Jiang Wei spent the entire afternoon in a daze, his mind reeling from Tang Zihe’s words.
The other boy, however, showed no intention of elaborating. Jiang Wei was too embarrassed to ask, so he could only keep his questions bottled up inside.
“What are you thinking about?” Tang Zihe seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood. “School’s out after this period.”
“Oh,” Jiang Wei snapped back to reality. “Should I head back to the dorm first to pack my things?”
“No need.” Tang Zihe waved his phone. “My mom has already prepared all your daily necessities. You just need to bring yourself and your homework.”
Jiang Wei was stunned. “What...?”
It sounded like they were fully prepared for him to move in permanently.
“It saves me the trouble of lugging your suitcase up and down every time,” Tang Zihe added. “It’s exhausting.”
That was true. Jiang Wei recalled that Tang Zihe always reflexively took charge of his luggage; he had already grown accustomed to it. Thinking of it that way, he really had no reason to refuse the kindness.
*Ring—!*
“See ya, brothers.”
“See you next week.”
“Bye!”
As soon as they stepped out of the school gates, Jiang Wei followed Tang Zihe toward a familiar yellow sports car.
“Hello, Auntie.”
“Ah, look at that! Not having to pack at the dorm really does save a lot of time. I only just heard the bell and here you are,” Ms. Tang said with a smile, jingling her car keys. “My son’s idea was actually quite good.”
Jiang Wei’s head whipped around. Whose idea? Tang Zihe’s?
He shot a sharp glare at the boy standing beside him. Tang Zihe rubbed the bridge of his nose awkwardly, essentially confirming his guilt.
So, Tang Zihe was the one who told his mother to prepare his toiletries?
*Heavens! This is so embarrassing!* Jiang Wei thought. No matter how he looked at it, he felt like an Omega with ulterior motives, practically itching to force his way into the household. It was the kind of misunderstanding he’d never be able to clear up, even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
Jiang Wei’s limbs went stiff.
As he bent down to get into the car, Ms. Tang let out a confused, “Huh?”
“Jiang Wei, did you get a stiff neck from sleeping in the dorms?”
Jiang Wei was puzzled at first, feeling like he had heard that question somewhere before. Then, he reached back to touch the nape of his neck and realized what was going on.
Both he and Tang Zihe were still wearing scent-blocking patches!
Although a heat usually lasted three to five days—and today was the fifth—and the temporary mark had mostly done its job, Jiang Wei felt fine. However, to be safe, he had applied a patch today anyway. Tang Zihe, as his "partner in suffering," had naturally not been spared.
By the time Ms. Tang’s comment reminded him to tell Tang Zihe to rip his off, it was too late.
While waiting for Jiang Wei’s answer, Ms. Tang suddenly had a flash of insight. She looked up at her son, who was standing tall and preparing to get into the car. On the back of his neck, there was clearly an identical... medicinal plaster?
Was that... a plaster?
If it was, did they both have stiff necks, or were they simply sleeping in the same bed?
For the first time, Ms. Tang felt her brain was unable to process the complex situation before her. She felt like something was fundamentally "off," but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.
Jiang Wei, on the other hand, finally breathed a sigh of relief when Ms. Tang’s gaze moved away from him. But his heart leaped back into his throat when he saw her eyes land on Tang Zihe’s exposed nape. Still, he wasn't as nervous as he could have been—after all, Ms. Tang was Tang Zihe’s mother. There was no way she didn't know her own son’s secondary gender, right?
So, there shouldn't be any strange misunderstandings. Or so Jiang Wei told himself.
Unfortunately, he was completely and utterly wrong.
Throughout the drive home, Ms. Tang pondered what those two boys were wearing on their necks. Finally, drawing on her years of experience and her high-speed brain, she figured it out—those weren't plasters for a stiff neck; they were clearly scent-blocking patches used only by Omegas!
But... Ms. Tang’s confidence wavered. She had seen both of their secondary gender differentiation reports with her own eyes. They were both supposed to be Alphas. Why would they be wearing something only Omegas used?
Were they dating?
Looking at them, it didn't seem like it... and even if they were dating, an Alpha should only wear one to accompany their Omega partner. Why would two Alpha boys be wearing identical patches? It made no sense.
If the two of them were together... Ms. Tang glanced through the rearview mirror at Tang Zihe, who was leaning back playing on his phone, and Jiang Wei, who was looking out the window. She shook her head inwardly. It didn't look like that.
Besides, if two Alphas were together, there was no need for them both to wear Omega patches... Unless her son had some sort of strange fetish?
Strangely enough, perhaps due to a subconscious denial, Ms. Tang had a mountain of wild theories and ideas, yet she never once considered the possibility that Jiang Wei was an Omega. To her, Jiang Wei had always been, and should always be, an unquestionable Alpha.
Wait... As Ms. Tang turned at the final traffic light, she suddenly remembered something a doctor had once told her.
*What kind of stimulus counts as "major"? No one can say for sure.*
An explanation that seemed both the most ridiculous and the most logical surged into Ms. Tang’s mind.
Could it be... that her son had been under so much pressure lately that he had suddenly turned from an Alpha into an Omega?
Ms. Tang did her best to control her facial expression, but a tidal wave of emotion crashed through her heart. Was it academic pressure? This child never said a word about his life at school, which made her realize she knew nothing about that side of him... So... was it the pressure of life?
That would make sense. Neither she nor Mr. Tang had ever really looked after the boy. When he was little, they had occasionally taken the two children on trips, but as they grew up, their interaction was limited to this one weekly meal. Now that she thought about it... she really had neglected her son too much.
The more Ms. Tang thought, the more convinced she became. She decided her son must have turned into an Omega due to excessive stress and had dragged Jiang Wei into wearing the patches with him to keep it a secret. At the same time, she felt she owed the child far too much. She silently vowed to spend more time and energy on her son’s growth from now on to make up for her past failings.
Because she was overthinking so much, Ms. Tang failed to perfectly control her expression. Jiang Wei was actually startled when he got out of the car; he thought something had happened to Mr. Tang—her expression looked truly tragic.
Tang Zihe, meanwhile, watched in confusion as his mother patted his shoulder. He felt as though something had once again spiraled out of control in a very strange direction.
“Did something happen to Mr. Tang?” Jiang Wei leaned in and whispered. “Is it serious?”
Tang Zihe stared blankly at Ms. Tang’s retreating back as she opened the front door. He shook his head. “No. He’s inside frying fish. What could happen?”
That was truly bizarre. Jiang Wei watched Mr. Tang give Ms. Tang their usual greeting hug and felt that the situation had exceeded his understanding.
“The dishes are ready, but the rice needs a few more minutes,” Mr. Tang said with a smile after Ms. Tang tugged on his sleeve. “You two can go upstairs and rest for a bit. I’ll call you when it’s time.”
Ms. Tang clearly had something urgent to say to Mr. Tang. Jiang Wei and Tang Zihe were both observant enough to know when to leave; they didn't linger for a second, heading straight upstairs with their backpacks.
“Why don't we check your room first to see... what my mom prepared for you,” Tang Zihe said, rubbing his nose. “If anything’s missing, we can go out and buy it later.”
“Sure.” Jiang Wei found Tang Zihe’s "guilty but won't admit it" act quite funny as he pushed open his bedroom door.
The main daily necessities were gathered in the room’s ensuite bathroom. When Jiang Wei opened the bathroom door, he froze.
Toothbrush, toothpaste, rinsing cup, towel... everything was there. Not only was it complete, but everything was placed exactly where he usually liked to put them.
“Have you been spying on me while I brush my teeth and wash my face?” Jiang Wei couldn't help but laugh. Seeing Tang Zihe looking a bit flustered, his heart felt like it was floating in the air, unable to find solid ground.
Tang Zihe remained stubborn. “...It’s a coincidence.”
One or two items being in the right place might be a coincidence, but if everything was perfectly placed, there was no way! Who would believe that?
Moreover... almost all of Tang Zihe’s daily necessities were light blue. He had liked light blue since he was a child, including his current pencil case and the notebooks he occasionally used. Jiang Wei was the opposite; he had always felt happy seeing light pink things, so he always prioritized pink when buying things. Now, looking around the bathroom, the items were basically identical in style to Tang Zihe’s, forming a matching set—and they were almost all light pink.
As the saying goes... since ancient times, red and blue...
“Fine, if you say it’s a coincidence, then it’s a coincidence,” Jiang Wei turned around, smiling as he leaned toward Tang Zihe and blinked. “Then these things look like a couple’s set—is that a coincidence too?”
Tang Zihe seemed to freeze for a moment, but then he also began to smile. It was a different kind of smile than the one he usually wore in class. At first glance, it looked like a normal smile, but from this close, Jiang Wei could sense a hint of aggression in it.
Jiang Wei instinctively wanted to take a step back, but Tang Zihe was faster. He took the initiative, leaning close to Jiang Wei’s ear and dropping a sentence as light as a feather:
“If you’re willing, you can make them all a couple’s set.”
Jiang Wei’s brain stalled from the sensation of the other boy’s breath, but his body reacted more honestly. His ears turned a shade of red that looked like they might bleed, and his breathing quickened.
Jiang Wei’s lips trembled, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word.
*Did he mean what I think he meant?*
Tang Zihe, however, didn't seem to intend to wait for an answer. He casually ruffled Jiang Wei’s hair and turned to open the door. “I heard my dad calling us. Let’s go down for dinner.”
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
落枕 | Stiff neck | Specifically a neck cramp from sleeping in a bad position.
阻隔贴 | Scent-blocking patch | A patch used in the ABO genre to hide an Omega's pheromones.
情侣款 | Couple's set / Matching set | Items designed for couples to use together (often in complementary colors).
自古红蓝 | Since ancient times, red and blue... | A popular Chinese internet meme (自古红蓝出CP) meaning red and blue are the classic couple colors.
结合热 | Heat | The periodic state of physiological arousal for Omegas in the ABO genre.
临时标记 | Temporary mark | A non-permanent bond created when an Alpha bites an Omega's nape.
