Chapter 20: Teeth Grinding

Chapter 20: Teething

Yue Jin dropped his gaze, looking the team leader up and down, and when he saw the security uniform on him, his eyelashes fluttered slightly.

The team leader felt his skin crawl under his gaze; Yue Jin’s golden eyes held no emotion, staring at him with a sinister coldness, a smile on his face that seemed more like a habitual mask.

Cai Gu, who was wiping the team leader’s sweat, noticed his body stiffen, and poked his head out and spotted Yue Jin standing alone.

Cai Gu pulled his arm away from the team leader’s arm and widened his eyes: “Why are you back so early? Didn’t I say I’d pick you up?”

“It’s fine, I rushed over right after class and didn’t run into Yue Xun,” Yue Jin said understandingly, walking beside Cai Gu and naturally placing his hand on his slim waist. “But he was really mean this morning.”

Cai Gu thought of the day he was cornered by Yue Xun in the restroom, the damp steam spraying onto the back of his neck, and couldn’t help biting his lower lip. It was truly terrifying.

He was weak and timid, at a loss for how to handle such matters, but because of him, Yue Jin was dragged into trouble. He had to protect him somehow.

As soon as Yue Jin entered, he monopolized Cai Gu’s attention, even enveloping him in the scent of lily pheromones, leaving the team leader out.

The ignored team leader licked his lips and rubbed his hands together, whispering: “Since the bed’s set up, I’ll be going now. Oh, I’ll wait for you at the school gate this afternoon.”

Enduring Yue Jin’s icy, murderous glare, the team leader hurried off. Watching him flee, Yue Jin squinted and asked, feigning nonchalance: “Where are you going with him this afternoon?”

Cai Gu hugged the pile of folded blankets to his chest, putting away the folding bed as he answered: “Ah, the team leader said he had an extra movie ticket, and since we both have time off this afternoon, he asked me to go with him.”

Yue Jin looked at the eyesore of a folding bed, tapped its head with his knuckle, and said: “An extra ticket?”

He looked up at Cai Gu: “I want to go too. I’ve never been to a movie; my mother would only take Yue Xun.”

Cai Gu paused his movements, a look of pity in his eyes. He bit his lip indecisively: “But you have class this afternoon.”

Yue Jin wrapped his arms around Cai Gu’s waist, resting his face gently against him, a triumphant smile secretly spreading across his face: “It doesn’t matter. My grades are always good. Missing a few classes won’t hurt.”

Cai Gu hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement: “Then you have to behave this afternoon and listen to the team leader. Don’t run off.”

The smile froze on Yue Jin’s face. He looked up in disbelief and let out a confused “Huh?”

Cai Gu patted his head: “I’ll use my free time this afternoon to take care of that sick child.”

Although Cai Gu usually didn’t approve of skipping classes, Yue Jin was just too pitiful. Cai Gu didn't have much money himself, but Huo Qizhou often bought an extra movie ticket and forced Cai Gu to go with him.

Cai Gu didn’t dare resist, and every time he sat next to Huo Qizhou, hunched his shoulders in fear, not even knowing what the movie was about.

For the first time, Yue Jin felt so powerless. His hands clenched and unclenched, barely maintaining the smile on his face: “Really? His illness still isn’t better? He’s not going to die, is he?”

Die, die, die…

Thinking of Jiang Yu, bursting with energy and that exasperating stamina, he shook his head seriously: “Probably won’t die.”

Yue Jin couldn’t smile anymore.

No matter how reluctant he was, he couldn’t act spoiled. Carrying the backpack Cai Gu had prepared for him, he went to meet the team leader at the school gate with a gloomy expression.

Watching Yue Jin’s retreating figure, Cai Gu nodded with satisfaction, hoping that the team leader and Yue Jin would get along well this afternoon.

Cai Gu packed the dress Jiang Yu had given him last time, along with some things he’d bought specifically for Jiang Yu.

After locking the door, he headed toward the dormitory building. It was class time, so the road was empty, with nothing but the chirping of birds in the trees.

Cai Gu paused and looked back suspiciously; he thought he heard a rustling sound.

A sharp “thud” came from the bushes, as if something had fallen from a tree.

After a moment’s hesitation, Cai Gu carefully moved closer. Gripping the strap of his bag, he poked his head toward the bush and saw a fledgling, its feathers not fully grown, lying on the ground and flapping its wings frantically.

Seeing it was a bird, Cai Gu relaxed. He took a handkerchief from his bag, gently picked up the little bird, and cradled it. His palms were broad and strong, and soon the bird calmed down.

Cai Gu stood on tiptoe, looked up, and finally spotted a nest on a low branch. He raised his hand and placed the bird back, then waved quietly: “Bye-bye. Be more careful next time.”

The little bird chirped as if in reply.

As Cai Gu disappeared down the path, a shadow emerged from the other side. Yue Xun’s eyes were cold. Listening to the noisy bird calls, he frowned in irritation, then reached out, grabbed the fledgling in the nest, and crushed it into a bloody mess that dripped through his fingers.

Yue Xun curled his lips, a crazed look on his face. He hadn’t expected Cai Gu, who had rejected him, to be hanging out with Yue Jin.

He muttered the name, as if wanting to grind him to dust. Why was he so good to Yue Jin? He wouldn’t even let him bite his nape, but he was willing to sleep with Yue Jin. Hadn’t he been fucked so much he was already rotten?

Cai Gu, now more familiar with the dorm than on his first visit, smiled at the dorm supervisor and then took the elevator with ease.

The door to room 402 was ajar. Cai Gu pushed it open and went in. Yue Jin had already packed most of his things, leaving only a few behind.

When he entered, Jiang Yu was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed, hurriedly catching up on his homework.

Cai Gu, not wanting to disturb him, quietly approached and sat down beside Jiang Yu.

Jiang Yu was so focused that he didn’t even notice Cai Gu’s arrival. He pursed his lips and twirled his pen with one hand.

Cai Gu rested his chin on his hand; it was rare to see Jiang Yu so serious about anything. Looking down, he saw the boy frantically copying answers straight from the answer key.

Cai Gu felt a sense of dread. Now he was worried that Jiang Yu might be failing everything except physiology.

“Jiang Yu!”

Jiang Yu’s hand jerked. Turning around, he saw Cai Gu’s serious expression staring at him. Instinctively, he covered the answer key with his notebook, coughed lightly, and tried to change the subject: “Why are you here? My foot hurts… All your fault…”

Jiang Yu whined as he collapsed onto Cai Gu’s lap, his face against Cai Gu’s stomach, burying his face, showing only his earlobes, which were so red they seemed about to bleed.

Cai Gu helplessly patted his fluffy short hair: “How can you just copy answers? What will you do during the exam?”

If it were anyone else meddling like this, Jiang Yu would have kicked them out. But because it was Cai Gu, it meant he mattered to him.

Jiang Yu felt smug for a moment. With some secret motive, he tried to salvage his image: “I’m ranked first in combat class, you know. I just don’t want to do homework.”

“Anyway, I'm definitely better than your husband.”

“Is that so?” Cai Gu widened his eyes in surprise and gently poked Jiang Yu’s cheek, lavishing praise on him.

“What are you comparing him to, my husband? He’s a security guard. Are you going to be a security guard too?”

Cai Gu imagined Jiang Yu standing at the door with a sour face—definitely would work.

Jiang Yu, humiliated and furious from Cai Gu’s laughter, opened his mouth and bit down on Cai Gu's finger, grinding it with his sharp teeth, covering it with saliva until it was soaking wet.

Cai Gu felt the sharpness with the pad of his finger—sharper than last time. He patted Jiang Yu’s head to signal him to let go, then pulled a teething biscuit from his bag and popped it into Jiang Yu’s mouth.

Jiang Yu gnawed on it for a while, found it addictive, and lay on Cai Gu’s lap, gnawing.

The teething biscuit was shaped like a bone, and with it in Jiang Yu’s mouth, he looked even more like a dog.

Sure, the teething biscuits Cai Gu bought were specifically for dogs.

He had specifically asked customer service, and they said that some Alphas, when they just reach adulthood, can have very sharp canine teeth, so regular teething biscuits wouldn't work for them at all; he needed to get the puppy kind.

After chewing for a while, Jiang Yu mumbled, "Did you buy any for your husband?"

Cai Gu didn't understand why Jiang Yu always had to compare himself to the team leader, and he shook his head frankly, "Of course not."

Jiang Yu nodded contentedly, but then realized something was off and shot upright, "Then where does he bite when his teeth hurt?"

Jiang Yu's gaze slowly traveled downward, landing on Cai Gu's chest, and he demanded, his voice cracking, "Then where does he bite!"

Author's note: