Chapter 81: Award-Winning Oscar
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Moreover, Gu Qingchuan’s sharp eyes also noticed a pair of sport pants thrown on the bedroom floor, obviously not belonging to Gu Liyu.
Gu Liyu coldly looked at his big brother as if wanting to maintain this standoff indefinitely. However, when An Lan moved in his arms, apparently feeling uncomfortable in a position he had maintained for a long time, he lifted his knees and formed a cheeky nine-character posture.
His feet protruded from the quilt, revealing a small section of sleep shorts.
Gu Qingchuan suddenly felt a bit awkward. If Gu Liyu had really done something to An Lan, it was impossible for An Lan to sleep in such a posture.
“I’ll get you a new suppressant.”
After saying that, Gu Qingchuan left the bedroom.
Gu Liyu lowered his gaze and, turning his head away, he cuddled with An Lan, pulling him closer.
Closing the door and turning around, Gu Qingchuan met Song Kelan’s worried eyes.
“How is it? Little Yu… he didn’t… do anything to An Lan, right?”
Gu Qingchuan went forward and helped her, letting her sit by the stairs.
“It’s okay, don’t worry. They’ve all gone to sleep. Don’t disturb them.”
“Sleep? Alphas in the susceptible period are usually irritable and agitated, and they might… How can he possibly fall asleep?”‘
“Although I don’t know what An Lan did, but now Little Yu is still sober. I’ll turn on the central air conditioner; we must get rid of the pheromones here. Otherwise, none of us can stay.” Gu Qingchuan reassured her.
“Oh, okay.” Song Kelan nodded.
The pheromones in the entire villa didn’t start to feel less oppressive until the early morning.
Song Kelan said worriedly, “Qingchuan, you better not go back tonight. I’m afraid Little Yu might suddenly…”
“I know, don’t worry. I’m here.” Gu Qingchuan glanced at the time, “Given their situation, we might have to ask for leave for them tomorrow.”
Whether Gu Liyu had completely emerged from the susceptible period or not, he couldn’t go to class.
“Okay.” Song Kelan nodded.
Throughout the night, neither Song Kelan nor Gu Qingchuan could sleep.
In contrast, Gu Liyu, after turning off the light, looked at An Lan, half of his face sunk into the pillow. His fingers traced over An Lan’s eyebrows, and his fingertips gently slid over his cheeks. An Lan murmured in his sleep.
“Mm… don’t come…”
“You haven’t answered yet. Where did you learn to put an ice cube in your mouth?” Gu Liyu asked softly.
“In the movies…”
Gu Liyu chuckled lightly and asked again, “Who did you watch it with?”
“Mm… mm…” An Lan wanted to sleep. Since he didn’t get an answer, Gu Liyu turned to touch An Lan’s eyelashes.
“Who did you watch it with?” Gu Liyu asked again.
“Myself…”
Gu Liyu leaned in, and An Lan’s face was mostly buried in the pillow. He could only kiss his ear.
“Promise me you’ll always be by my side, no matter what happens to me. Don’t be afraid of me.”
“Okay…” An Lan’s voice sounded a bit pitiful, as if begging Gu Liyu not to disturb his sleep anymore.
In the latter half of the night, An Lan finally slept soundly, while Gu Liyu kept watching him as if he never grew tired or bored.
The next morning, Song Kelan prepared breakfast. She waited at the dining table until past eight when Gu Liyu finally came downstairs.
Seeing him in an oversized T-shirt and sleep shorts, looking calm, Song Kelan breathed a sigh of relief.
“Mom, I’m sorry for scaring you last night,” Gu Liyu said.
“It’s okay, as long as you’re okay… as long as you’re okay.”
Tears welled up in Song Kelan’s eyes. She still remembered the day when Gu Yunli was taken away by the Alpha Management Committee. The whole villa was filled with such heavy pheromones, making her legs weak. Only Gu Yunli’s pheromones were even more violent.
Gu Qingchuan snorted coldly, “You even know how to apologize to your mom?”
“Big brother.” Gu Liyu called him.
Gu Qingchuan’s expression softened.
“I really thought we were going to have a pheromone war,” he said.
“Then we’d both be taken away by the Alpha Management Committee?” Gu Liyu retorted.
Gu Qingchuan fell silent.
“What about An Lan?” Song Kelan asked anxiously.
Although Gu Qingchuan said that Gu Liyu hadn’t harmed An Lan, Song Kelan was still worried.
“He’s sleeping in. Mom… I really didn’t do anything to him. I just… having him by my side during the susceptible period is really fortunate,” Gu Liyu said.
Upon hearing this, Song Kelan smiled.
“I’ve arranged leave for both of you. Let him sleep in. What about lunch? Does An Lan have any specific preferences?”
Gu Liyu looked at the breakfast on the plate—omelette, vegetable salad, and fish fillet.
“He… probably won’t want to eat anything.”
“Why?”
“He’s not feeling well. How about making porridge?” Gu Liyu suggested. “Mom, is there any oral ulcer spray in the medicine box at home?”
“Huh? I don’t think so. Our family’s diet has always been light, so we rarely get inflamed.”
Gu Qingchuan, sitting on the sofa, stared for a moment, suddenly understanding something. He smiled and said, “You guys played it big, huh?”
Gu Liyu didn’t say anything.
“I’ll go buy the medicine. We might need to prepare some anti-inflammatory medicine as well,” Gu Qingchuan said as he went to change shoes in the entrance. He snapped his fingers and added, “Little Yu, be good when I’m not around.”
Gu Liyu didn’t answer.
After finishing breakfast, Gu Liyu returned to the bedroom.
The scent of ambergris in the room had dissipated a lot, and there was a faint trace of fresh bamboo fragrance.
Gu Liyu closed his eyes, took a deep sniff, and then sat on the edge of the bed.
An Lan had slept in a sprawling position, occupying the entire bed.
His left hand was spread out next to Gu Liyu, who gently held his hand.
The phone on the bedside table vibrated, and someone sent a message. Gu Liyu swiped and saw it was from Xu Xingran.
[Why did you suddenly take leave? What happened?]
Gu Liyu had no intention of hiding anything and quickly replied: [I’m in the susceptible period. An Lan is safe and sound.]
Xu Xingran, who was in the middle of morning self-study, was shocked when he saw the words “susceptible period,” but the second half of the sentence relieved his suspended heart.
An Lan slept until noon, rubbing his eyes as he got up, still not completely awake. He staggered to the bathroom, yawning.
Gu Liyu followed behind, watching him stand in front of the toilet with the sound of rushing water. Gu Liyu turned his head to avoid eye contact, but eventually couldn’t resist looking. At this moment, all he could see was An Lan’s waist.
When An Lan turned his head, his scattered gaze suddenly met Gu Liyu’s. He became fully awake.
“Why… why are you standing there?”
“Afraid you’ll fall into the toilet.” Gu Liyu replied.
“You’re the one who’d fall into the toilet.”
Gu Liyu didn’t respond, just turned his head to look at him. This made An Lan recall the bold and inappropriate things he had done, and his neck turned red to the top of his head.
Pretending not to recall anything, he twisted the tap to wash his hands.
“You walked with the same side arm and leg.”
“You were the one walking like that.” An Lan walked past Gu Liyu, nudging him out of the way with his neck stiff.
When he brushed his teeth, water and toothpaste touched the wound in his mouth, making him wince in pain.
Song Kelan originally thought An Lan, who stayed by Gu Liyu’s side last night, must have been scared and would want some delicious food. However, An Lan only drank porridge, and each sip made him frown.
After finishing lunch, An Lan sat on the sofa, and Gu Qingchuan beckoned to him.
“Big Brother Gu? What’s up?”
Gu Qingchuan took out a small flashlight, coolly smiled, “Open your mouth. Let me see the area of the wound. What if it gets infected?”
“Ah?”
Seeing Gu Qingchuan’s expression, An Lan already knew he knew what he had done last night. He couldn’t lift his head.
“You… You don’t need to, Brother Gu. I’m really fine.”
“Are you a doctor? If you say you’re fine, does that mean you’re really fine?” Gu Qingchuan raised an eyebrow.
“Oh.” An Lan could only obediently open his mouth.
Gu Qingchuan shone the flashlight inside and then sprayed something on An Lan.
“Thank you,” Gu Qingchuan said.
“This… I should have been by his side.”
“There’s no ‘should.’ Alphas in the susceptible period, even their most beloved partners can feel fear. But you really aren’t afraid of him.” Gu Qingchuan remembered how An Lan stayed in Gu Liyu’s arms; that was absolute trust. “Real trust and tolerance are more comforting than omega pheromones.”
“He deserves my trust.”
For Xu Xingran and Xiao Chen, this day was quite boring.
Xiao Chen raised his head, but not seeing An Lan’s figure, it made him restless even during class.
As for Xu Xingran, he had been using his phone to browse web pages about high-quality alpha susceptible periods. The more he read, the more perilous it seemed.
Bald Qiang on the podium was well aware that Xu Xingran was using his phone during class, but seeing Xu Xingran frowning, he hesitated to call out his name.
Xu Xingran originally wanted to visit Gu Liyu and An Lan after school, but he knew that alphas around the susceptible period were easily stimulated. If he went, it might trigger Gu Liyu’s crisis awareness and end up harming An Lan.
He had to endure it and instead contacted Captain Hong to confirm the current progress of the investigation.
Xiao Chen finished the boring Monday and went to pick up his sister. The two of them returned home together.
Every Monday, Xiao Hongwen had a meeting and usually came back late. Before, he used to take Xiao Chen with him. In the eyes of others, Xiao Chen was already his designated successor, but today he unusually called Xiao Chen.
“Ah Chen… If you don’t have the evening self-study today, why not come to my place? Let’s have dinner together with everyone.”
The “everyone” referred to the people in the board of directors.
Xiao Chen casually smiled, “I won’t go. The dinners at your place are never filling. I’d rather have dinner with Lele.”
Xiao Hongwen hesitated to speak.
Xiao Chen added, “I know Xiao Yun is at home. Even if you’re not here, I’ll resist the urge to beat him.”
“I didn’t mean that. Xiao Nan will come to see Xiao Yun today. This kid has been speaking unpleasantly, and I’m afraid he’ll upset you.”
“Even if he says something unpleasant, treat it as nonsense.” Xiao Chen exchanged a glance with Xiao Le, and both siblings smiled.
Xiao Hongwen had heard Xiao Nan say unpleasant things before, and every time his expression remained unchanged. Now, he found it ironic that he suddenly cared about it.
The Xiao family had a round dining table, quite large. Xiao Chen and Xiao Le sat on one side, while Xiao Nan and Xiao Yun sat on the other. There was a large empty space between them, making it look like strangers sharing a table at a restaurant.
The attentive aunt split all the dishes equally, making both sides have the same dishes.
The round table had not been turned, and everyone ate quietly. There was no small talk.
Xiao Nan’s gaze towards the siblings was always filled with disdain because Xiao Yun couldn’t eat, while Xiao Chen and Xiao Le enjoyed their meals.
“I say… Xiao Chen, can you not make noise when you eat? It’s so uncivilized.” Xiao Nan couldn’t bear it any longer.
Xiao Yun quickly pulled Xiao Nan under the table, signaling him not to say more.
Xiao Chen nonchalantly replied, “You can take the dishes upstairs. I didn’t force you to have dinner with me.”
“Then why don’t you eat upstairs?”
“Because it’s more enjoyable to eat here.”
“You…” Xiao Nan opened his mouth, probably about to be retorted by Xiao Chen again. He took two bites and then pushed Xiao Yun upstairs.
In the late evening, around ten o’clock, Xiao Chen wanted instant noodles. He searched his room for a while and actually found a cup of instant noodles that would expire in a day.
Xiao Chen chuckled, “It’s you.”
He carried the instant noodles downstairs, boiling water in the kitchen while browsing his phone.
In the entire house, there were only three people left. Xiao Yun pretended to be a literary youth in his room, Xiao Le was doing homework and probably didn’t eat enough dinner, so she came down when she smelled the instant noodles. The remaining person was Xiao Chen.
Someone silently approached Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen was still immersed in playing games on his phone. The sound effects of “crackling” and “smacking” were very prominent in the quiet villa.
The person approached Xiao Chen from behind, holding a syringe. Suddenly, they stabbed it towards Xiao Chen’s neck.
As Xiao Chen had anticipated, he raised his hand and securely grasped the opponent’s wrist. A slow smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth. Without even turning his head, he leisurely said, “Xiao Yun, why did you come out when it’s inconvenient for you to move around in your own room?”
Immediately, Xiao Chen’s fingers pinched the opponent’s wrist right in the center, precisely catching a tendon. Xiao Yun grunted, and the syringe dropped.
“You… you…”
Xiao Chen ended the game, putting his phone in his pocket, and turned around casually, “You? What about you? How did I discover that you’re faking a leg injury? Or why are you pretending to have difficulty with your legs? I can answer the first question, but only you know the answer to the second one.”
At this moment, Xiao Yun wasn’t sitting in a wheelchair at all. Glancing from the kitchen to the living room, there was no sign of the wheelchair. In other words, Xiao Yun had come down entirely on his own.
Xiao Yun wasn’t wearing shoes on his feet, deliberately avoiding making any noise.
“When did you recover?” Xiao Chen looked at him with a gaze resembling that of looking at a clown.
“How did you know I could stand up?” Xiao Yun asked.
“In all things, there is a first come, first served principle, right? I asked the first question, big brother,” Xiao Chen’s “big brother” was filled with a sarcastic meaning.
“I stood up. Isn’t that a good thing? Let go.” Xiao Yun had no intention of answering Xiao Chen.
“Good thing? You call a sneak attack from behind and trying to inject random stuff into my neck a ‘good thing’?” Xiao Chen forcefully pushed Xiao Yun away, as if tossing a trash bag into a garbage bin.
Stumbling backward a couple of steps, Xiao Yun looked up and saw Xiao Chen swiftly approaching with the syringe, the needle gleaming with a cold light, seemingly about to stab into his eye.
“Ah!” Xiao Yun turned his head away.
Xiao Chen stopped and patted Xiao Yun’s cheek, “Speak up. If you don’t, I’ll really stick it in.”
“I’ll talk! Just don’t randomly jab me!”
“Tsk, holding this thing to jab me isn’t considered random?” Xiao Chen sneered, “Seems like it’s okay for the officials to set fires, but the common people can’t even light a lamp.”
“Since… since I was injured and admitted to the hospital, a doctor contacted us. He provided a drug that, when taken, allows damaged muscles, ligaments, and bones to self-repair.”
Xiao Yun didn’t expect that he could stand up.
“Ahaha. But using this drug means you have to obey the organization’s orders, or what you’ll lose won’t be just your legs but your life.” Xiao Chen coldly chuckled, patting Xiao Yun’s cheek. “You and your mother are sometimes very clever, and sometimes unbelievably foolish. The doctor who contacted you is affiliated with ‘Eden.'”
Xiao Yun’s eyes widened in that moment. “How did you know? Isn’t Eden the one producing Eve’s Apple? Aren’t they using omegas to control the alpha class? How could…”
“You underestimate Eden too much, huh? Who said using omegas can control the alpha class? In this world, there are many alpha families not so interested in omegas. And they are a significant force.”
Like the Xu family, like the Gu family, and like Xiao Chen himself.
“Alpha families truly cherish strength. Eden wants to use this to control the upper-class alpha families. For example, using a golden apple to provide you with a customized omega that suits your taste is far less appealing than giving you the abilities of a top-tier alpha.”
Xiao Yun’s heart turned cold. He remembered the fate of Han Li and the Han family. Once they were no longer useful to Eden, they would mercilessly be trampled into the mud.
“How did you…. discover that my legs were healed?”
“You’ve been acting for so long, your acting skills are top-notch. You deserve an Oscar. But my memory is good, even if I’ve only been in your room once or twice.” Xiao Chen pointed to his head.
Author’s note:
Ah Chen is not stupid, he’s the smartest. Let’s all hug and kiss together.
Xiao Chen: If you use that tone again, you’re all dead!
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