Chapter 19 SJC

Chapter 19: Shen Jinnian Falls into a Trap at the Bar

Shen Jinnian took an extended leave from school.

He locked himself in at home for ten whole days, feeling depressed. During this time, Gu Yan sent him several messages, and Chen Han called more than ten times, but without exception, he ignored them all.

The nanny didn’t know the details, but she was just as worried.

Afraid that Shen Jinnian would make himself sick, she changed up his meals daily and shared the latest juicy gossip with him.

One day, she talked about a daughter-in-law from the west side of the city who fell for her mother-in-law. The next, she spoke about a rich man's wife in the east hiring a private detective to catch her husband cheating. 

Shen Jinnian’s chopsticks paused mid-air. A spark flashed in his dim eyes as he latched onto the key point. "Did she find evidence in the end?"

"She did! I heard she used it to get a big chunk of his assets in the divorce."

"I see…" Shen Jinnian lowered his gaze. His long, thick, black lashes perfectly concealed the flickering thoughts in his eyes.

After a long pause, he put down his chopsticks, and for the first time in days, a faint smile appeared on his face. "I'm full, Auntie. I’ll head back to my room to rest."

Before the nanny could respond, Shen Jinnian turned and went straight to his room.

Door closed. Locked.

A sudden realization hit him like a splash of cold water. Without hesitation, he grabbed his phone and contacted Shen Huaili.

…

He had spent the past few nights staying up, replaying events from the last two years, exhausting himself in the process.

But no matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't think of anything he had done that would have caused such a mess.

However…

Just now, the housekeeper had given him an idea.

If he couldn't find the problem himself, then he could get someone else to investigate.

Without wasting time, he used Shen Huaili’s connections to anonymously hire a highly recommended private investigator. The detective confidently assured him that he could dig up every last detail about the target—down to their underwear.

That was exactly the level of thoroughness Shen Jinnian wanted.

By the following evening, the two arranged to meet at a nearby bar.

Before heading out, Shen Jinnian carefully disguised himself. Reluctantly, he wore a hat and mask to cover his face—his one true source of pride. Following the location sent by the detective, he found a sharply dressed, elegant young man sitting in the corner.

The man stood up when he spotted him and extended a polite hand. "Mr. Gu, Mr. Gu Yan?"

Shen Jinnian froze for a second.

He had always imagined detectives to be like the ones in cartoons—trench coats, hats, and a magnifying glass in hand.

But this guy? He was well-dressed, composed… and surprisingly handsome.

Following social etiquette, Shen Jinnian shook his hand cautiously and lowered his voice. "Hello."

"My last name is He. He Yu." The detective gestured for him to take a seat across from him. "I've already gotten a general idea of your request. Investigating this matter won’t be difficult, but it will take some time."

"I understand." Shen Jinnian nodded. He had already wasted half a month lost in a daze—waiting a little longer wouldn't make a difference. "Just make sure the results are thorough and precise. I’ll transfer the deposit to your account in a bit."

He Yu clinked his glass against Shen Jinnian’s. "No rush, Mr. Gu. But I do have a question—what’s your relationship with Shen Jinnian?"

Shen Jinnian had just taken a sip of his lemon water. Hearing his real name so suddenly, he nearly choked, coughing twice as his eyes watered from the effort.

Investigating himself under a fake identity was… an odd experience.

"Enemy," Shen Jinnian answered without hesitation. "A rival."

"And what’s your purpose for investigating him?" He Yu pushed the frameless glasses on his nose and smiled kindly. "No offense—this is just standard procedure to ensure it doesn’t involve anything illegal."

Shen Jinnian replied without a second thought, "Know yourself, know your enemy—win every battle. Otherwise, I'd keep losing arguments."

“...Alright.” He Yu was momentarily caught off guard by the response. After adjusting his expression, he asked again, “Just to confirm one last time, which characters are in your name?”

“Shi Jianyan.” Shen Jinnian replied instinctively, then added, “Gu Yan.”

He Yu chuckled and raised his glass once more in a toast to Shen Jinnian.

Taking advantage of the movement, He Yu subtly used his glass to obscure the sharp glint in his eyes.

Unaware that he had already been scrutinized countless times, Shen Jinnian remained oblivious.

After exchanging a few more words, He Yu was contacted by another client, forcing Shen Jinnian to part ways with him for the time being.

As he watched He Yu leave, Shen Jinnian finally let go of his carefully maintained composure. With a sigh, he removed his mask and slumped into the sofa to fiddle with his phone.

The first thing he did was look up information on He Yu.

Perhaps due to security concerns, there wasn’t much available online.

The only notable mention was an outdated entry from a few years ago—a messy article by a minor gossip account. 

Shen Jinnian read it for a long time before he figured it out. The article was about the news that the old man of the Gu Group appointed his grandson He Yu to donate hundreds of millions to the disaster area.

However, there were no photos attached, so Shen Jinnian had no way of verifying if it was the same person.

Just as he switched to another search engine to dig deeper, he noticed something from the corner of his eye—

The lighting around him had suddenly dimmed.

Instinctively, he turned off his phone and looked up.

A blond-haired delinquent, sporting multiple ear piercings, had taken the seat He Yu had vacated. The other party glanced at him up and down with an extremely obscene look, with a blatant smile.

“A pretty Omega like you dares to wander around alone?” The man leaned in, and if not for the table between them, he probably would have lunged at Shen Jinnian already. 

“How about coming with me to the next room for some fun?”

Shen Jinnian felt disgusted and provoked the man with a contemptuous look like looking at trash.

Sitting up straight, he curled his lips into a smile. Under the shifting, dim lights, he looked eerily sinister. “You want to play with me?”

The blond chuckled smugly, squinting his triangular eyes as he licked his thin lips, as if admiring his prey. “No need to tease, baby. Just tell me your price for one night. I’ll even call over a couple of my boys—we can split the cost. What do you say?”

Shen Jinnian’s smile didn’t waver, but his gaze turned icier.

He simply repeated his question. “You want to play with me?”

The blond felt a sudden chill crawl up his spine.

He felt that the atmosphere around him was a little oppressive, and even the temperature dropped a lot, which gave him goosebumps for no reason.

Something didn’t feel right. But he had a reputation to uphold in front of such a delicate beauty. So he snapped impatiently, “Quit the act. Tonight, I’m taking you no matter what.”

“Take your father instead.”

Beneath the table, Shen Jinnian swung his foot with full force—

A brutal kick straight to the man’s crotch.

The impact sent the blond reeling backward with a loud thud, collapsing onto the floor as waves of agony crashed through his body.

But he had no time to care. At this moment, the shame of being humiliated by the beautiful omega took over.

"You are looking for death!" The man stood up from the ground suddenly, strode to Shen Jinnian, and stretched out his hand to pinch his slender white neck.

But Shen Jinnian effortlessly sidestepped, his voice indifferent. “Not sure who’s really asking for death here.”

The blond grasped at thin air, about to strike again—

Then suddenly, an unbearable force crushed down on him.

The man missed and was about to attack again when he suddenly felt an irresistible pain bursting out of his head and body, as if countless drunken strongmen were violently beating him. His internal organs were in pain and were about to burst. Even breathing became more and more difficult. 

A high-ranking Alpha’s pheromone suppression!

“Y-you’re not an Omega!” He choked out, clutching his chest as he gasped for air.

Shen Jinnian landed a sharp kick against his ribs, grinding his shoe slightly against the floor to shake off the dust. “A mere C-rank Alpha, and you dare posture in front of your granddaddy?”

But the blond wasn’t even listening anymore. His mind was trapped in one horrifying realization.

He stared up at Shen Jinnian with terror-filled eyes.

“Y-You’re a double S-rank Alpha?! But— But you look so—how can you be a double S-rank Alpha?!”

"...You're sick." said Shen Jinnian.

He hated it when people called him beautiful.

This damn idiot had said it twice in one night.

Normally, if someone came to provoke him, he'd just beat them up, but now he had to endure this humiliation.

He didn't bother to look at the blond thug again.

He directly suppressed all his pheromones, turned back to his seat, and looked down at the person sprawled on the floor. "Get lost, and don't let me see you again."

The blond thug on the ground took a long time to recover his strength, glaring at Shen Jinnian with a defiant look before limping away.

Shen Jinnian watched the other person's back disappear from his sight, but he couldn't suppress the anger in his heart.

He rarely used his pheromones in fights, and this time he had used them quite intensely.

He felt extremely thirsty.

Just as he was about to order another cold drink to soothe his throat, he suddenly felt a surge of heat rising in his lower abdomen.

This feeling spread rapidly throughout his body, and within a few seconds, he felt weak, his breathing became rapid, and his head felt dizzy.

...

Not good!

He'd fallen into a trap!

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