For the sake of not affecting their upcoming exams, the students condensed all their countless thoughts into a single phrase—”Reviewing.”

If they got caught up in gossip now and ended up bombing the mock test, that would be too unprofitable.

Song Yize posted the exam schedule on the back wall and returned to his seat.

Zhang Qiang, not wanting to disturb Song Yize, had already placed the sandwich and his school uniform jacket—filled with mint and white tea pheromones—on his desk in advance.

He was genuinely curious about how Song Yize would handle the jacket.

When Song Yize saw the uniform, he showed no reaction at all. He simply hung it on the back of his chair, then opened his Chinese textbook and started memorizing character pronunciations.

Zhang Qiang felt an unbearable itch in his heart.

How could God Ze have absolutely no reaction? He was entirely unaffected by such a pleasant Omega pheromone.

As expected, God Ze was just that noble and pure, his willpower unshakable.

Lending the jacket must’ve been a gesture of kindness, or maybe he was tempted by that Omega.

Just then, Zhang Qiang felt Song Yize behind him nudging his back.

He turned around, thinking Song Yize was going to ask him about a classical Chinese translation, but instead, Song Yize opened his mouth and asked, “If someone tells you to stay closer to them, what does that mean?”

Zhang Qiang: “…”

“And if they say otherwise, they might disappear one day. What does that mean?”

Zhang Qiang was silent for a moment before forcing himself to respond, “…Ze-ge, are you doing reading comprehension questions?”

It was as if something suddenly clicked in Song Yize’s mind. His expression quickly turned cold.

He lowered his pale eyes, the corners subtly lifted, his long lashes casting shadows that concealed the emotions flowing beneath them.

Everyone in the classroom was focused on their review, too busy preparing for the upcoming test to engage in idle chatter.

Song Yize tucked away everything he had revealed, spread open his book, picked up his pen, and in a calm, indifferent voice, said:

“Mm.”

–

The mock tests began at 9 a.m. and continued without end.

This mock test was similar to the real college entrance exam, though the question formats differed slightly. Most of the questions were designed by the teachers themselves to assess the students’ recent progress.

This time, the examination room was arranged according to the rankings from the last city-wide test for second-year students.

As a transfer student, Ning Xi was naturally placed in the last exam room.

Ning Xi put on his new school uniform, leaving the top button undone, revealing his cold, fair skin and the sharp, refined lines of his neck.

Strolling in as if he were taking a casual walk down the street, he slowly made his way to the last exam room and took the last seat.

“Hey, why have I never seen you before ah?”

The boy sitting in front of Ning Xi was a Beta. He had a roguish air about him, his collar wide open. Turning around, he gave Ning Xi a once-over and spoke.

The boy to his left was likely an Alpha. He had dreadlocks and had rolled up the cuffs of his pants—clearly not the studious type. “Did you fall down from the top floors ah?”

Ning Xi didn’t respond right away. He unzipped his pencil case, took out a pen, and only then replied, “No.”

With that, he opened the pen cap and placed it lightly on the desk. “I earned my seat here with my own abilities.”

Although the Alpha and Beta weren’t strong in academics, they were in a position of being pressured by the school’s disciplinary action this time and wanted to score well on this mock test. “Hey, you seem like you actually study. How about we work together?”

Ning Xi raised an eyebrow.

The Beta said, “I’m okay at Chinese. I got 85 points last time, just barely missed passing. Xiao Song’s English is decent; on a good day, he can score 80 points, and even on a bad day, he can still manage 60 or 70. As for science, we all just guess, so there’s no real reference point. Let me ask you ah, little brother, how’s your math ah?”

Ning Xi had never been one for shortcuts in exams, but he also wasn’t the type to meddle unnecessarily. “Me? I scored 65 in math on my high school entrance exam.”

Alpha silently gulped.

This was Xian Chang No.1 High, after all ah. Even art students needed to pass math to make the cut.

He hadn’t expected to meet someone here who was even worse at math than him. He said, “No worries, we, brothers, got you. You’ll be fine this time.”

Ning Xi waved a hand and gave a polite smile. “Aiya, don’t worry about me. You guys just focus on your own test. I’ve already given up.”

After saying that, he slumped onto the desk, burying his head in his arms. “Oh, just call me when the test is over. I’m gonna nap for a bit.”

Alpha and Beta: “…”

It was the first time they’d seen an Omega like this.

In truth, Ning Xi had only just graduated, so high school knowledge was still fresh in his mind. The well-memorized formulas, problem-solving methods, and question types were like a fish back in the water for him, a piece of cake.

As for the exam, Ning Xi adhered to the principle of “if you’re going to play a role, play it to the fullest.” Since he had already claimed to be a scum student, he had to make sure his grades lived up to that expectation.

Being a scum student? That was easy.

All he had to do was sleep through the test ah.

Twenty minutes after receiving the exam paper, Ning Xi casually filled in the multiple-choice answers, scribbled a few words for the essay, and then went to sleep.

He rested his head on the desk, tucking it completely into the crook of his arms.

The exam room was the perfect environment for sleeping—everyone was so focused that they wouldn’t make much noise. The only sounds were the scratching of pens on paper and the occasional rustling from a few dishonest students in the back gesturing to each other.

Ning Xi hadn’t slept well last night—or rather, he hadn’t been in great mental shape lately.

The quiet atmosphere soon lulled him into drowsiness. Ning Xi’s eyelids grew so heavy that he could no longer keep them open.

He felt his entire body go weak, sinking deeper into a lethargic state as if something was draining his strength. A helpless fatigue quickly took over.

Ning Xi seemed unable to move.

For a moment, even breathing became difficult. His head throbbed with a splitting pain—a dizzy, muddled sensation that left him disoriented.

It was as if he was trapped in a dream, desperately trying to break free from his surroundings, only to have vines coil tightly around his throat, restraining him.

Countless unfamiliar scents seemed to press in from all directions, carrying a chilling sense of alienation and fear. They seeped into his cells, crushing his chest with suffocating pressure.

His heartbeat accelerated wildly, and even breathing became agonizing.

“Click—BANG!”

The students in the examination room were all startled.

The overhead light at the back of the room had suddenly come loose—one of its screws had broken.

The long fluorescent tube fell in an instant, but since the other end was still tightly secured, the heated glass swayed violently in midair.

And that light was hanging directly above Ning Xi’s head.

If he had been sitting upright working on his exam, the falling light would have struck him square on the head.

Ning Xi’s rationality finally yanked him out of his dazed and painful state, but what greeted him upon waking was a cacophony of noise.

The students were all staring in shock at his direction.

With difficulty, Ning Xi pried his eyes open and lifted his head—only to see the light hanging ominously above him like a sword poised to strike at any moment.

Ah.

He saw the invigilator rushing over, asking if he was hurt, but his ears couldn’t hear anything anymore.

That was close ah.

Ning Xi’s head buzzed, and the back of his neck burned as if it were on fire, something scorching him with an unbearable heat.

“The light actually fell down.”

“Holy s***, what is this ah…”

“This Omega is also too miserable…”

“He’s not hurt right…”

The exam hall was filled with hushed whispers.

Ning Xi didn’t seem to have been hit, but his consciousness was already starting to blur.

Almost…

It was really dangerous.

—

At 9 PM, the science exam finally ended.

The students walked out of the exam room, holding their test papers, cursing the damned molecular interaction problem the entire way.

As soon as Song Yize returned to the classroom, he was met with a chorus of wailing and lamenting.

Looking up, he saw that the English class representative had already put the English exam answers on the projector for everyone to check.

“Help ah. Heaven ah, I actually got three cloze questions wrong ah!”

“Ah, ah, ah, ah, why must I face reality? Can’t I just have a peaceful night’s sleep?”

“Why are we checking answers at this point ah? Wang Yanyan, aren’t you poisonous ah!”

Song Yize glanced at the screen indifferently, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.

He sat back down, intending to double-check his pressure ratio calculations, but Zhang Qiang suddenly collapsed onto his desk.

Zhang Qiang wailed, “Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, Ze-ge ah, I’m doomed. I didn’t even write out the structural formula ah, ah, ah, ah, ah—this is all your fault—”

Song Yize: “Why blame me? You didn’t write it, so now it’s my fault for not taking the test for you?”

Zhang Qiang straightened up and said, “That school uniform—this morning, an Omega came to return it to you. You actually lent your uniform to an Omega! Do you know how devastated I was when I heard that?!”

Song Yize remained composed, his expression calm. “Then why didn’t you tell me this morning?”

“Well, I didn’t want to affect your exam performance.” Zhang Qiang sighed. “But Ze-ge, did you hear? During the exam today, the light in the last exam room actually fell. It might’ve hit an Omega.”

Song Yize lifted his gaze.

“I f***, it was terrifying. That classroom still uses old hanging lights instead of LEDs. They were already kind of worn out, but I never expected one to actually fall.” Zhang Qiang clutched his chest. “Now I’m really scared that the ceiling fan above my head might suddenly drop while spinning.”

A flicker of doubt passed through Song Yize’s usually calm and steady eyes.

Just as he was about to ask something, Zhang Qiang suddenly started jabbing his elbow into Song Yize’s arm like crazy.

Looking toward the doorway, Zhang Qiang lowered his voice in a panicked whisper, flailing in agitation. “Holy s****, it’s him! It’s the Omega who returned your uniform this morning!”

Song Yize followed his gaze and saw Ning Xi standing at the back door of the classroom.

He was slender and delicate, dressed in a loose school uniform. His dark eyelashes framed his eyes, making them look exceptionally beautiful.

Looking at Song Yize, he said, “Song Yize, come out for a moment.”

Zhang Qiang was a thousand times more excited than the person involved. He impatiently said, “Holy s***t, is this the start of a confession? That’s a little fierce ah—right after an exam ah! But why have I never seen him before? He’s pretty good-looking ah.”

Song Yize ignored Zhang Qiang, but as soon as he stood up, Zhang Qiang grabbed him again.

“Ze-ge, be gentle when you reject him, don’t break his heart too badly. And listen, you better not be a Scum A ah. We’re in our last year of high school…”

Song Yize pried Zhang Qiang’s hand away. “What are you even talking about?”

After saying that, he walked towards the door.

After the exams, students had free time to arrange as they pleased. The dim hallway lights were on, providing just enough illumination. Students passed by in twos and threes, moving to and from their classrooms.

Song Yize walked up to Ning Xi. He looked at the beautiful Omega before him and asked, “What is it?”

To be honest, when he heard Zhang Qiang mention “confession,” his body instinctively tensed.

This Ning Xi did seem to like him, at least a little. Otherwise, why did he always linger around him, always putting on a cute act?

Ning Xi looked up at Song Yize, the corners of his eyes slightly lifted. His gaze was bright and unwavering, showing no trace of hesitation.

He stared at Song Yize openly and boldly, which, in turn, made Song Yize look away, unable to meet those sparkling eyes.

No way. Is he really going to confess?

For the first time, Song Yize felt a tiny bit nervous.

After a long time, Ning Xi spoke, his tone firm and resolute: “Yize, let’s play dice.”

Song Yize: “…?”

Before his nervousness even had a chance to build up, it was completely and utterly crushed.

With four eyes facing each other, the air inexplicably froze.

Seriously.

This Ning Xi always had a way of catching him off guard.

---

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