The cigarette was quickly finished, and Chu Tao threw the grass root from his palm, standing up with a hand on his knee.

Squatting for a long time had made his legs sore and numb. He gritted his teeth and bent forward to massage the soft muscles and tendons behind his knee.

But as he bent, his abdomen and ribs began to hurt again, the wounds reminding him of their presence.

When the body relaxed, every nerve seemed to rush to the brain, recounting every injury. Chu Tao was barely holding on.

But he pretended nothing was wrong, clearing his throat softly. “My brother is still waiting for me in the school. I have to go.”

Jiang She took a deep breath and grabbed his arm. “You need to ice that bruise.”

He was familiar with injuries from fighting since childhood. Once a bruise hardens, it should first be iced, then warmed, and finally gently massaged at the edges to speed up the dispersal of the blood clot.

Chu Tao hesitated and then said softly, “I’ll take care of it later tonight.”

He couldn’t let Song Mian and Chu Xingning find out he had been fighting with someone else.

“Well, if you leave it for later, it’ll be worse. My place has ice, let’s go to my house.” Without waiting for an answer, Jiang She dragged Chu Tao towards his neighborhood.

Chu Tao struggled a little, furrowing his brows. “I’m not that fragile. My brother is waiting for me.”

“Just tell him you’re going to study. Let him go home first,” Jiang She said carelessly.

Chu Tao: “……”

He had almost never lied to his family, and he shared everything with Chu Xingning.

But for some reason, ever since he transferred to Class 3, it seemed like he was doing more and more things out of line.

“I’m fine, let go—ugh!” He tried to shake Jiang She’s hand off, but the movement pulled on the injury on his shoulder, causing him to squint in pain.

Jiang She quickly released his grip. Chu Tao placed his left hand on his shoulder, rubbing it gently through his clothes.

“Can you stop being so stubborn?” Jiang She said in a low voice, his expression showing some irritation.

“Who’s being stubborn?” Chu Tao snapped back.

Despite the back-and-forth, the pain in his shoulder remained intense. He wasn’t sure if he could ride his bike home comfortably, so reluctantly, he let Jiang She drag him to the neighborhood.

On the way, Chu Tao took out his phone and sent a message to Chu Xingning.

“I’ll help the teacher with something, you go home first, be careful,” he texted, but he didn’t receive a reply from Chu Xingning.

Maybe it was because the third-year students were still in self-study, and the school’s network blockade hadn’t been lifted.

He followed Jiang She, walking down a narrow path lit by dim streetlights, heading deeper into the neighborhood.

The last time he was here, he had been in a rush to find Jiang She’s address and didn’t pay much attention to the neighborhood.

Now, being guided by Jiang She along the most convenient path, he realized the neighborhood was designed with great care.

On both sides of the path were trees nearly two stories high. With spring in the air, branches and vines were gradually growing, and the air carried a damp, earthy scent.

Not far away, he could faintly hear the sound of water crashing against rocks. The lampposts stretched along the cobblestone path, rising and falling in uneven curves.

The old neighborhood where Chu Tao lived wasn’t this refined.

He turned to look at Jiang She. “Where did you live before high school?”

Jiang She had his hands in his pockets, walking ahead. He turned around when he heard the question and was silent for a moment.

Chu Tao, sensing the hesitation, awkwardly said, “It’s nothing, just asking.”

It seemed Jiang She wasn’t too keen on answering.

Jiang She spoke softly, “I lived with my grandmother. She passed away later.”

Chu Tao was momentarily stunned, then softly sighed, “Sorry, I didn’t know.”

Jiang She shrugged and smiled, “It doesn’t matter.”

A breeze blew through the night, and the branches rustled, but there was hardly any chill on the path.

Actually, Chu Tao wanted to ask why he didn’t live with his parents, and why his mother treated him so poorly.

But after thinking about it briefly, Chu Tao figured Jiang She’s family was probably more complicated than his own.

When they reached the stairwell, Jiang She pressed the elevator button. The small screen inside the elevator was playing an advertisement.

It was one of those widely broadcast brainwashing ads, promoting a barrier-style condom.

In recent years, AA relationships, OO relationships, and even OA relationships had become more common.

Due to the influence of pheromones, couples in such relationships often faced difficulties in their connections.

This condom effectively blocked the instinctual possessive reactions caused by pheromones.

Even when an Omega is with an Alpha, it can help the Alpha control the urge to overpower.

Of course, the effects varied from person to person, and many people found it ineffective, but nevertheless, the product’s marketing efforts were comparable to those of “brain platinum” (a popular product in China).

Chu Tao and Jiang She were crammed into the narrow space, listening to the exaggerated sounds of men and women in the ad. It was so awkward that they wished they could cover their ears.

“Baner has changed our lives, making me more sexually happy.”

“I never thought we’d have such a harmonious day.”

“AA relationship, use Baner! OO relationship, use Baner! Baner contraception, only those who use it know!”

Chu Tao couldn’t help but complain, “Stupid ad, AA, OO, what’s the point of contraception?”

“To keep it hygienic, you know, if that thing gets in, it’s definitely not good,” Jiang She whispered.

Chu Tao: “…”

Although boys often discuss these kinds of topics, and Tao Song had told him many dirty jokes, talking about such things with Jiang She felt so awkward.

Finally, the elevator arrived at the floor, and the door opened. Chu Tao let out a sigh of relief.

Jiang She was about to place his finger on the fingerprint scanner when their neighbor just happened to walk out.

“Oh, Jiang She, bringing a classmate over to your place?”

The neighbor auntie had known that Jiang She lived alone, so sometimes she’d bring over some homemade snacks for him.

This auntie had some trouble with her legs, so whenever Jiang She took out the trash, he would help take her garbage down too.

Chu Tao nodded politely as a greeting.

He had a gentle temperament and a sweet appearance, especially in front of elders, making him particularly endearing.

Jiang She looked Chu Tao up and down and casually made a joke, “This isn’t my classmate, it’s my wife.”

Chu Tao kicked him, “Get lost!”

Jiang She didn’t dodge; it wasn’t painful anyway.

The neighbor auntie, knowing both of them were Alpha, smiled warmly and said, “I knew you two were just joking with me.”

Jiang She smirked, “You can leave the garbage at the door, I’ll take it out when I go to school.”

The neighbor auntie didn’t refuse and placed the two bags of trash at the door, “Thank you.”

With that, she retreated into her room and closed the door.

Chu Tao raised an eyebrow, “You also help people take out the trash?”

Jiang She placed his finger on the scanner, and with a click, the door opened.

“What’s wrong? Has my ‘bullying men and dominating women’ persona fallen apart?”

Chu Tao silently rolled his eyes, too lazy to argue with him.

He just didn’t expect Jiang She to have so many sides to him.

To teachers and parents, Jiang She seemed almost entirely lacking in redeeming qualities. Besides causing trouble and being feared by everyone, he never did anything good.

To his classmates, he was the tough guy who was good at fighting and came from a wealthy family—some people followed or avoided.

To the neighbor auntie, however, he was simply a good kid.

Jiang She’s house was as spacious and empty as ever.

When the light was turned on, Chu Tao looked around the room, which was still empty, and the curtains that hadn’t been drawn yet made the place feel a little lonely.

Chu Tao walked over and instinctively pulled the curtains closed for Jiang She.

The dark, silent night was covered by the black curtains, and the atmosphere of loneliness was significantly reduced.

Jiang She’s fridge could make ice cubes. He took out a whole basket of ice and then said to Chu Tao, “Take off your shirt.”

Chu Tao awkwardly hugged his shoulders, “You give it to me, I’ll do it myself.”

Jiang She pulled out a disposable napkin from a food delivery, tore open the wrapper, and placed the ice cubes inside.

“Hurry up, why are you more delicate than a girl.”

In response to his comment, Chu Tao silently removed his school jacket and threw it on the sofa, then took off his short-sleeve shirt as well.

He stood shirtless, his pale skin glowing softly under the light. His long, straight spine was visible, with subtle contours showing through the thin skin.

Every inch of his muscle texture and bone structure was exposed, all in full view.

As his skin met the cold air, his pores tightened instantly, and only his chest rose and fell with each breath.

Besides the bruise on his shoulder, the one on his ribs stood out as well. There were also several faintly blue spots on his arms, and every movement made them hurt.

Once he took off his clothes and looked up, he found Jiang She staring at him blankly.

The ice cubes were gripped tightly in his hand, and the melting water dripped down his fingers.

This was even more awkward than listening to a condom ad in the elevator.

But Chu Tao couldn’t just grab his clothes and cover his chest, that would look even weirder.

He could only calmly tap on the coffee table, “What are you doing? I’m in a hurry to go home.”

Jiang She snapped out of his daze, kneeling on the sofa with his left hand supporting Chu Tao’s back.

As soon as his hand touched Chu Tao’s skin, Chu Tao instinctively tensed up.

“Jiang She!”

His heartbeat started to speed up again, even though both he and Jiang She had sprayed enough suppressants, they still couldn’t stop the tingling sensation that was getting harder to control.

What was even more frightening was that this feeling seemed to be growing stronger.

Jiang She asked, “What’s wrong? I can’t even touch you for a moment?”

He held onto Chu Tao with one hand, and with the other, he grabbed the ice towel and placed it against Chu Tao’s shoulder.

The biting coldness hit, and Chu Tao’s earlier heat began to subside, his body relaxing.

The towel wrapped around the ice slowly moved across his shoulder, the pain temporarily numbed by the cold, and Chu Tao felt much more comfortable.

He discreetly glanced at Jiang She from the corner of his eye.

Jiang She lowered his head, focused on the bruise on Chu Tao’s shoulder. His fine hair hung loosely over his eyes, and his Adam’s apple moved slowly with each breath.

Chu Tao quickly looked away, licking his dry lips.

The dark-colored coffee table reflected their figures, and the pale yellow crystal chandelier above them seemed as hot as the sun, casting its glow over their heads.

After massaging for a while, the ice cubes melted from Chu Tao’s body heat, and droplets of water inevitably slid down his shoulder.

Following the line of his muscles, the water traveled from his chest all the way down to his abdomen, leaving a shimmering trail.

Jiang She’s throat was dry, and his mind was full of messy, chaotic images.

It was all there to see, but he couldn’t do anything about it. This view wasn’t a reward for him, it was pure torture.

“Ribs.”

Jiang She gestured to Chu Tao.

Chu Tao looked down at the location of his injury, realizing it was close to his chest.

“Uh, this area’s easier for me to handle, just give it to me,” Chu Tao said.

Jiang She refused, “I’ll help you.”

Chu Tao snapped back, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking.”

Jiang She froze for a moment after hearing this, then gave him a meaningful smile and pulled Chu Tao into his embrace, “Oh, so you know, huh?”

Chu Tao’s face instantly flushed red, and he awkwardly explained, “That’s not what I meant.”

“Tsk,” Jiang She feigned regret, “Did I miss some opportunity?”