CH 25

The rain outside the window was particularly heavy.

Lin Yuxing was usually afraid of rain because it easily wet his clothes. That damp coldness could penetrate into his bones in the cold wind, causing waves of pain.

Lin Yuxing stood in the heated apartment, his heart alternating between heat and cold.

The coldness comes from Gu Zhongyi not speaking.

The heat comes from… his turtleneck sweater that really wasn’t suitable to wear in a heated room.

Lin Yuxing nervously handed over the car keys, feeling a prickling sensation on his back as Gu Zhongyi’s gaze seemed to devour him.

Of course, that was Lin Yuxing’s exaggerated perception.

In reality, Gu Zhongyi’s gaze was like a flickering firefly in the wilderness. It flickered in the darkness, hard to grasp, incapable of burning. It was humble, earnest, only igniting hope within his own heart.

Seeing him not taking the keys, Lin Yuxing placed them on the countertop.

“I haven’t been meeting with you much lately because I realized I developed feelings for you. Maybe you don’t know, but your pheromones fluctuate between sweet and bitter, causing my heart to race…,” Lin Yuxing said, in an astonishingly straightforward manner. His frankness became a rare confession of true feelings.

Gu Zhongyi held his breath, his fingernails digging into his palms.

However, Lin Yuxing being Lin Yuxing. Seeing Gu Zhongyi’s somber expression, he rushed to clarify what he meant, “These feelings are not my true thoughts. They are just influenced by pheromones!”

Gu Zhongyi didn’t respond.

Lin Yuxing took it as Gu Zhongyi reflecting. He could actually understand Gu Zhongyi’s astonishment and his “anger.”

After a moment of contemplation, he said, “I think… what you said just now was probably because the pheromones were affecting you.”

But Gu Zhongyi understood himself clearly. It was not because of the pheromones.

It was only half a year since Gu Zhongyi returned to this body that he discovered the soul-swapping accident in the time and space had reduced his sensitivity to other people’s pheromones.

He couldn’t speak directly.

Because Lin Yuxing avoided him just now, because now Lin Yuxing denied his affection towards him.

Gu Zhongyi’s throat felt blocked, his lips moved several times but no words came out.

He could hardly believe that such rare luck was happening to him.

After learning of Lin Yuxing’s death at Qu Xing’s funeral, he drove alone on a rainy night and unfortunately collided with a truck. When he was on the verge of death, he thought he would meet his end, but upon opening his eyes, he found himself back in his 18-year-old body.

If his fate was compared to a drama.

Then the former protagonist had already exited the stage, and this time, it was him, the supporting role, who stepped onto the stage, facing the dazzling lights, welcoming his brand new life.

Gu Zhongyi looked at Lin Yuxing, and had a feeling of excitement beyond words.

As an Alpha with exceptional control over his own pheromones, Gu Zhongyi, although different from his father in every aspect, still inherited the excellent genes of the Gu family.

He suppressed the pheromones that would have overflowed, leaving only a faint lingering fragrance in the air, emitting a sweet scent.

At that moment, even though Lin Yuxing “rejected” Gu Zhongyi decisively, he couldn’t help but genuinely smile from the bottom of his heart.

But with just that smile, it frightened Lin Yuxing quite a bit.

Because Lin Yuxing could no longer sense any change in the scent of pheromones, and consequently, he lost the secret to predicting Gu Zhongyi’s emotions.

Thinking that Gu Zhongyi was laughing at him, Lin Yuxing apologized repeatedly.

He was prepared for the ending of parting ways, murmuring his final defense, “After I discovered it, I immediately bought the inhibitor. I had no intention of delaying anything. And now that I’ve taken the inhibitor, I’m back to normal. Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t bother you , really!”

Lin Yuxing took a deep breath and, to relieve any psychological pressure on Gu Zhongyi, he continued lying, “Actually, even if there is a high compatibility between us, my feelings for you are just … devoid of any desires.”

Being blocked by the last sentence, Gu Zhongyi persistently asked, “Not even a bit?”

“No, not even a bit.”

Gu Zhongyi said, “I believe there should be at least a bit.”

Lin Yuxing firmly insisted, “None!” He swore he wouldn’t tell Gu Zhongyi that the two of them held hands sweetly in his dream.

Gu Zhongyi was rendered speechless by Lin Yuxing’s stubbornness and indifference.

This star is indeed as stubborn as when he was a child, fond of telling lies with his eyes wide open.

Lin Yuxing felt disheartened, and his shoulders dropped. He was certain that their cooperation was no longer possible.

After all, what Gu Zhongyi wanted was someone who could shield him from romantic entanglements, not someone like him. Lin Yuxing was also aware that someone like Gu Zhongyi would definitely date and marry someone who was suitable in terms of status.

His high compatibility with Gu Zhongyi was undoubtedly a time bomb for him.

Who would want to keep a bomb by their side? Perhaps they couldn’t even be friends anymore.

Saying more was useless.

Lin Yuxing became increasingly saddened, picked up his backpack, and conscientiously asked, “The contract ends today, right? I’ll return the extra salary for this month to you.”

Gu Zhongyi, who originally intended to stop him, deliberately remained silent upon hearing that. His heart surged and suddenly he didn’t want Lin Yuxing to remain calm as well.

Gu Zhongyi quietly looked at Lin Yuxing, waiting for him to take out his phone and prepare to heartlessly transfer the money.

But when Lin Yuxing saw the amount in his account, he recalled that his money had already been taken by Lin Xiufeng.

Embarrassed, he looked up and said, “Senior…”

Gu Zhongyi stared at him intently.

Lin Yuxing’s face turned red with embarrassment, and he had to muster up the courage to say, “Um… My uncle has caused trouble again recently, and I gave all the money in my account to my family. Now I don’t have enough money on hand to repay you.”

The more he spoke, the more he felt like a scoundrel.

Lin Yuxing’s hands gripped his worn-out backpack, and his tight financial situation made him look like a shameless person. The calluses on his fingers drew a clear line between him and his peers.

Perhaps feeling that it was not enough, Lin Yuxing quickly took out paper and a pen from his bag and said, “Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll transfer 200 yuan to you first, and then I’ll write you an IOU. It’s almost the vacation, and I’ll have time to work. I won’t fail to repay you!”

Gu Zhongyi furrowed his brow, thinking about Lin Yuxing’s difficult family situation, and finally spoke, “How many jobs are you planning to take?”

Lin Yuxing didn’t look up, crouching down to write the IOU.

Seeming accustomed to that kind of situation, he quickly wrote down two lines of neat characters and confidently said, “I’ll take as many jobs as I can. I’ll try to repay you before the end of the winter vacation. Don’t worry, I can do any kind of work. I can definitely earn money in a big city like C City.”

He stood up and handed the signed IOU to Gu Zhongyi.

Gu Zhongyi didn’t take it.

Lin Yuxing awkwardly placed the IOU on the coffee table, saying, “I’ll leave it here.”

Gu Zhongyi couldn’t bear to make it difficult for him any longer, so he took the IOU and crumpled it up. “When did I say I wanted to terminate our contract?”

Lin Yuxing was startled, and the backpack in his hands was squeezed so tightly that it deformed. “D-Do we not need to terminate it?”

Gu Zhongyi answered quickly, “No.”

“Aren’t you mad at me anymore?”

“I’m not angry at all,” Gu Zhongyi said. “You’ve already taken the pheromone inhibitor, which means this illusion won’t last long. Since you’ve found a solution, we don’t need to end the contract.”

“…”

Lin Yuxing suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, his legs weakening as he sat on the sofa, appearing as if he had narrowly escaped a disaster. He rubbed his eyes as if he was about to cry and muttered, “You scared me.”

At that moment, Gu Zhongyi deeply regretted his immaturity just now. He shouldn’t have played tricks on Lin Yuxing.

Gu Zhongyi tried to salvage the situation and found a suitable excuse, saying, “If we terminate the contract, I’m afraid it would be difficult for me to find a reliable partner like you again.” He acted as if he approved of Lin Yuxing’s actions, “You did well . If it were someone else, they would have taken advantage of the high compatibility.”

But Lin Yuxing didn’t.

And it was precisely because Lin Yuxing didn’t, that Gu Zhongyi felt hurt. He had a hidden agenda, and he even hoped that Lin Yuxing would be a “villain,” so that Lin Yuxing would exploit their high compatibility.

However, dreams are fulfilling, and reality is barren.

Gu Zhongyi indeed couldn’t be hasty.

Just one thing, Gu Zhongyi had to say immediately, “Yuxing,  you should consider changing your character of wanting to bear everything on your own when faced with a difficult situation?”

Lin Yuxing didn’t understand.

Gu Zhongyi said, “Even if we don’t cooperate anymore, we will still be friends, and that won’t change. And friends…” he said seriously, “friends are meant to rely on each other.”

That sentence touched Lin Yuxing’s heart.

It felt as if the rain had stopped, and the torrential rain outside was dispelled, revealing a rare sunshine.

In Lin Yuxing’s world, friends were an exceptionally precious presence.

From childhood to adulthood, he had always been the one isolated in the crowd. In the orphanage, it was because of the ugly scars. Outside the orphanage, it was because of endless poverty.

Gu Zhongyi’s words made Lin Yuxing’s eyes well up with tears again. No one had ever spoken to him so softly and gently about friends and reliance.

They sounded warm, like flowers blooming in the warm spring, making one feel light all over. In Lin Yuxing’s damp life, they were a rare ray of sunshine.

Lin Yuxing foolishly stayed silent for a while, at a loss for words.

Finally, he nodded in a hesitant and unfamiliar manner. “Mm.”

His voice was so soft that it made Gu Zhongyi’s hearts ache.

Gu Zhongyi wanted to pat his head, but it didn’t seem appropriate that day.

Gu Zhongyi squeezed his palm, planning to hold back for a few days before doing so.