Chapter 27: I Want You to Hold Me

Ji Laili was startled by Shen Yu’s current appearance.

His bright smile quickly turned into concern as he furrowed his brows, looking at Shen Yu’s tear-streaked face. His brain seemed to be lagging, unable to process the situation.

“What’s wrong?”

The cold and beautiful yet dangerously powerful man, whom no one dared to offend, now had tears on his face. The once dark and shadowy eyes had been washed clean by the tears, becoming transparent and clear, like obsidian polished to perfection.

But he just stood there, staring at Ji Laili in a daze, unable to come back to his senses.

What had happened to Shen Yu?

Had someone threatened him? Had his identity been exposed? Or was he facing a problem he couldn’t solve?

Ji Laili’s mind raced as he thought through every possible scenario. He considered every powerful figure from Instructor Aige to the Federation’s headmaster and even those of higher status.

He was about to go through the relevant story plot when—

“Ji Laili…”

“Hmm? I’m here.” The little butterfly was calling his name.

Ji Laili snapped back to reality just in time to hear Shen Yu say softly, “It hurts.”

Before he could fully register the weight of those words, the pale, ice-cold young man pressed his lips together, his long lashes trembling as another tear slipped down.

Ji Laili was stunned.

The cold and beautiful young man stood before him, silently shedding tears.

His usually intimidating dark eyes were now wet and glistening. His reddened eyes, swollen from crying, looked directly at Ji Laili without hesitation.

There was no shame, no attempt to hide his vulnerability. He simply gazed at Ji Laili, unwavering.

Instead, it was Ji Laili who suddenly felt embarrassed, as if he had bullied him.

This felt so strange.

Ji Laili reminded himself—he had come to help!

To prevent others from seeing Shen Yu like this, he quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside the dormitory.

Shen Yu was completely obedient, his expression cold as ever.

But even as he cried, tears rolling down his cheeks, he didn’t resist at all.

Only after pulling him inside did Ji Laili suddenly remember—Shen Yu didn’t like being touched by Alphas!

He quickly let go, apologizing, “Sorry, senior.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

The warmth on his wrist disappeared instantly, replaced by a cold, stinging pain.

Shen Yu lowered his gaze, staring at his wrist.

An emotionally unstable Alpha felt a sharp sting of rejection. Dark, bitter thoughts surged like a tidal wave.

Why did he let go?

If it wasn’t intentional, then couldn’t he hold on purposefully?

Or was he disgusted by the blood on his wrist? Did he find him repulsive? Is that why he let go so quickly?

It had only been a few seconds…

Noticing the icy aura creeping over Shen Yu’s face, Ji Laili panicked.

How was he supposed to comfort him?

How do you console a little butterfly who doesn’t like your gender?

“Senior…”

Shen Yu suddenly teared up again. His misty eyes lifted to glance at Ji Laili, his gaze full of unshed tears.

Ji Laili was startled. The next moment, Shen Yu aggressively wiped his tears, smearing away the blood on his wrist before extending his hand again.

“Hold me.”

His tone was firm, allowing no room for refusal.

If not for the barely concealed sob in his cold voice, it would have been pure dominance.

Shen Yu himself noticed the subtle waver in his voice. A faint blush tinged his pale skin as his long lashes trembled uncontrollably.

But he still looked at Ji Laili, clear and unwavering.

——I want you. Hold me.

So persistent.

Ji Laili’s previous frustration melted into shock, then into unexpected amusement at the contrast. His bright eyes curved into crescents.

He doesn’t hate me!

“System, system! I think I really became friends with the little butterfly!”

【Little butterfly?】

The system’s robotic voice sounded confused.

“Nothing, I just mean Shen Yu.”

Ji Laili was delighted. This was a huge breakthrough—they were friends now!

A great friendship!

And when facing a good friend’s request, Ji Laili wouldn’t refuse. He naturally reached out to hold Shen Yu’s hand—only to pause when he noticed something wrong.

His warm, bright eyes suddenly sharpened.

Why was there blood?

He lifted Shen Yu’s sleeve, revealing the horrifying sight underneath.

Pale, almost bloodless skin was covered in crimson streaks. His wrist was marred with deep, gory wounds, some revealing faint traces of bone.

Bite marks.

“Did you do this to yourself?”

Who else could have inflicted such wounds?

Ji Laili almost asked why, but then something clicked in his mind. He quickly ran a hand through his curly hair in frustration and hurried over to pick up a bag from the floor.

“I brought some medicine for you,” he said. “Some are usable now, some will come in handy later. I didn’t think I’d need them this soon.”

Ji Laili placed the bag on the table, glancing at the scattered suppressant injections before pulling out various supplies.

Basic medicine, wound care essentials—everything needed to treat injuries.

Alphas were competitive and aggressive by nature.

Fights and sparring matches were common occurrences, and as long as they didn’t break any rules, the Federation Military Academy rarely intervened.

After all, they were all single Alphas. Without Omegas to chase, what else were they supposed to do except fight?

Federation Military Academy: Give These Single Alphas Some Space.

Fighting had become a daily routine, yet the medical room remained eerily quiet—few Alphas ever stepped foot inside, and even medicine rarely sold.

It was as if these Alphas suffered from some kind of “medical room shame syndrome”—as if just visiting would make them appear weaker.

Not going to the medical room and refusing to buy medicine seemed to be a badge of honor for Alphas. This was a common complaint from the Beta medical staff.

Ji Laili, however, was clearly different from these Alphas.

From a Beta’s perspective, she often heard rumors about him—how he surpassed Lei Po, beat Zhai Shao, endured grueling training longer than anyone else, and even made waves in the recent high-profile pheromone resistance training.

An Alpha like that had nothing to do with weakness.

Maybe, at first, he was unaware of some unspoken rules.

But even after understanding them, he remained unfazed—unaffected by external pressures, simply doing his own thing. It was hard not to like someone like that.

Ji Laili never thought buying medicine was embarrassing. If other Alphas mocked him for going to the medical room, he’d honestly find it laughable how they suffered just to save face.

Of course, no one enjoyed frequent hospital visits, but Ji Laili’s regular trips were simply a result of his upbringing.

Where he came from, many people stocked up on medicine for emergencies. He was no different.

This time, he had brought medicine specifically for Shen Yu.

Maybe Shen Yu wouldn’t need it, but having it was better than not.

He hadn’t expected that, for once, the supplies he brought would actually come in handy.