Chapter 51

Lu Wei’s indifference was expected. Lin Si took a half-step back and tugged at Liao Ji’s sleeve. “Let’s wait a little longer.”

Half an hour after Lu Wei left, they finally saw the office door open. A short young man walked out, his face marked with a large, palm-sized red imprint.

Lin Si was startled. The man was an artist under Shengshi Entertainment. He couldn’t remember his name, only that he wasn’t very famous. He was at least twenty-five years old, but because of his baby face, he looked barely twenty.

Lin Si lowered his head, avoiding eye contact. After the man left, he followed Liao Ji inside.

The dense scent of pheromones in the room rushed into Lin Si’s nose, making him feel nauseous, almost on the verge of vomiting.

Liao Ji repeated everything they had said before, but as he spoke, Lu Shaoming seemed distracted. With a casual wave of his hand, he said, “Dean Bu has been researching gland replacement for years. He’s an expert. Trust science—don’t just assume things on your own.”

Finally looking clearly at Lin Si, he pretended to speak earnestly. “Lin Si, you have to become an Alpha to have a future. The company has always trained you kids as Alpha stars. If you differentiate into an Omega, you’ll be worthless to us. Your fans, and even the public will be very disappointed.”

He yawned and added smugly, “I’ll have my secretary take you back to Xiaoshan Hospital. Cooperate with the tests. If the doctors there aren’t professional, then no one in the world is.”

Lin Si was taken back to Xiaoshan Hospital, while Liao Ji was barred from seeing him.

Lin Si protested and refused injections, barely managing to negotiate one visit per day.

Today was his third day waiting for a gland match.

Just after receiving a nutrient injection, Qian Jialong burst into the room, clapping his hands excitedly. “The matching was successful! Just a few more tests, and if everything checks out, we’ll proceed with the surgery tonight! Dean Bu will personally perform it!”

Lin Si stared at him coldly for nearly a minute, making Qian Jialong so uncomfortable that he shivered all over. Then Lin Si finally closed his eyes and exhaled.

His body was already in shambles, his spirit drained. When he heard the matching was successful, his brain couldn’t even process an immediate emotional reaction.

He thought, If possible, I should ask Liao Ji to bring some makeup. I don’t want to die looking withered and frail on the operating table.

At least let me leave looking radiant.

He was given several more injections, pushed into various scanning machines, and finally, at two in the morning, someone woke him up, saying it was time for pre-surgery preparation.

At the last moment, his survival instinct kicked in. He struggled so violently that the entire floor was disturbed. In the end, he was forcibly sedated, turned into a lifeless rag doll, waiting to be manipulated at will.

The operating table was hard. As he lay on it, he slowly felt the anesthesia spreading from the back of his neck and shoulders, eventually numbing half of his face.

There were many people in the operating room, their voices tinged with excitement. Amid the chaos, a doctor held his hand and whispered solemnly into his other ear, “Trust him. He won’t let them replace your gland. You’ll be okay.”

Lin Si’s eyelids drooped, his gaze losing focus.

Who are you…?

And… who is he…?

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The immersive memories were too painful. Lin Si struggled several times to wake up from the dream, only to find himself jumping between different moments, trapped in the dark haze of five years ago.

When he finally opened his eyes again, he saw a pale yellow wall. It took him a moment to distinguish reality, still unsure if he had left the dream.

“Baby?”

A low, hoarse male voice sounded beside him. Someone was holding his hand.

Lin Si turned his head and saw Lu Wei sitting by his bed.

Why is Lu Wei here…?

He closed his eyes and frowned, whispering, “Liao Ji…”

As soon as he parted his lips, a small crack tore at the corner of his mouth. Lu Wei leaned closer, gently wiping his lips with a water-soaked cotton swab.

Lin Si pushed him away and weakly reached for his own gland. His fingers trembled when they touched the soft healing patch. He widened his eyes and rasped, “Did they replace my gland?!”

The cotton swab in Lu Wei’s hand bent at an awkward 145-degree angle.

“Am I still dreaming?” Lin Si clutched the blanket and sat up. “Didn’t they fail the surgery?”

Lu Wei held his frantic hands and pulled him into a half-embrace. “It’s over, baby. Wake up.”

On the sofa, Liao Ji was startled awake by their conversation. He barely had time to open his eyes fully before rushing to Lin Si’s bedside, blurting out, “You’re awake? Do you feel unwell anywhere?”

Liao Ji’s presence briefly cleared Lin Si’s mind. He pulled away from Lu Wei’s arms, pressed his fingers to his temples, and tried to separate the tangled past from the present.

“Does your head hurt?”

Liao Ji reached past Lu Wei to touch the back of Lin Si’s hand. “How does your gland feel? Any discomfort?”

Lin Si suddenly remembered—

That day, he had arranged to meet Y, but instead, he saw Lu Wei at the meeting place.

Then, his mind became clouded.

This heat cycle was different from the last two. Desire took over his body and thoughts completely. Like a marionette on strings, he was pulled into the depths of uncontrollable passion.

Lin Si pressed his forehead, struggling to piece together fragments of that day’s memories.

“Baby, it’s me.”

He remembered Lu Wei saying that.

Lin Si turned his face slightly but didn’t look directly at Lu Wei. He repeated the statement as if confirming a truth. “You are Y.”

The man sitting beside him visibly tensed.

“You are Y,” Lin Si said again.

Lu Wei was silent for a second before answering, “Yes.”

Lin Si tilted his chin slightly and leaned back against the raised pillow. It was unclear whether he felt despair or just a strange calmness after being deceived.

“Was it you from the very beginning?”

Liao Ji had already figured out during Lin Si’s seven-day heat cycle that Lu Wei was Y.

Sensing the tension, he cut in, rubbing Lin Si’s cold fingertips. “I’ll step out for a bit. Call me if you need anything.”

After Liao Ji left, Lu Wei stood up and poured a cup of warm water, handing it to Lin Si.

Lin Si didn’t take it.

Lu Wei spoke, “It was me from the start. It has always been me.”

Time seemed to grind against his heart. Lin Si found it hard to believe—no matter how similar Y’s voice was to Lu Wei’s, he had never once suspected they were the same person.

“Did you know who I was?” Lin Si asked.

Lu Wei placed the cup in his hand, covering the back of Lin Si’s hand with his own, urging him to hold the warmth.

“Drink some water first.”

“Did you know it was me and still deliberately toy with me?” Lin Si pressed on.

“No. I didn’t know,” Lu Wei replied. “I only realized you were Lin Si on the day you live-streamed from the set.”

That had been nearly two months ago. Lin Si’s mind was a chaotic mess. He no longer cared when that was or what kind of relationship they had at the time.

But one thing was certain—Lu Wei had known.

The person he had been so desperate to meet had been deceiving him all along.

Shamelessly pretending to be someone else in the virtual world, dating him, embracing him, kissing him—doing all the things lovers do.

Lin Si knocked over the water cup. The liquid seeped through the blanket and into his hospital gown.

Lu Wei quickly lifted the blanket, folded it neatly, and pressed the nurse call button. Then he fetched a fresh blanket from the door.

When he returned, Lin Si had already turned his back to him, sliding off the pillow, refusing to look at him.

“Baby.”

Lu Wei draped the new blanket over him, smoothing out the edges before resting a palm on Lin Si’s shoulder, trying to coax him to turn around.

“Don’t call me that,” Lin Si said with his eyes shut. His heart was filled with bitterness, but he held back his tears.

Lu Wei moved to the other side of the bed, facing Lin Si directly. He softened his voice as much as he could.

“I couldn’t say anything.”

He knew exactly how complicated the situation had been. It had taken him a long time to accept that Lin Si was ‘Forget Love’. He had constantly struggled between maintaining or cutting off contact.

Then, when he saw Lin Si staring wide-eyed at his front door, gripping the ID scanner like a lost child, that was when he finally confirmed—Lin Si was the naive, foolish romantic from the internet.

It had taken him some effort to transition from liking ‘Forget Love’ to liking Lin Si as ‘Forget Love’.

And that was not even counting Lin Si’s deep-seated hatred for the Lu family.

He shouldn’t have met Lin Si while he still harbored such hostility. But what made him finally decide to meet in person—was the fact that Lin Si, after being temporarily marked by him, had started avoiding both Lu Wei and Y.

And no matter who he was—Lu Wei or Y—he couldn’t stand seeing Lin Si so miserable.

That was why he had no choice but to reveal himself.

“I never meant to deceive you.”

Lin Si opened his eyes and stared at him for a long time. Then, without a word, he pulled the blanket over his head, covering himself completely.

Lin Si had seen the exhaustion on Lu Wei’s face.

It tugged at something inside him, made his heart ache—but the moment he remembered this was Lu Wei, the sympathy disappeared like mist, leaving only a faint, bitter taste.

“I don’t want to see you.”

Lin Si’s muffled voice came from under the blanket. “I like Y. But I don’t like you.”

You are not him.

So all the love I once confessed—none of it belongs to you.

“Can you leave?” Lin Si asked. “I need some air.”

Lu Wei stood by the bed for a long time before saying, “I’ll come back tonight.”

“Don’t.” Lin Si refused bluntly.

Their meeting had already begun its countdown to an inevitable goodbye.

Before leaving, Lu Wei noticed that Lin Si’s water cup was too close to the edge of the table. He quietly pushed it inward, then glanced at the tiny tuft of black hair peeking out from under the blanket.

Without another word, he turned and left.

Liao Ji was waiting outside. When Lu Wei stepped out, Liao Ji didn’t know what to say.

His stance was completely different from Lin Si’s. Lin Si might be conflicted about his feelings for Y, but Liao Ji had no such hesitation—he fully believed Lu Wei was a bastard.

No Lu family member was ever any good.

“Take care of him.” Lu Wei’s voice was low.

Liao Ji sneered, “I don’t need your orders, President Lu. I know how to do my job.”

Lu Wei had no energy to argue. He had been by Lin Si’s bedside ever since his susceptibility period ended. He was barely holding himself together.

Before leaving, he instructed, “Let me know when Lin Si is discharged and goes home.”

He didn’t wait for Liao Ji’s response and turned away, walking through the empty corridor before disappearing around the corner.

Liao Ji watched his retreating figure—it looked utterly desolate.

He had never seen Lu Wei in such a sorry state. Maybe no one had.

Aside from the satisfaction of seeing him suffer, Liao Ji also felt a strange sense of relief. At least from the way he looked, it seemed that Lu Wei truly cared about Lin Si.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Lin Si had already sat up in bed, leaning against the pillows, his eyes staring blankly at the water cup on the nightstand.

“How are you feeling?” Liao Ji asked.

Lin Si snapped out of his daze, lowered his gaze, and murmured, “I’m fine. Just had a long dream… my head feels a little dizzy.”

“What did you dream about? You looked restless while you were sleeping.”

Liao Ji reached out to touch the water cup. It was already cold. He picked it up, intending to get fresh water, but Lin Si stopped him.

“Give it to me.”

Lin Si held the cup in his hands. “Just pour it into a disposable cup.”

Liao Ji figured he just wanted to hold something and didn’t think much of it.

“You’ve been asleep for a whole week. Li Jicheng said your heat arrived—it wasn’t a false heat this time, it was real. That’s why it lasted an entire week.”

“Really?” Lin Si muttered, staring at the water. He caught a faint reflection of himself in the liquid. He swirled the cup, breaking the illusion, making it vanish.

Liao Ji replaced the cup with warm water and continued, “It’s been rough these past few days. Normally, an Omega’s heat comes with full awareness, but not yours. The gland surgery you had must’ve affected it. Luckily, Li Jicheng was prepared for this in advance.”

He glanced at Lin Si. “I heard that because of your pheromones, Lu Wei went straight into an Alpha susceptibility period. But his medication was strong—he recovered in five days.”

“When can I be discharged?” Lin Si interrupted.

He crossed his arms and rested his forehead against them, his voice muffled. “I don’t want to stay here any longer.”

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Author’s Note: Alright, this is the last chapter of the angst! From now on, Lu Wei will start chasing his wife aka to the crematorium, and things will get much more lighthearted!

T/n: We are finally halfway done!!!🥁🎊🥰🙈Well, after reading this chapter, I’m even more convinced What ML did was right nd Lu Shaoming is a bastard nd that dean of the hospital too. But that mysterious man, I think is ML who saved our Si cub 🤔🤔 i really don’t know 🤔🫣 but Stay tuned guys 😉 😜. If you want to support me you can buy me a Ko-Fi or go to my paypal page. Happy Reading 🎉😀