"Heh... Reading. Their. Palms?" Director Li looked as if he had just heard the world's most ridiculous joke. He pointed at their overlapping hands and shouted, "Young man, is it that you can't tell left from right, or do you think *I* can't? Hmm?"
Jiang Wei looked down.
Tang Zihe's right hand was still firmly in his grasp.
...That lie... really hadn't been very clever at all.
A soft chuckle came from beside him.
*What are you laughing at?* Jiang Wei thought irritably.
"Still holding hands, are we? Don't plan on letting go? You think if you just grab his hand, I won't know you were actually playing on a phone? Do I look that easy to fool?" Director Li fired off a string of questions without pausing for breath.
Jiang Wei immediately snatched his hand back and shoved it into his pocket. His eyes drifted toward the ceiling as he tried to maintain a facade of calm. "Sir, we really were reading palms. We weren't on a phone. It's just that I don't really know what I'm doing, so I thought it would be more accurate to check both the left and right hands..."
In the seat in front of them, Xia Shan’s shoulders were shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Am I here to discuss palmistry with you? Stop feeding me this nonsense. You should be glad you're both Alphas; otherwise, I’d be processing this behavior as 'premature romance' right now." Director Li was clearly convinced Jiang Wei was full of lies. He raised a hand and said bluntly, "Hand over the phone."
Tang Zihe remained standing quietly to the side, watching Jiang Wei struggle through his stubborn defense without offering the slightest bit of help.
"If you don't hand it over, I have the right to make you open your bags." Director Li had likely not encountered such a defiant student in a long time. His temper was rising, and his voice grew sharper and more stern.
Jiang Wei glanced at Tang Zihe. Seeing that the other boy still looked indifferent and composed, he steeled his nerves and swung his backpack onto the desk. "Sir, I really don't have it. If you don't believe me, you can search my bag."
He unzipped the bag. Inside was a single pink notebook. It was so empty it made one wonder why he even bothered carrying a bag to school—was it just for decoration?
Tang Zihe also lifted his bag from the floor, unzipped it, and pulled out the two or three exercise books inside, placing them on the desk. His bag was also completely empty; there wasn't a phone in sight, not even the shadow of a phone case for Director Li to find.
Now, not only was Director Li stunned, but even Jiang Wei shot a surprised look at Tang Zihe.
Then, as if fearing Director Li still wouldn't believe them, the two of them patted down all their pockets to prove they weren't hiding a phone on their persons.
Director Li had seen plenty of students in his decades of teaching. It was because of this experience that he had been so certain they were playing on a phone. But now, seeing the rule-breaking students he thought he’d caught red-handed slip through his fingers without even a glimpse of the evidence, he felt he was losing face.
Could he just swallow this frustration?
Of course not.
So, when a fuming Director Li pointed toward the hallway and ordered them out, the two of them didn't hesitate for a second. They lowered their heads submissively and slipped out the door.
Only after Director Li gave them one last glare and left Class 1 to check on Class 2 did Jiang Wei mutter under his breath, "Talk about bad luck."
Tang Zihe leaned against the wall, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"But I saw you drop the phone from the drawer into your bag. How did it disappear?" Jiang Wei turned to ask, his face full of confusion.
On the other side of the hallway was a window ledge. The railing barely reached the waists of these tall boys—the kind of safety hazard that felt like someone could accidentally be pushed over at any moment. Fortunately, high schoolers weren't that bored, especially seniors; usually, they only felt the impulse to think, *Someone just push me over already.*
Although the classroom windows were open for ventilation, the hallway was much less stifling. The cool breeze managed to tame Jiang Wei’s irritation at being forced to stand out here, and his mood settled significantly.
Tang Zihe remained silent for a few seconds, likely weighing how to explain the situation in the fewest words possible. Finally, he said, "I kicked the bag to Xia Shan."
Jiang Wei understood instantly.
So, after dropping the phone into the bag, this guy had used the moment they stood up to give the bag a light kick forward. Then, while Director Li’s attention was entirely on the two of them, he had Xia Shan fish the phone out of the bag and then slide the bag back to him.
That move was seriously impressive.
But once Jiang Wei figured it out, he felt a bit annoyed again. "And you just watched me struggle to deal with him without giving me so much as a hint!"
Tang Zihe looked innocent. "I wanted to hint at you, but you only looked at me once the whole time. Is that my fault too?"
"It's definitely your fault."
Jiang Wei grumbled, kicking at a small pebble on the hallway floor that had come from who-knows-where.
The two stood in silence for a while until Tang Zihe suddenly broke into a fit of coughing, startling Jiang Wei.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
"Seriously... why isn't this session over yet?" Jiang Wei frowned and peered into the classroom. "Hey, why don't you just go back and sit down? Or should I go grab your water bottle so you can have a drink?"
Tang Zihe waved him off and pointed toward the classroom, indicating he would get it himself.
"Then I'm going to the restroom," Jiang Wei said, suddenly feeling the urge. He inexplicably reported his movements to Tang Zihe, then looked at him twice more, still a bit worried. "Seriously, go back and sit. I don't think Director Li is bored enough to come back for another round."
"Besides, you're a sick patient right now. Even if you get caught again, you have an excuse. And I don't think he'd make things hard for a 'good student' like you..."
The "sick good student" waved his hand at Jiang Wei again, telling him to stop nagging and get lost.
Jiang Wei looked around the restroom entrance. After confirming no one was there, he stepped into the male Omega restroom.
Just as he entered a stall, a very frustrated voice drifted over from the one next to him.
"Sister—no, *big sister*... do you have any idea what it means for you to call me right now?"
"Stop pretending... It wasn't easy for me to sneak out during self-study to take a call. Can you just get to the point and tell me whatever new story you've hallucinated lately?"
"Yes, yes, I know. You just want to tell me how the two of you are a match made in heaven, right? In your dreams! ...If you've got the guts, tell me right now that you've slept together. If not, don't try to intimidate or threaten me. Your university is a top-tier school; how are you so bored that you have the energy to call me and try to usurp my position?"
"Wait, that's not even a 'usurpation'... Though your storytelling isn't bad, your delusions are so heavy you really should seek treatment. If you need it, I can recommend a psychiatric hospital. It's quite authoritative..."
Jiang Wei was looking down, washing his hands, when he saw Shen Yannan walk out of the neighboring stall. The other boy gave a somewhat strained smile. "Sorry you had to hear that."
Jiang Wei smiled back. "That's the first time I've heard you talk like that."
Shen Yannan didn't seem embarrassed at all. He shrugged, fumbled in his pocket for a moment, and then clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"You're quite bold. If someone else saw you here, you'd be disciplined as a pervert," Shen Yannan said as he walked to the mirror and turned on the faucet, changing the subject. "By the way, is it just me who knows you're an Omega?"
"Obviously." Before Jiang Wei could even finish his sigh, his heart suddenly leaped into his throat. "Hey!—"
A crisp sound drowned out Jiang Wei’s shout. The glass mirror shattered upon impact. Blood meandered down the cracks, while the hand—now embedded with glass shards—was already being rinsed under the cold water. A handful of water was splashed onto the mirror to wash away the evidence. The entire sequence happened so fast that if it weren't for the blood still bubbling from the wound once it left the water, no one would have guessed what that hand had just done.
"Are you crazy?! Why the hell did you smash the glass?!" Jiang Wei’s brow furrowed deeply as he looked at Shen Yannan’s face, which appeared as if nothing had happened. A surge of nameless anger rose within him.
"Shh." Shen Yannan pressed a finger to his lips, signaling Jiang Wei to lower his voice. "Let's go outside first. If someone comes, I don't want to pay for that mirror."
"If you didn't want to pay, why the hell did you smash it?" Jiang Wei cursed under his breath but followed Shen Yannan’s suggestion—after all, he didn't want to stay in there too long and be labeled a pervert. "Why hasn't this damn habit of yours gotten better? You were like this before too..."
Halfway through his sentence, Jiang Wei fell silent.
Shen Yannan, however, seemed to be in a better mood. As Jiang Wei grabbed his wrist and pulled him outside, he pointed to his own temple with his other hand. "This part isn't better yet. When I get frustrated, I can't control it. I wanted a cigarette to take the edge off, but I promised my idiot I’d quit, so I threw them all away."
Jiang Wei didn't respond. After a long moment, he simply let out a sigh in the unlit hallway.
"Oh, come on, this little injury is fine. I'll just disinfect it when I get back to the dorm tonight," Shen Yannan said with a hint of regret, sighing as well. "I need to learn my lesson. It's been too long since I've done something like this; next time, I really should keep some alcohol swabs in my pocket."
"Just shut up." Jiang Wei rolled his eyes. "That woman... that Omega who called you tonight. You don't plan on telling Lu Zisheng?"
"Who said I don't plan on telling him?" Shen Yannan chuckled softly, the sound ethereal and slightly chilling in the hallway. "I'll wait until he's finished with his group project. She's in his group; it wouldn't be good to sour the atmosphere before the work is done."
"Don't worry, I recorded the call. I'll just package it into a file and share it with him when the time comes." Shen Yannan shook his head with a look of disdain. "With that IQ, she actually tried to force a showdown..."
Jiang Wei couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Oh, Class 1 is just ahead. Stop holding onto me; if certain people see this... it wouldn't be good, wouldn't be good at all." The two had walked the length of the hallway without realizing it. Shen Yannan stopped and smiled, prompting Jiang Wei to let go of his wrist.
Jiang Wei released him naturally and scratched his head. "Those rumors on the school forum are clearly just nonsense..."
Shen Yannan arched an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.
"Tang-ge, here's your phone." Xia Shan handed the device to Tang Zihe, noticing that the other boy was staring out of the classroom with a rather unpleasant expression. "What's wrong? What are you looking at?"
Watching Jiang Wei walk toward him with a cheerful grin, Tang Zihe finally retracted his gaze.
"Nothing."
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Take a Whiff: The Alpha's Hidden Scent | Chapter 21 | Palm Reading and Hallway Secrets | Novela.app | Novela.app
