Chapter 38 - Accompany

Shen Shuyun stared blankly at Ning Wan, feeling somewhat confused. What was the expression on Ning Wan's face? Was he crying? Was he feeling sad?

But, why was he sad? Clearly, he had already found the right answer and had sought out the white moonlight he had longed for all these years. What could possibly make him so heartbroken?

Shen Shuyun, exhausted, closed his eyes, withdrew his hand, and turned away to endure the long, excruciating pain alone. He sighed softly.

"Brother Yun, I didn't know you were pregnant... If I had known..."

The door was pushed open, and a doctor walked in, interrupting Ning Wan's unfinished sentence. The doctor walked to Shen Shuyun's bedside, seeing the faint bluish tint on Shen Shuyun's face, and knew that the situation wasn't good. After a brief examination, he noticed several bright red bloodstains under Shen Shuyun, then reached out to feel Shen Shuyun's hard lower abdomen. He sighed and said, "Mr. Shen, given your condition, natural childbirth will be very difficult. We recommend a cesarean section."

Shen Shuyun sat up halfway, grabbing the doctor's hand with a voice full of urgency: "Can you let it stay a few more days? It's only eight months along, there's still a month until the due date, I'm scared..."

The doctor shook his head: "You've already started bleeding, which means your body isn't suitable for measures to prolong the pregnancy. We have to deliver the baby now. But you don't need to worry too much; the baby is already well-developed at this stage. There shouldn't be any major issues, and we'll continue to monitor it after it's born."

Shen Shuyun was on the verge of breaking down. His shoulders trembled, his eyes tinged with a layer of red, and he gritted his teeth, unable to speak. Ning Wan, seeing this, knew that Shen Shuyun was blaming himself, so he stepped forward, bent down slightly, and held him in his arms, comforting him: "It's okay... It's not your fault... This isn't your fault..."

"How did it come to this?" Shen Shuyun clutched Ning Wan's shirt collar, as if also clutching Ning Wan's heart, "I tried so hard, how did it still..."

Ning Wan brushed back the black hair sticking to Shen Shuyun's forehead and kissed his forehead: "Don't overthink it, I'll be here waiting for you."

Though Shen Shuyun's mind resisted Ning Wan's kiss, his body desperately craved that familiar pheromone. The long-missed alpha pheromone enveloped him completely. Lying in Ning Wan's embrace felt like a weary bird returning home. Over the past few months, he had never felt so at peace.

Five minutes later, Shen Shuyun was wheeled into the operating room. Ning Wan stood outside, staring at the red light on the sign. After a while, he closed his eyes, the remnants of blood-red shadows reflecting on his eyelids.

He finally understood why Luo Xiao cried uncontrollably outside the operating room years ago. Now, standing outside, his own tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. He had never believed in the existence of gods before, but at this moment, he fervently wished that gods were real, that some divine miracle could keep Shen Shuyun and their child safe.

Although Qi Zhihan's baby had been in a breech position last time, causing quite a bit of trouble, Luo Xiao had taken good care of him in the later stages of pregnancy, and in the end, the baby was delivered naturally. Qi Zhihan even recovered quickly after delivery, able to walk around after just three days. Ning Wan had visited Qi Zhihan and remembered that he looked quite healthy... But now the doctor said a natural birth was impossible, only a cesarean would work, leaving Ning Wan feeling anxious, worried that something might go wrong with Shen Shuyun.

About twenty minutes later, a nurse hurried out from the operating room, her face pale. Seeing her urgent expression, Ning Wan's heart sank. He quickly stepped forward and asked, "Nurse, how is my husband?"

"The situation isn't good. He started showing signs of heavy bleeding just minutes after the anesthesia... He's also not very conscious. We might need to bring in another doctor to check on him during the surgery. I'm heading to find the chief surgeon now."

Ning Wan staggered back a few steps, nearly collapsing to the ground.

A deep sense of panic surged within him. He was terrified—terrified that this reunion with Shen Shuyun would be their last.

Suddenly, Ning Wan remembered what Shen Shuyun had said about being able to manage on his own, and his heart twisted with pain... What had Shen Shuyun gone through in these past few months? Without an alpha's pheromones, how had Shen Shuyun managed to get through his pregnancy?

The chaotic emotions felt like a giant hand choking Ning Wan, squeezing his throat tight. He sat by the door, dejected like a lost dog with no way home—he suddenly realized that the reason Shen Shuyun hadn't sought him out was because of disappointment and distrust. Shen Shuyun had long since lost hope in him, so even when he discovered he was pregnant, he still didn't want to contact him.

The shadows of the swaying trees outside cast across Ning Wan's face, making his already bleak expression even more desolate. He was waiting for the final verdict.

But Ning Wan had always been the lucky one, and this time was no exception. An hour and a half after the nurse had entered the delivery room with a doctor, a baby boy was placed in a premature incubator. He looked somewhat suffocated, his little face flushed with a hint of purple... After another hour, Shen Shuyun, having completed his abdominal sutures, was finally wheeled out... Thank heavens, both father and son were safe.

When Shen Shuyun was brought out, he was unconscious. Ning Wan followed all the way to the ward, sitting by the bed, holding Shen Shuyun's hand as he waited for him to wake up. As the anesthetic gradually wore off, Shen Shuyun's sleeping face became more restless. He was probably in excruciating pain, for even in his sleep, his brows were tightly furrowed, his whole body seeming buried in snow, his face deathly pale. The nurse said this was due to excessive blood loss, but that he wasn't in immediate danger. She told Ning Wan to press the call button when he woke up, and they would come back to check on him.

Ning Wan lowered his head, Shen Shuyun's hand lay loosely in his palm, the veins on the back of it tightly pressed against the bones, the protruding blood vessels making his hand look even thinner. Ning Wan gently stroked the back of Shen Shuyun's hand, unable to describe the emotions swirling within him.

This omega lying in the bed now was someone who was so afraid of pain that even getting a shot would scare him, causing him to resist out of fear... Yet, this very same omega had just endured the excruciating pain of childbirth to bring their child into the world.

Shen Shuyun had never been a weak person—in this moment, Ning Wan realized this with utmost clarity.

Once Shen Shuyun had made up his mind about something, he truly wouldn't leave himself any way out.

Ning Wan let out a heavy sigh, pulling out a necklace from around his neck, from which hung two rings. He took off the smaller ring, lifted Shen Shuyun's left hand, and tried to place it back on his ring finger. But then, Ning Wan suddenly realized that the ring no longer fit Shen Shuyun—he had lost so much weight that even his fingers had slimmed down. The once perfectly fitting ring was now too large, slipping loosely off Shen Shuyun's finger and falling to the floor with a crisp "ding."

The ring's fall seemed to remind Ning Wan that everything was beyond repair.

Ning Wan stared blankly as he picked up the ring, then after a long moment, he strung it back on the necklace and placed it around his neck again. The cold metal hung against his chest, pressing painfully into his heart.

At 6:40 PM, Shen Shuyun still hadn't woken up, but more people had arrived in the ward—Shen Shuyun's two fathers had come.

Both of them were already over fifty years old. The moment they entered the ward and saw the two children in such a pitiful state, they could guess that something must have gone wrong between them. Shen Shuyun's omega father burst into tears the moment he stepped into the ward, while Shen Shuyun's father quietly comforted his partner. After a while, he walked over to Ning Wan and whispered, "Let's talk outside."

Ning Wan took a deep breath and followed Shen Mingjue out, leaving Shen Shuyun's omega father in the ward.

Shen Mingjue didn't stop even after exiting the ward, continuing to lead Ning Wan out of the hospital and stopping only under a lush tree. The streetlight illuminated the wrinkles between Shen Mingjue's brows, making them even more pronounced. He took out a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and then broke the silence, "So, what's going on?"

Ning Wan didn't dare hide anything from Shen's father, so he told him everything about mistaking someone else for Shen Shuyun and about the divorce. By the time he finished, Shen Mingjue's cigarette had burned down to the end.

"I never wanted to hurt Brother Yun. When he left, I really didn't know he was pregnant," Ning Wan was cold all over, his lips trembling. "If I had known, how could I have let him leave alone?... I never would have divorced him."

Shen Mingjue flicked away the cigarette butt, his thin lips curling into a cold smile as he said, "You still don't understand him... Do you know? Xiao Yun was afraid you'd do exactly that—afraid you'd feel guilty because of the child and cancel the divorce. That's why he deliberately didn't tell you."

"My feelings for him aren't just guilt! I just didn't realize it at the time!" Ning Wan gripped his hair, exhausted in both body and soul. "I realized later that he's the one I love..."

Shen Mingjue showed no reaction at all. He looked coldly at the young man in front of him, then interrupted him in a loud voice, "Who would believe you?"

Ning Wan lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot.

Shen Mingjue very slowly shook his head, then stepped closer. He was very tall, about 195 cm, and Ning Wan was half a head shorter than him. This made it even more intimidating when Shen Mingjue walked closer, looming over Ning Wan with an oppressive presence.

Just as Ning Wan thought Shen's father was about to say something, Shen Mingjue suddenly clenched his fist and punched Ning Wan square in the right side of his face!

Shen Mingjue had been a special forces soldier in his younger years. Even after getting injured and retiring from the special forces, he continued to work in armed units, his whole body hard as steel. This merciless punch filled Ning Wan's mouth with the taste of blood. The violent impact made it feel like even his molars had loosened. Dazed, his vision was filled with black and white spots.

"Xiao Yun would never say a word when he's wronged, and he would never hit you. He treated you like a precious gem, caring for you like his life depended on it... But I'm different. I won't go easy on you." Shen Mingjue grabbed Ning Wan by the collar, forcing him to stand up straight, his eyes filled with fierce rage, burning with towering anger. "Do you remember what you promised me? You said you'd respect him, love him, protect him with all your might, and never betray or hurt him! But everything you've done is stabbing him right in the heart!"

Shen Mingjue trembled with fury. He lifted his leg and kicked Ning Wan in the stomach, sending him flying over a meter away—

Ning Wan spat out a mouthful of blood, the pain exploding from his abdomen, drenching his back in cold sweat. But he gritted his teeth and crawled back to Shen Mingjue, limping, wiping the blood from his lips, his gaze as cold as water. "You're right, I'm a despicable bastard who breaks his promises... Continue."

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T/N: Serves you right you scum gong