Becoming a Scum A in an Old-School Melodramatic Novel - Chapter 47

When Shen Xian woke up again, the sky was already beginning to brighten. Sunlight streamed through a corner of the window, illuminating the ward. The moment she opened her eyes, she noticed a warm presence in her arms — Lin Qinghan was curled up against her, fast asleep.

Last night, the two of them had gone to bed properly, each minding their own space. Yet now, they were holding each other. Shen Xian’s lips curved into a faint smile. In both her lives combined, this was the very first time she had slept in someone’s arms. The feeling was a little strange, but also wonderful — especially because the one she held was none other than Lin Qinghan. Her heart felt warm, so much warmer than clutching a cold pillow in her previous life.

Looking at Lin Qinghan’s sleeping face, Shen Xian found her especially endearing. Her eyelashes quivered with every breath. Unable to resist, Shen Xian reached out and gently brushed them. They tickled her fingertips like tiny brushes, making her fingers itch — and along with them, her heart.

She glanced at the clock. It was already 7 a.m. The doctors usually made their rounds in the morning to check on patients.

Shen Xian carefully placed her hand over Lin Qinghan’s gland. The heat there had faded, and the swelling wasn’t as bad as yesterday. Seeing that she was mostly fine now, Shen Xian finally felt relieved.

She poked Lin Qinghan’s fair cheek with her finger. The girl stirred in displeasure, frowning and nuzzling against Shen Xian’s neck, clearly unwilling to wake.

Helpless, Shen Xian pressed a little harder, gently pinching her cheek. Lin Qinghan’s skin was so soft and supple, like it would release water if squeezed. At last, under Shen Xian’s persistence, she moved a little, swatting away the hand on her face and grumbling, “What are you doing?”

Her voice was still drowsy, soft and sweet from just waking up.

Amused, Shen Xian said, “Qinghan, time to get up. The doctors will be here soon for their rounds. If everything’s fine, we’ll have to go through the discharge procedures.”

That woke Lin Qinghan up a little more. She slowly opened her eyes, only to meet Shen Xian’s smiling gaze. Stunned for a few seconds, she hurriedly buried her face back into Shen Xian’s chest — but the redness creeping up her ears gave her away.

Shen Xian’s smile widened. She slipped an arm around Qinghan’s waist and whispered beside her ear, “Didn’t you say I was the clingy one? But looking at this now, seems like you’re the one clinging to me.”

At those words, Lin Qinghan’s ears turned an even deeper red, the flush spreading all the way down to her neck. Shen Xian figured her cheeks must be just as crimson by now.

Before Shen Xian could tease her further, Lin Qinghan’s hand shot up, groped along her neck, and slapped right over Shen Xian’s mouth.

“Don’t talk nonsense. It must’ve been you tossing around in your sleep that made this happen. Besides, I’m the Omega here — if anyone’s at a disadvantage, it’s me.” Even as she said this, she still hadn’t moved off of Shen Xian. The warmth of Shen Xian’s breath against her palm only made her more flustered. In a panic, she quickly sat up, turning her back to her.

Worried she had gotten up too quickly, Shen Xian immediately reached out to steady her from behind. Still smiling, she said, “Alright, alright, it’s my fault. I was too restless in my sleep. You worked hard, Qinghan.”

Hearing the laughter in her voice, Lin Qinghan knew she was being teased again. Irritated, she wanted to pinch Shen Xian’s thigh — but then she remembered this fool had carried her down the mountain alone yesterday. She couldn’t bring herself to do it. In the end, she only gave Shen Xian a light smack, then said stiffly, ears burning, “As long as you know I worked hard. And don’t you dare twist things — clearly, it was you who hugged me first.”

Suppressing a chuckle, Shen Xian leaned closer and said softly, “Okay, okay, whatever Qinghan says is right. After all, I’m the clingy one — I can’t help it.”

Grinding her teeth, Lin Qinghan shot back, “As long as you know.”

Shen Xian only laughed helplessly. Fine — whatever Qinghan said would always be right from now on.

She slipped on her shoes and went to the bathroom to wash up. By the time she came back out, Lin Qinghan was already out of bed too, shoes on, the flush on her cheeks and ears gradually fading.

Shen Xian walked over and asked gently, “How are you feeling? Still uncomfortable anywhere?”

Lin Qinghan’s susceptible period had already passed its peak. Now, her body was just weaker than usual.

She shook her head. “I’m fine now.”

Shen Xian nodded. “By the way, Qinghan, take a couple of days off work. There’s no rush to go back right away. What happened this time definitely wasn’t a coincidence. After we got in the car yesterday, and even up the mountain, the only water we drank was the bottled water Lu Jianbai gave us. That water must’ve been tampered with. But when we came back down, even the bag where I’d thrown away the empty bottle was gone. Looks like he really came prepared.”

Lin Qinghan sat on the edge of the bed, frowning slightly. “I never thought he would do something like this. That’s not the kind of person Lu Jianbai used to be. No wonder he wanted to talk to me alone before… luckily, I didn’t go. Just thinking about it scares me. If my susceptible period had been triggered in a crowd, there were several Alphas at the hospital too… I don’t even want to imagine.”

Seeing her brows knit together, Shen Xian sat beside her, gently stroking her back in comfort. “It’s alright, Qinghan. From now on, you have me. I won’t let anyone hurt you or Tian Tian. You’re both the most important people to me.”

Her tone was soft, but every word sank deep into Lin Qinghan’s heart. She had always borne everything alone, even hiding away to cry by herself. But now, there was someone willing to share her burdens. A warm feeling spread through her chest. Even knowing something bad had happened, she no longer felt so afraid.

She was never really a strong-willed person. The reason she kept a cold attitude toward others was just to protect Tian Tian. Now… could she finally have a shoulder of her own to lean on? Lin Qinghan still felt a little uncertain in her heart.

But her body moved faster than her thoughts. Lin Qinghan gently rested her head on Shen Xian’s shoulder. Shen Xian reached out and lightly wrapped an arm around Lin Qinghan’s waist.
“Don’t be afraid. Without evidence, they can’t do anything. We have plenty of ways to bring him down.”

Lin Qinghan didn’t feel at ease from Shen Xian’s reassurance. Resting her head on Shen Xian’s shoulder, she looked up and said, “You mustn’t do anything foolish. And you can’t let those bad friends of yours lay a hand on Lu Jianbai.”

The corners of Shen Xian’s lips lifted slightly. She lowered her head a little, gazing at the woman in her arms.
“Don’t worry. I have you and Tian Tian now. How could I possibly do anything illegal? I’m a law-abiding citizen.”

“Shen Xian, I’m not joking. Don’t risk yourself just to punish someone else’s wrongs. I… Tian Tian and I would only worry.” Lin Qinghan pressed her lips together, speaking uneasily.

“Alright. I’ll listen. Whatever Qinghan says, I’ll do. Don’t worry.”

About ten minutes later, the doctors came to check on them. Seeing that both were fine, they issued discharge papers.

After Shen Xian paid the bill, she and Lin Qinghan left the ward. Neither had changed clothes the whole night, their clothes wrinkled, and after sweating so much earlier, they really did look rather disheveled.

Shen Xian hailed a cab, and soon they were home. Lin Qinghan glanced at Shen Xian and asked, “Do you want to shower first, or should I?”

Shen Xian looked at her with a smile. “You go first. Your body hasn’t fully recovered. After a bath, you should get some proper sleep at home.”

Lin Qinghan nodded, took her pajamas, and headed for the bathroom. At the doorway, she stopped and said to Shen Xian, who was still in the living room, “Thank you, Shen Xian.”

Leaning back on the sofa, Shen Xian smiled. “With our relationship, you still feel the need to say thanks? Qinghan, there’s no need to thank me.”

Back in the hospital, Shen Xian had noticed Lin Qinghan’s favorability rise to 40. But at the time, what she really thought was, she’d rather not gain those extra 20 points if it meant Lin Qinghan wouldn’t have to suffer. To Shen Xian, Lin Qinghan was no longer just some mission target.

Half an hour later, Lin Qinghan came out of the bathroom. Only then did Shen Xian go in. The faint scent of osmanthus and Longjing tea still lingered in the air. Touching the back of her own neck, Shen Xian realized she had forgotten to put on her pheromone blocking patch.

She remembered how, before, Qinghan had been worried she would casually release her pheromones at home. That was why, whenever Shen Xian visited, Qinghan would spray large amounts of pheromone blockers. Later, as their relationship improved and Shen Xian herself started wearing pheromone blocking patches, they stopped using the spray at home. Shen Xian thought to herself that after stepping out, she’d better put a patch on quickly, otherwise Qinghan would worry.

When Shen Xian came out of the bathroom, hair blow-dried, Lin Qinghan was still sitting on the sofa. Shen Xian walked over with a smile. “Why not sleep in the bedroom?”

Because she hadn’t put on a blocking patch yet, her voice carried a faint sweet-orange scent that spread into the air. Lin Qinghan caught it immediately, her senses sharp.

She swallowed a little nervously. Though the most difficult stage of her susceptible period had already passed, an Omega’s instinct during this time was still to rely on her partner. Lin Qinghan glanced at Shen Xian a few times but in the end pressed her lips together and swallowed back what she wanted to say.
“I’ll go now.”

“Alright. Then I’ll head back to my room for a bit more sleep.” After watching Lin Qinghan leave, Shen Xian returned to her room, stuck on a blocking patch at the back of her neck, and finally lay down to catch up on sleep.

By the time Shen Xian woke up, it was already afternoon. She made a meal and called Lin Qinghan to eat. Lin Qinghan sat across from her, chopsticks idly stirring the rice in her bowl. But her nose caught none of the sweet orange scent. Looking up, she saw Shen Xian had already put on a blocking patch.

Before, Lin Qinghan had been relieved that Shen Xian was so disciplined. Now, she suddenly found herself resenting it. Without that scent she longed to breathe in, even her appetite faded.

Oblivious, Shen Xian asked, “Qinghan, what’s wrong? You’ve hardly touched your food. Did I mess up the cooking today?”

Lin Qinghan raised her eyes and shot her a glare, muttering sulkily, “Mm. It’s awful.”

Puzzled, Shen Xian tried a few more bites of her own food. “I think it’s fine though…”

Not wanting to deal with her, Lin Qinghan set down her chopsticks and walked back toward her room, saying, “Then you eat it yourself.”