The two of them had a bizarre argument. More accurately, it was Jiang Zhan losing his temper unilaterally, followed by an inexplicable reconciliation.

Then Jiang Zhan got angry again because Wei Xiaochi refused to skip work in the morning to go to the hospital.

It seemed that Jiang Zhan came over that morning to take Wei Xiaochi to pick up his test results and give his gland a thorough check-up.

His serious attitude even made Wei Xiaochi start to believe he might undergo a secondary differentiation.

The suppressants ended up not being returned because Jiang Zhan had unwrapped all the barrier agents.

Now, Wei Xiaochi had an ¥80,000 bracelet on his wrist, a ¥10,000 pendant on his neck, and even a ¥3,000 signet ring hanging from his necklace.

The brooch was simple—rose gold clover with a ring of diamonds around the edges, understated but luxurious, completely mismatched with Wei Xiaochi’s casual T-shirt.

Feeling it was too flashy, Wei Xiaochi pinned the brooch inside the pocket of his sweatpants. It wasn’t in the way and didn’t stand out.

After securing it, he nervously fiddled with the pocket, worried that the diamonds might fall off.

He wanted to ask Jiang Zhan about it, but Jiang Zhan’s face had been sour ever since he refused to go to the hospital. The oppressive atmosphere left him too scared to open his mouth.

At 8:56 AM, Wei Xiaochi barely arrived at Li Suilin’s house in time.

Han Ziyang and the others had arrived much earlier. When they saw Wei Xiaochi and Jiang Zhan coming in one after the other, the trio of slackers stretched their necks to watch the two of them.

Han Ziyang, who knew his “Brother Zhan” well, didn’t think someone like Wei Xiaochi could ever stir Jiang Zhan’s emotions.

Forget about Wei Xiaochi—even if a celestial omega came to confess to Jiang Zhan, they’d still leave in defeat.

But lately, Han Ziyang couldn’t shake the feeling that Brother Zhan seemed to be getting closer to Wei Xiaochi and even appeared to protect him from time to time.

This didn’t make sense at all. It was scientifically impossible. Something must have happened that he didn’t know about.

Han Ziyang’s gaze was like an X-ray as he scanned Wei Xiaochi from head to toe, trying to figure out what secrets lay between him and Jiang Zhan.

As Jiang Zhan passed by Han Ziyang, he casually kicked him in the knee. Han Ziyang doubled over in pain, glaring at Jiang Zhan in shock and uncertainty.

Jiang Zhan walked past as if nothing had happened, his expression blank, not even sparing Han Ziyang a glance.

Rubbing his sore knee, Han Ziyang was filled with doubt but didn’t dare confront Jiang Zhan. Instead, he cast a resentful glare at Wei Xiaochi.

What kind of mind games did this guy play on Brother Zhan?

Innocent Bystander Wei Xiaochi: ???

On the terrace under the shade of a sun umbrella, Li Suilin was reading a book. When he heard the door open, he glanced up. His gaze fell on the bracelet peeking out from Wei Xiaochi’s wrist, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

“Xiaochi,” Li Suilin put down his book and beckoned him over.

Wei Xiaochi approached the refined alpha upon hearing his name. “What’s up, class president?”

Li Suilin’s gaze seemed casual, falling on the bracelet on Wei Xiaochi’s wrist. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and his deep, pleasant voice remained steady.

He handed a few test papers to Wei Xiaochi. “You’ve been tutoring them for a week. Let’s see the results.”

“Okay.” Wei Xiaochi took the papers and handed them out to the four slackers.

After distributing the papers, he glanced at Jiang Zhan. He couldn’t help sneaking a peek at him.

The alpha’s features were incredibly striking. His chin was arrogantly lifted, his thin lips tightly pursed, giving him an air of aloof indifference.

For some inexplicable reason, Wei Xiaochi felt like Jiang Zhan’s expression was one that needed comforting.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Wei Xiaochi pulled a chocolate bar from his pocket and timidly pushed it toward Jiang Zhan.

This was Wei Xiaochi’s emergency stash—he carried one every day but only ate it when he felt dizzy, otherwise keeping it in his pocket.

The proud alpha glanced at the chocolate on the table, his gaze dripping with disdain.

Seeing that Jiang Zhan didn’t seem interested, Wei Xiaochi reached out to take the chocolate back.

For Wei Xiaochi, this chocolate wasn’t just a snack; it was life-saving medicine.

But Jiang Zhan was faster, pressing down on the chocolate before Wei Xiaochi could take it back. His fingers were long and pale, exuding an air of privilege.

Wei Xiaochi hadn’t expected this and accidentally grabbed two of Jiang Zhan’s fingers while trying to retrieve the chocolate.

“What—what are you doing?”

Jiang Zhan’s beautifully sharp eyes widened. He quickly withdrew his hand, his expression resembling a chaste young lady scandalized by a rogue. For a brief moment, his face betrayed his panic.

Wei Xiaochi hadn’t thought much of it initially, but Jiang Zhan’s overreaction made him feel awkward as well. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Jiang Zhan turned his face away, speaking stiffly. “Don’t take advantage of me.”

“…”

How is this taking advantage? Isn’t pinching someone’s face more intimate than touching their hand?

The three slackers who had been dutifully working on their papers suddenly perked up, their heads popping up to watch, their expressions full of interest.

Jiang Rui: “Ooh, ooh, ooh~~ taking advantage, huh?”

Zhao Zifeng: “Should I even be hearing this?”

Han Ziyang: “Tsk, tsk, this kid really has started clinging to Brother Zhan.”

Wei Xiaochi: …

After everyone finished the first set of questions, Wei Xiaochi collected the papers and handed out a new set.

For the sake of his dwindling reputation, Wei Xiaochi distanced himself from Jiang Zhan, finding a corner to grade the papers for the slackers.

As he focused on the papers, the faint sound of a walking cane tapping against the ground came from behind him. A long shadow fell over him.

Li Suilin leaned slightly, glancing at the papers in Wei Xiaochi’s hands. “How’s the progress this week?”

Li Suilin didn’t get too close, maintaining an appropriate distance, so Wei Xiaochi felt completely at ease.

“Not bad. Jiang Rui scored 85, Han Ziyang 80.” Wei Xiaochi handed over two papers. “I haven’t graded the rest yet.”

The questions were chosen by Li Suilin from a database, all covering topics Wei Xiaochi had reviewed extensively during the week. The test was out of 100 points. Although the scores weren’t low, Li Suilin was visibly dissatisfied.

The questions weren’t difficult. As long as they paid attention in class, they could easily score above 90, if not full marks.

Wei Xiaochi, sensitive to emotions, noticed the faint displeasure on Li Suilin’s face and quickly graded the remaining two papers.

When he finished grading, he handed the papers to Li Suilin with trepidation.

Zhao Zifeng did quite well, scoring 92.

As for Jiang Zhan… his score was an embarrassing 52. It was as if he had learned nothing at all.

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t too surprised by Jiang Zhan’s score. Throughout the week, Jiang Zhan had attended tutoring with a sour face, barely acknowledging Wei Xiaochi, and paying little attention in class.

If Jiang Zhan had scored well, it would’ve been more surprising.

While Zhao Zifeng scored 92, Jiang Zhan only got 52. Although it was Jiang Zhan’s own fault, Wei Xiaochi felt secondhand embarrassment.

Li Suilin held Jiang Zhan’s paper in his hand, staring at it for a full two minutes without saying a word. The atmosphere grew tense.

Wei Xiaochi felt like a student about to defend his thesis, his head bowed, his hands clasped behind him, anxiously waiting for Li Suilin to pass judgment.

Finally, Li Suilin’s gaze shifted from the paper. He reached out, hooking his finger around the expensive platinum chain on Wei Xiaochi’s neck and tucking the pendant back into his shirt.

The movement was natural, without a hint of offense, and he didn’t even touch Wei Xiaochi.

Startled, Wei Xiaochi instinctively touched his neck. The pendant must have slipped out while he was grading papers.

Li Suilin, as if nothing had happened, withdrew his hand and turned his attention back to the papers.

“Is tutoring them every day exhausting?” His tone was casual.

Wei Xiaochi felt a sudden sense of danger and hurriedly replied, “Not at all. I’m not tired at all.”

Li Suilin didn’t respond, tapping his fingers on the papers’ mistakes, as if in thought.

Anxious about being fired, Wei Xiaochi wanted to probe Li Suilin’s attitude several times but held back. Ever since witnessing Li Suilin dominate during a debate, Wei Xiaochi had developed an unparalleled respect—and fear—for him.

When the four slackers finished their papers, Wei Xiaochi reluctantly gathered them.

As he passed Jiang Zhan, he received a fierce glare. His heart sank before annoyance bubbled up—Scoring so poorly and still having the nerve to get angry.

At this point, Wei Xiaochi didn’t dare slack off. He returned to his corner to diligently grade the papers.

Standing tall, Li Suilin’s voice rang out faintly, “The scores are in. I’m very dissatisfied.”

His words caused everyone’s expressions to change. Wei Xiaochi lowered his head, nervously gripping his pen.

“Han Ziyang,” Li Suilin called.

Han Ziyang sat up straight as if his throat had been seized by fate, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

“80 points,” Li Suilin said slowly.

Han Ziyang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking 80 wasn’t bad at all.

“Jiang Rui, 85.”

“Zhao Zifeng, 92.”

“Jiang Zhan, 52.”

The gap between the highest and lowest scores was painfully clear. It was like a dagger to the heart. Even Wei Xiaochi, busy grading, couldn’t help glancing at Li Suilin.

Only Jiang Zhan remained indifferent. He leaned back in his chair, his elbow resting lazily on the floor-to-ceiling window.

Sunlight streamed in, casting a halo over the alpha’s head. His expression was one of complete disinterest, as if he were bored, arrogant but inexplicably fascinating.

Wei Xiaochi glanced at Jiang Zhan and quickly looked away, poking his pen at Jiang Zhan’s paper with frustration.

His grades were already bad, and he didn’t even have the right attitude to improve.

Li Suilin clearly thought the same, his gaze turning to Jiang Zhan with cool detachment.

“Everyone else has made progress except you. This only shows that you’re not suited to Xiaochi’s teaching.”

Wei Xiaochi’s head shot up, panic in his eyes.

Jiang Zhan finally stopped tilting his chair. His handsome eyebrows furrowed tightly, and his expression turned sour.

“If your score is just as bad in next week’s test, I’ll have Qin Zheng tutor you individually.”

Qin Zheng, a backup academic star on the basketball team, had been too busy with family matters to help out recently.

Jiang Zhan let out a mocking laugh, dripping with sarcasm. “Why should I listen to you?”

Li Suilin’s reply was calm and measured. “You don’t have to listen to me. Xiaochi was hired with my money. He listens to me.”

Jiang Zhan’s pupils narrowed sharply, a dangerous spark flashing in his eyes. He turned to Wei Xiaochi, his gaze almost tangible in its intensity.

Under Jiang Zhan’s overwhelming pressure, Wei Xiaochi swallowed hard, his throat bobbing nervously.

Just as it seemed like the tension would erupt, Li Suilin’s voice broke in, “Why are you looking at him? Could it be that you’re particularly eager for Xiaochi to teach you?”