Chapter 20 “I haven’t liked him for a long time.”
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Yan Zhixing raised his head and looked at the scene in front of him.
The swimming pool was shimmering under the streetlights, and Shen Yao was kneeling on the ground, drenched in water, with bright red marks around his neck. His hair kept dripping water, flowing into his collar, and he looked fragile and delicate.
The omega’s arm was being pulled by the alpha beside him, causing Shen Yao to unconsciously lift his face and look at Guan Shu, who was half-kneeling beside him.
Guan Shu had pulled them very close together, and his clothes were already soaked, but his movements and eyes were very dominant, as if he was about to strangle Shen Yao again in the next second.
This scene was full of conflict, and it made people instantly think of what had happened between them just now.
This scene made Yan Zhixing very unhappy. Shen Yao was not entirely his omega, but he was still his omega.
He didn’t like Shen Yao, but still saw Shen Yao as his possession, the only omega that could be marked by him.
Chen Shuang understood his possessiveness and control the most, so even when he was holding an umbrella for Shen Yao, he didn’t dare touch Shen Yao.
Yan Zhixing’s brows were ice-cold. His gaze moved away from Guan Shu’s hand and stopped at the red marks on Shen Yao’s neck. He spoke slowly, “Guan Shu, still not letting go?”
Guan Shu sneered, and the hostility in his eyes grew stronger. He still ignored Yan Zhixing and stared at Shen Yao.
When his gaze touched the marks on Shen Yao’s neck, his pupils slightly contracted, and the approaching anger suddenly subsided. Guan Shu knew how hard and heavy he had squeezed Shen Yao’s neck, leaving terrifying marks on Shen Yao’s body.
Shen Yao kept coughing, his eyes getting wetter, and the rolling water droplets on his face looked like tears.
He looked up at Guan Shu, his eyes foggy, his voice hoarse from choking on water and coughing, “Guan Shu…”
Shen Yao’s call was very soft, as if he was begging him.
Guan Shu instantly understood Shen Yao’s meaning. He was speaking to him so softly, begging him not to tell the other alpha about their past.
He seemed to be a stain that Shen Yao didn’t want to mention.
At this moment, Guan Shu wished he could push Shen Yao into the pool again. He felt that he was too soft-hearted. He should have let Shen Yao take his last breath. How could he still have the strength to speak?
His grip tightened, and his voice was almost squeezed out from between his teeth, full of deep hatred, “Shen Yao!”
However, at this moment, Shen Yao covered his lips again, coughing again, and his face became paler and paler, completely devoid of color.
He lowered his head, and the gland that Yan Zhixing had marked was exposed in front of Guan Shu. The mark had long lost its lifelong mark that he had left on it.
The surgery was very successful, leaving no trace behind.
Guan Shu stared at Shen Yao’s gland. Cleaning the mark would cause more or less damage to the omega’s body, and when he thought of this, he unconsciously loosened his grip on Shen Yao’s arm.
He and Shen Yao were always entangled together, always hurting each other, always ending up in a draw. Shen Yao could even give up the lifelong mark that Guan Shu had left on him, so what else couldn’t he let go of?
Perhaps it was the release in the pool, or perhaps it was the suffocating kiss, or maybe it was because of Shen Yao’s current appearance, Guan Shu slowly loosened his grip.
Yan Zhixing happened to catch his wrist at this moment, shaking his hand off of Shen Yao’s arm. He stood by Shen Yao’s side, separating Guan Shu by half a body.
“Prosecutor Guan, if you have any illness, it is better to go to the hospital first,” he said coldly, “rather than holding onto my omega.”
Guan Shu stood up straight, finally shifting his gaze away from Shen Yao’s body. He and Yan Zhixing were almost the same height, facing each other.
He looked at Yan Zhixing with a very picky look.
Shen Yao liked this alpha so much that he had begun to submit to him, and refused to let Yan Zhixing know about their relationship.
If Shen Yao liked Yan Zhixing so much, did Yan Zhixing like him back?
His Adam’s apple rolled, and he lightly pulled the corner of his mouth, “Yan Zhixing, shouldn’t you care about the injury on his neck first?”
Yan Zhixing didn’t like him at all. Shen Yao didn’t want him, he wanted an alpha like Yan Zhixing.
Shen Yao was so cheap.
Guan Shu thought he no longer cared about Shen Yao, he no longer liked Shen Yao. He just hoped that Shen Yao would not live well, he just hoped that Shen Yao would suffer.
Let Shen Yao continue to like Yan Zhixing, let him also taste the feeling of being ruthlessly abandoned, let him also try the feeling of being sincerely disappointed.
“The mark on Shen Yao’s neck was made by me,” Guan Shu said coldly, “when I squeezed him, he looked very painful.”
Yan Zhixing’s deep blue eyes darkened, there should have been some grudge between Shen Yao and Guan Shu. He could feel Guan Shu’s hatred towards Shen Yao, but there was something else that he couldn’t distinguish.
It had been a long time since someone dared to talk to him in such a provocative manner.
As he listened to Guan Shu’s words, the image of the finger marks on his neck appeared in his mind, leaving a sense of sadness on the omega’s body.
Regarding the incident of Shen Yao’s injury, he shouldn’t care about it. However, Yan Zhixing couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable at the sight of the bruise on Shen Yao’s neck that shouldn’t have been left by someone else.
His expression turned cold and stern as he asked, “Do you also want to experience this pain?”
The atmosphere between the two was tense, as if they were about to start fighting at any moment.
“Guan Shu!”
Just as Lu Tingxin rushed over, he saw this scene and shouted in horror before quickly running over to hold Guan Shu back.
Guan Shu shook off his arm and didn’t turn his head. “What are you pulling me for?”
Yan Zhixing furrowed his brows and belatedly realized that this dispute was childish. He ignored Guan Shu and turned to look at Shen Yao.
The night breeze blew past, and Shen Yao’s face was pale and weak. Yan Zhixing had never seen Shen Yao look so miserable before. The omega’s body looked so delicate that another gust of wind could easily give him a cold and fever.
Yan Zhixing grew up in a big family and had some gentlemanly manners. He took off his suit jacket and handed it over to Shen Yao. Looking down at him from above, he asked, “Shen Yao, can you still walk?”
Shen Yao draped the jacket over himself, but he still couldn’t smell Yan Zhixing’s pheromones on it, only a woody scent. He actually had the strength, but when he looked up at Yan Zhixing, he weakly shook his head and hoarsely said, “No.”
As expected, Yan Zhixing furrowed his brows again. In the end, he bent down and lifted Shen Yao’s knee, carrying him in a princess hold.
As he held Shen Yao like this, his clothes inevitably became wet. Yan Zhixing lowered his gaze to look at the omega in his arms, and he knew better than to wrap his arms around his neck.
Shen Yao’s sickly appearance made Yan Zhixing unable to decide whether he was finally a little more pleasing to the eye than before, or even more displeasing.
“Shen Yao,” Yan Zhixing looked at Guan Shu one last time before turning to leave, whispering lowly as he walked away, “You’re really a troublemaker.”
Shen Yao coughed a few more times in his arms and slowly said, “I can’t help it.”
Lu Tingxin finally breathed a sigh of relief as they watched their figures disappear into the distance. However, he didn’t dare to let go of Guan Shu, tightly holding onto him.
He felt Guan Shu’s fists clenching tighter and tighter, and his arm muscles becoming taut. Lu Tingxin caught a glimpse of his profile.
Guan Shu’s gaze was fierce, as if he wanted to bite his teeth to pieces. His eyes were still fixed on the two who had already left, staring at the empty air where they had been.
“Let go.” Guan Shu shook off Lu Tingxin’s hand, his voice cold. “If you think I’m not cooperating, can you really hold me back?”
Lu Tingxin touched his nose and chose to remain silent, not wanting to touch upon the sensitive topic. He just stood by the pool with Guan Shu.
Guan Shu picked up his uniform jacket again and put it on. He buttoned it up one by one, without saying a word, making Lu Tingxin feel uneasy.
Lu Tingxin couldn’t help but ask, “Guan Shu?”
Guan Shu didn’t respond to him. He walked in the opposite direction, like the calm after a typhoon.
“Whether Shen Yao lives or dies has nothing to do with me. I haven’t liked him for a long time,” he said. “This is the last time we will have any conflict between us.”
Chen Shuang had been waiting by the car the whole time. When he saw Yan Zhixing carrying Shen Yao over, he was startled at first. After realizing what was going on, he quickly went to help open the car door and handed Shen Yao a towel that was kept in the car.
Shen Yao thanked him and took the towel to wipe his face. Chen Shuang looked at Yan Zhixing with his eyes, and adjusted the air conditioner to heat.
They didn’t talk much to each other. Even when they did talk, most of the time it was Shen Yao doing the talking.
Now that Shen Yao wasn’t feeling well, there was even less conversation in the car. Yan Zhixing broke the silence and stated, “You knew Guan Shu before.”
Shen Yao’s hand holding the towel paused. Anyone with eyes could see that his relationship with Guan Shu was not ordinary, obviously not strangers, nor just ordinary friends.
Their past relationship was even too easy to recognize, because Guan Shu made it so obvious.
Shen Yao remembered the lies he told Yan Zhixing before and was worried that he had found out something. He cautiously replied, “We went to the same high school.”
Yan Zhixing’s gaze turned to him, as if seeing through everything. Shen Yao’s heart tightened, and he instantly came up with many excuses.
But then, Shen Yao felt relieved. Yan Zhixing stared at the hickey on his neck and said, “He looks like he hates you, he wants you dead.”
Shen Yao’s hand covered his neck, and he couldn’t help but want to laugh.
He could now confirm that Yan Zhixing had never been in love before, he didn’t understand anything. Yet, witnessing that kind of scene, Yan Zhixing still thought that Guan Shu just purely hated him.
“Right,” Shen Yao coughed again, a dry, hacking sound from his throat. He spoke in a hoarse whisper, “He hates me, and he wants me dead. So, I have to stay away from him. Can you help me?”
“I’ll help you during the contract period,” Yan Zhixing replied like a scrupulous but generous businessman. “If he continues to bother you, I’ll help you.”
Shen Yao didn’t say anything else, just smiled. When he looked out the window, he realized they were going the wrong way. “Where are we going?” he asked in surprise.
Yan Zhixing kept his eyes lowered and answered expressionlessly, “The estate.”
“Why are we going to the estate? I need to go home tonight,” Shen Yao said, still surprised.
Yan Zhixing opened his eyes and said coldly, “Don’t you need a doctor?”
“No, I just need to go back and take a shower and sleep,” Shen Yao replied, putting away the towel.
“As you wish,” Yan Zhixing said stiffly. “Turn around and take him home.”
As Shen Yao got out of the car, Yan Zhixing spoke again with a cold face, “Shen Yao, wash your arm when you get home. Don’t bother looking for me until the mark on your neck disappears.”
“Okay,” Shen Yao replied obediently.
As they drove back to the apartment, the phone in the car was on speaker, and Lu Tingxin was talking to Guan Shu. “There seems to be a problem with those goods. In a few days, you should go to the harbor and intercept…”
Before he could finish speaking, the call cut off suddenly. The direction of the car’s headlights illuminated Shen Yao walking alone toward the apartment building. The bright light made his face even paler, and he had no lip color, and his steps were slow.
Guan Shu sensed something was wrong and interrupted, “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Lu Tingxin swallowed the words he was about to say and continued, “You should go to the harbor…”
Guan Shu’s intuition was sharp. He cut in, “What did you see?”
Lu Tingxin didn’t want him to be involved with Shen Yao any further, so he lied, “I saw a cat run past me.”
“Don’t lie to me,” Guan Shu played with his lighter, and the flame flickered up and down. “What did you see?”
After a moment of silence, Lu Tingxin sighed helplessly, “I saw Shen Yao. He was walking home alone, and he looked miserable.”
Firelight flickered again, casting shadows on Guan Shu’s dark pupils and illuminating half of his face. This time, he held down the lighter switch for a long time and did not release it.
“Shen Yao is alone? How could he be alone? Doesn’t Yan Zhixing care about him?”
He couldn’t help but recall Shen Yao’s appearance just now. Shen Yao’s body had never been very good. He often caught colds and fevers in high school, so Guan Shu always kept an eye on him and made sure he wore enough clothes.
Today, he had pushed him into the pool and let him stand in the wind for so long. Even though it was summer, it was easy to get sick.
Guan Shu subconsciously asked, “Where did you see him?”
“…,” Lu Tingxin told him the truth, “Are you going to look for him?”
It was only then that Guan Shu realized what he had just asked. He hung up the phone with a straight face and said, “I won’t go. Didn’t I already say that I don’t like him anymore?”
He laid back on the sofa in the dark room, and the only source of light, the lighter, laid discarded by his side.
Guan Shu opened his eyes and could only see the blurry shapes of the furniture in the darkness.
Shen Yao has an alpha, and his alpha didn’t care about him at all, leaving him alone. So why should he care?
He had said it himself. Shen Yao’s life and death had nothing to do with him. Even if Shen Yao died alone in his room today, he wouldn’t shed a tear for him. It was all Shen Yao’s own choice.
But when Guan Shu closed his eyes, he remembered the fact that Shen Yao had broken off their soulmate bond. It was the last resort he had to keep Shen Yao with him, but Shen Yao had cut it off himself.
He would rather give up his own soulmate bond than be with him.
When he thought about it, he should only feel hatred towards Shen Yao, but Shen Yao had always been weak, and would he get sick more easily after breaking off the bond? Would his illness be more serious?
In the end, Guan Shu suddenly sat up from the sofa, changed into a new uniform, and rushed downstairs. He drank some alcohol, hailed a car at the door, and gave the name of the apartment complex.
His facial features were cold and hard, and the driver didn’t dare to talk to him. Guan Shu thought he was just going to see if Shen Yao was dead.
He only knew which building Shen Yao lived in, but not which floor. He used his prosecutor’s identity to check each floor one by one.
He climbed more than ten floors in a row, and his breathing became slightly heavier, with a layer of sweat on his back.
Guan Shu knocked on the door, but there was no response at first. He thought there was no one inside and was about to leave when the door opened.
Shen Yao stood in front of him, wearing loose and comfortable pajamas, his cheeks slightly red. He seemed to have just woken up, and when he saw Guan Shu, his eyes widened slightly.
He looked just like he did in high school, and it ignited a spark of memory in Guan Shu’s mind. He subconsciously gripped the doorknob and was about to say something.
But Shen Yao’s phone rang, and Guan Shu caught a glimpse of Yan Zhixing’s name. The momentary impulse vanished, and he felt like he had made a mistake.
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