Who Wants to Be the Affectionate Cannon Fodder?! [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 22

The cool pads of fingertips brushed against the back of his neck like a feather. Yu Lin shuddered instinctively, the lingering warmth leaving a trace of itchiness behind.

“I don’t think he’s entirely indifferent to you, either.”

Lin He’s voice was low and raspy. His breath swept past Yu Lin’s earlobe like a lover’s murmur, yet his clenched jaw added a different, sharper edge to the words.

This was the first time since arriving in this world that Yu Lin seriously contemplated the concept of “liking” someone.

Whether it was because he had lost all his previous memories or because he simply did not understand such emotions, it was difficult for Yu Lin to grasp what “liking” actually felt like.

At the beginning, System 007 said that Xu Ze’an’s oppressive possessiveness and eventual repentance counted as liking; Xie Zhizhang’s escapist submission and reluctant acceptance counted as liking; and Lin Zhou’s silent sacrifice and giving up his beloved also counted as liking.

But Yu Lin did not understand this kind of stifling “liking.”

Sometimes he felt like a machine devoid of desire or emotion, naturally incapable of comprehending feelings that were too complex. He drifted outside the crowd, watching their joys and sorrows with a detached air, his heart entirely untouched.

Yet, in certain moments, he wasn’t just a machine. A cold, unfeeling machine wouldn’t have its own thoughts, but Yu Lin did. Half of his heart seemed to long for a world without boundaries; thus, his actions followed his whims. He had instinctively developed a perverse, free “self-awareness” that led him to rebel against anything that made him uncomfortable.

But what was true “liking”? Yu Lin didn’t know.

He only knew that compared to being with Xie Zhizhang, he preferred sticking to Lin He. His cheap “big brother” provided a familiar and wonderful sensation, like a sanctuary in the middle of a disastrous journey where he instinctively wanted to rest for a while.

However, a sanctuary like this would likely be gone soon.

Yu Lin gazed at the high bridge of Lin He’s nose, his eyes slowly traveling upward to meet his gaze.

Had it been a different time or a different person, Yu Lin might not have bothered to respond.

But looking into Lin He’s eyes for some inexplicable reason, he couldn’t help but speak the truth: “Brother, I actually… don’t really understand. If I have to say it, I just don’t want them to be together.”

The cicadas in the trees chirped incessantly. One long, off-key cry triggered a chorus of responses from all directions, creating a noisy, chaotic din.

Lin He exhaled softly, tracing his own flexed knuckles. His fingertips lightly brushed against the gland on his neck, attempting to soothe the restless heat with his cool body temperature.

“Forget it. Let’s go back and pack your things first.”

Before they had even taken a few steps back, Yu Lin looked up at Lin He blankly. He belatedly recalled Lin He’s previous actions: the nursing home, the medical bills, the subsequent sponsorship, Lin He’s strange reaction whenever Xie Zhizhang was mentioned, and Xie Zhizhang’s own hesitation over the past month.

Yu Lin murmured, “Speaking of which, Brother, you’re an Alpha too. You’re asking all this… is it because Xie Zhizhang…”

His tone carried a stiffness he hadn’t noticed himself.

“Don’t let your imagination run wild,” Lin He interrupted, his hand reaching out to ruffle the back of Yu Lin’s head, stopping the boy’s outlandish train of thought with a mix of annoyance and helplessness.

After finishing the dormitory move-in that evening, the two of them found a random restaurant near the school for dinner. Yu Lin acted as if he had forgotten everything from the afternoon. However, while Lin He went to the restroom to wash his hands, Yu Lin, who was wiping the bamboo chopsticks, suddenly applied too much force and snapped them in half.

At first, Yu Lin didn’t react. As his fingers traced the break, he was accidentally pricked by a splintered bamboo barb.

He didn’t know where the spark of irritable fire in his heart came from; perhaps it was just a groundless suspicion, but it left him feeling restless.

Lin He returned soon after. Yu Lin guiltily hid the broken chopsticks under the table, pretending nothing had happened, and instead acted excited for the restaurant’s signature grilled fish.

You’ve seemed distracted since this afternoon, System 007 noted with unusual concern.

… Yu Lin absentmindedly poked at the fish in his bowl until it was shredded. Glancing at Lin He sitting upright beside him, he said dully, I’m just thinking that according to the setting of this world, the attraction an Omega has for an Alpha should be very strong.

System 007 said: You could put it that way. Alphas and Omegas are born with a fatal attraction to each other; no Alpha can resist an Omega’s pheromones. After all, this setting was originally created by girls on Earth for ‘certain’ spicy reasons.

Yu Lin pursed his lips. The fish in his mouth suddenly tasted like wax.

After dinner, Lin He wanted to walk Yu Lin back to school, but Yu Lin refused. Standing at the crossroads, he stared blankly at the road stretching into the distance, suddenly realizing that he wouldn’t be seeing Lin He for quite a long time.

Aside from the period after Lin He’s Rut, this was the first time since he arrived in this world that he would be separated from him.

A strange, sour ache rose in his heart.

“Call me if anything happens,” Lin He said softly, noticing his mood. “I’ll pick you up to go home on the weekend. If you can’t get used to the dorm, you can move out.”

The Lin family certainly had the money to buy another house nearby for him.

Yu Lin nodded. Lin He watched him in silence for a long while before driving away.

Yu Lin walked back along the path they had come. The summer night wind was humid and heavy, carrying the salty tang of the sea.

He absentmindedly stepped on the swaying shadows of the trees cast on the sidewalk, letting the wind sweep his hair back and reveal his smooth, pale forehead.

How much longer until we can leave? Yu Lin asked gloomily.

The current Devotion Points are… wait, it looks like something happened on Xie Zhizhang’s end!

In a restaurant on the fourth floor of a shopping mall, Xie Zhizhang was listening absentmindedly as his table-mates chattered about their high school stories.

His roommates came from all over the country. Based on their initial interactions today, they all seemed like decent people. So, when the others suggested a small gathering tonight, he hadn’t refused, even though the location was a mall restaurant far beyond his spending habits.

But he hadn’t expected to run into Xu Ze’an here. Since both sides had mutual acquaintances, they naturally ended up sharing a table.

Xie Zhizhang was truly not in a good state today. After drinking a bottle of heatstroke medicine in the afternoon, his condition had not improved; instead, it had worsened. He was currently relying on glass after glass of ice water to maintain his sanity. His naturally introverted personality made him appear exceptionally silent.

A roommate beside him noticed his quietness and asked, “Xie Zhizhang, why aren’t you saying anything? Where did you go to high school?”

“Luchuan.”

“Luchuan?” The roommate looked at Xu Ze’an across the table in surprise. “I remember Xu Ze’an went to Luchuan too. Do you two know each other?”

Xu Ze’an’s gaze fell directly on Xie Zhizhang’s face, seemingly anticipating his answer.

Xie Zhizhang replied with a terse, “Yes.”

“Luchuan is a famous elite private school, isn’t it? I didn’t think you’d be so low-key.” When the roommate saw Xie Zhizhang arrive alone with a single suitcase in the afternoon, he had guessed the boy’s family situation might be poor. It seemed he had overthought it.

“I was admitted on a special scholarship; I didn’t pay tuition.” As Xie Zhizhang spoke, he felt a stifling heat surge from his chest, instantly igniting his limbs. His breathing became labored.

“I’m not feeling well; I’m going to get some air.” Xie Zhizhang braced himself against the chair to stand up, but his knees went weak, and he slumped forward.

“Whoa, what’s wrong with you!?”

The roommate closest to him caught him. Xu Ze’an, who had been silent across from him, stood up anxiously and reached his side in a few strides.

With a sweep of his long arm, he practically snatched Xie Zhizhang from the roommate’s hands and into his own embrace.

“Are you sick?”

Xie Zhizhang took several shallow breaths. Sweat slid down his forehead, and his breathing became heavy and scorching.

This wasn’t right.

He pushed himself out of Xu Ze’an’s arms and braced himself against the chair to stay upright. “I’m fine, thank you.”

“That is it the heat cycle?” an Alpha present said with a dry voice. “I think I smell his pheromones.”

Xie Zhizhang’s face changed, all color draining from it instantly.

And Xu Ze’an, being the closest to him, smelled a thick, creamy vanilla sweetness the moment the words were spoken. An instinct flooded his brain, driving a desperate urge to pull Xie Zhizhang back into his arms.

He said hoarsely, “Xie Zhizhang, it looks like you really are in heat.”

Before he could move, Xie Zhizhang acted first, pushing aside the chair blocking him and bolting toward the exit.

Following Yu Lin’s reminder that day, he had researched and prepared. However, because the doctor said his pheromone levels were stable and there was no risk of a heat cycle in the short term, Xie Zhizhang hadn’t taken it too seriously.

Why was it so sudden?

His suppressants were still packed in his suitcase. Within a few minutes, his pheromones had filled the entire restaurant. The surrounding Alphas were stirred by the sweet scent, their gazes falling on him like hungry wolves eyeing prey.

Every mall has an isolation room. If he could find it, everything could be resolved.

Xie Zhizhang shook off an Alpha who approached him. Under the rising heat, his limbs felt weak. If not for Yu Lin’s ten months of training, he likely wouldn’t even have the strength to resist.

In the chaos, someone’s hand grabbed his gland. Xie Zhizhang didn’t even have time to cry out in pain.

On one hand, he struggled to escape the overhead lights making his head spin, on the other hand, he was driven by instinct to crave an Alpha’s embrace and salvation. He wanted to submit, he wanted to be soothed, he wanted to be marked…

Xie Zhizhang thought dizzily, is this the fate of an Omega? A fate controlled by Alphas?

He pinched his forearm hard, using the pain to force himself into clarity. His blurred vision tried to make out the signs on the ceiling.

Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm and yanked him forward: “Xie Zhizhang, this way!”