Jiang Wei dried his dripping hair, waiting for the steam in the bathroom to dissipate enough to see the mirror before checking out the clothes he was wearing.
They weren't bad; the shirt and pants were a bit long, but they fit well enough.
He gave his head a final shake and walked over to the bed. Picking up the backpack he’d tossed on the floor, he pulled out his few textbooks and his pencil case, dumped them on the bed, and flopped down beside them.
His phone was right by the pillow. He reached for it, unlocked it, and opened WeChat.
Xia Shan had already sent him a URL. Jiang Wei spread his book open and tapped the link with one hand.
The page loaded quickly. Within two or three seconds, the website appeared.
At the top of the main page were various category icons, sorted by time and popularity. It was clean and easy to navigate, allowing him to understand the layout at a glance.
*Knock, knock, knock.*
"Who is it?" Jiang Wei looked toward the door.
"If a certain someone remembers that his hand is still injured, he should be able to guess why I'm here." Tang Zihe opened the door, carrying a small first-aid kit.
Jiang Wei glanced at his left hand. To be honest, he really had forgotten that the wound on his palm hadn't healed yet.
He was simply used to it.
"Just leave the stuff on the floor, I'll do it myself." Jiang Wei rolled off the bed and sat on the edge, scooting closer to the door.
Tang Zihe sat down naturally on the edge of the bed. Instead of putting the kit on the floor, he placed it on his lap. He opened the box with somewhat unpracticed movements, rummaging through it before pulling out bandages and rubbing alcohol. "You don't need help?"
"No need, I'm an expert at this," Jiang Wei said with a smile. He reached out to take the alcohol Tang Zihe was holding, but the other boy pulled his hand back.
"An expert?" Tang Zihe’s voice rang in his ear. "What does that mean?"
Jiang Wei wanted to slap himself. He hadn't expected this guy to be so sharp; a casual remark had been caught and scrutinized immediately.
"I just mean... bumps and bruises are inevitable, and I usually disinfect them myself, so I got used to it." Jiang Wei scratched his cheek and then rubbed his nose, his explanation sounding very much like he was trying to cover something up. "Really."
Tang Zihe didn't respond. He simply reached out and grabbed Jiang Wei’s left wrist.
Jiang Wei tried to pull back, but his strength was on a completely different level than Tang Zihe’s. Forget breaking free—he could barely even struggle.
"Tang Zihe, let go." Jiang Wei didn't even realize his voice had dropped several degrees colder than usual.
"No, I don't trust you," Tang Zihe said, meeting Jiang Wei’s gaze directly, enunciating every word. "Not when it comes to this."
Tang Zihe reached out to unwrap the bandage on Jiang Wei’s hand. Jiang Wei tried to stop him, but he could only curl his fingers uselessly, a futile attempt to stall for time.
The bandage wasn't thick, only wrapped three or four times. In an instant, the disguise was stripped away, revealing a mangled mess of flesh and blood.
Tang Zihe’s movements stopped. He seemed stunned, and even his grip on Jiang Wei’s wrist loosened unconsciously.
"Was this really necessary, Tang Zihe?" Jiang Wei pulled his hand back. His voice was tinged with a sadness he had never shown before; though it lasted only a moment, Tang Zihe caught it keenly.
"I told you, I'll tell you when the time is right." Jiang Wei lowered his head, holding the bottle of alcohol, seemingly unsure of what to do next. "Why do you have to..."
"You won't." Tang Zihe propped his hand against his own forehead, then semi-forcibly lifted Jiang Wei’s head to look at him. "No one knows you better than I do. You won't say a word."
Jiang Wei opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound. Ultimately, he only let out a faint sigh.
He was right. Jiang Wei lowered his eyes. Even if things reached a point where he absolutely had to speak, he would never tell Tang Zihe the full story behind these scars.
At most, he would let Tang Zihe know the surface details. He wouldn't let him see the raw, hideous wound like this, which only served to amplify the horrific possibilities of what had happened.
"But I really did do this to myself." Jiang Wei twisted open the cap of the alcohol bottle and tried to take a bag of cotton swabs from the kit. "I have no reason to lie about that right now."
Tang Zihe couldn't begin to imagine under what circumstances a person would gouge their own palm into such a bloody state.
They say that of all the pains in the body, none is more terrifying than the pain in one's fingers, for they are connected to the heart. What about the palm?
How much pain must he have been in to do something like this?
All the questions Tang Zihe had been about to ask were swallowed back down his throat.
"Don't overthink it."
"I'm not even upset. You're not going to be upset for me, are you?"
Jiang Wei just smiled, seemingly returning to his usual flippant self. "Don't worry, I've got a strong constitution. My wounds heal fast. In a while, you won't even be able to tell."
"Give me your hand." Tang Zihe had no intention of entertaining Jiang Wei’s deflective comfort. He held out his hand. "I'll help you."
"No need... I can..."
"Hand."
...
Jiang Wei lost the battle of wills and obediently held out his hand.
The wound had actually scabbed over, so the alcohol didn't really hurt, but Jiang Wei still flinched at the perfect moments whenever the other boy wiped near the deepest part of the injury.
"Don't think I can't tell it's already scabbed. Stop acting." That’s what Tang Zihe said, but his eyes remained fixed on the wound, and his movements were incredibly cautious, as if he were terrified of hurting him.
"It’s just that this is the first time since I grew up that someone else has treated a wound for me. Can't I cherish the moment?" Jiang Wei said with a grin.
For some reason, hearing those words made Tang Zihe’s heart twinge with an indescribable feeling.
"Brother Tang, would you consider creating a few more 'firsts' for me in my limited lifetime?" Jiang Wei leaned in with a blink, his fingers resting on Tang Zihe’s hand twitching slightly, brushing against the other’s fingertips.
Tang Zihe’s hand jerked. The tips of his ears turned a shade of pink from the warm breath Jiang Wei exhaled.
Holding the bandage, he pushed Jiang Wei’s head away. "Save your coquettish energy. I've noted this incident; I'll settle the score with you later."
Jiang Wei huffed in dissatisfaction and turned his head away, falling silent.
"Done."
Tang Zihe packed the first-aid kit and picked it up again.
The moment Tang Zihe stood up, Jiang Wei muttered a soft, "Thanks."
"What did you say?" Tang Zihe didn't hear him clearly and turned back in confusion.
Jiang Wei laughed, stroking the back of his bandaged hand. "I said, go to sleep early. Goodnight."
"Oh. Goodnight."
Only after Tang Zihe left did Jiang Wei flop back onto the bed, the smile on his face impossible to suppress.
In such a wide-awake state, falling asleep would be a miracle.
He tossed and turned for a bit before deciding that if he couldn't sleep, he might as well play on his phone or read. It was better than just rolling around.
The first thing he saw was a post asking for a forum account. Jiang Wei smirked, didn't click it, and scrolled to a different category.
[Freshman girl here. Does our school have a 'School Hunk'?]
The post was from last year.
Even now, it was still in the top three.
Given its enduring popularity, Jiang Wei decided to take a look.
[You're welcome. As a senior, let me tell you: as long as Tang Zihe from Class 2-1 hasn't graduated, his status as the Alpha School Hunk is unshakable.]
[Agreed. Setting aside his looks, it's hard to find another Alpha in real life who is top-tier at everything and still humble.]
[I'm in his class. A word of advice to the freshman: don't bother with Tang Zihe. No one has succeeded yet.]
...
[Why is everyone looking at Alphas? Does no one appreciate handsome Omegas?]
Jiang Wei scrolled further down. A handsome Omega? He’d been at this school for two days, and although he hadn't had much chance to wander around because of the exams, he hadn't seen any Omega he would call "handsome."
Except himself, of course.
[If you're not picky, you can check out a student named Shen Yannan in Class 2-1. Male Omega. That face is a peerless masterpiece.]
[You're welcome. I've been turned gay by Shen Yannan ten thousand times already.]
[Don't even think about Shen Yannan. He only transferred here recently, but as his classmate, I can responsibly tell you: he has a very good-looking boyfriend.]
[I don't believe anyone stays in one relationship forever. I'm willing to wait for Shen Yannan to be single again until graduation, sob sob...]
[All you people praising Shen Yannan are just looking at his face. Do you even know what kind of person he is? I saw him the other day with a cigarette in his mouth, chatting with street thugs. He's clearly a good-for-nothing delinquent, okay? Scared the life out of me. I'll never judge by appearances again.]
Shen Yannan... Jiang Wei frowned as he thought. The name sounded familiar, like he’d heard it somewhere before.
After a few minutes, he finally remembered. This person seemed to be in the small group chat with Xia Shan and the others.
Was this guy really such a controversial figure?
Jiang Wei saw many replies under that comment. Most were defensive or insulting, but some agreed with the poster.
[? If you can stay in Class 1 while being a 'good-for-nothing delinquent' without getting kicked out, I'll call you 'Dad.']
[He hasn't even been here that long and so many brainless people are speaking up for him. Is being good-looking really that much of an advantage these days?]
[What's wrong with smoking? It's a personal preference. Is that a crime now?]
...
Jiang Wei closed the thread and shook his head helplessly. He didn't know this Shen Yannan anyway. Without meeting him, there was no way to know what he was really like. But seeing how much controversy there was online, and given that he seemed to be on good terms with Tang Zihe and the others, he was probably an interesting person.
Jiang Wei set his phone aside and looked at the textbooks in front of him.
He decided to study for a while longer.
Only he knew that he and Tang Zihe used to be neck-and-neck in every aspect. Yet, after just two years apart, Tang Zihe was still the same multi-talented, excellent person he’d always been, while Jiang Wei felt like he had plummeted, unable to keep up with the other’s pace.
This psychological gap was something he couldn't accept, nor was he willing to accept it.
Fortunately, this gap could be narrowed, as long as he was willing to fight for it.
Jiang Wei focused his attention on the textbook, unconsciously twirling a pencil between his fingers with his right hand, occasionally marking things in the study guide.
By the time he had identified and reinforced the weak points in all six subjects, he checked the time on his phone. It was past midnight.
This won't do. Jiang Wei scratched his hair in frustration. There was one more problem...
He opened the chat window for the contact labeled "Brother Tang."
HeyHeyHey, you there: [Asleep?]
Brother Tang: [?]
Impressive. An instant reply.
HeyHeyHey, you there: [Did you bring your exercise books home?]
Brother Tang: [......]
Jiang Wei heard footsteps at the door.
Tang Zihe’s voice came through along with a knock: "We're only three or five meters apart. Is that such a long distance?"
"I was afraid you were asleep and I'd wake you up." Jiang Wei rolled over on the bed, facing upward to welcome Tang Zihe into the room.
"Why do you want exercise books in the middle of the night?" Tang Zihe asked, getting straight to the point.
"I want to use them for review. Director Shi told me to buy the ones you guys use, so I wanted to borrow yours to take a look first."
While that wasn't the primary reason, it was still the truth.
"I didn't bring them. I don't study on weekends; I only brought my homework," Tang Zihe said candidly. "But I can take you to the bookstore tomorrow to buy them."
"Alright then." Jiang Wei sighed. The homework they were assigned now consisted of test papers; they rarely used content from the exercise books for homework anymore. It was expected that someone at Tang Zihe’s level wouldn't bring them home. "Is the bookstore close?"
"Close. A fifteen-minute walk," Tang Zihe said, letting out a yawn. He didn't seem to notice the textbooks scattered on Jiang Wei’s bed. "That is, if you can actually wake up tomorrow."
"I'll set an alarm." Jiang Wei caught Tang Zihe’s yawn and followed suit with one of his own. "I'm done for. I'm so tired. These past two days at school, I’ve felt like I might drop dead from sleep deprivation at any moment."
"Goodnight for real this time."
Tang Zihe closed the door to Jiang Wei’s room.
Jiang Wei haphazardly shoved the textbooks toward his pillow, spent a few seconds setting an alarm, and collapsed onto the bed.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
校草 | School Hunk | Literally "School Grass," the most handsome/popular boy in school.
沈颜南 | Shen Yannan | A male Omega classmate mentioned in the forum.
一班 | Class 1 | The top-tier academic class.
施总 | Director Shi | Likely a nickname or title for a teacher/administrator (Shi-zong).
唐哥哥 | Brother Tang | A teasing, flirtatious way Jiang Wei addresses Tang Zihe.
十指连心 | Fingers connected to the heart | Idiom: The nerves in the fingertips/hands are sensitive; pain there is felt deeply.
不学无术 | Good-for-nothing / Ignorant | Idiom: Lacking both learning and skills.
混子 | Delinquent / Loafer | Someone who drifts through life without purpose or follows a bad crowd.
