CH 40

Lin Yuxing had been alive for 19 years, and that was the first time someone asked him if he was in pain.

Lin Yuxing doubted whether he heard correctly and hesitated to respond.

It wasn’t until Gu Zhongyi’s suppressed and hoarse crying voice reappeared, “It must hurt a lot…”

That Lin Yuxing truly felt it.

He heard Gu Zhongyi apologize to him, “I’m sorry.”

Lin Yuxing’s fingertips trembled.

Afterward, Gu Zhongyi’s apologies filled Lin Yuxing’s ears, blaming himself repeatedly, “I came too late, Yuxing, I’m sorry… I’m sorry.”

If possible, Gu Zhongyi wished he could go back to the year when Lin Yuxing was injured and change the course of that dark memory. Alternatively, he should have gone back to when he was ten years old, refusing to compromise with Gu Zhuang under any circumstances.

But at that time, he was just a child.

Both physically and mentally, he was too weak. He couldn’t resist his father’s control, nor did he have the courage to defy him. As a result, he lost the only chance to pull Lin Yuxing out of the abyss.

In retrospect, Gu Zhuang probably knew about Lin Yuxing’s scar back then, which was why he suddenly changed his mind and adamantly refused to bring Lin Yuxing back with Gu Zhongyi to the Gu family.

Gu Zhongyi was Gu Zhuang’s biological son, and even though they weren’t close, they knew each other well.

Gu Zhuang was an almost pathological perfectionist. He could tolerate his son playing with an Omega from the lower class, but he absolutely would not allow that Omega to have such a significant “flaw.”

Even the toys for his son had to go through a rigorous selection process.

In Gu Zhuang’s words, that Omega was not worthy of entering the Gu family’s doors and didn’t even deserve to warm Gu Zhongyi’s bed as they grew up.

He believed that it would dirty every tile and every breath of air in the house—nothing more.

Just like how he drove away Gu Zhongyi’s biological mother, Su Mou, he coldly cut off the connection between Gu Zhongyi and Lin Yuxing.

It was an excruciating year for Gu Zhongyi, closely monitored by Gu Zhuang. Whether at school or at home, there were always two servants by Gu Zhongyi’s side.

Gu Zhongyi was confined within the “home” that could be described as a cage, and bruises would occasionally appear on his body. These were the result of his struggles against his father in order to go back to the welfare home to pick up Lin Yuxing.

As expected, he was always defeated.

Gu Zhongyi grew increasingly thin back then, and his cheerfulness vanished.

Gu Zhuang saw it all and grew increasingly disgusted, thinking that children born to women like Su Mou were truly useless. However, he couldn’t bear children with Xu Wanling, who came from a more prestigious family. She neither wanted nor was willing to bear children. Gu Zhuang had subtly hinted to Xu Wanling to get herself checked at the hospital, but she ignored it.

Left with no other options, Gu Zhuang could only focus on nurturing Gu Zhongyi.

In order to cure Gu Zhongyi’s ‘illness’, Gu Zhuang, who rarely took a step back, found many similarly aged Omegas as playmates for Gu Zhongyi.

Among them were boys and girls, each one more attractive than Lin Yuxing and more pleasing to look at.

They were like a group of beautiful new dolls, presented one by one before Gu Zhongyi by Gu Zhuang.

They would sweetly smile and say to Gu Zhongyi, “Young Master Gu, I want to be your friend.”

That sentence had been taught countless times, and each child said it extremely naturally.

However, Gu Zhongyi could detect the insincerity.

Gu Zhuang would stand beside him each time, like a loving father, saying, “Pick one you like to stay.” Then he added, “If you want two, that’s fine too. They will be with you in the future as your friends.”

“…”

“You want friends, don’t you?” Gu Zhuang would say to the ten-year-old child, uttering these words. “Since you don’t like the one I arranged for you, Yang Qing, then you should be satisfied with these ones, right?”

Gu Zhongyi didn’t know what Gu Zhuang meant by “friends,” nor did he understand what Gu Zhuang meant by “feelings.” He just felt nauseous, and his stomach churned.

Weakly, he would look at the playmates in front of him and would wearily avert his gaze.

“I want Xiaoxing.”

He said it this way, just this way.

Gu Zhuang’s cold eyes glanced at Gu Zhongyi, devoid of any trace of compassion. He casually pointed to a handsome Omega boy, saying, “Come here.”

The boy trembled as he approached hesitantly, obediently reaching out to hold Gu Zhongyi’s hand under Gu Zhuang’s instruction.

Gu Zhongyi pushed him away stubbornly and insisted, “I only want Xiaoxing!”

Suddenly, Gu Zhuang’s palm slapped down, easily knocking Gu Zhongyi to the ground. ” Say it again If you dare.”

A metallic taste of blood rose in Gu Zhongyi’s mouth.

The surrounding Omega children turned pale with fear, including the chosen little boy.

Looking down from above, Gu Zhuang rubbed his wrist and didn’t allow any defiance from Gu Zhongyi. “Haven’t I been good to you?”

Struggling to cough a few times, Gu Zhongyi’s voice trembled slightly.

“In the next few years, I will often stay in Country X for work. Since you’re so disobedient, I can’t trust leaving you alone in the country. You will accompany me there, which will give you a chance to calm down. But if you continue to be disobedient, then there’s no need for you to return with me.”

Gu Zhongyi raised his head in alarm.

Gu Zhuang squatted down, patting his son’s cheek, causing Gu Zhongyi to shrink his shoulders in fear.

Gu Zhuang was a typical “one stick, one candy” parent. “Zhongyi, you are my son, a superior existence compared to your omega cousin. You are the only hope of the Gu family; don’t disappoint me.”

For Gu Zhongyi, that was an extremely oppressive period. After Gu Zhuang brought him to Country X, in the constant fear of day and night, he learned how to please Gu Zhuang and how to pretend to be someone he wasn’t.

In reality, his inner pain had reached an unbearable level, to the point where he couldn’t breathe.

The person who discovered this was Gu Zhuang’s female secretary who was with him overseas at the time.

The secretary herself had a child of the same age and felt deeply sympathetic toward the young Gu Zhongyi.

After becoming somewhat familiar with Gu Zhongyi, she understood the situation and secretly spent some money to have a few photos sent from China.

In the photos, there was Lin Yuxing, going to and from school alone.

“He has already been adopted now. If you are good, eat well and exercise, I will regularly have someone take photos and send them to you.”

The secretary was afraid that Gu Zhongyi would try to find Lin Yuxing on his own, so she didn’t disclose anything else except for those photos.

She said, “You’re still young now, so don’t think about finding him. If President Gu finds out about this, this child might be in trouble.”

The secretary’s implication was clear – if you want to find Lin Yuxing, you have to wait until you’re grown up and independent. Otherwise, it will only bring him misfortune.

Gu Zhongyi would look at the photo of Lin Yuxing, poking mud with a stick, and saw that even in the scorching summer, he still wore a turtleneck.

It seemed like nothing had changed, yet everything had changed.

He choked, “I’m afraid he will forget me.”

“It’s okay. You’re such an excellent child.” She hesitated for a moment, then, like a mother, gently kissed Gu Zhongyi’s forehead and comforted him, “When the time comes, he will choose you again as his friend.”

Gu Zhongyi nodded silently, tears streaming down his face.

……..

Over the five years in Country X, he crossed the river of time with Lin Yuxing through the photos.

It was the optimistic and radiant smile of Lin Yuxing in the photos that became the sole support for Gu Zhongyi during his lonely years.

Unfortunately, the secretary’s behavior was discovered by Gu Zhuang five years later.

Gu Zhuang became furious, angrily dismissing the secretary and even threatening her career, forbidding her from uttering a single word about Lin Yuxing to Gu Zhongyi in the future.

Before they returned to the country, Gu Zhuang made arrangements to ensure that Cheng Rong would have an accident at the construction site, injuring his leg and accumulating debts. This forced Lin Yuxing’s family to live in hiding, completely leaving the place they used to live.

Gu Zhuang once again cut off any clues for Gu Zhongyi to find Lin Yuxing.

Amidst all the obstacles, Gu Zhongyi grew up like a caged bird, silent in his loneliness. He had completely lost Lin Yuxing and had become a puppet of Gu Zhuang.

It wasn’t until he met Qu Xing and learned from Xu Xiangchi about Lin Yuxing’s passing that he finally realized how pitiful and laughable his short life had been.

But fate had treated him well.

Gu Zhongyi didn’t know how many people had the chance to start their lives anew, but he had been given that opportunity.

This time, he would never let go of Lin Yuxing’s hand, nor would he let Gu Zhuang manipulate him again.

Tears streamed down Gu Zhongyi’s face like raindrops outside the window. He held Lin Yuxing tightly, gently placing a kiss on his shoulder, then another on his scar.

Startled, Lin Yuxing pushed him away.

“I like you!”

No matter how many times Gu Zhongyi said it, he would continue until Lin Yuxing believed him.

Gu Zhongyi, as if wanting to share Lin Yuxing’s pain, approached him with deep affection, holding the hands that Lin Yuxing didn’t know where to place. In his heart, Lin Yuxing’s scar was a painful past but also a blooming flower in his eyes.

And it could become a flower, not because of anything else, but because it was on Lin Yuxing’s body.

Gu Zhongyi said, “I like you, I like you.”

Repeating those words that were delayed by many years, he felt like it still wasn’t enough.

The sky in City D was always gloomy, especially in the evening when it was as dark as ink.

The room was brightly lit, with Lin Yuxing bare-chested, anxiously receiving Gu Zhongyi’s confessions , unable to recover his senses for a moment. He took a step back, and Gu Zhongyi would take a step forward.

Lin Yuxing’s back pressed against the cold wall, his brows slightly furrowed.

Gu Zhongyi straightforwardly embraced him, with the warm palm on his back, as if wanting to melt away the part he had always despised.

He couldn’t believe that there was someone in the world who fully accepted his scars.

Even Lin Xiufeng, his aunt, who always claimed to be good to him, couldn’t help but look away when seeing that scar.

Lin Yuxing knew just how terrible it was.

But Gu Zhongyi… he accepted it?

Taking advantage of Lin Yuxing’s momentary distraction, Gu Zhongyi’s lips touched his ear.

Lin Yuxing’s heart tingled, and he exclaimed, “S-Senior!”

“Mmm, I’m here.”

The simple words “I’m here” shattered Lin Yuxing’s countless defenses.

Love was a seed that grew silently, breaking through any barriers. Lin Yuxing’s uncontainable thoughts would sprout, bloom, and bear fruit.

His heartbeat grew louder, and the citrus pheromones on his body became stronger. The refreshing scent transformed into something sweeter than flowing honey.

Afraid that Gu Zhongyi would hear his heartbeat, Lin Yuxing nervously grabbed onto the hem of Gu Zhongyi’s clothes, doing some futile and anxious actions.

After a while, Lin Yuxing asked, “Are you really okay with it?”

“Yes.”

“Why aren’t you bothered?”

“Because I like you. I like everything about you.”

Gu Zhongyi not only wasn’t bothered, he was even willing to kiss Lin Yuxing’s scar again. He liked everything about Lin Yuxing.

“Yuxing, please give me an answer?”

Lin Yuxing’s lips moved, but no words came out.

Gu Zhongyi had once complained about being an Alpha. He had thought that if he were an Omega or Beta, Gu Zhuang would not burden him with these heavy loads and unrealistic expectations?

But at that moment, he was grateful to be an Alpha.

As an Alpha, Gu Zhongyi couldn’t resist Lin Yuxing. Their noses touched, and under the soft lighting, they exchanged ambiguous glances.

He knew that Lin Yuxing wouldn’t push him away anymore.

Gu Zhongyi tilted his head slightly and gently kissed Lin Yuxing’s lips, leading him into a whole new realm of understanding.

So, a kiss wasn’t something that ended with a light touch.

It could be sweet, soft, sticky, lingering, and long-lasting.

Lin Yuxing was astonished and instinctively tilted his head back, his mind going blank. He closed his eyes in Gu Zhongyi’s embrace. He slightly parted his lips, allowing Gu Zhongyi’s tongue to get into his mouth.

The tantalizing scent of bitter orange pressed against Lin Yuxing’s lips, kissing shallowly, deeply. He was captured greedily by Gu Zhongyi.

Gu Zhongyi’s kiss was hot and scorching, making Lin Yuxing’s lips numb. It felt like his tongue wasn’t his own. Lin Yuxing panicked, unable to find a rhythm to breathe. His legs went weak, and Gu Zhongyi’s strong arms held his waist, leaving him with no chance to push him away.

Gasping for breath, tears blurred Lin Yuxing’s vision as their lips reluctantly separated.

“Don’t… don’t kiss me! I… I can’t catch my breath…”

“Yuxing.” Gu Zhongyi lightly caressed his lips with his fingertips, feeling that it wasn’t enough, and gazed at him as he kissed him again forcefully. “Have you heard of practice makes perfect?”