After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 26
Shen Jin blushed and felt flustered for a moment. Realizing that since Song Yizhi was present, the act of pretending to be a couple had to continue. Resigned to his fate, he didn’t deny it: Boyfriend? Fine, let it be. He’d take the loss and reclaim it by telling others that Gu Yu was his adopted son next time.
He nodded to the people before him, praying this was just an ordinary friends’ gathering.
Unfortunately, Gu Yu’s friends were clearly better talkers than Gu Yu himself.
The birthday boy, Jiang Lan, said, “Wow, you even managed to get with our senior. I thought you’d end up becoming a monk at Lingquan Temple and turn into a relic for people to worship.”
Next to him, Tao Yan, with his long hair, asked coldly, “So, you’ve already forgotten Mianmian? Weren’t you crying and refusing to get up, saying you’d spend your life with her?”
Song Yizhi merely smiled gently, not saying a word.
Birds of a feather flock together, indeed.
If the 302 dorm had a dynamic where they treated each other as family, then Gu Yu and his childhood friends had a relationship that could be described as competitors in a contest of sarcasm.
Shen Jin was very alert and curious, “Who is Mianmian?”
Given the temporary marking still on him, he felt a bit jealous and couldn’t help it.
Gu Yu, helpless against his friends, had to explain to Shen Jin, “It was a little turtle I had when I was a kid… almost killed it, and then my aunt took it to care for it.”
“Ah.” Shen Jin breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling sorry for Gu Yu, he didn’t pursue the matter further and instead exchanged a few polite words with the others.
Tao Yan seemed quite interested in this ‘boyfriend’ of his friend, “Senior looks quite good. How did you end up with Xiao Yu?”
Jiang Lan thought for a moment, then prepared to use sign language to communicate with Shen Jin, “Is your hearing normal?”
“…More or less normal.” Shen Jin felt slightly embarrassed, while Gu Yu warned, “Are you two looking to start a war?”
Tao Yan fearlessly raised an eyebrow, his pretty eyes sizing up Shen Jin, “Just to confirm, Senior is an omega, right? Though you don’t quite look like one.”
Jiang Lan, seemingly at odds with him, retorted, “Does it matter? You don’t look much like an alpha either.”
The two were relentless. Seeing this, Shen Jin started to worry about today’s gathering. Was Song Yizhi the only one who could speak normally?
Song Yizhi, seeming like an angel, spoke in accordance with basic social etiquette of the ancient eastern country, “Long time no see, Senior. You seem a bit thinner than before.”
Moved, Shen Jin nodded. Jiang Lan, curious, asked Song Yizhi, “You knew Senior before?”
“Yes, sort of,” Song Yizhi replied, “One Qixi Festival evening in high school, Gu Yu’s brother sent me home, and we ran into Senior.”
Jiang Lan looked displeased, “What were you and Gu Yu doing together on Qixi? Were there any romantic changes we weren’t aware of?”
Gu Yu immediately interrupted, “Don’t you remember? That Qixi coincided with Tao’s birthday. We just had dinner and were on our way.”
“Oh… my mistake.” Jiang Lan glanced at Tao Yan, his ears slightly red, “I have no interest in remembering that idiot’s birthday.”
He then looked at Shen Jin, still seemingly worried, “Gu Yu didn’t bully you, did he?”
Instinctively, Shen Jin touched his neck, “Not exactly bullying…”
Though the reaction from the marking was intense, and he felt dizzy and fatigued for several days, Gu Yu had given him plenty of comfort and care. Shen Jin thought it was more like he was bullying Gu Yu.
With the temporary marking still effective, Jiang Lan noticed and seemed surprised, “Gu Yu, you—”
Gu Yu immediately nudged Jiang Lan’s shoulder, signaling they could go into the villa, “What, can’t I?”
Jiang Lan clicked his tongue and nudged Song Yizhi’s hand, “Yizhi, you’re the only omega among us. Help take care of Senior.”
“…Huh?” Song Yizhi came back to his senses and smiled faintly, “Alright.”
Song Yizhi was slender, with clear eyes like a small animal. Since earlier, he had been looking at Gu Yu repeatedly, clearly still pleased.
Sensing the gaze, Shen Jin felt somewhat sympathetic and asked Gu Yu in a low voice, “Are you sure he only sees you as a brother?”
“Positive,” Gu Yu replied, “And he said it himself.”
Shen Jin had to suppress his doubts and casually inquired, “Jiang Lan and Tao Yan… do they have some conflict?”
Afraid of stepping on a landmine, Gu Yu nodded, “Kind of like rivals in love. They both like Song Yizhi. It’s been many years.”
Among the friends who grew up together, only Gu Yu had no romantic feelings for Song Yizhi. This often made Gu Yu think that Song Yizhi’s affection for him was merely part of a “collection.”
Shen Jin didn’t seem to notice this. More surprised than anything, he felt relieved: Song Yizhi, with his brothers’ affection, probably wouldn’t suffer much in love.
“That’s good,” Shen Jin said with a smile, holding a cigarette, “In the future, no matter who wins Yizhi’s heart, they can come to me, and I’ll take him to the top 100 in the national game rankings once.”
“…” Gu Yu tugged on his arm. “Just the two of them? I think it’s more likely you take me to win a world championship.”
Besides his childhood friends, Jiang Lan had also invited his roommates. Seven or eight people entered the resort villa he had booked. Before long, some were taking photos, others playing cards, and they quickly became familiar with each other.
Shen Jin played a few games with Jiang Lan’s roommates and added them as game friends. Just as he was about to switch to his main account to show off his achievements, he caught a glimpse of Song Yizhi approaching Gu Yu, who was taking photos nearby. Song Yizhi picked up the oolong milk tea Gu Yu had just bought at the front desk, took a sip, and put it down.
Shen Jin paused and his gaze drifted. He thought Gu Yu would drink from the same cup as his friend. However, Gu Yu frowned slightly and told Song Yizhi, “…You drink it. I don’t like sharing drinks with others; it’s dirty.”
Song Yizhi was stunned and said, “Gu Yu, you weren’t like this when we were kids.”
“And you weren’t like this either,” Gu Yu replied, giving Song Yizhi a warning look.
Gu Yu went to the front desk and bought another cup. Seeing the free milk tea, Shen Jin came over, grabbed Gu Yu’s straw, and took a big sip. He then looked at Gu Yu with a playful and expectant expression.
This cup should be mine, right? he thought, although the sweetness wasn’t quite to his liking, he’d make do.
He didn’t feel comfortable unless he annoyed Gu Yu at least once a day. To his surprise, Gu Yu remained expressionless, continued drinking his tea, and turned to watch others play cards, showing no intention of giving the cup to Shen Jin.
Song Yizhi clenched his fists secretly. Shen Jin, annoyed, wanted to ask why Gu Yu was treating him differently. Instead, Gu Yu handed him his phone. “Go buy your own. You like it sweeter than I do. You know the payment password.”
The young men quickly bonded. Amidst the surrounding cheers, Shen Jin reluctantly took the phone, regretting it instantly: Damn it, why am I even drinking milk tea? Might as well drink poison.
By the time he returned with his milk tea, Gu Yu was already buried in laughter from his friends’ teasing.
“Dog’s life isn’t a life? Show more love or break up!”
“Huh, he even gave you the payment password. Why don’t you just feed him mouth-to-mouth?”
Gu Yu clenched his fist, preferring action over words. Shen Jin, embarrassed, distanced himself and joked with Song Yizhi, “Surviving among these three guys isn’t easy for you, Yizhi~”
Song Yizhi laughed and said, “Yes, my brothers have spoiled me since I was young.”
He stared at Shen Jin for a long time, a dark satisfaction in his eyes. “And anything I want… they’ll give it to me.”
“Really?” Shen Jin half-understood, feeling mostly envious. “I wish I didn’t have to be a big brother too.”
But after a moment of sadness, he quickly laughed at himself, biting on an unlit cigarette. “Too bad I was born to be a dad. My last teammate even knelt and offered me tea to carry him.”
He ruffled Song Yizhi’s hair and continued playing games, unaware of the puffed-up emotion in Gu Yu’s eyes as he watched them.
*
The gathering was lively, but Shen Jin noticed Gu Yu was unusually attentive.
At first, Gu Yu insisted on hugging him while he played games, acting like a real couple. Shen Jin blushed and his hands shook, nearly causing him to miss a pentakill.
Later, Gu Yu asked if his gland hurt and promised to be more careful next time. Shen Jin wanted to retort “Who said there’ll be a next time?” but seeing Song Yizhi nearby, he shyly replied, “No worries… Senior just likes you rough.”
During dinner, Gu Yu even prepared crab and lobster for him, claiming he didn’t like seafood.
Before Shen Jin could finish his food, Gu Yu had already warmed up some milk for him, leaving him completely baffled: Did I show you a thermometer or a pregnancy test?
He quietly asked, “What’s gotten into you?”
Gu Yu, unfazed, replied, “Just messing with them. If you keep talking, I’ll really kiss you.”
Shen Jin angrily retaliated under the table, “Why don’t we just get married then?”
“Didn’t expect Senior’s common sense to be this poor,” Gu Yu retorted. “Need I remind you the legal marriage age for alphas is 22? Wanting that from a 19-year-old like me could land you in jail.”
“…” Shen Jin felt utterly defeated and could only drink the milk Gu Yu had given him, thinking: We’re bound to self-destruct one day.
After dinner, most people had drunk a bit, and playing cards or games was no longer feasible. As the sky darkened, Song Yizhi suggested, “How about we play Truth or Dare?”
Shen Jin, feeling saved from the plot of “Pampered by My Junior,” immediately agreed, “Sure, as college students, we shouldn’t be easily corrupted by mahjong and video games. Let’s play that.”