“Good morning, teachers and fellow students.”
The boy’s cool, low voice echoed across the stage. Even with a blank expression, the slight bow of his head was enough to make hearts flutter.
“The bell has rung for our second year. We are about to enter a new semester, embark on a new journey, and look back on the highs and lows of last term…”
“Ahhh, the class rep is so handsome! How can he be this handsome?!” Lin Xiaoxiao exclaimed, practically swooning as they looked at the stage.
Xia Linchuan glanced up, squinting, and sighed, “Yeah, how can he be this handsome and smart? Both of us are Alphas, yet we’re so different.”
But his envy only lingered a second before he started thinking about what to eat for lunch.
The opening ceremony that morning was the most tedious program, with everyone just standing around feeling uncomfortable.
Xia Linchuan stood next to Lin Xiaoxiao, who was too fixated on Lu Jingran to talk to him. So, he tapped a small, slender classmate standing in front of him.
“Hm? What is it?”
Zhou Le glanced back, half-turning while keeping his head low. He even had a phone hidden up his sleeve, fingers busy tapping away at the screen as if he were busier than Lin Xiaoxiao.
Xia Linchuan could only see the top of his head.
“What are you up to? Lots of orders today?”
Zhou Le nodded, fingers practically flying across the screen.
Since the start of second year, he’d become well-known as the “courier whiz” at school, running errands like fetching lunch, delivering love notes, collecting packages, even copying homework. Small tasks cost three yuan, bigger ones five, with his highest fee so far being ten yuan for reading a love letter to a girl in public – which ended with him being chased across three buildings by Teaching Director Old Feng.
But he could never catch him.
With his reputation as the “Express Delivery Whirlwind,” Zhou Le was flourishing, thriving as one of the school’s stars.
“Yep, Valentine’s Day today – tons of flower orders!” Zhou Le said without looking up, his grin hinting at how much he was enjoying his haul.
Hearing this, Xia Linchuan finally remembered it was Valentine’s Day, “Ah, right. Forgot about that. So, delivering flowers? Be careful old Feng doesn’t catch you – he’s watching today.”
On special days like this, teachers are always on high alert.
Zhou Le’s face lit up with a cheerful smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
—
After the third period, Lin Xiaoxiao was just logging off from the Lu Jingran fan group chat on WeChat when they turned and realized Zhou Le had disappeared.
“So many orders? Third period’s already over, and he’s still not done?” Lin Xiaoxiao asked in surprise.
Xia Linchuan, munching on bread and scrolling through his game, replied, “Probably. Valentine’s Day, lots of orders.”
Hearing that, Lin Xiaoxiao sighed as they looked at a newly uploaded wallpaper of Lu Jingran from his speech, “Sigh, I also want to send roses and chocolates to the class rep. Do you think if I asked Lele, he’d help me deliver them?”
Xia Linchuan replied, “The class rep’s right in front of you; why ask Zhou Le to do it? Can’t you talk?”
“Hey! You’re the one who can’t talk!” Lin Xiaoxiao scolded.
They blushed a bit, “It’s just… I’m embarrassed~”
Xia Linchuan nodded absently, then added, “Though, giving the class rep a gift…”
He thought of Lu Jingran’s expressionless face and his quiet Alpha aura. As a fellow Alpha, he let out a small “tsk,” “I think Zhou Le might rather keep his life.”
Lin Xiaoxiao protested, “The class rep isn’t that scary. He just seems cold on the outside, but he’s actually quite warm-hearted.”
Xia Linchuan: “If he’s that approachable, then why hasn’t anyone given him a gift today?”
Lin Xiaoxiao: “Well, that’s because…”
“Uh-oh, Zhou Le’s in trouble!”
Before Lin Xiaoxiao could finish, the vice class rep, Li Yang, came rushing over.
“Just got a message from someone in another class – Zhou Le got caught delivering chocolates by Old Feng!”
“What?!” Lin Xiaoxiao and Xia Linchuan looked worried. Getting caught by Old Feng wasn’t a small matter; at the very least, it meant a ten-thousand-word reflection essay and a month of extra duties.
Xia Linchuan put his phone down, looking tense, “What should we do? Let’s go save him!”
“Good friends share both joys and hardships.”
Lin Xiaoxiao stood up with an air of camaraderie, “Yeah, we’ll share it together!”
One second later.
Xia Linchuan: “Then go on.”
Lin Xiaoxiao: “Why don’t you go?”
“…”
After a moment, Li Yang tapped on the desk excitedly with his phone in hand. “Whoa, whoa! My friend says Zhou Le managed to escape, slipping around like an eel, and Old Feng couldn’t catch him. Man, he’s got skills! Must be a pro.”
Lin Xiaoxiao, Xia Linchuan: “?”
Li Yang provided live commentary, eyes glued to his phone.
“Hey, Zhou Le just passed Building Three!”
“Now he’s past Building Five!”
“He’s entering the teaching building!”
“He’s on the stairs!”
“He’s almost there, almost at the door!”
Li Yang looked as excited as if he’d just scored a goal, while Lin Xiaoxiao and Xia Linchuan held their breath, watching anxiously.
Just then, Lu Jingran and his group of Alpha buddies got up and headed for the door, probably to go to the bathroom together.
Then, right as they reached the doorway, a shadow darted past so fast they couldn’t even make out his face.
Everyone saw only a slim figure charging into the group of Alpha guys, straight into Lu Jingran’s arms.
Lin Xiaoxiao instinctively covered their face.
Xia Linchuan reflexively stepped back, “F*ck!”
Zhou Le saw the person in front of him but couldn’t stop due to his momentum, crashing right into him.
His whole face was buried in the other’s solid chest.
A cool, clear, refreshing scent enveloped him.
An arm wrapped around his waist.
With one motion, the person absorbed all of Zhou Le’s impact and caught him steadily.
Zhou Le looked up and met Lu Jingran’s deep gaze.
Probably because he had bumped into him, there was a faint hint of displeasure on Lu Jingran’s otherwise calm face, his brow furrowed slightly.
Zhou Le’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stumbled out of Lu Jingran’s arms, too startled to speak. “S-sorry, class rep, I…I…”
“D*mn, are you blind or something?” Chen Nan, standing beside Lu Jingran, interrupted angrily, with a fierce expression. “Bumping into me like that—hurts like h*ll!”
He had been standing behind Lu Jingran just now and, without seeing what was happening, instinctively dodged back, only to hit the corner of a desk behind him.
Zhou Le wasn’t used to being yelled at so harshly. He was momentarily at a loss, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Lu Jingran’s gaze lingered on him for a moment.
The boy hunched over, head down, radiating a palpable sense of nervousness and unease from head to toe.
And from embarrassment, the tips of his ears had turned bright red.
Only then did he notice that Zhou Le’s skin was very fair—delicate and pale.
“Let’s go.” Lu Jingran coolly withdrew his gaze.
“Next time, watch where you’re going, or I’ll beat you so hard even your mom won’t—uh!” Chen Nan, still frustrated and wanting to keep cursing, was stopped by Sheng Qian, who couldn’t bear to watch anymore. He covered Chen Nan’s mouth and dragged him away.
Zhou Le finally let out a slow breath as he caught a glimpse of the group of Alphas walking away from the corner of his eye.
They were Alphas—a bunch of top-tier Alphas.
Even though he couldn’t detect any scent, he could still feel the immense pressure.
Ugh, Little Classmate Xia is much safer to be around.
Usually, he would steer clear whenever he saw such powerful Alphas. This time, though, he had been in a real rush. If Old Feng caught him, it’d be terrible—he’d definitely make an example of him, and then Zhou Le wouldn’t be able to earn any extra cash.
As long as he didn’t get caught, even if Old Feng knew about it, there wasn’t much he could do.
Besides, Zhou Le was always extra cautious; he only traded in places on campus without surveillance, which was very safe.
His phone vibrated.
A 20-yuan payment arrived on WeChat.
Yes!
Looking at his phone, Zhou Le beamed, instantly forgetting the scolding he’d just endured.
Nothing is more important than money!
—
As soon as Zhou Le returned to his seat, Lin Xiaoxiao grabbed him by the neck and shook him back and forth. “Why, why?! How come you were the first one to fall into the class rep’s arms?! This is so unfair!”
“Wait! What does the class rep smell like? Let me smell.”
With that, Lin Xiaoxiao leaned in and sniffed around Zhou Le’s neck.
Already used to it, Zhou Le just laid back and let her do her thing.
“Ahh~” Lin Xiaoxiao sighed dreamily, “I feel like I’m pregnant.”
Zhou Le: …That escalated quickly.
Xia Linchuan leaned in, “I was sweating bullets just now. For a moment, I thought I’d have to jump in and defend you.”
“Of all people to bump into, you had to pick the class rep’s group. You’re…how much money did you make with this kind of drama?”
At the question, Zhou Le’s eyelashes curved happily, his joy and excitement plain to see.
He held up a peace sign. “Two hundred.”
“Two hundred?” Xia Linchuan was genuinely impressed. “That’s quite a bit for today.”
In the past, Zhou Le only made 50 or 60 yuan a day at most, which was already considered good. Today he’d earned 200 by midday—truly a lucky day.
Xia Linchuan: “You got any more orders this afternoon?”
Zhou Le nodded. “Got some lunch orders for noon too.”
Xia Linchuan clicked his tongue.
Zhou Le pulled out a steamed bun he’d brought from home and started munching on it.
Soon it’d be lunch break, and they’d need to rush to the cafeteria; otherwise, they wouldn’t get what they wanted to eat.
He’d probably miss lunch himself, so he figured he’d better refuel now.
While there was still some time, he reviewed the orders in the group chat to see what was lined up for the afternoon.
To keep things organized, Zhou Le had created a “No. 1 High Delivery Helper” group chat. Anyone who wanted to place an order would @Zhou Le, provide details, and then transfer the payment to him directly in the group. When he got busy, he could even arrange the orders in a queue based on timing.
The group had around 70 people, and Lin Xiaoxiao was the admin. Sometimes, when Zhou Le got overwhelmed, Lin Xiaoxiao would help him manage things.
Today was a lively day in the group chat; the messages had been nonstop since morning.
Zhou Le was noting down the dishes he planned to grab from the cafeteria after class when Lin Xiaoxiao excitedly grabbed his arm.
She gasped, “Whoa, is that… Liu Yanyan?”
Zhou Le looked puzzled. “Who’s Liu Yanyan? What’s up?”
As soon as Xia Linchuan heard the name, he even stopped his game. “Liu Yanyan? The school beauty?”
Lin Xiaoxiao nodded repeatedly and showed them her phone, displaying Liu Yanyan’s request to join the delivery group, which she, as the group admin, had approved.
On the screen, it read: “Hello, I’m Liu Yanyan. Could you please approve my request? Thanks!”
Zhou Le’s eyes widened.
The campus beauty wanted to place an order? Valentine’s Day?
Did the campus beauty even need to confess to someone?
While the three of them were still in shock, the school beauty joined the group.
She first sent a friendly blowing kiss emoji to everyone.
Then she directly @mentioned Zhou Le and messaged him privately on WeChat.
[Sweetie, I need a favor from you.]
[Could you deliver this milk tea to your class rep? 😊]
Class rep… Lu Jingran?
