Take a Whiff: The Alpha's Hidden Scent | Chapter 50 | A Sudden Realization | Novela.app

When Tang Zihe woke up the next morning, he was the only one in the room. The smell of alcohol still clung to his clothes from the night before, forcing him to scowl as he grabbed a fresh set of clothes and headed into the bathroom to shower. Just as he finished and was stripping the sheets from the bed, a knock sounded at the door. "I could hear you clattering around in here from down the hall. What are you doing?" Jiang Wei pushed the door open, walking in with a small bowl and a smile. "Honey water. It’ll help with the hangover." His gaze swept over the rolled-up sheets destined for the washing machine. The bathroom door was still open, and the steam wafting out provided more than enough physical evidence for the theory forming in his mind. By all indications, the guy’s mental state was perfectly fine. He had clearly underestimated an Alpha’s recovery speed. "Though, looking at you now, it seems you don't really need it," Jiang Wei said, setting the bowl on the bedside table. "But since I already made it, just drink it to quench your thirst." Tang Zihe kept his back to Jiang Wei, refusing to let him catch the flash of embarrassment on his face. It wasn't until now that he slowly turned around, though his expression still carried an awkwardness he hadn't quite managed to shake. The teasing glint in Jiang Wei’s eyes intensified, and he nearly let out a laugh. "It seems you remember everything that happened last night." Just as Tang Zihe could tell at a glance when Jiang Wei was lying, Jiang Wei could sense instantly when the man in front of him was trying to avoid something. From Jiang Wei’s perspective, even though he was technically the one who had been taken advantage of, it wasn't that big of a deal. Getting kissed by the person you liked was an opportunity many would kill for. Besides, if Tang Zihe didn't remember, Jiang Wei would feel like he was the one who had gotten the better end of the deal. Tang Zihe’s face stiffened. For a moment, Jiang Wei actually wondered if the guy was going to pull a "martyr for chastity" move and run headfirst into a wall just to escape the awkwardness. Silence was a silent admission. Tang Zihe tilted his head back and drained the honey water in one go. He shoved the empty bowl back into Jiang Wei’s arms, hoisted his bundle of laundry, and headed downstairs. He didn't say a single word the entire time, but as he turned, the tips of his ears were a brilliant, burning red. Jiang Wei found his futile struggle hilarious, but he didn't dare add fuel to the fire. He was afraid that if he actually pushed too far, he’d be the one suffering the consequences. Fortunately, Tang Zihe wasn't particularly thin-skinned. Combined with Jiang Wei’s nonchalant attitude, the awkwardness faded once the morning tension passed. He put his usual "human mask" back on, acting as if nothing had happened. Though it was a short break after the exams, they still had homework and assignments. From the afternoon onward, the two of them holed up in Tang Zihe’s room, sitting on the freshly mopped floor, chatting idly while doing their work. Aside from the fact that the person serving tea and water had switched from Tang Zihe to Jiang Wei, it felt as though the years had never passed at all. *** "Brother Jiang!" Xia Shan ran up and gave Jiang Wei a massive hug. "I haven't seen you in days! I missed you to death!" "Is that so? You were in such a rush you forgot to greet your dear Brother Tang first," Jiang Wei said, laughing as he pulled away and tossed his bag onto his seat. "Take whichever subject you need to copy." "Thanks, Brother Jiang!" Xia Shan snatched the physics homework, blowing a kiss over his shoulder as he retreated. "Love ya~" Jiang Wei waved him off, telling him to stop being gross. "Want me to hand yours in for you?" Jiang Wei asked, seeing Tang Zihe silently sorting his assignments into categories. "Sure." Tang Zihe didn't stand on ceremony, placing the organized pile on Jiang Wei’s desk before taking the Chinese paper from him. "I'll hand this one in for you." "Deal." Jiang Wei headed off happily with the stack of homework. "Good morning." Sensing a shadow fall over him, Fu Cong'an looked up and smiled. "Morning." Tang Zihe couldn't find the right pile for the assignments, so he simply handed the papers to her. "Homework." At this hour, the classroom only held a few early birds and the students who were too busy frantically copying homework to notice their surroundings. There were fewer than ten people in total. The chirping of birds outside seemed louder than the room itself. "Tang Zihe." Seeing the two names on the stacked papers and watching Tang Zihe turn to leave, Fu Cong'an couldn't help herself. She called out to him. "Something the matter?" Tang Zihe stopped. They weren't making much noise, and with no one nearby, they didn't draw any attention. Fu Cong'an bit her lip, but she forced herself to speak in a low voice. "I don't know if you know, but... I went to see Jiang Wei before..." Tang Zihe frowned. He hadn't expected this. He had planned to pretend he didn't know anything to save the girl’s pride, but she had come straight to him instead. It seemed she intended to use the incident to her advantage. "I wanted him to help me, because I..." Fu Cong'an took a deep breath, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I like you..." "I'm sorry," Tang Zihe interrupted, raising a hand. "If he rejected you, I can explain why." "It's because I already have someone I like." "If you don't want to make things difficult for him or me, please don't make requests like that in the future." Tang Zihe kept his eyes lowered, his expression unreadable. Finally, he added, "Thank you." "I..." Fu Cong'an turned pale, looking as if she wanted to say more, but Tang Zihe had already walked toward the back of the classroom. Suddenly, it was as if the strength holding her up vanished. She slumped back into her seat, no longer caring how miserable she looked as she began to sob silently. She didn't understand where it had all gone wrong. She had followed the advice she found online—finding the person he was closest to at school to use as a breakthrough point. Why had everything deviated so far from her plan, leading to this pathetic scene of rejection? In terms of excellence, aside from Shen Yannan—the one Omega who stood above them all—she was second to none. In terms of looks, she had been praised since she was a child; she didn't believe she would lose to any other Omega girl her age. As for the rumors that Tang Zihe liked Alphas, she hadn't even considered them until a moment ago. She simply didn't believe anyone in this world would ignore the crowd of eager members of the opposite sex just to like someone of the same gender—someone who would likely be a rival in daily life and with whom the problem of matching pheromones during heat or rut cycles could never be resolved. But now... she turned her gaze toward Jiang Wei, who was sitting in the back row, laughing and talking with Tang Zihe. She was forced to reconsider the truth of that statement. Tang Zihe liked Alphas. Jiang Wei was an Alpha. Fu Cong'an bit her lower lip hard. *So that’s how it is.* "Why do you guys come so early every day?" Shen Yannan asked as he entered the room, greeting everyone. "Wouldn't it be more comfortable to sleep in?" "Couldn't sleep," Tang Wanbai sighed. "Today is the day Boss Shi executes us." "Don't worry too much. Tang Zihe predicted several of the questions for us before the exam," Yang Xiangtong said, sounding much more optimistic. "It won't be that bad." "Am I really the only one who didn't finish the homework?! Why are you all talking about grades!" Xia Shan wailed, tears streaming down his face as he scribbled furiously. "Don't you know that one of your Brother Tang’s greatest joys in life is doing homework?" Jiang Wei teased from the side. "Under that kind of leadership, it’s hard for me *not* to finish mine." "Oh." Xia Shan rolled his eyes, but after a moment, he realized something was off. "Brother Jiang, were you staying at Brother Tang’s house again these past few days?" "Yeah." Jiang Wei didn't see anything wrong with it. He turned to Tang Zihe. "Is there a problem?" The innocently caught-in-the-crossfire Tang Zihe: "...Do I even have the right to say no?" "Are you two really that close?" Xia Shan asked suspiciously. At the same time, he felt even more pity for Tang Zihe—the poor guy had his unrequited crush living in his own house, yet he had to watch that person fall for someone else. It couldn't get any more tragic! Tang Zihe, once again inexplicably hit with a look of profound pity: "...?" "We really are that close." Jiang Wei looked like a cat with its tail held high, proudly licking its paws with an air of total authority. "What, are you jealous?" Xia Shan: "...Not jealous. Wouldn't dare to be." *Ring—!* Sister Yang stepped into the classroom just as the bell finished tolling. *Didn't they say Boss Shi was going to announce the grades and rankings during morning self-study? Why is Sister Yang here?* Jiang Wei shot a questioning look at Tang Zihe. The other boy shrugged, indicating he had no idea. Sister Yang still wore her perennial smile, her mood as good as ever. "Your Boss Shi is currently stuck in traffic, so I'll be handling the announcements today." Sister Yang waved the list in her hand. "A quick disclaimer: since this was a joint examination, the difficulty wasn't as high as our school’s internal exams. Therefore, everyone’s scores are generally higher. Even if you got a great result, you mustn't let your guard down in your future studies." "We know—!" "Hmm... let's see. Our class still has four people in the top five for the grade." Sister Yang suddenly looked pleasantly surprised. "Can anyone guess who they are?" "Brother Tang, for sure!" As the Class 1 hype-man, Xia Shan was the first to raise his hand. "Is Brother Tang first in the joint exam?" "Yes! Tang Zihe is as excellent as always. This time, he’s not just first in the school, but first in the entire joint exam." Sister Yang nodded, counting on her fingers. "Three more." Cheers erupted from several students in the class. "Brother Tang is a god—!" "Why are they happier about you being first than you are?" Jiang Wei asked, amused by the rowdy boys and girls. "Because for Tang Zihe, this isn't just a score; it's our reputation," Shen Yannan said, clapping along with the crowd. "The reputation of the top students of No. 4 High, Class 1." *There’s actually a logic to it?* "Ms. Yang, Fu Cong'an must be one, right?" the girl sitting next to Fu Cong'an asked. "Yes, she is." Sister Yang nodded again. "Fourth in the school, eighth in the joint exam." "I nominate the eternal runner-up, Shen Yannan." Jiang Wei had been bickering with him a second ago, but now he decisively sold out his teammate. "Eternal runner-up?" Sister Yang couldn't help but laugh. "Second in the school, second in the joint exam. It really is him." "So it’s just those same four again?" Ding Banfan asked. "Actually, no," Sister Yang said. "The person you haven't asked about yet... isn't the usual one." The class erupted in a hubbub of voices. Shen Yannan’s eyes darted around before he raised his hand. "Sister Yang, what rank did Jiang Wei get?" Jiang Wei tried to grab his hand to pull it down, but it was too late. Sister Yang snapped her fingers, her smile deepening. "Jiang Wei is the big surprise this time." "Huh? Who?" Jiang Wei himself looked bewildered, but dozens of eyes were already turning toward him. "You. Fifth in the school, sixteenth in the joint exam. Congratulations." *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 蜂蜜水 | Honey water | A common home remedy for hangovers in China. 联考 | Joint examination | An exam taken simultaneously by multiple schools to compare rankings. 施总 | Boss Shi | A nickname for a teacher (Mr. Shi), using "Zong" (CEO/Boss) as a sign of both respect and student-level familiarity. 小杨姐 | Sister Yang | A friendly nickname for a teacher (Ms. Yang). 四中 | No. 4 High | Short for the school's name (Fourth High School). 正宫 | "Main Palace" / Official spouse | Used metaphorically here to describe Jiang Wei's possessive or authoritative stance regarding his relationship with Tang Zihe.