ACBAM 17: Care

The omega’s voice, uncharacteristically soft due to embarrassment, brushed past Gu Weiyang’s ear with warm breath, making his throat itch slightly in response.

Especially when the scent of his beloved omega reached the glands at the back of his neck—they seemed to swell with excitement, reacting instinctively.

Fortunately, Gu Weiyang had an inhibitor patch on the back of his neck, so Su Shijin behind him couldn’t see the state of his glands, which allowed Gu Weiyang to relax a little.

“It’s nothing, no need to thank me,” Gu Weiyang said, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly as he tried to ease the itch in his throat.

Su Shijin lowered his long lashes and murmured, “I should still thank you.”

Although he didn’t know why Gu Weiyang was at the hospital, running into him at this moment had indeed been a great help to Su Shijin.

Gu Weiyang didn’t say anything more in response.

The omega’s body heat seeped through the thin fabric and onto Gu Weiyang’s back. This was the closest he had ever been to Su Shijin since they met.

The omega seemed unaccustomed to being carried like this, his hands resting lightly on Gu Weiyang’s shoulders, so gently it was as if he wasn’t even touching him.

Gu Weiyang deliberately hitched him up a little and said, “Hold on tight, or you’ll fall off.”

Su Shijin was startled by the sudden movement and instinctively grabbed his shirt, leaving two wrinkles in the fabric.

The alpha stood still, as if waiting for him to get a better hold.

Su Shijin hesitated for a moment, then gently smoothed out the wrinkles and reached out to wrap his arms around Gu Weiyang’s neck. “Like this?”

Gu Weiyang figured this was probably the most Su Shijin could tolerate, so he nodded and didn’t push him any further.

The alpha’s shoulders and back were broad and steady as he carried the omega to the self-service registration machine in the lobby to register and pay.

When they were registering, Su Shijin originally wanted Gu Weiyang to put him down.

The alpha was surprisingly strong. He held him in place with one arm to keep him from moving, while the other hand took his ID card and registered him directly for orthopedics.

Su Shijin tugged on his shirt and said, “General outpatient is fine, it’s just a sprain.”

But Gu Weiyang wasn’t reassured. “It’s better to get your bones checked. Don’t worry, I’m free after this—I’ll stay with you.”

Su Shijin opened his mouth, wanting to say that it wasn’t because he was worried Gu Weiyang would leave.

Since Gu Weiyang had already said this much, Su Shijin could only stay quiet. Either way, doing an extra checkup wouldn’t hurt.

The orthopedics department was on the first floor, and following the signs above, they found the waiting area in just a few minutes.

There were quite a few people in the waiting area—some elderly with bad backs, and others with leg injuries sitting in wheelchairs.

Gu Weiyang carefully set Su Shijin down on a chair, and as Su Shijin’s gaze swept over the word “shared” printed on a young man’s wheelchair, he belatedly realized something. “Mr. Gu, actually, I could’ve just rented a wheelchair.”

Mr. Gu, from where Su Shijin couldn’t see him, shot a displeased glare at the wheelchair, then turned back with a smile and said, “Then wait here a moment—I’ll go rent one.”

Su Shijin nodded and thanked him, watching as Gu Weiyang asked the young man in the wheelchair where to rent a shared one, then walked off in the direction the young man pointed.

About five minutes later, Gu Weiyang came back pushing a rented shared wheelchair while holding two bottles of orange juice in his hand.

“I just saw the vending machine over there was selling some. Your lips looked a bit dry—drink a little to moisten them,” Gu Weiyang said as he helped Su Shijin into the wheelchair, then casually twisted open a bottle and handed it to him.

Su Shijin thanked him again and took a couple of small sips of the juice.

He really was a bit thirsty—his throat had been feeling dry just moments ago. He hadn’t expected Gu Weiyang to notice even something like that.

Su Shijin was increasingly convinced that Gu Weiyang truly was an ideal partner for marriage.

—

When Su Shijin’s name appeared on the hospital call display and was announced, Gu Weiyang stood up and pushed Su Shijin inside.

While the doctor was performing a palpation examination on Su Shijin, Gu Weiyang stood beside him and clearly noticed the omega tense up from the pain, his fingers instinctively gripping the wheelchair armrests. He only slowly relaxed when the doctor withdrew his hands.

In just those few minutes, a fine layer of sweat had formed on Su Shijin’s forehead from the pain.

Fortunately, the test results weren’t serious. Su Shijin’s ankle was badly swollen, but just to be safe, the doctor still recommended an MRI, and Su Shijin naturally followed the advice.

After that, Gu Weiyang pushed him to pay the fees, then waited in line for the MRI.

Since shoes had to be removed for the MRI, when Su Shijin blushed and said he could do it himself, Gu Weiyang simply crouched down in front of him and took them off for him.

Then, while Su Shijin blushed so hard his neck turned red, Gu Weiyang wrapped an arm around his waist and lifted him straight onto the MRI table.

Su Shijin was completely flushed from Gu Weiyang’s thoughtful gestures. Thankfully, once he lay down with his foot positioned inside the MRI ring, the doctor asked Gu Weiyang to step out, giving Su Shijin a few minutes to catch his breath.

Listening to the hum of the machine, Su Shijin slowly covered his face, thinking back on Gu Weiyang’s series of natural, caring actions—he honestly wished he could crawl into a crack in the floor and disappear.

How could he take care of him so naturally?

When Gu Weiyang was taking off his shoes, Su Shijin had been so embarrassed and flustered he didn’t even know where to put his hands.

And he was really strong—Su Shijin might look slim, but he was still a full-grown adult weighing over a hundred pounds. Yet Gu Weiyang had picked him up like he weighed nothing, like a child, and effortlessly set him down on the exam table.

Su Shijin felt the heat creeping all the way up to his ears. He quickly pushed the thoughts away, not daring to dwell on them any longer.

The exam was over quickly. For Su Shijin, the heat in his face hadn’t even faded yet when the doctor signaled that he could get up.

The shielded door opened, and the doctor called for the next person to come in.

Gu Weiyang had been waiting just outside the safety line. When he saw Su Shijin standing on one leg, bent over to grab his shoes while holding onto the table for support, he quickly stepped forward to stop him.

“Sit down, I’ll do it,” Gu Weiyang said as he helped him back into the wheelchair. Not wanting to get in the way of the next patient, he carried Su Shijin’s shoes and pushed him out to a spot by the wall outside the door. Then he crouched down in front of him and continued helping him put his shoes on.

This whole sequence of actions felt so natural that Su Shijin tried several times to stop him, but in the end, even after the shoelaces had been tied, he still hadn’t managed to say, “You don’t have to trouble yourself.”

Gu Weiyang straightened out his pants for him, and when he stood up, he saw Su Shijin with reddened ears, looking like he wanted to say something but was holding back. Understanding dawned on him. “Not used to being taken care of like this?”

“Mm… something like that.” Su Shijin felt like it wasn’t just that, but since Gu Weiyang asked in that way, he couldn’t think of anything else to say at the moment, so he simply nodded.

Gu Weiyang chuckled softly, his large hand gently ruffling Su Shijin’s hair. “It’s fine, you’ll get used to it.”

Su Shijin looked at him in confusion, not quite sure what he meant by that.

Gu Weiyang didn’t explain further. After checking the time, he changed the subject, “The doctor said the test results will take at least two hours. Since we’ve got time now, how about we move tomorrow’s task to today?”

Su Shijin thought for a moment about what was planned for tomorrow. “The agreement?”

“Mm.” Gu Weiyang nodded. “Your foot’s injured so it’s not a good idea for you to go out tomorrow.”

Su Shijin thought what Gu Weiyang said made sense. Plus, they did have time now, so he agreed. “Alright.”

Gu Weiyang didn’t show much on his face after getting a definite answer, but the quick motion of pulling out his phone to message the lawyer to bring the contract over revealed a hint of the restlessness he was feeling inside.

After receiving the lawyer’s “Got it” reply, Gu Weiyang put his phone away and suddenly remembered something even more important than signing the agreement.

“In that case, after we sign the contract, how about we get the marriage certificate tomorrow?” Taking Su Shijin’s injured ankle into consideration, he added considerately, “I’ll come pick you up.”

Su Shijin: “Huh?”

The topic had shifted so quickly that Su Shijin’s brain nearly short-circuited. “Get the certificate?”

Gu Weiyang crouched down in front of him, looked up, and asked, “You don’t want to get the certificate? But my family won’t believe in a fake marriage.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to.” Su Shijin hesitated for a moment and said, “You just said I shouldn’t go out tomorrow…”

Gu Weiyang shut his mouth, realizing he had just shot himself in the foot.

But it didn’t matter—so long as Su Shijin didn’t mind that little inconsistency.

“The main thing is, today’s Sunday.” Su Shijin heard Gu Weiyang say with clear frustration, “If the Civil Affairs Bureau were open today, we could’ve signed the agreement and gone straight to get the certificate.”

But unfortunately, the Civil Affairs Bureau doesn’t open on Sundays.