The piercing sound of the evening study bell broke the subtle tension in the classroom.

Chu Tao quickly picked up the eraser, set it on the podium, and dusted off the chalk from his clothes.

“Let’s go, soon enough, the third-year students will be all over the place.”

Chu Tao shook his head to get the chalk dust out of his hair, then extended a hand, waiting for Jiang She to return his bag.

Jiang She casually walked past the podium and brushed past Chu Tao, saying, “Let’s go.”

Chu Tao pressed his lips together. “Give me my bag.”

“Nope,” Jiang She replied playfully, unwilling to hand it over.

With a sigh, Chu Tao had no choice but to follow him out, flipping off the classroom lights as they left.

The empty classroom returned to silence, the only movement being the gentle sway of the curtains in the breeze.

By the time they reached the stairwell, the third-year students had started streaming down, filling the hallway with hurried footsteps.

Chu Tao and Jiang She moved slowly, blending into the crowd as the dim lighting in the corridor made it hard to distinguish anyone’s face.

“Hey, have you been on the school forum lately?”

“Less than 100 days till the college entrance exams. Who has time for the forum?”

“Something big happened today, didn’t you hear? Our school’s Jiang She got into a fight with those punks from the vocational school.”

“That Jiang She? I heard he’s pretty tough; he’s probably not going to lose.”

Hearing them mention Jiang She, Chu Tao tilted his head slightly, listening in on the conversation.

“Do you know why they fought? Those jerks from the vocational school insulted our school’s Omegas, saying they were selling themselves.”

“Is that really worth fighting over?”

“The insults were pretty nasty. The Omega group chat went wild, and they were all thanking Jiang She.”

“Seriously? Isn’t Jiang She an Alpha? Why’s he getting involved?”

“Who knows? He doesn’t study anyway, probably just bored.”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t bother. It has nothing to do with me; some Omegas in our school really are pretty wild.”

“Ugh, I’m exhausted. Our mock exam results came in today—I fell out of the top ten.”

“Must be an off day. With your skills, you’re bound for a top-tier school.”

Chu Tao frowned. Though he knew he shouldn’t judge, he felt an unexplainable dislike for these Alphas, so fixated on their own grades.

He wondered, what does it even mean to be a “good student”?

Someone with impressive grades but indifferent to others, or someone who struggles academically but has a kind and genuine heart?

Suddenly, he felt an arm wrap around his neck.

Chu Tao turned and realized Jiang She had been right behind him the whole time.

Jiang She leaned in, his lips close to Chu Tao’s ear, saying lazily, “What if I stepped out right now? Wouldn’t that scare them?”

Chu Tao was unsure of Jiang She’s intentions. “Would you?”

Jiang She raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you’re not stopping me.”

Chu Tao rubbed his nose, looking away as the two students disappeared into the crowd ahead.

He replied calmly, “Why would I stop you?”

Jiang She smirked. “Aren’t you the class monitor? Aren’t you supposed to help Miss Yang keep us in line?”

After a pause, Chu Tao said softly, “Jiang She, I think you’re a good student.”

“Huh?” Jiang She looked at him, puzzled. “What did you say?”

Chu Tao continued, “But your grades really aren’t great. Since there’s still time, you should catch up a bit.”

With over a year left until the college entrance exam, a lot could still change.

Normally, Chu Tao wouldn’t feel like he had the right to advise Jiang She on studying; after all, Jiang She seemed to do just fine without much effort.

But tonight felt different somehow, and he found himself saying more than he intended.

“Alright, then you help me,” Jiang She replied, tightening his arm around Chu Tao’s shoulder. To an outsider, they just looked like close friends, but Chu Tao felt like he was being pulled right into Jiang She’s embrace.

He exhaled softly, “You should find an experienced teacher to help you organize the material. Even if I explain it clearly, my study methods won’t suit you. But make sure to find a good teacher. The chemistry teacher I found wasn’t all that great.”

“Then why don’t you find a better chemistry teacher?” Jiang She asked, knowing that Chu Tao cared a lot about his grades. He was the only one in the class who meticulously completed all his assignments every day.

Chu Tao lowered his gaze slightly. “My mom chose the teacher. I’m planning to stop, though—it’s not really helpful.”

As they flowed out of the school building with the crowd, the space around them opened up.

Once again, Chu Tao said to Jiang She, “You don’t need to walk me home. I can ride.”

“Forget riding; we’re taking a cab,” Jiang She interrupted.

At this hour, there weren’t many students hailing cabs.

Most of the third-years were picked up by their parents—it was, after all, their most critical few months.

Unable to argue further, Chu Tao let himself be pulled into a taxi by Jiang She.

Jiang She’s neighborhood was closer, and he could have gotten off along the way, but he insisted on taking Chu Tao home before heading back himself.

Chu Tao had a faint feeling that Jiang She was starting to treat him almost like a boyfriend.

The taxi stopped at the entrance to Chu Tao’s apartment complex. Since it would be too much trouble for the driver to go inside, Chu Tao got out there.

Before leaving, he insisted on giving the driver 20 yuan—he couldn’t let Jiang She cover the fare, too.

After handing over the money, he didn’t wait for Jiang She to say anything; he grabbed his bag and disappeared into the darkness.

But he didn’t hear the tires rolling away, so he knew Jiang She hadn’t left yet.

“Chu Tao?”

Just as he reached the front door, he heard Chu Xingning’s voice.

Turning around, he saw that Chu Xingning had just parked his bike in the shed.

“Brother?”

“Oh, I got your text, but when I called you back, your phone was off,” Chu Xingning said.

Chu Tao glanced over him for a moment, unable to resist asking, “Why are you getting home so late?”

Chu Xingning tugged on his backpack strap and walked over to Chu Tao, throwing an arm around his shoulder. “Ah, there was a ton of homework today. I stayed at school to study.”

His arm landed right on the spot where Chu Tao was injured. Chu Tao clenched his teeth at the pain but didn’t say anything.

“You were at school?”

Chu Tao distinctly remembered that when he passed by Chu Xingning’s classroom earlier, the lights were off.

Chu Xingning pulled out his keys to unlock the door. “Yeah. Were you helping your teacher until now?”

“Mm, a lot of work,” Chu Tao replied vaguely.

The door opened, and they went inside together.

Song Mian turned off the TV, stood up from the couch, and said with a playful scold, “What took you two so long to get back? The food’s been cold for ages.”

Though she sounded annoyed, she was pleased to see how studious they both were. Song Mian hurried to the kitchen to reheat the food.

Chu Tao instinctively glanced at Chu Xingning.

His brother didn’t tell him the truth?

They’d never had secrets before.

Who exactly had Chu Xingning been meeting tonight—and yesterday afternoon?

Chu Xingning, meanwhile, relaxed on the couch, tossed his bag aside, grabbed two tiger-skin walnuts from the bowl on the coffee table, cracked them, and handed one to Chu Tao.

“Chu Tao, is it true that Jiang She from your class went out to teach the vocational school boss a lesson tonight?”

Cough, cough, cough—Chu Tao nearly choked on his walnut.

Chu Xingning turned to him with interest, “Who won?”

Chu Tao fidgeted with the walnut in his hand. “It should have been our school who won.”

He had never lied to his brother before, so he didn’t dare look into Chu Xingning’s eyes, feeling guilty as he looked up at the ceiling.

Luckily, Chu Xingning didn’t dwell on it. “Jiang She’s pretty tough, huh? I heard those vocational school guys fight hard.”

“Maybe,” Chu Tao thought to himself, he didn’t know about them, but his shoulder was still sore from the fight.

From the kitchen, Song Mian called out, “Tao Tao, stay away from the kids in your class who fight. Don’t start copying them.”

Chu Tao forced a bitter smile.

It was a bit late for that advice—he’d not only fought but was the only one who actually threw a punch and ended up at the police station.

If Song Mian knew he’d been to the station twice in two weeks, she’d be scared out of her mind.

Chu Xingning protested, “It wasn’t their fault! The vocational school kids insulted our school’s Omegas online. Jiang She was pretty chivalrous standing up to them—our whole class group chat is practically in love with him now.”

Song Mian replied, “Even so, you two stay out of these things. Don’t act on impulse, or no one will be there to clean up your mess.”

Chu Xingning turned to Chu Tao. “Was your teacher delayed tonight because of all this and asked for your help?”

Chu Tao blinked. “Maybe.”

Song Mian called them over, “Come eat. Your dad’s coming home tomorrow.”

When Chu Xingning got up, Chu Tao caught a glimpse of the zipper on his backpack.

Usually, it was empty, but now it had a small Pikachu keychain, like the ones from a fast-food restaurant—pretty cute.

Frowning slightly, Chu Tao rubbed his shoulder and headed to the kitchen.

Song Mian had made shrimp stir-fried with cucumbers and a side of shredded potatoes.

Chu Xingning, looking at the rice in his bowl, silently scooped most of it back.

Song Mian, concerned, asked, “Oh, why are you eating so little again? You need nutrients in high school! How will you manage if you’re not eating properly?”

Chu Xingning picked a single grain of rice with his chopsticks and ate it. “I’m just not hungry.”

Song Mian paused, eyeing him suspiciously. “Xingning, did you already eat something tonight?”

His hand slipped slightly, and he quickly stuffed a shrimp into his mouth. “Yeah, Xi Xun brought a lot of fruit, so we all shared some.”

“Oh, I’ll wash some fruit for you tomorrow to take and share with your classmates too,” Song Mian said, trusting him completely.

Only Chu Tao gave Xingning a thoughtful look, then quietly took a bite of his rice.

Later that night, Chu Tao sat alone in his room, opened his laptop, and refreshed his email.

This time, he finally had a new message.

—

Hello, Student,

“Thank you for reaching out. I’m pleased you paid close attention during my lecture. Although meeting this person is significant for you, it doesn’t mean you’re destined to be together. Remember, you’re the only one with a mental gland, while his optimal partner would be a compatible opposite-sex match.

If you don’t actually like this person who’s triggering these feelings, avoid physical contact with him. We’ve gathered extensive examples showing that such contact can make your gland increasingly accustomed to his pheromones, leading to an irresistible dependency.

It’s like smoking: at first, it’s harsh, irritating, and makes you want to cough, resist, even hate it. But by the second or third puff, you might unknowingly crave that taste.

You’d start to want closeness with him, that need for skin contact—what they call “peculiar skin hunger”—which only an intense physical experience could temporarily satisfy, though it would return a month later.

Finding an Omega with a high compatibility to help distract you, marking each other, could be another solution. Marking would help your glands recognize each other and reduce the prominence of your mental gland.

Best regards.”

—

Chu Tao stared at the professor’s email for a long moment before slumping back in his chair.

Damn.

He couldn’t even keep track of how many times he’d had physical contact with Jiang She already—putting his arm around him, patting his shoulder, icing his injury, whispering in his ear.

Today alone had probably pushed the progress bar halfway.

If he kept this up, he’d soon become addicted to Jiang She’s pheromones, craving closeness, needing to breathe in his scent constantly.

He’d even end up desperately needing to be with Jiang She.

Chu Tao covered his face, rubbing it hard, his already tired eyes becoming redder.

In the next room, Chu Xingning was staring at his homework for the first time, lost in thought.

He’d been fixated on one English word for who knows how long, suddenly coming back to himself and reaching for his bag. His gaze fell on the small Pikachu keychain.

He couldn’t help but smile, his eyes softening.