Before My Withering

No longer needing to hide their whereabouts, Xu Xingze and Wen Yan would occasionally call me. They both tacitly avoided Qi Shu’s name and only talked with me about interesting things they had recently encountered.

But today, I got a different call from my former attending doctor. 

The doctor hesitated to ask me about my relationship with Mr. Qi, and said that he had taken someone to the hospital today.

I thought since there was nothing to hide, I told him that he was my child’s father.

“No wonder.” The doctor sighed, “As soon as he arrived, he asked me for your medical records. I was thinking that it was a patient’s privacy, so how could I just casually hand it to him? But he seeked out the hospital and pressured me, I failed to resist…”

Then he sighed again. “You know how powerful the Qi family is, we can’t afford to offend…” 

“It’s okay, I understand.” My mind felt calm. “If he wants it, then give it.”

“Did something happen… between you both? I don’t think he’s in the right mood… How are you and the baby?” The doctor prodded considerably.

Zhou Chen later helped me change the hospital, so my former doctor didn’t know the recent developments of my situation. If he calculated the days, if the child was still alive, I’d probably be dead in no time.

“The baby is gone.” I said, “My gland is gone, too.”

The other side let out a soft “ah” once, and said, “Well… There’s still hope as long as you live. In situations like this, we doctors generally advise patients to put themselves first.”

“Thank you.” I sincerely thanked him.

Even after I hung up, my mind was still in the state of peace. Qi Shu might think it ridiculous that there was a man in this world who’d give up his life to love him.

I think it’s ridiculous, too. 

After coming back this time, Zhou Chen had more work to do. He often had video conferences in his study and would occasionally leave and come home early.

I told him he doesn’t need to take care of me, if he’s busy then do it, work is important. He said that, isn’t the significance of the development of technology liberating people’s time and spending more time with their families?

Family…

The word rolled around in my mind several times, warming my heart. 

He also said he was a doctor and it was his job to take care of me.

I teased him, “Do you remember being a doctor? I haven’t seen you in a white coat for a long time.”

He paused, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said, “So you like to see me in a white coat?”

For some unknown reason, my face suddenly burned. I couldn’t help but think of the first time we met. When Zhou Chen turned around at that moment, the first thought that jumped out of my mind was indeedー 

The doctor is really good-looking.

He even teased me: “You blush so easily, like a child who hasn’t been in love.”

“I’m not, I…”

The retort remained stuck in my throat. Have I ever been in love? 

Zhou Shen read my mind and said, “That doesn’t count.”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Okay then.

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I knocked at the door and entered. Zhou Chen sat idly in his chair with a laptop in front of him.

He was leaning one arm against the armrest, his forefinger knuckles against the edge of his upper lip, unconsciously grinding as if in deep thought.

When he heard the sound, he raised his eyes. His gaze softened a bit, then he beckoned, “Come.” 

I walked over to find him in a meeting, and a very professional, mature female voice was speaking from the computer, saying things like “budget”, “equipment” and “personnel investment”.

Sensing this was not something I should listen to, I put down the coffee and silently mouthed “I’ll go out first.”

Zhou Chen sat up and pulled me. “Wait.”

Confused, I turned around. He pulled me to his side and said, “Tell A’Liu not to prepare dinner. Let’s go out to eat.” 

“Oh…”

He gave a wan smile, took my hand and brought it to his lips before he let go. “Go, I’ll finish right away.”

?!

“Oh….” 

I ran downstairs like a fugitive, my heart about to jump out of my throat.

Did he take the wrong medicine today….

Before I had time to calm down, the doorbell rang. I went to answer the door. From the monitor, I saw a dignified old man with a stern face in a wheelchair, followed by several men who looked like bodyguards.

When the monitor got connected, he said, “Open the door, I’m looking for Zhou Chen.” 

They came as if they had evil intentions. I felt a little nervous. “Excuse me, are you…”

“I’m his grandfather!”

Old Qi? How could he come over so suddenly…

I opened the door and the bodyguard pushed him in. He was in his eighties, with white hair and piercing eyes, that directed at me harshly. 

“Where’s Zhou Chen?” he asked coldly.

His look made me shiver. “Sir is working upstairs,” I said cautiously.

He eyed me from head to toe. “Are you Xiao Yu?”

I didn’t know how he knew my name, but I said yes. 

Old Qi snorted and said disdainfully, “I thought it was some amazing vixen. Grab him.”

After that, two bodyguards stepped forward to grab me. They were big and tall, and they were obviously professional guards. Before I could even resist, one of them held me by one arm.

I was about to call for help when a sharp voice came from behind me. “What are you doing? Let him go!”

I tried my best to twist my head and saw Zhou Chen coming over quickly with a cold expression. “Grandpa, what do you mean by this?” 

“What do I mean? I’m cleaning the house!” Old Qi shouted angrily, knocking on the floor with his cane. “You and Qi Shu would fight each other for some lowly beta not even afraid of being laughed at! I’d like to see what this bitch can do. You’ve all become so enchanted that you don’t even listen to me anymore! Take him away!”

Zhou Chen’s voice rang out at the same time, “Who would dare!”

“See if I don’t dare!”

Master Qi raised his cane at me, and the bodyguard behind him immediately kicked me in my knee socket with his hard leather shoes, forcing me to kneel down in pain. 

I suddenly remembered that Xu Xingze had said that Qi Shu had also been given a cane for breaking off the engagement. It must have been very painful.

Instead of the expected pain, the crutch sliced ​​through the air and was caught halfway.

I suddenly raised my eyes and saw Zhou Chen’s dark expression. He grabbed the cane, twisted it, then turned around and kicked down the bodyguard behind me, stabbed him in the abdomen with a stick, and then put another person down in the same way.

In just a few seconds, the martial-looking men just now have become half dead worms curled up on the ground. 

After Zhou Chen had done all this neatly, he threw the cane aside.

“You…” Old Qi was so angry that he couldn’t speak.

Zhou SChen didn’t look at him. He squatted down and picked me up, rubbed my knee and asked, “Does it hurt?”

At times like this, even if it hurts, I can only say it doesn’t. 

“Qi Shu is crazy, and you’re crazy, too!” Old Qi, who had lost his crutch and could no longer knock on the floor, had to shiveringly point at Zhou Shen. “A broken plaything, is he worth it…”

“Grandpa.” Zhou Chen coldly interrupted him, “Pay attention to your words.

“This isn’t the Qi family, and I’m not Qi Shu. He’ll let you do whatever you want, but I won’t.”

“What are you saying? It’s not enough for you to fight against Qi Shu. Do you want to fight against the whole Qi family now?” A trace of horror was mixed in Old Qi’s anger. 

Zhou Chen did not answer, but his expression clearly said “so what”.

The atmosphere suddenly turned strange. I didn’t quite understand what Old Qi’s last sentence meant.

After a long silent confrontation, Zhou Chen finally broke the silence and said, “After all these years, if this is still all you can do, then it’s not surprising that the Qi family has come to this point.”

He spoke scornfully, as if he were facing some unknown character, not the legendary patriarch of the Qi family. 

“I heard that after Qi Shu rejected his engagement, the omega surnamed Wen was marked by an unknown alpha during estrus. It’s a pity that you have to help him find a new fiancee.”

“You…did you…?”

“You can’t talk nonsense.” Zhou Chen resumed his leisurely appearance, pushed his glasses and said, “I was in the susceptible period and couldn’t take care of myself.”

Are they talking about Wen Ziqing? Has Wen Ziqing been marked? There’s so much information that I couldn’t wrap my head around it. 

“A’Chen…” seeing that being tough wasn’t good, Old Qi wanted to be soft. “You and Xiao Shu are a family. Everything in the Qi family will be yours sooner or later. Now you’re fighting for an outsider and cause destruction to both sides. The gain is not worth the loss…”

“Plus, as alpha, you will one day combine with a matching omega, which is the law of nature. I have no objection to your being young and playing around, but there must be a limit to your enjoyment. Don’t overindulge.”

“Grandpa, I think you’ve made a mistake.” Zhou Chen took my hand. “He is not just an outsider to me.”

“Impudent!” Old Qi’s kindness didn’t last three seconds and he turned ferocious again. 

Zhou Chen snorted. “I can resist the temptation of omega pheromones during my susceptibility. Do you think I’m fooling around? And with the lessons of my predecessors, do you think I’ll let myself yield to the ridiculous laws of nature?”

Like being a prodded switch, Old Qi’s eyes widened and stared incredulously at Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen was completely indifferent. He squatted down and asked the two men on the ground:, “Which hand touched him?”

The two men shook their heads in horror. Zhou Chen thought a little, “If you can’t answer, then that means both hands touched him.” 

Without giving them a chance to respond, four crisp clicks echoed in the whole living room accompanied by two screams.

“The medical expenses will be charged to my account. It will hurt your muscles and bones for a hundred days. I’ll give you a discount this time.” Zhou Chen stood up and wiped his hands. “Everyone present today will not just have their arms and legs broken if they appear here next time.”

With that, he looked at Old Qi lightly, “Including you.”

Old Qi was so angry that his whole body was shaking. “Zhou Chen, how, how dare you…” 

“What am I afraid of?” Zhou Chen seemed to hear a funny joke. “Remember what you taught us? The only law in this world is the law of the jungle.”

“Although I don’t agree with you, I might as well return this sentence to you now.” He bent slightly and made a gesture of seeing off the guests. “Please, Grandpa.”

The party came with bare fangs and brandished claws, only to be thrown out in a fluster. I stood behind Zhou Chen, forgetting how to speak and even the pain, turning  into a quail foolishly watching the play.

The butler was very observant. Without Zhou Chen’s orders, he immediately asked someone to replace the carpet in the living room. 

“I’ll go out to dinner with Xiao Yu. Clean up the house before we get back. Don’t leave a smell.” Zhou Chen wrinkled his nose and sniffed, “It stinks.”

After my gland was removed, I was much less sensitive to smell, so I had no idea where the stinking smell he said was.

“All right.” The butler nodded. “Have a nice evening.”

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Today’s playlist: 《Wedding Card Street》

[Facing this floating wasteland, you’re destined to learn to be natural and unrestrained]