No longer needing to torture himself chatting with the other party, Qiu Sui naturally breathed a sigh of relief, remembering he had to get up at six the next morning. He replied with an OK without much hesitation and turned on Do Not Disturb mode on his phone.
As he shut off the bright phone screen, the soreness in his eyes hit him belatedly. Amid the faint chirping of insects, Qiu Sui yawned sleepily.
Having replied to Shen Zhixiao’s message, he closed his eyes, and his brain finally stopped flashing those nagging reminders. After a day of training, his body relaxed, and his consciousness quickly grew hazy.
…
“Aren’t you supposed to know how to chat?” Wen Heng sneaked a peek at Shen Zhixiao’s phone screen and saw the goodnight message he’d sent the Beta a few minutes ago. He slapped his palm in frustration.
Shen Zhixiao closed the screen, not letting Wen Heng scroll up through the chat history.
“Tch, what the hell? I’m giving you advice here, and this is how you treat me.” Wen Heng shot him a dissatisfied side-eye, acting all experienced as he said, “You should’ve just snapped a pic of the hospital and sent it over first—say nothing, wait for him to get curious and ask. Boom, you’ve got a topic. With a topic, you chat along, and naturally, you dive into deeper stuff…”
He raised his brows and gestured emphatically, then added bluntly and cruelly, “First, you need to spark his desire to talk to you, but not too abruptly. From the looks of it, he didn’t reply to your goodnight, so you failed completely. He probably has zero interest in you right now—might even find you annoying.”
Seeing Shen Zhixiao stay silent, Wen Heng snapped his fingers, about to offer more strategies, when the attending doctor knocked on the lounge door, holding the exam report and medications.
Shen Zhixiao rose from the sofa, a dense, needle-like pain tugging at his waist and abdomen. He couldn’t help furrowing his brows, but he savored it.
He took the report and flipped through it while listening to the doctor’s instructions.
When the doctor suggested getting a certificate to skip the next three days of intense military training for recovery, Shen Zhixiao waved it off dismissively.
Wen Heng sighed instead. “That bad, huh?”
He glanced at the injury diagram in the report, wrinkling his face as if feeling it himself, then asked with schadenfreude, “How’d you manage that? Did you run off during the gala to do the chest-breaking-boulders stunt?”
In a way, it was like getting smashed. The moment that weight hit, Shen Zhixiao’s organs had jolted with pain, letting him truly feel Qiu Sui’s intense concern for him.
His fingertips itched as he rubbed the paper, a faint happy smile breaking through his usual cold expression. “Something like that.”
Shen Zhixiao was mostly his own man, occasionally neurotic—Wen Heng was used to it by now. It was a common trait among S-Rank Alphas tormented by vicious Susceptible Periods.
But thinking of the Beta Shen Zhixiao had set his sights on, Wen Heng shuddered inexplicably. He couldn’t imagine how those two would survive together if it actually happened.
Alphas needed to Mark an Omega or get long-term Pheromone soothing from an Omega partner to stabilize their Susceptible Period—especially for an S-Rank Alpha whose condition could easily worsen.
Normally, a worsening Susceptible Period only hit after twenty-four if an Alpha hadn’t Marked an Omega or gotten their Pheromones. But Shen Zhixiao’s had flared up at eighteen, making his personality even colder and more violent.
Rumor had it Shen Zhixiao’s early worsening was psychologically induced. Wen Heng couldn’t fathom how this spoiled, lawless guy had such rich inner drama to trigger it himself.
Of course, he also hadn’t expected Shen Zhixiao, in this “special” state, to calmly take interest in a Beta. After all, a bad Susceptible Period could lead to Pheromone Disorder and a painful death.
Shen Zhixiao was probably just temporarily intrigued by the Beta, looking for a casual fling.
No S-Rank Alpha would throw away their life to spend forever with an ordinary Beta—especially one with a worsening Susceptible Period, who might only have half a lifetime left.
Wen Heng thought somewhat harshly as he trailed behind Shen Zhixiao.
…
Though he’d gone hard last night, Qiu Sui still worried the next morning that the psycho Alpha might be plotting revenge during training.
He stayed vigilant for any sign of him, messaging Qiu Shun during free rest time to remind him to stay safe, afraid of dragging his brother into the mess.
Qiu Sui even shelled out cash through a camp insider to ask if any Alpha had suddenly taken leave or skipped training. The answer: none.
Qiu Sui wasn’t sure if it was true or if he’d been scammed. Either way, he’d spent thirty-five bucks—the first from last night’s allowance—on that Alpha, and it stung.
He let out a deep, regretful sigh.
At 11:30, training ended across the Camp Ground. The groups scattered. Qiu Sui grabbed his backpack and headed to Qiao Keren’s area, spotting an Alpha standing across from Qiao Keren from afar.
He frowned and quickened his pace. By the time he arrived, the Alpha had left, leaving Qiao Keren fuming. “Fuck, doesn’t want to add me on WeChat? Fine, but why block my way?”
Seeing Qiu Sui, Qiao Keren immediately latched onto his arm excitedly, ranting as they walked about the Alpha who’d asked for his WeChat, got rejected, and pretended not to care.
The more he talked, the angrier he got, ranting about cocky Alphas in general before concluding, “I’m getting Alpha aversion too. There aren’t even a few normal Alphas in this world.”
Qiu Sui hadn’t gotten a good look at the Alpha. Seeing Qiao Keren’s furious face, he asked with concern, “Do you know who that Alpha asking for your WeChat was?”
Qiao Keren thought back. “Didn’t memorize. Just a generic face.”
That was a brutal assessment—Qiu Sui couldn’t help laughing.
Inappropriately, Shen Zhixiao popped into his head. Setting aside the plot, Qiu Sui thought compared to these flirty Alphas, Shen Zhixiao wasn’t just handsome—he was kind too, if brutally direct.
Recalling how Shen Zhixiao had straight-up asked last night if he’d blocked his Moments, Qiu Sui still felt a wave of embarrassment. He hoped Shen Zhixiao wouldn’t message him again.
Because compared to indirectly learning about someone, Qiu Sui believed face-to-face talk showed true sincerity.
By the time they reached the cafeteria, it was late. Every stall had long lines, making it hard to even walk.
Qiu Sui barely found a shorter queue and pulled Qiao Keren into it.
It was crowded, so he shielded the shorter Qiao Keren in front of him.
Qiao Keren was touched, leaning on his shoulder like a clinging little bird. About to tilt his head and call him handsome, he looked up—and froze at the cold face looming over Qiu Sui’s head.
Qiao Keren nearly jumped out of his skin. Behind the tall Qiu Sui stood an even taller figure, filling him with shock and fear.
Qiu Sui noticed his odd reaction and felt puzzled when hands suddenly gripped his shoulders.
Unprepared, he turned—and came face-to-face with Shen Zhixiao leaning in close.
He collided straight into those pitch-black phoenix eyes. Like a cat facing its natural predator, Qiu Sui’s pupils dilated in terror.
For an instant, his blood froze. The Alpha was so close their breaths seemed to mingle, his powerful presence invading bit by bit.
Done for.
As his heart raced, the thought flashed in Qiu Sui’s mind.
He struggled to shift his gaze away from Shen Zhixiao’s mesmerizing eyes.
Just that simple movement left him flushed and dizzy. Worse, the person behind him suddenly moved too.
Like a sluggish puppet, Qiu Sui slowly tried to turn his head back—only halfway when a cool finger poked his cheek. Then Shen Zhixiao’s low, amused voice rasped by his ear.
“Your face is so red.”
The words crashed into Qiu Sui’s ear like a tidal wave. His brain felt hijacked, unable to process. He stood rigid and dazed, eyes wide, throat managing only a subconscious low hum after ages.
Qiao Keren watched the two behind him in horror. From his angle, the Beta seemed nearly enveloped by the Alpha, their front-and-back stance screaming intimacy. It shook him to his core.
He stared as red bloomed from Qiu Sui’s neck to cheeks, stammering, “Y-You guys…”
Qiu Sui wrenched his head back with effort, finding a shred of clarity in Qiao Keren’s incredulous expression. He struggled to explain, but the Alpha behind spoke first, greeting Qiao Keren with a smile. “Hi, I’m Shen Zhixiao. Xiao Sui’s friend.”
Qiao Keren had blanked when Shen Zhixiao touched Qiu Sui’s face. Hearing “Xiao Sui” shattered him further. His reaction as sluggish as Qiu Sui’s, it took seconds to reply, “Uh, h-hi haha, I’m Qiao Keren.”
He shot Qiu Sui a terrified look, eyes screaming: When did you make this friend? Didn’t you have Alpha aversion?! And what did he call you? I didn’t mishear, right?!
Qiu Sui was speechless, frozen in place. Only his dangling hand clenched tight, heart pounding wildly, reason on the brink.
But the Alpha behind him leaned in slightly, his gentle tone drifting into Qiu Sui’s ear like a spell, making his head swim.
“Didn’t expect to run into you here. Do you eat here often? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
Shen Zhixiao’s hands rested on Qiu Sui’s shoulders, gaze fixed on his messy hairtop. Naturally, he lifted a hand to tidy it.
His slender fingers brushed the strands intimately, rippling Qiu Sui’s nerves. He nodded stiffly to dodge the hand, then yanked his shoulder free with all his strength.
Finally sensing the resistance, the Alpha behind withdrew apologetically.
Relieved of the weight, Qiu Sui’s mind cleared. Without thinking, he stepped closer to Qiao Keren, legs trembling faintly.
But Shen Zhixiao followed, this time keeping a few centimeters’ distance.
Eyeing the Beta’s evasive shoulder, he smiled amiably at Qiao Keren and invited, “Wanna eat together later? My friend’s saved seats.”
Before Qiao Keren could reply, Qiu Sui—back in control and crisis-heightened—blurted urgently, “No need.”
