TAO | Chapter 110

Seeing Jiang Zhan’s expression darken, Wei Xiaochi was instantly hit with a jolt of bravery—his spine straightened on instinct.

With everyone watching, Wei Xiaochi stared straight at Xie Chi and forced himself to speak. “He, he…”

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Jiang Zhan’s intense gaze, eyes full of hope and expectation. Wei Xiaochi swallowed hard, his throat tightening.

“He’s not going to agree.” Wei Xiaochi pushed the words out through sheer willpower. “So I hope you don’t come back again.”

Jiang Zhan, however, wasn’t satisfied with the strength of that rejection. His face sank, lips pressed into a thin line.

The boy stood in the border between light and shadow, his fair face nearly translucent, like the first snow of winter. His eyes curved softly as he smiled, looking at Wei Xiaochi with a kind of innocent cluelessness.

“Why?” Xie Chi asked.

That made Wei Xiaochi freeze for a second—wasn’t it obvious? Still, he answered without thinking, “Because we’re together.”

The moment he said it, the classroom burst into a mix of whistles and excited jeers.

Jiang Zhan swept his gaze across the room, and all the noisy onlookers shrank back like startled animals, not daring to make another sound.

His eyes returned to Wei Xiaochi, and although his face was clearly pleased, he still put on a prideful front. “Keep talking.”

Wei Xiaochi: …Talk about what? I already said it all.

Xie Chi chuckled, unfazed, and countered, “So what if you’re together? Who says couples can’t break up?”

“Bullshit!” Jiang Zhan slammed the desk and shot up, eyes fierce and face stormy. “Who are you saying will break up?”

Afraid Jiang Zhan would start throwing punches, Wei Xiaochi quickly stepped in to hold him back. “Ignore him, he’s just…”

Before Wei Xiaochi could finish, Xie Chi cut him off and fanned the flames.

“I’m just being honest. Feelings aren’t set in stone. You only like him now because you’re used to the fancy stuff and want something fresh. Or maybe you just haven’t met someone better suited for you yet. How would you know who’s truly compatible without trying a few more?”

He smiled brightly and looked at Jiang Zhan. “What if I’m the one who’s the best match for you, physically and emotionally? Are you sure you don’t want to give me a shot?”

Everyone was floored by Xie Chi’s shameless and bold confession—including Wei Xiaochi, who stared in shock.

Even someone like Fang Zhixin, known for being a piece of work, wouldn’t try to steal someone’s partner in public. At worst, they’d sneak around behind people’s backs. But someone like Xie Chi, openly airing his dirty thoughts? That was rare.

Jiang Zhan was the only one who didn’t seem fazed, clearly fed up. “Go see a doctor if you’re sick. I’m not interested. Don’t bother me again.”

“Why not?” Xie Chi tilted his head—a very soft and feminine gesture, but on him, it somehow worked. “I’m not better-looking than him?”

Jiang Zhan scoffed coldly. “What part of you could possibly compare to him?”

In Jiang Zhan’s eyes, no one in this world could be more beautiful than Wei Xiaochi. Anyone who dared try was just embarrassing themselves.

Hearing the weight behind Jiang Zhan’s words, Wei Xiaochi lowered his head, feeling awkward and embarrassed.

There’s that saying, “In the eyes of a lover, the beloved is a beauty.” Psychologists call it the halo effect. But Jiang Zhan’s case wasn’t just halo effect—it was straight-up delusional, blind praise.

Wei Xiaochi felt incredibly self-conscious and started scratching his ears to hide his flustered embarrassment.

Xie Chi raised a brow, pointing to Wei Xiaochi, then to himself. “So you’re saying he’s better-looking than me?”

Jiang Zhan replied with three words: “Ugly little freak.”

It was the first time someone had ever called him that. Xie Chi looked like he’d just heard a fairytale. He burst out laughing, holding his stomach.

But then, his smile vanished. He narrowed his eyes and threw out a threat at Jiang Zhan. “You just wait.”

Then he turned and left.

Wei Xiaochi looked worried. “What’s he going to do?”

If Xie Chi brought backup and started a fight, it’d be a problem—Jiang Zhan had promised the principal he wouldn’t get into trouble again.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Wei Xiaochi stood up and started heading for the door.

Jiang Zhan grabbed his wrist. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to tell a teacher,” Wei Xiaochi said, clearly anxious.

Jiang Zhan’s brow twitched. “You think I’m scared of him?”

Wei Xiaochi looked troubled and leaned in close to whisper, “But we can’t fight.”

“And you still can’t go. Sit down,” Jiang Zhan said, completely unconcerned, urging Wei Xiaochi to keep explaining the question they were on.

Wei Xiaochi snuck a glance at his face, cleared his throat, and tried one last time, “Telling the teacher isn’t a bad thing. I’ll do it, not you—so it won’t hurt your image, I promise.”

Bad-boy types like Jiang Zhan always preferred solving things with fists. In their world, tattling was “low-level” and damaging to their rep.

Jiang Zhan took a deep breath and said slowly, “Don’t bring it up again.”

Wei Xiaochi had no choice but to shut up, though he couldn’t stop worrying about Xie Chi trying something.

–

Sure enough, the next day, Xie Chi showed up again. But his “just you wait” apparently meant something completely different from what Wei Xiaochi had expected.

He didn’t come to stir up trouble—he came to keep chasing Jiang Zhan.

Right after lunch, as Wei Xiaochi and Jiang Zhan stepped out of the cafeteria, Xie Chi blocked their way.

This time, he didn’t come alone. A whole crowd followed behind him. Some knew about the drama between the three of them, while others had just shown up out of curiosity, drawn in by Xie Chi’s presence.

Xie Chi was eye-catching today—wearing a fluorescent green T-shirt, loose pure white track pants, and flashy, limited-edition hot pink sneakers. But what drew the most attention… was his head.

His hair was practically shaved off, leaving just a shadow of prickly stubble, like a fresh buzzcut. He wore a white sports headband across his forehead, printed with bold red letters.

That prison-inmate-level buzzcut, paired with his fashion-forward clothes, created a bizarre sense of high-fashion edge.

No one at No. 2 High had a shorter haircut than Xie Chi. He stood out in the crowd like a neon sign.

Xie Chi stood in front of Jiang Zhan and said, “I’m Xie Chi. Since you can’t remember my face, remember my hairstyle. And if that’s still too hard—no problem. I can just shave it all off.”

He looked like he was ready to go head-to-head with Jiang Zhan long-term.

Han Ziyang, standing behind Jiang Zhan, muttered in his head: Bro, do you even have any shame?

Yep, total homewrecker vibes. Professional-grade corner-digger. No wonder he had such a bad rep at Yude.

Han Ziyang suddenly found Yan Shen’s judgment seriously questionable. This Xie Chi guy was unreliable, and the Omega he liked was even more so.

Everyone else was stunned. They had never seen an Omega this bold, actually daring to mess with Jiang Zhan.

Respect… for his guts.

Jiang Zhan said, annoyed, “Get lost, cue ball.”

Xie Chi wasn’t offended. He even lowered his head to show Jiang Zhan his hairline. “Still not bald, see? But if you really wanna see it bald, I can make that happen.”

Wei Xiaochi stared at the loud and flashy Xie Chi, then finally spoke, “What exactly do you want?”

Xie Chi smiled. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Wei Xiaochi pursed his lips and shook his head slightly. “No.”

It was clear Xie Chi didn’t even like Jiang Zhan. His dramatic declarations felt more like a performance, like he was showing off.

Wei Xiaochi really didn’t understand why he was doing all this—he’d never met someone like this before.

Xie Chi’s smile faded briefly, but quickly returned. “I kinda like him. It’s not like you two are married. While things are still uncertain, everyone should get a chance. Is it wrong for me to chase the person I like?”

Han Ziyang couldn’t take it anymore. “Bro, shut up. Don’t drag the word ‘love’ through the mud. Not everyone deserves to talk about love.”

Xie Chi gave Han Ziyang a sly side glance. “If you’re so eager to stand up for him, why not date me yourself?”

Shit.

Han Ziyang instantly backed off. That kind of person? Nope. Couldn’t handle that.

Seeing Han Ziyang retreat, Xie Chi smirked meaningfully and said to Jiang Zhan, “You don’t have to answer right away. Just think it over.”

Jiang Zhan’s chest heaved twice. He couldn’t take it anymore. “You’re really just gonna stand there and let this freak harass me?” he snapped at Wei Xiaochi.

Wei Xiaochi jolted at the Alpha’s unusually vulnerable tone. Fired up, he shoved the nearly 1.9-meter-tall Jiang Zhan behind him and stepped forward to face Xie Chi.

This time, forget being polite. Wei Xiaochi was pissed.

“You—stop bothering him. Got it?!” he snapped.

“And if you don’t…” Wei Xiaochi raised a clenched fist and waved it vaguely in the air, “I won’t be nice about it.”

Han Ziyang: …

Everyone else: …

A legendary showdown—one was the strongest, most shameless wall-digger Omega in the universe, the other… a teaspoon-style backfiller Omega.

Han Ziyang covered his face. He couldn’t watch. The only reason this wall hadn’t been dug down yet was because his brother Zhan was loyal and upright—not because of anything Wei Xiaochi did.

Seriously, it was the first time he’d seen someone this bad at arguing. He couldn’t even make a proper threat. “I won’t be nice”?? What kind of intimidation was that?

When they fought, they went all in—either hands flew or it was a full verbal brawl, peppered with colorful profanity.

⸻

Author’s Note:

I actually wanted to write a bit more, but since I saw people were waiting for the 1:30 update… here it is!

Do you still remember Jiang Zhan’s reaction back when he first found out Chichi liked him? Compared to Xie Chi… pretty clear now, huh? 😏