Chapter 60: Letting Go
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An Lan had already guessed this answer. After all, Jiang Shaozhe was too young to lead an organization as tight-knit as “Eden.”
Now it was Jiang Shaozhe’s turn, and he asked, “Are you afraid of becoming an omega?”
An Lan’s answer was swift, “I’m not afraid.”
“This question, when asked of any alpha, usually evokes disgust. The deeper layer of that disgust is actually fear. Fear of going from a controller to being controlled. But you tell me you’re not afraid. Is it because you’re sure Gu Liyu will protect you?” Jiang Shaozhe continued.
An Lan didn’t let himself be led astray, “You have to answer one of my questions first, then I’ll answer yours.”
“Fine, go ahead and ask.”
“When Gu Yunli’s pheromones went out of control, was it related to your ‘Eden’?” An Lan asked.
This question not only stunned Captain Hong, who was standing nearby, but also left Jiang Shaozhe momentarily dumbfounded.
An Lan, imitating Jiang Shaozhe’s tone, reminded him, “This is a quick question and answer game; your time is running out.”
“Irrelevant,” Jiang Shaozhe answered immediately.
An Lan sneered and stood up, “Game over.”
Jiang Shaozhe’s brows furrowed immediately, “Where did the game end? You haven’t answered my question yet.”
“We agreed not to lie, but you lied about the previous question,” An Lan stood in front of Jiang Shaozhe, lowered his eyes, and exuded a sense of dominating intensity.
“How do you determine that I lied?” Jiang Shaozhe’s emotions were clearly fluctuating.
“Because when K observed me, he admitted it,” An Lan gave Jiang Shaozhe a cold look, but Jiang Shaozhe blurted out, “I never admitted it!”
As soon as this statement was made, everyone’s expressions changed.
Captain Hong was surprised and pleased, while An Lan smiled lightly. Jiang Shaozhe’s expression gradually twisted.
“You deceived me.”
“Who asked you not to follow the rules of the game?” An Lan replied.
“Do you think that everything ends after you split into an alpha?” Jiang Shaozhe said.
An Lan took a deep breath and replied, “You brought me here because you have something to say to me, right? Why not just say it directly? Why go around in circles, playing this weird game, and end up entangling yourself?”
“You can indeed differentiate into an alpha, but the influence of Eve’s Apple is irreversible,” Jiang Shaozhe said.
“What do you mean?” An Lan was stunned.
Which part of the influence of Eve’s Apple was irreversible?
“You will become addicted to Gu Liyu’s pheromones. You say you have the most favorable impression of Gu Liyu. Can you be sure it’s your true feelings and not influenced by pheromones?” Jiang Shaozhe squinted his eyes, signaling that the conversation for today was over.
“I’m sure,” An Lan answered.
Jiang Shaozhe narrowed his eyes, about to say something more, but An Lan walked out without any nostalgia.
For An Lan, Jiang Shaozhe’s purpose in talking to him was already clear—to confuse him, shake him, and isolate him by undermining his relationships with friends.
When An Lan walked out of the room, he coincidentally brushed shoulders with a police officer.
In that instant, An Lan caught a familiar scent.
He lowered his head in contemplation, and Xu Xingran and Xiao Chen also walked over.
“An Lan, what happened?” Xu Xingran asked.
A flash of insight crossed An Lan’s mind, and he grabbed Xu Xingran, whispering, “The police officer who just walked past me… is from ‘Eden.'”
“How do you know?” Xiao Chen was shocked.
“I remember his pheromone scent. He once gave me water,” An Lan said.
Xu Xingran immediately turned around and ran towards the police officer.
Realizing someone was chasing him, the officer suddenly accelerated his pace. Just as Xu Xingran was about to catch up, he swiftly drew his gun. The bullet was about to hit Xu Xingran.
An Lan pushed Xu Xingran away, and the bullet grazed his ear, embedding itself in the wall.
Xu Xingran crashed into the wall, widened his eyes, and watched as An Lan collapsed towards him.
“An Lan! Are you okay?” Xu Xingran hugged An Lan tightly, and at this moment, all An Lan could hear was the buzzing sound of the bullet passing by.
Taking advantage of the situation, Captain Hong shot the officer in the arm. As the gun dropped, other police officers swarmed him, capturing him.
At this moment, Gu Liyu was sitting across from Dr. Cheng.
“You and my father are old friends. That’s why I entrusted An Lan to you for treatment,” Gu Liyu said.
Dr. Cheng turned his face to smile, “Your father asked me for help, and I will spare no effort for what he wants. But that doesn’t mean I will do everything you ask with the same dedication.”
“Is my father’s pheromones going out of control related to you?” Gu Liyu asked.
Dr. Cheng’s gaze instantly turned cold, as if an invisible snake was spitting venom, entwining Gu Liyu.
“Nothing in this world is controllable. I just proved it to him,” Dr. Cheng answered.
Gu Liyu’s fingers trembled slightly, but quickly calmed down. “So, it’s really you. What method did you use?”
“Do you want to know?” Dr. Cheng changed his sitting posture. “Isn’t your cousin Gu Qingchuan very talented? Doesn’t he have any speculations or research results to share with you?”
“I didn’t understand before, but now I understand,” Gu Liyu said.
The hint of surprise in Dr. Cheng’s eyes couldn’t be concealed, but then he calmed down. “What do you know?”
“You blocked my mother’s pheromones, making my father unable to sense her presence. High-quality alphas have an absolute possessiveness towards their mates. Even though my mother was right in front of him, he couldn’t feel any pheromones belonging to her. It made him uneasy, anxious, and fearful. The more he loved my mother, the easier he fell into madness. You collected samples of my mother’s pheromones, didn’t you? Otherwise, you couldn’t achieve such precise blocking.”
Dr. Cheng coldly looked at Gu Liyu without saying anything.
This also confirmed that Gu Liyu’s guess was likely correct.
“Why would you do such a thing to my father?” Gu Liyu asked again. “I don’t care about the answer, but I think if my father were sober, he would want to know.”
“Because alphas are too fragile; you are too easily deceived by omega pheromones. Look at ‘Eden,’ the so-called customized omega can lead so many high-ranking alphas into desire. Your father, too. Did he really fall in love with your mother, or with her pheromones?” Dr. Cheng looked at Gu Liyu with a mocking gaze. “He is such an outstanding person, yet he’s crazed over another omega’s pheromones. How ridiculous. If he could be completely immune to omega pheromones, he would be a truly perfect person—he lost to his own biological instincts.”
Gu Liyu’s gaze remained fixed on Dr. Cheng without any shift.
“You really like that child named An Lan, don’t you? Have you ever thought that you might be attracted to his pheromones? In that small room, he was injected with an excessive amount of Eve’s Apple, emitting an omega-like scent. So you were moved, falling headlong into it, just like your father getting addicted.”
“I liked him even before that day,” Gu Liyu said.
“Is that so?”
“Because I liked the way he shot. At that time, he didn’t have any pheromones on him.”
“So, you refused to turn him into an omega just to prove that you would like him no matter what he is?” Dr. Cheng asked.
“Not to prove anything, but because I already liked him.”
Gu Liyu stood up, walked to the door, and said, “I forgot to tell you, the undercover agent you planted in the police force has been discovered. He could have saved you, but not anymore.”
“I don’t have any undercover agents in the police force,” Dr. Cheng smiled.
“Lu Mingde, are you sure he’s not your person?” Gu Liyu said.
Dr. Cheng’s expression froze at that moment.
“Do you want to know how Lu Mingde was discovered?” Gu Liyu asked.
Dr. Cheng was about to speak, but Gu Liyu walked out and closed the door, clearly indicating that he had no intention of telling Dr. Cheng the answer.
At this point, the situation finally stabilized. Lu Mingde was arrested, and Captain Hong was heartbroken.
Because Lu Mingde, although not from the same branch as him, was from the same starting group, and they had even been roommates. Yet, he unexpectedly devoted himself to “Eden.”
“Lu Mingde, what the h*ll are you doing!” Captain Hong angrily punched Lu Mingde against the wall.
Lu Mingde wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and coldly said, “Might makes right. I have nothing to say. In this society, alphas should be at the top, enjoying more resources and having greater influence. You gave up that influence.”
“You’re really persistent!” Captain Hong and the other teammates detained him.
A key figure in “Eden” had been exposed, but what lay beneath the surface remained to be seen, and only time would tell.
Before their trial concluded, An Lan and the others were secretly protected.
A few days later, An Lan could finally leave the hospital.
His parents came to pack his things, and Xu Xingran, who arrived early, was there too.
“Class Monitor, you came so early. Are you also leaving the hospital today? How’s your health?” An Lan asked with a smile.
Xu Xingran nodded indifferently. “My health is fine. Do you have time? Take a walk with me?”
“Sure, why not.”
An Lan had anticipated what Xu Xingran was going to say, but avoiding things wouldn’t make them go away. In fact, it could widen the gap day by day.
The two walked downstairs, where many patients were enjoying the sun, and caregivers were pushing wheelchairs for a stroll.
The world that had been fraught with danger seemed to have suddenly become warm.
“That day, Jiang Shaozhe asked you which of the three of us you were most moved by, and your answer was Gu Liyu,” Xu Xingran said.
The two stopped, standing under a wutong tree.
“Yeah,” An Lan nodded.
Originally, An Lan felt a bit nervous when Xu Xingran invited him out, but standing under this tree, he suddenly didn’t feel nervous anymore.
“So, you didn’t just say that for Jiang Shaozhe to hear; you said it for me too. You don’t want to hurt my pride, nor do you want me to make futile efforts. You hope I return to being just a friend, right?” Xu Xingran turned his face and looked at An Lan.
“Seeing through but not exposing, Class Monitor… Why did you say it?” An Lan touched his nose.
Xu Xingran lowered his eyes, smiled with his hands in his pockets, and said, “By saying it, I wanted you to know that your intentions to protect me, I’ve received it.”
“That’s good.”
“Actually, even if you gently rejected me like this, things might not have developed in the direction you hoped for. For example, I might say that I want to compete fairly with Gu Liyu.”
An Lan shook his head. “When I started to have feelings for Gu Liyu, fair competition ceased to exist. Besides, liking someone through competition might not be effective.”
Xu Xingran nodded, “Makes sense, but I might also say, ‘It doesn’t matter if you don’t like me. My feelings for you are my own business.'”
An Lan shook his head again, “Class Monitor, you may think it doesn’t matter if I don’t like you, but I feel it’s important because I want you to be happy.”
Xu Xingran then said, “…What if I say I just can’t let go?”
“Picking up is always easy, but letting go requires the right time and place. If you let go too quickly, I might fall to the ground and it would hurt. So, try it. Let go a little every day, a bit more each time. Then, one day, when you’re explaining a problem to me or when we’re having supper together, you’ll realize you’ve let me go.”
Xu Xingran’s eyes turned red, and An Lan didn’t turn away but looked at him earnestly.
“An Lan, looking at me like this, I can’t even shed two tears.”
“Class Monitor must be treating someone so well for the first time, disregarding family objections, planning everything, and even putting oneself in such a dangerous situation. Now you’re sad because you’re serious. I didn’t see you when you were dealing with me and K, so I have to remember how sad you look now. Later, Class Monitor may smile and face everyone with ease, not showing any signs of anger, hiding all emotions… So, the real you now, Xu Xingran, I want to remember it well. Because you might not show it to me in the future.”
Finally, tears fell from Xu Xingran’s eyes, hanging on his chin.
An Lan reached out, and it fell into his palm, blending into the lines of An Lan’s hand.
“Do you know the real way to make me let go?” Xu Xingran asked.
“I know.”
It’s being happy, feeling fortunate, but still being independent. The person I want has given me everything I desire.
“An Lan, from now on, your nickname is ‘Confession Killer.'”
The two smiled at each other. When they walked back to the ward, they saw Gu Liyu and Xiao Chen were already there.
“Let’s go, go home!” An Lan showed a big smile.
This time, Gu Liyu drove over. He didn’t say much, just put everything in the back of the car.
An Lan conscientiously took the front passenger seat. Gu Liyu was driving an SUV, and An Lan’s parents sat in the middle row, while Xu Xingran and Xiao Chen sat in the back.
The car left the hospital, and the sunlight was excellent all the way.
An Lan’s parents were now most concerned about his academics. After so much delay, they wondered if he could catch up when he returned.
“Aunt and uncle, rest assured. We’ll take care of it. An Lan’s grades for the monthly exam next week won’t be bad,” Xu Xingran said.
“Then we will count on everyone! We’ll treat you all to a delicious meal tonight! I’ll personally cook!” An Lan’s mom had already prepared a fridge full of ingredients.
“Can I bring my little sister?,” Xiao Chen raised his hand in the back.
“Ten little sisters are fine too!” An Lan’s dad said generously.
“Class Monitor, what about you? Is it okay?” An Lan’s mom asked.
“I’m fine, of course,” Xu Xingran smiled and nodded.
An Lan turned his head and looked at Gu Liyu driving. He lightly pulled his sleeve, “What about you?”
“Don’t mess around, I’m driving.” Gu Liyu sounded as if he was annoyed by An Lan’s pull, but the words “don’t mess around” were said gently.
If he weren’t really driving, An Lan would suspect he would say, “I’m messing around.”
“Let Little Gu stay too. It’s rare for everyone to be so lively,” An Lan’s mom patted his chair.
“Okay.” Gu Liyu agreed.
An Lan felt a bit uncomfortable at this differential treatment.
Why was it that when he asked Gu Liyu to stay, it was “don’t mess around,” but when his mom asked, it was a straightforward “okay”?
The car stopped downstairs, and everyone got out except An Lan, who stayed in the car.
“Mom, you go up first with my classmates. I’ll accompany my classmate, Little Gu, to park the car.”
“Sure, our garage is a bit dark. This car looks expensive. Don’t let it get bumped!” An Lan’s mom took everyone upstairs.
“I won’t let it get bumped.” Gu Liyu said.
“Having you as a driver is such a high-level treatment. Let me enjoy it a bit more, won’t you?” An Lan squinted at the other person.
The garage was indeed not very bright, and An Lan’s smile in the mingling light and shadow had a charming beauty.
Gu Liyu, against the light, his expression couldn’t be seen clearly from An Lan’s angle. Still, he raised his hand as if he wanted to touch An Lan, but he withdrew it.
“What do you want to touch?” An Lan propped up his chin, carefully observing Gu Liyu’s expression.
His Adam’s apple moved slightly, and he casually replied, “I just want to unbuckle your seatbelt.”
“Oh, then go ahead.”
“You have hands; unbuckle it yourself.”
Gu Liyu got out of the car and walked around to An Lan’s side, opening the car door for him.
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