Chapter 58: Return
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His fingers were warm. When An Lan circled his fingertips, there was a feeling that he could protect him too.
Footsteps approached from the corridor; the doctor on rounds was here.
An Lan immediately let go of Gu Liyu’s hand and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
As soon as the attending doctor came in, he saw Gu Liyu still leaning on the bed and couldn’t help but sigh. He shook Gu Liyu’s shoulder and said, “Student Gu? Wake up, Student Gu.”
Gu Liyu’s eyelashes trembled, and he sat up.
“There’s a bed right next to you. If you’re tired, you should rest on it. And the pheromone paralytic in your body hasn’t completely metabolized; you should rest more.”
Although An Lan kept his eyes closed, hearing this caused a sharp pain in his heart.
Gu Liyu, this guy, clearly wasn’t in good health. Why didn’t he rest on the nearby bed?
“I’m fine. Doctor, how long will An Lan wake up? He’s slept for so long.”
“Don’t worry. The blood test results from this morning show that his body is fine. It’s just that his pheromone levels are a bit low, a natural result of him excessively consuming his own pheromones in a short time. It will recover after some time. But… be careful not to let him come into contact with your Aplus again. You understand the reason, right?”
“I understand.”
Now An Lan was completely sure. The person who bit him outside the KTV was indeed Gu Liyu.
Because the doctor didn’t mention Aplus from any alpha but specifically referred to Gu Liyu’s Aplus.
This guy really knew how to hide.
And he did so much for him but never mentioned a word. Was he a ninja turtle?
An Lan felt both angry and heartbroken.
He seemed to guess the reason why Gu Liyu concealed everything.
For Gu Liyu, everything that happened to Gu Yunli was an inescapable shadow. To Gu Liyu, excessively caring about someone’s outcome meant going crazy, just like his father, until in the end, no one he cared about could stay by his side.
Understanding his struggle and hesitation, An Lan felt guilty. Why didn’t he discover it earlier?
The attending doctor checked An Lan’s blood pressure and heartbeat, strengthened his nutrient infusion, patted Gu Liyu’s shoulder, and said, “Classmate, go sleep in the adjacent bed. Otherwise, I’ll immediately issue a discharge notice.”
Now they were both under police protection, with two special forces officers sitting at the door. Even the entire floor of the hospital was isolated.
If Gu Liyu received a discharge notice, he would have to leave, unable to stay with An Lan.
Always doing things his own way, Gu Liyu, who seemed to live in his own world, obediently went to the next bed and laid down.
When the doctor on rounds left, An Lan still didn’t open his eyes because he was worried that Gu Liyu might be lying there, watching him.
The air carried a very faint scent of oceanic pheromones. Even though Gu Liyu restrained it seamlessly, An Lan could still sense it.
It was as if these pheromones naturally existed for him.
“I know you’re awake,” Gu Liyu’s voice came.
An Lan’s fingertips trembled slightly. He thought that indeed, he was a high-quality alpha; his sensitivity was too acute.
Pretending to be asleep all the time was also very tiring. An Lan opened his eyes, and sure enough, Gu Liyu was lying on his side, watching him.
Although there was a distance of two meters between them, An Lan felt that Gu Liyu’s eyes were right in front of him, deep and ethereal, with something hooking in his heart.
His body felt a bit feverish, and the heat spread from his heart to his ears. Being stared at like this by Gu Liyu, An Lan really wanted to pull the curtain over.
But if he really pulled the curtain, he wouldn’t see those eyes, and An Lan would feel reluctant.
“When did you wake up?” An Lan asked.
Having slept for a long time, he spoke for the first time in many days, sounding a bit hoarse.
“When you moved my arm,” Gu Liyu replied.
His tone sounded open and calm, but An Lan keenly felt a subtle fluctuation.
—Gu Liyu was nervous.
Even though Gu Liyu’s face showed no ripples, he was undoubtedly nervous when his long-concealed secret was suddenly known to someone else.
“Why are there needle marks on your arm?” An Lan asked.
“Because of blood donation.”
“Your needle marks haven’t healed, indicating that you often donate blood. Why do you need to donate so much blood?”
Gu Liyu’s eyelids drooped, and after a pause of two or three seconds, he answered, “To purify pheromones.”
“Why do you need to purify pheromones?” An Lan asked again.
Gu Liyu remained silent for a long time, finally answering, “To balance the pheromones in your body and facilitate the smooth differentiation into an alpha.”
“So, the person who helped me in the KTV restroom, was it you?”
When this question came, An Lan realized that not only Gu Liyu, but even his own voice was trembling.
“Yes.”
The entire ward suddenly fell silent, and only the rhythmic sound of monitoring equipment at the bedside could be heard.
And Gu Liyu’s heartbeat, stronger and faster than usual.
He was nervous.
A huge secret was about to be revealed, or maybe it was never a secret from the beginning.
He bit him, on the back of his neck, not on the wrist, not on the arm, not any ordinary place just to save him, but on a spot full of symbolic meaning.
“But why did you go to the KTV? Can you sing?” An Lan’s voice became even lighter.
It was this kind of response that gradually calmed Gu Liyu’s rapidly beating heart.
“I originally didn’t plan to go because I really can’t sing… But Xingran said you were there, so I went.”
“Hey, Gu Liyu,” An Lan smiled and called his name.
“Hmm?”
“Thank you for saving me. And not just once,” An Lan looked at him and said.
Gu Liyu was stunned for a moment, seemingly surprised that An Lan didn’t blame him at all. After all, if it weren’t for that bite, an excessive amount of Aplus wouldn’t have entered An Lan’s body, causing such a complex situation for his differentiation.
If at that time, any high-quality alpha had bitten An Lan, because of the lack of desire, the Aplus content would be very low, and it wouldn’t have such a significant impact on An Lan. Perhaps by now, he would have been a complete alpha.
An Lan looked at Gu Liyu, whose eyebrows were still lowered, and easily guessed what he was thinking.
He had become accustomed to restraining the feelings in his heart as much as possible. He needed to step by step overcome the shadow left by Gu Yunli. An Lan knew he needed to be more tolerant and make more efforts to make Gu Liyu believe that he was strong enough to face everything together with him.
“Was this plan of yours discussed with Xu Xingran and Xiao Chen?” An Lan asked.
“Yes,” Gu Liyu replied.
Gu Liyu really wasn’t good at chatting. After answering those two words, he didn’t continue?
But An Lan didn’t feel it was boring; it was quite fulfilling to make Gu Liyu keep talking. If it weren’t for the fact that he was on a nutrient drip, he would definitely go to the other side of the bed.
“What… What was your plan?” An Lan shifted slightly towards the edge of the bed, watching Gu Liyu with great interest. “Analyze it for me, don’t keep me in the dark as the person involved.”
“Firstly, according to the information the police have been receiving, ‘Eden’ has likely infiltrated many alpha families. When you were taken by ‘Eden,’ we were puzzled about how ‘Eden’ noticed you. My first suspicion was your attending physician, Cheng Huan. He has all your medical records. But Xiao Chen and Xu Xingran had another speculation; that is, your recent relationship with Xiao Chen attracted the attention of Xiao Yun. Was your disappearance caused by Xiao Yun’s mischief?”
“Then what?” An Lan asked. “How did you verify it?”
“People from ‘Eden’ don’t know whose Aplus exactly has a catalytic effect on your differentiation, so they would inevitably contact each of us, trying to lure us into their trap. So, when Xiao Chen received information from ‘Eden,’ he sent a paper that Xu Xingran had prepared in advance about the destructive effects of purifying Aplus on alpha heart function to Xiao Yun’s email. He also created some web pages for ‘professional medical papers’ and planted them in Xiao Yun and Han Li’s collection. Xiao Yun and his mother, Han Li, indeed took action, wanting to stop Xiao Chen, but Xiao Chen would definitely go to you. Because having Xiao Chen go to you was one of our plans.”
“Wait a minute, Xiao Chen… actually hacked Xiao Yun and Han Li’s computers, right? He’s that skilled?” An Lan suddenly gained a new understanding of Xiao Chen.
“We are all very skilled,” Gu Liyu replied.
This indicated that Gu Liyu acknowledged Xiao Chen’s abilities. It was really rare.
“What happened next?”
“Based on some clues, Xu Xingran found the contact point of ‘Eden,’ pretended to ally with ‘Eden,’ successfully went to the place where they were holding you. Xu Xingran voluntarily became their Aplus donor, constantly hinting that he was the alpha affecting your differentiation. The leader of ‘Eden,’ K, believed it. He wanted to use Xu Xingran’s Aplus to convert you into an omega. But we anticipated this, so we prepared in advance.”
“Prepared? What kind of preparation?”
Gu Liyu wasn’t really good at storytelling because there was no scene rendering, not even much fluctuation in his voice. It was like reciting a Chinese class text, but An Lan didn’t find it boring at all. If it weren’t for the fact that he was on an IV drip, he would definitely run to the other side of the bed.
“My cousin, Gu Qingchuan, has been researching on Eve’s Apple. The research results on peeling off the pheromones Aplus are also from his side. After he found for the first time that my Aplus affects your differentiation, he developed a drug. This drug can destroy an important peptide chain of Aplus. Although this peptide chain does not affect the characteristics of Aplus, it makes Aplus lose its marking ability.”
“So… did Captain and Xiao Chen both use this drug?” An Lan became nervous. Would this drug have a profound impact on their pheromones or even their physical health?
“The metabolism time of this drug is one month.”
Hearing this, An Lan breathed a sigh of relief.
“With this kind of Aplus entering your body, it will be rejected by your body’s immune system. The alpha nerves in your brain will produce a large amount of pheromones to resist this invasion. At this time, you will experience symptoms of rejection, such as high fever, trembling, mental confusion, and so on. K panicked. At this point, Xu Xingran told K that to make your body accept such a large dose of Aplus, a binding agent was needed.”
“Binding agent?” An Lan frowned. Why had he never heard of such a thing?
“At this point, whether Doctor Cheng is a spy or not can be verified. ‘Eden’ sent an alpha pretending to be you, was admitted to the hospital, and Doctor Cheng dared to come to the rescue. He contacted the Alpha Management Committee to send the binding agent. They then took advantage of the power outage to send the binding agent out of the hospital. But that binding agent contained a tracking chip, helping us all the way to find the factory where ‘Eden’ was lurking.”
An Lan was stunned; the plan was actually a series of interconnected steps, gradually exposing the suspected mole among them.
“Binding agent… Is it true?”
Gu Liyu shook his head, “There’s no binding agent at all. The gene sequence responsible for alpha marking cannot be easily decoded. The so-called binding agent is just highly concentrated nutrient solution, which helps your body’s immune system resist foreign Aplus and increases the level of alpha pheromones in your body.”
This explained why An Lan, in that state, was able to intimidate “Eden’s” high-quality alpha with pheromones.
“So, is Dr. Cheng also from ‘Eden’?”
“Yes.”
Gu Liyu’s answer sent shivers down An Lan’s spine.
“Eden” was everywhere, like an invisible web, subtly controlling everything.
And the extent to which this web had penetrated, no one knew.
“Gu Liyu, there’s something I want to tell you. I think… ‘Eden’ is related to the uncontrollable pheromones of your father.” An Lan said.
“Why?” Gu Liyu’s brow furrowed.
An Lan knew that everything about Gu Yunli was very important to Gu Liyu, so he didn’t want to hide it from him. However, he also didn’t want him to be excessively immersed in this matter. After all, Gu Yunli was Gu Yunli, and even though Gu Liyu inherited his genes, they were definitely different.
“‘Eden’s’ people simulated the pheromones of Xu, Xiao, and the Gu family. I’m not sure if what I smelled at that time was necessarily Xu Xingran’s or Xiao Chen’s pheromones. But when simulating your pheromones, I was sure it was definitely Gu Yunli’s. They naturally assumed that your pheromones were the same as Gu Yunli’s, but in my perception, there was a world of difference between you two.”
A gleam of light flashed in Gu Liyu’s eyes.
“You can distinguish the scent of my pheromones from my father’s?”
“Of course. The difference between your pheromones is significant,” An Lan answered affirmatively. “I pointed out at the time that it wasn’t your pheromones. It was your father, Gu Yunli’s. I deliberately tried to draw information from K and found that K had a somewhat worshipful taste towards your father. He thought your mother was not worthy of him, and he didn’t believe you had the ability to surpass your father. And he could also replicate the scent of your father’s pheromones. So, I think…”
“Do you think this K should be familiar with my father?” Gu Liyu asked.
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” Gu Liyu said.
“Thank me? Thank me for what?” Shouldn’t I be thanking you for taking such big risks and putting in so much effort to save me?
“Thank you for telling me this.”
If “Eden” was really related to Gu Yunli’s uncontrollable pheromones, and the uncontrollability of Gu Yunli’s pheromones was not an inevitable result but manipulated by “Eden,” this had extraordinary significance for Gu Liyu.
“Then I also thank you, for saving me again and again.” An Lan reached out towards Gu Liyu.
Gu Liyu seemed a bit surprised and took a while before extending his arm, gripping An Lan’s fingertips.
At the same time, in another ward, Xiao Chen finally woke up with some difficulty. When he tried to move, he felt his arm was numb.
Looking again, he found that his sister, Xiao Le, had used his arm as a pillow and was sleeping soundly.
Xiao Chen’s face wrinkled, and it took a lot of effort to pull back his arm.
When he moved like this, he finally woke Xiao Le up.
“Brother… you’re not dead! You finally woke up!”
Xiao Chen, hearing this, had black lines all over his face. “Isn’t it just drawing a few more bags of blood? Why does it sound like I’m on the brink of death?”
“The doctor said that if you draw a few more bags of blood, you’ll be done for!” Xiao Le said very seriously.
“How many bags exactly is ‘a few’?” Xiao Chen, without caring, sat up with his upper body supported. Xiao Le hurriedly went to help him.
Xiao Chen suddenly thought of something and immediately asked, “Since even you came to see me, does that mean we’ve all come back? Is everyone okay? How’s An Lan? How’s Xu Xingran? Did Gu Liyu’s plan succeed?”
“Tsk tsk tsk, put your heart back in your stomach and worry more about yourself! Brother Xingran lost more blood than you. He’s recovering in another ward. As for the others, they’re all in the hospital.”
At this moment, a man with a few strands of white hair on his temples walked in. He was Xiao Chen’s father, Xiao Hongwen.
In just a few days, Xiao Hongwen went from being vigorous to looking thin and haggard. Seeing Xiao Chen safe and chatting with his sister at the bedside, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ah Chen, you… being fine is all that matters.”
As soon as he entered, Xiao Le stopped talking. Xiao Chen looked at him calmly and asked, “Do you know that your wife Han Li, or the entire Han family, is related to ‘Eden’?”
Xiao Hongwen nodded in response, “I know now.”
“Do you know that she and her son agreed to let me return to the Xiao family just to ‘monitor’ me, create various accidents to take my life, and then transplant my heart to Xiao Yun?” Xiao Chen bluntly stated the intentions of the mother and son.
“I… I know now.”
Xiao Hongwen lowered his eyes; he owed this son too much. They had a big fight before because Xiao Chen blamed him for the accident that caused Xiao Yun. Xiao Chen left home in anger.
Xiao Chen was not interested in Xiao Hongwen’s current guilt; he just sneered and asked again, “Do you know that the car accident was actually planned by Xiao Yun?”
“What?” Xiao Hongwen widened his eyes.
“Yeah, don’t be so surprised. When you believed that Xiao Yun was hit by a car to find me, I even suspected that you were in cahoots with them.”
“This… this is impossible! Even if your big brother wants your heart, he can’t plan a murder!”
“Yeah, so when you all believe that I had a dispute with this good big brother on the side of the road and pushed him into the middle of the road, did you believe it?”
“This…” Xiao Hongwen didn’t speak.
Xiao Chen had long anticipated this result, raised his chin, and said, “It’s getting late, and you look tired. You have to cooperate with the police in investigating the Han family’s affairs and deal with your own business. Be careful, excessive fatigue can lead to sudden death.”
Xiao Le opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Xiao Chen shook his head, signaling her that saying more was useless.
Xiao Hongwen stood in place for a long time before finally speaking, “Ah Chen… Come back home after you’re discharged. I will take good care of you and won’t let that mother-son duo scheme against you again.”
“Stop kidding me.” Xiao Chen laughed as if he had heard a big joke, his shoulders shaking. “You’ve been played by that mother-son duo, and now you talk about taking care of me?”
Xiao Hongwen furrowed his brow and said, “I’ve prepared the divorce agreement. When you come home, you won’t see her there.”
“You’re cutting off the tail like a lizard, Mr. Xiao Hongwen. Do you know what I despise about you the most?” Xiao Chen asked.
“Ah Chen, do you have to be so sharp in your words?”
“Are you talking about the word ‘despise’?” Xiao Chen said. “You want to enjoy love and gain power at the same time. On the one hand, you make my mother think about you and hope for you in the name of love. On the other hand, you rely on Han Li and the Han family behind her to profit. There’s no such beautiful thing in the world. Look, now it’s all falling apart, isn’t it?”
The news of the investigation into the Han family couldn’t be hidden. Although the media didn’t guess it was related to “Eden,” the stocks of the companies under the Han family plunged, all turning red.
This inevitably affected the industries of the Xiao family as well.
And once the investigation into “Eden” continued to deepen, the shady things in the Xiao family would be exposed. If Xiao Hongwen maintained this marriage, binding the Xiao family and the Han family together, the final outcome would be dragged into the vortex.
“But I am still your father.” Xiao Hongwen furrowed his brow.
“I won’t go back to the Xiao family.” Xiao Chen said straightforwardly.
“You won’t come back to the Xiao family? Then what do you want to do?” Xiao Hongwen’s eyebrows were almost flying.
“What else can I do? Take the college entrance examination, then go to university, and most importantly, study the major I want and do what I want to do.”
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