When they were eating noodles, Jiang Zhan had a strange expression on his face, looking somewhat unhappy. But he still obediently finished his noodles without mentioning any other requests.

Wei Xiaochi silently thanked the heavens in his mind, quickly finishing his meal and rushing to take Jiang Zhan out of the noodle shop, afraid that this mighty figure might cause some trouble again.

The lunch break was only an hour long, but fortunately, the shop wasn’t far from the school, so they had plenty of time.

Jiang Zhan pushed Wei Xiaochi back toward the school, and as they passed a cold drink shop, the motorcycle came to a stop.

The beef noodles from lunch were too greasy, and Jiang Zhan’s delicate stomach kept reminding him of that taste, so he asked Wei Xiaochi to buy a cup of lemon water to settle his stomach.

“Make it ice-cold,” Jiang Zhan said, handing his phone to Wei Xiaochi.

The phone screen was lit up, showing the payment QR code. Wei Xiaochi’s finger twitched, clearly intending to use Jiang Zhan’s phone to pay for the drink.

However, just as his hand was about to reach out, he pulled it back. Wei Xiaochi turned around and walked toward the cold drink shop.

This would be the last time. After buying Jiang Zhan a cup of lemon water, they would be even, no one owed anyone anything.

There were five or six customers in line in front of Wei Xiaochi. When it was his turn, he politely said, “Hello, a cup of lemon water, with ice.”

The shop assistant replied, “14 yuan, please scan here.”

“Cash.” Wei Xiaochi rummaged through a pile of change and handed over 14 yuan.

Once Wei Xiaochi took the lemon water, Jiang Zhan inserted a straw and drank a few sips, then casually handed the cup back to Wei Xiaochi. “Let’s go, get on the bike.”

Wei Xiaochi, holding the lemon water, struggled to get on the bike.

Today, they were quite lucky. They hit all green lights on the way to school. Jiang Zhan parked the motorcycle, and Wei Xiaochi handed him the lemon water.

Nowadays, everything used eco-friendly paper straws. After the lemon water had been sitting there for so long, Jiang Zhan lost his desire to drink.

“I’m not drinking it anymore. Throw it away.”

Wei Xiaochi froze for a moment. Was he really going to throw away more than half a cup? That was 14 yuan!

Jiang Zhan, of course, didn’t hear Wei Xiaochi’s thoughts and was already walking away toward the parking lot.

There were only five minutes left until class started. Even though they were in the same building, Jiang Zhan was on the fourth floor, so he didn’t wait for Wei Xiaochi. He stretched his long legs and left Wei Xiaochi behind.

Suddenly, he remembered the things the optician had given him, still lying under his motorcycle seat. He felt a little annoyed and decided to turn back to tell Wei Xiaochi to come get them after school.

As Jiang Zhan retraced his steps, he bumped into Wei Xiaochi coming toward him.

Wei Xiaochi, holding the straw between his lips, was savoring the lemon water. The first sip was sour from the lemon, but as he swallowed, he could taste the sweetness. It was a refreshing, ice-cold drink, perfect for summer.

Now Wei Xiaochi understood why people liked this drink in the summer. It really was quite tasty.

He drank contentedly, the part of the straw in his mouth dampened, finally showing a little color in his pale face.

When he looked up, he locked eyes with Jiang Zhan’s deep, unreadable gaze. Wei Xiaochi froze, staring blankly at him.

Yesterday, Han Ziyang had been whispering in Jiang Zhan’s ear, saying that Wei Xiaochi had feelings for him. If Jiang Zhan didn’t feel the same, he should stay away from Wei Xiaochi, not giving him hope only to dash it later.

The reason Han Ziyang said this was because he knew that Jiang Zhan and Wei Xiaochi had shared a room.

Though they had booked a standard room, each with their own bed, and nothing had happened between them, it was still one room. Besides, Wei Xiaochi liked Jiang Zhan.

Han Ziyang’s reasoning seemed solid — how could there be so many coincidences? It must have been a case of someone deliberately orchestrating it.

To Han Ziyang, Wei Xiaochi was that “someone” — secretly in love with Jiang Zhan and often trailing him. That’s why Wei Xiaochi had shown up right when Jiang Zhan’s phone payment failed.

Then came the buns, the medicine, and the peeking into the classroom. When he saw that Jiang Zhan wasn’t interested in these antics, Wei Xiaochi pretended to be there to collect a debt, to cover up the fact that he was acting like a stalker.

Han Ziyang reasoned that Jiang Zhan’s temper might not be the best, but he had never been known for refusing to pay debts or extorting money.

If you were really collecting a debt, you would do it openly, not create all these excuses. What Wei Xiaochi was doing wasn’t about collecting debt; he just wanted Jiang Zhan’s body!

“Ugh, shameless,” Han Ziyang thought, feeling self-satisfied with his analysis, imagining himself as a real-life Sherlock Holmes.

Jiang Zhan hadn’t believed a word, telling Han Ziyang to go away and not bother him.

Until this moment, Jiang Zhan finally believed him. Every interaction with Wei Xiaochi now seemed to carry a different meaning.

— When they paid back the money earlier, Jiang Zhan had asked Wei Xiaochi to scan the payment QR code, and Wei Xiaochi had gotten a QR code business card. That’s how they ended up adding each other on WeChat.

— At the hospital entrance, Wei Xiaochi had pretended to be homeless and insisted on booking a standard room to sleep with him.

— Today, at the noodle shop, his hidden intentions were even more obvious, especially when he was still sucking on the straw that Jiang Zhan had used.

Han Ziyang was right — this was a scheming, manipulative beta.

Wei Xiaochi had been bullied in middle school for three years, and his intuition about danger was sharp. During the brief moment of eye contact with Jiang Zhan, he felt a strange, subtle sensation.

He couldn’t quite describe it — it wasn’t danger, but it wasn’t a good vibe either.

His radar for warning went off, and in that instant, Wei Xiaochi stiffened, ready to run.

The brief moment their eyes met, Jiang Zhan suddenly stepped forward, casting a shadow that stretched like an ever-expanding spider web. Wei Xiaochi was the prey.

Wei Xiaochi, frightened by the scene he had imagined in his mind, ran off. But after just a few steps, the athletic alpha grabbed him by the collar.

Cold shivers ran down his neck, and Wei Xiaochi hunched his shoulders, trying not to move, like a prey animal playing dead.

Jiang Zhan’s cold voice rang in his ear, “What’s the rush?”

To Jiang Zhan, this was just Wei Xiaochi’s guilty conscience.

Wei Xiaochi swallowed hard and squeezed out two words, “Nothing.”

Jiang Zhan raised an eyebrow arrogantly. “Nothing? Not running, or not liking me?”

Wei Xiaochi wanted to say he hadn’t been running, but when he heard Jiang Zhan’s confused tone, he was caught off guard.

Jiang Zhan said firmly, “You like me!”

Wei Xiaochi blinked, stunned, and quickly responded, “I don’t.”

“You dare lie?” Jiang Zhan tightened his grip on Wei Xiaochi’s collar.

“I don’t,” Wei Xiaochi stammered, seeing Jiang Zhan’s fist coming toward him. Terrified, he quickly caved. “I… I like you. I like you, okay?”

Jiang Zhan released him, a look of ‘I knew it’ on his face.

“I’m helping you today just because you helped me block Fang earlier. Got it?”

Wei Xiaochi, still panicked, nodded quickly. “Got it. Got it.”

“I suggest you give up on this idea.” Jiang Zhan poked Wei Xiaochi’s forehead repeatedly with his finger. “I have no such thoughts about you, and I never will.”

Wei Xiaochi winced at the poking, his face scrunching up in discomfort. His glasses slid down, and his long eyelashes made his gaze even more delicate.

He mumbled, “I understand.”

To Jiang Zhan, this seemed like a beta in love — deeply troubled by unrequited feelings.

He couldn’t help but soften his approach, his frown deepening as he said firmly, “Don’t do this. I’m not falling for it.”

Wei Xiaochi, confused, asked, “What do you mean, ‘don’t do this’? What am I doing?”

Jiang Zhan grew more certain that Wei Xiaochi was a manipulative green tea beta. He looked innocent but was really scheming. If he hadn’t been so impulsive to take him to the hotel and share a room, would he have been playing these games now?

Frustrated, Jiang Zhan suddenly grabbed Wei Xiaochi’s face, rubbing it roughly like dough, pinching and squishing it.

Wei Xiaochi winced as the rough treatment caused him pain. Though Jiang Zhan avoided his wounds, they were still tugged at, and he couldn’t help but hiss.

Jiang Zhan stopped, his hand firmly holding Wei Xiaochi’s face as he snarled, “I’m warning you, don’t like me!”

Wei Xiaochi didn’t understand why Jiang Zhan was so sure he liked him and tried to defend himself. “I didn’t…”

Jiang Zhan’s hand tightened, “Lying again? You addicted to it or what?”

Wei Xiaochi could only nod miserably, his eyes brimming with tears, signaling that he wouldn’t lie anymore.

Jiang Zhan, feeling he had made himself clear, gave a cold snort, released him, and walked away with his hands in his pockets, walking away arrogantly.

When Jiang Zhan was completely out of sight, Wei Xiaochi finally sighed with relief, his face burning from the rough treatment.

He didn’t understand why Jiang Zhan had misunderstood him just because he drank his leftover drink. What was wrong with sharing a drink? And he couldn’t throw away a big cup — that was 14 yuan he worked hard to earn!

Wei Xiaochi just couldn’t get Jiang Zhan’s way of thinking, just like Jiang Zhan couldn’t understand his casualness.

It just proved that they were from different worlds. Trying to force them together would only lead to trouble.

Out of breath, Wei Xiaochi rushed back to class just as the bell rang.

Zhang Mingyang turned to look at his face for a few seconds and then scoffed, saying, “No self-respect,” before turning away and ignoring him.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t feel like arguing with Zhang Mingyang. He rubbed his face, which still felt sore, as if someone had been scrubbing it.

Sigh.

After class, Wei Xiaochi reluctantly left his seat and slowly moved to the back row. He wanted to greet someone but wasn’t sure how to start.

After hesitating for a while, he finally managed to blurt out, “That…”

During the break, which was only ten minutes long, Jiang Li was absorbed in playing PUBG, afraid that the teacher would catch him with his head down. His phone was hidden in his desk, and he was yelling excitedly while playing.

When he heard Wei Xiaochi’s voice, Jiang Li cautiously looked up, his gaze falling on Wei Xiaochi’s face in confusion.

“You said you wanted me to help you with your homework at lunch,” Wei Xiaochi reminded him.

Jiang Li seemed to snap out of his daze, hesitated for a moment, then decisively said, “I was wrong.”

When he admitted it, Wei Xiaochi panicked because this meant the deal was off.

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t stupid. He knew what Jiang Li was worried about, so he quickly explained, “I don’t have anything going on with Jiang Zhan. I already told him you didn’t bully me, so he won’t bother with you anymore.”

For a moment, Jiang Li looked moved but then shook his head. “Forget it. Better not get involved.” He went back to playing his game.

Wei Xiaochi had no choice but to approach someone else, but they also politely refused, saying they wanted to focus on studying and bettering themselves.

With no one willing to help, Wei Xiaochi returned to his seat, dejected, letting out a long sigh.

Zhang Mingyang scoffed sarcastically at him, and Wei Xiaochi just shot him a glance, not feeling like starting a fight. He rested his head on his arm and sank into thought.

Author’s Note:

Silent Scene —

With a clenched fist: “You dare lie?”

Wei Xiaochi, being timid, couldn’t bring himself to deny liking him.