Chapter 18

Ling Ran glanced down; the flesh of his thigh was faintly indented where the white lace leg garter pressed against it. It did not hurt. The pale, tender thigh and the garter matched well, giving off an innocent aura, yet somehow also feeling excessively sensual.

[Not Eating Grapes]: Not very big.

Ling Ran lay on the bed clutching his phone for quite a while, the screen flickering on and off. No reply came from the other side. Eventually, he could no longer resist and fell asleep.

The leg garter suppressor was indeed more effective; when Ling Ran woke up in the morning, he felt refreshed, and the feverish symptoms had completely vanished. He went to the hospital to see Dr. Xu Guanyi for a check-up, bringing along the broken foot garter suppressor.

Dr. Xu sighed regretfully several times, but the foot garter was too severely damaged to be repaired. Ling Ran was disheartened and carefully placed it back in its box.

Seeing the little Omega’s pitiful expression, on the verge of tears, Dr. Xu patted his shoulder and comforted him, “It’s alright. The Jiang family is footing the bill anyway. Your illness was caused by Jiang Shengyi’s pheromones, so technically, it’s his fault.”

At this point, it was meaningless to obsess over who was to blame. But if Ling Ran wanted to break off his engagement with Jiang Shengyi, then he would have no ties left to Jiang Zhiyu either; the expenses would still need to be repaid.

“Your pheromone levels are more stable now, but you mustn’t be careless. Remember to take the medication I prescribed on time, and come back for regular check-ups,” Dr. Xu instructed.

This little Omega was clearly the young master of the Ling family, yet he had no one by his side to look after him during his illness. Dr. Xu could not fathom the complicated relationships within these wealthy aristocratic families.

“Thank you, Dr. Xu,” the little Omega said obediently, clutching the box.

Dr. Xu added, “Last time Mr. Jiang was here too, so I couldn’t speak too plainly, but your condition is actually treatable. Finding an alpha to bite you is more effective than any medicine. Ideally, a lifelong mark—when the pheromone concentration inside reaches its peak, it can directly stimulate the atrophied reproductive tract to develop. Ultimately, your problem stems from excessive dependence on your partner’s pheromones. Your body isn’t satisfied, which triggers various complications. For Omegas with such strong dependency as yours, we usually recommend early marriage…”

Listening to Dr. Xu’s straightforward explanation, Ling Ran’s small face first turned pale with fright, then flushed bright red, until his head almost buried itself in the box before him, his ears burning fiercely as if about to bleed.

Knowing that Ling Ran was a shy Omega inexperienced in worldly affairs, Dr. Xu cleared his throat twice and wisely chose not to continue.

“By the way, that Yin Chu, he’s in the ward upstairs. Do you want to go see him? I heard you were there when he got injured?” Dr. Xu casually asked. Ling Ran’s blush quickly faded.

His slender fingers tightened around the white box. Finally, Ling Ran asked for the location of Yin Chu’s ward and took the elevator upstairs.

Standing outside the VIP ward, Ling Ran did not enter. He just looked through the glass door from a distance.

Sure enough, Yin Chu lay on the hospital bed, his usually radiant and delicate face now pale as paper. His left ankle was wrapped in layers of gauze, swollen into a large lump, seemingly quite serious—he wouldn’t be able to put weight on it for several days.

After Jiang Shengyi brought him in last night, he was admitted immediately. Though it was only a sprained ankle, for an Omega raised in pampered luxury, the pain was considerable.

The Yin family truly treasured Yin Chu, indulging him since childhood. If he wanted Jiang Zhou Entertainment’s top news program, his grandfather personally went to Jiang’s family to negotiate.

But what Yin Chu truly desired was Jiang Zhiyu, a longing that had consumed him since he differentiated into an Omega.

However, Enigma’s refusal was an insoluble deadlock.

Because he was an Omega, he was not the ideal partner choice for Enigma.

Yin Chu was unwilling to give up. Knowing Jiang Shengyi liked him, he regarded Jiang Shengyi as a backup. If he couldn’t marry Jiang Zhiyu, at least he could marry Jiang Shengyi and still have countless chances to be close to Jiang Zhiyu.

Ling Ran stood at the door watching, suddenly hearing faint sobbing from inside. Squinting, he saw Yin Chu crying.

His beautiful eyes were filled with tears, unblinking as they looked toward a tall, handsome man sitting nearby, tears streaming down his face in a touching display.

Ling Ran’s gaze shifted to the sofa beside the bed, where from his angle he could only see a broad, sturdy back, dressed in a suit—exquisitely dignified.

Recognizing the figure, Ling Ran’s heart suddenly thumped fiercely.

For some reason, a sour bitterness welled up in his chest and surged to his eyes, overwhelming him with inexplicable grievance.

Yin Chu was pouring out his troubles to Jiang Zhiyu, but Ling Ran couldn’t hear the words.

He lacked the courage to enter the ward and voice his own grievances.

Moreover, Jiang Zhiyu had only helped him out of tight spots a few times in emergencies. To Jiang Zhiyu, it was no more than a small favor; to Ling Ran, it was a kindness worthy of gratitude and remembrance.

But who said such kindness belonged to him alone?

A child never favored growing up cherishes even the smallest kindness secretly in their heart.

Ling Ran lowered his eyes, looking at the white box in his arms, which still held the suppressor broken by his brother’s step.

Suddenly, footsteps of doctors and nurses on rounds came from behind. Seeing Ling Ran, one called out loudly, “Are you here to visit a patient?”

Startled, Ling Ran almost dropped the box. Holding it tightly, he hurriedly shook his head, not noticing the gaze from inside the ward, and quickly fled with his head bowed.

The broken foot garter suppressor was placed on the bedside cabinet, its shattered screen carefully pieced back together.

No matter how well restored, it remained covered with mottled cracks.

*

Ling Ran diligently prepared for the final interview next week. Qin Chengyue also called to say she had advanced to the final round; they could go together to the Jiang Corporation headquarters for the interview.

They acted as each other’s judges, practicing speeches late into the night.

Ling Ran was confident that through hard work, he would pass the interview and secure a spot at Jiang Zhou Entertainment.

However, the day before the interview, his parents, Ling Fu and Ling Mu, returned to the country after nearly two months abroad on a business trip.

Having not seen them for a long time, the Omega hurried quickly down the stairs.

“Dad, I…”

Before he could finish, Ling Ran sensed the cold, frosty gloom on his parents’ faces. Fear crept in, and his steps hesitated and retreated slightly.

Ling Fu was an alpha who had dominated the business world for decades, commanding respect and rarely smiling. Occasionally, he would show a smile to Ling Ran.

Now his face was stern and ashen; Ling Ran knew this was very bad.

“My wife and I were only away on a trip, and you managed to cause such trouble at home. It seems I have been too lenient in disciplining you!” Ling Fu said, scolding the helpless Omega on the stairs in a cold voice. “You actually dared to lay hands on Yin Chu! Do you want the Yin family and the Jiang family to come knocking at our door, pointing fingers at us? Get over here and kneel!”

Tears quickly filled Ling Ran’s eyes. He looked at his silent mother beside him, hoping she would believe him, stand by his side.

But the female alpha, who had always favored his older siblings, remained as cold as stone, looking at Ling Ran from afar and speaking, “Xiao Ran, you went too far this time. You shouldn’t be so spoiled and rude. Yin Chu and Shengyi are close, but you shouldn’t have caused him to injure his leg. That will only make Shengyi dislike you more, do you understand?”

Ling Ran hadn’t expected that upon returning, his parents’ first act would not be to hear his side of the story, but to side with outsiders and judge him.

“It’s not—it wasn’t me. I didn’t hurt him…”

To Ling Fu, these words were nothing but weak excuses. He strode forward, grabbed the slender arm of the Omega, yanked him down the stairs, and forced him to kneel on the cold hard stone floor.

“How dare you lie? Ling Ran, is this how your mother and I have taught you since you were little?” Ling Fu was furious. He grabbed a nearby object and threw it at Ling Ran with force.

It was a beautifully shaped ceramic vase. It smashed against the frail body with a “thud” and shattered into pieces on the ground.

Ling Mu stepped forward and tugged at Ling Fu’s arm, trying to calm him. “Calm down. Xiao Ran should know his mistake. Don’t hit him. He’s grown now; reason with him, and he will understand.”

Among the flying shards, Ling Ran’s foot was cut, blood slowly flowing over his pale skin. But he seemed numb, silently bowing his head as he knelt, his small frame straight and rigid.

“Look at how stubborn he is. Do you think he’d listen to reason?!” Ling Fu roared. “I swear I want to crack open his head to see what’s inside that stupid brain! All he does is mess around with those worthless news stories. In the future, he’ll only be a plaything for others. If he’d just obediently married Jiang Shengyi, it would have been easier. At least he could bring benefits to the family. But no, he had to make such a mess before the wedding!”

Ling Ran wiped the corner of his eye hard.

He still had an even bigger mess that hadn’t come to light.

“Dad, Mom,” Ling Ran said softly, “I’m not going to marry anymore.”

The silent villa suddenly felt as if thunder had struck the ground. Ling Fu and Ling Mu both felt their vision blur.

“What did you say?!”

Ling Ran’s tone was calm but resolute.

“I want to break off the engagement.”