TAO | Chapter 103

Jiang Zhan was not so easy to brush off. His face flat, eyes locked on Wei Xiaochi without blinking. “You definitely had something to say.”

Wei Xiaochi dodged the topic. “It’s almost noon. What do you want for lunch?”

Jiang Zhan kicked the nightstand with a scowl. “What’s there to eat when I’m this pissed?”

At the mention of “Jiang Lanlan,” Wei Xiaochi’s lips couldn’t help but twitch upward again.

Jiang Zhan immediately turned to look at him, sharp as ever, instantly catching that tiny hint of a smile. His anger flared up again. “You’re still laughing!”

Wei Xiaochi got pinned to the bed by Jiang Zhan. Staring up at the angry alpha, his lashes fluttered and he quickly wiped the smile off his face.

Jiang Zhan leaned down, their noses nearly touching. His eyes, which had been stormy with rage, gradually calmed down. Deep within them, a soft amber glow spread like warm honey, wrapping around Wei Xiaochi.

“You’re not allowed to laugh about that again.” Jiang Zhan pressed his forehead against Wei Xiaochi’s, his tone sticky and clingy, like he was pouting.

Wei Xiaochi couldn’t handle this version of Jiang Zhan. Something inside him turned unbelievably soft. “I wasn’t laughing at you. Really… you looked very… cute.”

Jiang Zhan frowned, then bonked his forehead against Wei Xiaochi’s as a sort of punishment. “Stop talking about it. And never bring it up again.”

His breath puffed warmly against Wei Xiaochi’s face, making his ears flush red. Wei Xiaochi’s gaze darted away. “…Okay.”

Jiang Zhan stared at him for a few seconds, then leaned down and caught the Omega’s lips, teasing them open with the tip of his tongue.

Wei Xiaochi clutched at the bedsheet beside him, then slowly relaxed his grip, closing his eyes and parting his lips in return.

—

Ever since Wei Xiaochi moved in, every meal—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—was prepared and delivered by Aunt Zhou. Sometimes Jiang Zhan went to pick it up himself.

Wei Xiaochi felt kind of bad about it. He thought maybe he should personally go over and thank Xu Wenyi and Aunt Zhou. After all, he was eating and living here completely free of charge. It just didn’t feel right to not say anything.

But Jiang Zhan immediately shot that idea down. “Don’t do something that makes you uncomfortable. My mom and Aunt Zhou know your personality. They’ll understand.”

Wei Xiaochi knew Jiang Zhan had been shielding him from a lot of pressure. After thinking for a moment, he said earnestly, “Still, it takes time to go from strangers to familiar. If we meet a few more times, it’ll get easier.”

Jiang Zhan looked at him, gaze steady and warm. “Then wait until you’re really ready. No rush.”

The alpha in front of him was mature and dependable. Just yesterday, he’d been nuzzling into Wei Xiaochi’s neck like a clingy beast. Now he was all calm and thoughtful again. The contrast was strange, but comforting.

Wei Xiaochi nodded. That lingering unease he’d been carrying disappeared with just one sentence from Jiang Zhan.

He had always worried he’d offend Xu Wenyi by not being polite enough, but now that worry was gone. Because he knew Jiang Zhan would help him handle those complicated relationships.

After that, Wei Xiaochi put all his focus into tutoring Jiang Zhan. They needed to make the most of this half-month to pull his grades up.

But with the intense, cram-style studying and nonstop test drills, Jiang Zhan started to burn out. He’d never been that into studying to begin with, and this sudden high-pressure input was triggering resistance.

The signs were obvious—irritability, trouble concentrating, and an inability to absorb anything.

Faced with a dense page full of English words and letters, Jiang Zhan couldn’t read a single one. It just made him feel annoyed for no reason.

He flung his pen away, then reached out and pulled Wei Xiaochi into his arms, burying his face in the Omega’s neck, breathing him in deeply.

This wasn’t the first time he’d done this. It started yesterday afternoon—just once or twice at first—but now he was doing it more frequently. He’d study for a bit, then cling to Wei Xiaochi for a “sniff break.”

For someone like Jiang Zhan, who’d always had a relaxed approach to academics, this kind of intense studying was exhausting.

Afraid Jiang Zhan would grow to hate studying, Wei Xiaochi gently patted his back in a soothing rhythm.

“Maybe take half a day off tomorrow? You could go play basketball with Han Ziyang and the others. Or I could go with you—ice skating, swimming, bowling?”

“No,” Jiang Zhan murmured into his neck, his voice muffled.

“What do you want to do, then?”

Jiang Zhan lifted his head slightly and rested his chin on Wei Xiaochi’s shoulder. From that angle, he could see the smooth, elegant curve of his Omega’s jaw.

He pressed a kiss to the corner of Wei Xiaochi’s lips, then got up, picked up the pen that had rolled to the edge of the desk, and went back to doing English exercises.

Watching him buckle down and study, Wei Xiaochi opened his mouth to say something but couldn’t.

“Take a break,” he suggested softly. “There’s no rush.”

Jiang Zhan gave him a side-eye, expression flat. He huffed through his nose. “Didn’t you say my basics are weak?”

“…”

Wei Xiaochi hadn’t expected that. Seriously? Jiang Zhan was still holding onto that?

Yesterday he’d been video chatting with Li Suilin, asking for some tutoring advice since Li Suilin had more experience in this area.

The one who said Jiang Zhan’s foundation was weak was Li Suilin—not him. But Wei Xiaochi hadn’t argued, and even nodded along. So now Jiang Zhan was holding a grudge.

Wei Xiaochi was never any good at arguing with Jiang Zhan, so he tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. “I’ll go wash some fruit. You take a break. Or… how about we play a round of that game? It’s been a while since you played.”

Jiang Zhan turned his face away, obviously still salty about yesterday’s tag-team analysis.

Scratching his ear awkwardly, Wei Xiaochi left the room.

Downstairs, the fridge was stuffed to the brim—milk, fruits, desserts, frozen food.

The frozen items were in case Wei Xiaochi got hungry at night—Aunt Zhou had stocked them up just for him. The fruits were all fresh and in season.

Wei Xiaochi washed a few kinds, drained the water, and arranged them in a fruit tray. When he returned to the study, Jiang Zhan hadn’t taken a break or touched his phone—he was still there, brows furrowed, speed-memorizing English words.

Seeing him trying so hard to fight off frustration and concentrate, Wei Xiaochi’s chest ached.

He quietly set the fruit tray down, walked over to Jiang Zhan, held his breath, and leaned down—randomly kissing him, clumsy and unpracticed.

Jiang Zhan looked surprised.

Wei Xiaochi’s heart was thudding like crazy, pounding against his ribs. He reached out with trembling fingers and brushed against Jiang Zhan’s inner thigh.

Jiang Zhan’s eyes flew open. His breathing hitched, short and sharp. Then he smacked Wei Xiaochi’s hand away.

The alpha’s reaction was intense. His body jerked back, and his expression was almost one of panic.

The crisp slap echoed clearly in the air.

Staring at Jiang Zhan’s startled, clearly rejecting face, Wei Xiaochi flushed crimson. He turned and bolted without thinking.

If a hole opened up in the ground right then, he would’ve crawled inside without hesitation.

Snapping out of his daze, Jiang Zhan sat up and reached out, grabbing the hem of Wei Xiaochi’s shirt, yanking him back.

Wei Xiaochi froze up like a frightened rabbit. Caught in Jiang Zhan’s arms, his body was stiff, his face red from his cheeks all the way down to his neck.

“I do think about it.” Jiang Zhan locked his arms around him, his voice hoarse and low.

Wei Xiaochi remained frozen, panic in his eyes.

“I really do,” Jiang Zhan whispered, hugging him tighter. “Every time I see you, I want to.”

Wei Xiaochi’s eyes didn’t blink for ages, like he was being held at gunpoint. But as Jiang Zhan kept talking, his throat twitched twice from the pressure.

“But we can’t.” Jiang Zhan pressed his forehead gently against the back of Wei Xiaochi’s neck, murmuring, “Not yet.”

Wei Xiaochi froze, then blinked slowly.

Jiang Zhan lightly rubbed the tip of his nose along the back of Wei Xiaochi’s neck. “I promised my mom I wouldn’t do anything to you. If they find out I lied, there’s a lot we won’t be able to ask for.”

Right now, they still had to rely on their parents. If he wanted his mother’s support, Jiang Zhan had to play by the rules. A promise made had to be kept.

Because he wasn’t strong enough yet. He couldn’t fully protect Wei Xiaochi on his own. He couldn’t afford to lose Xu Wenyi’s trust—not now.

Wei Xiaochi blinked again, slower this time. He turned his head and looked at Jiang Zhan. In the alpha’s dark eyes, there was a gentle affection he probably didn’t even realize he was showing.

Liking someone is reckless.

But loving someone is restraint.

And Jiang Zhan, for him, had learned to hold back.

—

Author’s Note:

Our doggy boy is pretty much reformed now. If this were the old him, he’d already be doing that by now. But now he really gets what restraint is—he’s holding back for Xiaochi.