ACBAM 74: To Coax

The bar was noisy, and Su Shijin, who had been about to leave because of the commotion, felt his heart calm instantly when he saw the message from Gu Weiyang.

To an outsider, this beautiful omega with a cold and unapproachable aura, now revealed a gentle smile at his phone—like ice melting—which was undeniably captivating.

Many alphas who prided themselves on their looks, watched this and felt an urge to approach and strike up a conversation.

If they could make this cold and distant omega smile at them like that, they couldn’t imagine how delightful it would feel to both body and mind.

Before they could make a move, a tall alpha, accompanied by five or six equally tall alphas, sat down at the booth next to the omega. Their gaze was filled with threat, their faces clearly warning, “Try to hit on him if you dare.”

In the end, the alphas who still had some sense gave up on approaching. Li Wu perfectly fulfilled the request Tan Zhao had sent, secretly rubbing his hands in anticipation, wondering what reward President Gu might give him—it certainly wouldn’t be little.

Meanwhile, Su Shijin didn’t notice the brief stir of activity around him at all; all he could focus on was the chat interface on his phone.

[Su Shijin: Where are you now?] 

Su Shijin tapped lightly on the screen and sent the message.

Gu Weiyang replied quickly: [At the company.]

Su Shijin glanced at the time. It was already 11 p.m. 

[Su Shijin: Working overtime again?]

In the past few days, whenever Su Shijin was about to go to bed, Gu Weiyang was usually still working late at the company.

[Su Shijin: Don’t stay up too late, take care of yourself.]

Gu Weiyang didn’t reply immediately. Su Shijin watched the “typing…” notification at the top of the screen, and after a long moment, a message finally appeared.

[Gu Weiyang: I miss you.]

In an instant, Su Shijin’s heart truly softened.

He could almost imagine the expression on Gu Weiyang’s face as he held his phone and typed those words.

It was definitely endearing.

Once Su Shijin was clear about his own feelings, it became even harder to resist Gu Weiyang’s straightforward expression of longing.

If it weren’t for his remaining sense of reason, Su Shijin truly wanted to buy a plane ticket and go back immediately.

But lies need to be covered up. He had said he was attending a two-week seminar and if he went back early now, he would probably have to come up with another excuse.

One lie requires countless others to make up for it and Su Shijin didn’t want to deceive him any longer.

Because of his guilty conscience, Su Shijin was even considering whether he should tell Gu Weiyang the truth when he returned.

But not now. Su Shijin needed the remaining week to sort out his feelings before confessing.

His fingers lingered on the screen for a moment. Staring at the words “I miss you,” he tapped the plus sign in the bottom right corner and hovered over the video call option, but in the end, he didn’t press it.

The place he was at now wasn’t suitable for a call—he would be discovered.

Gu Weiyang’s big, pitiful dog-like eyes kept replaying in Su Shijin’s mind. After a moment of thought, Su Shijin replied: [We can video call when you get home from work.]

This way, by the time Gu Weiyang got home, Su Shijin would have roughly enough time to return to the hotel and change his clothes without being caught for having been out.

Su Shijin wasn’t good at expressing his emotions, and he didn’t know how to reply to Gu Weiyang’s “I miss you.” He could only show that he missed him too through his actions.

He was even thinking that next time, he would definitely come to this place on vacation with him.

After sending the message, Gu Weiyang didn’t reply for a long time. Su Shijin wasn’t worried; he finished the last few sips of his drink and then got up to leave.

Li Wu quickly gestured to the people beside him, signaling them to escort Su Shijin out, to prevent any other alphas from acting inappropriately.

In reality, even without Li Wu, no other alpha would have had the chance to mess with Su Shijin.

As soon as Su Shijin stepped out of the bar, a hotel shuttle was waiting outside. Once he got on, it would take only five minutes to reach the hotel safely.

Su Shijin was very conscious of his own safety as an omega and naturally wouldn’t give anyone an opportunity to take advantage of him.

On the way back, his phone, which had been quiet for a while, started vibrating continuously.

When he opened it, he saw a string of messages from Gu Weiyang.

[Gu Weiyang: !!]

[Gu Weiyang: !!!]

[Gu Weiyang: Wait! I’m coming back right away!]

[Gu Weiyang: Wait for me.]

Obviously, when Gu Weiyang saw that message, his brain briefly short-circuited. By the time he realized it, he was so excited he could hardly form words.

After hurriedly replying to Su Shijin’s messages, Gu Weiyang quickly tidied up the files on his desk, grabbed his car keys, and rushed out.

Tan Zhao, carrying a cup of instant noodles from the break room, happened to run into Gu Weiyang in his flustered and hurried state.

“What are you doing? Why are you in such a rush?” Tan Zhao slurped his instant noodles, watching Gu Weiyang’s fingers almost sparking against the elevator buttons. He had to speak up to stop him. “No matter how fast you press, the elevator’s speed won’t change.”

Gu Weiyang knew that but he was just too impatient right now. Waiting for the elevator felt unbearable so he might as well press the buttons a few more times.

“What’s going on? Did something happen that you’re leaving so suddenly?” Tan Zhao saw that Gu Weiyang was completely focused on waiting for the elevator and hadn’t even registered his words. He had to step forward a couple of steps to ask, “Or is it something with your omega?”

Tan Zhao figured that even if the company went bankrupt, Gu Weiyang wouldn’t be this anxious.

The only thing that could make Gu Weiyang this flustered was probably that omega.

Gu Weiyang’s phone buzzed and he quickly looked down at the message.

Su Shijin replied: [No rush, take your time, and be careful on the way.]

Only then did Gu Weiyang take a deep breath, slowly exhaling, forcing himself to calm down.

He had already shared a bed with Dr. Su; now it was just a video call. No need to act like he had never seen the world—he had to stay calm.

With that thought, Gu Weiyang indeed calmed down considerably.

It had been a week since he last saw Su Shijin, and Gu Weiyang hadn’t even called, fearing he might disturb him. Now that he could video call, Gu Weiyang was genuinely happy.

Tan Zhao looked at Gu Weiyang’s face, all dreamy and lovestruck, and couldn’t help but speculate. “Your omega didn’t happen to say something to coax you, did he?”

Gu Weiyang finally glanced back at him. “Do I look that easy to coax?”

Before Tan Zhao could answer, he nodded to himself. “I really am easy to coax.”

Just moments ago, he had been listless and down, and now, just because of a single “we can video call,” he was bursting with energy as if he had taken a stimulant. Isn’t that exactly what being easy to coax looks like?

Gu Weiyang’s self-awareness was so clear that Tan Zhao, who had intended to tease him, got stuck halfway and could only manage, “Can you be a little more clear-headed?”

Put down your lovesick brain, okay?

The elevator dinged and Gu Weiyang strode in, casually waving at Tan Zhao. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it myself.”

Tan Zhao watched the uncontrollable smile on Gu Weiyang’s face and, in the last second before the elevator doors closed, shouted, “Handle it yourself my foot!!”

He would probably help Su Shijin count the money even if he sold you out!!