Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Gu Shiyun exuded an unusual aura in every way. The only thing that slightly reassured Shi Jian was that the outfit Gu Shiyun had prepared in advance seemed perfectly normal—just a set of casual winter clothes, devoid of any unexpected, bizarre designs that might lean towards Omega, especially female Omega styles.

This allowed him to comfort himself that his earlier assumptions must have been mistaken. Clearly, theirs was a pure, simple, and mutually supportive Alpha brotherhood.

The combat suit clung tightly to the skin, and to protect vital organs, it even included a bulletproof vest underneath, making it cumbersome to remove.

Casual clothes were much easier to wear. After changing, Shi Jian stood before the mirror, gazing at the sharp, capable-looking young man reflected back at him. For a moment, even he felt a flicker of disorientation—

The face was the same, the build nearly identical, but in terms of aura, it was as if he had transformed into an entirely different person.

The refined elegance nurtured by a military family had, under trials beyond endurance, metamorphosed into an aloofness that kept others at bay. It wasn’t merely a self-consciousness of status and power, but an intense, individualistic presence that commanded awe. Even without relying on his stunning, ethereal looks or his family background, his mere upright posture ensured no one dared overlook him.

Shi Jian realized he had grown much taller, his frame more slender. No one could have guessed that beneath the fluffy down jacket of this seemingly solitary, proud, and cold young man lay lean, honed muscles—outwardly slender, yet capable of effortlessly overpowering a fully-grown Alpha.

Gu Shiyun’s deep voice pulled Shi Jian back to reality from the other side of the thin door. “Are you ready?”

“Oh. Yes.”

Shi Jian opened the door and stepped out. Being shorter than Gu Shiyun, he missed the flicker of admiration in the other’s eyes. When he looked up again, all he saw was Gu Shiyun’s gaze, bright as fresh snow, heavy with unspoken emotion.

Yet upon closer inspection, those eyes held only his own reflection—

Completely filled with Shi Jian, bundled in white down like a harp seal pup.

For a brief moment, Gu Shiyun wondered if Shi Jian’s spirit had mutated. How else could he explain the sudden appearance of this soft, adorable, snow-white mochi before him?

His voice sounded slightly strained, his hands hanging stiffly at his sides, exposed to the cold air. In just that short time, they had already turned red from the cold. His fingers twitched uncontrollably, itching to poke the soft cheeks of that seal pup—

Gu Shiyun suppressed the strange impulse, regretful that the plump, adorable baby fat on Shi Jian’s face had been worn away by the harsh military academy life, leaving behind only a handsome, cool-headed cadet, stripped of all childishness.

And it had only been less than four months.

Unaware of what Gu Shiyun was staring at, Shi Jian urged, “Let’s go.”

Before he could finish speaking, a hat was suddenly pressed onto his head, instantly lowering his line of sight.

His delicate, small face now half-hidden under the cap’s shadow, Shi Jian looked up in confusion, but all he could see was Gu Shiyun’s broad chest. “What’s this for?”

Gu Shiyun’s gaze flickered toward the people covertly watching them before he replied smoothly, “Just thought your appearance might be too striking. Could be mistaken for an Omega and cause unnecessary trouble. To keep our day out undisturbed, I’ll have to trouble you with this.”

Shi Jian obediently tugged the brim lower, murmuring, “You’re exaggerating so much I feel like some celebrity who’d cause a stampede just by stepping outside.”

Gu Shiyun’s tone was natural. “If you were a star, then standing next to you like this, I’d look like your personal bodyguard.”

Shi Jian glanced at him from under the hat and couldn’t help laughing. “Dressed in all black in this cold? You really do look like one.”

Gu Shiyun looked into his eyes. “You look better when you smile.”

Shi Jian froze for a second.

Gu Shiyun smiled. “Every time I’ve seen you before, you were almost always being bullied, rarely smiling. But what I really want is for you to be happy and carefree going forward—to do whatever you want, like any other person your age.”

*I don’t want to see those beautiful, mesmerizing eyes, deep as the ocean, shed sad tears again—tears that fall into my heart and harden into broken, incomplete pearls.*

Gu Shiyun’s sincere words brought back memories Shi Jian would rather forget. Fortunately, he no longer dwelled on the pain those people and events had caused him. Faced with such sentiments now, he could simply smile faintly and turn the page. “Whether I’m free or not, I won’t waste energy on people or things that don’t deserve it.”

He refused to let others’ mistakes hurt him. He had done nothing wrong—there was no debt to repay.

Shi Jian noticed that Gu Shiyun seemed genuinely happy today. Though still not talkative, he was making an effort to keep the conversation going. Shi Jian had no idea how two such quiet types could have so much to say to each other, but before he knew it, they had already left the camp behind and stepped into the bustling city center.

A flower shop stood ahead. Gu Shiyun exchanged some spare change for a deep magenta, plain-looking Kushui rose.

While Shi Jian was still looking at the other stores along the street, a light tap on his shoulder made him turn—only to be hit by an intense rose scent that sent him into a coughing fit.

“Wh-what is this?”

Gu Shiyun’s eyes were brighter than before, like a schnauzer that just retrieved a coin, waiting for praise and head pats. “A Kushui rose. A flower that blooms in the most barren deserts, yet possesses the world’s most intense rose fragrance.”

Shi Jian took it blankly.

The flower *was* incredibly fragrant—so much so that it was overwhelming. He couldn’t help asking, “But who gives roses that… don’t really look like roses?”

That was to put it mildly. The Kushui rose Gu Shiyun had handed him wasn’t just “not quite” a rose—it was practically an insult to the entire species!

With just a few sparse, deep magenta petals haphazardly clustered together, it looked more like a hastily picked roadside weed than anything resembling a proper rose.

Yet Gu Shiyun replied with complete seriousness, “My father said this is what my pheromones smell like.”

“Your father? Wait, no—the more important question is, you’ve never had pheromones before. How did your father even figure out they match this… rose?”

Gu Shiyun reached out, gently brushing the thin petals while Shi Jian held the flower. His voice was deep and magnetic, his expression utterly focused. “Back in the confinement room, you said you couldn’t sense my pheromones no matter what. So when I was reassigned to the city for this mission, I went home and asked my father to confirm what my pheromones should smell like.”

Shi Jian’s mind flashed back to that humiliating, heart-pounding “forced marking” incident. He wished he could scrub those memories from his brain immediately—

But Gu Shiyun was smiling faintly, as if reminiscing. “‘Blood ties run deep. My father’s pheromones are mine, and his spirit is my spirit. He told me his pheromones smell exactly like the Kushui rose. So I’m giving this to you—as an answer to your question.’”

He then asked, “Does it smell good?”

Shi Jian nodded.

Almost unconsciously, he lifted the odd flower to smell again. The scent had mellowed slightly in the open air, no longer as overpowering. Now it carried a sharp, almost aggressive quality—something that instantly evoked images of vast earth and towering mountains.

This was the first time Gu Shiyun had spoken so extensively about his father. The unusual descriptions made Shi Jian curious about this man he’d never met.

What kind of person could raise someone like Gu Shiyun—seemingly cold and detached, yet so considerate toward him?

“Your father must be S-rank or higher, right?”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have passed down such a high rank to Gu Shiyun. As for appearance, being father and son, they likely looked very similar.

Studying Gu Shiyun’s features closely, Shi Jian could already picture the man—perhaps with a few more wrinkles from age, his demeanor more steady and composed—

Just like his own father.

Walking beside Shi Jian, Gu Shiyun answered patiently, “His rank is slightly above the average S+. But I’ve hardly ever seen him fight. His health isn’t great—he often needs bed rest, and I handle a lot of his work for him.”

Shi Jian raised a skeptical eyebrow.

S-rank was already extraordinary, let alone S+. The number of known S+ individuals could be counted on one hand. Yet in Gu Shiyun’s words, S+ was “average,” and his mysterious father was even higher. But Shi Jian had never heard of such a person.

“I’d love to meet this ‘above-average S+’ father of yours someday,” Shi Jian said, a hint of teasing in his voice.

Gu Shiyun heard the sarcasm but didn’t argue. Instead, he replied calmly, “I’ve already told him about us. He approves. And he said when the time is right, he’ll meet you.”

*What kind of pompous old man acts like he’s doing me a favor by “finding time” to meet?*

Shi Jian scoffed, his curiosity abruptly cut short. His first impression of Gu Shiyun’s father plummeted. His irritation flared so strongly that he completely missed the significance of Gu Shiyun’s words—“*he approves of us.*”

No longer interested in the topic, Shi Jian was even annoyed by the Kushui rose now. He casually tucked it into Gu Shiyun’s coat pocket. When questioned, he quickly made up an excuse: “If it smells exactly like your pheromones, then keeping it on you will make the simulation more accurate. It’ll feel like I’m constantly enveloped by your scent.”

That single sentence nearly made Gu Shiyun lose it again.

Right there in the middle of the street.