After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 68

“… Let’s just say you made that up.” Even though Shen Jin was unconvinced, he had to admit that Gu Yu’s memory was far better than his own. He lowered his head and took a few bites of the food, shifting the topic to save his dignity. “How many days a week will you go?”

“Three days,” Gu Yu replied as he poured a cup of warm water. “Since high school students can’t have concentrated tutoring sessions right now, the parent and the kid decided I’d go over on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. I’ll spend 10 to 12 hours a week there, and the pay is 90 per hour.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, “Once I get used to it, I could also work part-time at a fast-food place. Who knows, I might even learn some recipes and make fried chicken and fries for you sometimes.”

Shen Jin, whose throat was already irritated by the overly salty scrambled eggs he made, quickly grabbed the water Gu Yu offered and downed several gulps. “You must be joking.”

“Our major gives us a lot of free time. I’ll take care of the cooking and housework from now on. When I start my internship in the second half of my junior year, you can stop working part-time and just focus on your studies. I can earn money.”

Shen Jin didn’t believe that long-term part-time work was good for Gu Yu, given the demanding nature of engineering studies. But Gu Yu only raised his eyes and gave a soft smile without directly responding.

Every time he looked at Shen Jin, those calm eyes seemed to ripple with glimmers, making them appear both deep and gentle. Using the clean end of his chopsticks, he tapped the edge of Shen Jin’s bowl. “Didn’t you want to cook? Finish your meal before you talk.”

In front of him were overly salty eggs and overly thickened meat. Shen Jin forced himself to continue eating. “…Even the imperial kitchen isn’t this good.”

It seemed he had become spoiled by Gu Yu’s cooking; now, everything he made himself tasted like sawdust. Gu Yu, meanwhile, enjoyed watching his pained expression. “I reject all of your suggestions. I know how to manage my own life.”

Shen Jin tried to reason with him. “You can’t afford to fall behind in your studies. You’ll probably have to go to grad school in the future. Following my advice can’t go wrong.”

“Listen to you?” Gu Yu teased, playing around. “What gave you the idea that I’m the kind of alpha who obeys everything you say like a strict O-controlled alpha?”

Shen Jin, exasperated, gripped his chopsticks tightly. “Who’s in charge in this house?”

Gu Yu remained expressionless. “I am.”

“You—” Shen Jin suddenly missed the days when they used to clash constantly. Now, Gu Yu didn’t hold back against him at all. “Of course, that’s until you start crying.”

Shen Jin immediately put down his chopsticks. “…Then I’ll cry right now for you to see.”

Gu Yu calmly lifted his phone and opened the video recording feature. “Go ahead, I’ll post it in the eSports group later.”

Shen Jin had never won many of their past battles, and this time was no different. After dinner, Gu Yu dragged him to the clinic for an IV drip, and he couldn’t resist. He could only lean against Gu Yu’s shoulder as the liquid slowly dripped into his veins.

The winter night was too cold, and the IV treatment wasn’t particularly comfortable. Fortunately, Gu Yu’s warm hand remained on the back of Shen Jin’s, melting away most of the chill brought by the cold medicine.

It was 11 p.m. when they finally returned home. Through the soft quilt, Shen Jin secretly tugged on Gu Yu’s hand, remembering that he hadn’t done his desensitization therapy that day.

“… My stomach hurts a little.” He began to fiddle with Gu Yu’s palm, his movements urgent but cautious. “Could you… rub it for me? Little Strawberry?”

Gu Yu had an inkling of what Shen Jin had been doing these past few days, so he swallowed down his rising restlessness, suppressing the stirring desire in his stomach, and calmly responded, “…Okay.”

He would do his best to help Shen Jin with his treatment, hoping the other could sooner overcome his psychological barriers and stop being afraid of certain kinds of contact with an alpha.

Under the dim, warm light, Gu Yu reached out his hand, and Shen Jin immediately buried his face into the pillow, his ears turning pink like they were dusted with the powder of spring flowers.

Not many alphas could bear such a sight, but Gu Yu continued to control his breathing. While helping Shen Jin relieve his stomach pain, he gently lifted his face from under the pillow and asked in a hoarse voice, “Feeling better now, senior?”

Whether from shyness or fear, Shen Jin stammered, only able to rub his burning face against Gu Yu’s palm repeatedly, soon curling up from the discomfort.

“Gu Yu… my stomach… still hurts…”

He kept calling Gu Yu’s name, one cry after another, like a pitiful kitten seeking comfort.

Through his clothes, Gu Yu pressed his hand against Shen Jin’s thin yet resilient muscles, his heart aching as he whispered soothingly.

“Good boy.” Knowing the source of the pain, Gu Yu slowly pulled Shen Jin into his arms and patted his back. “It’ll stop hurting soon.”

Comforted by his alpha, Shen Jin’s pain gradually eased. He curled his toes, even finding the strength to place his hand over Gu Yu’s, the one resting on his stomach. His throat trembled as he said, “But… it’s not just my stomach that hurts…”

Gu Yu’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and Shen Jin’s hot breath suddenly closed in on him: “Gu Yu, I—”

In the intertwined, rising scent of creamy strawberries, Shen Jin looked like someone had pressed on a tender spot. After a while, he finally gathered himself and snuggled into Gu Yu’s warm embrace, seeking the compensation he felt he deserved. “At least… hold me with your hands… is that okay?”

A rush of heat swept over Gu Yu’s nearly choked throat as he trembled and asked in a quavering voice, “Is this to help desensitize you, Senior?”

Shen Jin, embarrassed, buried his face in the pillow again. He anxiously rubbed the gland on the back of his neck, which was throbbing as if it were about to burst through his skin. Before the pitiful, raspy “yes” could escape his lips, Gu Yu grabbed Shen Jin’s slender wrist, deliberately teasing him, and planted a hot kiss deep into his mouth.

…

…

The next morning, when Shen Jin woke up, his head felt unbearably heavy, and his body was so drained that he could hardly feel anything beyond the soreness.

Fortunately, this meant the recent treatment was working. After all, yesterday he had dared to ask Gu Yu to help him. By Gu Yu’s birthday, he figured he’d be able to switch things up with all kinds of tricks.

Just as he was plotting these grand ambitions, Gu Yu’s voice shattered his fantasies: “You’re awake? Still have a fever?”

A gentle hand pressed against Shen Jin’s forehead. Struggling to open his eyes, Shen Jin asked, “Who’s got a fever?”

Gu Yu’s ears turned a little red, and he rarely let out a laugh as he said, “I hadn’t even done anything yet, and you were already crying with a low-grade fever that wouldn’t go away. Forgot?”

Shen Jin frowned, closing his eyes to try and recall yesterday’s events, his face gradually growing red with embarrassment.

Indeed, as Gu Yu said, it was just using his hands, and with just two fingers pressing down, Gu Yu had him breaking into a sweat, clutching Gu Yu’s wrist, sniffling, and eventually passing out with a fever. He had no idea how he’d fainted.

“Damn…” Shen Jin tried to sit up but ended up coughing uncontrollably. Gu Yu pulled him into his arms, and the sweet strawberry scent quickly enveloped the omega’s weakened body. Gu Yu deliberately coaxed Shen Jin, “It’s okay, you’re not *that* bad.”

Shen Jin had always been unable to handle Gu Yu’s pheromones, which smelled like strong liquor, so any reaction seemed justified. Still, Shen Jin covered the throbbing gland on the back of his neck, his face burning with shame. “You think… saying that will make me feel better?”

Clinging to the unyielding spirit of a man standing over six feet tall, Shen Jin continued, “You have to tell me the truth so I can improve.”

Gu Yu looked down at Shen Jin and replied, “I’m afraid you’ll get mad.”

“What do I have to be mad about?” Shen Jin’s cheeks were pink, and he spoke with determination. “Just say it. If I get mad, you can catch me and fry me up. Nothing important going on this morning anyway.”

With no way to escape Shen Jin’s threats, Gu Yu had no choice but to answer truthfully: “The truth is, Senior, you’re too thin—so thin it looks like you’d leave an imprint. And weak—so weak that after just ten minutes, you were crying and burning up all over, only able to hold onto me and say you couldn’t do it anymore. So, are you sure you’re not really a rabbit?”

“…” Shen Jin’s ears turned hot, and he quickly turned his face away, deciding to smother himself with a pillow. “Fine, don’t bother with me. Let me suffocate and die.”

Before Gu Yu could respond, Shen Jin started mumbling in defeat, “You’re definitely going to be disappointed on your birthday…”

“I’m not even as good as a rabbit, I’m an insult to rabbits. At least rabbits can bite.”

“But I can’t even bite you. You might as well get a water pipe—it’d be stronger than me.”

“Got it, Senior is weak.” Gu Yu stifled his laughter, hugging Shen Jin’s waist as he lifted him up, then asked seriously, “Still want breakfast?”

Shen Jin struggled for a moment before surrendering, collapsing onto Gu Yu’s shoulder. “Yes. I’ll eat before I go.”

“Just give me a couple of carrots and some wilted leaves. I don’t deserve anything else.”

“Senior still wants to eat carrots?” Gu Yu grabbed Shen Jin’s hand and stuffed it into his coat. “I was planning to make stir-fried noodles with shredded pork and ham. Senior can chew on bark while I eat.”

As they finished getting dressed, Shen Jin jumped into Gu Yu’s arms, unwilling to let it go. “You want me to chew bark? Then cut off the fingers you used to do bad things first.”

Gu Yu’s ears heated up again, and he hugged Shen Jin, rubbing his hair vigorously in revenge, correcting him, “…It was my middle and index fingers, actually.”

“…” Having no other option, Shen Jin lightly punched Gu Yu’s back. “…I’m serious about the suffocating!”

Later that day, after classes, a few packages arrived. Shen Jin pulled out a pair of shoes he’d bought earlier and handed them to Gu Yu. “You guessed it. Open them and see if you like them.”

The day after tomorrow was Friday, Gu Yu’s birthday. He loved the shoes but reminded Shen Jin not to spend so much on gifts next time. Shen Jin shook his head, hugging another unopened box. “You’ve got a tutoring session on Friday… What time do you think you’ll be back?”

Gu Yu, for some reason, felt inexplicably nervous. Glancing nervously at the sealed box in Shen Jin’s hands, he replied, “…Barring any surprises, before 11.”

“You’re working hard.” Shen Jin gritted his teeth, as if steeling himself for something, “I’ll go to the clinic on my own, and… I’ll prepare a birthday supper for when you come back, okay?”