Ruan Fu and Ah Zheng were incredibly efficient. Xiao Shuqing and Yu Siyuan had just finished lunch when the duo began sending over a barrage of chat logs and screen recordings.
Ruan Fu: Ah Zheng has a friend who hangs out in their circle, and he managed to fish the truth out in just a couple of sentences! It’s exactly what Tao Jing said—they have a seven-person group chat. These people are just as gossipy as they used to be. A few big mouths have been running around talking, spreading it everywhere! They were like this in high school, and after all these years, they haven’t matured one bit.
Ruan Fu: You won’t believe how ridiculous it’s gotten. We were in Class 2, right? Even the people I know from Class 10 fucking know about it! Apparently, someone from their class who’s tight with the seven-person group spilled the beans. I had someone screen-record their chat logs too! Is Professor Xiao looking? I did a quick count—Tao Jing brought this up on Friday night, and it’s been less than 24 hours, but it has already spread to 12 group chats! Should we just call the police directly? Is this volume of dissemination enough?
Yu Siyuan handed his phone directly to Xiao Shuqing to show him the messages.
The older man opened the files in the chat box one by one, resting his chin on one hand as he quietly reviewed them. His long, slender fingers tapped against the screen, looking fair and translucent.
“It really is a bit short of what we need. I just consulted Lawyer Nie. According to the ABO Criminal Law, as long as facts are fabricated, disseminated, and can be identified as targeting a specific individual, it can be prosecuted as defamation. However, not all instances of defamation meet the threshold for criminal sentencing. His current behavior is confined to private dissemination, so at most, he would only receive a reprimand and educational counseling.”
As Xiao Shuqing spoke, his gaze drifted toward Yu Siyuan.
Coincidentally, the boy turned his head to look at him at that exact moment, a flash of brief bewilderment crossing his beautiful, dark eyes.
“Then what should we do—”
He cut himself off halfway through the sentence, his brows knitting tightly together. His expression was solemn, as if he were facing a formidable enemy.
Amused by the sight, Xiao Shuqing couldn’t help but let out a soft, breathy laugh.
He poked the boy’s furrowed brow. “What’s on your mind? Why do you look so bitter and deeply resentful?”
The Alpha pursed his lips several times before finally letting out a helpless sigh. “I was thinking about what to do next. But, it’s a bit hard to figure out.”
Pfft.
So that was why.
“Then how about leaving it to me to handle?” Xiao Shuqing asked.
“Um, okay.”
Having received the green light, Xiao Shuqing began typing into the chat box:
Xiao Shuqing: Hello, this is Xiao Shuqing.
Xiao Shuqing: This level of dissemination isn’t enough yet. I’ll need to trouble you to go into the class group chat and make a few pointed, mocking remarks under the guise of defending Yu Siyuan, just to add fuel to Tao Jing’s fire. Have Ah Zheng casually mention to his acquaintances that Yu Siyuan and I are very well-known at H University, and that we are frequently confessed to on the university’s Confession Wall.
An immediate reply came from the other side:
Ruan Fu: Easy! Leave it to me! Mission guaranteed to be accomplished!
Less than two minutes later, a group chat named “Always the Little Class 2” was pushed to the top of Yu Siyuan’s WeChat interface, displaying the new messages Ruan Fu had just sent:
Ruan Fu: Some people shouldn’t use their wide social circle as an excuse to make up bullshit stories! What’s the matter? Someone found an Omega who is ten thousand times better and ten thousand times handsomer than you, and now you’re feeling insecure? Still think you’re the high school heartthrob? Let me tell you, there’s always a bigger fish out there! He’s a total campus deity who gets voted number one on the university Confession Wall every single year, you know? Don’t try to ride his coattails!
Ruan Fu: The person I’m talking about knows exactly who they are! Drop that high school act of yours. How old are you, still playing these games? They are living a great life and won’t be affected by you guys. Anyway, whoever is being low knows it themselves. Absolutely disgusting.
After posting that, Ruan Fu eagerly bounced back to their private chat to message them:
Ruan Fu: How was that? Did I perform well! Does Professor Xiao want him to go expose you on the Confession Wall? I’ve already joined H University’s space Confession Wall and followed H University’s gossip hub on Weibo, just waiting to screenshot the view count hhh!
Ruan Fu: I just checked Baidu, and it says that as long as the victim of the rumor can be identified by specific characteristics, it legally counts as defamation even if their name isn’t explicitly mentioned! [Seal clapping.jpg] Brilliant!
After reading Ruan Fu’s messages, Xiao Shuqing looked up and handed the phone back to the young Alpha beside him.
“This can be considered giving Tao Jing a choice. He can completely heed Ruan Fu’s warning and let the matter drop here. Or, he can choose to continue spreading rumors on the Confession Wall—but then he’ll have to reap the bitter harvest of his own making.”
Of course, Xiao Shuqing’s words were a bit high-sounding.
Judging by the messages Ruan Fu had just posted, anyone could see that they weren’t meant to “warn” someone at all; they were clearly intended to provoke them.
But that didn’t stop him from taking the moral high ground.
He admitted that this tactic was a bit manipulative—a bit “green tea.” But when dealing with a hypocritical white lotus, fighting fire with fire was actually the best approach.
However, the Alpha in front of him seemed completely oblivious to the underlying nuances of the situation.
He took the phone back blankly, his eyes staring straight at the screen, seemingly still digesting the conversation between Xiao Shuqing and Ruan Fu.
Still as wonderfully clueless as ever.
Just then, the dishwasher in the kitchen finished its cycle, letting out a sharp beep.
Leaving the boy to slowly process things on his own, Xiao Shuqing turned and walked into the kitchen.
He put the washed dishes back into their places one by one, carefully wiping away any residual water that hadn’t dried in time. Once everything was taken care of, he returned to the living room and turned on the robotic vacuum.
The large dog, which had been lying motionless in its bed since lunchtime, twitched its large ears upon hearing the robot start up. It leaped out excitedly, chasing the vacuum back and forth.
Hearing the commotion, the young Alpha standing by the table finally snapped out of his daze.
His beautiful dark eyes looked over, both hands still clutching the vibrating phone.
“Ah, Professor Xiao, you’ve finished everything.” He sounded a bit dazed.
Suppressing a laugh, Xiao Shuqing adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. “Yeah. Let’s keep waiting for updates, but there’s no need to pay too much attention to it. I’m going to take a shower first, and then have an afternoon nap.
Make yourself at home?”
“Oh, okay.”
Everything proceeded like clockwork.
By the time he finished his shower, the living room clock read 2:27 PM.
Since it was still early, he decided to grab a book from the study, planning to read for a bit before sleeping.
It was only a few steps from the living room to the bedroom. Yet, when he turned around to close the door, he discovered that a little tail had trailed after him at some point.
The boy was following closely behind. Seeing Xiao Shuqing look over, he hurriedly quickened his pace and trotted over.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Shuqing asked.
“It’s nothing.”
“Professor Xiao, what do you want to eat tonight?”
The shift in topic was clumsy, and his eyes darted away evasively.
Tsk. Answering a completely different question, hiding his true thoughts.
Xiao Shuqing replied, “Suddenly, I have a craving for crispy roasted squab.”
The Alpha froze.
“Squab isn’t very easy to buy. Would crispy duck be okay? There’s a roast duck shop across the street. I can go over this afternoon and buy half a duck.”
Xiao Shuqing hadn’t expected that a casual joke would actually make the other person seriously consider its feasibility.
He couldn’t help but burst into a soft laugh.
“I’m just teasing you. Just because you offered to cook for me, would I really order a dish like crispy squab for you to make? Am I that malicious?”
The Alpha blinked slowly, looking up at him. “You don’t want to eat it?”
The phone screen still displayed the roast duck shop he had just searched for.
The chopped duck, with its golden, crispy skin, was coated in a thick, savory-spicy red sauce.
It actually looked quite delicious.
Especially since the young man took a glance at the screen and unconsciously swallowed his saliva.
“I’ll go out and buy it after I wake up this afternoon,” Xiao Shuqing said, bowing his lips into a smile at him. “Making lunch was already hard work. I can’t exploit you like this.”
“It’s not hard work. I’m an Alpha, I have plenty of strength. There’s a wet market right across from the duck shop, so I can buy some leafy greens to balance meat and vegetables. What kind of vegetables do you like, Professor Xiao?”
As he spoke, he began introducing the options one by one. “Usually, the market has celery, spinach, water spinach, and lettuce. Celery can be stir-fried with shredded pork, spinach and water spinach can be made with minced garlic, and oyster sauce lettuce is also very tasty. Oh right, there’s also a braised food stall in the market, we can buy some duck necks and duck intestines then.”
Xiao Shuqing was speechless.
It really had turned into a dinner-ordering session.
#A story triggered by a single crispy squab#
“I’m not a picky eater. Just make whatever you want to eat. Everything you cook is delicious, and I haven’t really eaten many delicacies before anyway.”
“Ah? Oh, okay. Then I’ll make oyster sauce lettuce. It’s simple and delicious.”
With that, he clutched his phone, turning as if to leave.
It seemed he really had come just to ask about dinner.
Amused and helpless, the older man pinched the bridge of his nose and caught him, pulling him back. “Come back here.”
“Ah?”
“You don’t have anything else to ask me? If you don’t say it, I’m going back to my room for a nap.”
Sure enough, the Alpha’s expression faltered slightly.
After a moment of hesitation, he finally lifted his eyes to look at him.
“I originally had something to say. It’s just that, you said you wanted evidence of Tao Jing spreading rumors, and Fu Bao gathered it for you so quickly. Everyone is so capable. I really wanted to do something to help you, too. After all, this whole thing started because of me. But it feels like I can’t help with anything at all. When you said the level of dissemination wasn’t enough, I also really hoped he would be taught a lesson, but the very first thing I thought to do was ask you what we should do. What I mean is, I’m sorry. I couldn’t come up with a solution. I’m very dense. Alphas are supposed to be reliable, but I’m not. Professor Xiao, I’m sorry. Though, saying all this now probably makes me seem even less reliable but I’m still sorry.”
The boy spoke slowly, his head dropping lower and lower, his voice growing fainter with every word.
His fingertips unconsciously picked at his phone, making tiny, scratching sounds that he himself likely didn’t even notice.
“Yu Siyuan.” Xiao Shuqing looked down, reaching out to gently rest his hand on the crown of the boy’s head. “I’m suddenly realizing that you overthink things quite a bit.”
It was meant to be a teasing remark, but the moment the words left his mouth, he realized they sounded a bit too blunt. So, he tacked on, “Doesn’t it get exhausting?”
The boy’s fingers froze against his phone.
His head remained lowered, the vertebrae of his neck protruding slightly against the collar of his loose shirt.
“I’m not exhausted,” he murmured softly.
Xiao Shuqing let out a soft, breathy laugh. “Is that really the takeaway here, hm? The point is for you not to overthink. Mental friction is never a good thing, so don’t deplete yourself over stuff like this.”
In Xiao Shuqing’s eyes, Yu Siyuan was a very well-behaved kid. He was sensible and receptive to advice. Usually, whatever Xiao Shuqing said, the boy would follow.
He expected the young man to give his usual obedient “okay” this time as well. To his surprise, after a brief silence, the boy actually countered in a small voice, “I’m not depleting myself either.”
Xiao Shuqing couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.
The next moment, the boy suddenly lifted his head to look at him. His beautiful, dark eyes locked onto his, completely earnest. “Professor Xiao, do you think thinking about these things is pointless?”
This time, it was Xiao Shuqing’s turn to freeze.
Yu Siyuan had always behaved so meekly that it made people overlook his secondary gender. Most of the time, Xiao Shuqing forgot that the boy was still an Alpha, possessing the innate pride inherent to every Alpha.
“That’s not what I meant,” he began, choosing his words carefully. “I’m sorry, I overlooked your perspective as an Alpha, but—”
He cut himself off mid-sentence.
He saw the boy bite his lower lip, a layer of mist swirling over his eyes.
Shoot, it looks like I’m about to make him cry.
The older man brushed his knuckle against the bridge of his nose in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I just think you’re already doing great as you are.”
“Everyone has things they excel at. Being reliable in one area and less so in another is completely normal. I didn’t mean anything else by it; I just don’t want you constantly tearing yourself down like this. Maybe my phrasing was poor, but I just don’t want you to be unhappy because of these things.”
After a considerable effort to smooth things over, the mist in the Alpha’s eyes finally receded. “I understand, Professor Xiao,” he said.
Xiao Shuqing patted the boy’s head. “Go get some rest. We’ll head to the market together this afternoon.”
“Um, okay. Good afternoon.”
“Good afternoon.”
With that, the Alpha turned and walked back toward the living room.
Xiao Shuqing watched the boy’s slightly slumped back, his brows furrowing slightly.
He still seemed rather unhappy.