There was no evening study session on Friday, and school let out at six.

The sun had just set, and the sky was still a soft, gentle blue. The air was filled with the increasing scent of fresh grass, and it wasn’t too cold even with a slight opening of clothes.

Chu Tao was still packing his bag when Chu Xingning came over to find him.

A loud commotion rose in the classroom.

“Damn, it’s Chu Xingning!”

“Look at my hairstyle, isn’t it cool?”

“Where’s my Cartier? My Longines? Gotta show off!”

“Chu Xingning, can you add me on WeChat? Just say yes! If not, I’ll think of another way!”

“Being class president has its perks!”

Chu Tao didn’t want Chu Xingning to come looking for him because he was afraid this kind of situation would happen.

He quickly pulled Chu Xingning out of the classroom, closed the door, and blocked the loud, excited cheers from the class.

“Why didn’t you wait for me to find you? The alpha class over there is so chaotic,” Chu Tao said.

Chu Xingning licked his lips, eyes distant, and cleared his throat. “I’ll be a bit late getting back today. Help cover for me.”

Chu Tao raised an eyebrow, sighed, and asked, “Where are you going?”

Chu Xingning furrowed his brows and looked annoyed. “This kid’s being too much, insisting that I go eat with him. I’ll only be gone for an hour.”

Chu Tao felt a bit worried; he could tell Chu Xingning was becoming more invested in that little boyfriend of his.

In the past, if anyone managed to get Chu Xingning to eat with them, it was like winning the lottery.

“Mom’s worried you’ll get tangled up with someone. Is it safe for you to leave school alone?” This wasn’t something that hadn’t happened before.

Not only were the alphas in school interested in Chu Xingning, but there were also people from outside the school trying to take advantage.

Chu Xingning was too good-looking, so most of the time, Chu Tao stayed with him to keep him company.

If he wasn’t careful and some idiot marked him, Chu Tao would be ready to kill.

Chu Xingning laughed. “You’re underestimating me. I’ve practiced Taekwondo, okay?”

Chu Tao didn’t argue about the strength difference between alphas and Omegas, but after a pause, he said, “What about that little kid? Isn’t his family worried?”

Middle school students probably didn’t have evening study sessions, and their parents usually picked them up at a fixed time, so they were more strictly supervised.

Chu Xingning casually said, “Oh, he’s fine. Last time I got stopped, he helped me out. His family has relatives in the police.”

When Chu Tao heard about the police, his head started to hurt. He nodded, “Alright, then be careful. Don’t let anyone find out. We do have eyes in the school, you know. Aunt Tang’s information is always spot-on.”

Chu Xingning replied, “I’ll be careful.”

As Chu Xingning ran downstairs, Chu Tao prepared to spend an hour alone in the classroom for self-study.

He finally understood why Chu Xingning had been eating less at home; it seemed he had been fed just enough by the little kid.

When he returned, he noticed Jiang She’s bag was already packed.

Chu Tao froze.

Although Jiang She wasn’t great at studying, he wasn’t usually the most eager to leave after school.

Aside from being physical, Chu Tao had never seen him act with such determination.

“Going home?”

Jiang She grabbed his wrist. “Come with me.”

Chu Tao’s school jacket almost got pulled off, the collar hanging on the edge of his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Chu Tao tugged his jacket and looked up at Jiang She.

“My dad found me a tutor and is forcing me to take extra lessons. It’s really annoying. Help me out,” Jiang She said, frowning and looking frustrated.

Chu Tao’s gaze flickered, slightly suspicious. “How can I help you with extra lessons?”

Jiang She smirked. “It’s simple. Help me with my homework, answer my questions, and cover for me for two hours.”

Chu Tao rolled his eyes silently, lowering his head to organize his pencil case. “I’m not going. You can go to your own class.”

“Tch.” Jiang She casually put his arm around Chu Tao’s shoulder, leaning his head close to Chu Tao. “With our relationship, don’t you think it’s inappropriate not to help me?”

Chu Tao didn’t need to turn his head to smell Jiang She’s faint pheromone scent under the inhibitor.

He swallowed quietly, realizing that if Jiang She kept being so close and affectionate, there would be a day when he would develop a need for him.

Chu Tao pulled his arm away and stepped aside, slyly saying, “What relationship do we have?”

Jiang She was slightly displeased when Chu Tao pulled his arm away. When he heard the question, he immediately stared at him, his dark eyes full of teasing. “Should I say it out loud? In front of the whole class?”

Chu Tao instinctively wanted to cover Jiang She’s mouth. “You—”

But he quickly realized that he and Jiang She weren’t actually in any kind of relationship, so there was no need to be scared.

Chu Tao awkwardly pulled his hand back, his throat tightening.

Jiang She chuckled. “What’s going on, class president? I think it’d be fine to announce our buddy relationship, don’t you?”

“Sure, we’re great buddies,” Chu Tao said sarcastically.

He really didn’t want to go, but Jiang She’s persistent mouth was hard to stop. If he didn’t help, Jiang She might come up with some embarrassing story about him right on the spot.

Xu Yuan stretched and walked ahead. Seeing Jiang She carrying his bag while pulling Chu Tao along, he curiously asked Fang Sheng, “Does A She have something going on?”

Fang Sheng had already become immune to the daily “dog food” (couple affection), and hearing this, he replied numbly, “Right, A She has extra lessons tonight.”

Xu Yuan paused for a moment, then mumbled, “Damn, I must’ve stretched wrong. My ears must’ve gone deaf just now. Can you say that again?”

Fang Sheng shook his legs and bragged, “A She’s been worried lately, wondering whether it’s better to aim for Tsinghua or Peking University.”

Xu Yuan understood immediately, patted his chest, and sighed in relief, “Ah, I get it now. A She must be taking lessons in a mental subject, huh? Delusions need to be treated, no time to waste.”

Fang Sheng raised a hand and made a slashing motion across his neck, “You’re done for. The day A She gets his name on the top list, will be the day your life ends.”

Xu Yuan cursed, “Damn, I’m going to live to be a hundred.”

Chu Tao followed Jiang She into the neighborhood, stepping on scattered peach blossoms and breathing in the fresh, damp scent of the shrubs. While it was still light outside, they went upstairs and entered the elevator.

Unable to help himself, Chu Tao asked, “What extra lessons are you taking? Do your parents still care about your studies?”

Jiang She shot him a glance, “Funny enough, they do care.”

Jiang She led Chu Tao into the house, rummaged through the fridge, and tossed two packets of red bean bread to Chu Tao. “Here, eat this first. The tutor will be here soon.”

Chu Tao hugged the bread, which still carried a slight chill.

It was impossible to go out for a meal now, and since he wasn’t picky, Chu Tao sat with Jiang She on the sofa. They ate the cold bread with plain water for dinner.

Chu Tao kindly advised him, “If you really want to study hard, just attending extra lessons isn’t enough. You also need to pay attention in school and do your homework properly.”

But as soon as he said it, he regretted it, since it was obvious Jiang She didn’t have that intention.

Jiang She sniffed the air, “What’s that smell, it’s so nice?”

Chu Tao was momentarily startled. “What?”

Jiang She couldn’t resist, his finger resting on Chu Tao’s back. “Seems like your inhibitor is wearing off?”

He seemed to catch a faint scent of Chu Tao’s pheromones.

It was similar to peach petals soaked in spring water—slightly bitter, but with a refreshing fragrance.

But Jiang She couldn’t understand why he always felt like touching Chu Tao.

Clearly, Alpha pheromones were supposed to repel each other, and without the inhibitor, he shouldn’t even be able to stand being near Chu Tao. He should be pushing him away instead.

Chu Tao snapped back to reality and hurriedly pulled an inhibitor from his pocket, spraying it on the nape of his neck several times.

Jiang She’s throat tensed. The scent of the pheromones was no longer detectable, but his urge to act seemed to grow stronger.

Fortunately, the doorbell rang, and Chu Tao immediately stood up from the sofa.

With the distance between them, Jiang She’s desire faded slightly, and he took a moment to calm himself, his body’s restlessness returning to normal.

Maybe it had been too long since he last released some tension, so sitting next to Chu Tao was making him turn on.

As the host, he got up to answer the door.

At the door stood a middle-aged man in a plain polo shirt, wearing round glasses and with slightly wind-blown hair.

“Are you Jiang She? I’m the tutor, Mr. Nian.”

Mr. Nian Li Hua smiled cheerfully and was quite polite toward Jiang She.

Of course, his politeness was partly because of Jiang Qifeng’s influence.

But Chu Tao froze.

Nian Li Hua was the tutor Yang Liu had recommended to him—the head of the chemistry department at their school, and the person who had helped train five students who won first prizes in the chemistry competition at Huainan No. 1 High School.

He was the one who was notoriously difficult to book for tutoring, and without an insider connection, it was nearly impossible to even get the money to go through. The best teacher, in other words.

There was no doubt about it.

Chu Tao respectfully greeted, “Mr. Nian.”

Then he gave Jiang She a deep, meaningful look.

He didn’t believe this was a coincidence—there could be no such thing.

This tutoring session had clearly been arranged by Jiang She for him.

Jiang She leaned against the wall, his expression natural. After letting Mr. Nian in, he reached for the door and shut it.

Mr. Nian froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected there to be two kids, and Director Jiang hadn’t mentioned it on the phone.

He didn’t know Chu Tao, but figured he was probably a friend of Jiang Qifeng’s child.

“Ah, hello, hello. Starting today, every Friday evening, I’ll be teaching you chemistry. The classes won’t be too long. For high school chemistry, ten lessons should be enough. So Jiang She, tell your father not to worry, it’s fine if the basics are weak. As long as you remember what I teach, it will be fine.”

“Okay, thank you.” Jiang She handed Mr. Nian his slippers, then snapped his fingers in front of Chu Tao. “What are you daydreaming about?”

Mr. Nian asked while putting on the slippers, “Is this student’s academic performance similar to yours?”

Jiang She, with a hint of pride, answered, “No, he’s in the top 50 of the grade.”

Mr. Nian raised his eyebrows in surprise and took a closer look at Chu Tao. “Oh, so you’re doing well in school! But your foundations are different, so the progress in class might…”

Jiang She didn’t even think before replying, “We’ll go at his pace. I’m fine with it.”

Chu Tao pursed his lips and mumbled, “Jiang She…”

He had finally understood.

Jiang She wasn’t being forced into tutoring by his family—he probably forced his family to find the best chemistry teacher for him, just so that this teacher could tutor Chu Tao.

Chu Tao couldn’t describe what he felt inside.

It was a strange feeling, growing stronger the moment he saw Mr. Nian.

He realized that there really was someone who kept him at the top of their mind, taking care of him, being thoughtful and considerate.

Because they cared, they silently took care of everything for him, making sure he had no psychological burden while doing it all under the guise of helping.

Jiang She was only seventeen.

Chu Tao’s peach blossom eyes trembled slightly, the corners of his eyes folding into a shallow crease, and his eyelids felt a little sore.

The sweet taste of red bean paste still lingered on his lips, and the fragrant sweetness spread throughout his mouth, flowing down his nerves, radiating through his whole body.

The bread… was so sweet.

Jiang She lazily smiled, leaned in, and whispered near his ear, “With that look in your eyes, are you planning to give yourself to me?”