Chapter 49: I’m Trying to Get Your Attention

Eugene: Now that you put it that way, it kind of makes sense… No! No, it doesn’t! These people won’t shake his resolve!

Those two definitely have something going on!

His gaze turned sinister as he stared down at the recruits. “Training continues. Who’s up next to get beaten?”

A punishment for daring to shake his resolve.

None of these guys were getting away!

—On the other side of the training field—

“Eh?” Ji Laili finally reacted, stopping him with a helpless smile. “I’m fine.”

Shen Yu furrowed his brows, his pale lips pressing into a straight line.

“Do you have some kind of medical ward phobia?”

Ji Laili never expected him to say something like that. His lips curled up involuntarily as he lowered his voice. “You really remember that, huh?” Not quite sure if he was teasing or not.

“What?” Shen Yu didn’t catch what he said.

The soft-haired, chestnut-colored Alpha simply tilted his head back and laughed, his eyes curving into bright crescents.

“I said, you have a great memory.”

“Keep it up, Senior Shen.”

There it was again—that tone, as if he were coaxing a little kid.

Shen Yu pressed his lips together, avoiding Ji Laili’s gaze as he let go of his wrist. “Don’t talk to me like that.”

But when he talks to you like this, don’t you feel more relaxed? Ji Laili mused with a knowing smile. Was this… embarrassment?

He wanted to strike while the iron was hot and ask why Shen Yu was upset, but before he could speak, he noticed several Alphas secretly watching them.

Ji Laili swallowed back his words. “Are we allowed to go to the medical ward during training?”

“Only if you’re seriously injured.”

Shen Yu’s gaze flicked back to him, his tone sharpening. “Didn’t you just say you were fine?”

“Now I’m not.” Ji Laili shot back smoothly. This time, he didn’t give Shen Yu a chance to protest and simply dragged him toward the medical ward.

Ji Laili wasn’t actually hurt. He just wanted a place to talk. Those Alphas had been sneaking glances at them nonstop—it was too weird.

Wait… when he thought about it, wasn’t this a little bold? Dragging the acting instructor away during training, just to talk to him alone…?

That was kind of ridiculous, wasn’t it?

Lost in thought, Ji Laili caught sight of a familiar tree and suddenly stopped walking.

But Shen Yu, instead of stopping, instinctively took on the role of guide and led him forward another two steps.

Realizing Ji Laili had stopped, Shen Yu turned his gaze toward him, dark eyes filled with reproach.

As if he were scolding him for being disobedient.

“You just said that if you’re injured, you should go to the medical ward. But now that it’s you, you’re not going?”

Ji Laili rubbed his nose and obediently apologized.

“Sorry for worrying you.”

He bounced lightly on his feet, tousled hair lifting and falling with the motion. Standing under the golden sunlight, he grinned and said, “Can’t you tell? I’m trying to get your attention.”

Shen Yu froze, looking up at him.

He had no idea what expression he was making at that moment, nor could he react.

But then, in Ji Laili’s light-colored pupils, he saw his own tightly pressed lips, his tense jawline, his cold, pale face.

Everything looked the same as before.

Only his heartbeat betrayed him—pounding just a bit faster, his body responding to those words with a strange sense of pleasure.

The heat rising in his nape said it all.

“Stop thinking about things that make you unhappy.”

“I want to forget them, but…” Ji Laili furrowed his brows in frustration. “It seems like I made things worse.”

Like a little puppy, he drooped his head pitifully for a second. But before anyone could comfort him, his smile was back.

“Oh well, there are always failures. I’ll just try harder next time.”

“Next time…?” Shen Yu echoed in a low voice.

Ji Laili nodded. “Next time, I’ll make sure you forget whatever’s upsetting you. But before that, can you tell me why you’re unhappy?”

His upturned eyes shimmered with curiosity as he looked at him, clear and bright.

Shen Yu couldn’t refuse those eyes.

After a moment of silence, his voice finally came—light and tinged with discomfort.

“Because you helped someone else.”

Once the words slipped out, the dam broke.

Shen Yu’s gaze darkened.

“Did you help him because you didn’t want him to be punished?”

Ji Laili nodded. “He’s my friend. Of course, I don’t want him to be punished.”

“Friend…”

Shen Yu suddenly found that he really disliked that word. His tone turned eerie.

“You didn’t want him to get punished, even knowing that Instructor Aiger might get mad?”

“You still helped him. Is that Alpha really that important to you…? Important enough that you’d go so far for him… And he even called you Lailai.”

Shen Yu lowered his gaze, hiding the cold and terrifying emotions swirling in his eyes.

Shameless. Disgusting. A damn Alpha calling him that…

“So that’s what this is about.”

Ji Laili’s voice snapped Shen Yu out of his thoughts.

Reality rushed back to him, and he suddenly realized what he had just said. His fingers clenched tightly.

He shouldn’t have said that.

None of those words should have come out. Even if he spoke, he should have said something caring, not those twisted thoughts.

The beautiful young man pursed his lips, looking flustered for the first time.

He seemed uneasy, his eyes turning slightly red.

“What’s wrong? Why are you making that face?”

Ji Laili tried to hold back a laugh. “Oh, so you were jealous.” His tone was matter-of-fact, his smile bright.

Shen Yu was briefly stunned.

“Do you want me to answer your question, but with a different person in mind?”

“For example, replacing that friend with Senior Shen?”

Ji Laili tilted his head, his fluffy curls bouncing. “If it were you, I would help you too.”

“No matter who it is, I’d stand up for them. But you… you’re important to me too.”

He hesitated before following his heart. “Compared to Bo-ge… I think I’d be even more unwilling to see you get punished.”

“You’re not mad?”

Ji Laili shook his head.

Shen Yu must have sensed the sincerity in his words, because his emotions gradually calmed. His dark eyes studied Ji Laili in silence.

Then, his eyelashes trembled. His usually cool, jade-like voice wavered slightly.

“…Then I’ll be greedy.”

Ji Laili had no idea what Shen Yu’s definition of ‘greedy’ was.

He was just pleased with his own ability to comfort people.

Completely unguarded, he smiled. “Alright, then be even greedier.”

His puppy-like eyes curved happily, still using that same coaxing tone.

Clearly, he didn’t take it seriously at all.

Little butterfly, no matter what, it wouldn’t be too… excessive, right? So what’s there to worry about?

With that thought, Ji Laili put the matter out of his mind.

But he still remembered to clear up today’s misunderstanding. For some reason, the rumors about their supposed discord on the forum were spreading more and more.

Shen Yu didn’t like interacting too much with other Alphas, so he never paid attention to those rumors.

But Ji Laili loved surfing the forums, so he immediately logged in.

Since plenty of Alphas had overheard them heading to the medical room, the facts couldn’t be changed.

So, he simply went all out in praising Shen Yu.

“Senior Shen is such a great person. I got injured during training, and without hesitation, he dragged me to the medical room for treatment.”

“I thought it was something serious, but the medical staff said it was just a minor scrape. Senior is really responsible—he even took me there for such a small injury.”

“He’s way too concerned about me, isn’t he?”

After passionately posting on the forum, Ji Laili reread his own words and suddenly felt like… he was kind of showing off?

Running a hand through his hair, he felt a bit embarrassed. But then he thought—he was the little butterfly’s only friend.

So… wasn’t it fine to brag a little?

This wasn’t something worth showing off?

Ji Laili quickly convinced himself and happily went to check the comments.

However—

User #790: I knew it. Ji Laili was bound to lose his mind sooner or later.

User #251: Biggest joke of the year—Shen Yu is a good person? Everybody, let’s laugh together.

User #883: Did the medical staff say anything about your brain? You got beaten into the medical room, and you’re still speaking up for the guy?

User #390: I know this one—it’s called getting sold and still helping count the money.

User #777: You dumb Alphas, the truth is right in front of you! Believe me, they’re not rivals at all! This is just a smokescreen!

User #435: LMAO, who even are you? Why should I believe you?

User #777: Because I’m Eugene.

Ji Laili: “……”