Xi Lei and the others returned to the medical college sooner than Ling Yi. The difference was that the others walked back, but Bo Rui was carried back.

Da Lun gave Ling Yi a complicated look that contained the multitude of things he wanted to say but couldn’t.

“Bo Rui is in the emergency room. Do you want to see him?”

Ling Yi: “Did he get beaten up?”

“If being attacked by pheromones counts as being beaten, then yeah.”

Xi Lei disdained his roundabout words: “He was sent to the emergency room because he had a nose bleed and went into shock.”

Ling Yi was astonished: “You’re all fine, so why is he so ill?”

“Because he’s 94.33.” Oser’s voice was bone-chilling.

Ling Yi still didn’t understand: “Do you give everyone a code name?”

Oser smiled and said nothing.

Ling Yi pushed open the door of the emergency room just in time to see Bo Rui on a hospital bed slap himself hard.

“Pervert! He’s your own son, ah!”

Ling Yi: “……”

Bo Rui noticed someone coming inside. When he turned and saw that it was Ling Yi, he was so frightened that he fell to the floor.

“Y-y-you! Are you wearing the thing?”

Ling Yi helplessly lifted his hair to confirm: “I’ve already put it on, is that okay?”

Bo Rui appeared relieved, but not completely at ease, still watching him cautiously over the edge of the bed.

Ling Yi hadn’t expected to give this child such a psychological shadow, and had to patiently comfort him.

“I let it out on purpose today in order to escape. Normally, it’s not that intense. If you don’t believe me, ask Xi Lei.”

Xi Lei glanced at him, then glanced away.

Bo Rui actually understood: “Xi Lei says you’re a liar!”

Ling Yi: “……”

Da Lun stepped in to smooth things over: “Alright, stop arguing. We should sit down and let Ling Yi explain what’s going on.”

Ling Yi obediently found a seat and sat down. Bo Rui remained stubbornly crouched on the floor and refused to get up, and Xi Lei leaned against the far wall with his arms folded, seemingly unaffiliated with this tea party.

Ling Yi lowered his head and thought for a moment, then covered his face with his hands.

“What’s wrong?” Da Lun asked with concern. “Did we push you too hard?”

Ling Yi shook his head vigorously, sobbing into his palms: “Lu Hulun. It’s Lu Hulun who made me like this.”

Da Lun was about to touch his back to comfort him, but when he reached his hand out, he realized that it might not be appropriate and retracted it.

“It’s okay, take your time.”

Ling Yi paused briefly, then wiped his face and forced himself to be calm.

“The one who died in the execution van wasn’t me, but a substitute Lu Hulun found. The reason he found someone to replace me was that he didn’t want me to die so easily. He wanted me to die in agony like Lu Dawa, with my gland sliced to pieces.”

Bo Rui had been curled up in an aggrieved ball just moments before, but upon hearing this, he couldn’t help but jump up and curse.

Ling Yi waited patiently for him to finish greeting Lu Hulun’s eighteen generations of ancestors before continuing: “Fortunately, His Highness Oser arrived and rescued me, but my injuries were too severe. I only had two choices: death or a gland transplant.”

Bo Rui: “Of course you couldn’t die!”

“The medical college only had one artificial gland at the time, which was prepared for His Highness Oser’s Omega. It was extremely precious, yet His Highness Oser was willing to use it to save me. He even sent the best surgeons to perform the operation and spent a fortune on my treatment.”

The person leaning against the wall turned his head in disbelief.

“Shortly after the operation, Lu Hulun sent an assassin to sneak into the medical college and kill me. The situation was critical, and in order to protect me from the other Alphas, His Highness Oser had no choice but to mark me, as you can see now.”

These words once again touched upon painful memories, and Ling Yi covered his eyes, not wanting the others to see his vulnerable side.

Through the gaps between his fingers, he could see the look of disbelief on Xi Lei’s face, which was darker than the bottom of a pot. Ling Yi stuck his tongue out at him while the other two weren’t paying attention.

Da Lun had mixed feelings of sorrow and joy. The good news was that Ling Yi had survived, but the bad news was that just by listening to his narration, one could imagine how perilous his life was during that period.

“Why didn’t you tell us such an important thing earlier?”

“I hid it from you before because I wasn’t mentally prepared to face myself, and I worried that you would discriminate against me because of it.”

Da Lun’s heart broke: “How could that be?”

Bo Rui also shouted: “We’ve lived and eaten together for so many years. Don’t you know what kind of people we are?”

“I believe that the other students will accept you, so don’t let this weigh on you.”

Ling Yi wiped away nonexistent tears: “Thanks, you guys. I’ll try to accept my new identity. I don’t want to hide from it anymore.”

Xi Lei: “Heh.”

Bo Rui’s eyes flickered as if he had something else to say.

“I wanted to ask you, that is, the relationship between you and His Highness Oser…..is it based on gratitude?”

Ling Yi had already smelled a certain scent outside the door. Somebody couldn’t control his pheromones, and thus lacked the ability to hide and eavesdrop.

He lowered his head with reddened eyes: “No, it’s based on love.”

When he came out of the emergency room, Oser started to clap.

“Excellent! The film school has lost out on your extraordinary talent.”

Ling Yi calmly accepted the praise: “My goal is to bring hatred down on Lu Hulun. There’s no need for you to bring out the firepower. Since Bo Rui knows, soon everyone at the academy will know.”

He was very confident: “When it comes out that I’m still alive, this version of events will naturally spread. Even surnamed Lu won’t be able to dispute it, because lies based on truth are the hardest to distinguish.”

“Half true, half false. Was your closing remark the false half?”

Ling Yi smiled: “Guess.”

. . . . . .

A day later, Xi En, who had been in a coma for over half a month, finally woke up.

When Ling Yi received the news and rushed over, Xi En had been awake for most of the day and was even able to sit up.

“Uncle Xi En!” Ling Yi’s eyes reddened the moment he saw him. This time, he wasn’t acting.

Xi En saw his lips tremble, and reached his hands out unsteadily.

“Ling Yi, come here.”

Ling Yi rushed over and hugged him, all of the worries and fears of these past days spilling out to wet the fabric over Xi En’s chest.

“I almost thought I’d never see you again.”

Xi En patted him on the back: “I’m alright. You’re the one who suffered.”

After Ling Yi vented the grievances that had piled up over several months, he met Xi Lei’s gaze and immediately turned his head away to wipe away his tears.

A few tissues were handed to him. Ling Yi stared at Xi Lei in confusion, wondering why he was being so kind instead of laughing at him.

“I told Dad the whole story, so you don’t have to make up tales to deceive him.”

“You —!”

“Your acting skills were barely enough to fool those two idiots. Do you really believe Dad wouldn’t see through it?”

Ling Yi gritted his teeth, but in front of Xi En, he chose not to argue with his son.

“Uncle Xi En, don’t listen to his nonsense. Look, I’m fine now, aren’t I? Your injuries and the tumor in your head were all treated by people His Highness Oser hired. The same goes for Xi Lei. If it weren’t for His Highness Oser, he would have been captured and buried by Lu Hulun.”

Xi En nodded slowly: “You’re right. Once I’ve recovered a bit, I’ll have to thank His Highness Oser in person.”

“No need.”

A familiar voice sounded, and Oser himself appeared at the door. 

“I’m here. Just pretend you’ve already thanked me.”

Xi En recognized Oser and struggled to get up.

“Xi Lei, come help me up.”

Xi Lei was apprehensive: “Dad, you just woke up. Don’t force yourself. His Highness won’t blame you for not observing etiquette.”

“His Highness Oser saved our entire family. I should express my sincere gratitude to him…..hurry up and help me!”

Since Xi En insisted on getting up, Xi Lei and Ling Yi had no choice but to assist him. One on each side, they supported him over to Oser.

Facing Oser, Xi En bowed deeply.

“Your Highness saved my family. I sincerely express my gratitude to you.”

Oser: “There’s no need for such ceremony. I was just fulfilling Ling Yi’s request.”

He was caught off guard by pain blooming in his jaw. Xi En’s punch was weak and powerless, but he had actually hit the eldest prince’s noble face.

Ling Yi: “Uncle Xi En!”

Xi Lei: “Dad!”

After using all of his strength to throw one punch, Xi En was completely exhausted and slid straight down. If Ling Yi and Xi Lei hadn’t been holding him up, he would have fallen to the floor.

Everyone was shocked by this sudden development, including Oser, who wore a rare look of surprise on his face.

“The way your Xi family expresses gratitude is truly eye-opening.”

Xi Lei explained anxiously: “No, Your Highness! Dad…..his mind must not be clear after the surgery. He was just momentarily confused!”

“The last person who dared punch me in the face was Ling Yi. Between you and him, I can’t tell which is the real father-son pair.”

Oser rubbed the place he’d been hit: “But I do hope that the next person who takes action will understand the criminal sentence for attacking a member of the royal family.”

Xi En breathed for a long time before regaining enough strength to furiously scold His Highness Oser: “He’s only in his early twenties, in the prime of his life, with lots of youth ahead of him! You took advantage of his misfortune. How could you be so cruel…..”

“Uncle Xi En! Stop talking!”

Ling Yi feared that Oser would order Xi En, who had just returned from the dead, to be thrown in prison. He hurriedly pleaded: “Your Highness, Uncle Xi En has been very kind to me. Without him, I wouldn’t be alive today. He acted impulsively out of concern for me. Please forgive him this time!”

There was no emotion in Oser’s unfathomable eyes.

“Your pleading for him is much more sincere than when you pleaded on your own behalf.”

“As long as you forgive him, I’ll do anything!”

“Me too!” Xi Lei stepped forward. “Please, for the sake of his frail body, don’t pursue this matter. I’m willing to go to prison in his place!”

While holding Xi En up, they tried their best to shield him with their bodies against Oser’s anger.

Oser’s eyes swept over the three of them one by one.

“It’s not impossible for me to waive the punishment. You two go out first.”

Ling Yi couldn’t rest assured: “Your Highness, allow me to stay. I won’t talk.”

“What, are you worried that this half-dead fellow will jump up and punch me again, or that I’ll kill him with one punch?”

Xi En stopped Ling Yi: “This is great. I also want to speak with His Highness privately”

Ling Yi and Xi Lei were driven out, leaving only a high-handed prince and a weak patient in the ward.

“In consideration of your unhealed injuries, I’ll allow you to sit while we speak,” Oser said loftily.

Xi En fell to the edge of the bed. He tried to push himself up with one hand, but after several failed attempts, he was forced to give up. 

“Your Highness, do you understand Ling Yi? If not, then let me, as his parent, give you a brief introduction.”

“Ling Yi has been interested in beautiful, dainty Omegas since childhood. When I was cleaning his room once, I found those magazines under his bed that teenagers like. I didn’t say anything to him, because it’s normal for adolescents to be curious about the opposite sex.”

He paused for a long time before he was able to speak again.

“Later, when Ling Yi went to the military academy, I accidentally discovered the pages he saved in his phone. His favorite porn star was Meng Tian. Considering that he’s an adult, he should have freedom in this regard, and as long as he wasn’t discovered by the school, I let him do as he pleased. If Your Highness feels that I’ve failed to educate my son, I will readily accept criticism.”

Oser’s face didn’t look so good anymore.

“A person’s sexual characteristics can be changed, but their sexual preferences cannot. Your Highness is not Ling Yi’s type in terms of style, age, or sexual characteristics. Even if you force him to be with you, he will never truly fall in love with you, Your Highness.”

Oser held his forehead with one hand and let out a few sinister chuckles.

“I truly want to thank you for introducing me to so many unknown sides of Ling Yi. If your goal was to irritate me, then congratulations, you’ve succeeded……”

“…..Captain Xi En.”

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Chapter 30 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 32