After the Sickly Child Differentiates into A - Chapter 36

On the vast snowy mountain, a small figure dashed across the snow.

“Xiao Huan! Come quickly!”

A large yellow dog, panting with its tongue out, caught up to its young mistress and pounced into her arms. The girl laughed heartily, tumbling into the snow as she hugged and nuzzled the dog.

She scrambled to her feet and began running again, leaving tiny footprints and cheerful laughter in the endless expanse of white.

A snowball flew over and struck the girl’s back. With a yelp, she fell face-first into the snow. Spitting out snow, she turned to see her grandmother grinning mischievously. Pouting, she protested, “Grandma, how could you ambush me?”

“This isn’t an ambush,” Grandma chuckled, shaping a new snowball. “This is called catching you off guard!”

As the snowball flew, the girl rolled in the snow to dodge it, then sprang up, grabbing a handful of snow. Pointing at Grandma, she shouted to the dog, “Xiao Huan, attack!”

“Woof!” Xiao Huan charged at Grandma, circling and “harassing” her while the girl seized the chance to hurl a large snowball, which Grandma easily evaded.

The old woman, the child, and the dog played in the snow for a long time until, exhausted, the girl exhaled a puff of white breath, spread her arms, and flopped back into the snow. Grandma laughed heartily and lay down beside her. Xiao Huan wagged its tail, licking first the young mistress, then the elder one.

“Ah!” The little girl suddenly screamed toward the sky, “Wang Er’gou is a big idiot!!!”

“Hahahahaha!” Grandma laughed unreservedly.

“I love Grandma, the most!!!”

This time, Grandma laughed even louder.

After her outburst, the little girl giggled too.

The laughter of the old and the young echoed across the snowy mountain.

She was the free wind of the mountains, the untamed wild snow.

As she should have been.

As she should have always been.

“Grandma, will you stay with me forever?” The girl hugged Xiao Huan and turned to her grandmother. “Never leave?”

Grandma smiled. “Then, will Xiao You come with Grandma?”

“Together, never apart.”

“Alright!”

“But Xiao You clearly can’t bear to go.”

A tall woman, her figure etched with the chill of snow, stood outside the operating room, her silhouette appearing frail under the harsh lights.

It was the fifth critical condition alert in just one month.

Lǐn Lǐ had lost his right eye, and his left eye was still undergoing treatment, requiring two more restorative surgeries. His condition remained unstable, and he had not regained consciousness.

For the past month, she could only watch through the glass window as the frail child lay in the ICU, tubes covering his body, utterly helpless.

The operating room doors swung open. Sū Yuè nodded to her.

He was being transferred back to the ICU.

Wēn Jǐngzhī lowered her gaze, closing her eyes wearily.

Another month passed. Lǐn Lǐ’s condition had barely stabilized, and family visits were now permitted.

But not every day, and only one person at a time, dressed in sterile gowns, for just an hour.

Wēn Jǐngzhī was the first to enter.

She changed into the sterile gown and stepped into the room, lifting her eyes.

On the hospital bed, the small figure’s beautiful downturned eyes were wrapped in thick bandages. The mouth that used to curse when angry was now covered by an oxygen mask. The entire body was pale, thin, and weak, surrounded by various machines, devoid of any vitality.

Wen Jingzhi walked to the stool beside the hospital bed and sat down in silence.

Her gaze fell on the child’s lifeless face, her pupils trembling uncontrollably, shattering and piecing themselves back together.

Only when the visiting time was down to its last ten minutes did the person who had remained silent for so long suddenly speak.

“Didn’t you promise to listen to your sister?”

Stop sleeping, Xiao You.

Amidst the snowy landscape, the little girl looked at her grandmother in confusion. “I’m not reluctant to leave, though?”

Grandma laughed heartily. “Yes, you are.”

The snowy mountain, Grandma, and Xiao Huan all vanished before her eyes, swallowed by thick darkness.

Suddenly, glowing figures flickered one after another in the darkness.

“Xiao You, come to Grandpa Wen.”

“Xiao You, do you like learning to draw with your brother?”

“Xiao You, do you like the gift your sister gave you?”

“Lin Li, do you want to come to my house to play?”

One by one, those familiar figures disappeared, and the darkness returned.

“Xiao You.”

Countless snowflakes drifted through the darkness, coalescing into a tall, slender figure.

A voice as cool as snow spoke.

“I will.”

“I will.”

Will, what?

“If Sister is sad, will she hide under the covers and cry secretly?”

—I will.

Sister…

Sister?

Sister!

“See? You’re reluctant.”

The darkness crumbled bit by bit. Grandma stood at the edge of the collapsing “world,” smiling gently.

Yes, I am reluctant.

Grandma, I’m sorry. Xiao You can’t go to you this time.

“Hah.” The oxygen mask suddenly fogged up with warm breath. The person by the bed abruptly stood up and leaned in closer. “Xiao You?”

The thin, frail fingers clipped with a monitor sensor trembled faintly, shifting as they reached out from under the covers. Wen Jingzhi immediately pressed the call button and reached out, her hand trembling almost imperceptibly as she slipped it beneath those slender fingers. Instantly, the tiny hand gave hers a weak squeeze.

“Heh.” Wen Jingzhi lowered her gaze, letting out a breath that was half a sigh, half a laugh.

The child was too weak to speak moving a finger had already taken all her strength. After hearing her sister’s voice, she couldn’t hold on any longer and fainted.

Su Yue rushed in, and the nurse escorted Wen Jingzhi out.

Through the transparent glass, Wen Jingzhi watched the small, frail figure on the hospital bed. The stillness and exhaustion in her eyes were gone.

She took out her phone and sent a message in the family group chat.

【Black-hearted Ice Block: Lin Li is awake.】

Noticing the ever-changing ID, Wen Jingzhi, in a relatively good mood now, decided not to bother Wen Xihe about it.

【Gorgeous Second Sister: I’m rushing over now!】

【Terminally Straight Alpha: I’m nearby at an exhibition, I’ll be right there!】

【Gorgeous Second Sister: Big Bro, you go pick up Grandpa. I’m closer, I’ll go first!】

【Terminally Straight Alpha: I’m only three kilometers away.】

【Gorgeous Second Sister: Well, I’m 2.9 kilometers away.】

【Terminally Straight Alpha: …】

Half an hour later, Wen Xihe hurriedly arrived and asked Wen Jingzhi as soon as she saw her, “Where is she? Has she been moved to a regular room?”

“How did you get here so early? I thought ICU visits weren’t until the afternoon?”

A certain black-hearted ice block had deliberately not told the two the exact visiting time, feeling that they would be a disturbance.

Without batting an eye, the unflappable liar pointed inside the glass window. “Still in there.”

“But she’s still asleep! Where’s ‘awake’!?”

“She woke up earlier.” Wen Jingzhi curled her lips slightly. “Half an hour ago.”

Wen Xihe caught on and stared at her intently. “Your visiting time isn’t in the afternoon, is it?”

“Seriously? You’d even hide that from us!?”

“Next time I go in, I won’t tell you either!”

This utterly black-hearted ice block!

Wen Jingzhi raised an eyebrow slightly and remained silent.

About ten minutes later, Wen Xize arrived with Old Master Wen. Coincidentally, Su Yue had just stepped out, and the old man immediately asked, “Dr. Su, how is our Xiao You doing?”

Su Yue let out a breath and smiled. “The condition is improving.”

“Lin Li’s will to live was quite weak before, and the situation fluctuated a lot. Now it’s finally stabilized.”

“After another week of observation, if everything goes well, we can transfer to a regular ward.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. As Old Master Wen and Wen Xize still had some questions to ask, Wen Jingzhi stepped aside to stand next to Wen Xihe, giving them space. Her gaze pierced through the glass, softening her stern eyes as she fixed them on the little one lying in the hospital bed.

Over the following week, to ensure better monitoring and treatment, Su Yue temporarily suspended visiting hours. The Wen family didn’t object, as they knew that if all went well, once the patient was transferred to a regular ward, they could see the child every day.

During that week, the little one didn’t wake up again, but their physical condition steadily improved. On the final day, after completing the examinations, Su Yue confirmed that the situation was under control and the patient could be transferred to a regular ward.

Upon receiving the news, the Wen family rushed to the hospital and waited outside the ICU. They watched as Lin Li was wheeled out and moved into a private room, collectively letting out a sigh of relief.

After Su Yue gave instructions on precautions, she left with her assistant. Wen Jingzhi was the first to enter the room, claiming the stool by the bedside.

Wen Xihe gritted her teeth, walked over, and whispered reproachfully, “Stingy, black-hearted ice block!”

Wen Jingzhi arched an eyebrow but didn’t bother to argue.

After checking on the little one, the caregiver came in to help clean the patient, so everyone left the room temporarily.

In the hallway, the family quietly discussed, who should be chosen as the primary caregiver?

Although they had already hired a caregiver, it was essential for a family member to stay by the little one’s side.

A few minutes later, Old Master Wen made the decision Wen Jingzhi would be the caregiver.

It worked out well, as Wen Jingzhi had already cleared most of her schedule for the following year and had the time.

If Wen Xihe wasn’t busy, she could take over during the day, but she wouldn’t stay overnight.

As for Wen Xize, he could only come during the day. After all, as a male Alpha, it would be inappropriate for him to stay overnight in the hospital room.

To them, although the little one’s differentiation had been forcibly interrupted, it was leaning toward Omega, and in the future, they would undoubtedly differentiate into an Omega.

Therefore, Wen Xihe and Wen Xize, both Alphas, were unsuitable for sharing a room with the little one.

Although Lin Li was recognized as the fourth young lady of the Wen family, she wasn’t biologically related to them. Differentiation meant the emergence of secondary gender differences, and daily behavior needed to be more restrained and mindful of boundaries.

Thus, the caregiver had to be an Omega or a Beta.

Currently, the Wen family had only one Omega Wen Jingzhi so the “duty” of caregiving naturally fell to her.

Wen Xihe’s burning gaze was almost drilling a hole through Wen Jingzhi. The latter pressed her lips slightly and asked coolly, “What?”

“Hmph!” Wen Xihe was envious. “Still putting on a cold face, but you must be over the moon inside, you black-hearted ice block!”

Wen Jingzhi raised an eyebrow. Whether she was happy or not was hard to tell, but her satisfaction with the outcome was evident after all, she had cleared her entire year’s schedule just to take care of the little one.

After the caregiver finished their tasks and left, the group went to the ward to check on Lin Li for a while. By a little past seven in the evening, Wen Xize drove the elderly man home, while Wen Xihe, who still had work to attend to, drove back to the city center.

Once the others had left, the ward was left with only Wen Jingzhi and the unconscious Lin Li.

For a moment, the silence felt somewhat desolate.

Wen Jingzhi opened the suitcase her assistant had brought and began to tidy up briefly.

Though it was called a single-patient room, it was actually a luxury ward spacious enough to accommodate two beds without feeling cramped. Wen Jingzhi’s accompanying bed had even been replaced with a larger one.

The ward had its own private bathroom. Apart from the inconvenience of changing clothes, everything else was quite acceptable.

Wen Jingzhi didn’t find the environment unbearable she had encountered far more “challenging” conditions while filming.

After tidying up, Wen Jingzhi went to take a shower. When she came out, she suddenly remembered something and opened the inner compartment of her suitcase. Her tense expression relaxed slightly.

Her assistant had prepared suppressants.

Wearing a bathrobe, Wen Jingzhi sat by the hospital bed, gently tucking the blanket around the young girl. Her heart sank as she looked at the bandages wrapped around the girl’s eyes.

Those eyes, once so expressive and beautiful, now concealed a myriad of emotions.

At eight o’clock, Su Yue came in to change Lin Li’s bandages. Wen Jingzhi didn’t ask any questions, and Su Yue didn’t offer any explanations. Once the bandages were changed, she left.

The next bandage change was scheduled for midnight.

Around ten o’clock, there were still no signs of the girl waking up, so Wen Jingzhi went to bed. As soon as she closed her eyes, the image of Lin Li lying lifeless in a pool of blood flashed through her mind.

Lately, this had become a recurring struggle, making it difficult for her to fall asleep.

In the middle of the night, she finally drifted off, only to be startled awake by the sound of the door opening at midnight. Rubbing the bridge of her nose as she came to her senses, she realized it was the person coming to change the bandages.

After the door closed again, she sat by the bed for a while. Suddenly, a wave of heat surged through her body, and the cool scent of snow began to drift from her heat had arrived.

With a grim expression, Wen Jingzhi went to her suitcase, retrieved a suppressant, and injected it into the gland at the back of her neck.

After discarding the empty syringe, she found herself completely unable to sleep.

Her pheromones drifted uncontrollably, quickly filling the entire ward. Fortunately, the air purification system was running continuously, preventing the pheromones from accumulating.

The scent of snow drifted toward the hospital bed, brushing over the slumbering girl.

A slightly heavy breath broke the silence of the night, followed by an extremely soft, hoarse call.

“Sister?”

Support