By the end of the month, the sight of leaves dancing through the air had vanished from the campus. Simultaneously, the weather became unpredictable—one moment, a school blazer was perfectly sufficient; the next, you wouldn't dare walk down the hallway without wrapping yourself in a thick blanket.
Tang Zihe, Shen Yannan, and the rest of the group who had passed the preliminary competition rounds grew increasingly busy. They were frequently summoned to teachers' offices for private tutoring as soon as the bell rang, becoming as elusive as divine dragons—glimpsed only in parts, never in full.
Jiang Wei was naturally frustrated by this. He had finally managed to hook Tang Zihe and make him his official boyfriend, only for their time together to be drastically cut short.
However, he knew these were minor grievances. With Tang Zihe’s caliber, participating in these competitions basically guaranteed him a spot for recommended admission; top universities would soon be fighting over him. All Jiang Wei could do was work harder than usual so he could continue to stand by the other boy’s side.
Amidst this hectic pace of life, another major event occurred.
Gu Renwen transferred schools.
"I heard it when I went to Director Shi’s office. His mother negotiated with the school—as long as he transfers before the disciplinary action is finalized, they’ll revoke the punishment and let bygones be bygones," Tang Wanbai said, blowing a bubble with her gum. "After all, a disciplinary record is a permanent stain. Transferring is a much smaller price to pay for his future."
A parent who couldn't even accept their child not placing first would certainly never accept a permanent black mark on their record.
Jiang Wei felt a flicker of melancholy when he heard the news, but he was no saint. People had to pay for the choices they made.
The chemistry competition Shen Yannan was participating in had the longest schedule. In a couple of days, he would be leaving school for an intensive training camp.
"The dorm will be all yours again soon," Shen Yannan said the night before he left. He chatted with Jiang Wei for a long time before giving him a suggestive wink. "If you bring anyone inside, remember not to let the dorm manager catch you—and don't leave any pheromones behind~"
Jiang Wei’s face turned bright red. He desperately wanted to smother Shen Yannan with a pillow.
The November monthly exams arrived shortly after, but unlike previous ones, they didn't cause much of a stir. They passed quietly over three days, feeling more like a closing chapter to recent events.
The final day of exams fell on the usual Friday, and Ms. Tang picked both boys up to take them home.
Whether it was a guilty conscience or because she had actually noticed something, Jiang Wei couldn't help but shiver every time he saw Ms. Tang’s smiling gaze land on him.
Meanwhile, Tang Zihe, sitting beside him, seemed completely oblivious. He casually reached across the table to pick up a piece of Jiang Wei’s favorite food and placed it in his bowl.
It was as natural as breathing.
Consequently, Jiang Wei only dared to keep his head down and eat. As soon as he finished, he bolted upstairs.
But none of the aforementioned events were as stimulating as what happened next.
As luck would have it, his heat cycle was due.
He consciously knocked on Tang Zihe’s bedroom door. "Are you in?"
"Come in," Tang Zihe’s voice called from inside. He couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Jiang Wei push the door open. "You can just come in from now on."
"Forget it, knocking isn't that much trouble." Jiang Wei shook his head and walked over to Tang Zihe’s desk. Seeing the exam papers spread out there, he thought of how he had spent the last half hour playing on his phone after his shower—and promptly chose to forget it.
"What do you need help with?" There were no extra chairs in the room, so Tang Zihe pointed to the bed, indicating Jiang Wei could sit there.
This person didn't knock on his door unless something was up.
Jiang Wei felt inexplicably shy and rubbed the tip of his nose. "I... well... my heat is coming..."
Tang Zihe arched an eyebrow.
"You said before... if this happened again, I should come to you..."
Tang Zihe set down his pencil and walked to the bed in a few strides. He sat down and wrapped his arms around Jiang Wei’s shoulders, pulling him into a hug from behind.
This was their first intimate contact in several days. Jiang Wei was a bit stiff at first, but after a couple of seconds, his body relaxed.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Tang Zihe murmured, nuzzling his head into the crook of Jiang Wei’s neck. "Just thinking... it’s a good thing I was the one who tricked you into being mine."
Soft strands of hair tickled Jiang Wei’s delicate skin, sending a wave of restlessness through him. He pursed his lips, a faint smile tugging at the corners.
For some reason, he felt like Tang Zihe was acting like a big dog wagging its tail right now. It was almost cute.
But as the fresh scent of green tea gradually enveloped his senses, and the sensitive gland on the back of his neck was worried by teeth and lips until his vision blurred with moisture, he realized too late that he had been deceived by appearances again.
What "big dog"? He was a total liar!
***
The next morning, Jiang Wei realized something was wrong the moment he woke up.
This wasn't his room. This was Tang Zihe’s room.
*Holy crap!*
Jiang Wei swallowed hard. After getting a temporary mark last night, had he really been so incoherent that he clung to Tang Zihe and fell asleep right on his bed?!
What a sin.
To make matters worse, the slight movement of him waking up easily roused the person beside him. Tang Zihe rubbed his eyes and said, "Morning."
Jiang Wei looked in horror at his own arm draped over the other’s waist. He tried to pull it back as silently as possible while feigning calm. "Yeah, morning."
He clearly failed. He heard a very faint chuckle from the other boy.
Jiang Wei silently retreated into the duvet, curling into a ball. He had completely lost face.
Tang Zihe found it quite amusing—how had this guy’s skin become so thin after they started dating? He decided to give Jiang Wei some space to process and got up to wash his face.
Hiding under the covers, Jiang Wei carefully racked his brain to see if he had done anything else outrageous. He even started calculating the probability of surviving a leap from the second-floor balcony if he had.
Fortunately, he hadn't.
By the time Tang Zihe finished washing up and grabbed a change of clothes from the wardrobe, Jiang Wei was still in the same position, buried deep under the duvet. He wasn't even afraid of suffocating himself.
Tang Zihe patted the spherical lump helplessly. "What do you want for breakfast? I’m going to buy some. If I wait any longer, they’ll be gone."
A rustling sound came from under the covers.
Tang Zihe clearly didn't hear him and repeated the question.
After another round of rustling and several seconds of thrashing about inside the duvet, Jiang Wei cautiously poked his head out.
"I want..."
Before he could finish, Jiang Wei’s eyes landed on Tang Zihe’s abs, which were exposed as he was halfway through dressing.
He silently retracted his head, his voice becoming much smaller.
"...Pan-fried buns."
Tang Zihe didn't understand what had just happened, but he agreed and headed out.
Left alone, Jiang Wei’s mind began to wander. On one hand, he couldn't help but salivate over his boyfriend’s eight-pack; on the other, he couldn't resist touching his own flat stomach. *I used to have abs too, you know.*
Tang Zihe had already decided while carrying the breakfast home: if he went back and found that guy still huddled in bed, he would just carry him down to eat.
However, when he opened the door, Jiang Wei was already sitting at the dining table waiting for the meal, depriving Tang Zihe of an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.
"I thought you were planning to stay in that duvet all day," Tang Zihe teased as he set the pan-fried buns in front of Jiang Wei.
*As if,* Jiang Wei thought silently. A person can't skip breakfast. Good food was clearly more important than awkwardness.
"Starting next week, I’m going to the intensive training camp too."
Tang Zihe announced this startling news with feigned nonchalance.
"Huh?" The bun in Jiang Wei’s hand fell back into the bowl.
"Why is the math competition starting so early, just like the chemistry one!" Jiang Wei counted on his fingers. He had checked before; the training camps lasted at least two to three weeks. That meant he wouldn't see Tang Zihe for the better part of a month!
How could this be! They had only just started dating. They hadn't even developed anything yet, and they were already starting a long-distance relationship?!
Jiang Wei found this absolutely unbearable.
Tang Zihe likely sensed the shift in his mood. On one hand, he felt regretful himself; on the other... he couldn't help but feel a bit smug.
"So, you should take the chance to look at me more these next two days," Tang Zihe said, taking a napkin to wipe a smudge of oil from Jiang Wei’s face that he hadn't noticed in his shock. "You won't be able to see me after a couple of days."
*No way!*
Though a storm was brewing in his heart, Jiang Wei tried his best to remain composed. Mimicking Tang Zihe’s tone, he said casually, "So, you don't plan on sending your boyfriend regular photos to report your schedule?"
"Why would I?" Tang Zihe looked at Jiang Wei’s expression—clearly annoyed but trying to hold it in—with amusement. It was a rare sight.
"So you’re planning to wait until some prettier Omega lures you away before you message me to report it?"
Tang Zihe: "..."
Wait, he didn't see any logical connection between those two things.
"No, wait, it’s also possible a handsome Alpha could lure you away. You said before you like good-looking Alphas..." Jiang Wei grumbled to himself, letting out a sincere sigh. "I have way too many rivals..."
Jiang Wei’s tone was incredibly serious, yet tinged with the grievance of someone who hadn't fully woken up. Tang Zihe couldn't help but burst into laughter.
This guy usually seemed so smart; why was he so clumsy and slow when it came to things like this? He was a dummy.
"Don't worry, I can't be lured away," Tang Zihe said, caught between laughter and tears. "But in exchange, you have to send me photos too."
"That way, if any girl comes looking for me, I can tell her: 'Sorry, I'm already taken.'"
Jiang Wei thought that made a lot of sense and nodded instinctively. It took two seconds for him to react: "Forget it, that’s too cheesy."
"But you already agreed," Tang Zihe leaned in and gave him a fleeting kiss on the corner of his mouth. "So you can't back out."
