Chapter 62: If I save him, who will save me?

Teacher?

Zhuang Xun’s gaze darted between Xu Lin and Pu Sha.

Teacher. Student.

He laughed coldly. “What a coincidence.”

His purpose in coming here was to find Xu Lin. He had not expected to find another person as well.

One for Ji Hongyun. One for Ji Jinxuan.

Two of them.

He was filled with rage, his fists clenched.

Thinking of Ji Hongyun, unrecognizable in his hospital bed, he was furious.

He felt it was unjust, that Ji Hongyun had been wronged.

He shouted at Pu Sha, “Since you’re alive, why haven’t you gone back!”

Pu Sha clutched his collar, trembling, frozen.

Zhuang Xun was furious, his dignity gone. He screamed, “Do you know that Hongyun thought you were dead? He carved out his own gland, wanting to die with you! And you? He’s been in a coma for years, wasting away to a skeleton, while you hide here living your carefree life! How dare you!”

Tears streaked Pu Sha’s face. He stared blankly in Zhuang Xun’s direction, his lips trembling, unable to speak.

Xu Lin was about to curse the stranger for yelling at Pu Sha, but he heard Pu Sha ask softly, “What did you say?”

He turned and saw Pu Sha’s expression, so he held his tongue, confused.

Zhuang Xun frowned. “Stop pretending!”

“…” Pu Sha said, “You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie to you? Do I have nothing better to do?” Zhuang Xun was furious, veins bulging on his forehead. “If you don’t believe me, come back with me. I’ll show you what he’s become.” He swore. “If you’re not dead, then he’s suffered all these years for nothing.”

Pu Sha pushed himself up. He stumbled, and Xu Lin quickly supported him.

Pu Sha buttoned his shirt. It was wrinkled and covered in dust, but he did not care. He leaned on Xu Lin to stay upright.

He looked at Zhuang Xun, his anger overriding any pretense of civility, his voice trembling. “What are you pretending about!”

Xu Lin had never seen Pu Sha like this. He rarely got angry, rarely cried, rarely showed emotion. He was always gentle, always smiling, always kind. But now, he faced this man with bitter, painful accusation. “He was the one who lied to me! He was the one who tried to kill me! Why should I go back?!”

Zhuang Xun frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“He shot me!” Pu Sha screamed, his voice bleeding with anguish. “Someone who tried to kill me—what does his condition have to do with me?”

Zhuang Xun was shocked. “That’s impossible!” Ji Hongyun loved him too much to do that.

“I lived through it! It’s true!” Pu Sha said. “It was Ji Hongyun himself, standing right in front of me, pointing a gun at me and pulling the trigger! What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I have nothing to do with him anymore! I’ve hidden this far away, can’t you just leave me alone?!”

Zhuang Xun did not know the details. He had not been there at the time. All he knew was that Ji Hongyun had destroyed his own gland and fallen into a coma. He had investigated but only learned that Ji Hongyun had witnessed the Beta’s death and, in despair, had destroyed his gland.

Witnessed.

But Pu Sha was saying Ji Hongyun had pulled the trigger himself.

“How could that be…” Zhuang Xun murmured, thoroughly confused.

Xu Lin was stunned too.

He caught the name Pu Sha had mentioned.

Ji Hongyun… Ji…

Ji family?

Was he from the Ji family?

Xu Lin held his breath.

He grew even more wary of the man before him.

Zhuang Xun ran a hand through his hair, his mind a mess. “Fine. This is too much.”

His gaze shifted between Pu Sha and Xu Lin. He had a thousand questions, but he set them aside for now. He took a deep breath and calmed down.

“We’ll talk about this later.”

He faced Xu Lin. “Xu Lin, I came here specifically to find you.”

Xu Lin studied him silently.

“My name is Zhuang Xun,” he said. “Ji Jinxuan is in very bad condition. He needs your help.”

“Bad condition?” Xu Lin raised an eyebrow. “Is he dead yet?”

“…Not yet.” Zhuang Xun understood what Zong Xi meant by “he hates him.” “But without you, he’s not far from it. His health is critical. He just came out of danger. He needs high-compatibility Omega pheromones to stabilize his heat cycle. But…” Zhuang Xun said, “his gland is damaged. He can only accept your pheromones now. You’re the only person in the world who can save him.”

Xu Lin was silent for a long moment, then asked, “Why should I? If I save him, who will save me?”

Zhuang Xun asked back, “Can you really let him die?”

Xu Lin gritted his teeth. “Why couldn’t I?”

Zhuang Xun closed his eyes, then opened them. “Help him once. I’ll help you in return.”

“Help me?” Xu Lin was skeptical.

“I know what you want.” Zhuang Xun held his gaze, confident. “You want him to never find you again, right?” he said. “I can help you with that. If you save him this once, I will repay the favor.”

“Why should I trust you?” Xu Lin asked.

“You have two choices,” Zhuang Xun said. “One: come with me willingly, save Ji Jinxuan, and I’ll let you go. We both get what we want. Two: defy me, and I’ll have you taken back by force. You’ll never leave again. It’s your choice.”

Zhuang Xun was not joking.

He meant what he said.

That night.

Xu Lin followed Zhuang Xun to the dock. Pu Sha walked behind him, uneasy.

“Xu Lin, are you really going back? What if he’s tricking you?” He glanced at Zhuang Xun’s back and whispered, “What if it’s a trap? You just got back.”

Zhuang Xun did not turn around. “What kind of person do you take me for?”

“Don’t worry,” Xu Lin said. He had no choice.

Zhuang Xun had shown him photos of Ji Jinxuan in the hospital. They were not fake. And even if he wanted to resist, Zhuang Xun had ways to deal with him. He had found his home easily enough. If Zhuang Xun resorted to force, Xu Lin would not be able to fight back.

It was better to take the risk and cooperate.

“If you don’t trust me, you can come with him. Two people are better than one, aren’t they?” Before boarding, Zhuang Xun said this to Pu Sha.

Pu Sha, who had only planned to see him off, paused.

“You don’t have to,” Xu Lin said quickly. “I can go alone.”

That was what he said.

But Pu Sha hesitated, looking at the ground, then at Xu Lin. Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward and boarded the ship.

“I’ll come with you. This time…” Pu Sha said, “no matter what happens, I won’t let you face them alone again.”

Warmth filled Xu Lin’s heart.

Zhuang Xun leaned against the railing, letting the sea breeze ruffle his hair. He lit a cigarette lazily, watching the two of them through the drifting smoke. He snorted.

It had been only a few days since Xu Lin last saw Ji Jinxuan.

Less than a week.

In less than a week, Ji Jinxuan had become a patient covered in tubes, lying motionless in a hospital bed.

Ji Jinxuan was unconscious.

The monitor beeped steadily.

His hand was wrapped in gauze, hiding the wound Xu Lin had inflicted with a knife.

“What do I need to do?”

As soon as Xu Lin spoke, the doctor on standby hurried over, pulling on gloves and a mask. He gently peeled off the suppressant patch on Xu Lin’s neck. “Try releasing your pheromones.”

Xu Lin did as he was told.

In his sleep, Ji Jinxuan’s brow furrowed. He let out a low whimper, as if in pain. But soon, he unconsciously moved toward the source of the pheromones. The closer he got, the more he sweat, clearly uncomfortable yet unwilling to pull away.

If his hands and feet had not been bound, he might have reached for Xu Lin.

“It’s working,” the doctor said, relieved. “I’ll need to extract some of your pheromones to prepare the medication. Is that okay?”

“Fine.” Xu Lin was here to settle this once and for all, so he did not object.

The doctor drew several vials of blood from his neck. Xu Lin, now an Omega with a sensitive gland, felt dizzy afterward. He pressed a cotton ball to the spot and sat down in the chair by the bed.

He watched Ji Jinxuan from a distance.

“Please wait here,” the doctor said, leaving with the vials.

The room was left with just the two of them.

One sat, awake. The other lay, asleep.

Ji Jinxuan’s chest rose and fell. He mumbled incoherently, too low to make out. Xu Lin listened. Soon, he realized it was just two words, repeated endlessly.

“Xu Lin.”

Ji Jinxuan was calling his name.

Xu Lin sat still. He removed the cotton ball from his neck. A tiny fleck of red stained it. He held it for a moment, then tossed it in the trash.

He looked away. He pretended Ji Jinxuan was not there.

He turned to gaze out the window.

Out in the hallway, Zhuang Xun and Pu Sha were talking. After a while, Pu Sha seemed to hesitate, then finally nodded slightly.

They prepared to leave.

Xu Lin hurried out to ask, “Teacher, where are you going?”

Pu Sha was startled and said, “I’ll be back soon.”

Xu Lin looked at Zhuang Xun. Zhuang Xun said, “Stay here. We’ll be back before dawn. If I really wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t waste time talking. I keep my promises.”

Xu Lin watched them walk away, their figures disappearing behind the closing elevator doors.

He paced restlessly for a while, then returned to the ward.

A nurse was changing the dressing on Ji Jinxuan’s hand. The wound Xu Lin had inflicted was deep and brutal. The raw, bloody flesh stuck together, then separated under the rinsing, blood dripping steadily.

Drip, drip. The sight irritated Xu Lin.

After the nurse left, Xu Lin walked to the bedside.

Beneath the muzzle guard, Ji Jinxuan’s lips moved, mechanically calling his name.

“Xu Lin, Xu Lin.”

Xu Lin reached out and touched the muzzle guard. It was cold.

“Don’t go…”

His fingers froze.

“Xu Lin, don’t go.”