After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 38

“Does this not affect me? I see you’re eager for me to burn up to 40 degrees and end up in the ICU.”

Shen Jin tightly closed his eyes, struggling to break free. “Are you messing with me?”

“Messing with you?” Gu Yu relaxed his hold on him and replied, “I’m not interested in playing with someone who can’t handle it.”

Gu Yu then added, “Senior should understand why I think you’re like a rabbit.”

Little rabbits may seem lively, but they can get sick if overfed, their eyes red and their bellies protected, yet they tremble easily at the slightest touch.

Shen Jin couldn’t refute and could only press his lips together, continuing to ask, “So… are you questioning whether you’re sick and have developed feelings for me?”

Gu Yu’s chest heaved slightly heavier, and he simply replied, “Hmm.”

Shen Jin moistened his lips, and an uncontrollable sweet and sour sensation bubbled up inside him. He couldn’t help but ask Gu Yu what he planned to do once he clarified his feelings.

“If it turns out I like you unilaterally, we can clear the old accounts, and I will never bother you again,” Gu Yu answered. “If it’s not true affection, everything will stay the same.”

Admiration or a momentary impulse is different from genuine affection; concern or responsibility is different as well. Gu Yu didn’t want to make a hasty conclusion, and he wondered if this might just be an inexperienced alpha’s natural agitation.

At 19, when even a water pipe can stir emotions, how could he not be affected by a living omega?

He wasn’t sure about his hormone levels, but beyond these physiological factors, he might still be his usual indifferent self who couldn’t sustain feelings for anyone.

The ward was silent for a moment as Shen Jin understood Gu Yu’s meaning: this guy seemingly had no intention of dating, marrying, or starting a family?

His embarrassment was cut off by the question, “So… even if you like someone, you wouldn’t actively pursue them?”

Gu Yu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he said simply, “No, I wouldn’t.”

To him, unrequited love didn’t necessitate mutual affection, and someone as indifferent and cold as he was, didn’t deserve others’ affection.

He was very clear about the unhappiness he had brought in the past.

Shen Jin felt a headache coming on and silently cursed, “Damn, I’ve never seen such a passive alpha.”

But on the surface, Shen Jin remained cooperative. “I see you’re so uninterested in pursuing me…”

“Fine, I’ll reluctantly cooperate with you. When you reach a conclusion, let me know. But I must warn you in advance, if you really like me, I might laugh very loudly.”

At that point, he might share some of his own doubts with Gu Yu, but only if he knew that Gu Yu liked him.

“…” At this moment, Gu Yu, like every strong alpha, pinched his chin. “I have plenty of ways to make sure Senior doesn’t laugh.”

Shen Jin looked at Gu Yu’s stern expression and suddenly found it interesting. “What methods do you have? Are you going to block my mouth with your tongue or with that thing of yours?”

His cheeks puffed up from being pinched, and his voice came out somewhat distorted.

Gu Yu blushed but continued to use his fingertip to wipe Shen Jin’s lips, saying, “It’s not impossible to use my fingers.”

Hearing this, Shen Jin purposely extended his soft tongue, thinking Gu Yu might be very domineering. Unexpectedly, Gu Yu looked startled, immediately released his hand, and said, “Your complexion still looks bad. Rest a bit.”

Shen Jin suppressed his breathing, not intending to tease further. However, Gu Yu voluntarily offered his arm.

“Let me hug you,” Gu Yu said. “You’ll feel more comfortable, and I can reassess my heartbeat.”

“…” Shen Jin’s heartbeat quickened, and he momentarily gave up resisting.

He was pulled into Gu Yu’s embrace, and the only option was to accept it, saying, “Fine, I’ll listen to your heartbeat.”

So… this was Gu Yu’s idea?

Shen Jin cursed silently again and began to worry: was the next step going to be a kiss to test tongue adhesion? If the data still wasn’t accurate, would he have to mark him permanently to see how it felt?

His face was hot, and his mind was a mess of thoughts about permanent marking.

Previously, with weak pheromones, he had rarely learned about marking. He even thought that his beta-like constitution meant he might never face such troubles.

He remembered that permanent marking was a repetitive process where an alpha needed to reinforce their mark on an omega. If it came to that, Shen Jin figured he’d end up crying, gasping for air, tormented by Gu Yu’s pheromones.

Damn. Just thinking about it made him sulk, sinking deeper into Gu Yu’s embrace, and he thought resentfully: It’s your fault for taking the loan first; I’ll consider forgiving you if you hold me a bit longer.

“?” Gu Yu vaguely sensed that Shen Jin was upset and thought he might be uncomfortable with the embrace. He adjusted his position slightly, asking, “What’s wrong?”

His embrace was warm and strong, making Shen Jin feel relaxed and free of fatigue.

“Nothing.” Shen Jin relaxed immediately and leaned in, trying to catch his heartbeat. However, the winter clothes were too thick, and despite rubbing and rubbing, he couldn’t hear it clearly, with the air stored in his cheeks inevitably leaking out. “Forget it… You can judge the heart rate yourself…”

In the lazy afternoon sunlight, Shen Jin quickly closed his eyes and drifted off. Gu Yu also released him, leaned down, and softly asked, “Are you sleepy?”

“Yes… I’m sleepy.” Shen Jin felt his limbs heavy, and the painful itch spread from his lungs to his throat, consuming his strength. He reached out to grab the blanket, afraid Gu Yu would disappear just like that. He murmured, “Don’t leave.”

Many times, he had wanted to say these four words to keep Gu Yu with him.

On New Year’s Eve, when he met Gu Yu, when he received the towel from Gu Yu in the rental house after the rain, when he thought he would part ways with Gu Yu after high school graduation—each time, he had struggled to say these words.

But now it was different. He could easily ask, “Don’t leave… okay?”

“Okay, I’ll always be here.” Gu Yu held Shen Jin’s cold hand and placed it back under the blanket, gently pressing his fists with both hands like a snowball in winter, saying, “When you wake up, you can have dinner, okay?”

Gu Yu’s voice was low and tender, seeping into Shen Jin’s spine like magic.

Shen Jin nodded sleepily, feeling the comforting drowsiness overpower his pain.

He gradually fell asleep against Gu Yu’s hand, no longer worried about waking up to a cold bed and being alone.

In the bleak autumn scenery, Gu Yu watched over Shen Jin’s breathing, posture, and expressions as he slept, gradually becoming absorbed. He lost track of time, only knowing his heart was constantly hanging but grateful that, at least this time, he hadn’t left.

So, when he came back to his senses, he looked down and clenched his hand, thinking the possibility of him liking Shen Jin had increased by 10%.

*

The days in the hospital were like a trial for Shen Jin.

Gu Yu’s constant need to warm his hands, hug him, and his scholarly demeanor made Shen Jin feel helpless. Gu Yu treated even the most intimate actions as perfectly reasonable.

Even if Shen Jin was clingy and liked physical contact, he couldn’t withstand the sudden change in Gu Yu’s demeanor from aloof to affectionate.

He was blushing and tense from being embraced, surrendering comfortably thousands of times a day, while raising his pink ears in doubt: Was I being taken advantage of?

If this alpha weren’t the absolutely upright Gu Yu, he would have reported him to the authorities by now.

Gu Yu occasionally took notes and ordered two more expensive and accurate sports watches, seriously saying, “When hugging Senior, if the heart rate exceeds that of running for 10 minutes, it should confirm that this is more than just nervousness around an omega.”

“Why don’t you book yourself a bed on the basement floor?” Shen Jin retorted. “If hugging raises the heart rate more than running for 10 minutes, either you have a heart condition or I have radiation.”

Gu Yu remained silent and took out another white sports watch for him.

Looking at the black watch on Gu Yu’s wrist, Shen Jin joked, “Is this a parent-child model you bought for me?”

“…” Gu Yu lowered his shoulder, fastening the watch for him, and said, “I think Senior is suited to wearing a smart watch for kids.”

Shen Jin didn’t mention the “Earth Defense Squad” token watch that Tao Yan had given him. He simply looked at his wrist and thought to himself with a bubble of sweetness, “This one looks quite cool. When you have kids in the future, you can buy them smart watches for kids.”

The casual remark made both of them blush and avoid each other’s gaze.

Shen Jin cleared his throat and said, “I just think my abs shouldn’t go to waste…”

He was confident that if he really reached the stage of pregnancy and childbirth as an omega, he would be the type who could still do somersaults even after several months.

Gu Yu, sitting sideways, lowered his head to fiddle with the watch strap. “…Them? Senior still plans to have several?”

Shen Jin paused for a moment, then smiled and replied, “I like the idea of twins.”

Seeing Gu Yu remain silent, Shen Jin asked, “What, don’t you like kids?”

“Not really.” Gu Yu turned his face away and said淡淡ly, “With your body… you’d better not have any.”

Shen Jin, feeling dissatisfied, rubbed his right wrist. “What’s wrong with my body? Once I recover, I’ll be the active partner and we can have one.”

But after saying that, he couldn’t help coughing and didn’t dare to look up confidently.

Gu Yu, feeling both anxious and helpless, hugged him and said, “The insurance covered part of the hospital expenses. You’ll be discharged tomorrow. I’ll come by your dormitory to check on you so you don’t mess around and cause any more trouble.”

Just yesterday, Shen Jin had complained about the heat and used a damp towel to wipe his neck, nearly getting his hand slapped by Gu Yu.

Shen Jin, feeling guilty, said, “I’ve taken a week off anyway. Why not let me recuperate at your place?”

He was just joking, but Gu Yu took it as a serious suggestion. “If Senior doesn’t mind, I don’t object. I can buy a portable bed and stay in the study temporarily.”

Shen Jin was surprised. Although he frequently visited Gu Yu, he felt uneasy at the moment. Was there a possibility that Gu Yu would betray their relationship and develop feelings for him? Why would he proactively stay at Gu Yu’s place? Was he that kind of person?

But after three seconds, he concluded that he was.

Without thinking, he blurted out, “Sure, go ahead, it’s not like you’ll actually eat me~”