He only thought about taking his sister away from this place in the future…
It was a full day of classes, leaving the roommates with no choice but to rush to the nearest cafeteria for lunch the moment the final bell rang.
They all knew Hiiragi Yu was in frail health, after all, he had fainted while standing at attention on the very first morning of military training. Being completely exempted from the program due to a panicked teacher was a rare spectacle on campus. At the time, students from the neighboring dormitory even sneaked over to ask if Hiiragi Yu was just posing to look cool, wondering how anyone’s physical constitution could truly be that poor.
Because of this, during the daily rush hour scramble for food, Hiiragi Yu was always entrusted with the most vital mission: securing a table.
The cafeteria was chaotic and packed. Hiiragi Yu circled the dining hall twice before finally spotting an open table for four. He had barely sat down when someone roughly squeezed into the seat beside him.
Looking up, Hiiragi Yu was about to explain that the spot was taken. But the moment he recognized the face, he froze. Expressionless, he dropped his hand, grabbed his backpack, and stood up to leave.
The young alpha extended a long arm, blocking his exit. “Long time no see, little mute. Is this how you treat an old classmate?”
Hiiragi Yu stepped back instinctively, pulling his backpack against his chest like a shield.
【What do you want?】 he signed.
“I don’t get it.” Wu Jiajun ignored the gesture entirely, acting like a total line crosser as he reached out to grab him. “I haven’t even asked you yet. We agreed to go to the main campus high school, why did you run off to Y Middle School instead?”
Always on guard around him, Hiiragi Yu dodged back immediately.
【That’s none of your business.】
Unable to stand another second of this, he slung his backpack over his shoulder, ready to abandon the table he had worked so hard to secure.
Truthfully, his elementary and middle school years hadn’t been terrible overall, but this single person had managed to ruin the entire experience.
In first grade, Wu Jiajun flicked boogers at him. In second grade, he tried to shove him into a toilet stall just to check his gender. Later, he had his father pressure the school to force them into being deskmates, a nightmare that bound them together all the way through their second year of middle school.
The list of offenses was endless. He would throw Yu’s completed homework into the trash, steal his umbrella on rainy days to force him to walk home in the downpour, which once left him dangerously ill and lock him inside bathroom stalls so he would miss class.
Hiiragi Yu endured six years of torment before finally escaping the bully when classes were reshuffled in his final year of middle school. But the nuisance wouldn’t let go. Right before the high school entrance exam, Wu Jiajun mysteriously stole Yu’s admission ticket from the faculty office, sending the entire grade’s teaching staff into a frantic search. Just as Yu was on the verge of panic induced hospitalization, the instigator casually appeared, asking which high school he planned to attend.
By then, Yu’s mother had already passed away, and Pan Youzhi turned a blind eye to all of Pan Wang’s misdeeds. Worse, Pan Youzhi showed no intention of financing Yu’s education abroad, unlike the typical path for students at their elite private school.
So, Hiiragi Yu had quietly mapped out his own path: gain admission to a standard public high school, attend a local university, secure a job, and immediately pull his younger sister out of the Pan household for good.
Of course, he wasn’t about to share his life plans with someone he despised. He lied, claiming he would follow the standard pipeline to the main high school, but the moment exams ended, he enrolled in Y Middle School without looking back.
The teachers and students at Y Middle School were kind, and Yu genuinely loved the environment. Even if studying and living there demanded more effort, he knew he had made the right choice.
He had barely taken two steps toward the exit when Wu Jiajun yanked hard on his backpack strap.
Hiiragi Yu sighed internally.
He really hated Alphas.
As the familiar aversion washed over him, Mr. Cheng’s face unexpectedly flashed through his mind.
…He was an Alpha, too.
Before Yu could turn around, a stern voice cut through the noise. “What are you doing? Let go.”
It was his roommate, Fan Zhuo.
Having spotted someone harassing Yu from across the room, Fan Zhuo’s brows furrowed. He walked over briskly, set his tray on the table, and shoved Wu Jiajun’s arm away. “Don’t get handsy.”
Wu Jiajun’s eyes narrowed, his temper flaring instantly. “I’m looking for Yu. Who invited you to meddle?”
He had detested this Beta since high school, back when Fan Zhuo played the hero using his parents’ status as Y Middle School teachers to have security guards turn him away at the gates.
Fan Zhuo was never one for empty talk. Staring Wu Jiajun dead in the eye, he asked contemptuously, “You want to fight?”
Alarmed, Yu quickly pulled at Fan Zhuo’s sleeve. Before he could sign anything, Zheng Yue’s boisterous voice boomed from behind. “Fight? Who’s fighting?!”
Zheng Yue and Shao Wenrui rolled up their sleeves as they approached, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Fan Zhuo and glaring menacingly at the intruder.
The commotion was drawing attention, and a pair of cafeteria security guards near the entrance were already watching closely, looking ready to intervene.
Knowing he wasn’t a student here and dreading the humiliation of being chased off campus with brooms like he had been at Y Middle School. Wu Jiajun sneered. “Fine. I won’t waste my time with you today.”
He turned to leave, but after two paces, he paused and looked back at Hiiragi Yu with a mocking grin.
Fan Zhuo immediately stepped forward, shielding Yu behind him.
Wu Jiajun shifted his gaze to Fan Zhuo, letting out a sharp chuckle after a beat. “A Beta playing knight in shining armor?”
Fan Zhuo remained stoic. “Try me.”
Wu Jiajun laughed again, eyeing Yu as he cowered behind his roommates. “Don’t blame me for not warning you… Oh, wait. You still don’t know what your dear father is up to, do you?” He snickered at Yu’s bewildered expression. “I’ll be waiting for the day you come begging to me.”
With that, he turned and strode away.
Immediately, the room crowded around Yu, showering him with concern or rather, Zheng Yue did all the talking while the others listened.
“Who was that guy, Yu? Do you know him?”
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“What an absolute freak! I hope he gets stuck working 8 AM shifts every single day!”
Shao Wenrui deadpanned, “Wake up. We have 8 AMs every day.”
“Damn it,” Zheng Yue muttered.
The noise was overwhelming, but the warmth was real. Fan Zhuo patted Zheng Yue’s shoulder. “Sit down and eat. We have afternoon classes.”
Zheng Yue snapped back to reality, quickly shoveling a few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth while scanning Yu up and down to ensure he was unharmed. “Has that guy been bothering you since college started?” Fan Zhuo asked, turning to Yu.
Yu shook his head.
Relieved, Fan Zhuo nodded. “If he shows up again, call me.”
This wasn’t Y Middle School, where his parents could order security to beat Wu Jiajun on sight, but Fan Zhuo still naturally assumed the role of protecting his father’s star pupil.
Hiiragi Yu felt a swell of gratitude. Just as he raised his hands to sign a thank you, Zheng Yue chimed in, “Count me in! Don’t think a Beta can’t kick an Alpha’s ass!”
Shao Wenrui nodded with practiced elegance. “Include me as well.”
“Hey! Stop stealing my kills!” Zheng Yue protested.
“Fan Zhuo hasn’t even called dibs, and you’re already complaining about me,” Shao Wenrui countered smoothly.
Listening to them bicker back and forth, Yu couldn’t help but softy laugh.
The bickering stopped instantly. Zheng Yue and Shao Wenrui stared at him in silence, surprised by the rare sight.
Yu typed quickly on his phone and held up the screen.【Don’t worry, I’ll call everyone. Everyone gets a turn.】
Despite his friends’ support, Wu Jiajun’s parting words cast a lingering shadow over Yu’s mind.
Over the next few days, he remained hyper aware of his surroundings. Strangely, the vague, unsettling sensation of being watched, which had plagued him recently had completely vanished.
Pan Youzhi rarely stayed at the main house anymore, preferring his apartment closer to the company headquarters. Pan Wang loved tormenting the two siblings, so he would occasionally drop by to cause trouble, but whenever a new distraction caught his attention, he would disappear for weeks. Recently, Pan Wang was likely absorbed in some new vice, as he hadn’t shown his face in a while.
Everything seemed deceptively calm.
What had Wu Jiajun meant?
Sitting at his desk, Yu opened his laptop and pulled up his savings balance. He subtracted ten thousand yuan from the total, setting it aside as potential compensation for Mr. Cheng.
Deep down, he knew it probably wasn’t enough, but it was every spare cent he had. He made a mental note to ask Mr. Cheng directly what kind of restitution he preferred.
Asking Pan Youzhi for financial help was an option that had long ceased to exist in Yu’s mind. Any expectations he had of his father had died alongside his mother.
Perhaps the man still retained a shred of paternal instinct, protecting Yu and his little sister a few times when they were younger to keep Pan Wang from going too far. Beyond those rare moments, he mostly turned a blind eye. Yet, he still provided the basics, food, shelter, clothing, and tuition.
When Yu graduated middle school, if Pan Youzhi had ordered him to drop out, Yu would have had no choice but to comply. Because of this, while his hatred for Pan Wang was absolute, his feelings toward his father were far more complicated. He harbored no desire for revenge, nor did he feel any filial warmth.
Being young, his goal was simple, work hard, take his younger sister, and escape this family forever so he would never have to face his father again.
After several days of hyper vigilance with no sign of trouble, Yu began to relax. Wu Jiajun was a habitual liar. Yu had learned not to trust a word out of his mouth back in elementary school. This time was likely no different.
Holding onto that thought, Yu packed his bag after his final afternoon class and walked off campus.
He still hadn’t figured out how to handle Mr. Cheng’s ruined suit. He gave himself a strict deadline, he would wait until Tuesday afternoon, and whether the dry cleaners managed to salvage the fabric or not, he would go face Mr. Cheng and confess.
After crossing the back street and walking another few hundred meters, he was only half a block away from Hiiragi Satoru’s school when his phone vibrated violently.
It was a video call from his father.
Startled by the sudden contact, Yu stopped beside a plain white wall, his brow furrowing as he accepted the call.
“Yu, are you done with classes?” Pan Youzhi asked through the speaker.
Yu nodded faintly.
“Your sister should be getting out soon, right?”
A sudden knot of unease tightened in Yu’s chest. He didn’t answer, but his father continued casually, “I sent the driver to pick her up today.”
Yu froze. Instinctively, he pressed his thumb over the camera lens, cut the call, and broke into a fast power walk toward his sister’s elementary school.
He had only taken a dozen steps when the school gates came into view. Just as he pulled out his phone to call his sister, a thick hand reached out from the shadow of an alleyway.
Before he could react, the hand clamped tightly over his mouth and nose, dragging him backward into the dark corridor. His wrist was twisted painfully, forcing his hand open, and his phone dropped to the pavement with a sharp clatter.
A icy grip locked onto Yu’s shoulder, spinning him around forcefully. Panicked, he looked up and found himself staring directly into the sinister smile of Pan Wang.