When the name Song Wangzhuo was mentioned, some people paused for a moment, seemingly trying to recall who he was, but soon they reacted and chimed in:
“Oh, him? I always see him running around outside. Maybe he provoked someone he shouldn’t have, and they came specifically to kill him.”
“That sounds about right. He’s the type who’d easily stir up trouble.”
“Why would the academy keep someone so dangerous? What if they hurt other students?”
Lin Sui had initially wanted to say something too, but when he turned his head, he saw his buddy leisurely sipping his white fungus soup, completely unfazed.
Well, that made sense. Recently, he’d heard that his friend and Song Wangzhuo had gotten along better.
After some thought, Lin Sui rapped his knuckles on the table. “The guy’s already injured, and you’re still badmouthing him? Have some decency.”
As the de facto leader of the group, once Lin Sui spoke up, the others fell silent, though they exchanged puzzled glances.
Wasn’t Lin Sui usually the one who reacted the most strongly when it came to targeting Song Wangzhuo?
Song Lejin added, “Yeah, he’s still in the hospital. Regardless of anything else, he’s the victim here. It’s not right for us to gossip behind his back.”
A few scattered murmurs of agreement followed. Shen Yuqing, however, didn’t say a word the entire time. After finishing his white fungus soup, he moved on to other dishes, fully committed to the act of just being there to eat.
Lin Sui glanced at him a couple more times before waving it off. “Alright, alright, let’s just eat for now.”
And just like that, the topic was dropped.
Shen Yuqing scoffed inwardly. Why had Song Lejin suddenly brought this up? No doubt it was to bait him into responding.
He could already guess what Song Lejin wanted to say probably something to tie the two of them together. But what was the point?
No one could provoke him anyway.
Shen Yuqing couldn’t be bothered to decipher Song Lejin’s motives. He had better things to do. Since Song Lejin wasn’t ready to reveal his hand yet, Shen Yuqing didn’t have time to play along.
Under the pretense of serving Lin Sui some food, Song Lejin stole a glance at Shen Yuqing, whose attention remained fixed on his meal.
He couldn’t help but think that he’d acted too rashly before. Now, Shen Yuqing was on guard.
Song Lejin withdrew his chopsticks. He needed to come up with another plan.
After dinner, Lin Sui suggested a second round of activities, but Shen Yuqing was dead tired and waved him off. “No, I need to go home and sleep. I’m exhausted.”
Lin Sui raised an eyebrow. “What time have you been going to bed lately?”
“I keep a healthy schedule. If I were home right now, I’d probably already be showered and in bed playing games.” Shen Yuqing patted his shoulder. “Congrats on taking first place, by the way.”
Seeing that his drowsiness was genuine, Lin Sui nodded. “Alright, then. Get home safe.”
Before Shen Yuqing could reply, Song Lejin chimed in, “Yuqing, I’m heading home too. Why don’t you ride back with me?”
Lin Sui was the first to look over. “You’re not joining us either?”
Song Lejin smiled apologetically. “My mom’s visiting, so I can’t stay out too late. Next time.”
Lin Sui sighed. “Fine.”
Song Lejin turned his cheerful gaze back to Shen Yuqing. “The driver’s already bringing the car around. Let’s wait by the roadside.”
At this point, Shen Yuqing had no reason to refuse. Besides, he’d been wanting a chance to check out Song Lejin’s driver anyway.
Looking at the back of his hand, there really was a scar.
Shen Yuqing nodded. After parting ways with Lin Sui and the others, he followed Song Lejin to the roadside, waiting for his driver to bring the car around.
Song Lejin had been observing Shen Yuqing and noticed the other had no intention of initiating a conversation.
He lowered his gaze slightly, unsure of how to proceed.
Soon, the driver arrived with the car. Without hesitation, Shen Yuqing opened the door and got in, then rolled down the window to look at Song Lejin. “What are you standing there for? Get in.”
Song Lejin snapped out of his thoughts and hummed in acknowledgment. He walked halfway around the car before opening the other door and sliding in.
Once inside, he saw Shen Yuqing had already closed his eyes to rest, showing no sign of wanting to speak to him.
Song Lejin took a deep breath. “Yuqing.”
Shen Yuqing cracked an eye open, staring ahead. “Speak.”
Song Lejin said, “I feel like you’ve been a bit distant with me lately.”
Shen Yuqing’s gaze flicked to the driver. It wasn’t the same one he’d seen before, which disappointed him he’d thought he might crack the case today.
Hearing Song Lejin’s words, he scoffed inwardly before replying lazily, “That’s rich. Weren’t you the one who randomly stopped me and gave me the cold shoulder? I thought I’d done something to upset you, but now you’re saying I’m the one being distant?”
Song Lejin forced a smile. “So it’s about that. I apologize I was in a bad mood that day.”
“Oh? What put you in such a bad mood? Did someone provoke you?” Shen Yuqing asked.
Song Lejin shook his head. “Not exactly.”
Then, his tone took on a hint of bashfulness. “It’s just that Omegas have a few days every month when their temper gets a little strange. It’s a well-known fact.”
Shen Yuqing raised an eyebrow at that. “Then I misunderstood you. My apologies.”
Meanwhile, he was already calling out to his system: [Do Omegas even have periods?]
The system sighed. [No. And female Omegas, Betas, and Alphas don’t either. Humanity evolved past that centuries ago. What he’s referring to is the restlessness caused by unsoothed pheromones, usually seen in adult Omegas without partners. It’s essentially a sign of instability. Alphas experience it too, but for them, it happens in the days leading up to their rut—they become irritable and anxious. You might’ve noticed his temper acting up for no reason, but it’s all just pheromones at work. Once that phase passes, things go back to normal.]
Come to think of it, didn’t that sound a lot like Pei Yiyan’s recent behavior?
He’d been acting strangely, completely unlike his usual composed self. But the thing was his scent gland was already damaged. Could he still be affected?
Ah, interstellar ABO dynamics. Truly advanced.
Song Lejin, hearing Shen Yuqing’s apology, didn’t care whether it was sincere or not he’d take it either way.
He smiled brightly. “No need to be so serious. As long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, that’s what matters.”
Shen Yuqing mirrored the smile, the corners of his lips quirking up.
Deep down, both of them knew the matter wasn’t truly resolved. Not only that, they each still wanted to extract some information from the other.
But with no immediate topic to probe further, the conversation simply ended there.
The driver soon dropped Shen Yuqing off at his residence. He had the car stop at the entrance of the residential complex before getting out. After bidding Song Lejin farewell, he turned and walked inside.
Song Lejin watched Shen Yuqing intently through the car window.
It wasn’t a complete waste of time, at least. From what he could see now, Song Wangzhuo had Shen Yuqing’s protection.
If he wanted to act, he’d have to be even more careful better to strike decisively before their bond grew any deeper.
Song Lejin signaled the driver to move on, lost in thought about the possibilities. Just then, another car passed by theirs. Song Lejin happened to glance over, and since the opposite car’s window was open, the person inside flashed briefly into view.
His eyes lit up instantly it was Pei Yiyan!
He wanted to get a better look, but unfortunately, the car carrying Pei Yiyan smoothly turned into the residential complex and disappeared.
Disappointed, Song Lejin leaned back in his seat.
He had always liked Pei Yiyan.
One could even say it was love at first sight.
The only regret was that when Pei Yiyan had been in trouble, he hadn’t returned yet. Otherwise, he would have fought tooth and nail to get him back even if it meant throwing tantrums or making a scene!
Song Lejin clenched his fists. No, he had to speed things up.
He couldn’t afford to delay any longer. He hadn’t forgotten the suffering Pei Yiyan had endured.
Pei Yiyan returned home and dismissed Wu Yi.
Shen Yuqing happened to step out of the bedroom just then, towel-drying his damp hair. He was exhausted and just wanted to get it over with quickly.
Noticing Pei Yiyan’s return, he greeted him casually, “You’re back.”
Shen Yuqing was only wearing a loose tank top, and when he raised his arms, glimpses of his toned body were visible through the gaps in the fabric.
Just as Pei Yiyan had imagined, Shen Yuqing clearly kept himself in good shape.
Unaware of Pei Yiyan’s gaze, Shen Yuqing picked up the hairdryer and continued drying his hair, which had grown a bit longer recently, requiring more time.
Pei Yiyan’s throat bobbed slightly.
He didn’t want to keep pretending anymore he needed to find a way to “regain his sight.”
Otherwise, with Shen Yuqing being so oblivious like this every day, it made him seem like too much of a gentleman.
