By the time the two of them returned to the classroom, the next period had already begun.
Class 2-1 was the top science class of the sophomore year, and even Dai Li, who usually looked unbothered and cavalier, never slacked off when it came to his academic performance.
The physics teacher was lecturing with great passion on the podium, “Students, even though tomorrow is the opening exam, we still have to cover our lessons. Our class is already falling behind in the syllabus. Now open your compulsory textbooks, and today we are going to cover Ampère’s rule.”
The students below were holding back laughter because of the physics teacher’s unique accent, trembling as they flipped open their physics books.
Returning to his seat, Xu Changxing had already self-studied this section of the material. He opened the ointment he had just bought from the infirmary, squeezed out a small amount, and applied it to the conspicuous red mark on his wrist.
“Deskmate, what are you doing?” Dai Li leaned over.
Xu Changxing had no desire to pay attention to him, continuing to gently massage circles into his wrist underneath the desk.
“Damn! What happened to your hand?” Dai Li lowered his voice.
“A dog did it,” Xu Changxing mumbled vaguely, but unfortunately, Dai Li’s hearing was unusually sharp.
“How dare you call me a dog?!” Dai Li reached out and grabbed the fingers Xu Changxing was using to apply the ointment.
“Let go. I didn’t say it was you, so don’t jump to conclusions.” Xu Changxing brushed Dai Li’s hand away, and the spot that had just been touched turned red again at a visible rate.
“I didn’t even use any force. Why are you so delicate?” Dai Li paused for a second, confirming that he truly hadn’t used any strength, before a flash of inspiration hit him. “Are you allergic?”
“Allergic.” Xu Changxing chewed on those two words. “Yeah, let’s call it that.” If he could use an allergy to cover up the truth of his skin-thirsty syndrome, it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“Who’s allergic to human skin? That’s bizarre.”
“Yeah, it’s very bizarre, so don’t touch me,” Xu Changxing warned Dai Li.
“Who even wants to? You’re not some sweet-smelling Omega anyway,” Dai Li said dismissively.
“Right, I’m just a plain little Beta, so please also pass the word to your friend not to waste any effort on me.” Xu Changxing took out his physics workbook and prepared to grind through some problems.
Knowing that Xu Changxing had overheard their conversation at the door earlier, Dai Li still replied, “What does him wanting to chase you have to do with me?”
“Whatever. The point is, I’m never dating anyone.” Too lazy to waste any more breath on Dai Li, Xu Changxing lowered his head, picked up his pen, and plunged himself back into a sea of practice problems.
Having so many things happen on his very first day of transfer, Xu Changxing couldn’t help but worry a little about the days ahead.
After a hurried dinner, Xu Changxing was called over to Chen Feng’s office.
“Classmate Xu Changxing, these are your school uniform and dormitory keys. Try them on tonight, and if the sizes don’t fit, just bring them back tomorrow to swap them. Also, although the advanced class in Xilin was progressing at roughly the same pace as us, you should still adapt to our teaching pace and methods as quickly as possible. Just do your best on tomorrow’s opening exam; the school just wants to see how everyone studied over the break.” Chen Feng offered these words of earnest advice to Xu Changxing.
“I understand. Thank you, Teacher Chen.” Xu Changxing stood obediently in front of Chen Feng, his back facing the office door, completely unaware that a head was peeking in from the hallway.
“I heard you weren’t feeling well today?” Chen Feng suddenly remembered the math teacher reporting this to him. “How are you feeling now?”
“I’m fine, teacher, much better.” Xu Changxing wasn’t lying. Ever since he applied that ointment and avoided any further physical contact with anyone, his symptoms had improved significantly.
“That’s good. If you need anything else, just let me know.” Chen Feng slipped back into his mother-hen lecturing mode.
“Okay, thank you, Teacher Chen.” Xu Changxing listened to the whole thing without missing a single word, which somewhat surprised Dai Li, who was eavesdropping outside, given how much Dai Li himself hated Chen Feng’s nagging.
Seeing that the two of them were wrapping up their conversation and Xu Changxing was about to come out, Dai Li nimbly dashed back to his seat, acting as if nothing had happened while casually continuing the homework assigned for the day.
Gaoyang No. 2 Middle School was one of the best key high schools in the city, and evening self-study required attending at least three regular class periods.
By the time they finally dragged themselves through the last study period, there were still mountains of worksheets left unwritten.
Xu Changxing carefully wrote out every single answer neatly, while Dai Li selectively chose questions he deemed worth his time.
As soon as the dismissal bell rang, Dai Li dropped a casual “Bye, new deskmate!” and bolted out of the classroom like a rocket.
Xu Changxing tidied up his desk thoroughly, packed two books he wanted to read later that night, stopped by the convenience store to pick up some toiletries, and followed the flow of students back to the dormitories.
The dormitory setup at Gaoyang No. 2 Middle School was exceptionally well-equipped: two-person rooms with beds on top and desks below, private bathrooms, and independent sinks. While males and females as well as Alphas and Omegas couldn’t mix buildings, Betas were housed in the same building as students of their primary gender, and Xu Changxing had been assigned to the Omega dormitory building.
Thus, the moment Xu Changxing stepped into his dorm room, he discovered he had an Omega roommate.
“You must be Xu Changxing! My name is Lin Guo, you can call me Guoguo or Xiaoguo.” A boy wearing yellow pajamas bounded over with boundless enthusiasm. “Oh right, I’m an Omega, and I’m in Class 2, right next door to your class.”
“Hello.” Xu Changxing offered a polite greeting in return.
“Gosh, you look so good! Seeing you up close is even better, hoo hoo!” Cupping his face, Lin Guo leaned right up close to Xu Changxing, causing Xu Changxing to take two steps back by reflex.
“You look great too.” Xu Changxing forced the corner of his mouth up. Were all the students at Gaoyang No. 2 this enthusiastic?
Fortunately, Lin Guo didn’t push any further. Xu Changxing hurried back to his bunk to unpack his things and get ready for a shower.
“Hey, Changxing, are you nervous about tomorrow’s opening exam?” Lin Guo tilted his chair back and poked his head out.
“Not really,” Xu Changxing replied calmly, continuing to arrange the small items on his desk.
“As expected of someone from Class 1. Sigh, I’m so jealous, unlike me.” Lin Guo chattered on and on without paying attention to whether Xu Changxing was actually listening.
“Changxing, are you really a Beta? From the looks of it, you should definitely be an Alpha.”
“Yeah.” Xu Changxing had heard comments like this countless times. People who didn’t know better always assumed he ought to be an Alpha, but he didn’t care much about such things.
Carrying his toiletries to the bathroom, Xu Changxing found that Lin Guo must have just taken a shower because the room was still thick and warm with steam.
Xu Changxing set his gargle cup down on the sink and wiped away the condensation covering the mirror, revealing a finely chiseled face.
“What a menace,” Xu Changxing murmured, staring at his own reflection in the mirror.
Only when the cold water poured down over his head did Xu Changxing let out a breath, warning himself that he had to act with absolute caution and never let his condition flare up again.
If he could just get through these next two years in peace, he must never bring trouble upon his mother again.