Leaving home (1/2)
Gu Yilan lifted his hand and grabbed the back of Su Zesui’s neck, trying to pull him out of his arms. But the boy was clinging on too tightly, like a sloth wrapped around him.
Su Zesui finally let go with his teeth, but his soft lips still rested against the man’s neck. He could clearly feel the uneven bite marks he had left behind.
A low, heavy breath brushed against his ear, followed by a hoarse voice that echoed in his eardrums: “Let go.”
Su Zesui shook his head and hugged even tighter, asking in confusion, “Brother, are we… betas?”
Gu Yilan: “?”
“You have a scent,” Su Zesui said, puzzled, “but no gland.”
Gu Yilan replied, “…It’s just the scent of laundry detergent on my clothes. Stop reading so many novels. Let go.”
Su Zesui reluctantly took another deep breath against his neck before finally releasing his grip. He took a few steps back after feeling something firm pressing against him.
When he looked up, he saw Gu Yilan breathing a little heavily, with the tips of his ears faintly red.
“We’re just regular humans,” Gu Yilan said expressionlessly. “Don’t go around biting people again.”
“Brother…” Su Zesui stared at the man’s thin lips moving and hesitated, wondering if he should take the initiative to kiss him.
But he had never done something like that before. His heart was pounding, and the thought of being that close was too much for him to handle, so he stayed frozen in place.
“And definitely don’t bite me again,” Gu Yilan said coldly.
His face showed no emotion. After saying that, he turned around and added, “Look over the materials yourself first. I’ll come back later.”
Su Zesui puffed his cheeks and waved at his retreating figure.
Gu Yilan didn’t return to the lab for nearly an hour.
When he came back, he had changed into a black shirt with a higher collar, neatly covering the bite marks on his neck. His expression had returned to normal, the redness on his ears had faded, and he once again looked like someone untouched by worldly matters.
“Brother,” Su Zesui called while still fiddling with the photon emitter.
“If you bite me again, I’m confiscating your chips for a whole week,” Gu Yilan warned mercilessly.
Su Zesui pressed his fingers together, muttered an “Oh,” and then quietly asked for help, “I don’t understand the manual.”
Gu Yilan walked over. “What part?”
He was a little more patient than usual, probably because it was a wedding gift.
He briefly explained the device to Su Zesui and walked him through a few high-precision experiments before leaving the boy to explore on his own.
Like a starving man finding a steaming bun, Su Zesui dove into the physics lab with joy, happily swimming in the ocean of knowledge. He didn’t leave until it was nearly bedtime.
Back in the master bedroom, Gu Yilan hadn’t returned yet.
Su Zesui slipped into the en-suite bathroom and began inspecting the bottles on the shower shelf.
Even though Gu Yilan had said the scent of soap came from the clothes, Su Zesui couldn’t understand why his own clothes didn’t smell that way.
He sniffed through each little bottle, and his eyes lit up when he found a body wash that smelled the most like Mr. Gu.
Steam filled the bathroom, fogging up the mirror and making the room hot and damp.
Su Zesui picked up a new bath sponge, poured some of the body wash on it, and lathered it into a soft foam across his body.
The scent of the body wash rose with the mist, enveloping the entire bathroom like a fluffy cloud.
Su Zesui took a deep breath. It felt just like being tightly hugged by Mr. Gu, wrapped in warmth and safety.
He couldn’t help but feel a little envious of Omegas.
——Why am I a beta? I don’t even have a special scent of my own. Ugh…
After his shower, Su Zesui put on his shirt and grabbed his pajama bottoms to run out of the bathroom.
But as soon as he stepped out, he was met with a pair of dark, brooding eyes by the bed. Su Zesui froze instantly, standing stiffly in place.
The bathroom was hot and humid, and the floor was still wet. He had gotten used to putting on his pajama pants back on the bed, completely forgetting there was someone else staying in the same room.
His legs were pale and slender, smooth like silk. Whether from fear or the cold, his thighs trembled slightly. Embarrassed, he quickly pressed his legs together and tried to cover himself with the pants in his hands.
Gu Yilan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He turned his eyes away and said, “Put your clothes on.”
Su Zesui didn’t dare climb onto the bed like he usually did. He quickly lifted one leg, stepped into the pants, pulled them on, and whispered, cheeks flushed,
“Brother, I’m done.”
Gu Yilan finally looked at him again and said sternly, “From now on, get dressed inside the bathroom. Don’t let others see you like that.”
Su Zesui mumbled in protest, “…It’s just Brother.”
Gu Yilan replied, “That won’t always be the case.”
The man liked to say things with vague meanings. But Su Zesui already struggled to understand normal human language—figuring out subtext was completely out of reach.
Still, he had a good attitude. If he didn’t get it, he simply didn’t dwell on it. He kicked off his slippers and climbed into bed.
Gu Yilan casually picked up the plush toys Su Zesui had scattered across the bed and arranged them one by one.
With his tall figure and large hands, the stuffed toys looked even smaller—almost adorably mini—in his grip.
Su Zesui sat obediently on his half of the bed and watched as the man used the plush toys to draw an invisible boundary line between them.
Gu Yilan said, “We sleep like this. No crossing the plushies.”
Su Zesui pouted and flopped dramatically onto the soft, plush bed. Staring at the man, he said, “Brother doesn’t like me anymore, meh?”
Gu Yilan: “…”
Meeting the boy’s misty, tear-brimmed eyes, Gu Yilan quietly looked away. “That’s not true.”
After he turned off the lights and lay down, the boy beside him asked again, “Brother, are you hot?”
Gu Yilan replied, “I’m fine.”
“Then…,” Su Zesui suggested, “let’s sleep without clothes together.”
Gu Yilan: ……
“No more weird novels from now on,” he said flatly.
Su Zesui kept failing, over and over again, and was becoming more and more confused as to why. He rolled over, turning his fluffy head of hair toward the man, and began his nightly round of deep thoughts.
Gu Yilan’s tone held a trace of helplessness: “Sleep. We have to go out tomorrow.”
Su Zesui obediently rolled back to face him, eyes closed, showing that he was ready to sleep.
Gu Yilan: “Good boy.”
. . . . .
The next morning, Su Zesui got out of bed with Gu Yilan.
The wide sink in the master bathroom was large enough for two people to use at once.
So Su Zesui stood next to him, holding his toothbrush, brushing his teeth and washing his face right alongside Gu Yilan.
Since they were heading to a university, Gu Yilan didn’t have the driver take them. Instead, he drove a low-profile Land Rover himself, carrying the anxious boy as they made their way toward A University.
Su Zesui’s baseball cap, sunglasses, and face mask had all been confiscated by Gu Yilan. Now sitting stiffly in the passenger seat, he clutched the hem of his shirt nervously, eyes fixed on the scenery flashing by outside, as if he were on his way to an execution.
When the car drove smoothly into the campus and slowly passed by busy college students walking along the road, Su Zesui was already starting to have trouble breathing.
“Deep breath,” Gu Yilan said, glancing over at him.
Su Zesui exhaled long and hard. When the car stopped in front of a certain building, he pitifully handed his bag over to his “Mr. Gu” and said, “Brother, help me carry it.”
Without a word, Gu Yilan took the bag. The boy immediately clung to his back, burying his face against him, legs so weak he couldn’t walk.
Gu Yilan didn’t rush him. He patiently waited until the boy’s trembling gradually eased before asking, “Ready?”
To treat what the boy was experiencing, he had to use a desensitization method—gently exposing him to the things he feared or felt anxious about in a relaxed state, to reduce his sensitivity over time.
This way, Su Zesui might slowly get used to basic social interactions.
Even though the boy was still clearly terrified, Gu Yilan was willing to wait.
A few more minutes passed before Su Zesui finally cracked open one eye and cautiously examined the tall, imposing building in front of him.
During that time, many curious passersby had glanced their way.
Su Zesui looked up at Gu Yilan. Seeing that the man’s expression remained completely calm and composed, as usual, he inexplicably felt encouraged—as if a bit of strength had been poured into his limbs. He nodded and said, “Okay.”
Gu Yilan raised his brow slightly, slung the boy’s small bag over one shoulder, and said, “Let’s go.”
The main lobby of the lab building was open, with lots of people hanging around, reading, or buying coffee. But beyond a certain point, a key card was required for access, and once they took the elevator up, the crowds thinned out considerably.
Su Zesui stared at his toes and followed closely behind Gu Yilan, step for step.
Outside one particular lab, he caught a glimpse of a few people he recognized from online meetings. He flinched, grabbed Gu Yilan’s coat tightly, and hid most of himself behind the man.
But it was too late—the people inside had already seen him.
They hadn’t expected Gu Yilan to bring someone directly into the research building. But then they noticed how closely the two were sticking together, and that fluffy blue plush backpack that totally clashed with Gu Yilan’s usual demeanor. Their jaws nearly hit the floor.
At that moment, Gong Chuang happened to be walking down the hall from the opposite side. He looked surprised. “You… you two?”
Gu Yilan gave the group a calm glance and, completely unfazed, introduced, “My younger brother.”
At that, everyone in the lab visibly relaxed and came forward to greet the boy.
Ah, so it’s his little brother. That explains everything.
Only Gong Chuang twitched at the corner of his mouth.
——Little brother, huh? They already registered their marriage, and he’s still playing the “little brother” card. What kind of roleplay is this?
Feeling all the eyes turning toward him, Su Zesui trembled like a leaf and clung tightly to Gu Yilan’s jacket, absolutely refusing to look up.
“Don’t crowd around him,” Gu Yilan said coldly, glancing at the phones in their hands. “He’s not allowed to add people on WeChat either.”
Inwardly, Su Zesui nodded firmly.
Mr. Gu is absolutely right.
The others were stunned and instinctively took a few steps back.
Gu Yilan’s control freak reputation was as strong as ever. Being strict about experiments was one thing, but even banning his little brother from adding WeChat contacts? Terrifying…
Trying to lighten the mood, a few of the students attempted small talk:
“Senior, your brother’s really cute. Is he staying with you during school break?”
“Hey there, little guy! What’s your name?”
“You two seem super close. Can’t bear to be apart, huh?” Gong Chuang threw in casually.
Right in the middle of this flurry of attention, Su Zesui looked like he was about to shatter into pieces on the spot. He wanted to ask Gu Yilan if they could leave, but it felt like someone was squeezing his throat—he couldn’t get a word out.
Gu Yilan, visibly uninterested, answered a few questions briefly, then turned to the boy beside him, who had his eyes squeezed shut.
“He wants to leave. I’m going to find somewhere for him to sit.”
Su Zesui gratefully pinched Gu Yilan’s coat.
——Mr. Gu understands him so well. Wuwuwu, I’m touched.
Gu Yilan took the boy by the wrist and led his stiff, awkward body away, leaving the stunned group of students behind.
…Just like that, they left?
Who started spouting nonsense about ABO universes to the little cinnamon roll online? I first thought it was because of his brother saying there would be biting involved when married so I was very surprised when he started talking about betas.