Chapter 07
Shen Yu's gaze lingered on the image displayed on Jiang Li's phone, his expression still, but his thoughts anything but calm. For a brief moment, the surrounding noise of the café dulled into insignificance, as though the world itself had stepped back to give space to what he was seeing.
The photo was unmistakable.
It was him—his body partially bare, his posture unguarded in a way that left no room for misinterpretation. This was not something taken from a distance, nor something captured by coincidence. It was intimate, deliberate, and far too close.
A slow, suffocating wave of emotion rose in his chest, tightening around his ribs.
Anger came first.
Not explosive, not loud—but cold and controlled, the kind that settled deep and refused to move. It pressed against his thoughts, sharp and unyielding, as questions began to form one after another.
How could someone take a picture like this?
And more importantly… how had they even gotten the chance?
Unless—
The thought didn't fully form, but it didn't need to.
Shen Yu lifted his gaze slowly, his dark eyes settling on Jiang Li.
Those honey-brown eyes were clear, almost too clear, holding none of the guilt or calculation one might expect in a situation like this. Jiang Li was still speaking to his father, his voice steady despite everything, but Shen Yu could no longer hear a single word. Their conversation faded into the background, reduced to nothing more than meaningless noise.
Because now, there was only one explanation that made sense.
If that night… if that omega—
He forced his voice steady, though it dropped lower than usual, carrying a quiet edge.
"How did you take this picture?"
By the time his father left, the question remained hanging between them, heavy and unresolved.
Jiang Li's reaction was immediate. The color rose slowly to his cheeks, spreading into that now-familiar soft blush, his eyes widening slightly as though he had been caught off guard. The expression would have been disarming to anyone else, something gentle enough to soften even the harshest confrontation.
But Shen Yu didn't believe it.
Not anymore.
To him, that expression felt like a carefully worn mask, one that concealed far more than it revealed. Everything about Jiang Li's appearance suggested innocence, yet everything Shen Yu had witnessed so far contradicted that impression.
The contrast was too sharp to ignore.
A wolf in sheep's clothing.
The thought settled quietly, but firmly.
"Who exactly are you?" Shen Yu asked again, his tone measured, but his gaze sharper now, filled with suspicion that no longer bothered to hide itself.
Jiang Li hesitated, his lips parting as if to answer, though whatever explanation he had seemed to falter before it could fully take shape. His voice came out uneven, tangled in uncertainty, and before he could gather himself properly, Shen Yu moved.
His hand closed around Jiang Li's wrist with quiet decisiveness.
"Let's finish this somewhere else," he said.
There was no intention of continuing this conversation in public, not with so many eyes around them, not with so many unanswered questions pressing at the edges of his patience.
But just as he began to lead Jiang Li away, another force intervened.
A hand pulled Jiang Li back.
Shen Yu turned, his expression darkening slightly as his gaze landed on the person standing in front of him.
The young woman's grip was firm, her posture protective as she drew Jiang Li closer to her side. Her short hair framed a face set in a cold glare, and her gray eyes held none of the hesitation most would show under Shen Yu's gaze.
"What exactly do you think you're doing?" she asked, her tone sharp and unyielding.
The shift in atmosphere was immediate.
Though Shen Yu could not consciously perceive pheromones, the pressure was unmistakable. It settled over the space like an invisible weight, heavy and insistent, carrying with it an instinctive command to yield.
He didn't.
Instead, he met her gaze directly, his expression unmoved, his posture steady in a way that made it clear he had no intention of stepping back. There was no flicker of submission in him, not even the smallest crack, and that alone was enough to disrupt her composure.
Her eyes widened, just slightly.
"Why should I explain anything to you?" Shen Yu replied, his voice calm, though laced with quiet disdain. "Do I even know you… kid?"
The deliberate choice of words struck its mark.
Her jaw tightened, irritation flashing through her expression, but before she could respond, Jiang Li reached out and grasped her hand.
"Stop it, Luo Xin," he said softly, his voice carrying both urgency and restraint.
Luo Xin frowned, clearly unwilling to let the matter go.
"You expect me to just stand by while some stranger drags you around?" she shot back, her tone rising despite herself.
"I know him," Jiang Li replied.
That only made her frown deepen.
"Trust me," he added quietly.
The words lingered.
After a moment, Luo Xin exhaled sharply, her grip loosening as she stepped back, though the reluctance in her expression remained.
"I'll see you at college," she muttered before turning away.
Shen Yu watched her leave with little interest, his attention already shifting elsewhere.
Once she was gone, he released Jiang Li's wrist, though the warmth of the contact lingered briefly before fading. Drawing in a slow breath, he steadied himself before speaking again.
"Follow me."
Jiang Li obeyed without question.
They left the café together, the lively noise fading behind them as they stepped back into the open air. The walk to the car passed in silence, neither of them speaking, though the tension between them remained thick and unspoken.
Inside the car, the quiet deepened.
Shen Yu leaned forward slightly, resting his forehead against the steering wheel as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. His thoughts were tangled, heavier than he cared to admit, and for the first time in a long while, he felt the urge to simply walk away from it all.
But something told him that avoiding this would only make things worse.
After a few seconds, he straightened.
"I asked you something earlier," he said, his voice calmer now, though still firm. "Who are you?"
Jiang Li stiffened beside him, his fingers tightening around his phone before he finally spoke.
"My name is Jiang Li," he said quietly. "I'm a student at Tiancheng University, in the art department."
Shen Yu exhaled slowly.
Even with that answer, nothing felt resolved.
Instead, something else surfaced.
A memory.
Blurred, fragmented, but persistent.
A silver bunny mask.
A voice, soft and teasing.
A presence he had not forgotten, no matter how hazy the details had become.
The connection formed almost on its own.
"Have you ever been to a club called Eclipse Circle?" he asked.
Jiang Li froze.
The reaction was too immediate, too obvious.
The color drained from his face, leaving him pale as he shook his head quickly.
"I don't go to places like that," he said, though the slight tremor in his voice betrayed him.
Shen Yu didn't respond immediately.
Instead, his gaze drifted to Jiang Li's phone, where a small bunny charm hung loosely from the edge.
And just like that, the memory sharpened.
" Why do you call yourself Bunny Boy? "
A soft laugh.
" Maybe it's because I like bunnies. "
Back in the present, Shen Yu let out a quiet chuckle, though there was no warmth in it this time—only something darker, more restrained.
If there was one thing he disliked more than anything, it was dishonesty.
And in that moment, whatever curiosity he had left faded completely, like a flame extinguished without resistance.
He straightened, his expression settling into its usual cold detachment.
"You said you study at Tiancheng University," he said.
Jiang Li nodded.
The rest of the drive passed in silence, the tension between them lingering in the confined space, unspoken but impossible to ignore.
When they finally arrived at the university gates, Shen Yu spoke again.
"Thank you for earlier," he said evenly. "And in return, I'll pretend I never saw that photo."
For a brief moment, relief flickered across Jiang Li's face.
But it didn't last.
"You can leave."
The words were calm, but final.
Jiang Li hesitated before stepping out of the car, the door closing softly behind him.
Only once he was gone did Shen Yu exhale, leaning back as his gaze unfocused.
His life was already complicated enough.
He had no interest in adding more to it.
Which meant one thing.
He needed distance.
As much of it as possible.