Chapter 125
Hearing Xiao Xiao’s words, the police officer fell silent. After a long moment, he finally asked, “So you were willing, is that right?”
“Yes,” Xiao Xiao said. He was willing. Just get the questions over with so they would leave. He didn’t want to talk anymore. He wanted to rest.
With that, Xiao Xiao closed his eyes, clearly indicating he was done cooperating. The officers had no choice but to tell him to get some rest and then leave.
But resting was impossible, because as soon as the police left, a nurse came in with a bill.
The young nurse smiled and said, “Hello, sir. Could you please pay the hospital fee?” Although she sympathized with the beta—bitten so badly that he had to be hospitalized, and now he had to pay for it himself—it was her job. She had to collect the money.
Xiao Xiao stared for a moment before asking, “How much is it?”
The nurse looked at the bill. “The total is 2,000 yuan.”
Xiao Xiao was floored. “Two thousand! Why is it so much? I haven’t even been here a full day!” If he remembered correctly, he hadn’t been unconscious for more than two hours, and it was still the same day he’d fought with Gu Qian. So he’d been in the hospital for less than three hours. How could they charge 2,000 yuan for such a short time? Was this hospital a rip-off?
The nurse was taken aback by his reaction and explained helplessly, “Sir, there’s a base fee for admission. Once you’re admitted, the minimum charge is 1,200 yuan. The extra 800 is for…”
“I want to be discharged.”
Xiao Xiao didn’t hesitate. “Please process my discharge papers immediately. I’m not staying.” It was just a bite on the neck. He wasn’t that fragile.
The nurse sighed. “But even if you’re discharged now, the admission fee is non-refundable. You’ll still have to pay at least 1,200 yuan.”
“Fine.”
With no other choice, Xiao Xiao took out his phone and, with a pained heart, paid the 1,200 yuan. Staying another day would just mean more charges. He had never imagined his money could disappear so quickly—1,200 yuan for just a few hours in the hospital.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Xiao got out of bed. He was still wearing the clothes he’d come in with; no one had even changed him into a hospital gown. He had brought nothing with him, so there was nothing to pack. He just pulled out the IV drip from his arm and left.
The nurse hurried after him. “Sir, I’ll take you to process the discharge papers. Follow me…”
“No need,” Xiao Xiao refused. “There’s nothing to process.” The bill was paid. There was no point.
He turned and walked straight out of the hospital, standing茫然ly at the entrance. He definitely couldn’t go back to the company now; he didn’t want to see Gu Qian again. But if he didn’t go to the company, he couldn’t go back to the employee dormitory. So where could he go?
Go find An Le?
No, he couldn’t… An Le had an alpha now; he didn’t need him anymore. He couldn’t go and disturb their life. Besides, An Le was busy with his mother’s case. He couldn’t add to his troubles.
Xiao Xiao sniffled, a helpless smile on his face. “It seems… I have nowhere to go.” He had no family, no friends, and no home. Once he left the company and the dormitory, he was adrift.
And after buying a new phone and paying the hospital bill, he didn’t have much money left in his account.
With no other options, Xiao Xiao wandered the streets for a while before finding a small motel to check into. He lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He couldn’t understand how he’d ended up here. It was like watching his mother’s life all over again; he seemed to be following in her footsteps.
He had taken his mother’s surname, Xiao. His name was Xiao Xiao. His mother had loved him. In the beginning, when she was lucid and sane, she had loved him very, very much. She had hoped his future would be filled with happiness and joy, just like his name, which meant “smile.” But his mother never knew that his childhood trauma, and whether his future would be happy or not, were all influenced by her.
Later, he met An Le. He became a guide, leading An Le toward the light, and in doing so, he walked into the light with him. But now, he felt like he was sinking back into darkness.
His vision blurred, and tears trickled from the corners of his eyes, falling from his hair onto the pillow.
He didn’t know how much time passed before he finally came to his senses. He picked up his phone and called An Le. The call was answered quickly, and An Le’s cheerful voice came through. “Xiao Xiao!”
For a moment, Xiao Xiao froze. The strength he usually projected crumbled at the sound of An Le’s voice. “Lele.” His voice was thick with tears. He didn’t dare say anything else, afraid he would break down completely, so he cut straight to the point. “Lele, how much money do you have on your phone? Can you lend me some?”
“Lend… lend money?” An Le was stunned. “H-how much?”
“Ten thousand yuan. I’ll… I’ll pay you back when I get a job.” He could imagine how surprised An Le was. He would never normally ask An Le for money. An Le understood this too and immediately sensed something was wrong.
“You don’t have to pay me back! I’ll send it to you right now. But did something happen?” An Le asked anxiously. “Tell me. I’ll ask my husband to help you.” An Le himself couldn’t solve any real problems; the only person he could turn to was Lu Heng. But Lu Heng was too powerful, and he wasn’t with An Le out of love. Xiao Xiao worried about their relationship. He was afraid he would cause a rift between them, so he refused immediately. Sniffling, he said, “It’s nothing serious. I just quit my job. I need to find a new one and rent a place, so expenses are a bit high.”
An Le’s simple mind didn’t think too much of it. A job didn’t hold the same weight for him as it did for others, so he didn’t find it strange that Xiao Xiao had suddenly quit. He just asked doubtfully, “Really?”
“Really,” Xiao Xiao insisted. “When have I ever lied to you?”
An Le still seemed a little unconvinced, but in the end, he agreed. “Alright then.”
As soon as An Le said that, Xiao Xiao’s phone received a notification.
Thirty thousand yuan.
The moment he saw the amount, Xiao Xiao felt another wave of tears welling up. “Why did you send so much?” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “If I can’t find a job, I won’t be able to pay you back.”
“It’s okay,” An Le said softly. “Besides my husband, everything I have is yours. You don’t have to be a stranger.”
Lu Heng?
Xiao Xiao scoffed. “Why single out the alpha? Even if you gave him to me for free, I wouldn’t want him.” Alphas were terrifying. He didn’t want one. He hated alphas the most. It was true, his whole family had a grudge against alphas.
An Le seemed embarrassed and giggled. Then he asked again, “But are you really okay?”
“I’m fine,” Xiao Xiao said, fighting back tears. “I’ll tell you if something happens. You’re busy right now, you need to investigate your mother’s case. Once you’ve figured it out, once An Qiang is brought down, I’ll come find you.”
An Le asked anxiously, “So you’re not going to come see me for a while? Where are you staying? I can come find you.”
“No, don’t,” Xiao Xiao said. “Let’s just wait a bit longer.” He didn’t even have a place to live. How could he let An Le come find him? An Le was timid and soft-hearted. If he saw him in such a miserable state, he would cry uncontrollably. Xiao Xiao would feel terrible, and Lu Heng would surely feel terrible too. Then Lu Heng would think it was his fault for making An Le cry and would come after him. That would not be good.
So Xiao Xiao refused. “Be good. Wait until you’ve settled all your affairs, and then I’ll come find you. Really.” Worried An Le wouldn’t agree, Xiao Xiao hung up as soon as he finished speaking and quickly turned off his phone, giving An Le no chance to contact him again.
After hanging up, Xiao Xiao tried to sleep. He thought that if he could just fall asleep, all his problems would disappear. He wouldn’t have to worry about the mess of his real life anymore. But he never expected that when your luck is down, you don’t just choke on water; even your dreams won’t go smoothly.
In his dream, one moment his mother was holding him, crying and asking why they had to keep living in such a painful world. The next, it was Gu Qian holding him, asking him why he was unwilling, and then biting his gland viciously. The dream was filled with blood and was utterly terrifying.
When Xiao Xiao opened his eyes, the sky was already dark. He looked out the window at the inky blackness and felt a sense of oppression. He sat up helplessly on the bed and saw a cup of instant noodles on the bedside table. Only then did he feel a pang of hunger. He hadn’t eaten a single thing since he woke up that morning, but now the thought of going out to eat filled him with an inexplicable aversion.
So, he took the kettle provided by the motel and boiled some water, intending to eat the instant noodles. But when he had the hot water ready, he discovered that the noodles had been eaten from the bottom, leaving only an empty container.
Feeling utterly defeated, Xiao Xiao threw the container on the floor, crawled under the covers, and began to cry helplessly.
He didn’t know how long he cried. The gland on the back of his neck began to ache, the pain making him dizzy and disoriented. Vaguely, he heard someone knocking on the door. He didn’t want to move, letting the knocking continue.
Suddenly, the knocking stopped.
Curiously, Xiao Xiao looked toward the door. The door shook violently and then, with a loud crash, fell to the floor. Gu Qian, dressed in a black trench coat, stood on the fallen door, his gaze sharp and cold.
The sight shocked Xiao Xiao awake. He instinctively tried to run, but the motel room was tiny. Besides the bathroom, there was nowhere to hide. But Gu Qian was standing right in the way of the bathroom. He had no choice but to dive back under the covers.
But hiding was useless. Almost immediately, Gu Qian ripped the blanket off him, grabbed his arm, and dragged him out of bed.
Gu Qian was not in his right mind. He held onto Xiao Xiao’s arm, his voice urgent and hoarse. “You’re hiding from me. Xiao Xiao, you’re hiding from me, aren’t you? Aren’t you?”
Xiao Xiao’s face was filled with terror, his voice choked with sobs. “I’m not hiding from you. I’m not. Calm down, please, I’m begging you, calm down. I’m really not hiding from you. I just… I just don’t know how to face you.”
“Really?” Hearing Xiao Xiao say he wasn’t hiding from him, Gu Qian’s expression softened slightly. He forced a smile. “Since you’re not hiding from me, then come back with me. Let’s go home.”
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