One-way Passage

Xia Wennan gradually awoke from the depths of darkness.
He couldn’t remember ever sleeping so soundly.
After opening his eyes with great difficulty, the harsh golden sunlight flooded his field of view and forced him to close them once more.
He didn’t reopen his eyes until they’d adjusted to the brightness.

This time around, he was fully conscious of the fact that he was lying in the middle of a snow white room with an equally white rectangular light on the ceiling overhead.
Though it lit up the room, the sunlight streaming in through the window was noticeably brighter.
It was tinged with gold and, unlike the vibrant orange of the morning sun, it felt more like the sun of a scorching afternoon.

Xia Wennan had no idea if it was as hot as it appeared outside.
This room, at least, had air conditioning, and the temperature was just right.
Under the thin blanket, his body felt neither hot nor cold, but as soon as he tried to move a hand, he realised that his entire body was stiff as a corpse, and a throbbing headache followed closely after. 

He couldn’t stifle a low groan from passing through his lips. 

“You’re awake?” A deep male voice laced with undisguised surprise suddenly echoed throughout the room.

Xia Wennan tried to look up to locate the speaker but abandoned the idea after the tiniest effort.
His head was probably injured; he’d barely moved an inch and yet the pain was already excruciating.

Muffled footsteps filled the room, resounding from the corner towards Xia Wennan until they came to a halt at his bedside.
Only then did Xia Wennan register the speaker: a stranger of an Alpha. 

The Alpha looked to be around thirty years old.
He was dressed in a slim-fitting black suit and his short knuckle-length hair was combed back, a few untamed strands falling over his temple.
Like most Alphas, he had a sharp and distinct masculine profile, but his handsomeness lost to none: with prominent, arched brows, pale, thin lips, and especially attractive eyes.
When his gaze was trained on someone, his lashes slightly curled downwards, half-concealing the profound emotions contained in his eyes.  

At this moment, he bent down a little, his beautiful pair of eyes falling on Xia Wennan as he asked, “How are you feeling?”

Xia Wennan furrowed his brows as he stared at the unfamiliar Alpha before him.
“Who are you?”

The Alpha was completely incapable of hiding the look of astonishment on his face.
He eyed Xia Wennan for a moment before straightening up and pressing the call button on the head of the bed, telling the other end, “The patient is awake.”

After hanging up, the Alpha stood at his bedside and silently stared at Xia Wennan.
However, when Xia Wennan revealed a pained expression from trying to get up so abruptly, the Alpha reached out and pressed Xia Wennan’s chest down.
“Don’t move.”

Xia Wennan heaved.
“Is this the hospital? Why am I here?”

The Alpha didn’t respond immediately.
Before Xia Wennan could get an answer, someone opened the door of the hospital room and a line of doctors and nurses rushed in.

A middle-aged male doctor stood at the front of the group.
When he came through the door, Xia Wennan distinctly heard him call out “Mr.
Ming”.

Who is Mr.
Ming? The Alpha in the room? Despite his hurting head, Xia Wennan couldn’t reign in his curiosity. 

The doctor and nurses swiftly surrounded and examined him, while the Alpha at his bedside quietly retreated to a corner. 

Xia Wennan was still in a state of confusion.
He heard the doctor ask him a few questions, yet upon careful consideration, he realised that he had no idea why he was lying here.
He didn’t know what had caused his injuries, and even when the doctor asked him what day it was, there was nothing in his head but haze. 

The middle-aged doctor frowned.

Fortunately, he remembered that his name was Xia Wennan, and that he was a university student. 

“University student?” Everyone in his immediate vicinity froze, including the nurse who was taking his blood pressure.

The middle-aged doctor turned his head and darted a look at the Alpha standing in the corner. 

Not a single expression flitted across the Alpha’s features; he merely stared at Xia Wennan. 

“Do you remember who that gentleman is to you?” The doctor asked Xia Wennan, pointing to the Alpha in the corner. 

Xia Wennan knew who he was pointing at without looking over and shook his head.
Instead, his gaze lingered on a young male doctor at his bedside. 

The middle-aged doctor followed his line of sight and immediately asked, “What’s the matter?”

Xia Wennan’s face was filled with doubt.
“You look like my high school classmate,” he said to the young doctor. 

The young doctor laughed awkwardly, not saying a word.
The middle-aged doctor spoke up, “Is that so?”

Xia Wennan found something odd.
He carefully studied the man’s looks before nodding.
“He really does.
He just looks a little older.” 

A not-so-natural smile remained on the young doctor’s lips as he said, “I used to be your classmate.”

“Ah! You’re Lin Shuqiu,” Xia Wennan exclaimed.

Lin Shuqiu remained silent.
By the looks of it, he had no intention of chatting with him.
Confused, Xia Wennan could only lie back down in silence and continue cooperating with the examination.

Half an hour later, the doctors and nurses exited the room one after another.
Before leaving, the middle-aged doctor invited the Alpha to step out with him.
Only Xia Wennan remained in the room. 

He was a little tired.
When he closed his eyes, his consciousness became hazy, and he fell into a brief slumber.
When he awoke, he discovered that the Alpha had already returned.
He sat on a chair by the bed, hands folded on his knees, watching Xia Wennan.
Seeing Xia Wennan rousing, he didn’t move and only asked, “How are you?”

An IV drip was inserted into Xia Wennan’s hand.
The liquid entering his bloodstream brought a burst of mild chill.
He fixed his gaze on the Alpha and inquired once more, “Who are you?”

The Alpha stared at Xia Wennan for a long time before saying, “You don’t remember me.”

Xia Wennan was skeptical.
“Do we know each other?”

“My name is Ming Luchuan,” the Alpha said, slightly cold and stiff.
“I’m your husband.”

“My what?” Xia Wennan blanked out for a split second. 

The Alpha named Ming Luchuan repeated, “Your husband.”

Nothing crossed Xia Wennan’s mind for a long time.
The moment he recovered, he only felt that the fine hairs all over his body were standing on end.
He averted his gaze and reached out to cover his body with the thin blanket, slowly pulling it over his head.
His tone was flat and mechanical as he said, “You’ve got the wrong guy, haven’t you?”

When the blanket almost covered Xia Wennan’s head, Ming Luchuan took hold of his hand. 

Xia Wennan jerked with fright, and a corner of the blanket fell from his grasp and covered half his face.
Seeing Ming Luchuan’s solemn expression, his initial desire to struggle faded.

Ming Luchuan’s palm was surprisingly warm.
With Xia Wennan’s hand in his grip, he slowly yet forcefully stuffed it back under the blanket, saying, “Mind your IV.”

Xia Wennan abruptly registered the slight sting on the back of his hand.
He tore away the blanket that obstructed half his face with his other hand and calmly lay there for a while, then asked, “We… is there some kind of misunderstanding?”

Ming Luchuan responded with silence. 

Without anyone noticing, the sky outside had gradually darkened.
Xia Wennan had only known Ming Luchuan for half a day, but even though they had only exchanged a few sentences, Xia Wennan’s intuition told him that this Alpha had a somewhat gloomy disposition.
He seemed like the type of person Xia Wennan wouldn’t get along with.

The room was silent until Xia Wennan broke it with a whisper.
“I’m a Beta.”

All of a sudden, Ming Luchuan rose to his feet and stormed out of the hospital room.

It wasn’t until he heard the door close that Xia Wennan fixed his gaze on the ceiling and breathed a sigh of relief.

☆ ☆ ☆

The author has something to say:
Rewrote the novel, the gong’s personality underwent changes.