After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 60

Seeing the wounds on Gu Yu’s arm, Shen Jin, who had been in a daze all night, suddenly became extremely alert.

Earlier at the hospital, Gu Yu didn’t even have time to mention his own injuries to the doctor. He only treated the most obvious and severe cut on his forehead, but he still didn’t realize the seriousness of his mistake: “It’s just a scrape, it’ll scab over by tomorrow.”

However, Shen Jin held onto Gu Yu’s wrist, filled with a deep sense of reluctance.

After all, his little young master came from a wealthy family, raised in luxury and comfort. When had he ever been treated like this?

Shen Jin quickly got up to look for the first aid kit. “I’m so gentle and caring; I shouldn’t have gotten upset with you over my own delusions.”

He was always optimistic, keeping his unspoken love to himself, and any sadness from the past was now behind him. Even during that heavy rain, it was his own choice to stay. But as Shen Jin turned to leave, Gu Yu suddenly grabbed his hand, saying, “Shen… Shen Jin, did you get the point?”

When Shen Jin turned back, Gu Yu’s ears were already red, and he lowered his eyes to hide his expression.

Gu Yu’s trembling lips moved, as if afraid of regretting his words, he hurriedly spoke again: “I’ve actually… long wondered if you, senior, might have some feelings for me, but I just didn’t want to admit it to myself. I always believed that you mostly disliked me.”

“So what I meant just now is… I think I might have… liked you for a long time too.”

The scent of strawberry brandy filled the air, intoxicating with just one whiff.

But Shen Jin stood there, frozen, momentarily forgetting what he was supposed to do.

He had imagined countless times that Gu Yu might harbor some affection for him, and he vaguely understood Gu Yu’s earlier hints. But when Gu Yu finally spoke those words directly, Shen Jin couldn’t help but curl his fingers tightly, slowly coming to his senses.

He thought he should be shy and overjoyed.

In fact, he was happy, but a hint of sadness still silently crept into his chest, like a rusty blunt knife, slowly tearing open a wound that had already scabbed over.

Because over the years, the wound hadn’t healed as well as he had hoped, the newly grown flesh underneath was tender and fragile, making it particularly painful when touched.

In his earlier imagination, when he heard these words, he would rush forward to embrace Gu Yu, to comfort and thank him for his years of affection and care. But in reality, he stood there, unable to move no matter how much he urged himself.

Under the dim light, time seemed to stretch endlessly.

Gu Yu’s throat was dry, his face burning as if he couldn’t breathe. Just as he forced himself to suppress the nervousness in his chest to continue speaking, the person in front of him suddenly let go and lowered his head, taking a step back.

This body language and the erratic breathing clearly indicated that Shen Jin wanted to retreat. Gu Yu hesitated and leaned forward, “Shen Jin…?”

Seeing the flicker of avoidance in Shen Jin’s eyes, Gu Yu suddenly realized that his earlier comment about “suspecting senior’s feelings” was enough to hurt him. But in his impulsiveness, he couldn’t bring himself to lie to Shen Jin.

“Shen Jin, I—” He tried to move closer to explain, but Shen Jin retreated again, shaking his head and lowering it even further.

“Gu Yu… let me treat your wounds first, and you should rest early.” Shen Jin suggested again, “A lot happened today. Let’s talk tomorrow… okay?”

Gu Yu looked at Shen Jin’s trembling fists, feeling completely at a loss.

He wanted to grab Shen Jin’s wrist, but the other raised his arm to block Gu Yu’s chest, lowering his head to avoid him again.

A faint gray light was already beginning to appear on the horizon. Gu Yu’s throat tightened with anxiety, refusing to accept Shen Jin’s suggestion. The two stood in a stalemate for a few seconds, but it felt like hours.

Finally, Shen Jin’s voice broke the silence, softer than the light filtering through the window: “So… I didn’t hide it well at all?”

As if mocking himself, Shen Jin continued, “Yeah… Qin Zhu and Ting Yun saw through it before they even met you. They knew I liked you back in middle school. How could you not sense it?”

Gu Yu opened his mouth but didn’t know how to continue. Shen Jin, biting his lip and clutching the blanket, suddenly began to refute all of Gu Yu’s affection.

The scent of brandy filled the room, making everything feel surreal. Shen Jin said, “You drove away those thugs because you were afraid I’d leave school and you wouldn’t be able to find me to settle the score. You gave me expired chocolate because you knew I had a bad stomach and thought it would be fun to mess with me. You knocked me to the ground, my kneecap exposed. I admit I’m fragile, but I didn’t cry at first… It was only because the school nurse hurt me so much while treating the wound. But you coldly mocked me, thinking I was faking it…”

Even though Shen Jin’s words weren’t sincere, Gu Yu still felt a lump in his throat, unable to argue.

Realizing that making Shen Jin cry was one of the things he regretted most in his life—when he held Shen Jin’s injured, pale calf in his hands, he had been both frantic and struck by the delicate touch, triggering the darkest secret in his heart.

At that time, Shen Jin, with red eyes full of sorrow, sought a little comfort from him, but he had hastily pushed him away, saying that unlike others, Shen Jin wasn’t unfamiliar with such injuries and shouldn’t pretend otherwise.

The expression of shock on Shen Jin’s face in the school infirmary at sunset was forever etched in Gu Yu’s memory, like a scar.

Although he had immediately regretted his words and offered Shen Jin a packet of tissues to make up for it, he clearly remembered that the usually talkative Shen Jin had bowed his head in silence, not saying a word.

Thinking back now, being a teenage alpha was just as bad as they say.

So, despite knowing his words were wrong, Shen Jin, with teary eyes, continued, “You figured out that he had a crush on you, so when he graduated, you deliberately promised him with 99% certainty that you’d meet him alone, but left him with that 1% of uncertainty, leaving him alone in the rain, nearly being assaulted by a group of alphas, unable to bring himself to ask you why. Your logic was never wrong; you just looked down on his affection, deliberately trampling on his feelings and laughing at him like a fool, wasn’t that it?”

Gu Yu froze, not having fully grasped what Shen Jin was saying before he asked, “Why… Gu Yu? Why did you have to treat him like that?”

In the not-so-spacious guest room, Shen Jin’s voice, tinged with a sob, sounded particularly heart-wrenching: “He had a really tough time in middle school… Unlike now, when he has his own income, life goals, and an alpha who loves him. You knew he was bullied at home and repeatedly targeted by the school’s disciplinary director, so… have you ever thought that the only thing that brought him any joy… might have been his feelings for you?”

As he spoke, Shen Jin grabbed Gu Yu’s shoulder and pressed his forehead against his chest, asking, “You’ve fought your way through thick and thin, but… when did he ever really take advantage of you?”

“So, you knew all along…”

You knew he had a bit of a crush on you.

Under the glow of the light, Shen Jin leaned against Gu Yu, trembling all over.

Gu Yu snapped out of his panic, his heart aching with pain.

His mind was in turmoil, only driven by instinct to hold Shen Jin tightly.

The light outside the window made his head spin, and his mind was filled with words he couldn’t fully understand: “Almost assaulted by a group of alphas…? What does that mean? I—I never missed our meeting…”