Chapter 46

Lu Chengfei soon returned with Yun Shang. Just as they left the school gates, Gu Lin's car arrived. He waved to Lu Heyun, then headed toward Gu Lin's car with Yun Shang.

Gu Lin had obviously seen Lu Heyun too. He glanced at Su Yu through the rearview mirror and said, "You two really are fated."

Su Yu did not understand what he meant. In any case, it did not sound like a compliment. Gu Lin could not possibly sincerely think that he and Lu Heyun were fated.

More than once, he had found Gu Lin utterly baffling. The man would suddenly come out with something whose meaning Su Yu could not understand.

No one spoke again on the way home. Yun Shang twisted his Rubik's Cube while Su Yu played a little game.

"Wednesday," Gu Lin suddenly said. "Go back on Wednesday. I heard your parents have returned."

Su Yu, who was eating, made no extra movement and merely nodded.

It was quite rare for them to come back together. It was probably for Su Hui's sake. Sure enough, Su Hui was the most important one in their eyes.

In that family's eyes, he barely counted for anything at all.

A little after two in the afternoon, Su Yu received a call from an unfamiliar number. He had thought it was a spam call and had not planned to answer, but after checking the number's location and seeing it was from the same city, he picked up.

The caller was a woman. Her very first sentence was unfriendly, every word spilling out rapidly. "I finally managed to find your contact information. What happened to your old number? Why couldn't I get through? Did you deliberately refuse to answer my calls? If Xiao Hui hadn't said you were going home, I still wouldn't know how to contact you."

Su Yu frowned. He knew that voice all too well—it belonged to the original owner's mother, whom he had not contacted in a long time. Every word was filled with suspicion and reproach. She did not sound like a mother at all.

And she had learned his contact information from Su Hui. That meant it definitely was not a coincidence. Su Hui had deliberately told her.

Su Yu had no desire to deal with her, but he still had to explain. "No. My old phone broke, and I didn't have time to take out the SIM card. I wasn't deliberately ignoring your calls."

The woman gave a cold snort. "Looks like you've been living quite freely these days."

"Mom..."

"Don't call me Mom. I don't have a son like you. Didn't I tell you not to cause trouble for your younger brother after returning to the Su family? And now you've even brought that Alpha home."

Su Yu defended himself weakly, his face a little pale. "I didn't do it on purpose. I never meant to bring him back."

Yet she did not listen to his explanation at all, merely sneering, "I've heard all about it. You said you missed home, so that Alpha wanted to accompany you back. What, do you really miss the Su family that much?"

Listening to the woman's harsh, cutting words, Su Yu had already gone numb. He truly did not know how the original owner had endured this. She was more like a stepmother, treating her own biological son this way while defending Su Hui at every turn.

Ever since he had entered the Su family, she had been drilling the idea into him that he needed to give in to Su Hui. He was not to fight him for anything, because Su Hui was a wealthy young master raised in luxury, while he was merely an ordinary person from some obscure little place, someone without the fate to enjoy wealth.

Omega felt terribly wronged. The tip of his nose stung, and his soft voice seemed to carry a sob as he said, "Mom, I really didn't..."

I did, I did, I did, all right?

I do want to cause trouble. I wish I could turn the Su family upside down, leave it in utter chaos, cut ties with you, and never see you again for the rest of my life.

Yet the woman continued to reprimand him. "Since you've already married in Xiao Hui's place, then behave yourself and live there properly in his stead. Don't come back and stir up trouble."

Influenced by the original owner's emotions, Su Yu felt miserable. Tears had already begun to stream down his face.

He pulled tissues to wipe away his tears while sitting in front of the computer, intending to put on a movie to distract himself.

"If that Alpha finds out anything, don't expect to live comfortably anymore."

That was true enough. He was already an adult and had moved out of the Su family. Father Su had long stopped caring about him. As for his biological mother, she was even less reliable. Su Tinghuai only gave him money every month because he was now married to Gu Lin in Su Hui's place.

Of course, Su Yu believed Su Tinghuai must have given her a sum of money too. Otherwise, she would have found a way to get his contact information, because before this, Su Yu had sent her money every month.

Su Yu thought that a large part of why she had made this call was for her own sake.

"Cry, cry, cry. All you know how to do is cry. I've never seen anyone as useless as you in my life."

[...]

"Did you understand what I just said? You must keep the matter between you and Xiao Hui hidden. If you understand, answer me. Stop sniffling over there."

Omega stammered, "I-I understand..."

Having gotten her answer, the other party had no patience to hear him speak anymore. "Fine, I'm hanging up."

As soon as she said that, she ended the call without waiting for Su Yu to say anything further.

Su Yu nearly died of anger after being hung up on.

If I had committed some crime, heaven would punish me. It wouldn't make me suffer for no reason in this body where I can't do anything.

Su Yu had thought this more than once.

The original owner was the type to cry easily. He had been shedding tears nonstop since earlier, making it hard for him to see the computer screen.

The furious Su Yu decided to sleep.

Yet he did not sleep well. One moment, he dreamed of the Su family; the next, he dreamed of the original owner's biological mother. In his dreams, they were all the same. Everyone looked at him with disgust in their eyes.

Mother Su looked down on him, believing that someone from a small place like him was crude and ill-mannered. What's more, he was her husband's child with another woman, so she despised him from the bottom of her heart.

As for Father Su, Su Yu had only exchanged a few words with him in total. He had merely brought him home and ignored everything else. Su Tinghuai was exactly like Father Su, always turning a blind eye to matters concerning him. No matter how badly Su Wang bullied him, Su Tinghuai would only scold Su Wang a little, yet in the original owner's eyes, even that was an immense kindness.

Perhaps because his mother had instilled in him from childhood the belief that he was inferior, the original owner had been very self-conscious. Whenever anyone gave him even the slightest kindness, he treasured it immensely.

In the original owner's vague memories, his ears were always filled with the woman's scolding and abuse, along with the mockery of children his age. His memories were gloomy and gray, without the slightest hint of any other color. He was always standing quietly in some dark corner with his head lowered, and his face had never once shown joy.

It was suffocating.

Su Yu woke up because a phone call had disturbed him. When he woke, he realized his head was buried beneath the blanket.

No wonder he had felt as though he could barely breathe just now.

It was Lu Chengfei again.

"Hello, hello, hello. I sent you messages. Why didn't you reply? Help me see what Yun Shang is doing. He's ignoring me."

"Isn't it normal for him to ignore you?"

Su Yu got up to look for a charger. His phone was scorching hot from being trapped beneath the blanket, and because the screen had not been turned off, it had only a sliver of battery left.

"Help me see what he's doing."

"Are you okay? Who stares at their phone twenty-four hours a day? If he isn't replying to you, that means he's busy. He's studying."

Lu Chengfei pondered for a moment before asking again, "What could he be busy with? He can't be studying all afternoon, can he?"

Su Yu said, "Are you sick? Why are you so enthusiastic about him? What do you want?"

Su Yu asked three questions in a row, yet Lu Chengfei did not answer any of them. Instead, he heard him say happily from the other end, "Yun Shang replied to me. Gotta go, gotta go. Talk next time."

Su Yu looked at his phone screen in bafflement. Why did he feel like Lu Chengfei was grinning like a fool?

High school students' happiness was so simple, while he, an adult, still had not recovered from that dream.

Su Yu listlessly curled up in his chair and scrolled through videos for a while before going downstairs. He opened the refrigerator and discovered that it was stuffed full. In disbelief, he shut the refrigerator door, then opened it again.

It wasn't an illusion?

When had it become this full?

Ever since Gu Lin had cleared out all his snacks, Su Yu had not dared to be so brazen. He only bought things little by little and put them in the refrigerator.

Seeing him standing dazedly in front of the refrigerator, the auntie could not help laughing as she explained, "Before leaving for work this afternoon, sir specifically had someone fill the refrigerator."

Why?

Could it be because Yun Shang was here, so Gu Lin had filled the refrigerator?

That would be wonderful. He hoped Yun Shang could stay here every day.

Unable to think of any other reason, Su Yu quickly convinced himself.

Su Yu temporarily forgot about what had happened that afternoon. He drew the curtains, turned off the living room lights, and sat on the sofa with popcorn to watch a movie. Before long, Yun Shang came downstairs. Holding his phone, he asked why Su Yu had blocked Lu Chengfei.

Su Yu took off his 3D glasses and said, "Just delete him. It'll give you some peace and quiet."

Yun Shang nodded, then deleted Lu Chengfei without the slightest hesitation.

He was teachable. Yun Shang was so obedient.

Su Yu patted his head, then gave Yun Shang the other pair of 3D glasses. The movie had only just started, so Yun Shang could still follow the plot.

Yun Shang had some peace at last, but Su Yu's phone began ringing nonstop. Messages chimed intermittently, and even voice calls started coming in. Unable to bear it any longer, Su Yu picked up his phone and looked. It was that little brat Lu Chengfei again.

Su Yu declined his voice call.

[Lu Chengfei: Why did Yun Shang delete me?]

[Lu Chengfei: You didn't teach him that, did you?]

[Lu Chengfei: Hello, hello, hello. Reply if you see this.]

It had to be said, that brat was truly annoying. No wonder Yun Shang wanted to block him.

Su Yu replied that he was busy, then muted WeChat notifications.

Gu Lin always came home at a very punctual time. Su Yu had planned to pause the movie before he returned so he would not get lectured again, but he was too engrossed to notice the Alpha coming home. It was not until Gu Lin turned on the lights and said, "Dinner," that he realized.

Su Yu immediately stood up and took off his glasses.

The Alpha merely gave him a calm glance, seemingly with no intention of criticizing him.

Well, I'll be damned. He actually didn't lecture me today. Is he in a good mood?

Gu Lin: "..."