TAO | Chapter 21

“This is the fee for the gender test.” Wei Xiaochi hesitated and said, “I think I should still pay you back.”

Although Wei Xiaochi was very reluctant, he couldn’t let Jiang Zhan help him pay this money.

Jiang Zhan irritably slammed his phone on the table. “You’re so troublesome. I already said there’s no need to pay me back.”

Seeing that Jiang Zhan wasn’t going to accept the money, Wei Xiaochi suddenly had an idea, and the sound of mental calculations filled his mind.

“How about this.” Wei Xiaochi looked at Jiang Zhan, his eyes glimmering with hope as if they had been sprinkled with ice crystals. “I won’t pay you back the money, but in the future, every time before a mock exam, I’ll give you two extra hours of tutoring.”

If Jiang Zhan agreed, then he could save this expense.

“I promise I’ll teach you well,” Wei Xiaochi added, his tone as sincere as possible. “What do you think?”

Jiang Zhan’s expression was subtle, and he let out a grunt, as though he was thinking about something.

Give him tutoring?

Clearly, he wanted to take the opportunity to spend more time with him. Looking at that eager expression, tsk tsk, the guy really didn’t know how to hide it.

Jiang Zhan raised his hand and grabbed the flesh on Wei Xiaochi’s cheek.

Wei Xiaochi was shocked and instinctively shrank back, trying to avoid Jiang Zhan’s attack. Today, his face had already been pinched by the other several times.

But Jiang Zhan leaned in closer to Wei Xiaochi, his features sharp, his eyebrows haughty, and his tone dripping with arrogance. “I told you not to tempt me, not to like me. I don’t fall for this kind of thing.”

Wei Xiaochi froze for a moment.

He didn’t understand why Jiang Zhan was so sure that he liked him, and why he always felt like he was trying to seduce him. Jiang Zhan even suspected that after he had turned into an omega, he would use his pheromones to lure him.

Then, Wei Xiaochi felt a rush of frustration, his face flushed red as he hurriedly explained, “I don’t, I really don’t…”

He was just about to clarify, but Jiang Zhan suddenly let go of him, changing his pinch into a press, pressing his palm on Wei Xiaochi’s face and squeezing it inwards. Wei Xiaochi’s face instantly became like a little chicken’s beak.

Wei Xiaochi: …

Jiang Zhan’s eyes were full of laughter, and the smile grew more intense. His gaze sparkled, and in the warm orange light from the noodle shop, his eyes shone like the ocean under a starry sky.

Wei Xiaochi stared blankly at Jiang Zhan.

The latter clicked his tongue in disdain. “So ugly.”

Before Wei Xiaochi could say anything, Jiang Zhan’s smile disappeared in an instant.

He lowered his gaze, his eyes locking onto Wei Xiaochi with a sharp coldness.

Wei Xiaochi immediately felt a dangerous aura enveloping him, and his breath caught in his throat.

The alpha poked at Wei Xiaochi’s face and said coldly, “Don’t argue with me. I hate it when people lie to me. I can see through all your little schemes. Understand?”

Under his oppressive gaze, Wei Xiaochi swallowed and nodded.

Only then did Jiang Zhan release him, stepping back with an air of nonchalance.

Wei Xiaochi felt like he had just been granted mercy. He curled up in a corner, sitting with his legs drawn together like a little wife, completely giving up on the idea of further explanations.

Forget it, this guy really doesn’t listen to reason and is so self-centered. Explaining wouldn’t help anyway; he’d probably just think he was lying.

Soon, the restaurant staff brought two bowls of noodles.

Jiang Zhan lazily stayed in his seat, not touching the beef noodles in front of him, his gaze casually sweeping over Wei Xiaochi.

Wei Xiaochi was confused, until Jiang Zhan’s expression darkened and he pointed at the beef in his own bowl.

Wei Xiaochi immediately understood and hurriedly picked the beef out of his bowl, mentally grumbling—
If you don’t like beef, then why order beef noodles? Just get a bowl of tomato egg noodles! That would save you six bucks.

He only dared to think this in his mind. Just as he was about to eat, Jiang Zhan’s gaze landed on him again.

Wei Xiaochi felt a chill down his spine and wasn’t sure what Jiang Zhan was up to. After thinking for a moment, he tentatively picked up the vinegar pot. “Do you want some vinegar?”

Jiang Zhan raised an eyebrow in a slightly arrogant manner.

Since he didn’t refuse, that meant he wanted it—Wei Xiaochi poured some vinegar into the beef noodles.

Based on Jiang Zhan’s habits from last time, Wei Xiaochi added some chili flakes and then went to the counter to get a small serving of green onions.

Jiang Zhan clearly seemed satisfied, and the young master finally picked up his chopsticks. Wei Xiaochi nearly thanked the heavens for this.

He was somewhat curious—what kind of family could raise such an alpha?

As expected, nothing is more important than food. After they left the beef noodle shop, Jiang Zhan’s mood visibly brightened. He no longer had that sour expression.

Wei Xiaochi had planned to take the bus back, but Jiang Zhan waved for a taxi and first sent him home.

By the time they reached the entrance of the community, it was completely dark. The streetlights were dim, and mosquitoes danced in the air under the glow, while tree shadows swayed gently.

“You live here?” Jiang Zhan looked at the old building across the street through the car window.

“Yeah. Thanks today, take care on the way back,” Wei Xiaochi opened the car door and got out.

“Wait.” Jiang Zhan called after him, grabbed a shopping bag, and passed it through the window. “Remember to wear it every day.”

Wei Xiaochi stood there holding the random assortment of items, feeling as though the bag weighed a thousand pounds as he watched the taxi drive away.

Once he got home, Wei Xiaochi checked the price of the brand of barrier and suppressant online.

The suppressant wasn’t expensive, a box costing 898, containing five vials.

Of course, “not expensive” was relative. Compared to the barrier agent, 898 seemed quite affordable.

The bracelet on his wrist, made of colorful ropes, was said to be a collaboration with Emma’s jewelry. The metallic clasps on both ends of the rope were Emma’s classic hardware.

Among all the barrier agents, the most expensive item was this bracelet, and Jiang Zhan had just torn off its original packaging.

Wei Xiaochi was so shocked by the price that he nearly triggered his omega transformation on the spot.

He knew the price wasn’t cheap, but he never imagined it would be this outrageous. Forgive him for not understanding fashion—a simple rope didn’t seem worth that much money.

Wei Xiaochi groaned and flopped onto his bed. His phone rang with a “ding.” It was a WeChat message from Li Suilin.

Suifeng Rulin: Are you there?

Wei Xiaochi hadn’t expected the class president, the study god, to send such a simple message. He replied, “Yes.”

Suifeng Rulin: Looks like it’s really you.

Wei Xiaochi: …

Suifeng Rulin: Why didn’t you come to class today?

Wei Xiaochi felt guilty about not showing up and quickly sat up, typing with one hand as he tried to explain. He wasn’t used to texting and struggled to explain the situation.

After some time, Wei Xiaochi finally sent: “I ran into Jiang Zhan at the community entrance, and we went to the hospital.”

Suifeng Rulin: To the hospital? Who’s sick?

Since the test results weren’t out yet, Wei Xiaochi didn’t want too many people to know about this. He didn’t say much.

He replied vaguely: “It’s nothing, just a small check-up.”

Worried that Li Suilin would keep asking, Wei Xiaochi quickly changed the subject. “Did Han Ziyang and the others have tutoring today?”

Suifeng Rulin sent a helpless shrug emoji: “No. They said without you as the official tutor, they won’t accept my tutoring.”

Wei Xiaochi felt even more guilty. “Sorry, I’ve delayed their studies.”

Suifeng Rulin: Studying intensively for too long can lead to burnout. They should have a day off to adjust their mindset.

Knowing that Li Suilin was trying to comfort him, Wei Xiaochi felt grateful, but also worried. What if he actually decided to cut down on the tutoring hours?

Wei Xiaochi nervously asked: “What about tomorrow?”

Suifeng Rulin: Tomorrow, six hours of tutoring—three hours in the morning, from 9 to 12, and three hours in the afternoon, from 2 to 5.

Wei Xiaochi was thrilled: “Six hours? But didn’t you just say they might get tired of studying?”

Suifeng Rulin: They’ll definitely feel burnt out, but in the current situation, their feelings don’t matter. It’s not something we’re considering.

In short, no one cares about their feelings.

Wei Xiaochi: …

There’s nothing more important than making money. Wei Xiaochi pushed all his worries aside and focused on preparing lessons for tomorrow’s tutoring.

After working late into the night, Wei Xiaochi took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. He got up to wash up in the bathroom.

Before going to sleep, he spent twenty minutes thinking about his potential omega transformation, then got caught up in the dilemma of the expensive barrier agents Jiang Zhan had given him.

After a while, his eyelids started to droop. He was exhausted from standing at the milk tea shop all day, and without realizing it, he fell asleep.

The next morning, before his alarm went off, Wei Xiaochi woke up. He lazily lay in bed for a few minutes, then pulled off his summer blanket and started getting dressed.

The alarm set for 7:00 went off just as he finished putting on his clothes. From behind the door, he heard Fang Yuan calling the twins to eat.

Fang Yuan worked as an accountant in a logistics company, starting at 8:00 AM. Before going to work, she had to drop the twins off at kindergarten.

“Xiaochi,” Fang Yuan knocked on his door but didn’t come in, standing outside and saying, “I’m going to be late. Remember to wash the dishes after breakfast.”

Wei Xiaochi replied, “Got it.”

Fang Yuan turned around to see Wei Zimo still dragging his feet, and anger flared up in her. “Are you trying to get us all late?” She picked up Wei Zimo’s shoes from the shoe cabinet, crouched down, and started putting them on while scolding him. “Look at how obedient your sister is.”

The house was filled with the usual morning chaos, and Wei Xiaochi had gotten used to it.

Wei Dongjian was rarely home, and Fang Yuan had to take care of the two kids alone, which was tough, but Wei Xiaochi rarely intervened unless she specifically asked for help.

When the twins were younger, Wei Xiaochi used to help look after them more often.

At two years old, Wei Zimo was naughty but also clever and good at reading people’s expressions.

Fang Yuan was strict, and when she was around, Wei Zimo knew to behave, not daring to misbehave too much. But if Wei Xiaochi was watching him alone, he acted like a little devil, running wild without rules.

Kids didn’t have a clear sense of right and wrong. Once, Wei Zimo made Wei Xiaochi so angry that he grabbed a clothes hanger from the sofa and swatted him on the bottom twice.

It was just to scare him, and he didn’t hit hard, but since he had never gotten angry before, this was the first time, and it frightened Wei Zimo.

At that moment, Fang Yuan returned home. When she saw Wei Xiaochi holding the hanger and Wei Zimo sitting on the floor crying, things got a little complicated.