TAO | Chapter 58

Wei Xiaochi’s chest was pressed against the edge of the desk, his head lowered as he buried himself in his pile of books.

Xu Yang stood by the desk, casting a shadow over him. Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

A few seconds later, Wei Xiaochi caught out of the corner of his eye that Xu Yang raised his hand and reached toward him.

Wei Xiaochi stared at that hand coming closer to him, his heartbeat racing. He stiffly shrank back.

Suddenly, Xu Yang’s hand stopped mid-air. His index finger twitched, and after a brief moment, he retracted his hand and turned to leave.

Wei Xiaochi let out a sigh of relief, collapsing into his seat like he had just survived a calamity.

At this point, Wei Xiaochi didn’t need anyone to remind him—he had also realized that Xu Yang had been acting a little weird lately.

More accurately, his attitude toward Wei Xiaochi was strange.

When did this oddness start?

Wei Xiaochi thought seriously about it, and it seemed to have begun when he was working at the milk tea shop some time ago, when he had accidentally bumped into Xu Yang and the latter had handed him a cup of milk tea.

Since then, Xu Yang’s behavior toward him had changed. But how exactly had it changed? Wei Xiaochi couldn’t pinpoint it immediately.

So far, he had received two cups of milk tea from Xu Yang and one cold compress. Apart from that, there didn’t seem to be much else.

If this had happened to someone else, receiving milk tea from a friend would be completely normal, but the problem was, Wei Xiaochi and Xu Yang had very little interaction.

He had always been an invisible presence in class, practically nonexistent. No one had ever expressed any intention to befriend him, and Wei Xiaochi hadn’t really made any effort to make friends either. The only time Xu Yang had spoken to him was two years ago, when he had passed out and Xu Yang had helped him to the medical office.

Wei Xiaochi had been really grateful to Li Suifeng and Xu Yang at the time, but because he wasn’t good at socializing, his gratitude had come across as somewhat dry.

From Xu Yang’s indifferent response, Wei Xiaochi had felt a faint distance between them.

People like Xu Yang, the “elite,” would only make friends with people of their own status. Based on appearances, Wei Xiaochi and Xu Yang were worlds apart, so it was naturally impossible for them to become friends.

Thus, Wei Xiaochi quickly gave up on the idea of repaying Xu Yang’s kindness and didn’t bother him anymore, keeping things formal for the past two years.

Now, suddenly, Xu Yang was acting like this…

Wei Xiaochi didn’t know how to describe it. Saying “enthusiastic” wasn’t accurate, because Xu Yang wasn’t exactly warm, but he was definitely friendlier than before and seemed to be paying more attention to him.

Yes, he was paying attention to him.

The timing of Xu Yang’s attention was quite coincidental—just after Wei Xiaochi had undergone his shift into an Omega. So, was it his pheromones that attracted Xu Yang?

Wei Xiaochi couldn’t help but sigh. In this world where Omegas were in short supply, it seemed that even he, an Omega, had some competitiveness.

Or was it simply because any Alpha would be interested in someone with pheromones?

At least, Xu Yang’s interest seemed to be fleeting. It was probably just his curiosity since Wei Xiaochi had suddenly transformed into an Omega.

After some time, Xu Yang’s curiosity would likely fade, and things would return to normal. After all, Wei Xiaochi wasn’t exactly a stunning Omega. If Xu Yang truly liked him, he would have started pursuing him by now, not waiting until this point.

Thinking this way, Wei Xiaochi felt a lot more at ease, just waiting for Xu Yang’s curiosity to wear off and life to return to normal.

After comforting himself, Wei Xiaochi stopped overthinking and opened his math practice book, intending to review some must-know exam questions. But when he glanced up, he saw Zhang Mingyang staring at him with a strange expression.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t need to ask to know what Zhang Mingyang was thinking—he was probably curious about what Xu Yang had been doing, standing in front of their desk for no reason.

Wei Xiaochi pretended not to notice and pulled the cap off his carbon pen, lowering his head to work on the problems.

Zhang Mingyang’s arm hovered near the 38-line boundary, hesitating for a moment before his elbow nudged Wei Xiaochi’s side.

Wei Xiaochi caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and immediately jabbed his pen towards Zhang Mingyang’s side. “Crossed the line.”

Zhang Mingyang winced in pain and rubbed his arm, looking at the black dot on his skin. “That was harsh. You have someone backing you up?”

This question carried a hint of testing. Wei Xiaochi glanced at him and replied, “Since you know, don’t mess with me.”

Zhang Mingyang glared at Wei Xiaochi and lowered his voice, “What are you so proud of? He’s just playing with you because you’re easier to fool than other Omegas.”

Wei Xiaochi scoffed, “What’s got you all sour?”

Zhang Mingyang exaggerated a sigh. “What do I have to be sour about?”

Wei Xiaochi maintained an unbothered demeanor. “You’re jealous that I turned into an Omega, and you’re just a neglected Beta.”

Zhang Mingyang’s face immediately darkened. “What, you look down on Betas? What’s so great about Alphas? I don’t even want to transform.”

“I look down on you!” Wei Xiaochi pushed Zhang Mingyang back to his side. “It doesn’t matter what you transform into, just don’t disturb me while I’m studying.”

Zhang Mingyang mocked, “With your state, you’re still studying?”

Wei Xiaochi bristled. What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he study properly?

Wei Xiaochi slammed his math workbook onto the desk, pointing to a few difficult problems and challenging Zhang Mingyang. “Let’s see who finishes faster and gets more answers right. Dare to compete?”

Zhang Mingyang scoffed, giving the problems a dismissive glance before sneering.

But the next second, Zhang Mingyang quickly grabbed a pen and paper, silently starting to write. “Start.”

What a lowdown move.

Wei Xiaochi muttered a curse under his breath, not wasting a second to dive into the problems.

Under Zhang Mingyang’s dirty trick, Wei Xiaochi finished a minute later than him.

Their answers were the same, but because of that minute, Wei Xiaochi lost and received a flick to the forehead from Zhang Mingyang.

The flick was unforgiving, and Wei Xiaochi’s forehead immediately turned red.

Zhang Mingyang smugly flicked his fingers near Wei Xiaochi’s hand, saying, “One person was a minute late, and he died; another person was a minute early, and he became a great mathematician. Tsk, tsk, that’s destiny.”

Looking at Zhang Mingyang’s smug face, Wei Xiaochi ground his teeth.

Zhang Mingyang continued his one-minute rant. “Another person was a minute late, got flicked in the forehead, and was so mad he ground his teeth, while another person was a minute early and became a great mathematician. Ah, destiny.”

Wei Xiaochi thought to himself: “Destiny, my ass!”

Zhang Mingyang went on with his “one-minute theory,” and Wei Xiaochi, completely fed up, covered his ears and turned away.

Zhang Mingyang intentionally leaned in closer. “And then there was another person, who was a minute late…”

Wei Xiaochi couldn’t take it anymore, grabbed a physics workbook, and challenged, “Want to go another round?”

Zhang Mingyang seemed to have been waiting for this moment and immediately replied, “Afraid of you?”

Five minutes later, Wei Xiaochi huffed on his fingers, motioning near Zhang Mingyang’s forehead in a mock flicking gesture.

He casually said, “One person was five minutes late, and he got slapped in the face and revenged; another person was five minutes early, and he slapped someone and got revenged. Tsk, tsk, that’s destiny.”

For the final big question, Wei Xiaochi breezed through it, having seen similar questions before.

Zhang Mingyang: …

After avenging his earlier defeat, Wei Xiaochi felt refreshed, the only thing that bothered him was that he wasn’t as good at flicking foreheads as Zhang Mingyang. He needed to practice, or he’d keep losing.

The thought made him suddenly remember that forehead flick from Jiang Zhan in the hospital bathroom.

Wei Xiaochi’s mind exploded with embarrassment. No matter how much time passed, whenever he thought about it, he felt utterly mortified.

He rubbed his temples, trying to push the chaotic images out of his mind.

Zhang Mingyang wasn’t giving up and wanted another round, but Wei Xiaochi refused.

Until he mastered his flicking technique, he wasn’t going to compete again. It wasn’t worth the disadvantage—he wasn’t stupid, he wasn’t going to put himself in a losing position.

Seeing that Wei Xiaochi wasn’t going to engage, Zhang Mingyang muttered, “Can’t take a loss.”

No matter how Zhang Mingyang threw sarcastic comments at him, Wei Xiaochi remained calm, his head still bent over his work.

Zhang Mingyang, realizing it was no fun, stopped provoking him and pulled out a practice book identical to Wei Xiaochi’s, settling into study mode.

The two of them, one Omega and one Beta, stopped their bickering. In the middle, an invisible line, precisely measured, divided them. They each claimed their own side and studied in silence.

At the back of the classroom, by the wall, Xu Yang sat with one hand propped under his chin, like an icy sculpture, silently observing the back of Wei Xiaochi’s head.

Wei Xiaochi seemed to be struggling with a tough problem, tapping the end of his pen against his forehead twice, thinking for a while before continuing to write.

He was so absorbed, so focused, that he didn’t even notice Zhang Mingyang’s arm crossing that invisible line.

His focus was intense, but in his eyes, there was no one but himself.

After school, Wei Xiaochi was dragged to the bowling alley by Jiang Zhan under the guise of “relaxing.”

One had to admit that Jiang Zhan was quite skilled at sports. Not only could he ice skate, but he was also excellent at bowling. Every ball went straight down the lane, knocking over all ten pins in a perfect strike.

Jiang Zhan made every shot, his record flawless.

But when it came to Wei Xiaochi, it was a different story. The lightest ball available was a six-pounder, which was about five kilograms.

Not only did he have to lift a five-kilogram ball, but he also had to throw it down the lane. His arm almost felt dislocated.

Jiang Zhan, on the other hand, was full of energy, enthusiastically teaching Wei Xiaochi. “Don’t force your wrist, relax your elbow, and swing your arm like this.”

Wei Xiaochi put all his effort into throwing the bowling ball, but as expected, it rolled straight into the gutter.

At first, Jiang Zhan was very patient, demonstrating the proper technique, then coaching him step-by-step.

But Wei Xiaochi just didn’t get it. Out of ten tries, nine times the ball went into the gutter. When it finally landed in the pit, the force was too weak, only knocking over one pin.

Jiang Zhan sighed, wanting to lose his temper but holding back. “Let’s start over.”

Seeing his frustration, Wei Xiaochi became even more nervous, and the ball never reached the pit again, always ending up in the gutter.

Eventually, Jiang Zhan realized that this sport wasn’t suited to Wei Xiaochi and decided to take him out of the bowling alley.

Once again, their date ended in failure.

After being dropped off at home, Wei Xiaochi collapsed onto his bed, his arms too sore to lift, but he still had homework left to do.

After lying there for a while, Wei Xiaochi gritted his teeth and got up. His arms ached, his fingers refused to cooperate, trembling as he worked on his homework, not finishing until 11 p.m.

Once he finished, he rubbed his sore arms and prepared to take a shower and sleep, only to hear the sound of the door unlocking.

Wei Xiaochi tensed up, his palms sweating.

Lately, Wei Dongjian hadn’t been around much, only returning home at 1 or 2 a.m. He would still be asleep when Wei Xiaochi went to school, so they hadn’t crossed paths.

Before long, Wei Xiaochi heard Fang Yuan coming out of the bedroom.

“Why are you home so early? Have you eaten? Should I make you some noodles?”

“No need, I ate with Lao Fang and the others. The checks aren’t as strict now, so we unloaded the goods in the afternoon, then went to the auto repair shop.”

Wei Dongjian changed into slippers and glanced toward the twins’ room. “Are the kids asleep?”

Fang Yuan nodded. “They went to sleep at 9. They were saying they missed you and wanted me to call you on video. I was worried you were driving, so I didn’t call. They kept making a fuss for a while.”

Wei Dongjian opened the door to the twins’ room and peered in, speaking in a hushed voice so as not to wake them. “I was thinking of having Mom stay with us for a few days, so you don’t have to worry about the kids.”

Fang Yuan’s eyes flickered, and then she smiled. “The kids do miss her, but I’m afraid she won’t want to come.”

“She has it easy at home, talking with neighbors. The kids are at school, I’m working, and she’s all alone at home. I’m just worried she’ll get bored. Have you asked her what she thinks?”

Wei Dongjian went into the bathroom and turned on the tap to wash his hands. “I haven’t asked. It’s almost summer, and the air conditioner at home isn’t working. She doesn’t want to turn it on, worried about wasting electricity.”

“Is the air conditioner broken?” Fang Yuan asked anxiously. “It’s so hot. What if she gets heatstroke? I’ll take some time off soon and go home to buy her an air conditioner.”

Wei Dongjian, with oil on his hands, picked up the soap to wash. “As soon as she hears that you want to buy her one, she’ll definitely come stay with us for the summer. You go ahead and take leave; bring her over.”

Fang Yuan’s face shifted slightly, but she didn’t respond to what Wei Dongjian had said.

Wei Dongjian didn’t notice her discomfort and muttered to himself, “Forget it. You don’t need to take leave. I’ll go back to the countryside myself tomorrow.”

“Where should Mom stay? We’ll clear out Xiaochi’s room for her, and Xiaochi can sleep with Mo Mo. Xin Xin can stay in our room at night.”

Fang Yuan sighed helplessly. “Ah, Xiaochi has exams coming up, he’s probably really stressed. Mo Mo’s noisy, he’ll definitely disturb Xiaochi.”

Wei Dongjian shrugged. “It’s fine. Let them sleep together. The college entrance exam is still a year away.”

“And if he’s that capable, nothing will bother him. He’s just got his head in the books all day, not talking to anyone. What’s the use of that? Which company would hire him?”

Wei Dongjian slammed the soap back into its box, his face dark. “He’s got nothing like me.”

Fang Yuan didn’t say anything further.

Wei Xiaochi stood at the door, gradually loosening his grip on the doorknob and sitting back down on his bed.

He sat there for a long while, pulling out his bag and taking out his account book. He carefully checked everything twice, but his mood still didn’t improve much.

He lay back on the bed, listening to the ticking of the alarm clock, his body feeling heavy as if sinking into quicksand.

Tomorrow, his mother might be coming, and Wei Xiaochi didn’t want to live with her.

Fang Yuan probably didn’t want to either, but she was much smarter than his mom and knew how to refuse politely. If she couldn’t avoid it, she would accept.

Although Wei Xiaochi had been very young at the time and didn’t remember his mother’s face clearly, he remembered the arguments between her and Wei Dongjian.

Most of these arguments had started with his grandmother, Madam Wei.

In his mother’s words, this family was selfish, cold, and heartless. They weren’t marrying a wife, they were looking for a free nanny.

When Wei Dongjian finished his shower and returned to his room, Wei Xiaochi slowly walked out, quickly washed up, and then threw himself under the covers.

Wei Xiaochi dreamed all night.

The dream was bizarre, with everyone showing their claws. Wei Xiaochi curled up in the corner of the bed, and the wall behind him suddenly opened its huge mouth and swallowed him whole.

Wei Xiaochi woke up with a start, turning on his bedside lamp, the light breaking through the dark room.

He took out his account book and savings passbook and checked every entry again.

His account had over 20,000 yuan, enough to help him get through college and cover daily expenses.

Wei Xiaochi felt a little comforted. Turning off the lamp, he lay back down in bed.