After Transmigrating into an ABO World with My Rival - Chapter 28

Chen Yanzhi was sleeping fitfully. Noises coming from the courtyard were keeping him from falling back into a peaceful slumber.

He smacked his lips and pulled the quilt over his head, trying to go back to sleep, but he suddenly felt uncomfortable. His tongue hurt, and the root of his tongue felt sore. He had no idea what was going on.

After rolling around under the covers for a few laps, Chen Yanzhi wrapped himself tightly in the quilt and called out with his eyes closed, “Fu Tingyue.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the door was pushed open. Fu Tingyue’s gentle voice, accompanied by the cool morning breeze, drifted into his ears. “Are you awake?”

Chen Yanzhi was sprawled across the edge of the bed with zero grace. He hung his head and said to Fu Tingyue, “I think I’m sick.”

Fu Tingyue frowned and walked to the bedside, touching Chen Yanzhi’s forehead. His tone was full of concern. “Where do you feel unwell?”

Chen Yanzhi’s eyes were heavy. Because he had just woken up, there was still a layer of mist in his gaze, making him look a bit piteous.

“My tongue hurts. I don’t know why, but it felt uncomfortable as soon as I woke up. Even the root of my tongue is sore.”

As he spoke, he stuck out his tongue for Fu Tingyue to check.

At that moment, Chen Yanzhi was lying back on the edge of the bed with his mouth open and his tongue out. His position happened to be right at the level of Fu Tingyue’s knees, making it difficult not to associate the scene with some unhealthy images.

Fu Tingyue bent down and pinched Chen Yanzhi’s chin, saying with a straight face, “Stick it out a bit more. I can’t see clearly.”

Chen Yanzhi stuck it out a bit further. Fu Tingyue watched with a serious expression for a while, his voice turning husky. “It looks fine. You probably didn’t rest well. I’ll have the doctor take a look at you later.”

Chen Yanzhi suddenly slapped his hand away, covering his mouth and cursing muffledly, “You pervert.”

He had seen it. Fu Tingyue, that pervert.

Fu Tingyue didn’t bother making excuses. He told him quite frankly, “Get up. Maybe your tongue will feel better after you wash up and have some breakfast.”

He had indeed been a bit reckless last night, but he hadn’t expected Chen Yanzhi to be so delicate that his tongue would still hurt this morning after just a bit of kissing. It seemed he would have to be gentler in the future. Otherwise, if it happened too often or for too long, Chen Yanzhi would definitely realize something was wrong.

“You should go see a doctor later and get some medicine to fix yourself up,” Chen Yanzhi muttered a few curse words under his breath, kicked off the covers, and went to wash up.

Fu Tingyue shook his head and laughed, sitting down on a nearby sofa to calm himself. Once he regained his composure, he ordered someone to bring clothes for Chen Yanzhi.

Chen Yanzhi took a shower, but the scene from earlier wouldn’t leave his mind. He wasn’t angry, just shamed and frustrated, feeling like Fu Tingyue was being a hooligan toward him.

He could understand it to some extent; after all, Fu Tingyue was young and couldn’t always hold it in, but he shouldn’t be doing that in front of him, right?

Alright, fine, mornings were indeed a time when impulses ran high. The key problem was that it was one thing for Fu Tingyue to be impulsive, but why did he have to feel the impulse as well?

It was all Fu Tingyue’s fault.

Chen Yanzhi shifted all the blame onto Fu Tingyue, lingering in the bathroom for a while longer to soothe his conscience. When he came out after his shower, he saw the clothes neatly laid out on the bed. He changed into them immediately, admired himself in the mirror for a bit, and then headed out.

Fu Tingyue was already eating breakfast. Originally, they were supposed to eat with the Old Master, but Fu Tingyue used the excuse that Chen Yanzhi was unwell to send away the person sent to call them.

He preferred eating breakfast alone with Chen Yanzhi. He didn’t want to deal with the rest of the Fu family.

To ease the atmosphere, Chen Yanzhi actively filtered the morning’s incident from his brain. He naturally patted Fu Tingyue’s shoulder and sat down beside him. “Do you have no conscience at all? I haven’t even arrived yet, how can you start eating without me?”

Fu Tingyue pushed a bowl of porridge toward Chen Yanzhi, his tone neutral. “I already blew on it to cool it down for you. Eat.”

Chen Yanzhi was instantly placated. He took a sip of the porridge and found the temperature to be perfect. He naturally pinched Fu Tingyue’s earlobe. “You’re becoming more and more sensible.”

Uncle Chen watched from the side, his eyes crinkling into slits from smiling.

Although the Young Master said he and Mr. Chen weren’t dating, they were clearly very sweet when they were together. Perhaps it wouldn’t be long before the Master could hold a great-grandson.

Chen Yanzhi had no idea Uncle Chen was thinking such terrifying thoughts. He even smiled and invited Uncle Chen to sit down and join them for breakfast.

“I still have to report back to the Master, so I won’t disturb you two.”

Uncle Chen spoke with a smile and turned to leave, his gait looking quite cheerful.

Chen Yanzhi took a bite of the crispy toasted bread, crunched on it a few times, and watched Uncle Chen’s retreating figure. He muttered, “I feel like Uncle Chen has found his youth again.”

Fu Tingyue replied casually, “A happy event makes one feel refreshed.”

Chen Yanzhi asked curiously, “What happy event?”

Fu Tingyue said with a straight face, “The matter between you and me.”

“Pffft, cough, cough, cough!” Chen Yanzhi choked until his face turned red, looking at Fu Tingyue with a bizarre expression.

Fu Tingyue naturally took a tissue to wipe his face and patted his back to help him catch his breath, his expression calm and without a shred of guilt.

It took a long time for Chen Yanzhi to stop coughing and calm down. He took the cup Fu Tingyue held up and drank half a glass of water before he felt better. His tone carried a hint of resentment. “Can you stop saying things like that out of nowhere? It’s terrifying.”

Fu Tingyue set the water cup down and naturally wiped away the water droplets from the corner of Chen Yanzhi’s lips. His voice was deep and gentle. “Chen Yanzhi, I think we really need to have a proper talk.”

Hearing this, Chen Yanzhi waved his hand in refusal without a second thought. “No more talking. I’ve taken so many days off, I need to go back to school and check in. We’ll talk about it later.”

He knew Fu Tingyue wanted to talk about that matter, but he didn’t want to. He hadn’t thought it through yet and needed a little more time.

Fu Tingyue didn’t force him. He asked patiently, “When can we talk?”

Chen Yanzhi’s large eyes darted around guiltily. “After, after the New Year. We’ll talk after the New Year. Finals are coming up soon, I’m very busy and have no time. Besides, doesn’t the company have a lot of work for you to handle at the end of the year? You should go and get busy with that first.”

Fu Tingyue let out a light laugh and stated without any emotion in his voice, “Chen Yanzhi, it’s only October. The New Year is in January. Are you going to hide from me for three months?”

Chen Yanzhi wished he could bury his face in the bowl in front of him. His voice grew smaller and smaller. “Who said I was hiding from you? Don’t I come home every day?”

“Chen Yanzhi, tell me when you’re ready to talk.” After Fu Tingyue spoke quietly, he set down his chopsticks, stood up, and left, instructing Jiang Tang to take Chen Yanzhi home.

“Fu Tingyue!”

Chen Yanzhi called out, but Fu Tingyue didn’t stop and left immediately. He wanted to chase after him, but he didn’t know what he would say if he did, so in the end, he didn’t move.

He knew he was being unfair, but he truly didn’t know what to do. He didn’t want to date Fu Tingyue, yet he didn’t want to just be friends with him either. Chen Yanzhi felt like there was something wrong with him.

Jiang Tang saw the message Fu Tingyue sent and tried to comfort Chen Yanzhi. “Young Master Chen, don’t overthink it. The company has been very busy lately, so President Fu is likely just stressed out.”

Chen Yanzhi kept his head down, his voice very quiet. “Secretary Jiang, I’m fine. I just don’t know what to do. I only have Fu Tingyue left. I’m very scared.”

He didn’t know exactly what he was scared of. Perhaps he was afraid that he and Fu Tingyue wouldn’t make it to the end, leaving him all alone in this world. Or maybe he was afraid he couldn’t love Fu Tingyue as much as Fu Tingyue loved him, and he feared disappointing him.

Jiang Tang saw another message from Fu Tingyue asking him to comfort Chen Yanzhi. But he had no idea how to do that. After some thought, he could only blurt out stiffly, “Don’t think too much. No matter what happens, President Fu will definitely always stand by your side.”

Chen Yanzhi had lost his appetite. He put down his spoon and stood up. “Let’s go. We’re going back too.”

In truth, Fu Tingyue hadn’t left at all. He sat in the car and watched Chen Yanzhi get into another vehicle and leave before instructing the driver to head to the company.

Chen Yanzhi went home and rested for the morning, only going to school in the afternoon.

Lin Xubai, whom he hadn’t seen for over half a month, was already waiting for him at the school gate. He had known earlier that Chen Yanzhi had suddenly differentiated. To be honest, Lin Xubai felt a bit frustrated; his crush had suddenly become the same gender as him. No one could understand that feeling.

But the moment he saw Chen Yanzhi, all his resentment vanished. He asked with concern, “Are you feeling okay? Did you go to the hospital for a check-up?”

Chen Yanzhi was also a bit unaccustomed to his sudden differentiation. He scratched his head and said, “I’ve been checked, there’s no problem. I just can’t use suppressants for the time being.”

“That’s good.” Lin Xubai breathed a sigh of relief. Smelling the strong scent of red wine on Chen Yanzhi, he quietly glanced at Chen Yanzhi’s gland. It was covered by an isolating patch, so he couldn’t see the situation clearly.

He couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity, “Was it President Fu who helped you through the differentiation heat?”

“Who else could it be but him?” Chen Yanzhi kept his head down, muttering to himself, “I only have him.”

In this world, only Fu Tingyue could help him, and he only trusted Fu Tingyue.

Lin Xubai had always been observant. Capturing the disappointment in Chen Yanzhi’s voice, he quickly asked, “What’s wrong? You seem to be in low spirits. Did something happen?”

Although it was a pity he couldn’t date Chen Yanzhi, he and Chen Yanzhi would always be the best of friends.

Chen Yanzhi let out a heavy sigh, looking up at the gray sky with frustration. “Something did happen, but I don’t know how to talk about it.”

Lin Xubai tested the waters, “Is it related to President Fu?”

Chen Yanzhi nodded, his mood becoming even more agitated. His mind was completely filled with the lonely expression Fu Tingyue had worn when he left this morning.

Lin Xubai naturally took Chen Yanzhi’s arm as they walked toward the school. Once he was sure no one was around, he whispered, “Is it because something happened when he helped you through your differentiation heat?”

 

“You’re so smart,” Chen Yanzhi lamented, speaking in a tone of utter despair. “I kissed him. We kissed, do you understand? And it wasn’t just a simple peck; it was the intense kind.”

 

Lin Xubai wasn’t surprised at all when he heard this. Instead, it felt like a logical conclusion. “And then?”

 

“And then neither of us mentioned it. He was probably afraid of making things awkward, or maybe he thought I forgot. But I remember everything, and that’s the worst part.”

 

Chen Yanzhi became more agitated as he spoke, the words pouring out of him. “I originally planned to just let it go, but you know how Omegas need an Alpha’s pheromones for comfort after the differentiation heat. That day, I was sleeping on him. He thought I was fast asleep and suddenly confessed his feelings to me. I was terrified, but I had to pretend I didn’t know.”

 

He took a breath and continued, “Yesterday was his grandfather’s eightieth birthday, and the old man was clamoring to get us engaged. Then this morning, something a bit inappropriate happened again. Fu Tingyue suddenly said he wanted to talk to me. I knew he wanted to talk about that, so I refused and said we’d talk after the New Year. Then he left all by himself. His expression was so disappointed. Xiaobai, I’ve never seen Fu Tingyue look like that.”

 

Just thinking about it made Chen Yanzhi’s chest feel tight and uncomfortable. It felt as if all his emotions were bottled up with no outlet. Fu Tingyue must be feeling much worse than him.

 

After listening, Lin Xubai gave his assessment: “You care about him a lot.”

 

Furthermore, Chen Yanzhi cared for Fu Tingyue far more than he realized. He likely liked Fu Tingyue but was afraid of destroying their friendship, so he didn’t dare to look deeper.

 

Lin Xubai understood that feeling well. Before he confessed to Chen Yanzhi, he had suffered through the same torment.

 

Chen Yanzhi didn’t deny it. “Yes. He is my best friend. I care about him deeply.”

 

Lin Xubai guided him gently, “Is it just because he is a friend?”

 

There was no chance for him and Chen Yanzhi, but he hoped Chen Yanzhi would be happy. Anyone could see that Fu Tingyue liked Chen Yanzhi; only Chen Yanzhi was blind to it.

 

Chen Yanzhi scratched his hair in frustration, his shoulders slumped weakly. “I don’t know. I suspect the differentiation heat broke my brain. My thoughts are a mess, and I can’t untangle them.”

 

Seeing Chen Yanzhi’s pained look, Lin Xubai comforted him, “Just calm down for a couple of days. Don’t push yourself so hard. But your differentiation heat only ended a few days ago, is it really okay to be away from President Fu?”

 

Chen Yanzhi let out two heavy sighs. “I’m fine now. Unless he actively releases pheromones to seduce me, I don’t feel uncomfortable normally.”

 

Lin Xubai patted his shoulder. “That’s good. Midterms are coming up soon, so you can stay busy and stop thinking about this. Since you agreed to talk after the New Year, just put it out of your mind for now.”

 

Chen Yanzhi voiced another concern: “But Fu Tingyue’s rut is coming next month. I can’t just ignore him.”

 

When he was a Beta, he wasn’t affected by pheromones. At most, he’d have some personal space invaded. But now that he had differentiated, Fu Tingyue’s pheromones would affect him. He was worried something would happen between them again.

 

It felt like everything was pushing him to figure things out, but the more he rushed, the more confused he became. He even wanted to hide and avoid seeing Fu Tingyue altogether.

 

Lin Xubai didn’t have any better suggestions. After thinking it over, the only way was to force a distraction.

 

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Don’t worry about it for now. I heard one of your professors is very strict. You need to prepare seriously for midterms. If you don’t have enough credits, you won’t be able to graduate.”

 

Chen Yanzhi nodded weakly. “I guess that’s all I can do.”

 

Chen Yanzhi had always been popular, but most Alphas had hesitated because of his Beta status. Upon hearing he had differentiated, many began sending him invitations.

 

Frustrated and distracted, Chen Yanzhi didn’t bother with any of them and went straight home after class.

 

However, Fu Tingyue didn’t come back. He sent Chen Yanzhi a message saying he had to work overtime for the next few days and told him to take care of himself.

 

But Chen Yanzhi knew that “overtime” was a lie; he was actually avoiding him. Still, this was fine. It gave him a chance to quiet his mind and think.

 

Fu Tingyue didn’t come home for several days. Even though Chen Yanzhi was alone, he still couldn’t figure things out. Whenever he hit a mental block, he couldn’t help but escape.

 

So, on the fifth day of Fu Tingyue’s absence, Chen Yanzhi went out to have fun with friends.

 

The people he went with were new friends he made at school. Actually, they weren’t really friends, just classmates at best. But Chen Yanzhi was so bored and afraid he’d cave and go looking for Fu Tingyue that he wanted a distraction.

 

He even invited Lin Xubai. Lin Xubai was a “good boy” who rarely went out at night, especially since it was dangerous for an Omega to be in such places. But for Chen Yanzhi, he came anyway.

 

After meeting up, Lin Xubai held Chen Yanzhi’s hand and urged him earnestly, “Yanzhi, let’s just stay for a bit and then go home. Don’t stay too late. It’s not safe for an Omega to be out at night.”

 

“Secretary Jiang is following us, nothing will happen. Besides, you know I’m a great fighter.”

 

As he spoke, Chen Yanzhi couldn’t help but show off his muscles.

 

Lin Xubai looked helpless. “It’s not about whether you can fight. Omegas are affected by Alpha pheromones. The temporary mark President Fu gave you has likely worn off by now. We should be careful.”

 

Chen Yanzhi was still adjusting to being an Omega, but Lin Xubai had differentiated at twelve. He knew exactly how helpless an Omega could be against Alpha pheromones.

 

“I know, I know. We’ll just play for a while and then go,” Chen Yanzhi said dismissively as he pulled Lin Xubai into the bar.

 

Jiang Tang followed behind, took a photo, and sent it to Fu Tingyue. Chen Yanzhi told him not to tell Fu Tingyue, but he couldn’t hide it. If anything happened to Chen Yanzhi, Fu Tingyue would go insane. It was better to speak up.

 

Furthermore, besides Fu Tingyue, probably no one could control Chen Yanzhi. Jiang Tang didn’t believe for a second that he would actually leave after “playing for a while.”

 

After spending time together, Jiang Tang roughly understood Chen Yanzhi’s personality. He definitely wouldn’t go home until he had his fill of fun tonight.

 

Upon receiving the message, Fu Tingyue dropped his work and rushed over. Standing at the bar entrance, he hesitated about whether to go in. If he suddenly appeared, Chen Yanzhi might think he was ruining the mood and become unhappy.

 

The assistant glanced at him and whispered, “President Fu, are we not going in?”

 

“No need,” Fu Tingyue began.

 

Before he could finish, he received another photo from Jiang Tang. Chen Yanzhi was surrounded by a group of Alphas, holding a glass and laughing happily.

 

Fu Tingyue kicked the car door open and got out. His pheromones, already unstable because his rut was approaching, flared up. This turned the bodyguards’ faces pale and left them in visible pain.

 

The assistant covered his mouth and leaned against the car, barely able to stand. “President Fu, calm down.”

 

Fu Tingyue took a deep breath and calmed himself, adjusting his bracelet to the highest setting. The oppressive pheromones vanished instantly. The bodyguards scrambled up from the ground, their faces looking terrible.

 

Fu Tingyue didn’t go in directly. He first sent Chen Yanzhi a message asking where he was. After waiting two minutes without a reply, he tossed the phone to his assistant and strode into the bar.

 

Chen Yanzhi had just wanted to relax, but the group of Alphas surrounding him was starting to get annoying. Seeing them push Lin Xubai aside again, Chen Yanzhi’s temper flared, and his voice rose slightly. “Can you all stay away from me?”

 

An Alpha beside him quickly spoke up, “Didn’t you hear Xiao Zhi tell you to get lost? Why are you still crowding him? Get out of here.”

 

“You get lost too,” Chen Yanzhi said impatiently as he pulled Lin Xubai back to his side from the corner.

 

The Alpha didn’t leave. Instead, he poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Chen Yanzhi with a smile. “Xiao Zhi, didn’t you say you wanted to relax today? Don’t be so angry. Have a drink.”

 

Chen Yanzhi didn’t want to argue, so he took the glass and downed it in one go.

 

Lin Xubai pressed down on Chen Yanzhi’s hand as he tried to pour more. He whispered, “Yanzhi, you can’t drink anymore. It’s late, we should go home.”

 

“I’m not drunk. Let’s go over there.” Chen Yanzhi started to get up to move to another area with Lin Xubai, but the Alpha beside him suddenly grabbed his wrist. Chen Yanzhi instinctively tried to shake him off but couldn’t.

 

Just as Jiang Tang was about to step in, a commotion broke out at the entrance. Chen Yanzhi looked over and saw Fu Tingyue entering with a cold face, followed by several bodyguards. He looked like he was there to wreck the place.

 

Chen Yanzhi violently shook off the Alpha’s hand, wishing he could disappear into the floor out of guilt. Although the alcohol was making his head spin, he could tell Fu Tingyue was angry—extremely angry.

 

Lin Xubai was also panicked. “Yanzhi…”

 

The Alpha who had grabbed Chen Yanzhi and the others quickly stood up. “Pres… President Fu…”

 

They knew Chen Yanzhi had a connection with Fu Tingyue, but since Fu Tingyue never picked him up from school, they assumed they were just ordinary friends. Besides, Fu Baiyu had said Fu Tingyue didn’t care for Chen Yanzhi at all and that Chen Yanzhi was the one clinging to him. Looking at the scene now, that didn’t seem to be the case.

 

Fu Tingyue walked up to Chen Yanzhi without expression. His cold gaze swept over the terrified Alphas. He glanced up casually, and the next moment, the bodyguards picked them up one by one and hauled them away.

 

He then gave Lin Xubai a look and instructed Jiang Tang, “Take him home.”

 

“Yes, President Fu,” Jiang Tang quickly complied, gesturing for Lin Xubai to follow.

 

Lin Xubai looked at Chen Yanzhi with worry but was scared off by a cold glare from Fu Tingyue, leaving behind Jiang Tang.

 

To keep things lively, Chen Yanzhi’s group hadn’t been in a private room. Thus, he watched as the other guests were escorted out by the bar staff, leaving only the two of them in the vast hall.

 

Chen Yanzhi looked left and right, grabbed his phone from the sofa, and gave Fu Tingyue an awkward smile. “Let’s, let’s go back too.”

 

Fu Tingyue reached out to block him. Chen Yanzhi reacted quickly, ducking underneath to slip past, but the next moment he was grabbed by the collar and thrown back onto the sofa.

 

His thin body bounced twice before settling. Fu Tingyue loosened his tie, moved his neck side to side, and began unbuttoning his suit jacket. Chen Yanzhi was terrified, thinking he was about to get hit.

 

“You, you,” Chen Yanzhi said as he retreated, pointing a finger at Fu Tingyue. “I’m telling you, hitting an Omega is against the law! Don’t you dare touch me!”

 

He had recently learned a lot about Omega-related laws.

 

Fu Tingyue’s hand paused on his button, and his anger flared even more. Chen Yanzhi would rather believe he was going to hit him than believe he wanted to sleep with him. His already foul mood reached its breaking point.

 

Fu Tingyue took a large stride forward, dragging Chen Yanzhi into his arms and trapping him. His cold gaze slowly moved from Chen Yanzhi’s alcohol-flushed cheeks to his moist lips.