Chapter 9 SJC

Shen Jinnian was trembling with anger. He switched to his own phone and searched for Gu Yan’s account before sending a private message.

"Gu Yan, let’s meet this afternoon and talk."

The message was read almost immediately.

Gu Yan turned his head slightly and looked back, his gaze landed precisely on Shen Jinnian.

He caught sight of Shen Jinnian puffed up like an angry little pufferfish, looking like he was about to explode. If they weren’t in class, he might have jumped up and beaten Gu Yan on the spot.

Both of them were clearly distracted for the rest of the lecture.

While zoning out in class, Shen Jinnian booked a restaurant and sent the location and private room number to Gu Yan. To avoid suspicion, he specifically told him to wait at least thirty minutes before coming over.

Gu Yan had no objections.

When the time was about right, he packed up his things and left.

Shen Jinnian had picked a place near the university, just a ten-minute walk away. By the time Gu Yan arrived, he had already ordered food and started eating.

The moment he saw Gu Yan, he put down his chopsticks.

Slowly, he wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin and shot a glance at the seat across from him, signaling Gu Yan to sit down.

Like a proud little cat ordering its servant around.

As soon as Gu Yan sat down, Shen Jinnian couldn’t hold back his frustration anymore.

"You know perfectly well our relationship isn’t like that, so why did you shamelessly accept the prize money?"

"No one complains about having more money," Gu Yan said matter-of-factly. "I’d have to make deliveries to a baby store for six months just to earn thirty thousand."

"Do you even realize that taking that money means letting them control you?" Shen Jinnian felt like Gu Yan had nothing but air in his head.

Gu Yan didn’t answer right away. Instead, he locked eyes with Shen Jinnian, his deep black gaze pulling him in like a whirlpool.

A moment later, his voice carried a strange, almost teasing tone.

"Are you worried about me?"

"As if!" Shen Jinnian had come prepared to interrogate him, but that one sentence completely threw him off. His nerves tensed and his gaze darted away in panic. "I— I just don’t want you dragging me down with you!"

Chen Han had already suspected that the people involved were the two of them. If Gu Yan actually stepped forward to claim the prize, his thin disguise would be on the verge of collapse.

And Chen Han wasn’t the only one in this school.

Shen Jinnian didn’t say this out loud. Instead, he gave another reason.

"What if they ask for couple photos or videos? What if they want hugs or kisses, or even proof that you have a child? Do you have a partner? Do you have a kid?"

Those accounts would do anything for engagement, no matter how shameless.

Gu Yan stayed silent.

Seeing that he had the upper hand, Shen Jinnian felt a surge of satisfaction—he never expected he’d have the chance to lecture Gu Yan.

Gu Yan wasn’t as all-knowing or brilliant as people made him out to be. He couldn’t even see through a blogger’s little tricks.

Shen Jinnian seized the opportunity and pressed further.

"And another thing— you’d better keep your mouth shut about what happened that night. Otherwise— otherwise, I’ll accuse you of breaking your promise and call you a Beta who sneaked into an Alpha’s bed in the middle of the night."

Gu Yan raised an eyebrow, as if wounded by the accusation. "Are you threatening me?"

Shen Jinnian hesitated for a second. Wasn’t it obvious?

But Gu Yan’s moment of disappointment lasted less than a minute before he suddenly chuckled. His interest piqued, he leaned in slightly.

"Tell me, are you trying to expose that I slept with an Alpha, or are you trying to confirm that you and I shared a bed that night?"

Shen Jinnian: "..."

"Given our respective positions, you have no real leverage to threaten me."

Gu Yan poured himself a glass of water, his expression calm as he continued speaking to Shen Jinnian.

"If you want to control someone, a mix of kindness and intimidation works far better than empty threats."

"Oh? So now you're hoping to get some benefits out of me?" Shen Jinnian almost laughed in disbelief.

Gu Yan lifted his gaze without saying a word, the corners of his lips curled slightly and his expression carried a hint of appreciation.

"You're absolutely shameless." Shen Jinnian finally saw through it—Gu Yan’s strategy was simple: someone with nothing to lose had no fear.

Shen Jinnian, on the other hand, treaded carefully and maintained the proper distance expected between archenemies. He kept a distance from Gu Yan every day and maintained a textbook-like hostile relationship.

But Gu Yan…

He had no boundaries. He played by no rules.

Shen Jinnian’s ideal nemesis: Modern-day political fighting, divided factions, open and hidden battles. Shen Jinnian’s real nemesis: Sneaks into your bed just to gross you out.

—

Gu Yan received the message that Shen Jinnian was in a very bad mood from his eyes, which were one part cold, two parts mocking, and seven parts angry.

He lowered his voice a little to make himself seem less aggressive.

He led the topic back to the original cause: "I can give up the 30,000 yuan, and I won't tell anyone about the day we lived together, but you have to give me some benefits in return."

What a load of crap.

Shen Jinnian suddenly realized that, without making a scene, Gu Yan had quietly flipped the situation between them.

He fell from the high throne and now had to crawl to Gu Yan's feet.

But a proud little cat never surrenders. Fueled by stubbornness, Shen Jinnian huffed, "Not happening."

"Alright, your call." Gu Yan didn’t push him. He just took out his mobile phone and found the account of the video blogger neatly, and made a video call from the private message.

Shen Jinnian rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. Who was he trying to scare?

Gu Yan wasn’t in any hurry either. He switched the call to speaker mode and placed the phone on the table while patiently waiting for the blogger to answer.

Under the table, Shen Jinnian’s fingers curled into a fist.

Less than two minutes later, the blogger finally picked up and introduced himself politely.

Gu Yan got straight to the point. "Hello, I’m one of the people in the viral ‘Rainy Day Couple’ video."

Shen Jinnian felt a sharp pulse at his temples. He quickly lowered his eyelashes and pricked up his ears to listen carefully to the movement over there.

But that bastard Gu Yan turned off the speaker.

All he could hear was Gu Yan’s casual voice. "So all I need to do is provide my ID and record a short video, and I can claim the prize, right?"

Shen Jinnian: "…"

Gu Yan: "A two-minute video? Talking about my love story with my wife?"

Shen Jinnian’s scalp tingled: "…Gu Yan."

No response. Gu Yan was still on the phone, listening intently.

"Gu Yan, you dog!" Shen Jinnian suddenly raised his voice. "Fine! I’ll agree!"

Gu Yan cupped a hand over the phone’s speaker and pretended to be innocent: "Agree to what?"

Shen Jinnian slumped back into his chair like he had no spine left. "I’ll give you what you want. But you’re not taking that thirty thousand."

"How do I know this isn’t just an empty promise?"

Gu Yan hesitated.

"A real man never goes back on his word. In the Shen family, we always mean what we say. If you doubt me, you're looking down on me."

Shen Jinnian suddenly sat up straight, and a fierce aura burst out from his body. "Tell him right now—you’re not taking that thirty thousand!"

"Alright." Gu Yan let go of the phone and, following Shen Jinnian’s instructions, calmly said to the person on the other end, "Sorry, sir. My wife is a little shy and doesn’t want to be on camera, so we’ve decided to forgo the prize."

With that, he ended the call.

Shen Jinnian breathed a sigh of relief, and his tense mood relaxed instantly. Only then did he notice that he was so anxious that his skin was hot.

He thought of Gu Yan's last sentence just now, and was instantly ashamed and angry to the point that his ears and neck turned slightly red.

Before he could lash out, Gu Yan cut in smoothly, "Now you owe me a favor."

Shen Jinnian huffed. "You’ve got three months to claim it. After that, it’s void."

"Deal."

The transaction with Gu Yan was settled.

Shen Jinnian had completely lost his appetite. He called the waiter to pack up all the cold food on the table and took it away. He didn't care about Gu Yan who had been with him all evening with an empty stomach.

Finally, he left the room like a gust of wind.

Three seconds after Shen Jinnian left, Gu Yan’s phone chimed with a new message notification.

【Dear user, your purchase of the 100,000 yuan promotion service for the work "The Most Beautiful Love #Rainstorm# Moving" has been successfully completed. Click the link to view the results...】

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T/N: Just checked the NU ratings for this novel, and it’s sitting at 3.8 stars...

(╥﹏╥)

Why so low? I haven’t even posted 10 chapters yet! BLs usually don’t get rated this harshly, right? Did I miss something? Is there some secret rule I don’t know about? (´•̥﹏•̥`)

Soooo if you're enjoying this novel, please leave some good reviews/ratings for our  cuties here on novelupdates.