Chapter 46

In the following week, without any part-time job, Jiang Zhihuo stopped skipping evening self-study sessions. After class, he joined a few members of the relay team to run laps and train together.

Yan Mu, as usual, didn’t allow anyone to touch him. Being a top student, he was used to being aloof. If he ever became enthusiastic one day, something would definitely be wrong with his head. The others didn’t pay it much attention; after all, the lack of physical contact didn’t affect training.

Jiang Zhihuo acted as if he didn’t notice.

Jiang Zhihuo didn’t want to talk about it, and he felt reluctant to bring it up deliberately, so the two continued to interact just like they usually did.

It turned out that people really should exercise more.

At first, only two laps wore him out, but after a week, his endurance improved significantly. He could keep running after two laps. He continued to pant, but his arms and legs didn’t become numb, and he no longer felt the urge to die.

On the eve of the sports meet, the field was livelier than ever. Many students from other schools arrived in their uniforms.

No. 1 High’s sports field was large. Beyond the track, there was a basketball court composed of several sections joined together, separated by green fencing. The courts were divided into three main zones, each serving as a main camp for different schools.

No. 1 High School’s main camp was decorated by the student council. More than ten members spent an evening blowing up countless balloons and enclosing the area with foam boards, setting up items that made the whole place look like a flying house, with colored balloons floating everywhere.

Inside, there were water, sports drinks, and emergency supplies, all prepared for the various events.

Some student council members even joked about wearing maid costumes to ‘motivate’ the participants, but the president firmly shot down the idea.

“What a terrible idea! This isn’t a cafe, so why would anyone wear a maid costume?”

The main camps for Huanglun Qiao School and Qixing High School were still being set up, and as more and more people arrived, their styles weren’t clear yet.

“Sports day is tomorrow!”

After their laps, they practiced baton passing as planned. Sitting together on the grass, everyone felt excited about the events, even though they hadn’t been enthusiastic during signups.

“At least we get three days off!”

“Good luck with the competition, everyone!” Boy A stretched out his hand.

Boy B placed his hand on top, grinning, “Let’s run hard! Don’t lose too badly!”

“What are you talking about!” Jiang Zhihuo teased with a smile. “With your Yan-ge and Huo-ge here, how could we possibly lose?”

“Hahaha!” Boy C said, “It won’t happen, it won’t happen! Come on, let’s cheer each other on!”

Everyone’s hands were stacked, and without hesitating, Jiang Zhihuo grabbed Yan Mu’s hand, wrapping it with his own and gently pulling it slightly apart from the others.

Yan Mu was a bit surprised. The warmth of Jiang Zhihuo’s palm enveloped his hand as they raised their hands together with the others and then brought them down.

“Fighting!”

The sports meet had been bustling since dawn, with the field packed full of people. Teams lined up on the track, waiting for inspection, while on the platform, leaders from each school took turns delivering speeches before the official opening.

Drones flew overhead, the stands were completely full, and many people had brought their own chairs to sit outside

The crowd was thick, with ribbons occasionally fluttering overhead. Jiang Zhihuo preferred to avoid the chaos and simply relaxed in the participants’ camp.

The flying house at No.1 High School had clearly become a popular photo spot during the sports meet, with many girls pulling their friends over to take pictures.

There was no need to wear school uniforms these days, so the girls were all digging out the little skirts they had stuffed at the bottom of their closets. Even Sun Liyu, the sport representative, who rarely showed off, wore an oversized jacket just to match the rare, limited-edition bag he rarely got to pull out, the same brand as Jiang Zhihuo’s.

Jiang Zhihuo saw the bag and raised an eyebrow. “You finally decided to bring out your limited edition bag?”

“Yeah,” Sun Liyu said confidently, wiping his nose while looking sharp. “I usually wouldn’t dare to wear this because the school uniform doesn’t match the vibe of this limited edition bag. Hey, Huo-ge, you’re carrying yours today too?”

Jiang Zhihuo nodded. “Yeah.”

Sun Liyu called out, “Come on, come on, hurry up and take a photo!”

Guys didn’t really mind bumping bags into each other; it wasn’t a big deal. Sun Liyu even urged Jiang Zhihuo to carry his bag on his back so they could take a photo together. Not long after, the teams on the field began wrapping up, and the participants gathered. The two of them put their bags back at the main camp and headed to the meeting spot together.

The first event was shot put, held at two in the afternoon. Jiang Zhihuo’s events were scheduled for the second and third days, so the student council president had him stay as support, helping to move whatever needed moving.

A few shot put participants wanted to practice more during the lunch break, so they gathered together after eating.

This was a southern city, so even in late autumn, the midday sun was hot. Most people stayed inside the classrooms, while the other schools gathered in the auditorium, which had a rest area. The field was fairly empty, with only a few people playing with drones and the student council president watching over the main camp while eating his packed lunch.

“President!” One of them called. “Can you bring two shot puts? We want to practice.”

“Sure.” The president swallowed his food and shouted at Jiang Zhihuo, who was messing around with the drone, “Huo-ge, could you help get a few shot puts from the equipment room?”

Jiang Zhihuo only heard his name, not the details. He looked up. “What?”

The president pointed at the other participants. “Shot puts—”

They waved at him. “Thanks!”

Jiang Zhihuo understood and gave an ‘OK’ gesture. “No problem!”

He checked the time.

The inhibitor lasted twenty hours, and he always took it four hours early each day. It was close to one now, about time for his shot. He’d stayed at the field to find a subtle chance to take it, and the president had handed him the perfect excuse.

He hadn’t touched his bag since morning; it was still on the table. He grabbed it and headed to the equipment room.

“PE representative! Your bag looks great!”

No one had to do worksheets or attend class during the sports meet. Without that mental pressure, everyone felt energized enough to go run three laps at lunch.

Nobody took a nap in the classroom; instead, everyone chatted together.

Sun Liyu was dressed way too flashy today and even had a new hairstyle, appearing completely different from how he usually looked in his school uniform. The boys kept steering the conversation toward him.

“Right!” Sun Liyu was quite fond of this bag; its design perfectly matched his taste. It was love at first sight. He had been waiting eagerly since the concept design was released, missed out during the online launch, and after lining up for several days, he finally bought it at an offline physical store.

He spun around to show off the bag. “Today’s really the only day I would bring it. Oh right, I also brought something. Everyone, come here!”

“What did you bring?”

“Could it be…”

“Is it really that?”

“Hehehe!”

“Hurry! I can’t wait!”

Sun Liyu showed an ambiguous smile, flashing a mysterious look. “It has to be your favorites. Come over, come over.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up. They circled him.

He opened the bag theatrically, pulling the zipper bit by bit.

The boys crowded in, stretching their necks to peer inside.

At the turtle’s slow pace, the zipper finally came all the way down, and Sun Liyu boldly opened the bag. “Ta-da!”

Everyone: “?”

Ta-da?

There was nothing in the bag, just two bottles of mineral water and a… special inhibitor?

Sun Liyu: “?”

Equipment room.

Jiang Zhihuo stared dumbfounded at the books in the bag, such as ‘Xue Jinxing’s 49 New Practice Sets,’ ‘Ten Years of College Entrance Exams, Nine Years of Simulations,’ and the ‘Latest Comprehensive Science Question Collection.’ “……” ???

Where’s my inhibitor???

Jiang Zhihuo let out a long, deep breath.

The situation was clear!!

The president of the student council had always been at the main camp, so there was no way anyone stole the bag. It could only have been that silly Sun Liyu who took the wrong one!

Damn!!!

He hadn’t thought about anything like this before and had just walked here. Now, there were only three minutes left before yesterday’s inhibitor wore off.

Is three minutes enough to find Sun Liyu, ask him where he put the bag, then go find the bag and take out the inhibitor to inject yourself?

Not enough at all!

It was impossible!

If he went out now, he’d probably collapse on the field. There were people from other schools, and who knew if an alpha might pass by!

Jiang Zhihuo first messaged Sun Liyu.

No reply; who knows what he was up to.

Since the inhibitor might be noticed and hard to explain, Jiang Zhihuo didn’t insist on finding Sun Liyu. Besides, even if he found him, he wouldn’t be able to get it, so he started calling Yan Mu instead.

He called several times in a row, but it was always busy—no one ever answered!

No response to his messages either!

Damn it!

Time was tight, so Jiang Zhihuo went ahead and called Xie Qiu directly. This guy definitely knew where Yan Mu was.

Finally, someone answered!

Xie Qiu saw it was Jiang Zhihuo and wondered why the school bully was looking for him. They hadn’t said a word to each other since they became friends in the first year of high school. He hesitantly answered the call, “Huo-ge, what’s up?”

The voice on the other end of the line was really sharp. “Where’s Yan Mu?!”

It turned out he was looking for Yan-ge. Xie Qiu said, “Yan-ge was called away by Lao Ban; it seems to be about the competition.”

Jiang Zhihuo: “Damn!”

Xie Qiu: “If you need something, I can…”

Before he could say “help you convey,” the call was already cut off. Xie Qiu stared at the screen blankly with the words ‘call ended’ glaring back at him. “?”

Jiang Zhihuo flung his hand down; three minutes really was too short, just enough time to send a few messages, make some calls that no one answered, and say a few words.

His neck burned as if on fire. His pheromones surged from his glands, and it felt like his throat was being choked—he could barely breathe.

Jiang Zhibu hadn’t even had time to find a place to sit down when the equipment room door behind him creaked open.

Two girls walked in, chatting and laughing.

They had wanted to get two badminton rackets, but as soon as they opened the door, they saw Jiang Zhihuo standing by the shelf, his face as pale as a sheet.

“Classmate Zhihuo?”

Jiang Zhihuo breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew both of these girls, and they were also in their third senior year. As a beta, they couldn’t scent his pheromones.

But before he could fully catch his breath, Jiang Zhihuo held it in again.

O M G, WTF!!!

His behind suddenly got wet all over, like something had splashed with water.

Jiang Zhihuo’s face darkened.

The girl on the left asked, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Jiang Zhihuo forced himself to stay calm and tried his best not to look unusual. “Could you help bring two shot puts to the president? The teacher just asked me to tidy up the shelf.”

“Sure.” The girl nodded.

The equipment room was divided into different sections. The badminton rackets and shot puts were inside. Jiang Zhihuo stayed tense, using the shelf to shield himself until the girls took what they needed and left.

The moment the green metal door closed, Jiang Zhihuo’s knees buckled. He collapsed to the ground, tugged hard at his collar, and struggled desperately. It felt like he’d lost all control of his limbs; he had to summon every ounce of strength just to catch his breath.

*

After lunch, Yan Mu and a few other classmates were called to an empty classroom for a meeting. It was mainly about this semester’s competition, which was related to the upcoming guaranteed admission process, so he didn’t get distracted and didn’t touch his phone the whole time.

As soon as he got out of class, he saw over ten missed calls from Jiang Zhihuo, plus a few messages.

Ten minutes ago.

Jiang Zhiya: Sun Liyu took the wrong bag, ahhhh, damn it!!!

Jiang Zhihuo: I don’t have the inhibitor!!

Jiang Zhihuo: I’m in the equipment room!!

Yan Mu didn’t think twice and headed straight to Class 1. Xie Qiu was standing at the door of Class 4 and when he saw Yan Mu, he called out to him, “Yan-ge, Huo-ge was just looking for…”

“I know.” Yan Mu cut him off and kept walking, never looking back.

Xie Qiu: “?”

Why is everyone acting so strange today?

Sun Liyu was indeed in the classroom, surrounded by a group of boys who exchanged looks with one another.

“Are you serious, sports representative?”

“Why did you show us the inhibitor?”

“Are you bragging that you have an omega girlfriend, or are you trying to say you’re actually an omega pretending to be a beta?”

“You’ve gone too far, sports representative! I thought this was a new set of problems from Xue Jinxing. You’ve let us down!”

Sun Liyu: “……”

No, the thing he wants to take out is indeed Xue Jinxing’s new practice set!

This bag belonged to Huo-ge! The two bags were placed together, and he was so focused on getting food a moment ago that he grabbed the wrong one without realizing it!

But why would Huo-ge carry inhibitors around with him?!

Just then, the half-open front door was pushed open, and Yan Mu, radiating an aura of indifference, pushed through the crowd, snatched the bag from Sun Liyu’s arms, and strode out of the classroom without saying a word.

Everyone: “?”

Yan Mu had absolutely no interest in explaining anything to them. His face was dark, and no one dared to ask any questions.

He ran toward the equipment room, making call after call.

No answer. Nobody picked up any of his calls!

Yan Mu sped up.

Luckily, there weren’t many people around at this hour. Even before reaching the equipment room, he caught a strong scent of pheromones seeping out from the crack beneath the door.

Yan Mu reached out to push the door.

It wouldn’t budge—the door was locked from the inside!

“Jiang Zhihuo!” Yan Mu carefully released pheromones, urgently saying, “It’s me, open the door!”

The person behind the door still seemed somewhat aware. The latch creaked a few times, and the door opened just a crack. Yan Mu quickly slipped through, but a hand was faster, grabbing his shoulder and pinning him against the back of the door.

The door slammed shut.

Inside the door was an entirely different world from the outside. The pheromones were much stronger inside, a rich, intoxicating aroma almost aggressively hitting him in the face. Before Yan Mu could even take out his inhibitor, Jiang Zhihuo, completely lost in his world, pressed his lips against his.

He still had Yan Mu’s mark on him, though it had faded a lot, but the moment Jiang Zhihuo caught the long-missed scent of rain, his nerves instantly relaxed.

There was only one thought left in his mind.

—He finally came.

The bite marks on the back of the neck have faded to only a faint trace, but even a touch makes the heat uncontrollable.

It was too painful!

Rationality was completely powerless against the urges of his body!

The heat had already robbed Jiang Zhihuo of his ability to think. Fortunately, with Yan Mu standing before him, he could surrender his body and mind to instinct, touching the alpha before him like a wild beast hunting its prey, breathing heavily and biting in a chaotic frenzy.

Yan Mu’s breathing gradually grew more rapid, as the pheromones belonging to Jiang Zhihuo before him continuously eroded his will.

“Calm down.” Yan Mu retreated slightly, parting his lips. “I brought the inhibitor.”

He wanted to reach into the bag for the inhibitor, but Jiang Zhihuo moved closer to him again, tilted his head back, raised those eyes already brimming with misty tears to look at him, and gently sucked on his lips.

It was barely more than a faint movement, yet the air seemed to freeze immediately.

A thousand different feelings hit at once.

He was an alpha, and the person in front of him was Yun Zhou, whom he had been searching for years. He was trying to fix their relationship, and he was currently pursuing Jiang Zhihuo.

The tight string inside his heart snapped instantly, simply from that gentle kiss.

His fingers loosened.

The bag fell and landed heavily on the floor.

Yan Mu gripped the back of Jiang Zhihuo’s neck, his palm clamping down on his shoulder, and turned him around, pressing him against the wall.

The person holding him was both forceful and gentle. Jiang Zhihuo didn’t feel any pain; the warmth from the fingers caressed the back of his neck. He turned his head, seeking a kiss, and the kiss felt good, but Yan Mu didn’t kiss his lips, instead pecking at his neck.

The boy’s neck was slender and fair, and he first touched his spine.

It was really itchy, making Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t help but tense his back.

Then, Yan Mu slowly moved closer to the gland.

—The rich pheromones were being unleashed without restraint.

He was almost desperate to mark this place, wanting to once again imprint his bite mark and scent there.

An alpha’s fierce possessiveness took over his mind.

All he had to do was bite down.

This time, the mark would never fade. From now on, they will be bound together. He would never have to fear losing this person again because he was his omega.

His teeth were already pressed against the gland.

The most vulnerable spot was touched, and Jiang Zhihuo trembled all over. He squinted his eyes and called softly in a hoarse voice, “Yan-ge.”

Uneven breaths mixed with a hazy trailing sound.

He sounded so soft that Yan Mu completely wanted to fall into him.

The boy calling him was waiting obediently, not resisting at all, and even craning his neck in anticipation.

Yan Mu, however, abruptly woke up at this moment.

Yet, Jiang Zihuo, having lost his rationality due to the heat, couldn’t restrain himself and reached out to push him down.

Yan Mu suddenly opened his eyes.

No, no, no!

He shouldn’t think like that, nor can he.

Marking while not fully conscious isn’t what they wanted!

He couldn’t stop his instincts, but he could use pain.

Just as the tooth was about to pierce the gland, Yan Mu forced himself to turn his head away and bit down hard on the back of his hand.

The red marks from previous touches hadn’t completely faded yet. He used all his strength to force himself back to his senses by biting down hard as if it wasn’t his hand but rubber, or something that couldn’t be broken by biting.

The skin couldn’t possibly withstand that much force. Tooth tips dug into the flesh, and blood dripped down the back of the hand.

A faint smell of blood mingled with the intertwined pheromones. Yan Mu supported Jiang Zhihuo in this position and, with one hand, retrieved an inhibitor from the bag, pried open the cap with his thumb, aimed at the gland, and injected it.

As the inhibitor was injected, the wildly surging pheromones gradually calmed down. The boy in his arms no longer tense and slowly relaxed. After a moment, his moist eyes finally cleared.

Jiang Zhihuo: “!”

He smelled a waft of blood.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw the large wounds and dripping blood on Yan Mu’s hand.

Memories from when he wasn’t fully conscious suddenly burst out of the hippocampus, scenes flashing before his eyes like slides, one after another, frame by frame. Jiang Zhihuo looked at the wound that Yan Mu had inflicted on himself, his heart aching with every pulse.

Some feeling he couldn’t understand, couldn’t grasp, and had been unwilling to think about, was now, in this unromantic and inappropriate scene, about to burst forth.

“Yan-ge…”

The author has something to say:

Ta-da! Kisses & cuddling! Wuwuwu!