WHIF- Chapter 18

Ch. 18 Don’t push me away

    Yuan You didn’t stay long in the meeting room, but his brief appearance alone left a deep impression across the whole department, and even the entire company, about how seriously this powerful investor was taking the collaboration. Several directors and managers beamed as they eagerly followed him, practically glued to his side.

    “Hey, that guy just now… he seemed like an omega, right? What’s his relationship with President Yuan?”

    “No idea. It felt kind of strange. He didn’t look like he liked President Yuan much, but President Yuan still asked him to accompany him… I know Kaylee, and she’s from administration department on the third floor, so maybe that omega is too?”

    “Could you two keep your voices down… Group Leader Ji is right up ahead. Didn’t you hear President Yuan say they were friends?”

    Ji Xiang walked back to his desk and set down his notebook, paying no mind to the chatter behind him. Instead, he stared absentmindedly in the direction where Shen Siru had just left with Yuan You.

    He didn’t understand what Yuan You was trying to do. The whole thing just felt off, and so high-profile. He even called Shen Siru by name and asked him, a regular administrative clerk, to accompany him as an ‘old friend’. No matter how he looked at it, there definitely weren’t any good intentions behind it .

    Ji Xiang picked up his phone, thinking to send Shen Siru a message, but ended up not knowing what to say. Just then, another Team leader called him over to finalize the promotional theme for Yuan Group’s marketing proposal. Ji Xiang could only sigh and decided to check in during lunch break, worry clouding his mind as he returned to work.

    Song Zheli, the project leader, trailed behind the grand welcoming entourage for Yuan You, the scene so extravagant, it felt as if one was watching an emperor’s parade, even complete with a dozen subordinates following in tow.

    He had noticed Ji Xiang’s expression earlier, tense and full of alarm as he watched Shen Siru and Yuan You interact. Song Zheli didn’t pry, but Ji Xiang was often an open book. He was probably worried that Yuan You would trouble Shen Siru. So, Song Zheli gave Ji Xiang a reassuring glance before catching up with the group.

   Shen Siru walked beside Yuan You, fists clenched tightly in his palms. He hadn’t wanted to accompany him from the start.

   Even though Yuan You looked nearly the same as he did in those painful memories, his presence was worlds apart. At thirty, Shen Siru was far clearer-headed than he had been at seventeen. He knows that he and Yuan You had never belonged to the same world.

    When he saw people trying to cozy up to Yuan Group and latch onto its influence, Shen Siru just wanted to fade into the background and quietly slip away. But Yuan You gave him no such chance. Avoiding the overeager crowd, his sharp gaze remained fixed solely on Shen Siru, occasionally tossing out a few meaningless questions.

    Supposedly, he was trying to better understand the company’s culture and development history through the perspective of a regular employee, to assess the feasibility and future of a potential partnership.

   Under normal circumstances, Shen Siru would’ve played his role well, speaking eloquently, painting the company as a shining star to impress the client.

    But this wasn’t part of his job. Not only did he have to face his ex-boyfriend, he was also suddenly forced into this awkward responsibility. All he could manage was a strained smile.

   As time went on, his head gradually began to ache, and the closer Yuan You stood, the more suffocated he felt. Most of the questions he answered were half-hearted and vague. His supervisors nearby looked at him with thinly veiled disappointment, but Shen Siru didn’t care even if they thought he was useless.

    He even felt a wave of nausea, overwhelmed with the urge to flee. Yuan You’s presence only reminded him of how foolish he had been, to give his heart to someone who took pleasure in trampling on others’ sincerity.

    Then Yuan You leaned in slightly, making the scent of green apples grow stronger.

    So strong that it made his vision blur and his head spin.

    “Why aren’t you saying anything? Not feeling well?”

    Yuan You, having had his fill of toying with Shen Siru, finally noticed that his face had gone pale. He genuinely looked unwell. Yuan You reached out a hand, but Shen Siru flinched back a full step like he’d been burned.

    “Don’t touch me—” He finally snapped, turning away and gagging dryly against the wall.

    Yuan You’s expression instantly darkened.

    Was his touch really that disgusting? So much that he couldn’t even pretend anymore?

    Song Zheli, watching from the back, noticed the commotion. A bad feeling hit him, and he pushed through the crowd.

    “Shen Siru?!”

    He didn’t care if his push was rude, Shen Siru looked like he was about to collapse, leaning limply against a client manager’s arm.

    Kneeling, Song Zheli quickly supported him, thanking the manager and speaking with urgency, “Please call emergency services.”

    The manager finally reacted and stepped aside to make the call. Song Zheli held onto the unresponsive Shen Siru, careful not to jostle him too much. He noticed the faint red rashes that had appeared along his neck and wrists.

    Shen Siru had briefly fainted, though his lips were still moving slightly, though his words were incoherent.

    But from his body language, Song Zheli could tell—he was afraid.

   A crowd quickly gathered, casting a dark shadow over them. Song Zheli looked up to see Yuan You, his expression foul.

    “President Yuan, could you move aside?”

    Still stuck on Shen Siru’s dramatic rejection, Yuan You stared down at Song Zheli, this stranger who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He was about to scoff, “And who the hell are you?” but swallowed it when he saw how pale Shen Siru was.

    With clenched fists, he stepped aside and whispered something to his assistant.

    The ambulance arrived quickly. Song Zheli, being the closest person to Shen Siru and one of the few who had spoken with him before, got on board.

    Just as the doors were about to close, Yuan You stopped them and climbed in without a word, squeezing in besides Song Zheli.

   He tossed his car keys to his assistant, telling him to follow behind.

   Song Zheli ignored him and sent a message to Ji Xiang.

    Since morning that day, Ji Xiang’s right eyelid had been twitching nonstop. He’d blamed it on lack of sleep and made some instant coffee to shake it off. But then immediately got the message that Shen Siru had collapsed and been hospitalized.

    He called back immediately. “Director Song, what’s going on now?”

    “Don’t worry,” Song Zheli replied gently, hearing the worry in Ji Xiang’s voice. “I’m with him on the way to the hospital. The medics are trying to contact his family, but no one’s answering.”

   That didn’t surprise Ji Xiang. Shen Siru’s parents were both passionate archaeologists, always flying off to some remote excavation site. When Ji Xiang’s parents hadn’t yet divorced, Shen Siru had basically grown up at his house.

    At a time like this, who knew which century-old ruin his parents were digging right now.

   “…I’m taking leave and coming over.” Ji Xiang dropped his pen. There was no way he’d let Shen Siru lie alone in an unfamiliar hospital. “Which hospital?”

    Song Zheli told him the name, then hesitated before adding, “Also, President Yuan is here.”

    Ji Xiang opened his mouth but said nothing. Before hanging up, he said, “Take care of Siru for me.”

    “I will. Don’t worry.”

    Ji Xiang quickly tidied up and caught a cab to the hospital. Once he met up with Song Zheli and learned that Shen Siru was in the ER, he rushed upstairs without pause.

    “Don’t panic,” Song Zheli said, trying to calm him down. “He’ll be okay.”

    Ji Xiang stared at the glowing ‘Surgery in Progress’ sign. His gaze shifted, to Yuan You, who was leaning against the wall with arms crossed, visibly agitated.

   Ji Xiang rarely lost his temper, but the sight of Yuan You now made something inside him snap.

   “What did you do to Siru? He was fine when he left, so how is he suddenly in surgery?!”

    Seeing that Ji Xiang was about to burst, Song Zheli quickly stepped between them. “Ji Xiang, calm down.”

   Ji Xiang took a deep breath. “If anything happens to Shen Siru because of you, I won’t forgive you, Yuan You.”

    Yuan You didn’t respond. He just stared blankly at the closed operating room door.

    Time passed. Eventually, the doctor emerged. “Who’s the patient’s family?”

   Ji Xiang saw Yuan You step forward, and immediately beat him to it. “I am. I’m his older brother.”

    “This involves the patient’s privacy. Please come with me.”

    Behind them, Shen Siru was wheeled out, ready to be moved to a room. Song Zheli told Ji Xiang, “Go on, I’ll stay with him.”

    Ji Xiang nodded. He trusted Song Zheli far more than Yuan You.

   He followed the doctor to a window and listened.

    “The patient has a severe glandular pheromone rejection disorder. Simply put, he’s highly allergic to a specific type of pheromone. This often occurs in case of alpha and omega relationships. After a lifelong bond, if the mark is removed improperly, there’s a chance of developing this condition.” The doctor explained, “As his family, you should know his allergen, right? Judging by today’s reaction, the rejection is very serious. Avoid exposure whenever possible.”

    “Thank you, doctor.”

    Ji Xiang was stunned. Shen Siru had never mentioned any such illness.

    ‘AO relationship’, ‘lifelong bond’, ‘mark removal’…

    As far as Ji Xiang knew, Shen Siru had only ever dated Yuan You.

    As soon as he realised this, his head buzzed with fury. He pulled out his phone to search ‘glandular pheromone rejection disorder’, but noticed a missed call and a few messages.

   They were from Yang Chaosheng, he had sent photos of movie tickets Ji Xiang had shown interest in, asking if he was free tonight.

    Walking toward Shen Siru’s hospital room, Ji Xiang called him back, heart heavy.

    “Lawyer Yang, sorry, I didn’t know you bought the tickets in advance. I might not make it tonight…”

   Yang Chaosheng immediately picked up on Ji Xiang’s distressed tone. He liked being prepared and surprising others with thoughtful plans, but sometimes life just doesn’t cooperate.

    Before he could speak, he heard crying in the background and a nurse calling out for a medication change.

    Yang Chaosheng’s voice tensed. “You’re at the hospital? Are you hurt? What happened?”

    “I’m fine. I’m at the hospital… but it’s for a friend,” Ji Xiang said quickly.

   Yang Chaosheng caught the underlying tension. “Which hospital? I’m coming.”

    But Ji Xiang didn’t want to trouble him. “You don’t need to… really, I’m okay.”

    “I can’t just sit back. I need to see you with my own eyes before I can feel at ease.” Yang Chaosheng spoke slowly but firmly. “Don’t push me away, Ji Xiang. I want to be there for you, even if it’s just in the smallest way possible.”