ACBAM 79: Exceptional

The alpha’s acting so naturally coquettish, and the omega’s small Adam’s apple bobbed as they couldn’t bring themselves to say no.

“Alright then,” Su Shijin turned their head to avoid the alpha’s intense gaze, reluctantly agreeing. “If it really won’t interfere with your work…”

There was no way out. Even before, he had never been able to deal with an occasionally vulnerable alpha, let alone now.

Upon hearing the affirmative answer, Gu Weiyang was immediately overjoyed. “It won’t interfere. Did you drive here? Do you want to park your car downstairs at my office?”

Su Shijin glanced at the somewhat congested road and shook their head. “Just leave it there for now.”

Gu Weiyang then said “Alright,” and didn’t let go of the omega’s finger, continuing to lead him towards the company.

The alpha’s fingertips were slightly warmer than the omega’s, and Su Shijin only had to lower his head slightly to see their fingers intertwined.

The pressure from Gu Weiyang’s grip wasn’t strong, and with a little movement, Su Shijin could have easily pulled his hand free. After staring at their intertwined fingers for a while, he eventually shifted his gaze away, allowing him to hold on.

At the angle where Su Shijin couldn’t see, Gu Weiyang’s smile was barely containable.

An exceptionally good-looking alpha and omega walking hand in hand down the street were naturally eye-catching. Occasionally, a few young people passing by would flash them an aunt-like smile, and some would even murmur, “So handsome,” or “The omega is so beautiful.” The two of them didn’t notice any of this, their attention completely absorbed in their intertwined fingers.

Though the area of skin where their fingers were touching wasn’t large, it was hard to resist focusing on it, as if every sense in their bodies had been drawn to those interlaced fingers, making it almost impossible to ignore.

Gu Weiyang’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Despite only holding fingers, he felt a burning heat spread through him, and even his throat seemed to dry up.

Fortunately, the restaurant was not far from Gu Weiyang’s company, and within ten minutes, they had arrived at the building.

Su Shijin looked up at the towering skyscraper in front of him and felt that he might have underestimated the scale of Gu Weiyang’s company.

“Is this whole building yours?” Su Shijin thought about Gu Weiyang’s background and figured it wasn’t entirely impossible.

“It’s not. The company came a bit late, so only the 53rd to 63rd floors are mine.” Gu Weiyang explained, “The main factory is in the industrial park, not far from here. There are also some other industries the company is involved in, scattered across different areas, all managed by professional managers.”

Su Shijin was aware of the other companies Gu Weiyang owned. It had been clearly stated in their marriage agreement. The companies he casually mentioned each brought in annual revenues with so many zeros behind them that it was hard to even count.

If Su Shijin hadn’t been aware of Gu Weiyang’s wealth, it would have been hard to believe that he was a billionaire based on Gu Weiyang’s demeanor.

He drove himself to and from work, cooked for himself at home, and would take any leftovers back in a takeaway box. Though his long-time villa was expensive, compared to the other mansions under his name, it was just a drop in the ocean. It was unlikely many wealthy people lived as simply as he did.

“Mm? What are you thinking about?” Gu Weiyang noticed Su Shijin’s gaze and lowered his head to look at him.

Su Shijin met his eyes without looking away, then slowly spoke, “Nothing, I was just thinking… you’re really exceptional.”

“Mm? Really?” Gu Weiyang chuckled, but unlike his usual calm demeanor when he was praised in various social settings, he suddenly felt his ears heat up and became a bit embarrassed, “Actually, not really.”

“Mm? Really? Haha, actually, not really.” Gu Weiyang, who usually remained unfazed when praised in various social situations, now felt his ears turn red and became a little embarrassed when Su Shijin called him ‘exceptional.’

However, the company Gu Weiyang had built was entirely self-made; he hadn’t used a single penny from the Gu family. He had started from scratch and worked his way up to where he was now. The word ‘exceptional’ was completely fitting for him.

Su Shijin gave a faint smile at the corner of his lips, his fingertip gently brushing against Gu Weiyang’s palm as he said, “Let’s go.”

With just that small gesture, Gu Weiyang felt like his soul had almost been drawn away.

—

Gu Weiyang’s office was on the 60th floor, accessible only after fingerprint verification in the elevator, so Su Shijin didn’t need to worry about running into other employees.

It was just a coincidence, however, that Tan Zhao’s office was also on the same floor.

As the elevator reached the 60th floor, Gu Weiyang, holding Su Shijin’s hand, bumped straight into Tan Zhao, who was on the phone while waiting for the elevator.

“The project files se… se…” Tan Zhao widened his eyes at the two people in front of him, completely forgetting what he had just been about to say.

Su Shijin and Tan Zhao had met before, so he naturally knew he was Gu Weiyang’s friend. Although slightly surprised to see him here, he controlled his expressions well and politely smiled and nodded at him.

Gu Weiyang held Su Shijin’s hand as they stepped out of the elevator. Seeing Tan Zhao staring at them in shock, he snapped his fingers in front of his eyes to bring him back to reality. “What are you thinking about? The elevator doors are closing. Aren’t you getting on?”

“No, wait.” Tan Zhao thought the elevator could wait, but his curiosity couldn’t. He quickly gave some instructions to the person on the phone, hung up, and looked at the two in front of him. “What’s going on with you two?”

Gu Weiyang was completely puzzled by the question, staring at Tan Zhao with a confused expression. “You don’t know him?”

“Of course I do, but…” Tan Zhao never expected Gu Weiyang to bring him to the company.

More than that, just a few days ago he had told Gu Weiyang that this omega had deceived him—so why did the two of them now seem even closer?

What kind of magic did this omega have on him that he could just let that matter slide and completely win Gu Weiyang over?!

Tan Zhao had a mouthful of things he wanted to say to Gu Weiyang, but with Su Shijin present, no matter how much he felt that this omega had deceived his friend, he couldn’t bring himself to call him out in front of others. All he could do was glare at Gu Weiyang in frustration. “I’ll talk to you about it when I get back after finishing my work.”

“Wait,” Gu Weiyang said, knowing what he wanted to say, and held out his hand to stop him. “What happened before has already been explained.”

Tan Zhao didn’t give him any face. “I don’t buy your love-struck nonsense for a second.”

With that, Tan Zhao stepped into the elevator, out of sight, out of mind.

As the elevator doors closed, Su Shijin looked at Gu Weiyang with curiosity. “What happened before?”

Gu Weiyang coughed awkwardly. “Well, when you went on your work trip to K City, I mentioned it to him and then he found out about your trip to F City through a friend.”

Su Shijin understood. “He thought I deceived you and now he’s trying to find a way to soothe you.”

Gu Weiyang didn’t dare to say a word.

You guessed it exactly—please, just don’t guess anymore.

“I’ll explain it to him clearly,” Gu Weiyang said softly. “He doesn’t have a problem with you, he has a problem with me.”

Tan Zhao and Su Shijin weren’t close, so he naturally didn’t care what kind of person Su Shijin was.

He was just annoyed that Gu Weiyang was so love-struck and hopeless, even though Gu Weiyang himself didn’t see it that way.

“It’s fine. He’s your friend, so it’s natural for him to think about you,” Su Shijin said, unaffected by Tan Zhao’s attitude. After all, if the roles were reversed and he were the love-struck one, Jian Lexin would probably scold him even harsher than Tan Zhao did.

And then there were things like Gu Weiyang’s remarks at lunch—even Su Shijin himself had to admit that he really was love-struck.

Everyone had a different approach to feelings. Gu Weiyang was obsessive and devoted, with a somewhat extreme view of relationships. Su Shijin didn’t share the same perspective but he had no intention of correcting him.

Knowing his own heart in matters of love, Su Shijin understood that it was enough for him not to betray Gu Weiyang’s trust.

As for what others thought of them, Su Shijin didn’t care.

But just because Su Shijin didn’t care didn’t mean Gu Weiyang didn’t.

After bringing Su Shijin back to his office, Gu Weiyang sent a message to Tan Zhao: [We’ll talk after the meeting.]

Tan Zhao rolled his eyes at him but didn’t refuse.

—

Gu Weiyang’s two o’clock meeting was held in the large conference room downstairs. Before leaving, he prepared a cup of coffee and some fruit snacks for Su Shijin, telling him to make himself comfortable in the office.

Gu Weiyang’s office was very spacious. In addition to the desk and a full-wall bookshelf, it also had a reception area and a lounge.

Su Shijin didn’t look around aimlessly either. After sitting on the sofa in the reception area, he casually picked a drama to watch on the tablet, eating fruit while watching, and didn’t feel bored at all.

Having never been brought to an office to wait for someone to finish work before, Su Shijin found it rather novel.

By around three thirty in the afternoon, the meeting was over.

Gu Weiyang sent a message to Su Shijin, telling him that he had some matters to discuss and would come up later, then went with Tan Zhao to another small meeting room.

Tan Zhao crossed his legs as soon as he sat down in the chair. “Speak. What’s going on?”

Gu Weiyang pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. “It’s already been explained. There’s a reason behind it.”

Tan Zhao: “He said that, and you just believed him?”

Gu Weiyang smiled. “Yes, I trust him.”

“So you really are love-struck,” Tan Zhao rolled his eyes. “But fine, believe him if you want. As long as you two are clear about your own relationship, that’s enough.”

“I thought about it and realized you’re wrong,” Gu Weiyang said.

Tan Zhao looked at him in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m not love-struck,” Gu Weiyang said after a moment’s consideration. “I just like him too much.”

Tan Zhao shivered suddenly and rubbed his arm. “Damn.”

Gu Weiyang: “What’s wrong?”

Tan Zhao: “You’re so disgusting I got goosebumps.”

Gu Weiyang: “Get lost.”

“Really, save this kind of talk for your wife. I can’t take it, it’s too cheesy—damn, no, the more I think about it, the cheesier it gets, I’m dying,” Tan Zhao said, jumping up from his chair as he spoke. “I shouldn’t have come over to talk to you about this. I should’ve known your nature, every few sentences it’s all about your omega. What did I do to deserve you shoving this kind of lovey-dovey stuff in my face again and again?!”

Gu Weiyang almost laughed in frustration. “I’m talking about serious things here.”

“I’m as serious as I can be,” Tan Zhao sighed, reaching out to pat his shoulder. “If you say you’re not love-struck, then fine. The most important thing is that you two live your life well, but—”

Tan Zhao suddenly shifted, shouting angrily, “Stop showing off your lovey-dovey stuff in front of me! Damn it—get lost!”

Amid the frustrated outburst of the single Tan Zhao, Gu Weiyang wisely headed upstairs.