The next day at school, Zhou Le brought rice cooked in his new rice cooker and made beautiful sushi for everyone, giving a portion to Lu Jingran, Lin Xiaoxiao, and others.
He was well aware that he wouldn’t have gotten this rice cooker without Lu Jingran standing up for him. Even if it was just because Lu Jingran, as class rep, couldn’t stand to see Xiao Lan bullying someone from Class Three, Zhou Le was grateful. He figured he should properly thank him.
“Wow.” Xia Linchuan kept praising as he ate, “Your aunt’s skills just keep improving. This is like something from a high-end Japanese restaurant.”
Lin Xiaoxiao was equally immersed in the delicious food. “Mmm~ I’ve decided: for my wedding, I’m definitely hiring aunt as the head chef for a Japanese-themed banquet.”
A nearby, obnoxious Alpha boy overheard this and snickered, “You? Getting married? As if anyone would marry you!”
Lin Xiaoxiao shot back, “And what’s it to you?”
“When I get married, I’ll find an Alpha as good-looking as our class rep. Unlike you—lame, cowardly, and ugly.”
The boy scoffed, “As if you’re any better looking. Honestly, Zhou Le is cuter than you. If the class rep liked anyone, it’d be him, not you. You should give up already.”
Zhou Le, engrossed in his phone, hadn’t heard any of this.
For some reason, today was as busy as Valentine’s Day. One order after another kept popping up, and his memo list was almost full. Uncle Zhou even called him, telling him to hurry over after school for more orders.
Lin Xiaoxiao fumed. “Get lost!”
“Why would the class rep like Zhou Le? He’s not even an Omega.”
The other boy replied, “Who says Alphas have to like Omegas? I’m an Alpha, and I think Zhou Le’s personality is perfect for a partner. He’s sweet, small, and would be great to hold. Right, Xia Linchuan?”
Xia Linchuan, gaming in the hallway, was caught off guard. He actually paused to think about it, remembering the feeling of hugging Zhou Le…
“Uh… well, yeah…”
His words trailed off as a cold chill crept up behind him.
Turning, he looked up to see Lu Jingran’s calm, unreadable gaze meeting his.
“Whoa~” Startled, he took a step back. Where did he come from without making a sound?
Wait, why was Lu Jingran staring at him so intently? It was scary! Especially coming from a fellow top-tier Alpha—it made him instinctively want to stand up and salute.
“Math homework,” Lu Jingran said coolly.
It was only then that Xia Linchuan noticed the stack of homework in Lu Jingran’s hand. He quickly pulled out his own work and handed it over respectfully.
Before Lin Xiaoxiao’s turn even came, she eagerly placed her notebook in Lu Jingran’s hands.
“Thank you, class rep! You’re doing so much work. How about I help with the collection?” Since the sports meet, Lin Xiaoxiao felt they were closer, at least enough to start a conversation.
Now was her chance to make an impression!
But Lu Jingran didn’t give her the chance. “No need, thank you.”
With that, he tapped Zhou Le’s desk.
Zhou Le, busy with his orders, looked up reflexively, a bit dazed. “Hm?”
Lu Jingran held up the stack. “Math homework.”
Zhou Le quickly found his homework and handed it over.
“Class rep,” he called out softly, “Did you like the sushi?”
His eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Lu Jingran’s lips curved into a slight smile. “It was delicious.”
Zhou Le grinned like a happy fool.
Slowly, his gaze fell on Lu Jingran’s fingers holding the papers and noticed the previous wound.
“Does it still hurt?” Zhou Le asked quietly, frowning with concern.
Meeting Zhou Le’s caring gaze, Lu Jingran lowered his eyes a bit. “It’s fine.”
Back at his seat, Lu Jingran gently touched the bandage on his hand.
It was crumpled, discolored, the adhesive peeling at the edges.
Shen Qianan noticed and asked, “Is your hand not healed yet?”
“I have a new bandage—want to change it?”
Lu Jingran looked at the bandage on his hand, paused, then turned his attention back to his book.
“No need.”
—
By third period, Zhou Le was rushing to make it to class but was still a few minutes late.
During break after the morning exercises, he had taken on a few more orders. By the time he made it back, he was a little late.
It was language class, and as he entered, their homeroom teacher, Xu Yue, was standing with a book, calling on students to recite the poem they were supposed to memorize.
She looked particularly grumpy.
Zhou Le froze as he opened the door.
He had been smiling, but it faded instantly.
Their eyes met, and seeing Xu Yue’s deepening frown, Zhou Le had an impulse to turn and flee.
The class erupted in barely-suppressed laughter.
Xu Yue put down her book and looked at Zhou Le with a mix of helplessness and resignation.
Zhou Le managed an awkward smile, “Hello, teacher.”
Another wave of laughter broke out among the students.
Xu Yue was used to Zhou Le occasionally being late to class. She knew a bit about his family situation, so when he’d sneak in from the back door, she’d usually turn a blind eye, merely giving him a glance at most.
But this time, he’d entered from the front. If she didn’t say anything now, people might accuse her of favoritism. Besides, she was genuinely frustrated—no one had completed the homework she assigned the day before.
“Recite Ode to the Red Cliffs,” Xu Yue said. “If you can get through it, you don’t have to go stand in the back.”
Ode to the Red Cliffs…
Zhou Le searched his mind, vaguely remembering it, but not much. Sure enough, he got stuck after the second or third line and couldn’t continue.
Without Xu Yue needing to say anything, he headed to the back of the room to stand on his own.
Some students began whispering.
“Is he an idiot? Why didn’t he just use the back door?”
“Probably made some cash and got so excited he forgot everything.”
“How much can he earn, ten or so bucks?”
“Even ten bucks is money. For Zhou Le, that’s a lot.”
“Is his family that broke?”
“You don’t know? He gets financial aid every year—the 3,000 yuan one. He’s the only one in the school, ‘cause he’s that poor.”
“Yeah, I heard about it. His mom is disabled, and his dad’s gone. I think they nearly couldn’t make ends meet.”
“Wow, that’s rough.”
“Yeah, it’s not easy.”
Lu Jingran sat there, listening quietly, his gaze unreadable.
When class finally ended, Zhou Le’s feet ached from standing so long, and he plopped into his seat as soon as the bell rang.
Lin Xiaoxiao, sitting nearby, rolled her eyes. “Why’d you have to be late to that class of all classes? Didn’t you know that was homeroom?”
Zhou Le sprawled across his desk, practically merging with it. “I forgot. I thought it was politics.”
The politics teacher, Lu Nian, was a recent graduate doing an internship. He was easygoing, almost like a friend, and usually let things slide in such cases.
Xia Linchuan couldn’t help but chime in, “Why did you have to finish all the work in one period? You could’ve done it later—don’t rush so much.”
Zhou Le burrowed his head into his arms and gave a slight nod.
Lin Xiaoxiao asked, “Who gave you an order anyway? You ran out of here so fast after class.”
With his head buried, Zhou Le replied in a muffled voice, “Liu Yanyan.”
Lin Xiaoxiao and Xia Linchuan both perked up, “Oh?”
Zhou Le lifted his head slightly, a satisfied smile on his face. “She paid me 200 yuan to pick up a package for her.”
Lin Xiaoxiao and Xia Linchuan: “Wow~”
Lin Xiaoxiao leaned closer. “Does your company need any new recruits? Think I’d be a good fit, boss?”
Two hundred yuan for just a few minutes of work—she was interested in this campus side hustle.
Xia Linchuan didn’t get it. “She’s gotta be rolling in cash to pay you 200 yuan for a quick errand. You make more than some freelancers!”
“Hey,” Zhou Le replied, dead serious, “I have core socialist values, you know? Your thinking is a bit dangerous.”
It wasn’t like he could go out and sell himself.
Besides, even if he did, who would buy?
Zhou Le had a clear and realistic self-assessment.
Xia Linchuan chuckled. “What is this about? Could it be Liu Yanyan’s interested in you?”
Just as he said this, someone called out loudly from the front door, “Zhou Le, the school beauty is looking for you!”
In an instant, every pair of eyes was on Zhou Le.
“Ohhh~” Xia Linchuan whistled with a grin.
Zhou Le coughed awkwardly and quickly slipped out the back door to find Liu Yanyan at the front.
Honestly, he was embarrassed, but to everyone else, he looked like he couldn’t wait to go see her.
“Why though? What does she see in him? What am I missing?”
“Are you serious? Liu Yanyan likes Betas? Like Zhou Le—the delicate, frail type?”
“It can’t be that. Probably just needs him to do something. Her real crush is right here.”
The speaker tilted his head in Lu Jingran’s direction.
Lu Jingran appeared unfazed, quietly focused on his math practice book, his face impassive.
“Well, yeah. Zhou Le and the class rep? It’s no comparison… Still, I’m envious. That’s Liu Yanyan we’re talking about! I’d kill for her to ask me for help, but she’d probably ignore me. Now she’s going out of her way to ask Zhou Le. Man, if that were me, I’d brag about it for life.”
For the boys, Liu Yanyan was just as unattainable as Lu Jingran was for the girls—a legendary figure. To even interact with someone like her was the stuff of dreams.
Chen Nan saw Zhou Le dash out of the room, feeling a bit uneasy. “Don’t tell me the big miss is up to something again. What’s she got Zhou Le doing this time? Stalking and taking pictures?”
The last incident left a bad impression on Chen Nan, who now suspected any interaction between Liu Yanyan and Zhou Le as trouble brewing.
“Brother Lu, should we go check it out?” Chen Nan suggested.
But Lu Jingran remained focused on his math workbook, his face detached and unreadable.
Chen Nan sighed, “Never mind. Even if she stirs up trouble, she wouldn’t dare mess with us. Forget it.”
Just as he said that, Chen Nan was about to sit back down when, out of the blue, Lu Jingran stood up and walked out.
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