Chu Tao took a deep breath, dodging to the side with a wary and distant look. “No need.”

He lowered his head, rubbing his back a couple of times himself. Once it stopped hurting as much, he quickened his pace back to the cafeteria.

Jiang She paused, then hurried after him. “Hey, why don’t you push me back?”

He watched Chu Tao’s expression closely.

What he’d said earlier had practically been an admission of his feelings, but Chu Tao didn’t seem to react at all.

Jiang She had always been a rebel; he didn’t care about the whole alpha and Omega thing. If he liked someone, he liked them. Any complications could be dealt with later.

He was used to being pursued, not the one doing the chasing, so he wasn’t exactly sure how to handle someone like Chu Tao, who was so focused on studying.

Chu Tao glanced up at him, his gaze clear and bright in the sunlight, causing Jiang She’s heart to skip a beat.

Chu Tao said, “I’m not going to push you. Stop following me.”

He figured the only reason he tolerated Jiang She was because of that night when Jiang She had taken him out of the police station.

He remembered kindness for a long time, while he easily forgot when people treated him poorly.

Living that way made things a bit happier.

Jiang She wasn’t about to give up. “Did you understand what I said earlier? You know what I meant, right?”

Chu Tao felt a headache coming on. Just dealing with his emotional state was enough to unsettle him, and now the person he was reacting to was neurotically pushing for an intense, head-to-head Alpha-Alpha relationship.

“Can you stop this, Young Master Jiang? I can’t handle it.”

Chu Tao turned his head, gaze cold, pulled aside the curtain, and entered the cafeteria.

The students who had been eating had all run off, leaving messy trays piled on tables. Mo Xi stood there, shaking slightly, looking lost.

Fang Sheng and Xu Yuan lounged in their seats, playing on their phones while waiting for Jiang She.

There was still a group of students keeping a safe distance, eating while sneaking glances at the scene.

When Chu Tao appeared, Mo Xi looked like he’d seen a savior and rushed toward him, clutching him. “Senior!”

Chu Tao, unprepared, was enveloped in Mo Xi’s arms.

Omega’s bodies were indeed soft, as if even their bones were lighter. When hugged, they felt fragile, like a small creature desperately in need of shelter.

However, Mo Xi had managed to press right on the sore spot on Chu Tao’s back.

Chu Tao winced and, a bit unkindly, pushed Mo Xi away, turning his back to rub his injury.

He tried, but couldn’t quite reach the spot, so he gave up.

When Jiang She came in, he saw Chu Tao push Mo Xi away, which kept him from lashing out.

Mo Xi was startled and, in a shaky voice, asked, “Senior, are you hurt?”

Chu Tao shook his head slightly, saying in a low voice, “I’m fine. Let’s get you back to the dorm.”

He’s worried that if Mo Xi will not leave, Jiang She might cause trouble for this little omega again.

As he walked past Jiang She, Chu Tao paused and said firmly, “I’ll make things clear with him.”

Jiang She raised an eyebrow, satisfied, and stepped aside.

Mo Xi, still afraid, kept his distance from Jiang She, staying close to Chu Tao for protection.

Once they were outside the cafeteria and into the bright sunlight, tears welled up in Mo Xi’s eyes. “Senior, it’s all my fault. I made him target you.”

Chu Tao felt a throbbing vein in his forehead.

He patiently asked, “Mo Xi, do you… kind of like me?”

Mo Xi froze, his tear-streaked face turning red in the sunlight. He lowered his head, stammering, “Senior, I—I do admire you a lot.”

His voice grew smaller, until it was almost like a whisper.

Chu Tao sighed. “Thank you for liking me. I’m really grateful, but I’ll be in my final year soon and won’t have much time to think about relationships. I want to focus all my energy on studying. I’m sorry.”

He tried to turn him down as gently as possible.

Using school as an excuse was probably the least hurtful approach.

Mo Xi was also a good student with dreams of a top university, so it was easier to talk to him than Jiang She.

After a moment of silence, Mo Xi nodded with difficulty. “Senior, have I caused you trouble?”

Chu Tao smiled, his eyes curving, and patted Mo Xi on the head. “Don’t think that way. You really haven’t.”

Mo Xi looked up, unwilling to let it go. “Then, Senior, after the college entrance exam, could you consider me first?”

Chu Tao: “Um.” What’s going on? Are people lining up with tickets to express their love?

Mo Xi frowned nervously. “Or… do you already like another Omega, Senior?”

“No, but…”

Mo Xi broke into a smile through his tears, interrupting Chu Tao’s words. “That’s great! I’ll work hard to get into the same university as you, Senior. You’re my motivation to study!”

Chu Tao forced a slight smile, swallowing what he was about to say.

Breaking someone’s motivation to study felt a bit cruel. Maybe, given some time, Mo Xi would get over it on his own.

There were so many Alphas at school, many of whom were better than him, so the chance that Mo Xi would still be hung up on him after being rejected was small.

Besides, Mo Xi would eventually find an Alpha with whom he’d have the highest pheromone compatibility.

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, Jiang She casually ordered a hotpot, sitting with Fang Sheng and Xu Yuan. Unbothered by the curious glances from others, he lazily dipped meat into the broth.

Xu Yuan whispered, “A-She, this isn’t great, you know? By now, practically the whole school knows you beat up the class president. How’s he supposed to save face?”

He’d noticed that Chu Tao had been rubbing his back and even struggling to reach a sore spot.

Plus, Chu Tao’s clothes had gotten wrinkled, and his collar was flattened. If he hadn’t been hit, what else could explain it?

Even if A-She had a grudge against that Omega, he didn’t need to take it out on the class president.

Sure, they acted tough sometimes, but they usually had their limits. This matter had nothing to do with Chu Tao.

Xu Yuan couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for the class president.

Jiang She scowled, putting his chopsticks down. “Who saw me hit him? I just accidentally shoved him a bit, and I even apologized over and over.”

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes, clearly unconvinced.

A-She used to be straightforward about his actions; why wouldn’t he admit it now?

Fang Sheng cleared his throat. “Is the class president dating that Omega?”

In truth, he’d love for Chu Tao and Mo Xi to start dating—that way, A-She wouldn’t go down the wrong path.

There were plenty of Omegas to choose from, but A-She was insistent on going after an Alpha with conflicting pheromones.

He admitted that Chu Tao was attractive, but there was also the more beautiful Chu Xingning. If A-She liked that type, why not chase after Chu Xingning?

And even if A-She was hopelessly smitten, there was a chance the class president was straight. Two Alphas together—what kind of future would that be?

Jiang She immediately objected, “Of course not. He wants to focus on his studies and avoid dating early.”

But he wouldn’t date anyone else, nor would he date him.

Feeling frustrated, Jiang She took a swig of his cola.

The carbonation bubbled on his tongue, leaving a slight sting.

Fang Sheng pondered, shaking his leg. “Makes sense. Good students are like that.”

Seeing Jiang She looking unhappy, Xu Yuan tried to console him, “Why don’t you talk to the principal and get the class president transferred? He doesn’t exactly fit in with Class 3 anyway.”

Transferring Chu Tao to another class would mean Jiang She wouldn’t need to bother him anymore, and everyone could be happy.

Jiang She looked up and glared at Xu Yuan. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Xu Yuan was taken aback. “Huh?”

What the heck, was he actually enjoying picking on people now?

The lunchtime incident in the cafeteria became the latest gossip among the bored high schoolers, filling their conversations and online forums. The main people involved were analyzed over and over.

Originally, Chu Tao had been largely overlooked under Chu Xingning’s spotlight, but now he’d become quite well-known.

Rumors spread that an oblivious Omega had blocked Jiang She at the school gate, only for that Omega to turn out to be the boyfriend of Chu Xingning’s younger brother, who was also Jiang She’s class president. Jiang She supposedly never liked the class president, the so-called “model student” in the teachers’ eyes, and had finally seized an opportunity to bully him.

The story grew wilder, claiming that Jiang She had beaten him so badly that the Omega broke up with Chu Xingning’s brother.

It was even said that Chu Xingning’s younger brother looked a lot like him and was quite good-looking, but because of Jiang She, no other Omega dared to pursue him now.

The rumors spiraled out of control, while those at the center of the drama remained oblivious.

In the afternoon, the chemistry class turned into an impromptu quiz because the teacher had to attend a conference in the provincial capital, covering the material learned over the past week.

Chu Tao had always struggled with chemistry, and the online tutoring he’d been receiving hadn’t seemed to help much. The topics covered by the tutor didn’t align with the test content at Huainan No. 1 High School.

With no teacher to monitor them, the students were all copying from each other like crazy. It was a free-for-all, with students exchanging answers regardless of accuracy, aiming for total class unity.

Chu Tao, frowning and wearing earplugs, focused intensely on his own work.

While others copied, he refused to—he had to be responsible for himself.

The student in front of him, Dai Wenjian, who couldn’t answer the questions, kept twisting around to look at Chu Tao’s paper. He wasn’t discreet about it either, muttering answers aloud and even asking Chu Tao for help with chemical formulas he couldn’t read.

Chu Tao’s concentration was disrupted several times and couldn’t take it any longer.

Just then, an eraser came flying from Jiang She’s direction, hitting Dai Wenjian squarely on the head.

Jiang She snapped, “Do it yourself. Stop turning around.”

Startled, Dai Wenjian looked at Jiang She’s expression, shrugged, and obediently turned back to his own paper.

Fang Sheng, watching, felt slightly worried.

Here Jiang She was again, starting to act like the class president was his personal territory.

Since neither he nor Jiang She was paying attention to the quiz, Fang Sheng took advantage of the still-available signal to start browsing news online. For each new piece he found, he’d nudge Jiang She to share it.

“Whoa, A-She, just saw on Penguin News: two Alphas got together in Sichuan Province, but their pheromones clashed, and one ended up sending the other to the hospital,” Fang Sheng exclaimed.

Jiang She raised an eyebrow, replying indifferently with a simple “Oh.”

Seeing that Jiang She wasn’t reacting, Fang Sheng cleared his throat and found another article.

“Check this out, it’s horrifying. Two Alphas were fighting over an Omega, and one of them got revenge by, uh, taking advantage of the other. The Alpha who was attacked couldn’t bear the humiliation and ended up jumping off a building in a depressive episode.”

Jiang She, leaning on one hand and playing a game on his phone with his back to Fang Sheng, barely responded with a grunt.

Undeterred, Fang Sheng pressed on: “Here’s another one. Two Alphas couldn’t have kids, so they decided to adopt. The adoption process cost nearly a million, and they went broke. Now one’s collecting plastic bottles from trash cans, and the other’s shining shoes on the street, all with their kid in tow!”

This time, Jiang She finally paused and put down his phone.

Fang Sheng was thrilled.

The inability for Alphas to have children together was a critical issue. For a family as prominent as Jiang’s, there was no way they’d let Jiang She go without an heir.

But then Jiang She leaned over unexpectedly, patting Chu Tao on the back, and brought his face close to Chu Tao’s ear.

With his presence impossible to ignore, even through earplugs, Chu Tao yanked them out irritably, holding back his temper. “Now what?”

Jiang She swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing, as he placed a hand on Chu Tao’s back, giving it a light rub. With deliberate slowness, he asked, “Could you accept, say…adopting a child?”

Chu Tao: “…”

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The author has something to say: What was Jiang She’s mother’s name? I forgot QAQ…