Chapter 2 SJC

Shen Jinnian scrutinized the child carefully.

He examined the little brat from head to toe but couldn’t see any resemblance to that annoying Gu Yan.

His friend, however, directly turned the child’s face and pressed it toward him. “Look closely!”

Shen Jinnian narrowed his eyes and propped his chin on his hand as he considered. “They both have a pair of eyes under their eyebrows?”

“No! Look at the eyebrows, the mouth—they look exactly like Gu Yan!” His friend was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. “Are you sure this isn’t his illegitimate child?”

Hearing that, Shen Jinnian seemed to be influenced by the idea. He lifted the little brat again, and looked at his tender little face. The more he stared at him, the more he thought the baby looked like Gu Yan.

And the more he looked, the more annoyed he became as he clenched his teeth in frustration. “I actually wish he was! Then I could expose him, report him, and ruin his ‘innocent campus heartthrob’ act!”

“…But, Jinnian, there’s something I don’t know if I should say…”

It wasn’t exactly a good thing to say.

But after much internal debate, he figured a good bro shouldn’t hide things from another bro.

“Honestly, I think… the kid looks a little like you too.”

The moment he walked in, he’d already thought so. But knowing Shen Jinnian’s hot temper, he had opted for the safer choice—comparing him to Gu Yan instead.

Sure enough, Shen Jinnian hurled a stuffed bear pillow straight at his head with full force.

“Get lost!”

Say another word, and he’d bash his head in.

Even if he were starving or jumping off a building, there was absolutely no way he’d ever have a child with Gu Yan.

Not to mention, he was an Alpha.

Chen Han quietly suggested, “Why not just do a paternity test?”

“Those are expensive. Money doesn’t fall from the sky.”

Spending thousands, if not tens of thousands, on a test when he already knew the result? He wasn’t running a charity.

“You take care of him for a day. I’ll figure out how to find his parents.”

With that, Shen Jinnian was too lazy to continue the conversation. He shoved the kid into his friend’s arms, grabbed his bag, and headed to school.

Technically, he was going to class.

But his mind was entirely occupied by the child.

He was young, single, and completely unattached. There was no way he was going to raise someone else’s kid. He had to find the brat’s real parents.

Lost in thought, he barely made it to class before the bell rang.

The classroom was already packed. The only available seat was in the front row.

Shen Jinnian didn’t care—sitting anywhere was the same.

Except… the seat next to it was occupied by none other than his mortal enemy, Gu Yan.

Shen Jinnian glanced at him.

Gu Yan just so happened to be looking at him too. When their eyes met, it was as if the electric current surged and sparks of tension burst out instantly.

Gu Yan raised the corner of his lips slightly, and looked at him leisurely with his head tilted.

Shen Jinnian didn’t need to guess. Those deep black eyes were definitely full of amusement and smugness.

But he didn’t hesitate. He sat right down beside him.

He refused to lose in terms of presence.

The moment Shen Jinnian sat down, all kinds of whispers and rumours filled the room.

He couldn’t make out what they were saying.

The only voice that managed to slip into Shen Jinnian’s ears was the Omega sitting right behind him.

“The results of the 10th campus heartthrob Poll are out!”

Shen Jinnian perked up his ears.

“Every year, Gu Yan always beats Shen Jinnian by just a few votes, but I didn’t expect that this time…”

Shen Jinnian’s heart skipped a beat.

What about this year?

Did Gu Yan finally lose the title?

Had the students finally realized that he, Shen Jinnian, was a pearl covered in dust?

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Although he didn’t care about this silly poll, if he could finally outshine Gu Yan in something, it would be a sweet victory.

He straightened up, pricked his ears and subtly leaned back as he listened intently to the Omega’s gossip—

"I didn't expect that Gu Yan had a hundred more votes than Shen Jinnian this year!"

Shen Jinnian: “.”

Alright. Alright. So that was a classic fake buildup just to crush his hopes.

Shen Jinnian's face turned red with anger.

Then he heard a faint chuckle from the side, and Shen Jinnian could tell who it was even with his eyes closed.

He instantly shot Gu Yan with a sharp glare. “What are you laughing at?”

When Gu Yan turned his head, his expression was completely neutral, as if Shen Jinnian had imagined the whole thing.

Under the desk, Shen Jinnian kicked him and asked again in annoyance, “Gu Yan, do you look down on me?”

Gu Yan frowned slightly. “Hmm?”

"Stop pretending. You always come out on top of me in everything. Are you happy about that?"

Just mentioning it made Shen Jinnian angry.

He was the second child in the family, and he had an older brother who inherited the family business. He was, originally, a spoiled young master in the family, and he was also an extremely rare double S-rank Alpha. All the shining halos surrounded him from childhood to adulthood.

Who knew that he would be stepped on hard by Gu Yan as soon as he entered university?

He carefully selected a set of high-end brand clothes and drove a luxury car, entering the venue in a high-profile manner, only to be overshadowed by Gu Yan, who wore a white T-shirt and carried a fertilizer bag.

Some people even held polls for them on the same day.

Flashy, spoiled rich second-generation heir vs. Cold, god-like campus Adonis.

The result of the competition wasn't about who was more popular.

Instead, people were discussing whether Shen Jinnian was better suited to be the bottom in the pairing.

And just like that—

Flashy, spoiled rich second-generation heir (0) x Cold, god-like campus Adonis (1).

Some fans even wrote a 200,000-word fanfic about them overnight.

Shen Jinnian nearly exploded with rage.

Meanwhile, Gu Yan casually liked and bookmarked one of those fics in the middle of the night. Although he quickly unliked it, one of the classmates who stayed up late to cultivate immortality quickly took a screenshot.

This is a naked humiliation!

From that moment, their rivalry was set in stone. And from then on, Shen Jinnian had been stuck playing second fiddle to Gu Yan.

The noble young master, crushed in every way, had his pride stomped into the dirt.

…

His thoughts were interrupted by Gu Yan’s cold voice. “No.”

"What do you mean no?" Shen Jinnian had long forgotten what he had asked.

“I don’t think I overshadowed you,” Gu Yan said. “But I am happy.”

Shen Jinnian looked at him and felt puzzled: "What are you happy about?"

Gu Yan’s deep black eyes reflected a tiny image of Shen Jinnian, making them look both sincere and gentle. He leaned in ever so slightly, closer to Shen Jinnian until their shoulders nearly brushed, their skin almost touched.

They were both Alphas, yet being this close…

He could even smell the cedar pheromones emanating from Gu Yan, which lingered around his nose.

It stirred up his own pheromones, making him feel a little hot and uneasy.

His gaze wavered as he awkwardly shifted away. “You’re too close—don’t, don’t lean in like that…”

Gu Yan’s lips curved his lips and lowered his voice as he said, “Of course, I’m happy because I won first place again.”

Shen Jinnian: “…” Please drop dead. Immediately.

And this was exactly why he couldn’t stand Gu Yan.

That whole cold, arrogant untouchable campus heartthrob image? A complete lie. The guy was downright smug.

Shen Jinnian sneered. “You’re a grown man, and you still care about some childish online poll? Is being ‘campus heartthrob’ really the peak of your ambitions?”

The moment he said that, he froze.

Shen Jinnian suddenly had an idea.

If people could use online forums to run silly polls, then he could use the internet to find the kid’s parents too, couldn’t he?

The child had been abandoned near the university, specifically in a surveillance blind spot. That likely meant the parents were locals who had deliberately left him there.

If he searched carefully, he could find them.

He did it right away, and Shen Jinnian decided to start with pheromones.

He carefully took out his phone and hid it under the table, as he typed carefully:

[Buying second-hand Omega clothing at high prices. Payment on delivery, no scams.]

After sending the message, something felt off. He hesitated, then quickly added another line:

[I’m not a pervert.]

After Shen Jinnian finished, he quickly put away his phone with a guilty conscience, and subconsciously glanced at the lecturer. He was relieved when he found that the teacher did not notice that he was absent-minded.

What he didn’t notice, however, was that Gu Yan had seen the entire sequence of his actions.

The man’s eyes darkened.