ACBAM 10: Testing

He Lian started to suspect there was something wrong with her ears.

“You’re going to marry Gu Weiyang??” He Lian’s voice suddenly shot up on the last two words, almost cracking.

Su Shijin didn’t say anything. She waited until He Lian finally calmed down after flailing around in frustration, then nodded. “Thinking about it now, marriage really does have a lot of advantages for me.”

“Just because you don’t want to be pursued?” He Lian realized her voice had been too loud just now. She uncrossed her legs, leaned forward, and lowered her voice.

“Do you even know what you’re saying?”

“You’re getting married just to turn down a few suitors??”

“Did a donkey kick you in the head or something?!”

“I mean, if you don’t like them chasing after you, fine, I won’t introduce you to anyone anymore, alright?”

“You can’t just get married out of spite—what if you end up regretting it!”

Su Shijin quietly let her vent, not interrupting.

She knew He Lian was doing it for her own good. Most of the people around He Lian were wealthy and successful young men. Compared to Gu Weiyang, who had left the Gu family and achieved nothing, those men were obviously more ‘valuable.’

But sometimes, Su Shijin really was tired of being constantly pursued.

Some alphas would say, it’s fine if we don’t date—let’s just be friends.

Then on Valentine’s Day or other holidays, they would go all out trying to invite him out, saying things like, “We’re just friends, what’s wrong with hanging out together?”

Others were more subtle in their approach, simply giving him gifts.

But they somehow found out where he worked, and started bombarding the hospital front desk with flowers, cakes, milk tea, and the like. Su Shijin had clearly rejected them several times, but they just ignored it

They always made it sound so reasonable, “I’m just giving it to you—if you don’t want it, just throw it away.”

But when he actually did throw it away, they would say, “Su Shijin, you’re really a stone that can’t be warmed.”

Su Shijin had been genuinely confused because how did refusing their advances make him a stone that couldn’t be warmed?

Weren’t the ones who kept pursuing after being clearly rejected the truly annoying ones?

He Lian’s younger brother, He Hua, was exactly that type—an alpha who was very young, just barely an adult.

Su Shijin and He Lian met in college. At the time, He Lian was away on a business trip, and she sent a package that ended up at the wrong address. It was delivered to him instead.

So He Lian asked her younger brother to go pick it up for her, and that’s how he and He Hua ended up meeting.

He Hua fell for him at first sight.

At the time, He Hua was only seventeen, in his final year of high school, and when it came to pursuing someone, he was especially aggressive.

Su Shijin had turned him down several times, and made it very clear. “I don’t like you. I have no intention of dating you. Please stop wasting your time.”

If He Hua hadn’t been He Lian’s younger brother, Su Shijin might have been even more direct—something like, “Please stop interfering with my life.”

But no matter what Su Shijin said, this young alpha seemed convinced that as long as he kept chasing, Su Shijin would eventually be moved and give in.

That period was nothing short of a nightmare for Su Shijin.

Because he had to stay on guard for moments when a group of people would suddenly jump out from around a corner, bouncing and shouting as they surrounded him to give him flowers.

He also had to worry that even going to the movies alone could somehow be found out by He Hua—who would then show up at the end of the film, standing in front of the curtain and shouting his name, saying, “I’ll love you forever!”

At the time, there were still plenty of clueless bystanders in the theater who thought they were a couple, clapping and wishing them a lifetime of happiness.

After that incident, Su Shijin realized that a straightforward rejection was no longer enough.

He started saying harsh things, telling him, “I don’t like kids like you. You’re young, impulsive, living off your family’s money without achieving anything, only knowing how to chase after love. It’s like you’ll never grow up—completely immature.”

Maybe his words were too blunt, too cruel, and He Hua couldn’t take it.

The next day, that persistent presence around Su Shijin disappeared.

Later, he heard from He Lian that her brother had gone abroad, saying he wanted to gain real skills and come back to amaze everyone.

Su Shijin never thought He Hua going abroad had anything to do with him. He just assumed He Hua had come to his senses and wanted to improve himself.

Maybe after going overseas and meeting more people, He Hua would realize there were plenty of people in the world who were more outstanding and attractive than him, and he’d stop liking him.

But now, judging from the things He Lian was hinting at, it seemed He Hua still liked him.

Su Shijin couldn’t help but recall that period of being pursued, and a vague sense of irritation began to rise in his chest.

That irritation peaked when He Lian said someone had fallen for him at first sight and wanted his contact information.

Su Shijin was starting to feel that being liked by others was a burden—a kind of dead weight.

And the arrangement with Gu Weiyang seemed like it could solve most of his problems.

At the very least, for the next year, any alpha with a bit of decency wouldn’t harass a married omega.

Most importantly, Gu Weiyang didn’t like him. He wouldn’t trap him in that suffocating and overwhelming pressure that came with so-called “love.”

So Su Shijin had made up his mind—if his compatibility rate with Gu Weiyang really was high, and if it could help him with his pheromone desensitization, then marrying Gu Weiyang might not be such a bad idea.

He’d provide the pheromones, and Gu Weiyang would fend off unwanted admirers for him. It was a fair trade.

When He Lian finally ran out of things to say and gave up trying to persuade him, Su Shijin came back to his senses and looked at her.

“I’ve already made up my mind. You don’t need to keep trying,” Su Shijin said.

He Lian immediately felt like she was having a heart attack. “You’ve only met him a few times…”

“It’s fine. My first impression of him was decent enough,” Su Shijin didn’t see it as a problem. “We can get to know each other after marriage.”

He Lian opened her mouth, then let out a sigh and flopped back onto the couch.

Staring blankly at the ceiling, she said, “Alright then. If I’d known this was how it’d turn out, I wouldn’t have come today. Am I the trigger for your decision to get married?”

Su Shijin took a small sip of hot cocoa and shook his head at her words. “It’s not you.”

“Then it’s my brother. If not him, then that person who wanted your contact info. Either way, it still boils down to me.”

Su Shijin: ……

If you really wanted to round it like that, then he couldn’t argue with it.

He Lian finished her iced Americano without much enthusiasm. After the two of them sat in silence at the café for a while longer, she finally stood up to leave.

Su Shijin drank the last sip of his hot cocoa and watched as He Lian’s high heels clicked sharply against the floor. He figured she was probably a little upset that he had made such a rushed decision and refused to listen to advice.

But this was a path he had chosen himself. Su Shijin never regretted any decision he made.

Because in that exact moment of choosing, he was always picking the best and the most suitable option available to him.

—

On Saturday, Su Shijin met Gu Weiyang as planned at the entrance of First People’s Hospital.

Jiang City’s First People’s Hospital was the most accurate and authoritative facility in the city for pheromone testing.

By the time Su Shijin arrived, the parking lot was nearly full, and he had to drive around for quite a while before finally finding a spot.

When he got to the entrance, Gu Weiyang was already there.

The alpha looked like he had put in some effort. He was wearing a black trench coat, and his hair was styled casually with gel, revealing his sharp, striking features.

He was leaning casually against a pillar outside the hospital, looking down at his phone. His handsome face and impressive height drew quite a bit of attention.

When Su Shijin was still three or four meters away, the alpha seemed to sense something and looked up.

“Sorry, traffic was a bit heavy,” Su Shijin said.

“It’s fine.” Gu Weiyang seemed to be in a good mood. He casually slipped his phone into his pocket and said, “You’re not late.”

Su Shijin glanced at the time—he was, in fact, early.

He had arrived ten minutes ahead of schedule.

He wasn’t sure when Gu Weiyang had gotten there, but from what he could remember, all three times they had met, it had always been Gu Weiyang waiting for him.

Maybe he had a strong sense of punctuality and didn’t like being late?

Su Shijin was curious, but didn’t ask out loud.

He nodded at the alpha and gestured, “Let’s go in.”

The pheromone compatibility test had already been scheduled by Gu Weiyang the day before. After checking in, Gu Weiyang took Su Shijin to the testing center in the back, where all the departments related to pheromone testing were located.

The process for a compatibility test was simple. It’s just a blood draw and lab work. If you came in the morning, you could get the results by the afternoon.

Su Shijin was actually a little afraid of pain. When he rolled up his sleeve and extended his arm, his expression didn’t change, but he quietly turned his head to the side, pretending to read a nearby info poster.

Gu Weiyang, standing behind him, looked down and couldn’t help turning his head slightly with a small laugh. Then, holding back his amusement, he asked, “Have you decided what you want for lunch?”

“Hmm?” Su Shijin turned back to him in a daze. “You’re having lunch with me?”

Gu Weiyang thought it over for a moment and found the question oddly phrased.

“You got something to do later?” Gu Weiyang asked.

Su Shijin shook his head. “No.”

He wasn’t on duty today, and his appointment with Jian Lexin was tomorrow, so he really didn’t have anything planned.

“The report won’t be ready until the afternoon. If you’re free, how about we have lunch together and come back to pick it up afterward?” Gu Weiyang asked considerately.

“Sure… uh—”

The sudden pain in his arm made Su Shijin pause instinctively. He had been so caught up chatting with Gu Weiyang that he hadn’t mentally prepared himself at all for the needle.

He reflexively turned his head to look, only to have his view blocked by a pair of large hands.

Gu Weiyang had a faint smile at the corner of his lips as he said, “Look at my hand.”

Su Shijin: ?

He glanced at the hand—long, well-proportioned fingers, distinct knuckles, rough palms—nothing out of the ordinary.

Before Su Shijin could react, Gu Weiyang reached out and replaced the nurse’s hand with his own, pressing down on the cotton swab to stop the bleeding. “It’s nothing. I just get a little scared when I think about getting my blood drawn.”

Su Shijin was instantly filled with question marks.

Sorry, but he honestly couldn’t tell. It turns out an alpha like Gu Weiyang, who stood at 192 centimeters tall, was actually afraid of needles.

He must’ve been too caught up in his own assumptions. Su Shijin had thought someone who looked that rough around the edges would be more resistant to pain.

Taking the cotton swab from Gu Weiyang’s hand, Su Shijin instinctively said “Thank you.”

Thanks to Gu Weiyang’s distraction, he hadn’t even noticed when the needle went in.

In the past, whenever he got shots alone, he would get so nervous his palms would sweat.

Gu Weiyang watched as Su Shijin tossed the bloodied cotton swab into the medical waste bin and walked back over, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Can I ask you for a favor later?” Gu Weiyang asked.

Su Shijin looked down at him. “What is it?”

Gu Weiyang lowered his head slightly and softened his voice. “I’m a little scared—can you cover my eyes for me?”

“Would that be okay?”