Chapter 20
After that question, silence settled between them.
Jiang Li waited patiently for an answer, while Shen Yu found himself unexpectedly at a loss for words. The omega's honey-brown eyes remained fixed on him without hesitation, calm and unwavering in a way that made Shen Yu's chest tighten faintly. His fingers curled slowly into fists at his sides before he finally let out a quiet sigh.
When he looked up again, his dark gaze settled on Jiang Li.
"Is that something you'd want, Jiang Li?" he asked softly, skillfully avoiding the question directed at him.
The slight raise of Jiang Li's brow made it obvious he noticed the evasion.
"Hm…" Jiang Li murmured, his voice quieter now. "It's something I hoped for."
For the briefest moment, Shen Yu's expression shifted.
His eyes widened slightly before the reaction disappeared just as quickly as it came, leaving his face unreadable once again.
Instead of responding, he lowered his gaze toward the silver watch around his wrist. Moonlight reflected faintly against its surface, the soft glow revealing the time.
Half past one.
Shen Yu frowned faintly to himself. He hadn't realized he had stayed at his family's house for so long. Every visit felt exhausting in a way he could never properly explain, as though every second spent there pressed painfully against old wounds that had never truly healed.
Like glass slowly sinking into skin.
His gaze lifted again, landing on Jiang Li.
The oversized coat draped heavily over the omega's smaller frame, making him appear even more slender than usual. The sight of Jiang Li standing there silently, swallowed by clothing far too large for him, unexpectedly drew a low chuckle from Shen Yu.
At the sound, Jiang Li blinked in surprise, his eyes widening slightly.
"Let's go," Shen Yu said simply before turning away from the garden.
They walked side by side through the stone pathway lined with fragrant dahlias and orchids, the quiet clicking of their dress shoes echoing softly against the pavement.
By the time they reached the car, Jiang Li suddenly slowed.
He glanced back once toward the brightly lit Shen family mansion before looking at Shen Yu again.
"Aren't you going to tell them we're leaving?" he asked quietly.
Leaning lightly against the sleek black car, Shen Yu stared toward the glowing mansion with an unreadable expression.
"What's the point," he said after a moment, "when they didn't even realize I was there?"
Without waiting for a response, he opened the car door and got inside.
Jiang Li hesitated briefly before following after him.
The moment the engine started, rain began pouring heavily from the sky, hammering against the pavement and windows with sudden force. The distant sound of thunder rolled quietly in the background, and the coldness of the night deepened almost instantly, like winter finally announcing its arrival.
Even with the heater running, Shen Yu still felt cold.
Or perhaps it wasn't cold at all.
The confined space of the car made Jiang Li's pheromones far more noticeable than before. The omega's scent carried the sweetness of roses touched by winter frost—not cloying or overly warm like most omegas. Instead, it reminded Shen Yu strangely of mint wrapped beneath sweetness, cool and lingering in a way that quietly settled beneath the skin.
Realizing he had been paying too much attention to it, Shen Yu forced himself to focus elsewhere.
"Where do you live?" he asked, keeping his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
Jiang Li leaned lightly against the car window, his breath fogging the glass slightly as he sighed.
"The dormitories beside the university," he answered quietly. "Though they're more like apartments."
At that, Shen Yu glanced sharply toward him just as the traffic light ahead turned red.
"And those are only for students, right?"
Jiang Li nodded.
Shen Yu leaned back against the steering wheel, irritation pressing faintly at the edges of his composure.
"Aren't they locked after midnight?"
"Yes," Jiang Li admitted softly, still staring out the window.
The light shifted green again, and the car moved forward.
"It's fine, though," Jiang Li continued after a moment. "Luo Xin has an apartment near Jade Lantern Café. I can stay there tonight."
Warm breath continued to fog the window as he spoke.
But Shen Yu didn't respond.
For nearly twenty minutes, silence filled the car apart from the rhythmic sound of rain tapping steadily against the windows.
Eventually, the car came to a stop.
Jiang Li looked up absently before his eyes widened in shock.
This was Shen Yu's building.
Confusion immediately flooded his thoughts, but Shen Yu offered no explanation. He simply stepped out of the car and walked toward the entrance, leaving Jiang Li no choice but to follow after him.
And this time, no matter how much he tried to maintain composure, Jiang Li couldn't stop staring.
His widened eyes only softened once they stood inside Shen Yu's penthouse, where the familiar scent of whiskey and rosewood wrapped around him heavily, almost like a blanket.
"I could've stayed at Luo Xin's place—"
"It's fine."
Shen Yu interrupted before Jiang Li could finish speaking.
After slipping off his dress shoes, Shen Yu changed into a pair of slippers before quietly handing another pair to Jiang Li.
The omega accepted them silently.
His heart was beating painfully fast, though none of it showed on his pale face.
"Do you need a cold shower?" Shen Yu asked suddenly, turning toward him.
Jiang Li blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the question.
His hands tightened quietly into fists as he struggled to steady the overwhelming emotions threatening to spill through him.
"...Am I spending the night here?" he asked carefully, doing everything he could to keep his voice from betraying him.
For a second, Shen Yu simply stared at him.
Then his expression flattened completely, as though Jiang Li had asked something absurdly obvious.
Jiang Li's heartbeat thundered loudly in his ears while he waited for an answer.
"No," Shen Yu replied dryly as he loosened his tie and removed his suit jacket. "You're spending the morning here."
Then he looked back at him.
"Now answer the question. Do you want to bathe or not?"
Jiang Li nodded slowly.
"I would love to," he said softly.
Shen Yu gave a small nod in return.
"Then follow me."
Jiang Li quietly walked after him, his heartbeat refusing to calm no matter how hard he tried.
How difficult it was, he thought bitterly, to pretend that the smallest gestures meant nothing.
To act as though they didn't settle deeply into his heart every single time.
A faint smile slowly curved along his lips, but there was no warmth within it now.
Only sadness.
And for the first time in a long while, Jiang Li found himself wondering if this was how the rest of his life would be—surviving on moments that felt far too small for the love he carried.