Take a Whiff: The Alpha's Hidden Scent | Chapter 49 | Tending to the Drunkard | Novela.app

Tang Zihe snapped his head up, his eyes filled with sudden bewilderment as he stared at Jiang Wei. "Why?" Fu Cong’an frowned, looking completely blindsided by his answer. Jiang Wei shrugged and let out a frustrated laugh. "Why does everyone love asking me a second question?" He neatly shut down the conversation, leaving her no room to press further. Shen Yannan was blinking furiously at Tang Zihe, trying to catch his eye. But Tang Zihe’s mind was currently a broken record, playing Jiang Wei’s "I don’t agree" on an infinite loop. He didn't have the mental capacity to spare for anything else. He tilted his head back and took another large gulp of his drink, but as he went to set the bottle down, someone intercepted it mid-air. "What are you thinking about?" Jiang Wei looked at him with a smile, holding the confiscated bottle. He brought the rim to his nose and took a sniff. "Is it really that good? Let me have a taste." A new round of the game had already begun, and no one noticed the little commotion in their corner. "Like hell you're drinking that," Tang Zihe growled, snatching the bottle back. Perhaps he pulled too hard, because Jiang Wei lurched toward him, nearly losing his balance and tumbling into his arms. As a result, Tang Zihe’s next words were murmured right against his ear. "Underage Omegas aren't allowed to drink." The low vibration of his voice sent a tingle straight through Jiang Wei’s earlobe. "Fine... if you won't let me, then you won't," Jiang Wei said, immediately sitting bolt upright as if that could hide his flustered state. "I don't care for it anyway." He thought he heard a soft, low chuckle beside him. In the rounds that followed, although they were occasionally picked, the questions were nowhere near as sharp as before. Perhaps the others felt a bit of pity seeing how many times Jiang Wei had lost, so they let him slide with vague, harmless answers. Fu Cong’an, however, had fallen silent after receiving her answer. The way she looked at Jiang Wei was no longer as friendly as it had been. Although their parents had agreed to let them stay out late, the Omegas still had a nine o'clock curfew. After a few of the girls took turns singing, the group began to pack up. "Jiang-ge, you’re heading out with Tang-ge, right? Then I’ll go split a cab with Ding Banfan," Xia Shan said, waving at them. "See you guys online when I get home!" Jiang Wei didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he saw off the hyperactive boy. He turned and patted Tang Zihe on the shoulder. "Get up. Time to go home." To his surprise, Tang Zihe only looked up at him and let out a soft hum. "Wait for me a second..." The tone was so submissive, the voice so tender, that Jiang Wei actually shivered, a layer of goosebumps rising on his skin. He took a closer look at the other boy and finally realized what was wrong. Tang Zihe’s cheeks were flushed as if he’d applied rouge, and his eyes looked like they were submerged in water—damp and shimmering. As his gaze drifted, Jiang Wei almost expected tears to spill out at any moment. He was clearly wasted. "Are you okay?" Jiang Wei crouched down and held up two fingers in front of Tang Zihe. "How many is this?" Tang Zihe stared seriously for two seconds before suddenly grabbing Jiang Wei’s sleeve. "Jiang Wei..." he said softly. If it weren't for the scattered, mismatched bottles on the floor and the fact that the smell of alcohol on the guy was strong enough for even Jiang Wei to catch, he would have suspected Tang Zihe was faking it. His current brain definitely lacked the capacity for such elaborate deception. The situation was genuinely dire. "Can you stand up?" Jiang Wei half-pulled, half-dragged him off the floor, hoisting one of Tang Zihe’s arms over his shoulder. He gave a quick nod to Shen Yannan and Lu Zisheng, who were the last to leave, and staggered out of the private room. For any Omega, carrying an Alpha who was several inches taller and broader was no easy feat. To make matters worse, the person draped over him was being restless, swinging his arms and head around, repeatedly trying to walk independently—only to be caught again after two steps to prevent his face from making intimate contact with the floor. "Tang Zihe! Stop moving!" Jiang Wei wasn't exactly known for his infinite patience. If it had been anyone else hanging off him, he would have dumped them on the ground long ago. By the time they reached the lobby, having endured the judgmental stares of passersby the whole way, his stamina was at its limit. He reflexively slapped the arm that was dangling and swinging in front of him. *Smack.* The sound was crisp. *Yep, a fine specimen of a pig,* Jiang Wei thought. He couldn't help but chuckle at his own stray thought. Despite having said he was too lazy to pick them up, Mrs. Tang’s flashy sports car was waiting right outside the entrance. Jiang Wei unceremoniously stuffed the man inside. "Hello, Auntie." After nearly two days a week of crashing their dinners, Jiang Wei wasn't as stiff around her as he had been when he first returned. "Oh my, what happened here?" Mrs. Tang turned around in surprise, looking the puddle of mush in the backseat up and down as if trying to verify if this was actually her son. "Is he drunk?" "Yes. Sorry for the trouble, Auntie." Jiang Wei took a few deep breaths, finally feeling like he could catch his wind after the struggle. "You're the one who went through the trouble," Mrs. Tang said, starting the car. "However, he usually doesn't let anyone into his room. I don't have the energy or the strength to wrestle with him, so I’ll have to trouble you to carry him up to his room once we get back." "It's no problem." *I'll just play the Good Samaritan to the very end. Maybe doing a good deed will wash away my recent streak of bad luck,* Jiang Wei thought, pressing his palms together in a silent prayer. "I didn't expect this child to have moments where he lacks self-control," Mrs. Tang sighed softly, then smiled. "It really is..." Jiang Wei hadn't expected it either. During the latter half of the games tonight, he had constantly seen Tang Zihe sipping away as if he were tasting some exquisite vintage. The problem was that he was mixing his drinks—a sip of grape flavor here, a sip of white peach there. For someone drinking for the first time, it would have been a miracle if he *hadn't* ended up drunk. Once they were inside the bedroom, Jiang Wei began issuing commands to Tang Zihe as if he were handling a giant doll. "Stand still. Don't move." Normally, Tang Zihe would have mentally rolled his eyes and ignored him. But in his drunken state, he was the polar opposite of his usual self. He gave Jiang Wei a cautious, wide-eyed look and actually obeyed, standing perfectly still. *If only you were always this easy,* Jiang Wei cursed inwardly. *You had to act up earlier and wear me out so much I can barely walk.* "Arms up. I'm taking your jacket off." Tang Zihe raised his arms as told, giving Jiang Wei the bizarre illusion that he was tinkering with a life-sized King Kong Barbie. "I don't think you're in any state to shower, so just sleep like this. If you can't stand it, change the sheets tomorrow morning." Jiang Wei pushed him down onto the bed. Just as he was about to celebrate his successful mission and leave, his hand was suddenly seized. "Don't go..." Jiang Wei looked back at Tang Zihe, who was sitting on the bed clutching his wrist. It felt as though the other boy's mental age had regressed ten years tonight, leaving Jiang Wei at a bit of a loss. "This is your room. You need to rest here. It's dark out, and I have to go to my own room to sleep." For some reason, Jiang Wei couldn't bring himself to be angry at this guy who had caused him endless trouble. He spoke gently, like he was coaxing a child, and even lightly patted the back of Tang Zihe's hand, trying to resolve the situation with logic and affection. Tang Zihe wasn't having any of it. Sensing Jiang Wei’s intention to retreat, his grip tightened. He simply murmured two words: "Don't go." Tugged back, Jiang Wei realized he was truly stuck. He could only crouch down and watch him quietly. Tang Zihe’s features were exceptionally handsome. Though still a youth, the contours of his face were already sharp and well-defined. His eyes were particularly striking—slight double eyelids paired with upturned corners, and even his eyelashes were long, thick, and curled outward, trembling slightly with every blink. The little bun who used to cling to him so desperately had unknowingly grown into such a beautiful person. Jiang Wei felt utterly spineless. It seemed that no matter what the issue was, as long as it involved this person, his temper vanished completely. "Do you... want me to stay with you?" Jiang Wei pointed to himself with his free hand. Tang Zihe pouted and nodded, looking remarkably aggrieved. "Don't go..." "Jiang Wei... Jiang Wei made a pinky swear with me... He said he would always stay by my side..." Jiang Wei’s gaze fell on the hand gripping his own, and a sudden pang of heartache hit him. The emotion came on like a tidal wave, overwhelming and relentless, leaving him no room to think. "I'm not going. I won't go," Jiang Wei said, turning his hand over to hold Tang Zihe’s. That hand wasn't as fair as his own; the palm was larger, the fingers longer and straighter with distinct joints. Because he had been gripping so hard for so long, his palm was slightly damp. "If you need me, Jiang Wei will always stay by your side from now on." Tang Zihe’s mouth parted, letting out a single syllable: "Okay..." Even though he knew these were just the mindless words of a drunkard that shouldn't be taken seriously, Jiang Wei’s heart still skipped a beat. No one dislikes being needed. Especially by someone who holds such heavy weight in their heart. He squeezed the hand a little tighter, feeling the strength of the reciprocal grip, and a sudden, impulsive thought flared up. Because Tang Zihe himself was the most important thing. And because... he really liked him. Jiang Wei’s lips curled into a smile. So what if he was an Alpha? I used to be an Alpha too. Why shouldn't I give it a shot? The "southern wall" existed specifically for youths to bash their heads against with nothing but hot-blooded passion. Tang Zihe patted the empty half of the bed beside him, gesturing for Jiang Wei to sit. Jiang Wei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Don't you have a germaphobia thing?" It seemed the guy was truly out of it. He had no choice but to sit down. Before he could even get settled, a sudden force nearly sent him face-first onto the mattress. Tang Zihe threw an arm around his neck, rubbing his hair into the crook of Jiang Wei’s shoulder. "Don't go..." Jiang Wei tried to break free several times, but each attempt ended in failure. Not only that, but at some point, he had ended up lying down beside Tang Zihe. Tang Zihe showed every sign of hugging him even tighter, his mouth still repeating "don't go" and other similar murmurs. Jiang Wei felt a strange tenderness; he reached out and brushed the stray hairs away from the other's forehead. They were now so close that he could see the moisture clinging to Tang Zihe’s lashes. In that moment of daze, a soft sensation struck him without warning. Jiang Wei’s eyes widened, but he made no further move to pull away. Whether it was from shock or a deep-seated reluctance to end it, he seemed to surrender his defenses in an instant. He could only freeze, breathing in the hot air against his nose as he accepted the lingering, tangled touch of lips and teeth. ***