Lin Sui said, “Song Lejin’s parents had an arranged marriage between families.”
There wasn’t much to say about it, but when he met Shen Yuqing’s inquisitive gaze, he cleared his throat and began talking about Song Lejin’s family.
Song Lejin’s parents had undergone an Alpha-Omega compatibility test before their marriage, scoring over 80%. In this world, a 70% match was already considered a heavenly blessing.
But the strange thing was, even after marriage, they didn’t develop much love for each other. After having Song Lejin, they separated and lived their own lives, maintaining the facade of a loving couple while drifting apart.
Shen Yuqing raised an eyebrow. The news always portrayed the Song family as deeply affectionate who knew there was such hidden truth behind it?
“But what did you mean about them liking smart people?” Shen Yuqing asked, puzzled.
Lin Sui sighed. “They both suffer from ‘stupidity aversion syndrome.'”
This went back to Lin Sui’s childhood. The two families lived close by, and since the adults were busy, they arranged for the children to study together. But back then, Song Lejin was always a step slower in learning.
Every time Song Lejin’s parents returned, though their tone remained gentle, Lin Sui always felt uncomfortable. Then one day, he noticed Song Lejin stopped coming out to play. Whenever Lin Sui went to find him during breaks, he was always studying.
Song Lejin said his parents didn’t like dumb kids they preferred smart ones so he had to study hard.
Lin Sui had always been a troublemaker, with abysmal grades. He didn’t understand Song Lejin’s behavior and kept going to find him anyway. Then one day, he ran into Madam Song.
She invited him inside and took him upstairs to watch Song Lejin practice piano.
Coincidentally, he saw Song Lejin holding out his palms as his father struck them with a specially made cane. His hands were swollen and red, but he didn’t dare cry just endured it with teary eyes.
Then he heard Mr. Song say coldly, “The Song family only needs smart children.”
Lin Sui had never been beaten like that before. Those words became a childhood shadow for him. Even as he grew older, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy around Song Lejin’s parents.
Afraid that cane might land on him next.
Seems like the Song parents weren’t easy to get along with.
Shen Yuqing pressed his lips together. Given their temperament, if Song Wangzhuo were ever recognized by the Song family, survival would be tough. How much would he have to learn just to fit in?
Shen Yuqing asked another question, “Does Song Lejin have any other siblings?”
“Yeah, but they’re all from branch families. He’s the only direct heir.” Lin Sui sighed. “The Song family is now under his parents’ control. As an Omega, he’ll eventually marry someone who can manage the Song Corporation for him, so…”
So, his feelings didn’t matter.
Lin Sui had realized this truth when he first developed feelings for Song Lejin. But whenever he looked at him, he couldn’t help wanting to treat him well maybe that was love.
Shen Yuqing gave an understanding hum and patted Lin Sui’s shoulder. “Why cling to just one flower? Go explore the rest of the garden.”
Lin Sui simply responded with a noncommittal “Hmm,” then suddenly remembered, “Why are you so curious about the Song family today?”
Shen Yuqing blatantly lied with wide eyes, “Not at all, it just came up in conversation.”
As they reached the fork in the path, he said, “I’m heading to class first. See you later.”
With that, he quickly slipped away. Lin Sui sighed at his retreating figure, feeling inexplicably as though he’d been tricked into revealing something.
After putting some distance between himself and Lin Sui, Shen Yuqing gradually slowed his pace.
Unexpectedly, when he looked up, he saw Song Wangzhuo.
Song Wangzhuo was emerging from the teachers’ office, holding a stack of papers.
Shen Yuqing had previously wondered why Song Wangzhuo frequented the office so often, but later learned from classmates that he’d taken a position as a teacher’s assistant. The job involved helping with miscellaneous tasks in exchange for decent pay and even discounts on cafeteria meals.
It sounded like a pretty good deal.
Song Wangzhuo noticed Shen Yuqing too, and the two locked eyes from a distance.
Shen Yuqing raised a hand to rub his nose, adjusted the backpack slung over one shoulder, and quickened his pace to catch up.
Of course, Song Wangzhuo didn’t wait for him. Shen Yuqing had to jog briefly to close the gap.
“I already had someone track down those two from yesterday. They won’t get away with it,” Shen Yuqing said.
Song Wangzhuo merely glanced at him sidelong, offering no reply.
Shen Yuqing noted that both male leads were equally tight-lipped, cold as ice but that didn’t deter him.
Last night before bed, he’d reconsidered his approach. So far, he’d mostly been helping the male leads navigate plot-related troubles, but these plot points were often landmines that skewed their judgment, causing their corruption levels to fluctuate unpredictably. His mission was to reduce their corruption to zero, but if things kept seesawing like this, when would he ever succeed?
After all, the system had mentioned a third corrupted male lead who hadn’t even appeared yet. Two were already challenging enough adding a third would stretch him impossibly thin.
So, he devised a new plan: scrap previous tactics and focus on building a genuine rapport with Song Wangzhuo!
Judging by how Song Wangzhuo had silently endured the original host’s bullying, it seemed he had no intention of revealing his true capabilities.
And as luck would have it, yesterday’s incident provided the perfect opening.
Now they shared a secret.
Wearing a bright smile, Shen Yuqing lowered his voice slightly, “Thanks for yesterday. Are you free for lunch? My treat.”
This finally drew a reaction. “No need,” Song Wangzhuo replied.
Even if Shen Yuqing offered, he wouldn’t dare accept. Who knew what kind of alpha-disrupting drugs might be slipped into the food?
Shen Yuqing sighed dramatically. “Come on, it’s the least I can do. Or are you free this weekend? You pick the place, and I’ll treat you.”
Song Wangzhuo fell silent again.
Their exchange carried them swiftly down the hall until they reached the classroom door.
Shen Yuqing peeked inside and deliberately paused for a few seconds. Song Wangzhuo seemed to sense this, shooting him another sidelong glance before wordlessly entering first.
Only after Song Wangzhuo had gone in did Shen Yuqing amble in after him.
His reasoning was simple: Song Wangzhuo likely didn’t want to appear too closely associated with him right now. If they walked in side by side, certain people would undoubtedly bombard Song Wangzhuo with questions about their sudden camaraderie.
The first step to breaking the ice don’t cause trouble for the other person.
Shen Yuqing glanced around the classroom. Their seating wasn’t fixed, so students sat wherever they wanted. After scanning the room, he finally spotted Song Wangzhuo’s belongings, he was still sitting in the corner.
Carrying his bag, Shen walked over. The seat next to Song was empty, but after a brief glance, he moved to the row behind and took the left seat instead.
Song Wangzhuo was at the podium helping the teacher organize papers, giving him a clear view of Shen’s movements from above.
When he saw Shen pass by his seat, his eyebrows lifted slightly.
Based on Shen’s earlier actions, he had expected him to sit beside him. And then there was his arm—
Only when Shen turned his back did Song notice the injury on his arm, sustained the previous night.
