The heavy scent of tobacco flooded the room following a loud bang. Zhou Yichao’s reaching hand froze; he knitted his brows and looked back toward the source of the noise.
A red-haired Alpha stumbled in, looking dazed and groggy.
“Xie Yun.”
The air was thick with the Alpha’s pheromones, so pungent and overwhelming that Zhou Yichao wanted to pinch his nose. How can someone be so uncouth? Releasing pheromones whenever and wherever they please.
Xie Yun finished reciting the vocabulary word he was memorizing before looking back with a questioning glance.
“…It’s all your fault.”
The red-haired man leaned against a desk for support. After taking a few steps, his head slumped again, his brow furrowed in intense discomfort. “What did you put in that cake yesterday? I feel like my body is burning up.”
Noticing the man’s current state, Zhou Yichao raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
Xie Yun was puzzled. “What cake?”
The red-haired Alpha began to slide down the desk, his voice weak and drained of energy. “Stop playing dumb with me. I’m talking about the cake you threw into the dumpster yesterday.”
Xie Yun: ? Xie Yun: ……
“You… picked it out and ate it?”
Xie Yun could hardly bring himself to say it, even if the red-head was bold enough to describe it.
The red-head swallowed hard to soothe his dry throat. Caught and questioned on the spot, he felt a wave of embarrassment, but he still nodded in confirmation.
Are all the people at Velod Academy perverts?
Xie Yun was speechless and bewildered, yet he couldn’t help but ask, “…Why did you eat it?”
His voice, crisp and cold as frost, struck the floor like falling ice. To the red-head’s ears, the sound only made his internal heat more unbearable.
Why eat it?
Everyone knew that Xie Yun was a top-tier beauty of a Beta. The red-head had been stalking him for some time but had never dared to approach him. Yesterday, he just happened to encounter an object that allowed him to have “zero-distance” contact with the beauty.
The red-head truly believed that after stalking the beauty for so long, this was a gift from God. He was certain that the discarded red velvet cake would still carry the lingering scent of Xie Yun’s cold, pleasant cedar fragrance.
A mere novice who had just left the “starting village” had encountered such a succubus. How could he possibly resist picking it up and eating it? It was only human nature.
Standing nearby, Zhou Yichao’s raised eyebrow turned into a frown.
It was just as he thought. This Alpha’s flushed cheeks and physical weakness indicated he was entering his rut (heat cycle). When they first entered and Xie Yun showed no reaction, Zhou Yichao thought the drug had no effect on Betas.
So, that was it.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. The red-head, burning with fever, murmured, “Do you want to know? Then come closer, and I’ll tell you myself.”
His voice was heavy and punctuated by coarse breaths. The moment this Alpha recalled seeing Xie Yun at the back gate earlier, his school uniform trousers became damp.
The tobacco scent in the air grew increasingly intense. As a fellow Alpha, Zhou Yichao could no longer stand it.
Hearing the red-head speak such words, Zhou Yichao was about to tell Xie Yun not to go over, but Xie Yun replied indifferently, “Is there any difference if you just say it from there?”
Xie Yun sensed something was wrong with this person.
Seeing that Xie Yun had no intention of approaching, Zhou Yichao felt a strange sense of relief. Now, he just needed to kick this creature in heat out of the room.
The red-head’s flushed fingers gripped the table, but in the next moment, he forced himself up despite his agony and approached them himself.
Zhou Yichao was startled and moved to block him, but the red-head bypassed the Alpha and collapsed—thud—kneeling directly in front of Xie Yun.
Xie Yun: ??
Hey.
With the corners of his eyes stained crimson and the flush extending down to the base of his neck, the red-haired Alpha stared at Xie Yun with misty, hazy eyes. He murmured again, “Help me… Yunyun, I feel so miserable.”
Once he saw Xie Yun’s face clearly from the front, the red-head froze.
It was a face of snowy white and lush beauty. When he tilted his head down, his long lashes swept over his eyes like a sacred, beautiful Muse stepping out of a painting.
The blood in his body felt like boiling water. The red-head suddenly stood up, lunging toward Xie Yun’s thin, rosy lips.
Zhou Yichao frowned. He had just stood up and was resting a hand on Xie Yun’s shoulder from behind, preparing to push the Alpha in heat away—
Slap! A loud palm struck the red-head’s face.
“…Get a grip on yourself,” Xie Yun said, his brow furrowed.
The slap, accompanied by a faint fragrant breeze, landed on his reddened cheek. The red-head was stunned for a moment, but quickly turned back with a smile, pointing tremulously to his other cheek. “Master, I want it on this side too…”
Everyone present: ……
In the end, it was a cold-faced Zhou Yichao who shoved him away.
With a sudden force, the red-head landed hard on his backside. Zhou Yichao spoke sharply: “Are you awake now? Open your eyes and see clearly who I am.”
Another steady, heavy Alpha voice rang out. Where there had been a fragrant breeze a moment ago, now there was only pain. The red-head’s brain felt like a sticky mess of paste. “Ch-Chao Ge (Brother Chao)?”
With a cold expression, Zhou Yichao added flatly, “Get lost, now.”
How could this red-head, whose family background was average for this noble academy, dare to provoke one of the F3? The moment he met Zhou Yichao’s condescending, dark gaze, he scrambled away on all fours.
Once the man was far away, Xie Yun spoke coldly: “Take your hand off me.”
He felt Zhou Yichao’s rough palm slowly and deliberately rubbing his shoulder.
Standing behind the seated youth, Zhou Yichao turned a deaf ear. “That Alpha was drugged and went into heat. I’ve already driven him away. Don’t be afraid, Sweetheart.”
Xie Yun: ?
“You put drugs in the cake?” He turned his head to glare at him, eyes narrowed.
The standing man lowered his ink-dark eyes and tilted his head with a light chuckle. “You believe his nonsense? Perhaps he took the drugs himself to build up the courage to have his way with you. Do you have any idea how alluring you are, Sweetheart? ^^”
Xie Yun: ……
“I haven’t even asked you yet,” Zhou Yichao continued with a smile. “Why did you throw away the red velvet cake I gave you?”
His deep, magnetic voice landed on Xie Yun’s narrow eyes along with his gaze. The young man’s grip tightened slightly, his palm slowly chafing against Xie Yun’s shoulder, smiling radiantly.
Xie Yun’s senses were overwhelmed by the warmth, making him feel extremely displeased. He tried to brush the other’s hand away. “Take your hand off.”
“Sweetheart, answer my question first. ^^” Zhou Yichao flipped his hand to pin Xie Yun’s hand down.
Xie Yun replied without emotion, “Didn’t you say so yourself yesterday? That it would be fine if I threw it away after you gave it to me.”
Zhou Yichao leaned down and smiled at him leisurely. “I was just being polite when I said you could throw it. You actually did it? Sweetheart, you’re really breaking my heart.”
Xie Yun: …… (again)
Just as he was about to retort, a ding-dong from the phone on the desk shattered the silence.
The seated youth glanced at it and reached for the phone, but Zhou Yichao was faster, his hand moving the moment he heard the sound.
His pale knuckles gripped the pure black phone. The standing man lowered his gaze and lit up the screen, only to see a message pop up in the notification bar:
[A: Requested to add you as a friend.]
Having his phone snatched again, Xie Yun knitted his brows in total loss of patience. He tried to stand up, only to be pressed down firmly by Zhou Yichao’s hand on his shoulder.
“Zhou Yichao, let me go.”
“It seems our Sweetheart is quite popular with others. Another friend request.”
Gripping the top of the phone with a few fingers, Zhou Yichao held the screen in front of Xie Yun from behind. Xie Yun snatched it back, and the phone ding-donged again.
[A: Senior Xie, if you don’t accept my friend request, I’m coming to find you.]
Ding-dong.
[A: I know where you are.]
Xie Yun: .
[System Prompt: The host has arrived at a critical plot point of the original book. Please immediately accept the friend request from F4 You Yu and inform him of your location.]
How is this still being forced?
[Because the original character accepted it, but the host has been stalling him. Informing him of your location is a penalty from the system because you have deviated from the original plot.]
Xie Yun: . (again)
Did you ever tell me there would be penalties? You just make things up as you go.
Resting his fingertip on the screen, he lowered his eyelids and swiped to unlock the phone, clicking “Accept.”
[x: Fine. I’m in Room 107 of the self-study building, second floor. Come over.]
It’s fine, no big deal. I should be able to handle it, he thought.
The person behind him lowered his head, happening to catch the entire process of Xie Yun typing. Zhou Yichao slowly raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Who is he? Why did you tell him to come?”
As Zhou Yichao spoke, his thumb rubbed the shoulder beneath his hand, the friction growing increasingly hot. Xie Yun turned off the screen and spoke coldly, “Does it have anything to do with you?”
As those ice-cold words fell, the pressure from the hand behind him tightened. The man smiled. “Classmate, we’ve at least known each other for a while. Do you really have to be so cold to me?”
Who “knows” you?
Xie Yun ignored him and silently began packing his things on the desk.
Zhou Yichao used his other hand to clasp Xie Yun’s wrist as he tried to close a book. “Why are you avoiding me again?”
The powerful warmth encircled him tightly. Xie Yun stared at the wrist being gripped painfully and furrowed his brows. Truly persistent.
A breeze mixed with a hint of heat kissed the corner of the black-clad youth’s clothes. Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door, followed by three low words: “Senior Xie.”
He got here pretty fast. Was he lying in ambush nearby? Xie Yun thought to himself.
The first thing You Yu saw was a bowed, broad upper body. That figure stood there, almost completely shielding Xie Yun’s entire body; he could only see a vague outline.
The two figures were intertwined in a way that looked as if they were kissing.
Kissing?
You Yu was startled by his own thought. He stepped forward quickly to confirm, only to meet the eyes of the broad-shouldered man who turned his head upon hearing the sound.
It was a youthful, energetic face, but the eyes staring at him were seeping with coldness. That handsome, sunny countenance had darkened, appearing very unwelcoming of You Yu’s arrival.
Taking advantage of the moment the other turned his head, Xie Yun jerked his head back, intending to strike Zhou Yichao’s cheek. However, the other man reacted instantly, catching the movement out of the corner of his eye and raising a hand to block it. “What are you trying to do, Sweetheart? Murder your savior?”
“I just helped you drive away that Alpha in heat. From whom did you learn such ingratitude?”
His soft hair at the back of his head was seized. It was a miscalculation. Zhou Yichao’s lips gradually drew close to his ear, his voice turning soft and tender.
A breathless chuckle continued to tease Xie Yun’s ear. Zhou Yichao breathed in the cedar scent on him, his lips sliding further down toward his regressed gland. “The forums all say you’re a Beta, but why do I always smell a scent on you that makes me lose control? Sweetheart, you’re actually an Omega, aren’t you?”
The hovering breath made Xie Yun itch, but he didn’t listen and didn’t care, maintaining a wooden expression as he struggled to finish packing his things.
Enveloped in the heavy scent of cedar, Zhou Yichao relaxed his brows and closed his eyes, his nose greedily seeking the fragrance from the snowy-white neck of the person in his hands.
He was dazed by the cold aura. Before he knew it, You Yu had already reached out and yanked Xie Yun over to his side.