Watching Jian Song and Jiang Qi leave together, the smile on Lu Yingchi’s face slowly vanished, and his expression turned gloomy. The classroom was empty, save for Lu Yingchi standing at the door. No one knew how long he had been standing there; when he finally moved, his legs felt numb.
Lu Yingchi walked home, his pace slow, his eyes fixed on the road ahead as if lost in thought. He did not even realize he had reached the street.
“Beep!”
A long, sharp blare of a car horn erupted. Lu Yingchi looked up to see a car speeding toward him. Just as he regained his senses and moved to dodge, his arm was grabbed, and he was yanked backward, narrowly missing the car. It had nearly brushed past him.
Lu Yingchi regained his composure and turned to see who had pulled him. He locked eyes with Jian Song. Jian Song had clearly sprinted over, and he was still gasping for air as he looked at Lu Yingchi. Lu Yingchi’s gaze focused on Jian Song’s flushed face, his eyes glazing over.
Jiang Qi’s loud, nervous voice rose from behind them: “Brother Jian! Damn, are you two okay? Brother Jian, why did you run so fast? You scared the life out of me, and you even jumped over the railing! If the traffic police come by later, we are done for.”
Jian Song struggled to steady his breathing while pulling Lu Yingchi back to safety. “Lu Yingchi, are you sick? It is one thing not to walk in the crosswalk when crossing the street, but you do not look at the traffic lights or the road? Do you think you have too many lives to live?”
Jiang Qi caught up and looked at Lu Yingchi. “Oh, so it is the Study God. I was wondering who made our Brother Jian run so fast.”
Lu Yingchi frowned, looking at the two of them, and pulled his arm away from Jian Song’s grip. “Jian Song, Jiang Qi? Did you two not go home?”
Jian Song had not caught his breath yet; he waved his hand, signaling he needed a moment to breathe before he could speak. Jiang Qi explained, “Oh, we ran into something interesting on the way and stayed to play for a bit.”
Lu Yingchi’s gaze suddenly locked onto Jian Song’s profile. He had not looked closely before, but now he noticed a large scrape on Jian Song’s cheek. He looked down and saw that the knuckles on the hand Jian Song had rested on his knee were bruised a deep, purple-red.
A grim thought surfaced in his mind. He hesitated for a few seconds before asking, “Brother Jian, did you go out to fight?”
Jian Song and Jiang Qi stopped in their tracks. Jian Song looked up at Lu Yingchi, disbelieving. Jiang Qi pointed at Lu Yingchi excitedly: “You, you, you, how did you know? Were you following me and Brother Jian? Damn! You big creep!”
Lu Yingchi’s eyes were deep. “Do I need to follow you to know? Just look at the state you are both in.”
Jian Song had recovered by now; he straightened up and looked at Jiang Qi. Lu Yingchi was right; anyone with eyes could see they had been fighting. Jiang Qi had a massive bruise on the corner of his mouth, his cheekbones were flushed red, and there was fine blood oozing from scrapes on his elbows.
Most obvious of all were their pheromones. They were clearly agitated from intense exertion, churning in the air, provocative and restless, as if they were ready to pick another fight at any second.
Lu Yingchi looked at Jian Song’s injured cheek, his expression clearly displeased. He shifted his fingers, his face unreadable. “Brother Jian, why did you go out fighting?”
Jian Song looked at Lu Yingchi strangely. “So what if I fought? I am the big school bully.”
Lu Yingchi’s tone was heavy. “Jian Song, are you engaged in campus bullying?”
Lu Yingchi’s expression was so serious that it seemed as if, had Jian Song nodded, he would have enforced justice on the spot.
Jian Song gave him a faint smile. “I am a school bully, not scum, alright? I only fight when a fight is necessary.”
Lu Yingchi stepped closer. “Then, Brother Jian, tell me, what kind of fight is a necessary fight?”
Jian Song was just about to explain when he suddenly remembered: who does Lu Yingchi think he is? Why does he have the right to boss him around? He was just a newcomer, and he dared to question the school bully? How bold!
“Wait, Lu Yingchi, have I given you too much leeway? How dare you question my business?”
Lu Yingchi was blocked by Jian Song’s words. He looked at the way Jian Song tilted his chin up. He suddenly felt a sense of defeat. Right, what right do I have to question Jian Song’s business? They had only met today.
Jiang Qi saw the atmosphere turn awkward and quickly interjected, “Aiyah, Brother Jian, calm down, calm down. The Study God is just worried about you. You are desk mates now, right? In the future, you will be good friends.”
Jian Song was about to say that nobody would be friends with such a weak Alpha, but he saw Jiang Qi winking at him frantically. Based on his understanding of this kid, Jiang Qi must have something to tell him. He looked at Lu Yingchi, pulled Jiang Qi aside, and said, “You are winking at me; what do you want to say?”
Jiang Qi whispered, “Brother Jian, why do you not take in someone as good as Lu Yingchi as your underling? Look, all the teachers like him. If you make him your subordinate, you will definitely be a legend among the teachers!”
As Jian Song listened, his eyes lit up. Right, Jiang Qi was right! If he took Lu Yingchi under his wing, the teachers would definitely look at him differently! Wouldn’t his reputation in school rise to a whole new level?
Jian Song touched his chin and decided this was a fantastic decision. He patted Jiang Qi’s shoulder approvingly. “Not bad, Little Qi. It is rare for your brain to be useful for once.”
Jiang Qi chuckled foolishly, then realized Jian Song was insulting him in a roundabout way. The smile on his face instantly vanished. “Brother Jian! I am giving you advice, why are you still scolding me?”
Seeing Jiang Qi only just realize it, Jian Song chuckled lowly. “Dummy.”
Lu Yingchi did not know what they were talking about, but seeing the smile on Jian Song’s face and hearing him softly call someone a dummy, Lu Yingchi felt as if his heart had been lightly scratched by a kitten’s paw, itchy and enticing.
Jian Song walked up to Lu Yingchi, coughed a few times, and said, “Hey, Lu Yingchi, do you want to be my underling?”
Lu Yingchi had not expected Jian Song to ask such a thing. He was stunned, silent for two or three seconds. During those seconds, Jian Song thought Lu Yingchi did not want to be his underling and felt quite awkward. This was the first time he had asked someone to be his underling; usually, people begged for the chance. This Lu Yingchi really did not know how to cherish the opportunity!
Jian Song touched his nose awkwardly. “If, if you do not want to…”
Lu Yingchi suddenly looked up at Jian Song. “I do, I definitely do.”
Lu Yingchi responded so quickly after regaining his senses, fearing that if he waited a second longer, Jian Song might take it back. Jian Song was stunned by how quickly Lu Yingchi agreed. “Do you not want to think about it a bit more?”
Lu Yingchi laughed. “Who would hesitate to follow Brother Jian?”
That sentence made Jian Song’s heart bloom with joy; the smile on his face became brighter. “Not bad, not bad! It is truly hard to find a kindred spirit; I have not met anyone who understands me this well in a long time!”
Jian Song reached out his hand. “Welcome, Lu Yingchi.”
Honestly, this scene was more than a little chuunibyou, but since the person saying it was Jian Song, Lu Yingchi had no resistance at all. Lu Yingchi’s lips curled slightly.
After letting go of his hand, Jian Song naturally asked where Lu Yingchi lived. After Lu Yingchi answered, they were surprised to find that the three of them were going the same way!
Jiang Qi jumped up happily. “Yay! Our organization has grown! Haha, and we are going the same way as the Study God.”
Lu Yingchi had not expected such a coincidence either.
Jian Song invited him: “Do you want to walk back with us?”
Lu Yingchi, of course, agreed; how could he not?
The three walked along the tree-lined path, chattering about what happened today. Jian Song was a bit troubled about the heavy workload tonight, and his gaze could not help but fall on his new subordinate, Lu Yingchi.