Chapter 524: The School Bully Alpha Got Sanctioned Again! 29

Jiangjian woke up to find night had already fallen.

He had slept from morning till night, feeling awful all over.

Opening his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling, he still smelled the lingering pine pheromone in the air, and all his memories came flooding back.

Jiangjian: "……"

He despairingly closed his eyes, unsure how to face Jinyu later.

But……

He touched the back of his neck, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

Fortunately, the person he had mistakenly called was Jinyu.

The scent of food came from the small living room; Jiangjian rubbed his stomach, wondering whether to continue pretending to be an ostrich or to face Jinyu for something to eat.

Before he could linger in his indecision long, Jinyu had already walked in.

Their eyes happened to meet.

Jinyu's expression shifted slightly, a mix of flustered and apologetic: "You… are you okay?"

Although Jiangjian had been a bit embarrassed, seeing Jinyu like that eased him considerably.

He sat up, leaning against the headboard, pressed his lips, and nodded: "Thank you."

He wasn't angry.

Jinyu's brows and eyes softened, his tone as if relieved of a burden.

"The person who framed you, I've already dealt with."

As he spoke, he had already walked to the bedside, explaining some of what had happened during the day, as well as the phone call from Jiangjian's secretary.

After listening attentively, Jiangjian once again marveled at this man's meticulousness and sense of responsibility.

The pheromones in the room had not completely dissipated; Jiangjian knew he was only experiencing a false heat, but he didn't know whether it was due to the temporary mark or something else, and he found himself unconsciously wanting to get closer.

He slowly reached out, his fingertips trembling tentatively, and took hold of Jinyu's shirt hem.

Jinyu's speaking motion paused slightly; he lowered his gaze to the slender white fingers gripping his clothes, then his eyes slid from the arm to the youth's face.

"I… I'm a bit hungry."

Jiangjian unexpectedly locked eyes with him again; seeing those thin lips with a pale hue, some inappropriate memories surfaced, and his cheeks flushed completely.

"But I seem to have no strength right now."

Even a false heat still has an effect on an Omega.

Seeing the person embarrassed to trouble him, Jinyu gave a faint smile: "It's fine, I'll bring you something to eat."

Jiangjian nodded obediently, found his phone on the bedside table, and indeed there was a call from his secretary.

And… there were over twenty messages from his younger brother.

His eyelid twitched, thinking something had happened, and he hurriedly opened them.

When Jinyu brought over the nutritious meat porridge, Jiangjian was still looking intently, so he didn't disturb him.

"Jinyu." Jiangjian suddenly called out, and he lifted his gaze.

"Come over and look."

Jiangjian's expression turned grave as he handed the phone to Jinyu.

"Xunzai said Jin Chen's meaning was to directly warn the Xie family, but I think I should ask what you think."

He also knew about the incident two years ago; back then the whole family only thought they couldn't let Jiang Xun bear the blame, so they hadn't done much investigation, also trusting the hospital's assessment.

He never expected that their several families would be played around by a student.

Jinyu roughly understood the situation, and seeing this person not too happy, he spoke to soothe: "Don't worry, Xiao Chen has his own ideas; he wants to use the Jin family to suppress them, and I have no objection."

He lifted the porridge, hesitated a moment when handing it over: "Shall I feed you?"

"No, no, I'll do it myself."

Jiangjian had been independent since childhood; he couldn't let someone else feed him porridge, so he hurriedly took the bowl and ate in small bites.

Both tacitly avoided mentioning the temporary mark.

Jinyu rubbed his nose, thinking of his decision, and spoke solemnly.

"Jiangjian, I like you."

Jiangjian's motion of drinking the porridge stalled, and he turned his eyes in disbelief.

The man continued, his cheeks tense from nervousness, his usually dignified aura now appearing somewhat soft.

"I'm sorry about the temporary mark; if you want to wash it off, that's fine—I'll start courting you anew."

Jiangjian: "……"

He couldn't help but laugh, because the man was overly serious.

It was still the first time he'd heard that pursuing someone required advance notice.

"I won't wash off the mark; anyway, it'll fade on its own soon."

His voice slightly cool, he lowered his gaze to the patterns on the blanket, his tone carrying a smile.

"As for pursuing, that's your business."

The temporary mark isn't a bad thing for him right now; otherwise, there would always be clueless Alphas scheming.

This had been clear since Jiangjian took over the company.

He just hadn't expected that, despite years of vigilance, he still couldn't guard against it.

"Okay." Jinyu replied seriously, his heart fluttering a little.

After eating his fill, Jiangjian quickly called Jiang Xun back, arranging to go to the Xie family tomorrow to confront Zhou Fangshu.

——

The next day.

Jin Chen watched Jiangjian get out of the passenger seat of his older brother, his eyebrows slightly raised, looking at his older brother with a teasing gaze.

The two locked eyes, simultaneously recalling the conversation in the kitchen a few nights earlier.

Jinyu felt a bit embarrassed, averted his gaze, and followed Jiangjian half a step behind as he walked over.

Jiang Xun keenly sensed that the atmosphere was off; his inquisitive gaze turned to his own older brother, and he tilted his head in puzzlement.

How come after just two days apart, his older brother's whole demeanor has softened!

"Jin Chen, do you feel like those two are a bit off?" Jiang Xun leaned over and asked.

Jin Chen naturally put his arm around the person, nodded in agreement, and said, "You're right; they probably have some secret we don't know about."

"Brother, have you switched cologne recently?"

He teased, "It's sweet to the point of being cloying."

Jinyu: "... You've been lively lately; why don't you help me manage company affairs?"

Fine, Jin Chen fell silent in an instant.

It was rare to see Jin Chen humiliated; Jiang Xun covered his mouth and laughed heartily on the side.

"Alright." Jiangjian stopped them from discussing such a topic further, clearing his throat to interrupt.

"Are you sure Zhou Fangshu is at the Xie residence right now?"

Jiang Xun nodded, "Yes, I don't know why, but the Xie family, who are usually exceedingly high‑minded, actually seem quite pleased with him."

He had someone go to the countryside to bring back the Shen parents; they are probably on their way back now.

Jiang Xun truly was eager to know the truth.

Xie Yangze was clearly opposed to the arrival of these few people.

He had intended to drive them out right away, but seeing him put a smile on his usually stern father's face, he spoke flatteringly to Jin Chen's older brother, and even let them all come in.

Xie Yangze suddenly had a bad premonition.

"Dad, who exactly is Jin Chen?"

As everyone was heading inside, he couldn't help but ask.

"How dare you say that the Second Young Master of the Didu Jin Family is in your class, and you didn't even bother to build a connection—let alone let the Jiang Family steal the lead."

Mr. Xie glared at his good‑for‑nothing son who only knew love and romance, then hurriedly followed after him.

Didu family…

Xie Yangze's heart gave a jolt.