Does An Inferior Omega Also Have To Marry First, Then Fall In Love? - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Ji Ran’s Voice Was Like...

Ji Ran’s voice was like the low whisper of a ghost in the darkness.

Ji Qingyu looked at the person beside him. There was a faint bluish tint under Fu Han’s eyes, suggesting he hadn’t rested well in a long time. His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he were having a nightmare, which made Ji Qingyu’s heart ache too.

When Ji Qingyu got out of bed, he was practically kneeling. His legs were weak and soft, his limbs refusing to obey, constantly tangled. Ji Qingyu gasped, then looked back at Fu Han one more time.

Fortunately, Fu Han was fast asleep. Under no circumstances did he want Fu Han to see him in his current state.

Ji Qingyu struggled to reach for his phone. Ruan Jing had only sent Fu Han a room number, with a heart emoji added afterward.

Fu Han had replied with: “?”

Then, he quoted Ji Qingyu’s previous message, “Are you alright?”

He replied: “I’m fine.”

Ji Ran was still knocking on the door outside. With such a loud noise, he didn’t seem worried about waking Fu Han at all. Ji Qingyu slumped on the floor, reaching out to pull at Fu Han’s suit hem, calling out to him softly.

Then he got up, half-kneeling on the bed, shaking Fu Han’s body: “Fu Han, Fu Han… wake up…”

Fu Han didn’t move. Ji Qingyu noticed his forehead was covered in sweat. Ji Qingyu was at a loss. Finally, enduring the severe pain in his neck, he leaned over him, tears silently tracing his face.

“Wake up… It wasn’t me, I didn’t do it.”

Fu Han was completely unresponsive. Ji Qingyu worried he might be dead. He placed his hand on his heart and found it was still beating. He touched that scar again.

The urging from outside the door grew increasingly impatient.

Ji Qingyu calmed himself down for a moment, wiped his tears, and started to walk out. He was too distracted and didn’t look where he was going, tumbling hard onto the floor.

His fingers touched something. A glass vial shattered. There was an injection vial in front of him. He picked it up and found that the dosage was three to four times more than his—a dose used for hunting large wild beasts.

They had planned it out long ago, intending to deal with Fu Han.

He pushed the door open. Ji Ran was sitting on a mahogany chair outside the door, looking down at his phone. Outside, the sky was dark and rainy.

Ji Qingyu knocked Ji Ran’s phone away and placed the injection vial on the table, asking hoarsely, “Why?”

“Don’t you like Fu Han? I was helping you,” Ji Ran was completely unfazed. He leaned back in the chair complacently, tilting his head back to give a gentle smile.

Ji Qingyu suddenly felt that Ji Ran was an extremely strange person—ruthless in achieving his goals, low in empathy, yet capable of making people feel incredibly sincere. Before he completely ripped off his mask, no one would ever suspect he was a bad person.

“Ruan Jing was sent by me from the very beginning. Actually, I wasn’t deliberately targeting you; I’ve always only targeted Fu Han,” Ji Ran explained. “You were just collateral, so can you hate me a little less?”

Ji Qingyu remained silent.

“I thought so,” Ji Ran sighed helplessly. “Although I want you to like me and interact with me like before, I can’t. I can only do this.”

“Please forgive me.” Ji Ran’s tone was sincere, as if he were truly admitting his mistake. Ji Qingyu couldn’t connect this person with the one who had just set him up and used him.

He felt that he simply couldn’t communicate with Ji Ran. He had never truly known Ji Ran.

“Why…?” Ji Qingyu felt sad. He didn’t understand why, when just yesterday Ji Ran was calling him Gege in his arms, they had ended up in this state today.

Ji Ran smiled, stroking Ji Qingyu’s hair. Ji Qingyu’s hair was very messy. He himself was very messy, like a broken block set that could never be put back together.

Ji Ran’s voice was calm, and he waved the medical report in his hand: “When my people found Auntie, she was secretly crying alone. She was afraid you’d worry and went to the hospital to get the diagnosis results herself. I regret to inform you that the results may not be good.”

Ji Qingyu froze completely. He looked back at Ji Ran, unable to believe what he had just said. One after another, devastating blows slammed into him relentlessly. He couldn’t breathe. He lost his voice.

“Auntie made me juice before. I liked her very much, and I like you too,” Ji Ran tapped his finger on the table. “But you need to know that you are just an illegitimate child.”

All the warmth vanished. Ji Ran laid the reality bare for Ji Qingyu: “Auntie’s tumor is malignant. If she doesn’t get surgery soon, it will be too late. Do you have the money? The initial cost is four hundred thousand.”

This number was too massive. Lin Ying’s small fish stall only earned thirty thousand a year. With his work income, he could barely scrape together fifty thousand. Four hundred thousand was an astronomical figure.

“What do you mean by ‘illegitimate child’? Why are you so clear about my mother’s situation?” Ji Qingyu felt dizzy and confused. He still carried Fu Han’s bite marks. The marking made him feel weak all over. This world was very unfair. Alphas were only responsible for biting; only Omegas were permanently bound by the marking.

“Brother, why do you think I call you ‘Brother’?” Ji Ran covered his mouth and scoffed. The laugh was initially muffled but finally erupted into loud, uncontrollable laughter. “I’ve been waiting for this reaction from you for a long time. Did you think you were a child from a respectable family? You’re just an illegitimate child who can’t see the light of day. When your mother went to the banquet kitchen to deliver fish and ran into Ji Deyong, she could only accept her bad luck.”

“This is how it is for people without power in this world. Both you and your mother. People like you can be crushed underfoot by the powerful and influential,” Ji Ran sighed, wiping the tears of laughter from the corner of his eye.

“I know you don’t have that much money. Now I can make a deal with you,” Ji Ran smiled cruelly, playing with the syringe in his hand. “You leave Mingde, sell your songs to me, and I’ll give you four hundred thousand.”

Ji Qingyu gasped. Everything in front of him suddenly felt unreal. The intense pain in his body hadn’t subsided. The agony seeped in, wreaking havoc in his bones.

“No…” Ji Qingyu closed his eyes, simply shaking his head.

“I can, I can ask others. Someone will lend it to me eventually.” Ji Qingyu couldn’t hear what he was saying anymore, repeating himself mechanically.

“Who? Your poor relatives, or…” Ji Ran uttered a name. “Or Fu Han.”

“He probably hates you to death, doesn’t he? Will he really listen to your explanation?”

The lingering scent of rain was still in the air. The green plum scent seeped out from under the door. He thought, Yes, would Fu Han really listen?

Ji Ran lowered his head and scrolled on his phone. He burst into laughter, seemingly at something he saw.

A few lines of text flashed on the screen: “Breaking news: Fu Corporation’s patriarch, Fu Hongye, has passed away. His only grandson, Fu Han, who was most favored by Fu Hongye during his lifetime, did not attend the scene. His sons, Fu Yunbai and Fu Yunsheng, are involved in a dispute. Currently, the board of directors has unanimously approved Fu Yunsheng’s appointment proposal. Fu Yunsheng will serve as the representative for the new term of the Fu family…”

“You should go see Auntie first,” Ji Ran said. “Fu Han won’t be waking up anytime soon. I used three times the normal Alpha dosage. He won’t be able to stand up properly for two or three days.”

“Brother, there were times when I truly wanted to be your brother, because I genuinely felt happy when I was around you,” Ji Ran smiled casually, his hand still cold. “But, Ji Qingyu, you are too exceptional. Seeing your dull, happy look makes me feel it’s unfair.”

After saying this, Ji Ran grabbed Ji Qingyu’s hand and led him out. He put Ji Qingyu in the car and got in himself.

That was the end of everything.

…

Ji Qingyu was woken up by his phone ringing.

It was already late at night. The hospital corridor was empty. His phone had over twenty missed calls and dozens of messages.

All from the same name.

Ji Qingyu looked down. The white light from the screen was a bit harsh, stinging his eyes in the darkness. Fu Han’s messages were sent in quick succession, with a new one popping up almost every few minutes.

“Where did you go?”

“Where the hell did you go? Come back immediately.”

“Come back now, and I won’t hold your mistake against you.”

Ji Qingyu covered his face and let out a breath.

He stood up. It was already four in the morning. The next second, Fu Han’s call came in again. He stared at the caller ID for a moment, then answered.

“Where are you?” The other side was silent for a few seconds. His voice was chilling, his breathing heavy. “I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

Ji Qingyu felt very tired. He didn’t want to talk to Fu Han anymore. He leaned against the hospital wall, watching the dust motes floating in the air. A bitter taste filled his mouth. He said slowly, “I’m sorry, I… I’ll take a taxi to the south gate of Banshan Park immediately.”

Fu Han paused, still not hanging up the phone, his voice low. “Ji Qingyu, I hope you understand that I am your husband. You should tell me about anything right away.”

Ji Qingyu held the phone, expressionless.

“About the child, don’t think about using the same trick to tie me down. Even if you were pregnant, I would only make you abort it,” Fu Han’s voice turned cold again, and he added flatly.

“Don’t worry.”

My child is already dead, Ji Qingyu thought. I will never have a child like that again.

“I will never have a child with you. You can rest assured.” His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

The nurse closed the service desk door and removed her nursing cap, which was secured with a hairpin. All the medical equipment was placed in a metal tray, making a few clanging sounds. She was changing shifts and glanced at Ji Qingyu as she picked up her belongings.

The access card beeped. Click. The door was pushed open.

“You had better not.” After a long silence, Fu Han stopped talking again. Only his breathing could be heard. After more than ten seconds, the dial tone sounded from the other end of the line.

The stars outside the window faded. Clouds enveloped the entire city.

The light in the hospital corridor was flickering due to a poor connection. Moths circled beneath the lamp.

Ji Qingyu got into a car and returned to the villa. He lay down beside Fu Han. Fu Han’s arm immediately wrapped around him, squeezing tighter and tighter. Ji Qingyu felt a little breathless and wanted Fu Han to loosen his grip, but the other man wouldn’t let go.

He pushed twice, then gave up.

Fu Han’s breath fanned his ear. He was still saying, “What did you like about that person?”

Ji Qingyu suspected Fu Han’s heat was approaching. Otherwise, why would he be so melancholic, repeatedly asking irrelevant questions?

“I’ve never liked anyone.” He didn’t want to answer, merely closing his eyes. The hand around his waist was still hot. The scent of green plum permeated the air. Fu Han’s teeth nudged Ji Qingyu’s neck.

Ji Qingyu broke out in a cold sweat. He turned over and buried his head in Fu Han’s chest.

He was too tired and fell asleep again. Before he slept, he heard Fu Han muttering, “Is it because you grew up together that you like him? We’ve known each other for a long time too.”

“He didn’t want you and the child, so that’s why you married me?” The night was very cold. Ji Qingyu couldn’t bear the chill. Only the area next to Fu Han’s body was warm.

Ji Qingyu didn’t have the capacity to hear what Fu Han was saying. He felt nauseous and completely drained of strength.

He drifted into a daze. The person behind him was still whispering something. He couldn’t hear clearly. He just burrowed deeper into the warmth, and the cool voice stopped speaking.

Finally, it was quiet.

The scent of green plum surprisingly made him feel safe. He snuggled in closer. His wrist was grabbed. The air carried the smell of ointment. Someone brushed his hair away and felt his forehead.

Then, he was held very tightly, very warmly. Fortunately, it was autumn, so this temperature was tolerable.

The heat source seemed to enjoy his reliance very much. The person’s hand gently patted his back, then wrapped around his waist. The steady flow of green plum scent soothed Ji Qingyu. He closed his eyes. Half-asleep, a small smile touched his lips.

If only tomorrow morning were the same. But he knew that the daytime didn’t belong to them. The sunlight was too bright, and it would twist both their faces into distorted expressions.

Only in such a pitch-black night, where they couldn’t see each other’s outstretched hands, could they briefly and ambiguously hold one another.