ABMSI Chapter 74

When Duan Wei arrived at the hospital, it was already close to midnight. The sharp smell of disinfectant filled the entire building. Anxious, he hurried toward the ward Qiao Ying had mentioned. As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted with a scene he definitely hadn’t expected.

Qiao Ying was holding a thermos and a ladle, scooping up a spoonful of porridge. She leaned toward the patient on the bed and said, “Open your mouth. Ahh—”

On the bed, Duan’s father—who had spent more than ten years as a stay-at-home husband—opened his mouth with obvious enjoyment, exaggerating the sound, “Ahhh—”

Duan Wei: “…”

What are you doing?

As if she had sensed the resentful gaze at the door, Qiao Ying glanced toward him and exclaimed, “Son, you’re finally here!”

Duan Wei was speechless. He walked up and began inspecting his father’s condition, looking him up and down, poking here and patting there. “Where exactly are you hurt?”

“Here,” his father pointed at the bandages on his arm and leg. The gauze was small—meaning the wounds weren’t serious.

Seeing no other injuries, Duan Wei finally let out a breath of relief. He pulled up a chair and sat beside the bed. “How’d this even happen?”

Qiao Ying placed the empty bowl on the side table, carefully wiping the porridge stains from the corner of Duan’s father’s mouth. “He went out at night to buy a late-night snack. Rode his little scooter out and hadn’t gone far before getting hit by a car.”

“…Late-night snack?” Duan Wei had never seen his parents eat one in his entire life.

Hearing that, Qiao Ying looked a little embarrassed. “I wanted to eat something.”

With that, Duan Wei immediately understood why Qiao Ying had called him earlier with a voice like she was preparing him for his father’s last moments, and why the couple’s roles had instantly flipped.

“I thought something happened to you. Scared me half to death,” Duan Wei muttered, finally relaxing. “Then why is he still lying here? Why is he admitted?”

“Right, about that—” Qiao Ying had just turned her head when she spotted a familiar figure through the small transparent window in the door. She immediately brightened. “Xiao Qiu is here too?”

Her tone lifted so noticeably that both father and son frowned slightly. Duan Wei reacted first. “Yeah. He was with me when the call came, so he just tagged along.”

In truth, Fu Duqiu wanted to come with him, but Duan Wei had refused. After all, this was a family matter. Bringing an outsider felt weird. But Fu Duqiu had been extremely serious about it.

“It’s so dark out. It’s not safe for you to go alone,” Fu Duqiu had said while clearing his backpack and writing down Duan’s assignments for him. His tone left no room for refusal.

Duan Wei had looked at him oddly. “What’s unsafe about it?”

“What if you run into bad people?”

The Alpha packing his own bag nearby froze for a moment.

Honestly, he figured it was bad people who should be afraid of running into Duan Wei.

The two of them went back and forth for a while. Duan Wei couldn’t win the argument, so he ended up bringing Fu Duqiu, under the condition that he would just wait outside.

Now that he wasn’t responding, Qiao Ying clearly had the full picture. “Let Xiao Qiu come in! It’s cold outside!”

Duan Wei wanted to say: It’s spring. The only one still using the heater is you. Dad’s practically sweating under the blanket.

But there was no escaping now. If Fu Duqiu didn’t come in, his mom would never let it go. So he sighed, walked out to the hallway, and said to the waiting Fu Duqiu, “Come in.”

Fu Duqiu was sitting quietly on the long bench outside, holding today’s exam paper old Qin had handed out. Its previously blank surface was filled neatly with answers—clearly finished just now.

Hearing Duan Wei, he looked a bit surprised, then gathered his things and stood up. When he reached him, he handed over the completed test paper and said, “You definitely won’t have time to do it later tonight. Copy it first. Tomorrow I’ll go through it with you one question at a time.”

He definitely had a point. Duan Wei accepted the paper, feeling a rare surge of embarrassment and kept quiet. Seeing him wordless, Fu Duqiu said gently, “I checked it several times. There shouldn’t be any mistakes.”

“…” Duan Wei thought to himself, Fine, I can doubt anyone in this world, but there’s no way I can doubt a straight-A student from No.1 High School, right?

He cleared his throat lightly, nodded to show he understood, then opened the hospital ward door to let Fu Duqiu in. Sure enough, just as Fu Duqiu stepped a few paces inside, a woman’s excited triple-greeting exploded instantly:

“Xiao Qiu, why are you here?!”

“Have you eaten?”

“You’re such a good kid, knowing how to care for your elders…”

Duan Wei was clearly used to this bias, so he sat off to the side, calm as still water. Fu Duqiu, however, looked a bit embarrassed and asked, “How’s Uncle doing now?”

“Nothing serious, nothing serious, no big problem.” Father Duan had just opened his mouth before Mother Duan cut him off.

Father Duan: “…”

“That’s good.”
Fu Duqiu smiled. His face, under the ward’s light, looked pale and fine like porcelain, and the smile was like a spring breeze brushing past, gently warming Qiao Ying’s heart. The ward only had two chairs, so after a moment of thinking—even while sneaking little glances at Duan Wei—she stood up and said, “Come, Xiao Qiu, sit here.”

The moment Duan Wei saw her first movement, he instantly knew what scheming she was up to. As expected. He rolled his eyes internally, stood up, dragged the chair over in front of Fu Duqiu, and said, “Sit down.”

Qiao Ying, satisfied, sat back down and happily urged, “Yes, yes, sit!”

“No need, I’m fine standing.” Fu Duqiu politely refused.

“Sit, sit, sit, Duan Wei loves standing anyway!” Qiao Ying laughed as she pushed Fu Duqiu into the chair, and just like every other time, she started chatting with him heart-to-heart, completely ignoring the two fully alive humans next to her.

Duan Wei sat peeling an apple, then handed it to Father Duan. The two men tacitly listened to Qiao Ying’s endless chatter from the bedside.

Who knows how long passed before Qiao Ying finally remembered that Fu Duqiu was still a high schooler who had class tomorrow. She then said: “I’ve been talking too much. You two should head back, you both need to wake up early tomorrow.”

“We’ll get going then.”

Duan Wei instantly dropped everything onto the table as if running for his life—only to hear Qiao Ying continue, “I’ll probably be out on a business trip tomorrow. Duan Wei, remember to come bring lunch for your dad at noon.”

Duan Wei: “???”

Stunned, he turned around to find Father Duan smiling brightly at him.

Pointing a trembling finger at himself, he asked his mother, “Do you remember that I am a senior in high school about to graduate?”

“Of course,” Qiao Ying said matter-of-factly. “I’m not telling you to cook. Just go to my nutrition center—someone will prepare a healthy lunch for you to pick up and deliver.”

Duan Wei: “Then why don’t you ask them to deliver it themselves?”

Qiao Ying: “You think my nutrition center is a take-out service?”

Duan Wei: …Aren’t I basically your delivery boy???

After another full round of lecturing, Duan Wei was finally granted mercy. He grabbed his bag and rushed out of the hospital. The night was heavy, the sky pitch-black; without streetlights, he’d think it was a perfect night for criminals to lurk around.

Walking silently beside him, Fu Duqiu said nothing. The two of them, strangely synchronized, stayed quiet all the way. The next morning, Duan Wei turned in yesterday’s test paper at the crack of dawn, then struggled through a sleepy morning of classes. At noon, he headed to the school gate on time to pick up the nutritious meal for his dad.

Just as he was debating whether to grab a taxi or unlock a shared bike, a bell suddenly rang. He looked up and saw Fu Duqiu riding a familiar bicycle by the roadside. When their eyes met, Fu Duqiu smiled and said, “I’ll take you.”

“How did you…” Duan Wei checked the time. Lunch break was short; every minute mattered. Without thinking twice, he hopped onto the back seat.

The bicycle wobbled onto the road. The street was uneven, so Duan Wei gripped the sides of the seat tightly. Only when they reached a corner did the shaking ease up.

He finally remembered what he wanted to ask. “Why are you here? Isn’t this bike Lao Qin’s?”

“Afraid Lao Qin might think you skipped class, so I explained it to him and borrowed his bike,” Fu Duqiu replied, eyes fixed ahead.

“…” Duan Wei: “You think I’d believe that?”

“All right,” Fu Duqiu chuckled. His voice turned a bit more serious. “I was worried you might run into danger, so I informed Lao Qin. And while I was at it, I borrowed his bike.”

As he spoke, they passed a clothing store. The window reflected Fu Duqiu’s side profile, letting Duan Wei clearly see his expression from behind.

Right then, Fu Duqiu’s lips curved slightly, warm softness hidden between his brows. A breeze lifted the fringe over his forehead, revealing smooth skin. Youthful arrogance and quiet maturity—two contradictions somehow fit naturally on him.

Duan Wei couldn’t help blurting out, “It’s broad daylight. What danger?”

“I was afraid you’d get into a fight if someone looked at you wrong,” Fu Duqiu replied casually.

“…Can you be more ridiculous?” Duan Wei was speechless. “Do I look like a firecracker? One spark and boom—fighting everywhere?”

At that, both boys burst into laughter. Fu Duqiu didn’t slow down, but some of his focus softened as he said quietly, “Okay then.”

Duan Wei stared at his back, waiting for the rest.

“I came because I wanted to stay with you.”

“….” Duan Wei instantly froze. He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He slowly shut it again.

“And also,” the Alpha finally turned his head slightly at the next corner, his voice carrying a soft breeze, “could you hold me by the waist? The road ahead is rough.”

He turned forward again as soon as he finished. Staring at his back, Duan Wei’s emotions tangled. Ever since that confession, he felt like he’d been falling deeper into a gentle trap set by Fu Duqiu. He kept wanting to escape, yet unknowingly sank further and further in.

Silently chanting don’t overthink, don’t overthink, Duan Wei decided to respect the value of life. Slowly, cautiously, he reached out his hands toward that waist.