Xu Jiu stared into Chen Songyan’s eyes, watching as they shifted from evasive to determined, then back to evasive again. Strangely, Chen Songyan had no inner thoughts at this moment.
No one knew what Chen Songyan was thinking.
Xu Jiu felt Chen Songyan seemed different now. Ever since that time in the cave, Xu Jiu found it strange. The way Chen Songyan looked at him was very similar to how Xu Jiu looked at Ranran.
Xu Jiu scratched his head. He wasn’t someone who could keep things hidden, so he decided to ask directly, “Chen Songyan, do you li-“
Before he could finish, the class dismissal bell rang, cutting off his words. As soon as class ended, Gu Ji rushed out to find Xu Jiu.
Xu Jiu immediately left with his friend, and that’s when he heard Chen Songyan’s inner thoughts.
Chen Songyan’s expression hadn’t changed. He kept his head down, doing his homework. His pen never stopped, and he did not even spare Xu Jiu a single glance.
Chen Songyan: [I like you. I really like you.]
His thoughts were like a sudden storm hitting a calm pond, fierce and overwhelming, sending ripples through Xu Jiu’s heart.
The long breeze through the classroom swept past Xu Jiu’s ears, and that “I like you” instantly flooded his mind, leaving him frozen in place.
Clearly, Chen Songyan knew what he was going to say.
Xu Jiu looked back at Chen Songyan one more time, his heart a mixture of emotions. With this answer, Chen Songyan’s previously confusing behavior made sense.
Xu Jiu hurriedly left with Gu Ji.
Gu Ji chatted away, sharing all sorts of gossip with Xu Jiu. Usually, Xu Jiu would comment on everything, but today, for some reason, he remained silent.
Gu Ji remembered Xu Jiu’s interaction with Chen Songyan. He threw down his cigarette butt and stomped on it viciously, as if he was crushing Chen Songyan instead.
“Damn, Xu Jiu, what’s wrong with you today? You haven’t said a word. Did that Chen Songyan mess with you again?”
Xu Jiu turned away, his brows slightly furrowed. “How many times have I told you not to badmouth him?”
“Hey, Gu Ji, can an Alpha like another Alpha?”
“Aren’t Alphas naturally attracted to Omegas? It’s instinct. Wouldn’t liking your own kind make you a freak?”
Gu Ji shuddered, his heart racing. He wasn’t sure if Xu Jiu was hinting at something, but he’d thought about this question before, so he quickly answered.
“Normal Alphas are attracted to Omegas.”
“Unless…”
When Xu Jiu looked up, Gu Ji couldn’t bear to meet the innocence in his eyes. He lowered his gaze and took a slow drag of his cigarette, his defined features shrouded in smoke as he gave a vague answer.
“Unless their feelings for you go beyond instinct.”
Xu Jiu suddenly understood Chen Songyan’s contradictory behavior.
In this ABO world where rules never changed, Alphas being attracted to Omegas had become an unchangeable law.
Chen Songyan’s silent love was protecting both himself and Xu Jiu.
Chen Songyan was waiting for Xu Jiu to notice his feelings.
Xu Jiu threw his head back and sighed, “God, so that’s it.”
Xu Jiu ran off in a hurry, leaving Gu Ji alone shouting, “Damn it, what exactly did you figure out?!”
Did Xu Jiu discover that Gu Ji liked him?
Gu Ji thought, well, since it’s been discovered, might as well try confessing directly. What did he need to do to confess? Write a love letter, right? Gu Ji skipped evening self-study and went straight home with his backpack to research how to write a love letter.
On his way home, Gu Ji ran into He Ranran, supposedly the Omega Xu Jiu had liked for a while, but he knew He Ranran definitely didn’t like Xu Jiu back.
He Ranran went to the classroom to find Xu Jiu, but Xu Jiu’s mind was preoccupied with the fact that Chen Songyan liked him. They were supposed to be rivals! How could Chen Songyan like him?
Xu Jiu seemed to not like He Ranran as much anymore.
“You promised, tomorrow, you haven’t forgotten, right?”
“No, I haven’t.”
But Xu Jiu was someone who never went back on his word, especially not a promise to an Omega.
After school, Chen Songyan asked another question, “What did you promise him?”
Chen Songyan knew about the rumors surrounding He Ranran. Only the naive Xu Jiu saw nothing but good in He Ranran.
When Chen Songyan spoke to him, Xu Jiu remembered Chen Songyan’s inner thoughts. He felt uncomfortable and his face grew warm.
Xu Jiu lowered his head and replied simply, “Nothing,” before leaving the classroom.
Wednesday afternoon was club activities. Xu Jiu finished close to evening.
He went to find Ranran, who gave him a simple makeup look and dressed him in his own clothes. From behind, the two actually looked somewhat similar.
Except Xu Jiu was taller than He Ranran, with broader shoulders.
He Ranran hugged Xu Jiu’s arm and said with a smile, “Xiao Jiu-ge, I’m counting on you tonight. You must help me drive him away.”
Xu Jiu smiled confidently, “Leave it to me.”
He Ranran handed Xu Jiu an iced tea, his eyes flashing with panic,
“Xiao Jiu-ge, drink this to build up your strength.”
Xu Jiu didn’t eat dinner, so he drank a lot of the iced tea. After finishing the whole bottle of iced tea, Xu Jiu felt full from the liquid. He rubbed his stomach and said to He Ranran, “I’ll head over soon. Help me pass a message to Chen Songyan. Tell him to wait for me tonight, I want to walk home with him after school.”
After watching Xu Jiu leave, He Ranran worried that Xu Jiu’s disappearance for an evening might cause problems. He ran to Xu Jiu’s classroom, but the message he delivered was different from what Xu Jiu had asked.
“Chen Songyan, Xu Jiu asked me to tell you not to wait for him tonight. He has club activities.”
Chen Songyan nodded, but quickly realized something was wrong. Since when did he and Xu Jiu walk home together at night? Why would there be talk about waiting for him when that had never happened before?
After He Ranran left, Chen Songyan grew restless. He needed to find Xu Jiu himself. He worried about Xu Jiu being alone. Xu Jiu was too kindhearted and had no sense of caution.
Following He Ranran’s instructions, Xu Jiu went to the back gate. He hid a baseball bat behind his back, grinning at the thought of beating up the other person. But why was it so hot today? He only walked a short distance but was already covered in cold sweat.
There was no one at the back gate. Worried that the person might be too scared to come out and was hiding in the alley beside the gate, Xu Jiu walked into the dark alley.
Alphas had keen sense of smell. When Xu Jiu caught the chaotic scent of pheromones and realized there were multiple people hiding in the alley, it was already too late…
He knew things were bad. Before he could defend himself, nearly eight tall Alphas emerged from all directions, blocking every escape route.
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