Chapter 61: A Ray of Hope
Later that evening, Wen Yumo brought him some food. Ye Zhile managed only a few bites. Seeing his listless appearance, Wen Yumo hesitated for a moment before saying, “Lele, your health is poor right now. You must think of your own body.”
“What do you mean…” Ye Zhile looked up, confused by Wen Yumo’s hesitant expression.
“The doctor said that without an Enigma’s pheromones to accompany you, your body needs to be isolated in a sterile room,” Wen Yumo explained.
Ye Zhile fell silent for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.”
A short while later, the doctor arrived. After a quick examination, he said, “When the patient’s pheromones are in disorder, we can use the pheromones of other Alphas for nourishment. However, the patient will need to be isolated in a sterile room during that time.”
“Will using other pheromones create a dependency?” Ye Zhile asked.
“No,” the doctor replied. “Your partner is an Enigma; their pheromones are the only ones that truly affect you. Others only serve as a temporary protective measure. If your physical condition improves, you can come out. If not… you might have to stay there for over half a year.”
“Isn’t that too long?” Wen Yumo worried. “If he stays in a sterile room under pheromone nourishment for that long, his body might not be able to adapt once he comes out. Could it make things worse?”
“Therefore, we can only hope the patient can come out after three months. It would be much better to spend the remaining time in the hospital under conservative treatment,” the doctor said before leaving.
Wen Yumo looked at Ye Zhile. Ye Zhile didn’t dare meet his father’s eyes, so he peeked at his other father, hoping he would act as a lobbyist. Ye Junting naturally received the signal, but at this moment, he felt that his spouse’s concerns were valid.
“Papa…” Ye Zhile called out softly, “I want to…”
Wen Yumo remained silent, exchanging a glance with Ye Junting. After a moment, he sighed. “Papa and Father will respect your wishes.”
Ye Zhile broke into a smile. Biting his lip, he promised in a small voice, “I will take good care of myself. I definitely won’t let anything happen.”
Seeing his genuine happiness, Wen Yumo’s heart softened. He sat down beside him. “Then you must recover well. Don’t let your mind wander. Regarding the Supreme Leader… the military will do everything in its power to find him.”
“Mhm.” Ye Zhile nodded.
Ye Zhijin was in the neighboring ward. He was already able to move and jump around, though that was largely due to his instincts as a top-tier Alpha; his injuries had not actually recovered yet. Seeing both brothers hospitalized across from each other, Ye Zhijin felt both amused and helpless.
After chatting with Ye Zhile for a while, the sky turned completely dark. Seeing that Ye Zhile’s energy was flagging, he returned to his own ward.
Ye Junting still had matters to attend to and returned to the military headquarters first, while Wen Yumo stayed at the hospital to accompany Ye Zhile.
In the dim ward, Ye Zhile remained awake. He turned his head to look at his Papa, who was already asleep on the small cot. An endless wave of guilt washed over him. Tears slid from the corners of his eyes as Ye Zhile took a deep breath, trying to force himself to sleep.
All of Ye Zhile’s meals were personally prepared by Wen Yumo, who changed the menu every day to give him variety. A few days after Ye Zhile was hospitalized, Ye Zhichen returned.
He had wanted to return as soon as he heard about the accident involving his eldest brother, but he was tied down at his post and couldn’t easily leave. It wasn’t until the Supreme Leader’s cabin exploded and the war between the Empire and Planet Rhea entered a ceasefire that everyone was urgently recalled.
As it turned out, the eldest brother was fine, but the youngest brother was in deep trouble.
Ye Zhichen stared at Ye Zhile. “Wait, Lele has to be isolated?”
“The doctor said it’s the only way,” Wen Yumo said.
“Oh.” Ye Zhichen nodded, patting Ye Zhile’s head. “Don’t worry too much. The most important thing right now is to nurse your body back to health.”
Ye Zhile’s face was pale, but he nodded at the words.
“Aiyo, seeing you like this really makes my heart ache,” Ye Zhichen said distressedly.
Chapter 62: Sterile Room Isolation
Ye Zhile’s condition grew worse by the day, as if something invisible was slowly consuming his body. When Leng Xingtu came to visit him that day, he was shocked by his appearance. He sat by the bed, looking at Ye Zhile. “How did you get so thin? Are you not eating or sleeping well?”
“A little, but it’s okay. It’s not too uncomfortable,” Ye Zhile smiled, though there was no color in his face.
Leng Xingtu took his hand, his heart aching. “It’s been so hard on you.”
“It’ll be fine once these few months pass.” Ye Zhile squeezed his hand back.
The two chatted for a while until Ye Zhichen walked in. He looked at Leng Xingtu with surprise. “Oh, a rare guest.”
Leng Xingtu scoffed. “I didn’t come to see you.”
“Tch, as if I’d want you to see me,” Ye Zhichen countered.
Ye Zhile watched them bicker, but his body reached its limit and he felt the urge to rest. Seeing this, Ye Zhichen pulled Leng Xingtu up. “Lele needs to rest. Let’s not disturb him with our arguing.”
For once, Leng Xingtu didn’t mind Ye Zhichen’s hands-on approach. He stood up. “Rest well then, Lele.”
“Okay.”
Ye Zhile lay back down. He was the only one in the ward. Gradually, he drifted into a deep sleep, but when he woke up again, it was because of a scorching heat within his body. It felt as if he were in the middle of a sea of flames. Waves of dizziness hit his brain, followed by a dense, needle-like pain.
Ye Zhile gasped for breath, cold sweat pouring off him. He struggled to get up and press the call button, but his body was so weak and riddled with pain that he accidentally knocked over the vase on the table.
Usually, when Ye Zhile was sleeping, everyone would go to Ye Zhijin’s ward to avoid disturbing him. That single crash was enough to make everyone rush through the door.
“Lele!” Ye Zhichen hurried to support Ye Zhile, who was about to fall off the bed, while Wen Yumo frantically pressed the call button.
“Lele, what’s wrong?” Wen Yumo watched in horror as Ye Zhile suffered, his face drenched in cold sweat while his body was burning hot.
Ye Zhile cried soundlessly. He gripped Ye Zhichen’s collar tightly, as if doing so could alleviate the pain. His glands throbbed as if they were being torn apart while alive. Ye Zhile gritted his teeth. “Ugh…”
Ye Zhijin arrived and released his pheromones. “Lele?”
Seeing Leng Xingtu following behind, Ye Zhichen shouted urgently, “Go out first! Don’t come in!”
“Oh, okay!” As soon as Leng Xingtu entered, his glands were stung by the sharp scent of sandalwood pheromones. He hurriedly backed out.
With the pheromones of Ye Zhijin and Ye Zhichen present, Ye Zhile felt slightly better, but he was too tormented by the pain to speak. He was like a fish on the verge of death, desperately craving the ocean.
Ye Zhile drifted in and out of consciousness until the doctor arrived. After an examination, the doctor stated, “The patient’s pheromones are in total disorder. He needs to be isolated immediately.”
“Okay.” Wen Yumo nodded repeatedly.
The sterile room for Ye Zhile’s isolation was upstairs. As Ye Zhile was wheeled away, everyone stopped at the door. They watched through the glass window as he was moved onto the bed and connected to various instruments—lifeless and at the mercy of others.
Wen Yumo felt a bitter ache in his heart and wiped the tears from his eyes.
Ye Zhijin put an arm around his shoulders. “Little brother will be fine.”
Wen Yumo nodded through his tears.
Ye Zhijin was almost ready to be discharged. On the second day of Ye Zhile’s isolation, he was packing his things when someone appeared at the door.
Ye Zhijin froze. Xiao Yuanqing had arrived, looking travel-worn and exhausted. He said, “I’ve been busy lately, so I didn’t have time to visit you and Lele. How are you?”
Ye Zhijin spread his arms. “Still alive, as you can see.”
“Where is Lele?” Xiao Yuanqing asked. “I heard about what happened. Now that Shuohan is gone and his health is poor, I want to be his attending physician and help him recover.”
“No need,” Ye Zhijin refused flatly. “He’s in a sterile room. He can only rely on pheromone nourishment.”
Xiao Yuanqing fell silent. Ye Zhijin walked past him with his belongings, but after a moment of thought, he offered some comfort. “The Leader is an Enigma; his mental strength is immense. I believe he must have escaped at the last second.”
“Ah-Jin!” Just as Ye Zhijin brushed past him, Xiao Yuanqing grabbed his hand, yet he looked at him without saying a word.
Ye Zhijin looked back. “Yuanqing, you were right. Two Alphas won’t have a future. For the sake of your family, you should find an Omega to marry and carry on the lineage, shouldn’t you?”
“I…” Xiao Yuanqing couldn’t say a word, his nose stinging with sorrow. Ye Zhijin shook off his hand and left.
Xiao Yuanqing lowered his head, his eyes swimming with tears.
Ye Zhile stayed in the sterile room for a week before waking up. He was finally able to get out of bed. When his Papa, Father, and brothers came to visit, he would walk to the glass window and use sign language or write notes to chat with them.
His spirit had improved significantly, bringing relief to those outside. Watching the thin figure in the hospital gown being so active, they could only silently pray for his quick recovery.
Finally, Ye Zhile wrote a few words in his notebook and held it up, looking at them expectantly.
[Is there any news of My Lord?]
The people outside the glass froze, none of them speaking. The youth slowly lowered his notebook, the light in his eyes extinguishing. A moment later, he wrote something else.
[Don’t worry about me. I will be fine.]
Wen Yumo also wrote in his own notebook: [Papa believes in you. You are the bravest and strongest.]
Ye Zhile smiled.
In the blink of an eye, midsummer had passed. When Ye Zhile was awake, he would stare at the ceiling in a daze. The sterile room was enclosed, leaving only a small ventilation port. Except for the times he was awake, it was always dim. Every time he woke up, he felt an endless, cold loneliness wrapping around him.
Panic grew within him, but he remained calm on the surface. Every time his family visited, he would chat happily with them, only to fall into a bottomless pit of sorrow once they left.
Wait after wait only resulted in disappointment. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep lying to himself. Where was his Lord? When would he return? Was he… truly gone…
Ultimately, Ye Zhile stayed in the sterile room for four months. On the first day he came out, he was so unaccustomed to the environment and so exhausted that he slept for an entire day. When he woke up, the room was filled with people.
“Lele is awake?” Wen Yumo was overjoyed.
Ye Zhile’s eyes crinkled. Ye Zhijin helped him sit up, propping him up with cushions. He saw that Xiao Yuanqing was there too. “Brother Yuanqing.”
“I heard you were out of the sterile room, so I came to see you.” Xiao Yuanqing asked with a smile, “Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
“I’m much better. Thank you, Brother Yuanqing,” Ye Zhile said.
“That’s good.”
Translator’s Note:
Ah-Jin is an affectionate way of calling Ye Zhijin (adding ‘Ah’ before a name). Xiao Yuanqing and Ye Zhijin’s relationship seems very complicated—the classic “two Alphas can’t be together” trope is hitting hard here.
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