Xu Changxing did not like physical contact with other people.
This was because Xu Changxing suffered from skin hunger.
This difficult-to-talk-about condition had been with Xu Changxing since childhood. He had seen many doctors over the years, but they could only use medication to alleviate the symptoms rather than cure it completely.
Because of this illness, Xu Changxing’s Alpha father felt disgust toward him, believing that he had contracted such a cheap and shameful sickness due to an unprincipled lifestyle. Fortunately, however, his mother was on his side.
Xu Changxing’s condition had last flared up at his previous school, Xilin No. 1 High School. Because of what happened as a result of the illness, he had no choice but to transfer schools once again.
In reality, it hadn’t been this severe at the very beginning, but as he grew older, this craving only intensified, especially right after touching someone else’s skin.
Like right now.
Xu Changxing tried his utmost to endure the restless, agitated impulse churning within his body, biting his teeth down hard while desperately pinching his own arm.
Just bear it until class ends, and it’ll be fine, Xu Changxing thought to himself. Once class is over, I’ll go to the restroom and splash some water on my face.
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Unsure if it was because he was trembling so violently that he ended up shaking the adjoining desk next to him,
Daili turned his head and spoke up with dissatisfaction, “What are you acting up for?”
Perhaps noticing something was off with Xu Changxing, Daili swallowed back the complaint he was about to make.
“What’s wrong with you?” Daili leaned over and asked in a low voice.
Sensing a source of heat drawing near, Xu Changxing’s body reflexively pulled back a step.
“Daili, are you bullying Changxing again?” The mathematics teacher, spotting the commotion over on their side, skillfully hurled the chalk in his hand straight at Daili. He even anticipated Daili’s dodging reflex, landing a precise hit right on Daili’s forehead.
“Teacher! It’s classmate Xu Changxing who’s not feeling well.” Daili covered his forehead with one hand while raising the other to report.
“If he’s not feeling well, can’t he speak up for himself?” The math teacher wore a look of someone who had seen it all.
“Huh? Could it be his rut cycle?” Hearing this, the surrounding classmates began to whisper among themselves, some even looking worried.
“What are you talking about? Xu Changxing is a Beta, where would he get a rut from?”
Seeing that Xu Changxing kept his head down and still appeared to be shivering, the math teacher asked, “Classmate Xu Changxing, would you like to go to the infirmary to take a look?”
“No need, thank you, Teacher.” Xu Changxing made his voice sound as normal as possible, but it was easily caught by the person right beside him.
“Such stubbornness! Let’s go!” Daili stood up, grabbed Xu Changxing by the arm, and hauled him to his feet. “Teacher, I’m taking him to the infirmary.”
“Go ahead.”
With permission granted, Daili dragged a stumbling Xu Changxing away.
“Let go.” Xu Changxing tried his utmost to break free from Daili’s grip, but the harder he struggled, the tighter that large hand squeezed. An Alpha’s physical strength was no joke.
“You can’t even walk straight, yet you’re still acting tough,” Daili taunted.
“Keep your voice down, the other classes are still in session,” Xu Changxing said, the longest sentence he had ever spoken to Daili.
“You can’t even take care of yourself, and yet you’re worried about other people?” Daili frowned, having never seen anyone so stubbornly bullheaded.
Just like that, dragged by the wrist, Xu Changxing was pulled all the way to the infirmary.
“Injured again?” Song Jia, the attending physician of the infirmary, asked casually upon seeing a regular visitor.
“No, it’s my classmate. He’s sick.” Daili pulled Xu Changxing forward and finally released his grip on Xu Changxing’s poor wrist.
“I’m not sick.” Xu Changxing immediately used his other hand to tightly clutch the wrist that had just been freed, as if trying to cover something up.
“Sit down.” Song Jia gestured toward the chair in front of him.
“Sorry, Doctor, I’m really not sick,” Xu Changxing insisted.
“I told you to sit, so sit.” Daili shoved Xu Changxing down into the chair.
“Don’t touch me!” Xu Changxing suddenly became emotionally agitated, swatting Daili’s hand away.
“Daili, step outside for a moment.” Song Jia lifted his gaze toward Daili.
“What’s there to hide?” Though confused, Daili complied and went outside.
Only Song Jia and Xu Changxing remained in the infirmary.
“Let me guess, skin hunger?” Song Jia fixed his eyes on Xu Changxing, confirming his own answer from the evasive expression.
“No.” Xu Changxing instantly denied it.
“This isn’t some shameful social disease. It’s just a very normal and common symptom. In my view, strictly speaking, it doesn’t even count as an illness, it’s merely a special psychological need.”
Song Jia explained calmly and at length, but Xu Changxing still refused to admit it.
Song Jia didn’t press the matter further and instead asked Xu Changxing for some basic personal information.
“Are you an Alpha?” Song Jia asked.
“Beta,” Xu Changxing replied.
“Then this condition is even less of a big deal. You don’t need to follow any rigid rules about keeping Alphas and Omegas separate. If you want skin-to-skin contact, just go get it. Satisfying your desires appropriately is fine, keeping it bottled up like this is going to cause problems.”
This time, Xu Changxing fell silent and didn’t continue denying his condition.
“Alright, I’ll just write you a prescription for some cold medicine.” Song Jia jotted something down in the medical log, then stood up to retrieve a box of standard cold medicine and a tube of ointment from the medicine cabinet.
“Don’t take these if you don’t have a cold, though.” Song Jia smiled as he handed them to Xu Changxing. “Stop gripping your wrist like that, let go already. Remember, apply this ointment three times a day; it should help relieve it a bit.”
Song Jia glanced at Xu Changxing’s wrist, which was covered up, whether squeezed by Daili or self-inflicted, it was beet red, with faint, scattered spots of blood visible on the skin.
“Thank you.” Knowing that Song Jia was keeping his secret, Xu Changxing accepted the medicine, paid the fee, stood up, and prepared to leave.
“Wait. Perhaps Daili is a pretty good choice, depending on whether you’re willing or not.” Song Jia’s voice echoed from behind Xu Changxing.
“He isn’t suitable.” Dropping those words, Xu Changxing opened the door and walked out.
Daili was waiting outside. Seeing him emerge, he asked, “What isn’t suitable?” He had only caught the tail end of a few words earlier.
“It’s nothing. Let’s go back to class.” Xu Changxing walked past Daili on his own accord, one hand tucked into his trouser pocket and the other carrying the bag.
“Are you catching a cold?” Seeing the bag of cold medicine, Daili caught up and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Xu Changxing.
Xu Changxing hastily widened the distance between them by a fraction. “Yeah.”
“You can catch a cold even in weather this hot? Are you made of ice?” Daili couldn’t resist a bit of teasing.
“If you say so.” Too lazy to engage with him, Xu Changxing just wanted to hurry back to the classroom.
“Tsk, truly taking good intentions as donkey’s lungs. It’s so hard to do a good deed for once.” Daili ranted and grumbled endlessly.
“Shut up, you’re so noisy,” Xu Changxing said coldly, without sparing Daili even a single glance.
Daili stopped talking. For some reason, ever since Xu Changxing transferred over, he found himself less and less able to control his temper, always feeling as though some inexplicable ball of emotion was clogged up in his chest, refusing to dissipate.