ACBAM 9: A Polite Refusal

In Gu Weiyang’s eyes, this cool and beautiful omega was none other than Su Shijin.

When Su Shijin didn’t see a reply from Gu Weiyang that morning, he assumed that the other hadn’t woken up yet.

He never expected that as soon as he drove out, he would spot him standing by the roadside.

In that split second of shock, his foot instinctively hit the brakes.

Gu Weiyang leaned against the car, his legs casually crossed and a cigarette between his lips as he quietly watched the omega walk up to him.

Hearing the omega speak, Gu Weiyang didn’t answer right away. Instead, he turned and pulled a bag of breakfast out through the open car window.

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

Su Shijin caught the scent of alcohol and various colognes mixed together on him, frowned slightly, and took a small step back.

He ignored the breakfast in Gu Weiyang’s hand, pressed his lips together, visibly unhappy, and asked, “Are you waiting for me?”

Gu Weiyang’s teeth itched a little. He bit down on the cigarette and said, “Just passing by. I knew the neighborhood from chatting with Grandpa Su before, but not your exact address.”

Hearing that, Su Shijin’s expression softened a little.

As long as he hadn’t deliberately found out his address and came chasing after him, Su Shijin could accept it.

“Thanks, but I’ve already had breakfast,” Su Shijin said.

Gu Weiyang didn’t mind. After all, bringing breakfast wasn’t his real reason for coming—he just wanted to see him.

“I saw the message you sent. So, you’ve decided to say yes?” Gu Weiyang asked.

“Let’s check the compatibility rate first,” Su Shijin didn’t give a direct answer and asked instead, “Did you drink?”

Gu Weiyang instinctively sniffed his own clothes. “I smell like it?”

“Yeah.” Su Shijin nodded.

“Had a bit with some friends,” Gu Weiyang said. “I’ll be more careful next time.”

Su Shijin gave him a puzzled look, not sure what he was supposed to be careful about.

Su Shijin still had work and didn’t have time to waste here with him.

After checking the time, Su Shijin said, “For the compatibility test, would Saturday work?”

Saturday—that was the day after tomorrow.

Gu Weiyang naturally didn’t refuse. “Sure.”

“And another thing, don’t just show up unannounced next time,” Su Shijin said, frowning. “If I hadn’t come out through this entrance and didn’t see you, were you planning to just wait there forever?”

Gu Weiyang let out a couple of laughs. “Of course not. If I didn’t see you, I’d just leave. I’m not stupid.”

Su Shijin was at a loss for words. “What I mean is, I don’t like unexpected situations. I appreciate you bringing me breakfast, but it would be better if it didn’t happen again.”

Having a blind date suddenly show up at the entrance of his neighborhood didn’t bring Su Shijin any surprise—only irritation.

He didn’t like unexpected things happening during the time he had already planned out.

Gu Weiyang wasn’t offended by his words.

He casually flicked the cigarette into a nearby trash can, then smiled with a curl of his lips. “Got it. I’ll let you know in advance next time.”

Su Shijin felt that wasn’t what he meant. What he meant was—Gu Weiyang would be better off not coming over again.

Faced with the smile on Gu Weiyang’s face, Su Shijin just couldn’t bring himself to say it.

There’s truth to the saying that you don’t hit someone who’s smiling.

And Su Shijin really couldn’t bring himself to be too harsh in front of that face.

“Then I’ll contact you on Saturday,” Su Shijin said politely, giving him a small nod.

As he was about to leave, something suddenly came to mind.

He turned back to look at Gu Weiyang and asked, “That night—did you order the alcohol?”

Gu Weiyang froze for a moment, taking a while to realize he was talking about the night of their blind date.

Su Shijin tilted his head slightly, quietly waiting for his answer.

Gu Weiyang rubbed the back of his neck and let out a helpless laugh. “No, it’s probably just the scent of my pheromones.”

So that was why he had left the window open that night.

Ever since his glands were damaged, Gu Weiyang hadn’t been able to fully control the release of his pheromones.

He wore a suppression ring on his hand. It was a device more effective than suppressor patches, and under normal circumstances, it could keep his pheromones well under control.

But Gu Weiyang’s post-differentiation rank was too high—even with the suppression ring, his pheromones would still leak out uncontrollably when his emotions fluctuated too much.

That night, anticipating that he might not be able to keep his emotions fully in check, he had opened the windows in advance, so the room wouldn’t be filled with his pheromones and make Su Shijin uncomfortable.

“Did it affect you?” Gu Weiyang began to suspect something. “Is that why you suggested doing the compatibility test first?”

Su Shijin nodded.

“It did affect me. If you can’t control your pheromones, it’s best to wear a suppression ring.”

He glanced at the time, gave him a polite nod, and said, “That’s all. Goodbye.”

Gu Weiyang blinked, and only after watching Su Shijin get into the car did he realize—he seemed to have misunderstood something.

It looked like Su Shijin simply thought he couldn’t control his pheromones due to gland damage, and was too proud to wear a suppression ring.

Gu Weiyang was both amused and exasperated. He wanted to explain, but the car ahead had already signaled and slowly merged into the main road, its body disappearing from view in no time.

Forget it—there would always be a chance to explain later.

Gu Weiyang looked away and had the designated driver, who’d been waiting in the car the whole time, take him home.

—

When Su Shijin arrived at the animal hospital, he was just barely on time for his shift.

The short-haired receptionist Ran Tian and another with braided hair, Tian Yaping, looked a little surprised.

“First time seeing Dr. Su arrive right on the dot,” Ran Tian said.

Tian Yaping nodded, her eyes subtly catching sight of the suppressant patch on the back of Su Shijin’s neck. “Maybe he’s in heat.”

She pointed to her own neck to indicate, “I saw Dr. Su wearing a suppressant patch.”

“Working even during heat—Dr. Su is seriously… I could cry,” Ran Tian said, genuinely moved by his dedication.

By the time Su Shijin had changed into his uniform and entered the consultation room, there were already people waiting in line.

The morning was especially busy, and it wasn’t until after noon that Su Shijin finally had a moment to breathe.

After grabbing a quick bite at a nearby fast food place, Su Shijin headed to the inpatient ward to check on the little toy poodle from the night before.

The anesthesia had long since worn off, but the hospital had given it a sedative, so it still looked fairly calm and alert.

Dogs can tolerate pain much better than humans, and when it saw someone approaching, the little toy poodle tried to get up.

But both of its hind legs were in restraints, so it could only whimper softly and push itself up with its front legs, its dark, grape-like eyes staring intently out.

Su Shijin reached through the cage and gently rubbed its head with his fingertips. “Rest up. If you behave, you’ll be allowed to walk a bit in a week.”

The little toy poodle didn’t understand his words and could only affectionately lick his hand through the cage.

A faint smile appeared on Su Shijin’s face, and in a good mood, he stayed a while to keep the poodle company.

That afternoon, he had two minor surgeries. After finishing up, Su Shijin came out and saw a tall, slender female alpha leaning against the door of Dr. Liu’s consultation room, chatting about something.

When she heard Su Shijin’s footsteps, the female alpha turned and said, “Yo, Shijin baby, all done?”

“Yeah.” Su Shijin nodded to Dr. Liu inside the room, then greeted the tall female alpha in front of him. “Boss.”

He Lian immediately clutched her chest in mock swoon. “No matter how many times I hear it, the way you say ‘boss’ just melts my heart.”

Su Shijin: …

“Here to see the puppy?” Su Shijin asked.

“Yeah, just did. That little toy poodle’s pretty cute.”

“I heard it’s not neutered yet, right? Once it’s healed up, I might as well get that done too.”

Su Shijin nodded. “Alright.”

“Good. It’s been a while—come sit and chat with me somewhere,” He Lian said, greeting Dr. Liu before telling Su Shijin to change and clock out early.

Wearing a light-colored trench coat, Su Shijin walked beside He Lian and said calmly, “You want to ask about the blind date?”

“I knew I couldn’t hide it from you.”

They found a nearby café with a decent atmosphere. He Lian crossed her legs, leaned back into the sofa, and ordered an iced Americano. Then she ordered a cup of hot cocoa for Su Shijin—sweet enough to be borderline cloying.

“Are you in heat? I saw you had a suppressant patch on your neck,” He Lian asked casually after handing the drink menu back to the server.

“No, just feeling a bit feverish,” Su Shijin replied.

“Oh, I thought maybe something happened between you and your blind date,” He Lian said, clearly fishing for gossip. “So? That Eldest Young Master from Gu family—what’s he like?”

He Lian had a wide network of connections, so even though Su Shijin hadn’t told her about the blind date, she still found out.

Su Shijin leaned against the sofa, resting his chin on his hand, and thought for a moment. “Not bad.”

In terms of looks, build, and finances—he was definitely decent.

“Thinking of giving it a shot with him? If my little brother hears about this from overseas, he might actually cry,” He Lian joked.

At the mention of her younger brother, Su Shijin looked a little helpless. “He probably doesn’t even remember who I am.”

“I wouldn’t bet on that. From what I hear, that kid’s been hell-bent on graduating early—pretty sure it’s all for you,” He Lian said.

Su Shijin’s brow twitched ever so slightly. He wasn’t exactly eager to go through that relentless pursuit again.

He Lian saw his expression and chuckled. “What did that kid do to make you so averse to him?”

Su Shijin shook his head. “He’s a good person—it’s just that our personalities don’t really match.”

And more than that, he simply didn’t like her brother.

He had turned him down plenty of times, but the guy didn’t seem to grasp what rejection meant. Somehow, he had gotten it into his head that if he just kept chasing, he would eventually have a shot. That period had honestly been quite troubling for Su Shijin.

“Alright, I won’t bring up that stubborn brat anymore,” He Lian said, shifting the topic. “I heard Gu Weiyang split from the Gu family. Did he tell you that?”

“He did,” Su Shijin nodded.

He Lian raised her eyebrows in mild surprise. “Pretty straightforward of him. I thought he would hide that and go on a blind date with you anyway.”

Su Shijin took the hot cocoa the server brought over and sipped it. The rich, sugary taste of chocolate lingered on his tongue for quite a while before slowly fading.

“Whether he hid it or not makes no difference to me,” Su Shijin said, licking a bit of cocoa from the corner of his lips. He looked up at He Lian and said, “Whatever it is you want to ask, just say it.”

He didn’t believe for a second that He Lian was here just to check in on how things were going between him and Gu Weiyang.

He Lian wasn’t fazed by being called out. She grinned as she took a sip of her iced Americano and said, “Actually, I’ve got a friend who wants to ask if they can have your contact info.”

Su Shijin: “He likes me?”

He Lian rested her chin in her hand and thought for a moment. “Who knows? He said it was love at first sight.”

Su Shijin let out a small laugh. “Just turn him down. Tell him I’m already getting married.”

He Lian: “Oh.”

…

Three seconds later—

He Lian: “Huh?!”