After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 37

Shen Jin decided to follow Qin Zhu’s example and directly asked, “Are you planning to play a matching game with these nine photos?”

Gu Yu licked his lower lip with his tongue while looking out the window and trying to snatch his phone back, “They weren’t meant for you to see.”

Qin Zhu asked, “Oh, were they for the passing dogs to see?”

Xu Tingyun raised an eyebrow, “That maneuver was pretty subtle. If I hadn’t been a support player for so long, I might not have realized you were showing off the rubber band on your wrist.”

Gu Yu was taken aback and, tilting his chin up, said nothing. Shen Jin glanced at the phone again and asked in surprise, “You posted a nine-photo grid just for a rubber band?”

Gu Yu didn’t have many contacts on WeChat, and the few comments he received didn’t seem to understand his intention. He only replied with an ellipsis.

One could imagine he was angry that no one asked who gave him the rubber band after he posted nine photos.

Shen Jin opened his mouth, feeling inexplicably nervous, “Why did you post this?”

With a cold expression, Gu Yu uncharacteristically admitted, “You keep mentioning that viewer in your live stream as if the money he gives you is more than what I pay you. It makes me uncomfortable.”

After saying this, Gu Yu seemed to pass a threshold of shyness and became only more petulant, “The rubber band is something only I have. He doesn’t, so I posted it everywhere I could.”

Xu Tingyun and Qin Zhu were both stunned into silence. The atmosphere around them was so tense it hurt their teeth, and no one dared to speak lightly.

“What?” Shen Jin became more flustered, “On how many platforms did you post this?”

Gu Yu moved his jaw, genuinely wanting to snatch the phone back this time, but seeing Shen Jin avoid him and tug the IV line, he steadied the drip bottle and stopped struggling, feeling aggrieved, “I only allow looking at my Moments… Please be respectful and don’t randomly browse my phone.”

“Respect?” Shen Jin had never felt so energetic while being sick and in pain, “A junior talking to a jungler player about respect?”

Xu Tingyun promptly translated, “He means you’re disrespectful.”

Gu Yu gritted his teeth without speaking, his gaze directed elsewhere.

Shen Jin hadn’t really intended to do anything to Gu Yu’s phone. He just symbolically tapped on the food delivery app and a recipe app, thinking these platforms wouldn’t involve any social interaction, just to annoy Gu Yu.

But the problem was, he quickly discovered that Gu Yu had even changed the avatar on these apps to that photo.

“…” Shen Jin cleared his throat, unable to express his astonishment, “Who changes their food delivery app avatar for no reason?”

No matter how angry you are, you don’t need to go to this extent, right?

But Gu Yu didn’t argue with him, answering, “What law says you can’t change your food delivery app avatar?”

Then Gu Yu said quietly, “There are laws against invading others’ privacy though.”

Qin Zhu stared at the two of them and finally couldn’t hold back, “Shen Jin can unlock your phone directly. This isn’t the first time, is it? If you didn’t want him to, you could have just taken it back, right?”

Both their faces turned red at the same time. Shen Jin, in a moment of urgency, boasted, “He couldn’t beat me, so he willingly told me the password.”

“I…” Gu Yu could have refuted but just extended his hand, “…give me back my phone.”

Shen Jin chuckled and handed over the phone, mumbling, “Why don’t you just change your ID card name to ‘I have a rubber band’…”

Seeing Gu Yu didn’t move, Shen Jin swallowed and realized he had gone too far, “Really mad? I…”

He was about to apologize for his behavior, but Gu Yu snorted, interrupting him, “I won’t get mad at you while you’re sick.”

Gu Yu’s tone was both tender and reassuring as he clumsily pressed Shen Jin’s forehead.

Qin Zhu looked disgusted, “Why don’t you kill me for fun at your wedding?”

Shen Jin hadn’t expected that even after he had gone too far, Gu Yu wouldn’t get mad.

It was as if Gu Yu knew that even though he was chatting and laughing with them, the sadness and pain from the illness were constantly gnawing at him.

Being a bit unruly didn’t matter. Gu Yu’s actions told him: Don’t be afraid.

Shen Jin’s chest warmed, and he held Gu Yu’s hand tightly without pulling away.

He shifted his attention and answered Qin Zhu’s earlier question, “How could dad do that to you?”

But in reality, he bit his lip and leaned his head against Gu Yu’s hand, wanting to bury Qin Zhu on the spot.

Under Qin Zhu’s strong suspicion, Gu Yu didn’t stop his actions until the nurse came to remove the IV bottle. He finally said softly, “Take your medicine.”

Shen Jin’s ears turned red again as he took the water and medicine Gu Yu handed over.

Taking medicine was a routine for him. The slightly bitter taste dissolved in his mouth and went straight to his throat. He didn’t like it, but it wasn’t unbearable.

His frown was light, and he didn’t think he needed any plum candy.

But Gu Yu said, “Where’s the candy? Not eating it?”

Shen Jin was about to shake his head when Gu Yu tore open a piece and pushed it into his mouth, saying firmly, “Next time, if senior wants me to feed you, just say it.”

“Ugh.” Shen Jin coughed hard, his neck turning completely red.

Gu Yu realized he had fed him too abruptly and leaned closer, but Shen Jin, blushing, pulled away and finally asked, “What’s up with you today?”

Did he develop Stockholm syndrome and forget all the times he got beaten?

A cold breeze swept through the ward, and Gu Yu suddenly fell silent, not answering.

Seeing the scene, Xu Tingyun quickly raised his eyebrows at Qin Zhu, “Son, let’s go buy something downstairs?”

Reluctantly, the other person got up and said, “Alright, I’m a bit thirsty since I’m choking. Let’s go.”

Once they left, Gu Yu retracted his hand and slowly moved his Adam’s apple, “I plan to… verify something.”

The overcast afternoon sky bore witness to another mundane winter day in C City. Shen Jin had a foreboding feeling and couldn’t help but clutch the bedsheet, asking, “Verify what?”

Sensing the serious atmosphere, he wanted to joke and ask Gu Yu if they could play a game, so when Gu Yu suddenly spoke, he was caught off guard.

The voice was as calm as moonlight lying in the middle of a lake, as if he was talking about something trivial, “I want to verify… whether I like you, Senior.”

It was like he was saying he needed to solve an ordinary calculus problem.

The wind stopped.

The air was silent for several seconds, tearing at their intertwined breaths.

Shen Jin jerked his head up, as if he hadn’t understood at all, “What did you say?”

But once he met Gu Yu’s gaze, his heartbeat exploded, and colorful bubbles filled his mind, blocking it to the point of feeling numb and swollen.

Like? Who likes who? Gu Yu likes me?

Did he… did he say that in Chinese?

“Did I not speak in Chinese?” Gu Yu seemed to have the same doubt and sat down, repeating petulantly, “I said, I want to know if I like you.”

Shen Jin froze in place, his violent heartbeat tugging at the veins around his chest, causing both pain and itchiness.

As a child, people often scared him by saying that if he accidentally ate a fruit seed, it would sprout and grow inside him, stretching his small belly beyond capacity. At this moment, he felt the same, with a seed growing wildly in his stomach, displacing his internal organs and leaving no room for them, causing an unbearable sourness and swelling that made breathing difficult.

Panicked, he bowed his head, trying to scold or dismiss Gu Yu’s nonsense, but his usually fearless tongue failed him, leaving him speechless.

Gu Yu, taking advantage of the moment, seriously tilted his head and asked, “Could the difference between an alpha and an omega make you feel psychologically offended, Senior?”

Shen Jin felt like a small piece of ice cream under the scorching sun, soft and sticky. Gu Yu merely passed by, and he was already melting and dripping.

What made it worse was that, despite his shaky breaths, he instinctively wanted to lean towards Gu Yu, exuding his creamy, sweet scent.

“You…” His face flushed a deep red, his voice filled with shame and holding on to the last bit of reason, “You think… you could psychologically offend me?”

Gu Yu first felt relieved but quickly noticed something was wrong with Shen Jin’s reaction.

Worried, he touched Shen Jin’s sweat-soaked forehead, asking, “What’s wrong? Are you having a fever again?”

“… How the hell would I know.” Shen Jin wanted to push Gu Yu away but couldn’t bear to, his burning throat almost turning into a mush, “Maybe I’m angry… suddenly hearing such absurd things from an enemy.”

He simply grabbed Gu Yu’s sleeve and buried his hot face in the crook of Gu Yu’s arm, refusing to move.

Nothing could be more reckless than this. Without waiting for Gu Yu’s answer, he adopted a do-or-die attitude and asked, “Why suddenly verify this?”

Of course, more importantly, what does this guy intend to do: “And… how do you plan to verify it?”

Panicking, he feared his constitution couldn’t handle this so-called “verification.”

He even wished Gu Yu would beat him up now, settle the score, and let him go, so he wouldn’t have to feel so anxious and be tormented by that seed while shamefully feeling extremely good.

Since they were already in the hospital, timely medical care wouldn’t be an issue. Worst case, he’d end up in the morgue, and that would be the end of it.

In the gloomy daylight, Shen Jin curled up nervously, waiting for Gu Yu’s answer.

Fortunately, Gu Yu, still fulfilling his alpha responsibilities, calmly explained, “It’s not sudden. I thought about it seriously all night.”

Blushing slightly, he coughed softly, trying to soothe Shen Jin, “Don’t worry, Senior. I won’t do anything inappropriate… Regardless of the verification result, it’s something I need to resolve myself and won’t affect you, Senior.”