After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 35

Gu Yu sat closer in a hurry, his mouth twitching as he tried to ask Shen Jin if he was feeling unwell, but he couldn’t bring himself to be as gentle as Shen Jin liked.

“I held your hand to prevent any accidents and to avoid having to explain to your two sons,” he said, questioning himself for sounding so harsh and confrontational. “The blanket was so thin. You didn’t cover yourself properly and just slept? Didn’t you realize you were burning up all afternoon?”

He struggled to control his breathing, still feeling a sting in his nose. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t control his temper, even though Shen Jin was in this condition because of his negligence and carelessness.

Over the years, he and his father had had a few indifferent arguments. His father often said that an alpha’s mark and control over an omega were absolute. Both parties accepted this. He had earned so much money, and having several temporary partners was normal, but he had never thought of abandoning the family. “You’re still young and don’t understand now, but you will when you grow up. You are an alpha, and my son. No matter how much you hate me, you will end up becoming someone like me.”

At first, Gu Yu was devastated, believing he could never become like his father.

But later, he noticed more and more how his indifferent personality and cold demeanor were increasingly similar to his father’s. As his father had said, it was almost impossible for children to completely escape their parents’ shadows.

Everyone likes sincere and gentle people, but he wasn’t one of them.

He was just an alpha who got angry at a sick Shen Jin, and this was no different from his father back then.

In the past, he had avoided too much contact with omegas because he didn’t want to inflict the same harm he had seen his father do.

He didn’t look up at Shen Jin; instead, he sat quietly and continued rationally, “I’ll send a message to Qin Zhu and Xu Tingyun shortly, asking them to inform the counselor tomorrow morning and to come visit you.”

Then he rubbed Shen Jin’s hand, not raising his head. “Senior, hang in there. I know I’m harsh. I’ll leave once they arrive…”

If only he could be a bit gentler—if he were a gentle person, he wouldn’t have made Shen Jin cry time and again or made him feel so wronged and upset.

He gritted his teeth, knowing he should let go and go to the hallway to make the call.

But at that moment, Shen Jin grasped his hand and said, “You know you’re harsh. Do you know… if you’re about to cry?”

Gu Yu was startled, his chest burning, barely understanding what Shen Jin was saying.

“I… I’m not…” He came back to his senses, trying to wipe his eyes, but Shen Jin’s cool fingertips scratched his palm and asked, “What did the doctor say?”

“…I’m not crying.” He emphasized again before suppressing the sourness in his throat and answered Shen Jin, “They said it’s a pneumonia infection…”

“Oh… so it’s an old problem.” Shen Jin surprisingly still managed to smile.

His voice was hoarse as he patted Gu Yu’s hand. “With you looking so gloomy, I thought I was about to die…”

Gu Yu pressed his lips and, unable to control his harshness, said, “Don’t talk nonsense like that…!”

After being harsh, he lowered his head and closed his eyes in regret.

He thought Shen Jin would pull away his hand in grievance and ignore him, but surprisingly, Shen Jin didn’t. Instead, he promised and explained, “Okay, I won’t say such things in the future. I’ve been feeling unwell all day and thought it was just from playing games too much… I should have mentioned it earlier. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have had to come and panic like this…”

Gu Yu looked up at Shen Jin, unable to refute that he hadn’t panicked but only swallowed hard and said, “It’s because I didn’t notice anything and left you alone in the living room that—”

“You speak as if you’re my guardian… it’s not that easy to take advantage of,” Shen Jin interrupted with a smile, masking some weakness in his voice. He changed the topic, “I want some water, Gu Yu…”

Gu Yu pressed his lips together and had no choice but to get up and pour a glass of warm water.

He intended to hand it to Shen Jin, but Shen Jin weakly tugged at his shirt and said, “You feed me…”

His voice was hoarse and a bit hesitant, as if fearing rejection. Gu Yu hesitated for a moment but couldn’t refuse—after a brief pause, he set down the glass, helped Shen Jin into his coat, and carefully brought the water to Shen Jin’s lips.

Throughout, Shen Jin nestled quietly in his embrace, drinking the water in small sips as if savoring a special treat.

In the past, Gu Yu had never imagined Shen Jin showing such a docile side in front of him.

When Shen Jin felt Gu Yu was feeding him too slowly, he gently tugged at his sleeve; if the distance wasn’t close enough, he would nudge closer to his chest; if Gu Yu held the glass too low, he would softly complain, “Higher… just one more sip.”

After finishing the water, Gu Yu placed the glass on the bedside and prepared to get up, but Shen Jin, still resting in his arms, showed no intention of moving away.

Realizing Shen Jin still wanted to be held and protected by him, Gu Yu’s already racing heart grew even more intense.

Logically, he should push Shen Jin away and quickly call Qin Zhu and Xu Tingyun.

But his alpha instincts to protect drove him not only to hold Shen Jin tenderly but also to pat his thin back and ask, “Are you cold? Should I call the on-duty nurse?”

“It’s fine… not cold.” Shen Jin, with ears flushed and soft from coughing, finally whispered, “An alpha’s body temperature seems to be higher than an omega’s… you’re so warm.”

Gu Yu was stunned for a moment, his chest and eyes heating up. He replied in a hoarse voice, “Then… I’ll hold you a little longer.”

It was as if he was thanking Shen Jin for giving him the chance to be tender. He kept gently patting Shen Jin’s back, holding him close and unwilling to let go.

During the last temporary marking, he had always been nervous and uneasy, not realizing how much Shen Jin’s condition had changed. But this time, he had enough time to notice and feel heartache, realizing that Shen Jin’s experience might have been far more than he imagined.

In what felt like just a year, Shen Jin had transformed from an impulsive school bully into a remarkably resilient adult. Gu Yu wondered if he would ever have the qualifications to ask Shen Jin about his past.

In the quiet hospital room, Shen Jin weakly wrapped his arms around Gu Yu’s waist, as if sensing his thoughts. He said, “Don’t blame yourself… if you really dared to be harsh and ignore me, I’d probably have my skull twisted off by now.”

Gu Yu moved his lips, tightened his embrace, and teased carefully, “Listening to Senior talk is like listening to a sick cat meow… it doesn’t sound very convincing.”

Noticing Shen Jin lacked the strength to argue further, Gu Yu felt both heartache and the urge to continue, “Actually, even a small cat would be better at making noise than you, at least it wouldn’t spend the whole day sick and unaware of coming to nudge my pants.”

Maybe he was someone who wasn’t gentle at all, unable to come up with many comforting words for the person in his arms. But in front of Shen Jin, he learned for the first time that being a little unruly seemed acceptable.

“Mm… I’ll deal with you tomorrow.” Shen Jin symbolically struggled a bit, his warm breath against Gu Yu’s neck, as if awkwardly trying to be coquettish. “Gu Yu, I think… I really like being held by an alpha…”

So Gu Yu, ignoring everything else, lowered his gaze and deepened the embrace. “Mm… get better soon, and I promise you can hold me however you want in the future, okay?”

At that moment, he thought, to hell with revenge. Perhaps from the beginning, he hadn’t come to seek revenge on Shen Jin at all.