ACBAM 34: Got Discharged

Gu Weiyang was discharged from the hospital three days later. He didn’t tell anyone to come pick him up and instead drove straight to the office.

After being hospitalized for three days, a lot of work had piled up. His company had only just started to get on the right track, and there was no time for him to rest.

Tan Zhao was surprised to see the light on in Gu Weiyang’s office at first that he thought he was seeing things.

When he opened the door and saw Gu Weiyang sitting in the office, Tan Zhao felt like he wasn’t just seeing things, he must be dreaming.

“Wait, what are you doing here?” Tan Zhao instinctively glanced at the time, making sure he had only taken a short nap that morning and wasn’t still half-asleep. “You got discharged??”

Gu Weiyang gave a listless “Mm” in response.

Tan Zhao was stunned. “You got discharged and didn’t even tell me? Came back on your own? And you’re working right after getting out?”

Gu Weiyang still looked half-dead. “It’s not like I couldn’t come back by myself. Didn’t feel like calling you.”

Tan Zhao: ?

“What’s going on with you? Did the hospital suck all the life out of you? You look like you’ve lost weight.”

Gu Weiyang leaned back in his chair and rubbed his neck. “I haven’t gotten any real rest these past few days. Every time I lost control, they’d tie me to the bed. Struggling wore me out.”

Tan Zhao had seen Gu Weiyang lose it that night. He had been fine in the ambulance, but the moment they got to the hospital, he went berserk. He rolled right off the stretcher and nearly scared a nurse to death.

They gave him a sedative, but it didn’t help at all, it made him even worse. Trying to restrain him had exhausted Tan Zhao too. For a moment, he honestly thought Gu Weiyang had lost his mind for real.

Luckily, after the doctors restrained him and ran some tests, they found it was just an issue with his susceptibility period. Gu Weiyang also came to his senses once during that time, which finally put Tan Zhao at ease.

“Then why don’t you just go home and rest for a day? You can come back to work tomorrow.”

Tan Zhao walked over to his desk and flipped through the documents on top. “These can wait till tomorrow. I’ve already signed off on the urgent ones.”

Gu Weiyang’s expression grew even more listless. “I don’t want to go back.”

Tan Zhao: ?

“Why not?”

“Aren’t you going home to see your omega? He looked really scared when you passed out that day—his face went completely pale.”

Every word Tan Zhao said felt like a tiny blade stabbing straight into Gu Weiyang’s heart, leaving him cold and hollow inside.

Great question—why not go home and see his omega?

A very good question.

Was it that he didn’t want to go back?

Was it that he didn’t want to see his omega?

It was that even if he went home, he wouldn’t see him there QAQ

Never mind that Su Shijin was at work and not home right now, even if he were home, it still wouldn’t be his home.

The moment Gu Weiyang thought about going home to a house without Su Shijin in it, he felt like he was about to have a full-on meltdown.

Tan Zhao watched as Gu Weiyang slumped even lower over his desk, looking utterly defeated, and for a moment couldn’t figure out which of his words had hit a nerve.

“Did you two have a fight?” Tan Zhao guessed.

Gu Weiyang: “No.”

His wife just didn’t want him anymore, that’s all.

Seeing that Tan Zhao still had no intention of leaving, Gu Weiyang lifted his eyelids and looked at him. “Why are you still here? Got nothing better to do today?”

Tan Zhao immediately rolled his eyes. “Serves me right for caring about you.”

Gu Weiyang waved a hand. “Thanks for your concern. I’ll treat you to a wedding banquet sometime.”

Tan Zhao: …

Furiously kicking over this bowl of dog food, he turned and stormed off.

—

With a loud bang as the door closed, the office fell quiet once more.

Gu Weiyang slumped over his desk for a while, drained and listless, then slowly straightened up and propped his chin on his hand, staring at his phone.

Truthfully, when he was discharged from the hospital, he had already been debating whether or not to send Su Shijin a message.

But for some reason he couldn’t quite explain, Gu Weiyang didn’t send anything. Instead, he just kept staring at his phone, hoping Su Shijin would take the initiative to ask if he had been discharged.

It was probably that kind of mindset—craving attention from someone you like.

Either way, Gu Weiyang felt like he was being pretty dramatic.

He could’ve just told him directly, but instead, he was here in the office sighing and sulking like a moody teenager.

Gu Weiyang rubbed his face and set a deadline for himself in his mind.

Twelve o’clock.

By twelve, Su Shijin should be having lunch.

If Su Shijin still hadn’t messaged him by then, he would reach out first.

Feeling slightly more energized, Gu Weiyang set an alarm for twelve and pushed all the messy thoughts out of his head, focusing fully on work.

At twelve sharp, the alarm went off.

Gu Weiyang pulled himself out of the documents and stared at his phone for a while before slowly reaching for it.

Unlock, open WeChat, check the pinned chat.

Nothing.

Unconvinced, Gu Weiyang thought maybe it was a signal issue, so he disconnected and reconnected the network.

Still nothing.

Gu Weiyang slowly lowered his head until his forehead landed on the desk with a soft thud.

He felt wronged—sad, blue, and full of mushrooms.

But maybe Su Shijin was just having lunch and didn’t have time to check on him?

It was lunchtime, maybe he was chatting with coworkers. Su Shijin didn’t seem to have a habit of checking his phone while eating, so maybe after he finished, he’d come check on him.

That possibility lifted Gu Weiyang’s spirits a little, and he slowly sat up again.

Since that’s the case, he would wait until one. It would be time for him to eat, too.

Gu Weiyang picked up his phone and headed to the company cafeteria for lunch.

The cafeteria was buffet-style. Just grab a tray and take whatever you want.

He just wanted to fill his stomach and get back to the office to wait for a message. He scooped up a bowl of seafood fried rice and randomly picked a plateful of side dishes, then found a quiet corner to sit down.

A little after noon was peak lunch hour for the employees. Quite a few people glanced over at Gu Weiyang when they saw him, though none dared to approach or greet him.

A small group of omegas walked into the cafeteria together, and when they spotted Gu Weiyang, they instinctively slowed their steps.

If it had been before, these omegas might’ve greeted President Gu and if he was in a good mood, he might’ve even chatted with them for a bit.

But now, none of these omegas dared to.

“I heard Rong Yan got fired because he offended President Gu,” one female omega whispered.

“I don’t think it was because he offended him. I heard he pulled strings to get in—just to get close to President Gu—and got found out. That’s why he was let go,” another male omega said in a low voice. “That came straight from HR. Totally reliable.”

“He sure was confident, thinking just getting into the company would be enough to get close to President Gu?”

“Who knows. I heard his family’s pretty well-off so maybe his elders had some connections with President Gu. Probably thought being close would give him a better chance.”

“But he is pretty cute, though. If I were an alpha, I’d probably go for that type, cute and sweet.”

“Well, maybe President Gu’s omega is even cuter?”

“Not necessarily. Maybe President Gu doesn’t care about looks? People at their level usually look at the background first when choosing a partner.”

“Oh? Is that so? And how do you know that?”

A triple-question came from behind. The omega frowned and turned around to explain, “Well, it’s just how it is, right? People of that status obviously marry someone of equal standing…”

She didn’t finish her sentence because she met Vice President Tan’s gaze.

“…S-Sorry!” The omega immediately apologized, and her companions quickly backed away as well.

Tan Zhao wasn’t particularly angry, after all, employees gossiping was perfectly normal. It was just these unlucky few that happened to let him overhear it.

“Rong Yan was let go because he pulled strings to get in. It had nothing to do with President Gu. And don’t discuss his partner at work. If he hears you, he won’t let it slide as lightly as I do.”

Tan Zhao waved a hand. “Go eat. Don’t block the way here.”

The group of omegas hurried off, tugging each other along to quickly get out of Vice President Tan’s line of sight.

Tan Zhao touched his handsome face and muttered, “What are they running for? Am I really that scary?”

Then he glanced at Gu Weiyang, paused, and changed direction, deciding to keep his distance from him too.

He just wanted to eat lunch right now—not a mouthful of dog food.

Gu Weiyang didn’t give him a chance to come over anyway. While Tan Zhao was still holding his tray and picking out dishes, Gu Weiyang had already scarfed down his food in a few quick bites. Staring down at his phone, he strode out of the cafeteria in long, determined steps.

—

1:00 PM.

Gu Weiyang still hadn’t received a message from Su Shijin. He lay on the office couch, staring blankly at the ceiling, motionless like a corpse.

But President Gu was very good at talking himself down from things. After lying there like the dead for a bit, he figured maybe Su Shijin was working right now. When things got busy at the animal hospital, he might not even have time to eat so it was perfectly normal if he hadn’t gotten around to messaging him.

After a bit of self-soothing, President Gu climbed off the couch, licking his dry lips, and set a new alarm.

Eight o’clock tonight, by then, he had to be off work, right?

Gu Weiyang made himself a cup of coffee with no sugar, no creamer, just straight black. One sip and the bitterness shot straight to his brain, snapping him awake in an instant.

Riding that jolt, Gu Weiyang worked nonstop all the way until eight o’clock that evening.

The moment the alarm went off, Gu Weiyang’s hand trembled slightly as he reached for his phone.

This would definitely be the last time. If Su Shijin still hadn’t contacted him, then he would take the initiative.

Gu Weiyang downed his third cup of bitter-as-hell black coffee in one gulp, then decisively unlocked his phone.

Three seconds later, Gu Weiyang dropped his forehead onto the table with a thud, his entire posture screaming one big, unmistakable word: “defeated.”

Some people are alive, yet seem already dead.

Gu Weiyang pressed his lips together uncomfortably, trying to swallow the sting rising in his nose, and told himself this was normal.

Su Shijin had been busy all day so of course he needed to rest once he got home.

On the first day, he had traveled such a long way to visit him at Senwan Rehabilitation Hospital and had stayed with him for a long time—he should already feel lucky.

He had to learn to be content, not greedy. That way, without hope, there would be no disappointment.

Otherwise, a year from now when they got divorced, would he still be clinging to Su Shijin’s leg, crying and begging him not to leave?

It was better to lower his expectations and cherish the time they had together this year.

Gu Weiyang quietly put away his phone, gathered his files, and headed home from work.

On the way, he took a detour to fill up the car, and by the time he got home, it was already past nine at night.

The garden lights were faintly glowing, but the inside of the villa was completely dark.

After stepping inside, Gu Weiyang saw that the downstairs living room looked exactly the same as it had before he was hospitalized. Clearly, Su Shijin hadn’t been living here.

Suppressing the bubbling sourness in his chest, Gu Weiyang went upstairs.

He didn’t head for the guest room, but instead walked up to the master bedroom and knocked on the door.

There was no response. Gu Weiyang pushed the door open and turned on the light, just as expected, no one was there.

As he let out a disappointed sigh, his nose twitched slightly. He thought he smelled something.

He walked into the bedroom and sniffed hard—no doubt about it! There was a scent! It was Su Shijin’s pheromones, exactly the same minty smell he had caught during his heat.

The floor-to-ceiling windows were shut, probably left that way when Su Shijin left without airing the room. On top of that, the burst of pheromones that day had been so strong that even after a few days, the scent still hadn’t completely faded.

Gu Weiyang looked toward the large bed in the room. The blanket was clean and neatly arranged. It was the same set he had personally changed for him the day Su Shijin first came.

Gu Weiyang’s Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.

So… on the bed, Su Shijin’s pheromones—wouldn’t the scent be even stronger there?

Gu Weiyang stood frozen in place for a long moment, as if nails were driven into the soles of his feet. In the end, he couldn’t resist the urge. He walked over to the bed, buried his face in it, and took a deep breath.

Bliss.

The faint scent of mint wrapped around him, soothing the lingering restlessness that clung to him even after coming out of his heat.

Ah…

He wished he could just die here on this bed.

Gu Weiyang closed his eyes in contentment.