TPLTMOE - Chapter 16

Ling Ran could tell at a glance his brother was in a foul mood—no doubt due to whatever exaggerated version of events Jiang Ronglian had just fed him.

Seeing Ling Ran had returned, the two women on the sofa stood to leave.

At the door, Jiang Ronglian couldn't resist turning back to give Ling Ran a disdainful once-over. "Xiao Ran, you shouldn't have hidden your illness from us. But I've discussed it with your family—what's done is done. Just follow the doctor's orders and get treated quickly. We can't let this delay your wedding to Sheng Yi."

She had originally come to make a scene and call off the engagement, but the family patriarch wouldn't allow it, citing the Ling family's influence in Southeast Asia and how beneficial they'd be for expanding the Jiang corporation's overseas markets. The marriage absolutely could not be canceled.

So she had no choice but to offer these hollow words of concern.

Jiang's sister wrinkled her nose and added, "Yes, yes, especially that... pheromone disorder. You must get treated quickly, or it'll affect your fertility. What use would the Jiang family have for an Omega who can't bear children?"

As if remembering something, Jiang Ronglian continued, "Oh, and you should wear that inhibitor less often. If you're feeling unwell, just take more suppressant injections. If people see you wearing that thing outside, they might think our Jiang family's daughter-in-law has some contagious disease."

Ling Su quickly interjected, "Don't worry, I'll make him take it off immediately. We'll ensure no outsiders ever see it."

Only after receiving Ling Su's assurance did Jiang Ronglian leave satisfied.

The moment they were gone, Ling Su's expression darkened. He barked at Ling Ran, "Hurry up and take off that damn ankle monitor! Do you have no shame, letting people see you like that in public?!"

Ling Ran stood before his brother with his head lowered, but at these words, he cautiously took two steps back.

He shook his head, refusing to remove it.

It was just a device to suppress his pheromones. He was simply ill.

Yet in their eyes, it was as if he'd committed some unforgivable crime.

Their precious reputation mattered more than his health.

Seeing his defiance, Ling Su strode forward and shoved him to the ground. He forcibly ripped off the black metal device from Ling Ran's ankle, then crushed the display screen under his foot right in front of him.

"No—!"

Ling Ran's eyes welled up with tears as he desperately tried to piece together the shattered black ankle monitor beneath Ling Su's foot. The glass shards from the broken display screen scattered across the floor, impossible to gather, until a teardrop fell with a soft "plop" onto the cold tiles.

Ling Su snorted coldly. "It's just a broken ankle monitor. Good riddance—don't wear it anymore."

The thin, small figure crouched on the floor didn't move, then spoke in a whisper-soft voice: "Brother, sister... I don't want to get married anymore."

The moment these words were uttered, Ling Su's expression darkened. He frowned sharply. "What did you say? Not get married? Do you think your engagement is some kind of joke? You can't just back out whenever you feel like it!"

A sudden sharp pain shot through Ling Ran's fingertip. He looked down to see a small cut from a shard of glass—agonizingly painful.

But no one noticed.

Ling Mo crouched down beside him, coaxing, "Xiao Ran, are you really thinking of breaking off the engagement with the Jiang family? Mom and Dad have been worried about the Ling Corporation's financial troubles lately. They're counting on your marriage to Jiang Shengyi so the second branch can support us. Of course, Jiang Shengyi will also benefit from the Ling family's influence in Southeast Asia to expand into overseas markets. It's a win-win for both families. So for the sake of the Lings, don't ever mention calling off the engagement again."

Ling Ran's vision blurred.

All anyone cared about was profit. No one had ever truly considered his feelings.

Not his brother or sister.

Not his parents.

And certainly not Jiang Shengyi.

"Leave him be. Let him think about the nonsense he just spouted," Ling Su said, pulling Ling Mo away to discuss work in the study. Ling Ran wiped his eyes, picked up the broken suppressor from the floor, and silently went upstairs.

His body hadn't fully recovered. Without the suppressor, his fever returned that night.

Only this time, there was no one beside him to tell him whether it was a fever—or heat.

Dazed, he dragged himself out of bed, took fever medicine, then rummaged through his medicine box for a suppressant injection, pushing the cold liquid into his burning skin. His slender, pale neck arched back like a graceful swan singing its last note before abruptly going limp, dropping weakly.

***

Ling Ran drifted in and out of consciousness in his bedroom for three days, sustained only by nutrient supplements.

Ling Su and Ling Mo left early and returned late each day. No one noticed he hadn't left his room.

Strangely enough, Jiang Shengyi was the one who reached out first.

Seeing the contact name on his phone, Ling Ran curled under the blankets, his delicate fingers tapping the screen to change the nickname from "My Dear A-Yi" to "Jiang Shengyi."

[Jiang Shengyi]: I'll pick you up tonight. There's a company gathering—come with me. Bring your brother along.

[Little Grape]: I won't go. I'm not feeling well today, and brother isn't home either.

Jiang Shengyi stared at the reply, momentarily stunned.

Not only had the little Omega not contacted him for three days, but now he was turning down invitations?

Ever since the memorial day, Ling Ran had been acting strangely.

[Jiang Shengyi): I already spoke to your brother. He's going. Get ready—I'll pick you up later.

Ling Ran sighed. If his brother was attending, there was no way he could refuse. Reluctantly, he typed a reply.

[Little Grape]: Okay.

That evening, Jiang Shengyi came to pick up Ling Ran, and the two headed to the most luxurious club in Haishi. Throughout the journey, Ling Ran was unusually quiet, silently gazing out the window without saying a word.

Jiang Shengyi glanced at his loose-fitting tracksuit and frowned in disapproval. "Didn't I tell you to prepare properly? How could you go out dressed like this?"

Ling Ran's lips were slightly pale, his mind still somewhat hazy. He only murmured softly, "Didn't have time to change."

Jiang Shengyi shot him a look, unsure what mood he was in, and had no intention of comforting him.

After parking, the two entered the club one after the other.

Two private rooms had been reserved—the larger one filled with managers and employees from various departments of the Jiang Corporation. The gathering was an internal company event, and Jiang Shengyi hadn't originally planned to bring Ling Ran. However, he saw this as an opportunity to introduce Ling Su to his team for future collaboration, so he booked a smaller adjacent room, inviting only Managers A and B along with a few trusted associates.

As for Ling Ran? He was merely an afterthought.

The moment they stepped into the smaller room, Yin Chu greeted them with a warm smile.

"Xiao Ran, you're here! Come, sit." His voice was gentle and friendly as he guided Ling Ran to a seat beside him.

Ling Ran wanted to refuse, but Jiang Shengyi pressed a firm hand on his shoulder, forcing him down with a look that warned him not to be ungrateful.

So he sat beside Yin Chu.

Listening to the conversation between Yin Chu and Jiang Shengyi, while the others around them discussed work and industry matters, Ling Ran found himself unable to follow or contribute. He simply lowered his head and sipped his juice in silence.

Not being much of a drinker, he didn't dare touch alcohol in public.

Before long, Ling Su arrived.

Ling Ran obediently stood up to make space for his older brother, and Ling Su, without hesitation, took the seat between Yin Chu and Jiang Shengyi. The three of them chatted and laughed, hitting it off immediately.

Seeing that there were no empty seats left at the table, Ling Ran poured himself a full glass of juice and moved to the nearby sofa, taking slow, quiet sips.

The group at the table grew louder as their excitement peaked, their boisterous laughter making Ling Ran's head throb even more. He felt restless and irritable, longing to go home and collapse back into bed.

His cheeks burned slightly, so he pressed the cold glass of juice against his face to cool down.

He waited endlessly, unsure how much time had passed, before the group at the table finally finished their drinks and conversation.

Ling Su had matters to attend to at the company and left early.

Ling Ran had hoped to leave with his brother, but Ling Su refused.

"Let Jiang Shengyi take you home. Of course, it would be even better if you could manage to go home with him."

Ling Ran glanced at the man who was chatting and laughing with Yin Chu, then had no choice but to follow the two out of the private room. The larger private room next door had ended even earlier. By the time they passed by, it was already empty, with only the staff cleaning up the mess.

Ling Ran peeked inside and caught sight of a tall, broad-shouldered figure standing by the window with his back to the door, talking on the phone. The veins on his pale, slender hands were faintly visible, and paired with his impeccably tailored, expensive suit, the sight was lethally attractive.

He only glanced briefly before quickly looking away.

Shaking his head slightly, he thought to himself that he must really be feverish—how else would he mistake a tall, long-legged silhouette for Jiang Zhiyu?

The three of them had already reached the entrance of the club when a damp chill hit them. Unbeknownst to them, it had started pouring outside again.

"I'll take you home," Jiang Shengyi said to Yin Chu.

Yin Chu smiled and glanced at Ling Ran. "Oh, don't. Xiao Ran is here—we wouldn't want the little one to misunderstand. Xiao Ran, don't worry, Shengyi and I have just known each other since childhood. There's nothing between us, so don't get jealous, okay?"

Ling Ran said to them, "I can go back by myself. You two should hurry and leave."

"No need to explain anything to him," Jiang Shengyi said coldly, looking at Ling Ran. "I'll take Chu Chu home first."

With that, Jiang Shengyi went to bring the car around, leaving Ling Ran and Yin Chu standing on the steps, sheltering from the rain.

Ling Ran inhaled the cool, damp air. It seemed like this summer had been unusually rainy—every time he went out, it felt like it was pouring.

Dizzy, he thought to himself, How unlucky.

Beside him, Yin Chu saw the car approaching in the distance and suddenly stepped closer, intimately looping an arm around Ling Ran's. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he whispered, "That night... you saw everything, didn't you?"

Ling Ran froze mid-step. His mind flashed back to that stormy night, the two figures entangled behind the bamboo grove.

He turned to Yin Chu in disbelief, lips slightly parted, but no words came out.

Had Yin Chu seen him that night?

That couldn't be. He and Jiang Zhiyu had hidden well—how could Yin Chu have noticed?

And why did Yin Chu know he had witnessed it? Why did he seem so indifferent, as if he had wanted Ling Ran to see?

Ling Ran's thoughts were a tangled mess. His body temperature was still rising, making him uncomfortable, so he pulled his arm free from Yin Chu's grasp.

“I—“

But before he could finish, Yin Chu—who had been standing perfectly fine just moments ago—suddenly slipped and tumbled down the high steps, landing in a puddle of rainwater.

From the angle inside the car, it looked as though Ling Ran had forcefully shoved Yin Chu down the stairs.

Ling Ran stared blankly at the figure sprawled in pain on the wet ground, his withdrawn arm still frozen mid-air, unsure what to do.

He was certain he hadn't used that much force. He had no idea why Yin Chu had fallen.

But Jiang Shengyi had already flung open the car door and rushed toward the figure collapsed in the pouring rain.

Yin Chu's face twisted in pain, his ankle seemingly broken and immobile. Jiang Shengyi's face was full of heartache as he lifted Yin Chu from the ground, then shot Ling Ran on the steps a look of icy, bone-chilling hatred before driving off with Yin Chu into the rainy night.

Ling Ran felt dizzy, his breathing unsteady. He had held on all night, but now he could barely stand, staggering slightly as he nearly toppled down the high steps.

But suddenly, a pair of strong arms wrapped around his slender, supple waist, turning him before sweeping the petite Omega off his feet into a bridal carry.

The damp, cold rain was blocked by the warm, broad embrace, his slight frame securely nestled against a chest that felt like a fortress against the outside world.

Ling Ran's head spun even more violently, the world seeming to tilt around him—even the sharp line of the man's jaw above him blurred in the dim light.

His delicate, pale fingers reached up tentatively, brushing against the man's cheek.

Warm. Alive.

So he hadn't been mistaken—it really was Jiang Zhiyu.

The hand gripping his thigh tightened slightly, the soft flesh spilling between the man's fingers, molded by the pressure.

The small hand touching his chin flinched back almost immediately, like a frightened little animal.

Jiang Zhiyu felt the feverish heat radiating from the body in his arms, his gaze dropping to the exposed, pale ankle.

It was bare. No trace of anything.

"Where's your inhibitor?"

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