ACBAM 55: Stop the Bleeding

The next morning, Gu Weiyang went for his usual jog and brought breakfast back on the way. After finishing breakfast, Su Shijin cleared the table, then drove off to work.

It was as if nothing had happened the night before, everything just the same as always.

Monday mornings were usually busy at Anshi Animal Hospital. Su Shijin didn’t get a break until after one in the afternoon, when he went out and bought a roujiamo to fill her stomach.

Toward the end of the workday, Su Shijin received a call from his grandfather, asking whether he would be coming home that weekend.

Su Shijin thought for a moment. Since he probably wouldn’t need to work overtime this weekend, he replied, “Yes, I’ll come back. Why did you call just to ask that, did something happen?”

Normally, whenever Su Shijin planned to go home, he would call his grandfather in advance on Thursday or Friday. If he didn’t make that call, it meant he was busy that week and couldn’t come back.

It was rare for his grandfather to call this far ahead to ask. Usually, it meant something was going on.

Su Shijin’s guess was right. Over the phone, Grandpa Su let out a sigh and said, “Your Aunt Jin’s child is getting married this Saturday. They sent us an invitation. They’ve also heard about your marriage and want you and that Gu boy to come to the wedding banquet together.”

“Aunt Jin?” It had been so long since Su Shijin last heard that name that it took him quite a while to remember who she was.

Grandpa Su said, “Mm, I don’t know if you still remember. She was Muran’s close friend. Back when Muran was still alive, she often came to visit, and every time she brought you plenty of gifts.”

Muran was Su Shijin’s omega father, Song Muran.

Su Shijin had a faint impression, but that must have been before he turned five.

Ever since his omega father passed away, that Aunt Jin seemed to have disappeared from their lives.

“It’s been so many years since she’s seen you, she’s probably missed you. If you don’t have anything going on this Saturday, bring that Gu boy back with you,” Grandpa Su said with a sigh. Perhaps it was because he thought of Song Muran that his voice carried a trace of sorrow.

Although Song Muran wasn’t his biological son, ever since he married into the Su family, Grandpa Su had truly treated him as his own.

But sadly, when Su Shijin was five, Song Muran passed away from illness, his body and spirit both worn down by heavy blows.

After hanging up the phone, Su Shijin sat in silence for a long while before finally standing to tidy up the consultation room, then went to the changing room to switch back into his own clothes.

He got off work early today, so by the time Su Shijin arrived home, Gu Weiyang wasn’t back yet.

Putting on an apron, Su Shijin began washing the vegetables he planned to cook for dinner, all while wondering whether or not he should attend the wedding banquet.

Su Shijin rarely attended these kinds of weddings. As the only grandson of the Su family, every time he showed up at such an event, it was impossible to avoid socializing with peers from other families.

Especially after he became an adult, occasions like these always meant elders trying to introduce him to potential partners, something that endlessly annoyed him.

Although things had improved somewhat after he made it clear he had given up the Su family business to become a veterinarian, there were still plenty of people who tried to approach him through various social gatherings.

Yet now, things seemed different.

Su Shijin realized—he was married now! Even if some elder still wanted to introduce him to someone, even if someone tried to ask for his contact information under the excuse of “starting as friends,” he could use Mr. Gu as his shield.

The thought suddenly cleared his mind. Attending the wedding didn’t seem so bad after all.

The only question was whether Mr. Gu would be willing.

—

Around seven-thirty in the evening, a black Cayenne drove through the courtyard gate and pulled into the garage.

The kitchen door was open, and when Su Shijin heard the sound of the door, he set down what he was holding and stood at the doorway to greet him. “Mr. Gu, you’re back?”

At the entryway, Gu Weiyang was changing his shoes. The moment he heard Su Shijin’s voice, the fatigue from his workday vanished. Smiling, he looked over at him. “Mm, I’m back.”

After slipping on his house shoes, Gu Weiyang walked toward the kitchen and said, “Things were a bit busy at the company today, so I got off late. What are you making? Let me take care of the rest.”

Feeling a little embarrassed, Su Shijin stepped aside. “I only made some porridge…”

He wasn’t good at stir-frying, but when it came to boiling things, he could manage.

Gu Weiyang noticed the clay pot simmering on the stove over a low flame, and a light fragrance reached him. “What kind of porridge? Smells wonderful.”

“Corn and pork rib porridge,” Su Shijin replied.

Gu Weiyang nodded, then glanced at the other ingredients laid out on the counter. “How about stir-fried tomato and egg, and some mushrooms with greens?”

Su Shijin nodded as well. “Mm, if you’d like something else too, that’s fine.”

Right now, what Gu Weiyang wanted most was to eat the porridge Su Shijin had made, everything else felt unimportant.

Tomato and egg stir-fry and mushrooms with greens were both simple home-style dishes, quick to prepare.

While Gu Weiyang was busy with the cooking, Su Shijin took out a Hami melon and began cutting the flesh into pieces to place in a fruit plate for easy eating.

Seeing this, Gu Weiyang poured oil into the pan while reminding him, “Careful with your hands.”

Su Shijin nodded and answered again to show he could be careful. He sliced the Hami melon in half, scooped out the seeds with a spoon, then cut it into strips. Holding the fruit knife with care, he separated the flesh from the rind piece by piece.

As Gu Weiyang heated the pan and poured in the oil, he stole a glance in Su Shijin’s direction. Even just watching Dr. Su cut fruit with a small knife, he thought he looked unbearably beautiful.

The corners of Gu Weiyang’s lips lifted slightly as he poured the beaten eggs into the pan.

While stir-frying, he even took a moment to check on the porridge simmering in the clay pot.

Just as Su Shijin had said, he had put in plenty of pork ribs. The corn kernels had blended with the rice, releasing a rich and fragrant aroma.

Gu Weiyang picked up a ceramic ladle and stirred the porridge to keep it from sticking to the bottom, all while realizing that he was starting to feel hungry.

By the time the porridge was nearly done, Gu Weiyang had also finished stir-frying the two dishes.

He carried them over to the dining table, then slipped on oven mitts to bring out the clay pot, setting it on a trivet so it wouldn’t scorch the table.

“Dr. Su, let’s eat,” Gu Weiyang called toward the kitchen after laying out the bowls and chopsticks.

Carefully cutting the last of the Hami melon, Su Shijin quickened his pace a little when he heard the call. “Almost done,” he replied.

Just as the words left his mouth, his whole body trembled. He drew in a sharp hiss of breath, and the fruit knife clattered onto the cutting board.

“What happened?” Gu Weiyang, who had just been about to remind him to slow down, rushed over at the sound. Grabbing Su Shijin’s left hand, he saw a cut on his index finger, blood welling from the wound as a faint scent of mint spread with it.

“Hss…”

This time it was Gu Weiyang who sucked in a breath. “Does it hurt? I should’ve waited until you finished before calling you to eat.”

He didn’t blame Su Shijin for being careless but instead, he blamed himself.

Su Shijin lifted his eyes to glance at him, then looked away. “It’s fine, just a small cut.”

After saying that, Su Shijin lowered his head, intending to put his finger in his mouth to stop the bleeding. Yet before he could even open his lips, his hand was yanked away by Gu Weiyang.

“What are you doing?” Gu Weiyang stared at him in shock. “Don’t you know saliva carries bacteria?”

Su Shijin parted his lips, trying to explain. “I just wanted to stop the bleeding first…”

Gu Weiyang frowned. “That doesn’t mean you should use your mouth. We have a first aid kit at home, there’s plenty of things to stop the bleeding.”

Su Shijin let out a quiet “oh,” and allowed himself to be led by the wrist to the living room sofa, where he sat obediently, waiting as Gu Weiyang went to fetch the kit.

The supplies inside were all newly stocked not long ago. The seal on the iodine bottle hadn’t even been broken yet.

Gu Weiyang crouched in front of Su Shijin, taking out cotton swabs, iodine, and bandages. He opened a box of swabs, dipped one in iodine, and carefully wiped away the blood from Su Shijin’s finger.

Fortunately, after going through desensitization treatments, Gu Weiyang had grown somewhat used to the scent of omega pheromones. With the wound treated promptly, the bleeding soon stopped after disinfection, and the alpha managed to firmly suppress the stirrings that the enticing scent had provoked.

Gu Weiyang tore open a bandage and carefully pressed it over the cut. Only after smoothing it into place did he let out a breath of relief. “All done. For now, be careful with this hand—try not to get it wet.”

Su Shijin bent his injured finger slightly, easing the lingering discomfort left from Mr. Gu’s careful touch with the swab.

Then his gaze dropped to his wrist, where he saw the red marks left behind by Mr. Gu’s urgent grip. It was standing out starkly against his pale skin.

“Mr. Gu, maybe next time you could use a little less strength.” Su Shijin pointed at his wrist and spoke softly.

Seeing the marks he had left on that wrist, Gu Weiyang swallowed slowly. “…Alright.”