Jiang Zhan was tapping on his phone and asked, “Which one are you?”

Wei Xiaochi: ???

Seeing him looking so confused, Jiang Zhan’s patience ran out, and he shot him a glare. “Your WeChat name!”

“It’s just my name, Wei Xiaochi.” The class group required real names, and Wei Xiaochi didn’t know what name to use, so he just went with his real one for simplicity.

Jiang Zhan quickly found Wei Xiaochi’s account and transferred him a thousand.

Wei Xiaochi received the transfer and looked up at Jiang Zhan, his eyes wide with surprise.

The light from the fluorescent lamp cast a cold aura over Jiang Zhan’s features, and he casually tucked his phone into his pocket.

“Let’s go.” Jiang Zhan straightened up and walked toward the exit of the hospital.

Wei Xiaochi followed behind Jiang Zhan. They walked out of the hospital without saying a word.

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t familiar with the area, and was about to ask for directions on which bus to take home when Jiang Zhan already flagged down a taxi.

At Jiang Zhan’s signal, Wei Xiaochi absent-mindedly climbed into the taxi.

Jiang Zhan didn’t get in. Instead, he closed the door for Wei Xiaochi from the outside.

Jiang Zhan’s tall frame looked imposing from Wei Xiaochi’s vantage point, only his straight nose, thin lips, and sharp jawline visible under the dim light.

Even though Jiang Zhan had a terrible personality, no one could deny his outstanding looks. His features were bold and striking.

Wei Xiaochi’s heart raced, but it wasn’t because he was charmed by Jiang Zhan’s beauty—he was scared.

What was Jiang Zhan up to?

Did he order this taxi for him, to send him home on his own?

It felt a bit embarrassing to think, but was he expected to pay for the fare?

The fare from earlier was paid by Jiang Zhan, and Wei Xiaochi recalled it being around thirty to forty yuan, even though the distance wasn’t long, the city’s starting fare was high.

Wei Xiaochi was hesitant to pay forty yuan. Just as Jiang Zhan closed the door, Wei Xiaochi pushed it open again.

The driver in the front seat looked confused. “Are we going or not?”

“No,” Wei Xiaochi said.

“Yes,” Jiang Zhan replied at the same time.

Jiang Zhan’s gaze shot through the window like a sharp blade. Wei Xiaochi flinched but still insisted on getting out of the car.

Jiang Zhan’s eyebrows furrowed, his expression fierce, as he stared at Wei Xiaochi. “What are you doing?”

“I’ll take the bus home.” Wei Xiaochi quickly came up with an excuse. “It’s too early. I’m afraid my dad will see my bruised face.”

Jiang Zhan clearly didn’t understand, staring at Wei Xiaochi with an unreadable expression, and Wei Xiaochi felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

The taxi driver, growing impatient, spoke up. “I’m asking you two—are we going or not?”

Jiang Zhan reopened the door, darkly sat beside Wei Xiaochi, and told the driver, “Take us to Shiyi Lang Hotel.”

Wei Xiaochi was taken aback and glanced up.

The Shiyi Lang Hotel’s lobby was extravagant, with a grand dome ceiling adorned with a luxurious crystal chandelier. The walls were decorated with exquisite tapestries, and the imported brown marble floors gleamed like mirrors.

Wei Xiaochi, dressed in his old school uniform, felt completely out of place.

The zipper of his school jacket was fully zipped up, with the collar turned up to cover part of his face, while his bangs hid the rest, leaving only a sliver of his nose visible.

People walking by would glance at him, their eyes lingering for a second before quickly moving on.

Wei Xiaochi nervously stood by the service desk, growing more uncomfortable the more people looked at him.

He already had mild social anxiety, and with his face swollen, he felt even more embarrassed, wishing he could sink into the floor.

Jiang Zhan seemed to have some sort of connection with the hotel. He only gave his name, and without even showing his black gold membership card, the staff began preparing a room.

At first, Jiang Zhan had intended to book just one room for Wei Xiaochi, but then he remembered there would be no one at home tonight, and he didn’t feel like taking a cab to go back. He casually booked two rooms.

Wei Xiaochi, huddled in the corner like a mushroom, suddenly stuck his head out. “Maybe just one room…?”

Jiang Zhan shot him a cold glance and refused, “I’m not used to sharing a bed with someone.”

“A standard room should have two beds,” Wei Xiaochi said, finally standing up for himself. He even tried to persuade Jiang Zhan, “I sleep very quietly. I don’t snore, and I don’t talk in my sleep.”

The most important thing was that sharing a room would save money.

Although Jiang Zhan didn’t seem to be short of money, Wei Xiaochi still felt grateful. After all, Jiang Zhan was being kind enough to book a room for him.

He’d heard that staying here for one night was expensive, and booking a standard room was like getting two rooms for the price of one. He was essentially getting a free room.

Jiang Zhan’s gaze suddenly became complicated and somewhat subtle.

As an alpha who had been independent since he was young, he didn’t really understand why this beta was so clingy and insisted on sharing a room.

Jiang Zhan’s expression was unreadable.

Wei Xiaochi, sticking to the principle of “Everyone for me, I for everyone,” tried again, “Just one room, please.”

Jiang Zhan’s lips curled into a small smirk. “Fine, one standard room.”

Wei Xiaochi had never stayed at such a luxurious hotel. The bathroom even had a bathtub, but the glass wall next to it was transparent, making it clear as day from the outside.

How was he supposed to take a bath in there?

Not to mention taking a bath, even using the toilet would be visible.

Jiang Zhan slipped on the hotel slippers and saw Wei Xiaochi standing in front of the glass, looking distressed.

Jiang Zhan glanced at him, walked into the bathroom, and pressed a button. A white curtain slowly slid down to cover the transparent glass.

With that problem solved, Wei Xiaochi relaxed.

While Jiang Zhan was busy playing on his phone, Wei Xiaochi quietly snuck into the bathroom and called Fang Yuan to tell her he would be spending the night at a classmate’s place and wouldn’t be coming home tonight.

Just as he was about to hang up, he heard Wei Dongjian yell at him. Wei Xiaochi pretended not to hear it and quickly ended the call.

When he looked up, he saw his disheveled face reflected in the mirror. The swelling on the left side of his face hadn’t gone down—it had only gotten worse.

His cheekbones were scraped raw in several places from when Fang Zhixin had shoved his head to the ground, and when he touched it, a sharp pain shot through him.

Looking at his pitiful face, Wei Xiaochi sighed and walked out of the bathroom.

Jiang Zhan was sitting on the couch, his long legs casually draped over the wooden desk. He asked, “What do you want to eat?”

There was a nice buffet on the third floor of the hotel, and Jiang Zhan had planned to go, but when he saw Wei Xiaochi’s face, he held his words back.

He couldn’t seriously go eat at a buffet with someone who looked like they had just been beaten up, could he?

He quickly gave up on that idea, deciding it would be pointless to go alone.

Wei Xiaochi couldn’t believe that not only had Jiang Zhan provided him with accommodation, but he was also taking care of dinner. What kind of amazing school bully was this?

Thinking back to when Jiang Zhan had acted like a jerk earlier, Wei Xiaochi felt a little embarrassed.

“I’ll eat anything,” Wei Xiaochi said, too embarrassed to ask for anything specific.

Jiang Zhan, acting picky as usual, stared at the menu with no appetite. After a long pause, he lazily said, “How about KFC?”

“Sure.”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“…”

—Pizza would get cold, the fried chicken wouldn’t be crispy, the noodles would turn mushy, the crayfish wouldn’t be tender, and the hot dishes wouldn’t have that fresh-out-of-the-pot taste.

Wei Xiaochi had never met anyone as picky as Jiang Zhan, but looking at his build, he certainly didn’t seem like someone who could be called ‘fragile.’

Forty minutes passed. Wei Xiaochi had finished his homework, but Jiang Zhan still hadn’t found anything he wanted to eat. Wei Xiaochi suspected that Jiang Zhan might have some form of choice paralysis.

At this point, his stomach was growling, and he couldn’t hold it in any longer. “How about… we just have instant noodles?”

“Sure,” Jiang Zhan agreed without hesitation, clearly willing to go along with the idea.

Wei Xiaochi sighed in relief and was about to go downstairs to buy some, but Jiang Zhan picked up the hotel phone and ordered several cups of instant noodles to be delivered.

After filling their stomachs, Wei Xiaochi took the anti-inflammatory medicine and followed the instructions to take two pills.

Wei Xiaochi politely asked Jiang Zhan who should go first to take a shower.

Although Jiang Zhan had shown a caring side today, his past violent reputation still made Wei Xiaochi a little wary of him.

Jiang Zhan was busy playing a game on his phone, not even looking up, but he waved his hand dismissively.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t want to disturb Jiang Zhan any further and headed to the bathroom for a hot shower.

Wei Xiaochi’s bruises had blended into a mix of blue and purple, and breathing normally wasn’t too bad, but if he took a deep breath, his skin would ache.

His back had also been injured. Since he couldn’t reach it with his arm, he didn’t want to bother Jiang Zhan and awkwardly twisted his body to apply some medicine.

Jiang Zhan finally got his chicken. The screen displayed fireworks effects, accompanied by a “ding ding” sound, and a number of rewards popped up.

After the short celebration, the screen returned to normal. Jiang Zhan suddenly felt like the room was unnervingly quiet and glanced up.

Wei Xiaochi was lying on the bed, turned to the side, his back slightly arched, his hands resting on his stomach. The position highlighted one of his shoulder blades sharply.

He was so quiet, like a hanging plant waiting in the corner, as if he would come to life with just a little water.

Jiang Zhan stared at him for a moment, then turned off his phone and stood up to take a shower.

When Jiang Zhan passed Wei Xiaochi’s bed, he realized that Wei Xiaochi was awake.

Wei Xiaochi had very poor eyesight, but he hadn’t worn glasses for long. He only started wearing them regularly in high school. His eyes weren’t as distorted as others’ might be.

His lashes were long but not thick, so when the glasses were on, his eyes didn’t stand out much.

Without the glasses, Jiang Zhan could see that his lashes were long, curling at the ends, giving off the feeling of wings flapping when they moved.

Jiang Zhan looked at him, and Wei Xiaochi looked back at him.

But his eyes were hidden under his messy hair, dark and silent, filled with his usual careful caution.

Jiang Zhan pressed his lips together and, without realizing it, asked, “Still hurt?”

This posture felt familiar to Jiang Zhan. A while back, during a match, Han Ziyang had been elbowed in the stomach by an opponent.

For the next few days, Han Ziyang had been complaining about the pain, saying he couldn’t sleep well lying flat, and had to sleep on his side, but even then, his arm hurt.

Wei Xiaochi hesitated for a moment before nodding almost imperceptibly. “Mm.”

Lying like this was fine, but moving a little made it hurt.

Jiang Zhan simply said, “Oh,” and walked into the bathroom.

Wei Xiaochi watched Jiang Zhan’s retreating figure, and soon the sound of the shower filled the room. He turned back to the bed, curled up in the blankets, and closed his eyes.

When Jiang Zhan came out wrapped in a bathrobe, Wei Xiaochi was still lying in the same position, but this time, he was actually asleep, his chin resting on the blanket, his bangs in disarray, with his lashes blending into his hair.

Just like he had said, he slept quietly, without making a sound.

Jiang Zhan snapped back to reality, feeling like a pervert for staring at the beta for so long, though he didn’t even know what he was looking at.

Frustrated, he turned off all the lights and climbed into his own bed.

Author’s Note:

Jiang Zhan: “I’m not used to sharing a bed with someone.”

Tsk, dog, remember what you said today.