YPSSS Chapter 27

Huang Yun wiped the water from his face with a rough swipe.

He looked up, staring intently at the mirror above the sink. His face showed regret, but even more so, resentment.

If he hadn’t been worried about his feasibility study lacking innovation, he wouldn’t have borrowed the on-load switch section from Xia Shiruan’s initial draft for his own report. Xia Shiruan’s final version was distributed to everyone as a reference example, and since that part had been removed, it made it convenient for Huang Yun to “borrow” it.

But who could have known he’d be specifically asked to explain it in detail?

Still, wasn’t a feasibility study just something to paint a rosy picture during a project’s early stages? Who the hell would actually scrutinize whether the contents were implementable or not?!

Regardless, his performance just now must have lowered Xie Mingcheng’s impression of him significantly…

The more Huang Yun thought about it, the angrier he became, feeling that everything was Xia Shiruan’s fault.

If he hadn’t submitted his work so early, Professor Lu wouldn’t have raised the standards and forced them to come up with innovative points.

Come to think of it, everything seemed to go wrong ever since he was assigned to the same lab as Xia Shiruan.

He was just a stuck-up Beta. What made him so special that Professor Lu kept favoring him? What exactly did he have that was better than Huang Yun?!

Xia Shiruan, phone in hand, pushed open the bathroom door just as Huang Yun scooped up another handful of water and splashed it harshly on his face, soaking his forehead hair.

He froze, immediately wanting to turn and leave.

Since the hotel’s top floor bathrooms were single-occupancy without gender designation, Xia Shiruan had assumed it was empty when he saw the door open.

Huang Yun had already spotted him in the mirror. “Stop right there.”

Xia Shiruan turned to face him, his expression cold.

“What’s with that look?” Huang Yun raised his eyebrows, asking rudely, “Here to laugh at me?”

Xia Shiruan found him unreasonable. He turned his face away and walked straight toward the exit, tossing back, “You’re overthinking. I’m not interested in talking to academic plagiarists.”

In fact, while Huang Yun had “borrowed” Xia Shiruan’s innovative idea, he had drafted his own implementation example, so calling it academic plagiarism wasn’t entirely accurate. It was more like creative borrowing.

But perhaps because Huang Yun was so worked up, his mackerel scent leaked out slightly, making Xia Shiruan uncomfortable, so he didn’t bother being tactful with his words.

This comment immediately enraged Huang Yun.

His face flushed red as he grabbed Xia Shiruan’s collar and yanked him back, glaring at him. “Plagiarism?! How dare you say that?!”

An Alpha’s strength was incomparable to a Beta’s, especially when enraged.

Xia Shiruan’s collar was pulled tight, making it difficult to breathe. Huang Yun’s face was close to his, his heavy breaths hitting Xia Shiruan’s face as his pheromones burst forth.

“Let go of me…” Xia Shiruan struggled to say, “What are you trying to do?”

“Nothing much,” Huang Yun panted, his eyes tinged red, “Just want you to explain yourself clearly.”

His phone had buzzed twice ten minutes ago, but Xia Shiruan hadn’t had the chance to check it. It buzzed twice more now, but given the situation, he definitely couldn’t spare the attention to look.

A mix of humiliation and hatred twisted Huang Yun’s expression into something ugly.

Looking at Xia Shiruan’s composed face despite his labored breathing, anger surged in Huang Yun’s heart. Something snapped in his mind, and he began spewing words without filter.

“You’re just a lowly Beta. Getting into Professor Lu’s lab was already more than you deserved. How dare you try to take all the advantages? Who knows what kind of love potion you fed Professor Lu to get the fourth project…”

As Huang Yun spoke, he released Xia Shiruan’s collar and looked down at him condescendingly.

Xia Shiruan stumbled, steadying himself against the sink, struggling to breathe. He loosened his collar as his phone continued to vibrate in his pocket.

At that moment, a small glass bottle rolled out of his pocket and clattered onto the floor.

The sound echoed clearly in the bathroom.

“What’s that?” Huang Yun glanced at it casually, but the text on the bottle quickly caught his attention. His expression changed instantly. “My god, pheromone perfume?”

Xia Shiruan saw it too and immediately reached to pick it up.

The caramel-scented pheromone perfume he had brought back from Xia Mountain had been tucked in his pocket, and he had forgotten to take it out.

But Huang Yun was faster. Acting as if he’d caught Xia Shiruan in some scandal, he quickly moved to grab it, saying, “What’s a Beta like you doing with something like this? I heard only Betas who do that kind of improper work use this stuff. Don’t tell me you’re-”

Xia Shiruan’s breathing grew rapid.

Before Huang Yun could finish, a pair of legs appeared in front of him.

Their owner seemed to have run here, their steps unsteady, but upon seeing the situation in the bathroom, they quickly snatched up the small bottle before Huang Yun could reach it.

Huang Yun looked up in surprise, even more shocked when he saw who it was.

“Xiao Xie? Why are you here?”

At the sound, Xia Shiruan turned his head too.

Xie Ji gripped the bottle, first glancing at Xia Shiruan’s pale face, then quickly turned to glare at Huang Yun, who was still frozen in his reaching position. His expression darkened.

Huang Yun was stunned for a second but quickly recovered.

Since Xie Mingcheng rarely visited C City on business trips, Xie Ji’s presence wasn’t strange. In an instant, several thoughts flashed through Huang Yun’s mind, and when he stood up, his expression had changed to a smile as he walked toward Xie Ji. “What brings you here? You should’ve called ahead if you were coming. After my meeting, I could treat you and Uncle to dinner.”

As Huang Yun walked closer, watching Xie Ji’s expression, he suddenly noticed how terrible his junior’s face looked. He paused, suddenly realizing something as he glanced at Xia Shiruan, then asked, “Junior… what’s wrong?”

“Huang Yun.” Xie Ji looked at the glass bottle, then pulled Xia Shiruan up from the sink before turning back to Huang Yun. “What are you doing?”

Huang Yun’s gaze flickered between Xie Ji’s hand on Xia Shiruan’s clothes and the bottle he held. A strange feeling crept over him, but he still answered, “Nothing really. During the meeting break, I was washing my hands, then… then Classmate Xia came in, and we just exchanged a few words.”

Xie Ji weighed the glass bottle in his hand and said sarcastically, “Just a few words? Intense enough to make things fall out of pockets?”

Xia Shiruan, having caught his breath, tugged at Xie Ji’s sleeve and said quietly, “Give me back the bottle. Let’s go, don’t say anymore.”

He reached for the glass bottle in Xie Ji’s hand.

Xie Ji raised his hand out of reach and shot him a fierce glare, signaling him to stay quiet.

“Did you push him?” Xie Ji suddenly asked.

Huang Yun startled, still wondering if Xie Ji had arrived earlier and seen everything, but quickly denied, “No! I didn’t push him! He was just careless, and he even said I-”

Said I committed academic plagiarism, so he deserved it! What if I did hit him? He had it coming!

But he’d never say that out loud. Huang Yun knew well that even though he hadn’t actually plagiarized, revealing the cause of their conflict would only make him look bad.

Besides, Huang Yun found it strange. Although he and Xie Ji weren’t close friends, after his repeated efforts, they should at least be considered casual friends. Yet now his junior was looking at him like a stranger.

Xie Ji nodded, looking down at him with a faint smile, speaking slowly, “Laying hands on an Omega, you’ve got some nerve.”

Although his tone was undeniably gentle and his expression smiling, it sent chills down Huang Yun’s spine.

Perhaps it was Alpha instinct that let him sense his fellow Alpha was on the edge of fury.

Huang Yun unconsciously stepped back, saying, “What Omega? Isn’t he a Beta…”

Looking at how close the two stood, how Xia Shiruan gradually shrank behind Xie Ji, and connecting some past events, an absurd suspicion formed in his mind. Huang Yun swallowed and asked, “Xiao Xie, what… what’s your relationship with Xia Shiruan?”

“Our relationship is none of your business.” Xie Ji cut him off, a flash of violence in his eyes. “If I catch you acting like trash again, we’ll see if you can even finish this project.”