Side Story 2: What's so special about this?
Lu Zhian left the oppressive office building. The afternoon sun shone on him, but it couldn't dispel the chill that seeped from the bottom of his heart.
He got into the car, gripped the steering wheel, and for a moment, he didn't know where to go. Home? He wasn't ready.
Amidst my chaotic thoughts, two figures clearly emerged.
Gu Yingshen, who always sees through the essence of things and acts unpredictably yet is surprisingly reliable; and Shen Yanzhi, the senior with a gentle temperament who seems to be able to tolerate everything, but Lu Zhian vaguely feels that there is an unknown secret hidden under that gentleness.
He dialed Gu Yingshen's number almost instinctively. The phone rang a few times before being answered, and Gu Yingshen's distinctive voice, tinged with languor and emptiness, came from the other end.
"Hello?"
“…It’s me.” Lu Zhian spoke, only to find his voice dry. The words stuck in his throat, and he didn’t know where to begin. Should he ask, “Do you know the difference between Alpha and Beta?” Or, “What do you do when Xiao Yuan is in his most vulnerable period?”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and Gu Yingshen seemed to sense Lu Zhian's chaotic emotions even through the airwaves. Just when Lu Zhian thought he would press for answers directly, Gu Yingshen casually tossed out a sentence:
"Feeling down? Don't know where to go?" He paused, then casually suggested, "How about going to Shen Yanzhi's place for tea?"
Lu Zhian was taken aback. Gu Yingshen was always like this; seemingly rambling, yet always able to pinpoint the core of the problem, or rather, the person who could solve it. Shen Yanzhi's place was indeed a place where he could catch his breath for a while.
“…Okay.” Lu Zhian heard himself answer.
"I'll send you the address." Gu Yingshen said, then conveniently hung up the phone.
A few seconds later, the address of a quiet villa area in the west of the city was sent to Lu Zhian's phone. He took a deep breath, started the car, and drove away from the hustle and bustle of the city, heading towards the direction where he could temporarily find refuge for his chaotic thoughts.
---
Shen Yanzhi's residence exudes a strong scholarly atmosphere and a sense of everyday life, which is completely different from the coldness of the laboratory and the glitz of the shopping mall.
Gu Yingshen had already arrived and was lounging lazily on the soft sofa in the living room, holding a steaming cup of tea. When he saw Lu Zhian come in, he merely raised his eyelids.
Shen Yanzhi, dressed in a simple beige sweater, exuded a gentle and refined air, and her smile was as relaxing as ever: "You're here. Come and have some tea."
The warm aroma of tea filled the air, effectively soothing Lu Zhian's tense nerves. He sat down and took the small teacup from Shen Yanzhi, the warm porcelain soothing his slightly cool fingertips.
The three sat quietly, the aroma of tea wafting through the air, the only sounds being the pouring of tea into cups and the occasional sip. Gu Yingshen's eyes were half-closed, as if he were about to fall asleep. Shen Yanzhi, on the other hand, focused intently on the tea set in his hands, his movements fluid and graceful, carrying a reassuring rhythm.
No one asked him why he came, no one asked him what had happened. This silent acceptance actually eased Lu Zhian's tense nerves a little.
He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying to expel the pent-up emotions of shock, helplessness, and panic from his chest.
He put down his teacup, the porcelain making a crisp, light sound as it touched the wooden tea tray.
"I..." he began, his voice still a little strained, but much calmer now, "I saw a doctor today."
He tried to state as concisely as possible the discovery of the syringe, Alpha, fertile period, pheromones, inhibitors, and the fact that he, as a "Beta," could neither perceive nor soothe these things. He himself found the unfamiliar biological terms absurd, as if he were recounting a scene from a science fiction novel.
After speaking, he looked at the two people beside him, waiting for the expected surprise or doubt.
However, Gu Yingshen simply poured himself another cup of tea slowly, without even lifting his eyelids. Shen Yanzhi gently blew on the steam rising from the tea, his expression remaining gentle.
Lu Zhian was stunned. This reaction was far too calm.
“You…” he couldn’t help but speak, his voice filled with disbelief, “Aren’t you surprised? Alpha? Pheromones? Sensitive period? This sounds…”
Gu Yingshen finally lifted his eyelids, his dark eyes sweeping over him unfocusedly, interrupting him with his characteristic, somewhat vacant and matter-of-fact tone:
“Surprised?” he repeated, as if he had heard a strange question. “I was burned to ashes, yet Yin Qin managed to pull me out of the box and I’m still sitting here drinking tea.” He paused, then added, “Oh, and I can die and come back to life every now and then.”
Lu Zhian: "..."
He subconsciously turned his gaze to Shen Yanzhi.
Shen Yanzhi caught his gaze, smiled gently, put down his teacup, and spoke in a casual tone as if he were saying that the weather was nice today: "I understand your confusion. However, compared to..." He turned his head slightly and looked at an armchair with a soft cushion in the corner of the living room. There was no one there at the moment, but his eyes were gentle as if he were gazing at something, "My fox can turn into a human and can even write marriage certificates."
Lu Zhian: "???"
His expression froze completely; his brain seemed to stop processing information at that moment. Ashes…resurrection…time loop…fox turned into human…marriage certificate…
He glanced at Gu Yingshen, who seemed to think, "What's the big deal?", and then at Shen Yanzhi, whose gentle smile made it seem as if he had only said, "The tea is not bad."
Suddenly, it seems that Xiao Yuan's supposed Alpha fertility period isn't really something that would cause him such a shock and collapse of his worldview.
In front of these two, his little matter seemed as mundane as discussing which flavor of rice ball was better at the convenience store downstairs.
Lu Zhian was stunned speechless by the overly "unconventional" comparison between Gu Yingshen and Shen Yanzhi. He could only hold his empty teacup and feel the bewilderment after his worldview had been forcibly broadened.
Looking at him like this, Gu Yingshen seemed to find it somewhat boring, or perhaps too lazy to beat around the bush, and broke the silence directly, her voice still flat: "So, what are you worried about?"
Lu Zhian opened his mouth, his anxieties about the "physiological gap," "inability to perceive," and "instinct-driven" rolled in his throat, but when he met Gu Yingshen's empty eyes that seemed to see through everything, he couldn't say anything.
"It's not like it's beyond saving," Gu Yingshen added casually, as if stating a simple fact.
Lu Zhian was taken aback. Yes, compared to ashes coming back to life or a fox becoming a spirit, Xiao Yuan's condition... does indeed seem to be considered a "terminal illness".
Seeing that his expression had softened slightly, Gu Yingshen slowly sipped his tea, then put down the cup, his gaze falling on Lu Zhian's face. He spoke in a casual tone, as if discussing "what to have for dinner tonight":
"If you see him suffering from taking the medicine, then just do it."
Lu Zhian: "...???"
He looked up abruptly, almost thinking he had misheard, and the tips of his ears turned a thin layer of red at a visible speed. "...What?"
Gu Yingshen seemed unimpressed by his reaction, glancing at him dismissively, her eyes seeming to say, "What's so hard to understand?"
"Didn't he want it?" Gu Yingshen's words were so direct that it made one blush. "It's not like you can't afford it."
Lu Zhian was stunned by this overly straightforward, even brutal, solution; his cheeks began to burn. What... what kind of method was this?!
However, Gu Yingshen hadn't finished speaking. As if suddenly remembering something, he tilted his head slightly, looking at Lu Zhian with a playful tone:
"And, according to you, what is he... an Alpha? An Alpha with snow leopard genes?" He paused, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of seductive speculation, "Doing this might bring unexpected benefits."
Lu Zhian subconsciously pressed for more information: "...What unexpected gain?"
Gu Yingshen's lips seemed to curve into a very slight smile:
"For example, the ears and the tail."
Lu Zhian: "!!!"
He almost dropped the empty teacup in his hand.
Ears and a tail?!
Xiao Yuan... sporting those fluffy snow leopard ears, or perhaps that long, powerful tail... appeared... on the bed?!
The image, with its immense impact, instantly filled his mind, causing his heart to race, his blood to seem to rush, and his cheeks to turn so red they were almost steaming.
Listening to this increasingly "dangerous" conversation, Shen Yanzhi smiled helplessly, picked up the teapot, and gently interrupted the discussion that was about to slide into an indescribable direction:
"Zhi'an, the tea is getting cold."
Lu Zhian mechanically took the teacup, his fingertips burning hot.
He seems... not so afraid to go back anymore.
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