CH 28

The next day, Lin Yuxing’s gland test results came out, and Ji Mu called him to the research institute.

The values on the test report were on the lower side, but fortunately, there was no cause for alarm.

Lin Yuxing’s glands hadn’t worsened, but they remained in a sluggish state, releasing few pheromones.

That’s why, despite having a high compatibility rate, Gu Zhongyi remained completely insensitive to Lin Yuxing’s pheromones.

Even though Gu Zhongyi had reduced his sensitivity to other people’s pheromones after he got into an accident, it was unlikely for him to remain indifferent when faced with a 77% compatibility match.

“Your glands are different from other Omegas, so you should pay more attention to them in the future. The medicine I prescribed for you is topical; make sure to apply it consistently and come see me when you run out. Currently, the gland issue isn’t a cause for concern, but neglecting it could lead to further deterioration of your health.”

Ji Mu reduced the cost of the medicine for him and also gave him a backdoor favor. Lin Yuxing would be able to get free gland tests at the research institute every year for the next four years.

Lin Yuxing was deeply moved and thanked Ji Mu repeatedly.

Finally, he could let go of his worries and returned to school from the research institute feeling relieved. During that time, he brought back a heavy box from the express station.

To earn some extra money during the upcoming winter break for occasional family needs, Lin Yuxing applied for on-campus accommodation during the holiday.

Surprisingly, Lin Xiufeng didn’t nag him when she found out he wasn’t planning to go home for the Chinese New Year. Instead, she mailed him a box of food.

Back in the dormitory, Lin Yuxing used his key to cut open the tape and found several large bags of fried mantou biscuits wrapped in light-colored plastic bags and a few apples wrapped in foam paper.

He unwrapped each plastic bag, folded them, and put them in his drawer to use later

There were a total of six large bags of packaged mantou biscuits and four relatively large apples in the box. He brushed off the dust from his body, picked up his phone, and called Lin Xiufeng.

When she answered, there was a lot of noise in the background.

Lin Xiufeng seemed to be working somewhere, shouting loudly, “Did you receive the stuff?”

“I received it. Thank you, Auntie,” Lin Yuxing replied.

Lin Xiufeng advised him, “These mantou biscuits can be stored for a long time. Since your roommate is good to you, give him some. It is considered a local specialty snack here, so don’t be too stingy.”

“Okay, I understand.” Lin Yuxing went through the box, took out a few apples still wrapped in foam paper, and asked, “Why did you send me apples as well?”

“Oh, those apples…,” Lin Xiufeng took off her work hat, wiped off some sweat, “the factory sent a box of Bing Tangxin apples for the end of the year. They are big and sweet, and I heard they’re quite expensive. I put a few aside for you, and the rest is for Shao Hua.”

“Give them to my cousin in the future. I have plenty to eat here in the city.”

“It’s not the same. Maybe they don’t sell these apples in the city. If your roommate wants to eat them, give him one. They’re nutritious, so don’t just eat them alone.”

Lin Yuxing pursed his lips and said with mixed emotions, “This box that was sent is quite heavy, the postage must have been expensive.”

The door to the dormitory balcony was not closed, and Lin Yuxing shivered in the cold wind.

Lin Xiufeng continued to chatter endlessly.

Lin Yuxing asked her, “Did the clothes I bought for you arrive?” He remembered that Lin Xiufeng had been wearing the same winter clothes for many years..

“I received them, and Shaohua was so happy to see them that he immediately put them on.”

“Be careful not to let my cousin ruin them.” Lin Yuxing’s cousin, Cheng Shaohua, had suffered a high fever as a child, which caused brain damage. Now he was 22 years old, but his intellectual abilities were still that of a young child.

“Okay, I know!” She was happy to receive the gift but worriedly said, “Don’t spend money like this in the future. I don’t need more clothes. Yuxing, every time you send money back home, I know it burdens you. Please don’t buy these things for me.”

“The clothes weren’t expensive. My roommate helped me get them at a discount online.”

“I see… Well, then thank him properly and give him some steamed buns as a token of appreciation!”

“Alright.”

Just as he was about to hang up, Lin Xiufeng stopped him and said, “Yuxing, there have been many problems at home recently, and your uncle and you are not getting along. I think it’s better that when you have free time, you should spend it there in the city.”

Lin Yuxing was about to say something.

Lin Xiufeng hurriedly added, “But if you want to come back, remember to contact me in advance!”

Lin Yuxing guessed to some extent, “Did Uncle cause a problem?”

“…Yes, and it’s also about money. We can manage somehow.” Lin Xiufeng said in a deep voice, “If you want to complete your university studies peacefully, it’s better for you not to come back home for now. Your uncle won’t come to your school to find you, I promise you that.”

Lin Yuxing tightened his grip on the phone and said, “I understand. I’ll try to earn more money and send it back home.”

“Good.”

Finally, Lin Xiufeng smiled and reminded him again, “remember to divide the apples, and share with your roommate. 

Shortly after hanging up the phone, two bags of steamed buns and a sugar heart apple appeared on Su Li’s desk.

Lin Yuxing knew that Su Li never lacked snacks or fruits, but as the New Year approached, he also wanted to express his gratitude.

He looked at the remaining items in the box, used a towel to wipe away the crumbs, and found a decent-looking bag from the cabinet. He put two bags of steamed buns and an apple into it.

The lone apple was brightly colored and eye-catching.

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Yuxing lowered his head and added another apple to the bag. Then, after a pause, he put the last apple into the bag as well.

Gu Zhongyi had been so good to him, and he wanted to give his best to Gu Zhongyi, even if it wasn’t something valuable.

Lin Xiufeng had sent him a total of four apples, but Lin Yuxing gave them all away.

After preparing everything, Lin Yuxing didn’t send a message to Gu Zhongyi. He thought since they were going to have dinner together in the evening, he could just give it to him in person then.

Looking at the two remaining bags of steamed buns in the box, he thought of two other people.

He contacted Su Li and asked for Gu Nuan’s contact information, politely sending a message: “[Gu Nuan, hello, It’s Lin Yuxing. Thank you for the cake last time. My family sent me some local specialties, and I would like to give you a bag. Is that okay?]”

Finally, Lin Yuxing quickly sent a message to ID789: “[Have you returned home?]”

ID789: “[No, I’m still at school.]”

Lin Yuxing: “[A while ago, I troubled you. My family sent me some local specialties, and I want to give you a package.]”

ID789: “[Thank you.]”

Lin Yuxing: “[You’re welcome. I’ll go put it at the dormitory office for you now.]”

“Ding–“

Just as Lin Yuxing finished replying to ID789,  Gu Nuan replied to his message.

Three consecutive messages.

Gu Nuan: “[Sure, thank you! I’m going home this afternoon, can I come and get it from you now?]”

Gu Nuan: “[Do you want to have milk tea? I recommend Oreo with pudding, my treat!]”

Gu Nuan: “[Can I call you Yuxing, just like Su Li?]”

Lin Yuxing had since had a favorable impression of Gu Nuan: “[You can call me whatever you like. I’ll bring the local specialties to you. I know where your dormitory is. And you don’t have to treat me to milk tea.]”

He turned to send a message to ID789: “[I’ll have to give it to my friend first, so yours will be a bit later.]”

In Gu Zhongyi’s eyes, Lin Yuxing’s actions meant one thing: he had received many local specialties and was giving them to everyone.

Only Gu Zhongyi didn’t receive Lin Yuxing’s message.

Ten minutes later.

ID789 texted: “[Does Gu Zhongyi have it?]”

Lin Yuxing: “[?]”

ID789 lied: “[My roommate had a conflict because he forgot to give his girlfriend a gift but gave to his friends and excluded her.]”

ID789: “[I’m your supporter, and I’m afraid you might make such an unnecessary mistake too.]”

Lin Yuxing: “[I see, thank you for your concern but I have already prepared the gift for Gu Zhongyi.]”

ID789: “[Okay.]”

A few minutes later.

ID789: “[i don’t mean to poke my nose but did Gu Zhongyi, like me, only received one bag?]”

Lin Yuxing: “[Definitely not, how can you compare yourself to him?]”

ID789: “[I didn’t mean anything by it, I just wanted to know.]”

Lin Yuxing sighed and kindly reminded: “[Please don’t be too nosy.]”

ID789: “[…Okay.]”

That evening, Gu Zhongyi received a total of three bags of dry steamed buns and three apples.

Also because of this incident, Gu Zhongyi wasn’t very willing to eat the fried dry steamed buns he got from Lin Yuxing, for a long time in the future.

Of course, that’s a story for another time.

During winter vacation, the whole school was empty.

Zhou Jie’s bakery also took a break and planned to reopen after the vacation.

With no classes to attend, Lin Yuxing had plenty of time to work. He gritted his teeth and bought back his second-hand bicycle. He worked as a part-time employee in various shops outside the school, carefully planning how he could earn more money within a month.

He also made time to meet with Gu Zhongyi occasionally.

Lin Yuxing felt that with fewer people on campus during the vacation, there was no need to pretend to be lovers. As friends, he didn’t want to take advantage of Gu Zhongyi for free. He took the initiative to suggest canceling the monthly salary for that month and switching to an hourly wage based on the contract.

One hour for 50 yuan, it was a bloody good deal.

However, not long after, Lin Yuxing, as an outstanding student at University C, pleasantly discovered a highly profitable part-time job – tutoring.

The salary was generally determined based on the age of the student being taught. Students from other universities typically earned an hourly rate of 60 to 120 yuan, and some earned less. But Lin Yuxing was different. He was one of the top students at C University, so if he tutored one-on-one, his hourly rate could reach 150 to 200 yuan, or even higher.

This shocked Lin Yuxing, who came from a small town. In their hometown, there was no such thing as tutoring.

And he learned about tutoring all thanks to Liao Yan.

Ever since they met in the same course and exchanged contact information, Liao Yan would occasionally get in touch with him. Sometimes he would ask Lin Yuxing to run errands, and sometimes they would chat and get closer.

Following the principle that the customer was superior, Lin Yuxing replied to every message, though not too intimately.

Liao Yan seemed broad-minded. He didn’t mind that Lin Yuxing intentionally kept his distance, always being enthusiastic when talking to him and even introducing him to tutoring part-time jobs.

At first, Lin Yuxing refused, until he saw the hourly rate that Liao Yan showed him, and his interest was piqued.

Lin Yuxing, who was cleaning the kitchen in the restaurant’s back kitchen, wiped his hands and, seeing that there was no one around, quietly hid in a corner and typed on his phone: “They really pay that much?”

In those past two days, while washing dishes and cleaning in the back kitchen, Lin Yuxing had already developed two frostbites on his hands.

Liao Yan: “Yes, the kid is my relative. He’s a bit mischievous, and his mother wants to find a student from C University to tutor him and help him improve in his studies.”

Lin Yuxing: “Aren’t you also from C University?”

Liao Yan: “I don’t even want to go to class, so why would I bother tutoring someone?”

Lin Yuxing: “Well, that’s true.”

However, Lin Yuxing had never been involved in the tutoring industry before and was afraid of affecting the student’s progress. He hesitated as he typed on his phone, typing and deleting, deleting and typing.

Liao Yan: “His mother said that during winter break, you would tutor him for two hours every afternoon and earn 300 yuan a day. Are you going to take the job or not? If you hesitate, I’ll find someone else.”

Lin Yuxing: “Wait!”

Lin Yuxing thought about earning 300 yuan a day, and he couldn’t help but be tempted by that offer.

Lin Yuxing: “I’ll give it a try! Thank you for referring me to this job.”

Liao Yan: “I’ll come to the school gate to pick you up at 5 o’clock in the evening. Shall we go to the interview first?”

At that moment, a message from Gu Zhongyi popped up, interrupting Lin Yuxing’s response.

“We agreed to have dinner together tonight. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

In theory, Gu Zhongyi was kind of his boss, and he should prioritize his regular job above anything…

But it was winter break, and by calculating the hourly rates—spending an hour with Gu Zhongyi for 50 yuan, or tutoring a child and earning 150 yuan per hour.

Lin Yuxing paced back and forth, tempted by the money. He decided to temporarily ignore Gu Zhongyi.

Mainly because recently, they always had dinner at Gu Zhongyi’s apartment with no one else around, so there was no room for acting. After considering it, Lin Yuxing thought that the interview was more important.

Lin Yuxing: “I’m sorry, something came up tonight.”

Gu Zhongyi was surprised by Lin Yuxing’s rejection, as he had never done this before.

Lin Yuxing explained so as not to give the wrong impression: “Do you remember Liao Yan, whom I met in my course?”

Gu Zhongyi: “I remember, what about him?”

Liao Yan was Lin Yuxing’s only errand client at the moment, so it was hard for Gu Zhongyi to not know him.

Lin Yuxing happily replied: “He introduced me to a tutoring part-time job. I’m going to an interview at a student’s house tonight. I can earn quite a bit in a month, so I want to give it a try.”

After the incident last time, Lin Yuxing gradually opened up to Gu Zhongyi. He no longer hid everything and confidently forwarded their conversation history with Liao Yan.

Faintly, footsteps could be heard outside the door, so Lin Yuxing quickly put away his phone.

Looking at the time, he eagerly looked forward to the interview, carefully considering how to use every penny. He wanted to take Gu Zhongyi to see a movie and have a meal at a restaurant before winter break ended.

At that moment, Liao Yan, who sent him the message, was sitting lazily in a chair on his balcony, yawning.

Beside him was a plate of half-eaten pineapple. A faint sweet scent filled the air, emanating from the pineapple.

The flower shop downstairs was filled with roses, and the fragrance clung to the bright windows, blending with the aroma of the pineapple, refreshing and delightful.

Behind him, Liao Yan’s mother asked gently, “Xiaoyan, are you sure you don’t want to go out for dinner with us tonight?”

Liao Yan changed his lazy demeanor. He stood up, not wearing his nerdy black-framed glasses. His light-colored eyes were shallow, and he casually pushed his bangs upward, revealing an exceptionally exquisite face, completely different from his ordinary appearance at school.

“No, you and Dad enjoy your date.” Liao Yan smiled, looking very well-behaved. He resembled his mother a lot. “I made plans with a friend tonight.”

Upon hearing the word “friend,” Liao Yan’s mother couldn’t hide her joy.

“Oh, I see. Then having dinner with your friend is more important. If you have a chance, remember to bring them home, and I’ll prepare some delicious food for them.”

“Sure, I’ll introduce them to you next time.” Liao Yan smiled obediently and picked up his phone. “Mom, it’s getting late. I’ll take a shower and go out soon.”

Liao Yan’s mother nodded.

Suddenly, as if unwilling, she couldn’t help but say, “Or… when you go out, don’t wear glasses. My son is so handsome, why cover your eyes up all the time?”

Liao Yan didn’t respond.

Liao Yan’s mother, afraid that she had said something wrong, cautiously said, “Xiaoyan, we’ve moved now, and those people who used to bully you are not here anymore. You, your health has started to improve, and your personality has become more cheerful. Your dad and I are really proud of you! We… What I mean is, we start over”

Liao Yan responded with a string of incoherent words, understandingly saying, “I know.”

He walked straight to his bedroom, seemingly not paying too much attention to the various experiences of the past.

He heard his mother behind him let out a sigh of relief.

Inside the bedroom.

The soft carpet silently absorbed his footsteps as he walked to the side of the bed, took out a towel from the wardrobe, and his slender figure made his back look like that of an elegant model.

On his bedside table, there was a bottle of Alpha pheromone inhibitor.