Chapter 63 Argument

Chapter 63: Confrontation

The Ludao Hotel.

Lin Yunshu’s long legs stepped out of the driver’s seat. He slammed the car door shut, called Zhou Yu, and simultaneously took the elevator to the 23rd floor.

He had already checked beforehand—the hotel’s large private dining rooms were all located on the 23rd floor.

Beep, beep…

The phone rang longer than usual this time.

Most of the time, Zhou Yu would answer his calls instantly, but not this time.

The elevator doors opened, and Lin Yunshu stepped out onto the 23rd floor, walking through a long, dimly lit corridor.

Just as he thought the call would go unanswered, a soft click sounded from his phone, and Zhou Yu’s slightly surprised voice came through.

“Yun Shu? You’re still awake?”

“Where are you?” Lin Yunshu demanded, cutting straight to the point. “Room number.”

Zhou Yu was silent for a moment, an odd pause, and Lin Yunshu felt his palms inexplicably grow clammy.

“Yun Shu…” Zhou Yu’s voice dropped.

Lin Yunshu turned a corner and suddenly froze mid-step.

He stood rooted to the spot.

A familiar figure appeared before him, utterly unprepared.

Further down the corridor, Zhou Yu stood in the center, his well-tailored suit accentuating his tall, imposing stature.

Yet the right sleeve of his suit was wrinkled.

—There was someone else beside him.

The omega from the photo was slumped at his feet, clutching Zhou Yu’s right arm tightly, their eyes swollen from crying.

Zhou Yu held his phone to his ear, and when his gaze met Lin Yunshu’s, the screen lit up, casting a fluorescent glow on his stunned profile.

He immediately yanked his arm free, causing the omega to collapse to the floor.

“Yun Shu, I…”

Up close, the panic in Zhou Yu’s eyes became even more apparent. “Yun Shu, listen to me—”

“I know,” Lin Yunshu interrupted.

He averted his gaze from Zhou Yu and instead looked down at the feverish omega.

The omega was nearly delirious, struggling to stand while clutching Lin Yunshu’s pant leg desperately.

“Save me, please save me…”

“I don’t want to…”

They wept bitterly. “I don’t want to…”

Before coming, Lin Yunshu had already done a background check. This was a young actor, just nineteen, professionally trained, talented, and proud—not the type to scheme.

Most likely, their agency had miscalculated, thinking only of sending them to someone’s bed.

“—Boss! Secretary Lin!”

Li Xun had also arrived, rushing over breathlessly. Before he could even see clearly, the overwhelming scent hit him, making him cover his nose and mouth immediately.

The pheromones of an omega in heat were a massive shock to any alpha. The veins on Li Xun’s forehead bulged.

Zhou Yu quickly shoved him back and tossed him a suppressant. “Deal with it before coming back.”

“Yes, sir!”

Li Xun hurried into the restroom with the suppressant, emerging two minutes later with his face wet from washing.

“Boss.”

Li Xun wiped his face, still not daring to get too close, waiting for Zhou Yu’s instructions from two meters away.

Lin Yunshu silently glanced at Zhou Yu a couple of times.

Zhou Yu’s clothes were neat, his expression normal.

He had clearly composed himself beforehand, showing no sign of distress despite the omega’s intense heat right in front of him.

“Boss?” Li Xun prompted again.

Zhou Yu broke eye contact with Lin Yunshu, took a slight breath, and calmed himself.

“Find a few betas and take them to the hospital.”

“Yes, sir,” Li Xun replied.

He immediately called over several betas and directed them to take the omega away.

However, the omega seemed to be in a state of shock. The moment they were touched, they cried even louder, clinging tightly to Lin Yunshu’s leg.

“I don’t want to go, I don’t want to go!”

Tears streamed down their face in fear, their red, swollen eyes staring stubbornly and sorrowfully at Lin Yunshu.

They were just a child who had barely reached adulthood.

A pang of sympathy stirred in Lin Yunshu’s heart.

He bent down and gently patted the child’s head.

“Don’t be afraid. We’re taking you to the hospital.”

He tried to pry their fingers loose, but the omega in heat had an inexplicable strength, gripping Lin Yunshu’s pant leg so tightly their knuckles turned white.

“We will investigate this matter thoroughly,” Lin Yunshu said, giving up on prying their fingers loose and gently wrapping an arm around their back. “We won’t let anyone who caused trouble get away. Similarly, if someone is an innocent victim, we will never let them take the blame.”

He looked into the omega’s eyes. “Do you understand? If you do, let go.”

The omega’s tear-filled eyes were somewhat vacant, staring blankly at the terrifyingly calm man before them.

He should be an omega too, yet he has no omega scent nor the softness typical of an omega.

But still, he doesn't seem like a bad person.

The young man unconsciously let a stream of tears fall, his hand loosening its grip slightly.

Lin Yunshu shot a glance to the side, and his two beta subordinates understood, gently helping him up from the ground.

Li Xun went with them to the hospital to deal with things.

As the sound of footsteps faded away, only Lin Yunshu and Zhou Yu were left in the hallway.

Lin Yunshu glanced at Zhou Yu, his face expressionless, a faint weariness in his eyes.

"Let's go," he said. "We'll head home first."

·

On the way back, a faint glimmer of light was appearing on the horizon.

Zhou Yu gripped the steering wheel, slightly agitated, his gaze constantly flicking to Lin Yunshu.

Lin Yunshu was curled up in the passenger seat, arms crossed over his chest, eyes closed.

Zhou Yu's lips parted and closed, unable to find a chance to speak—Lin Yunshu seemed to have fallen asleep.

"Focus on driving."

Suddenly, a soft voice came from the passenger seat.

Zhou Yu’s hand jerked slightly.

"Look ahead, stop looking at me," Lin Yunshu said.

Zhou Yu sheepishly looked away and cleared his throat. "You’re not asleep?"

"Almost," Lin Yunshu gave an ambiguous reply.

Zhou Yu's unease grew.

He was sweating nervously the whole way home. As soon as he closed the door, Zhou Yu grabbed Lin Yunshu’s arm without a word.

Lin Yunshu, who had been bending down to change his shoes, just sat down on the shoe bench. "What’s wrong?"

His expression remained gentle as he spoke, neatly putting away the shoes he had taken off into the shoe cabinet.

Zhou Yu stared at him, tense and focused. "Can you listen to my explanation now?"

Lin Yunshu paused for a moment, then smiled. "Alright, let’s talk inside."

He patted Zhou Yu’s arm. "It's not right to block the doorway like this."

Zhou Yu hurriedly slipped on his slippers and followed right on Lin Yunshu's heels.

"I have nothing to do with that omega."

Before even entering the living room, he couldn’t wait to blurt it out.

Lin Yunshu placed his phone on the coffee table, rubbing his sore neck, a hand on his waist. "I know."

Ten minutes ago, Guo Shengyao had already sent him a complete summary of the evening’s events.

Zhou Yu took two steps forward, supporting Lin Yunshu’s waist and gently massaging the sore spots.

Lin Yunshu didn't resist.

"The owner of a small entertainment company didn't follow the rules and deliberately induced the omega’s heat, trying to push him on you," Lin Yunshu recounted the contents of the report. "You clearly refused and avoided physical contact, gave a warning, and left quickly afterward, right?"

After organizing his thoughts for so long, Zhou Yu found himself speechless as Lin Yunshu summarized everything in just a few sentences. After a moment, he could only nod.

Lin Yunshu smiled faintly. "We’ve already obtained the surveillance footage. The photos can prove it was a misleading angle. All media outlets have been silenced—you won’t see any news about tonight by morning."

Zhou Yu remained silent, his hand still on the small of Lin Yunshu’s back, but his grip tightened slowly.

Lin Yunshu glanced at Zhou Yu, noticing his expression had darkened further.

"Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything for you," he reassured, reaching out toward Zhou Yu. "Give me your jacket. It’s late—let’s shower and try to get some more sleep."

Zhou Yu grabbed Lin Yunshu’s wrist. "No need, throw it away."

Lin Yunshu was startled and confused. "Why throw away a perfectly good jacket? Just send it to the dry cleaner."

Zhou Yu’s expression darkened, his brow furrowed. "But it’s covered with another omega’s scent!"

"Aren’t you bothered by it?" His look was full of confusion. "What omega would want their alpha to carry the scent of another omega?"

Lin Yunshu’s eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly, and he fell silent.

In truth, he couldn’t smell anything at all.

Before rushing to the hotel, he had injected a high-strength inhibitor. Even now, the cold liquid made his arm ache and swell, as if his blood vessels were about to burst.

He couldn’t detect even the slightest scent—whether his own, Zhou Yu’s, or that of any other alpha or omega.

"I don’t mind," he said.

Zhou Yu didn’t move but seemed to sway slightly.

He stared at Lin Yunshu in disbelief. "What did you say?"

"I said I don’t mind."

Lin Yunshu composed himself.

He gently removed Zhou Yu’s hand from his wrist and said softly, "It’s all fake, isn’t it?"

"Of course it’s fake!" Zhou Yu insisted firmly.

"Then it’s fine," Lin Yunshu said with a patient smile. "I know someone deliberately stirred up trouble, I know that omega wasn’t acting willingly, and I know you didn’t do anything inappropriate. Why would I mind?"

"It’s not the same!"

"How is it not the same?"

Zhou Yu grew agitated, stumbling over his words as he tried to seek some form of agreement from Lin Yunshu. "What about anger? Aren’t you even the slightest bit angry?"

"I..." Lin Yunshu sighed helplessly. "Why would I be angry?"

"You saw me with another omega, you caught another omega's scent on me, and you're not angry?!"

"But it was all fake."

"What if it were real?!" Zhou Yu snapped.

Lin Yunshu stood still, finally too bewildered to speak.

"How can you be so emotionally stable?" Zhou Yu studied him intently.

Lin Yunshu couldn't understand: "Isn't that a good thing?"

If he weren't emotionally stable, how could he have stayed by Zhou Yu's side all these years, helped him manage everything, and helped clean up his messes?

Zhou Yu had often praised him for this before, so why did it suddenly seem like a flaw now?

Lin Yunshu was completely baffled.

"Good, it's good, very good!" Zhou Yu's collar was disheveled, a vein throbbing at his temple. "But Lin Yunshu, understand this—I'm not your boss anymore!"

"—We're husband and wife! Legally married, with a certificate and a wedding! We had a proper wedding! I'm your Alpha!"

"I know that."

"You don't know anything!"

"..."

Lin Yunshu was rendered speechless: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Zhou Yu took a deep breath: "I just want you to truly trust me."

Lin Yunshu said helplessly: "I do trust you."

"What if it were real?" Zhou Yu stared at him.

"What?" Lin Yunshu was briefly at a loss.

There was a slight choke in Zhou Yu's voice: "Would you still be as unemotional as you are now?"

Lin Yunshu's gaze shifted slightly, his expression grew cold.

"What do you mean by saying all this now?"

Zhou Yu persistently held his gaze, determined to get an answer from him.

Lin Yunshu sighed and gently lowered his gaze.

"When we first signed the contract, I mentioned that if you ever found a true omega you loved, the contract would be terminated immediately, and I wouldn't be any trouble for you."

He said, "Even though you struck that clause back then, I promise you—my word still stands."

"...Say that again?"

Zhou Yu stared at him intently, pleadingly.

Trying to find even a hint of insincerity in his expression.

But Lin Yunshu remained calm, a trace of weariness on his face, yet steady as a rock:

"I said, my word still stands."

Zhou Yu's eyes stung with pain.

"You still don't trust me," he said hoarsely. "You don't care whether I'm speaking out of anger—you just come up with a solution so readily."

Lin Yunshu took a deep breath: "What else do you want me to do?"

Zhou Yu: "Do you think I'm being unreasonable?"

Lin Yunshu pressed his lips into a tight line.

Yes.

Zhou Yu suddenly laughed.

A laugh of frustration.

He didn't know what kind of person Lin Yunshu was. Was he even human? An ice block? Or a spring?

Why couldn't he be warmed or reasoned with?

Did Lin Yunshu see him only as a tool?

Did Lin Yunshu only need his pheromones, and expect him to be a bottomless container?

Then what about him? What did he mean to Lin Yunshu? Was he not important at all as a person?

"You've never truly believed in me." Zhou Yu's voice shook.

"No, I do believe you." Lin Yunshu replied robotically.

Zhou Yu shook his head.

"At the company, you're always cautious. You think now that the company is stable and on track, I don't need you anymore. You don't believe I won't discard you after use."

"After marriage, you don't believe I will look after you. You don't believe I'll be faithful to you forever. You can't even bring yourself to believe I truly love you!"

"Lin Yunshu, am I really just a tool to you?!"

Lin Yunshu jumped at the outburst, stood frozen in shock.

"I... I don't think that..."

His voice trailed off, realizing he was lying.

"Alright, I admit," he closed his eyes, "at first, I did treat it as a business arrangement. But later... later it became different."

He looked at Zhou Yu: "I am willing to build a life with you."

"And what about you?" Zhou Yu took him by the shoulders, his voice soft. "What about how you feel?"

Lin Yunshu seemed puzzled: "What?"

Zhou Yu said hoarsely, "Is it because I'm convenient, because I like you, because I chased after you, and you think I'm alright, so you went along with me passively... or do you genuinely love me as well?"

"Do you even know whether it's love that makes you want to build a life with me?"

His eyes were bloodshot, and though there were no tears, it seemed as if he had been upset for a long time.

"If you love me, why have you never been moved by me?"

Lin Yunshu's heart jerked.

Under the gaze of those eyes, his throat felt as if blocked by a stone; he opened his mouth but could make no sound.

Zhou Yu gave a bitter laugh. "See, even you are confused."

He took a few steps back, lowered his head, stepping out of the wall lamp's light. His tall figure retreated into the shadows.

Lin Yunshu instinctively took a step forward, but Zhou Yu only stepped further away.

So Lin Yunshu stopped as well.

In the darkness, Zhou Yu's shoulders remained broad, his well-tailored suit framing his build, effectively concealing his dejected silhouette.

Lin Yunshu could no longer make out a hint of his expression.

"Let's stick to the contract," Zhou Yu's voice turned cold.

It was a tone Lin Yunshu hadn't heard in a long, long time—businesslike and impersonal, devoid of any personal emotion.

"Let's sleep separately tonight. I need to calm down," he adjusted his collar, turned, and opened the door. "If you truly don't love me, I won't force you. When the contract expires, we'll both be free agents."

He let out a light laugh. "There's no need to keep up this charade of domesticity."