I did not save you because I like you.

Gu Zeyu was very gullible; any of his twelve brothers could easily fool him. When the eldest brother said Lu Yunian needed him, he believed without doubt that these were the Omega’s own words. Although he still feared this burly Omega, Gu Zeyu had always been honest¹拾金不昧 (shí jīn bù mèi) – to pick up money and not hide it (idiom); to return property to its owner and righteous²见义勇为 (jiàn yì yǒng wéi) – to see what is right and act courageously (idiom, from Analects); to stand up bravely for the truth / acting heroically in a just cause since childhood. He was like a brick in the Interstellar Alliance, ready to be moved wherever he was needed.

After Gu Zeyu reluctantly left with a truck full of snacks and stuffed animals, all the brothers surrounded the eldest, asking why he sent Xiao Yu into the harsh environment of the military. The eldest opened the family group chat that didn’t include Gu Zeyu and sent an interstellar war report. After a long silence, the doctor, Sixth Brother, spoke first, “Lu Yunian will protect Xiao Yu well, right?”

The eldest didn’t answer. He opened another group chat with 13 members and saw Gu Zeyu sending a series of whimpering voice messages: “Brothers, I’m going to protect my Omega now. Don’t miss me too much. If you really miss me, you can come visit. Here’s the military camp address, and this is the list of snacks I want if you come to see me.”

Second Brother opened the 128MB long image but closed it after five minutes when it still hadn’t finished loading.

“Brothers, this is my first trip. I’ll update my moments every day. Remember to like and comment!”

Third and Fourth Brothers took out their phones, opened Gu Zeyu’s profile, and promptly blocked his moments.

“Brothers, remember to take out the cranberry cookies hidden in my blanket, the little puddings in the wardrobe, and the cheesecake in the desk drawer. They only have a short shelf life. Don’t waste these food blessings.”

The eldest closed his phone and said after a moment of peace, “Second Brother will donate 1.8 billion rubies³卢币 (lú bì) – it can be translated as Lu coins/money but I will use rubies as it sound the same. I find Lu coins awkward and referring to 1.8 billion as coins is even more awkward. in military funds. For the sake of the money, you will, right?”

The businessman, Second Brother, looked at his account balance, took a deep breath, clutched his chest, and nodded painfully.

Gu Zeyu’s truck was stopped at the first checkpoint. After saluting, the sentry asked him to get out of the car. After consulting headquarters via intercom, he stood straight and said, “People can enter, but vehicles cannot.”

Gu Zeyu immediately got back into the truck and instructed the driver to turn around and drive back, disappearing in a flash. The sentry watched the retreating truck in disbelief, then called headquarters again after a moment’s hesitation. “Yes, the person ran away. He came alone.”

“Reporting, sir. There’s a situation I’m not sure whether to report or not. Yes, sir. Their small truck drove towards the minefield training area.”

In the game of Minesweeper, when you click for the first time, there are still many areas to move. As you click more, the mine-free areas become smaller and smaller. When it reaches the point where you’re almost certain to hit a mine within a few meters, Gu Zeyu, as if divinely inspired, told the driver to stop.

Gu Zeyu sat in the truck’s passenger seat. The cramped space was filled with his seven groundhog plushies, leaving only his round eyes visible. His glass bead-like eyes always seemed to shimmer with moisture, looking both innocent and harmless. With a lollipop in his mouth, he asked the driver unclearly: “I feel like… um… you… might have… um… gotten lost…”

The driver was a Marmot⁴If you are the same as me who did not know what Marmots are until now, according to Wikipedia, “Marmots are large ground squirrels in the genus Marmota, with 15 species living in Asia, Europe, and North America. These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, when they hibernate underground.” Google said they are similar to groundhogs. Omega. Seeing Gu Zeyu hugging seven plushies that looked just like him, he didn’t dare to speak the entire time, afraid of being treated as the eighth plush toy. He scratched his head and peered out the window, seeing nothing but endless sand with a few flags stuck in it, unable to discern where the road was. He cupped his face, stroked his whiskers, and said with narrowed eyes after careful observation: “Groundhogs don’t have good eyesight. Why don’t you check what’s written on those flags?”

Buried in the pile of plushies, Gu Zeyu struggled to sit up, placing the dolls under him to sit higher. He leaned on the window to look outside, then read word by word: “Danger zone, do not enter.”

He turned to look at the little groundhog Omega and said, “They’ve clearly asked us not to enter. Let’s drive back the way we came. Otherwise, how will we pay the fine? Do you have money? My Second Brother said he used up all his money, and we don’t need money in the military, so I only brought a bunch of coins from my piggy bank.”

The groundhog became sensitive at the mention of money and immediately turned the truck around, only to find that their tire tracks in the sandy wind had disappeared. He swallowed hard and weakly asked, “So, which way can we go without getting fined?”

Gu Zeyu was dumbfounded. He leaned back on the car window, seeing flags stuck everywhere. He poured out a pile of coins from his little lion plush bag and started counting them carefully.

When Lu Yunian arrived, he pulled Gu Zeyu directly out of the car. Coins scattered everywhere, and his Alpha started picking them up one by one, bottom up, in front of everyone. When the little groundhog Omega learned they were in a minefield, he fainted on the spot and was promptly carried away by several soldiers.

Lu Yunian’s deputy was a high-level lion Alpha who had often wondered what kind of Alpha could marry Lu Yunian. Now, standing beside the ashen-faced Lu Yunian, he couldn’t help but chuckle softly as he saw Gu Zeyu running towards them, hugging a little lion-head bag, with large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.

Gu Zeyu was very polite. After cheerfully greeting his Omega, he said, “Could you two move aside a bit?”

Lu Yunian didn’t move, but when the deputy saw Gu Zeyu on the verge of tears, he pulled Lu Yunian aside. As soon as they moved a step, Gu Zeyu picked up the last coin from Lu Yunian’s footprint, blew off the sand in the sunlight, and smiled sweetly, saying, “All set!”

The night Lu Yunian brought Gu Zeyu into the military, when he learned that his truck had been sent back to the Gu family by Lu Yunian’s orders and tried to run out again, Lu Yunian threw him back into the room like a puppy.

When the little Alpha cried, the pheromone concentration in the room gradually increased, but for an Omega of Lu Yunian’s level, it was as ineffective as scratching an itch through one’s boot. However, Gu Zeyu’s cries were so loud that a crowd gathered outside the door to eavesdrop. Lu Yunian was at a loss; the more he yelled, the louder Gu Zeyu cried. He could only suppress his anger and ask, “Your eldest brother has already signed for that truck. What do you want to do?”

Gu Zeyu cried so hard he could barely catch his breath. His trembling index finger pointed at Lu Yunian as he said, “I… I can’t sleep… without my plushies to hug… wah… I can’t sleep!”

Lu Yunian was so angry that the veins on his temples throbbed. He had already drawn his gun but restrained himself and put it back in his pocket. He picked up Gu Zeyu horizontally and threw him on the bed. Lying down next to him, he said sternly, “You can f*cking hug me. Is that okay? Hug me and sleep!”

Gu Zeyu’s bottom hurt from being thrown. After crying himself tired, he finally stopped. Then he tentatively circled Lu Yunian’s muscular arm, pressed his face against it, and mumbled, “Too hard, not comfortable. I still want my…”

“Shut up! Are you even a f*cking Alpha?” Lu Yunian roared. Gu Zeyu hesitated for a moment, then said in a tiny voice, “Yes, I am. And I’m your Alpha. I’m here to help you during your heat.”

Lu Yunian’s hand was on his holster again, but before he could draw his gun, he noticed Gu Zeyu’s even breathing. Turning his head, he saw that the crybaby Alpha had fallen asleep hugging his arm, looking aggrieved.

Gu Zeyu’s features were small and cute, his fair and delicate skin flawless. With tear tracks still on his face, his cheeks were flushed an alluring light pink. Lu Yunian stared at him for a long time, feeling a soft, ticklish sensation in his heart, as if scratched by a little cat. His hand slowly moved to Gu Zeyu’s head, ruffling his thick curly hair. With lingering fear, he said, “You idiot, I did not save you because I like you. If you died, your twelve brothers would drive me crazy.”

TL Notes

• 1
  拾金不昧 (shí jīn bù mèi) – to pick up money and not hide it (idiom); to return property to its owner
• 2
  见义勇为 (jiàn yì yǒng wéi) – to see what is right and act courageously (idiom, from Analects); to stand up bravely for the truth / acting heroically in a just cause
• 3
  卢币 (lú bì) – it can be translated as Lu coins/money but I will use rubies as it sound the same. I find Lu coins awkward and referring to 1.8 billion as coins is even more awkward.
• 4
  If you are the same as me who did not know what Marmots are until now, according to Wikipedia, “Marmots are large ground squirrels in the genus Marmota, with 15 species living in Asia, Europe, and North America. These herbivores are active during the summer, when they can often be found in groups, but are not seen during the winter, when they hibernate underground.” Google said they are similar to groundhogs.