cold
The flight soared smoothly through the stratosphere. Outside the window, a vast sea of clouds stretched endlessly, stained a magnificent golden red by the setting sun. The cabin was quiet, the privacy of first class offering rare tranquility.
Shao Wei had taken his medicine and was resting his eyes. Si Qi didn't disturb him, instead using his tablet to process the last of his emails, ensuring a smooth transition for all work while he was gone. His movements were gentle, and he would occasionally glance up to check on Shao Wei's condition.
Even with the support of temporary markers and medication, long-distance flights are still a burden on Shao Wei's current body.
His face looked somewhat transparent under the soft light of the cabin, and his breathing was light but steady.
The flight attendant brought warm water and a light meal. Si Qi gently touched Shao Wei's arm and said, "Eat a little before going to sleep, okay?"
Shao Wei opened his eyes, nodded, and took the cup. His movements were a little slow, but his consciousness was clear. Si Qi set up the small table and placed some easily digestible food in front of him.
"You eat too." Shao Wei picked up the cutlery and glanced at the food in front of Si Qi that had not been touched.
Si Qi then realized he was only paying attention to Shao Wei and quickly picked up his portion. The two of them ate in silence. The atmosphere wasn't awkward, but rather a sense of calm, a sense of surviving a disaster and facing the future together.
After the meal, Shao Wei seemed to be in better spirits. He did not fall asleep immediately, but looked at the rolling sea of clouds outside the window.
"What are you thinking about?" Si Qi put down the tablet and asked in a low voice.
"Nothing." Shao Wei paused and added, "I just didn't expect to leave like this."
With an almost resolute attitude, he abandoned everything in the past and rushed towards an uncertain future. This was completely different from his cautious and careful life of the past thirty years.
Si Qi held his hand on the blanket and said, "We will be back."
Shao Wei turned to look at him, his eyes deep: "If the treatment doesn't go well..."
"No ifs." Si Qi interrupted him, his tone unquestionable, "We will seize that 30% and turn it into 100%." His fingertips caressed Shao Wei's knuckles, where there was a faint old scar, accidentally scratched when he handled an emergency for Si Qi many years ago. "When you get better, we can go anywhere you want and do anything you want. No more Si family, no more responsibilities, just you and me."
It's almost a promise, a vision of the future that's gone off the rails.
Shao Wei looked at him quietly for a few seconds, his eyes filled with emotion, which eventually turned into a very faint, almost invisible smile. He did not withdraw his hand, but instead gently shook it back.
"Okay." He uttered the word again, with a little more warmth than last time.
The flight was very long and Shao Wei was asleep for most of the time.
Si Qi hardly closed his eyes, always paying attention to his breathing and body temperature. When he occasionally frowned because of discomfort, he released soothing pheromones or used a wet towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
The connection brought by the mark allowed him to more keenly sense Shao Wei's condition. That faint, sometimes steady, sometimes fluctuating breath touched every nerve of his.
More than ten hours later, the plane finally landed at the international airport on the east coast of Country M.
When passing through customs and security, Shao Wei's face was already frighteningly pale, and he was barely able to hold on thanks to Si Qi half-supporting and half-holding him.
Si Qi's heart tightened, and all his composure was shaken when facing Shao Wei's obvious pain.
The medical vehicle sent by Dr. Anderson was already waiting outside. Professional medical staff quickly and gently placed Shao Wei on a stretcher and connected him to a portable monitor. Si Qi stayed close by, holding Shao Wei's hand tightly.
"Mr. Si, don't worry. We will go directly to the medical center." The leading doctor said quickly in English, "Dr. Anderson is waiting for you."
The city scene outside the car window passed by quickly, skyscrapers, neon lights, everything was strange and cold.
Si Qi's entire attention was focused on Shao Wei. He looked at the half of his face covered by the oxygen mask. The numbers jumping on the monitor were the only language he could understand at the moment.
The medical center, a modern white building on the outskirts of the city, was quiet and heavily guarded. Shao Wei was wheeled directly into an examination room for a series of emergency assessments and basic stabilization treatments. Si Qi was stopped outside.
"Mr. Si, you need to first undergo a secondary confirmation of pheromone compatibility and some necessary physical examinations to ensure that you can safely provide support to Mr. Shao." A nurse guided him politely but firmly.
Si Qi took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. He glanced at the closed examination room door, turned around and followed the nurse. He couldn't panic now. Shao Wei needed him to be at his best.
The physical examination and match confirmation process was tedious but efficient. The results came back quickly, and the match was still surprisingly high, and Siqi's physical indicators were fully qualified.
It was several hours later when he was allowed into Shao Wei's ward again.
Shao Wei was lying on the hospital bed, seemingly asleep, with more instruments connected to his body. His face was still pale, but his breathing seemed steadier than before.
A doctor with gray hair and elegant temperament was standing by the bed checking the data.
"Mr. Smith? I'm Anderson." The doctor turned around, extended his hand, and spoke in a gentle but professional tone, "Your spouse's condition is more complicated than expected.
The pheromone system is collapsing at an accelerating rate, and while temporary marking has slowed the process, it’s like putting a temporary patch on a broken dam.”
Siqi's heart sank: "So?"
"So the treatment originally scheduled to begin in three days needs to be brought forward." Dr. Anderson pointed to the complex diagram on the screen, "We must start the first phase as soon as possible: pheromone stripping and remodeling.
This process will be very painful and requires your high level of cooperation.
We need to continuously and steadily extract your pheromones, process them, and then introduce them into his body, gradually replacing the damaged parts that are attacking his own system."
"You can smoke as much as you want and for as long as you want." Si Qi said without hesitation.
Dr. Anderson looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze and a hint of subtle admiration: "This is not only a drain on your physical energy, but also a great test of your mental strength.
The extraction process itself will also cause you considerable pain and a sense of emptiness. Furthermore, you will need to be temporarily isolated during the treatment.”
"Isolation?" Si Qi frowned.
"Yes. In the early stages of treatment, his body will be very repulsive to foreign pheromones, even if the compatibility is very high.
It needs to be done in an absolutely controlled environment; any additional emotional fluctuations or pheromone interference may lead to failure.
You can see him through a specific observation window and communicate with him for a certain period of time through a dedicated communication device, but you can't have direct contact with him. "The process is expected to take two weeks."
Siqi's jaw line tightened.
The inability to contact meant that he could not hug and comfort Shao Wei when he was in the most pain.
But he knew it was necessary. He nodded. "I accept. When does it start?"
"Tomorrow morning at eight." Dr. Anderson paused and added, "You can be together tonight. Perhaps... you need to talk."
After the doctor left, the only sound in the ward was the rhythmic ticking of the instruments. Si Qi walked to the bedside and sat down gently. Shao Wei's eyelashes fluttered a few times before slowly opening.
"Did you hear everything?" Si Qi asked softly.
Shao Wei nodded slightly, his eyes falling on Si Qi's face, with a complex emotion of concern and worry.
"Don't worry about me." Si Qi saw through his thoughts and leaned closer, gently pressing his forehead against his, their breaths mingling. "I can hold on. You just need to focus on one thing: get through it. No matter how uncomfortable or painful it is, just think that I'm right next door, waiting for you. For me, get through it, okay?"
His voice was low and gentle, with undeniable strength and pleading.
Shao Wei looked into his eyes, which were so close to him. They were filled with bloodshot, fatigue, but more importantly, with an inextricable love and determination. He raised his hand, which was not receiving the IV, and touched Si Qi's cheek weakly.
"You..." His voice was weak, but he tried to be clear, "Don't force yourself."
Si Qi grabbed his hand, put it to his lips, and gave it a gentle kiss: "No. We will all be fine."
That night, Si Qi sat on a chair beside the bed and stayed there.
He didn't sleep, but just held Shao Wei's hand and talked to him in a low voice, telling him those love words that were three years late, talking about his plans for the future, where he would go on vacation when the time was right, and even talking about his embarrassing childhood experiences.
Shao Wei listened quietly most of the time, occasionally frowning and gasping because of the sudden pain. Si Qi would immediately stop and release pheromones to soothe him until he calmed down again.
The darkness was gradually dispelled by the morning light outside the window. When the medical staff came to prepare, Si Qi had to let go of Shao Wei's hand.
The time of separation has come.
Shao Wei was injected with a sedative, and his consciousness was a little hazy, but his eyes were fixed on Si Qi. Si Qi suppressed his emotions, gave him an encouraging smile, and silently mouthed, "Wait for me."
The heavy isolation door slowly closed in front of Siqi, completely separating him from the light in his world.
On the first day of treatment, Si Qi watched through the observation window as Shao Wei suffered tremendous pain in the isolation cabin.
Even with sedatives, the body's instinctive struggle and distortion are still shocking.
The process of extracting pheromones was equally difficult. A deep emptiness and sharp headaches continued to torment Si Qi, but his eyes never left the window.
He said over and over into the communication device: "I'm here, Shao Wei, I'm here. Look at me, think about me."
The next day, Shao Wei's condition seemed to have stabilized somewhat, but he was still as fragile as a shattered crystal. Si Qi continued to pump pheromones for longer periods of time, and his face began to turn pale, but he refused to reduce the dosage.
The third day, the fourth day... time passed slowly in pain and suffering.
In addition to cooperating in extracting pheromones, Si Qi spent all his time outside the observation window, accompanying Shao Wei through the glass.
He saw him struggling in pain, saw him occasionally calm down briefly under the influence of drugs, and saw that even when he was unconscious, he seemed to be looking for something. Whenever this happened, Si Qi would immediately whisper his name into the microphone.
On the seventh day, the first crisis occurred. Shao Wei's body violently rejected the introduced pheromones, and his vital signs plummeted.
Red lights were flashing inside the isolation cabin, and medical staff were rushing in and out.
Si Qi was stopped outside and watched everything, almost going crazy.
The Alpha instinct in him was clamoring to rush in, mark his partner, and protect his partner, but his reason pinned him to the spot.
He got angry at Dr. Anderson for the first time, his voice hoarse and desperate: "Save him! Any way! Please!"
Dr. Anderson simply told him calmly, "Mr. Smith, trust us, and trust him. This is a hurdle he has to go through."
Fortunately, the crisis was resolved after a few hours. Shao Wei pulled through.
This crisis seemed to be a turning point. Shao Wei's body began to gradually accept Siqi's pheromones. While the data on the monitor remained fragile, it was stabilizing more frequently.
On the tenth day, Siqi was nearly fainting during the pheromone extraction due to exhaustion and anxiety. The nurse forcibly interrupted the extraction and ordered him to rest.
"No!" Si Qi refused sternly, "He needs this dosage!"
"Mr. Si, if you collapse, there will be even less hope for Mr. Shao." The nurse reminded him calmly.
Si Qi froze, and finally slumped down in his chair, covering his face with his hands. Helplessness and fear almost overwhelmed him.
At this moment, Shao Wei in the isolation cabin seemed to sense something and slowly turned his head to look towards the observation window. His eyes were still a little unfocused, but he tried hard to focus. Then, very slowly, he gave him an extremely weak, yet extremely clear smile.
It's as if saying, "Don't be afraid, I'm still here."
At that moment, Siqi's emotions, which were on the verge of collapse, miraculously stabilized. That smile was more effective than any heart tonic.
On the fifteenth day, Dr. Anderson brought good news: "The first phase of treatment is complete, and it went better than expected. The rejection reaction has basically disappeared, and his body has begun to independently produce stable new pheromones with your pheromone characteristics. Although it is still very weak, it is a huge success. You can meet briefly."
When the isolation door opened again, Si Qi almost stumbled in.
Shao Wei was half-lying on the hospital bed. Although he was still thin and pale, the lingering gray and dead air had faded, and his eyes had regained some clarity. Seeing Si Qi, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
Si Qi walked to the bedside, cautiously, as if afraid to disturb a fragile dream. He reached out and tremblingly touched Shao Wei's cheek, feeling the warmth of his body instead of the cold despair.
"Wei Wei Shao..." he began, his voice choked with sobs.
Shao Wei raised his still weak hand, covered the back of his hand, and gently rubbed his palm.
"Yeah." He responded, his voice was weak but clear to the ears, "I'm still here."
Thousands of words were stuck in his chest, but in the end, they were reduced to a single movement. Si Qi lowered his head and tenderly and lovingly kissed Shao Wei's forehead, then the tip of his nose, and finally the pair of lips that had been lost and found, but were still pale.
This kiss contained no lust, only endless longing, gratitude and deep love.
Outside the window, the sunshine from Country M was shining brightly, shining through the blinds into the ward and falling on the two people's tightly clasped hands, warm and bright.
The first phase is over, and there is still a long way to go. But they seem to have overcome the most difficult hurdle together.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
