Chapter 24
As dusk settled over Nanjing, gray clouds melted slowly into streaks of pink and amber, the fading sunlight pouring through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse.
The entire space felt too quiet.
Too empty.
Sheng Yu rested against the white couch with his head tilted back, fingers pressing hard against his temple as exhaustion settled heavily beneath his skin.
Three days.
It had already been three days since he suddenly hugged Lin Yushen.
And somehow, the memory still irritated him endlessly.
Because that moment had forced him to realize something he hated admitting—
He was losing control.
Little by little, the calm restraint he had spent years maintaining was beginning to crack apart.
His emotions no longer listened to him.
His body no longer listened to him.
Sometimes it even felt as though he had become a stranger trapped inside himself, forced to helplessly watch while unfamiliar feelings consumed him whole.
"Hey… Yu-er, are you still there?"
He Lian's voice echoed through the dark penthouse from the phone resting beside him on speaker.
"Mm," Sheng Yu answered quietly. "I'm here."
"Then why are you ignoring me?" she complained immediately. "Do you know how many times I've called your name already?"
There was no real anger in her voice.
Only familiarity.
The kind built over years together.
The kind that made her sound bossy without realizing it.
Still, when Sheng Yu failed to respond again, He Lian sighed heavily in irritation.
If they had been together in person, she probably would have pinched his arm already.
But now—
Things were different.
And the distance between them was no longer something measured physically.
Their relationship itself had become distant.
Cold.
Detached.
It had only taken one glance from He Lian to realize that.
"Are you at work today?" she asked after a moment.
Sheng Yu exhaled slowly.
Because hugging Lin Yushen had not been the only strange thing he had done recently.
Over the past few days, he had become distracted constantly. Spacing out during meetings. Forgetting conversations halfway through them.
Eventually, the others had practically forced him to take three days off.
"No," he muttered quietly while staring blankly at the glass table before him. "I'm not."
Silence followed.
Then—
"Come meet me near your family's company."
Before Sheng Yu could refuse, the call abruptly disconnected.
He frowned faintly at the darkened phone screen before lifting his gaze toward the windows.
Outside, winter had finally arrived.
Even without rain or snow, the cold still lingered heavily in the air.
For several seconds, Sheng Yu remained motionless.
Then reluctantly, he stood and grabbed his coat.
Because he already knew He Lian well enough to understand she would stubbornly wait for him outside no matter how cold it became.
Yet as he passed the kitchen, his footsteps suddenly slowed.
His gaze drifted toward the tall chairs beside the counter.
And immediately—
He thought of Jiang Li.
The blond-haired omega sitting there quietly while sketching him.
His damp hair.
His soft breathing.
The silence they had shared.
They barely spoke during those moments, yet strangely enough, it had never felt awkward.
Only peaceful.
The memory lingered painfully inside Sheng Yu's chest.
Where is he…?
…
Thirty minutes later, Sheng Yu stepped out of his car and stared silently at the towering company building before him.
Bitterness wrapped around his chest instantly.
This place held too many memories.
Too many things he wanted to forget.
Nearly half of his childhood nightmares had started inside these walls.
Just standing here again felt suffocating.
But before Sheng Yu could look away, his eyes suddenly froze on a familiar figure nearby.
Blond hair.
Black hoodie.
Black cargo pants.
Jiang Li.
The omega walked quietly through the winter evening while the faint scent of snow trailed behind him naturally, blending almost seamlessly with the cold air itself.
And despite how much Sheng Yu hated admitting it—
He had been worried about him.
Constantly.
Yet now Jiang Li looked perfectly fine.
Walking toward—
Wait.
The realization hit Sheng Yu so suddenly it felt like thunder splitting directly through his skull.
Why was Jiang Li here?
Who did he know inside this company?
The moment that thought appeared, reason disappeared entirely.
Before he could stop himself, Sheng Yu had already grabbed Jiang Li's wrist and pulled him backward forcefully.
Dark eyes locked onto the omega immediately.
Filled with irritation.
Confusion.
Something dangerously close to panic.
"What are you doing here?" Sheng Yu asked coldly.
The emotions twisting violently inside him made him completely fail to notice the redness around Jiang Li's honey-brown eyes.
Tell me I'm wrong.
Please.
Just tell me you came here for another reason.
The voice repeated endlessly inside Sheng Yu's mind.
But Jiang Li only lowered his gaze quietly.
"Why do you even care…?" he whispered.
The words struck Sheng Yu so unexpectedly that his grip loosened instantly.
Jiang Li stepped backward immediately afterward, still refusing to meet his eyes.
Not because he was shy.
Not because he was nervous.
But because he no longer wanted to look at him.
And somehow—
That hurt far more.
At that moment, Sheng Yu realized his hands were trembling faintly.
Not because of Jiang Li's tone.
Not because he looked away.
But because someone like Kim Taehyun could so easily take everything he wanted.
Anything.
Anyone.
People naturally gravitated toward him effortlessly, while Sheng Yu had spent his entire life fighting desperately for scraps.
The realization burned painfully inside him.
"Tell me you didn't come here for him, Jiang Li."
This time, Sheng Yu's voice barely rose above a whisper.
Fragile enough for the winter wind to steal away completely.
He stared down at the ground instead of the omega before him, jaw tightening painfully.
His blood felt unbearably hot beneath his skin.
Even the cold air touching him hurt.
Yet he still waited desperately for Jiang Li to deny it.
"Am I just some puppet to you, Mr. Shen?"
Jiang Li's fists clenched tightly at his sides.
"You pull me close whenever you want to pretend you care…" His voice trembled slightly. "But in the end, you always push me away again."
Sheng Yu's breathing faltered.
"And what am I supposed to be after that?" Jiang Li continued softly. "What are we even supposed to be?"
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
The city lights flickered silently around them.
Cold wind brushed past.
And Sheng Yu suddenly realized he could not answer.
Because the truth was—
He no longer understood his own feelings either.
"I don't know what you are to me anymore…" Jiang Li whispered eventually. "And I don't think I want to keep trying to figure it out."
Then he turned away.
Quickly.
Almost as though staying any longer would hurt too much.
Instinctively, Sheng Yu stepped forward to stop him—
But froze completely the moment Jiang Li walked into the company building.
And suddenly—
Everything became clear.
The answer he had been avoiding stood directly in front of him now.
Sheng Yu slowly took a step backward.
Then another.
A quiet laugh escaped him.
Empty.
Bitter.
His fists tightened so hard his knuckles turned pale beneath the city lights.