74: A Wall Between Them
A formal confession was the final step in Qian Kun’s plan.
To keep the relationship agreement from becoming invalid the moment he confessed, he laid the groundwork step by step before this.
First, he had thrown out the idea of marriage. It was far too much, so Shen Jin could never agree, but it did buy him time and keep Shen Jin from pulling away.
Then he used drunkenness to speak his feelings out loud, testing Shen Jin’s attitude further.
By then, Shen Jin still hadn’t clearly rejected him, and he hadn’t questioned him after sobering up either. Qian Kun felt even more certain.
Shen Jin knew the balance they’d been maintaining was only temporary, and it had just been broken.
His emotions were far steadier than the previous two times, and that was thanks to Qian Kun’s careful, gradual approach.
During this period, Shen Jin had also thought about many things.
Just as Shen Jin was about to answer, the music in the distance switched into a fast-paced rhythm, and someone in the crowd called Shen Jin’s name.
Qian Kun’s overheated mind cooled a little. He suddenly remembered something and spoke to stop him. “Wait. Don’t answer yet.”
Shen Jin had only just gathered his emotions, only for them to be cut off. “...?”
Lately, Qian Kun had felt that some of his behavior had been… rather excessive.
At times, he couldn’t control his desire. He wanted to possess the prey marked with his scent, and countless dangerous thoughts had been rehearsed in his head over and over.
At most, Shen Jin would scold him a few times. In the end, he would still let him have his way.
After he found Shen Jin in the rain that night, after Shen Jin had run away from home, everything had slipped out of order.
Shen Jin was far too indulgent toward him.
Qian Kun asked, “Can you tell the difference between gratitude and attraction?”
Shen Jin answered, “Of course.”
“If you agree right now, are you sure it isn’t because you want to repay me even a little? Like if you say yes, you’ll owe me less? Don’t rush to deny it.” From the beginning, Shen Jin had always been someone with unusually firm principles. Qian Kun’s gaze was deep as he looked at him. “Ask your own heart.”
At the very last moment, right before the final step, Qian Kun still couldn’t resist how much he liked the person in front of him.
He didn’t want Shen Jin to feel even the slightest bit forced. If Shen Jin ever dated someone, it should be someone who genuinely made his heart race.
After experiencing such a dark nine years, why should Shen Jin still have to settle?
Even if Shen Jin could bear it, Qian Kun couldn’t.
What Qian Kun cared about wasn’t just this moment.
He wanted this relationship to be something Shen Jin could welcome with unreserved joy.
Behind them, cheers rose and fell. The fountain in the lake switched to a gentler song.
Shen Jin’s eyes shimmered, as if covered with a thin layer of moisture. His gaze made a slow circle, and he forced down the choking feeling that threatened to rise.
Inside, Shen Jin was in upheaval, yet on the surface, his nerves made him seem cool and detached. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he said, “Then… when do you want my answer?”
Qian Kun wanted to give Shen Jin time to think it through, and he also wanted a more formal day.
Just in case, right?
What if he got lucky? If he chose some random time, he might regret it for the rest of his life.
“Five days from now. My birthday party. Any time before midnight that night, you can give me your answer.”
Five days.
He could answer right now, but Shen Jin decided to respect Qian Kun’s sense of ceremony.
He deliberately tossed out a question. “What if after thinking it over and I reject you?”
He understood now. What Qian Kun wanted from this confession was only a chance to pursue him, only the reassurance that even after a rejection, they wouldn’t “break up.”
Beyond that, Qian Kun didn’t even dare hope that Shen Jin might like him back.
“Then I’ll keep pursuing you. I won’t be worse than any other suitor.” Qian Kun had always felt Shen Jin hadn’t realized his feelings yet. So this was a war of endurance.
Shen Jin’s heart clenched. He took a breath, feeling a twinge of sympathy for Qian Kun.
Why would someone favored by the heavens stumble here over him? Why was he so certain Shen Jin could never fall for him?
He couldn’t possibly still think I’m made of stone, could he?
Their phones rang in turn, music competing with music. Once their classmates noticed they were gone, calls came one after another.
When the ringing sounded again, Qian Kun answered. His tone was faintly cold. “Yeah. We walked too far by accident. Yes, he’s with me.”
Qian Kun gestured for them to go rejoin their classmates first.
Walking side by side, separated by only half an arm, Shen Jin asked, “So before this… you were chasing me the whole time?”
“Mm. I’ve never thought of you as a friend.” If he traced it back, maybe from the first time they met, Shen Jin had already been special.
Back then, Qian Kun had thought that invisible force wanted him to meet Shen Jin.
For a long time, he’d believed he had come for Shen Jin, a bias born of affection.
The balance Shen Jin believed they had was completely thrown off.
Under the cover of night, Shen Jin’s slightly flushed cheeks were hidden. Qian Kun also looked away, a little awkward.
Jianming Lake was a well-known scenic spot nearby. The trees along the shore had been decorated with sculpted lights by designers from afar. They moved through a blaze of shimmering brilliance.
Qian Kun’s selfishness still slipped through. “Until graduation, I’m still your contract boyfriend. Before then… don’t accept anyone else’s pursuit, okay?”
Shen Jin might not have realized his own feelings yet, but others couldn’t cut in line. That was Qian Kun’s bottom line.
“Okay.”
There was no need to wait until graduation.
Have some confidence.
Luo Ying was the first to notice they were gone. She’d been watching closely for signs of anything suspicious. The moment she saw them disappear into the crowd one after the other, her heart started pounding.
The same direction!
She didn’t dare interrupt, so she stayed where she was, spinning in circles from excitement.
In front of the music fountain, there was a row of benches. Most of the class sat watching. Zheng Zhepeng and the others had gone to buy snacks to share. Jiang Yifan said, “Mai-zi, go bring Little Maruko over.”
Because of a childhood cartoon, and because Luo Ying’s name contained “Ying,” she’d gotten that nickname.
“Why me?”
“Ah, because you look the most idle?”
Liu Qimai protested, “A-You is idle too!”
Zhou You was chatting with Gu Yue with his head down. Hearing his name, he immediately offered chips and pudding to the classmates who’d just sat down, then smiled innocently.
So devious!
Zhou Xiao You!
Liu Qimai was gloomily shoved out. He saw Luo Ying spinning and laughed. “Little Maruko, is this your new dance move?”
Liu Qimai looked decent, but he wasn’t popular mainly because his mouth was nasty. Like right now, Luo Ying really wanted to punch him.
The two reached the lakeside benches. Luo Ying’s eyes darted as she asked, “I heard Kun-ge used to have the nickname ‘King of No-CP.’ How did that happen?”
Liu Qimai tore open a bag of chips, crunching loudly. “How? A girl he rejected came up with it.”
“Huh?” That was so juicy it made her brain blank.
Liu Qimai smacked his lips. Noticing several classmates turn to look, he felt a little floaty. It was rare to get this much attention. He leaned into it.
“You guys know Ji Zhen? She’s at Shengsi High now. During the sports meet halftime, she was front row in cheerleading, leading the dance.”
That jogged a few Alpha memories. “The girl who looked like an elf?”
“That’s her. Doesn’t matter if you don’t remember. What matters is this. She loved beauty pageants since she was little. In elementary school, she was the Omega pageant queen. Plenty of people chased her. Great figure, sweet voice, knows how to present herself, gentle as water toward Alphas. As Alphas, aren’t you moved?”
Several Alphas nodded. Of course they would be moved.
“Right? Even Alphas can’t resist. So how could Kun-ge, a Beta, resist?” Liu Qimai continued. “But you can guess the outcome. If they could’ve gotten together, they would have long ago. She got mad and said Kun-ge must be asexual. Over time, the nickname just appeared out of nowhere.”
“Kinda feel like Kun-ge’s tragic. I’d call it: Omega revenge.”
“Seriously, some people are drowning and some people are dying of thirst. When’s Kun-ge going to share even a little peach blossom luck with me?”
“I heard Qiao Yishan from Class Eight is asking about Kun-ge’s schedule. Brothers, be ready. The moment Kun-ge rejects her, that’s when we strike.”
“Am I the only one who feels Kun-ge doesn’t act like a Beta at all, aside from the label?”
While they chatted, someone realized the topic of conversation, Qian Kun, was gone.
“Jin-ge is gone too!”
“In broad daylight, someone’s actually abducting people for lust!”
“Correction, it’s pitch dark.”
“Why do you always have to correct me?”
“Stop arguing. You can fight later. Finding them comes first.”
“They’re the class treasures. How did they get lost?”
“And two at once!”
“Anyone with a phone, call and ask!”
Luo Ying thought privately this was bad. She wanted to give them some alone time, and now it was about to be ruined.
Yet no one thought it was strange that the two of them vanished together.
Are you all blind?
Reality proved Luo Ying had overestimated the situation.
Qian Kun picked up the phone. Not long after, the two returned. When the others asked, Qian Kun casually said they’d gone looking for a restroom, and everyone let it go.
Not a ripple.
After midterms, everyone relaxed for a while.
During lunch break, Luo Ying carried a cup of warm water past their desks.
They were genuinely studying seriously. Didn’t it get dull, doing problems all day?
Shen Jin didn’t think so. He was almost eager.
Maybe because he lost too many points in math, he pulled out practice sheets from multiple question banks and drilled even during lunch.
If he needed anything, he could ask his deskmate.
Qian Kun would set up the draft work directly, then explain.
Throughout it all, they kept a polite distance when speaking, looking exactly like ordinary classmates.
Luo Ying lowered her eyes in disappointment. Just like the group members in the CP chat said, she wanted them to be real so badly that any breeze felt suspicious.
She quietly withdrew her gaze. She was just a sugar-chasing fan. She’d never disturb the leads’ lives, and she’d never force them into anything.
Suddenly she saw Qian Kun take Shen Jin’s water bottle from in front of his desk and naturally take a sip.
Luo Ying: “!”
Her heart was about to spin like a top.
Shen Jin noticed too and looked a little helpless.
“You… took mine.” It has already been drunk from.
Qian Kun didn’t care. He raised his brows and smiled lightly. “What are you nervous about? I’ll buy you a new one later.”
That wasn’t the point.
That was indirect—
Shen Jin couldn’t decide whether to say it or not. In the end, he could only give a small, quiet “oh.”
Qian Kun opened the timer on his phone. The countdown until Shen Jin’s answer: 107 hours 24 minutes 10 seconds.
“Shen Jin.”
“What?” Shen Jin’s tone wasn’t great. He was still hung up on the bottle, unconsciously touching his own lips.
Qian Kun looked at the lips he’d fantasized about for so long, then forced his gaze away. “I’m taking leave tomorrow.”
When he’d gone home yesterday, his mother had said his pheromones were fluctuating, a sign that his body was stepping into adulthood. Tomorrow he needed to go to the Alpha Control Center. He could only return to school after confirming his pheromones had stabilized.
Shen Jin quickly guessed the reason. Qian Kun hadn’t been doing well these days. Falling asleep in class had become common, and he’d been disappearing often too, which never used to happen.
“Because of… that? Then when will you be back?”
“If it’s fast, one day. If it’s slower, maybe two or three.”
“Is it dangerous?” Shen Jin had looked it up. In past years, some Alphas with extremely high mental strength had gotten into accidents.
“No. Don’t worry. My family has been monitoring my state the whole time.” Qian Kun pressed a hand lightly to his chest. Shen Jin knew there was a necklace-shaped monitor there.
Qian Kun stared into his deskmate’s cold, ice-set eyes and made a request in a low voice. “After afternoon PE… can we?”
Very implicit, but Shen Jin understood immediately.
With Ke Minghuai watching from the front and You Jia hovering behind, Qian Kun couldn’t predict what would happen while he was gone. He urgently wanted Shen Jin stained with his scent, at least enough to scare those people off for now.
Since the last forced marking, it had been a while since they’d marked.
Qian Kun’s pheromone fluctuations had been frequent lately. Shen Jin had seen it all. He’d been waiting for Qian Kun to ask, but Qian Kun never did, relying on suppressants and suffering through it.
Shen Jin didn’t answer. He pulled out a sheet of paper and drew a floor plan.
Qian Kun took one look and broke into a grin. It was a layout of the gymnasium, with the best spot highlighted for them to… mark.
Too cute.
Embarrassed by Qian Kun’s look, Shen Jin stopped paying attention to him. His expression turned cold enough to freeze.
Liu Qimai turned around, intending to ask a question, only to blank out completely.
Kun-ge, how are you still alive under Jin-ge’s hand?
During PE, Qian Kun looked nothing like his drowsy classroom self, scoring consecutive rebounds and attracting quite an audience.
After a few friendly matches, several Alphas surrounded him, laughing as they crowded toward the washbasins to rinse their faces. Qian Kun had just finished when he saw a bottle of mineral water, clearly prepared, held out by an Omega walking up to him.
It was Qiao Yishan from Class Eight. Several Omegas trailed behind, encouraging her to try again.
Noticing the Alphas staring, Qiao Yishan lowered her head. “Qian Kun, you’ve rejected me six times already. I don’t mean anything else. I just want to be friends. If you reject me again, I’ll lose face. Let me at least save some dignity in front of my friends and keep my ‘class beauty’ reputation, okay?”
She spoke playfully and blinked at him.
Those same Alphas had been joking yesterday that the moment she got rejected, it would be their chance. They hadn’t expected it to come this quickly.
Beauty, you’re out of luck. He’s the no-CP king.
Qian Kun picked up a half bottle someone had left nearby and said, “I already have water.”
Shen Jin’s bottle.
Liu Qimai sidled up, snatched the bottle from Qiao Yishan’s hand, and took a big sip with a grin. “Thanks, Qiao-beauty. I’m thirsty!”
After drinking, Liu Qimai apologized with an honest face. “Sorry, I didn’t notice it was for Kun-ge.”
Qiao Yishan smiled awkwardly and retreated.
Seeing even Qiao Yishan fail, the other Omegas abandoned the thought of approaching.
Class Nine’s last period was cooking class, the Omega “bride training” course. You Jia had carefully prepared a mousse cake, wanting to give it to Shen Jin.
Ever since Shen Jin had helped him clap back at a coworker, he’d been grateful. After thinking it over, he decided something handmade would be more sincere.
He couldn’t find Shen Jin. After asking around, he learned Shen Jin had headed toward the field after class.
Shen Jin was waiting inside a shower stall in the gym bathroom. Aside from swimming classes, this place was rarely used. That was exactly why he chose it.
Nervous, Shen Jin leaned against the wall.
He heard familiar footsteps. The stall door slid open. The Alpha stood where light and shadow met, carrying an oppressive presence.
“Been waiting long?”
“No. I just got here.” Shen Jin held his breath for a moment.
The Alpha nodded, stepped into the dim stall, and shut the door behind him.
With one hand, he pulled Shen Jin close and pinned him to the wall, lowering his head to lightly nuzzle his hair.
“I… have something to say.”
“Go ahead.” Qian Kun’s eyes were closed, a soft laugh in his voice.
“We’ve marked three times already. For you… that isn’t fair.”
Between them, conversations were always like this. One key point was enough for the other to understand immediately.
Qian Kun understood at once.
For an Omega, five markings meant only one step remained before a lifelong mark. Correspondingly, an Alpha would inevitably develop a powerful possessiveness toward the Omega he marked. It was instinct.
However, after Shen Jin differentiated into a Beta, even though his body still carried some Omega traits and he could still smell pheromones, no matter how many times Qian Kun marked him, the Alpha’s imprint would gradually fade away.
Meaning the only one truly affected would be Qian Kun.
It wasn’t equal.
Qian Kun wrapped an arm around that flexible waist, stroking lightly. “So? What do you want to say?”
“Do you want to do something about it? I heard the matching center sells erasers and things. Erase some of my influence on you.”
I’m a Beta. Even if you mark me ten more times, it might not affect me much.
Qian Kun gently turned him around, leaned down, and soon a soft, breathy sound slipped from the person beneath him.
“No need.” Qian Kun brushed a brief kiss against him. “Not enough…”
With you, it’ll never be enough.
The temperature inside the stall rose. The two boys pressed close as the marking continued.
In Shen Jin’s haze, he thought he heard You Jia’s voice. Qian Kun had closed the bathroom door when he came in.
Shen Jin sobered for a moment. Only a wall separated them from the protagonist shou calling out. Nervous, he grabbed at the stall door.
Sensing his wandering attention, the Alpha covered his mouth, and said casually, “Use your head. That guy’s coveting you.”
Shen Jin wanted to cry.
He’s looking for you.
Author’s Note:
Jin Jin, this time, listen to Qian Qian this time.
Qian Qian is worried Jin Jin will wrong himself out of gratitude. In his heart, Jin Jin’s feelings matter more.
Now Qian Qian is just waiting for the draw. His lifetime grand prize is already on its way!
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