ACBAM 76: Expose

That night, Gu Weiyang was too excited to sleep while Su Shijin, on the other hand, managed to sleep soundly, not waking up until after nine in the morning.

After waking up, Su Shijin first closed his eyes and lay still for a moment before reaching for his phone to check his messages.

Gu Weiyang had sent him a good morning message and judging by the time, it was a little past seven in the morning.

Su Shijin replied with a good morning message, then got up to wash up.

By the time he finished, the hotel breakfast service had already ended. After getting ready and putting on sunglasses, he decided to go out and grab a quick bite.

The hotel he was staying at was close to the sea, surrounded by only one or two pricey restaurants and various shops selling swim rings and swimsuits. The restaurants didn’t open until 10 a.m., so Su Shijin had no choice but to follow the navigation and head further north.

About a kilometer from the seaside, there was a commercial street filled with snack shops and specialty stores.

Su Shijin found a nearby snack shop, went in and ordered a bowl of wontons. He sat in a corner and slowly began eating.

Suddenly, his phone chimed with a “ding,” and Su Shijin unlocked the screen to see a message from Gu Weiyang—it was a picture.

Su Shijin opened the picture and saw what Gu Weiyang had taken.

It was a photo of a conference room. In the picture, the large and heavy black conference table was surrounded by people. Su Shijin recognized a familiar face near the angle where the photo was taken, it was Tan Zhao.

The phone chimed again several times.

Su Shijin exited the picture and saw that Gu Weiyang had sent several messages in a row.

[Gu Weiyang: In a meeting, my replies might be slow.]

[Gu Weiyang: I’m about to be pissed off by these people. They’re getting paid so much, yet the project reports they present are so useless.]

[Gu Weiyang: But I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll be a bit gentler when I scold them later.]

[Gu Weiyang: Did you just wake up? Have you had breakfast yet?]

[Gu Weiyang: Small dog hopping.gif]

Su Shijin had expected that Gu Weiyang would ask why he woke up so late or if he wasn’t attending any seminar today, and he had even prepared an excuse for it.

Yet to his surprise, Gu Weiyang didn’t ask any of those questions. He only cared whether or not Su Shijin had eaten.

Su Shijin took a photo of the wontons he was eating and sent it to him, then began replying to the messages Gu Weiyang had just sent.

He replied to the first message: [It’s fine, you go ahead with your meeting.]

For the second message, Su Shijin thought for a moment, then replied with something sweet: [After all, they’re not as smart as you.]

For the third message: [Remember to drink water after you finish scolding them.]

And for the fourth message: [I’m having wontons, but the taste is average. There’s very little meat filling.]

Finally, he sent: [Kitten scratching ears.gif]

After sending the message, Gu Weiyang didn’t reply for a while, probably because he was busy.

Su Shijin slowly finished the average-tasting wontons, one spoonful at a time, then stood up with phone in hand, and headed back to the hotel.

According to Su Shijin’s previous plan, he had intended to visit the more well-known attractions and entertainment spots nearby. However, after coming to terms with his feelings for Gu Weiyang the day before, Su Shijin changed his mind.

The feeling of visiting a place for the first time is completely different from the second time around.

Su Shijin wanted to bring Gu Weiyang here for a vacation, so he couldn’t explore everything by himself beforehand. If he did, it would take away much of the excitement when they came together later.

So, Su Shijin decided to stay at the hotel for the next few days and not go out unless absolutely necessary.

On his way back, Su Shijin received a reply from Gu Weiyang.

It seemed like Gu Weiyang was in a great mood, as he sent several laughing emojis and wrote: [I accidentally laughed out loud when I saw your message. They thought I was laughing out of anger, and now they’re too scared to speak up with their reports.]

Su Shijin imagined that scene for a moment and couldn’t help but smile, letting out a soft laugh.

On the way back to the hotel, Su Shijin and Gu Weiyang chatted casually, still about nothing particularly meaningful, but they were topics they hadn’t discussed before.

Sometimes, the desire to share does indeed reveal whether one person likes the other.

For instance, right now, as Su Shijin was walking along the road, he saw a big orange cat licking its own backside with its back legs raised high, performing an almost unbelievable stretch thanks to the cat’s natural flexibility.

Unable to resist, Su Shijin took a picture of the orange cat and sent it to Gu Weiyang, saying: [It’s getting so fat, it might not be able to lick its own butt soon.]

Gu Weiyang, seeing the photo, replied: [From the side, that raised leg looks like a big chicken drumstick.]

Su Shijin turned to take a quick glance, and sure enough, the raised leg did look like a big chicken drumstick.

[Gu Weiyang: Tell it, “Cat, you’re a big chicken drumstick.”]

Su Shijin let out a soft laugh. He had never been this childish but he couldn’t help himself and teased the big orange cat in front of him. “Cat, you’re a big chicken drumstick.”

The fat orange cat, not sure if it understood, lifted its head from its rear, looking at him with a stunned and confused expression. It kept its tongue out, looking adorably silly.

Su Shijin aimed the camera at the little cat, recorded a video, and sent it to Gu Weiyang, saying, “The cat understood. Now you need to apologize to it.”

After a while, Gu Weiyang sent a voice message that lasted a few seconds.

Su Shijin opened the voice message, and Gu Weiyang’s deep, magnetic voice came through the phone. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called you a big chicken drumstick.”

Su Shijin couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

The orange cat, looking confused at this strange omega in front of it, lowered its head again to lick its backside. Perhaps it felt that position was getting a bit tiring so it gracefully stretched out, then strutted away with a catwalk.

Su Shijin watched the cat walk away, then replayed the voice message Gu Weiyang had sent.

If Gu Weiyang were standing in front of Su Shijin right now, he would notice that the usually composed Dr. Su had a faint blush on his cheeks from the sun and through the layer of sunglasses, there was an unprecedented tenderness in his gaze.

Liking someone truly is a frightening thing.

It sways a person’s emotions and every move the other person makes can stir your joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.

A seemingly insignificant little thing can make you happy for a long time.

Su Shijin felt lucky that when he started liking Gu Weiyang, Gu Weiyang had already liked him even more, sparing him from the uncertainty and anxiety that came with the unfamiliar feeling of ‘liking.’

But before this, how had Gu Weiyang managed to endure the one-sided love, knowing it might never be returned?

Had he ever felt uncertain? Had he ever felt anxious?

Had he ever considered giving up?

In the past, Su Shijin believed that all his softness toward Gu Weiyang came from their highly compatible pheromones. So, whenever he faced Gu Weiyang’s actions or responses, he never considered how the other person might feel.

Yet now, Su Shijin felt a tiny bit of regret.

If only he had been a little gentler when rejecting Mr. Gu back then.

—

After returning to the hotel, Su Shijin turned on the air conditioning, lay down on the rocking chair near the floor-to-ceiling window, and played on his phone, chatting with Mr. Gu.

In the evening, Su Shijin went to the restaurant for dinner then took a walk by the seaside.

At around 9 p.m., Su Shijin received a message from Gu Weiyang, asking if they could video call.

Su Shijin didn’t refuse. He placed his phone back in its previous position and initiated the video call with Mr. Gu.

The ringtone played for only two seconds before the call was answered.

Mr. Gu appeared on the screen, smiling as he greeted him. “Good evening, Dr. Su.”

Su Shijin smiled lightly and responded, “Good evening, Mr. Gu.”

With the temptation of a video call, Gu Weiyang finished work much earlier than usual today and the two of them chatted for quite a long time.

Su Shijin didn’t realize he could have so much to talk about with Mr. Gu. He had always thought of himself as someone who wasn’t very good with words.

Around 11 p.m., Gu Weiyang suggested that they both get some rest and they wished each other goodnight.

That night, both of them had a good sleep.

In the following days, Su Shijin’s life continued in its usual routine, unchanged.

He woke up, had breakfast, chatted with Mr. Gu, and watched TV; had lunch, returned for a nap, chatted with Mr. Gu, watched TV, and went for a walk by the sea after the sun set; had dinner, then video-called Mr. Gu, said goodnight, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

It seemed like an ordinary and uneventful few days but with Mr. Gu’s involvement, everything became interesting.

Four days later, Su Shijin packed his luggage, checked out of the hotel, and left F City three days earlier than planned.

He took the earliest flight, which was a direct flight to Jiang City. By the time he landed, it was just after 10 a.m.

Before the plane took off, Su Shijin thought that Gu Weiyang might still be asleep so he didn’t message him to say he was heading back, not wanting to wake him up.

To be honest, Su Shijin admitted he had a bit of a mischievous side. He was curious to see how Mr. Gu would react once he found out that Su Shijin had already arrived in Jiang City.

After getting off the plane, Su Shijin immediately checked his phone and found a few messages from Gu Weiyang.

[Gu Weiyang: Good morning~]

[Gu Weiyang: I got distracted while frying an egg and burnt it]

[Gu Weiyang: Image]

[Gu Weiyang: Heading to work now~]

His tone was cheerful and it seemed that the video calls over the past few days had really helped soothe him.

Otherwise, no one would be so happy to go to work.

Su Shijin walked along the skybridge into the airport, heading towards the luggage area while replying: [Good morning, I’ve arrived in Jiang City.]

After sending the message, Su Shijin put his phone away and waited for Gu Weiyang’s response.

Fifteen minutes later, after retrieving his luggage and getting into a taxi, his phone suddenly began vibrating wildly.

At first, Su Shijin thought that Gu Weiyang had sent him several messages in quick succession. Yet when he took out his phone, he realized that Gu Weiyang had actually called him directly. It seemed that the message had truly given him quite a shock. 

Su Shijin answered the phone, “Mr. Gu.”

“You’re already in Jiang City!!?” Gu Weiyang’s voice came through the phone, filled with both shock and excitement.

Su Shijin: “Mm, just arrived.”

“Where are you now? At the airport? I’ll drive over to pick you up,” Gu Weiyang’s voice came through, accompanied by some rustling sounds, probably as he stood up to grab his car keys and got ready to head out.

Su Shijin quickly responded, “No need, I’m already in a taxi. I’ll be home soon.”

Then, Su Shijin furrowed his brows slightly, his fingers instinctively curling a bit. He asked, a bit confused, “How did you… know I was taking a plane?”

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone.

Su Shijin had a vague suspicion, his voice trailing off, “Did you already know I’d be flying back? Then, you…”

Before Su Shijin could finish speaking, Gu Weiyang quickly interrupted him, “No, wait, let me explain.”

“Ah?” Su Shijin was momentarily stunned, not understanding what Gu Weiyang needed to explain.

If it had to do with his trip to F City being exposed, then it should be him explaining, right?

Gu Weiyang seemed worried that Su Shijin might overthink things so he softened his voice to reassure him, “You can drop off your luggage at home first and how about we have lunch together around noon?”

Su Shijin understood that Gu Weiyang wanted to clarify things in person. Though he felt nervous, as if his lie might be exposed, his heart raced with tension. However, he knew he couldn’t avoid the issue anymore so he nodded in agreement. “Alright, what time?”

“How about around twelve? If you’re free in the afternoon, could you come to a restaurant near my office?” Gu Weiyang suggested. He had a meeting at 2 p.m. so he wouldn’t have enough time to go too far.

Su Shijin responded with a soft “Mm,” then added, “Okay, send me the address.”

After the call ended, Gu Weiyang sent the address. It wasn’t too far from the villa area where Su Shijin was staying but it was in the opposite direction from Anshi Animal Hospital.

This was the same person who had claimed it was on the way when he drove him to the hospital last time.

Maybe in the eyes of someone in love, anywhere you go is always on the way.

—

Around 11 a.m., Su Shijin got out of the car, carrying his luggage as he returned to the home he hadn’t been to for over ten days.

After changing into slippers at the entrance and stepping inside, Su Shijin noticed that everything in the house seemed to be just as it was when he left, even the position of the throw pillows hadn’t changed much.

Su Shijin’s suitcase was a bit heavy, filled with souvenirs from K City and F City, so he took the elevator upstairs.

Since he had plans with Gu Weiyang at noon and the drive to his place would take some time, Su Shijin didn’t bother unpacking. He set the suitcase down and headed to the garage.

Su Shijin’s car had been parked in the garage the whole time and it seemed that Gu Weiyang had helped wash it. The car was spotless, looking as if it hadn’t been sitting idle for over ten days.

Su Shijin got in the car, first stopping at the nearest gas station to fill up, then followed the GPS to the destination—a Thai restaurant.

There weren’t many parking spots near the restaurant, so Su Shijin circled around twice before finally finding one.

After parking the car, it was 11:45 a.m.

Su Shijin wasn’t sure if Gu Weiyang had arrived early so he didn’t waste any time and went straight into the restaurant.

Gu Weiyang had already reserved a private room in advance. When Su Shijin gave his name, the attendant smiled and led him inside.

Su Shijin had a vague sense that this scene felt a bit familiar. He followed the attendant to the door of the private room, watching as she gently knocked before saying, “Mr. Gu, Mr. Su has arrived.”

After a moment, Gu Weiyang’s deep and magnetic voice came from inside the room, “Come in.”

The door opened and Su Shijin lifted his gaze, seeing the alpha standing by the window.

The alpha was tall, with broad shoulders and long legs, exuding an undeniable presence in the Thai-themed private room.

It reminded Su Shijin of the first time they met for an arranged marriage.