Chapter 1: The School Merger Part 1

In the scorching midsummer of Qi Nan, the heat lingered relentlessly.

Cicadas chirped incessantly, while the branches of the roadside phoenix trees stretched vigorously toward the sky. Sunlight poured through them, spilling onto the boy standing beneath.

His freshly dyed light golden short hair and the black earring glinting on his earlobe screamed for attention.

He Siheng held up his phone, striking an awkward, exaggerated pose with unpracticed flair. He snapped the selfie, froze for a moment, and sent it straight to Tan Wan.

Tan Wan was the girl who lived across the hall from his family—six years his senior. Though she was the daughter of his dad’s arch-rival and the older sister of his arch-rival, she had been his childhood sweetheart and the object of his admiration since he was little.

He’d heard Tan Wan had just gone through a breakup, so He Siheng immediately copied the idol photos she’d posted on her Moments a while back—dyeing his hair and getting an earring, peacocking to win the goddess’s favor.

No sooner had he sent the photo than someone slapped his shoulder. He Siheng turned to see his troublemaking friend pulling a goofy face.

“Damn, Heng Bro, you’re going full emo on us!” Zhou Yu eyed him up and down. “What got into you? School just started a few days ago, and you’re already challenging Old Yan’s authority?”

He Siheng punched him. “Get lost. This isn’t emo—it’s trendy.”

Zhou Yu yielded to Young Master He’s forceful fist, grinning cheekily after the fact. “Right, right, with your face, Heng Bro, even if you dyed it some emo blond, you’d still be the hottest emo at South Middle School.”

Then he corrected himself. “Oh wait, no—North Middle School merged with us, so it’s South-North Middle School now.”

He Siheng loved compliments, so his mouth quirked up one second, but the next, at the mention of the merger, his face soured.

Sophomore year had just begun, and from this semester on, South Middle School and North Middle School had merged. The junior high section moved to the North Middle School campus, while high school stayed at South Middle School.

Of all schools, it had to be North Middle School. What a pain.

Zhou Yu’s words jogged his own memory, and he added worriedly, “Speaking of which, Heng Bro, you’re hot and all, but won’t Old Yan bar you from the gate? Post-merger, security at the entrance is strict. I was half a minute late yesterday and got logged.”

He Siheng flicked his eyes dismissively. “Just means writing a self-criticism.”

Zhou Yu thought that was fair enough. They had risen straight from South Middle School’s junior high to high school. Even before the merger, He Siheng was infamous at school for his young master temper—slacking off, breaking rules, sleeping in class, showing up late, leaving early, skipping school. He did it all.

Yet the guy was sharp as a tack. He topped the grade every exam, lapping the second place by a huge margin. Competitions? He brought home first prizes for the school. With that kind of talent, teachers turned a blind eye—or half a blind eye—to the young master.

But as they neared the school gate, Young Master He suddenly halted, muttering a curse. “Damn, why’s he on gate duty?”

Zhou Yu followed his gaze.

The newly appointed Student Council President stood tall at the entrance, impeccably dressed in a white school shirt with a red discipline armband, clipboard and pen in hand, checking students’ uniforms.

The boy had fair skin, a tall and lean build, and a mole on the left side of his nose bridge that stood out against his aloof expression, making him look even more remote.

Students entering the gate kept stealing glances at him.

“Oh my god, what lucky day is this? The Student Council President personally on duty.”

“New guy’s lighting fires under everyone. Gotta say, Tan Jing’s seriously hot—not for nothing he’s North Middle School’s School Grass.”

“Now it’s our North-South Affiliated Middle School’s School Grass.”

“If I’d known Tan Jing was here, I wouldn’t have worn uniform today—let him log my name.”

“Class assignments dropped today. Praying I get in the School Grass’s class.”

“Forget it. Classes are by grades, and he’s always been top of the grade at North Middle School—straight to Class One.”

“But I heard He Siheng took first this time?”

The passing students’ chatter sped up inversely with their steps into the gate. Waves of them dawdled like they were stepping on ants, clogging the entrance until the duty teacher barked, “What’re you blocking for? Get to class!”

The crowd dispersed slowly, but the whispers and stares didn’t let up.

Song Lin shook his head, baffled. “Jing Bro, it’s early morning—why not sleep in class or hit the courts? Why take this gig?”

Normally, the Student Council had dedicated members for checks; the president didn’t need to stand at the gate all morning. Even if it wasn’t tiring, it was boring as hell.

And with Tan Jing’s striking looks, just standing there drew eyes and murmurs like a magnet.

Tan Jing was the low-key, trouble-avoiding type. No idea what got into him today to volunteer for gate duty.

“For fairness, Student Council does rotations from now on,” Tan Jing said flatly, ignoring the gazes and chatter around him.

Song Lin’s shoulders slumped. Did this guy bomb the placement test and get triggered?

Seeing the results that morning had shocked Song Lin too. Tan Jing had a massive upset—fortieth in the grade. One spot lower, and he’d miss Class One.

Strictly speaking, though, it wasn’t a total flop. He hadn’t come first, but skipping the essay entirely? That was deliberate sandbagging.

Song Lin shot Tan Jing a puzzled look, curiosity winning out. “Jing Bro, what happened on test day? You turned in blank—no essay?”

“Home. Fed the dog.”

“???”

Song Lin’s face screamed I’ve been dogged. “That’s it? For that?”

Tan Jing ignored him. His peripheral vision caught a familiar figure; he paused, then turned his head.

His gaze cut through the crowd, landing squarely on that eye-catching light golden head.

Light gold—the exact shade of Tan Wan’s favorite idol. Freshly dyed.

Sure enough, the second Tan Wan broke up, this guy couldn’t hold back.

They locked eyes for two seconds before Tan Jing looked away, a meaningful hum escaping his nose.

Song Lin thought it was aimed at him and shut up.

Across the gate, Zhou Yu thought Tan Jing was eyeing him, clutching his chest in excitement. “Told you this merger was worth it! Tan Jing’s too hot! No wonder he’s an S-Rank Alpha—even one glance feels like he’s Marked me.”

He Siheng smirked coldly. “Got hooks in his eyes or what? One look and your soul’s hooked?”

“Heng Bro, you haven’t Differentiated yet—you wouldn’t get it,” Zhou Yu argued earnestly. “An S-Rank Alpha like Tan Jing? One-in-ten-thousand odds. Top-tier suppression on other Alphas, pull on Omegas. And he’s gorgeous too. If I could date him…” He mimed gulping air. “I’d die happy.”

His phone dinged—recording stopped.

He Siheng deadpanned, “Got it. Sending to your boyfriend.”

Zhou Yu surrendered instantly. “No, no, Heng Bro! Just trash talk!”

Realizing he’d stepped on a mine, he backpedaled to cheer up the young master. “What’s so special about S-Rank Alpha? You’ll be one too someday, Heng Bro!”

But “someday” hit Young Master He’s sore spot harder. All his friends had Differentiated back in junior high—even Tan Jing, who used to be weaker, became an S-Rank Alpha. Only He Siheng showed no signs.

His face darkened further. Then his phone buzzed with WeChat notifications. He glanced down, and his bad mood sprouted little wings and flew away.

Tan Wan had replied.

Whoa, fresh dye? You’re killing it, Little Heng!

Earring too? So cool!

Did it hurt? You hated needles as a kid.

A grin bloomed on He Siheng’s face, his mood soaring.

Piercing had hurt like hell, and it still throbbed faintly, but in front of the goddess? No way he’d admit it.

Needles were kid stuff.

Didn’t hurt at all.

For real. No biggie.

Tan Wan sent a thumbs-up, then asked: Heard South Middle School and North Middle School merged. Seen A Jing yet?

He Siheng’s smile faltered, joy dimming.

He hated admitting it, but he replied honestly: Yeah, saw him.

Post-merger, classes multiplied; he and Tan Jing weren’t in the same temp class. Three days of school without crossing paths—until now, cursed to meet at the gate.

985 University student Tan Wan had no clue about their later grudges and bubbled happily on the other end.

Awesome! You two can go to school together again!

She added: Get along, okay? If A Jing bullies you, tell me—sis has your back.

Get along with Tan Jing? Might as well teach Zhou Yu to climb trees.