After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 23

A group of voices sounded in the distance, suggesting that a few classmates were approaching. Cheng Jie glared fiercely at Gu Yu and asked, “You look familiar, which class are you in?”

 

Shen Jin was about to tell Gu Yu to leave, but this guy responded directly, “Class 16 of Grade 17, Gu Yu.”

 

“Oh, a top class?” Cheng Jie sneered. “Alright, I’ll remember you.”

 

After saying that, he turned to leave, not forgetting to kick the trembling Ruan Zhu.

 

Naturally, the normal course of events would be for Cheng Jie to find someone to beat up Gu Yu.

 

Shen Jin knew that Cheng Jie wouldn’t let this go, so he secretly followed Gu Yu for several days, not wanting his target to be torn apart by others.

 

Of course, Cheng Jie was confident too. After school on Friday, he called two friends to block Gu Yu, thinking that three people would be enough to handle a well-behaved top student like him.

 

So when Shen Jin appeared at the alley entrance and stood on Gu Yu’s side, barely holding his own against them, the muscles on Cheng Jie’s face twitched violently.

 

Shen Jin wanted Gu Yu to leave.

 

Grudges were grudges, but he didn’t actually want to ruin the other’s future. However, Gu Yu seemed not to hear him and instead pulled Shen Jin to his side. He punched every fist aimed at him, and if not for the sudden heavy thunderstorm, both sides would probably have ended up in the ICU.

 

During that time, amid the same lightning and thunder, Shen Jin noticed something was wrong with Gu Yu, so he quickly dragged him away and took him to a friend’s house he knew.

 

Shen Jin used a nearly rusty spare key to open the door, threw Gu Yu onto the sofa, and was about to leave. But Gu Yu suddenly buried his head on the armrest, looking very uncomfortable.

 

Shen Jin paused, swearing, “What’s wrong now? Is there sulfuric acid in the rain?”

 

He lifted his foot to lightly kick Gu Yu’s calf. When Gu Yu didn’t respond, he reluctantly helped him up and, with visible impatience, wiped the rain off with a bath towel. “I told you to leave earlier, and you didn’t. Now you’re acting like some pampered little prince?”

 

Gu Yu still didn’t speak. The veins on his forehead were throbbing, and he was sweating coldly, leaning motionlessly on the sofa.

 

A flash of lightning pierced the sky with a deafening clap of thunder, making him clench his fists even tighter, his lips biting to the point of distortion.

 

Shen Jin somewhat understood and, instead of feeling sympathy, he mocked, “Damn… how old are you, and you’re still afraid of thunder?”

 

Gu Yu’s expression finally changed a bit, but amid the continuous thunder, he had no time to argue with Shen Jin. He just pressed his throbbing forehead, closing his eyes tightly and trying to control his breathing.

 

After a few mocking words, Shen Jin found an old pair of earphones and stuffed them into Gu Yu’s ears. He casually applied some red flower oil to his injuries and left him alone.

 

When the rain subsided, Gu Yu gradually returned to his usual self and asked, “Will Cheng Jie come looking for you again?”

 

“Get it straight, he’s after you,” Shen Jin lazily replied. “But Cheng Jie isn’t that vicious. He thought you were a helpless good student. Getting a draw in a 3-on-2 fight, he’d probably be too embarrassed to come again.”

 

Moreover, attacking a top student carries high risks, and Cheng Jie wouldn’t be stupid enough to keep causing trouble.

 

Shen Jin, while wringing out his clothes, said, “I guess he likes that Ruan… but is too proud to admit it, so he lashed out in anger.”

 

Shen Jin had seen Cheng Jie’s hesitation when Ruan Zhu begged him for the necklace.

 

Cheng Jie wanted to douse Ruan Zhu with the hose but deliberately avoided the two wounds on the back of his neck, which was already quite telling.

 

But Gu Yu didn’t get it, “He likes him, and treats him like this?”

 

“Who knows, I’m not a psychologist,” Shen Jin said. “Some idiots think that bullying someone means they like them.”

 

Gu Yu’s lips flattened, and he spoke more than usual, “True… some people think they like someone but never consider how much harm they bring.”

 

Shen Jin paused and responded, “Oh, but I think Ruan Zhu still likes Cheng Jie…”

 

It sounded like he was defending Cheng Jie, though he didn’t know why he said such nonsense.

 

In the damp room, Gu Yu’s tone showed rare emotion, “Ruan Zhu probably only likes the Cheng Jie who saved him at first, otherwise, why would a victim like their abuser?”

 

Shen Jin opened his mouth but didn’t refute, “…I’m just talking nonsense.”

 

The two of them were sitting at opposite ends of the same sofa. He casually asked, “So… if someone kept bullying you like this, you wouldn’t possibly like them, right?”

 

He didn’t expect the other person to be much more serious.

 

Gu Yu clenched his fists, veins popping on his forehead, revealing a bit of his pent-up frustration: “No… I wouldn’t understand, forgive, or like them, let alone marry and have children with someone like that… spend my life with them.”

 

“…” Shen Jin responded with an “Oh,” thinking: I was just asking a random question, how did it escalate to marriage and kids? Quite the imagination.

 

He impatiently told Gu Yu to leave: “If you’ve recovered, then get out quickly. If my buddy comes back and sees the two of us here all wet, he’ll think we did something.”

 

The sky had cleared. Gu Yu handed back the towel and got up to leave. Shen Jin lay on the sofa for a long time, only remembering as he drifted off to sleep: Weren’t you pretty good at fighting? So… between us, it can’t be considered bullying; at most, it’s tit for tat, fair and square.

 

*

 

In the years that followed, Shen Jin and Gu Yu thought about helping Ruan Zhu with his troubles, but Ruan Zhu didn’t want to have any contact with them. He was still ostracized, ate and studied alone, and sometimes even chased after Cheng Jie.

 

It was said that Cheng Jie often cursed at him to get lost, but at graduation, he wanted to reconcile. However, Ruan Zhu chose to return the necklace and left for distant places, separated from Cheng Jie by thousands of miles. No one in their grade heard from him again.

 

All the secrets of youth were buried in the heavy rain, and when leaving school that year, Shen Jin also thought that his story with Gu Yu was over.

 

Yet now, in the same rain, he found Gu Yu again in the amusement park.

 

Through the pouring rain, he saw that figure sitting in a photo-op backdrop, the artificial branches offering little shelter. Gu Yu was mostly drenched, not moving, and seemingly not wanting to move.

 

How did he end up in a place like this?

 

Shen Jin panicked: afraid that the staff would find him?

 

He immediately ran over to pull Gu Yu up, only to find blood running down his calf, likely from a fall or scrape.

 

“…Damn.” Shen Jin quickly put down the umbrella and squatted to check Gu Yu’s injury, raising his voice to get his attention, “Gu Yu… can you still walk?”

 

Gu Yu bent down to pick up the umbrella to shield himself, looking slightly better than back in high school: “No need to shout, I can hear you.”

 

“Is it a superficial wound or did it reach the bone?” Shen Jin looked at the sticky blood and flesh, anxious but not daring to move carelessly. Gu Yu glanced at his soaked pants and ignored what he was saying: “Don’t get wet. Go back. I’ll come in a while.”

 

Shen Jin’s throat moved slightly, momentarily dazed.

 

Gu Yu’s eyes slowly opened and closed, obviously trying to control his emotions. Shen Jin guessed he couldn’t walk: “Stop talking nonsense… the medical office is nearby. I’ll carry you.”

 

Gu Yu used concise words: “No need, you can’t carry me. You go.”

 

Shen Jin couldn’t persuade him no matter what, until he noticed his phone vibrating—numerous missed calls. When he answered, Xu Tingyun immediately scolded him: “Where the hell are you?!”

 

The usually gentle Xu Tingyun rarely got so angry, but Shen Jin still responded cheekily: “Benches in the peach blossom grove. Hurry up, get here in three minutes, or you’ll have to answer for it.”

 

The call ended with a stream of curses. A few minutes later, Shen Jin finally saw them and the staff, managing to get Gu Yu out of the gray rain.

 

*

 

There were many people sheltering from the rain in the medical office. Shen Jin asked around for a hairdryer and borrowed a change of clothes for Gu Yu from the staff. Unable to hold back, he asked, “Doctor, what’s wrong with his leg? Is it crippled? Does he need amputation? Can modern medicine fix it?”

 

The young doctor looked up at him: “Do you two have a grudge?”

 

“…” Shen Jin’s throat moved, and he had to answer, “Indeed, we do.”

 

Fortunately, Gu Yu’s cold wasn’t severe; he was still salvageable.

 

“That makes sense,” the doctor said while examining Gu Yu’s leg. “Looks like a fall. From my experience, it’s a minor fracture and some superficial wounds. I’ll do some simple disinfection and immobilization. You should get him to the nearest hospital for an X-ray.”

 

“A fracture?” Shen Jin looked at Gu Yu, who hardly flinched, and couldn’t help but curse, “Damn, are you so numb you can’t feel pain? Doctor, is there really no risk of amputation?”

 

Xu Tingyun had already gone to book a ride with a map app, while Shen Jin anxiously watched the doctor treat the wound, asking again, “Is this really alcohol?”

 

After all, despite the deep red wound, Gu Yu still endured it in front of him, his expression barely changing.

 

“Those are the tears I shed after you doubted my medical skills,” the doctor replied. “Young man, emotions are a man’s greatest weakness—if you’re not sure, take a sip to check the alcohol content yourself, then go with him to the hospital.”

 

Shen Jin was speechless, his arm tightly gripped by Gu Yu, unable to move at all.

 

There was no helping it. He assumed this poor coward needed the comfort of a familiar person after experiencing the thunderstorm.

 

So he kept murmuring childishly, “It’s okay, it’s okay,” “It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt,” and if the doctor hadn’t been there, he probably would have stuck a little red flower on Gu Yu’s forehead.

 

A few minutes later, the car Xu Tingyun had called finally arrived.

 

The rain had lessened somewhat, and as they left the medical office, Shen Jin seemed to spot a familiar figure in the crowd, but he had no time to think about it, focusing instead on comforting Gu Yu and helping him into the car.

 

*

 

They didn’t leave the hospital until nearly dawn.

 

The diagnosis was a minor fracture at the end of the calf, no damage to the joint, nothing serious.

 

With anti-inflammatory medication, a CT scan, and a plaster cast for stabilization, he needed to rest for a few weeks and have regular follow-up checkups at the hospital.

 

There was no choice but to request leave from school. After they sent Gu Yu back to his apartment, they were still a bit at a loss.

 

Shen Jin asked, “Do you have any relatives who can come and stay with you for a few days?”

 

“…No need.” After all this, Gu Yu’s expression seemed to have returned to normal. He said, “It’s not like both legs are broken, and I have crutches.”

 

He lowered his head uncomfortably, looking at the medicine box, without raising his head: “Thank you for today, seniors. You can go back now.”

 

Xu Tingyun nudged Shen Jin with his elbow. Shen Jin didn’t think there was anything wrong with Gu Yu’s words: “Alright… we’ll head back then. We’ll come visit you on behalf of the eSports club when we have time.”

 

Having been caught in the rain a bit in the afternoon, Shen Jin felt a tickle in his throat but didn’t have time to worry about it. He forced himself to think, quickly leave so as not to infect anyone, which might be a good thing.

 

Under the dim lights, Gu Yu nodded and continued reading the medical instructions on the sheet.

 

He always had very little expression, seeming able to endure any pain or discomfort with a calm face, making it hard for anyone to find an opportunity to feel sorry for him.

 

Shen Jin clenched his phone and was about to turn around when a new message popped up on the screen, stopping him in his tracks.

 

A text message, from an unknown number.

 

Who still uses text messages these days?

 

Curious and hesitant, he opened it, not expecting to see that the unknown number said: [Everything between you and Gu Yu is fake, right?]

 

Shen Jin froze, momentarily unable to react.

 

Another new message popped up, saying: [Stop sticking to Gu Yu and making others think you’re a couple. He hasn’t even given you a temporary mark, has he?]

 

Shen Jin stood dumbfounded in the hallway, his mind struggling to process: Damn, who’s this lunatic who knows I’m an omega… As if a mark is something to be proud of? I’m a fake alpha, why would I care about such things?

 

His two roommates looked back at him, puzzled. He licked his lips and motioned for them to leave first, then, unable to hold back, closed the door.

 

Hearing the door close, Gu Yu looked up—seeing that Shen Jin was still there, he quickly lowered his head again and asked, “…Why haven’t you left?”

 

Shen Jin covered his neck where the gland for temporary marking was and pouted.

 

Indeed, no one had ever touched that spot, even during his sensitive periods alone with Gu Yu.

 

Calculating the time, his next heat should come in about a week.

 

“Not much.” He sat down and grabbed the medicine box from Gu Yu, taking responsibility impulsively, “I know you’re in pain and feel guilty. Today’s incident is partly our fault as seniors—so as the vice president, I’ll take the hit. I’ll come over to take care of you when I don’t have classes these next few weeks, and we can play games.”

 

Before Gu Yu could speak, he impulsively added, his ears turning red, “Of course, to avoid any emergencies like a fire or earthquake where you can’t escape, this includes sleeping here at night too.”

 

Damn. He thought: What’s so special about getting a temporary mark from Gu Yu anyway? If I wanted, I could have him head over heels for me for three days and nights, chewing up my gland at least.