PTBC chapter 49

Xia Yan went to the hospital with Bai Yu to pick up Xu Cong on his discharge day.

The moment Xu Cong woke up, he saw Xia Yan sitting by his bed, peeling fruit. It was afternoon, just past nap time. Even in winter, the sunlight was bright, streaming through the transparent window. Outside, the greenery was lush.

The sunlight softened Xia Yan’s features, his eyelashes almost translucent as they cast faint shadows.

Even the apple in his hand looked perfect—a rich red against his snow-white fingertips. The long, curling peel fell from Xia Yan’s hand, landing in the glass dish below.

Xu Cong was momentarily dazed.

Looking at Xia Yan like this, he could almost believe that nothing had happened at the wrap-up party a few days ago. That this was just another ordinary, peaceful day.

But he quickly snapped out of it.

“I thought you wouldn’t want to see me anymore,” Xu Cong said, his voice hoarse.

Xia Yan’s gaze flicked over the back of Xu Cong’s hand, which was resting outside the blanket. Bruises stood out starkly against his skin—on his wrist, on the back of his hand—the marks of iron restraints.

“I really don’t want to see you,” Xia Yan said. He placed the apple in the glass bowl, making no move to hand it to Xu Cong. Instead, he took a bite himself, his expression indifferent, not even bothering to spare Xu Cong a smile. “To be honest, I was planning to leave you here to rot, but unfortunately, I’m your captain. Taking responsibility for my team members is part of my job.”

Xu Cong let out a short laugh. That did sound like something Xia Yan would say.

Maybe it was because his heat had ended, but lying in the pristine white sheets, bathed in sunlight, Xu Cong looked thinner and calmer than before.

He no longer resembled the man who had been consumed by madness in the dimly lit study that night.

He looked just like the Xu Cong Xia Yan had always known.

“So, what’s my punishment, Captain?” Xu Cong asked, looking straight at Xia Yan.

The sound of Xia Yan biting into the apple paused. In truth, he had no appetite for fruit at all. He set the half-eaten apple aside.

He stared at Xu Cong and asked, “Did you plan it that night?”

He had been replaying everything in his mind for the past few days. The way Xu Cong had prepared—the muzzle, the perfume, the suppressant patches—was too meticulous.

Even before the medical staff arrived, Xu Cong had remembered to put a suppressant patch on him, ensuring no one would notice anything off.

In the midst of all that chaos, Xia Yan knew he wouldn’t have thought of such details.

Yet, even while suffering through his heat, Xu Cong had.

There was no way all of that had been a coincidence.

Xu Cong smiled. He knew Xia Yan was sharp enough to figure it out. Maybe he hadn’t realized it in the moment, but after thinking it over, he was bound to piece it together.

“Yes.”

Xu Cong didn’t deny it at all.

He admitted everything without hesitation. “I knew my heat was approaching, so I took medication to trigger it early. I planned that party, prepared everything in the study, and waited for you to walk in. Does that answer satisfy you?”

Xia Yan’s expression twisted instantly. His fingers clenched around the fruit knife in his hand—he was tempted to stab Xu Cong right then and there.

“Are you insane?” Xia Yan could hardly stand this lunatic. “You put yourself at risk just to confess to me? Do you have any idea how much damage that medication can do to your body? Do you want to end up back overseas for treatment? And what made you think I’d even go in? What if I had just walked away?”

He stopped for a moment, his eyes darkening as his voice dropped.

“And now… I don’t even know if walking in was the right choice or not.”

Xu Cong didn’t speak immediately, but his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

Xia Yan’s words made his fingers twitch—this pain cut deeper than anything he had felt during his heat.

But after just a few seconds, he chuckled softly.

“But why did you come in, Xia Yan?” Xu Cong stared at him intently. “I gave you a way out. I let you leave with the other guests. Even when you were standing at the door, I was pushing you away. But you didn’t listen.”

His lips curved into a slow smirk.

“Everyone was telling you to stay away. You, more than anyone, know how dangerous an Alpha in heat can be. So why did you walk in anyway?”

His gaze was unwavering, almost piercing.

Xia Yan couldn’t hold back his anger any longer. He threw the fruit knife onto the plate with a sharp clatter.

“Because I actually thought of you as my brother! You’re my most important friend!” Xia Yan ground out through clenched teeth. His jaw tightened, his face twitching with emotion, and his eyes—already bloodshot from days of sleeplessness—held the faintest trace of hurt. “Because I was worried about you. I didn’t want you to hurt yourself. I wanted to help you.”

His chest rose and fell sharply.

The room fell into a suffocating silence.

All he could hear was his own heavy breathing.

Xu Cong could see the red veins in Xia Yan’s eyes. He knew that Xia Yan must not have slept well these past few days, trapped in a cycle of self-doubt and self-torment.

If he had even a shred of conscience, he should have some sympathy for Xia Yan’s struggles and stop hammering at his already fragile nerves.

But as he looked at Xia Yan, he still asked the question lingering on his mind:

“If it were Lin Qixu, Ye Zhaoyang, or Xiao Ning who needed comfort, would you have gone in as well?”

Xia Yan lifted his head in disbelief.

Xu Cong’s gaze was even a little cold.

“You took such a huge risk to save me,” Xu Cong continued. “You knew I wasn’t in any real danger, yet you were still willing to put yourself on the line just to ease my suffering. Was that really just out of concern for a friend, or is it because, in your heart, I am different from the rest? Xia Yan, have you ever thought about that?”

Nonsense.

That word surged into Xia Yan’s mind in an instant.

He could hardly believe his ears. It felt like Xu Cong’s heat had completely scrambled his brain, making him say such outrageous things.

But when he met Xu Cong’s unwavering gaze, his throat went dry, and for a moment, he found himself speechless.

Because there was one thing he couldn’t refute—if it had been Ye Zhaoyang or the others in need of comfort, would he have gone in without hesitation?

The answer was no.

He wouldn’t dare gamble on that possibility.

His face paled slightly, but he would never admit it in front of Xu Cong. He met Xu Cong’s eyes, and though just days ago they had been the closest of teammates, they now stood against each other like bitter rivals, unwilling to back down.

Finally, Xia Yan said softly, “I already told you—I thought I knew you well enough.”

Xu Cong let out a small scoff, completely dismissing that answer.

“Self-deception,” he murmured.

Then, he looked at Xia Yan again, his gaze pressing forward relentlessly.

“What about now?” he asked. “Now that you know how I feel, how do you plan to deal with me? We can never be just friends again. Are you going to reject me, accept me, or do you never want to see me again?”

Xia Yan had no answer.

Because the question itself had no solution.

They were teammates. Even if they harbored deep-seated grudges in private, on the surface, they still had to perform their roles together.

And his body still needed Xu Cong’s pheromones…

Most importantly, he couldn’t seem to imagine a life where he and Xu Cong were nothing but strangers. Just the thought of it made even breathing feel unbearably heavy.

In the end, Xia Yan gave no response.

In the silence that followed, Bai Yu returned with the discharge papers.

Their ever-talkative manager shattered the thick, suffocating air.

“Man, the doctors here are so meticulous,” Bai Yu chattered as he walked in. “Gave me a whole lecture on post-discharge care—way gentler than Li Mingchen. Oh hey, Xu Cong, you’re awake?”

He let out a breath of relief and plopped down beside Xu Cong, giving him a once-over.

Heat periods were an inevitable torment for every alpha, but the severity varied. Bai Yu had been a little worried that Xu Cong might have lost his mind and done something drastic—like leaving scars on his face.

Seeing that Xu Cong looked fine, he finally relaxed.

“You really have the worst timing for a heat,” Bai Yu continued. “Had to happen right during Xia Yan’s wrap party. Your isolation alone got you trending three times! Good thing we cleared things up fast, or people would’ve started rumors about you doing drugs at the party. Scared me half to death. And Xia Yan was stuck dealing with all of it too. Before I came in, he was the one looking after you. Poor guy’s been exhausted, waiting for you in a hotel across the street all this time…”

Bai Yu was chatting away happily, oblivious to the way Xia Yan’s face darkened behind him, as if he wanted to kick him.

Xu Cong, on the other hand, showed no reaction. His gaze merely skimmed over Xia Yan like a dragonfly touching water before moving away.

After talking for a while, Bai Yu realized that no one was responding to him. Xia Yan was absorbed in his phone, and Xu Cong just sat there in silence. They hadn’t exchanged a single word.

Finally noticing the tension, Bai Yu frowned. “…What’s up with you two? I was only gone a little while, and now you’re acting all distant?”

He studied Xia Yan’s face and leaned in like a nosy mother, whispering, “What happened? Xu Cong piss you off?”

After all, he had rarely seen Xia Yan mad at Xu Cong.

Xia Yan felt his anger spike, but he had no way to refute it. He could only push Bai Yu’s face away. “None of your business.”

Bai Yu clicked his tongue in amusement. He looked at Xu Cong, then at Xia Yan again, finding the whole situation fascinating. Ever since he had started managing D.A, Xia Yan and Xu Cong had always been inseparable. The number of times they had fought could be counted on one hand.

What the hell happened this time?

Still, it wasn’t his place to force a reconciliation. Bai Yu chuckled and let it slide, thinking they were just having a childish spat and would be fine in a few days.

So he didn’t dwell on it. Once Xu Cong had rested a little longer, their car arrived downstairs, and he took his two star idols home.

On the way, Bai Yu continued playing the role of peacemaker, trying to lighten the mood. He praised Xia Yan’s new drama, saying it had great potential. Then he fussed over how Xu Cong’s hospital stay had left fans heartbroken.

But still, neither of them spoke.

Bai Yu shrugged. Fine, fine, I’ll just pretend they’re going through a rebellious phase again.

But a week later, even after both Xia Yan and Xu Cong had returned to work, they were still acting cold toward each other.

That’s when Bai Yu finally smacked his forehead and thought—shit.

This isn’t some moody post teenage phase.

This is more like a full-on blood feud