Chapter 41: King’s Lot
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“I was curious about your pheromones, that’s why I wanted to smell them. If I didn’t say those things, if you manage yourself well all the time, who would you influence? Why don’t you say it’s because my pheromones are too weak, too inferior, just a little bit… almost nonexistent pheromones can trigger a stress response in me. Do you still want to blame yourself for being too high-quality?”
An Lan thought for a moment and asked, “You haven’t abused inhibitors, have you?”
“No.”
“Really?” An Lan squinted his eyes, carefully observing Gu Liyu’s expression.
“No.”
“Well then, I slept like a dead pig in the second half of the night. From this, it seems that your pheromones not only have aphrodisiac effects but also a hypnotic effect. But I won’t smell them again in the future.” An Lan said.
“Why?” Gu Liyu raised his head and asked.
“I don’t have so many pants to change. Can you cook Baizi steamed eggs for me every day? More importantly… I feel that my various reactions to your pheromones are disrespectful to you, and I’m embarrassed.”
An Lan knew he owed Gu Liyu an apology because he had crossed the line when talking about pheromones and ended up going too far.
Gu Liyu looked formidable, but An Lan knew there was a part deep inside him that needed to be carefully protected.
Once touched, it couldn’t be restored.
“I don’t think that’s disrespectful,” Gu Liyu said.
An Lan was biting on a chicken wing, looking at him. “Hmm?”
“Your reaction to my pheromones, isn’t it the most sincere compliment to me?” Gu Liyu asked.
An Lan was choked by the egg yolk, quickly covering his mouth and turning aside.
He always felt that in his conversations with Gu Liyu, he was desperately retreating to a safe distance, while Gu Liyu was constantly probing at the boundaries.
Was this due to the dominance of a high-quality alpha? Gu Liyu was used to the attraction of his own pheromones and didn’t care about An Lan’s embarrassment. Or was it just that Gu Liyu’s emotional intelligence was like this… infinitely negative?
An Lan felt it should be… the former.
Getting close to someone like Gu Liyu was really not easy, but no matter how close they got, An Lan always felt that there should be a bottom line between friends.
It was like him and Little Qiao; they had grown up together, and Little Qiao would joke that if he couldn’t get married one day, An Lan should earn money and come to marry him in a luxury car. But such a thing would never happen because they would never treat each other as a backup.
An Lan was worried that his curiosity about pheromones had offended Gu Liyu and added some unspoken things between them.
At this moment, Gu Liyu suddenly stood up. He took a pen and paper, wrote some words on those sheets, then folded them into the shape of paper strips, holding them in his hand and handing them to An Lan.
“What’s this?”
“Aren’t you dying of embarrassment? Saying everything openly as if you’re transparent is actually covering up.”
Gu Liyu was always like this, straightforward to the point that An Lan was left speechless.
“I wrote all the possible options between us on these papers. Of course, ‘terminate the friendship’ is also included. Whichever one you draw, we’ll go with that relationship. Even if it’s really ‘terminate the friendship,’ it’s determined by probability, so you don’t have to feel guilty.” Gu Liyu said.
“I didn’t say I want to terminate our friendship!”
Why are you randomly adding options!
“Draw. See how your luck is.” Gu Liyu raised his chin slightly.
Thinking of the option ‘terminate the friendship’ being included, An Lan felt uncomfortable everywhere. He didn’t even want to extend his hand.
“This will make you more aware of your true feelings. An Lan, you always feel that you will degrade into a lower-quality alpha, so you take being influenced by my pheromones as natural. You’re blaming yourself. You said you don’t like dividing people into three, six, or nine categories, whether alpha or beta. But now, you elevate me so high and blame yourself for being curious about pheromones. You blame yourself for accidentally leaking pheromones after I relaxed my self-control, and you blame yourself for the fact that even though Gu Liyu wanted to be friends with you, your series of normal reactions made things awkward between us.”
An Lan was dumbfounded, yes, his “frankness” was completely covering up.
And every word and sentence from Gu Liyu was the real frankness.
“If you really draw ‘terminate the friendship,’ then you can try to persuade me not to terminate it in your own way. If you’re satisfied with the drawn result, then it’s a win-win situation.” Gu Liyu said.
An Lan swallowed, closed his eyes, and forcefully drew a piece of paper from Gu Liyu’s hand.
Gu Liyu said, “You can open it now.”
An Lan held his breath, his mind racing. In case he really drew “terminate the friendship,” how would he convince Gu Liyu?
However, Gu Liyu calmly placed a piece of paper on the table, waiting for An Lan to open the paper in his hand.
“Open it. It’s not the end of the world; what are you afraid of?” Gu Liyu lifted his chin.
Yeah, it’s just a piece of paper; it’s not the end of the world. What’s there to be afraid of?
And why should drawing this determine whether they should end their friendship?
An Lan opened the paper, and Gu Liyu’s forceful handwriting appeared before him.
“I may not have a temple, but I still ask you to be my knight, guarding our walls.”
An Lan’s eyes instantly welled up with warmth, a moist layer covering his entire world. Even Gu Liyu’s figure became blurry.
Gu Liyu didn’t want to be an extreme and possessive king, so he didn’t have a “temple.” What he longed for was someone brave enough to approach him, understand him, and protect him when he revealed his most vulnerable and weak side.
An Lan believed that this kind of trust, from past to present, Gu Liyu had only given to him.
“It seems you didn’t draw ‘terminate the friendship,'” Gu Liyu said.
“Did you actually write ‘terminate the friendship’ in there?” An Lan asked.
Gu Liyu probably played a little trick. While saying “‘terminate the friendship” verbally, in reality, the written phrases should all be positive, conveying the everlasting meaning of friendship no matter which one is drawn.
“Yeah, I did. I wrote three ‘terminate the friendship’ ones.”
An Lan almost sprayed his pork kidney soup on Gu Liyu’s face.
“Cough, cough, cough… How many did you write?”
“Three. I was planning to write more, but in case you checked the strips, it would be exposed, and I guess you would be very angry, so I didn’t write that many,” Gu Liyu said.
“You’ve decided that I should draw ‘terminate the friendship’?” An Lan widened his eyes, looking at him.
“Yes. I want to see how you would persuade me not to end it. I won’t let you easily salvage the situation without putting in some effort. You won’t understand the value if you don’t cherish it.”
Gu Liyu looked serious, irritating An Lan to the point of wanting to throw the bowl of pork kidney soup on his face.
But he had to admit that Gu Liyu’s straightforwardness made An Lan feel more at ease about the series of incidents caused by pheromones last night.
“Aren’t you thinking of setting clear boundaries?” Gu Liyu asked.
“If I set clear boundaries, I probably won’t have lunch.” An Lan replied.
“I posted on the alpha forum. Most people’s opinions are like this—It’s like two alphas watching an action movie together and then mutually helping each other jerk off. After jerking off, they blame each other for being too honest about their reactions. How’s that for a metaphor?”
“This analogy is inappropriate. After all, the cause of an action movie and your pheromones is different.” An Lan paused and asked, “Don’t tell me you didn’t post anonymously?”
“I posted anonymously.”
An Lan sighed in relief. Fortunately, Gu Liyu had some common sense.
“If I didn’t post anonymously, you would have become famous quickly.”
“Please don’t be so honest.”
Isn’t salted egg yolk chicken wings delicious? Isn’t onion-stirred shrimp delicious? Can you just eat quietly?
“Okay, I just think there are some things you don’t need to say so bluntly,” Gu Liyu said.
“Which sentence?”
“From now on, not smelling my pheromones.”
An Lan’s head suddenly throbbed.
“Why would I want to smell your pheromones again? I’m not an omega!”
“In case you find that you lack endurance or mobility one day, you can come to me. According to the information you found online, ambergris can boost your confidence, and it has minimal harm.”
An Lan suddenly felt that Gu Liyu was becoming inexplicably confident in his pheromones.
“Stop. Classmate Gu Liyu, I must solemnly declare to you that ambergris is a type of fragrance, and your pheromones are hormones. These are two different things. Even if the scents are similar, their effects are different!” An Lan gritted his teeth and bit down on the chicken wing, breaking the bone.
“Oh, really? But it works on you.”
Gu Liyu scooped a spoonful of pork kidney soup and placed it on An Lan’s rice, lifting his chin.
The implication was to replenish him.
Originally, An Lan felt that Gu Liyu was his friend but he had a series of fantasies about a friend’s pheromones, it was kind of… But when Gu Liyu unabashedly showed off in front of him, An Lan suddenly felt… d*mn, what’s so great about it?
You’re a high-quality alpha, and even a tiny amount of pheromones has a powerful effect. That’s your natural advantage, not something you’ve achieved through hard work and diligence!
Ambergris is invaluable and has outstanding effects in a certain aspect. What are you so proud of? Have you found an omega for yourself? All the omegas in the school say they’ll freeze to death in your arms! Only I’m willing to chat with you!
“Stop talking. If you go on, your character will really collapse,” An Lan said.
“Okay.”
D*mn, even this “okay” carries the meaning of “I’m giving in to you,” making people really unpleasant.
This lunch ended in a very “pleasant” manner. An Lan had to admit that salted egg yolk chicken wings were really delicious, onion-stirred shrimp was also delicious, and that pumpkin and egg white steamed egg… was just okay.
Although it was the most expensive.
As a guest, An Lan had the right to enjoy without doing any work.
Gu Liyu cleaned up the plates and bowls, putting them into the dishwasher.
And those numerous paper strips were left by Gu Liyu on the table, straightforwardly.
An Lan took them over. There were eight paper strips inside. He wanted to know if Gu Liyu had indeed put three “terminate the friendship” in them.
Slowly opening the first one, there were only strong characters written on it: “terminate the friendship.”
An Lan felt a bit slapped in the face.
Opening the second one, it was still the words “terminate the friendship.” An Lan’s other cheek felt a bit sore. Did his luck run out after drawing “terminate the friendship” on purpose?
Surely, the third one couldn’t also be “terminate the friendship,” right?
Seeing the arrogant characters on it, An Lan’s eyelids started twitching.
The fourth one, although it was awkward, we can still pretend to be friends.
Bah, what kind of friends can pretend to be?
The fifth one, allowing you to create distance, and allowing me to protect you.
An Lan knew that this was probably the most likely result between him and Gu Liyu.
The sixth one, wait until you evolve into an alpha, then compete again, although you’ll definitely lose.
An Lan pressed his eye corner forcefully; this suggestion was too brutal. Even “terminate the friendship” seemed cute in comparison.
The seventh one, after many years, friends who share a thousand cups of wine are rare, why were you so embarrassed when you didn’t plan to marry me back then?
An Lan suddenly became calm.
If many years later, they had both grown up, met at a class reunion, Gu Liyu would probably still be a distant and difficult-to-approach figure. But An Lan could imagine that as long as he said a few more words to him, the legendary ice-cold school grass would earnestly chat with him.
Then, he would sigh and wonder why he had ended the friendship with this guy so many years ago over something like pheromones.
An Lan couldn’t help but laugh.
The eighth strip read, “You come and go as you please, but don’t forget my pheromones are expensive.”
“Darn… talking about money hurts feelings!”
Opening the ninth strip, An Lan found it to be blank, with only the signature “Gu Liyu” at the bottom.
“Hey! What’s going on?” An Lan walked up to Gu Liyu, holding the paper strip, and asked.
Gu Liyu calmly glanced over, wiped his hands clean, and pointed at the signature at the end of the strip, “Originally, if you drew this strip, you could write down what you wanted.”
“So… this is the legendary king’s lot?”
An Lan slapped his thigh in his mind. Drawing this was the real deal.
However, Gu Liyu turned around, leaned against the sink behind him, and said, “When choices are presented to you, they are usually relatively easy. What’s truly difficult is when there are no choices.”
An Lan was stunned. When there are various choices in front of you, the worries are often limited.
But when there are no choices, it becomes more uneasy and fearful, as there is only one chance, and after writing it down, it feels like losing the right to change.
“You can keep this strip. My signature cannot be forged. Whether we truly terminate our friendship in the future, or we go our separate ways after graduation, you can write down a request, and I will fulfill it for you,” Gu Liyu replied.
“Why?”
“To thank you for being with me at this moment.”
After saying that, Gu Liyu walked away from An Lan.
An Lan looked at the paper strip in his hand and realized that he was the most despicable person.
He was shaken by such a small thing, while Gu Liyu made efforts to balance their relationship. He was like an omega with imbalanced pheromone secretion, full of anxiety and fragility.
An Lan folded the paper strip back and put it away properly.
He knew he wouldn’t use it to make any requests to Gu Liyu. He just reminded himself not to become the kind of person he disliked.
“The day after tomorrow is the monthly exam. Actually, going back to take a few more classes won’t make much difference,” Gu Liyu’s voice came from upstairs.
“Yeah.” An Lan sighed helplessly. “And the first class in the afternoon is the most tiring.”
“Now that you’ve eaten, you’ll probably feel sleepy again.”
“So let’s start solving problems quickly!”
Gu Liyu stood on the stairs, turned back to look at him, and said, “So go to sleep quickly. When you’re completely awake, I’ll give you some comprehensive reasoning questions.”
“…”
Eating and then sleeping, are we raising pigs?
But indeed, as Gu Liyu said, An Lan felt drowsy in less than half an hour. Originally leaning on the sofa playing with his phone, he became sleepy after a while, and then he fell asleep with his head tilted.
Gu Liyu didn’t let An Lan sleep for too long. After about half an hour, he woke him up.
Sleeping too long makes people dizzy. However, sleeping for only half an hour and then getting up, An Lan was very clear-headed. He rubbed his eyes and sat up.
Gu Liyu really started to explain the comprehensive reasoning questions to him. It was the kind of explanation that linked knowledge points and guided An Lan to think. When An Lan started thinking along his lines, Gu Liyu stopped, just supporting his chin patiently, waiting for An Lan to calculate the answer.
The whole afternoon, An Lan was unusually awake. He followed Gu Liyu to solve five or six questions that he thought he couldn’t answer before. The whole person became more confident, feeling like his IQ had made a leap.
In the evening, An Lan’s phone rang, and it was his mom asking when he would be home. An Lan then realized that he had been with Gu Liyu the whole day.
“I have to go home.”
“Yeah, I know. Wait a moment.” Gu Liyu turned off the desk lamp, took out An Lan’s school uniform that he had already washed, and neatly packed it together with the shooting suit, “Let’s go, I’ll take you home.”
The two rode shared bicycles and left the apartment area.
“My little uncle’s art exhibition, remember to come.” On the way, Gu Liyu didn’t forget to remind him.
“It will depend on my monthly exam results. If they are too bad, I might be locked up for studying.” An Lan said.
“This time it won’t be bad.” Gu Liyu said.
“That’s true. You helped me with so many questions!”
After seeing off Gu Liyu, An Lan turned back upstairs. When he turned on his phone, he found that Xu Xingran had sent him three messages.
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