After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 57

Gu Yu was a bit confused. Many of the things Shen Jin said next felt like they had happened in a parallel universe.

There were things about why he had bullied someone by giving them expired chocolate.

There were things about why, despite having a better standing jump shot, he would intentionally jump back to collide with someone.

There were also things about why he had repeatedly and coldly rejected someone.

Shen Jin, holding a cigarette, quickly lowered his gaze in sadness and got off Gu Yu’s lap. Gu Yu reached out, wanting to pull him back, but couldn’t help blurting out, “Why didn’t I feel it was like that…?”

To make matters worse, he wiped his sore eyes and, as an alpha, instinctively explained, “And I wasn’t cold; I just don’t talk as much as you, Senior.”

“And… in that situation, a standing jump shot was indeed more reasonable, but you got knocked down mainly because you weren’t strong enough.”

In the warm light, Shen Jin lifted his slightly red eyes to look at him, suddenly freezing in place.

*

Ten seconds later, the door slammed shut. Gu Yu appeared in the third-floor corridor, finally recalling why his senior was so feared by everyone.

He knocked on the door, but there was no response, just like when Shen Jin had silently pushed him out just moments before.

Originally, he could have used force to hold Shen Jin and keep him inside, but seeing him struggle and accidentally touch his wound, Gu Yu’s heart softened, and he lost his advantage.

…He had been too lenient and spoiled his senior just now. Standing in the cold wind with nowhere to go, Gu Yu anxiously asked through the door, “Are you really angry, or is this the kind of anger where you want me to hold you?”

“Not angry.” This time, Shen Jin responded with a hint of grievance, “You’re so amazing; you should quickly grab a life buoy and an ice pick and swim across the Pacific Ocean to the U.S. to play in the NBA. I’ve already picked a position for you—small forward, it’s perfect for you.”

“…” Gu Yu was silent for a moment, then replied, “I can swim. Besides, the Pacific doesn’t freeze—”

A sound came from inside, followed by a threat: “Don’t let me see you.”

Gu Yu barely managed to maintain a calm expression, but inside, he was in turmoil. His heart felt like it was weighed down by a heavy stone, causing him discomfort. He was certain the correct answer was in his mind, but no matter how hard he tried, his head was foggy, and he couldn’t understand what Shen Jin’s words meant.

As he suppressed the sadness in his heart, rubbing his temples in an attempt to think, Qin Zhu’s voice suddenly whispered in his ear, “How’s Shen Jin?”

The others were at the corridor’s corner, clearly wanting to know what had happened.

Gu Yu thought back to how he had been angry earlier, took a deep breath, and asked, “Did I scare you guys?”

“No shit,” Qin Zhu said, raising his fist. “It wasn’t Shen Jin’s fault, so why were you harsh on him? If you’re going to be harsh, be harsh on me.”

He Senzhou, standing nearby, muttered, “I won’t let you be harsh on him,” but got punched by Qin Zhu. Gu Yu glanced at the distant mountains and continued, “Today, it was my fault. But you don’t need to worry too much; I’ve already calmed him down. You guys should go back to sleep.”

The cold wind cut like a knife. Qin Zhu looked puzzled, “Then why are you out here in the wind? Why aren’t you inside with him?”

“…” Gu Yu held his eyes open, pursed his lips, and said, “He’s hungry. I’m going to the second floor to get him something to eat.”

The others nodded vaguely, and Gu Yu had no choice but to head downstairs under their watchful eyes.

The lights in the second-floor lounge were on all night. As Gu Yu quickly picked out a few snacks, he suddenly thought that maybe bringing some food for Shen Jin wasn’t a bad idea.

So he began searching through different shelves, trying to find Shen Jin’s favourite biscuits and soft candies.

“Gu Yu,” a voice called out from the small room. It was Song Yizhi. He asked, “What are you doing here? Did you have a fight with Shen Jin?”

Gu Yu looked over at him and asked, “What’s up?”

“Nothing much,” Song Yizhi replied, his expression tense but with a smile on his lips. “I just heard some noise from upstairs and figured you might need a friend to talk to.”

Gu Yu shifted his gaze back to the shelves and finally spotted the butter cookies that Shen Jin liked on the lowest shelf. He crouched down to take the biscuits, not even looking at Song Yizhi as he said, “My alpha friends aren’t all dead. Even if I needed comfort, I wouldn’t need to find you, an omega.”

Song Yizhi asked, “Just because we’re of different secondary genders, does that mean we can’t even be friends anymore? I thought you and Senior Qin Zhu had a pretty good relationship?”

“It’s good,” Gu Yu replied. “He’s one of Shen Jin’s closest friends, and he’s good to Shen Jin. You don’t need to compare yourself to him; you’re different.”

Song Yizhi was long tired of asking Gu Yu why their relationship was no longer the same as when they were kids. He just handed Gu Yu a can of cola and said, “I know you find me annoying. Have a drink to calm down.”

Gu Yu looked at the can of cola with the pull tab already lifted, and suddenly, fragmented memories flashed through his mind, along with a phrase the female police officer had mumbled unconsciously as she left.

—What are the chances that someone like Du Jun would choose a pink bunny cardholder?

It’s not that an alpha who isn’t an athlete can’t like bunnies and pink things, but with Du Jun’s self-conscious and sensitive personality, he likely wouldn’t want to stand out in a team full of tough guys on the swim team.

Gu Yu looked down at the cola in his hand and asked Song Yizhi half-jokingly, “You know I don’t really like carbonated drinks, especially in the middle of winter—so, what is it? Did you spike it and are now trying to cover the taste and color with the soda?”

If anyone else wanted to comfort him, they’d probably just give him a cup of warm water or milk.

Gu Yu didn’t genuinely believe that Song Yizhi would do something like that, but the other man’s expression stiffened, revealing a mix of shame and annoyance in his eyes.

Since Shen Jin’s incident, Song Yizhi had been in a constant state of anxiety, and only now did Gu Yu notice that the person in front of him seemed far more panicked than he had imagined.

Song Yizhi snatched the cola from Gu Yu’s hand and took two big gulps, saying, “What are you thinking? How could I possibly spike your drink? The room just happened to have cola, that’s all!”

Gu Yu felt that something was off, but since Song Yizhi didn’t show any adverse reactions, he didn’t press the issue. While paying for the snacks, he said, “This time, Tao Yan told me that you promised him you wouldn’t say anything stupid again, which is why they brought you along. You should know what the consequences will be if you harbor any bad thoughts towards Shen Jin.”

Song Yizhi lowered his head, gripping the cola can tightly, his voice tinged with a faint sob, “Of course I know… I’ve been following you guys around and listening to you my whole life. Anyway, you don’t care about me now.”

The payment chime sounded, and Gu Yu stepped past Song Yizhi, saying, “Correction, I never cared.”

But as he reached the door, Gu Yu stopped and added, “Oh, and about that pink cardholder the police found… even if there’s only a one-in-a-million chance, I really hope it’s not yours.”

Without waiting for a response, he calmly brought up a seemingly unrelated topic: “Shen Jin isn’t stupid; he knows what you’re trying to do. He just has a habit of taking care of and helping the omegas around him. Before you truly hurt anyone, he tries to understand the friendship we’ve shared for years and doesn’t want to view you with the worst intentions.”

Song Yizhi was momentarily stunned and was about to say something when Tao Yan appeared at the door, cutting off his soft, slightly childish voice.

Under the corridor’s harsh light, Tao Yan’s eyes were dark as he said, “You’re both here? Perfect. Jiang Lan and I have something urgent to discuss with you.”

Gu Yu was about to ask how urgent it was when Jiang Lan popped his head out from the other side, saying, “It’s more urgent than your desire to go back and cuddle with your senior.”

He still had that casual demeanor, but his expression had grown much more severe.

The four of them, each with different expressions, made their way to Jiang Lan and Tao Yan’s room. Gu Yu leaned against the table, clearly ready to leave, “So, what’s the matter?”

“My little master, can’t you slow down a bit?” Jiang Lan teased him. “I just heard you got kicked out by your senior and have nowhere to go—so, you finally have your comeuppance?”

Clearly, nothing escaped Qin Zhu’s sharp eyes. Gu Yu gave up resisting and forcibly changed the subject, “…Let’s not talk about me standing outside Senior’s door in the wind.”

Tao Yan chuckled lightly, but his expression quickly turned cold.

Jiang Lan was the oldest among them, but he never took things seriously, which is why Tao Yan was made the captain of their small tobacco factory team. Among them, Tao Yan’s words always carried the most weight.

“Yizhi,” Tao Yan said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, “You’ve heard the saying ‘honesty leads to leniency,’ haven’t you?”

Song Yizhi licked his lips and replied, “Tao Yan-ge… what do you mean by that?”

This time, Tao Yan showed no leniency, pulling out his phone and pressing the digits for the local police station. “I mean you should come clean right now. Otherwise, this call will go straight to the district police department.”

The tension in the room was palpable. Gu Yu instinctively furrowed his brows, while Jiang Lan bit down on his cigarette in silence.

Tao Yan asked, “When did you start to go down this path?”

Song Yizhi clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned pink, and his breathing trembled, “I haven’t gone down any bad path…”

“If you haven’t, why did you buy illegal drugs?!” No one expected Jiang Lan to be the first to lose his temper. He suddenly threw his still-lit cigarette butt at Song Yizhi’s chest, cursing, “Are you out of your mind?! Your seniors risk their lives on the front lines with their mentors, and you study medicine just to become a disgrace?!”

The cigarette butt fell to the ground, and Song Yizhi looked down at his down jacket, which now had a small burnt hole. He immediately started crying, “I didn’t…”

“You didn’t?” Jiang Lan stepped forward and crushed the cigarette underfoot. “Whose is that pink cardholder the police found?”

Gu Yu suddenly looked up, his heart pounding, “Song Yizhi…?”

The room filled with Song Yizhi’s sobbing. He seemed to realize that there was no point in hiding anymore, so he stammered, “I just wanted to keep it for myself… I didn’t expect it to accidentally fall out and get picked up…”

He had been pampered his whole life and had never experienced such harsh scolding, so even his crying came in hiccups, “I was too scared… too scared to tell the police. I know I was wrong. Please don’t be mad at me, okay…?”