This Alpha Is So Devoted to His Wife - Chapter 52

Inside the ward, frequent coughing sounds could be heard.

Lying on the hospital bed, the pale young man, already slender in his loose-fitting gown, had lost even more weight in just these four days. All the medical equipment on him still hadn’t been removed.

Duan Yuluo sat up on the edge of the bed. He had never realized that coughing could be so painful. Every cough pulled at his wound. Even after receiving a painkiller injection, he could clearly feel a tearing pain in the wound every time he coughed.

Moreover, since he woke up, his whole body had remained in a state of weakness.

Another issue was that he could no longer bear to sleep with the lights off at night, despite believing he could prepare himself psychologically.

“It’s okay, baby. You’ve coughed it out now.”

Lu Xinghe held him gently, patting his back until he expelled what needed to be cleared. He wiped his mouth with a wet wipe. Seeing him cry again from the coughing, it was impossible not to feel heartbroken. He used the back of his hand to wipe away his tears, then slowly helped him lie back down.

His gaze fell on the drainage tube on his body and the indwelling needle in his neck, and he reluctantly looked away.

“Xingxing, it hurts a bit.” Duan Yuluo leaned back against Lu Xinghe, resting his head on his shoulder. With his eyes closed, he asked softly, “When can they remove the drainage tube? My neck hurts too.”

“In a couple of days,” Lu Xinghe said. He couldn’t bear to hear Duan Yuluo sound so distressed, so he suppressed the stinging in his nose and tried to appear completely normal. He leaned down and kissed him: “You need to eat something now. The doctor said you’re eating too little, you don’t even have the strength to speak.”

“But I don’t feel like eating right now.”

“Just a little bit.” Lu Xinghe took the pre-prepared porridge from the auntie next to him and fed it to Duan Yuluo’s mouth.

Duan Yuluo didn’t want Lu Xinghe to worry, so he forced himself to eat a few mouthfuls. However, before he had eaten much, his eyelids started to droop. He didn’t even realize he had fallen asleep while eating.

“Eat a little more—”

Lu Xinghe had just scooped a spoonful of porridge when he felt a heavy weight rest on his shoulder. He froze. He lowered his head and gently placed the spoon back into the bowl. The faint clink of the ceramic seemed to break his strained emotions, and his eyes immediately reddened.

The ward door was slowly pushed open.

It was Duan Yuluo’s two fathers.

“Is Zai Zai asleep again?”

“Yes.” Lu Xinghe quickly hid all the emotion in his eyes, turning his face away. He set the bowl down, then carefully helped the sleeping Duan Yuluo lie back down on the bed, terrified of touching the wound on his chest. Being able to sit up for a little while was already a great improvement.

“Why don’t you go back and rest?” Luo Songran walked up to the young man. Seeing him lowered his head while tidying up, he noticed something was off with his mood. He leaned in for a look and saw his eyes were red, which suddenly made him feel uneasy: “Xinghe, have you been crying again?”

Lu Xinghe sat by the bed, his gaze fixed on the sleeping Duan Yuluo: “It’s nothing. I just feel bad for him.”

“This accident isn’t your fault. No one wanted this to happen. Don’t push yourself too hard. Only when you’re in a good state will Zai Zai feel less sad when he sees you,” Duan Yizhou said, patting his shoulder, signaling him to relax.

“He is my responsibility,” Lu Xinghe said, casting his eyes down. He gently held the hand by his side, which was still a little cool: “No matter what, I will give him justice for this. I won’t let him suffer in vain.”

“Xinghe, the nature of some things is different. As an enterprise, our Galaxy Group is not the same as the existence of the Royal Family. We can all understand your feelings, but you absolutely must not be headstrong. This matter could escalate quickly.”

Lu Xinghe acknowledged with a “Mn.”

The couple exchanged glances, about to suggest he go back and rest, when they were met with an explosive statement.

“I want to marry Zai Zai.”

Duan Yizhou & Luo Songran: “…”

Lu Xinghe looked up at the two elders, his eyes red: “I’m serious. Although I know this might sound too hasty right now, I truly want to take him home. Especially now, I want it more than anything.”

The little doll he had raised since childhood was shattered—this was a deeply devastating blow to him.

It was the most heartbreaking thing he had experienced in his twenty years of life.

“We have never had any intention of stopping you. Everything is based on Zai Zai’s happiness. We know your feelings. We’ve watched you cherish Zai Zai since you were little, and we’ve always trusted you. But you need to be aware of your own status. Even though you’ve lived in Huaxia since you were young, you still have a peerage in Country D. The Clemens Royal Family only permits marriage between a man and a woman. Are you sure about this?”

Lu Xinghe nodded: “I’m sure. Giving up the title is fine. That position is essentially symbolic. Power and money, if lost, can be regained, but Duan Yuluo is unique, and he is someone I cannot lose.”

“But are you sure you want to go against your grandmother? This is where we can’t help you.”

Lu Xinghe placed his hands on his thighs, his fingers tightly intertwined. Veins faintly showed on his arms from the strain, and his face was tense, betraying his hidden struggle. He glanced at the sleeping Duan Yuluo on the bed. His bloodshot eyes, tired from days of sleeplessness, were full of conflict and struggle, yet his conviction remained absolute.

“I’m sure.”

He would spare no effort to fight for Duan Yuluo’s freedom.

“Yes, his injuries this time will have a certain impact on his body, but the extent of his recovery will only be clear after about six months. Especially given his allergic constitution, his food intake hasn’t been great during this time, so recovery will take a while.”

“Also, regarding his night blindness…”

Outside the ward, the family listened to the chief physician describe Duan Yuluo’s condition.

Lu Xinghe was particularly nervous at this point: “Yes, he can no longer bear to sleep with the lights off at night.”

“The psychological assessment suggests his underlying issues are not severe. He is a person with a strong sense of security. We believe this is a post-traumatic stress reaction, so he has some physiological and psychological challenges, but they are not very serious. What’s needed now is more family presence and support to help him overcome the fear this accident has left him with as soon as possible.”

“Understood, thank you.”

For the rest of his time in the hospital, because only one family member was allowed to stay for 24-hour care, the family couldn’t resist Lu Xinghe’s firm insistence and had to leave him there. They would only visit during the day.

But as expected, Lu Xinghe took excellent care of Duan Yuluo.

He learned massage techniques from the nurse, patiently and meticulously massaging him every day, worried that lying in bed would cause poor blood circulation.

Since he couldn’t shower, he helped wipe his body daily.

When the weather was good, he would wheel him outside to get some sun.

Day after day, he never uttered a word of impatience. Every time, Lu Xinghe could be seen squatting beside Duan Yuluo. The two of them seemed to have endless things to talk about, just as they always had since childhood.

Summer was drawing to a close, yet the cicadas were still as noisy as ever, responding to today’s bright sunshine.

Downstairs in the hospital building, the young man in the wheelchair tilted his head back, basking in the sun. His eyebrows were curved, and he looked content. Perhaps from staying indoors for nearly half a month, his skin looked so fair in the sunlight that it seemed to merge with it, appearing lustrous and healthy.

Just then, a hat was placed on his head, blocking the bright sunlight.

Duan Yuluo turned his head and looked up, seeing Lu Xinghe. The man was standing with his back to the light, shielding him from some of the sun. He smiled and held out his hand to him.

Lu Xinghe placed a strawberry-flavored lollipop, stripped of its wrapper, to his lips: “This is the last one for today. No more after this.”

Duan Yuluo contentedly put the lollipop in his mouth and leaned back against the chair.

He gazed at the towering trees in the distance. He had started watching the shadows of the trees to pass the time during his hospital stay. The man beside him wouldn’t let him read the news or anything related to secondary differentiation. If he complained of boredom, Lu Xinghe would tell him stories or sing to him.

But he wasn’t a three-year-old child anymore. He didn’t want to hear stories, nor did he want to hear the man’s off-key singing.

However…

He wasn’t bored either.

The hand resting by the wheelchair quietly reached out and grabbed the hand beside him.

The shadows on the ground showed one person standing and one sitting in a wheelchair, with their tightly clasped hands intertwined in the middle.

“Xingxing.”

“Hmm?”

“Can I get a tattoo when I get discharged?”

“A tattoo of what?”

“That scar on my chest is a bit ugly.”

Lu Xinghe wheeled the chair to a flower bed beneath a large tree. He sat on the stone bench and pulled the wheelchair close to him, facing Duan Yuluo. He spoke earnestly: “It’s not ugly. It’s a beautiful medal.”

Duan Yuluo pointed at him, half-believing, “You’re lying to me.”

Lu Xinghe looked at the small, fragile fingers pointing at him. It reminded him of when he was little, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He reached out and held his hand: “What good would it do me to lie to you? Are you that easily fooled, genius?”

“I’ve already decided what to get,” Duan Yuluo said, lowering his head and playing with Lu Xinghe’s hand: “Once I’m better, I’ll get a rose tattoo.”

“Why do you want a rose?”

“Because that way, you won’t cry when you secretly kiss my scar. Kissing a beautiful rose will make you happier than kissing an ugly scar.”

Lu Xinghe’s expression froze, and his eyes flickered.

“I know you’re very sad, but I hope you can be happy. Because if you’re happy, I’ll be happy,” Duan Yuluo said, pressing his palm tightly against the large palm on his knee and intertwining their fingers. He smiled brightly: “Cheer up, Lu Xinghe. I’m fine. Soon we can go out and exercise together. What is this small setback? We are people who will go through big storms together in the future.”

Lu Xinghe felt a sting in his nose. Just as he was about to speak, Duan Yuluo pinched his nose.

“Hold it in. No more crying.” Duan Yuluo saw Lu Xinghe’s eyes turn red and knew what was happening again. He quickly pinched his nose with his other hand and leaned close to him:

“You’ve done so well. This isn’t your fault, and it has nothing to do with protection. The ones who are wrong are those who act without thinking. I don’t want you to take these emotions onto yourself. If you do, I’ll be sad too. I can’t sleep when I see you secretly crying every night.”

Lu Xinghe: “…You saw me?”

“You’re such a big person, how could I not see you?”

Duan Yuluo remembered how this guy was lying on the small bed next to him last night, curled up, secretly crying. Even though he didn’t make a loud sound, it made him feel awful.

He had been hospitalized for almost twenty days. Could he really sustain this state every day?

Lu Xinghe’s throat bobbed twice. The hand holding Duan Yuluo’s slowly started to loosen, only for the other to hold it tightly instead. Then, a softness landed on his lips. He looked up in surprise at the face inches away.

It was a brief kiss, and the warmth and sensation lingered.

Along with the sweetness of the strawberry lollipop.

Under the treetop, shallow shadows fell across the handsome, pale face before him. Though still showing some fatigue from his recent illness, his clear eyes were full of a playful smile, reflecting the other man’s image—a kind of innocent radiance that could be pieced back together even when broken.

Even the kiss was purely motivated.

It had no other purpose than to coax the other person.

Duan Yuluo pulled the lollipop from his mouth, his eyes full of slyness: “If I ever see you secretly crying again, I’m going to kiss you. I’ll crawl onto you, flip you over, and kiss you until you can’t stand it and want to mark me. I mean it.”

Lu Xinghe pressed his lips together, turning his face away, the corners of his mouth dipping slightly.

“Are you feeling better now?” Duan Yuluo asked, drawing lines on Lu Xinghe’s palm with his finger, deliberately teasing him.

Lu Xinghe felt a tickle in his palm. He couldn’t help but squeeze his hand shut, holding Duan Yuluo’s unruly hand tightly. His turbulent emotions did indeed calm down, and his eyes returned to their usual tranquility.

“Yes, I feel better.”

“Do you want to feel even better?”

Lu Xinghe: “…?”

Then he saw Duan Yuluo take the lollipop out of his mouth, gazing at him with a smile: “Husband.”

Lu Xinghe: “!”

“Let’s get married.”

Lu Xinghe instantly felt his mind go blank.

The sky was clear and cloudless. The sunlight baked the ground, and the wind, mingling with the heat, swept over the towering tree above and the two people looking at each other beneath it. Yet, even this heat wave seemed unable to surpass the warmth surging in their hearts.

Lu Xinghe thought:

Another day where I was useless.

And:

Today is a day of bright sunshine.