Chapter 21: You’re a bit crazy
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His mother’s voice pulled An Lan back from a series of analyses.
Forget it, I don’t want to think about it.
Thinking about it was meaningless. If he really became an omega, could he still live?
Maybe the next blood test would show that he was a lively alpha.
With less than two weeks until the first monthly exam, the homeroom teacher was helping students improve their grades, so every evening’s self-study session had subject teachers sitting on the podium to answer questions and assist with problem-solving.
Because of this, An Lan and the others didn’t have time to go home for dinner.
During the last class of the afternoon, Qiao Chuluo, who was sitting next to him, asked, “What are you having for dinner tonight?”
“Egg pancake,” An Lan answered instinctively without much thought.
“Egg pancake? Can you get full from that?” Qiao Chuluo asked with a smile.
“If one isn’t enough, then I’ll have two. Plus two sausage sticks,” An Lan said with a grin.
Actually, An Lan had promised Gu Liyu to treat him to dinner after self-study. But with limited time, he couldn’t afford to go to a proper restaurant. Treating him to an egg pancake might be a new experience for him.
The two of them left their schoolbags in the classroom and went to buy egg pancakes outside the school.
Just smelling the sauce inside made An Lan salivate continuously.
“Another cup of CC’s milk tea would make it perfect,” Qiao Chuluo said, closing his eyes and sniffing the aroma of the sauce.
An Lan rolled his eyes at Qiao Chuluo. “CC’s milk tea is like a Rolls-Royce in the world of milk tea. Can you afford a Rolls-Royce?”
Qiao Chuluo shook his head. “No money.”
“Then what’s the point? If you have the money to buy a Rolls-Royce, it’s better to save it. After the monthly exam, we can go to the internet café and order barbecue.”
Qiao Chuluo nodded. CC’s milk tea was the most expensive milk tea sold around here. Even the basic one with just pearls cost twenty-eight yuan. Both Qiao Chuluo and An Lan not only liked their pearls but also enjoyed adding taro paste and milk jelly. This way, it would cost at least thirty-four or five yuan per cup.
They actually didn’t lack this little spending money, but the key point was that they had spent money carelessly before and now felt embarrassed to ask their parents for more.
The two of them carried their egg pancakes back to the classroom. Little did they know that they would be stopped downstairs.
“An Lan?”
A gentle voice, instantly recognizable as Class Monitor Xu Xingran.
Moreover, Xu Xingran was holding a bag, probably having ordered takeout—CC’s milk tea.
“Class Monitor? Haha, didn’t expect… you would actually order CC’s milk tea.” An Lan laughed and felt a bit envious inside.
The evil of evening self-study was that it required a top-tier milk tea.
Xu Xingran opened the takeout bag and took out two cups. “Don’t you like it?”
An Lan was stunned for a moment, unsure whether to accept or decline.
“Class Monitor, how did you know I like this place?” An Lan asked.
Xu Xingran, holding the takeout bag in one hand and the other in his pocket, looked down and smiled, “Who said in the Moments that this milk tea is an unparalleled good tea?”
An Lan was a bit surprised. “Class Monitor, you also check my Moments?”
“Yeah,” Xu Xingran admitted openly.
“Then why never hit the like button?”
“A more tactful way to put it is that I’m lurking.” Xu Xingran leaned towards An Lan, intentionally pausing for a moment. “A more straightforward way to put it is that I’m spying.”
In that moment, An Lan saw a kind of breathless power in Xu Xingran’s eyes.
When Xu Xingran’s lip line slowly curved up, the stagnant air began to flow again.
“Fool. I bought you milk tea to please you.” Xu Xingran said.
“Pleasing me?”
“Did you go to the Observing Mountains and Seas Shooting Club a few days ago?” Xu Xingran asked.
“Yes.”
“Competed in rapid fire with Li Zhennan?”
“Yes.” An Lan touched the back of his head.
“After that, Coach Lin kept talking about you, so we sincerely invite you to a friendly match at Observing Mountains and Seas this weekend,” Xu Xingran said.
“A friendly match with you guys?” An Lan suspected if he had misheard.
He won against Li Zhennan, but in terms of skill, he still had a certain gap compared to Xu Xingran, not to mention that Gu Liyu was also in that club.
“From the look of it… could it be that you got cold feet?” Xu Xingran leaned towards An Lan, his delicate eyelashes and eyes becoming exceptionally clear.
“How is that possible… although the reality is a bit intimidating,” An Lan smiled.
“Alright, see you on Sunday. I’ll come to pick you up,” Xu Xingran’s finger seemed like it was about to touch An Lan’s nose, but at the closest moment, he snapped his fingers, turned around, and went upstairs.
An Lan felt like he heard the crisp sound of a bullet being fired, leaving a trajectory on his heart. Qiao Chuluo suddenly shook his shoulder.
“Oh my God! What good luck did you have today? Not only did I have the milk tea treated by the Class Monitor thanks to you, but I also heard the Class Monitor inviting you to a practice match?”
“Well, if you want to go, should I tell the Class Monitor?”
“No, no, no, that’s not the most important thing. The important thing is that the Class Monitor definitely wanted to touch your nose just now. Don’t you feel that suddenly snapping fingers became exceptionally cool?” Qiao Chuluo said with regret.
An Lan sighed. Most of the time, Qiao Chuluo was normal, but when he talked about those boss alphas, his thought process seemed like it had stepped out of rough mud.
He raised his hand, imitating Xu Xingran’s action, and snapped his fingers in front of Qiao Chuluo’s nose. “How about that, am I cool or not?”
Qiao Chuluo sighed regretfully, “You’re cooler when you’re holding a gun.”
“Hehe,” An Lan liked hearing that.
And with the same action, if it were Fatty Flower or Chen NaoNao, An Lan wouldn’t believe Qiao Chuluo would still find it cool.
They returned to the classroom together.
Half of the students were still eating outside, and some brought food back. The air in the classroom was filled with the smell of various foods, a mix of fried rice, sour cabbage noodles, and bread snacks—a variety of flavors from the surrounding restaurants.
As soon as An Lan and Qiao Chuluo came back, they were chased by Chen Naonao and Fat Flower.
“D*mn, this bro is drinking plain water, and you two are drinking CC’s milk tea! It’s really shameless!” Chen Naonao shouted.
Fat Flower also joined in, “Give it here, give it here, let’s all drink together!”
Qiao Chuluo directly pressed down on the straw. “Don’t even think about it. Today’s milk tea has extraordinary significance, and I refuse to share.”
An Lan also dodged these two wolves and tigers while holding the milk tea.
“An Lan! Are you being so stingy too!”
Chen Naonao pounced like a hungry wolf, and An Lan agilely dodged.
Fat Flower came with the pressure of Mount Tai. The momentum frightened An Lan, who didn’t even have time to say “Oh my god.” He stumbled backward, and Fat Flower missed the pounce. However, An Lan didn’t stand firm, and when he tried to grab the desk behind him, the desk legs made a creaking sound. It almost toppled over, and An Lan lost his balance completely, sitting down.
The whole classroom fell silent.
Fat Flower turned pale and took two steps back. Chen Naonao had been making eye contact with An Lan, signaling, “Brother, get up quickly!”
An Lan only now realized that he seemed to be sitting on someone.
At the same time, the other students in the class who were eating or self-studying all looked over, either widening their eyes or opening their mouths, as if watching a horror movie.
An Lan had a very bad feeling. He stiffened his neck, turned slowly, and at the same time, his heart suddenly trembled when he met a pair of eyes.
It’s over—it’s Xiao Chen!
An Lan quickly stood up, but the other party suddenly raised his hand to circle An Lan’s waist.
With his other hand supporting his chin, his hair a bit messy, Xiao Chen looked like he had just woken up… or maybe An Lan had awakened him.
“What are you guys fighting over?” As soon as Xiao Chen spoke, a warm breath fell on An Lan’s neck.
“Milk… milk tea…” An Lan replied.
Xiao Chen’s fingers tapped twice on his cheek lazily. “Before, you called me ‘Xiao Xiao Chen,’ and now you’re saying this is ‘milk milk tea.’ Is this a new way of acting cute?”
“I just stuttered.” An Lan answered.
Xiao Chen’s mood seemed pretty good, and An Lan probably didn’t have to worry about being beaten by him.
Moreover, the rumored school bully has never laid a hand on any of their classmates, and An Lan remembered that after the incident at the KTV, Xiao Chen kicked away the person who had plotted against him.
According to Xu Xingran, Xiao Chen is a very territorial alpha, and An Lan happens to be within his territory.
Even if he’s not an omega in need of protection, he is still a classmate of his.
“Your stuttering is quite cute. Offer me this cup of ‘milk milk tea’.” Xiao Chen extended his hand, took the milk tea that An Lan was still holding tightly, and directly took it.
“I’ve already drank this one.” An Lan took the milk tea back from Xiao Chen.
“What’s wrong? It seems like you’re reluctant?” Xiao Chen smiled, eyes showing a playful look, as if he had just woken up and was now bored, wanting to entertain his classmates.
“Not reluctant, this one was treated by the Class Monitor,” An Lan replied, feeling it disrespectful to give away something treated by Xu Xingran. “I can treat you to another one; the delivery will be quick.”
If An Lan didn’t see it wrong, Xiao Chen’s pupils tightened a bit. Even the arm around An Lan’s body tightened, and An Lan had a faint sense of impending danger.
It was as if he had become a moving target, and Xiao Chen had already aimed at him.
Previously, they were joking around. How did his mood suddenly turn sour?
“Xu Xingran treated you milk tea?” Xiao Chen’s voice carried a hint of mockery. “It’s probably a weasel giving New Year’s greetings to a chicken, harboring ill intentions, right?”
An Lan’s brows furrowed, and he turned around to look directly into Xiao Chen’s eyes.
“Xu Xingran is not a weasel, and I am not a chicken.”
Xiao Chen paused for a moment, probably not expecting An Lan to confront him directly.
“Well, he’s not a weasel, he’s a fox. He likes to stay on the cliff, chatting with little chicks like you.”
“Huh?” An Lan didn’t understand what Xiao Chen meant.
“He would say, ‘Little chick, oh little chick, you have to believe that you are a little eagle. As long as you have the courage to jump off this cliff, you can soar in the wind. When you really jump off, he will leisurely stroll to the bottom of the cliff and eat your corpse,'” Xiao Chen said with a smile.
An Lan finally understood the metaphor Xiao Chen was using.
“The Class Monitor has never fed me unrealistic inspirational chicken soup.”
“Really? Are you sure he didn’t praise you?” Xiao Chen retorted.
At this point, Xu Xingran returned with the mock exam papers the teacher was distributing. Seeing this scene, he first froze, then furrowed his brows. He placed the mock papers on the podium and walked to Xiao Chen’s desk, tapping his finger on the corner of the desk, “Let him go.”
“I won’t.” Xiao Chen looked up at him, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning.”
“Oh? What am I planning?” Xu Xingran leaned back, directly sitting on the desk opposite Xiao Chen, looking down at him.
An Lan’s heart inexplicably sped up; the air became dry, as if sparks were about to burst forth.
“You guys want this little guy to replace my position,” Xiao Chen said.
Xu Xingran lowered his head and smiled, “Do you still care about that position? How long has it been since you came back to the club?”
“I certainly don’t care. But my position is not something anyone can replace casually. You invite him for milk tea; it’s just an attempt to get this kid to join Observing Mountains and Seas, right?” Xiao Chen stared coldly at Xu Xingran, his gaze lowering the temperature, carrying both pressure and provocation.
“All positions in this world are not reserved exclusively for anyone. The capable one takes it,” Xu Xingran replied.
Xiao Chen’s arm tightened, and An Lan felt like he was about to vomit.
“So, both you and Lin Huaien think highly of this little thing?” Xiao Chen leaned close to An Lan’s ear, asking softly, “Right?”
Even though An Lan hadn’t been touched, he felt like his ear was being firmly bitten. He gripped the milk tea, and the fingers pinched the edge of the paper cup, leaving an indentation as the tea sprayed out from the straw.
Xu Xingran’s gentle gaze turned cold again. He repeated the same sentence, “Let him go.”
The force holding An Lan’s waist suddenly relaxed. An Lan quickly stood up, watching Xu Xingran’s hand reaching over, intending to pull him over. Unexpectedly, Xiao Chen suddenly grabbed An Lan’s waist with both hands, exerted force, then released it. An Lan was frightened, and the milk tea in his hand finally fell, making a crisp sound as it hit the ground, and the tea gushed out.
His body suddenly lifted, and An Lan grabbed Xiao Chen’s shoulders with both hands. Xiao Chen placed An Lan directly on his desk!
The classroom was filled with gasps of surprise.
Everyone was stunned—what was happening?
An Lan was also stunned. He was now sitting on Xiao Chen’s desk, with his legs hanging on both sides of Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen sat back in his chair, looking up at An Lan.
His hand covered An Lan’s neck, and his fingers were long. It felt like Xiao Chen had grasped the flowing blood in An Lan’s neck, even though he wasn’t using any force.
“Do you know that most of the players in Observing Mountains and Seas are alphas?”
Xiao Chen’s middle finger gently brushed against the back of An Lan’s neck, right where An Lan had been bitten by the high quality Alpha before.
As if struck by electricity, An Lan trembled, and his shoulders lifted involuntarily.
“What do you mean?”
An Lan wondered if Xiao Chen thought he couldn’t compare to those alphas.
“It means that as a beta, you won’t feel the pheromones released by those alphas. But now you can feel it. When you excel and hurt the pride of those alphas in Observing Mountains and Seas, they will release pheromones to crush you and dominate you. You haven’t learned how to resist the pheromones released by alphas stronger than you,” Xiao Chen said, leaning close, his voice low.
Others in the classroom were guessing what Xiao Chen was saying to An Lan, but An Lan heard it, and Xu Xingran naturally heard it too.
An Lan suddenly understood the meaning of Xiao Chen’s previous metaphor. He was indeed a little chick, and the alpha players in Observing Mountains and Seas were eaglets.
If it were just a simple comparison of flight, a little chick could be the same as an eaglet. However, once an eaglet pecked at a little chick with its sharp beak, the defenseless little chick would be severely injured.
Xiao Chen wasn’t looking down on him; he was worried that those alphas in Observing Mountains and Seas, who looked down on everyone, would be detrimental to An Lan.
Practice matches could be fair, but what about outside of practice matches? Xiao Chen had this concern, and An Lan guessed that there were probably some alphas in Observing Mountains and Seas who were worse than Li Zhennan.
“Xiao Chen, I’ll say it again—let him go. Coach Lin and I have confidence in An Lan,” Xu Xingran’s voice echoed.
“Confidence in An Lan? Who did you have confidence in during last season’s matches?” Xiao Chen retorted.
“Xiao Chen, that’s enough. Don’t get caught up in this.”
Anyone could hear the warning in Xu Xingran’s voice. The originally gentle voice was like the sheath of amber, and at this moment, it was about to unsheath, revealing a cold glint.
Several alphas in the back row of the classroom frowned, and when one of them stood up and quickly left the classroom, the others followed suit.
“What’s… what’s going on?” Qiao Chuluo felt that things were getting a bit serious. He didn’t even understand how it had progressed to this point.
Xiao Chen coldly said, “Other omega classmates, go out. Your class monitor is about to release pheromones.”
Several omega classmates exchanged glances, wondering if they had misheard. Xu Xingran, who never got angry, was actually going to release pheromones? They left the classroom.
Chen Naonao and Fat Flower pulled Qiao Chuluo away. Qiao Chuluo looked at An Lan, whose neck was being squeezed, feeling that he shouldn’t leave at this moment.
“Little Qiao, now is not the time for daydreaming! You can’t handle our class monitor’s pheromones!” Chen Naonao reminded Qiao Chuluo in a low voice.
“An Lan can’t handle it either!” Qiao Chuluo didn’t forget that An Lan was a prospective alpha.
Other alphas, sensing that something was wrong, had already left, slipping away as if an earthquake had occurred.
But Qiao Chuluo was anxious. An Lan was so close; how could he avoid this!
“An Lan is a beta; he can’t feel anything. Let’s go, let’s go…” Fat Flower pushed Qiao Chuluo away from the two alpha leaders.
At this moment, An Lan felt that life was truly full of ups and downs, like a winding journey through twists and turns.
And it seemed like Xiao Chen and Xu Xingran were about to have a showdown with pheromones?
Although in the school’s omega group, everyone had discussed who would win if Xiao Chen and Xu Xingran had a pheromone showdown, no one had imagined being at the center of this storm.
An Lan took a deep breath. As the originator of this pheromone showdown, he wondered if he should feel honored.
But once they started releasing pheromones, there was a high possibility of mutual harm, and he might end up enduring a double onslaught.
An Lan told himself to stay calm. If things could be resolved through conversation, he shouldn’t resort to physical actions, let alone pheromones.
He slowly lifted his hand, placing it on Xiao Chen’s wrist.
Don’t be nervous. Xiao Chen is also a normal person. He doesn’t harm people. An Lan is sensible, and Xiao Chen’s anger is probably for his own good.
“Firstly… respected math class representative, I really don’t know how I offended you. If it’s because of the milk tea the class monitor offered, it’s almost all gone. All our classmates can share its fragrance.”
Xiao Chen’s fingertips trembled subtly, but An Lan could feel the threatening atmosphere between his fingers easing.
“Secondly, I don’t know what you mean by ‘position.’ If it’s the position I’m in now, choked by fate, I don’t want it at all. Can we discuss it and let someone else take my place?” An Lan asked politely. He felt his gaze was genuinely friendly.
Xiao Chen paused. His mouth twitched, and then he suddenly burst into laughter.
“Hahaha… hahaha… choked by fate? So am I your destiny?”
Xiao Chen laughed, his eyes narrowed, and his eyelashes trembled. He exuded a completely different feeling.
But his hand remained completely attached to An Lan’s neck, as if playing with his own pet cat, gently pinching, without the feeling of wanting to harm.
“Is there a third?” Xiao Chen asked, leaning in to look at An Lan.
His eyes were even more beautiful than An Lan had imagined. An Lan inexplicably thought of a rose in a thornbush. Most people only saw the thorns of the thornbush, ignoring the arrogance and purity of the rose, dripping with dew, and shining with sunlight—only if you’re willing to set aside the prejudices in your heart and appreciate it.
“And… there is always a reason for encounters. Either a blessing or a lesson. We’ve been classmates for more than two years. Are you planning to continue blessing me or teaching me?” An Lan asked very sincerely.
This time, not only Xiao Chen but also Xu Xingran across from him burst into laughter.
Xiao Chen’s mouth showed a faint smile, and the tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed.
“Indeed, one can only secure their own position. Most of the time, we are rowing against the current. If Coach Lin has such confidence in you, let’s have a match this weekend.”
After Xiao Chen finished speaking, Xu Xingran’s brows furrowed even more.
An Lan was stunned. Did he hear it correctly? Did Xiao Chen just say he wanted to have a match with him?
Although Xiao Chen was absent from the finals last season due to the influence of the omega’s uncontrolled pheromones, in last year’s national youth shooting championship, Xiao Chen was the runner-up in individual 10-meter moving target. He also won the team championship with Gu Liyu and Xu Xingran.
Absolutely top-notch skills.
An Lan didn’t even make it to the finals last year…
Xiao Chen leaned back against the chair, hooked the corner of his mouth, and lazily asked, “What? Scared?”
“Xiao Chen…” Xu Xingran’s brows furrowed even harder.
An Lan looked at Xiao Chen, suddenly realizing that even though alphas had certain advantages in many areas, he had never thought that he would lose to alphas in shooting.
In the past, when he was still a beta, he felt that his focus was stronger than that of alphas. Now, as he was transitioning to alpha, he also felt fortunate that he was a subdominant Alpha, not affected by the susceptible period.
Physiologically, he had a greater advantage than Xiao Chen.
He wasn’t afraid.
Moreover, a shooting competition was just about winning or losing. It couldn’t determine the fate of one’s life or involve life and death, so there was no reason to be afraid.
At this moment, Gu Liyu arrived at the stairs holding a bag of takeout. As soon as Qiao Chuluo saw him, his eyes lit up.
“Gu Liyu! You’re back?”
Gu Liyu walked calmly to him, turned his head, and looked at him, “What’s wrong?”
Qiao Chuluo pointed to the classroom door and said, “You, you, you… quickly go in! Xiao Chen is about to bully An Lan, and the class monitor is about to release pheromones!”
As soon as the words fell, Gu Liyu’s gaze sank, his long legs moved, and he quickly entered the classroom.
Fat Flower and Chen Naonao, shocked, pulled Qiao Chuluo, “Little Qiao, did you just talk to the school grass?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Qiao Chuluo was now only concerned about An Lan.
At this moment, An Lan happened to be looking into Xiao Chen’s eyes and said, “I’m not afraid.”
“What are you guys doing?”
A cold voice echoed in the classroom.
Instantly, the entire space felt like it was covered with a layer of frost.
Xiao Chen, Xu Xingran, and An Lan all turned their gaze toward the door.
“What are you doing?” Xiao Chen raised an eyebrow, his arm resting on An Lan’s shoulder. He smiled and said, “What else can I do? Just arranged a practice match with our classmate An Lan.”
Gu Liyu didn’t say anything, his gaze directed at An Lan.
An Lan immediately nodded, “Yes, it’s a practice match! This weekend, the class monitor invited me to Observing Mountain and Sea, and then Xiao Chen suggested having a match with me.”
An Lan’s gaze was open and candid. Looking at his profile, Xu Xingran smiled faintly.
Gu Liyu walked over, casually placed the takeout bag on the desk, then hooked his hands around An Lan’s waist, lifting him directly from the table in front of Xiao Chen.
At the moment when his body lifted off, An Lan instinctively grabbed the collar of Gu Liyu.
Xiao Chen wanted to reach out to stop him, “Gu Piyu—aren’t you a bit crazy…”
Gu Liyu turned his face, and his gaze swept over Xiao Chen like ice. Meanwhile, Xu Xingran, who knows when, arrived behind Xiao Chen and pressed down Xiao Chen’s hand.
“Do you two want to be confined?” Xu Xingran’s voice lost its usual warmth, becoming low, with a clear warning.
Xiao Chen sneered, “Who wanted to have a pheromone showdown just now?”
An Lan’s feet had touched the ground again. The force from Gu Liyu’s arms made him feel a bit dazed.
He appeared slender but was 178 cm tall. To maintain good shooting posture and arm stability, he also engaged in systematic muscle-building exercises. He had quite a few muscles on his body. How did Gu Liyu lift him without trembling?
An Lan looked at Gu Liyu in surprise.
At this moment, Xu Xingran crossed his arms, leaned back against the corner of the desk, and said coldly, “I remember, before we came to Third High School, we promised the Alpha Management Committee that we wouldn’t exchange pheromones.”
The Alpha Management Committee is a very special institution where all high-quality Alphas must register.
Because the susceptible period of high-quality Alphas is highly unstable, there is a significant risk of causing harm to others due to extreme emotions. Therefore, the Alpha Management Committee periodically sends assessors to evaluate high-quality Alphas.
Whether it’s the Gu family or the Xu family, renowned high-quality Alpha families cultivate their children from a young age to control their pheromones and emotions. In other words, these specially trained high-quality Alphas are skilled at restraining themselves, even manipulating their assessment results within a certain range.
Students, being a young and vulnerable group, sign a commitment at the Alpha Management Committee before enrolling. This commitment states that, apart from self-defense, they absolutely cannot engage in pheromone competitions with other high-quality Alphas within the school environment.
An Lan could sense the tension in the atmosphere.
Moreover, if the three of them were really about to engage in a pheromone showdown, they probably wouldn’t be able to achieve “targeted release,” and it would likely affect others.
“Um… I don’t mind if you guys want to have a pheromone showdown,” An Lan said.
Xiao Chen squinted at An Lan, “Kid, do you think you’re a beta or something?”
“An Lan, what nonsense are you talking about?” Xu Xingran’s attractive brows furrowed.
“Being a quasi-Alpha like me, I’ll definitely keel over immediately under the influence of your pheromones. At least I can take a ten-day break in the hospital—then I won’t have to take the monthly exams,” An Lan shrugged, wearing an expression of “a dead pig isn’t afraid of boiling water.”
Xu Xingran directly pressed on the back of An Lan’s head.
“Dream on.”
Xiao Chen also clicked his tongue, “Just focus on the monthly exams, kid.”
An Lan couldn’t quite figure out Xiao Chen. This guy could threaten him with both hands around his neck one moment and then chat like a friend the next.
Truly unpredictable.
At this moment, Qiao Chuluo, with a worried expression, poked his head in and looked. Xu Xingran beckoned to him, “Alright, everyone can come in now. Quickly finish your meals; we’ll have evening self-study soon.”
Hearing Xu Xingran’s voice, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the classroom.
An Lan attempted to maneuver around Gu Liyu to the left, but the space was too narrow, and Gu Liyu’s aura remained somewhat imposing. An Lan didn’t know how to ask him to step aside, so he turned to the other side. Gu Liyu still showed no intention of yielding, so An Lan had no choice but to turn around and plan to circle around to his own seat from behind the podium.
However, unexpectedly, Gu Liyu turned to the side.
Gu Liyu didn’t make way, causing An Lan a headache. But if Gu Liyu did make way and An Lan didn’t take that path, it would be a significant loss of face for both parties.
An Lan could only sidestep cautiously, passing by Gu Liyu.
The aisle seemed a bit cramped for the two boys. An Lan had to tilt slightly backward, and his lower back pressed against the desk to pass through.
Gu Liyu was slightly taller than An Lan. To avoid his nose bumping into Gu Liyu’s chin, An Lan had to half-tilt his head to maintain some distance between them.
In that fraction of a second, An Lan was so nervous he dared not even breathe.
But ironically, Gu Liyu’s hands rested casually behind him on the desk. He even lowered his head slightly. When An Lan passed by, he suspected that his nose might have grazed Gu Liyu’s.
Only after completely passing through did An Lan swallow hard, exhaling a long breath.
The classroom resumed its lively atmosphere, with all the students automatically ignoring the recent rumors about the three high-quality Alphas nearly engaging in a pheromone showdown. Some were eating, others were on their phones.
An Lan returned to his seat. During the playful tussle with his friends earlier, it wasn’t just bubble tea that fell on the floor but also an egg roll.
“Shall I accompany you to buy another one?” Qiao Chuluo leaned over and whispered.
“Never mind, class will start soon.” An Lan thought of eating a little less so that he could stay more alert during evening self-study. Otherwise, the blood would be busy digesting food in his stomach, leaving little for his brain.
“Come on, you’re just a walking stomach lately. You’ll starve to death.” Qiao Chuluo handed his own egg roll to An Lan.
“I don’t need it; you eat it.” An Lan smiled and shook his head. “I just had half a cup of milk tea, and the pearls inside are quite filling…”
At this moment, Gu Liyu walked over, still carrying the takeout bag from when he entered the classroom. One hand reached out to An Lan.
“Huh?” An Lan looked up, feeling a bit puzzled.
The classroom quieted down again. Whether they were eating or watching videos and browsing Weibo, everyone looked towards Gu Liyu.
Xiao Chen, who initially wasn’t interested in evening self-study and was planning to slip away, also stopped at the classroom door.
Xu Xingran stood up, preparing to say something.
“Didn’t you say you’d treat me to dinner during evening self-study last time?” Gu Liyu spoke up.
The gazes of everyone, initially restrained and cautious, changed, filled with a desire to explore. They had intended to communicate with their eyes, but now they all wanted to witness every moment of Gu Liyu taking the initiative to talk to someone and asking them to treat him to a meal.
An Lan knew that Gu Liyu was referring to the incident when Li Zhennan came to trouble them, and Gu Liyu resolved the conflict by taking them to the Observing Mountain and Sea Shooting Club for a match. An Lan had promised to treat Gu Liyu to a meal afterward.
This matter had actually been on An Lan’s mind all along; repaying kindness was his principle.
However, the egg roll pancake had already fallen on the ground, and even if Gu Liyu didn’t see it, An Lan knew.
Gu Liyu’s life was indeed refined, but An Lan believed that within his means, treating him to something wouldn’t be disrespectful. However, he didn’t want to give him something that had fallen on the ground.
Gu Liyu’s hand was still extended there, and it didn’t seem like he wanted An Lan to treat him to a meal, but rather to put something into his hand.
“How about… a WeChat red packet?”
An Lan tried to ease the atmosphere, blurting out without thinking. He was used to joking around with Little Qiao, and when nervous, he unintentionally used the usual way of dealing with Little Qiao.
Oh no, An Lan, do you have a problem with your brain? You promised to treat someone to a meal, and now you’re not joining them. Sending a red packet—what does that mean?
“Didn’t you buy it?” Gu Liyu asked.
His voice was not loud but quite present, icy yet with a clean feeling, very pleasant to the ears.
The author has something to say:
For now: Xu Xingran is the first to treat An Lan to something to eat—the latte in the hospital; Xiao Chen is the first to enjoy An Lan’s hug; Gu Liyu is the first to touch An Lan’s waist.
Is there anything else that’s the first?
A reader strongly dislikes the term “little thing.” It’s a kind of nickname in our context, but it may be different in different places. I’ll change it to “little guy.”
Someone said Xiao Chen is bullying An Lan. If you look closely, Xiao Chen is not happy because he thinks it’s not time to bring An Lan into a group of alphas for a competition, as An Lan can’t resist the pheromone attacks from alphas yet. Don’t just jump to conclusions about bullying when you see a scene of neck-pinching.
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