TAO | Chapter 84

After getting a firm “Yes” from Jiang Zhan, Wei Xiaochi did a quick mental rundown.

The top priority was obviously to improve Jiang Zhan’s grades. Of course, the money-making part couldn’t be dropped either—but with smart time management, they could juggle both.

Of the three jobs Jiang Tang had introduced, only the tutoring gig was part-time. The others were all full-day shifts, which didn’t really suit their current schedule.

As for that tutoring job—according to Jiang Zhan, it was for his brother-in-law’s uncle’s little grandson, currently in eighth grade and prepping for next year’s high school entrance exams.

That kind of gig clearly came through a personal favor. Normally, families like that would look for top-tier college students from elite universities—not some high school kid like him.

Plus, the location was pretty far, and Wei Xiaochi still had to take care of Jiang Zhan’s studies. Trying to tutor both would be way too much.

Back then, he managed to tutor four academic disasters at once only because they were all in the same grade, learning the same science curriculum, and didn’t require separate prep work.

And with jobs that come from personal connections, you had to be extra responsible. If the kid didn’t improve, it’d be embarrassing for everyone involved.

After thinking it over, Wei Xiaochi decided to politely turn down the job from Jiang Tang and stick with his old hustle. So Saturday morning, he and Jiang Zhan spent over two hours handing out flyers.

Sixty yuan per person—together they made 120 in one morning.

After lunch at Jiang Zhan’s place, Wei Xiaochi started tutoring him in the afternoon.

Back when he tutored the “four scholastic disasters,” he had a mini-quiz every two days and a big test every week—to keep them in check and monitor if they were actually learning.

He’d saved all those test papers. Last night, he pulled them out again, copied all the questions Jiang Zhan got wrong, then added a few classic problem types and handed them over for Jiang Zhan to do.

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t sure if Jiang Zhan had kept up with any studying lately—or how much of the previous tutoring he remembered—so he started off with a diagnostic test.

Jiang Zhan sat like a boss, legs straddling the chair, brow furrowed as he jabbed at the notebook with his pen. Wei Xiaochi leaned over to take a peek.

Seeing him stuck on the second question, Wei Xiaochi said, “If you don’t know it, just skip it. Do the ones you know first.”

Jiang Zhan corrected his posture a bit, skipped past the second question, and started picking his way through the others. Every now and then he’d look up and scratch his forehead with his pen, then lower his head to keep working.

Watching the alpha take things so seriously, for some reason, made Wei Xiaochi want to laugh.

Just as the corners of his lips curled upward, Jiang Zhan suddenly shot him a sharp sideways glance—like a cat catching the scent of something fishy.

Startled, Wei Xiaochi quickly pretended to be busy. He opened his English book, then flipped to his math workbook, even dug out a thick stack of test papers from his bag for show.

Jiang Zhan gave him a few scrutinizing looks. When nothing seemed off, he went back to solving problems.

Wei Xiaochi quietly let out a sigh of relief, pushed the extra materials aside, and started on the English homework assigned by the teacher.

Halfway through, Auntie Zhou came upstairs with a plate of fruit. The moment she saw both of them seriously studying, she was so shocked she nearly dropped the tray.

Talk about miracles—her stubborn, hard-to-handle young master was actually studying for real.

She used to worry that the two of them sticking together all day might lead to… well, stuff. But now it seemed like those concerns were completely unnecessary.

Auntie Zhou took one look at Wei Xiaochi’s quiet, obedient demeanor and felt comforted. Sure, Jiang Zhan could be arrogant and rebellious, but at least he had good taste. He didn’t go for someone just as difficult as himself.

Since the boys were hard at work, she didn’t want to disturb them. She quietly set down the fruit and left.

—

Thirty-plus questions, and Jiang Zhan finished in a little over ten minutes.

He put down his pen, eyes flickering a bit, and said flatly, “Done.”

“So fast?” Wei Xiaochi took the notebook and looked it over—nearly half the page was blank.

These were all basic questions, so it didn’t take long for Wei Xiaochi to grade them. The accuracy was… barely fifty percent.

Back in May, Jiang Zhan had managed to pass every subject. But after slacking off for over a month, his grades had taken a nosedive.

He still couldn’t solve the problems he missed last time—which, honestly, was pretty on-brand.

Wei Xiaochi had mentally prepared for this, so he wasn’t too disappointed. “Eat some fruit first. After that, I’ll go over the mistakes with you.”

Jiang Zhan stabbed a piece of strawberry and shoved it into Wei Xiaochi’s mouth.

It was big, red, and sweet. Right after he swallowed, Jiang Zhan stuffed in two chunks of cantaloupe covered in yogurt.

That’s when Wei Xiaochi finally realized—Jiang Zhan seemed a little… off. Both his cheeks were puffed up like a squirrel, and he snuck a glance at Jiang Zhan.

The alpha wasn’t eating anything himself. He just kept stuffing fruit into Wei Xiaochi’s mouth like he was feeding a small animal.

“What’s wrong?” Wei Xiaochi looked at the obviously grumpy alpha and couldn’t help asking, “Tired from studying?”

Jiang Zhan shoved another piece of dragon fruit in. “No.”

Which clearly meant—yes.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhan wasn’t the type to hold things in. After a few seconds of silence, he blurted out in an overly casual tone, “That guy… does he do well in school?”

Wei Xiaochi blinked. “What guy?”

Jiang Zhan gave a cold snort. “That Xu Yang guy.”

Wei Xiaochi: …

Looking at Jiang Zhan, who was clearly trying to act indifferent while dying to compare himself, Wei Xiaochi felt a little conflicted inside.

He always thought Jiang Zhan didn’t care about grades. If he even cared a tiny bit, he wouldn’t be at the bottom of the class.

But now he was asking this?

Wei Xiaochi answered truthfully, “No, he doesn’t do well.”

Jiang Zhan asked again, “Then… the questions I just did—could he get them right?”

Wei Xiaochi froze for a second, then shook his head.

Xu Yang was also one of the bottom scorers in their class. As for who between him and Jiang Zhan ranked lower—Wei Xiaochi had no clue, because he’d never paid attention.

Honestly, he didn’t even know who the fourth-best student in their class was, let alone the last.

So his head shake was purely because he didn’t know.

But Jiang Zhan misunderstood.

Seeing him shake his head, he thought it meant Xu Yang couldn’t solve them, and suddenly, he felt a little smug—guess that guy wasn’t better than him after all.

Jiang Zhan had zero interest in studying. Even being permanently stuck at the bottom of the grade never bothered him.

But in front of Wei Xiaochi, he had a bit of an image to maintain. He didn’t want to look completely hopeless.

Feeling like he’d regained a little face, Jiang Zhan pushed the fruit bowl aside. “We’ll eat more later. Let’s go over the questions first.”

“Oh… okay.”

Wei Xiaochi didn’t quite understand how Jiang Zhan’s attitude did a 180 so fast—but hey, enthusiasm was a good thing.

He grabbed the notebook and started explaining the problems one by one. By the time they got to question three, Jiang Zhan’s phone rang.

It was a call from Han Ziyang—inviting Jiang Zhan to the gym to play basketball.

“After the game, let’s have a barbecue feast—cold beer, spicy crawfish—we’ll be living the good life!” Han Ziyang chuckled slyly.

Jiang Zhan: “Not going.”

Han Ziyang, stunned by the rejection, asked in disbelief, “Brother Zhan, you got plans today or something?”

Jiang Zhan replied coldly, “I have to study. Don’t bother me unless it’s important.”

Then he hung up.

Leaving Han Ziyang standing there, completely bewildered.

Jiang Rui was spinning a basketball on his finger when he turned and asked, “Is Brother Zhan coming?”

Han Ziyang didn’t reply. Still holding the phone to his ear, he stood frozen in place like he’d turned to stone.

“You brain-dead or something?” Jiang Rui tossed the ball at Han Ziyang’s shoulder.

The ball jolted Han Ziyang back to reality. Neck stiff, he slowly turned toward Jiang Rui, face blank like he was sleepwalking. “I think… I just had auditory hallucinations. Brother Zhan said he’s not coming. Said he’s studying.”

“You didn’t have auditory hallucinations,” Jiang Rui shot back. “You’ve gone deaf.”

Just to be sure, he pulled out his own phone and called Jiang Zhan himself.

Thirty seconds later, the two of them stared at each other, completely speechless.

Han Ziyang pulled a stiff smile. “Don’t tell me you had auditory hallucinations too.”

Jiang Rui: “Sorry to say, but… I fucking did.”

Han Ziyang: …

They stared at each other for a whole minute.

“Why? Why?! Why?!” Han Ziyang dropped into a squat, grabbing his hair in frustration, completely unable to comprehend it.

Meanwhile, Jiang Rui was already posting on his WeChat Moments in a state of panic: Shocking! Shocking! Shocking! Jiang Zhan is at home STUDYING.

Everyone who replied left rows and rows of question marks.

One particularly insightful comment read:
Which Jiang Zhan is at home studying?

Later that night, even Jiang Zhan himself saw the post and replied with just two words: Get lost.

—

After finishing the test paper review, Wei Xiaochi pulled up similar question types from the problem bank to see if Jiang Zhan had actually grasped the concepts.

During a break, Jiang Zhan glanced at his phone, responded to Jiang Rui’s Moment, then tossed it aside and leaned over to watch Wei Xiaochi search for more problems.

His gaze slowly drifted from the practice questions to the way Wei Xiaochi flipped pages. His thumb and index finger held a pen, the cap resting against the middle knuckle.

The Omega’s hands were pale and bony, nails nearly colorless. Only the thumbs had a faint, curved crescent.

On the side of his middle finger, there was a small callus bulging slightly.

Jiang Zhan grabbed Wei Xiaochi’s hand and gently rubbed the callused spot with his fingertip. “Why’s it like this? Does it hurt?”

Wei Xiaochi replied, “No. Don’t you have one?”

Jiang Zhan held up his own hand immediately. “Nope.”

His alpha fingers were long and defined, especially the middle knuckle—smooth and perfectly proportioned. No deformities at all.

He pressed their hands together, comparing side by side, and Wei Xiaochi’s callused finger looked even more noticeable.

“Why’s yours like that? Does everyone get it?”

Wei Xiaochi felt a little embarrassed comparing hands like this and tried to pull back. “It happens when you write too much.”

Jiang Zhan grabbed it again, rubbing the rough spot. “Really doesn’t hurt?”

Wei Xiaochi shook his head. “No.”

Jiang Zhan pressed harder. “What about now?”

Wei Xiaochi: “A little.”

Jiang Zhan eased up. “Now?”

Wei Xiaochi: “Not anymore.”

Jiang Zhan gently stroked his knuckle. “Will it go away later?”

Honestly, Wei Xiaochi had never thought much of it. A lot of people he knew had this sort of callus from writing. But with Jiang Zhan holding his hand like this and asking question after question, he started feeling self-conscious and a little shy.

He tugged his hand back slightly. “P-Probably not.”

Jiang Zhan looked up. “So it’s from the pen? What if you put a band-aid on it while doing homework—would that help?”

His black eyes were so pure and focused, seriously fixated on Wei Xiaochi’s writing callus as if it were a major injury.

Meeting that gaze, Wei Xiaochi panicked like he’d been burned and immediately looked away. “It’s not that big of a deal… don’t bother with all that.”

His nose bridge and jawline were beautifully sculpted. With his eyes lowered like that, his features looked delicate and refined.

Jiang Zhan stared at his lowered lashes and calm expression, feeling like something soft had brushed against his heart.

His Adam’s apple bobbed once, then again, as he slowly leaned in.

Wei Xiaochi’s eyelashes fluttered twice, breath caught in his throat, eardrums pounding with blood flow.

And the moment their lips met, amidst the thunderous thumping in his chest—

He slowly closed his eyes.

—

They stayed at Jiang Zhan’s house until around five in the afternoon. Then Wei Xiaochi said he needed to head home.

Jiang Zhan didn’t say anything—he just got on his motorbike and drove him back.

At the entrance to the apartment complex, Wei Xiaochi hopped off and removed the helmet, handing it back to Jiang Zhan.

“Be careful on the road. Ride slow.”

Jiang Zhan gave a soft “Mm.” “Don’t study too late. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.”

Wei Xiaochi: “Got it.”

Jiang Zhan’s gaze clung to him, lips tightening before he finally said, “Go on, get inside.”

Even someone as dense as Wei Xiaochi could sense the reluctance in Jiang Zhan’s voice.

He used to think Jiang Zhan was the type to be wild and unreasonable. But today, he realized Jiang Zhan wasn’t completely stubborn—some things, if you explained them well enough, he’d actually listen.

Like yesterday, when Wei Xiaochi said he couldn’t stay over. Today, Jiang Zhan didn’t mention it once, even though it was clear he really wanted him to stay.

Under Jiang Zhan’s gaze, Wei Xiaochi stepped forward and gave him a gentle hug. “See you tomorrow.”

Jiang Zhan’s mood instantly lifted. He nuzzled against Wei Xiaochi’s ear and let out a soft “Mm.”

Yeah, he was pretty easy to please.

Only when it was Wei Xiaochi doing the pleasing.

Wei Xiaochi said that to himself in his heart.

—

Author’s Note:

Yes, he’s easy to coax—but only when you coax him, Chi Chi.
Others? Not a chance.

There should be a second update later! Gotta keep it rigorous 😎