MWMM Chapter 81: Rebirth

Yan Yuzhou’s mind had never been this clear. Ever since he’d become addicted to pheromones, his head had always felt foggy and muddled. But now, for the first time, he felt as if a great weight had been lifted—as though something that had long shackled him inside had finally disappeared.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open. Yan Yuzhou looked toward it, eyes bright, the corners of his mouth already lifting into a faint smile.

The visitor was Xiao Mu.

Yan Yuzhou’s expression froze for a moment, then he broke into a wide smile. “What brings you here?”

Xiao Mu had just debuted recently, launched by the company, and had stirred up quite a buzz online. It had coincided with the period when Yan Yuzhou was struggling with his addiction. Both of them had been overwhelmed with their own situations, barely keeping in touch.

Xiao Mu walked in, and upon seeing Yan Yuzhou sitting up, his face lit up with overwhelming joy. He rushed over and hugged him tightly, tears spilling out almost instantly.

“Wuwuwu, Zhouzhou, you scared me to death! How could you do something so dangerous? And something this serious—why didn’t you tell me at all? If President Shen hadn’t asked me to come take care of you, I’d still be in the dark. Wuwuwu…”

Yan Yuzhou was being squeezed so tightly he could barely breathe. He reached out and patted Xiao Mu’s little head. “Alright, alright, stop crying. Aren’t I perfectly fine now?”

Then, catching something Xiao Mu had just said, he hesitated for a moment before asking, “Did you just say Shen Ci asked you to come take care of me? Where… is he?”

Xiao Mu pulled away from Yan Yuzhou’s embrace, his expression instantly turning stern. He jabbed a finger hard against Yan Yuzhou’s forehead. “Hmph! Now it’s time for a proper scolding! How could you risk your life just because President Shen spoils you? Do you have any idea? Your gland is your lifeline! You’re just incredibly lucky that President Shen managed to fly in experts from abroad overnight to repair it. If it hadn’t worked—do you know what that means? You’d have been a disabled omega!”

Yan Yuzhou sat quietly with his head lowered, obediently nodding at every word Xiao Mu said. When Xiao Mu finally ran out of steam, Yan Yuzhou looked up again, his voice persistent. “Where’s Shen Ci?”

Xiao Mu rolled his eyes, realizing all his scolding had basically gone to waste. Clearly, this omega’s mind was completely preoccupied with his alpha. With a snort, he replied with clear annoyance, “You’d better not see President Shen for a while. He was so mad he ended up hospitalized. And you still expect him to keep taking care of you around the clock?”

“Hospitalized?! What happened to him?” Yan Yuzhou panicked as soon as he heard that. He threw off the covers and tried to get out of bed, but Xiao Mu hurriedly stopped him.

“He collapsed from exhaustion. You were in emergency treatment for two full days and nights, and President Shen stayed outside your ward the entire time. The moment the doctor told him you were going to be okay, he passed out from relief. He’s in another ward resting now—President Han and Liang Xin are taking care of him. Don’t worry.”

Xiao Mu explained while puffing with frustration, tapping Yan Yuzhou’s temple like he was trying to knock sense into him.

Hearing that Shen Ci wasn’t seriously hurt, Yan Yuzhou’s tightly clenched heart loosened just a little. But the wave of guilt that had been buried deep inside surged up with overwhelming force. He sat in bed, murmuring to himself, “It’s all my fault. I keep dragging Shen Ci down.”

Seeing Yan Yuzhou look so pitiful, Xiao Mu couldn’t bring himself to keep scolding him. He patted his shoulder gently and offered some comfort. “You’ve suffered too. Chang Fa is truly despicable for using such dirty tricks on you. Zhouzhou, you’ve really had a tough time these past days.”

As he spoke, Xiao Mu leaned in and gave a comforting gesture, his face softening with relief and joy. “But thankfully, there’s a silver lining to all of this. The doctor said that after what your gland went through, it’s become completely immune to Chang Fa’s pheromones. In other words, from now on, you’ll only feel repulsed by his scent—never addicted again.”

Xiao Mu’s eyes glistened, tears welling up. “Zhouzhou, congratulations. You’ve finally beaten the addiction. This time… you’re really healed.”

Yan Yuzhou listened carefully, slowly processing Xiao Mu’s words. When he saw the affirmation in Xiao Mu’s eyes, an uncontrollable surge of joy burst through him, flooding his entire being with the overwhelming relief and disbelief of having survived a catastrophe.

“Really?” Yan Yuzhou asked in a trembling voice, fingers nervously twisting together, afraid this was just a dream.

“Really.” Xiao Mu nodded with absolute certainty, a radiant smile spreading across his face. “Congratulations. You made it through.”

Xiao Mu’s words were like a shot of adrenaline to someone on the brink. To a heart that had nearly given up, it was like spotting an oasis in the middle of a desert.

In that moment, Yan Yuzhou felt like the morning sun outside the window—reborn after a long, dark night.

Yan Yuzhou couldn’t hold himself back in the end—he quietly slipped into Shen Ci’s hospital room and sat gently by his bedside. He reached for Shen Ci’s hand, which lay still at his side in sleep, and brought it to his cheek, holding it there tenderly, eyes glistening with tears.

“Mr. Shen,” Yan Yuzhou smiled sweetly through the tears, “Xiao Mu told me I’m completely healed. I’ll never have to suffer like that again. I’m so happy.”

“These past days, when I was in pain, you were in pain too. I know.” His fingers brushed softly against the still-visible scar on Shen Ci’s neck, his heart aching with guilt. “I even… hurt you.”

“Shen Ci, I love you.”

“I want to be your omega forever.”

Suddenly, the hand in his grasp moved—and gripped his in return. Yan Yuzhou’s eyes widened in surprise and joy as he looked up. “Mr. Shen, you’re awake?”

Shen Ci’s eyes opened, sharp and lucid. With a sudden pull, he yanked the soft-bodied Yan Yuzhou into his arms, locking him in a tight embrace. His gaze burned with fury and cold disappointment as he spoke, voice frosty:

“Yan Yuzhou, do you think playing with your life is fun?”

Yan Yuzhou was trapped in those powerful arms, staring into eyes brimming with intense, conflicting emotion. In that turbulent gaze, he saw heartache, disappointment, sorrow, and a bone-deep fear—enough to make his chest tighten painfully.

“I was wrong,” he murmured. At this point, what else could he say?

Shen Ci let out a snort of frustration. Though his words were harsh, his arms only tightened their grip, as if terrified of ever letting go. Even his voice trembled. “I was so scared you wouldn’t make it. My father died from massive blood loss after his gland was injured. Yan Yuzhou, if something happened to you… I wouldn’t survive either.”

With that, Shen Ci pulled him even closer, like he wanted to meld him into his very flesh and blood.

Yan Yuzhou had heard about Shen Ci’s past from Su Xintang: how his father had been stabbed through the gland by his mother, and how young Shen Ci had witnessed it all from a corner. For a boy just over ten years old, the psychological trauma must have been unimaginable.

“I really know I was wrong,” Yan Yuzhou murmured again, this time with genuine remorse in his voice.

“Oh sure, and what else can you do besides obediently admit fault? Every time you act like this, and then next time you go right back to doing it again,” Shen Ci grumbled, leaning in to bite the little omega’s earlobe in playful punishment, making the boy shiver in his arms.

“If words aren’t enough to apologize,” Yan Yuzhou looked up from Shen Ci’s embrace, eyes sparkling and lips curved into a mischievous smile, “how about… paying with my body?”

He watched Shen Ci’s body freeze, and then couldn’t help but dissolve into soft laughter, burying his face into Shen Ci’s shoulder.

Shen Ci looked down at the little creature laughing freely in his arms. After so long carrying the weight of worry and fear, this moment finally allowed him to breathe again.

Thank goodness, his omega had come back to him safe and sound.

*****

T/N: Thank goodness it is all resolved now. Zhouzhou has come a long way he even knows how to pay with his body lol. Our baby is all grown-up~