74

The sun having set, the chill of early spring began to creep in. Even with the door and windows of the hospital ward closed, the temperature had noticeably become colder.

Shen Dai only had on a light sweater. It had actually been chillier when they left at dark this morning, but with Qiuqiu being so hot, he hadn’t paid attention to his own body temperature and was only just now realising he was cold.

He took a look at his mobile phone. In just a moment, the nurse would come to take Qiuqiu’s temperature. Touching him, he found that it already wasn’t very hot.

All of a sudden, a weight fell upon his shoulders, enveloping him in both a cold, woody scent and a lingering body heat, at once shutting out the surrounding chill. He looked down; it was the jacket of Qu Moyu’s suit. The suddenly increased concentration of ebony pheromones made him a little uneasy.

Before he could remove it, Qu Moyu sat down beside him and intercepted his hand. “Keep it on. You’re not wearing enough.” As he held onto Shen Dai’s wrist, Qu Moyu frowned. It was too thin. Like it could snap under his grip.

Shen Dai pulled his hand away, quietly watching as Qiuqiu slept soundly. The baby seemed to have calmed down by quite a bit; in all likelihood he was no longer feeling uncomfortable.

“His fever has probably subsided. But it’s best if you both stay here this evening just in case,” said Qu Moyu. “There should be everything you need here, otherwise, just let the nurse know.”

Shen Dai nodded. The VIP ward that Qiuqiu was staying in now was more luxurious than a five star hotel; It was definitely more prudent to stay here for another night of observation. Plus he didn’t want to bring Qiuqiu back to Cheng Zimei’s house and disrupt her sleep again.

“Even after he’s discharged, don’t go back to the hotel. Just move back to that apartment you stayed in the last time. Qiuqiu deserves to be in a better environment.”

Shen Dai slowly turned to look at Qu Moyu. “It’s been a while since I haven’t been at that hotel. I'm staying at Cheng Zimei's place now.”

Qu Moyu was slightly taken aback.

“And you still had the nerve to say that since you couldn’t get through to my phone, you went to the hotel to look for me,” continued Shen Dai, his expression perfectly composed, “Since you already have me under surveillance, you must know all about my resignation. President Qu, our relationship aside, don’t you find making things difficult for an employee who hasn’t done anything wrong a little beneath you?”

The hard-earned easy atmosphere between them quickly turned tense again. A slight furrow appeared between Qu Moyu’s brows. “I only wanted to delay things a little so you’d have more time to consider it carefully, and not rush into a decision that could affect the rest of your life.”

“I already made my mind up a year ago.”

“A-Dai, look at Qiuqiu. This may be his first time getting sick, but it won’t be his last. Who’s going to take care of him while you’re away at work? What kind of environment and educational resources will he grow up with? What kind of school will he attend in the future? What kind of career will he have? Are you really going to cram him into an overcrowded public hospital ward again in the future? Because you’d have to work to support the family, he’d end up neglected, unable to receive a good education or have better opportunities in life?”

Qu Moyu was, without question, skilled at negotiation. Seated at the negotiating table, he instinctively understood the other party’s desires, knew the value of his own chips, and pursued maximum benefit. Unfortunately, Shen Dai was not his business partner or his rival.

“The conditions in public hospitals may be poorer, but the majority of people still get cured of their illnesses there,” answered Shen Dai in a level voice. “Some children are driven to school by chauffeurs, while others take public transport or ride electric scooters; even if they get caught in the rain now and then, they still grow up healthy all the same. A one-year break in my career doesn’t mean I can’t get back on my feet. I’m confident I can still give Qiuqiu a good life.”

He gazed at Qu Moyu calmly. “Our definitions of what is ‘good’ are different. Your family has access to inexhaustible wealth, but does that mean they didn’t neglect you? Your father was single-mindedly determined to mould you into his perfect successor. Your mother was incapable of facing you because of losing her child. You believe that leading the good life means wealth, power, and the relentless pursuit of success. But I don’t believe that. And I would never teach my child that either.”

Qu Moyu’s expression had gradually darkened.

“You think that as long as you give me money and material comfort, I should willingly accept being your mistress, letting my son and I carry that inferior status on our backs.” Shen Dai let out a mocking laugh. “And if not, then I don’t know what’s good for me.”

“I…..”

“President Qu,” Shen Dai said, not giving him a chance to speak, “the reason you thought of me during your rut and imagine that you ‘like’ me is only an aftereffect of the mark. Nobody would treat the person they like the way you treated me. The day you marry someone of equal standing and mark them, you would naturally have no need for me anymore.”

Looking into Shen Dai’s glacial eyes, Qu Moyu felt an unbearable tightness in his chest. The more he recalled the way Shen Dai once looked at him with adoration, the more he couldn’t accept Shen Dai rejecting him and distancing himself.

That’s right. The desire he had for Shen Dai was only an aftereffect of the mark. That was what he told himself as well. But what about that year before rut then? The year when he had never truly forgotten Shen Dai for a single day? That year of anger, longing, and worry, finally reaching the breaking point due to Shen Dai’s departure? What words could he use to explain that? He could only rely on his own understanding and common sense to find a mundane approximation of that feeling: to like.

By no means did he believe feelings should be rejected altogether; he was human too, after all. But he needed to control the influence those feelings were having over his decisions. He could not allow someone like Shen Dai - this person capable of affecting him - to not be under his control. Whenever there was something he needed, he would obtain it no matter what; He needed Shen Dai.

But Shen Dai continued to reject him, whether he used gentle persuasion or coercion, whether he appealed to reason, or whether he offered lavish promises.

He was only an omega, someone who should have been powerless to resist him, so how could he be this stubborn and unyielding? Enough to leave him anxious and restless, stripped of any peace of mind and made to lose so much face?

Shen Dai’s influence over him had already reached a level that frightened him. How could he continue to indulge himself and let Shen Dai go unchecked?

At that moment, the nurse knocked on the door and came in.

Shen Dai turned to look away and got up at the same time.

The nurse took Qiuqiu’s temperature and said with a smile, “Just as expected, the fever’s gone down. Has he already had his milk?”

“Yes.”

“In that case he should recover very soon. Once he has a few more meals and gets his strength back, he’ll be well again. That’s just how children are.”

Shen Dai let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

After giving a few more instructions, the nurse left the ward.

Shen Dai took Qu Moyu’s jacket off and handed it back to him: “President Qu, you should head back first. I’ll stay here with Qiuqiu for the night.”

Qu Moyu looked at him, the pupils of his eyes dark and gloomy. “I’ll stay here with him as well. My pheromones can comfort him. He already accepts me.”

“It’s just because he’s ill. Once he gets better, we won’t need to trouble you anymore,” said Shen Dai. Still holding up the coat, he added with an indifferent expression, “President Qu, I appreciate your help today, but please be heading back.”

A sharp glint flashed across Qu Moyu’s eyes. He grabbed the coat in one swift motion, making use of the momentum to yank Shen Dai into his arms and hold him tightly against his chest. The delicately elegant scent of the epiphyllum refreshed him to the very core, and now that he had him in his arms he never wanted to let go.

Though Shen Dai was startled, he immediately remembered Qiuqiu still sleeping beside them. “Let go,” he hissed, struggling to break free. Qu Moyu’s arms were as unyielding as steel. Like being trapped in a cage, no matter how he struggled or shouted, he couldn’t break free. What was it going to take for him to break free?

A-Dai.” Qu Moyu’s voice had dropped into a hoarse murmur, carrying a raw, unembellished hurt. “Don’t be so stubborn anymore. Come back to me alright? We can go back to the way we were back then.” For someone who had never coaxed anyone in his life before, this already counted as begging.

“I don’t want to go back the way we were back then.”

‘Back then’ you enjoyed all the benefits while I endured all the pain.

A stupefying chill and tangled pain shot through Qu Moyu’s eyes. His limbs stiffened as he slowly released Shen Dai. In the end, he took one long look at his omega and son before snatching up his coat and leaving without even a backward glance.

・・・   

Shen Dai caught a few more hours of intermittent sleep at the hospital, waking whenever Qiuqiu began to stir, but at least he was able to get some rest.

The next morning, once Qiuqiu’s temperature had been taken, they left the hospital together.

By the time he got back to Cheng Zimei’s, she had already left for work.

After settling Qiuqiu down properly, he finally got round to replying to Bai Xiangwan and Xiao Die’s messages.

Even though they had been in contact over the past few days since he returned to Beijing, he didn’t feel like telling them about Qiuqiu’s fever. Instead, just as usual, he simply sent over a photo of Qiuqiu sleeping to report that everything was fine.

Not long afterward, he received a call from Bai Xiangwan.

Shen Dai knew he had to be calling to ask about his resignation. He hesitated briefly before deciding to tell him the truth. Being dismissed would undoubtedly leave a stain on his career and be an obstacle in future job searches, and headhunters usually had ways of digging everything up. Still, so long as the employer was willing to overlook it, it would not pose much of a problem for the time being.

Bai Xiangwan was still outraged after hearing the whole story. “What kind of bastardly logic is that? Didn’t Qu Moyu approve your long term absence himself? What is he trying to gain by deliberately making things hard for you now?”

“We aren’t exactly on good terms.” Not wanting to continue with the subject, Shen Dai forced himself to let out a casual laugh. “In any case, it’s all the same, I’ve finally quit. There are just a few minor things to deal with. Once I’m done with that in the next two days, I can go back to Lancheng.”

He wanted to make sure Qiuqiu had fully recovered before bringing him on a plane.

“Alright. If you have any problems just let me know directly. We’ve already set the position aside for you.”

“Thank you, Bai-Shixiong.”

“You don’t have to thank me. How is Qiuqiu? I kind of miss him.” Bai Xiangwan laughed. “I find it noisy when he’s around, but now that I don’t hear him cry anymore it feels a little odd.”

“He’s doing well. He was especially affectionate around my grandmother when he saw her,” said Shen Dai, laughing as well. “He definitely misses you and Xiao Die.”

Bai Xiangwan said nothing for a time. Then he murmured, “A-Dai. Come back soon.”

A warm feeling welled up in Shen Dai’s chest. “I will.”

After hanging up, he started planning his next course of action.

Having left in a hurry the first time, he had only brought a few things with him. But since he was truly leaving for good now, there were still some things that needed to be shipped over.

He needed to liaise with his grandmother beforehand and pick a time to pack when Shen Qin wouldn’t be home. According to her, Shen Qin had likely found another boyfriend and so recently was often out. Thankfully, Shen Qin had used the money he got from Qu Chengchen to hire two caretakers on rotation to look after her.

As she was unwilling to come to Lancheng with him, he would be leaving the apartment to her. So long as she was alive, she would always have somewhere to stay, and that at least gave him some peace of mind.

Being forced to leave one’s hometown inevitably came with its share of hardships. But wherever Qiuqiu and him were, that was his home.