After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 21

Gu Yu didn’t know why he chose to leave behind his interesting advanced math problems and join the crowded festival park for such excitement.

 

Upon entering the park, Shen Jin was immediately called away by staff, leaving Gu Yu to wander around with Qin Zhu and Xu Tingyun. Throughout the experience, he couldn’t quite understand their excitement:

 

The roller coaster, fully compliant with safety standards, was merely a mundane conversion of gravitational potential energy to kinetic energy. Yet, the seniors were screaming as if they could actually fall from their seats at any moment;

 

Plastic pieces assembled into dragon-patterned “short swords” clearly looked like children’s toys, yet the seniors were willing to spend 80 yuan on them and pretended to be assassins fighting along the way;

 

Even more childish were the ubiquitous white chocolate ice creams. Just a few different molds, and the seniors would exclaim: “Wow, this shape is amazing! Let’s get three of them.”

 

Under the thin layer of clouds, Gu Yu, gnawing on a bunny-shaped ice cream, walked alongside them, utterly perplexed. “Is he usually like you guys?”

 

“Who?” Xu Tingyun and Qin Zhu were both puzzled, then exchanged a smile. “My son or his?”

 

“…” Gu Yu suspected they were doing this on purpose. “Aren’t you talking about the same person?”

 

The two burst into laughter simultaneously. Xu Tingyun asked, “So you’re talking about Shen Jin?”

 

Qin Zhu also said, “Next time, be more specific. We have so many ‘sons’; who knows if you’re talking about He Senzhou?”

 

Gu Yu took another bite off the bunny’s ear, maintaining a calm expression. “Is there really a course in the e-sports major dedicated to training your tongues?”

 

“Of course.” Qin Zhu answered. “Have you experienced Shen Jin’s tongue yet?”

 

Gu Yu replied as a matter of course, “I have, almost died from it.”

 

Implying that Shen Jin’s tongue was very sharp, but Qin Zhu feigned innocence: “Did it feel that good, junior?”

 

“…” Gu Yu was sure that Qin Zhu was even better than Shen Jin in terms of verbal skills, so he angrily finished his ice cream before saying, “Let’s go, we should head to the restaurant.”

 

At 11 a.m., they avoided the peak hours and found a restaurant within the park to sit down.

 

While waiting for their meal, Qin Zhu received some news and quickly showed his phone. “Shen Jin sent a picture of his costume change in the dorm group. Surprisingly, he does look the part, worthy of being the eldest son of dorm 302.”

 

Gu Yu’s lips moved slightly as he glanced from afar.

 

In the picture, Shen Jin looked somewhat unfamiliar.

 

He had a flowing black ponytail, held a silver spear with cloud patterns, and his dark red clothes made the colors even more intense and lively. Even his high, prominent brow bone looked different, giving him the demeanor of a young ancient general.

 

However, his lips were still soft and not thin enough.

 

Gu Yu mischievously thought: Defense, -99999 points.

 

Qin Zhu then looked at him and asked, “Do you want me to send you the photo?”

 

Gu Yu straightened his gaze, puzzled. “Why would I want that?”

 

Qin Zhu replied seriously, “What else? For your traditional manly activities, don’t you need a few photos to spice things up?”

 

Gu Yu’s expression froze, but he remained unmoved, calmly asking the server to pack up some food. “Forget his photo. I’m afraid my traditional skills would become extinct after seeing it.”

 

Qin Zhu forcibly forwarded the photo anyway, making Gu Yu’s eyebrow twitch.

 

However, the message was immediately retracted, and Gu Yu stopped trying to unlock his phone.

 

Qin Zhu looked regretful: “Oh, did I retract it? Maybe you can read ‘Breeding and Postnatal Care of Rabbits’ instead. It’s also an option.”

 

“…” Gu Yu suppressed a sigh, continuing to pack the takeaway box, and changed the topic smoothly. “The park’s staff meal is probably just a boxed lunch. We can take this to him later, so he doesn’t keep blaming me for his weight loss.”

 

Qin Zhu twirled his chopsticks out of boredom, saying, “What’s the point of eating so much? His health has always been poor. Even in a year or so, he won’t get much stronger. He just holds the fort in our e-sports major. But I heard he was quite the school bully back in your high school?”

 

With just a few words, Gu Yu’s heart inexplicably started beating erratically. He replied, “Yes, Shen Jin from Class 2 of Grade 16. No one in F District’s Fifth High School didn’t know him.”

 

So… what did Qin Zhu just say? Shen Jin’s health has been poor since he entered university?

 

This wasn’t the first time Gu Yu had heard about Shen Jin’s illness, but it was the first time he truly grasped the seriousness of it.

 

He had thought Shen Jin was just stalling for time and didn’t mind waiting for him to recover from what he thought were minor ailments before confronting him. But from Qin Zhu’s tone, it seemed like it wasn’t just minor ailments.

 

In a sense, his brain was strategizing on how to pry more information from Qin Zhu, but his mouth had already blurted out, “What illness?”

 

Fortunately, Qin Zhu didn’t seem to treat Gu Yu as an outsider, speaking frankly: “Oh, it seems that during the summer of senior year, he caught a bit of rain which turned into a severe cold that worsened into pneumonia. After spending only a few days in the hospital, he was taken home, leaving behind some issues. When it gets cold, he often coughs at night. Otherwise, why do you think he’s in our dorm? He didn’t want to disturb his original roommates, so he moved in to bother us instead.”

 

When Shen Jin coughed all night, only Xu Tingyun and Qin Zhu could endure it with their fatherly patience.

 

Although all three were male, their secondary genders weren’t completely the same. They could live together mainly because there wasn’t a true alpha among them, and they coordinated voluntarily.

 

Gu Yu clutched the takeaway box, his palms suddenly feeling hot.

 

He understood it was another instance of Shen Jin’s parents being harsh. They probably thought Shen Jin’s hospital stay was too costly and forced him to leave.

 

Pneumonia developed from a severe cold can be almost entirely cured with proper treatment, but if one leaves the hospital prematurely, it’s a different story.

 

It could cause permanent lung damage, harm the bronchial tubes, and weaken the immune system, necessitating ongoing medication and even leaving some long-term aftereffects.

 

On the way home, his parents might have harshly scolded Shen Jin for falling ill: “Eighteen years old and still causing trouble for the family?”

 

This scene flashed through Gu Yu’s mind, causing him to frown, his vision blurring.

 

At the same moment, a memory of Shen Jin standing in the New Year’s Eve wind overlapped in Gu Yu’s mind.

 

Shen Jin’s parents’ neglect wasn’t a one-time event.

 

Shen Jin’s thin figure seemed as sharp as a blade, never showing any softness.

 

Yet back then, despite the heavy smoke scent on Shen Jin, there was still a faint creamy fragrance that lingered in the wind, repeatedly resurfacing in Gu Yu’s mind, forming a strange yet clear thought:

 

Could it have been not just Shen Jin’s heat? Was it… his first differentiation?

 

He recalled Shen Jin mentioning his late differentiation, which wasn’t impossible considering the timeline.

 

That night, Shen Jin was definitely acting unusually.

 

Jokingly, Shen Jin had eagerly approached, holding him loosely and then letting go reluctantly. The action wasn’t about their enmity; it seemed like the primal plea of a vulnerable omega in heat to an alpha.

 

Or rather, an omega in the throes of their first differentiation, desperately seeking help—even if the alpha before them was an enemy.

 

At that time, Gu Yu, having also recently differentiated, didn’t notice anything amiss and simply let Shen Jin leave. He had no idea how Shen Jin survived that cold night in the shabby motel.

 

“What’s wrong?” Xu Tingyun’s voice pulled Gu Yu back. “Gu Yu?”

 

Gu Yu snapped out of it, grabbing the takeaway bag as he stood up. “I’ll explain later. You guys eat first. I need to find him—”

 

The restaurant was getting crowded, but Gu Yu vanished in an instant.

 

Xu Tingyun, bewildered, finally turned to Qin Zhu: “Was it okay to tell Gu Yu about Shen Jin without his consent?”

 

“It wasn’t okay,” Qin Zhu replied while picking dishes from the tray the server handed over. “Why?”

 

“…” Xu Tingyun couldn’t smile, so he continued eating. “Thanks for the reminder. I almost forgot I’ve known you for more than a day.”

 

*

 

Running while checking his phone’s map, Gu Yu saw that the park’s logistics center, where Shen Jin was, was 1.8 kilometers away.

 

By the time he arrived, his back was soaked with sweat. A staff member stopped him, saying, “Sir, you can’t enter this area. Can I help you with something?”

 

“…Sorry, I’m looking for someone.” Gu Yu hesitated briefly, then remembered to send Shen Jin a message: [I brought you some food. Come out and get it.]

 

As clouds thickened overhead, Gu Yu paced anxiously until Shen Jin appeared—running towards him, poking him with the silver-plated knuckles on his leather gloves. “Take this, General’s punch.”

 

It seemed Shen Jin had just finished securing his wrist guards, only missing the last layer of silver armor.

 

“…” Gu Yu stood still for a moment, covering the “punched” spot with a blank expression. “Ouch, ouch, that hurts.”

 

Shen Jin raised his eyebrows in satisfaction, took the bag, and was about to leave.

 

Breathing heavily, Gu Yu grabbed his arm, unable to hold back any longer. “When was your first differentiation, senior?”

 

The nearby staff looked stunned, turning away from the two young men. Shen Jin was also taken aback. “What?”

 

He unconsciously lowered the hand holding the bag, a faint smile on his face tinged with a hint of coldness: “Why are you asking this all of a sudden? You don’t really think we’re in some kind of relationship, do you?”

 

Such questions are indeed quite private for an omega, but Gu Yu couldn’t help but step closer: “Was it that New Year’s Eve when I ran into you?”

 

In an instant, a sly look flashed in Shen Jin’s eyes.

 

He stepped back slightly: “Whether it was or not, it has nothing to do with you, does it?”

 

Gu Yu was certain of the answer. Knowing he was being intrusive, he couldn’t suppress the burning fire in his heart: “Then—what did you do afterwards?”

 

Shen Jin opened his mouth to speak, but it took him a moment to adjust his expression. Then, as if nothing had happened, he casually patted Gu Yu’s arm and smiled: “Why so serious? Nothing much, really. Hands, cold water, inhibitors—which do you think I didn’t have?”

 

It was clear that Shen Jin had briefly shown a hint of grievance and sadness, but he quickly hid these emotions again, as if knowing he had no right to feel wronged. He lowered his head and began picking through the food Gu Yu had brought him.

 

Gu Yu knew this had almost become an instinct for Shen Jin, so he immediately grabbed Shen Jin’s leather wrist guard and said, “Look at me when you talk. Were you trying to ask me for help back then, but I just ignored you?”

 

Most teenagers hesitate for ages before even touching someone else’s hand, let alone approaching and hugging someone while exuding pheromones. He thought he should have noticed something was wrong.

 

But Shen Jin didn’t raise his head as instructed: “Wasn’t I just joking around with you about those erotic cards?”

 

He simply replied, “What help? I didn’t ask for anything.”

 

“But—” Gu Yu became anxious, more eager to explain, “Even though you didn’t say anything, your actions were so submissive, and I just ignored an omega at their most vulnerable during differentiation. In that case, it was indeed my fault.”

 

“…” This time, Shen Jin did look up. “I was submissive?”

 

The tension in the air suddenly rose, and Gu Yu realized Shen Jin was arguing with him, so he quickly responded: “Don’t like that word? How about ‘humble’?”

 

*

 

Under the overcast sky, Shen Jin felt a headache coming on.

 

That New Year, his parents noticed he had begun to differentiate and, being an omega, they quickly gave him some money and inhibitors and sent him to stay elsewhere for a couple of days, fearing his pheromones and heat reactions might affect his younger brother, who was already thirteen or fourteen.

 

The excuse about too many relatives staying at home was indeed a lie he told Gu Yu.

 

But those were issues between him and his parents. Even if he had impulsively approached Gu Yu seeking comfort, it wasn’t Gu Yu’s problem.

 

“You’re quite good at interpreting things. Why don’t you say I intended to kneel before you, crying and begging for your comfort?” Shen Jin poked him with the other gloved hand. “Did you come all this way just to irritate me?”

 

“Not entirely impossible.” Gu Yu, still gripping Shen Jin’s wrist, leaned closer. “Were you really planning to cry and beg for my comfort?”

 

“…” Shen Jin was speechless. After a long pause, he took out a small packet of tissues from his sleeve and shoved it at Gu Yu, forcibly changing the subject: “Wipe your sweat. There are still 50 minutes until the park tour. I need to get going.”

 

Gu Yu clenched the tissues and replied, “Alright, I’ll be waiting at the starting point of the tour. I’ll take lots of unflattering photos.”

 

Despite saying this, his grip on Shen Jin’s wrist tightened, showing no sign of letting go.

 

Before Shen Jin could question him with a puzzled look, Gu Yu’s voice turned husky: “Back then, you humbly asked for my embrace and I didn’t give it. Now… let me make it up to you.”

 

The wind made the surrounding leaves tremble, and Shen Jin froze, as if not understanding what Gu Yu was saying.

 

Gu Yu had even used a statement rather than a question.

 

At that moment, Shen Jin couldn’t react at all—the person in front of him actually leaned in, and just the sudden closeness of their breath left him paralyzed, completely stunned.

 

In broad daylight, Shen Jin’s vision darkened, and it felt as though small, dazzling fireworks were exploding around his central nervous system, leaving him no room for further thought.

 

Although the two had played around many times before, and Shen Jin had secretly nestled into Gu Yu’s embrace before, this seemed to be the first time… Gu Yu was willing to hug him voluntarily.

 

When this warm embrace truly enveloped him, he was so scared that his palms clenched tightly. His mind involuntarily flashed back to the scene when he transformed into an omega that year.

 

On New Year’s Eve, his parents had practically pushed and persuaded him out of the house. The deserted winter street was empty, the cold wind penetrating his bones. His arm, just injected with a substandard suppressant, throbbed with spreading pain. It was in that wind that he met Gu Yu, like encountering the only light in a winter night.

 

Later, he lay on the somewhat clean bed in a motel, enduring the intense reactions and unbearable pain brought by the transformation period, oscillating between moments of clarity and confusion. His only solace was the intermittent thought: that alpha he just met… he smelled so good, it would be nice if he could hold me.

 

And now, it seemed he had finally received that embrace.

 

Gu Yu leaned in and enveloped him completely, his broad chest pressing tightly against him, making it easy to feel the force and tenderness of this hug, as if compensating for the helpless omega boy from years ago.

 

—In the capacity of a mature, gentle, and responsible alpha.

 

Even if it could only slightly soothe the boy’s inner pain, it was worth it.

 

Soon, Shen Jin felt the warmth against his neck, Gu Yu’s pheromones weighing heavily on him, seeming both possessive and protective.

 

His ears gradually warmed, his whole body felt like it was melting, and he could only stand weakly, leaning against Gu Yu’s shoulder, breathing shallowly, letting Gu Yu’s hug support his weight.

 

The wind whispered softly in his ear, everything around them signaling the arrival of autumn, the sight filled with gentle hues. Time seemed to stand still, and he reluctantly closed his eyes, secretly burying his face in Gu Yu’s shoulder in this fleeting moment of stillness.

 

*

 

The wind gradually subsided, and after who knows how long, Shen Jin finally couldn’t hold on any longer. He returned to his senses and softly said, “Gu, Gu Yu… that’s enough.”

 

His voice was soft, more a plea than a sign of weakness.

 

The alpha in front of him tightened his arms again, the heavy, warm breath against his neck, greedy and sniffing, almost making him unable to stand. Only then did Gu Yu pull back.

 

In an instant, Shen Jin belatedly realized his heart was pounding so fast it hurt his chest. This seemed to be the first time he truly realized how thoroughly Gu Yu’s pheromones suppressed him.

 

If Gu Yu hadn’t let him go, it wouldn’t have been as simple as him begging through tears.

 

The clouds nearly touched the tops of distant skyscrapers. He couldn’t steady his breathing no matter how he tried, so he lowered his head slightly, hoping Gu Yu would see this hug as mere “compensation” that shouldn’t have happened.

 

Fortunately, Gu Yu didn’t seem to have any other intentions. As he let go, he squeezed Shen Jin’s sweaty hand and said, “Go on… I’ll wait for you at the exit. Also… tighten your cuffs, don’t catch a cold.”

 

“Okay.” Shen Jin mumbled a response, suppressing the pounding in his chest, and turned to run.