Wishing each other a long life together?
What on earth is that?
Wen Yuluo watched the group chat as pictures of Qi You kept flooding in, his throat feeling a bit dry.
He abruptly stood up and shut his laptop. “Go on and do your homework properly in the classroom, I don’t have time to help you.”
He had already walked as far as the classroom door before the omega finally reacted and asked, “Why, Group Leader? How is this homework more important than my longevity? Where are you going, hey?”
Without looking back, Wen Yuluo replied, “To watch a basketball game.”
Omega: “?”
So after all that talking, he had just been roped into filling seats in the spectator stands for Qi You.
Wen Yuluo put his things back in the dorm and tried to brainwash himself along the way, telling himself that since his homework was practically finished anyway, watching a game wouldn’t take up all that much time.
The summer sun was far too harsh, so Wen Yuluo casually bought a bottle of ice water at a small shop, took a sip, and hurried over to the basketball court.
Even though he already knew how popular Qi You was, Wen Yuluo was still startled by the sheer number of people.
The basketball court, which usually couldn’t even scrape together ten people, had spectator stands that were practically packed to capacity.
Wen Yuluo picked an inconspicuous spot in the corner to sit down, tilting his head up to look at Qi You playing down below.
Qi You was wearing a sleeveless jersey, the well-defined muscles on his arms flushed with blood, and the veins on his wrists clearly visible.
Wen Yuluo swallowed hard.
The surrounding spectators were extremely dedicated. As if they had coordinated it beforehand, every single time Qi You scored a basket, they let out earth-shattering screams.
Wen Yuluo’s ears were practically deafened.
Since he arrived relatively late, Qi You had already been playing for a while. Beads of sweat covered his forehead, and after he scored ten consecutive baskets, his teammates began clamoring for a break.
Qi You packed up the ball and pulled up the corner of his jersey to wipe the sweat from his face. Although he lowered it after just two seconds, it still allowed people to catch a glimpse of the distinct abdominal muscles beneath his shirt.
“Ahhhhhhhhhh.”
Wen Yuluo was genuinely terrified that the girl beside him was going to scream herself into a faint.
Frowning at the overwhelming roar, Qi You said to Lu Baihai, “Next time we play, let’s apply to close the gym. It’s too noisy.”
Lu Baihai caught a bottle of water handed over by a nearby female student and laughed. “I thought you were deliberately flashing your muscles for them to see.”
Qi You’s expression remained indifferent. “Why would I do it on purpose?”
“True, you’re the high-and-mighty flower on the peak, right? And high-and-mighty flowers don’t need to drink water, do they?”
Lu Baihai motioned for him to look at the omegas crowding around to deliver water.
Qi You thanked them and was just about to say he wasn’t thirsty when he suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure in the corner.
Separated by a few rows of seats, Wen Yuluo locked eyes with Qi You. Panicking slightly, he immediately lowered his gaze and used the bottle of ice water in his hand to shield his face.
Qi You’s “not thirsty” changed into, “Thanks, I have water.”
For some inexplicable reason, he headed toward the spectator stands.
Everyone present watched as Qi You climbed up several rows of steps, made his way toward the corner seats, sat down right beside a male student, and snatched the water bottle out of his hands.
Before Wen Yuluo could even react, the water he had already taken a sip of had been unscrewed by Qi You, who drank half the bottle in gulps.
His hand felt empty, left with only the condensation melting off the plastic.
Stammering, Wen Yuluo said, “This. This water.”
I already drank out of this water!
Seeing Wen Yuluo’s tangled expression, Qi You asked, “Wasn’t this water meant for me?”
Wen Yuluo wore a baffled expression.
Could this be because too many people were giving him water, giving him the illusion that every bottle of water in everyone’s hands was meant for him?
Fine, that was the only way to explain it.
Wen Yuluo tragically lost a bottle of water.
“You were holding the water right in front of your face just now, so I thought you were hinting that it was for me,” Qi You said innocently. “Did I misunderstand?”
“No, no!” Wen Yuluo hurriedly waved his hands. “It was for you.”
Qi You raised the corners of his mouth. “Thanks.”
Wen Yuluo felt his face threatening to turn red all over again. Yesterday he could at least blame it on the fact that he had been drinking, but how was he supposed to explain it if he started blushing for no reason right here?
Just as he was about to find an excuse to make his escape, Qi You suddenly stretched his long legs out flat, blocking the aisle.
“Running away again?”
Stiffly, Wen Yuluo asked, “What do you mean again?”
“Saturday afternoon, didn’t you run off early?”
He hadn’t expected Qi You to bring that up. Looking back on it now, he really had been a bit impolite leaving without even saying goodbye. After all, Qi You had helped him block an alpha’s attack, but at the time he had been so consumed by embarrassment that he hadn’t even thanked him.
Feeling a bit guilty, he said, “The dorm gates were about to close, so I just left with my friend first.”
“So that’s how it was.” Qi You raised an eyebrow. “I thought I said something I shouldn’t have and made you angry.”
“Huh?” He and Qi You hadn’t even exchanged a handful of words in total, so how could he have offended him?
“You left your seat, and that’s when I saw the name tag on the chair. So your full name is Wen Yuluo. When I heard your friend call you Yubao, I thought your surname was Yu and your given name was Bao. Is that a nickname?” Qi You tilted his head. “Is it because we aren’t that close, so I’m not allowed to call you that?”
So it was about that. Wen Yuluo rubbed his temples in speechlessness. “No, no, absolutely not. Feel free to call me whatever you want! A lot of people call me that, why would I get mad over it?”
Qi You precisely captured a few key words: “A lot of people call you that?”
“Yeah,” Wen Yuluo said. “Classmates, roommates, they call me that all the time.”
“Oh.”
Whether it was his imagination or not, Wen Yuluo felt like Qi You seemed a bit angry.
Did he say something wrong?
A sudden gust of cool air swept across his side. Wen Yuluo paused, realizing the school must have turned on the exhaust fans, worried that the air circulation in the crowded basketball gym wouldn’t hold up.
Qi You wrinkled his nose as a hint of mint drifted to the tip of his nose on the breeze.
He looked at Wen Yuluo, confirming that the mint scent was indeed radiating from him.
In the past, Qi You had encountered omegas who deliberately bathed in mint leaves to pick up his pheromone scent in an attempt to catch his attention.
But wasn’t Wen Yuluo a beta? Shouldn’t he be unable to smell pheromones?
Qi You spoke up: “Wen Yuluo.”
Hearing Qi You call his name, Wen Yuluo felt a wave of tingling numbness rush through his entire body. “Ah? What is it?”
Qi You asked, “Are you a beta?”
Here it was, another bout of expected gender discrimination.
Sighing, Wen Yuluo nodded. “I’m a beta.”
Hearing that, Qi You let out a sigh of relief. So, it really was just a coincidence.
After confirming he was a beta, Qi You suddenly fell silent. Wen Yuluo couldn’t help sinking lower into his seat, convinced the other man was looking down on his gender.
Right as the atmosphere turned awkward, Lu Baihai popped out of nowhere. Looking completely astonished upon spotting Wen Yuluo, he said, “Oh, it’s you, Yubao! I was wondering who Qi You was chatting with for so long.”
Wen Yuluo’s twitching mouth formed a tight line. “Where did you even hear that nickname?”
“Your female friend with the ponytail said it. Her voice was so loud that everyone at our table heard it.”
Wen Yuluo clenched his fists, vowing to murder Zilan.