Chapter 98 Part 1

Deer Mountain got its name from its mountain range, which stretched out like a pair of golden deer antlers, and from the herds of water deer that appeared there in spring. The mountains stood majestic and cold. In the Central District, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, it was rare to find such a preserved natural ecosystem.

The mountains rose high, blanketed in heavy snow. Continuous Snow Mountains loomed in the distance, their branches laden with snow. When the wind blew, the snow rustled down, landing on Shen Yu’s shoulders.

Shen Yu and Lu Yuguang got off the Light Guide Cable Car together. The cable car’s technological lights flashed beneath their feet, intertwining with the pale glow of the thin snow.

The moment they stepped off, a clump of snow from the bionic tree branches hit Shen Yu square in the face. Even his long black eyelashes caught a few white flecks.

Shen Yu looked utterly listless. He was dressed head to toe in black as usual, but today it was all fluffy, thickened versions.

He carried no excess fat. His waist, back, abdomen, and legs were cloaked in a thin layer of muscle like a dusting of snow—tight, smooth, and unexaggerated. Even in thick clothes, he didn’t look bloated at all. Tall and slim, with a cold, brooding air, he was incredibly attractive.

The sound of falling snow filled his ears. Shen Yu yawned, brushed the snow from his shoulders, and adjusted the scarf around his neck—a black-and-gray plaid one, a friendly gift from Lu Yuguang.

According to Lu Yuguang himself, the scarf was a product of his middle-school rebellious phase. It clashed completely with his own pink-and-tender aesthetic, but it unexpectedly suited Shen Yu, so he’d handed it over with a flourish.

Shen Yu hadn’t wanted to take it at first. But after mentally tallying up its price, he quickly changed his mind. Once they got back from Deer Mountain, he could sell it on the black market for a nice sum.

The last class of the week had ended, and Lu Yuguang had whisked Shen Yu away from Xia School.

When they disembarked from the cable car, the sky hadn’t darkened yet. Even under the reflected snow light, the entire vista shimmered with a clear, luminous halo.

Shen Yu looked up and reached out to shield Lu Yuguang from another cascade of snow falling from the branches.

Lu Yuguang was half a head shorter than Shen Yu. Noticing the gesture, he lifted his eyes and caught the light in Shen Yu’s gaze.

Very cold.

But the action was so gentle.

Lu Yuguang blinked. Convinced he’d seen through Shen Yu’s cold exterior and warm heart, his eyes sparkled as he stared at him. His whole small face was buried in his collar, his tone brimming with excitement. “Shen Yu, I brought some super photogenic clothes. I’ll take a bunch of pics of you later—you take some of me too, okay?”

Shen Yu’s expression shifted. He reached up, grabbed the overhead branch, and shook it. Snow came tumbling down in a flurry, all of it landing straight on Lu Yuguang’s head.

Lu Yuguang, suddenly buried under a full head of snow: “……”

Though the snow in the mountains was heavy, the temperature wasn’t bone-chilling.

The two soon arrived at the hot spring inn. It was built from durable imitation pine wood and nestled among the snowy firs, exuding a reclusive, old-world vibe—likely tied to the retro trend from a few years back.

A member of the inn staff soon emerged to greet them and carry their luggage inside.

Under the staff member’s guidance, Shen Yu slipped off his shoes and stepped onto the wooden floor. He and Lu Yuguang checked in at the front desk together.

The front desk manager was a brain floating in a water tank. As Shen Yu handled the check-in details, he stood at the counter, his side profile tracing a beautiful arc.

Watching his information get entered, Shen Yu rubbed his brow. For some reason, ever since they’d set out, he’d harbored an ominous premonition.

Now, that feeling was growing stronger, impossible to ignore.

With one hand in his pocket, his long lashes cast a deep shadow over his eyes. A snow-white wrist peeked from his sleeve as he bent down to retrieve the room key from the dispenser. He shook it lightly between his slender fingers, twirling it once.

Shen Yu asked casually, “Is it the off-season right now?”

He and Lu Yuguang hadn’t encountered a soul on the way over. The surroundings were eerily quiet, broken only by the occasional rumble of an avalanche. It was profoundly still.

The falling snow made a cold, faint sound—like spring snow.

As if sensing his doubt, the brain in the tank shook slightly. It looked behind Shen Yu and explained with a smile, “Not the off-season at all. It’s because you booked out the whole place.”

It had no eyes, yet Shen Yu could feel its gaze shift to his back, trembling as if in fear.

Shen Yu frowned faintly. The back of his neck began to heat up again.

The moment he registered the anomaly in his body, a sturdy arm brushed past his own. Knuckled fingers, distinct and strong, clamped onto an ID and placed it on the flowing countertop.

A highly invasive, dangerous aura closed in abruptly. Shen Yu’s back tensed in alert, his entire side forming an enticing curve.

Shen Yu turned his head slightly and glanced toward the source of heat beside him—

A familiar profile came into view.

Pei Ji was dressed formally, as if he’d just come from a meeting. His shirt collar bore a bow tie, and a black necktie draped smoothly toward his waist. His broad shoulders filled out the black trench coat with crisp lines.

Pei Ji noticed Shen Yu’s faintly cold gaze. He turned his head, curved his lips, and said in a low, rich, remarkably gentle voice, “Shen Yu, what a coincidence.”

Gu Yang, in a deep blue parka with black sunglasses perched on his forehead, leaned out from behind Pei Ji. He extended a hand and greeted Shen Yu with a smile. “Hey, I’m Gu Yang. We’ve seen each other in class.”

Shen Yu: “……”

One second ago, the front desk had said the whole inn was booked out. The next, these two showed up. No way there wasn’t something fishy.

Shen Yu tilted his head and lifted his eyelids toward Lu Yuguang, who hadn’t spoken a word.

Lu Yuguang blinked and immediately dodged his gaze. His eyes darted around— to the ceiling overhead, to the fish tank nearby—anywhere but Shen Yu.

“……”

That settled it. Shen Yu had only suspected him by a third before. Now, Lu Yuguang’s reaction was as good as a confession.

Shen Yu straightened up slightly, brushed past Pei Ji, and headed to his room with the key.

His room was on the second floor, with an open-style shower flanked by glass walls that offered a full view of the pine forest and snowscape outside. Deer herds occasionally wandered into sight.

A long-antlered deer darted behind a snow-covered pine, suddenly entering Shen Yu’s field of vision. Its antlers curved and spiraled in a lively, elegant display.

Curious, Shen Yu opened the window. Snow whooshed in. He lowered his eyelids, his long lashes drooping as he peered at the deer, which seemed isolated in the snowfield.

Shen Yu figured it was a bionic deer.

After the Great Cataclysm, aside from gender differentiation, many native plants and animals had faced extinction. Fortunately, biotech had advanced enough for bionic techniques to perfectly replicate them—indistinguishable from the real thing.

“It’s not a bionic deer.”

The window across the way swung open. Pei Ji rested his hands on the sill and shot him a smile before turning his gaze to the deer. “It’s artificially nurtured. It just looks like a native deer on the outside. See the inner side of its antlers—there’s a string of blue numbers.”

Shen Yu hadn’t planned to engage him, but Pei Ji knew just how to draw him in. He glanced at the antlers and spotted the blue numbers, sure enough.

Likely from constant rubbing against tree trunks, the blue was faded and patchy, but the digits were still discernible.

Pei Ji narrowed his long eyes, lost in thought. “047…… I remember that number.”

Shen Yu asked, “Is there something special about it?”

Pei Ji paused, surprised by the question. He hooked his lips and recalled, “Artificially nurtured ones are prone to all sorts of diseases. I remember when it was born, it had massive subcutaneous hemorrhaging and couldn’t produce blood internally. The breeders and biotech doctors all said it wouldn’t last more than a few days.”

Pei Ji paused, his gaze flicking briefly across Shen Yu’s eyes. He noted the dark circles had faded quite a bit.

Looked like he’d rested well.

Pei Ji gathered his thoughts and continued, “But look at it now. So healthy.”

A gust of wind blew through, shaking all the accumulated snow from the frigid branches. It dumped straight onto the antlers, startling No. 047. It vanished from sight in an instant.

Shen Yu raised a brow. “You saved it?”

Pei Ji hadn’t expected the counter-question. He withdrew his gaze and looked across at the man.

Shen Yu stood with arms crossed, leaning casually against the glass door. He’d shed his coat upon entering, leaving him in just a single black chunky-knit sweater up top. His exposed shoulders and neck gleamed snow-white. The sweater hung loose, but the fabric beneath hugged his curves snugly, giving off a lazy, approachable homebody vibe.

White snowflakes dusted the black fuzz of the sweater and his tousled black hair.

The black-haired omega stood beneath the second-floor wooden eaves, where the eave lanterns cast a soft glow. He was beautiful, almost unreal.

As he spoke, his pale lips parted and closed. An alpha’s keen eyesight caught the hint of moisture within.

Pei Ji’s eyes darkened. He curved his lips and went on, “I wouldn’t say I saved it. Back at Xia School, there was a two-week bio class project. It was curled up in a corner, abandoned by the bio team—covered in blood, letting out these pitiful whimpers. Deer are stoic and proud animals. That kind of cry usually means they’re sending a distress signal. It might not have been calling to me specifically, but I ended up choosing it anyway.”

Shen Yu leaned against the doorframe, his gaze from beneath his black hair fixed quietly on Pei Ji through the white mist, urging him to continue.

Pei Ji pursed his lips. He’d keenly picked up on Shen Yu’s interest and didn’t mind elaborating.

“Over those two weeks, I gave it water, sunlight, and oxygen. Its condition improved bit by bit—miraculous, really. Even the bloodstains faded, and it got healthier by the day. In the end, it was its own thirst for life that pulled it through. Otherwise, it never would have cried out to a human for help.”

Shen Yu listened quietly to the end, without rebutting Pei Ji’s take. He lowered his eyes slightly and thought—

In that little deer’s mind, Pei Ji was its savior.

So was Pei Ji, the savior, acting out of pure goodwill? Or did he relish the satisfaction of rescuing the weak?

What a malicious suspicion.

For a fleeting moment, Shen Yu’s thoughts wandered far. But the rustling snow soon pulled him back.

Knock knock.

Lu Yuguang’s slightly guilty voice sounded from outside the door.

“Shen Yu, you all packed? Time to eat~”

Night had deepened. Lu Yuguang’s plan was to grab dinner and then return for a soak—after all, the natural hot springs ran hot. Weaker omega constitutions like theirs could lead to fainting if they weren’t careful. What a mess that would be?

As for Nutrient Supplements, they were completely outside the Little Young Master’s realm of consideration.

Gu Yang rolled his eyes, thinking a faint would be perfect—lone alpha, lone omega, like dry tinder to a flame. But the words were on his tongue when he remembered his double-agent role. He pivoted with a raised brow. “Shen Yu’s planning to hit the outdoor public bath?”

The inn had both outdoor private baths and public ones. Public baths meant no clothes, not even undergarments. But with Pei Ji having booked out the entire inn, public or private made little difference.

Lu Yuguang clung to his arm and whispered their plot. “Yeah, I checked. You lure Pei Ji bro over to my bath—er, not lure. Call it righteous strategy.”

Lu Yuguang felt the journey had been grueling. He’d tossed aside any pretense of restraint, all to pluck that high-mountain flower named Pei Ji.

“Anyway, Gu Yang—Bro Gu—my happiness is in your hands!”

Gu Yang shot him a grin and flashed an OK sign. “Leave it to me. You can count on it.”

With their conspiracy sealed, Lu Yuguang stood alone at Shen Yu’s door. That’s when it hit him—he’d used Shen Yu to lure Pei Ji here. Instant maximum guilt.

He waited quite a while before Shen Yu finally opened the door.

A wave of fragrance accompanied the motion.

Shen Yu glanced at Lu Yuguang standing outside. Dampness clung to his hair tips, and his voice was low. “Let’s go.”

Lu Yuguang rubbed his nose and blinked. “Shen Yu, did you spray perfume? I’ve been meaning to ask—what brand is it? Smells amazing.”

Shen Yu lifted his sleeve and sniffed. He detected nothing unusual. Laziness and brooding fatigue colored his eyes as he replied, “Nah. Just took a shower.”

Shen Yu had a habit of showering whenever he arrived somewhere new. Otherwise, it felt like plunging into a fresh pit of muck—uncomfortable all over. Even his hair was slightly dampened by the steam.

“Alright.” Lu Yuguang felt a bit disappointed. His plan to get the same perfume had failed. His gaze wandered, and he hesitantly said, “But, um, you’re not angry, are you?”

They went downstairs. Misty steam rose amid the blanket of white snow, and the sky overhead had already darkened slightly, like a layer of black velvet.

Shen Yu raised one eyebrow, his pale lips parting slightly. “What?”

Lu Yuguang pursed his lips. “I mean, I didn’t tell you ahead of time that Pei Ji and Gu Yang would be coming too. Sorry, you even asked me if anyone else was joining…”

The more Lu Yuguang spoke, the more guilty he felt. His voice grew quieter and quieter until the last words were inaudible.

Shen Yu rubbed his brow. He didn’t like being used by others, nor did he want to hear apologies after the fact. Once he had processed those emotions, having someone bring it up again only added to his emotional burden invisibly.