After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 50

Shen Jin was startled and quickly replied: “Have you already arrived at the mountain?”

If Gu Yu saw him mingling with the swimming team, it would be a disaster. He might end up needing to get a divorce and split a plush bear as compensation.

Shen Jin had gotten used to the intimate gestures with Gu Yu and didn’t want to cause any unpleasantness or return to their former antagonistic relationship.

Fortunately, Qingyun Mountain was not very large, so the chance of running into Gu Yu was relatively low.

Holding onto a slim hope, Shen Jin gripped his phone and soon saw Gu Yu’s reply: “Almost there. They’re all asleep. I didn’t really want to come, but Tao Yan pressured me with his position as captain.”

Shen Jin asked: “They? Who else?”

After a while, Gu Yu replied: “Is this a check-up?”

Shen Jin mumbled: “Who’s checking up on you?”

Gu Yu, unfazed, seriously listed the names: “Tao Yan and Jiang Lan are coming, and I invited He Senzhou. Song Yizhi invited two of his classmates, and we’ve arranged a place.”

It seemed Tao Yan and Jiang Lan had come to the university town to find others to hang out with.

Shen Jin calculated the probability of running into them and nervously said: “Well, you enjoy yourself. Remember not to catch a cold.”

After a while, Gu Yu’s message bubble appeared again: “But I still want to go on a date with you.”

Shen Jin almost dropped his phone. Before he could properly read the message, the screen showed that Gu Yu had retracted it. Gu Yu continued nonchalantly: “Let’s have a meal together tomorrow. What time are you free?”

Shen Jin regretted not taking a screenshot. Unsure how to reply, he could only deflect: “I’ll see how things go tomorrow. I’ll let you know if I’m free.”

Gu Yu, thinking Shen Jin was busy, didn’t push further. Instead, he sent more photos of the snow and said: “I’ll make a few little snow bunnies for you to see later. You get back to work.”

The snow in the mountain area made Shen Jin dizzy. Feeling guilty and anxious, he didn’t dare ask Gu Yu which direction he was on Qingyun Mountain—there was nothing he could change anyway. He could only pray not to run into Gu Yu, but when he arrived at the inn a few minutes later, he was dumbfounded.

*

At the entrance of the inn “Yinlu Pavilion,” the traditional Chinese lanterns were already lit, casting delicate light onto the snow-covered ground.

Shen Jin immediately noticed a tall and upright figure in the yard, dressed in the coat he had given, carefully collecting the cleanest snow from the branches.

The hands, with clear joints and slightly reddened from the cold, showed a hint of blue veins, adding to the chilly appearance.

Without a doubt, the person was Gu Yu.

Shen Jin’s pupils contracted. He quickly pulled up his coat collar to hide his face, his heart racing as if it might explode: “Damn, how did I run into him here? If I had known I’d have this kind of luck, I should have done a ten-pull gacha before leaving.”

He desperately tried to leave the scene, but Tao Yan, who was on the other side of the small courtyard, immediately recognized him and called out: “Shen Jin! What are you doing here?”

With both sides making eye contact, familiar and unfamiliar faces exchanged pleasantries, but Shen Jin was in despair, wishing he were deaf and blind. Amidst the commotion, he hadn’t even lifted his head when Gu Yu appeared in front of him and dragged him inside the inn.

In front of everyone, Gu Yu showed no mercy and pulled Shen Jin into the lobby, ignoring any attempt at explanation.

During this time of the year, Qingyun Mountain wasn’t very crowded, and the people registering at the lobby were all with Shen Jin. Gu Yu, however, treated them as if they were invisible and pushed Shen Jin into a corner by a wooden bench.

Shen Jin, feeling like a condemned prisoner, stayed silent and didn’t dare resist.

Having never been in a romantic relationship before, he wasn’t sure if he was messing around behind Gu Yu’s back. He only calculated how likely he could endure public scolding without crying and felt even more despair.

The surrounding conversations were interrupted by the cold wind, and Shen Jin, usually talkative like a professional comedian, didn’t dare to move, waiting for Gu Yu to reprimand him.

But unexpectedly, Gu Yu was angry for a different reason than Shen Jin had imagined.

In the cold wind, Gu Yu removed his scarf and wrapped it around Shen Jin, roughly rubbing his face like kneading dough, and said angrily: “You came up the mountain and didn’t dress warmly? Your neck is like an ice pop.”

Shen Jin, stunned, replied: “The scarf is in my bag… It was too hot in the car earlier.”

“In the car?” Gu Yu glanced at the scattered people nearby, his expression instantly turning cold.

Clearly, he still remembered many of the swimming team members and couldn’t show them any courtesy.

But after a few seconds of tense silence, Gu Yu looked away and said nothing.

Seeing this, Shen Jin clenched his fists and couldn’t help but ask Gu Yu: “…Aren’t you angry that I hid from you and came out to hang with them?”

Gu Yu looked down at him, his eyes softening from their previous anger. He said: “Why would I be angry with you? You said you had something important to do; it’s my fault for not asking more.”

Gu Yu frowned and asked: “But I’m still surprised and don’t understand why you’re with those people… Didn’t you have conflicts with them?”

“…I’m sorry, Gu Yu.” As Shen Jin was thinking about how to explain, Qin Zhu, who had just finished registering, appeared behind him and bluntly spoke up for him: “Are you two going to argue? It’s not a big deal. We just thought there might have been a misunderstanding with Du Jun, so we came out with the swimming team to make amends. We know you probably still hold a grudge against these people and might get angry, so I told Shen Jin not to tell you.”

Shen Jin turned in surprise, but Qin Zhu, unbothered by taking the blame, patted his shoulder and turned back to get some water: “Try to make me a grandparent soon.”

There was no way around it; Shen Jin could only reluctantly accept.

Gu Yu stared at him, still skeptical, and asked: “The person in the black short down jacket, is that Du Jun?”

“Yes,” Shen Jin replied with difficulty. “If you’re angry—”

Gu Yu snorted through his nose, knowing what Shen Jin was about to say.

It was nothing more than, “If you’re angry, you can hit me,” which Gu Yu understood, as Shen Jin could think of no other way to handle it.

So Gu Yu intentionally interrupted Shen Jin, saying: “So you knew I would be angry? I thought you’d be pleased that I’m spending the night with someone else.”

Unexpectedly, Shen Jin became flustered: “What, spending the night?”

“I’ve never slept with anyone else besides you—”

His urgency and sincerity turned his neck red and his voice louder.

Although his and Gu Yu’s “sleeping” was just a matter of physical rest, saying Gu Yu was his first and only wasn’t unreasonable.

Gu Yu was originally joking, but now felt a pang of heartache and regret. He quickly pulled Shen Jin onto his lap, hugging him to silence him with an embrace.

Shen Jin buried his face in Gu Yu’s arms, like a kitten returning to its soft nest. The action was smooth and practiced, ignoring whether anyone was watching from the corner.

Their breaths mingled, and Gu Yu patted Shen Jin’s back, soothingly saying: “I was just teasing you earlier. As long as you understand, you have your own choices and social circle. I won’t be angry or demand anything from you. I just want you to take care of yourself, okay?”

Today, Shen Jin was unusually easy to pacify. He quickly calmed down and even obediently nestled in Gu Yu’s embrace, not moving.

Originally, with Xu Tingyun and Qin Zhu around, there shouldn’t be any major issues. Gu Yu’s only lingering worry was: “About Du Jun… Are you sure it was a case of mistaken identity back then, and that making up with the swimming team is worthwhile?”

Under the dim light, Shen Jin rubbed his ear against Gu Yu’s neck, seeming hesitant, but eventually nodded.