Chapter 21 – Expensive Suppressants
“You’re truly crazy!”
Niu Xing’an said as much, but he still took out that expensive military suppressant from the counter.
“50,000 credit points!” When Niu Xing’an took Gu Zhuoran’s card, he asked again, feeling the sting on his behalf.
“Mn.” Gu Zhuoran nodded affirmatively.
Niu Xing’an curled his lip and said no more; after all, he was making a profit.
He just didn’t understand. An Omega’s life was never worth much; usually, a cheap 1,000-point suppressant was enough. At most, if one injection wasn’t enough, you’d give two. Although there were side effects, they were cheap!
No one’s money blew in from the wind, and Gu Zhuoran’s money was earned at the risk of his life.
Even if he had his own Omega, there was no need to spend this kind of wasted money; marking them directly was much easier.
As Niu Xing’an packed that expensive suppressant in a black leather pouch and placed it inside a black iron slide-box the width of a finger, he occasionally peeked at Gu Zhuoran. When he handed the items over, he couldn’t help but add, “I’m warning you, once you start using this, you have to keep using it until the Omega is completely marked. It’s 50,000 every month!”
Gu Zhuoran nodded and took note, receiving the suppressant. After carefully checking it, he tucked it into his clothes.
“I’ll come to get it a week early next month,” Gu Zhuoran instructed meticulously before leaving.
Niu Xing’an was stunned for a moment and instantly understood what he meant.
It seemed his Omega had just presented… then he truly would need to prepare in advance next month.
“Don’t worry, I guarantee the goods will arrive early next month!”
The boss, Niu Xing’an, spoke as he handed the credit point card back to Gu Zhuoran after the deduction.
Gu Zhuoran took the card and stuffed it back into his pocket.
There were only a little over 50,000 points on this credit card in total—money he had saved for a long time.
But a single expensive suppressant had almost made him bankrupt in an instant.
However, he didn’t regret it; instead, he was glad he had planned ahead, otherwise he wouldn’t have known where to get so much money now.
He pursed his lips and felt the expensive suppressant in his chest, turning to walk out of the shop bearing the sign “Niu’s Clinic.”
In the daytime, the Xiacheng Qu was bustling with people, everyone looking for a livelihood to survive.
Various small shops lined the streets. The rooms where people slept at night only needed a window pushed open, a board propped up, and a mat spread out with goods on top to become a small stall. It was simple, direct, and convenient, with the sounds of hawking instantly filling the ears.
“Bread, fresh-baked bread, 15 credit points a bag!”
“Fruit, fresh-picked this morning, 50 credit points a piece!”
“Onions, potatoes, carrots, three for 145, two for 100!”
“90% new equipment passed down from Shangcheng Qu, private talk if you want it!”
“Crushed ore, come look if you want a lot!”
…
All sorts of goods were displayed in a dazzling array on the street stalls.
Most of the goods were obtained from outside the safe zone or were items discarded by the Shangcheng Qu.
The prices were outrageously high, yet the quality wasn’t necessarily good.
For the resource-scarce Xiacheng Qu, these flawed goods were rare treasures.
Gu Zhuoran made a round of the market and bought some food and vegetables; the money on his card was now almost gone.
This was the Xiacheng Qu—a place full of life, but also a place where life was extremely difficult.
A freak like him, who was willing to spend 50,000 credit points to buy suppressants for an Omega, was simply an outlier.
And he was a beautiful outlier who looked more stunning than a woman.
But no matter how beautiful he was, he was still a bona fide Alpha.
In the Xiacheng Qu, this was definitely an innate advantage; some jobs could only be done by Alphas.
Gu Zhuoran looked at his exhausted savings and began to think of ways to make money.
His Shen Yan naturally had to use the best!
Author’s Note: Happy weekend, dear great ones. Today’s other update will be in the evening~ Begging for bookmarks, support, and feeding~ Your support will help the Fifth Treasure grow quickly~~ Mwah, wishing you happy reading and a happy weekend! Good luck to all the great ones taking the Gaokao!
(Rankings don’t matter, love is forever. May our long-lasting affection continue, and let’s create more great stories together~~ Love from Miao Miao.)
Translator’s Note:
- Gaokao: The National College Entrance Examination in China (mentioned in the author note).
- Xiacheng Qu: Lower City District. Our boy Gu Zhuoran is officially broke! But he’s already planning how to make more money for “his” Shen Yan. The devotion is real!
Chapter 22 – Tense Emotions
Click—!
The moment Gu Zhuoran took out his key and turned the door lock, he saw Shen Yan, who had just finished bathing, standing at the door with a glass of water waiting for him.
“Why were you gone so long?” Shen Yan asked, looking at Gu Zhuoran who was frozen at the door.
He set the water glass aside and reached out to take the several bags in Gu Zhuoran’s arms.
Gu Zhuoran took the opportunity to hand the bags of bread and fruit to Shen Yan, but instinctively turned back to close the door tightly.
However, his movement was a bit fast, making a “bang” sound when the door closed.
Holding the food bags, Shen Yan was stunned for a moment, peeking at him from behind the paper bags.
“Why use so much force to close a door.”
Shen Yan scolded him out of habit and turned to head back into the room with the food.
Gu Zhuoran didn’t dare to argue; his breathing became incredibly tense in an instant.
He peeked at Shen Yan’s back as it entered his sight.
The bath towel wrapped around his waist, the water droplets falling from his fair skin, and the certain cold fragrance mixed in the air.
In the moment he opened the door, this high-impact visual had flooded into Gu Zhuoran’s eyes, almost making him lose his composure.
“This is truly terrible…”
With a low, bitter sigh, Gu Zhuoran really wanted to pull Shen Yan over and give him a stern warning right now.
But he couldn’t.
In Shen Yan’s mind, he didn’t view himself as an Omega at all, as evidenced by his unguarded behavior after bathing.
But from another perspective, how was this not a great opportunity?
At least Shen Yan currently had no intention of being wary of him.
Gu Zhuoran’s thoughts were frighteningly deep, his icy-blue eyes sparkling, wondering what he was contemplating.
Carrying the bags into the room, Shen Yan only felt a chill on his back. He shrugged his shoulders and set the food bags down.
“Oh, there’s fruit!” Shen Yan unexpectedly took an apple and took a bite. The moisture was still there, but the taste wasn’t that sweet anymore.
But being able to eat such fruit in the Xiacheng Qu was not easy.
“Where did you get the money to buy so much?” Shen Yan asked.
“Did a job, saved up,” Gu Zhuoran said casually.
He didn’t expect this sentence to immediately make Shen Yan frown.
“What kind of job? How come I didn’t know? Since when?”
Shen Yan set down the fruit and frowned, asking three questions in a row, all of which left Gu Zhuoran speechless.
“I’m asking you, speak!” Shen Yan raised his voice slightly.
Shen Yan’s appearance wasn’t one of explosive rage, but his face was as still as water, and his tea-colored eyes looked at Gu Zhuoran sharply.
It seemed as if as long as Gu Zhuoran said another lie, he would pounce and bite him.
Having been managed by Shen Yan since childhood, Gu Zhuoran reflexively felt a bit of fear toward this version of him.
An aura that was imposing without anger—this was likely what it looked like.
When Shen Yan was angry, Gu Zhuoran truly was a bit afraid.
Shen Yan rarely got angry; most of the time he was rational and calm.
But on the matter of Gu Zhuoran, he could never manage his emotions.
The boy before him was taller than him, stronger than him, and had even presented early as an Alpha.
He would no longer pull tightly at his clothes like when they were small, showing a timid gaze and pleading for his protection.
When did it start… Gu Zhuoran slowly began to have this “close yet distant” feeling with him.
The two were at a stalemate for a long time, until finally, Shen Yan let out a light huff, disappointedly no longer pursuing the matter.
“Heh… forget it. If you don’t want to say, so be it.”
Looking at Shen Yan’s exhausted and powerless expression, Gu Zhuoran’s heart felt a sharp sting.
But for the sake of Shen Yan’s safety, he truly couldn’t say.
“Sorry.” The soft apology couldn’t ease the tense relationship between the two.
Author’s Note: [Sigh~ A Mini Theater on Being Awkward Without Realizing It]
Shen Yan is angry: Annoying, this brat is hiding things from me!
Crowd: The kid is grown up; it’s normal to have some privacy.
Shen Yan: No, he can’t have privacy from me!
Crowd: …Why?
Shen Yan: Anyway… he can’t hide things from me.
Crowd: Yan-baobao, this… isn’t being angry, it’s more like acting like a spoiled brat!
Little Gong Gu: My Shen Yan is super cute even when he’s being awkward~~
Translator’s Note:
- Baobao: Baby/Darling. Gu Zhuoran is keeping secrets to protect Shen Yan, but Shen Yan just feels like his “obedient little brother” is slipping away. The misunderstanding is real!
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