By the time the Yi family arrived at the hospital, Gu Yan had already been taken into surgery.
There were minor injuries from physical blows on other parts of his body, but the most serious damage was to his gland.
Yi Heng sat outside the operating room, his head lowered, his forearms resting on his thighs.
His expression was utterly defeated.
The illuminated words “SURGERY IN PROGRESS” seemed painfully glaring.
Gu Yan’s grandmother nearly fainted at the sight and had to be supported by a doctor, who guided her aside to rest.
Mrs. Yi clutched the front of her blouse, her voice filled with worry.
“Xiao Heng, what on earth happened?”
Although the Yi and Gu families no longer had any ties, and their previous falling-out had been rather unpleasant, the Yi family had once genuinely cared for Gu Yan.
They had never blamed him.
In their hearts, they had always regarded him as one of their own children.
Now that something so terrible had happened to him, how could the elders possibly not feel heartbroken?
Mr. Yi understood his son better than anyone.
Seeing that Yi Heng remained silent, he knew his son was overwhelmed and in no mood to talk.
He gently patted his wife’s shoulder and whispered,
“Shh. Let him have some time alone. Let’s go check on the elderly couple first.”
The elders left.
Only Yi Feng remained in the corridor, watching his older brother with a complicated expression.
He saw the horrifying bloodstains on Yi Heng’s shirt.
His usually immaculate hair was now in complete disarray, and his lips had turned slightly pale.
There was a terrifying kind of composure about him, the stillness of someone suppressing his emotions to their absolute limit.
His jaw was clenched so tightly that it seemed everything he was holding back might erupt at any moment.
At that instant, a strange phrase suddenly surfaced in Yi Feng’s mind as he looked at his brother.
Fragile enough to shatter.
The thought startled even Yi Feng himself.
He shook his head, wondering whether his brain had malfunctioned again.
How could he possibly associate his seemingly invincible older brother with such a vulnerable description?
Yet when he noticed the earring and USB drive clenched tightly in Yi Heng’s hand, his fingers trembling and turning white from the force of his grip, Yi Feng gradually understood why the words had come to him.
For a moment, he felt as though he had returned to his childhood.
He couldn’t remember exactly when it had begun, but in his mind, Yi Heng had always been distant and emotionally reserved.
His older brother rarely showed happiness, anger, sorrow, or joy.
He always appeared calm and unbothered, as though nothing in the world could disturb him.
So much so that Yi Feng had almost forgotten something.
His brother was human too.
He had feelings, just like everyone else.
In fact, because of his meticulous and thoughtful nature, his emotions might even run more deeply than those of ordinary people.
He simply chose to show the world only his most composed and dependable side.
“Brother…”
Yi Feng sat down beside Yi Heng.
He wanted to offer some words of comfort, but he had never been particularly good with words.
In the end, all he could do was sit quietly beside him.
Ever since childhood, Yi Feng had lived under Yi Heng’s supervision.
He had always complained that his brother was far too controlling.
But only now did he realize that throughout all these years, he had constantly been protected.
If it wasn’t his parents shielding him, it was his brother keeping him safely beneath his wings.
It was precisely because Yi Heng had gone ahead and carved out a broad, smooth path that Yi Feng had been able to live so comfortably.
He never had to worry about anything beyond his own affairs.
Calling him a spoiled, irresponsible playboy who neglected his responsibilities would almost be an understatement.
The surgery lasted two hours.
The director of one of Kyoto’s most prestigious hospitals personally performed the operation.
Fortunately, Gu Yan’s gland was successfully preserved, sparing him from the permanent disability that might otherwise have resulted.
When Gu Yan was wheeled out of the operating room with gauze wrapped around his neck, Yi Heng, who had remained as motionless as a statue throughout the entire procedure, immediately rose to his feet.
The doctor removed his protective goggles.
“Who is the patient’s family?”
Without the slightest hesitation, Yi Heng answered,
“I am.”
“The patient’s condition has stabilized. Once the anesthesia wears off, he should regain consciousness fairly soon.”
The doctor continued,
“However, his previous pheromone dysregulation had not fully resolved, and now it has relapsed. I’m afraid this will significantly prolong the recovery of his gland.”
The doctor paused, studying Yi Heng for a moment before asking,
“You’re the patient’s Alpha, correct?”
“Yes.”
There were certain matters the doctor felt uncomfortable discussing in front of everyone else.
He therefore led Yi Heng to a secluded corner.
“Here’s the situation. The patient’s gland has suffered severe damage, and his pheromone disorder remains something of a ticking time bomb.”
“Even if his gland eventually heals, there’s a possibility he may never be able to release pheromones normally again.”
“That doesn’t mean the condition is completely untreatable.”
“At present, there are two possible treatment options, but both will require the patient’s Alpha to cooperate fully…”
Inside the private hospital room, Gu Yan’s maternal grandparents sat beside his bed.
They gazed sorrowfully at the gauze wrapped around their grandson’s neck.
They only knew that Gu Yan had suffered an injury to his neck.
If they discovered that their grandson was actually an Omega, and that his gland had been seriously damaged, the shock would probably cause them to faint all over again.
The Yi family stood at the foot of Gu Yan’s hospital bed.
Given his current condition, he would need to remain hospitalized for observation for at least some time. On the nearby table sat the fruit they had just purchased downstairs.
Yi Heng pushed open the door and entered.
Mrs. Yi immediately hurried over to him.
“What did the doctor say? Xiao Yan is out of danger now, isn’t he?”
“Yes. His condition is stable. We just need to wait for him to wake up, and then he’ll have to stay in the hospital for about a week to recover.”
Hearing this, Gu Yan’s grandparents finally felt the enormous weight lift from their hearts.
His grandmother gently stroked her grandson’s hair, her heart aching at the sight of him.
The emotions she had been holding back finally overwhelmed her, and she began to cry softly.
“What terrible sin have we committed to deserve this? Not long ago, I was the one lying in a hospital bed. Now that I’ve recovered, does Yanyan have to take my place?”
“If that’s how it has to be, I’d rather be the one lying in this bed forever, never to get up again…”
“Stop talking such nonsense!”
His grandfather scolded her angrily, though he kept his voice low, afraid of disturbing the pale young man lying on the bed.
Mr. and Mrs. Yi exchanged a glance.
Understanding that the family needed some privacy, they quietly decided to leave the elderly couple alone with their grandson.
They signaled for Yi Heng and Yi Feng to wait outside with them.
However, the moment they stepped into the corridor, they ran into Gu Chengjing, who had finally arrived.
Gu Chengjing’s hair was heavily styled with gel, and he was dressed from head to toe in expensive designer clothing.
He certainly looked impressive at first glance, but anyone with a discerning eye could tell that everything he was wearing had been purchased recently.
In truth, Gu Chengjing hadn’t intended to come at all.
He had absolutely no time or interest in worrying about whether Gu Yan lived or died.
In fact, a part of him had been hoping Gu Yan would die.
That way, he could claim all of Zhao Qingtong’s dowry for himself without having to worry about anyone else coveting his assets.
But later, when he heard that the person responsible for Gu Yan’s kidnapping was Yi Heng’s cousin, an idea immediately occurred to him.
He could put on a convincing performance of a devoted father and loving son, then use the opportunity to extort a substantial sum from the Yi family.
“Stop right there! It was someone from your family who hurt my son and left him in this condition, wasn’t it?”
Gu Chengjing tried to block their path.
However, both Yi Heng and his father were considerably taller than him, so he only dared to grab Mrs. Yi by the arm.
Yi Feng immediately bristled.
Like a hotheaded troublemaker, he stepped forward and shoved Gu Chengjing aside.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Get your filthy hands off her!”
Seeing that someone from the Yi family had actually dared to push him, Gu Chengjing immediately began shouting accusations in the middle of the corridor.
“So this is how the Yi family treats people?”
“I worked myself to the bone raising my son! I couldn’t even bear to harm a single hair on his head!”
“And yet someone from your family injured him so badly that he’s now lying unconscious in a hospital bed!”
“Not only have you failed to offer any compensation or explanation, but you even have the nerve to lay your hands on me?”
Both Mr. Yi and Yi Heng were seasoned veterans of the business world.
To them, Gu Chengjing’s performance was no more convincing than children playing house. They saw through his intentions at a single glance.
The first thing he did upon arriving at the hospital wasn’t to check on his own son.
Instead, he was already looking for a way to profit from his son’s suffering.
Gu Chengjing was truly worse than a beast.
A faint blood-red glimmer flickered in the depths of Yi Heng’s eyes, radiating a danger as unfathomable as an abyss.
His gaze grew increasingly cold.
When he spoke, his voice was sharp and commanding.
“We will certainly take responsibility, but to Gu Yan, not to you. Loud disturbances are prohibited in hospitals. If you insist on causing a scene, we’ll have no choice but to have you escorted out.”
Gu Chengjing stiffened, his throat tightening.
Previously, he hadn’t even been important enough to speak directly with Yi Heng.
Now, facing him for the first time, he already felt an instinctive sense of intimidation.
But for the sake of saving face, he could only grit his teeth and continue his act.
He stubbornly clung to the same argument.
“Gu Yan is my son! I’m his father! I’m here to demand justice on his behalf. Which one of you dares to throw me out?”
“Then you’ve come to the wrong person.”
A cool, composed voice sounded from behind him, cutting off Gu Chengjing’s incessant complaints.
Yi Nantu approached with a bouquet of flowers in her arms.
Her sharp gaze swept over Gu Chengjing through the lenses of her glasses.
She wore an impeccably tailored gray designer suit and walked toward them slowly in high heels.
The commanding aura surrounding her was so overwhelming that Gu Chengjing instinctively took two steps backward.
“The person you should be demanding an explanation from is me. Du Ting is my son.”
Everyone was momentarily stunned to see Yi Nantu.
None of them had expected her to come straight to the hospital instead of going to the police station first.
Gu Chengjing swallowed nervously.
“Then… then you’ve come at exactly the right time! Do you realize your son has committed a crime? You owe me an explanation! I won’t accept any kind of settlement! I demand compensation!”
His voice was so loud that it echoed twice through the empty corridor.
When silence finally returned, Yi Nantu regarded him with open contempt.
Her lips, previously pressed into a thin line, parted slightly.
“How convenient for you. And what if I refuse?”
With that, she gently pushed open the hospital room door and walked inside.
Among Alphas, there existed a rigid hierarchy.
Originally, it had resembled the natural order of the animal kingdom, where stronger individuals were given priority in choosing mates and securing mating rights.
Over time, however, that hierarchy had gradually evolved into an unspoken rule governing society as a whole.
Gu Chengjing couldn’t even begin to match Yi Nantu’s commanding presence, let alone stand his ground in an argument against her.
Besides, Yi Heng and Yi Feng were standing at the doorway like two imposing guardian statues.
Gu Chengjing didn’t dare cause any more trouble. All he could do was stand there, glaring furiously in frustration.
Yi Nantu hadn’t come to beg for forgiveness.
What her son had done was unforgivable, no matter who was asked to judge him.
She had come to apologize on Du Ting’s behalf.
Standing outside the room, Yi Heng watched his aunt, a woman who had always carried herself with pride and authority, lower her head and bow in apology.
Gu Yan’s grandparents were reasonable people.
Their grief and anger were inevitable, but ultimately, none of this had been Yi Nantu’s fault.
They didn’t blame her too harshly.
By the time Yi Nantu emerged from the room, Gu Chengjing had already slunk away in disgrace.
She looked deeply into Yi Heng’s eyes.
In the span of just half a day, fine lines had appeared around her eyes, and her gaze seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.
Her lips parted slightly.
But in the end, she said nothing.
Mr. Yi couldn’t help feeling sorry for his younger sister.
She had always been exceptionally talented.
Whether in academics or her career, she had consistently stood among the very best of her peers.
Yet perhaps it was precisely because she shone so brilliantly that her marriage seemed all the more miserable by comparison, like a filthy pool of mud beside something radiant.
She had married the wrong man.
Her husband had cheated on her during their marriage, then begged for forgiveness when his infidelity was discovered.
Yi Nantu was a calculating businesswoman, but she was also a mother.
For the sake of the unborn child she was carrying, she had given her husband a second chance.
And that single moment of compassion had nearly cost her life.
In the end, she had personally sent her treacherous, unrepentant husband to prison.
Now, a similar tragedy had befallen Du Ting.
After more than forty years of relentless effort and struggle, she had ultimately found herself alone once again.
“I’ll be leaving now. Handle this however it needs to be handled. There’s no need to show mercy.”
Yi Nantu directed those words at Yi Heng.
Then she turned and walked away with crisp, decisive movements, as though she had instantly transformed back into the indestructible, formidable woman everyone knew.
But could she truly let go of everything so easily?
No one could break through her hardened exterior to discover what lay beneath.
It was already late at night when Gu Yan regained consciousness.
As the anesthesia wore off, waves of pain began radiating from his surgical incision.
Even the slightest tilt of his head pulled at the skin on the back of his neck, sending sharp pain through the wound.
He couldn’t move his neck at all.
All he could do was shift his eyes, cautiously surveying his surroundings to figure out where he was.
“You’re awake?”
A deep voice sounded close to his ear.
Gu Yan jolted in surprise.
Only then did he realize that Yi Heng was sitting beside his bed, quietly watching him.
“Mm.”
Gu Yan’s voice was hoarse.
He noticed faint marks on the side of Yi Heng’s face, imprints left by the fabric he’d been resting against.
For some reason, his eyes began to sting.
He remembered that the last time Yi Heng had spoken so close to his ear had been a month ago.
Back then, the words Yi Heng had whispered were simply,
“Good night.”
“Have some water.”
Yi Heng carefully adjusted the hospital bed to a comfortable angle, then brought a cup to Gu Yan’s lips, letting him drink slowly from his hand.
Gu Yan took a few sips, soothing his dry throat.
The memories from just before he had been carried into the ambulance were still vivid in his mind.
His fingers tightened around the bedsheet beneath him.
Yi Heng had always treated him so well.
So well, in fact, that Gu Yan could no longer tell what Yi Heng’s current attitude toward him truly meant.
They both tacitly avoided mentioning what had happened between them before.
Yi Heng didn’t ask for the details of today’s ordeal either.
Instead, he simply focused on Gu Yan’s physical condition, asking after him with quiet gentleness.
He had already organized all the evidence and handed it over to the police, keeping a backup copy for himself.
The police would investigate the kidnapping and uncover the truth.
Yi Heng had no desire to repeatedly reopen the wounds left by what had undoubtedly been one of the darkest experiences of Gu Yan’s life.
“My grandparents must know what happened by now… Are they all right?”
The hospital was exceptionally quiet at night, and Gu Yan instinctively lowered his voice.
Yi Heng placed an extra pillow behind Gu Yan’s lower back so he could lean against it more comfortably.
“Yes. They shouldn’t overexert themselves, so I arranged for someone to take them home. They’ll be very happy when they come back tomorrow and see that you’re awake.”
As for the injuries to Gu Yan’s gland, Yi Heng deliberately downplayed their severity.
He didn’t want to burden Gu Yan with any additional anxiety.
What he hadn’t expected, however, was that the moment Gu Yan heard his pheromone disorder wasn’t particularly serious, his expression would suddenly turn grave.
Gu Yan stared blankly ahead, looking as tense as though he were preparing to face a formidable enemy.
Yi Heng asked,
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere?”
“Huh? No…”
Gu Yan snapped out of his thoughts.
His fingers unconsciously rose to his earlobe again, a habitual gesture whenever he felt nervous.
The fact that his condition wasn’t serious should have been good news.
And yet, strangely enough, he felt a little disappointed.
Before losing consciousness, he had clung to Yi Heng’s hand, repeatedly asking him to draw up a new agreement.
He didn’t even know whether Yi Heng had heard him clearly.
And even if he had, now that he knew Gu Yan’s condition wasn’t particularly severe, would he still agree?
Yi Heng noticed every one of his little movements.
“Stop touching it. If you keep doing that, your ear is going to start bleeding.”
Gu Yan: “…”
He awkwardly withdrew his hand, instinctively wanting to lower his head and avoid Yi Heng’s gaze.
Unfortunately, his neck still couldn’t move, leaving him with nowhere to hide his eyes.
Forget it. If he didn’t hear me, then so be it.
After all, there was absolutely no chance Du Ting would be getting out anytime soon.
Gu Yan had plenty of time to slowly explain everything to Yi Heng.
And honestly, just having Yi Heng here with him was already enough to make him happy.
Unfortunately, it didn’t take long before Gu Yan found himself unable to smile anymore.
When he’d first woken up, he’d been so thirsty that he’d drunk a little too much water.
Now, after holding it in for quite a while, he was beginning to need the bathroom.
Gu Yan lay in bed, blinking helplessly.
He endured it until Yi Heng finally fell asleep, then struggled to quietly sit up.
Limping slightly, he made his way toward the bathroom.
The blackout curtains in the hospital’s private VIP room were exceptionally effective at blocking out light.
Gu Yan crept forward at a snail’s pace.
But just as he was approaching the bathroom door, his arm inevitably brushed against the water pitcher on the table.
“!”
Gu Yan hurriedly reached out to steady it, terrified that it might fall.
Unfortunately, the sudden movement also pulled at his neck.
A tearing pain shot through the back of his neck, nearly bringing tears to his eyes.
Fuck… That really hurts!
Of all the places I could’ve been injured, why did it have to be my most vulnerable gland?
Gu Yan hissed through his teeth.
Then, believing he was being extremely careful, he slowly reached for the bathroom door handle.
“What are you doing?”
Without warning, a solid, muscular body pressed against his back.
The hand reaching for the door was gently caught in another’s grasp.
Gu Yan nearly jumped out of his skin.
Like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on, every hair on his body seemed to stand on end.
When did Yi Heng get here?
How did he manage to approach without making a single sound?
“G-Going… to the bathroom.”
Gu Yan was so startled that he could barely get the words out.
Yi Heng looked at the person in front of him, whose shoulders had hunched slightly after being caught sneaking around.
There was a faint note of displeasure in his voice.
“You can’t even lower your head properly. Why didn’t you call me?”
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