67: Confession
From the moment Shen Jin brought up breaking up, to the recent days when Qian Kun sensed Shen Jin might already have figured something out, Qian Kun went through a long psychological struggle.
All that surface calm was nothing more than a cover for the all-or-nothing gamble in his heart.
Right before confessing, this encounter happened to fall into his lap, so he went with it and carried out his first test.
He threw out a condition Shen Jin could never possibly agree to, so that whatever he brought up next would feel much easier to refuse.
To gain an inch, start by giving a foot, one kind of psychological tactic.
Shen Jin was so shocked that he went briefly speechless.
The moment his eyes were covered and everything went pitch black, his other senses sharpened instead. Several seconds passed before his blank mind finally woke up.
“You’re drunk. What nonsense are you talking?” The large hand moved away, and Shen Jin could only make out the hazy outline of the person in front of him by the light.
“I’m not.” This is what I’ve always thought, I’m just using being drunk as cover to say it out loud.
No agreement.
As expected, Qian Kun closed his eyes for a moment, hiding a trace of disappointment that shouldn’t have shown.
Still, there was an unexpected gain. Faced with this proposal, Shen Jin didn’t show any obvious disgust or rejection.
He didn’t know if it was the steam rising from the hot spring or the heat coming off Qian Kun, but Shen Jin felt like he was about to burn up.
“I heard you were going to get engaged to Ji Zhen today?” Shen Jin’s thoughts were in chaos, so he grabbed a topic to divert the conversation.
Qian Kun hadn’t expected Shen Jin to know about that. The Qian family had indeed invited the Ji family today.
“Who told you that? That’s not a thing. It was just a normal dinner. Before it ended, I rejected some of the proposals her family brought up.” Qian Kun didn’t spell it out, since it involved a young lady’s reputation.
Mainly, his mother felt that simply rejecting them wouldn’t stop this sort of thing from happening again, especially since she watched Ji Zhen grow up and there was sentiment involved. No matter what, they should give a proper reason to refuse. So at the table, he offered Ji Zhen an apology and formally turned her down.
After that, Ji Zhen would have no reason to get close under the banner of “pursuing” him.
Liu Manning had spoken plainly, saying Qian Kun already had a fiancé. It would stay secret for now, but that “secret” would likely spread soon.
That was the main purpose of the dinner.
What Qian Kun cared about more was the fact that Shen Jin had asked at all.
His heart was in chaos too.
Did this mean Shen Jin cared about him, even if only a little?
This unexpected discovery made Qian Kun’s fingers tremble with excitement.
Xie Ling had just finished dealing with the princess’s complaint. He came downstairs to find his younger cousin, only to be told by staff that Shen Jin had gone this way.
He followed the twisting path. When he vaguely heard Shen Jin’s voice, he walked over to check, only to see an outrageous scene.
His little cousin was pinned down, pressed against the rockery by a broad-shouldered boy who was wearing nothing but a towel.
The young man already had the build of a young man. His wet hair was combed back, revealing a clean forehead, and his pale, his pale amber eyes were fixed on the person trapped against the rockery.
The veins at Xie Ling’s temples bulged as he said through gritted teeth, “Xiao Jin, come here.”
Shen Jin snapped out of it like waking from a dream and shoved Qian Kun away.
Qian Kun looked over and met Xie Ling’s fierce gaze head-on.
Once he realized it was Shen Jin’s cousin, the momentum he’d had earlier vanished.
Why did the first official meeting with family have to be in a scene like this?
Couldn’t it be somewhere nicer, somewhere more proper?
Xie Ling’s gaze swept from top to bottom, full of scrutiny and criticism, and it made Qian Kun feel like he was being stabbed by needles.
When Xie Ling saw Shen Jin come to his side, his tone softened slightly. “Are you alright?”
After being marked three full times, Shen Jin was already used to Qian Kun getting close. He explained, “Yeah. He’s my classmate. We were just messing around.”
“Just messing around.”
That guy’s eyes were full of plunder and desire, like he wanted to tear you apart and swallow you whole. Only an Alpha could understand that look.
Shen Jin, are you shielding him?
Xie Ling didn’t embarrass anyone on the spot. He gave everyone a small nod and took his younger cousin away.
The rich second-generation brats in the pool had just watched a full drama. With that sudden twist, their Kun-ge had just lost the beauty.
“That’s Xie Ling from the Xie family. Damn, that’s rare! What’s Boss Shen’s relationship with him?”
Zhou You met the eyes of Zhou Xiang, the assistant following behind Xie Ling. Zhou Xiang blinked at him, then hurried after them.
Zhou Xiang always had his own ideas. He felt inheriting the family business had no challenge, so he went to be someone’s assistant instead, swimming happily through the ocean of corporate warfare every day.
So Zhou You knew a bit more than most. He only said one sentence. “Shen Jin’s younger brother is named Shen Xie’an, and Xie Ling’s surname is Xie.”
“No way. They’re family? Boss Shen is way too low-key. You’d never guess it!”
“This feels like the future sister-in-law is about to be done for. Kun-ge’s in danger.”
“Couldn’t agree more. Kun-ge was wearing nothing but a towel, pinning the Xie family’s delicate little cabbage. That bath-time beauty scene definitely offended Xie Ling’s eyes.”
Everyone looked at Qian Kun with sympathy.
Qian Kun: “...”
Shen Jin faintly sensed Xie Ling’s displeasure. Xie Ling wasn’t the controlling type, and he had always hoped Shen Jin could walk out of the shadow of the broken engagement, but the candidate couldn’t be Qian Kun.
It couldn’t be, because Qian Kun was too dangerous.
This was a 3S-class Alpha on a national list, someone constantly watched by high-level authorities.
Paired with a ruthless, arrogant personality, if Qian Kun wanted something, what could he possibly fail to get?
Back when Qian Kun picked Shen Jin up outside the school gate to go break off the engagement, Xie Ling had already felt something was off. Qian Kun had a kind of some indescribable concern for Shen Jin.
Words became prophecy. The wolf had truly set its sights.
Looking at the delicate little cabbage he’d watched grow up, Xie Ling knew his own family. Shen Jin didn’t have that many twists in his mind, and he was slow when it came to feelings. How could someone like him possibly hold Qian Kun down?
Xie Ling had seen far too many rich kids’ private faces. This worry wasn’t groundless.
Maybe it wouldn’t even take long before Qian Kun got bored.
Xie Ling’s heart was full of concern, while Shen Jin followed his cousin, anxious and cautious.
They got into the car and headed to the home furnishing market. Through the window as he got in, Shen Jin saw Ji Zhen in the corner by the flowerbed, being comforted by her companions.
Xie Ling’s cold air kept spilling out.
Only after Zhou Xiang started the car did Xie Ling speak.
“You and Qian Kun are close?”
“He’s my deskmate and also my roommate,” Shen Jin answered carefully.
The moment Shen Jin said it, Xie Ling knew something was wrong.
Deskmate was one thing. Roommate too? Once was coincidence. Twice wasn’t.
More than twice usually meant someone arranged it. How long had he been watching?
“What do you think of him?”
“He’s pretty good.”
“How good?”
“I can’t describe it. I think I’ll never meet someone that good again.”
Shen Jin never used such excessive words.
Yet he used that kind of weighty description for Qian Kun.
Shen Jin himself might not have noticed.
In his subconscious, he valued Qian Kun deeply.
Xie Ling’s face said, “This is bad.” He turned to look out the window and sighed.
“Ge, you know him too?”
“Not well. I’ve seen him before, back when I went to inspect Longfang Military Academy.” Xie Ling answered gloomily.
“He was in Longfang too?”
Even Shen Jin had heard of that academy. It managed students with a modernized model and was where the military trained future backbone talent.
Sometimes rebellious kids got sent there for “reform.”
Parents often used it to scare their kids, lying that they’d send them there.
That was because the discipline inside was brutally strict, and the training volume pushed the limits of the human body. Most students from outside would go in for a day or two and come out crying.
Xie Ling sneered. “Mm. I saw him beat an Alpha instructor until he was half-crippled.”
Shen Jin asked, “Was the instructor the one with a problem?”
Xie Ling glanced at Shen Jin in surprise. Just from that attitude alone, Shen Jin’s heart was already tilted so far it was ridiculous.
Why aren’t you asking what’s wrong with Qian Kun, and instead assuming the instructor was the problem?
Xie Ling thought darkly, we’re really finished. That vicious wolf is about to trick you away completely.
Xie Ling wasn’t happy, but he didn’t lie. “The instructor suppressed trainees and used private punishment. The group of peers around Qian Kun are the ones he saved from that instructor back then.”
Only then did Shen Jin realize there was that kind of history between Qian Kun and Liu Qimai’s group. The original story was told from the main character shou’s point of view, and it never explained many details.
No wonder those people followed Qian Kun wherever he went. Their past experiences made him their backbone.
Xie Ling had many worries. He stayed silent for a long time, and in the end, he didn’t try to persuade him at all.
He reached over and ruffled his younger cousin’s hair. “As long as you like him.”
If anything happens, ge has you.
Besides, that guy probably hasn’t even won you over yet.
Thinking of that, Xie Ling’s mouth lifted into a faint smile.
Hopefully, the later you agree, the better.
*
After Shen Jin left the Shen family, Xie Yan and Shen Qing’s pain was brief at first, but later they realized it fermented with time.
In the past, even though they didn’t see him often, the house was still here. Shen Jin would come back sooner or later, so it didn’t feel like much.
Now they knew Shen Jin had truly left for good.
When he was there, everything felt like it should be that way.
Once he was gone, it was like air. It had always been around them, everywhere.
It was like something called longing had tightened around their throats, and they began to taste a growing sense of suffocation.
Late autumn brought layered clouds and a drizzling rain.
Xie Yan had been left with a chronic weakness from a difficult pregnancy and childbirth. On rainy days her bones ached and went sour. Before, Shen Jin would help her with cupping and gua sha to draw out dampness. You could say his skill was better than most professionals.
She didn’t know Shen Jin had deliberately learned it during summer break.
She opened Shen Jin’s bedroom door. “Xiao Jin, do you have time—”
Her expression froze instantly. She forgot.
The empty room and all of Shen Jin’s things were gone.
He had never bought unnecessary items. Even when he left, he only had a small suitcase.
Once he was gone, he could erase every trace of his existence quickly and completely.
Later, Xie Yan found that her new leather shoes had rubbed blisters on her heels. That had never happened before. Every time she bought shoes, Shen Jin would carefully put anti-chafe patches on them so she could wear them and leave immediately.
The dozens of flowerpots by her bedroom window no longer bloomed in glorious abundance.
Even with the instruction tags Shen Jin had written, watering and fertilizing by schedule and amount, the old beauty never returned. They were withering.
It was only one person missing, yet the whole house felt hollow.
That feeling wasn’t only with Xie Yan. Shen Qing, who had always been harsh on his eldest son and full of prejudice, felt it too.
On rainy days, the driver always prepared an extra pair of shoes and a suit to prevent accidents.
He had to attend various meetings and couldn’t appear disheveled.
Today the driver forgot. When asked, he admitted that every time before, it had been Shen Jin reminding him by text.
Even Shen Qing’s favorite Nanshan Shoumei tea had run out.
It was a specialty from his previous secretary’s hometown. Maybe it was the soil. Compared to other places, it tasted distinctly different.
Shen Qing had assumed the secretary was sentimental and kept mailing it even after leaving the job.
Now it had been a long time since any arrived. Shen Jin had heard he liked it, so years ago he had arranged a three-year preorder through that secretary.
Once the three years ended, and no further request came in, it naturally stopped.
It had never been about sentimentality. Shen Jin had simply feared his father wouldn’t accept it, so he never mentioned it.
Shen Qing had never given Shen Jin much allowance either. Shen Jin earned his own money through livestreaming.
These tiny things never mattered before.
Now, one after another, they piled up until they became a weight no one could bear.
Shen Xie’an noticed the change in the household atmosphere. He sighed and told his parents to come with him.
They went to Shen Jin’s room. Shen Xie’an bent down to look under the bed. A cardboard box sat there. He muttered to himself, “Just like I thought. It’s here.”
He dragged it out and took the items out one by one, as if reciting treasures. “This is the meeting gift Dad gave ge when he was eight, a Hero fountain pen. This is the Disney T-shirt Mom bought when he was nine...”
Everything his parents had given over the years, down to a small eraser, Shen Jin had kept until now.
“Every single thing was given by you or handed to him without thinking. Ge would always wipe them down and wash them. I saw it once when I was sneaking around. I got curious and opened it.”
Xie Yan crouched down and touched each item. They were all stored well, so well it was obvious the owner cherished them.
Tears rolled down, drop by drop.
Xie Yan covered her face and clutched that little T-shirt she had long forgotten, breaking down in silent sobs.
Shen Qing’s eyes reddened too. Even his pheromones slipped out of control, leaking faintly.
They had given too little.
So little that everything they’d ever given couldn’t even fill one box.
Over nearly ten years, they had taken a blunt knife and cut away every bit of Shen Jin’s longing and care for family, slice by slice, until not a drop remained.
That was why he didn’t take those things. He had no attachment left at all.
Xie Ling was right.
Shen Jin had been abandoned by them.
Abandoning and abandoning, slowly, gradually, until there was nothing left.
*
After the sports meet ended, the teachers gradually started applying pressure. Homework and tests came back onto the schedule.
Shen Jin had been grinding practice problems last night. This midterm, he took second overall, even beating the former top student Gu Yue by one point.
As for who was first, it was the guy beside him, the one who never did anything serious in class.
In math alone, Shen Jin was nine points behind him. He was about to hit the double-digit gap.
It had to be that he hadn’t done enough problems. When it came to studying, even a fake boyfriend had to move aside.
Shen Jin yawned nonstop from sleepiness and fell asleep directly during self-study period.
He slept by the window. Outside, golden ginkgo leaves rustled down. Sparse sunlight reflected onto him, making quite a few people in front unable to help but turn back to look.
Luo Ying said, “Don’t you think Jin-ge has been getting more and more charming lately?”
Other Omegas said, “So it’s not just me? I keep feeling like he’s gotten better-looking.”
Luo Ying said, “I can’t put my finger on it. It’s like even I’m blushing and my heart’s racing when I look at him. It wasn’t like this before.”
That was because Shen Jin had fully shifted from Omega to Beta. For Omega classmates who saw him every day, the shared sameness of gender had weakened. As that faded, his male appeal rose in contrast.
Qian Kun listened to their whispers, his gaze skimming over the soft swirl of hair at the top of Shen Jin’s head.
When Shen Jin woke, he met his deskmate’s strange look.
Shen Jin: “?”
Qian Kun said, “You’ve got a scent on you.”
Yesterday was the weekend. Shen Jin had gone back to the Xie family home. He sniffed for a long time and still couldn’t smell anything. Betas were relatively dull when it came to scent. Besides, why did Qian Kun’s tone sound like he was catching him cheating?
“Probably my cousin’s.” Before school this morning, his cousin suddenly hugged him.
“The one who took you away that day?” Why does it feel like a show of force?
“Right. He also told me about your glorious deeds.”
“What?” A bad feeling rose.
“Beating up an instructor?”
“...”
That confirmed it. Big cousin-in-law doesn’t like him much.
Shen Jin also noticed changes in his own body. The next class bell rang, and he still couldn’t hide his excitement. He secretly messaged Hates Rabbit under the desk.
Not many people knew he hadn’t fully differentiated before. Qian Kun happened to be one of them. Now that it was confirmed, the first thing Shen Jin wanted was to share it with someone, and that choice didn’t need thinking.
The next day at lunch, the two of them left school together and went to the National Pheromone Center.
After finishing the procedures, Shen Jin finally got his new ID. The gender line had changed to male Beta, and he looked at the document with a faint smile.
Shen Jin’s joy carried without words.
Qian Kun looked at Shen Jin’s neck, where an inhibitor patch was stuck. That meant Shen Jin would no longer need him. The usefulness of a tool person had just lost another layer.
From this moment on, Shen Jin being with any of the six genders would make sense.
At the same time, the possibility of pushing through and standing out grew infinitely higher.
Qian Kun hadn’t expected it. He had become the person who least wanted Shen Jin to differentiate.
There was nothing wrong with being a Beta.
It just meant he could date anyone.
The first test, Shen Jin hadn’t shown obvious rejection.
The buffer time was enough.
So the next step was urgent.
*
Because of heartbreak, Liu Qimai had become the object of old classmates’ care lately.
Every so often, they held gatherings to comfort the disappointed person.
After a period of observation, Liu Qimai had begun doubting the possibility they were lovers.
Because at school, the two of them looked like the big bosses anchoring the grade’s top three, yet what they discussed most was studying.
Is that normal?
What’s there to talk about with studying? Why were their lives so boring?
If you said they were a couple, who would believe it?
“Kun-ge, are you messing with me?” Liu Qimai planted his hands on his hips, full of the fierce vibe of someone about to expose a liar.
In the dim light, Qian Kun’s gaze looked indifferent and ethereal.
“Messing with you how?”
“You’re not his boyfriend at all, are you? If you’ve got the guts, call Ice God over right now and kiss him in front of me!”
Qian Kun narrowed his eyes and suddenly laughed mockingly.
He picked up a bottle nearby and poured half of it down himself.
The old classmates all stared dumbfounded.
Qian Kun’s eyes stayed clear. He said calmly to Zhou You, “Help me call him over.”
Zhou You reacted the fastest and made the call.
Shen Jin was tutoring Shen Xie’an at the time. With reduced academic burden policies fully implemented, Shen Xie’an’s original tutoring classes had been suspended, and the workload had nearly all fallen on Shen Jin.
Shen Jin felt like his temper wasn’t bad, but every time he tutored homework, his blood pressure spiked.
He pointed at a problem he had already explained once and ground his teeth. “We went over a similar one three days ago. Did you even review properly?”
Shen Xie’an, the middle school bully, was almost ready to kneel. Was there anyone in the world who understood a bad student’s pain? It wasn’t that he wasn’t trying, it was that looking at it made him want to sleep!
The phone rang, and Shen Xie’an, who had been forced into a quail, perked up. “Ge, your phone!”
Shen Jin shot him a look and picked up the call.
Zhou You said, “Kun-ge got forced to drink. He’s drunk and keeps calling your name.”
Clang.
Qian Kun grabbed the bottle and smashed it against the corner of the table. Half of it shattered, glass fragments everywhere.
Before Shen Jin could respond, he heard the sound of breaking glass on the other end. He realized the situation looked serious, like someone was having a drunken meltdown.
Zhou You gave an address and hurriedly hung up.
Shen Jin looked at the screen showing a certain kid smiling shyly.
The kid was overjoyed but didn’t dare show it too obviously. “If you’ve got something to do, go ahead. I can self-study!”
Keep this up and my love for you is going to drop by 1%, ge.
Shen Jin left homework for his brother, ended the video call, and took a taxi to the mall where they were.
He was led into a private room. After knocking and pushing the door open, the others gradually quieted down.
The person standing at the door wore only a simple T-shirt and casual pants. His eyes always carried a cool distance, giving off a bland, restrained air.
The rich brats usually had no decorum when joking around. Now, a few of them couldn’t help tidying up their appearance.
Shen Jin had only met them a handful of times and wasn’t close. He simply gave a small nod.
Because he wasn’t familiar with them, he came off stiff, the typical state of someone bad at socializing.
In other people’s eyes, it looked like something else entirely.
Shen Jin had barely looked over when he saw Qian Kun smiling at him through drunken haze.
He stepped closer. Qian Kun grabbed his wrist and pulled. Shen Jin nearly stumbled straight into his arms.
“You came.” Qian Kun smiled, his eyes seeming to shift through different colors under the light.
“Mm, shall we go?” If you can still recognize me, you’re not that drunk, right?
Qian Kun nodded.
Up close, the smell of alcohol was thick. Shen Jin directly pulled the tall Alpha up from the sofa.
Qian Kun put most of his weight on him, resting his head on Shen Jin’s shoulder. His slightly rough hair brushed against Shen Jin’s soft pale neck. One arm wrapped possessively around that flexible, narrow waist.
The group watched as Qian Kun actually succeeded through trickery and shamelessness. Too crafty, too despicable! No wonder Liu Qimai couldn’t pursue succesfully. The gap difference in skill was massive.
Moreover, not thick-skinned enough.
They whispered, thinking Shen Jin couldn’t hear.
“Should we call him sister-in-law?”
“Does this look like sister-in-law? I want to call him big brother.”
Shen Jin supported him to the door. Qian Kun suddenly leaned in.
It was too fast. Shen Jin was caught off guard and didn’t have time to dodge.
Their lips were a hair’s breadth apart.
Qian Kun turned away again, looking back at Liu Qimai, who had been staring this whole time and smiling slightly, as if feeling there was no need to prove anything in front of anyone.
This disdainful attitude thoroughly provoked Liu Qimai.
Qian Kun wanted Shen Jin here for his next step.
Agreeing to Liu Qimai was just for convenience.
An Alpha walked over to open the door for them.
As they passed by, his tone uncertain as he called out, “S-sister-in-law.”
Shen Jin was still a bit shaken, pressing his lips together.
Hearing this, he glanced at the other person, his brow furrowing.
He should deny it. Their fake relationship didn’t include deceiving friends. Yet when he thought of Qian Kun’s real feelings, a certain childish idiot definitely wouldn’t want him to deny it.
The refusal hovered on his tongue, but the head on his shoulder started to slide down.
Shen Jin hurriedly steadied that handsome head. Distracted by this, where did he have the mood to refute? He hurriedly rushed outside.
That pink off-road vehicle showed up again in the temporary parking area. Shen Jin had no strength left to complain. Together with the driver, he got Qian Kun into the back seat.
To look after a drunk person, Shen Jin sat in the back as well. Qian Kun had his eyes closed, looking asleep.
The car hadn’t gone far when, in the dim back seat, Shen Jin texted his brother to ask about homework progress. A wave of alcohol approached. He lifted his head and was caught by deep, drunken eyes that were far too close.
The Alpha braced one hand on the door, nearly trapping Shen Jin in his embrace.
Every pore on Shen Jin’s body almost stood on end. An invisible pressure crashed down on him, and the fear from the hot spring returned.
He raised a hand to block against the Alpha’s chest.
The placement was wrong. Under his palm, through thin fabric, he could almost feel the steady, powerful heartbeat.
This step-by-step approach made Shen Jin’s brow twitch. Qian Kun wasn’t going to…
Thump, thump.
Firm, slightly fast.
The two people’s breathing was especially obvious in the cramped space.
“I like you.”
Author’s Note:
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Today I’m just an ordinary screaming chicken!!!
My son, you’ve made progress!
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