After the Sickly Child Differentiates into A - Chapter 37

The scent of snow, etched into the soul.

Cool and refreshing, it roused the one drowning in a mire of pain.

Is it my sister?

It’s so dark have I lost my sight?

My eyes hurt my body aches.

I have no strength left.

Am I already dead?

A faint, almost inaudible call, trembling with fear, sounded once more.

“Sister!”

“I’m here.” Wen Jingzhi, snapping back to attention, immediately went to the bedside. She pressed the call button before sitting down, noticing the pale fingers slowly emerging from the blanket. She reached out, gently held them, and tucked them back under the covers. “Don’t move.”

It’s my sister.

I’m not dead.

It feels a little cold.

Lin Li’s fingers, held in Wen Jingzhi’s grasp, lightly tapped her palm.

“Will I never see again?”

Never see the sun, the snow, never see Grandpa Wen and the others and never see my sister again?

Wen Jingzhi’s gaze trembled violently. She pressed her lips tightly together, her throat constricted. After a few breaths, she finally spoke softly, “No.”

“You’ll be able to see again after some time.”

Footsteps echoed outside the room. Wen Jingzhi released Lin Li’s hand, slipped a coat over her robe, and just as the door opened, Su Yue hurried to the bedside, holding a tablet and scrolling through data.

The darkness was unsettling. Lin Li endured the touch as Su Yue examined her, unable to control her own body or see who was there or what they were doing. She held back her panic for a while but could no longer bear it, her voice hoarse and trembling as she called out, “Sister.”

Wen Jingzhi immediately drew closer. Noticing the child’s tightly pressed pale lips, she understood and reached under the blanket, finding the slender hand and gently holding it. “I’m here.”

Don’t be afraid.

The scent of snow enveloped her, and Lin Li’s panic instantly subsided.

Su Yue noticed the faint pheromones drifting from Wen Jingzhi, paused for a moment, glanced at the running air purification system, but said nothing.

As she reviewed one particular data point, Su Yue blinked in surprise, doubting her own eyes. She scrolled back, compared the readings, and after confirming, couldn’t hide her astonishment.

The pain level had actually dropped!?

Over the years, it had been steadily increasing, how could it suddenly decrease?

What had happened?

Su Yue glanced at Lin Li, then signaled Wen Jingzhi with her eyes. The latter frowned slightly but agreed, giving the small hand in hers a gentle squeeze. “I need to step out for a moment. I’ll be back soon.”

Lin Li had little strength left, only moving her fingers slightly to show she understood.

Wen Jingzhi withdrew her hand and left the room.

As the scent of snow gradually faded, the pain surged back.

“Your pain level dropped a little earlier,” Su Yue said, utterly perplexed. “Do you know why?”

As she spoke, she looked back at the data on the screen and was stunned once more, the pain level had risen again.

Why was this happening?

They had tried many methods, aside from painkillers, to reduce the child’s pain, but none had succeeded.

What was the reason?

What was present before but absent now?

A fleeting scent crossed her mind, but this speculation only deepened her confusion instead of providing answers.

It couldn’t be! As fellow Omegas, how could her pheromones possibly affect Lin Li?

Unless her pheromones had a high compatibility with one of the accumulated pheromones in Lin Li’s body?

“Does the pain lessen when you’re near Wen Jingzhi?”

The child still made no sound, too exhausted to speak, but she moved her fingers slightly, tugging lightly at the corner of the blanket.

Yes.

Su Yue’s eyes widened as she whispered, “How is that possible?”

“Why have you never mentioned this before?”

Her thoughts raced, one experimental idea after another surfacing.

“If we could obtain her highly concentrated pheromone fluid, perhaps we could attempt to create a corresponding inhibitor to alleviate your pain.”

“Even if an inhibitor can’t be developed quickly, we could formulate a low-concentration pseudo-pheromone.”

“Or have her cooperate with our research.”

“No, you can’t!”

A hoarse, urgent voice interrupted Su Yue’s brainstorming, jolting her back to reality.

This approach wasn’t feasible.

If Wen Jingzhi were to participate in the research, confidentiality agreements would be required. However, the research institute had recently intensified its crackdown on internal leaks, and the security clearance related to Lin Li had been elevated. A vague, unsubstantiated speculation wouldn’t be enough to obtain the necessary confidentiality authorization from higher-ups.

Moreover, this child had kept it hidden all along, most likely because she didn’t want to involve Wen Jingzhi.

But this was an opportunity to completely eliminate the constant, all-consuming pain she endured!

The research institute had too little data to work with. Developing an effective medication would still take considerable time. Didn’t this child want to feel even a little better?

In her momentary agitation, Lin Li had gasped out those words and now struggled to catch her breath, coughing weakly.

She was this agitated clearly, she was truly unwilling.

Su Yue sighed helplessly. “I won’t tell her.”

“Nor will I ask her to cooperate with the research.”

Lin Li immediately relaxed, and her coughing subsided.

After completing the set of examinations, Su Yue picked up her tablet and left the hospital room. Opening the door, she spotted Wen Jingzhi sitting on a bench in the corridor. Remembering the effect of Wen Jingzhi’s pheromones on Lin Li, her expression grew complicated.

She walked over and sat down, placing the tablet on the adjacent chair.

This signaled a lengthy conversation.

“The results are fairly good. Now that the child is awake, multiple data points are gradually improving.”

“But she can’t eat solid food yet only receive nutrients intravenously. It will take at least another month before she can get out of bed and move around. Her eye condition needs constant monitoring to prevent infection, especially the right eye socket. If the infection worsens, it could affect the recovery of the left eye.”

Wen Jingzhi’s mind flashed to those beautiful downturned eyes sometimes feigning gentleness, other times fierce and violent, profound and brimming with countless emotions. Now, one was damaged, the other injured, both wrapped heavily in bandages.

Her heart clenched sharply, sending a sting through her nerves.

She closed her eyes briefly. “I’ll pay close attention. When will the left eye surgery be? How long until she can be discharged?”

Su Yue thought for a moment. “To meet the standards for discharge, it will take at least three more months. The reconstructive surgery for the left eye depends on her recovery progress. If all goes well, it can be performed before she’s discharged.”

“The third surgery requires a six-month interval.”

“After three surgeries, if the left eye recovers well, the bandages can be removed.”

Suppressing the ache in her heart, Wen Jingzhi furrowed her brow and asked, “What about the prosthetic for the right eye?”

“The prosthetic is already being prepared, but we still need more data. It’s expected to be completed around the time of the second reconstructive surgery.” Having covered most of what needed to be said, Su Yue picked up her tablet and stood. “It can be installed after the bandages are removed.”

Before leaving, she couldn’t resist reminding her: “The little one really likes you. If you have time, stay by her side more often, she’ll be very happy.”

And it would make her feel better too.

Wen Jingzhi’s brow twitched slightly as she studied the other’s expression, finding nothing unusual. She replied coolly, “I will.”

Su Yue nodded, her expression turning grave the moment she turned away.

She hoped the blocking agent wouldn’t have severe side effects. If the differentiation couldn’t be restored after being blocked.

Lin Li’s physical condition wouldn’t last more than a few years.

A sudden absurd thought flashed through her mind, causing her steps to halt abruptly, what if she differentiated into an Alpha?

She instinctively shook her head, dismissing the speculation.

Such a worst-case scenario shouldn’t occur and she didn’t believe that inhumane experiment would succeed.

Wen Jingzhi opened the door and entered. The person on the bed immediately sensed her familiar presence, slender fingers emerging from under the blanket to make a faint grasping motion.

“You’ll catch a chill,” Wen Jingzhi said, walking over to take the hand and tucking it back under the covers. But she didn’t pull away, instead sitting down and asking, “Are you sleepy?”

The small hand in her palm fumbled around for a moment before grasping her index finger and swaying it gently from side to side.

Not sleepy.

Such an adorable little gesture.

Wen Jingzhi lowered her gaze, a faint smile tugging at her lips, and gently squeezed the little one’s hand in return.

Light snow began to fall outside.

The hospital room was silent in the deep night. The cold air from outside couldn’t penetrate the room, yet a faint wintry chill seemed to linger inside.

The slender figure sat by the hospital bed, her right hand slipped under the blanket to hold the little one’s hand. She gazed silently at the pale, bandaged face, her eyes deep and filled with suppressed tenderness.

She didn’t know how long she had been watching when the little one’s steady, rhythmic breathing broke the silence in the room.

Asleep.

Yet Wen Jingzhi didn’t withdraw her hand. She remained seated until the first light of dawn, only then rising to wash up and change clothes.

A little past eight in the morning, Wen Xihe stopped by. At that time, Lin Li was still asleep. After a few glances, her eyes reddening with heartache, she asked about the situation briefly before heading to the office.

For the following month, Old Master Wen and the siblings Wen Xize and Wen Xihe visited almost daily. Occasionally, they would catch the little one awake. If she had a bit of energy, they could exchange a few words.

But most of the time, Lin Li remained silent. Especially after learning that Wen Jingzhi was staying in the hospital room to care for her, she spoke even less when they were alone together.

Another afternoon arrived, and the caregiver came.

Wen Jingzhi left the room and waited outside.

Every time the caregiver came to clean Lin Li’s body, Wen Jingzhi would step out to give them privacy.

And each time she was “handled” by the unfamiliar caregiver, Lin Li’s silence grew a little heavier.

Before, when she was unconscious and unaware, she hadn’t experienced the shame of needing assistance even for such intimate matters. Now that she was awake, the helplessness of being unable to do anything for herself and constantly troubling others for care filled her with pain and sorrow.

Fortunately, within a few days, she was able to take a few steps with the caregiver’s support. On ordinary days, she could sit in a wheelchair and be pushed outside by her sister to bask in the sun.

Another half-month passed, and she could already use the bathroom on her own and perform simple self-cleaning. This brought her some relief.

However, since she was unable to see, Wen Jingzhi worried she might fall. Whenever she needed to use the bathroom, Wen Jingzhi would carry her in first, arrange everything, explain the positions, and then leave, waiting outside the door.

All of this weighed heavily on Lin Li’s heart, sinking it deeper and deeper.

She began to wonder if it would be better for her sister and the others if she were to die just like that.

Wen Jingzhi, who had been staying by her side, quickly noticed Lin Li’s deeper-than-usual gloom and understood after a moment of thought.

But she didn’t offer comfort, nor did she change her behavior.

She still held her to feed her, carried her to the wheelchair, helped her to the bathroom, and waited right outside the door without leaving her side.

She wanted and needed to care for Lin Li this way, as the young one’s body couldn’t withstand any accidents now.

In truth, Wen Jingzhi could have chosen a better approach or been less obvious, but she was unwilling.

She wanted to push this young one, who always suppressed her emotions and kept everything bottled up inside.

She had already endured enough suffering; if she continued to repress herself, it would inevitably lead to trouble.

Lin Li was a child raised by someone so unrestrained and free-spirited, she should have been a carefree breeze, always like the wind, always free.

Laughing heartily when happy, shedding tears when moved, cursing loudly when angry, raising a fist to fight.

That was this young one’s truest nature.

And the most endearing version in Wen Jingzhi’s heart.

Though swearing was not allowed.

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