Chapter 80: Rebirth

From Zhu Zeran, Zhu Zhixi learned that this Secretary Sun was indeed Huo Ping’s personal secretary. Truly a major figure.

“His father is here to see him.”

“Father?” Zhu Zeran was baffled again. “Wait, which father?”

With no time to explain further, Zhu Zhixi trotted back to the front of the hospital room and explained to the visitor that Fu Rangyi was currently in semi-isolated treatment and could not have visitors. After saying his piece in one breath, he suddenly remembered he hadn’t introduced himself and added, “I am Fu Rangyi’s partner.”

Upon seeing him, Secretary Sun’s expression immediately lost its previous sternness. He extended a hand to shake Zhu Zhixi’s. “Hello, Mr. Zhu.”

Zhu Zhixi was a little alarmed. “You know me?” He shook the other’s hand and, seeing Zhu Zeran approach, introduced him. “This is my older brother.”

Secretary Sun nodded and smiled as he shook hands with Zhu Zeran.

“Xiao He mentioned it. He Xueyao,” Secretary Sun explained.

“He mentioned me?” Zhu Zeran’s eyes widened, a look of uncharacteristic clarity in them.

Zhu Zhixi wanted to roll his eyes. Of course he meant me. Idiot.

Secretary Sun smiled and gestured with his palm in Zhu Zhixi’s direction. “I mean, he mentioned that Mr. Fu is married. Zeran, haven’t we met a few times before?”

Zhu Zeran was speechless at his momentary foolishness and could only force a fake smile to gloss it over.

Secretary Sun looked at Zhu Zhixi and continued, “He Xueyao emphasized that it was because of you, Mr. Zhu, that Mr. Fu was willing to accept this matter. We also learned about his hospitalization through him, but Mr. Huo is very busy and could only entrust me to come over at the first opportunity. I didn’t know this was a semi-isolated treatment; my apologies for the intrusion.”

“No, no, you’re too kind,” Zhu Zhixi waved his hands repeatedly. “You can just call me Xiao Zhu. Otherwise, calling my brother Zeran, Brother Xueyao Xiao He, and then me Mr. Zhu, it feels like we’re from different generations.”

Secretary Sun laughed upon hearing this. “Alright, Xiao Zhu.”

He turned around and quietly instructed the people with him to put down the supplements they had brought. He then added, “It’s like this: Mr. Huo asked me to come first to check on the situation and talk to the attending doctor to understand the condition. On the other hand, he still very much hopes to meet, but he’s afraid Mr. Fu would feel offended if he came directly, so he sent me to do some groundwork first. If he is willing, Mr. Huo will immediately arrange a time to see him.”

Although the phrasing was extremely polite, Zhu Zhixi could already sense a father’s urgent and anxious heart.

Seeing the somewhat troubled expression on Secretary Sun’s face, Zhu Zhixi immediately said, “Don’t worry, I’ll help you persuade him!”

Secretary Sun instantly relaxed, smiling his thanks. He even wanted to leave all his men behind to stand guard at the door, but Zhu Zhixi felt it was too much of an exaggeration. After some negotiation, only one person stayed, and he was a Beta.

A Beta can be this tall…

When Secretary Sun was leaving, Zhu Zhixi wanted to see him off, but Zhu Zeran stopped him. “You go inside. It wouldn’t be good if my brother-in-law gets anxious from not seeing you. I’ll see Secretary Sun out for you.”

Zhu Zhixi rolled his eyes internally. This guy is probably going to talk business again. He had accidentally let slip “his father” earlier, and with what Secretary Sun had said, a shrewd person like Zhu Zeran had probably already grown suspicious.

But to his surprise, the first thing Zhu Zeran said as he walked briskly alongside Secretary Sun was, “You just mentioned He Xueyao. Has he been in contact with you recently…”

He’s a lost cause. Zhu Zhixi slapped his own forehead. The plainclothes security guard next to him glanced at him.

“It’s nothing,” Zhu Zhixi smiled and explained, “I’m just slapping the hopelessly-in-love gene that runs in my family.”

The guard: “…Okay, please be careful.”

They’re all so polite… Zhu Zhixi felt embarrassed to joke around anymore. “Thank you for your hard work standing guard.” He even felt a little like saluting but was afraid his form wouldn’t be standard, so he just bowed instead.

In the next second, he received a grand and standard salute in return.

When he went back, Fu Rangyi hadn’t woken up yet. Zhu Zhixi slipped back into the tent and found him hugging his clothes, still half-curled up, his face buried in the clothes, sleeping soundly. He lay down beside him and very gently touched his cheek. Unexpectedly, the soundly sleeping Fu Rangyi reflexively put an arm around him, pulling him into his embrace.

“Fu Rangyi, you’re so clingy,” Zhu Zhixi’s tone also became clingy.

He didn’t know if Fu Rangyi heard him, but he mumbled a few words in reply, though they were completely unintelligible.

He was so mean at the beginning, how did he become so dependent on me? Zhu Zhixi sighed deeply and placed his hand on Fu Rangyi’s chest.

A moment later, his hand was seized.

Fu Rangyi buried his face in his shoulder and mumbled, “…Little pervert.”

“I wasn’t touching your chest! I was feeling your heartbeat!” Zhu Zhixi hissed, raising his head in anger. “Honestly… you meanie.” Luckily the heart isn’t on the butt.

But the awakened Fu Rangyi had no memory of this little interlude. He was still groggy from sleep and ate slowly.

Who knows what he dreamed about, but while eating plain boiled chicken, Fu Rangyi suddenly asked with a straight face, “Have you contacted Liang Yi’en? How is my angel son?”

Zhu Zhixi almost choked. If there was a nickname competition, Fu Rangyi would definitely win first place.

“Actually, on the day of the countdown exchange, I was very worried and made several calls. Xiao En said he wasn’t sure what would happen, but the next day he sent me a message saying Xiao Yu told him he would come back.”

He found the photo Liang Yi’en sent and showed it to Fu Rangyi. In the photo, a feather rested on Liang Yi’en’s palm.

“He left this?” Fu Rangyi asked.

“Mhm.” Zhu Zhixi put his hands together in a prayer. “I hope our Xiao Yu doesn’t become the scapegoat at the bottom of the ladder, please, please.”

Not long after eating, as they were lying face to face on the hospital bed, Fu Rangyi’s hand reached out and touched Zhu Zhixi’s stomach.

Is he going to say something mean again? Zhu Zhixi subconsciously sucked in his stomach and tensed his abs. “What?” After saying those two words, he felt like he was about to deflate.

“Nothing.” Fu Rangyi rubbed his small belly. “I feel like I haven’t been taking good care of you lately. You were already going through your secondary development, your body hadn’t recovered, your emotions were fluctuating, and you still had to take care of me.”

Zhu Zhixi hadn’t expected this. He deflated like a balloon, becoming a small, wrinkled heap.

“That’s not true…” He grabbed Fu Rangyi’s hand and intertwined their fingers. “Aren’t partners supposed to take care of each other?”

Fu Rangyi nodded. Without his glasses, he lacked some of his usual distant and serious demeanor. Dressed in a hospital gown with his arm in a sling and a pale face, he did indeed look a bit “frail and sickly.” Perhaps because it was a rare sight, aside from feeling distressed, Zhu Zhixi actually found his vulnerable appearance quite attractive.

But it was better not to be sick. All illnesses needed to be cured.

Thinking of this, Zhu Zhixi immediately got to the point. He hadn’t said anything before, afraid Fu Rangyi would be upset and unable to eat, but he had finished his meal now.

“Teacher Fu, someone came to see you today,” he tickled Fu Rangyi’s palm.

Fu Rangyi gripped his mischievous fingers and squeezed his fingertips. “Mhm, and then?”

“Aren’t you curious who it was?”

Fu Rangyi said flatly, “It definitely wouldn’t be anyone from the Fu family; you wouldn’t be this happy if they came. Not many people know I’m sick, so that rules out colleagues and students. Zhu Zeran might come, but he’d mostly be here to see you. For you to ask like this, it’s probably someone from Admiral Huo’s side.”

So smart. Zhu Zhixi pursed his lips. “You guessed it.”

And he had even used the title “Admiral Huo.”

“He was afraid coming directly would make you uncomfortable, so he sent a subordinate to visit first. But you’re in semi-isolation and can’t see people, so I did a little socializing for you,” Zhu Zhixi said with a smile.

Fu Rangyi glanced at him and said, “Thank you, social butterfly.”

Why doesn’t that sound like a compliment? Zhu Zhixi clicked his tongue but didn’t argue. He asked again, “So, are you willing to meet him? Actually, if you really…”

He hadn’t decided on his wording yet when, surprisingly, Fu Rangyi agreed directly.

“Mhm. After I’m discharged.”

Zhu Zhixi’s eyes went wide. “Why did you suddenly agree? I was still thinking about how to convince you.” For example, through seduction; Fu Rangyi was easier to talk to in bed.

He hadn’t expected the one on the hospital bed to be the same.

“Why did you change your mind?” he asked again.

Fu Rangyi was silent for a long moment before finally looking up at Zhu Zhixi. “Because of you.”

Zhu Zhixi was even more surprised. “Me?”

Fu Rangyi: “The day I went into shock, I thought of him. Even though I’ve never even met him, I suddenly… empathized with him. I experienced what it feels like to lose the person you love most. But we are different, after all; you didn’t really leave me. So, what I felt was probably only a ten-thousandth of his pain. If seeing me would alleviate his suffering even a little, it’s not a bad thing.”

After hearing this, Zhu Zhixi rubbed Fu Rangyi’s hand. This seemingly aloof guy actually had the softest heart.

He wasn’t doing it for himself, nor was he particularly eager to find his real relatives. Perhaps the Fu Rangyi from ten years ago had such an obsession, but he had let it go now. What truly made him decide was compassion.

“Mr. Huo will definitely be very happy to see you,” Zhu Zhixi said.

“Mhm.” Fu Rangyi nodded, gazing into Zhu Zhixi’s eyes and gently stroking his hair.

Zhu Zhixi rubbed his cheek against Fu Rangyi’s palm and added, “You are the treasure his most beloved person left for him, and a lost-and-found one at that. Just thinking about it is so blissful.”

Lost and found. Fu Rangyi silently repeated these words that were so infinitely close to him and felt the sense of bliss Zhu Zhixi described.

After speaking, Zhu Zhixi scooted closer on the bed sheets, snuggled up against him, and took a deep breath.

“What are you doing?” Fu Rangyi tapped his nose with a fingertip. “You can only smell disinfectant.”

He countered by nudging the finger with his nose. “Then you tell me, what do you smell like now? Is it cold, or bitter?”

Fu Rangyi stared at him expressionlessly, his fingertip sliding down to his upper lip, lightly brushing against his lower lip.

“The scent of flowers.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhixi bit the fingertip that had crossed the safety line, then hooked his arm around his neck and whispered, “Since you’ve agreed to meet him, shouldn’t we do something to get you discharged sooner?”

Fu Rangyi lowered his eyes to stare at him, but his moist fingertip continued its downward path, sliding over Zhu Zhixi’s Adam’s apple and collarbone.

“Don’t seduce me in a place like this,” he said in a deep voice. “I am a university professor, after all.”

“Who’s seducing who?” Zhu Zhixi rubbed against his chin, his bright eyes looking up at him. “A flower-scented professor, my physiology professor.” After saying that, he lifted his face and kissed him directly.

The moment their lips met, Zhu Zhixi felt a long-absent shiver spread from within his body, even though it was just the beginning. He could feel Fu Rangyi’s lips part slightly, brushing against his, the moist tip of his tongue reaching out to entangle with his. Desire was like a wildfire; a tiny spark quickly burned across the entire barren plain.

He couldn’t help but let out a soft hum, rubbing Fu Rangyi’s currently sensitive gland while kissing him. He even deliberately pulled back, and sure enough, Fu Rangyi was lured into chasing after the kiss. He licked the tip of a certain someone’s canine tooth and murmured provocatively while kissing, “Your fangs are out… still pretending to be proper…”

He naturally paid the price for his actions. Fu Rangyi directly flipped over, pinning him underneath, and kissed him more deeply and aggressively. His ears were filled with wet sounds and heavy breathing. Zhu Zhixi’s head spun, and his hands began to wander.

Just as they were locked in a passionate kiss, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.

Zhu Zhixi’s shoulders flinched. “Mmph…” He heard the nurse’s voice.

“It’s time for your check-up…” he patted Fu Rangyi’s shoulder.

Fu Rangyi frowned, bit Zhu Zhixi’s lip hard, and rolled back over, his chest still heaving.

“Come in.” Those two words were tinged with resentment.

Zhu Zhixi was about to get down, but then his eyes darted around. Before the nurse came in, he swiftly shrank and slipped under the quilt.

Fu Rangyi seemed very surprised and reached a hand in to pinch him, but Zhu Zhixi dodged too quickly. He missed his cheek and instead had his hand caught and bitten.

Through the quilt, he could clearly hear the nurse’s voice. It was thrilling, but he didn’t dare to move recklessly. Luckily, the quilt was thick enough.

And he discovered that Fu Rangyi had even propped up one leg, creating a small gap in the quilt so it wouldn’t be too stuffy.

“Eh? Where’s your cute Beta?” the nurse chuckled. “Did he go home to get you something again?”

Fu Rangyi said in a low voice, “I don’t know where he went.”

Hearing this, Zhu Zhixi poked him in the waist from under the quilt.

He heard the beeping of the instrument, and soon, the nurse’s questioning monosyllable, “Hmm?”

“Why are your pheromone fluctuations so large… What were you just doing? Did you take your medicine?”

Fu Rangyi: “I did.”

“Hmm…” the nurse chuckled knowingly. “He was just here, wasn’t he?”

Fu Rangyi fell silent. The glaring data was right there, a public execution.

And to make matters worse, the one under the quilt became even more audacious. He could feel a warm hand slip in from under the hem of his hospital gown, fingers restlessly inching upwards.

She was used to this and was very direct. “You two do need more contact; it’s very helpful for your recovery. But no intercourse, okay? Your levels are too unstable. Forming a knot would be very dangerous; I’m afraid you’d go directly into your susceptibility period.”

Hearing “no intercourse,” the finger drew a large X on his abs. But it still didn’t stop.

“Alright, not bad. You have one more day of IV drips tomorrow, and after a few more days of rest, you can leave the semi-isolated environment.” After speaking, the nurse clicked her ballpoint pen, put it in her pocket, then smiled and said before leaving, “Hey, Xiao Zhu’s shoes today are quite nice.”

The fingers that had reached his chest stopped.

The door closed. Fu Rangyi helplessly lifted the quilt. “You’ve been exposed, haven’t you? Zhu Zhixi, you’re really…”

Before he could finish, the flushed rascal climbed right up and, without warning, gave him a deep kiss, murmuring clingily, “Hubby, bite me, mark me…”

Bad rabbit.

The alarm from the monitor and the lingering wet sounds pulled at each other. The moment the pheromones were injected, the instrument even let out a short buzz. Fu Rangyi even imagined that someone might rush in for emergency treatment in the next second. Preferably not. I don’t want anyone to see Zhu Zhixi like this right now.

He was panting heavily; even the pained moan from being marked on the nape of his neck sounded like a form of seduction. He was clearly trembling from the pain, yet he still twisted his head to kiss him.

“My blood is sweet,” he smiled, then moved up slightly, rubbing the back of his neck against his lips. “More… marking.”

“It hurts a lot,” he said.

But Zhu Zhixi said, “It doesn’t hurt. I like being marked by you.”

The calmness of the past few days had just been a disguise. Anxiety was like a transparent plastic bag, constantly covering his head, tightening from time to time, making it hard to breathe. But at this moment, the genuine passion and confusion were like a sharp knife, slicing through that thin film. In Zhu Zhixi’s kiss, he came alive.

He breathed in Zhu Zhixi’s scent in great, almost greedy gulps. In his scent, Fu Rangyi could feel the sparkling sea, a valley smelling of green grass, a damp and beautiful rainforest, and the abundant sunlight of the equator. All the beauty in the world was hidden in this flowing aroma.

After an unknown amount of time, Fu Rangyi looked up at Zhu Zhixi, who was straddling his lap, and said very suddenly, “I love you.”

A thin layer of sweat covered Zhu Zhixi’s face, stray hairs stuck to his forehead, and his face was flushed. Hearing those three words, he too was a bit dazed, forgetting what mischief he was up to. His hands were still resting on Fu Rangyi’s lower abdomen, his chest heaving violently.

Fu Rangyi sat up, kissed the mole on his eyelid, and repeated softly and solemnly, “Baby, I love you.”

After speaking, he hugged the person in his arms tightly. “I love you so much.”

He had actually said it three times. Fu Rangyi himself couldn’t believe it. It was as if he were chanting some dark spell that, once spoken, would prevent the other person from ever leaving.

However, the spell was repeated once more.

“I love you,” Zhu Zhixi said softly. “Very, very much.”

In the following days, they “marked” almost every day, but Fu Rangyi strictly followed the doctor’s orders. He didn’t want to force Zhu Zhixi to endure a new round of susceptibility period right after he was discharged, especially since Zhu Zhixi had already arranged to meet his biological father.

He had planned to fly to the capital after being discharged, get things over with quickly, and then return to work at the university. But he didn’t expect that on the day of his discharge, the Secretary Sun that Zhu Zhixi had mentioned was already waiting outside.

“I’ve already taken care of all the procedures,” Secretary Sun said with a smile. “Mr. Huo arrived early this morning and is waiting at the hotel now. If it’s not convenient to meet today, tomorrow is also fine.”

Both of them were a little surprised. Zhu Zhixi was a sharp one and immediately said, “We should be the ones to go over, how could we let an elder come to us? That’s too embarrassing.”

“It’s fine,” Secretary Sun smiled and looked at Fu Rangyi. “Mr. Huo is really, very much looking forward to it.”

Fu Rangyi was quiet for a moment, then finally said, “Then let’s meet now.”

The two followed Secretary Sun into a private car. Secretary Sun sat in the passenger seat and kept turning his head to talk to them. “Mr. Huo would also like to have a meal with you, but of course, it’s not mandatory.”

“By the way, we have already contacted the attending doctor that Dr. Li introduced before. Mr. Huo’s side has also found a famous doctor from the military zone hospital. We have held several meetings regarding this malignant susceptibility period syndrome and have basically confirmed a plan. In order to start treatment as soon as possible, Mr. Huo already gave a gland fluid sample before he came.”

Fu Rangyi was somewhat surprised, or more accurately, dazed and at a loss.

Zhu Zhixi, however, was very excited. “That’s great. Mr. Huo is such a good person, right, Rangyi?”

Fu Rangyi nodded once. “Thank you.”

“Don’t be so polite,” Secretary Sun said with a smile. “He will be very happy to see you.”

The private car was large, with separate seats. In front of Fu Rangyi’s seat was a rotatable screen with a world map as its wallpaper. When he was anxious, he had a habit of finding something to stare at, and a map was perfect.

As they were about to arrive, he reached out, pulled Zhu Zhixi’s hand, and also pulled the screen over for him to see, asking in a low voice, “Where do you like?”

This question clearly stumped Zhu Zhixi. He pursed his lips and looked for a long time, clicking on several places, zooming in and out. “I like… I like them all.”

“Choose one,” Fu Rangyi said.

“Now?” Zhu Zhixi didn’t understand. He glanced out the window; they were almost at the hotel.

“Mhm,” Fu Rangyi insisted.

“This one, then,” Zhu Zhixi clicked on a small island. “I’ve always wanted to go here. I heard the seawater is blue like jelly, perfect for snorkeling, with lots of super beautiful coral.”

Fu Rangyi nodded, staring at the small island with a long and strange name. Although he had a good memory, this matter was different. Fu Rangyi opened his notes and edited the island’s name into the Little Rabbit Husbandry Manual—he had secretly changed the name back last night.

Before asking, he had been vaguely worried that Zhu Zhixi would choose the great grasslands of the equator, or Antarctica, or some deep, forbidden canyon.

He didn’t mind, but how would the guests get there?

Coral? Coral is very good. The 35th wedding anniversary is the coral anniversary.

The island is also very good, suitable for a wedding.

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Time for a wedding!! (I haven’t written a wedding before.)

I feel like that little island will be cordoned off, hahaha, surrounded by a super-tight security net.

My area has suddenly entered winter again. It feels very atmospheric to start in winter and end in winter, hahaha, but it’s really super cold. Everyone should also pay attention to the weather changes and add or remove clothing in time.