When Alphas are in their youth, whose skin isn’t smooth?
“Go feel your own, it’s exactly the same.” Gu Xin quickly peeled off his shirt, tossed it aside, and shoved Jiang Chen right out of the bathroom.
Locked out without a shred of mercy, Jiang Chen leaned his shoulder against the door and grumbled loudly, “Stingy!”
If he stayed in here, I probably wouldn’t finish this shower in an hour, Gu Xin thought. Jiang Chen had definitely been a troublemaker when they were kids.
But ever since starting high school, Jiang Chen had grown lazy. Back then, his laziness was just him trying to slink out of chores, but he was still a vibrant, bursting little sun. Nowadays, he truly wouldn’t move an inch if he didn’t have to, embodying the very definition of a salted fish. Seeing Jiang Chen occasionally mess around with him like this actually made Gu Xin pretty happy. This was still the Jiang Chen he knew, completely unchanged.
By the time Gu Xin finished blow-drying his hair and walked out, Jiang Chen had already sprawled himself out on the bed, lying on his side and playing with his phone.
Jiang Chen urged him, “Hurry up, hurry up! I already downloaded the movie. Your home internet is insanely fast.”
Gu Xin walked over to the bed. “It’s 5G.”
Jiang Chen scooted inward to make room for him. “Can we screen-mirror with the phone?”
Gu Xin reached out toward him. “Yeah, just connect it wirelessly.”
Jiang Chen naturally handed the phone over, and a moment later, the movie started playing on the screen.
Jiang Chen reminded him, “Turn off the lights, turn off the lights!”
How could you watch a movie with the lights on? It would ruin the whole atmosphere!
Gu Xin found the remote, turned off the lights, and propped up a pillow as a backrest. Sitting right next to Jiang Chen, the two of them were so close that Gu Xin could catch the faint scent of body wash coming off him. It seemed a bit different from the one he had used, but it smelled incredibly good and fragrant.
Subtitles appeared on the screen as the opening shot cut in, though the camera work was a bit shaky.
Wei Meng said this movie was pretty good, so maybe it’s just some kind of artistic cinematography? Gu Xin thought.
The two of them kept watching.
A shy, handsome Omega of average height appeared in a coffee shop scene. He looked about twenty years old, dressed in a food delivery uniform. Holding a freshly picked-up coffee in one hand, he used the other to check the delivery address on his phone.
The next scene showed the Omega riding his delivery scooter down the road before stopping in front of an apartment building, heading upstairs to drop off the order.
By this point, Jiang Chen was already getting bored. “What is this movie even about? It doesn’t even have a title. What’s so interesting about watching someone deliver food?”
Gu Xin asked, “Didn’t Wei Meng write anything when he sent it to you?”
“No,” Jiang Chen replied.
The screen kept playing. By now, the delivery guy had knocked on the customer’s door.
After a brief wait, the door swung open automatically, but no one was there. A voice echoed from the bathroom.
[Omega Delivery Boy: Hello, your delivery is here.]
[Customer: Please just leave it on the table.]
[Omega Delivery Boy: Okay.]
The Omega stepped inside somewhat hesitantly. He should have left immediately after setting the food down, but suddenly, his body swayed. He pressed a hand to his forehead, leaning against the table as a low, muffled moan escaped his lips.
Jiang Chen finally voiced his confusion. “Why isn’t he leaving? Is he sick? Is this a spy movie?”
Gu Xin was beginning to get a sneaking suspicion that whatever Wei Meng had sent Jiang Chen wasn’t exactly a “wholesome” movie.
Sure enough, the other male lead…an Alpha…walked out shirtless, with only a bath towel wrapped around his waist. He frowned upon seeing the delivery boy, but in the next second, his nostrils flared. His body moved completely out of his control as he stepped toward the Omega.
The powerfully built Alpha caught the scent of pheromones.
[Alpha (restraining himself): Are you in heat?]
[Omega (enduring bravely): Yes… I’m sorry, sir. I’ll leave right away.]
Though the Omega claimed he was leaving, the moment he stood up, his legs buckled, and he collapsed onto the floor. His helmet rolled away, revealing a delicate and beautiful face.
Driven by the alluring Omega pheromones, the Alpha acted exactly like a dominant CEO, hooking a finger under the boy’s chin.
[Alpha: Do you want me to help you? You look like you can’t walk.]
The Omega slumped weakly into his embrace, blushing so hard he was speechless, leaving only a string of soft, breathless whimpers.
Jiang Chen turned to Gu Xin. “Why doesn’t he just call an ambulance for the Omega?”
Gu Xin immediately blurted out, “How about we stop watching? It’s pretty boring and completely illogical.”
Jiang Chen had completely lost his patience with this slow-burning intro. It had been five minutes already, and not a single tense or exciting action scene had happened.
He began to rip into the film. “This director has zero common sense. If an Omega goes into heat and their pheromone levels get too high, they can just use their smart wristband to call an ambulance directly. This is a massive plot hole. Why wouldn’t the main character just call one? Medical care is free anyway. I really can’t watch this.”
However, Gu Xin noticed that his own body…despite having just taken a cold shower…was steadily heating up. It was a good thing he kept some distance from Jiang Chen without any skin contact, otherwise his strange reaction would have been caught red-handed.
On screen, the Alpha and Omega were staring into each other’s eyes. As the Alpha reached out to touch him, the Omega’s collar somehow slipped open, exposing a pale, distinct collarbone. Gu Xin swiftly shut the movie off.
“Forget it, the movie makes no sense and doesn’t even have a title. Let’s skip it. When we have time over the weekend, let’s go to an actual theater and watch a real movie.”
“Works for me. I haven’t had movie popcorn in ages.” Coincidentally, after staring at the screen for a few minutes, drowsiness was starting to hit him. “I think I’ll just go to sleep. I’m going to give Wei Meng a piece of my mind tomorrow.” Jiang Chen felt too lazy to type right now, deciding he would scold him in person tomorrow. What kind of trash movie did he recommend? Boring to the extreme.
Gu Xin got out of bed to use the restroom. By the time he came back, Jiang Chen was already fast asleep.
He caught that faint, elusive scent again…the fragrance he could only smell when he was close to Jiang Chen. It was incredibly light and subtle, yet unmistakably there.
Cradled by this pleasant scent, Gu Xin turned up the air conditioner a bit and settled down to sleep as well.
Ever since moving back here, his sleep quality had been getting better and better.
A short while later, the faint sound of the front door closing clicked from outside. Gu Xin’s mother put down her car keys and noticed a pair of sneakers of a different size at the entrance. She figured Jiang Chen must have come over to hang out with Gu Xin.
Right now, the living room lights were set to a dim, warm amber tone, meaning the boys were already resting.
Gu Xin’s mother began to move with quiet, careful steps. Checking the time on her phone, she saw it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. They went to sleep quite early, but it was a very healthy routine.
She didn’t sneak in to check if the two kids were properly tucked in like she used to when they were little. After all, they were high schoolers now; she wanted to afford them their own free, private space.
The next morning, Gu Xin’s mother realized neither of the boys had woken up yet, leaving her no choice but to knock on the bedroom door.
“Xin Xin, Chen Chen, time to get up! You’re both about to be late!”
Gu Xin woke up first. One look at the time told him he had way past his usual early rising hour. He had gone to sleep so early last night, yet his biological clock hadn’t woken him up, and even his phone alarm hadn’t gone off.
Jiang Chen, on the other hand, was dead to the world. His mother’s knocking and shouting from outside hadn’t broken through his deep slumber at all; he was still snoring softly away.
Gu Xin gave Jiang Chen a shake. “Chen Chen, get up. We’re going to be late.”
Jiang Chen let out a couple of groans. Because of the injury on his back, he hadn’t slept well the past two nights. Last night, the pain had eased up enough for him to finally get some solid rest. He felt like he had barely closed his eyes, so how was it already time to get up?
So sleepy. He absolutely did not want to leave the bed.
It wasn’t until Jiang Chen recognized the voice outside belonging to Gu Xin’s mother that he realized he could no longer afford to laze around.
He dragged himself into a sitting position to clear his head, only to see the usually early-rising Gu Xin hurriedly changing into his school uniform.
Catching a glimpse of the Alpha youth’s slender, morning silhouette…broad shoulders, narrow waist, and the faint definition of lean muscle…Jiang Chen dazed out for a brief moment.
Suddenly, he felt a twinge of envy toward Gu Xin’s physique. Last night in the bathroom, he hadn’t even had the chance to admire it properly before getting kicked out. He just kept staring like that until Gu Xin finished getting dressed.
Having changed into his own clothes, Gu Xin walked over and tossed the other uniform in front of him. “Hurry up and change.”
“Oh.” Only then did Jiang Chen snap his gaze back down to the clothes.
Gu Xin’s mother was a beautiful, intellectual woman…gentle and elegant. Gu Xin’s good looks were mostly inherited from her genes. She and Jiang Chen’s mother had completely opposite personalities; no matter how busy she was, she would always cook for Gu Xin whenever she was home. As for Jiang Chen’s mom, she was far more laid-back and casual.
By the time Jiang Chen finished washing up and walked out, breakfast had already been set out on the dining table for the two of them.
Gu Xin’s mother untied her apron. “There’s still a little time, eat your breakfast quickly. I’m heading out now. Chen Chen, make sure to eat more. How did you get even skinnier than when you were a kid?”
Jiang Chen’s hand felt much better today, allowing him to tear off pieces of the steamed roll by himself. His morning brain wasn’t fully online yet. “Did I? I don’t think so.”
Gu Xin’s mother smiled softly. “You did. Eat up. I’ll make you guys something delicious when I get back tonight. Chen Chen, make sure to have dinner at our place tonight, okay?”
Without thinking twice, Jiang Chen agreed immediately. “Ah, okay. Goodbye, Auntie.”
After finishing breakfast, Gu Xin rode his bike to school with Jiang Chen on the back once again.
The moment Jiang Chen reached his desk, his seatmate looked at him, hesitating to speak. “Jiang Chen, it’s our turn for classroom duty today.”
Jiang Chen really hadn’t expected classroom duty to be on the agenda today. He wasn’t the kind of school bully who picked on others…in fact, he had never even been a bully. He was perfectly willing to do his share of the classroom chores.
Jiang Chen said, “Then I’ll go wipe the blackboard.”
“It’s fine, you’re injured. I can handle it,” Liu Sen offered, not expecting Jiang Chen to be so easygoing.
Jiang Chen insisted, “No need, I’ll do the duty with you.”
Before Liu Sen could say anything more, Jiang Chen called out Gu Xin’s name.
Meanwhile, Gu Xin was currently turning down a girl’s request to help with her homework. “Sorry, I might not be able to help you with that. I’m not very good at physics. You can ask the subject representative instead.”
The girl had come prepared; she immediately swapped it out for a math exercise booklet.
Hearing Jiang Chen’s voice felt like a lifeline to Gu Xin. He snapped his head up. “What is it?”
Jiang Chen pointed toward the front of the room. “Help me with classroom duty today, will you? I’ll cover for you next week.”
Gu Xin stood up instantly and walked straight to the podium. “Sure.”
He picked up the eraser and began wiping the board. With his long arms and tall frame, a couple of quick swipes completely cleared the writing, leaving the students sitting in the front row utterly dumbfounded.
The girl who had just asked Gu Xin for help was speechless. He had rejected her so cleanly, yet he agreed to Jiang Chen’s request without a second thought. Were the rumors about the class monitor being completely oblivious to romance actually true?
On the other hand, Jiang Chen’s seatmate, Liu Sen, couldn’t help but think: Wow, the class monitor is so nice.
Wei Meng arrived later than them. The moment he sat down and dropped his backpack, he slipped over to Jiang Chen, asking in a low, conspiratorial whisper, “Hey, Chen-er, did you watch the movie last night? Was it exciting?”
Jiang Chen rolled up his notebook and smacked him on the arm. “Exciting my ass! It was boring to death. What was so good about that?”
Wei Meng was left completely bewildered by the criticism. “Not exciting? Not good? Boring? Aren’t your standards a bit too high?”
Gu Xin finished wiping the blackboard and walked over. Hearing their conversation, he reminded Wei Meng, “It’s time for morning reading. Get back to your seat quickly.”
Confused out of his mind, Wei Meng shuffled back to his desk.
Could it be that Jiang Chen just… doesn’t work down there? How could a spicy little movie not be amazing?
How could he have known that Jiang Chen regularly stayed over at Gu Xin’s house, and that the two of them had watched the movie together last night, only to shut it off after a few minutes?
During the break after morning reading, Wei Meng received a text from Gu Xin.
[Gu Xin: What movie did you share with Jiang Chen? Send me a copy too.]
Wei Meng quietly peeked over his shoulder at Gu Xin, who was currently reading along with the class with an intense, serious expression: …
Sending a spicy adult movie to the class monitor?
T-that can’t be good.
If Chen-er finds out, he’ll beat me to death!