As the final class of the morning ended, the bustling noise in the hallway intensified instantly.
Xia Shan stood up and stretched. "Tang-ge, lunch?"
Tang Zihe shook his head and pointed at Jiang Wei. "I’m taking him out today. Back gate."
Xia Shan gave an 'OK' sign and turned around to try and convince Ding Banfan to eat before playing ball.
The management at No. 4 High was both strict and lax—if you tried to pick up a delivery at the front gate, the security guards would chase you all the way to the teaching building. The back gate, however, was only occasionally patrolled by a wandering elderly caretaker; entry and exit were basically unimpeded.
"So..." Jiang Wei stared at the deserted back gate, finally voicing the doubt in his mind. "Is Xia Shan's brain full of bubbles? Why does he insist on getting drinks from the front gate?"
Tang Zihe fell into a rare silence.
After a long while, he spoke. "Maybe... the drinks from the front gate just taste better."
Jiang Wei: "..."
*Do you even believe the words coming out of your own mouth?*
Fortunately, neither of them wanted to waste any more time. Tang Zihe took the lead, jumping up from a standstill to grab the top of the railing and flipping over with crisp, clean movements.
"Does Boss Shi know his star student is so practiced at scaling walls?" Jiang Wei rubbed his hands together, eager to try.
Tang Zihe activated his usual sarcasm skill. "You should worry more about whether you can still flip over after being out of school for two years."
Jiang Wei rolled his eyes.
In terms of raw strength, he truly was at a disadvantage compared to a top-tier Alpha like Tang Zihe. He looked around before choosing the edge of a flowerbed planted with greenery as a stepping stone, using the leverage to vault over.
"Being on leave and being bedridden are two different things." He brushed the dust off the hem of his school jacket.
Before flipping over, Jiang Wei hadn't taken a good look at the street outside the back gate. Now, surveying his surroundings, he truly felt the meaning of a bustling marketplace.
"I can already smell the duck blood vermicelli soup." Jiang Wei tugged at Tang Zihe’s sleeve. "Where is it?"
Tang Zihe cast a subtle glance at Jiang Wei’s hand. "To the right."
"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
Tang Zihe followed helplessly.
The small duck blood vermicelli shop had only one waiter and one owner-slash-chef, yet it was packed to the rafters during the lunch rush.
"Good thing we didn't get held back after class, or there wouldn't be any seats." Jiang Wei pulled Tang Zihe toward the only empty spot in the shop—a table for four—and breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Wei ordered quickly.
The waiter shouted toward the kitchen, "Two orders of duck blood vermicelli! One with no green onions or cilantro, one with no cilantro!"
Tang Zihe smiled. "You still remember my preferences?"
Jiang Wei frowned, his expression turning serious. "I think you have a deep misunderstanding of me."
"I'll say this once: I was on leave, I wasn't paralyzed. I didn't get hit in the head by a car, and I certainly don't have melodramatic amnesia. I. Was. Just. On. Leave. Got it?"
Seeing Jiang Wei’s deadpan seriousness, Tang Zihe couldn't help but burst out laughing.
If they weren't in public, Jiang Wei would have been tempted to punch him. "What are you laughing at?"
Tang Zihe was about to say "nothing" when he suddenly caught a whiff of roses.
The scent of Omega pheromones.
Jiang Wei froze and turned to look behind him.
He saw a short-haired girl wearing the uniform of the neighboring school walking toward them. The pheromones leaking from her body drew the gazes of several Alphas and Omegas in the shop, yet she seemed completely oblivious.
"Excuse me, is anyone sitting here?"
Jiang Wei subtly observed her and scooted toward the wall. "No one."
The girl gave a shy smile. "Thank you."
Jiang Wei returned a polite smile, then lowered his head to rummage through his pockets.
"Um... excuse me," he lowered his voice, passing something under the table. "I think you might need this."
The girl was stunned for a few seconds before realizing what was happening. She touched the back of her neck, and her ears turned red almost instantly. Abandoning the noodles she had ordered, she took the item from Jiang Wei’s hand and turned to rush out of the shop.
Two steaming bowls of duck blood vermicelli were served. Tang Zihe retracted his gaze. "What did you give her?"
"An Omega scent blocker patch. Strawberry flavored."
"Why would an Alpha be carrying that?"
"Well..." Jiang Wei rummaged through his pocket again. "I bought the wrong box a few days ago. I figured I might as well keep them on me to play the knight in shining armor for some fated Omega."
"I have a box of Alpha ones too. Need me to play the knight for you?" Jiang Wei shook a green box in his hand.
Tang Zihe’s lip twitched. "No thanks."
Compared to Omegas, Alphas could control their pheromones much better. Since leaking pheromones was unfriendly to both fellow Alphas and Omegas—causing either repulsion or suppression—it was common courtesy to keep them tightly reined in during daily life.
Omegas, however, would experience pheromone leakage a few hours before going into heat or when under great stress. It was largely uncontrollable, so they usually carried inhibitors and scent blockers just in case.
But for an Alpha to carry Omega scent blockers was... intriguing. If he didn't know Jiang Wei’s nature, and if the explanation hadn't sounded so perfectly reasonable, Tang Zihe might have thought he’d already set his sights on an Omega in their class.
After finishing their meal, the two successfully scaled the wall back into school.
"What did you guys eat for lunch?" Xia Shan asked, wiping the sweat from a game of ball and spraying himself with unscented blocker.
"Duck blood vermicelli." Jiang Wei propped up his head and yawned.
Shen Yannan tapped on Xia Shan’s desk. "Are you particularly good at biology?"
Xia Shan froze, then immediately shut his mouth.
"If not, then turn around and listen to the lecture. I’m sleeping. Don't disturb me."
After dropping those words, Shen Yannan pulled his jacket over his head and sprawled across his desk, ignoring the biology teacher who had just stepped into the room.
Xia Shan mouthed something silently.
Seeing him wanting to speak but not daring to, Jiang Wei couldn't help but laugh. "Why is Xia Shan so obedient?"
Tang Zihe shook his head and lowered his voice. "Because Shen Yannan has a bad temper. He’s prone to hitting people."
"Huh?"
"Once, Ye Feiyang came to cause trouble for Xia Shan, but he disturbed Shen Yannan’s nap and bumped his desk. Shen Yannan just kicked the desk aside and started fighting him right then and there. He didn't even lose. Banxian and I together could barely pull them apart. In the end, they both got a warning on their records." Tang Zihe’s hand was still flying across his paper, yet he was somehow able to patiently tell Jiang Wei the story.
Jiang Wei could already imagine the shock when the news spread through the school: the delicate and refined Omega "School Grass" fighting the notorious school bully to a standstill.
That one incident alone was likely enough to completely change everyone's perception of the School Grass.
He couldn't help but sigh. "Just how many interesting things have I missed..."
Tang Zihe’s lips quirked up in what could barely be called a smile.
————
"Is Jiang Wei here?"
Just as biology class ended, a girl peeked into the back door of the classroom.
"I’m here." Jiang Wei stood up and walked to the door. "Is something wrong?"
"Um... Fang Ruxuan ordered a milk tea for you. She said it’s to say thank you." The girl seemed nervous, stuttering halfway through.
Jiang Wei was stunned. "Who?"
"The girl you met at noon."
"Oh..." Jiang Wei thought for a moment before remembering.
He flashed a polite smile. "Then please thank her for me."
Jiang Wei carried the milk tea back to his seat.
"Want some milk tea? That girl from lunch sent it."
The milk tea was placed on Tang Zihe’s desk.
"What flavor?"
"Let me see..." Jiang Wei pulled it out of the bag. "Matcha Cheese Foam."
"Want some? If not, I’m drinking it."
Jiang Wei said it, but his hands weren't being polite at all. He grabbed the straw and poked it in, bringing it to his lips, only for it to be snatched away by a hand from the side.
"..."
Tang Zihe took a large gulp and set the milk tea back on the desk. "Thanks."
Jiang Wei: "...You're welcome."
"Hey, which secret admirer sent that?" Xia Shan leaned over curiously. "Someone’s already making a move on our handsome Jiang-ge?"
"What are you thinking? It’s a thank-you gift from a girl named Fang Ruxuan at the neighboring school." Jiang Wei swung the plastic bag in his hand.
Xia Shan’s expression changed instantly.
He looked at the oblivious Jiang Wei, then at Tang Zihe, who was calmly enjoying the milk tea, and suddenly fell silent.
Seeing the look on his face, Jiang Wei asked strangely, "What’s wrong?"
"You might not know, but that girl is the school beauty of the neighboring school and... Ye Feiyang’s ex-girlfriend." Xia Shan hesitated. "Jiang-ge... I think you're about to be in trouble."
*Huh?*
"Is it that serious?" Jiang Wei laughed it off, clearly thinking Xia Shan was exaggerating. "She’s just an ex, not a current girlfriend."
"Besides, it’s not a confession, just a thank-you gift."
"He wouldn't be such a scumbag that he still clings to his ex, would he?"
With every word Jiang Wei spoke, Xia Shan’s expression became more pained.
Finally, Jiang Wei couldn't take it anymore and swore in shock. "Crap, I didn't get it all right, did I?"
"..."
Apparently, he had.
Jiang Wei rubbed his face, smacked his lips, and said something startling.
"It’s fine. Anyway, the one who drank the milk tea wasn't me, it was your Tang-ge."
Tang Zihe glanced at Jiang Wei. The latter didn't look the least bit guilty; he even patted Tang Zihe’s shoulder in a show of sympathy.
Tang Zihe raised an eyebrow.
The next class was PE.
Tang Zihe said he had one last problem left on his worksheet and would head down after finishing it, so Jiang Wei and the others followed the rest of the class downstairs.
Shen Yannan pulled a small box of hard candies from his pocket like a magic trick. "Want a candy?"
"What flavor? I want one." Tang Wanbai immediately turned around and reached out.
"Strawberry. My boyfriend sent them." Shen Yannan smiled and gave one to each of the other three.
"Thanks for the invite, but I’m full." Yang Xiangtong took the candy, unable to refuse the "dog food" being fed to them.
Banxian saw them coming from across the field and shouted, "Jiang Wei, want to play ball after we finish our laps?"
