Chapter 11: With Me Backing You Up, What Are You Afraid Of?

Chapter 11: With Me Having Your Back, What Do You Have to Fear?

Su Zhiyu was startled and nervously grabbed his hand: "What are you doing?"

Qin Yan blinked in confusion: "Just pulling the blanket up for you, what else would I be doing?"

"..."

Qin Yan gave a sly smile: "Scared I'm gonna mark you?"

Su Zhiyu picked up on the teasing in his voice, awkwardly letting go of his hand, his usually cold, aloof expression flushing with a rare hint of pink: "Sorry."

"Yeah, you really should be."

"?"

Qin Yan tugged at his collar, revealing the bandaged spot, raising an eyebrow with a knowing look: "See this? You did this."

"!" Su Zhiyu instantly tensed and clutched the blanket.

He dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry."

Qin Yan dressed himself, secretly surprised Su Zhiyu wasn't throwing a fit this time and was even apologizing without being asked.

Did that mean he wasn't holding a grudge after all?

"Eh, don't worry about it. You're my guy, and during this special time of the month, giving you a little pheromones is no big deal. Lesson learned—from now on, you're not allowed to be alone with any Alpha except me, got it?"

Su Zhiyu burrowed into the blanket and, after a long pause, mumbled, "Mm."

So cold.

Wouldn't give him one extra word.

Qin Yan rubbed his nose, got up to pour himself some water, and asked offhandedly: "Do those wounds hurt?"

Su Zhiyu was stunned for a moment: "No."

"No? With all those cuts, how could it not hurt?!"

Qin Yan spotted the bandages on his back—they were wrapped around almost the entire thing. He'd been too frantic earlier to notice the prop room floor was littered with broken glass.

Shit.

That bastard, Cheng Xiang.

He'd only just remembered.

Cheng Xiang was one of the minor villains in the comic who bullied the Omega protagonist. At first, he'd been cautious of Qin Yan, but once he learned Qin Yan hated Su Zhiyu, he got bold.

Even though the marking failed, he'd still made Su Zhiyu suffer plenty.

And the reason he dared to act so wild on the show was that his uncle was the post-production director, so he was always a smug jerk during recordings.

"Are you made of steel?"

Qin Yan excitedly chugged the glass of water in one go, but drank too fast and choked, coughing repeatedly.

Su Zhiyu looked baffled—he was the one who was hurt, so why was Qin Yan so worked up?

Was he mad that someone else had touched his property?

Qin Yan slammed the glass down, turned, and caught the bewilderment in Su Zhiyu's eyes, momentarily thrown off.

Wait, the original owner wouldn't have cared about Su Zhiyu.

He let out a quick snort, recovering fast: "You're my man. That bastard Cheng Xiang dared to touch what's mine—he's got no respect for me. He's asking for it!"

His tone was exactly that of a spoiled young lord guarding his food.

"..."

So that was really the reason.

Su Zhiyu stared at him blankly, showing no reaction.

Qin Yan paused, then asked, "You want to get back at him?"

Su Zhiyu shook his head. "No."

Now it was Qin Yan's turn to be confused. "Why not? When people bully you, you just take it lying down?"

He seemed to have forgotten that 'he' himself was also one of the bullies—the worst and the first one, at that.

The two of them stared at each other.

Su Zhiyu's eyes were completely calm.

"I don't want to cause trouble, Qin Yan. I can't afford to make enemies."

*Including you.*

His tone was light, but Qin Yan could hear a deep, lingering sadness and confusion in it.

He was like a sapling torn from the ground, yet still tethered to the soil by a single root—unable to take root and grow, yet unable to wither and die with the wind.

Everyone who passed by wanted to pluck a leaf or two off him.

Yet his will to live was so tenacious that even battered and bruised by the storm, he stubbornly refused to bow his head and give up.

"No."

Qin Yan's steady voice was clear and firm as he told Su Zhiyu: "You can afford it. With me having your back, what do you have to be afraid of?"

Su Zhiyu said nothing.

Young Master Qin's fleeting pity was more fleeting than the wind, and he didn't dare gamble on the fickleness of human nature—nor did he want to.

Seeing that he stayed silent, Qin Yan's heated mind cooled down.

How could Su Zhiyu possibly trust him now, anyway?

He'd take it slow.

Qin Yan stood up, putting on a show of arrogance. "How pathetic. Forget it, I'm going back."

The doctor recommended Su Zhiyu be hospitalized, but given the original owner's status, there was no way he'd lower himself to playing caretaker for a lowly Omega canary.

And staying overnight? Absolutely out of the question.

Watching Qin Yan's figure disappear through the doorway, Su Zhiyu's cold, sharp eyes flickered slightly.

Qin Yan, don't be in a hurry. I'll pay you back one by one.

...

Qin Yan left the hospital and sat in the car heading back to the villa, caught the lingering scent of white peach in the car, and couldn't shake his unease.

"Tomorrow morning, go pick him up."

Leaving Su Zhiyu alone in the hospital made him uneasy—what if some heartless bastard showed up?

As the car pulled up to the villa, Qin Yan couldn't help calling out to the driver:

"Go back to the hospital and keep an eye on him. Don't let any sketchy people near him, and let me know if anything happens."

The driver didn't dare complain and nodded obediently: "Yes, sir."

"Mm, bring him back in the morning."

"Understood."

After giving the orders, Qin Yan felt a little more at ease.

The moment he stepped into the villa, the butler poked his head out: "Welcome home, sir."

"..."

"Sir, your older brother sent word asking why you didn't reply to his messages today. He's coming back home in a few days."

Huh?

Qin Yan pulled out his phone and sure enough, there were several unread messages from Qin Mo.

The last message was from two weeks ago, where the original host was asking him for a gift.

Qin Mo was the original host's older brother and the head of the Qin Group.

The Qin parents had passed away early, leaving only an elderly grandmother as the sole elder. The original host was wild and rebellious, but he was especially dependent on his brother.

And Qin Mo indulged his younger brother, granting almost every request.

He was a good brother.

But not a good man.

Qin Yan recalled the plot and character details he vaguely remembered from the comic, curled his lips upward and put on a cheerful tone: "My brother's gonna bring me a gift."

The butler chimed in: "Your older brother is so good to you, sir."

"Of course."

Qin Yan shook his head proudly, replying to messages as he headed upstairs happily.

The butler clasped his hands, watched Qin Yan return to his room, and sighed wistfully: "I wish I had a big brother too."

The door closed.

Qin Yan's raised lips instantly fell, and all trace of a smile vanished from his face. He tossed the phone he'd just replied from onto the bed.

Ping.

The other side quickly replied: "Alright, wait for your brother to come home."

Qin Yan didn't reply again.

The next day,

*

After breakfast, Qin Yan was messing around in the living room. He'd had the butler buy him a guitar, and it was pretty unique-looking.

When Su Zhiyu returned, he happened to see Qin Yan sitting cross-legged on the big sofa, holding a flashy pink guitar, head bowed, tuning the strings.

Light from the window fell on him—quiet, normal, even a little peaceful.

But Su Zhiyu knew this was fleeting, just a passing whim of the young master.

"Mr. Su, mind the step."

The butler, quick to notice, helped Su Zhiyu, and his voice, pitched just right, reached Qin Yan's ears.