Chapter 37 - Premature Birth

Sometimes, certain things in life that you want to avoid from always come unexpectedly.

Shen Shuyun was lying in bed taking a nap. Sunlight streamed through a layer of sheer curtains, enveloping him and warming the light blanket draped over his waist. In the blink of an eye, the New Year had already passed, and even the Yuanxiao Festival[1] was two days ago. Time always moves forward tirelessly, never pausing for anyone. Shen Shuyun no longer cared about the passage of time; to him, each day was merely a repetition of the previous one—from morning to night, it was nothing more than three meals, two pills, and one nap.

He tried his best to maintain a positive attitude. When he was home alone, he would listen to music, cook, read books, and watch movies... Shen Shuyun had done everything he could to make himself a little happier, but the lack of alpha pheromones made these efforts seem almost futile. Xiao Ruan would occasionally come to this house to check on Shen Shuyun, and Shen Shuyun would sit with him and chat. To Xiao Ruan, everything seemed normal with Shen Shuyun, but only Shen Shuyun knew that this was just a shell he put on the outside. If someone were to break through that shell, they would see a person underneath who was utterly unrecognizable, barely holding on.

[1] falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. It comes two weeks after Chinese New Year's Day, which the first day of the 15-day Spring Festival celebration period.

These days, Shen Shuyun gradually came to realize something—keeping this child might have been a mistake because as long as the child was with him, he couldn't help but think of Ning Wan, and he couldn't let go of that past.

But despite this beautiful mistake, Shen Shuyun didn't really regret it. Sometimes, as he sat by the window, stroking his swollen belly, he couldn't help but wonder, who would this child resemble more when they grew up?

Shen Shuyun hoped the child would take after Ning Wan more, at least in the eyes. That way, even if he and Ning Wan were apart, he could still see those eyes that sparkled like stars.

He had a long dream, one filled with people and events from the past, but it was an uneasy sleep. Finally, he was woken by a pain that seemed to burrow into his bones. Shen Shuyun opened his eyes in confusion, gasping for breath. He tried to sit up, but the sudden pain in his abdomen sapped all his strength.

Something wasn't right.

This kind of pain was not normal.

A chilling thought gripped Shen Shuyun, sending a cold shiver through his body. Sweat dampened the collar of his nightshirt as it trickled down his neck. Lying on the bed, Shen Shuyun gritted his teeth. After enduring a brief wave of pain, he slowly propped himself up against the bedside table, picked up his phone, and dialed the hospital emergency number.

"Hello..." Another wave of pain surged through him, nearly causing him to lose his balance. His hand, trembling, accidentally knocked over the bowl of grapes on the bedside table, sending it crashing to the floor. As the sharp sound echoed, Shen Shuyun felt a warm trickle of fluid flow between his legs. "I'm an omega who's pregnant. I think I might be in early labor. Please send an ambulance to my address, which is....."

Even Shen Shuyun was surprised by how calmly he managed to speak through that phone call. After hanging up, he lay back down on the bed, gripping the sheets and groaning.

He rubbed his now hard abdomen, his forehead covered in large beads of sweat. Shen Shuyun closed his eyes in helplessness, thinking that childbirth was indeed too painful... He had never imagined it would hurt this much, far more than losing that child three years ago, by a thousand, ten thousand times. Shen Shuyun curled up, sweat dripping from his smooth forehead and onto his trembling eyelashes, making even the act of lifting his eyelids seem difficult.

In his dazed state, Shen Shuyun lost all sense of time. He didn't know how long it took, but eventually, someone entered his home, lifted him onto a stretcher, and rushed him to the hospital. During this time, the relentless pain made his consciousness drift in and out. He was placed on a hospital bed, and someone leaned down to ask him, "Where is your husband? You'd better call him to be with you during childbirth. His alpha pheromones can have a calming effect, increasing the chances of a smooth delivery."

Instinctively, Shen Shuyun tightened his grip. The tip of his left thumb brushed against the empty space on his ring finger, causing him to freeze for a moment—there should have been a cold metal band there, but he had returned it when they divorced.

So, Shen Shuyun slowly opened his heavy eyelids, his lips parted, and he quietly uttered, "I don't have a husband, nor do I have an alpha."

He still wore a faint smile as he said this, but in his eyes, it was as if a torrential downpour was falling, filling them with such hopeless loneliness that it made one's chest ache.

"But you can't deliver on your own," the person speaking, who Shen Shuyun now realized was a doctor, said. "You're showing signs of preterm labor, which is very dangerous for an omega. If... there's no one to sign the critical condition notice... you could contact a relative instead. Parents are acceptable too."

Shen Shuyun nodded in understanding. He was still in pain, the kind of tearing pain that felt like it was splitting him in two, but for some reason, his heart was calm now, no longer feeling any fear. "Then call my father."

After receiving his phone, he dialed his father's number, said a few simple words, and was then pushed into the delivery room to await the birth. He closed his eyes wearily, rubbing his abdomen, whispering to the child eager to come into the world—

Are you that impatient? Why are you in such a rush? Wouldn't it be better to stay a bit longer?... Such a temper, I wonder who you take after. Let's make a deal, can you take a break? Your constant pushing is really painful for Daddy. Stop torturing me like this, you little rascal.

In Z City, on Nanlu Street.

Ning Wan stood in front of the counter in a flower shop, urgently asking Xiao Ruan, "Please tell me where Shen Shuyun is! I'm his alpha!"

Xiao Ruan squinted at the haggard man in front of him, scrutinizing him for a moment before responding, "I know, I attended your wedding with Shuyun."

At the beginning of February, a detective agency had called Ning Wan, informing him that Shen Shuyun had been located in Z City. However, since Shen Shuyun had changed both his bank card and phone number, they couldn't pinpoint his exact location yet. Upon hearing this, Ning Wan immediately skipped the family dinner his father had organized and rushed to Z City, where he continued to search for Shen Shuyun while waiting for more news from the detective agency.

This morning, the agency sent him another message along with a photo of a flower shop, saying that Shen Shuyun had once worked there, and suggesting that Ning Wan go to the shop to find him. Upon receiving this information, Ning Wan had initially wanted to rush out the door to find Shen Shuyun, but after catching a glimpse of his unkempt appearance in the mirror by the sink, he decided to shave his beard, wash his face, and change into some relatively clean clothes before heading out.

When he finally arrived at the flower shop, Ning Wan found it empty—there were only a few scattered customers, but no sign of Shen Shuyun.

Looking at Xiao Ruan, Ning Wan knew from his earlier response that he had come to the right place. The person before him must know Shen Shuyun. But the wedding was three years ago, and Ning Wan had little recollection of this omega, so he could only patiently continue questioning, "And you are... to Shen Shuyun?"

"I'm Shuyun's college classmate. He did help out at the shop before." Xiao Ruan eyed the man in front of him with a complicated expression, hesitating before adding, "But didn't you... get divorced? Why are you looking for him?"

"No, no!" Ning Wan reacted as if he had been struck in a sore spot, his reverse scale touched. He covered his face, rubbing his temples in a near breakdown, shouting, "We didn't get divorced!"

Xiao Ruan frowned. He was about to ask Ning Wan if he knew about Shen Shuyun's pregnancy, but the sudden ringing of a phone interrupted him. Ning Wan, irritated, pulled out his phone and, seeing that it was his father-in-law calling, reluctantly answered, "Dad?"

"Xiao Yun is pregnant?! When did this happen? Why did he keep it so secret? Why did he only call me now, just before giving birth? What happened between you two? Did you have a fight? An argument?"

The receiver delivered a rapid succession of questions, like a series of bombs exploding one after another in front of Ning Wan. Each word left him in a daze, his vision turning white! His mind buzzed, and it took him a long moment to find his voice again. "Brother Yun... is pregnant?"

This time, it was the person on the other end of the line who fell silent.

Ning Wan's heart was about to burst with anxiety. He clenched his phone so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand bulged. "Dad, please tell me, where is Brother Yun right now! I'm begging you... I just want to see him, please!"

The response was more silence. Just as Ning Wan felt like the silence was suffocating him, the voice on the other end mentioned a location and then hung up.

It was a hospital.

Ning Wan immediately started moving, his legs so weak that he almost stumbled, nearly falling over. He hurried down the street, hailing a taxi and heading straight for the hospital. He collapsed in the back seat, his mind a chaotic mess.

Shen Shuyun is pregnant? How could he not know anything about it? When did it happen? Why didn't Shen Shuyun tell him? Would he have kept it a secret until the birth without saying a word?

Ning Wan's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst, his mind filled with nothing but thoughts of Shen Shuyun. It wasn't until the driver called out to him several times that he realized they had arrived at the hospital.

After getting out of the car, he ran to the front desk, his eyes bloodshot as he asked, "Is there an omega named Shen Shuyun here? Where is he?"

"Sir, please calm down. Let me check..." The nurse looked at the records. "Yes, there is a Shen Shuyun. He's a premature omega who was just brought in. He's currently in the delivery room, on the third floor, B510..."

Ning Wan didn't even wait for her to finish before turning and running off.

In truth, Ning Wan had imagined countless scenarios of how he might reunite with Shen Shuyun, but he never expected that their reunion would be like this—Shen Shuyun lying under a white blanket, clutching his swollen belly in pain.

Step by step, Ning Wan walked to Shen Shuyun's bedside. His throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton; he couldn't say anything. Before he could utter a word, tears started to fall.

Shen Shuyun sensed someone approaching him. The pain had dulled his senses, and he instinctively thought it was the doctor. "Can... can I deliver naturally? It's only eight months. Will there be any problems?"

His voice carried a faint, trembling sob that shattered Ning Wan's heart.

As the person drew closer, the overwhelming scent of juniper gin filled the air, causing Shen Shuyun's breath to hitch. He lifted his tear-soaked eyelashes and looked up in a daze—

At that moment, Ning Wan finally understood the true meaning of heart-wrenching pain. He half-knelt on the ground, clutching Shen Shuyun's hand, repeatedly calling out, "Brother Yun, Brother Yun... I'm late..."

Every drop of boiling blood in Shen Shuyun's veins told him that this person was his alpha, but Shen Shuyun also knew clearly that Ning Wan was no longer his Ning Wan.

"Actually... it doesn't matter if you didn't come." Shen Shuyun shrank back under the blanket, his pale, trembling lower lip caught between his teeth as if trying to stifle a groan. He instinctively forced a smile, but it was so strained that it looked almost painful. "I can handle this alone."