Hunger Strike

This sight shocked Lindsay more than anything he had ever seen before.

Before this, no one had ever been able to control White Phoenix when he was completely unconscious and aggressive.

That was Elaine, the God of Slaughter!

Yet now, not only had he stopped, he had even shielded Shi Sheng beneath his wings.

Shi Sheng, meanwhile, had no time to be shocked, nor did he feel the joy of surviving a disaster. His heart was simply tormented by an unending ache.

He hugged Elaine tightly, tears surging uncontrollably from his eyes.

Hoarse, broken sounds spilled from his throat. All he wanted was for Elaine to return to normal.

White Phoenix remained standing in the position of shielding Shi Sheng for a long time before finally lowering his head toward him.

Shi Sheng looked up happily. Before he could smile, however, he seemed to understand the meaning in Elaine's golden eyes.

His heart jolted. He instinctively tightened his embrace, but Elaine released him and pushed him in Lindsay's direction.

[Elaine!]

So he wanted to push him away. It was actually that easy.

Lindsay had just caught Shi Sheng when White Phoenix spread his wings.

Shi Sheng hurriedly shoved Lindsay aside and ran over, but White Phoenix had already smashed through the window and flown out.

All he could see was that white figure soaring into the sky.

Lindsay hurriedly grabbed Shi Sheng as he rushed toward the windowsill.

Shi Sheng struggled fiercely, desperately trying to say something, but not a single sound came out.

"It's okay, it's okay." Lindsay tried to soothe him. "He just didn't want to hurt you."

Shi Sheng shook his head and tried to run toward the windowsill again.

Lindsay had no choice but to say, "Can you even catch up to him like this? It's useless!"

Shi Sheng froze and looked out the window. Elaine was nowhere to be seen.

The Omega finally quieted down. Somewhat blankly, he looked around, released Lindsay's hand, and began searching for something.

"...Sister-in-law?" Lindsay asked worriedly. "What are you looking for? I'll help you."

Shi Sheng did not answer. After a long while, he found the voice device amid the mess and bent down to pick it up.

"Where, will, Elaine, go?"

Lindsay fell silent for a moment. "He'll come back once he recovers."

"You're, lying." For the first time, Shi Sheng's face showed a hint of anger. "He, hasn't, recovered. It, got, worse."

"This is actually... normal too." Lindsay did not know what else to say.

Shi Sheng pressed the voice device hard. "I, want, to, find, Elaine."

"His, condition, is, bad. Others, Military Department, hurt, him."

He pressed the buttons in fits and starts, making the electronic voice sound somewhat strained.

But Lindsay understood. Shi Sheng was afraid the Military Department would send people to find Elaine, and if he was still out of control, he would inevitably be injured during the attempt to restrain him.

Lindsay's feelings were complicated.

Elaine had long instructed him not to let Shi Sheng get close while he was in beast form.

But how could Shi Sheng possibly listen to him?

Having no other choice, Lindsay approached Shi Sheng while trying to persuade him.

The Omega stubbornly kept pressing the voice device. When he saw Lindsay would not agree, he tried to leave on his own.

"Sister-in-law!" Lindsay gritted his teeth. A syringe slid from his sleeve into his hand, and he plunged it into the side of Shi Sheng's neck.

I just hope neither of them curses me once they recover.

Nearly in tears, Lindsay caught Shi Sheng as his body went limp.

When Shi Sheng woke again, another day had already passed.

The vast Carlos family estate was still cold and deserted.

It took him a while to remember what had happened. He hurriedly got out of bed and walked outside.

The moment he opened the door, he saw Yumian sitting blankly on the sofa in the outer room of the bedroom.

"You're awake?!" Yumian hurriedly stood up. "How... how are you? I'll have Merico bring you something to eat."

Shi Sheng turned his head and looked around.

Yumian hesitated before saying, "Are you looking for Big Brother? He isn't here."

Shi Sheng turned back, picked up the voice device, and asked anxiously, "Elaine, still, hasn't, recovered?"

He bit his lip. "It's, been, so, many, days!"

His fingers pressed down hard, and even the electronic voice seemed to carry a trace of worry and anger.

Yumian had heard about what happened that day from Lindsay. Afraid Shi Sheng would recklessly go looking for Elaine again, he quickly said:

"Okay, okay, he recovered ages ago! Big Brother just went to the Military Department to handle some work."

When Shi Sheng looked at him suspiciously, Yumian guiltily looked away.

But on second thought, Elaine truly had recovered, and he truly was at the Military Department. It was not exactly a lie.

So he said, "Really. You know the Military Department can't go a single day without him."

Then he thought of an excellent reason to convince him. "Don't worry too much either, or Big Brother will have to worry about you while he's so busy."

Shi Sheng was half-convinced, half-doubtful, but he was indeed persuaded by those words.

He did not want to stay in the bedroom, so he went to the dining room with Yumian.

By coincidence, Izel had just returned as well. He told them, "In a few days, the Crown Prince will have someone send Noah back."

Yumian frowned. "What do you mean?"

Shi Sheng was also somewhat surprised. This was not a plot he knew.

Yumian asked, "You went to see A-Zhao?"

"It's already settled. There's no use being anxious." Izel lazily took a sip of coffee. "Go do whatever you need to do, and stop thinking about becoming the Crown Princess."

Yumian suddenly bristled. "What are you talking about on your own? I said I would handle this. Why did you interfere?!"

Izel replied calmly, "How were you going to handle it?"

Seeing the atmosphere turn tense, Shi Sheng tugged lightly on Yumian.

For some reason, Yumian was especially angry. An inexplicable fury burned through his entire body.

Then suddenly, a soft force settled against his back.

Shi Sheng gently patted him.

It was as if he were saying, calm down, it's okay.

And Yumian's anger truly extinguished itself for the first time in his life.

He looked blankly at Shi Sheng, then pressed a hand to his own chest.

He had always known that he was easily angered, but this was the first time he had been soothed so easily.

That was right. What was there for him to be angry at Izel about?

Yumian pursed his lips and snorted coldly at Izel. "Fine. It's naturally best if that guy can be sent back."

A trace of coldness flashed through the young master's eyes. "Once he falls into our hands, there'll be plenty for him to..."

[No. We can't let Noah get close to Yumian again.]

His words were interrupted by the sudden thought.

Yumian froze. Both he and Izel looked at Shi Sheng.

Shi Sheng did not notice their gazes. His expression was somewhat grave.

[Although things have already diverged far from the plot I know, the protagonist Omega still has several pursuers!]

[They'd do anything for Noah. In the ending, Yumian was thrown into the sea to feed the sharks by them.]

[But which Alpha killed Yumian in the end? Why can't I remember...]

[Other than Lanreese, who else could it be?]

Countless emotions flickered across Yumian's face. In the end, he could only stare blankly at Shi Sheng.

Finally, Izel said to Yumian, "Stop thinking about it. I'll take him somewhere else."

Yumian wanted to say something else, but after holding it in for a long time, he forcibly swallowed it back.

He did not care about Noah anymore. All he wanted to know was which audacious Alpha had dared to feed him to the fish!

Seeing that Yumian had finally stopped insisting on marrying the Crown Prince, Izel let out a tired breath.

Then he recalled his conversation with Ning Zhao not long ago.

After he explained why he had approached Noah, Ning Zhao had fallen silent for a long time before suddenly telling him that Noah could be sent back.

Ning Zhao would arrange it, but he still maintained his previous condition.

Izel had originally intended to refuse, but after seeing Ning Zhao beneath the moonlight, he changed his mind.

He did not know why he cared whether the other man would continue hurting himself.

He had only instinctively felt that he should agree first, then persuade Ning Zhao to seek treatment.

Besides, being by Ning Zhao's side would make it easier to learn about the royal family's movements.

So he said, "Deal."

After eating, Shi Sheng wanted to go to the Military Department to find Elaine, but Yumian and the butler persuaded him to return on the grounds that he would disturb the Marshal's work.

He suppressed his anxious feelings and waited until nightfall.

The Carlos family estate was silent, no different from usual.

Shi Sheng tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and ran to the terrace countless times.

There was no White Phoenix, nor was there Elaine, always in military uniform, bringing him a bouquet of flowers.

His wristband suddenly chimed. Shi Sheng hurriedly opened it.

The light in his eyes when he saw Elaine's name dimmed abruptly after he read the message.

Elaine said: Get some rest and take care of yourself.

There was nothing else.

Shi Sheng asked when he would return, but received no reply.

After enduring the night until dawn, Shi Sheng no longer listened to anyone's objections. He stubbornly boarded a hovercraft to go to the Military Department.

But the control panel showed that his piloting authorization had been temporarily restricted.

Merico rushed over, wiped away his sweat, and said with forced composure, "Madam, the master is worried about your health, so if you need to go out recently, I'll accompany you."

Shi Sheng expressionlessly pressed the voice device. "Then, take me, to, the Military Department."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible." Merico hurriedly changed the subject. "The weather is quite nice today. How about I accompany you to the flower market in the city?"

Shi Sheng stubbornly tried to activate the control panel again. The cold mechanical voice repeatedly informed him that he lacked operating authorization.

In the end, he withdrew his hand, sat there blankly for a while, then jumped down from the hovercraft and returned to the manor.

Merico asked worriedly, "Madam?"

Shi Sheng said nothing and returned to the bedroom that belonged only to him.

He understood now.

Elaine might truly have recovered, but he did not want to see him.

Shi Sheng would not be angry. Elaine must have his reasons for doing this.

But Shi Sheng also had his own reason for insisting on seeing Elaine.

After Shi Sheng refused another meal for who knew how many times, Merico realized something was terribly wrong.

He brought several maids to persuade him in turns for a long time. Yumian came over several times a day, and even Izel stopped by once.

But Shi Sheng refused to leave the bedroom. None of the food delivered to him for three meals a day had been touched.

Merico could only repeat helplessly, "No matter what, you can't treat your body like a joke."

Shi Sheng sat beneath the windowsill and expressionlessly pressed, "I'm, not, joking."

He had said long ago that he wanted to see Elaine.

But Merico always said Elaine would return in a few days.

He waited day after day, but Elaine never came back.

Even when he secretly took a taxi to the Military Department, he could not get through the gates. In the end, even after the adjutant personally sent him back, he still did not see Elaine.

Shi Sheng did not want to wait anymore.

First, he apologized to everyone in his heart. Then he stubbornly refused all food.

The meaning was clear. Before seeing Elaine, he would refuse any contact with the outside world, including food.

Merico anxiously tried to persuade him for an entire day.

By the next day, he knew he could no longer hide this from Elaine.

Shi Sheng dragged the sofa beside the floor-to-ceiling window and stubbornly sat there waiting.

If Elaine came back in beast form, this would be the closest place.

But he had gone more than twenty-four hours without food or water. His face had turned pale, and at some point, exhaustion had pulled him into sleep.

He woke amid the familiar scent of pheromones he had not smelled in so long.

When he opened his eyes, a hand was reaching over to pull up the thin blanket that had slipped to his waist.

Shi Sheng instantly became alert. He sat up abruptly and threw his arms around Elaine.

The Alpha's body stiffened. His hand paused in midair for a moment before finally settling on Shi Sheng's shoulder.

"Why are you treating your body like a joke?"

Elaine's voice was soft, without any hint of accusation.

Breathing in that familiar scent, Shi Sheng felt a little wronged. He hugged Elaine tightly and did not answer.

Sensing Elaine trying to push him away, Shi Sheng hurriedly wrapped both his arms and legs around him.

Elaine sighed. "You need to eat something."

Shi Sheng shook his head.

"Be good." Elaine's voice was a little hoarse. "If you get sick, I'll worry."

Shi Sheng heard him clearly and quickly looked up.

It was the first time he had seen such obvious exhaustion on Elaine's face.

Even dressed in that stern military uniform, the Alpha was still as tall and hard-edged as ever.

But the way he looked at Shi Sheng made Shi Sheng's nose sting.

Shi Sheng obediently let go and signed.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to see you."

Halfway through, the grievance he had just struggled to suppress welled up again, and he signed with a little more force.

"It's all because Elaine wouldn't see me."

"I was so worried."

Then his hands were grasped, interrupting his somewhat disordered signs.

Elaine only said, "Eat something first, okay?"