CH 22

In the bedroom, Lin Yuxing slowly opened his eyes, as if awakening from a dream.

On the soft bed, the scent of bitter orange pheromones made him subconsciously feel at ease. He turned over and enjoyed a comfortable sleep-in.

In his brief dream, it was a rare moment of joy from his childhood in the welfare institution.

He vaguely remembered it was a scorching summer day, with dappled sunlight shining through their hair as they sat under the shade of a tree. A boy held his hand and whispered something in his ear.

Sweat dripped from their brows, and the heat melted in the palms moist with sweat.

Lin Yuxing’s cheeks turned rosy, his eyes filled with longing, and he asked in disbelief, “Will you really take me away with you? But, I’m not good, nobody wants me… Will you regret it later?”

He stuttered, lowering his head timidly, afraid of being rejected because of his flaws.

The boy tightened his grip on his hand, believing prematurely that everyone had secrets they couldn’t confess, and if the other person didn’t want to share, he could live his whole life without knowing.

“You don’t have to tell me! As long as you’re willing to come home with me, I don’t care about anything else,” the boy promised. “I’ve already talked to my dad, and I won’t go looking for my mom anymore.”

That was the condition for taking Lin Yuxing home.

Lin Yuxing’s eyelashes trembled, feeling guilty as he asked, “But what if you miss your mom?”

“I don’t miss her anymore. My dad told me that she’s living a happy and stable life,” said the boy with a sense of conviction that came from repeated heartbreak. “But my presence would disrupt everything.”

“Ah Yi,” Lin Yuxing called the boy by his name in the welfare institution.

The boy smiled, no longer caught up in his thoughts, and sincerely said, “Anyway, I wasn’t planning on finding her again. But Xiaoxing, you are my first friend and the person who cares the most about me in this world. I don’t want to be separated from you.”

Lin Yuxing’s anxious heart finally found solace, and his worries disappeared with the scorching sunlight, melting into the shadows.

He rubbed his eyes, wanting to cry.

He said with determination, “I don’t want to be separated from you either. You are also my first friend. Ah Yi, when I go to your home, I will be obedient. I will wash dishes and do laundry, and I will keep your house clean! I’m well-behaved, not mischievous at all.”

The boy shook his head. “You don’t have to do all that. We should go to school together. When we grow up, we can do whatever we want.”

Lin Yuxing jumped up happily and hugged the boy.

The boy blushed and returned the embrace to the thin Lin Yuxing, saying, “Once we get home, I’ll tell you my real name… I’m sorry, my dad doesn’t allow me to say it here.”

Lin Yuxing nodded vigorously, filled with anticipation for the “home” the boy spoke of.

So, he waited in his dream.

He waited until the boy was the first to be taken away , waited for summer to pass and winter to arrive.

He stood alone at the gate of the welfare institution, looking into the distance, but no one came to pick him up.

Times changed.

Even in his dreams, Lin Yuxing couldn’t remember the other person’s appearance anymore. The only thing he remembered was the boy’s whisper when he held him tight, so blissful: “I will definitely take you away. We made a pinky promise.”

He would never break his promise.

That was the second time Lin Yuxing believed in someone’s promise, only to end up disappointed again.

A few hours later, when he opened his eyes again, Lin Yuxing felt a sense of loss engulfing his heart.

It was like falling into an empty abyss, where false happiness became a burden.

He sat up, rubbed his sore neck, and muttered to himself, “Strange, how could I dream about him…”

In the air, there was a faint scent of bitter oranges.

Since he took medicine in the morning, there was no abnormality in the pheromones surrounding him, everything seemed normal.

But Lin Yuxing, after all, was an Omega. Being surrounded by Alpha’s pheromones while awake, even if they were familiar pheromones, he couldn’t help but feel confused.

The room was empty.

Lin Yuxing looked around and quickly remembered that he had come to Gu Zhongyi’s place. He got out of bed barefoot, cautious not to disturb anything around, and his stomach inconveniently grumbled.

“Gulu…”

Lin Yuxing touched his stomach and heard a sound outside. He carefully opened the door.

He saw a neutrally decorated living room.

On the sofa sat two timid Omegas. They both looked up simultaneously when they saw Lin Yuxing awake, as if they had seen a savior.

For a moment, no one spoke, and they looked at each other.

Slowly, Lin Yuxing furrowed his brows and called out in confusion, “Su Li?”

Then, his gaze fell on the Omega next to Su Li, and he called out uncertainly, “Gu Nuan?”

Lin Yuxing didn’t know Gu Nuan, but he had heard about the most handsome Omega among the freshmen, Gu Nuan. He knew that Su Li and Gu Nuan had a good relationship, but he couldn’t understand why both of them were there in that apartment at the same time.

However, no one could answer his confusion.

Because Su Li and Gu Nuan were sitting on the sofa, well behaved and not daring to breathe heavily.

On the coffee table in front of them were two cups of cold water and a cake box tied with ribbons.

Su Li wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and thanked the heavens, “Lin Yuxing, you finally woke up. If you hadn’t, we would have been in big trouble…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the kitchen door opened.

Su Li quickly shut his mouth.

Then, a warm voice came, “Awake now?”

Lin Yuxing saw Gu Zhongyi walking over with a cup of hot water and handing it to him, saying, “Drink some water.”

“Thank you, senior.”

Gu Zhongyi checked the red marks on Lin Yuxing’s hand and said, “I applied some ointment on you earlier, and it has improved a lot.”

Lin Yuxing looked puzzled at the current situation.

Gu Zhongyi explained proactively, “The school doctor said you need rest, and I was worried about you going back to the dormitory.” He rubbed Lin Yuxing’s messy hair, appearing affectionate in the eyes of others. “Your hair has grown long.”

Due to the inhibitors he took, Lin Yuxing’s face didn’t turn red, and his heartbeat didn’t accelerate. He had become less sensitive to such things. He touched his own hair and casually replied, “I intentionally grew it long. It was a bit short before.”

Gu Zhongyi withdrew his hand, glanced at Su Li and Gu Nuan, and said, “They knew you weren’t feeling well and came to visit you. They even bought you a cake.”

The atmosphere was still a bit tense.

Gu Zhongyi turned to Su Li and Gu Nuan, who were sweating, and asked with a smile, “Right?”

Su Li: “Yes, yes…”

Gu Nuan nodded like a little chicken pecking at rice.

Lin Yuxing, unaware of his slip of the tongue, was surprised by the treatment he received. He said with gratitude, looking at the exquisitely packaged strawberry cake, “I’m glad you both came, but it’s bothersome for you to visit me.” He felt even more embarrassed and awkward, “You even brought a gift.”

With those words, he appeared as if he were the host of the apartment.

Even Lin Yuxing himself didn’t realize that he had crossed a line and said the wrong thing.

Su Li wanted to remind him, but hesitated to speak. However, he saw that Gu Zhongyi surprisingly accepted Lin Yuxing’s “slip of the tongue.”

The kitchen door was slightly open, and the dishes in the pot emitted a tempting aroma.

Lin Yuxing’s stomach growled, and he quickly covered it.

Gu Zhongyi said, “The meal will be ready soon. You can have some cake if you’re hungry.”

Lin Yuxing sighed at Gu Zhongyi’s overly perfect image and asked, “Senior, can you cook?”

“You shouldn’t eat anything too greasy or stimulating today. It’s better I cook something mild for you.”

Lin Yuxing couldn’t bear to let Gu Zhongyi handle everything alone and said, “Let me help you in the kitchen.” He rolled up his sleeves, revealing calloused hands.

Gu Zhongyi raised his hand and rubbed Lin Yuxing’s head again, sounding fond, “Go sit and rest, listen to me.”

Lin Yuxing obediently complied and sat on the sofa.

Su Li thought to himself, “Hmph, Gu Zhongyi is such a two-faced person!”

Gu Nuan, who was unaware of the situation, envied, “That’s so nice. I also want someone I like to rub my head…”

Meanwhile, Lin Yuxing, dedicated to his work, said, “That’s great. Today, I’ll be a good obedient employee.”

Once Gu Zhongyi closed the kitchen door, Su Li and Gu Nuan collapsed on the sofa, as if they had released all their strength.

Lin Yuxing sat next to Su Li and said hi Gu Nuan in a friendly manner. It was his first time seeing Gu Nuan up close, and he couldn’t help but admire the excellent genes of the Gu family.

Upon closer observation, Gu Nuan also had a cold but beautiful appearance.

Lin Yuxing wasn’t good at chatting with exquisite beauties, and while he was contemplating what to say next, Gu Nuan spoke up.

“It’s so torturous being in the same room as Brother Zhongyi. Su Li, next time you come here, please don’t invite me!” Gu Nuan, fearful and trembling, blurted out, directly breaking his composed demeanor. He covered his chest and said, “Did I just see him smile? He can actually smile? The power of love is truly remarkable…”

Just a moment ago, he was as cold as the freezer’s freezing compartment, but now it felt like spring had arrived!

Does that make sense?

Su Li, drinking cold water to calm himself, said, “Stop talking. Every minute is torture for me right now.”

Both of them sighed in unison, matching their actions.

Then, they glanced at the cup of steaming hot water in Lin Yuxing’s hand, and then at the cold water in front of them.

Su Li & Gu Nuan: “That’s so unfair.”

Lin Yuxing was puzzled. “Don’t tell me… you didn’t come to visit me?”

Should he eat the cake on the table or not?

Ignoring Lin Yuxing’s dilemma about the cake, Su Li gritted his teeth and complained to Lin Yuxing about the “master of changing faces,” Gu Zhongyi.

“Gu Zhongyi is terrible. He didn’t even offer us a cup of hot water, and he showed us a bad attitude! If we hadn’t insisted on staying, he would have thrown us out a long time ago!”

Thinking that Lin Yuxing was Gu Zhongyi’s real boyfriend, Gu Nuan tugged at Su Li’s sleeve, indicating that they should stop talking.

Feeling wronged, Su Li spoke without thinking, “It’s alright, Yuxing and Gu Zhongyi are just pretending.”

Upon hearing that, Gu Nuan looked at Lin Yuxing in confusion.

Lin Yuxing quickly coughed lightly.

Su Li remained calm and continued, “Yuxing is an upright person. He has always been on the side of justice. Even if Gu Zhongyi were his real boyfriend, he would never cover up for him!”

Gu Nuan wasn’t foolish. He entered the school with the highest scores in their department, but he actually believed Su Li’s words.

It could be seen how strong the relationship between Gu Nuan and Su Li was.

Now that Gu Nuan had a better understanding, he pitifully complained to his future “brother-in-law,” “When you were unconscious, he didn’t look at us with such eyes, more like he was looking at trash.”

Su Li,  followed the lead, “Exactly! It was so demeaning!”

The more Lin Yuxing listened, the more he felt a headache coming on. He thought they were exaggerating.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, Su Li and Gu Nuan felt he was defending his pretend boyfriend.

Lin Yuxing became the traitor among them and sincerely said, “When Senior doesn’t speak, he appears a bit cold, which easily leads to misunderstandings. But if you spend more time with him, you’ll see how good he is.”

Just as his words fell, the kitchen door opened.

Su Li and Gu Nuan immediately sat up straight, picked up their water cups, and calmly drank as if nothing had happened.

Gu Zhongyi rolled up his sleeves, and his casual home outfit couldn’t hide his good physique. He brought out two cups of hot water, approached them, and pretended to care, saying, “The water has turned cold. Let me change it to a hot one for you.”

Su Li: “No need, it’s warm inside, and drinking cold water feels good…”

Gu Nuan drank his water fiercely without saying a word.

Gu Zhongyi’s tone was sharp, but gentle, “The kitchen and living room are not soundproofed, so if you need anything, just call me. I can hear you.”

Su Li & Gu Nuan: “…”

After that Gu Zhongyi returned to the kitchen.

Looking at the two cups of steaming water, Lin Yuxing shook his head and steadied his voice, “You were bad-mouthing him, yet he still kindly brought you hot water without holding any grudges.”