ACBAM 56: Reaction

Gu Weiyang felt he hadn’t really used any strength at all, yet Dr. Su’s skin seemed to bruise easily. Just holding him for that short while had already left a mark on his wrist.

Feeling a little guilty, Gu Weiyang quickly shifted his gaze away from the wrist and stood up to put the medical kit back in order.

Su Shijin, still thinking about the last piece of cantaloupe he hadn’t finished cutting, got up as Gu Weiyang put the kit away and went into the kitchen to fetch a knife and continue slicing.

Seeing this, Gu Weiyang didn’t stop him. After all, Dr. Su was an adult and there was no need to forbid him from touching a knife just because of one careless accident.

Besides, Dr. Su had probably handled surgical scalpels more times than Gu Weiyang had ever touched a kitchen knife.

Only after Su Shijin finished cutting up the cantaloupe and placing it neatly on a fruit plate did Gu Weiyang ladle out two bowls of porridge from the clay pot.

The porridge in Su Shijin’s bowl was packed with pork ribs. Gu Weiyang had really been generous. Almost every spoonful was filled to the brim with meat. If this were sold outside, a bowl like this would cost twenty-eight yuan eighty.

Gu Weiyang set the bowl in front of him and reminded, “Careful, it’s hot.”

“Okay,” Su Shijin replied. He was really a little afraid of burning himself. After testing the heat of the bowl’s side with his hand and pulling back, he used the spoon instead, scooped up a spoonful, lowered his head to blow on it, and took a taste.

Mm. Not too salty, not too bland—the flavor was just right.

Su Shijin set down his spoon, deciding to wait until the porridge cooled a little before eating again. Food that’s too hot could damage the mucous membrane, and in serious cases even lead to esophageal cancer.

He picked up his chopsticks and tried some of the tomato and scrambled eggs Gu Weiyang had cooked. A bit regretfully, he thought it was a shame they hadn’t bought some flatbread or steamed buns. If they had, dipping them into the tomato-egg sauce would have been absolutely delicious.

Gu Weiyang, on the other hand, much preferred the porridge Dr. Su made. By the time Su Shijin was only halfway through his bowl, Gu Weiyang had already finished two, gnawing every rib clean, determined not to leave behind even the tiniest scrap of meat.

Watching Gu Weiyang finish his second bowl and go for a third, Su Shijin couldn’t help but let the corners of his lips curve into a smile.

In high spirits, Gu Weiyang sat down with his third bowl of porridge and praised, “Dr. Su, this porridge is really good.”

Even though Su Shijin could already tell from the way he had gone back for three servings, hearing the compliment out loud still made him happy.

“If you like it, then whenever I have time, I’ll cook again. I can make all kinds of porridge.” Su Shijin said.

For him, cooking porridge was much simpler than making stir-fry or anything else.

Hearing that, Gu Weiyang instinctively touched his stomach, thinking that if Dr. Su often cooked porridge at night, his abs might just disappear from eating too much.

As someone who valued his physique immensely, Gu Weiyang instantly grew alert. He decided that from now on he would have to step up his workouts. Starting tomorrow, he would add another half hour to his morning run, plus some anaerobic training, to keep his body in shape!

He wanted Dr. Su’s delicious cooking! He wanted his abs too!

—

After eating their fill, Su Shijin went into the kitchen and brought out the plate of sliced cantaloupe, setting two small forks beside it.

“Mr. Gu, there’s something I would like to discuss with you,” Su Shijin said.

“What is it?” Gu Weiyang instantly straightened up, looking at him with full alertness.

Yesterday, when Su Shijin had said he had something to talk about, he had almost lost his wife on the spot.

What does he want to discuss today?

Su Shijin paused briefly, then said softly, “No need to be so tense, it’s not about yesterday’s matter.”

Which meant, it had nothing to do with divorce.

Gu Weiyang let out a breath of relief. “That’s good.”

Aside from divorce, there were still things like separation that weighed on his mind. So only a few seconds after relaxing, his heart tightened again. He cautiously asked, testing the waters, “What is it you want to discuss?”

“It’s nothing serious, I just wanted to ask if you’re free this Saturday,” Su Shijin said gently, trying to ease Gu Weiyang’s nerves.

To him, the way Mr. Gu was now, carefully inquiring, was completely different from the rumors of someone dark, violent, and ruthless. He truly couldn’t understand how those stories had spread. Mr. Gu was clearly kind, gentle, and considerate, nothing at all like the words “dark and violent.”

“There’s a wedding banquet this Saturday. If you’re free, would you be willing to go with me?” Su Shijin asked.

So that was it…

Gu Weiyang finally relaxed completely, and his mind immediately began to buzz with excitement. Did this mean he was going to appear at a public social event as Dr. Su’s alpha?!!

His eyes lit up at once. “No problem, I’m free.”

Even if he weren’t, he would make the time!

However—

“Whose wedding is it?” Gu Weiyang asked curiously.

Su Shijin thought for a moment, his expression gradually turning blank and uncertain.

It seemed that he really didn’t know who exactly was getting married…

All he knew was that it was Aunt Jin’s child, but whether it was the son or the daughter, he wasn’t even sure that…

“It’s, um, an auntie’s child getting married,” Su Shijin said after thinking it over.

“Oh~” Gu Weiyang nodded in understanding.

So who was it, actually?

From Su Shijin’s reaction, he guessed the other didn’t really know either. Probably someone connected to Grandpa Su’s circle. He didn’t press further and naturally shifted the subject. “Do you have anything to do later?”

“No.” After a moment of thought, Su Shijin asked, “Are we going to do desensitization treatment?”

Gu Weiyang nodded. “Yes.”

The previous rounds of desensitization treatment had helped him gradually get used to Su Shijin’s scent. At the very least, when Dr. Su was injured today, he hadn’t immediately reacted to the omega’s pheromones—that was already a very good sign, and Gu Weiyang felt he could keep building on it.

Especially since, after Su Shijin’s soothing, the damage to his glands had indeed shown some improvement. In the past, his glands would sometimes ache faintly at night while he slept, but ever since starting desensitization, the omega’s pheromones had kept them well calmed.

On top of that, after what happened last night, Gu Weiyang’s feelings for Su Shijin had been laid bare. He had openly admitted that he liked him.

He worried that Su Shijin might, because of this, resist further contact with him and refuse to continue the desensitization treatment.

After all, it was Gu Weiyang who had concealed his feelings in the first place. If Su Shijin wanted to refuse, he really had no grounds to force the other into cooperating.

Feeling uneasy, Gu Weiyang looked toward Su Shijin, unsure whether he would agree or not.

Su Shijin hadn’t thought nearly as much as he had. Hearing that they were going to do desensitization treatment, he simply nodded without hesitation. “Sure, let’s clear the table first, then we can start.”

Gu Weiyang had spent so long mentally preparing himself, only for Su Shijin to agree so easily. For a moment, his feelings were complicated.

On the one hand, he was glad that Dr. Su truly meant what he had said, interacting with him just as usual, not deliberately avoiding him just because he had confessed his feelings.

On the other hand, Dr. Su’s openness made Gu Weiyang realize that he truly didn’t have those kinds of feelings for him. Otherwise, facing someone who liked him, how could he still be this calm.

Gu Weiyang’s heart was tugged along with Su Shijin’s every move, like riding a roller coaster—never knowing when it would climb with tense anticipation only to plunge down again.

Hiss. Why was he suddenly being so sentimental?

No wonder they say people in love are always sentimental.

Gu Weiyang felt that even when he was openly in love…. no, when he was secretly in love, he was still being dramatic.

With a sharp hiss between his teeth, Gu Weiyang stopped Su Shijin from clearing the table, gesturing that he would take care of it. Carrying the plates toward the kitchen, he decided he couldn’t keep overthinking.

It was a one-year agreement, and only a month had passed. No point dwelling on it. Just let things take their course.

Gu Weiyang loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, rinsed the clay pot that didn’t quite fit, then dried his hands and walked back to the living room.

Su Shijin had already set everything up around the sofa—fruit platter, snacks, and a lighthearted variety show playing on TV. As Gu Weiyang came over, he smoothly handed him a throw pillow.

After all, an omega’s pheromones could easily trigger a physiological reaction in an alpha during treatment, and Gu Weiyang needed the pillow to cover it up.

“If you’re ready, shall we start now?” Su Shijin asked, leaning back against the sofa.

Holding the pillow, Gu Weiyang sat at the other end, trying hard to steady his emotions. “Alright, let’s begin.”

As soon as he spoke, a faint mint-scented pheromone slowly drifted over from Dr. Su’s direction.

The scent was stronger than the trace of blood that had clung to Dr. Su’s fingertips earlier, cool and refreshing, clearing the mind, yet it also made the glands at the back of Gu Weiyang’s neck throb, a burning sensation swelling as if about to ignite.

An almost perfect compatibility rate was terrifying. With just a slight increase in concentration, the omega’s pheromones stirred up the impulses inside him, tugging them to the surface.

Gu Weiyang leaned his head back against the sofa, forcing himself to adapt to Dr. Su’s pheromones, while his arms tightened around the pillow, pressing it down silently against his thighs.

He had overestimated himself, thinking Gu Xiaoren could at least hold out a few minutes before reacting, but not even a minute had passed and Gu Xiaoren was already eager to move.

Gu Weiyang slowly let out a breath, fixing his gaze on the TV, forcing part of his focus onto the program to distract himself from Gu Xiaoren’s response.

Su Shijin, meanwhile, was eating cantaloupe piece by piece with a small fork, his attention fixed on the screen. He was carefully keeping his peripheral vision away from Mr. Gu, so this alpha wouldn’t feel uncomfortable if the pheromones had already stirred up a reaction.

The omega’s pheromones pulsed against Gu Weiyang’s glands, now light, now intense. He felt as if he didn’t even need to touch them to know that they were already swollen, like tiny peach pits.

If Dr. Su was to reach out and brush against his glands right now, Gu Weiyang figured he would surrender on the spot.

No, no—he couldn’t let his thoughts run wild.

Gu Weiyang realized his thoughts were heading somewhere dangerous and quickly reined them back, crossing his legs and pressing the pillow down to make sure not a trace of reaction showed.

About half an hour passed, the variety show not even halfway through, yet Gu Weiyang was already drenched in sweat from holding back. At last, he could no longer suppress his pheromones, and the faint scent of alcohol unique to an alpha spread from his body. He stopped things just in time.

“That’s enough. It’s getting late. Dr. Su, you should head upstairs and rest.” Gu Weiyang, flushed at the ears and the back of his neck, leaned against the sofa with his eyes closed, trying to ease the lingering sensations coursing through him.

Su Shijin withdrew his pheromones at once, tidied the coffee table a little, and thoughtfully set a box of tissues in front of him. “Then, Mr. Gu, I’ll head upstairs. Good night.”

“Mm, alright. Good night,” Gu Weiyang replied.

Only after Su Shijin’s footsteps faded upstairs and he was sure the man had gone into his room did Gu Weiyang slowly exhale, move the pillow aside, glance down at his pants, and curse under his breath. “Pathetic thing.”

Gu Xiaoren gave a small, aggrieved twitch in response.