WMSR — QT Chapter 176

 

Chapter 176

The next day, when Bai Yichen woke up, it was already bright outside. He blankly watched the morning light filtering into the room for a moment before remembering what had happened. Shaking his head slightly, he propped himself up with limbs that still felt somewhat weak, only to find that his clothes were plastered to his skin by dried sweat, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable. He decided to get out of bed and take a shower.

However, perhaps having heard the movement inside the room, a few sharp knocks suddenly sounded on the bedroom door, followed by a somewhat hoarse yet barely suppressed, anxious voice from outside: "Bai, are you alright?"

Bai Yichen froze at this sudden inquiry. Hearing that hoarse voice and considering the fact that the person had noticed the slightest sound the moment he moved, could it be that Colin had stood guard right outside the door for the entire night?

Bai Yichen instinctively wanted to walk over and open the door, but after taking two steps, he realized his disheveled and wretched appearance, compounded by the lingering sweet scent still drifting through the room. His steps halted involuntarily. In the end, he simply spoke to Colin through the door: "I'm fine, I've recovered. I'm going to take a shower and come right out, don't worry."

Though Bai Yichen's sentence was simple, to Colin—who had waited and worried anxiously outside for an entire night—it was practically the sound of celestial music. It was also at that moment that Colin realized his legs had grown sore, stiff, and numb from standing for God knows how long, yet a relaxed smile could not help blooming at the corners of his mouth. Pressing his cheek against the door, he said to the alpha inside, "Alright, I'll wait for you."

After replying to Colin outside, Bai Yichen didn't immediately look for clothes or head to the shower. Instead, he first opened the bedroom windows wide to let the fresh air rushing in from outside dilute the sweet scent lingering in the room. Even then, feeling somewhat uneasy, he grabbed a can of air freshener and sprayed the room thoroughly a few times.

Only then did Bai Yichen strip off the bedsheets stained with last night's sweat along with the clothes he had worn, tossing them all into the washer-dryer combo before finally stepping into the bathroom to wash up.

Once he finished showering and was certain that only the scent of an alpha remained on his body, that the sweet fragrance in the room had been diluted to an imperceptible level, and that no other traces were left behind anywhere else in the room, he finally felt reassured enough to open the door.

However, the moment Bai Yichen opened the door, a figure slid toward him. Guessing that Colin might have spent the entire night waiting outside the door, Bai Yichen didn't dodge, stepping forward to catch the falling figure directly. Yet this time, Colin—who on ordinary days was always eager to stick to Bai Yichen like glue—instantly struggled to break away, bracing himself against the doorframe to stand upright on his own. He still remembered how Bai had suddenly fallen ill last night and was terrified that the other man's body hadn't fully recovered yet, fearing he might get crushed or injured by his weight.

"Colin, what's wrong with you?"

Colin stared fixedly at Bai Yichen for a moment, making sure his beloved alpha had truly recovered completely and wasn't facing any major issues, before finally letting out a thorough sigh of relief. A smile reappeared on his face: "Bai, you're fine—that's great." After another moment, Colin finally remembered to answer Bai Yichen's question, though a somewhat awkward look crossed his face: "My legs... my legs are numb."

Bai Yichen: "......"

If last night had been a matter of Colin supporting Bai Yichen upstairs, then today, it was Bai Yichen supporting Colin back to his room. Bai Yichen helped Colin all the way back, guided him to sit on the bed, and—ignoring Colin's protests—rolled up his trouser leg, revealing calves that were indeed abnormally swollen.

At this point, Colin didn't even need to confess; Bai Yichen already knew that this silly omega had definitely stood outside the door for the entire night, otherwise his legs wouldn't have been swollen up like this.

This was the omega who had chosen him among all the numerous alphas in the imperial marriage matching, marrying him just a few short days ago. Even though this marriage wasn't what he had anticipated, Bai Yichen had to admit that the other person treated him exceptionally well. Over these past few days of marriage, the other party prioritized him in practically everything, currying favor with him through deliberate efforts. Facing his own coldness and alienation, the other simply suffered it in silence without ever throwing a tantrum, even though as an omega, he fundamentally didn't need to do any of this.

And as for last night's incident, Bai Yichen never expected that Colin would actually stand outside the door without leaving for a whole night purely out of worry, swelling his legs up from standing. Yet even when worried and anxious to that extent, the other person still obediently followed his instructions, refusing to call an emergency team on his own authority, waiting patiently until dawn.

Safe to say, if his newlywed omega hadn't been someone as submissive and obedient as Colin, the secret of his physical condition would likely have been exposed long ago. Human hearts are made of flesh; Bai Yichen had never harbored any real animosity toward Colin to begin with, and fueled by Colin's continuous, persistent efforts to please him alongside last night's ordeal, Bai Yichen finally couldn't remain entirely unmoved. His attitude toward Colin softened a fraction.

Looking at Colin's swollen lower legs, Bai Yichen fell silent for a brief moment before extending a hand: "I'll massage them for a bit."

"Don't!" Colin instinctively flinched his legs back, but failed to block Bai Yichen's movement. When that pair of slender, warm hands touched his calf, enveloping it and beginning to gently massage, Colin found himself utterly unable to voice any refusals. Experiencing the intimate, seamless contact of those warm hands against his skin, which sent a series of trembling sensations rippling through him, he could only keep his head lowered and his cheeks slightly flushed, fighting to suppress any strange noises from escaping his lips.

Bai Yichen paid no mind to Colin's expression; he purely wanted to help relieve the swelling. After massaging intently for a while and noticing that Colin's calf was no longer as rigid as when they started and had begun to relax, he withdrew his hands.

The moment those warm hands pulled away, a powerful wave of intense reluctance welled up inside Colin's heart. Even so, he knew that for Bai, who usually kept him at arm's length, being willing to help massage him was already a massive step forward; he couldn't afford to be too impatient. Moreover, although this unexpected "perk" had left his body feeling somewhat weak and boneless, he hadn't forgotten another far more critical matter—and unraveling that mystery was clearly the top priority right now.

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