Albums filled with the kindergarten and primary school years that Qi Yang had forgotten were kept inside. His memories could barely stretch back as far as middle school, and the reality turned out to be that his parents hadn’t accompanied him the way they appeared to in the photos, having instead thrown themselves entirely into scientific research under all sorts of excuses. Qi Yang once wondered if his parents had changed, if they had stopped loving him, but regular daily video calls assured him that wasn’t the case. Qi Yang put the photos away.
He lay back down on the bed. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember what happened before, and the further back he tried to think, the more his head hurt. Forget it, time to sleep. Qi Yang didn’t sleep peacefully; waking up in the middle of the night left him shaken for a long time. He couldn’t shake off his parents’ words from the dream: I never wanted a child like you. Qi Yang looked at his slightly damp hands and his forehead covered in cold sweat. “Even in a dream you’re not giving me a break. Stop thinking about it, Qi Yang, it’s fake!” He managed an uneasy sleep until dawn, and the alarm clock woke him up as usual. Qi Yang felt the same impatience as the day before. “Why on earth did I set so many alarms?” He got himself ready just like yesterday, taking a moment to complain about his dark circles growing heavier again. Qi Yang opened the door to find Chu Huaize already dressed and ready to leave with him. Qi Yang closed his door and walked over to Chu Huaize. “Have you been waiting long?” Chu Huaize shook his head, his eyes glancing at the abnormal bulge in Qi Yang’s schoolbag. “Just came out, didn’t wait long.” Then he pointed at Qi Yang’s bag. “What did you pack in there? A whole case of cola?” Qi Yang rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Even that was obvious to you?” But he didn’t stay embarrassed for long. “Um, shall we go grab some breakfast and then head to school?” Chu Huaize stepped into the elevator alongside Qi Yang. “Nobody cooks for you in the morning?” Qi Yang lowered his head and sighed, turning his bitterness into a self-deprecating joke. “Ah, my parents are busy and don’t trust housekeepers, so they just give me money to buy my own breakfast.” As if to prove his point, he added, “Anyway, I’ve been buying it myself for a few years now, and I am completely used to the folks at the breakfast shop.”
Chu Huaize looked at Qi Yang earnestly. “Come eat breakfast at my place instead.” Qi Yang walked out of the elevator. “No need to bother, I can just grab breakfast by myself. Going to your place is too much trouble, plus I’m not close with your parents—wouldn’t it be super awkward if I went?” “Nobody’s home at my place either. I cook for myself, it’s just adding one more pair of chopsticks, it’s no big deal.” Qi Yang reached out as if to pat Chu Huaize’s head, but thought better of it mid-motion and pulled his hand back, letting out a sigh. “Another poor kid. The two of us are really meant to be.” Chu Huaize asked, “So are you eating at my place or cooking at yours?” Qi Yang couldn’t win against him, though having a long-term meal buddy plus one sounded pretty nice.
“Alright, let’s go to your place then. My stove is basically just a decoration anyway.” Qi Yang teased, “You’re treating me so well, I honestly don’t even know how to repay you.” Not wanting to put pressure on him, Chu Huaize replied, “We’re going to be boarding at school anyway, so we won’t even be eating out much longer. Once we move into the dorms, you can just treat me back.”
When they reached the familiar breakfast shop, they found someone else in the same school uniform standing by the storefront, holding breakfast that was still steaming hot. Spotting Qi Yang, the person called out affectionately, “Qi-ge, over here!” With that, he gave his bangs a cool flip. Qi Yang walked over and took the breakfast as a matter of course. That person immediately threw an arm around Qi Yang’s shoulder and started chatting with him about a game. Chu Huaize could only watch, unable to wedge himself into the conversation.
The three of them walked side by side on the pedestrian crosswalk. Qi Yang swatted the guy’s arm away and introduced Chu Huaize to Wang Rui. “Chu Huaize, my neighbor and seatmate.” Then he looked at Chu Huaize. “My longtime friend, from Class 6.” Wang Rui looked at the stranger in front of him and put on a dramatic act. “Wuwuwu, Qi-ge found a new love and forgot all about his old flame here.” Qi Yang shot him a look of utter disgust, wanting to distance himself. “Cut the act. Don’t think I don’t know you’re still chasing that… what was her name again? Oh well, some omega anyway.” Wang Rui didn’t mind the interruption at all. “Her name is An Jinxin. She’s sat right behind you for how many exams now, and you still haven’t remembered her name.” “An Jinxin? No impression.” Qi Yang waved a hand. “Forget it, totally don’t know her.”
Wang Rui exaggeratedly expressed his incomprehension. “An’an is so pretty, how could you possibly not know her?” “I’m just that awesome. I completely ignore anyone sitting behind me. You should count yourself lucky you managed to get to know me.” “Seriously, what kind of nonsense are you barking about?” Ignoring him, Qi Yang lowered his head and bit into his steamed bun. Wang Rui, being a natural social butterfly, turned to the quiet Chu Huaize walking beside them. “Don’t let this brat fool you. Don’t look at his sweet face, his heart is pitch black. He has scammed me so many times.” Qi Yang slapped the back of Wang Rui’s head. “Is your mouth the only part of you that works?” Wang Rui refused to back down either, and the two of them bickered all the way into the school grounds.
As the three of them reached the school gate, Wang Rui spotted An Jinxin at a glance and promptly abandoned Qi Yang along with Chu Huaize, who had been walking quietly by Qi Yang’s side all along. Having finished his bun, Qi Yang noticed that the chatterbox beside him had vanished, and looking up, saw that he had already run off to catch up with An Jinxin.
Qi Yang shook his head vigorously, as if mourning a hopeless case. “Utterly forgets friendship for romance! Chu Huaize, you must never learn from him. An ungrateful wolf like that can never be tamed!” Chu Huaize remained silent for a long time before finally speaking up once Wang Rui had left. “I won’t. I am very loyal and dedicated when it comes to friends.” Qi Yang corrected him. “You need to be dedicated to your future other half. Friends can just be treated like tools sometimes.”
Once the two of them entered the classroom and took their seats, Shi Tian grabbed Qi Yang with great excitement and went off on a tangent. “Xiao Yangyang, you managed to hook up on the very first day? That is some fast progress.” “Shi Tian! Cut it out. Why does everyone look like my romantic partner to you?” Seeing that there was still some time before morning self-study, Shi Tian continued, “Hey, you can’t say that. Who knows, maybe you really do.” Qi Yang packed up his food wrappers, executed a less-than-precise three-point shot, and wobbled the trash bag right into the wastebasket. With a celebratory clap of his hands, he declared how amazing he was. “Word on the street is we’re moving into the dorms next week, and there’s a physiological seminar today.” Qi Yang smugly declared, “I already knew that.” Lowering his voice, he added, “I’m planning to ditch it and go watch the freshman military training instead.” Shi Tian let out a snort of laughter. “No way, you still haven’t gotten over that? Wasn’t it just a punishment for getting lured away by a soft drink? What’s the big deal?” Qi Yang said righteously, yet quietly, “It is a big deal! Three whole laps!” “Are you going alone?” “Probably. Make sure to cover for me. If Lan-jie asks, just tell her my stomach hurts and I went to the restroom.”
Shi Tian readily accepted Qi Yang’s unreliable plan. “Make sure you run fast so you don’t get caught by the dean of students. Otherwise, you’ll end up having to perform a talent show in front of the whole school.” First High of Capital City was least fond of punishing students with conventional methods; after all, students either entered with top test scores or high tuition fees, meaning they wouldn’t commit anything too severe, and even if they did, specialists would handle the aftermath. The school’s stated goal was simply to maintain a deterrent effect. Therefore, for students who broke rules, in order to achieve disciplinary correction without damaging their self-esteem, the school had somehow dug up a bizarre penalty: making the rule-breakers face the entire school assembly after Monday flag-raising and perform a talent act of their choosing, with no restrictions on the theme. Qi Yang had heard that the most spectacular performance ever was someone piloting a helicopter. Because the school had its own designated helipad, the student flew in with their family’s private chopper and put on an aerial stunt show for everyone. It left all the witnesses utterly dumbfounded. However, neither Qi Yang’s grade nor the few grades preceding his had faced that kind of performance yet. Qi Yang still secretly looked forward to seeing something like that, though rule-breakers were practically non-existent, so where else would he get to watch?
Qi Yang waved a confident hand. “No way, they won’t catch me.” Shi Tian snapped Qi Yang straight back to attention. “Lan-jie is here.” Ever since sitting down in his seat, Chu Huaize had been holding a book and reading, occasionally reading out the pronunciation to confirm he hadn’t misread any classical Chinese characters. “You’re so diligent.” “Just browsing.”
Li Lan held up her textbook, with a sheet of paper protruding awkwardly from between the pages. “Quiet down everyone. I’m going to read out the dorm assignment list before morning self-study.” The classroom grew rowdy, and Li Lan shot a glance at the noisy room. “I’m only reading the list once. After that, the class monitor can post it on the bulletin board by the blackboard for everyone to check themselves.” Li Lan lowered her head and started reading off the dorms one by one. “Shi Tian, Fu Yue.” Qi Yang turned his head to speak in a low voice with Chu Huaize. Qi Yang: “Who do you think I’ll end up rooming with?” Chu Huaize: “You’ll probably room with other omegas.” Qi Yang put on an air of superior wisdom, speaking in a lively tone. “That’s where you don’t know. Mixed dorms for alphas and omegas just separate the guys and girls.” With that, he leaned in and lowered his voice further. “Also, if you have a partner and both families agree, cohabitation is permitted.” Chu Huaize accepted this astonishing piece of news with complete calm. “I know.” Qi Yang looked at Chu Huaize in surprise. “How do you know? I thought that was some kind of school secret.”
Unflappable, Chu Huaize replied, “I’ve heard of it. People in political or military circles will do this for the sake of their family’s future interests. Besides, ordinary parents wouldn’t agree to cohabitation anyway.” Qi Yang’s interest was piqued. “What else do you know?” Chu Huaize looked at the eager-for-knowledge Qi Yang and chuckled softly. “If an alpha is in better standing and has basic dating rights, they might look at high-ranking officials. If that family has an omega, they will engineer some accidental meetings to push the two families together.” “What if that omega refuses? What if they would rather die than marry?” “If the omega’s family has high status, they might still have a choice. But once an omega’s family is at a disadvantage, they have no say in the matter at all.” Qi Yang asked, “Why? Can’t they just run away?” Chu Huaize answered, “The moment they are born, their fate is already sealed. They can’t run away.”
Qi Yang found it completely baffling. Why couldn’t they run?
They had legs, didn’t they? Serves them right if they couldn’t figure it out. Chu Huaize explained, “If they run, they’ll be caught, and they have zero ability to protect themselves. No family is going to side with an abandoned family member.”
The waters in Capital City ran deep; one misstep, and you were destroyed beyond redemption. Chu Huaize added, “Family influence is far more complex than you think, intertwined like tree roots. Where could they possibly run to?” Qi Yang pressed on, “Isn’t it just a banquet?
Go there and come back, what’s the big deal?” Chu Huaize replied, “All it takes is one reasonable accident.”