The next day, Chu Tao slept until noon. When he woke up, it was already bright outside, but the curtains blocked the light so well that he hadn’t noticed.

He rubbed his swollen temples, straightened up, and squinted as he tried to recall what happened last night.

In the dark, the fragments of everything under the willow tree flooded back into his mind, including the things he did with Jiang She and the things they said.

“Ah!!!!!!”

“I’m really crazy!!!”

Chu Tao frustratedly hammered his head, rolled around in bed with the blanket for a couple of turns, and in the process, his clothes from last night that he hadn’t had time to take off got tangled up, exposing his pale waist.

With messy hair, he gazed at the curtains with a sideways glance, feeling weak and limp all over.

What he said to Jiang She—wasn’t that like confessing?

Was this considered early dating?

Chu Tao took a deep breath and buried his face in the blanket, rubbing it hard.

Chu Xingning called from outside, telling him it was time to eat. Chu Tao responded with a heavy nasal tone and then grabbed his clothes to go take a shower.

His body smelled of barbecue and alcohol, and he had no idea how his mother let him off the hook last night.

While showering, he thought of several excuses to avoid answering Song Mian, but at the dinner table, Song Mian didn’t ask anything. She only looked at him with a silent, hesitant expression, as if she wasn’t going to pursue the matter of his drinking.

Of course, Chu Tao didn’t want to make trouble for himself. Since Song Mian didn’t ask, he acted as if nothing had happened.

On Saturday night, Chu Tao caught a cold. He wasn’t sure if it was from drinking and catching the wind last night, or from not drying his hair properly after the shower.

He rarely got sick and was usually in good health. Even when he did get sick, a few pills were enough to make him better, unlike Chu Xingning, who always needed to go to the hospital.

Song Mian found some medicine for him and told him to rest more.

Watching Song Mian sit by his bed, handing him water and pills, Chu Tao felt particularly uncomfortable.

It seemed that he had never been treated like this when he was younger. Why was it that now, when he could take care of himself, it was happening?

Because of the heavy homework load, Chu Tao didn’t rest well. He spent the whole day catching up on his assignments, and was so tired that his eyes teared up. His throat was sore and painful.

On the weekend, Jiang She tried to call him, but he was too scared to pick up.

He was afraid Jiang She would say something stupid, afraid that Song Mian would suspect him of being in a relationship too early.

Anyway, they’d see each other on Monday, so he would explain everything to Jiang She then.

By Monday, Chu Tao’s cold still hadn’t gotten better. Song Mian, unusually, drove them to school.

Chu Tao covered his mouth, coughing all the way, his eyes red from the irritation.

Song Mian grumbled, “What’s going on? You’re taking so long to get better this time.”

Chu Tao hoarsely replied, “Maybe I didn’t rest well. It’s fine.”

From the rearview mirror, Song Mian glanced at Chu Tao, whose eyes were staring out of the window, his chest involuntarily trembling.

She sighed, “The midterm exams are coming up soon. You’d better get better quickly. Don’t let your grades drop again after improving last time.”

Song Mian was afraid of being laughed at by Tang Lingmei. Recently, Tang Lingmei had been noticeably down, not praising how excellent Shen Hongfang was, nor boasting about the tutoring teachers she found. Song Mian felt relieved.

But she was particularly worried that Chu Tao’s improvement was just a fluke, and that his grades would drop again with a different set of exam questions, which would be a huge disappointment.

Chu Tao nodded, “Got it.”

Song Mian dropped them off at the school gate. As Chu Tao and Chu Xingning were coming out of the small convenience store with two bottles of yogurt, they bumped into two people arguing by the wall.

One of them, Chu Tao recognized—it was Su Jingtong.

Su Jingtong was still wearing strong perfume, swaying as he pointed at the Alpha across from him. “Liang Yitian! What do you mean by breaking up?”

Su Jingtong’s face was red with anger. His finger trembled as he glared with wide eyes, as if he wanted to kill Liang Yitian with just a look.

He felt that being able to date Liang Yitian was a blessing from the past life. He didn’t ask for gratitude, but Liang Yitian should always be accommodating to him.

Even though he had always liked Jiang She, just based on Liang Yitian’s family background and looks, he didn’t have the right to be jealous of Jiang She.

Liang Yitian, suppressing his irritation, pushed Su Jingtong’s finger away and frowned, speaking down to him, “Why are you so annoying? I already told you, I’ve tested the pheromones and found an Omega with a higher compatibility. I can’t be with you anymore.”

Though Liang Yitian was still in high school, he was already eighteen and could now search for an Omega that was more compatible with him through the gene pool.

It was through this search that he found many Omegas at Huainan No. 1 High School that were a better match for him, some even better looking than Su Jingtong, so his interest had shifted.

Boys with strong blood and vitality were always seeking quick satisfaction. It was well-known that the higher the pheromone compatibility, the more harmonious the sexual activities would be, and the stronger the sensations would be.

Su Jingtong was beautiful, but he was no longer Liang Yitian’s first choice.

Su Jingtong had never been humiliated like this before. He gritted his teeth and bitterly retorted, “A coward like you dares to dump me? If you hadn’t seduced me, would I have broken up with Jiang She? You have the nerve to talk about breaking up, you shameless bastard!”

Liang Yitian sneered nonchalantly, “Come on, who doesn’t know that Jiang She doesn’t like you? He just keeps you around to play. You hooked up with him, and now you’re blaming me.”

Chu Tao frowned slightly and murmured to Chu Xingning, “Let’s go.”

He wasn’t feeling well and had planned to avoid the conflict quietly, but unfortunately, Chu Xingning was too conspicuous and hard to ignore.

Even though Liang Yitian was arguing with Su Jingtong, when he saw Chu Xingning, he couldn’t help but shift his gaze to him and ogled for a moment.

Su Jingtong followed his gaze and saw Chu Tao and Chu Xingning.

His attention quickly shifted to Chu Tao.

He recognized Chu Tao as the Alpha who had been unfriendly to him last time.

Previously, Su Jingtong had been focused on Jiang She and hadn’t noticed Chu Tao.

Upon closer inspection, Chu Tao resembled Chu Xingning to some extent, and since Chu Xingning was naturally good-looking, Chu Tao shared that trait. Moreover, Chu Tao had a particularly cool demeanor, with delicate features and fair skin, giving him a unique charm.

Su Jingtong couldn’t smell his pheromones, but he sensed a faint scent of pine, which was very pleasant and not overpowering.

Su Jingtong blinked, staring at Chu Tao for a moment before hesitatingly pulling his gaze away.

He turned his head, only to see Liang Yitian still grinning foolishly at Chu Xingning.

Su Jingtong couldn’t hold it in anymore and yelled, “You idiot! I’m going to find Jiang She and beat you up again!”

When they reached the upper floor, Chu Xingning, still concerned about Chu Tao, asked, “Are you okay? If you’re really feeling bad, you should ask the teacher for leave and go back to the dormitory to rest for a while.”

Chu Tao forced a smile, his eyes narrowing, “I’m fine. I can’t skip class.”

Seeing that Chu Tao seemed fine, Chu Xingning nodded and said, “Remember to take your medicine.”

After parting ways with Chu Xingning, Chu Tao returned to the classroom, and his expression immediately turned indifferent.

He had never liked Jiang She. At most, he tolerated him, so he had forgotten most of what happened.

Jiang She was a well-known school bully in the Huainan area. He smoked, drank, and dated, yet he claimed to be a good boy.

Chu Tao let out a soft laugh, his eyes lifting as he lightly tapped his yogurt carton on the desk.

Several pairs of eyes turned toward him, confused, and the noise in the room immediately quieted.

Apart from the fight in the alley, this was the first time Class 3 had seen Chu Tao with such an imposing presence.

Xu Bo Xue gasped and murmured, “Is the class president in a bad mood today?”

Dai Wenjian secretly said to his desk partner, “I think the class president doesn’t look well, but he’s got the Class 3 vibe now.”

Outside the door, Fang Sheng’s laughter echoed: “Hahaha Xu Yuan, you idiot! You’d never figure it out, no matter how hard you try!”

Xu Yuan jumped up and grabbed Fang Sheng’s head, threatening, “Tell me now, what are you two hiding from me!”

Jiang She, growing tired of the commotion, pushed them away and said, “Move aside, don’t fight now.”

The three of them playfully entered the classroom. As soon as Jiang She saw Chu Tao, he instinctively flashed a smile.

He casually walked up to Chu Tao, hands in his pockets, and looked down at him, “So early?”

Chu Tao gave a disinterested “Mm” in reply.

Jiang She noticed the Yogurt on Chu Tao’s desk and was momentarily surprised. “Did you buy it yourself?”

Chu Tao pinched the Yogurt carton with two fingers, turned it around, and muttered, “I can’t keep making you spend money.”

He had paid half of the money for the barbecue the other day, but Jiang She never accepted his payment.

Jiang She naturally draped his arm around Chu Tao’s shoulders, furrowing his brow as he quietly asked, “Why’s your voice so hoarse? Caught a cold?”

He leaned in really close, as if it were completely normal for them to casually drape their arms around each other.

Xu Yuan tilted his head, frowning.

He felt that his position as Jiang She’s best friend was being challenged.

In the past, Jiang She had always been closest to him and Fang Sheng, sharing everything with them and only letting them put their arms around his shoulders.

But now, it seemed like Jiang She was treating the class president with more favor, making it feel like their friendship since childhood didn’t compare.

“Damn,” Xu Yuan muttered under his breath.

People always say that love doesn’t have a “first come, first served” rule, but does that mean friendship is equally unfaithful?

Chu Tao pushed Jiang She’s hand away and instead turned to Fang Sheng, curious. “I saw Su Jingtong today and almost forgot something. How many friends like Su Jingtong has our Ah She had before?”

Jiang She: “…”

Fang Sheng almost bit his own tongue and stammered, “Huh?”

Xu Yuan snorted coldly, giving Jiang She a thumbs-up and sneered, “Someone like Su Jingtong, there’s probably at least twenty, if not thirty. Our Ah She has a ton of admirers, the best among the Alphas. Anyone who doesn’t agree is just in denial.”

He thought an Alpha couldn’t back down on matters like this. The number of rumors and admirers should match Jiang She’s status, otherwise, people might laugh at him for having too few.

“Figures.”

Chu Tao raised an eyebrow, his expression cooling further.

He had already been sick, his face pale, and now, with the last trace of a smile gone, he seemed even more indifferent.

Dai Wenjian turned his head, fawning, “Damn! Ah She is amazing! So powerful!”

“Shut up, I don’t have any!” Jiang She kicked Xu Yuan in the leg in frustration and quickly added, “Don’t listen to him, he’s talking nonsense. While I didn’t reject Su Jingtong, I never agreed to anything either. We just sang karaoke and had some drinks, didn’t even hold hands! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bought that thing to keep by the bed!”

If he had an Omega, he wouldn’t need a sex toy.

Xu Yuan patted his pants and, confused, said, “Bro, you don’t need to belittle yourself. Even though it kind of hurts the class president’s pride, he needs to know that no matter how good his grades are, he still can’t compare to us in terms of attracting people.”

Fang Sheng, in despair, covered his face and decided to bow out of the argument.

Jiang She was almost laughing in anger. He grabbed Xu Yuan by the neck, grinding his teeth, “Damn it, I like people who are good at studying!”