“Are you talking about the mid-terms?” Shen Yannan picked at his ear, clearly still ringing from that last shout.
“Yeah!” Jiang Wei felt incredibly wronged. “I only found out by accident just now in Boss Shi’s office.”
“I really did forget…” Xia Shan, surprisingly the only honest soul to admit his mistake, scratched his head and said apologetically, “Sorry about that.”
Jiang Wei felt as though the entire world had abandoned him.
*Baby is hurt. Baby is angry. But baby won't say it.*
No, he couldn't hold it in. He had to say it.
“I almost walked into the most important exam of the term without knowing a thing.” Jiang Wei gritted his teeth. If cannibalism weren't illegal, he would have devised at least three different ways to finish off the three people in front of him—especially his seatmate. He’d eat him first.
“Especially you! And here I thought you had a great memory and never forgot anything. How could you forget to tell me something this important?” Jiang Wei’s eyes were full of sorrow. “Are we even best bros anymore?”
“Yes, we are. Fine, as an apology, lunch is on me today,” Tang Zihe said, perfectly hitting his weak spot. He patted Jiang Wei’s shoulder in consolation. “Don't be mad.”
“Is this something a single meal can solve?” Jiang Wei slapped Tang Zihe’s hand off his shoulder and held up two fingers.
Tang Zihe couldn't help but chuckle. “Fine, two meals.”
*That’s more like it.*
Shen Yannan raised an eyebrow, quickly covered Xia Shan’s mouth, and dragged him away with a smile. “Don't get distracted. Keep listening to my explanation for this math problem.”
Jiang Wei gave the two of them a strange look. Before he could voice his confusion, Tang Zihe spoke up beside him. “Are you still staying at school this weekend?”
“Yeah.” He nodded.
Tang Zihe dropped his phone into Jiang Wei’s drawer, letting him see for himself.
Confused, Jiang Wei pulled the phone out. Several new messages were displayed on the screen, sent just a minute ago.
Ms. Tang: [I bought some fresh wild yellow croaker. Remember to bring Jiang Wei back for dinner this weekend.]
Ms. Tang: [I don't care what method you use.]
Ms. Tang: [I’ll pick you up. If you come out alone, don't expect to eat a single thing at home.]
Jiang Wei: “...”
*Is it really okay to show me these chat logs? It looks like you’re kidnapping a minor.*
He glanced at Tang Zihe.
Ms. Tang’s move had truly struck Tang Zihe’s Achilles' heel. This guy had loved fish since he was a kid; as long as there was fish on the table, he could clear the plate by himself—unless it was cooked terribly.
Using this as a threat...
As if sensing Jiang Wei’s hesitation, Tang Zihe put on a hypocritical front. “It’s fine. If you don’t want to go, I’ll just tell her.”
Was this something he could just refuse?!
Of course not.
Because he really wanted to eat it, too.
After all, it was *wild* yellow croaker.
And so, Jiang Wei spinelessly agreed.
Tang Zihe took his phone back, looking very satisfied. Jiang Wei, meanwhile, began calculating whether he should bring a suitcase today.
He figured he should have Tang Zihe ask if a suitcase—a small, light one—would fit in Ms. Tang’s trunk.
“A suitcase?” Tang Zihe asked, puzzled by the question. “What do you need a suitcase for?”
“For a change of clothes. Looking at your mom’s stance, do you think she’s going to let me come back to school on Friday night?” Jiang Wei couldn't understand why this so-called "God of Study" always seemed to have an IQ deficit when it came to things like this.
“Then can’t you just wear mine?”
*His IQ has definitely gone offline.*
“Big brother, please think before you speak,” Jiang Wei hissed under his breath. “I’m an Omega, and you’re an Alpha. Do you think that’s appropriate?”
Perhaps because he hadn't fully processed this high-impact reality yet, Tang Zihe actually froze for several seconds.
He looked so innocent, as if he wasn't the same person who had pinned Jiang Wei against the wall in the dorm yesterday to interrogate him.
Just as Tang Zihe finally finished digesting the information and was about to speak, Jiang Wei cut him off.
“The last time I wore your clothes at your house, it was because I had to trick your mom *and* you. Back when we were both Alphas, as long as we didn't find each other's pheromones disgusting, swapping clothes was no big deal. Plus, I usually didn't bring a change of clothes when I went to your place anyway. Got it?”
Of course, back then, he had also been so startled by Ms. Tang that he’d simply forgotten to grab his clothes—but he certainly wasn't going to admit that.
Tang Zihe raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
“But there’s one thing I thought about and decided I should probably tell you.” Having finally found a chance to speak, he said quite bluntly, “The clothes I lent you that day were actually... from a year ago.”
Jiang Wei: “...”
Likely driven by a need to win one back, Tang Zihe even used his fingers to gesture at the height difference between them.
“Tang Zihe!”
Jiang Wei had vaguely noticed their height difference since the first time they met, but he had never stopped to think about why Tang Zihe’s clothes fit him so well.
So *that* was why.
“So what if you’re six or seven centimeters taller than me now? How do you know I won't grow anymore!”
In all fairness, he considered himself quite tall for his age. Standing next to Xia Shan and the others, he never felt there was much of a gap.
Being just over 1.8 meters tall shouldn't be considered short by any standard, right?
“Your height hasn't really changed in the last two years, has it?” Tang Zihe’s gaze swept over Jiang Wei from head to toe. “I’ve wanted to ask since we first met—have you really not grown much these past two years?”
This was a direct arrow to Jiang Wei’s sore spot.
Ever since *that* incident, his measured height had barely changed. It fluctuated by no more than a centimeter, remaining stagnant for two years.
Seeing him remain silent, Tang Zihe nodded to himself and muttered softly, “I guess that’s the case.”
“Then the chances of you growing this year aren't very high.”
...
“Tang Zihe! I am going to teach you how to speak to people normally today if it's the last thing I do!”
At that very moment, students who happened to be passing by the door of Class 1 witnessed this scene of "violence."
A few minutes later, another high-quality thread appeared on the school forum.
[OP: Hello, fellow shippers! During the lunch break today, Student J and Student T were involved in a minor brawl at the back door of Class 1, Grade 12. However, given the deep relationship between the two parties, this reporter—yours truly—prefers to call it a 'flirting session.']
[OP: Next, I will broadcast a few photos from the scene. Due to the unexpectedly intense nature of the situation, this reporter only dared to take quick snapshots. If they are blurry, it is due to the limits of my ability; please do not nitpick.]
[OP: This station is open long-term and will broadcast irregularly. See the title for content. Everyone is welcome to leave comments or send private tips to help this station become the 'No. 1 Radio Station of No. 4 High School.']
...
Jiang Wei’s hand tightened around his phone.
*To hell with your 'love.'*
“What are you looking at?” Tang Zihe asked, leaning over without a shred of self-awareness as one of the subjects.
Jiang Wei rubbed his ear and dodged to the side. “Looking at how terrifying our school’s paparazzi brigade is.”
Not only was the paparazzi brigade terrifying, but the onlookers were too.
Only two periods had passed, and the thread already had over three hundred replies.
*Don't these people have classes to listen to?!*
Jiang Wei handed the phone over. Seeing the other person scroll through it without any emotional reaction, he asked curiously, “Why don't you seem surprised at all?”
Tang Zihe arched an eyebrow, seemingly unbothered. His tone was teasing. “I thought you were like me—used to seeing these posts by now.”
Jiang Wei silently waved a hand in his mind. *Sorry to disappoint you.*
But it didn't matter.
“Next time I make a move on you, I’ll remember to close the back door,” Jiang Wei said very sincerely.
Tang Zihe: “...”
*That won't be necessary.*
“Do you need me to help you go back to the dorm to get your things after school?”
Jiang Wei shook his head. “But if you have anything you need to bring back, you can come with me and put it in my suitcase.”
After all, he was only packing a few clothes; there was plenty of room in the suitcase.
“As an Omega, inviting an Alpha to put his personal items with your underwear... do you think that’s appropriate?”
Jiang Wei: “...”
This was truly the first time he’d realized how petty this guy could be.
He forced himself to swallow the words, *“But we’re both guys, what does it matter?”*
“You’re right,” he said, giving a thumbs up. “So, the choice is yours.”
“Put it in or don't. I don't care.”
***
