The lecture was unexpectedly engaging. When it ended, everyone was surprised to realize it was already three o’clock.

The gym doors opened, and students began to exit in an orderly manner.

Chu Tao was a bit preoccupied.

Following behind Chu Xingning, he found it difficult to leave quickly.

Chu Xingning was like the school’s celebrity; everyone wanted to take a look, which caused quite a bit of congestion around them.

“Senior!”

Chu Tao didn’t look up.

“Senior Chu!”

Chu Tao thought they were calling his older brother, since students of all grades seemed to like Chu Xingning.

“Senior Chu Tao!”

Chu Tao finally snapped back to attention, raising his head and looking in the direction of the voice.

Mo Xi stood on tiptoe, trying to peek over the crowd, and waved excitedly at Chu Tao.

Chu Tao gave him a slight smile and waved back.

While everyone else was heading out, Mo Xi tried his best to make his way toward Chu Tao.

He was small and fragile, struggling awkwardly through the crowd, making only a few steps forward after much effort.

Mo Xi was almost in tears.

Chu Tao turned to Chu Xingning. “A junior called for me. I’ll go see what he needs.”

Chu Xingning glanced towards Jiang She, then nodded. “Oh, go ahead.”

Jiang She lazily sat on the table, his legs long enough that his toes could still touch the ground.

He watched Chu Tao’s back, his eyes filled with suppressed frustration.

He saw Chu Tao force his way through the crowd, rescuing the small Mo Xi from the throngs of people, using his arms to create a small space for him.

Chu Tao was taller than Mo Xi, and as they spoke, he kept his head down, his attitude exceptionally gentle and patient. When he smiled, it made the people who disliked him feel envious.

Mo Xi panted lightly, holding onto Chu Tao’s arm. “There are so many people. If it weren’t for you, senior, I’d have been crushed.”

Chu Tao’s gaze fell on Mo Xi’s soft, white fingers that were gripping his arm. He hesitated, but eventually, he didn’t pull away.

“Do you need something from me?”

Mo Xi looked up at him, pressed his lips together, and smiled with two dimples. “I wanted to ask, senior, is it you who will give the speech at the flag-raising ceremony next week?”

Chu Tao nodded. “Yes.”

This would probably be his last time speaking in front of the whole school. After the new students like Mo Xi came in, he could slowly step down.

Mo Xi’s eyes flickered, his fingers tightened slightly, and his ears turned faintly red. “Then, senior, could you record the speech for me? I think your voice sounds really nice, and I want to listen to it and learn from it.”

Chu Tao paused.

No one had ever valued the weekly flag-raising speech the way Mo Xi did.

They had never thought of recording the speeches before; they just did them and that was it.

“If you need it, I can record one for you.”

Mo Xi’s eyes lit up, and he excitedly grabbed Chu Tao’s hand. “Really? Senior, you’re so kind!”

His hand was smaller than Chu Tao’s, warm to the touch, faintly sweaty.

Chu Tao stiffened and slowly pulled his hand back.

“You’re welcome.”

Jiang She, annoyed, kicked the chair in front of him. The chair leg scraped against the concrete floor, making a painfully loud screeching sound.

Chu Xingning took a deep breath and shot a hostile look at Jiang She, lowering his voice. “I saw your school uniform at my house.”

Jiang She raised an eyebrow.

Chu Xingning took a calming breath and said coldly, “I don’t know what my brother did to offend you, but making him wash your clothes is too much. He has a strong sense of pride, and he won’t say if something bothers him, but that doesn’t mean he can be bullied!”

Fang Sheng was stunned and quickly intervened. “Chu-ge, you must have misunderstood. When did A-She make the class president wash clothes?”

Chu Xingning sneered, retorting, “Did I misunderstand?”

Jiang She gave a careless smile. “Are you here to back up Chu Tao?”

Chu Xingning knew Jiang She and his group were difficult to deal with, and since Chu Tao was still in class 3, if things went south, they might lose their standing.

He could only suppress his emotions and try to stay calm. “I just hope you stop making things difficult for him. Our family is ordinary; we just want to study hard and change our fate. My brother is very honest and won’t cause trouble. Although he’s the class president, I’ll tell him not to bring trouble to you.”

Fang Sheng, noticing that Chu Xingning clearly didn’t have a good impression of them, hastily said, “Did you hear some rumors? The class president fought with Pang Cai, and it was A-She who helped calm things down.”

Chu Xingning asked faintly, “Then why did he fight with Pang Cai?”

Fang Sheng paused.

Of course, it was because Pang Cai thought too highly of himself and wanted to vent for Jiang She, so he deliberately targeted the class president.

It really seems like it’s their responsibility…

Jiang She said meaningfully, “Then it depends on whether he listens well.”

Xu Yuan, the naïve one, who only knew how to stand by Jiang She’s side, chimed in, “That’s right, in class 3, Brother She calls the shots. Everyone has to listen carefully.”

Chu Xingning tightened his fists, his neck flushing with anger.

Fang Sheng’s eyes darted around, glancing here and there, feeling like things were getting a bit off track.

Chu Tao had sent Mo Xi away and turned back to look for Chu Xingning, but he was surprised to find Chu Xingning standing with Jiang She.

Jiang She was smiling, while his brother’s back was to him, his expression unclear.

A few students from other classes passed by, whispering—

“Is that Chu Xingning with Jiang She?”

“The beauty and the big shot?”

“Damn, I knew Jiang She would eventually make a move on the dreams of all the alphas in school.”

“Shit, a vendetta for stealing a wife, I’m noting this down!”

“Chu Xingning, the good student, probably wouldn’t end up with a school bully, right?”

“Who knows, so many Omegas like Jiang She. Even a high-and-mighty flower could come down from the pedestal.”

“Jiang She’s family is rich. No matter how handsome Chu Xingning is, he can’t make as much money as Jiang She’s family.”

“Being with Jiang She would be a one-way ticket to the top. Otherwise, why would Su Jingtong still be so hung up on him?”

“Shh, keep it down, Chu Xingning’s little brother is right there.”

Chu Tao furrowed his brows, feeling a bit conflicted inside.

—

Finally out of the gym, the fresh, cool air filled his lungs, sweeping away the staleness of the gym.

The gym was dark, and it felt almost unbearable to be hit by sunlight at first.

Most people shielded their eyes with their hands and jogged toward the classrooms.

The class bell rang loudly and sharply across the entire campus, startling the sparrows resting on the telephone poles, sending them into a flurry of flight.

Once they reached the lobby of the teaching building, Chu Tao and Chu Xingning’s paths no longer aligned.

Just as Chu Xingning was about to leave, Chu Tao tugged at him.

Chu Xingning paused, “What’s wrong?”

Chu Tao hesitated, then shook his head. “Nothing.”

When they got back to the classroom, before Chu Tao could sit down, Jiang She had already taken his seat.

Chu Tao’s chair had a cushion on it, and his bag was stuffed, making it quite comfortable to sit on.

Jiang She seemed reluctant to leave.

Chu Tao stood aside, coldly watching him. “What do you want now?”

Jiang She tapped the desk, growing angrier the more he thought about the intimate scene between Chu Tao and Mo Xi earlier.

But he felt like bringing it up would be a bit humiliating, so he wracked his brain looking for something to pick on Chu Tao about.

“Did you wash my school uniform?”

There were many people in the classroom, and Chu Tao was somewhat sensitive. He had his pride—if the word got out that he was washing clothes for someone, he wouldn’t be able to show his face again.

He glanced around instinctively. The class was noisy, and no one was paying attention to them.

Chu Tao lowered his voice, “It’s washed. When do you need it?”

Jiang She was still wearing his sportswear and naturally said, “I’ll definitely need to wear it next week.”

Chu Tao nodded. “Then set a place for the weekend, and I’ll bring it to you.”

Jiang She’s eyes shifted, and he absentmindedly played with Chu Tao’s pen, casually saying, “I’ll give you my address. You can just deliver it to my house.”

“Your house?”

Jiang She responded confidently, “Of course, why else? I need to go out, and I still have to study over the weekend.”

Chu Tao knew he was making excuses, but he didn’t understand why Jiang She was starting to pick on him again.

He had only heard that girls could change their moods quickly, but Jiang She seemed to do it even faster.

Chu Tao glared at Jiang She. “It’s too far. I can’t go, I have extra classes on the weekend.”

His chemistry grades were not that high, so Song Mian had enrolled him in a class.

It wasn’t an in-person class, as those were too expensive. Song Mian had gotten him an online course from a reputable teacher, though the large class size made it cheaper.

Jiang She smirked. “It’s not far. My dad bought an apartment near Huainan No.1 High School.”

Chu Tao couldn’t be bothered to haggle with him; after all, it was just about delivering clothes.

“I’ll give it to you Saturday morning.”

Jiang She’s throat bobbed as he lazily got up from Chu Tao’s cushion. “It’s pretty soft.”

The cushion had a crease from where he sat, and Jiang She even placed Chu Tao’s pen upright in the pencil case.

He always had to leave some mark when he came by.

Chu Tao purposely ignored him, shifted his chair forward, and sat down properly.

But the chair already carried Jiang She’s warmth, making him feel both uneasy and awkward.

The school had a lot of homework over the weekend, and Chu Tao stayed up until 2 a.m. but still couldn’t finish it all.

Chu Xingning wasn’t well, so Song Mian had made him go to bed early, worried that staying up too late would weaken his immune system.

So, Chu Tao was alone in the study.

He rubbed his tired eyes, stretched lazily, and picked up his phone, casually scrolling through it.

Jiang She had sent him a message in the early morning, leaving an address.

Chu Tao didn’t reply.

He sighed, stood up from his chair, rolled up his homework, and put it in his bag.

The clothes on the balcony had already dried, but Song Mian couldn’t tell whose was whose, so she just folded everything together, including Jiang She’s uniform.

Taking advantage of the fact that his family was asleep, Chu Tao carefully rummaged through the drawers with a flashlight to find Jiang She’s uniform and stuffed it into his bag.

Then, he set an alarm and quickly fell asleep.

He woke up at 8 a.m., his eyes bloodshot.

The online class that Song Mian had signed him up for started at 10 a.m., a two-hour session from 10 to 12.

He planned to deliver the clothes to Jiang She before 10 a.m. to get it over with.

Chu Tao forced himself to get up, splashed his face with cold water, and gradually the redness in his eyes faded.

Song Mian was cooking in the kitchen. When Chu Jiangmin wasn’t around, their family only had two meals a day.

One at 10 a.m. and another at 5 p.m. in the afternoon.

Song Mian was also very busy, often preparing enough food for the whole day in one meal, starting in the kitchen as early as seven or eight in the morning.

When she saw Chu Tao, she immediately called out, “Tao Tao!”

Then she remembered that Chu Xingning hadn’t gotten up yet, so she quickly lowered her voice. “By the way, the teacher just sent a message in the group chat. Today’s class will start an hour earlier, at 9 a.m.”

Chu Tao was surprised. “Why?”

Song Mian shook her head, skillfully shaping the dumpling wrappers in her hands. “How should I know why? Just be ready.”

“But I need to go out for a bit. I might not make it back by 9.”

“What are you going out for this early?”

Song Mian paused what she was doing and looked at Chu Tao with a furrowed brow.

Chu Tao mumbled, “I made plans with a classmate.”

“Tao Song?” she asked.

“No.”

Song Mian took a deep breath, turned around, pushed the rolling pin aside, and said seriously, “It’s not someone from your current class, is it? Tao Tao, I heard in the parent group for your old class that there aren’t any good kids in that class. Why are you hanging out with them? We can’t transfer you, but you need to stay away from that mess. Your job is to focus on studying, do you hear me? High school is not for making friends.”

Chu Tao lowered his gaze and silently listened.

Song Mian went on, waving her hand. “Alright, no more talking about this. Get ready for class.”

Chu Tao looked up and, unusually, was stubborn. “I have to go. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Song Mian froze. “What if you can’t make it back in time? Are you planning to delay your class?”

Chu Tao turned his head away. “There’s a recording, isn’t there?”

Song Mian snapped, “Tao Tao, you know that chemistry is your weak subject, right? Nothing is more important than class!”

Song Mian felt that Chu Tao had changed. He never used to argue with her.

He had only been in the new class for a few days, and now he was hanging out with a bunch of troublemakers and even considering skipping class.

Chu Tao lowered his eyes, the red tint around his narrowed eyes a sign of sleep deprivation. Maybe it was the fatigue affecting his brain, but he didn’t have the energy to control himself. For once, he was being unusually stubborn.

“I’m leaving now.”

Without waiting for Song Mian to say anything else, he turned and went to his room to change.

It only took about a minute, and Chu Tao was already dressed and carrying his backpack, heading out.

He didn’t look up, rushing to the door, grabbing the keys, and running out in one swift motion.

Song Mian, fuming with anger, muttered, “He’s completely out of his mind!”

Once he escaped the house, Chu Tao felt unusually light-hearted.

But behind that sense of relief, there was even greater pressure waiting.

He hadn’t figured out how to face Song Mian when he returned, how to apologize, or how to ease the tension.

He rarely argued with his parents and wasn’t used to the awkwardness of a deliberately cold war.

In truth, he didn’t think delivering clothes to Jiang She was that important; it was just an opportunity.

Or maybe it was just that he had woken up on the wrong side of the bed.^[1]An Idiom in English means, you’re grumpier than usual.

Chu Tao didn’t dare delay and hurriedly rode his bike towards Jiang She’s residential complex.

He had calculated the time—20 minutes to get there, 20 minutes to return, and considering the time to find his way, he could just about make it in time for class.

The address was Jin Ding Residential Complex, Building 16, 1101.

The top floor of Jin Ding Complex, with its attic and rooftop, was the most expensive type of apartment. As expected, Jiang She came from a wealthy family.

Chu Tao double-checked the building number, took the elevator, and arrived at the door of 1101.

He rang the doorbell, which played the theme song from a cartoon he used to watch as a child.

He took the school uniform out of his backpack and stood at the door waiting.

He waited for at least five minutes, ringing the doorbell seven or eight times before there was any movement inside.

The door suddenly swung open.

Jiang She, with his eyes half-closed, yawned lazily. “Oh, so early.”

It was clear that Jiang She was trying very hard to look like he had just woken up.

His eyes were barely open, his body leaning lazily against the door, wearing nothing but shorts. His well-defined muscles were on full display, and his waist and abdomen were firm and strong.

But…

Chu Tao furrowed his brow in confusion. “Are you… spraying hairspray at home on a weekend?”

---

Author’s note: Tao Tao: I’m trying really hard not to notice someone showing off.

(Note: This part transitions into a different story with a note about the author’s new novel.)