Married Off to My Childhood Enigma | Chapter 11 | Jealous of Myself | Novela.app

The rain in Yuncheng poured relentlessly throughout the night. The next morning, as expected, Zhou Shu’s flight was canceled. At seven in the morning, dark clouds still obscured the sun. For once, Jin Yan’s biological clock failed to wake him. To Jin Yan, a "biological clock" usually meant any other living creature acting as his alarm. Thus, on this silent morning, he uncharacteristically slept until ten. When he woke, he was alone. The space beside him was empty, the sheets long since cold. He sat up, took a few seconds to clear his head, and then bolted out of the room without even putting on shoes. "Zhou Duo? Zhou Duo, Zhou—" Jin Yan rushed into the living room, only to stop when he saw a figure facing the floor-to-ceiling window. What confirmed it was Zhou Shu was the faint trail of smoke drifting from beside the silhouette. He called out softly, "Ge..." Sure enough, even from behind, it was clear that the man watching the rain had stiffened for a moment. Jin Yan sucked in a sharp breath. A crime so heinous he deserved to be drowned in a pig cage—and he had committed it twice in three days. "Ge, I didn't mean it." Jin Yan walked quietly to Zhou Shu’s side, still slightly out of breath. He crouched down beside him and leaned in close. However, in the next second, Zhou Shu moved to stand up and leave. "Don't..." Jin Yan immediately grabbed Zhou Shu’s wrist, his fingers sliding down to surreptitiously catch his hand. His Adam's apple bobbed as he gave Zhou Shu’s hand a small tug. "Ge, I was wrong. Don't be angry." Zhou Shu frowned. He didn't pull his hand away, but after a long silence, he said, "Have you counted? How many times have you apologized to me since you came back?" He let out a cold laugh, looking exhausted. "There’s no need to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong." "No, no, I really was wrong." Fearing Zhou Shu would misunderstand, Jin Yan’s tone turned serious. "Ge, my apology isn't just lip service. It’s because I care about you." *I care too much. I want you to know I care. I don't want you to be sad.* Last night, while Zhou Duo was out, Jin Yan had confessed many things he had kept hidden for a long time. He told Zhou Duo that he had left back then because he felt Zhou Shu no longer needed him, not for any other reason. He had even taken a gamble and asked Zhou Duo if he would marry him. The answer was "I do." He had known that all along. After all, no one knew better than Jin Yan how much he himself had wanted to marry Zhou Shu and be marked by him years ago. So, Jin Yan hadn't said those things to Zhou Duo to confirm anything; he had said them for Zhou Shu to hear. What he hadn't expected was that after he spoke, Zhou Duo would kiss him without warning, like a soft, drifting cloud. At the memory, Jin Yan’s heart skipped a beat. After twenty-three years, he had finally kissed the person he had longed for. Even if it was just a light touch, and even if the persona was "Zhou Duo." Seeing that Zhou Shu remained silent, Jin Yan found the courage to press on. "Anyway, whenever you're angry, no matter the reason, it must be because I didn't do well enough." "You..." Whatever Zhou Shu wanted to say was choked back by Jin Yan’s sudden "confession." After a long while, he sighed, his body relaxing slightly. "When did you wake up? Does your head still hurt?" Seeing that Zhou Shu’s expression had softened, Jin Yan gently rubbed the back of Zhou Shu’s hand with his thumb. Hearing that tone, Zhou Shu’s heart stirred. This was the tone Jin Yan used whenever he spoke to Zhou Duo—a voice so tender it could melt a person. But Zhou Shu himself rarely heard it. Zhou Shu opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally uttered a single word: "Yes." Jin Yan’s panic was visible to the naked eye. He immediately moved to get up and find medicine, but Zhou Shu pulled him back. "Stop fussing. Just stay still for a moment." Zhou Shu glanced at the floor, then back at Jin Yan. "Go put your shoes on first." Jin Yan’s face instantly broke into a grin, and he hurried back to the room, looking delighted. Zhou Shu let out a faint smile and shook his head, seemingly at himself. Jin Yan hadn't changed at all. He had grown up and returned, yet he was still a little tag-along—this time even following him all the way to Yuncheng. In the past, Zhou Shu couldn't bear to let the boy lift a finger; he had wanted to keep him in his pocket, to hold him in the palm of his hand. But now, since Jin Yan’s return, their roles seemed to have swapped. When they were young, Jin Yan was the one who acted spoiled, and Zhou Shu would tease, pamper, and coax him every day. Now, Jin Yan was the one constantly apologizing, coaxing him at every turn. That gaze, full of sincerity and heat, made Zhou Shu feel flushed. It made Zhou Shu feel like a prickly, arrogant person who was being spoiled. Zhou Shu couldn't help but reflect on how much he had changed over the last few years. He had woken up around eight this morning to find himself gently encircled in Jin Yan’s arms. He really had held "Zhou Duo" all night. Frowning, Zhou Shu had extracted himself from the embrace. Jin Yan had stirred but didn't wake. So, Zhou Shu had walked to the living room alone, trying to clear his head with an e-cigarette. Yet his mind was a mess, filled with the things Jin Yan had said to Zhou Duo last night. Jin Yan said he left because he felt he wasn't needed. At that thought, Zhou Shu felt a sharp pang in his chest. Back then, Jin Yan was just a child who had recently finished his secondary differentiation, yet because he cared too much, he chose to go to a foreign country all by himself. For all these years, Zhou Shu had been angry at Jin Yan’s heartlessness. But when they finally met, his body reacted for him. Every time he woke up to find Jin Yan refusing to leave his side, he couldn't bring himself to utter a single word of blame. He admitted that Zhou Duo’s existence explained everything, but he truly hadn't expected Zhou Duo’s dependence and obsession with Jin Yan to reach such a level. The warmth of the kiss still seemed to linger on his lips. But that kiss hadn't been meant for *him*. Wait, then why did he say— "Ge, stop smoking. Have some water. Let's order some breakfast." The glass held out to him interrupted Zhou Shu’s thoughts. He turned his head and instinctively took a sip. Before he could even swallow, a thought struck him, and he looked at Jin Yan with his cheeks puffed out. Jin Yan blinked, immediately catching Zhou Shu’s drift. The muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, there are no sleeping effervescent tablets in this one." Daylight was always noisier than the night. The sound of the rain outside grew muffled, making the room feel even quieter. The silence lasted until a "gulp" was followed by the sound of their trembling laughter. Once they started, they couldn't seem to stop. After a good while, the laughter died down, and the temperature in the room seemed to rise. Jin Yan ordered breakfast from the hotel. Zhou Shu mentioned that the airport had notified him that flights would resume this afternoon, so they both booked their return trips. One was headed back to the Capital, the other to Haicheng. "Ge, two of my juniors and I decided to open a pet hospital together. We finalized everything yesterday. Once I get back, I’ll start on the renovations and buy new equipment. We should be open for business soon." "Mhm, I heard." Zhou Shu paused. "You’re well-suited to be a veterinarian." He thought of something, and his expression turned solemn. "It’s okay, Ge. Don't worry, I don't have any trauma." Jin Yan touched the chain on Zhou Shu’s wrist and smiled. "Besides, don't I have you?" "Shut up." Zhou Shu clicked his tongue and pulled his hand back, deliberately putting on a cold face, though his ears turned red. Jin Yan laughed and grabbed his hand again. This time, Zhou Shu didn't pull away. "I’ve been working with animals for five years now. I really do seem to be getting more popular with them." At this point, he decided to test the waters. "Ge, I feel like I can sense their moods, even their pain." Zhou Shu looked slightly surprised, as if pondering something. Jin Yan didn't give him much time to think and continued, "Actually, my perception of many things around me has become very sensitive." For instance, smelling flowers from miles away, or sensing the weather a day in advance. Or finding the source of an animal's pain or fever, and detecting hostility from strangers. The only thing he couldn't perceive was *you*. Even though he had differentiated into an Enigma, he couldn't bring himself to use even a shred of gender-based suppression against Zhou Shu. However, Jin Yan didn't tell Zhou Shu any of this, just as he never dared to lightly speculate on Zhou Shu’s inner thoughts. "Then you..." Zhou Shu started to say something, but his expression was hesitant. "Hmm? What is it?" Jin Yan tilted his head to look at him. They stared at each other for a moment before Zhou Shu was the first to give in. "Forget it, it’s nothing." "Ge..." Jin Yan drew out the word, sounding like a giant cat acting spoiled with its owner. Zhou Shu didn't dare look at him. He turned his face toward the window and, after what seemed like a long internal struggle, cleared his throat awkwardly. "When Zhou Duo is with you, he doesn't hide his pheromones at all." Jin Yan blinked, his breath hitching for a few seconds. "So you knew?" Jin Yan tried to control his expression, but the upward curve of his lips betrayed him. "What does it have to do with me?" Zhou Shu frowned, looking extremely annoyed. "It’s not like *I* was the one failing to hide them." "Right, right. It’s all my fault. Blame me for being too charming." "Have some shame." Zhou Shu scoffed, though his expression softened significantly. Then, he finally asked the question he had been wanting to confirm. "So, you don't experience pheromone rejection?" "Hmm..." Jin Yan went silent for a few seconds before answering. "No. It’s very harmonious." He felt a bit of mischief rise in him and leaned closer to Zhou Shu’s ear. "In fact, it’s quite... exciting." "Shut up..." The wind whipped the raindrops, teasing the heart of the waves time and again. The ripples on the sea’s surface seemed to be written with a sense of "refusing while inviting." The air was filled with the scent of a shy wave—perhaps because it had finally waited for its beloved and could finally pull him into its embrace. The wave remained silent while the raindrops pursued it relentlessly. Only when the wave turned a flush of pink did the raindrops finally let it be. However, before the rain stopped falling, the sea endured its greatest upheaval yet. "Ge, you have no idea," the raindrop with ulterior motives said. "Taking a cold shower in autumn is actually quite freezing." "..." *** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation --- | --- | --- 云城 | Yuncheng | City name (Cloud City) 海城 | Haicheng | City name (Sea City) 恩尼格玛 | Enigma | A rare sub-gender in ABO-inspired settings, capable of marking Alphas. 信息素 | Pheromones | Biological scents in ABO-style settings. 标记 | Mark / Bond | The act of an Alpha (or Enigma) claiming an Omega. 安眠泡腾片 | Sleeping effervescent tablets | A recurring plot point involving drugged drinks. 浸猪笼 | Drowning in a pig cage | An ancient punishment for adultery; used here as a metaphor for guilt. 恃宠而骄 | Acting spoiled because one is loved | A phrase describing someone who takes advantage of another's affection.