Hearing those few words, Gu Huai’s brain felt as if it had buzzed; at this moment, he couldn’t get a single word out.
“I don’t like it when you constantly force yourself, Gu Huai. If you truly feel uncomfortable, you can push things away including me.”
“I care. I care deeply that there are others around you. From this morning until now, you haven’t come to coax me once.”
Gu Huai didn’t speak. He stepped forward and pulled Bo Jianyan into a firm hug. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “Brother Bo, so you were jealous today?”
Bo Jianyan gave a low “Mm.”
Gu Huai cupped the man’s face and, moved by a sudden impulse, stood on his tiptoes to press a kiss against the corner of Bo Jianyan’s mouth.
“Brother Bo, although I don’t understand much, from the moment I met you until now, I have never forced myself to do anything.”
Bo Jianyan stood dazed for a long while. The warm touch against his lips though it was merely a fleeting graze like a dragonfly skimming water left him stunned. This was the first time Gu Huai had taken the initiative to kiss him, even if it was just the corner of his mouth.
Gu Huai said he hadn’t forced himself… so did that mean Gu Huai had feelings for him too? The answer felt as if it were right on the tip of his tongue. Bo Jianyan resisted the urge to ask for a direct confirmation, continuing to play it cool.
Gu Huai, thinking the man was still upset about the morning, apologized. “I am sorry, Brother Bo. My attitude was bad this morning.”
“Also, I kept forgetting to tell you Ye Yunsui is my cousin. We always chat like that. Please don’t be angry anymore, okay?”
Bo Jianyan finally processed this, his voice rising with excitement. “Ye Yunsui is your cousin!?”
Gu Huai nodded.
The love rival he had spent so long brooding over, the source of all that jealousy… Ye Yunsui was just a cousin. Cousins are good. Cousins are great. Suddenly, even Ye Yunsui looked a bit more pleasing to the eye.
Satisfied, Bo Jianyan took Gu Huai’s hand. “Baby, I will take you to my room.”
Seeing him return to his usual self, Gu Huai breathed a sigh of relief. Great, Brother Bo is so easy to coax. He noticed the minty scent grew even stronger. Although he couldn’t sense Alpha pheromones, Gu Huai felt as if this minty aroma was constantly enveloping him.
“Brother Bo, is your pheromone control slipping?” Gu Huai hesitated for a long time before asking.
Bo Jianyan’s hand paused. He couldn’t exactly say he was displeased because Gu Huai was tainted with the scent of another Alpha. After a moment, he spoke the truth. “You have the scent of that Alpha from earlier on you. I don’t like it.”
Hearing this, Gu Huai found it expected. He smiled and hooked his arm through Bo Jianyan’s. “Well, now I am covered in Brother Bo’s scent.”
Bo Jianyan took him on a brief tour of the estate, and they didn’t head down until it was nearly time for dinner.
Many people were already seated at the dining table, mostly younger relatives. When they saw Gu Huai standing beside Bo Jianyan, their gossipy gazes practically glued themselves to the pair. It was rare to see Bo Jianyan smiling; in their eyes, he was usually the “perfect child” their parents always praised—successful and handsome. His only flaw was being a 28-year-old Alpha without a partner.
But now, it seemed that flaw was gone.
A moment later, Bo Jianyan’s older brother walked in, escorting a very kind-looking elderly lady. The two were chatting as they approached. Gu Huai, feeling nervous, stood up along with Bo Jianyan.
The old lady looked delighted, her eyes crinkling into slits as she smiled. She walked over and took Gu Huai’s hand. “Xiao Huai is such a striking young man. It is Jianyan’s blessing that you took a liking to him.”
“Don’t be shy. Grandmother won’t bully you.”
Gu Huai shot a pleading look at Bo Jianyan. Should I call her Grandmother just like him? Bo Jianyan just watched him with a smile.
After a pause, Gu Huai finally managed to utter, “Grandmother.” Hearing this, the old lady looked even happier, her voice brimming with joy. “Good child. Come, sit with Grandmother.”
Just as everyone was settling in and Gu Huai finally had a chance to whisper to Bo Jianyan, several older men walked in. Their tone was none too friendly. “Jianyan is back?”
The old lady scanned them and said with a smile, “Indeed. Since you gentlemen are free today, would you like to join the family dinner?”
Gu Huai sensed a sudden spark of tension. He instinctively glanced at Bo Jianyan. It seemed to have something to do with him.
Bo Jianyan had a smile on his face, but his tone was far from warm. “Yes, I am back. If you elders have something to say, perhaps it would be better to wait until after the dinner.”
The old men looked displeased and were about to speak again.
“I have already heard the situation from Wenyu,” the old lady cut in. “Let us eat first. Don’t embarrass yourselves at a family gathering.”
At that, the others didn’t dare breathe a word. The old men silently found seats. However, someone inevitably had to break the hard-won harmony. A man about the same age as Gu Chong raised his glass. “I heard Jianyan brought back a Beta? Isn’t that a bit too casual?”
Gu Huai stiffened. Before he could react, his hand under the table was grasped by Bo Jianyan.
“Be good. Let me handle this,” Bo Jianyan whispered.
The old lady set down her chopsticks, her voice sounding firm. “Yes, he brought back a grandson-in-law. Does the side branch have an objection?”
They had intended to pressure Bo Jianyan, but they were silenced by the old lady’s sharp rebuttal. Still, one man braved the tension. “Grandmother, our Bo family is not exactly a small, insignificant household. Jianyan’s lifelong partner being decided so hastily as a Beta… isn’t that a bit against the rules?”
Before the old lady could speak, Bo Jianyan let out a short laugh. He spoke without mercy. “Uncle, I am terribly sorry, but whoever I like is the rule.”
“Jianyan, do not be rude,” the old lady chided him lightly, then turned her gaze to the middle-aged man. Her tone was flat, as if chatting about the weather. “Then in your view, what kind of person would be ‘according to the rules’?”
“At the very least, someone from a prominent family like the Ye family. Besides, a Beta isn’t exactly conducive to Jianyan’s development, is it? I’ve never heard of a family bringing a Beta home as a wife.”
Bo Jianyan laughed again, seemingly out of sheer frustration. His stray gaze fell back on the man. “So, in Uncle’s view, would it be more ‘according to the rules’ to marry that elegant Omega cousin of yours?”
Having his intentions exposed, the man didn’t flinch. “Jianyan, those are harsh words. I am merely offering a suggestion.”
Bo Wenyu set down his chopsticks, expressionlessly wiped the corner of his mouth, and began to clap. “An excellent suggestion.”
“I recall Uncle’s son is also nearly of age? Why not marry an Omega according to those exact specifications so it stays ‘according to the rules’?”