42: The Gentle Pursuit is the Hardest
His beloved Alpha closed his eyes with a cold, forbidding expression, making it clear he didn’t want to see him again.
Hua Yong was a little disappointed. His smile faded.
He refused to use the stretcher and, after watching Sheng Shaoyou loaded onto the ambulance, he jumped into another ambulance himself.
“Secretary Chen is with Mr. Sheng, don’t worry,” Chang Yu tried to reassure him anxiously. “You’re badly hurt too, you’d better get some emergency care.”
Hua Yong sat by the window, his thin back perfectly straight, eyes locked on the ambulance carrying Sheng Shaoyou.
“I really wish I could be in the same vehicle as Mr. Sheng.”
Shen Wenlang had never been this speechless in his life. He held it in for a long time before saying:
“You should see a psychiatrist. Your attachment to Sheng Shaoyou is too extreme. Like a madman.”
“Is that so?” Hua Yong turned his head, looking delighted. “I always worry I don’t love him enough.”
Enough, really enough. If you two love any more, I’m going to die from the headache.
—
At the hospital, the VIP floor of HeCi welcomed a very important guest.
That night, around 9 p.m., X Holdings’ Secretary Chang personally escorted a delicate, beautiful young man into the hospital.
The hospital made a huge show of it, reserving an entire floor for the distinguished guest, but he refused and insisted on staying in a different VIP room—inconveniently, the one right next to Sheng Shaoyou’s.
Compared to the youth accompanied by Chang Yu and Shen Wenlang, Sheng’s injuries were relatively light—only a hairline fracture of the scapula and some soft tissue bruises.
But that Mr. Hua… his entire left shoulder had been pierced through by rebar.
When the surgeons heard, they prepared cutting tools—only to go dumb the moment they saw the patient.
Doctor A: “Uh… where’s the rebar?”
Hua Yong: “I pulled it out.”
All the doctors: “?!!”
Doctor B, sweating: “How… did you pull it out?”
Hua Yong raised his right hand and gestured: “With my hand.”
Is that even possible? Even a top-level Alpha couldn’t possibly walk into the OR on his own after a CT scan with that kind of injury!
This beautiful young man was soaked in blood—judging by the amount of blood loss, he should’ve already passed out! But he sat there on the OR table as if he felt no pain at all, his pale face turned to the side.
“How long will the surgery take? Can you do it without anesthesia? My lover is also hospitalized here, and I’d like to see him sooner,” he said.
…
The sharp rebar had passed dangerously close to vital structures but, miraculously, missed all major arteries and nerves by mere millimeters.
The lead surgeon’s face was slick with cold sweat. CT showed that the rebar had entered at the right acromion and exited at the right axilla—a wound nearly 24 cm long.
Had it been even slightly off, it could have shredded an artery, and pulling it out recklessly would have caused catastrophic bleeding or permanent nerve damage.
Luck really is a kind of strength.
But…
The surgeon glanced at the beautiful youth lying flat on the table, who’d refused anesthesia and signed the waiver.
Under the shadowless lamp, his face was so pale it made his lashes look darker—like the dense plumage of some bird.
His blood-stained shirt was cut away, revealing sharp collarbones and a long neck.
Hua Yong’s lips were bloodless, his thin forehead flushed with a faint blue, veins standing out. Yet his expression was eerily calm—as though it wasn’t him undergoing this unanesthetized surgery.
It was as if he had some surrogate self to bear all the pain, allowing his real self to sit there lightly holding his phone, eyes locked on the screen.
On screen, Shen Wenlang was broadcasting live the doctor wrapping Sheng Shaoyou’s injured arm in a sling with a little bow tied behind his neck.
“Nice wrapping,” Shen said mockingly. “Don’t you want to see?”
Hua Yong: “Better not.”
Shen: “Oh, come on! I’m giving you a live feed—you’re gonna waste my humiliation?”
Hua Yong sighed: “Fine. Let me see… Is he upset?”
Shen smirked: “Thrilled. So thrilled he almost had the bodyguards throw me out.”
Hiss— The scalpel bit into his skin as the doctor made a three-centimeter incision.
The surgeon glared.
“Hang up. Or I’ll order anesthesia myself!”
Even kings and emperors obey in an OR.
Thankfully, Hua Yong cooperated, frowning as he said to the Alpha on the screen:
“I’ll stop for now. Watch over Mr. Sheng for me—don’t let him overexert himself.”
Shen Wenlang was stunned.
“You’re already on the operating table?”
“Mm.”
“Mm my ass! Who let you video call during surgery? Wait—why are you awake?!”
“No anesthesia,” Hua Yong said flatly.
Shen: …
Heavens above, please end this nightmare!
—
Hua Yong hung up, his frown deepening, his expression more strained now.
The doctor cut away hardened bone surface, drilled channels through the bone, and sewed the torn tendons back into place.
Every move without anesthesia caused inhuman pain, leaving no room for error.
His shoulder burned like a drill boring through it.
He tossed aside his phone, biting his lip, sweat darkening his temples.
One nurse, unable to bear it, whispered:
“Do you want anesthesia now?”
“How much longer?” he asked.
“More than an hour left.”
“No need,” Hua Yong said, closing his eyes.
He barely made a sound—just beads of sweat and the occasional muffled whimper showed he was still conscious.
The pheromone modifier he’d used earlier had two major side effects:
— One, excessive use could cause pheromone overload, fainting, or shock.
— Two, within three months of use, any anesthesia could trigger a fatal allergic reaction.
This was why X Holdings had never been able to release it publicly.
Time crawled like magma under the crust.
Pain radiated from his scapula through his entire body, his breath harsh and shallow.
“O₂ saturation’s low, BP’s high!”
“Get him oxygen!”
“Heart rate abnormal—hurry!”
The pain wasn’t something sheer willpower could conquer. The surgeon worried he might go into shock from the toll on his body.
Yet despite the excruciating pain, the youth maintained his eerie composure, lying flat, his pale face damp with sweat, his chin lined with shining drops, beautiful yet cruel.
Hua Yong pictured Sheng Shaoyou kissing him gently on the forehead—such a treasured, possessive kiss.
The thought of holding and keeping his Alpha for himself burned more fiercely.
Ah, my beloved Alpha is always surrounded by flies.
What should I do?
Lock him up. Make him mine alone. My exclusive Omega. Bear me a brood of children, all mine.
The violent thought flashed through his mind but faltered when he pictured Sheng’s disgusted face.
No. Absolutely not.
The scalpel cut into flesh, scraping at bone.
Mr. Sheng, it hurts so much…
He silently cried.
What now? Coercion? Clinging? Threats?
Forget it. That won’t work.
His Mr. Sheng only responded to softness, not force.
If he wanted to tame this proud, steel-willed S‑class Alpha, to win his love and heart, he couldn’t fight him head‑on.
He had to bind him slowly—with a soft rope.
The master of X Holdings, the uncrowned king of P country, lay on the table with his eyes closed, silently thinking:
Falling in love is so hard. Making money and conquering the world is easy.
Being fierce is simple and direct—but the gentle pursuit… is the hardest.