Who Said You Could Hold Me?

Back at his river-view luxury apartment, Ye Qingpu sent the assistant away and plunged straight into the bathroom.

He took off his shirt and looked at the large and small red marks covering his body. Some had come from hitting things when he fell down the mountain, while others were...

The bite marks on his neck were scattered unevenly, and the pain at his waist kept him lucid. Furious, he gritted his teeth and punched the mirror.

The mirror did not break, but blood seeped through the bandages on his hand.

He did not know how to face himself now. He flung himself onto the bed, pulled out his backup phone, and searched for information about omegas.

When he saw the part about the knotting mark—requiring the omega's reproductive cavity to be opened...

He threw the phone away in shame and fury.

Then he stared blankly at the snow-white ceiling.

Forget it. Sleep.

Close his eyes, and everything would be fine. Once he was asleep, no bullshit could bother him.

Ye Qingpu curled beneath the covers and wrapped himself up tightly.

His sleep was far from peaceful. He kept having nightmares—dreaming of the time he had been kidnapped, dreaming of those criminals throwing a little boy off the cliff right in front of him. Though he had been stabbed, he had jumped after the boy.

In the end, his fall left his pheromones in disorder and broke four ribs unevenly. Still, thankfully, the little boy had cushioned his fall.

The criminals came down, buried the little boy alive, then left him behind, barely clinging to life.

On an ordinary rainy night when he was eighteen, he lay alone in a pool of blood beneath the cliff and underwent his secondary differentiation—hastily, yet fortunately.

It felt like a joke.

Yet the word beta, brought up over and over again, kept warning him that none of it was a dream.

He had gone from being a high-quality recessive alpha to, tragically, a beta.

During that period, he suffered blows to both body and mind. He grew so thin that even his broken ribs were clearly visible. Just as he was gradually accepting reality, his parents died in a car accident, and his hypocritical uncle stole the business his father had built from nothing.

He became an orphan living under someone else's roof, watching his uncle's alpha children receive elite educations every day.

He refused to accept it. He forced himself to pull himself together and spent ten years clawing his way forward as a beta.

At the start of those ten years, he had lived in underground workplaces, eaten spoiled rice, fought rats for food, and shamelessly struggled to survive every day. To put it bluntly, with his status as a beta, even if he offered himself for free, no one would want him.

Over those ten years, he gradually achieved some success. He became much smoother in dealing with people and successfully seized back the business his father had left behind, which his uncle's family had squandered into decline. He gritted his teeth and worked himself like a dog every day. For a single proposal, he drank with clients until his stomach bled, all while enduring the prejudice and unfair treatment people constantly showed toward betas.

Ten years later, he became Harbor City's universally known richest man. He bought a home in the best location, yet could only live according to a health-conscious diet. He no longer needed to curry favor with anyone.

Countless dignitaries gave him their respect. Everyone gave him some face. He had walked silently for ten years, yet not a single person praised this beta for doing well. They merely sighed regretfully after toasting him: How could the richest man be a beta?

He dreamed of many things.

This sleep felt as though it had lasted an entire lifetime.

When he opened his eyes, tears still clung to the corners of them. A warm hand was gently stroking away the dampness there.

"Brother... you're awake?"

Pei Jiaqian spoke tentatively.

Ye Qingpu frowned and simply closed his eyes.

Out of sight, out of mind.

But the persistent growling of his stomach made the tips of his ears flush red.

"Brother, are you hungry?"

Pei Jiaqian instinctively took hold of his pale, bloodless hand. An IV needle was inserted into the back of it.

Ye Qingpu tried to speak, but not a sound came out. His throat was dry and stinging. Panic rose in him as he wondered if he had gone mute.

"Don't worry. I'll get you some water."

Limping, Pei Jiaqian pulled over the bedside table, poured a cup of warm water, and adjusted the bed so Ye Qingpu could sit propped up.

"Drink slowly. Don't choke."

Watching the water in the cup quickly disappear, Pei Jiaqian smiled gently.

After drinking, Ye Qingpu's throat felt much better. Only then did he realize he was in a hospital.

"How did I end up here?"

His voice was unbearably hoarse. He clearly remembered that he should have been at home.

"After you went back last time, you lost contact with your assistant. He went to your home and found you lying motionless in bed. After rushing you to the hospital, the doctor said you were only unconscious because of differentiation withdrawal."

Pei Jiaqian explained as he peeled an orange for him.

"Differentiation withdrawal?"

Ye Qingpu did not take it, frowning in confusion.

"It means your third differentiation exceeded what your body could handle. Normally, the differentiation period does not consume too much stamina, but because your health is poor, your body activated a protective mechanism. Your mind remained awake, but your body fell into deep sleep."

Pei Jiaqian broke off half the peeled orange and held it to Ye Qingpu's lips.

Ye Qingpu glanced at it and turned his head away.

"I don't like oranges."

"Then strawberries? Blueberries? Durian? Bananas? Do you want some cake?" Pei Jiaqian asked, pulling out bag after bag of food. "The doctor wasn't sure when you would wake up, so I prepared some every day just in case."

Hearing that, Ye Qingpu sniffed and glanced at the things on the bedside table. He spotted the little cake at once, paused for a few seconds, then looked away as though he did not care and asked in a muffled voice.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Today is the fourth day. Don't worry, your assistant has handled things at the company very well."

As Pei Jiaqian answered, he opened the cake box, scooped up a spoonful, and held it to Ye Qingpu's lips.

"Who said I wanted any?" Ye Qingpu shot him a look and snorted coldly.

"I want Brother to eat the little cake I bought. Okay?" Pei Jiaqian coaxed, his gaze sincere.

Ye Qingpu pursed his lips. Fine, he would reluctantly indulge him.

Seeing him eat it, Pei Jiaqian smiled gently.

"Is it good?"

"Barely."

Ye Qingpu answered, instinctively opening his mouth when Pei Jiaqian scooped up another spoonful.

Pei Jiaqian watched him quietly.

During the days Ye Qingpu had been unconscious, he had thought about many things and realized that he seemed to have done something wrong.

But the outcome was beyond anything he had expected. Turning Ye Qingpu into an omega had been completely unforeseen.

Over the past four days, Ye Qingpu had slept restlessly and even cried in his daze.

It broke Pei Jiaqian's heart. He could only wipe away Ye Qingpu's tears as gently as possible. Whenever Ye Qingpu unconsciously opened his eyes through sleepiness, Pei Jiaqian would ask, "Are you awake?" Yet when he closed his eyes again, Pei Jiaqian would silently feel disappointed.

It happened over and over again, so when he had just confirmed that Ye Qingpu was awake, his eyes had reddened with excitement.

Ye Qingpu was lost in thought and had become distracted. He pulled himself back, his head still somewhat foggy.

"What did you just say?"

"I said I already pressed the call button for the doctor."

Ye Qingpu nodded. Just as Pei Jiaqian finished speaking, a doctor and nurse knocked and entered the room.

"Mr. Ye, do you feel any discomfort?" the doctor asked.

"No, thank you," Ye Qingpu answered.

"Are you dizzy?" the doctor asked again.

"No."

"Alright, we'll remove your drainage tube now."

"Mm, alright... huh?"

Ye Qingpu instinctively lifted the blanket, frowned, then looked up at Pei Jiaqian in embarrassment and anger. In his usual commanding tone, he said.

"You. Get out."

"Alright, alright." Pei Jiaqian smiled helplessly and left the room with his cane.

When Pei Shuang arrived carrying a lunchbox, she saw her brother standing outside the door on one leg, leaning against the wall and playing with a lighter.

Looking at him, he was probably thinking about smoking again.

She snatched the lighter from his hand, shoved the lunchbox into his arms, then looked at the tightly shut hospital room and asked.

"Where is he? Why are you standing outside?"

"He just woke up. They're removing the tube, and he got embarrassed and kicked me out."

"...You seem pretty proud of that."

Seeing the red veins in Pei Jiaqian's eyes, Pei Shuang felt a little heartache for him, but she still teased him.

"You've been guarding him for days and couldn't even be bothered to take care of yourself. Look at you, you've grown a beard."

"Fuck, seriously?" Pei Jiaqian immediately frowned and raised a hand to touch around his mouth. Sure enough, it felt prickly.

He leaned heavily against the wall and sighed.

"It's over. Brother saw me looking this sloppy."

"Look at you, acting like half your soul has died. Little brother, with all my experience from reading countless novels, let me tell you this: a man—especially a real man's man—cannot become lovesick over an omega."

Pei Shuang patted his shoulder.

"But he's not some other omega. He's the omega I like." Pei Jiaqian rubbed his hair in distress.

"Tsk. You're hopeless."

Pei Shuang sighed and stepped aside to make room for the doctor and nurse coming out of the hospital room.

"Young Master Pei, Mr. Ye asked you to come in," the doctor added before leaving.

Pei Jiaqian's eyes lit up.

"There, he's calling for you. I'll head back first. I'll bring you dinner again tonight." With that, Pei Shuang walked away in her high heels.

"Bye, Sis."

Pei Jiaqian ruffled his hair, picked up the lunchbox, and entered the room with his cane.

Ye Qingpu was struggling to sit up. If he had not been left with no other choice, he would never have called Pei Jiaqian in.

"What is it, Brother? Do you need help with something?"

Pei Jiaqian placed the lunchbox on the table.

Ye Qingpu looked at him silently, as though battling with himself internally.

"Hmm?" Confused, Pei Jiaqian stepped closer. "What did you say, Brother? Your voice was too soft. I couldn't hear you."

"I need to use the bathroom." Ye Qingpu said it at lightning speed, his face full of embarrassment.

"Okay, I'll help you there."

Pei Jiaqian nodded and immediately raised his hand. Ye Qingpu instinctively grabbed his arm, trying to support his sore, weak body after sleeping for too long, but Pei Jiaqian wrapped an arm around his waist and effortlessly lifted him from the bed.

"...What are you doing?"

Ye Qingpu stood barefoot on top of Pei Jiaqian's shoes, utterly speechless.

"Didn't you want to go to the bathroom?" Pei Jiaqian looked completely innocent.

"I told you to support me, not hold me! Let go!"

Ye Qingpu pressed a palm against his face and pushed him away.

"Fine..." Pei Jiaqian pursed his lips in disappointment.