After Transmigrating into an ABO World with My Rival - Chapter 14

It was nearly dawn by the time they left the police station. Once that bastard Alpha learned of Fu Tingyue’s identity, he didn’t dare utter another word. He submissively admitted his mistake to the police, claiming his brain wasn’t working due to the alcohol and that he had acted on a momentary impulse. He even apologized to Chen Yanzhi and Lin Xubai.

Chen Yanzhi refused to accept the apology or a mediated settlement, and Fu Tingyue was too weary to waste time on such a person, handing the matter directly to his lawyers.

Lin Xubai looked at Chen Yanzhi with a face full of guilt. “I’m sorry. I caused a lot of trouble for you.”

Chen Yanzhi waved it off indifferently. “It’s no trouble. I’m actually annoyed I didn’t get to punch him more.”

Lin Xubai’s father stepped forward, full of gratitude. “Young Master Chen, I must thank you today. Otherwise, my Xiaobai would likely have been harassed by that scum again.”

That man attended the same school as Lin Xubai. He was just an Alpha from an ordinary background who liked to pose as a wealthy heir. He was obsessed with social climbing by landing an Omega from a rich family, dreaming of a shortcut to success.

Lin Xubai was one of his targets. Previously, he had nearly marked Lin Xubai under the pretext of his Rut. Fortunately, the Lin family had arranged bodyguards and Lin Xubai was clever enough to escape; otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

“It was just a small effort, Mr. Lin. No need for formalities. Besides, Xiaobai and I are friends.” Chen Yanzhi tucked a hand into his pocket and tilted his head, winking at Lin Xubai. “Right, Xiaobai?”

Lin Xubai was suddenly caught in those smiling eyes, and his heart skipped a beat. “Yes, we… are friends.”

Seeing this, Fu Tingyue’s brow furrowed slightly, a hint of displeasure rising in his heart. Chen Yanzhi was too likable; he could make friends anywhere he went. Fu Tingyue couldn’t help but think that perhaps Chen Yanzhi could have lived quite well in this world even if they hadn’t reunited. But a Fu Tingyue without Chen Yanzhi might not have survived as well.

Mr. Lin laughed. “In that case, I won’t use polite clichés. Young Master Chen, feel free to come over to our home anytime. Xiaobai doesn’t have many friends, and since you’re the same age, I’m sure you’ll have plenty to talk about.”

Befriending Chen Yanzhi was not a bad move; through him, one could board the great ship that was Fu Tingyue—a guaranteed win.

Chen Yanzhi didn’t notice Lin Xiangcheng’s hidden motives and nodded happily. “Sure! I still want to taste Xiaobai’s cooking.”

Lin Xubai lowered his head shyly, his reddened earlobes looking particularly cute under the streetlights. He nervously clutched the hem of his shirt, performing quite a bit of mental preparation before gathering the courage to speak: “Yanzhi, let’s exchange contact information. Message me whenever you have time, and I’ll have a driver pick you up.”

Hearing Lin Xubai’s address for Chen Yanzhi, Fu Tingyue’s frown deepened. His hand at his side clenched into a fist, his eyes full of annoyance.

Yanzhi. How intimate.

Chen Yanzhi didn’t look at Fu Tingyue, pulling out his phone to show Lin Xubai. “Okay, let me scan you.”

The two added each other and changed their nicknames, whispering together about the time for their next meeting. Fu Tingyue’s face was terrifyingly dark.

Lin Xiangcheng, who was originally quite pleased, saw Fu Tingyue’s gloomy expression and felt his heart skip a beat. He quickly called out to his son, “Xiaobai, we should go home. Otherwise, your mother will worry.”

Lin Xubai looked at Chen Yanzhi with reluctance. “Yanzhi, I’m leaving then. See you later.”

“Okay, see you.”

Chen Yanzhi, hand in pocket, waved casually. The night breeze ruffled his hair, and the dim yellow light fell on his face, making his features look particularly sharp. Combined with his lazy posture, he looked both relaxed and beautiful.

The moment the Lin family left, Chen Yanzhi’s head tilted, and he leaned his whole body against Fu Tingyue like he had no bones.

“So tired.” He let out a huge yawn, his voice sounding thick and sticky. “So sleepy.”

Fu Tingyue looked down at Chen Yanzhi’s thick, curled eyelashes and said tonelessly, “Let’s go, Yanzhi. It’s time for us to go home too.”

“??” Chen Yanzhi straightened up, looking like he’d seen a ghost. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing. Going home, Yanzhi,” Fu Tingyue said, walking off first.

Chen Yanzhi stood in place for a moment, a layer of goosebumps rising on his arms. He rubbed his arms and followed Fu Tingyue into the car.

Fu Tingyue watched the scenery fading quickly outside the car window, his tone sounding sour. “Yanzhi, if you’re sleepy, sleep for a while. I’ll wake you when we get home.”

Chen Yanzhi couldn’t help but punch Fu Tingyue’s arm. “Be normal.”

“What’s not normal?” Fu Tingyue looked down at him. The light inside the car was dim, and the emotions in his eyes were hidden by the shifting shadows. “Others can call you Yanzhi, but I can’t?”

Chen Yanzhi shook his head. “It’s not that. It’s just… hearing you call me that is strange. I’m not used to it.”

He still preferred Fu Tingyue calling him “Zhizhi.” Hearing “Yanzhi” gave him the illusion that Fu Tingyue was angry.

Fu Tingyue let out a huff through his nose and turned back to the window. “You’ll get used to it if you hear it more.”

“Hey.” Chen Yanzhi finally realized something was wrong. He leaned his face over and asked, “Are you angry?”

Fu Tingyue thought he had finally noticed his feelings, but before he could feel happy, Chen Yanzhi said, “I shouldn’t have caused trouble for you, but that Alpha was just too much of a jerk. I couldn’t hold back.”

Fu Tingyue turned back, his brow furrowing as he met Chen Yanzhi’s pure, bright eyes. It felt as if a hole had been torn in his heart, and Chen Yanzhi had been forcibly stuffed inside, filling it to the brim.

Chen Yanzhi looked at him innocently. The car happened to pass through a busy district, and the bright lights illuminated the fine, baby-like fuzz on his face. Seeing that beautiful face, all of Fu Tingyue’s anger vanished.

He let out a long breath and lowered his eyes, hiding his emotions and letting himself be led astray by Chen Yanzhi. “Don’t resort to violence so hastily next time. He’s an Alpha after all. If he hadn’t been drunk, you wouldn’t have been able to beat him.”

Chen Yanzhi’s current body was very weak. Even after twenty days of care, he was still very thin. If the Alpha hadn’t been drunk, he likely wouldn’t have even had a chance to move and might have been injured.

Chen Yanzhi was not an unreasonable person. He knew Fu Tingyue was worried about him. For once, he didn’t argue to save face, but instead raised his slender arms and looked at them for a while, tsking. “True. I am too thin. I need to exercise properly so that next time I can beat an Alpha even if he’s sober.”

Fu Tingyue burst into laughter. The low chuckles filled the car, and the previously serious atmosphere instantly became lighthearted. After laughing for a bit, he asked Chen Yanzhi, “Do you have to fight?”

Chen Yanzhi rested his head on his hands, looking at Fu Tingyue with a helpless expression. “I don’t want to, but some Alphas are just asking for it.”

Fu Tingyue shifted the topic: “So you and Lin Xubai are friends now?”

Chen Yanzhi was straightforward. “I guess so. I think he’s a decent person, and he’s quite pitiful. He’s never even played with a game console.”

Fu Tingyue said calmly, “And you still want to eat his cooking?”

Chen Yanzhi nodded. “Yeah, he said his cooking is very good.”

Fu Tingyue suddenly said, “My cooking is also very good.”

Chen Yanzhi stopped tapping on his phone screen and looked at Fu Tingyue suspiciously. “And? Do you want to have a competition with him to see who’s better?”

Fu Tingyue stared at Chen Yanzhi, the displeasure in his eyes clearing out, replaced by a lonely tone. “In your heart, he can already be compared to me?”

“Huh?” Chen Yanzhi was bewildered, his eyes wide. “Didn’t you suddenly say your cooking was good first?”

Fu Tingyue sat back, turning his face to look out the window, leaving Chen Yanzhi with the cold back of his head. “I am not important.”

Chen Yanzhi tsked, waving his hand while yawning. He wiped a tear from his eye and said, “Stop it. You’re not a child. Why are you comparing everything? If you really weren’t important, would I have personally taken care of you during your Rut?”

Fu Tingyue was too insecure, always worrying that if he made other friends, he wouldn’t play with him anymore. Chen Yanzhi guessed this was a post-Rut side effect, because normally Fu Tingyue wouldn’t be like this, he never was before.

Fu Tingyue said awkwardly, “But you let him call you Yanzhi, and you exchanged contact info.”

Chen Yanzhi sighed, so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open. He said stickily with closed eyes, “I can’t just call him by his full name. Besides, he calls me ‘Yanzhi’ and you call me ‘Zhizhi.’ It’s obvious yours is more intimate. As for contact info, didn’t we add each other on the first day we reunited? I even asked you first. You are more important.”

Fu Tingyue asked in a low voice, “I am more important?”

Chen Yanzhi slid softly onto Fu Tingyue’s shoulder. Just then, the car stopped at a red light under a street lamp. The light projected in, and Chen Yanzhi’s thick eyelashes cast a shadow on his fair face. He whispered back, “Mm. You are more important. You are the most important person in the world to me.”

Fu Tingyue was completely soothed. Even if Chen Yanzhi was just placating him because he was tired, he felt happy. Chen Yanzhi said he was the most important, and that was enough.

After all the chaos, Chen Yanzhi was exhausted and quickly fell into a deep sleep on Fu Tingyue’s shoulder. The faint woody scent of the man made him feel safe. When they reached home, Fu Tingyue gently carried the sleeping youth inside. The first hour after Chen Yanzhi fell asleep was always the deepest; nothing could wake him.

Even when Fu Tingyue placed him on the bed, Chen Yanzhi showed no signs of waking, instead rolling over and burying his face in the pillow, sleeping sweetly. Fu Tingyue stared at his fair, beautiful nape for a while, unable to resist reaching out to touch it.

Chen Yanzhi’s skin was very smooth, like a peeled egg. Fu Tingyue couldn’t bear to let go, stroking it a few more times as his breathing grew rapid. During his Rut, he had desperately wanted to bite Chen Yanzhi’s nape not just because of an Alpha’s marking instinct, but simply because it was beautiful. Even now that he was sober, he wanted to bite it.

Feeling like a thief, Fu Tingyue withdrew his hand and sat by the bed to calm down for a while before tapping Chen Yanzhi’s shoulder. “Zhizhi, get up and shower before you sleep.”

He had to call several times before Chen Yanzhi woke up. The youth nuzzled the pillow like a spoiled child, saying groggily, “You go first. I’m not awake yet.”

“Okay, then wake up a bit.” Fu Tingyue spoke, but Chen Yanzhi didn’t move, likely falling asleep again.

Fu Tingyue had to pull him up and let him lean against the headboard, thoughtfully feeding him half a cup of water. Only after seeing him open his eyes did, he turn to go shower. The moment he left, Chen Yanzhi’s head tilted back onto the pillow, and he fell asleep again.

When Fu Tingyue came out from his shower, he had to wake him again. Worried that Chen Yanzhi would fall while drowsy, he escorted him to the bathroom, only leaving after Chen Yanzhi emphasized several times that he was awake.

After showering, Chen Yanzhi’s sleepiness was gone. He pulled Fu Tingyue into a long conversation about anything and everything about this world, their future plans, and the initial terror and insecurity of arriving here.

Whenever he sensed that insecurity, Fu Tingyue would speak words of comfort, his voice as gentle as fine wine, quickly setting Chen Yanzhi’s heart at ease. Chen Yanzhi felt like a drifting kite, while the string was held in Fu Tingyue’s hand. As long as Fu Tingyue was there, he would never lose his way.

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