After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 49

Spreading rumors at university is quite easy. Within a couple of days, the so-called “truth” about Qin Zhu being an omega was out, and many gossip enthusiasts were aware of it.

At C University, Qin Zhu was just as famous as Shen Jin—after all, the O pretending to be B was an old routine everyone was familiar with.

As a result, many alphas began questioning their lives: “So we’ve been calling the strongest mid-jungle duo in the esports department ‘Daddy’ and ‘Brother,’ and they’re both omegas?”

“Damn it.” Xu Tingyun returned to the dorm and lamented, “Someone asked me again if I’m incapable. You two owe me an explanation for ruining my reputation.”

“You have a reputation?” Qin Zhu replied, “Everyone knows you might be topped by an omega. It’s not like they’re going to top an omega themselves. Why should I publicly shame you?”

Xu Tingyun shook his fist and changed the subject: “How’s Yan Ze handling things?”

Qin Zhu answered calmly, “No problem. Du Jun will return for team training the week after next. I’ve asked Yan Ze to arrange a meet-up this Saturday. We’ll pretend to reconcile with Du Jun and have a gathering.”

He then glanced at the darkening sky around 5 PM and continued, “Since winter is here, we can go play in Qingyun Mountain and rent a cabin to watch the snow.”

As a standard southern city, C City rarely sees snow in winter. To see snow, one has to go to the mountains. Given that Yan Ze said he’d host Du Jun, arranging the meeting shouldn’t be difficult.

He trusted Du Jun and confidently assured the people in dorm 302: the plan would reveal everything by Saturday night.

“Are you so sure Du Jun will make a move on you?” Xu Tingyun asked Qin Zhu. “Even though we know what kind of person he is, it doesn’t mean he’s always ready to act out.”

Qin Zhu fiddled with his lighter and said, “Nothing is ever 100% certain. Let’s say about 70-80% sure.”

“Everyone will drink at the cabin. I’ll pretend to be drunk, go outside for some fresh air, and then go missing. Yan Ze will call everyone to search separately—where I am, Yan Ze will direct Du Jun to search in that direction.”

Then, Qin Zhu would “coincidentally” run into Du Jun.

Under the dark and windy night, Du Jun would face the so-called “omega” Qin Zhu and see what choice he would make.

“If he doesn’t attack me and just gives me a few punches or walks away, we won’t lose much,” Qin Zhu thought the plan was sound. “If he does attack, we have recordings and videos. You guys can come to rescue me then.”

Then, Qin Zhu exhaled smoke and opened his computer: “Let’s play ranked. Why is Shen Jin still not back?”

Just then, Shen Jin burst into the dorm, his face looking like it had been kissed raw.

Qin Zhu stubbed out his cigarette and asked, “Been chewed on again? You two owe me for ruining my reputation.”

“Don’t mention it… Originally, Gu Yu asked me to watch a movie this Saturday. I had to painfully decline and say I had other things to do.” Shen Jin quickly changed into warm pajamas and said, “Fortunately, the clothes I bought for him arrived last night. He wore them today—when I actively wore that coat and hugged him for a while, he didn’t bite me to death.”

Qin Zhu gestured for Shen Jin to join the game and scoffed: “Had I known you were dating someone like this, I’d have eaten less at last year’s New Year’s Eve dinner.”

Hearing this, Shen Jin immediately unlocked his phone and deliberately shoved it in Qin Zhu’s face: “Here’s last year’s too.”

The shopping order showed a stylish pair of sneakers, size 43, pure black.

Clearly, this was something bought for Gu Yu. Qin Zhu nearly slapped Shen Jin’s phone screen: “You… spent so much on a pair of shoes, and you’re not eating?”

Shen Jin replied, “It’s not too much. I’m mindful of the cost. Gu Yu probably rarely receives gifts from others. He’ll surely be happy to see this.”

He set his phone aside and sat down, “Soon it’ll be Christmas, New Year, and his birthday. We’ll be busy with competitions and might not have much time to spend with him. I’m trying to make up for it.”

Although Gu Yu didn’t need these things, Shen Jin happened to see them on Weibo and thought Gu Yu would like them, so he couldn’t resist buying them.

Once the prize money from this year’s competitions is settled, many items in the shopping cart will be paid for together.

In the past, Gu Yu’s expression was always cold, as if he had no interest in human emotions or didn’t believe in happiness between omegas and alphas. Shen Jin always wanted Gu Yu to know that being loved and loving someone are both forms of happiness.

“Thanks, benefactor. I feel much better now.” Qin Zhu grumbled as he pulled Shen Jin into the team, “Why not just buy him a 9.99 yuan package from Pinduoduo instead of spending two thousand on shoes? It’s not worth it.”

“…Vulgar. Junior, you’re pure and unsullied. You wouldn’t like such things.” Shen Jin adjusted the game settings while muttering to himself, “Shouldn’t… shouldn’t like them…”

Qin Zhu asked what he was muttering about. Shen Jin quickly cleared his throat and deflected: “Let’s get in the game. What time will the others be online?”

Their amateur esports team was freely recruited among university students in C City. The remaining three were also students, so their availability was limited. By 11 PM, the team was finally assembled, and they started testing Shen Jin’s proposed item builds and bans.

By 3 AM, Shen Jin finished taking notes and lay down in bed, finally having time to secretly read the messages Gu Yu had sent him in bed.

Gu Yu knew he had been sleeping late recently but didn’t interfere. Instead, he occasionally sent him a few photos of the cooking process, telling him what delicious food he would bring the next day.

This showed respect for Shen Jin as well as for the efforts of the team.

Shen Jin responded with many excited emojis and wrote: “Damn, so much? Just for me?”

Gu Yu usually stayed up late, and this time he quickly replied: “Yes, don’t share it with anyone.”

If it weren’t for the fact that his roommates had already gone to bed, Shen Jin might have kicked the upper bunk’s railing.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, with Gu Yu urging him to sleep: “Go to sleep quickly. I won’t care if you freeze. How many classes do you have tomorrow morning?”

Shen Jin replied: “Just one major class, so I can sleep in a bit. What about you?”

Gu Yu answered that he had no classes in the morning, then sent a goodnight emoji and a stern “No more replies.”

Shen Jin bit his lower lip to suppress his smile and, disobediently, sent a few words back: “Goodnight, Gu Yu.”

As the temperature dropped, Shen Jin felt drowsy but thought that no winter had ever been as warm as this one.

Their attempt at a romantic relationship seemed to be going smoothly. If things continued this way, they might not need to break up and could stay together forever.

*

According to the original plan, spreading the rumor went smoothly, and Yan Ze’s arrangements were even smoother.

On Saturday, he invited Du Jun, who was back in the city, and a few of the milder-mannered members of the swimming team to join Shen Jin and his group for a trip to Qingyun Mountain.

Both sides claimed that there might have been misunderstandings and unpleasantness due to mistaken identities back then, and suggested they should gather, have a few drinks, and remain friends.

Students from comprehensive universities studying esports or sports were neither top 985 scholars nor professional athletes or esports players. Most of them had a bit of a streetwise attitude and were not particularly reserved, but valued brotherhood. Shen Jin and Yan Ze’s group were no different.

Along the way, they exchanged sarcastic remarks and revisited old grievances. With Yan Ze’s mediation, they managed to resolve many issues, and at least no longer treated each other with such mutual disdain.

“What the hell were you doing earlier?” one of the swimming team members said. “Now you realize there might have been a case of mistaken identity? You made everyone get a warning from the school. It’s toxic—better not mess around later, got it?”

“Scared of you?” Shen Jin, who had played many games with this guy, patted his back just like before and asked, “White or beer?”

“Damn.” The other guy got excited and immediately called out, “Did you all hear that? Shen Ge wants beer!”

The car was noisy, and another member of the team, looking disdainful, asked: “Shen Ge? Wasn’t it your Shen Ge who insisted that Du Jun’s classes be suspended?”

Only Du Jun, who preferred quiet, sat next to Yan Ze and spoke little.

Yan Ze, seeing the expressions on both sides, quickly put his arm around Du Jun’s shoulders and smoothed things over: “You can’t say it like that. Back then, Xiao Jun was a bit too harsh. Shen Jin, a gamer, missed a match because of an injury, didn’t we suffer similarly? Everyone should step back. The one who was most unreasonable was clearly the esports counselor.”

Mentioning Counselor Zhang, Shen Jin and the others showed some change in their expressions.

But given the situation, they all temporarily accepted this and shifted the conversation to games and basketball, easing the atmosphere.

The car drove up the mountain, and they could already see many branches covered with layers of snow.

During the latter half of the journey, many people in the car were napping. Qin Zhu took the opportunity to whisper to Shen Jin, pretending to be serious: “Son, due to health reasons, I might not be able to drink much today… What should we do?”

Yan Ze sat in the front row with Du Jun, and could vaguely hear their conversation.

Soon, Yan Ze leaned on Du Jun’s shoulder pretending to be asleep, making sure Du Jun was awake.

Shen Jin played along and asked Qin Zhu: “Why didn’t you say so earlier… Did you bring enough inhibitors? If not, I have some.”

The implication was that this “omega” was in his estrus period.

Qin Zhu once again delivered a masterful performance: “Okay, with yours added, it should be enough.”

“Damn, pay up.” While Shen Jin pretended to be angry, a WeChat message popped up on his phone, catching his attention.

He guessed it was Gu Yu reaching out, but didn’t expect Gu Yu to send a photo of snow with a pouty expression: “You didn’t agree to go on a date with me to watch a movie, and now Tao Yan and the others have kidnapped me to Qingyun Mountain.”