Chapter 49 Confession

Chapter 49: Confession

Two seconds later, a knock sounded at the door. When it opened, there stood the CEO himself.

Wen Yu was taken aback.

If waiting outside the building could be considered a protective distance, this proximity felt a bit… like a door-blocking stalker.

Xue Shu, the psychology expert, saw right through his thoughts and waved his phone. "I was worried something might have happened to you. I was about to knock and wake you up. It’s cold at night, and your phone was about to die."

Wen Yu murmured "oh" and stepped aside, then went to find his charger.

Xue Shu stood rooted, taking several deep breaths before finally entering the small space.

Much of the room had been cleared out, but the air still carried the lingering scent of long-term habitation—a light, gentle fragrance. The intimacy of the smell made the space feel even more confined, as if… he’d hung a tiny sachet of Wen Yu’s scent right under his nose.

He couldn’t help but feel nervous. Just then, Wen Yu returned with his phone. "How did you know my phone was about to die?"

His phone had broken twice before. The one he had now was bought for him by Mo Ke back at the orphanage. It shouldn’t be like the second one, which had passed through Xue Shu’s hands and had something installed on it.

Xue Shu, still trying to calm his breathing, blurted out the truth without thinking: "I bought all the phone shops in town. The phone sold to Brother Mo is synced with mine. I can see…"

He slowly closed his mouth.

"...See what?"

"...The phone’s location, status, usage, and the owner’s health data."

A vein pulsed at Wen Yu’s temple. Xue Shu hurriedly added, "Nothing too personal! At most, I can see where you are, when you sleep, what kind of day you’re having…"

Wen Yu: "…"

The more he spoke, the more he sounded like a stalker.

Xue Shu seemed to realize it too. His voice trailed off, and he dropped his head in dismay.

Helpless, Wen Yu asked, "What else?"

Xue Shu gritted his teeth and came clean. "I bought the apartments on the floors above and below yours too."

"?" Wen Yu’s mouth fell open. "What?"

"They’re all hired security—ex-mercenaries. The furniture you put out, I had it collected, but I absolutely didn’t let them do anything strange. I just had them watch over you, protect you, and help you when you needed it."

"…"

"And the patients at your hospital, the people at your school… I was worried about you being alone. When I couldn’t see you, I was always afraid you’d accidentally get involved in another incident, so I hired these people…"

"…"

"They each file a daily report to me. That’s how I know who you interact with every day, how you’re managing, if anything’s happened…"

"…" Wen Yu’s face was expressionless. "I thought your life waiting outside in your car must have been pretty dull."

But you managed to make even that boring wait interesting.

Xue Shu looked shocked. "You even knew I stayed outside at night?"

"…That was the only part I knew about originally."

They stood in silence. Xue Shu glanced at his expression. "Are you angry?"

"A little."

Wen Yu paused.

There was no doubt that such extreme control was frightening. Being in the middle of it made him feel manipulated and furious. But his emotions were far more complicated than simple anger.

Maybe it was because, even after doing all this, Xue Shu still adhered to his boundaries, not daring to cross the line?

Or perhaps it wasn't that simple.

"I’m sorry. I just wanted to know you were safe. I wanted to protect you… wanted to see you, but I was afraid of upsetting you, so I resorted to this… I’m sorry."

Wen Yu was still tangled in that strange emotion and only gave a faint "mm," his tone distant.

"Do you regret your decision?"

Wen Yu looked up.

Xue Shu hung his head, his voice strained. "Do you regret your decision from before?"

Wen Yu’s gaze fell to his front, where he saw Xue Shu’s fingers digging deeply into his palms.

"If I regretted it, what would you do?"

The veins on Xue Shu’s hands bulged for a moment. Wen Yu almost expected to see blood pooling in his palms when he let go.

Xue Shu raised his eyes, his gaze cast in shadow, avoiding Wen Yu’s. In a low voice, he said, "I’d… be unwilling."

"Very unwilling… extremely unwilling." Xue Shu strained to keep his voice steady. "But don’t worry, I won’t cling to you. Even if I have to lock myself up, I’ll never appear before you again. I won’t do anything unnecessary…"

The emotion he couldn’t hold back made his voice crack with a sob, as if he weren’t making a decision but cutting out his own heart.

Wen Yu’s heart clenched. More resentment surged up, and frustrated, he snapped, "Stop crying!"

The sound cut off abruptly. Xue Shu jerked his head up, his eyes red-rimmed.

Wen Yu instantly regretted it, feeling his attitude had been too harsh and might have hurt him…

But to his surprise, Xue Shu looked astonished.

"You… you’re angry?" he asked softly, with cautious probing.

Wen Yu suddenly exploded. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Yes, I’m furious! A grown man, crying all the time—do you think that’ll soften me up?"

He vented all his pent-up frustration, every last bit of it, whether it made sense or not.

The inexplicable resentment and anger he felt before the call now had a target, making it even sharper and more unreasonable.

"I must be out of my mind, you’re driving me crazy. Otherwise… otherwise…"

Otherwise, why would his first thought in the midst of all this irritation be to decide to be with him?

Wen Yu bit his lip, tears streaming down his face.

Xue Shu listened to each word, his face showing a happiness Wen Yu couldn't understand.

His deep eyes locked intently into Wen Yu’s teary, peach-blossom eyes, not wanting to miss the slightest shift in emotion. Xue Shu’s throat tightened as he asked, "Wen Yu, have you ever thought… that you might care about me way too much?"

"You said… care?" Wen Yu was bewildered, his tears forgotten, wondering if he'd heard right.

Xue Shu took a deep breath, suppressing the tremor in his heart. "Yes, care."

"With your personality, whether I live or die, whether I achieve my desires or end up with unrequited love—none of it should matter to you. With just a word, I could vanish from your life. My feelings, my state—if you wished, you could easily ignore them and turn a blind eye."

"But you insist on taking them to heart. You’re even affected by my demeanor, swayed by my sorrow. You can’t bear to see me sad, can you? You don’t want me to be so pathetic. But why do you have to consider my feelings, even making decisions purely for my sake? Wen Yu, your concern for me has long mattered more than anything else."

"So…" Xue Shu’s voice trembled slightly, "you’ve actually… fallen in love with me."

The realization hit Wen Yu like a ton of bricks, snapping him out of it.

Yes, if he didn’t care, why would he give a damn?

He suddenly remembered long ago, when he mistakenly believed Xue Shu had a cherished first love. Though he now knew that first love was himself, back then he had treated it as some piece of gossip, at most considering whether to mention it to Ms. Guya. He hadn't thought twice about it—who that person was, whether Xue Shu had pursued them or how—Wen Yu hadn’t cared at all.

The premise of feeling manipulated is having emotions; the premise of fearing one’s love isn’t as strong as the other’s is having love.

When he tried to add "negative consequences" to the option of "not being together," he had already fallen for Xue Shu.

Wen Yu’s mind went blank, leaving only one thought: President Xue might struggle to express his own heart, but he certainly knows how to dissect someone else’s.

The expert at reading hearts Xue leaned in slowly, embracing the stunned young man.

"Like this…" His voice, equally disbelieving, faltered slightly, "Would you… would you want to push me away?"

Wen Yu didn’t answer. He was held tightly, his nose filled with a faint, fresh scent.

Ever since he truly got to know Xue Shu, this was the fragrance he had always associated with him.

Suddenly, he realized that this scent didn't really fit Xue Shu.

As the thought crossed his mind, he voiced it aloud.

Feeling no resistance, Xue Shu held him even tighter. "You don’t know?"

"Know what?"

"This is your scent."

As if struck by an amazing surprise, Xue Shu felt giddy. Chest to chest, they felt complete.

Feeling the warmth transmitted through their clothes, he whispered, "They say if someone stays in a certain scent for too long, they can no longer distinguish it. If you can’t smell your own scent but can detect it on me, it means the scent I’ve been using isn’t quite right…"

He couldn't stop smiling. "Should I be more careful about it in the future?"

Recognizing his subtle trick, Wen Yu gave a slight smile.

The arms around him shifted angles, trying to pull him closer.

Suddenly, Wen Yu raised his hands and hugged back.

Large palms settled on his shoulders, then with a more cherished, just the right amount of strength, Xue Shu pulled him firmly into his warm embrace.

He felt the steady beating from the other’s body and heard his own heart beating along, like drumbeats in his chest.

"Xue Shu, I don’t want to push you away, so I must really like you," Wen Yu said earnestly. "But those issues won’t disappear just because I like you. My feelings aren’t as profound as yours, and that… makes me nervous."

Xue Shu shook his head, his hair brushing against Wen Yu’s ear. "What you feel is enough. Feelings need time to grow. I’ve loved you since four years ago, and you’ve only known me for a few months. We have plenty of time to nurture our relationship, as long as you don’t give up on me."

"That’s not fair…"

"Since when is love about fairness? Between fairness and the one you love, even a fool knows what to choose."

Wen Yu chuckled.

"Don’t change the scent. The one you have now smells nice."

And so, Xue Shu understood: his own scent also made the other's heart race.

Warmth flooded his chest as Xue Shu finally grasped that happiness, unable to hold back a laugh.

The low sound vibrated against Wen Yu’s ear, making it tingle. He smiled in response.

Taking a deep breath, Wen Yu shifted his shoulders, loosening the tight embrace slightly. Then, holding onto Xue Shu’s arms, he tilted his head up and kissed him.

Intimately, sealing their promise of a future together.