ACBAM 48: Cold

It was probably because he had breathed in Mr. Gu’s pheromones the night before. A highly compatible alpha’s pheromones could, to some extent, have a soothing effect on an omega. So that night, Su Shijin slept quite well, dreamless until dawn.

When he woke up, it was only six-thirty, yet Su Shijin didn’t feel the slightest trace of drowsiness or fatigue.

Ever since he started living with Mr. Gu, his sleep has been getting better and better.

After washing up, Su Shijin changed into fresh clothes. The sky was overcast today and it looked like it might rain. The wind that came in through the open window was a bit chilly, so he slipped on a jacket.

By the time he went downstairs, it was almost seven. Just as he opened the door, he happened to run into the neighbor, Gu Weiyang.

Mr. Gu looked as if he had just woken up, the corners of his eyes and the tip of his nose tinged red. When he saw Su Shijin, he instinctively greeted him, “Good morning, Dr. Su.”

His voice was so hoarse it sounded like it had been scraped with a saw.

Gu Weiyang’s expression looked even more surprised than Su Shijin’s, as if he hadn’t expected his own voice to turn out like that.

He turned his head slightly, cleared his throat, and asked, “How about dumplings for breakfast?”

His voice sounded even raspier.

“Sure.” Su Shijin felt that what they ate wasn’t the most important thing right now. What mattered was, “Mr. Gu, did you catch a cold?” he asked with concern.

Gu Weiyang was silent for a moment before admitting, “Seems like it.”

Alphas weren’t made of iron. Even someone like Gu Weiyang, after taking several cold showers in one night and then standing under cold water for over half an hour to calm little Gu Xiaoren, inevitably came down with a cold.

“It’s just my throat that feels a bit uncomfortable, it’s fine. I’ll take some cold medicine later,” Gu Weiyang said.

After they went downstairs, he headed to the kitchen to boil some frozen dumplings and also steamed a few shumai.

Su Shijin stood at the kitchen doorway and asked, “Where’s the medicine box?”

Gu Weiyang pointed in a direction and said quietly, “In the cabinet under the back of the sofa.”

Squatting by the cabinet, Su Shijin searched for a moment, then pulled out an oversized transparent medicine box. Inside, it was fully stocked, looking as if it had every kind of medicine imaginable.

As Su Shijin rummaged through the medicine box for cold medicine, he raised his voice to ask about Mr. Gu’s condition. “Mr. Gu, is it just a sore throat? Do you have any other symptoms?”

Mr. Gu poked his head out of the kitchen. “No. Are you looking for medicine for me?”

Su Shijin nodded. “Mm.”

Getting a definite answer, Gu Weiyang pulled his head back with satisfaction, feeling that catching a cold hadn’t been in vain. At least it had earned him Dr. Su’s concern.

After searching through the medicine box for quite a while, Dr. Su came to a disappointing discovery—everything was expired.

No one knew when Mr. Gu had bought those medicines, but quite a few of them had already been out of date for over a year.

Left with no other choice, Dr. Su ordered two boxes of Ganmaoling through a food delivery app.

Maybe because his throat was uncomfortable, Gu Weiyang ate breakfast more slowly today, and he didn’t eat as much as usual.

Right after they finished eating, the delivery with the medicine arrived. Su Shijin brought it in and glanced at the instructions. “Take it half an hour after meals. It’s a powder you mix with water. If it doesn’t get better in two days, go to the hospital and get a new prescription.”

Only then did Gu Weiyang realize belatedly, “We don’t have any cold medicine at home?”

At that, Su Shijin sighed. “Other than the band-aids, which have a longer shelf life, almost everything else has expired.”

The medicines Gu Weiyang had bought usually had just a year or two before their expiration. Some had only been past the date by a month or two, but they still couldn’t be taken.

Gu Weiyang let out an “ah” of understanding. “It’s because I hardly ever get sick. The medicine I bought was basically just kept around for emergencies.”

Looking at Gu Weiyang’s build, Su Shijin had to admit he really didn’t seem like the type to fall sick easily.

“Did you catch a chill when the temperature dropped last night? It’s not quite warm enough for just a single layer yet. You’d better bring a jacket to work today,” Su Shijin reminded him. “Don’t underestimate a little cold—if you catch another chill, it could easily get worse.”

It seemed second nature for Dr. Su to look after patients. Back at the hospital, whenever a cat or dog caught a cold or had just come out of surgery, he would always remind the owners how the medicine should be given and what to watch out for.

Su Shijin’s voice carried a cool, clear tone. Even when he spoke quickly, there was never any rush or impatience in it. Listening to him gave people a sense of calm and quiet comfort.

Gu Weiyang listened to Dr. Su’s instructions with a faint smile at the corner of his lips, nodding again and again, looking completely obedient. “Got it, I’ll do whatever Dr. Su says.”

Dr. Su quietly slipped the Ganmaoling into his hand and said softly, “Don’t just listen to me. Read the instructions and follow it. I’m only a vet.”

Gu Weiyang: …

A vet is still a doctor.

Besides, judging from how he reacted in the room last night, he was plenty beastly, so why couldn’t a vet count?

Mr. Gu’s self-assessment was a little too on point. Seeing him staring off into space, lost in thoughts Su Shijin couldn’t guess, he couldn’t help letting out a sigh.

“I’ll message you to remind you to take your medicine. It’s getting late, I’d better head to work.” Without realizing it, Su Shijin had taken on the role of “owner” here, just like he did at the animal hospital.

The only difference was that the owners of cats and dogs had to personally wrestle their disobedient pets into taking their medicine.

Dr. Su, on the other hand, only needed to remind this tall, broad-shouldered alpha to take his medicine on time.

Gu Weiyang had no idea that, in Su Shijin’s mind, his place was already about the same as that of a sick cat or dog.

Even if he did know, Gu Weiyang wouldn’t be upset. On the contrary, he would be delighted.

Mr. Gu was quite content being treated like a beast.

—

After clocking in at the hospital and changing into his uniform, Su Shijin first examined a cat’s eyes, then checked the legs of a small dog. Only after that did he find a moment to remind Gu Weiyang not to forget his morning dose of medicine.

When Gu Weiyang received the message, he had just arrived at the company and was in a meeting with Tan Zhao and the others. The corners of his lips couldn’t help but lift slightly as he read it.

A balding manager was in the middle of giving his report. Catching sight of the faint, inexplicable smile on Gu Weiyang’s face, he flinched nervously and asked in a low voice, “President Gu, is there a problem?”

Gu Weiyang set down his phone. “Sorry, I was just replying to a message from my partner. I caught a bit of a cold, and he reminded me to take my medicine on time. Go on.”

The balding manager let out a couple of quick “oh, oh”s, then very tactfully added, “Your relationship with your partner must be wonderful.”

Gu Weiyang waved his hand repeatedly. “It’s just a cold, he’s a little worried, that’s all. Alright, continue.”

Gu Weiyang didn’t let the topic drag on. After all, they were still in the middle of a meeting.

Tan Zhao, sitting nearby, had already seen through everything with a cold eye. Even at a time like this, he still found a way to sneak in a display of affection. Truly, that was just like him.

Tan Zhao remained as frosty as ever, kicking over that bowl of dog food and declaring he wasn’t eating it.

But just because Tan Zhao refused didn’t mean the others didn’t end up eating their fill.

It was obvious to everyone that after President Gu was praised for having a good relationship with his partner, his whole face lit up like a man basking in the spring breeze.

Although later he still picked on a point in the report and laid into the balding manager with biting sarcasm, the smile on his face was so warm that even the one being scolded felt like he was basking in the spring breeze. It was nothing at all like the fierce, sharp-tongued man from before.

And so, everyone came to a realization.

What exactly they realized, Tan Zhao had no idea.

All he knew was that, from then on, Gu Weiyang somehow kept finding endless opportunities to flaunt his relationship.

To the point that during that period, Tan Zhao was stuffed full of dog food alone.