The school bell echoed across the teaching building area of Ning University. Students packed their books and walked out, and no matter who they were, they would subconsciously glance at the man standing in the corridor.
Holding a file in his hand and occasionally replying to messages, Shi Jing had a face so cold it seemed coated in a layer of frost. Just standing there silently told everyone:
He was an Alpha not to be trifled with.
One of the Omegas walking with his roommate frequently looked toward Shi Jing. Emboldened, he walked over and asked, “Classmate, are you waiting for your partner to finish class?”
The Omega exuded a sweet scent that smelled like milk; he had long eyelashes and soft cheeks, making him look very pinchable.
Shi Jing gave him a bewildered glance. “No.”
“Then can I add your WeChat? I’m studying business…”
“No,” Shi Jing said.
The Omega’s smile froze. His roommate smiled apologetically, grabbed him, and quickly hurried away.
“So cold.”
“Yeah, but he really is handsome, so at least it’s a treat for the eyes.”
“You’ve got some nerve. Didn’t you see everyone else walking around him?”
“I know, I just wanted to ask.”
Shi Jing heard their whispering, but his expression remained unchanged.
In WeChat, Grandfather Shi was launching a new round of bombardment against him.
The voice message was long and obnoxious, so Shi Jing couldn’t be bothered to listen and simply tapped it to convert to text.
[You brat! No wonder you weren’t interested in the blind date I introduced you to, turns out you’ve already started dating someone. Why didn’t you tell Grandpa about such an important matter? If you’d told me earlier, I wouldn’t have bothered scouting out so many Omegas for you. That kid looks pretty young; is he still in school?]
Shi Jing frowned: [Did you have people tailing me?]
Knowing he was in the wrong, Shi Shunzhi stubbornly replied: [Wasn’t it because I was worried about you? Other Alphas have settled down by the time they’re in college; what about you? When you have time, bring your little boyfriend home for a visit, and remember what I told you.]
Ever since Grandfather Shi retired, he spent his days either inviting people over for tea and chess or worrying about his grandson’s lifelong matters.
[Got it.]
Shi Jing perfunctorily finished typing, tossed his phone back into his pocket, and stared coldly at the front door of classroom A401 opposite him.
It wasn’t until ten minutes later that the clicking sound of chairs springing up came from inside.
Shi Jing’s gaze swept over everyone coming out, quickly locking onto the most outstanding-looking one.
The young man had a high bridge of his nose and deep-set eyes, and his face always wore a friendly yet appropriately distant smile. His roommate walked beside him, discussing what to eat for lunch in the cafeteria.
“No class this afternoon, let’s call the other guys and go out to eat.”
“I’m not going. I have something to do later.”
Shi Jing stepped forward: “Wei Qinan.”
“Ah, come on, going together is more lively.” The roommate was speaking when he noticed Shi Jing. After thinking for a few seconds, realization dawned on him. “Oh, you have plans, then let’s do it next time. I’ll get going first.”
Displaying maximum situational awareness, the roommate sensed danger upon seeing Shi Jing’s murderous expression and quickly slipped away.
Class had run overtime, and everyone was starved. In the span of a few sentences, the classroom was completely empty.
Shi Jing raised his chin: “Get in here with me.”
Wei Qinan pressed his lips together slightly and obediently followed behind Shi Jing.
Once inside the classroom, Wei Qinan locked the door from the inside and spoke first, “Sorry.”
Shi Jing gave him a cold sidelong glance.
“The professor temporarily changed the schedule, and we had to come over early this morning, so I didn’t manage to wait for you to wake up.” Knowing the person in front of him was here to settle accounts, Wei Qinan explained, “I originally planned to rush back after class, but it turned out the afternoon class was also temporarily moved to the morning, so things got delayed.”
Hearing the explanation, more than half of Shi Jing’s fiery anger instantly dissipated. Oh.
So the schedule had been temporarily changed.
He had thought this bastard ran away after sleeping with him, which was why he had rushed right over.
Recalling his purpose for coming, Shi Jing placed the documents from his backpack onto the desk and said coldly, “Look at the contract. If there are no issues, sign it.”
With that, he rubbed the back of his neck.
Clearly an Alpha, Shi Jing was wearing a scent patch today, the kind normally used only by Omegas, to cover up the bite mark and his pheromone scent.
For no other reason than this:
Yesterday, the old man at home had forced him on a blind date for the Nth time. Unwilling to compromise, Shi Jing refused, failed to complete the task, and was chased out of the house.
Feeling depressed, Shi Jing went to bum drinks at a friend’s gathering. After getting drunk, he picked up a man soaked head-to-toe by a torrential downpour on his way back. When he woke up in the morning, his whole body felt like it had been chewed on by a dog, and there was a mark on the back of his neck.
It was common knowledge that only Omegas get marked.
Yet Shi Jing was a thorough, unadulterated Alpha.
That’s right, he had been marked!
He, an Alpha, had been marked!
Realizing this, Shi Jing pinched the bridge of his nose and immediately had someone investigate Wei Qinan’s background.
And to make matters worse, such a humiliating matter actually reached his grandfather’s ears.
Seeing him lower his gaze and fall silent, looking rather uncomfortable physically, Wei Qinan asked in a low voice, “Does the back of your neck hurt? Let me rub it for you.”
Shi Jing lowered his brow, though his instantly crimson ears betrayed his state.
Like a fox whose tail had been stepped on, he snapped back, “None of your business. Just sign the contract already.”
He had practically worn him out to death yesterday, and now he had the nerve to act hypocritically concerned?
Only then did Wei Qinan notice that the paper on the desk was a marriage agreement.
“A marriage agreement?”
Shi Jing nodded and briefly explained, “Yesterday’s incident reached my grandfather, and he thinks you’re my boyfriend.”
Shi Jing had been taught since childhood not to fool around outside and had always kept himself respectable, so bringing someone home this time led Elder Shi to naturally assume Wei Qinan was a serious partner he was dating.
Wei Qinan gazed at him: “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to cause you such a big misunderstanding.”
“It’s nothing.” Shi Jing tapped the desktop, signaling him to focus on the contract. “The old man has been urging me to get married for a long time, this has nothing to do with you. Wei Qinan, I checked your background; you’re single. Enter a contract marriage with me for a year, and I won’t shortchange you when it comes to money.”
Shi Jing held out his hand and gestured with a number: “Ten million. If you think it’s too little, we can discuss it further.”
He had already looked into it. Wei Qinan’s family background was ordinary, and after a year of hard work, he wouldn’t have much money left.
This sum of money would be enough for him and his family to live very comfortably.
Wei Qinan didn’t speak for a moment, reading through the terms of the marriage agreement.
Shi Jing gave him time to consider and stood aside playing with his phone.
However, he clearly underestimated his physical condition. Now that he had calmed down from his fit of anger, certain areas began to ache faintly.
Sitting was uncomfortable, standing was uncomfortable; no matter how man moved, it felt awkward.
Shi Jing thought, “So painful.”
The back of his neck, temporarily covered with an Omega scent patch, could only be described as tragic.
An Alpha’s glandular structure was different from an Omega’s. This mark had been forcibly bitten in, so of course it hurt.
Damn it!
Yet Shi Jing was the kind of person who could keep his chin up even if the sky fell, so he stubbornly endured it.
Wei Qinan had only read the first page: “I have a question.”
Feeling physically unwell, Shi Jing’s tone was also chilly: “Speak.”
“Why is it an AO agreement? You should already have obtained my background info.” A hint of question and amusement laced Wei Qinan’s tone. “I am an Enigma.”
Shi Jing was poked right where it hurt, his eyelids twitching wildly.
The physiology teacher had said there was a very, very rare gender in the world: the Enigma.
These people stood above Alphas and could mark all genders.
Taking all of Blue Star’s population together, Enigmas accounted for less than 0.1%.
And he, Shi Jing, had happened to get drunk, pick up an Enigma, and get marked by him!