Chapter 22 SJC

 Gu Yan quickly covered Shen Jinnian’s mouth, afraid he might blurt out something even more scandalous in his current delirious state.

But Shen Jinnian was completely unaware. His mind was blank, and he thought Gu Yan covering his mouth meant he was rejecting him.

He blinked, clearly hurt, and a string of crystal-clear tears slipped down,
 dripping one by one onto Gu Yan’s wrist—  each drop scalding hot, making Gu Yan instinctively loosen his grip.

Shen Jinnian finally caught a moment to breathe.

 He instantly threw his arms around Gu Yan’s neck frantically and sobbed aggrievedly,

“...I don’t want a shot.”

“Injections hurt...”

Gu Yan gently rubbed his overheated nape and leaned closer to whisper in his ear:

“We’ll go to my place after the shot.”

Shen Jinnian’s sobbing paused.

He wiped his tears with the back of his hand, eyes still red, and looked up cautiously,

“Really...?”

Gu Yan smiled and nodded,

“I swear.”

Shen Jinnian hesitated, he curled his fingers and weighed his options.

Then, gritting his teeth, he voluntarily changed positions,  lying on Gu Yan’s lap.

He undid the buckle on his pants himself and slid down the thin fabric, revealing skin that had turned pinkish-white from the fever.

“...Then you, do it.”

Gu Yan: “???”

Gu Yan was absolutely not prepared for this.

 His brain went blank.

Then he snapped back to his senses, quickly grabbed his jacket,
 and covered Shen Jinnian up!

“...You can’t cover it, we’re supposed to get a shot,”

 Shen Jinnian turned his head, confused, and said with serious conviction,

 “We have to do the shot before we can go to Gu Yan’s place...”

Gu Yan’s ears turned bright red as he struggled to stay composed.

 He reached beneath the jacket and quietly helped fasten Shen Jinnian’s pants.

“It’s not a butt shot. The inhibitor goes in your arm. You forgot?”

“...Ah?”

Shen Jinnian stiffened. His round, dazed eyes widened in horror.

He was terrified of needles—especially when he had to watch the needle pierce skin.
 The visual alone multiplied the pain a thousand times.

His face collapsed into despair as he wilted back into Gu Yan’s arms,

“It hurts already.”

Gu Yan said, “We haven’t even started.”

“...Pre-pain.”

Gu Yan was speechless.

He wrapped his arm around Shen Jinnian’s waist, holding him snugly against his chest.

He released pheromones and wrapped him tightly: "Is that better?”

“...Not really... Can you cover my eyes?”

Shen Jinnian sniffled and made a pitiful request.

Gu Yan, holding him with one arm, used his other to cover Shen Jinnian’s eye. His large, cool palm blocked out all light and replaced it with a quiet, safe darkness.

Gu Yan’s hand was big and cool. It felt especially good against feverish skin.

Shen Jinnian leaned into the touch, wanting more.

 He murmured softly,“...Can you give me a kiss?”

Gu Yan said nothing. He didn’t move either.

Like a statue, he stayed frozen.

“...Please?”

Gu Yan’s arms tightened around him, holding him even closer— as if afraid he’d disappear.

His voice was hoarse, low, and a little lost: “Jinnian... when you wake up, you’re going to kill me.”

He wasn’t rejecting him.

He just didn’t dare.

Even he, the great enigma who stood at the top of the pyramid became a coward in front of Shen Jinnian. 

Shen Jinnian hadn’t expected Gu Yan to be even less clear-headed than him. In the end, it was his fuzzy-brained self who had to explain:

 “You dummy, killing people is illegal.”

Gu Yan stayed silent.

"...Then kiss me."

Gu Yan couldn’t resist those clear, deer-like eyes. His Adam’s apple bobbed and his heart pounded like a drum.

 He leaned in and pressed a warm, fluttery kiss to Shen Jinnian’s forehead lightly.

Before Shen Jinnian could react, Gu Yan had already turned his head away, not daring to look at him.

“That was too fast.”

 “Men shouldn’t be that quick.”

 “Do it again.”

Shen Jinnian demanded.

Gu Yan gently brushed the spot he’d just kissed with his fingertip. “The doctor’s coming to give you the shot.”

Rejected.

Shen Jinnian knew Gu Yan wasn’t willing, wasn’t comfortable, didn’t want to.

Fuming, he gave Gu Yan’s shoulder a soft, useless punch. “...You’re so stingy.”

Then he turned his face away, refusing to let him touch.

He looked like a silktree flower after a storm, with his petals scattered, drooping and defeated.

The more Shen Jinnian thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt. The depression in his heart surged like a tide, and he didn't even feel the pain of the inhibitor syringe piercing his arm.

The shot went in smoothly, but his mood stayed bad.

After leaving the hospital, Gu Yan tried to help press the bleeding spot on his arm,
 but Shen Jinnian stubbornly avoided his hand.

“Are you mad?” Gu Yan asked.

Shen Jinnian leaned against the corner of the car, and the emotional tide brought by the drug made his face red.

 He didn’t look threatening in the slightest—more like someone edible.

“Liar.”

Gu Yan sat in the driver’s seat, confused. “Why am I a liar?”

Shen Jinnian hugged his knees and curled up in the seat. “Our compatibility is so high. You’re supposed to be attracted to me...”

But Gu Yan wouldn’t even kiss him.

Textbooks were lies. Gu Yan was a liar too.

Gu Yan froze.

He leaned over and pulled Shen Jinnian tightly into his arms, wrapping him up as if afraid he’d slip away.

“Shen Jinnian, do you still know who I am?”

Shen Jinnian looked up at him.

The lighting in the car was dim, and Gu Yan’s face was hidden in the shadows,
 but he could still recognize his scent.

Shen Jinnian swallowed and said word by word clearly: “You Are A Dog.”

Spiteful little thing, Gu Yan thought.

But the next second, Shen Jinnian reached out again and cupped Gu Yan’s face with his burning palms. He slowly leaned in, until their noses brushed and their breaths mingled.

“You’re Gu Yan.”

 “You don’t have to test me.”

Although he was not feeling well and his mind was muddled, he was not blind.

“Shen Jinnian,” Gu Yan said seriously,“Everything you’re doing now is just a biological reaction from the high compatibility and the medication. Your rational self doesn’t like me. I know you’ll be angry when you wake up. You’ll regret it. You’ll blame yourself.”

Shen Jinnian hated long speeches.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and opened the recording app. Then, speaking directly into the mic, he declared:

“I take full responsibility for everything I do while sick. Shen Jinnian acted of his own free will. Once I’m awake, I am not allowed to blame Gu Yan. If I go back on this, I’ll turn into an omega.”

“...That good enough?”

Gu Yan was dumbfounded.

Shen Jinnian hit pause on the recording, tossed the phone aside, then launched himself from the seat right back into Gu Yan’s arms.

One hand grabbed Gu Yan’s chin and tilted it up.

The air grew heavy.

Gu Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice was rough. “Jinnian, don’t regret this.”

Shen Jinnian didn’t respond.

He lowered his head and crushed his lips against Gu Yan’s.

The strong strawberry flavor instantly filled his entire mouth, tempting the clear and cool cedar to entwine and dance with it.

· · ────── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ────── · ·