Mr. Si
In winter, Reykjavik, Iceland, resembles a secluded, silvery fortress. The private medical center Siqi had booked was located on the city's edge, nestled against snow-capped mountains and facing the gray-blue sea. It was renowned for its absolute privacy, transcending national jurisdiction, and its cutting-edge glandular nerve repair technology. There were no curious glances, no Shao Qing's tentacles. Only the sea breeze, tinged with the scent of ice and snow, and the pervasive, special fragrance designed to neutralize pheromones, created a near-vacuum of tranquility.
Shao Wei regained consciousness completely on the evening of the third day after his arrival.
No longer a fragmented flashback, his consciousness was now truly coherent and coherent. He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the slowly moving aurora outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window. The green-purple bands of light danced silently under the night sky like the swaying skirt of a goddess. Then, he felt the coolness of the IV in his hand and the dull, drugged-out pain from the surgical wound at the back of his neck.
Finally, he saw Siqi sleeping lightly on the edge of the bed.
The man seemed extremely tired. Even in his sleep, his brows were habitually furrowed, his jawline tense. One of his hands rested casually on the edge of the bed, while the other gripped Shao Wei's hand, the one not receiving the IV, firmly, almost forcefully, as if afraid he would disappear if he let go.
Shao Wei watched him silently. Memories flooded back, no longer chaotic, yet weighing heavily on him, nearly suffocating him. The photo of the cabin, Dr. Chen's confession, General Shao Qing's icy gaze, and his own desperate threat... Finally, the scene froze on Si Qi standing in front of him, telling the arrogant general, "Whether he's worthy or not, I'll decide."
His heart felt like it was being slowly crushed by something, aching and swollen. He subconsciously moved his fingers that were being held.
Si Qi woke up almost instantly.
He suddenly raised his head, with bloodshot and fatigue still in his eyes, but when he met Shao Wei's clear and calm gaze, his deep black eyes suddenly lit up, as if they were thrown into a cold pool of sparks.
"Are you awake?" Si Qi's voice was hoarse from just waking up. He immediately sat up straight and subconsciously touched Shao Wei's forehead. "How do you feel? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Are you dizzy? Does the wound hurt?"
The barrage of questions, laced with undisguised eagerness and concern, was a level of treatment Shao Wei hadn't experienced in the past three years. He tilted his head uncomfortably, avoiding the hand, his voice dry, "...water."
Si Qi was stunned for a moment, then immediately stood up, poured a glass of warm water in a somewhat flustered manner, carefully helped Shao Wei up, and handed the straw to his lips.
The warm water moistened his dry throat. Shao Wei took a deep breath and leaned back on the pillow. His eyes fell on the changing aurora outside the window, avoiding Si Qi's gaze. "How long have I slept?"
"Three days." Si Qi sat back in his chair, his eyes still fixed on him, as if to confirm that his presence was not an illusion. "The doctor said the operation was successful. The effects of the neurotoxin are fading, but he needs rest and long-term recovery. The pheromone levels are still disordered, but... there are no signs of further deterioration."
"Yeah." Shao Wei responded with a flat reaction.
Silence stretched between the two of them. Unlike the accustomed, non-interfering silence of the past three years, the silence at this moment was filled with unspoken awkwardness, temptation, and the weight of the past.
"Shao Wei," Si Qi finally spoke first. His voice was low and cautious, "About...our relationship..."
"Cousins." Shao Wei interrupted him, his tone calm, as if stating a fact that had nothing to do with him. "Identical twins, artificially transformed into two independent individuals. I know."
He turned his head and truly met Si Qi's eyes for the first time. In those ice-blue eyes, there was no longer the hidden love of the past, nor the intense pain of knowing the truth. Only an almost desolate calmness remained, which made Si Qi's heart tighten.
"So?" Shao Wei asked, "What are you going to do now, Siqi? Have you finally found a legitimate reason to get rid of me, or... have you decided to continue this ridiculous marriage out of guilt?"
Si Qi's heart felt like it was being gripped by these words, a dull pain so intense that it was almost impossible to breathe. He saw the self-mockery and alienation deep in Shao Wei's eyes. The quiet love he had once taken for granted, even dismissed, seemed to have finally burned out after enduring betrayal, deception, and near-death experiences, leaving only cold ashes.
"I'm not..." Si Qi tried to explain, but found his words so pale at this moment. Guilt? Yes. Shock? Yes. But was it guilt alone that drove him to stand before Shao Wei, to break with Shao Qing at all costs?
"What is that?" Shao Wei pressed, his voice still soft but carrying a compelling force. "Sympathy? Responsibility? Or is it the possessiveness of a top-tier Alpha? Even if it's a 'defective product,' even if it has immoral blood, as long as it's marked by you, no one else can touch it, not even you, who wants it?"
These words were sharp, almost caustic, like an ice pick, piercing those hidden parts of Si Qi's mind that he was most reluctant to face. His face changed slightly, and his jawline tightened even more.
"Shao Wei, don't be like this." Si Qi's voice carried a barely perceptible plea. "I know... I know what a jerk I've been in the past three years. I ignored your feelings, I treated marriage as a formality, and I didn't even... try to understand you."
He took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind. "But none of that is real. It's not the real me, nor the real you. We were all deceived and manipulated. Now that the truth is out, we..."
"How are we?" Shao Wei interrupted again, a faint, sad arc on his lips. "Putting aside the imposed identities and memories, what is left between us? Siqi, do you love me?"
The straightforward question, like a bullet, instantly penetrated all the preparations and disguises.
Si Qi froze. Love? He didn't know. The inertia formed by three years of indifference was too strong. To him in the past, the word "love" was weakness, superfluous, an unplanned inconvenience. He only knew that when he saw Shao Wei lying on the operating table, near death, he felt a crushing panic; when he learned the truth, he felt a surge of anger and boundless heartache for Shao Wei; when Shao Qing wanted to take Shao Wei away, his only thought was to keep him at all costs.
Is this love? Or is it simply the protectiveness of a top Alpha towards his marked partner? Is it a sense of responsibility after learning the truth? Or is it... a belated response... to the love that has been silently and persistently devoted for three years?
His hesitation and struggle were clearly reflected in Shao Wei's eyes.
The last glimmer of light in Shao Wei's eyes seemed to fade away. He slowly turned his gaze away, looking back at the flowing aurora outside the window, and said in a voice as soft as a sigh: "Look, you don't know either."
"Give me some time, Shao Wei." Si Qi eagerly grabbed his hand, as if that would allow him to hold onto something that was slipping away. "We both need time. Let's forget about the fake past, start over, and get to know each other again, okay?"
Shao Wei said nothing, but quietly withdrew his hand. The movement was very light, but it carried an undeniable rejection.
"I'm tired, Siqi." He closed his eyes, his long eyelashes casting a faint shadow on his pale face, "I want to rest."
The order to expel the guests was issued clearly and calmly.
Si Qi watched him refuse to communicate, and all the words stuck in his throat. He knew that some hurts couldn't be mended with a few apologies or promises. Some gaps couldn't be easily bridged simply by knowing the truth. Shao Wei's heart, shattered by three years of cold marriage and the final, cruel truth, had closed the door that had once quietly opened a crack for him.
He stood up silently, tucked the corner of the quilt for Shao Wei, looked at him deeply, and finally turned and left the ward.
The door closed gently.
The only sounds in the ward were the regular ticking of the instruments and the silent flow of the aurora outside the window.
Shao Wei slowly opened his eyes. His icy blue eyes were devoid of sleepiness, only a blank, empty space. He lifted the hand that Si Qi had held tightly, his wrist still tinged with his warmth and strength.
restart?
Easily said.
The loneliness of waiting alone late at night, the ignored care, the embarrassment of cleaning up the mess by oneself after the susceptible period, the fleeting look of relief in the other person's eyes when being diagnosed with a terminal illness... and the immoral bloodline that runs deep into the bone marrow.
Each one is like a poisonous thorn engraved on the bone, causing excruciating pain at the slightest touch.
How could he pretend nothing had happened? How could he believe that someone so accustomed to indifference could suddenly understand how to love? And how could he...bear the shackles of brotherly love and embrace that belated, still-hard-to-determine warmth?
Life is boring.
These words were once his passive resistance to this controlled life. But now, after breaking free from the control and gaining so-called "freedom", he found that the road ahead was an even more desolate and hopeless ruin.
Without warning, tears began to fall, soaking coldly into the pillow. He said nothing, simply letting the silent tears flow freely, as if to shed all the grievances, pain, and confusion accumulated over the past twenty years.
Outside the door, Si Qi didn't leave. He leaned against the cold wall and slowly slid down to sit on the ground. The ward was well soundproofed, so he couldn't hear any sound from inside, but he could imagine Shao Wei's despair at the moment.
He raked his hair in frustration, having never felt so powerless before. All the maneuvering skills he'd mastered in the business world, the inherent sense of oppression that came with being a top-tier Alpha, were rendered useless before Shao Wei's desolate and calm gaze.
Dr. Chen came over with the latest test report and sighed when he saw Siqi's expression.
"How is he?" Si Qi raised his head with bloodshot eyes.
"Physical indicators are slowly recovering, but data from neural activity and pheromone fluctuations show that his mood is very low, and he's in a deep depression." Dr. Chen handed him the report. "Physical trauma can be healed, but psychological trauma... may take longer and require more patience and... methods."
Si Qi took the report and looked at the cold data curve on it, as if he saw Shao Wei's heart slowly freezing.
"What should I do?" he asked, a hint of confusion in his voice that he himself hadn't noticed. This man, who had always been in control of everything, felt helpless in the face of love for the first time.
Dr. Chen looked at him with a complicated expression. "Siqi, sometimes, the greatest hurt isn't hatred, but despair. He may... no longer believe in anything, including you, and also... the future."
Si Qi's heart sank.
At that moment, his encrypted communicator vibrated. It was a message from his confidant back home, and the content made his eyes sharpen instantly.
"Boss, we've found some leads on Shao Wei's biological mother, Miss Shao Wen. Some time before her death, she seemed to have frequent contact with an independent journalist named 'Gu Zhixing.' Shortly after Miss Shao Wen's death, this journalist and his family moved to Northern Europe, and their current whereabouts are unknown. Additionally, we've detected activity from the 'Watchmen,' and it seems their personnel are also investigating Gu Zhixing."
Si Qi held the communicator tightly.
Gu Zhixing...Reporter...
Wasn't Shao Wei's threat that day just groundless?
Aunt Shao Wen, did she really leave behind something that could shake Shao Qing?
He glanced at the tightly closed hospital room door. Inside was his legal spouse, physically and mentally damaged and refusing to open the door. Outside, the conspiracy and pursuit still loomed overhead.
Si Qi stood up, and the confusion in his eyes was replaced by a determined cold light.
He knew what he should do now.
He needed to find the man named Gu Zhixing and the evidence left by Aunt Shao Wen. That was not only a weapon to protect themselves, but perhaps... it was also the only key to pry open the closed door of Shao Wei's heart.
"Take good care of him." Si Qi said to Dr. Chen in a deep voice, turned around and strode away. His back looked resolute and upright in the empty corridor.
He didn't know how to love someone, especially someone he had hurt so deeply and had such a complicated relationship with.
But he knew he could never lose him.
No matter what the cost, no matter what the future holds, he will pull Shao Wei back from the abyss of "life is meaningless".
The aurora still danced brilliantly outside the window, illuminating the silent tears within the ward and the figure at the end of the corridor, their fighting spirit reignited. Their story, which began as a false drama, with a glimpse of true love on the brink of life and death, now plunged into a more complex predicament after the truth was revealed. The road to love and redemption, fraught with ethical thorns and the shadow of the past, was far longer and more difficult than they had imagined.
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