TAO | Chapter 56

Ever since receiving Han Ziyang’s WeChat message, Wei Xiaochi couldn’t focus during morning self-study. He even lost interest in his usual banter with Zhang Mingyang.

Zhang Mingyang teased him a few more times, but when Wei Xiaochi didn’t respond, he found it boring and turned to practicing past years’ math exam problems.

Just as the bell for morning self-study rang, Han Ziyang appeared at the doorway of Class One. His buzz cut stuck out like wild grass, and his cocky delinquent posture startled a beta in the front row.

“Piu~piu,” Han Ziyang called out to attract Wei Xiaochi’s attention.

Wei Xiaochi caught the signal and quickly got up, walking out of the classroom.

At the far end of the corridor near a window, Wei Xiaochi couldn’t hold back anymore. “What did you mean in your WeChat? Did Jiang Zhan lose his temper?”

“See for yourself.” Han Ziyang handed his phone to Wei Xiaochi, the photo gallery already open.

Wei Xiaochi looked at the photo with confusion. The picture showed an exquisitely handsome boy with lively, cat-like eyes, a delicate nose, and a confident smirk. Even through the screen, you could feel his vibrant, self-assured aura.

After checking the picture several times, Wei Xiaochi looked up and said to Han Ziyang, “I don’t know this person.”

“Of course, I know you don’t.” Han Ziyang retrieved his phone, his expression serious. “But you better watch out for him.”

Wei Xiaochi let out a confused “Huh?” before asking, “Is he really good at studying?”

Han Ziyang: …

Han Ziyang stared at him, speechless. “Seriously? It’s not about studying! He’s trying to steal your man!”

It took Wei Xiaochi a few seconds to process what Han Ziyang meant, staring blankly before finally understanding.

The boy in the photo was an omega. This omega liked Jiang Zhan and wanted to pursue him.

Wei Xiaochi pressed his lips together and lowered his head slowly. “Oh.”

Han Ziyang didn’t notice Wei Xiaochi’s overly calm reaction and started ranting about this omega’s notorious behavior.

“His name is Xie Chi. He used to attend Moral High School, but he transferred here because he couldn’t fit in there.”

“He even went after Yan Shen. Do you remember Yan Shen? The lazy guy who made you practice Pilates? He almost caved in, but before anything happened, this little green tea turned to flirt with another alpha on Yan Shen’s team.”

“A few days later, that alpha fought with Xie Chi’s ex and got seriously injured. The alpha ended up in juvie and hasn’t been released yet.”

“This isn’t the first time Xie Chi’s pulled this. Back at Moral High, he went after a top student who was already in a relationship and planning to study abroad with his omega partner. Xie Chi stole the omega’s boyfriend.”

“That caused a huge scandal. Xie Chi got famous for it but got bored after a while and dumped the top student.”

“That’s why Moral High has a saying: Guard against fires, thieves, and Xie Chi.”

“Recently, Xie Chi came to watch us play basketball. He seems interested in Brother Zhan. Given his history, there’s a good chance he’ll try something.”

Han Ziyang was so worried Xie Chi might target Wei Xiaochi that he went out of his way to gather information. The more he learned, the more shocked he was by Xie Chi’s antics, especially the fact that he almost won over Yan Shen.

No. 2 High School and Moral High had been rivals since the first year. Han Ziyang had known Yan Shen for a while—they were opponents on the court but nodded acquaintances off it.

Yan Shen was famously lazy. He wouldn’t even move outside the basketball court unless absolutely necessary, and the only calls he ever picked up were from his parents. Yet somehow, Xie Chi had almost gotten him to fall for him.

According to Yang Shuo, Yan Shen always answered Xie Chi’s calls within ten seconds. That alone spoke volumes about Xie Chi’s skill in seduction.

Though Wei Xiaochi sometimes had a bit of tea-like aura himself, it was nothing compared to Xie Chi.

As Jiang Zhan’s number one fanboy, Han Ziyang had full confidence in Jiang Zhan’s loyalty. Over the years, plenty of flashy omegas had tried their luck, but none had succeeded.

Still, Han Ziyang worried that Xie Chi might try an indirect approach and decided to warn Wei Xiaochi just in case.

“Listen, if he comes to you, don’t be nice to him. Curse him out—curse him hard!”

“If he tries to get friendly and act like your buddy, don’t believe a word he says.”

“Today he’s your friend; tomorrow, he’ll ‘be’ your boyfriend. Got it?”

Han Ziyang was so worked up he practically wanted to tear Xie Chi apart himself.

Wei Xiaochi looked at the riled-up Han Ziyang, who seemed like his boyfriend was being stolen, and sighed softly, almost imperceptibly.

He nodded slowly to show he understood.

Just then, Han Ziyang spotted Li Suilin at the stairwell. His face shifted to a cautious expression. “Anyway, be careful. Call me if anything happens.”

After a quick warning, he bolted back to class.

Watching Han Ziyang’s retreating figure, Li Suilin approached and asked, “Did he do something stupid again?”

Wei Xiaochi hesitated before answering, “No.”

Li Suilin raised an eyebrow slightly, sensing something was off.

Wei Xiaochi mumbled, “Class is starting. I should go.”

Li Suilin gave a meaningful nod. “Alright.”

The first class of the day was math. The senior year syllabus had already been covered, so now it was just review and practice.

During the break, Wei Xiaochi slumped over his desk to rest. He didn’t know how much time had passed when his phone started buzzing non-stop in his desk pocket.

Recently, it had been the same routine—study, review, study, review. The monotony weighed him down like an overloaded machine, leaving him sluggish and unresponsive.

It took several buzzes for him to realize his phone was ringing. Slowly, he sat up, fished out the phone, and opened it.

Jiang Zhan had sent several messages:

Jiang Zhan: Why aren’t you here yet?
Jiang Zhan: Did your teacher run over time?
Jiang Zhan: Answer me.
Jiang Zhan: Why aren’t you answering?

Wei Xiaochi stared blankly at the messages until he noticed the time in the corner of the screen: 9:55.

It was recess!

Like being struck with a hammer, his brain buzzed.

Since Wei Minzhen caught them hugging on the rooftop, Jiang Zhan hadn’t approached him during breaks, except for their usual meeting spot behind the gym after the second class.

Wei Xiaochi jolted upright, accidentally hitting his knee on the desk. He barely noticed the pain, quickly rubbing his knee as he stumbled out of the classroom.

While running, he sent Jiang Zhan a voice message: “I’m on my way!”

On his way to the gym, Wei Xiaochi accidentally bumped into someone.

“Sorry!” he apologized hurriedly.

The person didn’t respond but bent down to pick something up from the ground. Holding it up, he asked, “Did you drop this?”

Wei Xiaochi turned to look—and froze.

The sunlight filtering through the trees dappled the boy’s flawless face. His cat-like eyes gleamed with an innocent smile, radiating purity and mischief.

Xie Chi.

Xie Chi held up a piece of chocolate between his slender fingers, smiling brightly. “Why are you staring at me? If it’s not yours, I’ll eat it.”

Wei Xiaochi’s brain short-circuited. He couldn’t even form a coherent sentence. All he could do was stare at Xie Chi with wide eyes.

How could it be such a coincidence?

This morning, Han Ziyang showed him Xie Chi’s photo, rattling on about how infamous he was. And now, he had bumped into him in real life.

The girl standing next to Xie Chi tugged his sleeve. “Are you coming or not?”

Xie Chi ignored her, unwrapped the chocolate, broke off a piece, and popped it into his mouth.

He seemed to savor it for a moment, then nodded approvingly. He neatly folded the wrapper, leaned toward Wei Xiaochi, and slipped it back into his pocket.

The girl glanced at Wei Xiaochi, sighed helplessly, and tugged on Xie Chi again to leave.

As they walked away, Wei Xiaochi remained rooted in place, dazed. He vaguely caught the girl’s words: “You’ve got to flirt with every omega, don’t you?”

Xie Chi chuckled, his voice laced with mischief. “He looks so dumbfounded—it’s kind of fun.”

Midway through his response, Xie Chi suddenly turned back to glance at Wei Xiaochi.

He curved his lips into a playful smile, his eyes gleaming with an alluring mix of purity and mischief. The boy in the photo had come alive, more vibrant and captivating than any picture could capture. He was like an extravagant oil painting, with everything around him reduced to mere background.

Silently mouthing the words “Thank you,” Xie Chi smirked before turning away.

Wei Xiaochi remained in his dazed state, his lashes fluttering slightly.

This omega… was really good-looking.

Way better looking than him.

Jiang Zhan had been waiting in the grove for fifteen minutes, growing impatient. He angrily plucked a few leaves from a tree.

By the time Wei Xiaochi finally arrived, panting heavily, Jiang Zhan’s eyes were as sharp as daggers. “Why are you so late?”

The alpha strode over, shoving a lunchbox into Wei Xiaochi’s hands. “Hurry up and eat!”

Still catching his breath, Wei Xiaochi opened the lunchbox to find a meal prepared by Aunt Zhou: purple rice and grape porridge, two light vegetable sides, and two brown sugar muffins.

As Wei Xiaochi ate, Jiang Zhan suddenly asked, “Why were you so late today? I asked Li Suilin, and he said your class wasn’t running over time.”

Wei Xiaochi froze mid-bite, fumbling for an explanation. He decided to go with the truth. “I… forgot this was the second class break. Lately, studying has been a bit overwhelming.”

In junior high, his workload had been just as heavy, but it hadn’t felt this exhausting. For some reason, everything seemed more tiring lately.

Jiang Zhan frowned. “Then stop studying so much. I’ll take you ice skating tonight to unwind.”

Wei Xiaochi scratched his ear awkwardly. “I don’t know how to skate.”

“I’ll teach you,” Jiang Zhan said quickly.

Wei Xiaochi had never been fond of sports, and even without trying, he could already imagine how embarrassing his attempts at ice skating would be. “Actually, studying isn’t that tiring—”

Before he could finish, Jiang Zhan cut him off. “We’re going skating tonight.” His tone brooked no argument.

The alpha looked a little shy, lowering his head as he muttered, “Everyone else goes out to have fun… and we haven’t done that.”

Wei Xiaochi blinked in surprise, glancing at Jiang Zhan, who had turned away to avoid his gaze.

“Alright… but not too late. I still have to go home.” And do homework.

Jiang Zhan grunted in acknowledgment and reached for Wei Xiaochi’s hand.

Helpless, Wei Xiaochi let him hold it. He balanced his lunch in his other hand and hurriedly finished his meal. The break time was almost over.

As he stuffed the last bite into his mouth, he offered a muffin to Jiang Zhan. “Do you want one?”

Jiang Zhan finally turned around, opening his mouth with a blank expression.

Wei Xiaochi: …

He peeled back the wrapper and placed the muffin into Jiang Zhan’s mouth.

After finishing the muffin, Jiang Zhan left some crumbs in Wei Xiaochi’s palm.

In a rush to finish before class, Wei Xiaochi habitually brushed the crumbs into his mouth without thinking.

As he reached for the second muffin, he realized Jiang Zhan had been staring at him the entire time. He looked back questioningly.

Jiang Zhan’s ears turned red, but he remained silent.

He’s definitely into close contact, Jiang Zhan thought. After all, he had once drunk from my drink before.

Seeing that Jiang Zhan had nothing more to say, Wei Xiaochi didn’t think much of it. He unwrapped the muffin—only for Jiang Zhan to suddenly lean in and kiss him.

Wei Xiaochi: ???

That evening at the skating rink, things didn’t go well.

For over two hours, Wei Xiaochi’s uncoordinated limbs made it impossible to skate properly. While it wasn’t quite hellish, the experience was far from enjoyable.

He fell multiple times, clinging to the railing and barely daring to venture into the center of the rink. Even so, he still managed to trip over himself several times, even dragging Jiang Zhan down with him three times.

By the end of the evening, Jiang Zhan finally realized that taking Wei Xiaochi skating had been a terrible idea.

Their disastrous outing left Wei Xiaochi even more exhausted than before. The next day, he trudged into school, visibly worn out. No matter how much Zhang Mingyang tried to provoke him, Wei Xiaochi slumped over his desk and refused to respond.

His strange walking posture didn’t escape Li Suilin’s notice. “Tsk, what did you guys do yesterday?”

Wei Xiaochi buried his head further into his arms, unwilling to confess to his early romance.

At lunchtime, Jiang Zhan took pity on Wei Xiaochi and spared him from their usual walks around campus.

They had lunch outside and then headed to the library, settling into a quiet corner to study.

After a while, Wei Xiaochi grew tired and stretched. He rubbed his eyes and adjusted his glasses, only to find Jiang Zhan asleep beside him.

The alpha’s sharp features softened in slumber, his side profile bathed in a golden glow from the sunlight streaming through the window. Gone was his usual domineering presence, replaced by a peaceful tranquility.

Wei Xiaochi glanced at him briefly before returning to his books.

It wasn’t clear when Jiang Zhan woke up, but he let out a soft sound and reached out, wrapping an arm around Wei Xiaochi’s waist and nuzzling his neck.

Wei Xiaochi had grown used to Jiang Zhan’s clinginess but felt awkward being so close in public. Nervously, he glanced around—only to lock eyes with a sharp, piercing gaze.

It was Xu Yang.

Wei Xiaochi’s heart skipped a beat.