ACBAM 78: Act Coquettishly

Gu Weiyang opened his mouth, then closed it again.

The alpha’s expression was a mix of confusion and uncertainty. As he looked at the omega so close to him, even though his mind was racing, he still didn’t know how to respond.

He had originally thought that today’s meal would end with a calm conversation and that continuing their marriage would be the best outcome.

Yet now, Su Shijin was telling him that there was something even better than that.

He likes him.

How could something this good even exist in the world?

“How about you slap me?” After losing control of his thoughts, Gu Weiyang blurted out the words before he could stop himself.

Su Shijin, who was nervously preparing for his first confession, blinked in confusion. “What?”

“No, I didn’t mean that,” Gu Weiyang quickly reacted, realizing what he had just said. He scrambled to explain, “I just… it feels like a dream. What you said just now, it’s not like I imagined it, right? Is it real?”

Su Shijin, momentarily distracted by Gu Weiyang, felt his own nervousness dissipate. He let out a light laugh, watching Gu Weiyang—who seemed even more nervous than he was—and, for the first time, reached out to pinch his forearm. “If it hurts, then it’s not a dream.”

Gu Weiyang’s lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say that it didn’t hurt.

It was just a bit itchy.

Despite the air conditioning being on in the private room, the spot where Su Shijin had touched him felt like it had been scorched by fire, a tingling and burning sensation spreading across his skin, even making the gland under the suppressant patch feel a bit restless.

It wasn’t a dream.

At least in a dream, he wouldn’t feel this way.

Su Shijin had said he liked him.

Something he wouldn’t even dare to dream about, and yet it was happening in real life?

Su Shijin stood in front of Gu Weiyang, not pushing any further, but quietly looking down at him. He patiently waited, giving him the time to snap out of his thoughts.

The hug and the touch on the alpha’s arm had already been the most daring things Su Shijin could do at this moment. Even now, his ears and cheeks were still slightly flushed. Without even looking in the mirror, he knew his face was probably bright red.

Giving Gu Weiyang time to process was also giving himself a moment to calm his own emotions.

The atmosphere in the private room didn’t last long before the door was gently knocked, and the waiter’s voice came from outside. “Excuse me, your food is ready.”

Su Shijin moved slightly, “Alright, come in.”

Gu Weiyang snapped back to reality and instinctively reached out, grabbing Su Shijin’s arm. “Where are you going?” The alpha’s voice was urgent, almost as if he were afraid Su Shijin would disappear.

The alpha’s palm was much larger than the omega’s, easily enclosing the omega hands within it.

Su Shijin tried to pull away but the attempt failed.

Even though the alpha didn’t seem to be exerting much force, his grip was firm, holding him tightly.

The waiter walked in, pushing the cart without a glance in their direction, beginning to serve the dishes.

Su Shijin could feel the heat rising on his face again, the flush he had just managed to calm down now returning. He bit his lip and struggled harder to free himself. “I’m just going to sit over there. The food’s here, let’s eat first.”

It seemed like Gu Weiyang had only just realized there was someone else in the room. Looking down at his hand still gripping Su Shijin’s, he quickly pulled away, as if shocked, and muttered, “Ah, sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Su Shijin secretly let out a breath of relief and returned to his seat.

The waiter moved quickly, serving the dishes with efficiency. After confirming that everything was set, he wished them an “enjoyable meal” and left.

As he exited, the waiter kindly closed the door behind him.

Once the door was shut, the private room fell into silence once more.

Gu Weiyang carefully watched Su Shijin and asked, “Did I hurt you just now?”

“No, you didn’t use much force,” Su Shijin replied.

Gu Weiyang felt a little relieved but there was still an indescribable feeling lingering in his heart. “What you said just now…”

“Mm?” Su Shijin looked up at him, and Gu Weiyang suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

“It’s fine, ask whatever you want. I have nothing to hide from you,” Su Shijin said.

Gu Weiyang glanced at the table full of food, thought for a moment, and then asked a completely unrelated question, “Are you hungry?”

Su Shijin paused for a moment. “I’m alright.”

Alright, which meant he was a little hungry.

It was getting late, and food was best eaten while it was still hot. After a moment of thought, Gu Weiyang said, “Let’s eat first. Whatever it is, we can talk about it after we finish.”

The Thai food at this restaurant was quite good. Su Shijin particularly liked the Tom Yum seafood soup and the curry fried Thai shrimp. Perhaps now that the lies had finally been explained, he felt a sense of relief, and he ended up eating a little more rice than usual.

Gu Weiyang watched Su Shijin eating the dishes he seemed to like the most, silently noting them in his mind. He planned to learn how to cook these dishes when he had the time and make them for Su Shijin to try at home.

By the time the meal was finished, it was already almost 1:30.

Gu Weiyang had a meeting at 2:00, but he really didn’t want to part ways with Su Shijin just yet. Especially since Su Shijin had just confessed to him, and he was still in a state of disbelief. He gazed at Su Shijin with a hint of longing.

Su Shijin could only comfort him, “We’ll have time later tonight.”

To be more precise, there would be plenty of time in the future.

Gu Weiyang understood the logic but he still couldn’t bring himself to part ways with him.

After paying the bill, the tall alpha followed Su Shijin closely, like a clingy dog, unwilling to leave his side.

Since Su Shijin didn’t have anything else to do that afternoon and noticed how reluctant Gu Weiyang was to say goodbye, he said, “I’ll walk you to your office.”

Gu Weiyang’s eyes immediately lit up as he seemed to remember something. He asked, “Do you have anything else to do this afternoon?”

Su Shijin thought for a moment before replying, “No, I just need to go home and pack my suitcase.”

Gu Weiyang immediately looked at him with eager eyes, wearing an expression that seemed to say, If I leave you now, I’ll be like a fish without water, ready to die. He then asked, “Can you come with me to the office?”

A question mark seemed to appear above Su Shijin’s head. “I’m already going with you, though?”

“No, what I mean is, come with me to work,” Gu Weiyang quickly explained, pulling Su Shijin to the side of the street to avoid being bumped into by other pedestrians. “My office is on a different floor from the other staff and no one just walks in. You don’t have to worry about that. The meeting is from 2:00 to 3:30, and after that, I have nothing else planned. You can wait for me in the office, can you?”

Su Shijin instinctively wanted to refuse, feeling that it wasn’t quite appropriate. “It might disturb your work.”

“It won’t! If you’re not there, I’ll be distracted,” the tall alpha said, lowering his head and tentatively reaching out to hold the omega’s fingers. When he saw that Su Shijin didn’t resist, he gently shook his hand. “Is that okay?”

Su Shijin: ……

No one could resist a handsome alpha gently tugging on their fingers and acting cute, especially when this handsome alpha was someone they liked. Even Su Shijin, usually so composed, couldn’t bring himself to say no.

Seeing that Su Shijin was softening, Gu Weiyang quickly added, “My office has a lounge area with a bed, so if you want to take a nap, you can. There’s also a coffee machine and snacks, and the bottom shelf of the bookshelf has novels and comics. You can use the computer however you like.”

Realizing that Su Shijin seemed to be swayed by his little display of affection, the alpha kept tugging at his fingers and lowered his voice, “Dr. Su, please? Just this once?”