Feng Zhixi lazily glanced at his hand, which was still held by Ji Yeran. The Alpha’s warmth transferred quickly through his skin; it was a comfortable temperature, so Feng Zhixi didn't bother pulling away.
Treating Ji Yeran as an oversized hand warmer, Feng Zhixi listened to him speak while letting out a slow yawn, feeling the onset of drowsiness.
Noticing Feng Zhixi’s tired expression, Ji Yeran stopped mid-sentence. Only then did he realize it was getting late—specifically, it was time for the "little patient" to rest.
As a patient whose schedule had been strictly regulated lately, the habitually reckless Feng Zhixi had finally been forced into a healthy routine of early nights and early mornings. Without even realizing it, the moment he let out that first yawn, sleepiness came knocking right on schedule.
From the first hint of tiredness to a state of hazy semi-consciousness, it only took a few breaths. The quiet environment made Feng Zhixi feel increasingly drowsy, until the person in front of him began to look like a giant human pillow.
Unable to resist the allure of said pillow, Feng Zhixi yawned again and leaned over languidly.
Feeling the other man’s warm breath and the shifting scent of strong liquor, Ji Yeran turned and caught the delicate soul who had unconsciously leaned into him.
Leaning contentedly against the "bolster," Feng Zhixi narrowed his eyes, relishing the warm and comfortable sensation.
He waited for a moment with half-closed eyes, but when no further sound came, the reluctant-to-move Omega poked the human pillow with his fingertip. "Go on," he murmured. "Why did you stop?"
As he spoke, he let out another yawn, looking thoroughly exhausted.
Seeing the Omega’s sleepy state, Ji Yeran couldn't help but smile. He unconsciously lowered his voice. "It’s too late. We’ll talk more tomorrow." His voice was low and soothing, like the deep tones of a cello, carrying a trace of an unusual emotion he hadn't even noticed himself.
Hearing the answer, Feng Zhixi forced his eyes open, slowly sat up, yawned once more, and nodded in agreement.
With that settled, Ji Yeran prepared to leave. Before heading out, he glanced back at the Omega still sitting there yawning. With those bleary eyes, it looked like he might fall asleep at any second.
"Rest early," he instructed softly. After hearing a compliant mumble from the little patient, Ji Yeran turned and left. However, as he walked away, he felt as though he had forgotten something.
Carrying a flicker of doubt he couldn't quite place, the Alpha departed.
Once he saw Ji Yeran leave, the sleepy Feng Zhixi paused for a moment. Then, he slowly pulled out a small box, stood up with deliberate movements, and walked into the bathroom.
After a quick cleanup, the now slightly more alert Omega stood before the mirror with damp hair.
Looking at his reflection, Feng Zhixi tilted his head slightly, using the angle of the mirror to observe the gland at the back of his neck.
That congenitally defective gland looked no different from a normal Omega’s gland on the surface, but Feng Zhixi knew exactly how vast the difference truly was.
As someone who had become a self-taught expert through chronic illness in his past life, Feng Zhixi understood the changes in his body better than anyone.
After studying it quietly for a long while, he lowered his eyes and picked up the small box he had placed on the sink.
It was a palm-sized, square box with a black-gold finish. Its metallic texture made it look unremarkable.
Feng Zhixi examined the box, then gripped the surface tightly with his palm. A sharp, stinging pain shot through his hand.
Dense, slender needles extended from the surface of the black-gold box, piercing the Omega’s palm and greedily drawing blood.
The fingers are connected to the heart; despite being a "delicate soul" who feared pain most, Feng Zhixi endured it all without a change in expression, as if he had experienced this countless times in his previous life.
After a long time, he finally withdrew his hand. By then, the surface of the black-gold box was soaked in blood.
He looked down at his blood-stained palm. As the needles retracted, they left behind a cluster of wounds that remained raw and bleeding, looking quite wretched and unsightly.
Feng Zhixi gave it a nonchalant glance. Seemingly unable to stand the smell of blood, he rinsed the wounds under the tap with a hint of disdain.
Cold water poured from the faucet, washing away the red. The wounds turned pale under the stream. The Omega, whose lips were now slightly bloodless, paid no mind to his hand; his attention was entirely focused on the small box.
By now, the blood on the box’s surface had slowly vanished. With a soft *beep*, the test results appeared.
A holographic screen popped up above the box. The sea of red numbers looked like a critical condition notice. Feng Zhixi wasn't surprised at all; if anything, he felt the relief of the other shoe finally dropping.
The irreversible damage to his gland was accelerating.
Seeing the results, Feng Zhixi lowered his head and efficiently wiped all the data from the box.
Only then did he slowly leave the bathroom. However, the moment the door opened, he saw the person waiting outside—Ji Yeran.
The cold-faced Alpha was sitting on the sofa, his dark eyes fixed on him, simmering with suppressed anger.
Not expecting Ji Yeran to return, Feng Zhixi’s footsteps faltered for a split second. Then, he walked over with unearned confidence, even turning the tables to ask, "Why are you back?"
The air was tinged with a faint scent of blood. Noticing the wound on Feng Zhixi’s hand, Ji Yeran looked up. His voice was cold, his tone stiff. "I realized I forgot something."
To be precise, the Alpha had sensed something was wrong halfway down the hall and doubled back, only to finally discover that the little patient had been feigning compliance all along.
Feng Zhixi had given him access to the room. Ji Yeran hadn't expected that upon entering, the first thing he would smell was a scent of liquor mixed with blood—rich and aggressive, like a wounded beast looking around in confusion.
As he spoke, Ji Yeran approached Feng Zhixi. He pulled the Omega down to sit on the sofa. Suppressing his internal fury, he began treating the wounds on the other man's fingers, asking with feigned calm, "How did you hurt your hand?"
Because of the Omega’s rough handling, the wounds on his palm had turned pale. The dense needle pricks looked harrowing.
Stung by the pain, Feng Zhixi flinched slightly and spun a half-hearted lie. "I just accidentally hurt it." In his mind, the Omega was thinking that he had forgotten to bring the healing spray in with him. He hadn't expected Ji Yeran to return, leaving him completely unprepared.
*Must remember for next time,* the Omega thought, summarizing his lessons learned, completely failing to notice that the Alpha’s mood was dangerously off.
Looking at the daydreaming Feng Zhixi, Ji Yeran was practically driven to a frustrated laugh. What kind of "accident" in a bathroom results in a palm full of needle marks? Did someone take him for a fool?
Facing this defiant little patient, Ji Yeran’s teeth felt itchy; he had a sudden, strong urge to bite someone.
While Ji Yeran was struggling to restrain that urge, the reckless patient was still attempting to hide the truth, frantically poking at the Alpha’s fraying nerves.
For the reborn Feng Zhixi, he was already used to the consequences of his gland’s deterioration. Moving from partially disabled to completely failed was only a matter of time; it was just that the process was now being accelerated.
Seeing Feng Zhixi’s nonchalant expression, Ji Yeran’s anger flared. He reached out toward Feng Zhixi and asked bluntly, "Where is it?"
Seeing the Omega look up with a "what are you talking about, I've never heard of it" expression, Ji Yeran raised an eyebrow. The grim-faced Alpha didn't bother going in circles. "Your test report?"
Under Ji Yeran’s "don't force me to do this myself" gaze, Feng Zhixi fell silent for a moment. Finally, considering the gap in their physical strength, he reluctantly handed over the small box.
However, the data box had already been wisely cleared—the farsighted Feng Zhixi thought to himself with no small amount of smugness.
When Ji Yeran saw the box was wiped clean of every scrap of data, he didn't know whether to praise Feng Zhixi or scold him.
This little patient not only had a sophisticated set of self-destructive methods but also knew exactly how to clean up his own mess. He had covered his tracks perfectly; if Ji Yeran hadn't returned unexpectedly, there probably wouldn't have been a trace of a wound on Feng Zhixi’s hand by tomorrow.
Seeing Ji Yeran rendered speechless, Feng Zhixi couldn't help but let out a tiny smile, looking quite pleased with himself.
Looking at the smug Feng Zhixi, Ji Yeran fell silent. He lapsed into thought: what on earth could he do to make this reckless little patient behave?
Looking at the pale face of the little patient, Ji Yeran’s teeth itched again. The urge to bite him grew even stronger.
***
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Starry Rebirth: The Warden and the Outlaw’s Interstellar Revenge | Chapter 63 | The Stubborn Patient’s Secret | Novela.app | Novela.app
