Chapter 41 - Application

A week later, the nurse took Xiao Taro out of the incubator. Fortunately, although his body was still weaker compared to other children, there were no major illnesses. As a male Omega, Shen Shuyun experienced breast development and pain due to pregnancy hormones, but he couldn't produce milk like a woman, so Xiao Taro had to drink milk formula.

As soon as An Ruhu finished feeding Xiao Taro with a bottle, Shen Shuyun took Xiao Taro into his arms, gently patting his back. Xiao Taro, lying on Shen Shuyun's shoulder, let out a burp, his grape-like big eyes narrowing slightly as if he was getting sleepy.

"Xiaoyun, what are your plans for the future?"

Shen Shuyun was stunned. He lowered his eyes and was silent for a while before he said, "I want to take this child and go abroad."

This time it was An Ruhu who was at a loss for words. He managed to say a few words, "Why so sudden?"

"It's not really sudden," Shen Shuyun's voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing Xiao Taro. "I had been thinking about it for a long time during my pregnancy. I want to go abroad, firstly to change my work environment, and secondly to clear my mind."

An Ruhu saw through his son's thoughts instantly. He really wanted to ask Shen Shuyun whether he wanted to clear his mind or avoid Ning Wan, but he didn't dare to ask, afraid that it would bring up Shen Shuyun's painful memories.

"Xiaoyun, I think you understand these old sayings, but I can't help but repeat them to you, don't find your father nagging." An Ruhu sighed, "Some past things, you need to let go—not to forgive others, but to forgive yourself."

"I have already let go..."

"No, you haven't." An Ruhu's gaze was sharp, as if it could pierce straight into Shen Shuyun's heart, "It's normal to not be able to let go of a relationship; it's nothing to be ashamed of, and it's not wrong either. I know about what happened between you and Ning Wan, and I don't want to give you any advice, nor will I make decisions for you. After you are discharged, your father and I will go home. Whether or not you want to come home with us, or when you want to come home, we will respect your decision. Just remember, whenever you decide to come home, call us, no matter how late it is, and Dad will come pick you up. The door of our home will never be locked against you."

Shen Shuyun's eyes reddened again, and he murmured, "Dad..."

But beyond those two[1] words, he couldn't say anything else.

[1] 爸爸

"Alright, you're a father now, you can't keep shedding tears." An Ruhu patted Shen Shuyun's hand that was holding Xiao Taro, "I need to go out and buy something, it might take a while. You put Xiao Taro to sleep first. When I come back with your father tonight, we'll have dinner together."

"Okay."

Xiao Taro, no one knew who he took after, was quite troublesome. As soon as Shen Shuyun put him in the cradle, he started crying, so Shen Shuyun had to keep holding him until he fell asleep. Today, for some reason, it took a long time for Xiao Taro to fall into a deep sleep, and by the time Shen Shuyun put him down, his arms were completely numb.

Shen Shuyun rubbed his sore arms, feeling a bit tired. He lay back on the bed, closed his eyes, and quickly fell into a deep sleep. But this sleep was restless; every dream was short, transitioning from one scene to another without closure, and by the time he woke from his nap, his neck was covered in sweat.

What finally woke Shen Shuyun from his chain of dreams was the loud crying of the baby. Shen Shuyun groggily opened his eyes, not yet realizing what had happened, when the door to the ward opened. As soon as he saw Ning Wan walk in with diapers and a bottle, he immediately closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep—Ning Wan knew all too well what to say to disturb the heart he had tried so hard to seal, so Shen Shuyun didn't want to face Ning Wan and decided to pretend to be asleep to avoid him.

Shen Shuyun closed his eyes, the rustling sounds and the baby's gradually quieting cries could be heard. He couldn't help but peek through a slit in his eyelids, secretly watching everything happening in the ward.

Ning Wan knew that Xiao Taro liked shiny things, so he took off his watch to amuse him for a while. Then awkwardly bent down to change Xiao Taro's wet diaper. Although his movements were somewhat clumsy, it wasn't the unfamiliarity of a beginner; it was clear that he had either done this before or practiced it privately. He was evidently familiar with the process. In about two or three minutes, Ning Wan had already changed Xiao Taro's diaper, threw the old one into the trash, and then turned to leave.

The door to the ward clicked shut, and Shen Shuyun's eyelashes fluttered with the sound of the door closing. He opened his eyes, got out of bed, and walked in his slippers to the cradle. Sure enough, he saw the thing Xiao Taro was holding—it was Ning Wan's watch with a dial inlaid with diamonds.

Shen Shuyun knew this watch. It was a gift from Ning Wan's father on his eighteenth birthday, a custom-made watch, with tiny letters "W" engraved at the bottom of the dial. It was precisely because this watch had such special meaning that Ning Wan always wore it, but now Ning Wan had casually handed a watch worth millions to his son to play with. Shen Shuyun didn't know what to say for a moment, so he took the watch from Xiao Taro's hand, planning to return it to Ning Wan later.

Outside, the banyan tree was gently swaying its branches and leaves in the breeze, brushing against the window. Shen Shuyun looked out the window and saw a patch of dark clouds in the distance, with a few beams of golden light piercing through the gaps in the clouds, as if it was a sign of clearing up.

Half a month later, Shen Shuyun was getting ready to leave the hospital with Xiao Taro. At the same time, he was also preparing to apply for a visa to Singapore. Xiao Ruan had visited him in the hospital and mentioned Singapore when Shen Shuyun was still undecided about which country to go to. Xiao Ruan said that Singapore was very livable, with no major language barriers, and had an excellent education system and environment. Most importantly, Xiao Mo could help him apply for permanent residency, and the visa would be approved faster. Shen Shuyun thought it over, did a lot of research, and finally decided to settle in Singapore.

However, one thing made Shen Shuyun uneasy, and that was Ning Wan. Ning Wan, knowing his intentions, was not as clingy as before, but still occasionally appeared by his side, stirring up waves in the heart he had tried so hard to calm. Ning Wan would come to soothe the baby when he cried at night, and had learned to make formula and change diapers, quickly growing into a somewhat competent father over these days.

Shen Shuyun believed that he wasn't as good as Ning Wan; he wasn't very good at changing Xiao Taro's diapers, and the formula he made always had lumps. But even so, he didn't want to see Ning Wan doing these things—they seemed to be caught in a vicious cycle, no matter what they said or what happened, they always ended up entangled. Shen Shuyun really didn't like this lingering connection, so he tried his best to stop Ning Wan, but it seemed that Ning Wan's thick skin had grown quickly too. When Shen Shuyun tried to chase him away, most of the time, Ning Wan acted as if he hadn't heard it, and when there was no way to avoid it, he would leave for ten minutes and then come back, leaving Shen Shuyun with no solution.

The day before Shen Shuyun was discharged, Ning Wan came to help him pack up. An Ruhu glanced at Ning Wan and then pulled Shen Mingjue out, leaving the two of them alone in the ward.

Shen Mingjue's eyes were practically spitting fire. He was dragged outside and shook off the hand, saying gruffly, "Why did you pull me out! That bastard dares to come and bother Xiaoyun, I..."

"Enough, enough, do you still want to beat him to death?" An Ruhu leaned against the wall, arms crossed, looking towards the door of the hospital room. After a while, he finally said, "Xiaoyun still has feelings for him. It's better to let them figure things out on their own. That stubborn Xiaoyun, do you really expect him to fall for anyone else?"

Shen Mingjue paused for a moment, instinctively reaching for the cigarette in his pocket, but remembering that he was in a hospital, he stopped and sighed, "It's so difficult."

The two exchanged a glance, seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

Inside the hospital room, Ning Wan watched the door close and then moved closer. The injury on his leg hadn't affected the bone, so he had recovered over the past few days, but the bruises on his face hadn't completely faded, and there was still a faint bruise on the side of his face. Just as Ning Wan was about to squat down to help Shen Shuyun pack his things, Shen Shuyun stopped him, "What are you doing?"

Ning Wan grabbed Shen Shuyun's arm, pressing him back onto the bed, and said softly, "You sit, I'll help you pack."

"No need," Shen Shuyun, barefoot, made as if to jump off the bed again, "Really, no need!"

Ning Wan, still squatting, grabbed Shen Shuyun's slender ankle, giving it a gentle but firm squeeze at his right ankle, causing Shen Shuyun's face to flush instantly. He softened and sat back down on the bed.

This was simply a foul!

As Shen Shuyun's alpha, Ning Wan naturally knew the sensitive spots on this omega's body, with whom he had shared countless intimate moments—the back of the neck, the waist, the ankles—these three places were Shen Shuyun's "weak spots," not to be touched.

Shen Shuyun gritted his teeth, giving Ning Wan's shoulder a light kick with his foot, saying, "Then you do it, do it all!"

As soon as the words were out, Shen Shuyun immediately regretted them. He belatedly realized that his words were full of defiance, and his face reddened even more, like a smudge of peony rouge, spreading across his alabaster-like skin, all the way down to the base of his neck.

Ning Wan quickly lifted his gaze to glance at Shen Shuyun, then quickly lowered his head again, forcibly swallowing his laughter. However, the corners of his mouth betrayed him, curving upwards slightly. Shen Shuyun averted his gaze, pretending not to see.

But when Ning Wan found a stack of documents in the cabinet, the smile on his face suddenly vanished.

He stared intently at the application form, every black character on it like a sharp blade, stabbing straight into his heart.

Ning Wan quickly flipped through the document, the pages rustling as he did so, then suddenly slammed the stack of papers heavily onto the bedside table, making a dull thud. The color drained from his face, his brows and eyes darkened with an ominous look, and he fixed his pitch-black eyes on Shen Shuyun, his voice dry as he asked—

"You want to leave?"

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T/N: Duh after being hurt like that of course he does