Chapter 85: Perhaps it’s empathy

If the surgery failed and he died on the table, it would not be a loss. At least before dying, he had one happy thing—he had eaten the ribs Xu Lin had made.

Zong Xi would not allow Ji Jinxuan to take such a reckless risk. He restrained him and reached out to everyone he knew, desperately trying to find another solution.

But it was not easy.

Everyone knew the best treatment was to bring Xu Lin in. His pheromones were Ji Jinxuan’s only cure. But there was no way Xu Lin would agree. Once or twice was one thing. Being permanently tied to Ji Jinxuan to provide pheromones was impossible.

Even Zong Xi thought so. Naturally, Ji Jinxuan was even more aware of this reality. No wonder he had made such a terrifying decision.

Zong Xi left the ward and leaned against the wall in the corridor, smoking.

His phone rang again.

The voice on the other end was low. “How is he?”

“Confined. Unstable.” Zong Xi said, “No solution yet. We’re using medication to stabilize him. He’s sedated for now.”

“And his gland?”

“Still in his neck, thanks to you.”

The other person scoffed, whether in mockery or cold amusement, it was hard to tell. It was certainly not happiness.

Zong Xi frowned. “I know you two don’t get along. Since you can’t stand him, why did you tell me to stop him? Wouldn’t you be happier if he removed his gland?”

“I’d love to see him suffer. Too bad.” The tone was feigned nonchalance.

Zong Xi said, “Wouldn’t it be more fun to see it in person? Why didn’t you come yourself?”

The other just laughed, as if something was very amusing.

“What’s so funny?” Zong Xi was annoyed by the laughing.

“I didn’t expect him to have a friend like you. Strange. I thought someone like him…” The voice paused, “…would be alone forever.”

Zong Xi was not close to him either. He glanced at the number on the screen, decided not to argue, and hung up. “I’m hanging up.”

After the call, Zong Xi muttered, “Both brothers are crazy.”

Ji Hongyun smiled, set down the phone, and pushed his wheelchair toward the large window, looking out at the night view.

A caregiver knocked and brought in a bowl of medicine. “Mr. Ji, time for your medicine.”

Ji Hongyun waved. The caregiver set the bowl on the table and left.

This was a private nursing home. It was a miracle that Ji Hongyun had woken up after so many years.

Everyone thought he had been unconscious for over a decade. But only he knew that his mind had been awake the entire time. His body was simply unable to move.

During those endless years, he had lost track of time, of day and night. He did not know if he was alive or dead.

Was it painful? Yes. But compared to the bullet that had pierced Meng Shan’s chest, the bullet he himself had fired, that pain was nothing.

Meng Shan had always been afraid of pain. How much had he suffered? Did he die thinking Ji Hongyun had wanted him dead? How desperate he must have been.

They had been one step away from the life they had dreamed of—a school, the two of them, growing old together.

How had they ended up like this?

He had not wanted to break his promise. If he could not keep it in life, he would fulfill it in the next world. He had removed his gland to follow Meng Shan. But even that had failed. He had survived, trapped in a useless body.

He had screamed, raged, begged for death. The emotions had coiled in his veins, squeezing him, corroding him. But only he had known.

At first, he had broken down. But as time passed, he grew numb. He gave up.

That was fine. It was penance. Maybe, when he finally died and met Meng Shan again, he would be forgiven.

He had thought this would continue until his heart stopped.

Then he heard Meng Shan’s voice. Even without seeing him, he could not mistake it. Meng Shan was right there, within reach. He was alive.

He had said so much. He had misunderstood. He hated him.

Ji Hongyun was overjoyed that Meng Shan was alive. But that joy lasted only seconds, replaced by endless sorrow.

How had Meng Shan survived the shooting, carrying his hate and pain all these years? He must have suffered so much.

He had said so much, and then he had left. A tear had fallen on Ji Hongyun’s face. It was his Ah Shan’s tear.

In that moment, the withered nerves inside him seemed to absorb new life, awakening and growing. He had found his will to live again.

He wanted to wipe away Ah Shan’s tears. He wanted to explain, to apologize. He wanted to walk like a normal person. For the first time, he regretted his stupidity. If he had tried harder to find him, they might not have been apart so long.

He wanted to get up from the bed that had held him captive for years. He wanted to open his eyes.

It seemed the heavens had heard his prayer, or perhaps they had finally decided he had served his time.

One day, Ji Hongyun really did open his eyes.

But he could not immediately go to Meng Shan. First, he faced a grueling recovery. He could not even walk unaided.

A hideous, sunken scar marked the back of his neck where his gland had been. Only a withered shell remained. He was no longer an Alpha.

But Ji Hongyun was happy. Being a Beta like Meng Shan was not so bad.

After waking, the first person he saw was Zhuang Xun. Zhuang Xun was overjoyed. He had never expected him to wake up.

It took Ji Hongyun a year and a half of rehabilitation—from wheelchair to cane to finally walking without support. He could not walk far or run for long; he still tired easily.

On the day he went to find Meng Shan, the weather was fine. He went to District Thirteen. He saw the school, the students playing in the yard, heard the sound of reading.

His Ah Shan was amazing.

Ah Shan had a new name now. Pu Sha.

He found Pu Sha’s fenced yard and walked in, looking around with anticipation.

That night, when Pu Sha came home, he looked like he had seen a ghost. He was upset, demanding explanations. Ji Hongyun tried to explain, but Pu Sha would not listen. He was terrified and kept trying to push him out.

It had been a rough time.

But thankfully… his Ah Shan was soft-hearted. Even though they were not fully reconciled, he no longer rejected his touch or shut him out. When he had time, he even answered his calls and talked.

He had also learned a lot from Zhuang Xun. He had missed so much while asleep.

Ji Wang, proud and arrogant his whole life, had been broken by Ji Jinxuan, reduced to a shadow of himself.

And that boy had fallen in love with someone too.

Ji Hongyun picked up the medicine bowl and downed it in one go. The bitter liquid did not make him flinch.

“Xu Lin,” he murmured, tasting the name that haunted his brother. And he was Ah Shan’s student.

What a coincidence.

He had no obligation to care about how Ji Jinxuan treated himself. But if things kept going like this, his Ah Shan would never have peace. He was always fussing over Xu Lin. Always “Xu Lin this, Xu Lin that.”

All his students. What about him?

Ji Hongyun had looked into Xu Lin. He had thought Ji Jinxuan was just acting on a whim. That he could not truly love someone. But after learning what he had done to Xu Lin, he changed his mind.

When he heard Ji Jinxuan was planning gland removal, he was not surprised. It was almost expected.

But Ji Hongyun could not let him do it.

If the surgery failed and Ji Jinxuan died, with only the two of them left in the family, all the mess would fall on him. He did not want to deal with it.

And besides…

Ji Hongyun pulled three pieces of candy from his pocket. Pu Sha had given them to him. Because he kept complaining about his medicine being bitter, Pu Sha had given him a bag of candy and told him to eat one after each dose. Only three were left.

That was fine. He unwrapped one and put it in his mouth. Pu Sha would give him more. The sweetness lingered on his tongue.

Besides…

He touched the empty space at the back of his neck. “Removing a gland… it hurts a little.”

Perhaps it was empathy.

Ji Jinxuan stared at the hospital ceiling.

He had been restrained for a long time. It felt like he was back in the past, waking up in that hospital room, with Xu Lin gone, leaving him behind.

Zong Xi came to the bedside when he saw he was awake. His expression was dark, displeased.

“Are you calm now?”

Ji Jinxuan glanced at him and looked away, silent.

Zong Xi held back his anger. “We don’t have to do this. I’ll find a way… the reverse marking might be reversible.” It had never been done before, but it was worth trying. “I’ll start arranging it in the next few days. Stay put. If it doesn’t work, we’ll think of something else.”

Logically, Ji Jinxuan needed daily infusions of Xu Lin’s pheromones to stabilize. But that was not possible.

The three suppressants Ji Jinxuan had hidden were found by Zong Xi. Over Ji Jinxuan’s protests, he forced him to use them. He did not care about “using them up.” Those three doses would at least last Ji Jinxuan a little longer.

After a period of this, Zong Xi heard a phone ringing. It was not his. Ji Jinxuan’s phone was outside the ward.

The caller was a boy whose voice was changing, excited. “Ji-ge!”

Zong Xi checked the screen, confused. He put it on speaker and brought it to Ji Jinxuan.

“It’s me, Xiao Zhao! Do you remember me?

“Ji-ge? Are you there?”

Xiao Zhao waited, then called out again. Ji Jinxuan finally spoke. “I’m here. What is it?”

Xiao Zhao, unaware of his weak voice, sounded delighted. “I know it’s sudden, but I wanted to ask you for a favor. It’s okay if not.

“The thing is… I had that illness, and you cured me, and I became an Alpha. Next month is my checkup.”

Ji Jinxuan knew. He thought Xiao Zhao was worried about access to the institute and said, “Just come.”

But Xiao Zhao was worried about something else. He hesitated, then explained.

“After I went back to school, I told my friends about you. Maybe I exaggerated a bit… They all admire you so much and keep pestering me to meet you. When they heard I was going to the capital for a checkup, they wanted to come too.

“I just wanted to ask—if it’s okay—could my friends come too? Just a small visit…”

Before Ji Jinxuan could answer, Xiao Zhao quickly added, “I’ll keep an eye on them. They won’t wander off.

“My mom can’t come this time, so Li-ge and Lin-ge will bring me. They’re my guardians. They’ll make sure I’m back safe. I promise.”

He waited, then asked carefully, “Is that okay, Ji-ge?”