TAO | Chapter 22

Fang Yuan’s face instantly changed, but she didn’t lash out. Instead, she picked up Wei Zimo and took him to his room to calm him down.

After that, Fang Yuan rarely left Wei Xiaochi alone to take care of the twins. When Wei Dongjian returned from out of town, he had a talk with Wei Xiaochi.

“Talk” was actually just Wei Dongjian questioning him:

“Wei Zimo is your younger brother. Even if he’s a bit naughty, you, as his older brother, shouldn’t lay a hand on him. He’s only a few years old, and you’re how old? Why are you arguing with him?”

“Also, hasn’t Fang Yuan treated you well? Has she ever made you go without food or drink since she married into the family? Do you have any complaints?”

“What’s your problem with this family?”

When Wei Zimo misbehaved, Fang Yuan would also punish him, but she was much harsher than Wei Xiaochi.

Wei Xiaochi’s punishments were more ceremonial, just a couple of soft taps on the butt through the clothes, leaving no marks.

But since they weren’t biological siblings, Fang Yuan couldn’t control Wei Xiaochi as she would her own children. She didn’t scold him or let him explain, but she kept it in her heart.

If they were blood relatives, Fang Yuan wouldn’t think twice, and Wei Dongjian wouldn’t either.

The relationship between people is very delicate. No matter how close they are, once there’s a layer of something between them—even if that layer is as thin as a piece of gauze—it creates an emotional divide at some point.

Now, Fang Yuan wasn’t as guarded around Wei Xiaochi as she had been two years ago. When she was too busy with work, she’d even let Wei Xiaochi take care of the twins.

Over time, that incident had faded from Fang Yuan’s memory, and both she and Wei Dongjian probably no longer remembered it.

But Wei Xiaochi remembered it very clearly.

That night, when Wei Dongjian talked to him, Wei Xiaochi cried alone under the covers for most of the night.

As a mother, seeing her stepson holding a clothes hanger and her two-year-old son crying heartbrokenly beside him, it was hard for Fang Yuan not to suspect that Wei Xiaochi was abusing her son behind her back.

Moreover, she had her own selfish motives. Wei Dongjian earned thirty to fifty thousand a month, which seemed like a decent amount. But in A City, even a two-bedroom apartment required at least a hundred thousand for the down payment.

They would have to save for thirty years to buy a house, and they had three children.

Fang Yuan wasn’t a saint. She suspected that Wei Dongjian’s heart tipped in favor of her children. So, every time they returned to her hometown, she’d remind the twins to treat their grandmother well because Wei Dongjian was a filial son.

She put in effort when there was something to gain, but when it came to harming others for no benefit, she never did it.

Wei Xiaochi had stumbled through life in this family, gradually understanding Fang Yuan’s personality and growing completely disappointed with Wei Dongjian. Only then did he find a way to survive.

Once Fang Yuan left with the twins, Wei Xiaochi came out of his room.

The dining table was a mess, and there were rice grains scattered all over the floor. Fang Yuan had left him a portion of rice porridge and some vegetables.

After eating, Wei Xiaochi washed the bowls and cleaned the house.

By the time he finished cleaning, it was almost 8 PM. Wei Xiaochi hurriedly spent some time solving a set of problems.

Unlike Li Suilin, the naturally gifted study god, Wei Xiaochi’s good grades were all due to his diligent effort.

He had barely solved a few problems when his phone rang. He picked it up and saw it was Jiang Zhan.

Wei Xiaochi was puzzled. How did he get his number?

Just as he was about to answer, his malfunctioning phone froze. He pressed the screen for a while, but it wouldn’t respond.

If the call didn’t go through within 30 seconds, it would automatically disconnect, but his phone kept ringing for over three minutes before it finally returned to normal.

Not daring to waste any more time, Wei Xiaochi immediately redialed.

It was quickly picked up on the other end, and Jiang Zhan’s furious voice made Wei Xiaochi’s scalp tingle. “How deaf are you? I called you seven or eight times, and you didn’t hear a thing?”

Wei Xiaochi hurriedly explained, “I heard it. I was about to answer, but my phone froze.”

Jiang Zhan was still angry. He cursed, “What kind of crappy phone is that?” and then told Wei Xiaochi to go downstairs.

Wei Xiaochi was confused. “Huh?”

“Huh what? Get dressed and come downstairs. You have two minutes. If you’re not at the entrance of your community, you’d better wait there.”

Jiang Zhan threatened him and hung up the phone.

Wei Xiaochi was left in a daze, but his action was quick. He changed into a T-shirt, put on socks, and shoes, then rushed out the door.

Their old building had no elevator, and Wei Xiaochi lived on the fifth floor. He ran down the stairs in one breath, and when he reached the entrance of the community, he saw a flashy motorcycle.

The alpha wore a stylish racing T-shirt that outlined his long, sleek shoulders and back.

He wore sunglasses, hiding his emotions, but from his taut jaw and the downward curve of his lips, Wei Xiaochi could still sense his impatience.

Wei Xiaochi’s ability to execute was honed in middle school, where Fang Zhi Xin trained him. He didn’t have time to think earlier, but now, seeing Jiang Zhan in front of his house, he was truly shocked.

Jiang Zhan took off his sunglasses and looked Wei Xiaochi up and down. Annoyed, he snapped, “Didn’t I tell you to dress properly?”

Wei Xiaochi looked down at his outfit—white T-shirt, black pants, and sneakers. Wasn’t this good enough?

Seeing the confused look on Wei Xiaochi’s face, Jiang Zhan’s anger flared up. “Why didn’t you bring the barrier and suppressant? Are you ignoring what I said?”

“I came out in a hurry. I’ll go back and get it now.” Not giving Jiang Zhan a chance to get more angry, Wei Xiaochi turned around to grab the suppressant.

Two minutes later, Wei Xiaochi appeared in front of Jiang Zhan, panting with the bag from yesterday in his hands.

Jiang Zhan wanted to yell but held back when he saw Wei Xiaochi’s condition. He grumbled, “Hurry up and put it on.”

“This…” Wei Xiaochi hesitated. “I appreciate your kindness, but these things are too expensive. You should return them. I think they have a seven-day unconditional return policy.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “As for the bracelet, since the packaging’s been opened, they definitely won’t take it back. You can give it to your sister. I heard she’s also an omega.”

Jiang Zhan glared at Wei Xiaochi, his gaze dark. “You don’t want it?”

Sensing the change in his tone, Wei Xiaochi quickly shook his head. “No, it’s just too expensive.”

It really was too expensive—the bracelet cost over 80,000. Can you believe that?

Wei Xiaochi felt like even if he sold himself, he wouldn’t get that much. The bracelet was no different from the ones in a ten-yuan shop.

Well, it was a bit more refined than those, but that was about it. Jiang Zhan really knew how to burn money.

Jiang Zhan didn’t speak. He snatched the shopping bag from Wei Xiaochi’s hands and threw it into the nearby green trash bin.

Wei Xiaochi’s eyes widened. What was this? It was money, how could he just throw it away?

Wei Xiaochi hurriedly fished the shopping bag out of the trash. The high-end paper bag was stained with dirt, and he felt heartbroken. The bag alone probably cost a good amount of money, didn’t it?

Jiang Zhan pursed his lips, turned away from Wei Xiaochi, and refused to look at him.

Wei Xiaochi glanced at Jiang Zhan—ugh, he was saving him money, but Jiang Zhan was throwing a tantrum.

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t good at comforting people, but Jiang Zhan hadn’t stormed off yet. Since he was standing there so angrily, he felt like he should say something.

But he didn’t know what to say. He stood there for a long while, and seeing that Jiang Zhan wasn’t leaving nor getting angrier, he finally opened his mouth.

“Don’t be angry anymore.”

It seemed like Jiang Zhan had been waiting for him to speak. As soon as Wei Xiaochi began to talk, he spun around, his eyes cold and sharp, staring at Wei Xiaochi.

Wei Xiaochi froze, all the words he had prepared disappearing. He was frozen by Jiang Zhan’s terrifying gaze.

The morning sunlight shone coldly on the alpha, highlighting his straight nose and jawline. His sharp, delicate eyebrows, though, were full of hostility.

“Say it,” Jiang Zhan tilted his head, his voice dripping with arrogance, “Go on.”

Wei Xiaochi couldn’t tell if Jiang Zhan was mocking him or genuinely waiting for him to say more.

He wasn’t good at dealing with situations like this. To be honest, he’d rather Jiang Zhan just leave when he got mad, instead of facing the school bully’s storm of anger.

He nervously opened his mouth, instinctively apologizing, “Sorry, I was wrong.”

Jiang Zhan asked, “What did you do wrong?”

“…”

Jiang Zhan snapped, “Speak!”

Seeing how relentless Jiang Zhan was, Wei Xiaochi felt an eerie feeling rise in his chest.

He didn’t expect Jiang Zhan to ask him what he did wrong. It seemed like Jiang Zhan wanted to communicate, but his posture was too proud and harsh to seem like it was about understanding.

It felt more like… he was asking for a way to resolve things.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t understand Jiang Zhan’s thought process, so he bit the bullet and said, “I shouldn’t have wasted your kindness.”

Jiang Zhan’s brow twitched twice. Irritated, he snapped, “Kindness? Who’s interested in you? I just don’t want your pheromones to mess with me when you turn into an omega.”

“And what if you cause an alpha collective arousal in a public place? Do you know how much trouble that would bring? This is irresponsible towards others…”

Wei Xiaochi was stunned. Before this, he didn’t realize that Jiang Zhan could be so socially responsible.

Under Jiang Zhan’s accusations, Wei Xiaochi felt like his transformation from affecting only himself was now escalating into social chaos, and who knows, maybe even something that could affect all of humanity.

If Jiang Zhan kept going, Wei Xiaochi felt like he might as well be sentenced to death.

Unable to bear it anymore, Wei Xiaochi cut Jiang Zhan off mid-sentence.

He whispered, “The test results aren’t out yet.”

“You’re still an omega even without the test results!” Jiang Zhan, still angry about the previous incident, spat out, “I spent half the night looking up precautions for you, and you couldn’t care less!”

Wei Xiaochi froze, staring at Jiang Zhan.

Realizing what he had just said, Jiang Zhan turned away in frustration, kicking the trash bin in a fit of anger.

The green bin, taller than most people, was nearly full. It wobbled heavily from the kick.

With his back turned to Wei Xiaochi, his broad shoulders stiffened, trying to ignore him.

Looking at Jiang Zhan’s back, Wei Xiaochi pressed his lips together and murmured, “It’s not that I don’t care, it’s just…”

Jiang Zhan, embarrassed and angry, cut him off. “Shut up, don’t say anymore.”

Wei Xiaochi obediently fell silent, standing beside the alpha for another seven or eight minutes.

Seeing that it was almost time to be late, Wei Xiaochi finally gathered his courage.

“You know we have six hours of tutoring today, right?”

“I don’t!” Jiang Zhan kicked the trash bin again, his tone as sharp as ever.

Wei Xiaochi hesitated, “Well, now you know, right? It’s almost nine, if we don’t go now, we’ll be late.”

Jiang Zhan turned around, glaring at Wei Xiaochi with eyes that could burn him. “Stop talking and put on the stuff.”

Wei Xiaochi: …

Author’s Note:
“Tsk tsk, some people really shouldn’t bother using their mouths—just eating should be enough, don’t you think?”