Free Web NovelChapter 39: A Little Greedy
Shen Yu rested his head against the steering wheel in silence. After Jiang Li’s words, the car fell quiet once more, the tension lingering heavily in the air between them.
After some time, Shen Yu slowly lifted his head and looked at Jiang Li.
The omega was staring down at his white hoodie, fidgeting with the fabric in his hands, avoiding eye contact.
Shen Yu didn’t know why, but a strange sense of relief settled in his chest just from seeing Jiang Li sitting beside him.
The past fifteen days had been hell.
He had been constantly thinking—wondering whether the omega was safe, whether something had happened to him, whether he had been hurt.
His eyes widened slightly at the realization.
He had truly been worried.
And if you worry about someone...
That means they matter.
At that thought, Shen Yu closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath, trying to steady himself.
He was overthinking again.
When he opened his eyes, he looked at Jiang Li once more.
The familiar nervousness was still there—the way he fidgeted, the way he avoided looking at him. It reminded Shen Yu of the first time they had met.
But then, suddenly, another thought surfaced.
Before they had stopped seeing each other, Jiang Li had been... different.
Emotionless.
Distant.
That contrast made Shen Yu frown slightly.
Was he faking it?
Or was this his real self?
Or maybe...
He simply had different ways of handling situations, his personality shifting depending on what he was facing.
It was too confusing.
Shen Yu decided to push the thought to the back of his mind for now.
He cleared his throat, forcing his voice to sound steady.
"Did I hurt... you?" he asked.
Jiang Li slowly lifted his head and looked at him before glancing away again, as if thinking carefully. After a moment, he shook his head.
"It hurt a little at first... but then it was okay," Jiang Li said quietly.
His cheeks, which had been pale before, slowly warmed, a soft blush spreading across them until they turned a delicate red.
Shen Yu’s brows furrowed slightly at the sight.
Noticing this, Jiang Li quickly shook his head.
"It’s... it’s okay. Usually it’s meant to hurt the first time. It’s normal," he said, not fully realizing what he had just admitted.
He kept his gaze lowered, focusing somewhere near Shen Yu’s neck, far too embarrassed to meet his eyes.
The silence that followed stretched for a moment too long.
Finally, Jiang Li looked up—
Only to see Shen Yu staring at him, eyes widened in shock.
A second later, Jiang Li replayed his own words in his head.
And froze.
What... had he just said?
His cheeks, already flushed, turned a deep, blazing red as he quickly looked away again.
His heart pounded so fast it hurt.
He wished he could block out whatever Shen Yu was about to say next.
"I... took your first time?" Shen Yu asked slowly.
There was no stutter, but each word was spoken with clear shock, as if he was still trying to process it.
After a moment, he let out a deep breath.
"I’m sorry..." he murmured, his gaze falling on Jiang Li, who was now turned away, hiding his face.
"Don’t be..." Jiang Li replied softly, his back still facing him.
What made it worse—what made it heavier—was the fact that Shen Yu couldn’t remember anything.
And yet, he had taken something so important.
An omega’s first time.
Something that should have been shared with someone they loved.
Not something fleeting.
Not something careless.
Not something with someone like him.
Shen Yu wasn’t the type to walk away from his actions.
He was someone who took responsibility.
Always.
He exhaled slowly and covered his eyes briefly with his hand.
"What I did... was wrong. I know nothing I say or do can make it right... but if there’s anything I can do to make it even slightly better—" he began, then paused, waiting.
It took a while.
Jiang Li hesitated before finally lifting his head.
Those honey-brown eyes met Shen Yu’s again.
Shen Yu noticed the faint dark circles beneath them and felt something tighten in his chest. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
"I would do anything you ask of me, Jiang Li," he said.
Jiang Li froze for a moment before quickly shaking his head.
"It’s okay—"
"I insist," Shen Yu interrupted firmly.
Jiang Li looked down again, his heart betraying him as it began to race.
It was too greedy.
The thoughts that surfaced in his mind were too much.
He should just shake his head again and say it was fine.
But...
He couldn’t.
Not when just sitting this close to the person he loved made his heart feel so full.
Not when all the suffocating thoughts that had kept him awake at night disappeared the moment he was near him.
Not when all that remained was Shen Yu’s scent.
His shoulders trembled slightly.
Oh...
He loved this man.
And when his love had reached this point—
Was it really wrong to be a little greedy?
"I want you... to spend this entire day with me," Jiang Li said softly, closing his eyes as he spoke, unable to face Shen Yu’s reaction.
After a moment, he slowly opened them again and looked up.
Shen Yu’s eyes weren’t cold.
They weren’t sharp.
They were soft.
A faint smile rested on his lips, and the sight made Jiang Li’s breath hitch.
"Is that all?" Shen Yu asked gently.
Jiang Li’s eyes widened.
Then, suddenly, another thought slipped out before he could stop himself.
"And... I want you to hug me," he muttered.
A quiet chuckle escaped Shen Yu, low and warm, sending a flutter through Jiang Li’s chest like the soft beating of wings.
Shen Yu opened his arms.
When he noticed Jiang Li hesitating, he raised a brow slightly.
That was all it took.
Jiang Li moved forward quickly, his body acting before his thoughts could stop him, wrapping his arms around Shen Yu’s waist and pressing his face against his firm, warm chest.
His heart pounded wildly, so loud he was sure Shen Yu could hear it.
The scent of whiskey and rosewood surrounded him, grounding him completely.
Even after what Taehyun had said—about Shen Yu being a beta, about seeing his ID—
Jiang Li still believed, deep in his heart, that Shen Yu was an Alpha.
And that he himself wasn’t strange.
Wasn’t wrong.
Not like how his father had always labeled him.
Within Shen Yu’s arms...
Even with the weight of everything he carried—
Jiang Li finally felt calm.
For the first time in years.
