The alpha’s features were deep and brooding, his expression dark, and the gaze he cast was icy and unsettling, making Wei Xiaochi’s heart shiver.

Wei Xiaochi thought for a moment but couldn’t figure out what he’d done to upset him.

Putting down the pen in his hand, Wei Xiaochi cautiously asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Zhan shot him a glare, his back turning in frustration as he sulked.

Wei Xiaochi stared at him for a moment, then broke the awkward silence, “It’s past seven. Are you hungry? Do you want to have dinner?”

Jiang Zhan seemed to seize on this as an excuse to vent, suddenly sitting up on the bed. His beautiful eyes were filled with anger as he muttered, “You spend all your time eating and drinking, what else do you do besides homework?”

Wei Xiaochi pressed his lips together and didn’t respond to the inexplicably angry alpha.

Seeing this, Jiang Zhan’s irritation grew, and in an act of frustration, he kicked the edge of the nightstand twice.

“What are you here for?”

“Did you come here to do homework?”

The nightstand shook violently, and the fruit bowl on top of it fell with a crash, scattering red grapes all over the floor.

Jiang Zhan’s face paled for a moment, a fleeting look of panic crossing his eyes. He hurriedly glanced at Wei Xiaochi.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t say anything. He still had that vulnerable look, getting up to retrieve another fruit bowl from the nightstand and picking up the grapes from the floor. He washed them in the bathroom before coming out.

When he returned, Wei Xiaochi held two fruit bowls, placing one back on the nightstand. “The grapes in this one didn’t fall on the floor.”

After that, he took the other bowl to the sofa, but Jiang Zhan grabbed his wrist.

The alpha’s eyes flickered, and his voice was stiff, “I… I’m not that delicate.”

Saying that, he grabbed a handful of red grapes from the bowl and popped them into his mouth, looking down, almost like a shy wife, as he murmured, “They’re all clean, I didn’t say I wouldn’t eat them.”

Jiang Zhan kept switching his attitude, and Wei Xiaochi was left flustered, standing frozen in place, not daring to say a word.

Jiang Zhan’s voice was muffled, his expression awkward, “Did you eat the chocolate I bought for you?”

Thinking of the chocolate, Wei Xiaochi remembered something. “I ate it, but you bought too much. I couldn’t finish it by myself.”

Wei Xiaochi pulled his hand away and went over to the sofa, digging through his backpack. He pulled out a bag of chocolate.

He felt guilty, never daring to keep that bag of chocolate at home, so he had brought it with him today.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t usually buy chocolate and didn’t know much about the different brands, but from the packaging, he could tell that some of the brands were especially expensive.

He packed the expensive ones separately and handed them to Jiang Zhan. “You can eat these. There’s still plenty left.”

Seeing Wei Xiaochi always carrying that bag of chocolate around, Jiang Zhan couldn’t help but feel pleased. So he really likes chocolate, and he likes me too.

Jiang Zhan took the bag of chocolate from Wei Xiaochi, not even looking up, almost embarrassed.

Suddenly, he said, “I don’t eat bananas.”

Wei Xiaochi, who had bought a bunch of bananas, looked at him in surprise.

Jiang Zhan added, “I’m allergic, it makes my throat uncomfortable.”

This was the first time Wei Xiaochi had met someone allergic to bananas, and he quickly apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t know. What about watermelon and grapes?”

Jiang Zhan replied, “Watermelon and grapes are fine, but I’m also allergic to peaches.”

Wei Xiaochi knew a lot of kids were allergic to peaches. His younger twin siblings were, and even the fuzz and juice from peaches would make them itch.

The conversation unexpectedly shifted from Jiang Zhan’s allergies to his food preferences.

Wei Xiaochi found that this guy was really picky with food—he didn’t like this or that. He refused things like coriander, mushrooms, celery, and garlic shoots—foods with a strong taste. He also didn’t like soft or crunchy foods like zucchini, mushrooms, tofu, or lotus root.

To put it simply, Jiang Zhan was a meat lover—his favorite foods were all meat, with not a single leafy green in sight.

Originally, Wei Xiaochi had planned to buy a couple of bowls of ramen for dinner—cheap, filling, and satisfying—but looking at Jiang Zhan’s taste, he probably wouldn’t like something so light and bland.

“What’s that look on your face?” Jiang Zhan suddenly became irritated again. “I just said I don’t like it, not that I can’t eat it.”

Wei Xiaochi nervously touched his face and softly denied, “I didn’t.”

Jiang Zhan let out a cold huff through his nose, clearly displeased.

The omega became even quieter, lowering his gaze and showing a docile and obedient expression.

In the past, Jiang Zhan didn’t like dealing with people like this, finding them annoying and too soft-spoken. But for some reason, this person in front of him, the more he looked, the more he found him pleasing.

Wei Xiaochi’s docility was like a dandelion floating in the morning light, soft, white, and delicate, with its tiny hairs brushing past Jiang Zhan’s heart, making him feel a strange itch—a liking that he couldn’t quite explain.

As he looked at Wei Xiaochi’s lightly colored lips, Jiang Zhan’s throat tightened.

—

Noticing Jiang Zhan staring at him, Wei Xiaochi felt uneasy all over.

He was a little hungry now, but after being scolded by the alpha, he didn’t dare to bring up the subject of food. Standing awkwardly by the bed, he stayed silent.

“You,” Jiang Zhan’s voice was commanding, though his breath seemed a bit rapid, and his ears were tinged pink. “Come here.”

Wei Xiaochi didn’t understand, but he still obediently took two steps forward.

Jiang Zhan’s eyes flickered, and as Wei Xiaochi got closer, he lifted his upper body. His throat tightened as he slowly leaned toward Wei Xiaochi.

Just then, the door to the room opened, and Han Ziyang’s voice boomed, “Zhan Ge, we won!”

Jiang Zhan snapped back to reality and quickly withdrew.

Wei Xiaochi turned his head toward the door.

A young man entered, looking lively, his face flushed with excitement, and a toothpick in his mouth, clearly having just finished eating and drinking. Behind him followed another tall and refined alpha.

This afternoon, No. 2 High School had a basketball match. Jiang Zhan had a flare-up of sensitivity, and Li Suilin’s foot injury had only just healed, so he had only stayed on the court for ten minutes.

For the remaining thirty minutes, Han Ziyang, along with Jiang Rui and Zhao Zifeng, had been on fire, dominating the match and securing an overwhelming victory with a score of 97:45.

In this match, Han Ziyang had contributed 27 points to the team, completely shaking off his earlier embarrassment and basking in his success, so happy he nearly forgot his own name.

Seeing the bananas on the table, Han Ziyang walked over and grabbed one, peeling it and putting it in his mouth.

“Today, Lao Shen treated us to a big feast after the game, spicy Sichuan hotpot with some beer, it was the best!”

“Lao Shen said, thankfully, you didn’t come. If you had, with your picky eating habits, you definitely wouldn’t have enjoyed the hotpot.”

Han Ziyang didn’t even notice Jiang Zhan’s expression as he kept going on about the meal, not stopping for a moment.

Earlier, Jiang Zhan hadn’t mentioned his dislike for internal organs, but now, Han Ziyang had spilled the beans.

“I’m not saying anything about you, Zhan Ge, but you’re living like some fake foreigner. You won’t suck marrow, chew on exploding liver, or touch duck intestines, duck blood, or tripe, not to mention you won’t even eat pig intestines.”

Wei Xiaochi was shocked. He really liked animal organs, and he hadn’t expected Jiang Zhan to be this picky.

Jiang Zhan’s face turned dark. “Shut up.”

The room’s atmosphere suddenly dropped, and Han Ziyang wisely kept quiet, glancing at Jiang Zhan before attempting to grab another banana. Before he could, Jiang Zhan slapped his hand away.

Han Ziyang yelped in pain, blowing on the red spot and grumbling as he backed off.

Jiang Zhan then turned to Wei Xiaochi, “Are you hungry?”

Wei Xiaochi nodded honestly, realizing he was getting uncomfortable if he didn’t eat soon.

“You.” Jiang Zhan glared at Han Ziyang, “Go get us some food.”

Han Ziyang didn’t dare to complain. He quickly grabbed a banana and ran out of the room.

Wei Xiaochi: …

—

Once Han Ziyang left, the room fell quiet.

After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Zhan, still slouching, said, “I’m not that picky.”

Wei Xiaochi didn’t know how to respond, awkwardly smiling and saying, “Oh.”

Li Suilin couldn’t help but laugh. Watching these two fools fall for each other was actually kind of fun.

One was stubborn and the other oblivious—together, they were something else.

Li Suilin suppressed his smile, “By the way, the exam results are out. All four of you passed.”

Wei Xiaochi’s eyes lit up.

For a first-time tutor like him, this result was quite an achievement. He hadn’t expected even Jiang Zhan to pass.

The alpha, however, looked dismissive, as if passing the exam was no big deal, and didn’t deserve any praise.

If he weren’t the worst student in the group of four, Wei Xiaochi might have actually believed Jiang Zhan’s cool, arrogant demeanor.

Li Suilin asked Jiang Zhan, “Are you feeling better?”

Before Jiang Zhan answered, he glanced at Wei Xiaochi, his face blank as he spat out two words, “No!”

His tone carried a slight, unreasonable grievance.

Li Suilin looked at Wei Xiaochi, smiled, and didn’t say anything further.

Wei Xiaochi felt awkward in front of both of them. A strange thought crossed his mind: Maybe I’m just not cut out for being an omega.

But then he realized it wasn’t his fault. It was just that Jiang Zhan’s mood swings were so unpredictable—sometimes sunny, sometimes stormy—that it was hard to understand him.

—

Han Ziyang came back with two bowls of seafood noodles, made with real seafood broth, not like the small restaurants that use instant powder to make it.

The noodles were thick and chewy, not sure what they were made with, but they had a nice bounce and smooth texture.

After dinner, Wei Xiaochi cut up some watermelon and everyone shared it.

Full and satisfied, Han Ziyang laid back on the sofa, rubbing his belly, not wanting to move.

Han Ziyang then made a suggestion, “Zhan Ge, I’ll stay here with you tonight, so you won’t feel lonely.”

Wei Xiaochi had eaten and was restless. Worried that the watermelon rind might attract flies, he tied up the black garbage bag and tossed it into the green trash can outside. When he came back, he heard Han Ziyang’s comment.

He stood in the doorway, looking troubled and unsure.

He had ridden for over an hour to get to the hospital, and now he really didn’t want to ride all the way back home.

At this hour, he wasn’t sure when he would get home, and it would leave him exhausted. That old bike of his probably wouldn’t survive the trip.

But asking to stay would be awkward. He didn’t want to fight Han Ziyang for the spot.

Luckily, Jiang Zhan firmly rejected it.

The alpha casually glanced at Han Ziyang, who was lounging with his belly exposed, “Wei Xiaochi rode twenty kilometers just to come to the hospital.”

Blood rushed to Wei Xiaochi’s face, and his skin burned.

Even though it was true that he rode twenty kilometers, hearing it come out of Jiang Zhan’s mouth felt so strange.

Han Ziyang, without much hesitation, heard this and immediately gave Wei Xiaochi a respectful look.

He had seen Wei Xiaochi’s old bike, which looked even older than his grandfather’s, and he couldn’t imagine how it made it through a twenty-kilometer ride without breaking down.

For Jiang Zhan, Han Ziyang admired his persistence. To get closer to him, Wei Xiaochi was definitely working hard.

Moved by this spirit, Han Ziyang, in a flash of righteousness, stood up and said to Wei Xiaochi, “Come on, you sleep here. I won’t fight you for it.”

Wei Xiaochi: …

Chapter 34

Before coming, Wei Xiaochi had taken a shower, but the ride here had made him sweat. Before bed, he took another hot shower.

This hospital room truly deserved to be called high-class; not only was there a fruit knife and fruit bowl prepared, but even the bathroom had a hairdryer.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t wash his hair, so he just marveled at it briefly before opening the door and stepping outside.

The alpha was sitting cross-legged on the bed. His black hair hung softly, his eyes as dark as night, with a high nose bridge and thin lips pressed together. He was holding a pillow in his arms, which conveniently covered the protruding Adam’s apple.

At that moment, Jiang Zhan seemed less like his usual arrogant self and more youthful.

He looked at Wei Xiaochi, then lowered his head, raised it to glance again, and lowered it once more.

Wei Xiaochi paused in his steps.

If this were the daytime, he might have thought that there was something dirty on him, that’s why Jiang Zhan was looking at him with that unsaid expression, as if wanting to say something but holding back.

But now, Jiang Zhan had just showered, and the dampness clung to him from his forehead to his neck, all in fresh, clean white.

He looked soft, almost like a clam without its shell.

Wei Xiaochi unconsciously started salivating, swallowing thickly.

He wasn’t obsessed with Jiang Zhan’s looks; he was simply stunned.

Wei Xiaochi suspected that either his brain was malfunctioning and he was hallucinating, or… Jiang Zhan was acting strangely.

His mind went blank for a while, as though it was filled with concrete and couldn’t move. On instinct, Wei Xiaochi blurted out, “Do… do you want my pheromones?”

Jiang Zhan didn’t speak. Suddenly, he lay back on the bed and pulled the blanket over his head.

For a long while, the muffled sound of his voice came from under the blanket, “Hurry.”

Wei Xiaochi took a moment to understand—Jiang Zhan was asking him to release calming pheromones quickly.

—

Early in the morning, Jiang Tang dropped Song Langlang off at her dance class, then drove to the hospital to visit Jiang Zhan.

Although Jiang Zhan had repeatedly told her not to come, she had only one younger brother, whom she had taken care of since childhood. She also wanted to see what this omega he was interested in looked like.

From Zhang Linchang’s words, she roughly knew that Jiang Zhan was interested in a well-behaved, quiet, good student.

Like Zhang Linchang, Jiang Tang was surprised.

Since Jiang Zhan’s differentiation, he had never shown interest in any omega. She had assumed her brother would like someone more bold and outgoing, someone who would take the initiative to approach him.

She never expected he would be interested in someone with the exact opposite personality.

Jiang Tang didn’t call ahead to tell Jiang Zhan she was coming. When she arrived and saw the scene in front of her, it was something she never could have predicted.

A desk was set up on the bed, and an alpha and omega were sitting across from each other.

Her little brother, who had always been rebellious, was sitting seriously in front of a math workbook, carefully doing his problems.

When the door opened, both of them turned to look at her. Only then did Jiang Tang see the omega’s face.

At first glance, he seemed unremarkable—wearing glasses, hair slightly long enough to cover his eyebrows, pale, dressed in an oversized T-shirt and black sweatpants.

If it were a normal day, Jiang Tang would’ve passed by without a second glance. But today, she couldn’t help but observe him more carefully.

The young man was actually quite good-looking. His almond-shaped eyes were striking, and his face had delicate features, with soft lines from his brows down to his chin, giving him a handsome and refined look.

However, his face was pale, and every movement radiated timidity and caution, as though he had experienced something, and his self-consciousness made him try to hide himself from others.

Seeing the sudden appearance of such a strong, beautiful woman in the room, and feeling her gaze on him, Wei Xiaochi couldn’t help but clench the pen in his hand and slowly lower his head.

Jiang Zhan, on the other hand, wasn’t shy at all. He furrowed his brows and asked sharply, “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you,” Jiang Tang said with a slight smile, her tone meaningful. “What are you afraid of? Are you afraid I’ll look?”

Jiang Zhan immediately understood her meaning, and turned his face away, muttering a vague, “Troublesome.”

Jiang Tang walked in, the heels of her 8-centimeter shoes clicking lightly as she leisurely teased Jiang Zhan.

“When you asked me for help a few days ago, you didn’t mind me being troublesome. Do you want me to tell you what you needed help with?”

Sure enough, Jiang Zhan became uneasy and glared at her.

Jiang Tang ignored him and turned to the silent omega, saying, “Hello, I’m Jiang Zhan’s sister… his real sister.”

Wei Xiaochi nervously replied, “Hello, I’m Wei Xiaochi, Jiang Zhan’s classmate… but not in the same class.”

Jiang Tang smiled faintly, “I saw clothes drying on the balcony. Did you wash those for Jiang Zhan?”

Wei Xiaochi nodded, not wanting to take credit for it, he whispered, “He’s helped me a lot too.”

Wei Xiaochi couldn’t repay the financial help Jiang Zhan had given him, so doing these things felt like a way to repay him.

“No need to worry about that. Auntie from home will come to collect the clothes. Thank you for looking after him,” Jiang Tang’s voice was gentle.

Wei Xiaochi’s heart raced, unable to handle being spoken to in such a tender tone by an elder. His ears turned red, and he didn’t dare to look up. He just shook his head.

Jiang Tang was beautiful, with bright red lips, delicate brows, and warm eyes that sparkled with humor. There was an elegant, classical air about her, but only when she was in front of people she liked.

She didn’t know much about Wei Xiaochi, but as someone who loved her brother, she treated him kindly and gently.

“Don’t spoil him too much,” Jiang Tang laughed and glanced at Jiang Zhan, “The more you spoil him, the worse his temper gets.”

Jiang Zhan shot her a glare, as if saying it was none of her business.

Wei Xiaochi was enveloped by her soft and affectionate voice. He didn’t sense anything odd about her tone; he just nodded.

Jiang Zhan became more irritated, “What are you nodding for?”

Wei Xiaochi looked at him, startled.

Jiang Zhan turned away, sulking.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t dare to provoke him, biting his lip and not saying a word.

Jiang Tang, seeing her brother sulking, found it amusing, but she had to go pick up Song Langlang from the dance school, so she didn’t stay long in the hospital room.

Before leaving, she called Wei Xiaochi aside for a few words.

“He has a bad temper and a sharp tongue. If he makes you upset, don’t just tolerate it—stand up for yourself. Don’t worry, he won’t hit anyone no matter how bad his mood gets.”

Wei Xiaochi had seen Jiang Zhan fight before, and not just once, so he didn’t take her words at face value.

But out of respect for her as his sister, he didn’t want to ruin the mood, so he nodded and said, “I understand.”

Jiang Tang sighed in exasperation, “Jiang Zhan’s always been stubborn. Sometimes…”

She could tell her brother was hard to handle. When he said “no,” he usually meant “yes.” His actions spoke louder than words.

It was easy to tell when he really didn’t want something: his tone would be normal, and there wouldn’t be any of his usual little gestures, like turning his face away or staring at you.

But when he said “no” and then kept looking at you, glaring or sulking, that was when he really wanted something, and you’d better give it to him, or he’d throw a tantrum.

Jiang Tang wanted to give Wei Xiaochi tips on handling Jiang Zhan, but after seeing the way they were interacting in the hospital room, she realized it might be time to find someone to fix his spoiled temper.

Everyone around him indulged him too much, which only made his arrogance worse.

People let you have your way out of kindness, but in relationships, there’s a limit—should someone really have to spoil you in a relationship?

Jiang Tang stopped herself, smiling and saying, “Never mind. Just don’t let him push you around too much.”

“If he acts up, just let me know. Don’t pamper him too much,” Jiang Tang raised a long hand and pointed at her own head, teasing her younger brother, “He’s not using his brain.”

“Thanks for looking after Jiang Zhan. Come by our house some other time, I’ll cook for you.”

Jiang Tang’s words were so quick and smooth that Wei Xiaochi felt dizzy trying to keep up. The two of them even exchanged WeChat info.

Wei Xiaochi was socially awkward, so when people spoke too fast, he’d get nervous.

After Jiang Tang left, he couldn’t help but ask himself, How did I end up exchanging contact info with Jiang Zhan’s sister?

Wei Xiaochi took off his glasses, sighed, and rubbed his eyes.

After putting them back on, he walked into the room, where another dark-faced alpha was waiting.

—

Seeing Jiang Zhan’s calculating expression, for a moment, Wei Xiaochi thought about running away.

But Jiang Zhan didn’t give him the chance. As soon as Wei Xiaochi stepped into the room, Jiang Zhan pounced on him like a hungry beast, dragging him onto the bed, wrapping him up like a chicken wrap.

The alpha’s long arm held Wei Xiaochi tightly as he growled—

“What was with all that nodding?”

“Did you listen to everything she said?”

“What do you mean, don’t spoil me? What have you spoiled me with?”

“Speak!”

Wei Xiaochi knew he couldn’t struggle free, so he obediently lay in bed, staring blankly at Jiang Zhan. When the other shouted, he could only speak up.

“I…,” Wei Xiaochi stammered, using his usual apology template, “I won’t do it again.”

He wasn’t dismissing Jiang Zhan, but the things that made him angry were always so hard to figure out. That’s why Wei Xiaochi kept apologizing with the same phrases over and over.

[Sorry, I was wrong.]

[I won’t do it again.]

[I’ll listen to you.]

Worried the apology wasn’t enough, Wei Xiaochi quickly added the other two, “Sorry, I was wrong. I’ll listen to you.”

Even though his apologies were repetitive, Jiang Zhan surprisingly always bought it.

The alpha’s expression softened, “Good, listen to me.”

Relieved that he’d passed the test, Wei Xiaochi breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Zhan buried his face in Wei Xiaochi’s neck, inhaling deeply. His voice no longer sounded anxious, “From now on, you’ll always listen to me.”

He lifted his head, nuzzling Wei Xiaochi’s forehead, rubbing it affectionately, “Got it?”

Wei Xiaochi felt an odd sensation in his chest. Before he could think much about it, Jiang Zhan glanced at him again, and Wei Xiaochi hurriedly nodded to show he understood.

Jiang Zhan pulled him close and lay down, closing his eyes and pouting, “I don’t want to study.”

Wei Xiaochi stayed silent.

Jiang Zhan repeated, “I don’t want to study.”

Wei Xiaochi awkwardly tugged at the corners of his mouth, “Then… then you should sleep for a while.”

Jiang Zhan not only wanted to sleep but also insisted on holding Wei Xiaochi as he did. His head stuck to him like it had been glued on with superglue.

Wei Xiaochi could only lie next to him and release some calming pheromones.

This time, Jiang Zhan didn’t just stick to Wei Xiaochi; he completely enveloped him, his nose rubbing against his neck.

Wei Xiaochi looked at the big, clingy lion resting on him and sighed in his heart—Jiang Zhan’s temper was really bad, but when he was in a good mood, he was unexpectedly gentle.

—

Jiang Zhan’s condition still hadn’t improved. That night, he even entered his heat period and had to be separated from Wei Xiaochi.

The doctor advised them to stay apart for at least two days to avoid the influence of each other’s pheromones.

Calming an alpha in his sensitive phase was no easy task. Monday morning, Wei Xiaochi rode his bike to school, his legs wobbly from exhaustion.

Not only was he physically drained, but he had also ridden for more than an hour to get home the previous night.

When Jiang Zhan suddenly entered his heat period, the medical staff quickly separated them, creating chaos. After hearing the doctor’s advice not to get close to Jiang Zhan for the next couple of days, Wei Xiaochi quietly left the hospital.

As soon as he got home, his phone rang. It was Jiang Zhan calling. Even though he had taken suppressants, the alpha was still furious, and he spent a long time venting on the phone.

When he heard that Wei Xiaochi had ridden his bike back again, Jiang Zhan became even angrier, and Wei Xiaochi had to calm him down for a long time.

—

Little Theater:

This morning, the exam papers from last Wednesday were handed out, and the teachers were discussing the results.

Wei Xiaochi had done well this time. His total score was five points higher than Zhang Mingyang’s, ranking second in the entire grade.

During the morning classes, Wei Xiaochi felt exhausted, resting his arms on the desk. Since his score was high, he didn’t really care about the first half of the lessons.

The bell rang for the third period. Wei Xiaochi struggled to stand, his legs sore from riding his bike the past few days. His walk was a little off.

As he went downstairs to the restroom, a hand suddenly grabbed his collar from behind.

Except for Jiang Zhan, if anyone else grabbed him like that, Wei Xiaochi would immediately think trouble was coming.

But Jiang Zhan wasn’t at school today, so it couldn’t have been him.

Wei Xiaochi turned his head tremblingly and saw Xu Yang’s face. He stiffened and forced a smile.

Author’s Note:

Wei Xiaochi is not far from waking up, because the dog’s one-sided love is way too obvious. Even a dense person like me can sense something’s off now.