37: What life does a pervert need?
After saying it, Shen Jin ducked his head like he was trying to escape. His fingers curled into his palm, shame creeping in.
He already lost every bit of face he could possibly lose in front of Qian Kun.
Couldn’t he have just endured it?
Could Qian Kun temporarily lose his memory?
He had so many things he wanted to ask. After those three words, Shen Jin loathed himself and shrank back, but the wall was right behind him, leaving him nowhere to go.
Qian Kun froze for a moment, thinking that a Shen Jin who’d actually say he was hungry was so adorable it nearly did him in.
His hand almost landed on that small swirl of hair. This Shen Jin, like he’d shed a layer of ice, stabbed straight into the softest part of Qian Kun’s heart.
Right as his fingers were about to brush the hair, Qian Kun regained his clarity and stopped.
“The cafeteria’s closed. Let’s go out the gate. I know a place.”
Shen Jin didn’t answer, but ever since they started sharing a dorm, they slowly built a quiet understanding. One look was enough for Qian Kun to know.
When Shen Jin stood, his legs went numb and his body swayed. He’d barely braced himself against the wall when he felt an arm tighten around his waist and he was half-caught into someone’s hold.
Qian Kun had steadied him, then quickly let go.
Maybe he was worried Shen Jin would fall again. He didn’t immediately step away. As long as Shen Jin leaned forward even slightly, he’d be fully wrapped in the other’s presence.
A low voice came from above. “Can you stand? If you can’t, hold onto my shoulder.”
Shen Jin’s gaze flickered. He said softly, “My legs are numb. I’ll be fine in a few minutes.”
“Put the jacket on properly. It’s windy outside.”
Shen Jin hesitated for a few seconds, then slowly slipped his arms into the sleeves.
That familiar scent lingered around him, faint but persistent.
Qian Kun didn’t immediately ask what had happened. Shen Jin looked no different than usual, but there was no guarantee that wasn’t an act.
He lowered his head and replied to a message from his bodyguards. They already located Zhao Haotian. Qian Kun typed a few lines, then put his phone away.
The two of them stood there for a moment, then walked out together.
Shen Jin noticed the restroom door that had been kicked so hard it hung crooked. That door was made with a high-grade composite material. After it was installed, there had even been Alphas who tried to damage it, and it hadn’t budged.
Could a Beta’s physical ability really exceed the standard by that much?
Qian Kun seemed to know the security guard. He went up and said a few words, and soon they were out the school gate.
Shen Jin saw that sleek, perfectly contoured motorcycle he’d only seen once before. Qian Kun was lowering his head as he pulled on gloves.
Something was tossed at him. Shen Jin caught it. A helmet.
He remembered how the Alphas in class had coveted that bike, wanting to borrow it just to touch it. Then Liu Qimai had said that not only could Alphas not touch it, even Omegas couldn’t. This bike was more beloved than a wife.
“You… are letting me ride it?” Shen Jin couldn’t believe it.
Qian Kun was already on the bike. With one hand, he patted the spot behind him. The meaning was obvious.
Someone like Shen Jin, a model student who’d probably never even been late, the standard good kid. Put next to Qian Kun, it really did look like a delinquent corrupting a straight-A student.
Shen Jin probably never imagined a day would come when some bad influence invited him onto a motorcycle to tear down the road.
Qian Kun said, “I’m good at riding. I won’t dump you. You’re hungry, aren’t you? It’s close. This is faster.”
Shen Jin got on as if bewitched. Sometimes when Qian Kun spoke, it carried a force that made people obey without realizing it.
The rear seat angled slightly upward, leaving Shen Jin almost pressed against Qian Kun. He shifted uncomfortably, then faintly heard a low inhale from the front.
“Hold tight.”
The moment the words fell, the bike shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Thrown by inertia, Shen Jin flailed and grabbed the edge of the bike. A smiling voice was carried to him by the wind. “I told you to hold tight.”
That familiar, wickedly mischievous tone appeared again.
Shen Jin grabbed the thin T-shirt in front of him. The roadside scenery streaked past his vision.
Within minutes, they arrived beneath an apartment complex. They passed through a tree-lined path and reached a rowhouse building. After getting off, Qian Kun entered a building code on a screen and gestured for Shen Jin to follow.
“Aren’t we going to eat?” Shen Jin looked at the nearby white-collar workers walking dogs. It didn’t look like a place that served food.
“We are,” Qian Kun said. “At this hour, there isn’t much near the school.”
There actually was. That Western restaurant that stayed open until midnight. Still, why would he take Shen Jin to relive an old dream?
“I’ve got ingredients in my fridge.”
“Then who’s cooking?” Shen Jin’s thoughts got dragged off-track, and just like that he was hauled into the elevator without knowing how.
Qian Kun pointed at himself.
“This humble one… yours truly.”
“…”
Shen Jin thought… forgive his ignorance.
He’d never heard of a male Alpha or Beta who’d willingly cook for himself.
Qian Kun unlocked a second password door, handed Shen Jin a pair of white cat slippers, and put on the matching black pair himself. He said, “Why are you looking at me like you don’t trust me? Didn’t I live abroad for a few years? The housekeeper there was from the Philippines and couldn’t cook Chinese food. The only dish she could make was tomato scrambled eggs, and I was the one who taught her.”
Qian Kun poured him a cup of warm water in the kitchen. “Drink this first. Cushion your stomach.”
Shen Jin took it and drank most of the cup. His complexion eased a little. “So you ate tomato scrambled eggs every day?”
Qian Kun sighed. “At first I could tolerate it. Later I couldn’t, so I taught her a few more dishes. Still, I couldn’t exactly stand over her all day and demand new menus. I ended up just cooking myself.”
Seeing Shen Jin look like he wanted to laugh but was holding it back, Qian Kun said, “If you want to laugh, laugh.”
Shen Jin thought it was kind of funny, but laughing felt like it would be disrespectful. He stiffly said, “I just didn’t expect you to have a time that miserable too.”
Shen Jin noticed the interior décor leaned simple and clean. It didn’t look like someone lived here often.
The living room had a pale green sectional sofa. The wallpaper was a light yellow. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, there was a lawn under streetlights. The whole place felt crisp and bright, and Shen Jin’s nerves gradually loosened.
Qian Kun opened the fridge and began picking ingredients. Luckily, to account for him occasionally coming by, an auntie regularly delivered groceries.
Shen Jin felt awkward. No one had ever deliberately cooked for him before. At a loss, he wanted to step forward and take over. Back when he was still an Omega, he’d often won cooking contests for several years running.
Qian Kun waved him off. “Are you worried I’ll blow up the kitchen? If you’re bored, go look around. I’m the only one who stays here. Don’t be tense.”
Shen Jin half-believed him. He wandered around and spotted a cat tree, yet there was no cat anywhere in the apartment.
He returned to the open kitchen and watched from afar, ready to snatch the work the moment Qian Kun faltered.
However, Qian Kun’s movements looked practiced. Shen Jin couldn’t find an opening to step in.
The two of them chatted on and off.
“Your furniture colors are pretty interesting,” Shen Jin said.
“My mom supervised all of it. She’s an actress by profession, but her hobby is interior design. It’s too late now. Is porridge okay?”
“Your mom’s an actress?” Shen Jin nodded, studying Qian Kun’s sharply defined profile, trying to match it to a celebrity.
“Yeah. She’s semi-retired now. At most, she takes one role a year. She also told me not to tell people, or they’ll find out I’m her son and ignore me just to stan her.”
Shen Jin thought his mother sounded fun. A hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his eyes.
Qian Kun sounded exasperated. “She thinks too much. Who would even remember some washed-up old lady?”
Shen Jin’s tone lifted. You could tell their relationship was close. “Women are eighteen until the day they die. I suggest you watch your mouth.”
Qian Kun glanced at him. “Why do you sound exactly like her? You two would probably get along.”
Qian Kun sounded casual, but he was really using suggestion, trying to make Shen Jin’s post-trauma memories fade. The best way was to keep diverting the topic so Shen Jin had no room to focus on anything else.
Qian Kun desperately wanted to deal with Zhao Haotian right away, but for him, Shen Jin’s mental state was the priority.
Even last time in the rain, he noticed Shen Jin might not be in a good state.
When Shen Jin said, “My umbrella got blown away,” his eyes had been vacant.
That was a signal for help being sent outward.
Even if it wasn’t depression, long-term suppression could still lead to closure and isolation. If it kept going, it would only get worse.
Qian Kun had never asked. He suspected Shen Jin himself hadn’t noticed it.
Psychological issues were always overlooked.
Qian Kun finished cutting the ingredients, added them along with the rinsed rice, and cooked the porridge in a pressure cooker to save as much time as possible. When he brought the bowls out, the rich, savory fragrance made Shen Jin blink in surprise.
The white rice had cooked until it was glossy and translucent. On top were thin shreds of mushrooms, carrots, beef, green peas, and egg. It was nutritious and colorful, so appetizing it made saliva rise instantly.
“This is for me?” Shen Jin held the warm bowl and still didn’t lift the spoon.
“More accurately,” Qian Kun said casually, “it’s for us.” He served himself a bowl too.
His relaxed attitude pulled Shen Jin along with it. Shen Jin realized he was overreacting.
After they finished eating, Shen Jin naturally told him everything that had happened that afternoon. The process was simple. He’d just been careless and fallen into the trap.
After listening, Qian Kun gave a small nod. It was close to what he already guessed.
Qian Kun went into the bedroom and changed clothes, then brought out a long-sleeved set for Shen Jin as well.
Shen Jin’s clothes had been sweated in and were uncomfortable. He accepted without resistance. Once he got used to someone, he didn’t really know how to refuse them anymore.
Seeing that Qian Kun looked like he was heading out, Shen Jin asked, “Are we going back to the dorm now?”
“Not yet. We’re going to kick a drowning dog.” Qian Kun didn’t explain further when he saw Shen Jin still looked confused.
Out of trust, Shen Jin climbed onto the motorcycle again.
The first time he’d been stiff as a board. The second time, aside from a little awkwardness, he started to understand why Alphas loved motorcycles. When the wind rushed past, the things he’d been holding down felt like they were all being released.
They arrived at the police station. Qian Kun stated that he was the reporting party.
By now, Zhao Haotian had lost all his earlier arrogance. He sat slumped in an interrogation room. Qian Kun leaned close to Shen Jin’s ear. “What’s coming to him won’t run. Sit and watch.”
Shen Jin was left sitting there, bewildered.
The officers escorted him to the waiting area to rest. He was about to leave when Shen Jin stopped him. “Excuse me, the person who came with me, what exactly did he report?”
“He’s your friend, right?” the officer softened his tone when he saw Shen Jin’s handsome face and dazed appearance
Friend?
Shen Jin nodded.
“He accidentally discovered your classmate placed surveillance devices in a public area. Specifically, in an Omega restroom. We’re collecting evidence right now. The worst part is that he planned to sell the footage online. That’s extremely serious. Thank your friend. He helped many Omegas avoid being harmed.”
This was what Shen Jin had suspected. Voyeurism didn’t form overnight. It developed over time.
What Ke Minghuai had found before he went abroad was probably related to this too.
Ke Minghuai hadn’t wanted to alert the snake.
Qian Kun, on the other hand, seemed to have… flipped the entire table.
Shen Jin swallowed without meaning to.
Liu Qimai’s words surfaced in his mind: Our Qian Kun, if he can do it directly, he won’t waste time talking.
That kind of execution made Shen Jin’s heart pound.
Shen Jin still had old evidence from before. It wasn’t enough to convict, but maybe it could still force something out. He told the officer what he knew and took a statement as well.
He hadn’t expected that evidence he waited two semesters for would appear like this, in such an unexpected way.
When Qian Kun came out, he waved to Shen Jin from afar.
Then Zhao Haotian was escorted out. He glared viciously at Shen Jin.
Waiting for him was evidence collection, hearings, defense, and trial.
The place he was headed now was juvenile detention.
Qian Kun stepped in, blocking Zhao Haotian’s line of sight, and bent to whisper something into his ear.
If the officers hadn’t been holding him, Zhao Haotian would’ve nearly collapsed to the floor.
Shen Jin watched Zhao Haotian get dragged away. He felt no sympathy at all.
He stared straight at Qian Kun, waves crashing in his chest. “How did you do it?”
Qian Kun went back to that lazy, easygoing look as he left the station with Shen Jin.
“Do you remember that time outside school, when I ran into you and Zheng Zhepeng?”
Of course Shen Jin remembered. He’d been dragging Zheng Zhepeng in a sprint that felt like fleeing for their lives.
“That group weren’t good people to begin with. I kept an eye out back then and had people investigate and gather evidence. The guy hid his fox tail too well, so it took this long to get it.”
Locking someone in a restroom didn’t even count as enough for proper bullying.
Qian Kun was glad he had prepared multiple layers.
Shen Jin thought, I waited two semesters. Over there, at most it’s been a month. That’s ‘a long time’?
The gap between worlds was real.
Shen Jin’s mind moved fast, and he immediately caught the key point. “How did you know it was him?”
In truth, that day he and Zheng Zhepeng had hidden in Qian Kun’s car. Qian Kun never actually ran into Zhao Haotian face-to-face the entire time.
That made things awkward.
Qian Kun covered his face. He’d gotten carried away just now.
Shen Jin thought of Qian Kun’s abnormal physical ability, and the restlessness that had faintly leaked out when Qian Kun got back into the car.
“You’re the one who beat him into the hospital,” Shen Jin said. It wasn’t a question. It was certainty.
Shen Jin surprisingly discovered he was very calm, even had a sense of “as expected.”
Was this what it meant to stop worrying once you were already deep in debt?
Qian Kun said, “Not exactly.”
He’d only released pheromones to suppress them and made those guys beat each other up.
Why would he dirty his hands? Unless he truly couldn’t hold back.
Qian Kun wanted to explain and salvage his image, but telling the truth meant admitting he used intimidation to force them. That was even worse.
Either way, he was doomed. Better not to say it.
Shen Jin seemed to sense his discomfort and quickly changed the subject. “What did you say to him at the end?”
He was genuinely curious. Zhao Haotian had come out still looking smug, like he had nothing to fear. Qian Kun had only said one sentence and Zhao Haotian’s face changed completely.
Qian Kun took the easy out. “Zhao Haotian skipped a grade. His ID shows he’s under eighteen, so even if the voyeurism and selling get confirmed, he’d still only go to juvenile detention. In reality, his parents registered his birth a year late. He turned eighteen a few days ago. With sentencing guidelines, his case will be judged heavily.”
Shen Jin replied, “So what you told him was: your birth year should probably be corrected?”
Qian Kun felt it was effortless talking to someone smart. He didn’t have to explain much.
To be honest, he wasn’t trying to deny Zhao Haotian any chance. Even criminals had a right to reform.
However, Zhao Haotian shouldn’t have kept doing those disgusting things after the school warned him.
More importantly, he’d touched Shen Jin.
People were all selfish. Touching the reverse scale, even gods couldn’t stay calm.
Qian Kun admitted it. He was the most selfish of them all.
Shen Jin thought Qian Kun’s smile looked like a devil’s, yet his own heart felt as bright as daylight.
Shen Jin’s tone turned light. “I thought you wouldn’t look into someone else’s life.”
Qian Kun lifted a brow, completely unconcerned. “What life does a pervert need?”
Author’s Note:
Qian Qian: Someone who can’t take care of himself suits him better.
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