Chapter 15: The Beta's Question

Sunlight streamed down, illuminating the Chinese redbud trees outside the inpatient building, which bloomed in clusters of pink and white, dotted with lush green leaves.

Bai Yu hid the gift behind his back. As he entered Bai Li's hospital room, she was on a video call. "You've waited so long too? Who usually takes care of you?"

"A-Li?"

Bai Li turned, surprised to see Bai Yu. "Brother, why are you back so soon?"

"I came back as soon as work wrapped up." Bai Yu produced a Pandora gift box and waved it in front of her.

Bai Li told the girl on the video, "My brother is back, and he brought me a gift. Look!"

Bai Yu watched as Bai Li opened the Pandora box and showed the bracelet to the girl. "Is she a friend?"

"Yes, we met in a patient support group. She's two years older than me." Bai Li turned the camera to include Bai Yu in the frame.

The siblings didn’t look alike on screen. Bai Li had slender, double-lidded eyes that gleamed with a wisdom beyond her years, while Bai Yu had round, cat-like eyes with thick, upturned lashes, giving him an innocent, clean-cut look.

Caught off guard by the sudden camera shift, Bai Yu greeted the girl, "Hello."

The girl on the other end, pale and wearing an oxygen cannula, waved slightly at Bai Yu. When Bai Li turned the camera back, the girl whispered (loudly), "Bai Li, your brother is really handsome. Is he an alpha?"

Bai Li replied, "No, my brother is a beta. He’ll marry a beta in the future, so no chance for you."

The girl gave a playful huff, and the two chatted about other things.

Bai Yu instinctively pressed the flesh-colored barrier patch on the back of his neck and sat by the bed to peel an apple for Bai Li.

Dr. Deng knocked on the door and signaled for Bai Yu to step outside.

Bai Yu put down the apple and followed Dr. Deng into the hallway. "Doctor, what is it?"

"I want to discuss Bai Li’s treatment plan before the bone marrow transplant surgery."

"Go ahead."

"Before the transplant, we’ll continue using chemotherapy and radiotherapy to reduce the number of white blood cells in her body and destroy her bone marrow cells. Additionally, the donor’s physical exam showed elevated blood sugar levels. We’ll need to wait until both are fully ready for the surgery."

The process wouldn’t be easy, but Bai Li was already better off than many other patients—at least she had a chance to recover.

Bai Yu asked, "How long will it take?"

"One or two weeks."

"I understand."

On the day the donor arrived in Yunjing, Bai Yu and Bai Li went to meet him and his family.

The boy was a bit pudgy and a head taller than Bai Li. Unhappy about having his diet controlled due to high blood sugar, he wore a sullen expression. But Bai Li quickly befriended him—they both enjoyed the same Chinese anime and debated its plot.

Secretary Zhou was also there and arranged a meal at a high-end restaurant, saying it was the boss’s idea.

Bai Li quietly leaned toward Bai Yu and whispered, "Who is that man with glasses? He came to the hospital looking for you last time with a few subordinates."

Bai Yu whispered back, "He’s the sponsor’s subordinate. You can call him... Brother Zhou. Don’t call him uncle; it makes him sound old."

Bai Li went, "Oh~"

At the dinner table, the boy’s parents raised their glasses to toast Secretary Zhou. "Thank you for the boss’s generous investment that saved our small business. Donating hematopoietic stem cells is a minor thing—it shouldn’t have much impact on our child’s health."

Bai Yu, who was serving food to Bai Li, glanced at Secretary Zhou in surprise.

Weren’t they supposed to have found the donor through the bone marrow bank?

Donating hematopoietic stem cells doesn’t cause long-term harm, but many people still fear it might damage their health. So, finding a matching donor privately is very difficult, and even if found, they might not be willing to donate.

Secretary Zhou declined the alcohol. "Sorry, I have to drive later. If anyone should be thanking, it’s us. The investment was the boss’s decision. As long as it turns a profit and makes the boss money, that’s enough."

Noticing the odd glance between Bai Yu and Secretary Zhou, Bai Li intercepted his chopsticks and turned the dish away. "Brother, I’ll serve myself."

Back at the hospital, Bai Yu asked Bai Li to go upstairs first and caught up with Secretary Zhou, who was about to drive away. "Wait, Secretary Zhou."

"Is there something else?"

"How much did Mr. Situ spend to find this person?" Bai Yu looked seriously at Secretary Zhou.

Secretary Zhou adjusted his glasses and smiled. "What, do you want to earn money to pay him back?"

"I... I want to know how much he has spent on me."

"The boss isn’t short on money. Besides, you can’t repay him now. What he lacks is something else. If you want to repay him, just don’t make him angry. Make him happy and help him treat his abnormal pheromone syndrome."

At this, Bai Yu’s mind flashed back to the plain noodles he ate in Xingzhou and Situ Jing’s scowling face.

Making Situ Jing happy was no easy task.

Secretary Zhou understood the conflict on Bai Yu’s face but didn’t say more. He couldn’t offer advice, but he knew Bai Yu could do it—after all, the boss hadn't let him leave.

Bai Yu turned and walked back into the hospital. Secretary Zhou started the engine and drove the Mercedes G-Class to report to Situ Jing.

Bai Li hadn’t gone upstairs yet; she stood waiting under a nearby redbud tree. "Brother, what did you say to Brother Zhou?"

"Nothing much. I went to thank him. Let’s go back and rest." Bai Yu and Bai Li walked along the redbud-lined sidewalk toward the inpatient building.

"Feeling nauseous?"

"Not right now." Bai Li glanced at Bai Yu’s profile, hesitating to speak. "Brother, the boy donating bone marrow to me said his family received a lot of money, like winning the lottery and becoming rich overnight. This sponsor is really great, isn’t he?"

"Huh?"

Situ Jing wasn’t exactly a good person—he was hard to describe as simply "good" or "bad."

Sometimes he was frightening—vicious, crazy, and hard to read—and at other times he provided a sense of security, solving problems others couldn’t. It was complex.

Seeing Bai Li still waiting for an answer, Bai Yu added, "So, once you’re better, you must take good care of yourself."

A week later, Dr. Deng scheduled Bai Li’s surgery.

After watching Bai Li being wheeled into the operating room, Bai Yu sat in the waiting area, staring at the screen, waiting for Bai Li’s name to move to the "surgery completed" column.

The boy’s parents sat next to Bai Yu. He didn’t have much to say to them but nodded politely.

In contrast, the boy’s parents were very enthusiastic. The father offered Bai Yu a cigarette. "Want to step out for a smoke?"

Bai Yu waved his hand. "Thanks, I don’t smoke."

The father smiled, putting the cigarette away. "I understand. Let’s exchange contact info. After the bone marrow transplant, your sister and my son will have a ‘special’ connection. If either family faces difficulties in the future, we can help each other out."

"Alright, thank you this time." After Bai Yu added the boy’s father on WeChat, the man stepped outside for a smoke.

The transplant surgery lasted a full six hours, and the family members in the waiting area cycled through in shifts.

Bai Yu's phone suddenly rang—a message from He Lele came through: [Long time no see. Still hiding from that big shot?]

Bai Yu took a photo outside the operating room and sent it to He Lele: [At the hospital.]

He Lele: [Your sister’s having surgery?]

Bai Yu: [Yeah, it’s almost over.]

He Lele: [Which hospital? I’ll come see her.]

Just as Bai Yu replied to He Lele, the operating room door opened.

Bai Li was wheeled out on a gurney by a nurse. Her face was pale, her eyes slightly open—the anesthesia hadn’t fully worn off.

Dr. Deng said, "The surgery went smoothly. Bone marrow transplant patients usually experience immune rejection reactions, but the severity varies from person to person. She’ll need medication and further observation in the hospital."

"Understood."

Bai Yu was about to help the nurse and aide push Bai Li to her room when Dr. Deng stopped him. "One more thing."

"What is it?" Bai Yu stayed behind as Bai Li was wheeled into the elevator.

Dr. Deng frowned and led him to a quiet corner of the hallway, speaking softly so only Bai Yu could hear. "People under anesthesia can experience temporary confusion, incoherence, or dreams, but your sister’s reaction during the surgery was somewhat extreme."

Bai Yu asked, "How extreme?"

"She was shouting things like, 'Don’t kill me,' 'Brother, run!', 'Blood,' and 'I’ll call the police!' Her expression was terrified, and it lasted about two minutes."

Bai Yu’s nerves tightened instantly, his lips trembling. "Just a nightmare, right?"

Dr. Deng shrugged, watching Bai Yu’s expression carefully. "It could be a reflection of past traumatic experiences or just a bad dream from watching too many dramas. Are you her only family?"

Bai Yu nodded. "Yes."

"Spend more time with her post-op. Don’t leave her alone for too long. She may seem lively, but that’s just a mask. Every patient here is suffering."

"I understand."

When Bai Yu returned to the VIP room, Bai Li was awake, and the aide was giving her some water.

Seeing Bai Yu, Bai Li asked, "Brother, where did you go?"

"Dr. Deng talked to me for a bit. I saw you come out. How do you feel?" Bai Yu sat by the bed.

"Okay. The anesthesia hasn’t worn off, so I don’t feel any pain."

A while later, the aide left for a shift change, leaving only the two siblings in the room.

Bai Li looked at Bai Yu. "Brother, I dreamed of Qiao Yihan again. He held a knife to my neck, demanding we give him the money."

Bai Yu continued peeling an apple in one unbroken spiral. "He’s not coming back."

Bai Li sighed. "I wish he’d been hit by a car that year, or that if he ever shows up again, I could stab him to death. Since I won’t live long anyway, I might as well take him with me."

Bai Yu’s peeling suddenly stopped. He looked up at Bai Li.

Just then, a voice came from outside the room: "VIP 1001—is this it?"

The siblings’ conversation halted abruptly as they both turned toward the door.

A boy with a bowl-cut hairstyle walked in, holding a bunch of bananas. He grinned at Bai Yu. "Hey, dude, is this your sister?"

Bai Li asked, "Brother, who is this?"

"A friend I met from my part-time job. His name is He Lele."

Bai Yu and He Lele rarely saw each other outside of work, both busy with their own lives.

While waiting for Bai Li’s surgery, Bai Yu had sent He Lele his location but hadn’t expected him to come so quickly.

"Wishing you a speedy recovery, little sister." He Lele placed the bananas on the bedside table.

"Thanks, I will."

Bai Yu finished peeling the apple and handed it to Bai Li, then gestured for He Lele to sit wherever he liked. He took the fruit knife into the bathroom to rinse it off.

The water slowly warmed, the blade gleaming coldly under the stream.

Three years ago, the blood-soaked scene was as vivid as if it happened yesterday—he lay in a pool of blood, his blue-and-white school uniform stained with his own blood, Bai Li’s blood, and Qiao Yihan’s blood.

It had been three years since it happened. Qiao Yihan had never showed up again, yet he haunted them both.

The biggest hope Bai Yu and Bai Li had for Qiao Yihan was that he would never show his face again.

Bai Yu turned off the faucet, wiped the knife dry with a paper towel, and glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He shook off the fleeting thoughts and walked out.