After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 48

Gu Yu lowered his head to listen as Shen Jin explained the situation. After taking another look at the photo, he roughly understood the intention behind the person spreading the message.

He asked, “…How many Alphas has Senior offended?”

Shen Jin bit down on the biscuit stick Gu Yu had given him and said, “Not many. If we’re talking about those with a real grudge, besides you, it’s less than 20.”

“…” Gu Yu’s mind flashed back to past scenes. “What do you think the reaction of those guys on the swim team would be if they found out you’re an Omega?”

Back then, even though it was just a temporary job at the gym, those guys from the swim team were always looking for trouble. It’s hard to imagine what they’d do if they knew Shen Jin was an Omega.

Because of this, Gu Yu secretly clenched his fist. He thought that if he hadn’t been there that time, the guys from dorm 302 would have definitely clashed with those from the sports department and probably wouldn’t have come out on top.

Shen Jin flipped through his phone and answered Gu Yu, “They probably wouldn’t react much, maybe just send some taunting messages.”

“Messages…? You didn’t delete them as friends?” Gu Yu asked, frowning. “I thought you guys would have blocked each other long ago…”

Shen Jin sighed with a hint of regret and said, “Whoever deletes first shows they care more, so we’ve kept each other on our friend lists. Sometimes we even exchange a few insults.”

“Besides, we were pretty close before. We helped each other out a lot. The real problem was Du Jun—we only had witnesses, no hard evidence. They felt they were defending a brother and wouldn’t listen to reason. Anyway, the one who can fight without getting expelled wins, so everyone does their best.”

Gu Yu didn’t quite understand this “code of honor,” but he still put Shen Jin’s hand into his coat pocket and said, “From now on, no matter how early or late it is, I’ll take you back to your dorm. If money’s not tight, cut back on the side jobs for now and focus on getting healthy.”

Shen Jin blushed and nodded. “Sure, if they dare to come after me, we might not win, but we can go out in a blaze of glory together.”

On the phone screen, the taunts from the swim team had indeed arrived.

One message said: “You’re an Omega? No wonder you felt weaker than Xu Tingyun during that fight.”

Another said: “An O pretending to be an A and still daring to challenge us? Brave of you. I guess you haven’t watched enough adult films to know what happens next.”

Shen Jin was about to curse back when he suddenly noticed a few messages from Yan Ze at the bottom.

They were from a couple of days ago, buried under the flood of private messages he’d received after Gu Yu’s affectionate posts on social media. He hadn’t seen them at all.

The first message from Yan Ze said: “We have a competition next April. The college will let Du Jun return for training. If you and your friends apologize to him, I’ll treat you to a meal, and we can put the past behind us. What do you think?”

The second message sounded more surprised: “…Are you really with Gu Yu now?”

Then Yan Ze wrote: “Ha, you’re just acting, right? I’m waiting for you to change your mind.”

The latest two messages showed even greater shock: “Answer me. Are you really an Omega?”

As an Alpha with significant physical and athletic advantages from the sports department, he seemed more hung up on the past than ever: “Forget it. It was our fault for fighting you before. As long as you stop blaming Du Jun, we’ll apologize to you. Can we make peace?”

Shen Jin held his phone, his emotions complicated.

But he still typed out a few lines in response: “Why are you apologizing to me? Have Du Jun apologize to that girl from the art school. He doesn’t deserve to participate in any competitions, and he doesn’t deserve to stay at C University. A guy like him, if he graduates from a top university and works in the field, do you realize the consequences?”

The sports world is already plagued by scandal after scandal. If Du Jun graduates from a prestigious university and enters the industry, it’s easy to imagine how many young people with dreams he’ll come into contact with, and how many lives he might ruin.

Yan Ze quickly replied: “Damn it, do you really think I can’t do anything about you?”

“…” Shen Jin’s eyes ached as he replied: “You should read fewer bossy CEO novels.”

Gu Yu looked at Shen Jin’s phone, then at Shen Jin himself, and said, “You type pretty fast.”

“Of course, I’m a professional.” Shen Jin instinctively answered, but then immediately realized something was off. “Wait, I was only chatting with him because that jerk Du Jun is coming back.”

Gu Yu imitated Yan Ze’s wording, coldly saying, “Damn it, you don’t think I’m jealous, do you?”

“…” Shen Jin didn’t say a word. “I’ll delete him as a friend right now.”

Gu Yu turned his face away and said, “No need. Just find out when that Du Jun is coming back.”

“You ask him.” Shen Jin handed the phone to him, looking sincere. “So my tsundere little strawberry won’t get so sour it becomes corrosive.”

Gu Yu gritted his teeth, saying, “I’m not,” but he still took Shen Jin’s phone and quickly typed to Yan Ze: “This is Gu Yu. When is Du Jun coming back? If there’s anything else, talk to me.”

Yan Ze responded with an ellipsis and asked: “Why should I talk to you?”

Gu Yu was furious and only replied with two words: “Protecting my wife.”

Before Shen Jin could see what he was saying, Gu Yu quickly pressed and held the message to delete it.

Yan Ze, still able to see it on his end, replied: “He’ll be back the week after next. We’ll handle our own business. It has nothing to do with you.”

Gu Yu, having gotten the information he needed, narrowed his eyes and had no desire to continue the conversation with Yan Ze. He simply typed: “If it concerns Shen Jin, it concerns me.”

He stuffed the phone back into Shen Jin’s hand and said, “Du Jun will be back in about ten days. Be careful, Senior. Now that your Omega status is out, don’t let him catch you alone.”

“When would I ever have the chance to be alone with him?” Shen Jin immediately leaned in closer to Gu Yu. “I barely have time to stick to you.”

“…Good that you know,” Gu Yu couldn’t help blushing and tried to pull away, but seeing all the eyes on them, he refused to be outdone. He leaned over and pressed his lips to Shen Jin’s ear, whispering, “What do you want to eat later?”

“The, the cafeteria is fine. I still have to go back to the dorm later to discuss team matters with them.” Shen Jin suddenly felt extremely shy, lowering his head. “There are so many people around, don’t get so close.”

Gu Yu didn’t care. After dinner, he walked Shen Jin back to his dorm, and the two couldn’t help acting like an ordinary campus couple, hugging and kissing under the streetlights.

He insisted it was something necessary for a relationship, but Shen Jin’s legs were weak. “No, no more kissing. Let go.”

Gu Yu puffed up his cheeks and pointed at another unfamiliar couple nearby for Shen Jin to see. “They’re not letting go.”

“Are you really competing over this?” Under the streetlight, Shen Jin was out of breath, but Gu Yu, holding him close, grumbled stubbornly, “Doesn’t matter, I’m not letting go until the very end.”

Shen Jin’s plea for mercy failed as he was left to be hugged and squeezed, feeling as soft as a lump of dough with no bones. By 9 PM, Gu Yu finally released him, giving his forehead one last kiss: “Go on up. Send me the lesson plans tomorrow.”

Shen Jin thanked Gu Yu for sparing his life, quickly wiped his flushed face, and ran off.

Climbing the three floors felt like ascending Mount Everest. Once inside the dorm, his roommates mocked him, asking, “Why did baby come back to the dorm?”

Shen Jin, red-faced, kicked the door and asserted his authority as a coach: “Focus more on the game, alright? The big vamp gear has been updated. I’ve tested it extensively; both top lane and ADC can use it. You guys play, and I’ll watch.”

Qin Zhu immediately started cursing: “You were down there hugging Gu Yu for over 40 minutes. It was more fragrant than garlic ribs. Now you want us to focus more on the game?”

“Cough.” Shen Jin forcefully turned his chair around and said, “I’m not late. Stop worrying about the coach’s private life.”

The group started the game, and Shen Jin casually mentioned Du Jun: “Yan Ze sent me a message saying Du Jun is coming back next week. Did he inform you?”

“Yeah, looks like everyone got the news.” Qin Zhu replied, “We were planning to discuss with you. We need to come up with a plan to expose Du Jun’s true colors. Otherwise, continuing to deal with him and the swimming team won’t help.”

Shen Jin, standing behind Xu Tingyun and guiding the bottom lane’s item build, asked Qin Zhu in confusion, “…A plan? What plan?”

Qin Zhu, who was also studying the new talent build of top domestic professional players, said, “Fishing law enforcement, how about that?”

Shen Jin turned his head and asked, “Fishing law enforcement?”

Qin Zhu paused for a moment, took a cigarette but didn’t light it, thinking about Shen Jin’s poor lungs. He just bit the cigarette and said, “Go off-campus, give him a chance to think he has an opportunity with other omegas. I believe there’s a chance he’ll make a move. Yan Ze has always trusted him the most. We could ask him to help set up a meeting with Du Jun. He probably won’t refuse.”

“Even if the law might not be able to punish Du Jun, at least it would give the sports academy and the swimming team a clearer picture.”

Qin Zhu’s tone was unusually serious, and Shen Jin immediately understood: “You mean… Du Jun should be treated the same way he treated that omega from Mei University?”

But this time, Yan Ze would be informed in advance. As long as they appeared in time to rescue and witness the scene, Yan Ze would naturally know what kind of person Du Jun was.

Although the other sports department members liked to talk big, they wouldn’t actually force an omega in this situation.

“Stop talking nonsense.” Qin Zhu, hearing Shen Jin’s interpretation, frowned, “Who told you to go?”

Shen Jin was a bit confused: “Do we know other omegas? And we can’t let other omegas take this risk, can we?”

Fishing law enforcement does carry some risk.

After all, in such matters, omegas are at an absolute disadvantage in front of alphas—just like how that girl was slapped and had her collar torn by Du Jun, which was already considered mild.

“I’ll do it.” Qin Zhu played with a lighter and said, “Just pretend I’m an omega.”

But a beta also doesn’t fare much better against an alpha. Xu Tingyun, who had a tendency to become an alpha, suggested, “Why not let me go instead?”

He was much safer with the “beta pretending to be omega” suggestion, but the other two firmly rejected: “Your pheromones are almost fully developed. They’ve smelled them before, so it’s easy to be identified. It would most likely alarm them.”

“And just you? I’m afraid you’d enjoy being forcefully taken by a younger alpha.”

“…” Xu Tingyun, gritting his teeth, said, “Is this how you two see me?”

They answered in unison, yes, and Xu Tingyun resigned: “Fine, I’d rather raise you two than two pieces of barbecue pork.”

After a long discussion, Qin Zhu seemed resolute: “It’s decided. Ask Yan Ze when you have time… He’s not a bad person at heart. If we’re willing to give it a try, he’d probably be willing to gamble with us.”

Shen Jin hesitated but eventually agreed under Qin Zhu’s pressure. The only one still hesitating was Xu Tingyun: “…But I still think it’s not worth taking this risk unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

After some arguing with Qin Zhu, Shen Jin lowered his gaze to the screen glowing blue and pretended to support Qin Zhu: “It’s okay, if we try, it’s not like we’ll lose a piece of flesh.”