The Beta Wife Claimed by Competing Alphas - Chapter 14

Mu Yan shook his head gently, appearing as though he no longer had the strength to speak.

Lu Chong wanted to explain further, but seeing Mu Yan’s deathly pale complexion, even someone as inconsiderate as Lu Chong found it difficult to force him to listen to anything more.

Fortunately, Mu Yan remained leaning against his shoulder, showing no intention of pulling away. The overhead lights in the hospital were very bright; Mu Yan frowned slightly, his eyelashes trembling faintly.

Fluorescent light was manageable for most people, but for someone who was ill, it was far too irritating.

“Is the light too bright?” Lu Chong leaned in, reaching out his hand to block the glare above Mu Yan’s head. Mu Yan’s furrowed brow relaxed a little, and he gave a soft nod.

His lips moved, whispering something in a voice as faint as a mosquito.

The surrounding area was noisy, yet Lu Chong clearly captured those few words.

“Not blaming you. Next time.”

The world seemed to fall silent all at once.

He pressed his forehead against Mu Yan’s burning one. Even though he had received Mu Yan’s gentleness and forgiveness many times before, this time was different. The terror of nearly losing Mu Yan made Lu Chong treasure those few words like a precious rarity.

Mu Yan still liked him.

Mu Yan still cared about him.

“I need to take a call.” His phone rang at that moment. Lu Chong did not rush to answer it. He first gave Mu Yan a quick instruction before standing up to check the caller ID. “Wait for me here. Don’t move your hand, or the IV tube will fall out.”

Leaning against the back of the chair, Mu Yan nodded gently.

The back of his neck no longer hurt. The agonizing sensation of having pheromones forcibly injected felt as distant as a past life; only the lingering fear of being on the brink of death made him believe such an event had actually occurred.

For the first time, he had a tangible sense of an Alpha’s brutality. He had assumed their usual dynamic was simply because he indulged Lu Chong, but yesterday, he had struggled with all his might, yet Lu Chong had caught him again and again, pinning him down ruthlessly.

Like a fish on a cutting board, his life or death rested entirely on the other person’s whim.

Mu Yan had his first thought of breaking up.

That version of Lu Chong was too terrifying, as fierce and violent as an uncivilized beast.

He had pillaged and conquered Mu Yan’s body as if Mu Yan were not his lover, but rather a prey he could bite to death at any moment, or a trophy of war.

He felt for the first time that he didn’t know Lu Chong at all. He didn’t understand why Lu Chong could slander his relationship with He Fan so indiscriminately, or why he could suddenly become so aggressive—aggressive enough to be utterly frightening.

I want to break up, Mu Yan thought to himself.

But the next day, when Lu Chong brushed aside his hair to press the back of his hand against Mu Yan’s feverish forehead and called his name with a trembling voice, Mu Yan’s heart softened again.

He struggled to open his eyes and watched Lu Chong find a bottle of suppressants from a corner—unsure if they were expired—administer a double dose, and then pick him up without hesitation to rush to the hospital.

Lu Chong’s arms were very strong; they were strong when he pinned Mu Yan to the sofa yesterday, and they were just as strong today as he held him like a precious treasure.

This was their third year knowing each other. The atrocity Lu Chong committed against him last night was real, but all the kindness Lu Chong had shown him over these two years was also real.

Mu Yan’s relationship with Lin Guojun had always been poor, and his mother and brother were Omegas who needed protection. From a very young age, he had learned to carry everything on his own and swallow his own emotions.

Until he met Lu Chong. Lu Chong told Mu Yan that he could rely on him. If it was too dark when he left the lab at night, he could call Lu Chong to pick him up. If he was scolded by his supervisor, he could cry in front of him. He didn’t have to deal with difficult parents while tutoring, and he didn’t have to take part-time jobs he didn’t want.

When they first graduated, the two of them lived in Mu Yan’s tiny rental with a broken air conditioner. After Mu Yan was transferred to another department, his workplace became further from the apartment, requiring a full fifteen-minute walk to the subway station. Knowing he was afraid of the dark, Lu Chong would wait downstairs at his office every day.

There was a convenience store near the office. In the summer, Lu Chong would buy him an ice cream when picking him up; in the winter, he would buy him oden.

Lu Chong had a bad stomach and didn’t eat ice cream. At Mu Yan’s repeated insistence, he would lean over Mu Yan’s hand to take a bite of a soft, warm fishball.

The bright streetlights and moonlight would stretch their shadows very long. They often encountered an elderly couple walking their dog—a very lively Golden Retriever that would excitedly pounce toward Mu Yan and Lu Chong, though it likely did that to everyone.

Sometimes when Mu Yan finished work late, they wouldn’t run into the couple. He didn’t say it aloud, but he felt a bit disappointed.

Lu Chong said, “If you like it, we can raise one in the future.”

Mu Yan shook his head and said, “Let’s not.” Raising a dog required daily walks and careful effort to look after it. Neither he nor Lu Chong had that kind of time or energy, nor did they have a house with a yard.

“There will be,” Lu Chong said. Once his company took off, they would be able to afford a house with a yard, and he would have the time to take care of a puppy.

Even if Lu Chong really was a bastard, Mu Yan had truly loved him for three years.

And besides, Lu Chong wasn’t that bad.

Mu Yan had been poor for twenty years. Even after meeting Lu Chong and having a short period where he didn’t have to work part-time jobs he hated, he still felt the gap. It was even more so for Lu Chong, who had been born into wealth and had always had everything go his way.

He always understood Lu Chong’s irritability, gloom, and moodiness during his low points. He also always knew that Lu Chong was extremely possessive and lacked rationality during his rut. To love a person meant he couldn’t just love the glamorous side; he accepted everything about Lu Chong.

Though yesterday… the Lu Chong of yesterday truly terrified him.

The IV fluid dripped slowly into the vein on the back of his hand. Lu Chong was still in the distance on the phone, where there weren’t so many children crying loudly and sharply.

He would probably need a while longer to finish that call.

Mu Yan closed his eyes and rested his hand on the armrest of the hospital chair. Having gone through all that last night, it was impossible for him to have rested well; he was now extremely sleepy.

Despite the child next to him crying loudly—intent on not stopping until his mother agreed to buy him that toy car—drowsiness washed over him, and Mu Yan actually fell asleep against the cold, hard back of the hospital chair.

It was a bit cold. If there were a blanket, it would be more comfortable. He wondered if Lu Chong would go buy him one, Mu Yan thought fuzzily before drifting off.

“Sir? Sir?”

Mu Yan was woken up by the nurse’s shouting.

“What’s wrong with you?” The nurse made no effort to hide her dissatisfaction and reproach. “The blood has backflowed. Don’t you know how dangerous that is? Why didn’t you set an alarm while being here alone for an IV?”

“I’m sorry,” Mu Yan apologized instinctively. “My boyfriend came with me, he…”

“Then where is he now?”

In the IV tube the nurse removed, there was a small section of dark red blood that had flowed back. Mu Yan looked around, but Lu Chong’s figure was nowhere to be found.

It seemed a long time had passed. The crying little boy and his mother who were sitting next to Mu Yan had already left. In their original seats sat a couple; the Omega was leaning on the Alpha’s shoulder, covered by their partner’s jacket.

“He might have had something come up and hasn’t made it back yet. I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s not a matter of bothering us,” the nurse frowned. “It’s a matter of your own health.”

There were many patients needing needles removed. The nurse seemed to want to say more, but she was quickly called away by someone else.

Mu Yan stood there, stunned and at a loss.

He didn’t have his phone and couldn’t contact Lu Chong. He didn’t know if he should continue waiting or try to find his own way home.

“Sir, are you finished with your IV?” A mother holding a child stopped him somewhat awkwardly. “Could you let me have this seat?”

She was holding a child in one hand and an IV bottle in the other, and the child in her arms was still crying. Mu Yan hurriedly stood up to give up the seat.

“Sorry, please sit.”

The hospital Lu Chong had brought him to was the municipal hospital. This was Mu Yan’s first time seeking treatment here, and since he had been semi-conscious when they arrived, he didn’t even know where the main entrance was.

Surrounded by the crying of children and the sound of conversations, it felt as if he were the only one alone.

Mu Yan wasn’t wearing much and had just woken up. Standing there, he felt a bit cold.

This helplessness only lasted for a short while. Mu Yan was not someone who couldn’t function without a partner. He turned to check if he had left anything behind, then looked around once more, confirming that Lu Chong had indeed left.

After the IV, his body felt much better, aside from the exhaustion and pain.

Lu Chong’s company seemed to have many issues lately. He was busy every day, under a lot of pressure, and often didn’t sleep well. Mu Yan knew he must have pushed aside many things to accompany him to the hospital today.

Being overlooked was a common occurrence in Mu Yan’s life. Regarding this matter, he didn’t feel Lu Chong had done anything wrong.

“Sir, wait a moment.” As he was about to leave the infusion room, Mu Yan was tapped on the shoulder by an Alpha.

It seemed to be the Alpha who had been sitting next to him earlier, accompanying his partner. He looked like a university student, wearing glasses and a trendy brand hoodie that had been popular when Mu Yan was in college. He looked a bit embarrassed as he spoke to Mu Yan.

Mu Yan was certain he had no prior interaction with this person and hadn’t left anything behind, so he stopped and turned to look at him with confusion.

“Um, I saw you just finished your IV and your face looks very pale. My partner asked me to come over and ask you. He still has half an hour left on his IV. If you aren’t in a hurry, the two of us can give you a ride back in a bit.”

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