After being moved to tears by the sworn enemy's pheromones - Chapter 72

“So, now you’re just eating, sleeping, and playing games all day while he’s out in this freezing weather, working part-time delivering food?” Qin Zhu would sneer every time he saw Shen Jin log in. “Even a dog would shake its head.”

“Are you shaking your head?” Shen Jin teased with a wicked smile, biting on an unlit cigarette. “What can I do? I can only kneel down and do all the housework.”

“Kneeling to do housework? I bet that’s not the only thing you’re kneeling for.” Qin Zhu snorted and, pulling Xu Tingyun along, said, “Log in. I’m doing a three-player stream, and the revenue will be split between you two.”

Due to his sore throat in winter, Shen Jin wasn’t streaming as frequently as before. He joined Qin Zhu’s team and replied, “Same as always, seventy-thirty split.”

Whenever they teamed up for streams, the revenue was usually split in this ratio. But Qin Zhu shot back, “I’ll split it however I want. Don’t pull that fake brotherhood act with me over a couple of cents. Don’t disgust me.”

Clearly, Qin Zhu was still hung up on what had happened at Qingyun Mountain, feeling guilty about Shen Jin. Xu Tingyun, always the mediator, chimed in, “Just listen to Qin Zhu. It’s nice to see my kids getting along; makes me, as your father, feel at ease.”

Shen Jin tried to argue but gave up in the end. The three of them went live, and with more viewers than usual due to the winter break, Qin Zhu glanced at the traffic and suddenly remembered something. “Isn’t your alpha supposed to be pretty good-looking? Have you thought about showing off his abs, cooking, or streaming games to build a following?”

After asking, Qin Zhu clarified, “He does look like he’s got a solid eight-pack, right? Don’t tell me he doesn’t.”

“Of course he does,” Shen Jin cleared his throat, signaling Qin Zhu to stop joking. “If I touch him too much, he gets all shy and says I’m bullying him. Having him do what we do, interacting with fans every day? I’m afraid he’d end up crying.”

Jokes aside, making it in this industry was tough. Gu Yu had never suggested anything like that, and Shen Jin knew well that Gu Yu didn’t like it and probably wouldn’t be able to stick with it either.

“Yeah, I can tell he’s not good with being looked at or touched.” Qin Zhu sighed. “All alphas are the same. After dating for a while, they start acting like they’re your wife.”

Shen Jin, confident in his role as the dominant one, said, “He *is* my wife.”

But Qin Zhu mocked, “Please, I could hear you calling out from back home. Anyone who didn’t know better would think there was a pig being slaughtered next door.”

The earphones echoed with chaotic laughter. Maybe it was because the students were on break, but the games were noticeably harder than usual. Still, the three of them won six or seven matches in a row. It was Qin Zhu’s father’s voice that finally interrupted their game: “Still playing? Pack up, we’re going out for dinner.”

Qin Zhu responded dismissively, saying he’d finish soon, but he made no move to end the stream. His father was almost ready to come over and break his legs. “We’re having the reunion dinner at a restaurant this year. If we wait any longer, we won’t find parking. You want to get beaten by your mom, don’t drag me into it.”

As the new year approached, it was customary in City C to start various reunion dinners from the 26th of the lunar month onward. Ever the strong-willed one, Qin Zhu managed to argue, “Qin Shuyang, just pretend I’m not your son,” before nearly getting whacked. He cut off the voice chat with the speed of the world’s number one mid-laner, leaving his two teammates with a final message: “I’ll send you red envelopes when I get back!”

Not long after the stream ended, Xu Tingyun was also called away by his grandmother to peel garlic, leaving only Shen Jin in the now quiet voice chat. He set down his headset and sat there absentmindedly for a while before glancing at the time—just after 5 p.m. He figured he could whip up a simple dinner and head to the clinic afterward.

Originally, Gu Yu had wanted to cook everything before leaving, so all Shen Jin had to do was heat it up. But Shen Jin firmly refused, claiming he didn’t like leftovers. That evening, he steamed an egg, planning to make do with it, but ended up stir-frying some shredded pork and vegetables too, just to ensure Gu Yu wouldn’t complain about him neglecting proper nutrition when he sent him a photo later.

On the way to the clinic, the red lanterns and string lights for the New Year celebration were lit, resembling a shimmering river of lights stretching toward an unseen horizon.

The once bustling university town’s commercial street was now eerily quiet, with hardly a soul in sight. At the clinic, the staff’s conversations revolved around how they didn’t feel like working and just wanted to celebrate the New Year. Only Shen Jin sat quietly on the edge of the sofa, devoid of any such anticipation.

Lunar New Year, Lantern Festival, Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival—every holiday seemed to be about spending time with family, doing different things together. Shen Jin, however, had never been fond of holidays. If not for school breaks, he probably wouldn’t even know when they were.

But when he idly opened his social media, his gaze paused.

The club president had posted a video, seemingly having lost another fight with the geese back home;

Xu Tingyun shared a pitiful screenshot of a game he played with his nieces and nephews;

Qin Zhu, reluctantly, posted a photo from his family’s banquet, saying, “My dad, my uncle, my grandma, and my grandpa are all telling me not to fight with my mom for food. Should I just run away from home?”

And the milk tea shop owner, who lamented being 31 and still almost getting his legs broken by his parents for lighting a cigarette…

Every little corner seemed to reveal glimpses of the festive bustle leading up to the holiday.

In the past, Shen Jin didn’t really like winter.

It was always cold, dry, and gloomy, bringing up many harsh memories and reminding him of people he didn’t want to think about. Even the sky darkening at 5 p.m. would irritate him. But now, he started to understand why so many people liked winter. Beyond the frozen landscape, it felt like a path home, warmer than any other season.

It was only this year that a tiny spark ignited in Shen Jin’s heart, quietly growing into a small flame, one he was too shy to show.

He looked down and squeezed his phone, realizing that Gu Yu had replied to the message he sent about dinner.

[What is this?] Gu Yu checked his meal. [Even Robinson Crusoe and Friday ate better on their deserted island than this.]

Feeling indignant, Shen Jin sent his favorite cat meme hitting something and replied, [I won’t play games tomorrow. I’ll make a full Manchu-Han feast for you to see.]

Gu Yu calmly responded, “Remember to put me down as your emergency contact before you blow up the kitchen,” then got busy again. Shen Jin poked Gu Yu’s profile picture in mock revenge, but the smile on his face was impossible to hide.

He sped up his IV drip, planning to get home early and make a nice supper, starting their own New Year’s tradition.

Unfortunately, a nurse nearby caught him in the act. She frowned and walked over, asking, “Doesn’t it hurt?”

“…Not really.” Shen Jin guiltily covered his cold hand and changed the subject, “How long will the clinic stay open?”

“Serving the people, of course we’re open even on New Year’s Eve.” The nurse paused, then asked, “When are you going home for the holiday?”

Shen Jin was stunned for a moment before he chuckled lightly, his voice soft, “…I don’t have a home.”

The nurse was silent for a few seconds, then left his drip regulator untouched. “Are you spending the New Year with your boyfriend in the university town?”

Shen Jin quickly nodded, “I wanted to go home early today.”

The nurse thought for a moment and finally nodded, walking away.

Shen Jin breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed the drip regulator again, and couldn’t resist repeatedly checking his social media and messages. He wanted to ask Gu Yu if he missed home, but he never pressed send.

Logically, even if Gu Yu had a falling out with his father, some other close relatives should still be concerned about why the youngest in the family hadn’t come home. But since Gu Yu showed no intention of going back, Shen Jin gritted his teeth and pretended not to know anything. He didn’t even suggest that Gu Yu should go back for a few days for the holiday.

Instead, Shen Jin found himself secretly looking forward to the New Year’s Eve he could spend with Gu Yu—a selfish expectation, perhaps even a little childish. But it seemed that only Gu Yu’s affection could give him the courage to be this selfish.

*

The nationwide cold front had brought the temperature in City C down to a rare -1°C, making Gu Yu’s day of part-time work more difficult than expected.

In the morning, he hadn’t realized how much the two or three-degree temperature drop would affect him. It wasn’t until his rushed lunch that he noticed he was running a bit of a fever. Fortunately, a quick fever shot helped him recover just in time to continue his afternoon shift.

The weather was so cold that some shops didn’t bother spending extra money on insulated packaging. On one delivery, Gu Yu climbed seven floors on foot, delivering the order on time, only to be met with complaints from the customer, who grumbled that the food had gone cold. Not only did the customer threaten to leave a bad review, but they also nearly slammed the door on Gu Yu’s hand.

His explanation was cut off by the loud bang of the door closing. Standing in front of the closed door, his tall, slender figure suddenly seemed less confident. Perhaps he had been too used to comfort and had never endured this kind of frustration before. He stood there for several minutes, took a deep breath, and finally turned to leave the dim corridor.

With dark clouds looming overhead, Gu Yu spent the rest of the afternoon rushing to several more locations. One office building was crowded, and the elevator gave an overweight warning. A few people who got on after him began shouting for Gu Yu, the delivery driver, to get out, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, completely ignoring the fact that Gu Yu had entered first.

Gu Yu clenched his fists and refused, so they said, “We have urgent business. Can’t you, a delivery guy, just wait for the next one?”

A bunch of eyes turned toward Gu Yu, scrutinizing him. But after thinking for a moment, he calmly replied, “No, I can’t.” The standoff seemed to last forever before the others, grumbling, got off the elevator, reluctantly allowing Gu Yu to ride it up.

By the time he clocked out at 9 p.m. and returned to his apartment, Gu Yu felt dizzy and exhausted. The moment he opened the door, he lowered his head and collapsed heavily onto Shen Jin.