You Are My Omega - Chapter 84

Fantuan’s illness had come on suddenly and fiercely, but the recovery was just as quick. Once the doctors identified the cause and began a more targeted IV treatment, she improved significantly in just a few days. During those days, Xu Manyue stayed in the hospital room every day with Liu Lingyan, both of them watching over Fantuan together.

Soon, Fantuan would be ready for discharge. But the closer the day came, the more withdrawn and unhappy she became.

“Shijiu, Xinyi, Fantuan hasn’t been in a good mood lately. Both of us tried asking her what’s wrong, but she won’t say anything. Could you two help us ask?” Xu Manyue was at a loss. No matter how she or Liu Lingyan asked, they couldn’t get Fantuan to open up, so she came to ask Xu Shijiu and Lin Xinyi for help.

“What happened to Fantuan?” Lin Xinyi immediately sat up from her hospital bed, worry filling her face.

Xu Manyue sighed. “If we knew, it would be easier.”

Fantuan was no longer that mischievous little child who used to say whatever was on her mind. She had grown more reserved.

And that change was partly her fault.

Unlike Fantuan, Lin Xinyi’s recovery was much slower. Her body was still weak, and even after such a long time, her pneumonia had not fully healed.

Lin Xinyi didn’t seem to understand why Fantuan was upset, but Xu Shijiu had a good guess. Fantuan’s mood likely changed because she knew once she got better, her mama would stop coming to the hospital. Without being sick, she wouldn’t have a reason to see her mama anymore. That was why she had been so down lately.

Both Lin Xinyi and Xu Shijiu agreed to help. After Liu Lingyan and Xu Manyue left the room with various excuses, they sat down with Fantuan to talk.

But Fantuan refused. She turned away from them and lay on her side, showing them only her back.

Even if she was unhappy or reluctant, the day of discharge would still come.

No mother would want her child to stay in the hospital longer than necessary, especially not Liu Lingyan and Xu Manyue, who both had unpleasant memories tied to hospitals. They only wanted Fantuan to get out as soon as possible.

“Fantuan, you’re an Omega. You have to take good care of yourself, alright?” Xu Manyue carried Fantuan toward the Liu family car, whispering into her ear with concern. “Our Fantuan is so beautiful. If any Alpha ever tries to bother you, you have to tell Mommy or Auntie right away. You cannot let them cling to you, okay?”

“Mama, I know.” Fantuan held tightly to the white stuffed bear her mama had given her, one hand also gripping her mama’s sleeve. Her little face showed no sign of a smile.

Liu Lingyan walked a short distance behind them, deliberately keeping some space between herself and Xu Manyue. She knew that Xu Manyue probably had many things she wanted to say to Fantuan. If she were too close, both mother and daughter might hold back, afraid to speak freely. It was better to give them space to say a proper goodbye.

“Lingyan,” Xu Shijiu slowed her pace to match Liu Lingyan’s when she noticed her deliberately lagging behind.

“Hmm? Why aren’t you with Xinyi?” Liu Lingyan asked.

For the past few days, Xu Shijiu had been constantly by Lin Xinyi’s side. Whether it was to give Xu Manyue and Liu Lingyan more time together or simply because she didn’t want to leave Lin Xinyi alone, she had rarely visited Fantuan.

“Can you really not forgive my sister?” Xu Shijiu asked, after preparing herself mentally for a long time.

Liu Lingyan didn’t respond. She simply stayed silent.

“My sister’s health is in bad shape. She was once injured very close to the heart. Although the wound barely missed it, she never really rested afterward. The injury kept reopening and became infected, which eventually affected her heart. Now, any emotional stress or physical exhaustion causes her chest severe pain.”

“She’s been secretly taking medication these past few days while caring for Fantuan. She didn’t want you to notice.”

“And those nutritional supplements you’ve been getting… all of them were chosen and tested by her. Only after confirming they were good did she have me bring them to you.”

“She’s going through a difficult sensitivity period now. I looked into it privately. It’s because you removed the mark, and that kind of removal can cause certain side effects for Alphas. Now, during her sensitivity phase, she has to rely on double doses of suppressants just to stay stable.”

“I asked the doctor. Even the best Alpha suppressants will damage the body if used too frequently. And in her condition, with prolonged high-dosage use, her body won’t be able to hold out for much longer.”

“Lingyan, back then, my sister was just a child. A child who was forced to carry a heavy academic load by our grandfather, who wasn’t allowed to live with her own mother, who barely felt any warmth or love from her family. Can you really not forgive her?”

Liu Lingyan didn’t say a word.

Even after returning home, she remained distracted.

“Mama?” Fantuan’s soft voice called to her. When Liu Lingyan looked down, she saw worry in those round eyes, eyes that looked just like Xu Manyue’s.

“Hmm?” Liu Lingyan pulled Fantuan into her arms.

“Mama, are you okay?” Fantuan asked gently.

“I’m alright. Mama was just thinking about something and spaced out a little,” Liu Lingyan replied with a warm smile.

“I see…” Fantuan nodded thoughtfully and sensibly didn’t ask more. She didn’t want to interrupt her mother’s thoughts.

Liu Lingyan looked down at her obedient daughter for a long moment. When she noticed the white stuffed bear Fantuan was clutching tightly, she suddenly understood why Fantuan had been so down these past few days.

“Fantuan, tell Mama the truth. Were you upset these past few days because you thought that once you left the hospital, you wouldn’t get to see your mama anymore?” Liu Lingyan asked softly, her voice filled with certainty.

Fantuan froze, as if her secret had been exposed. She looked up at her mother, still holding tightly onto the stuffed bear’s ear. Carefully, she asked, “If I say yes… will Mama be upset?”

That one question made Liu Lingyan’s heart ache.

“Of course not. Mama would never be upset,” Liu Lingyan shook her head and spoke with quiet conviction, her eyes full of pain and guilt.

“If Mama and Mama could be together again, would that make Fantuan happy?” she asked after a long silence.

Fantuan’s little hands paused in their fiddling with the bear. Liu Lingyan had expected her daughter to smile immediately, maybe even cheer. But she didn’t.

“I don’t know,” Fantuan replied. “I don’t want Mama and Mama to be unhappy.”

She had thought she would be happy. But now, she wasn’t so sure. She wanted to see them both. But if being together would only bring pain and arguments…

Then maybe it was alright to be a little lonely. After all, she had made it through all these years like that. Just being able to see Mama while she was sick had already made her very happy.

Lin Zhilin’s arrival was not a surprise to either Ling Mian or Xu Manyue.

Lin Xinyi didn’t want to see Lin Zhiling.

She couldn’t bring herself to face her in such a fragile and disheveled state. That was something she simply didn’t want.

“Lin Xinyi, why didn’t you tell me you were sick?” Lin Zhiling placed the fruit basket and bouquet gently on the bedside table, her gaze filled with mixed emotions as she looked at her.

Lin Xinyi turned her face away, avoiding eye contact. “I’m fine.”

Her resistance was obvious. Xu Shijiu, who had just been about to offer up her seat by the bed, quietly sat back down again, silently observing the situation.

From what Xu Shijiu remembered, Lin Xinyi and Lin Zhiling used to be very close. So why did it seem like things weren’t the same now? Lin Xinyi didn’t seem happy to see her at all.

“I won’t tell Mom and Dad, don’t worry,” Lin Zhiling said with a helpless sigh. Then she turned her head and noticed the Alpha sitting beside the bed. She was surprised. “Xu Shijiu?”

Back when she had found out that Xu Shijiu once locked Lin Xinyi in a room and wouldn’t let her leave, she had been furious. If Lin Xinyi, who had just returned to the Lin family at the time, hadn’t stopped her, she would have stormed into the Xu family’s house and confronted Xu Shijiu directly.

She had thought Lin Xinyi would never want to see Xu Shijiu again, especially after everything that happened. Yet now, after returning to the country, Lin Xinyi was still somehow connected to her.

“Hello,” Xu Shijiu said, simply nodding.

With someone else present, Lin Zhiling held back from discussing anything related to their family. She tried to make small talk instead, but Lin Xinyi didn’t cooperate. Every attempt at conversation ended in silence, leaving the air thick with awkwardness.

Eventually, the tension became too much. Lin Zhiling gave up and decided to leave first.

“Are you not close with her anymore?” Xu Shijiu asked once Lin Zhiling had left.

“No,” Lin Xinyi replied softly. She closed her eyes, clearly exhausted, and gave a faint shake of her head.

She didn’t hate Lin Zhiling. She never wanted their relationship to become like this. But not everything between them was just about the two of them. There were too many people involved, too many things from the past. She couldn’t pretend nothing had changed, or that they could go back to the way things once were.

Xu Shijiu could sense how troubled Lin Xinyi felt. She gently reached out and placed a hand over her eyes.

“Get some sleep.”

A little rest might help ease the weight on her heart.

Once again, Lin Xinyi felt the warmth in Xu Shijiu’s care. Even though she always kept her face expressionless and acted like she didn’t care, her hands and her voice never lied.

“Xu Shijiu, you’re worrying about me again,” Lin Xinyi whispered.

“I’m not,” Xu Shijiu replied calmly.

“I can feel it. Thank you, Xu Shijiu, and “I’m really sorry.”

Once again, Lin Xinyi apologized for what she had done in the past. She couldn’t help hoping that maybe, one day, Xu Shijiu would truly forgive her.

“It’s alright,” Xu Shijiu said quietly.

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