu family and our family are going to have a marriage alliance. Fu Han is going to marry you."
Ji Ran stared intently at Ji Qingyu, observing his reaction, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
Ji Qingyu took a few seconds to react, seemingly not understanding Ji Ran's meaning. His face turned pale, his eyes widened in disbelief, and he stiffly said, "Don't... joke with me."
"Who has time to joke with you?" Ji Ran said impatiently. "Do I look like I'm joking with you?"
Ji Qingyu remained silent, took a few steps back, twisted her fingers together, and looked even worse.
“I’m telling you, all you did was let him bite you in high school. You’re the one who suffered, not him. Besides, he doesn’t even know anything about the child.”
Ji Qingyu froze, the word "child" sending shivers down his spine. His ears rang, and he opened his mouth, speechless, muttering, "I don't want to, I don't want to marry him."
“Then I’m sorry,” Ji Ran glanced back at him, “I’ll have to ask your aunt to leave this hospital.”
The restless heat of summer surged up suddenly, enveloping his entire body like a tsunami. He felt an indescribable restlessness and depression within him. He curled his fingers, frowned, and stared at Ji Ran.
Ji Ran, however, was not in a hurry at all. He leaned against the wall, his pretty and delicate face showing the joy of having caught his prey. The smile on his lips carried a sense of certainty. He was certain that Ji Qingyu would agree to him.
He guessed right.
Ji Qingyu had no choice at all.
Ji Qingyu stood in front of the hospital window, the sunlight casting a pale golden hue on his profile. He was dressed plainly and looked haggard.
“Hey, you don’t need to worry too much,” Ji Ran added, “He originally wanted to marry me, but I didn’t want to, so I called you over. It’s not like he’s trying to get revenge on you.”
"Besides, even if he really wanted to get revenge on you, what could he do? Stop giving you pheromones? Say something unpleasant? He can't just hit you, can he? You've endured all those heat cycles on your own all these years, haven't you?" Ji Ran said. "An omega who's been permanently marked can handle his heat cycles on his own, let alone anything else."
Ji Ran's words were merciless, deliberately targeting Ji Qingyu's most embarrassing moments. These words tore him apart, making him feel uncomfortable, as if someone had stabbed him in the heart with an awl.
Ji Qingyu opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.
This world is divided into three genders: ABO. Alphas can mark omegas, and even mark many omegas, while omegas, once marked, can only obtain pheromones from the alpha who marked them.
Once permanently marked, the inhibitors will be much less effective. Only the release of pheromones from one's own alpha can alleviate the restlessness in the body; otherwise, one can only endure it.
Ji Qingyu is an example.
The pheromone imbalance caused him insomnia, difficulty concentrating, and increasingly sluggish reactions. He lost count of how many nights he endured, his clothes soaked in cold sweat, curled up in a ball, collapsing and helpless, with no one to help him or save him.
Ji Qingyu dug into her palms as if in a compulsive manner, her nails digging into her flesh.
"Come on, stop thinking about useless things, I'll take you to see your aunt."
He was dragged upstairs step by step by Ji Ran, his wrist held tightly in Ji Ran's hand. The woman in the VIP ward lay quietly, silent, as if asleep.
Ji Qingyu stared silently for a while, his fingers resting on the clean, wide glass wall of the ward. His fingers turned white, and his eyes remained fixed. Scenes of warm memories from the past floated before his eyes, as if they were yesterday. But in reality, he and his mother hadn't been able to exchange a single word for a long time.
After an unknown amount of time, Ji Qingyu withdrew her hand, her voice tinged with weariness. She closed her eyes and slowly said, "I promise you."
Ji Ran wasn't surprised at all. He chuckled twice and took out the agreement he had prepared long ago. "Why didn't you do this earlier? You've wasted my time. Look, this is a prenuptial agreement. If there are no problems, sign it."
Ji Qingyu lowered her eyelids, not looking at the contents of the agreement, and simply said, "Give her the best treatment, or I can leave at any time."
“Okay, I will.” Ji Ran shrugged, and the next second he reached out and touched the back of Ji Qingyu’s neck with his cool fingertips. “Your mark needs to be cleaned. This is Fu Han’s request.”
"Why? This is clearly his mark."
Ji Qingyu's expression was strange. That mark was given to him by Fu Han, and now that they were getting married, Fu Han wanted to take it back. Did he hate him that much?
Ji Ran shrugged: "How would I know about Fu Han's decision? You don't need to feel like you've lost out. He gave you a lot of money, so just live a good life with him after you get married."
"Glandular surgery or Mom's life, you choose one." Ji Ran made a definitive statement, leaving no room for argument. His gaze then fell on the guitar, somewhat disdainfully, "So what if you can play well, brother? Your feathers are already covered in dust, your wings have been clipped, how can you fly anymore?"
"Just finish your gland surgery and stay by Fu Han's side. Being a caged bird trapped by his side is already a good way out, don't you know that?" Ji Ran sighed and stood up. "Don't let Fu Han know about us, don't make things difficult for yourself."
Ji Qingyu was somewhat bewildered, unsure how to cope with everything that had suddenly happened.
His life was always a little stable before it was interrupted again, and a large part of the reason was the person in front of him. But he couldn't do anything about Ji Ran, so he could only drift downstream along this little boat whose ending was written from the very beginning.
He also said, "I don't want to get married."
"Alright, bro, take some time to process this. It won't really hurt you. There are so many people lining up, eager to marry him." Ji Ran put away the contract, put on his sunglasses, and said, "I have to go to my event. I've wasted a lot of time with you. The other party is still waiting. The concert is coming up soon, and I'm very busy."
Ji Ran glanced sideways, pulled down his glasses, and smiled at Ji Qingyu: "By the way, you should talk less, it's making my ears uncomfortable."
Ji Qingyu stood there stunned. After a long while, he cleared his throat. His voice was hoarse, as if his vocal cords had been eroded. Ji Ran had specially called him over and deliberately picked out the things he cared about most to talk about, to appreciate his predicament and helplessness up close. This had been the same old routine for so many years.
But this tactic always worked. Ji Qingyu pressed her throat and stood still, no longer speaking, while Ji Ran was escorted away by bodyguards.
The doctor approached with the medical records and said, "Mr. Ji, the gland surgery will be performed in the next couple of days. Your susceptible period has just ended, so it may not be the most suitable time. Recovery will be very slow. Omega glands are fragile, and one gland surgery is already the limit that can be endured. You need to be prepared."
"I understand." Ji Qingyu was somewhat helpless, and even wanted to laugh a little. He thought Ji Ran had squeezed all the value out of him, but it turned out that there was still a trick up his sleeve.
He leaned against the wall and slowly sat down for a while. He thought that it was good that he had the surgery, at least he wouldn't have to face Fu Han in such a sorry state.
He comforted himself, thinking that this heat cycle and permanent marking had tormented him for six years, and now someone was offering to do it for him for free; he should be happy.
After discussion, the gland surgery was scheduled for tomorrow. Ji Qingyu sat in the seat outside Lin Ying's hospital bed and decided to cancel her tutoring classes.
"Brother, aren't you coming next week?" Nannan's voice message popped up, and Ji Qingyu felt a lump in her throat after hearing it.
"Brother has something to do and may not be able to come next week. Brother will send you the sheet music. Nannan, you still need to practice the piano every day. Remember, practice makes perfect, so you need to build a solid foundation."
"I know! Brother, but I still want you to eat osmanthus cake. How about you come over when you have time? You already made plans to see me next week!"
"Brother, don't lie to Nannan."
Ji Qingyu didn't know what to reply. He wanted to send an emoji to amuse his daughter, but his vision was a little blurry. He immediately moved away from his mother's window, and his phone automatically pushed out entertainment news.
"Ji Ran's illegitimate brother's true identity has been revealed."
"Fu Han was once Ji Ran's number one fan, attending three of his concerts in a row. After his passionate pursuit failed, he finally settled for Ji Ran, the man the president of the Fu Group could not have."
"Breaking news! Exposing the mistress caught in the middle of a pop star and a CEO's relationship, the biggest beneficiary of the marriage to a wealthy family, a high school dropout, permanently stigmatized, and of questionable character..."
"Is my CP about to reach its finale? Let's reminisce about all the sweet moments between Fu Ran."
As Ji Qingyu looked at the lines of text, she gritted her teeth and tried her best to calm herself down.
These words cut into his heart like knives, causing his heart to pound violently. He couldn't understand why Fu Han would still marry him. Perhaps, for him, as long as it could help his career, marrying someone he hated didn't matter.
Ji Qingyu gripped her phone tightly. A message popped up on the screen: Fu has requested to add you as a friend.
"Clean the mark thoroughly and then contact me."
Ji Qingyu curled her fingers and stared blankly at the message.
A note from the author:
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