Chapter 37 - Poisoned [OW]

Please don’t retranslate from my English version and don’t repost in Wattpad for your ‘offline’ reading pleasure.

When Gu Liheng's gaze fell on the flower, his expression tensed up, and his fingers curled slightly. With a low tone, he said, "I can't accept it."

Su Ling was not surprised by that. He raised his eyebrows and smiled, "What is there that cannot be accepted? This flower doesn't mean anything. It's very fragrant, so just put it in your room for 2 days as a decoration."

Seeing that Gu Liheng didn't take the flower, Su Ling didn't want to make it hard for him. He smiled and gestured at the door with his chin, "Can I go in? It's a bit tiring to walk all the way up from the gate."

Gu Liheng stood sideways to let Su Ling pass, "Please come in."

When Su Ling looked at Gu Liheng’s wooden face, he couldn't help but chuckle. Gu Liheng looked at him and got infected by his smile, his expression relaxed as well. The two walked to the living room, and the door automatically closed behind them.

In the living room, Su Ling placed the flowers in a vase, and then smiled at Gu Liheng, "This is what I gave you, and it’s not that you have accepted it so don't be pressured by this matter. You can throw it away if you really don't like it."

Gu Liheng glanced at the flowers but did not say anything; he couldn’t bear to throw it away.

Su Ling didn't sit down, he casually rested his hand at the back of a sofa, and looked at Gu Liheng, "Are you well today?"

Hearing concern in his words, a joyful emotion emerged in Gu Liheng’s heart. The corners of his mouth uncontrollably curved up a bit, "En."

Su Ling pretended not to see it, and said with a smile, "That's good, there is one more thing I want to tell you today. Didn't I say that my pheromone has returned to normal last time?" He then explained the process of how his pheromone recovered and asked, "Do you want to see Xian Mo Yu?"

Gu Liheng glanced at Su Ling, and his heart felt soft for him. He is no stranger to such behaviour from the young man. Many Alpha will use good things to please the Omega they wanted to court. But when it comes to their situation, it’s the other way around. He couldn't help feeling guilty; such a good Omega should be cared lovingly and not being constantly rejected by him. He needs to get cured soon!

At Su Ling’s side, he didn't know what Gu Liheng was thinking. He pointed to the room where his spiritual plants were placed before and suggested, "Let’s go there, Xian Mo Yu is quite big."

Gu Liheng acknowledged with an En, and the two went to the spiritual plant room.

It was almost 12.00 pm after Gu Liheng gets to know Xian Mo Yu and Su Ling asked to leave. Feeling a bit reluctant, Gu Liheng subconsciously blurted out, "Let’s have lunch together." His expression stiffened after he realized what he said.

Su Ling certainly wouldn't refuse, so he smiled and said, "Okay."

Gu Liheng was pleased. Although it took him a lot of effort to not reach out and touch the young man, but he(SL) is right in front of him right now. This was more important than anything else. Hence, he is in a good mood during lunch. After lunch, the two returned to the living room, and Domi brought them tea.

Su Ling asked, "Are you going to the auction tonight?"

Gu Liheng: "En."

Su Ling cupped his drink with his palms, "I'm free in the afternoon. Can I stay here until evening, then we go to the auction together?"

Gu Liheng answered quickly, "Yes."

Su Ling watched how Gu Liheng reacts and confirmed that he is genuinely happy, rather than being perfunctory and annoyed from being bothered. His eyes curled with a smile and said, "Then we’ll go together."

Although he was rejected several times and was rejected just a moment ago, Su Ling was confirmed this time, male god definitely has a good impression of him! Then why does he keep rejecting him? He wandered for a moment, then suddenly thought of something. Could it be Gu Liheng doubted his feelings? The more Su Ling thinks about it, the more he feels that it is possible. In his male god’s eyes, both of them have barely known each other, and his feelings towards male god may be too sudden. Hence it’s hard for him(GLH) to believe it. Not to mention Zhao Qi's provocation as well.

Su Ling thought for a while and laughed. If he is sincere enough, his male god will naturally believe him in the end. Their way of getting along right now is not bad. Thinking about it carefully, he realised that his male god is very responsive to all of his requests. Other than that, he has an entire afternoon to get along with Gu Liheng today. It makes him feels happy just from thinking about it. However, sometimes the plan won’t go according as planned. Before Su Ling finished drinking his tea, his bracelet rang out. It was a call from Nalu.

Nalu's tone was very anxious, "Xiao Ling, where are you? Quickly return to the fragrance bar."

Su Ling quickly put the glass on the coffee table and stood up, "What happened?"

Nalu: "Xiao Lu was poisoned by Pearl Lopseed. It's terrible. Come back quickly."

Su Ling frowned. He didn't know who Xiao Lu was, but Lopseed wouldn't move by itself, nor would it actively attack other people. This person must have approached the plant. Then some noises could be heard from Nalu’s side; the sound of police sirens and ambulances from afar.

Nalu: "The police are here. I'll hang up first. Only the materials provided by the spiritual plant itself can detoxify the poison. Hurry and come back."

Before Su Ling could respond, Nalu hung up.

Seeing that his expression was not right, Gu Liheng asked, "What's wrong?"

Su Ling smiled at him and explained, "Someone was poisoned by Pearl Lopseed in the fragrance bar. I'll go back first. See you at night." He walked out the door quickly after he finished speaking.

Gu Liheng caught up with Su Ling and asked, "I have told the driver to drive you there. Do you need help? Should I go with you?"

Su Ling: "It’s fine, I’ll just go with the driver. Take a good rest."

Su Ling quickly got into the car. Then he lowered the window and waved to Gu Liheng.

Gu Liheng watched the car leave, and his mood instantly fell to the bottom. He wanted to go together, but the young man refused, and he didn't have any reason to follow. Although the door has already automatically closed, and he won’t be able to see anything beyond the door, Gu Liheng still stood in the front yard and stared at the door for a while. Returning in the living room, Gu Liheng called his men and got them to pay attention to any news from the fragrance bar.

When Su Ling arrived at the fragrance bar, there was a police car parked at the door. After contacting Nalu, he walked directly to the backyard. Nalu, two policemen and a spiritual plant specialist, stood at the entrance of the greenhouse, looking at Lopseed and Baby's breath from a distance.

Nalu saw Su Ling, so he raised his hand and called out, "Xiao Ling."

Su Ling approached, and the officer asked, "Are you the owner of Lopseed?"

Su Ling nodded and glanced at the greenhouse. The empty greenhouse is now occupied by a group of low-level spiritual plants.

Police officer: "Can you collect the nectar? The doctor said they need it to detoxify the poison."

Su Ling nodded, walked towards Lopseed. Along the way, he asked, "What happened?"

Nalu explained, "Didn't I mentioned that the spiritual plants I bought in the middle of last month run out? I ordered a batch yesterday." He pointed to the spiritual plants in the greenhouse, "Xiao Lu sent it today."

"Initially, before Xiao Lu came, I wanted to shift the two Grade A spiritual plants to other places. But they refused to be touched. I even got a cut on my hand. Fortunately, the cut was not poisonous." Thinking of Xiao Lu’s poisoned state, Nalu rubbed his arms subconsciously.

"Later, I gave up and reminded Xiao Lu not to touch them and don't run around. He agreed. However, before leaving, Xiao Lu couldn't hold back. His hand got scratched by Lopseed’s leaves, and it was poisonous."

Su Ling squatted down, and lightly pinches Lopseed’s leaves. At the next moment, a branch of leaves softly wrapped around his wrist. He tilted his head to look at the officer, "Who should be responsible in this case? "

"If the manager's statement is true, then Xiao Lu should bear the responsibility. Of course, if he just touched the plant out of curiosity and meant no harm, we suggest making a peaceful resolution."

Nalu: "What I said is true. We will resolve it peacefully and send the nectar to the hospital."

Su Ling nodded in agreement, and then said, "All Alpha, please go out."

Nalu hurriedly added, "Yeah, go out, go out." Leading the rest out of the greenhouse, Nalu reminded Su Ling, "Remember to start the air ventilator before opening the door." After that, he closed the door.

Su Ling took off his isolator and controlled his pheromone around Lopseed. He is not proficient in the control, so when using his pheromone to communicate, his hand has been rubbing the leaves as a gesture. He controlled his pheromone and drew a line, and inclined it at forty-five degrees to refer as its leaves. Then he makes a dot in the middle of the line, to refer as the nectar. Soon, crystal condensation appeared in the center of the Lopseed’s leaf, and Su Ling smiled, "So smart, thank you."

Taking out a small bottle that is used to contain the nectar, Su Ling carefully collected all of the nectar. After collecting, he lightly stroke the leaf with his finger, like he is tickling it. The leaves shook happily, and Su Ling could sense joyful emotions through his pheromone communication. He played with the plant for a while, and a thought crossed his mind. He then placed both plants in his space storage. After that, Su Ling got up and put on the isolator. He turned on the ventilation system and opened the door after making sure that no pheromone is left behind. Then he handed the small bottle to Nalu, "Let’s go to the hospital to see Xiao Lu."

The spiritual plant specialist brought by the police looked at Su Ling with admiration, "You are amazing! I tried it several times earlier, but no success."

Su Ling smiled, "It's not your problem. Just that they have recognized me as their owner so if I'm not here, they won't provide raw materials."

"I see," the spiritual plant specialist was envious. "Amazing, you actually have two Grade A spiritual plants."

The officer beside cuts in, "Didn't you watch the news? It should be three plants, including Redthorn Ball."

The spiritual plant specialist patted his hands, "Oh, yes, I almost forgot!" The officer thanked Su Ling with a smile and brought them to the hospital.

The ward where Xiao Lu is staying was extremely lively. Many media people rushed over from hearing the news but were blocked by the security team and policemen. The four of them went to Xiao Lu's ward through a special passage. There were six people in the ward. Other than Xiao Lu, there is a doctor, two nurses, and two police officers. Everyone had a particularly ugly expression. Xiao Lu was lying on the bed, and his face was pale, with trembling lips. His right upper arm was supported on a soft pillow, his elbows hung from a strap above, leaving his forearms completely suspended.

The doctor had already met Nalu when he went to the fragrance bar with the ambulance, so he hurriedly asked, "Have you gotten the nectar?"

Nalu passed the bottle over. He glanced at Xiao Lu's hand and quickly looked away, rubbing the back of his hand with lingering fear. Xiao Lu’s right palm looked like a skeleton at a glance, with no flesh. But when he looked closely, he could see that the flesh and skin are actually there, just that they have become gelatinous and transparent, like works of art. No wonder the plant is called Lopseed, it means one could see the bones directly through the skin huh?

透骨草 /  tòu gǔ cǎo - literally translated as see-through bone grass

Su Ling subconsciously touched his wrist where Lopseed wrapped itself around him earlier and then thought of Xian Mo Yu's hunting scene. For the first time, he deeply realized that the spiritual plants he deals with every day are more terrifying than any wild beast.

The doctor carefully poured the nectar onto Xiao Lu's palm. As the nectar penetrated the skin, the transparent part gradually returned to normal. The doctor heaved a long breath and said to the nurse, "Take his sensory blocker."

The nurse removed the ring on Xiao Lu's neck and Xiao Lu's muddled gaze returned to normal. Next, he opened his mouth and shouted, "AAH! IT HURTS!"

The doctor squeezed his wrist to prevent him from moving, "Calm down, keep a rein on your curiosity next time. Now, move your palm."

Xiao Lu was stunned and turned to look down. Only then did he find that his hand has gone back to normal. He clenched his fist with his five fingers curled together, and his eyes brightened. Then he stretched out his index finger, "My fingertip hurts."

"You lose a piece of flesh, the pain is normal," the doctor calmly explained. "I already told you not to move around. When your skin turned gelatinous, the flesh will fall off as soon as you touch it, and it will still be gone after detoxification." That’s why they have to hang his hand in the air.

The doctor shook the glass bottle in his hand and said, "Consider yourself lucky because there are still some nectar left. It will help the wound to heal fast." He applied the last of the nectar on Xiao Lu's fingertip, "Go and buy some cream, then apply for two days. If you have the money, then go buy more nectar, you will heal faster."

Xiao Lu moved his fingers and found that the pain has lessened. He thanked the doctor and got up from the bed. With a bitter tone, he said to Nalu, "I will never dare to touch the plants anymore. I have a psychological shadow over your greenhouse."

Nalu glanced over his hand: "I have a psychological shadow on you!" He hammered Xiao Lu's shoulder lightly, "I asked you to keep it secret, and now everyone knows."

Xiao Lu sincerely apologized, "I'm sorry."

The policeman recorded a statement from Xiao Lu about what happened and left.

Nalu sent Xiao Lu home and escorted Su Ling back to the fragrance bar. From a distance, he saw a lot of people standing in front of the fragrance bar. He turned the car around and stopped. Tapping his bracelet, Nalu took a glance and sighed, "The fragrance bar’s website has exploded again."

Raw word count:  3350

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