The papers were collected, and Yang Liu had to fulfill her promise.

Only Chu Tao and Jiang She had the least answers in the entire class.

Jiang She’s paper was ruined by soda, and he was considered the only victim in the whole situation. After Yang Liu called Chu Tao out, she didn’t lay a hand on him or say anything, which made it hard for Yang Liu to find any reason to punish him.

In the end, only Chu Tao remained.

Yang Liu asked him to help grade the papers, which was also meant to help him reinforce his understanding of the exam questions.

Chu Tao wasn’t ungrateful, so he carefully compared every question.

Especially the reading comprehension, where the scoring points were fixed; he could clearly see areas others had overlooked, and areas he might have missed, which actually gave him a deeper understanding than simply mastering the test.

He suddenly thought that Yang Liu might not be as unreliable as he had imagined, and this so-called top ten teacher wasn’t as undeserving of her title as he thought.

Teaching such a class might really require some unique methods.

After Chu Tao reviewed the papers, Yang Liu would go over them again, getting a sense of the overall level of the class.

“How many points do you think you’ll score on this paper?”

Yang Liu sorted the graded papers, raised her head and asked Chu Tao.

Chu Tao paused, then quietly said, “There are some questions I’ve practiced before, so I remember them and answered them better. But for the new questions, I can’t guarantee anything.”

Yang Liu raised an eyebrow, “Did you buy the past years’ exam papers to practice?”

It was still not time for the senior year review, so the school hadn’t required students to practice past exam papers yet. Some representative questions were even withheld to prevent students from practicing them too early.

Chu Tao nodded, “I bought the ‘Five Three’ book and thought I could practice more while doing my homework.”

Yang Liu thoughtfully remarked, “You’re very diligent.”

Chu Tao’s eyelids trembled slightly, and he calmly said, “Everyone works hard. If I don’t do it, I might fall behind.”

Yang Liu stared at him for a moment, thinking that Chu Tao was really well-behaved privately, the kind of student who was grounded and steady.

He didn’t have the wildness or impulsiveness that other students his age might have; instead, he had a kind of resilient beauty, like a snow lotus growing tenaciously on a cliffside.

“From a teacher’s perspective, I wouldn’t recommend that you focus too much on past papers right now. ‘Five Three’ isn’t something you should do now. Save it for the senior year review period. Try practicing questions that focus on problem-solving methods and basic knowledge points in all subjects. Right now, the most important thing is to build a solid foundation. No matter how detailed the knowledge points are, you need to memorize them.”

Chu Tao’s eyes curved slightly.

These eyes weren’t soft or overly affectionate; they were instead somewhat detached, quiet.

“Thank you, teacher. I’ll go to the bookstore more often.”

Yang Liu glanced at the sky; it had completely darkened.

In Huainan, the first and second-year students finished school at 7:30 PM, while only the third-year students had evening study sessions until 9:45.

Chu Tao had stayed nearly an hour after school and hadn’t even had dinner.

Yang Liu took a sports drink from the teacher’s snack basket and handed it to him. “Drink some water to soothe your throat. Your parents must be waiting for you.”

Chu Tao shook his head, giving a casual smile. “My parents aren’t worried about me. It’s fine.”

Yang Liu raised an eyebrow thoughtfully and gently tapped the paper, cautiously asking, “Have your parents ever considered switching you to another class?”

She felt that Chu Tao was a good student who might thrive in another class, but in their class, which was a mess, he would likely be led astray.

High school is a critical time for forming students’ worldview, and it could affect their entire life.

Switching classes wasn’t an uncommon practice in Huainan.

Students often had various reasons and connections to choose the class and teacher they preferred.

Sometimes, the obedient ones who accepted the class assignment ended up being the ones who lost out.

Students like Jiang She and Fang Sheng could rely on their families, but if Chu Tao was delayed, what would he have to rely on in the future?

Chu Tao pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and handed another paper to Yang Liu. “My parents haven’t thought about it. They’re very busy with work and don’t really understand the school situation.”

Yang Liu silently took the paper and smiled.

As a teacher, that was as much as she could suggest. Anything beyond that was not her place to say.

The early spring air was still chilly, and a thin layer of water droplets hung on the window. The soft glow of the incandescent light scattered over them, cutting the mist into countless tiny light spots.

“Did Jiang She make things difficult for you?”

Yang Liu finally asked the question that had been on her mind.

She was really curious as to why Jiang She had called Chu Tao out but didn’t do anything.

She had been prepared to call the discipline office.

Chu Tao’s face turned pale for a moment. He subconsciously bit his lip, leaving a faint mark on his dry lips with his teeth.

“No.”

Chu Tao lowered his eyes and quietly replied.

Yang Liu could tell from his expression that it wasn’t simple, but since the boy wasn’t willing to speak, she couldn’t press him further.

“If something happens, you can always talk to me. At your age, students are sensitive. Don’t keep it all inside. I even took a psychology elective during my undergraduate years.”

Chu Tao looked up. “Teacher, do you think I have a psychological problem?”

Yang Liu awkwardly laughed, “Of course not.”

By 8:30 PM, Yang Liu started to urge Chu Tao to leave.

She firmly placed the sports drink into his hands. “Take this with you. I didn’t mean to keep you this late, but since I made the promise, I have to follow through. Go home and eat, it’s already so late.”

Chu Tao had no choice but to accept it.

When he stepped out of the teaching building, the warmth of his body was quickly swept away by the cold wind. There was a small wind gap between the two buildings, causing him to squint and struggle to keep his eyes open.

Chu Tao shivered hard.

Before school ended, he had already told Chu Xingning that he would stay after school to help the teacher and wouldn’t be going back with him.

Although Chu Xingning found it strange, as a psychological alpha, he had spent the entire day in a school full of Omegas and felt very uncomfortable, so he didn’t wait for Chu Tao.

Chu Tao zipped his school uniform all the way up, curled his neck, and jogged toward the school gate.

There weren’t many lights on campus at night, and it wasn’t very bright. The air carried a damp, refreshing moisture.

He left the school gates and went to the alley to pick up his bike, which was still tied to an old, abandoned heating pipe. The leather seat had a layer of frost on it.

He took out a tissue, wiped the seat, and unlocked the bike under the soft lemon-yellow light.

He lived in an old residential area in the city center, just a ten-minute bike ride from Huainan No. 1 High School. There were good middle and elementary schools nearby, making it a prime location.

This was also why they hadn’t moved, even though the house was old.

Chu Tao got on the bike and rode down the familiar road toward home.

There were quite a few cars at night, especially on the main road past the school, where the red light would last for nearly 90 seconds.

He turned off that road, heading straight for a row of low, single-story houses.

This row of low buildings is mostly for business—
A small supermarket, hardware store, stationery shop, laundry shop.

Chu Tao turned into a still-open laundry shop, leaned his bike against a tree, adjusted his backpack strap, and walked inside.

He slid open the door, unloaded his backpack, and sat down.

The aunt sitting behind the counter, raising her eyes from her tablet, put down the unfinished sunflower seeds she was eating, dusted her pants, and asked, “What woul you like to wash?”

Chu Tao opened his backpack, took out Jiang She’s school uniform pants, frowned, and threw them directly onto the counter.

“Please wash this school Uniform.”

Jiang She’s uniform had the scent of an alpha’s pheromones.

Though faint and masked with suppressants, Chu Tao could still smell it.

Of course, as a biological alpha, he wasn’t stirred into any impulses by Jiang She.

It just felt weird in his heart—his desire to become an Omega always gnawing at his nerves.

Chu Tao diverted his gaze, zipped up his backpack, and slung it back over his shoulders.

The owner checked the pants, ensured there was no damage, folded them, and placed a label on them.

“Fifteen yuan per item. We offer a 10% discount with a membership card. Do you want one?”

Chu Tao shook his head. “No need.”

He wouldn’t be coming here often to clean clothes.

If it weren’t for the fear of his parents finding out he used the washing machine at home, he wouldn’t have spent the fifteen yuan.

Jiang She demanded for him to hand-wash his clothes.

“Idiots, useless idiot, foolish idiot.”

Did Jiang She really think he would listen?

Chu Tao silently rolled his eyes, imagining he was rolling them at Jiang She.

He left his phone number and name, glanced at Jiang She’s pants one last time, and left the store with a casual push of the door. He easily hopped on his bike and rode home.

The small light outside the laundry store remained on, and laughter from a variety show echoed from inside.

The night wind whistled past his ears as he pedaled faster and faster.

He sped home, the roadside lights and deep bushes blurring past him, his mind focused solely on escaping for now.

At home, Chu Tao unlocked the door, surprised to see the porch light still on.

Song Mian, wearing an apron, walked out of the kitchen, glanced at him, and said, “You’re finally back, hurry up and eat.”

The warmth of the house melted away the cold, comforting his tense skin.

Song Mian smelled of roasted chicken wings, the familiar scent of home cooking.

Chu Tao was indeed hungry.

Especially in this atmosphere, he was eager to relax and enjoy his meal.

He smiled, quickly took off his shoes, and rubbed his stomach while tossing his backpack onto the couch.

“I’m starving, what’s left for me?” he said cheerfully as he ran toward the kitchen.

Song Mian chided, “Keep your voice down, your brother is studying.”

Chu Tao obediently quieted down, whispering, “Okay.”

In the kitchen, he carefully pulled out a chair, making sure not to scrape it on the floor.

The chicken wings and cabbage tofu stew were covered with plastic wrap, and there was half-warm porridge in a pot.

There were still seven or eight chicken wings left, nearly half a plate.

He knew they were left for him by Chu Xingning, who knew he liked chicken wings. It warmed his heart, giving him a little joy as the younger brother.

Chu Tao filled a big bowl of porridge, grabbed a chicken wing, and dug in.

Song Mian sat across from him and asked, “How’s the class? Are the new classmates easy to get along with?”

Chu Tao swallowed a mouthful of food, his eyes avoiding her gaze, and replied insincerely, “They’re all easy to get along with, very reasonable, very friendly.”

He was still young, and after what had happened, he felt a bit wronged inside.

Jiang She and Fang Sheng, both inseparable, affected his exam performance. Yet one had the nerve to distance himself while making him hand-wash clothes.

People with no shame are invincible.

But Song Mian didn’t seem to notice his discomfort.

She cleared her throat and said, “Next time, if the teacher asks for your help again, you should learn to refuse. Your brother came home on his own today, but now he’s being pestered by some kid confessing. I don’t get it. These kids never focus on their studies and fill their heads with nonsense! Your brother just became an Omega, he’ll be easily taken advantage of. You need to protect him, got it?”

Chu Tao’s smile slowly faded.

He silently stirred his porridge with chopsticks, and after a while, he softly replied, “Got it.”

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The author’s note: Thank you for your support~ Updates every midnight.