Chapter 23

Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.

Chapter Twenty Three

When they went to class on Monday, Jiang ShaoYan followed Wang Zhe out of the dormitory. The many students coming and going on the path watched them in the interest of gossip. Jiang ShaoYan was calm and composed, acting as if they were merely air surrounding them, but Wang Zhe, who was being sized up by everyone, suddenly couldn’t figure out what to do with his hands or feet, awkwardly flailing.

Jiang ShaoYan sighed and pulled Wang Zhe by the hand, “Don’t be afraid. Get in touch with me if anything happens.”

“Xuezhang, I’m not afraid, I’m……” he cut himself off without saying the rest.

There was nothing much Jiang ShaoYan could do for him since class time was quickly approaching. He could only comfort him a little as they walked towards their respective academic buildings and separated.

 

All morning, Jiang ShaoYan was a little preoccupied, so he barely heard any of the professors’ lectures. His mind was focused on how to make that silly dog more bold. It’d be better to teach him how to fight, otherwise he’d never be able to feel reassured.

After pondering over and over again, Jiang ShaoYan secretly pulled his phone out behind the cover of a book. He typed “How to train your boyfriend’s willpower” in a webpage search box. The resulting suggestions were all not suitable for children. Netizens could really think crookedly about the very serious word “willpower”.\n

(t/n: train also can mean toughen, develop, temper, etc)

He removed the word “boyfriend” and thought hard for a moment on what to search to avoid the crooked results. After a few seconds, he searched once again with the keywords: “How to train your son’s willpower.”

 

In the afternoon physical education class, Jiang ShaoYan, who was now filled with the heart of an old father, entered the sports field with his netizen’s tricks in hand. For the first time ever, he didn’t go to play ball, but instead stood on the sidelines of Wang Zhe’s class and observed him from a close distance.

Alright, let’s start by training him to stop being shy.

A few girls in Wang Zhe’s class group soon noticed Jiang ShaoYan and immediately blushed and started whispering to each other. A moment later, a large group of people in Wang Zhe’s class group secretly cast inquisitive glances towards Jiang ShaoYan and a boy standing behind Wang Zhe poked him. Wang Zhe turned around, confused, then glanced in the direction his classmate was pointing.

“!!!”

Because the teacher in front of the group was explaining the arrangements for the end of term exam, Wang Zhe didn’t shout, but the corners of his mouth tilted up, beaming until his white teeth showed and his eyes curved up.

Just then, the boy next to Wang Zhe touched his shoulder and leaned in close to whisper something in his ear. Wang Zhe bowed his head slightly, though his eyes still darted towards him from time to time.

Jiang ShaoYan scowled.

Laozi is right here watching and you even dare to exchange private words with others?

After listening to the boy’s words, Wang Zhe’s ears turned a little red and the eyes looking towards him became even more shy and evasive.

Jiang ShaoYan clenched his hand into a fist, thinking for a moment about how he ought to educate his alpha.

 

By unlucky coincidence, someone who didn’t fear his icy expression came over to provoke him, “Who is our Yan Ge looking at? Oh, turns out it’s that weak alpha.”

Yao Yi, who’d just walked over, let out a beautiful, seductive laugh, though his tone was sharp with ridicule.

Jiang ShaoYan didn’t even turn his head, just looked askance at him, expression in his eyes cold enough to strike fear in a man’s heart. He suddenly grinned, relaxing the fist at his side and putting his hand in his pocket. He lazily strode over in front of Yao Yi step by step.

Then, he firmly seized the other by the collar.

“You looking for death? It’s been so long since this Ge beat someone up that you might’ve been under the impression this Ge’s temper had improved, eh?”

Jiang ShaoYan smiled at the panic-stricken boy. He had no feelings of compassion or chivalry¹ for the omega. Just as he was about to punch Yao Yi in the face, he glanced at something inadvertently and his fist froze in the air.

 

“Xuezhang!” As soon as Wang Zhe’s class group had been dismissed, he had turned and saw that the atmosphere around Jiang ShaoYan was off. He’d quickly rushed over to stop it, but before he could arrive, Jiang ShaoYan stopped himself.

“Xuezhang, are you okay?” Wang Zhe stepped in front of Jiang ShaoYan and asked Yao Yi, who was clearly in the midst of a predicament, “What do you think you’re doing?”

But it was Jiang ShaoYan who spoke first, with a bit of disbelief in his tone, “……Zou Rui marked you?”

Although Yao Yi was suffering from the grip on his collar, when he heard this, he immediately raised his eyebrows arrogantly, “Yes! Feeling jealous? Feeling regret? As I said before, he’s mine!”

Jiang ShaoYan silently stared at the bite to the gland on the side of Yao Yi’s neck. It indeed faintly exuded Zou Rui’s pheromone scent.

What a dog. How could he have been so blind, thinking that Zou Rui wasn’t too bad?

“What are you saying to me so wholeheartedly? Finding another omega to mark just a few days after being dumped.” Jiang ShaoYan snorted, “Thank you so much for taking such a piece of trash off my hands.”

Yao Yi nevertheless tried to feign calmness. “Still replying like that. Who doesn’t know that you’ll regret it to death? Dumping Zou Rui and having no choice but some alpha who is weak, brainle–”

Jiang ShaoYan didn’t give him the opportunity to finish. He directly carried out the action he had paused just now.

Smashed by the fist, Yao Yi was thrown to the ground, dazed. He clutched his bleeding nose and said with a stupefied expression, “You hit me? But I’m omega!”

Jiang ShaoYan struck him again, kicking him in the stomach, “Who told you that Laozi doesn’t hit omegas? It’s just that I never thought you were so in need of a spanking before.”

He’d remembered to hold his strength back a bit, otherwise right now Yao Yi would’ve been lying on the ground unconscious. The two blows just now would make him sore for a bit, but the bruises would naturally fade after a few days. But Yao Yi seemed to think he had received the greatest wrong in the world, so he remained frozen on the ground, refusing to get up. He raised his voice to swear at him, causing everyone around him to come over to take a look.

Someone who wasn’t aware of the circumstances spoke up for Yao Yi, “Yan Ge, why did you hit an omega?”

Another person whispered, “That’s too excessive……”

Jiang ShaoYan’s gloomy gaze swept the crowd. The discontented voices immediately quieted. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Wang Zhe beside him couldn’t hold it in anymore, “Why are you all speaking up without knowing the circumstances?”

Wang Zhe seemed to be stirred up, in some indescribable mood. His tone was unusually blunt and rude and he was giving off a bit of an imposing aura. He pointed at Yao Yi, who was making a scene on the ground, “This person swooped in to snatch up the person who Xuezhang liked. Who’s the excessive one now? ”

 

What he was saying was wrong. When he heard it, Jiang ShaoYan’s headache grew even more. He quickly covered his mouth. “You also shouldn’t speak up without knowing the circumstances. Laozi never liked Zou Rui.”

Obviously I actually like you, silly dog. But Jiang ShaoYan didn’t say that aloud, because they were still surrounded by a large crowd and he was still worried that something so high-profile would result in too much trouble for Wang Zhe.

But what he said really was the sincere truth. Previously, he’d thought his so-called feelings for Zou Rui could be called a “crush.” But now, he realized that he’d just had a bit of a favorable impression of him. When Zou Rui had been close to him, his heartbeat had never sped up and he’d never wanted to hug or kiss him; when Zou Rui had invited him on a date, he’d never had butterflies in his stomach and had even found it a bit boring; when Zou Rui had been intimate with others, he’d never felt jealous or wanted to fight over him, he’d just wondered if he was thinking of changing his target.

He’d only judged Zou Rui as meeting his qualifications purely because he had strong alpha characteristics, but he really wasn’t irreplaceable. It was just that, at the time, he’d never experienced love before, so he’d thought having a favorable impression was the same as liking someone.

But coming to know Wang Zhe had made him realize what it truly meant to like someone.

Even if this person wasn’t in line with his ideal type, he liked him because he liked him, there was no reason for it.

 

These words from Jiang ShaoYan were resolute and decisive, but to the surrounding bystanders, there seemed to be something hidden beneath his words. After all, everyone knew that he’d been close to Zou Rui and beyond that, with his fierce personality, how could he really like Wang Zhe, who had a completely different type of personality. On the contrary, he seemed to be doing this deliberately because he was throwing a tantrum over Zou Rui.

Jiang ShaoYan couldn’t be bothered to explain more to the masses, so he crouched down and grabbed Yao Yi’s collar again.

Yao Yi trembled in fear. “W-What?! Want to hit me again?”

Jiang ShaoYan stared at him with a cold, unwavering gaze. He lowered his voice and leaned in, “That day on the stairs, it was you who spilled the oil, wasn’t it? Hmm?”

All the breath fled Yao Yi’s lungs. “H-how could that be……”

“You’d better hope I don’t find evidence, otherwise…… Wang Zhe’s foot was hurt, so I’ll break your leg. Laozi keeps his promises.”

Jiang ShaoYan’s tone was calm, but his expression was quite terrifying. After finishing his threat, he gave Yao Yi’s swollen cheek a pat, “He’s the darling of my heart. I advise you not to court death.”

With those last words, he deliberately raised his volume, looked at Wang Zhe as he spoke, thinking that this hint had to have been clear enough, but the silly dog still stared blankly at him, expression a bit entranced.

No way you didn’t hear me? Jiang ShaoYan frowned. He’d missed the opportunity to say it again, so he immediately got annoyed. He stood up and flicked Wang Zhe’s forehead, “Why are you looking so foolish, let’s go.”

Wang Zhe followed him obediently, still looking somewhat distracted. He seemed to be thinking something over and his expression was rather heavy.

 

Jiang ShaoYan’s words had been in public but they’d still been an indirect confession, a rare maudlin sentence that deserved to be treasured. However, Wang Zhe hadn’t responded at all and now he looked like he had lost his soul. The more he thought about it, the more sullen he became, leading him along with a gloomy face all the way to a desolate corner of the sports field where he abruptly stopped.

Wang Zhe didn’t notice at first and bumped into Jiang ShaoYan’s back. He quickly apologized, “Sorry, Xuezhang.”

Jiang ShaoYan turned and glared at him, “What are you so distracted by? Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

“Yeah, I heard……” Wang Zhe’s smile came and went in a flash, “‘He’s the darling of my heart’…… I didn’t expect Xuezhang to ever speak so passionately.”

Wang Zhe’s words made him feel inexplicably ashamed. Jiang ShaoYan sneered, “I just said some nonsense without thinking.”

“Xuezhang…… I don’t ask to be considered the darling of your heart, as long as you let me have some space at the bottom of your heart, just a little corner where I can look up hopefully at you, okay?”\n

(t/n: darling here can also mean apex/pinnacle)

Wang Zhe’s tone was very gentle, but the expression in his eyes seemed to be awfully fragile. The few sycamore trees near the corner blocked a little sunlight and the mottled light was projected on the features of his face, dazzling. The dance of shadows and light somehow made him seem both handsome and ethereal.

Jiang ShaoYan’s heart skipped a beat at the sight, words spilling from his lips without thought, “Silly dog……how about you mark me?”

He’d originally decided not to take the initiative to bring this up for a second time. He would lose too much dignity, but now he didn’t care anymore. Regardless of whether Wang Zhe’s pheromone scent was weak or not, he’d set his mind on this alpha. Who cared about being coy anymore, it’d be better to quickly handle the things that ought to be handled.

He didn’t believe that Wang Zhe would refuse a second time.

 

But Wang Zhe really did.

Jiang ShaoYan thought he was hallucinating when he heard the word “no.” He widened his eyes and stared in disbelief at the person in front of him, the one who’d repeatedly said he liked him.

When he didn’t respond further, anger and embarrassment simultaneously flooded his mind. He was also a self-respecting man and also had to save his own face. But he’d taken the initiative to request for the alpha to mark himself and was rejected twice. He’d never been so humiliated.

“You fucker……” Jiang ShaoYan ground his teeth and shoved the tall alpha in front of him against the wall, “I’m being serious this time!”

That obscure gaze of Wang Zhe’s fixed on his face, “Xuezhang…….do you really want my mark? You won’t regret it?”

Jiang ShaoYan felt annoyed to death by this overly-sensitive guy. He ripped open his own collar with one hand and said, “The hell I’ll regret it. Isn’t it just a temporary mark? It’ll be gone in less than ten days.” He wanted to take advantage of the time left before his heat to train Wang Zhe’s willpower, otherwise when the time came to really face it, what would he do if this silly dog didn’t have the courage to do what needed to be done?

On this earth, there were probably only a few omegas like himself who had to worry about whether their alpha could fuck them.

Wang Zhe pressed his lips together tightly. His gaze moved from Jiang ShaoYan’s face down to the gland on his neck. His eyes darkened more and more. “Then……wait until we return to the dorm this evening. It’s not convenient here, it may take a long time for me to successfully mark you…… Please think it over again, Xuezhang, don’t be impulsive. ”

This was a pretty decent argument. After all, Wang Zhe’s pheromone scent was so light, he probably wouldn’t be able to mark him quickly. After thinking it over, Jiang ShaoYan closed his collar back up and decided to let it go for the time being.

But he still wasn’t ready to give up. So he stiffened his expression and lectured, “I didn’t like you just now. I told you to mark me, so what are you afraid of? Be a bit brave. Do you know why so many people like Zou Rui even though he’s trash? Because of his excessively imposing manner, his shamelessness. Of course you don’t need to study him, I’m just saying– ”

“I am not Zou Rui, Xuezhang,” Wang Zhe interrupted him suddenly, catching him off guard, “I can’t turn into him. Even if I was as strong as him and had pheromones as strong as his, I can never actually turn into him, do you know that? Xuezhang……”

Jiang ShaoYan, who’d been interrupted by him for the first time ever, stared blankly. Wang Zhe bowed his head a bit, so he couldn’t quite make out the mood in his eyes.

“Of course I know that…… Why are you comparing yourself to him? You’re as completely different as heaven and earth.” Jiang ShaoYan couldn’t understand.

The hands at Wang Zhe’s sides trembled imperceptibly and he fell silent.

At that moment, the bell rang to end the physical education class and Wang Zhe took a deep breath. He raised his head and shot Jiang ShaoYan a quick smile, “Xuezhang, let’s go back.”

Jiang ShaoYan thought his smile seemed a bit unnatural, but he couldn’t name why, so he could only set his words aside and walk out of the corner with him.

Forget it, I’ll wait until the evening’s marking session to “educate” this silly dog.

 

 

 

 

—

Footnotes:\n

1. Compassion and chivalry (怜香惜玉): idiom, to have tender, protective feelings for the fairer sex\n

↩

—

 

  | Novel Page |