Chapter 29 - Surgery

Shen Shuyun sat alone in the living room, this huge house was no longer his home.

He really wanted to cry, but at this moment, he couldn't squeeze out a single tear. Those salty, wet drops stubbornly lingered in his eyes, making them burn and swell, but he couldn't make them fall.

After all, he's in his thirties. How could he cry just because he wanted to?

Shen Shuyun sighed, stood up from the sofa, and dragged his heavy steps toward the stairs—the bedroom was on the second floor, and now, he had to pack up all his things and leave this home.

Everything in this world carries memories, which is why people develop feelings for them and this villa was no exception. Shen Shuyun had put in a lot of effort to make it warmer and more "homey." Almost every detail bore his design.

Shen Shuyun stood in the master bedroom, the place where he had put in the most effort. From the warm, vibrant colors of the curtains to the soft wool carpet by the bed, every detail added was his hope for the future with Ning Wan. But now he had to leave, and he couldn't take these things with him. They might even be left for the next person who would share a bed with Ning Wan. Just the thought of Ning Wan holding someone else in this bedroom, on this bed, made Shen Shuyun's whole body ache.

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the master bedroom and pulled open the sheer curtain. From here, he could see the large flower garden in front of the villa. Some of the flowers were planted by Shen Shuyun himself, while others were planted together with Ning Wan... When they had just moved here after their wedding, Ning Wan would accompany him to plant flowers every weekend. He would roll up his pant legs high and wear shiny black rubber boots, looking like a gardener from a distance. Shen Shuyun initially had the idea to tease him, sitting under a large umbrella with iced plum juice, watching Ning Wan clumsily loosen the soil and plant the flowers.

Ning Wan had lived a privileged life since childhood. He had never done such work, not even washed a dish. As a result, he used too much force and broke the roots of the young plants that Shen Shuyun had painstakingly found. Shen Shuyun shouted in alarm and quickly ran over to rescue the battered flowers from Ning Wan's hands.

Three years had passed, and the garden was full, but the person who had planted the flowers with him was no longer there.

Shen Shuyun retracted his gaze and began to mock himself, 'Why was he thinking about these things now?' So painful... Ning Wan was just correcting a mistake, and he could completely treat it as being bitten by a dog. At worst, he could just pretend these three years never existed.

He pulled out two suitcases from under the guest bed, laid them on the floor of the master bedroom, and started packing his things bit by bit.

In fact, Shen Shuyun didn't have that many clothes. He wasn't very interested in material possessions and usually wore clothes in gray, white, and black all year round because the styles were simple, he didn't have to worry about matching them, so they never looked too out of place no matter how he wears them. Compared to clothes and accessories, he preferred buying books, so most of the big suitcase was filled with books.

The bedroom light was on, and everything was quiet. Only half of the wardrobe was empty, and some small items were gone—for example, the small aromatherapy lamp by the bed and the wooden photo frame with their wedding photo on the bedside table.

Some new things were in the room, like the credit card Ning Wan had given Shen Shuyun and the ring Ning Wan had given him by the sea.

Some partings are dramatic, involving life and death decisions, while others are quiet.

Shen Shuyun packed his things, turned off the light, and collapsed on the bed, exhausted. The reason why he wanted to stay here one more night was because he was really in pain, feeling completely drained and only wanting to sleep to alleviate the headache. If he had to leave now with his suitcase, he might even fall down the stairs himself.

His chest hurt so much that he closed his eyes and tossed and turned in the dark. Finally, with trembling hands, he took out a pack of cigarettes left by Ning Wan and a lighter from a nearby cabinet, he opened the cigarette box then took out a cigarette and put it into his bitter-tasting mouth. The lighter's flame flickered and went out several times because of his shaking hands. On the fourth attempt, he finally lit the cigarette.

He took one puff and was choked by the strong taste of tar, coughing violently. He threw the cigarette away, ran barefoot to the bathroom, and vomited over the sink.

Shen Shuyun wasn't entirely unfamiliar with cigarettes, but he rarely smoked and didn't have an addiction. After getting married, he hadn't smoked at all. Now, just one cigarette made him choke and almost brought tears to his eyes.

Neither he nor Ning Wan had eaten properly at dinner, so naturally he couldn't vomit anything. After dry heaving for a while, he splashed water on his face. He looked up at the mirror, at the pale, water-streaked face staring back, and laughed twice.

Look at this state. Even he found himself repulsive. How could anyone genuinely like him?

Unable to sleep, his eyes bloodshot, he went downstairs to look at the divorce agreement. The second page listed many things, including the division of property. Ning Wan had given him half of his assets, a considerable sum. Shen Shuyun involuntarily crumpled a corner of the paper, stared at it for a while, then picked up a pen and heavily blacked out the sections about property division.

What property? He didn't want any of it. If he could, he only wished Ning Wan had never appeared in his life.

At six o'clock the next morning, Shen Shuyun left the white villa with two suitcases.

Looking back at the thousand-plus days and nights spent here, most were actually happy... Shen Shuyun tightly gripped the suitcase handle and told himself, 'it was okay. It was just a beautiful dream, and now that you're was awake, life would go on. It was no big deal... As an adult, would he really consider dying just because he left someone?'

A week later, he received a call from Ning Wan's secretary, Anna. Her slightly magnetic voice informed him that Ning Wan had arranged for his gland marking removal surgery for this Saturday.

Shen Shuyun was on his way home at the time. Holding the phone with one hand, he bitterly replied, "Alright, I know... Yes, it needs to be done sooner or later... Please thank him for me and thank him for arranging the doctor."

After hanging up, Anna sighed silently. Mr. Shen was such a gentle person. She couldn't understand why her boss had suddenly divorced him.

Shen Shuyun rubbed his temples, the bitter smile still lingering on his lips, but his eyes were void of any joy.

He didn't know whether to commend Ning Wan for his thoughtfulness or criticize him for his cold-heartedness.

On Saturday, he followed the address Anna had sent him and arrived at the largest omega hospital in W City, promptly entering Dr. Wen's office.

Some hospitals are comprehensive and cater to all genders, but others specialize in alpha or omega care. Omega hospitals primarily focus on obstetrics and pheromone treatment, with most of the doctors and staff being omegas or betas, and no alphas. Most omegas opt for specialized omega hospitals for gland marking removal surgeries, as these hospitals have the best techniques.

Shen Shuyun knocked twice, and after receiving permission, entered the consultation room.

"Are you Mr. Shen? Here for..."

"I'm here for a gland removal surgery."

Dr. Wen frowned, pulled up the appointment information on the computer to confirm it again, and then said, "Mr. Shen, you have an appointment for a marking removal surgery, not a gland removal surgery... Marking removal is a minor procedure, it takes about forty minutes and isn't very painful..."

Shen Shuyun calmly sat in front of the doctor, his eyes emotionless. He interrupted the doctor, speaking slowly and clearly, "Doctor, didn't you hear me? I want a gland removal surgery."

Gland removal would mean Shen Shuyun would turn from an omega into a beta. His heat cycles would never come again, he wouldn't get pregnant... and his pheromones would disappear.

Since Ning Wan didn't want him, he didn't want himself either.

-------------

Poor babiee, lemme give you a hug