Chapter 22
Beep beep—
System notification: You have received a WeChat message.
Jiang Yuebai: I have practice today, can’t have lunch with you.
Jiang Yuebai: Poor Xiaodou.jpg
Jiang Yuebai: [WeChat Red Envelope]
Yan Weiqiu replied “Okay” and continued watching his movie.
His roommate, seeing that he hadn’t gone out for lunch yet, asked curiously, “Aren’t you going out for lunch today? You’re usually not in the dorm at this time.”
Yan Weiqiu: “Mm, haven’t decided what to order yet.”
Roommate teased, “Not going on a date with your childhood friend today?”
“He’s at practice.” Yan Weiqiu turned off his tablet and stretched. “And we don’t call it a date. We’re more like… meal buddies.”
Dates were for ambiguous partners or lovers. He and Jiang Yuebai at most chatted under the covers together.
But his meal buddy seemed busy with practice lately and didn’t have time to eat with him.
The university’s basketball tournament was coming up, so Jiang Yuebai naturally couldn’t just show up at the basketball club and leave like before.
Yan Weiqiu thought it was a good thing. He shouldn’t be seeing Jiang Yuebai so often anyway; it reduced the risk of his secret being exposed.
Roommate: “You two are practically dating. There’s no such thing as pure friendship between an Omega and an Alpha, especially since you’re childhood friends. You two are so clingy, just like a couple, just unwilling to admit it.”
Yan Weiqiu thought for a moment and replied, “Our parents have a good relationship, so we’re also very close, closer than ordinary friends.”
Roommate: “Then why aren’t you two dating? Just because he doesn’t like Omegas?”
Yan Weiqiu nodded.
If he dated Jiang Yuebai, his Omega identity would be completely exposed.
What if Jiang Yuebai found out he had been lying to him? How would he handle the aftermath?
Crossing the line from friends to lovers meant there was no turning back.
If they didn’t make it to the end, it would be very awkward. They wouldn’t be able to be lovers, and they might not even be able to be friends anymore.
He didn’t want to lose Jiang Yuebai as a friend.
So he couldn’t let their relationship develop from friendship to romance. He could only hide his secret for as long as possible.
His roommate didn’t quite understand his thinking and just reminded him, “Aren’t you worried someone else will snatch him away?”
Another roommate, who had been listening, chimed in, “If they knew about Xiaoqiu and his childhood friend, no one would be stupid enough to try and break them up, right? I think if my partner had such a close childhood friend, I’d be jealous and arguing with him every day. I’d feel like a third wheel. And I’m sure if I and his childhood friend fell into the water at the same time, he wouldn’t save me first.”
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
He really couldn’t swim.
“That’s not necessarily true.”
“You should check out the school forum and confession wall.”
Another Omega roommate waved his phone. “And the university’s Omega group chat.”
“Alphas like Jiang Yuebai, tall, handsome, and with a good physique, are very popular among Omegas.”
“Actually, not just Omegas, he’s also very popular among Betas.”
Yan Weiqiu pursed his lips.
Jiang Yuebai had always been popular.
He knew that.
He still couldn’t resist checking the school’s confession wall.
University was indeed different from high school.
The confessions in high school were subtle, unlike the passionate and unrestrained ones he saw now…
It was more like flirting than confessing.
His Omega roommate, seeing his indifferent expression, said exasperatedly, “Xiaoqiu, you should hold onto such a perfect Alpha tightly. What if your childhood friend meets an Omega with a high pheromone compatibility with him?”
Yan Weiqiu froze, his mind going blank.
Right, he had originally thought that Jiang Yuebai might meet someone he truly liked in university, that his feelings might just be due to habit, not actual love.
Roommate: “Childhood friend versus someone new, isn’t that how it always goes in novels? And the ending is usually the childhood friend sadly leaving the scene.”
Yan Weiqiu felt his heartbeat slow down, his thoughts stagnating. He repeatedly asked himself:
Would Jiang Yuebai fall in love with someone else?
From a firm denial, to hesitation, the final answer wavered between yes and no.
If he were a Beta, probably not.
Just like they had originally planned to confess to each other during their trip and become a couple. There might be some bumps along the way, but they would definitely make it to the end.
But he was an Omega now.
Even if Jiang Yuebai didn’t meet his destined mate, he wouldn’t choose him, an Omega.
The thought of losing Jiang Yuebai made Yan Weiqiu restless.
In the afternoon, he quietly went to the university’s gymnasium.
Although it was just a practice match, the gymnasium was almost full. Yan Weiqiu managed to find a seat in a secluded corner.
The sound of sneakers squeaking against the floor echoed in the gymnasium, the scores close.
Yan Weiqiu easily spotted the familiar figure in the crowd. He dribbled the ball skillfully, dodged his opponent, jumped, and made a perfect three-pointer.
The cheers from the audience were deafening.
The young man’s figure was dazzling.
Amidst the roar of the crowd, he could almost hear his own pounding heart.
Even though he had seen this face countless times, every time they met, he was still captivated.
Falling in love with Jiang Yuebai over and over again.
The whistle blew, signaling halftime.
Jiang Yuebai lifted his shirt to wipe the sweat off his face, inadvertently revealing his toned abs, eliciting screams from the audience.
Yan Weiqiu listened silently to the surrounding students praising Jiang Yuebai.
It was a little annoying.
…
…
Jiang Yuebai looked at his watch impatiently, his mood sour.
He was in a bad mood today.
The club president came over, patted his shoulder, and said with a smile, “It’s just one day without seeing your childhood friend, is it that bad?”
He had finally managed to drag Jiang Yuebai to the practice match, but he hadn’t been in a good mood all day.
A teammate passing by overheard their conversation and teased, “President, you don’t have a boyfriend, so of course you don’t understand. Isn’t dating and cuddling with your childhood friend much better than playing basketball?”
“Go, go, go away.”
“Speaking of which, your childhood friend is quite popular.”
“I heard the foreign language department has a particularly beautiful Beta freshman this year. Is that your guy?”
Jiang Yuebai was annoyed by this.
Someone had posted Yan Weiqiu’s photos on the forum, and because of his outstanding looks, he had attracted a lot of attention.
Then he had secretly reported the post, emphasizing that he would pursue the poster’s responsibility, scaring the person into deleting the post overnight.
Knowing that Jiang Yuebai hadn’t officially won Yan Weiqiu over yet, the president sighed. “Good luck.”
“That’s why I shouldn’t be wasting my time here, I…” Jiang Yuebai stopped mid-sentence, glancing at the audience. He thought he saw Yan Weiqiu.
“How can you say it’s a waste of time? Let me tell you, Xiaobai…” Sensing his distraction, the president followed his gaze but didn’t see anything unusual. He asked curiously, “What are you looking at? Is your childhood friend here?”
Jiang Yuebai hesitantly shook his head. There were too many people; perhaps he had been mistaken.
Xiaoqiu didn’t like crowded places and wasn’t interested in basketball; he wouldn’t come here.
Every time during halftime, Jiang Yuebai would glance at the audience, as if searching for someone.
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
How did Jiang Yuebai know he was here?
Or did he just happen to see him?
He was sitting in a corner; could Jiang Yuebai even see him from there?
Yan Weiqiu lowered his head, thinking about his escape route.
“Who is he looking at?”
“He seems to be looking in our direction.”
“He must have seen someone he knows.”
The surrounding students whispered amongst themselves. Yan Weiqiu was still worried about how to squeeze through the crowd, so he didn’t notice the hushed voices and the strange atmosphere.
Until a pair of familiar sneakers appeared in his line of sight. Yan Weiqiu looked up blankly.
Jiang Yuebai’s surprised and delighted smile greeted him.
“Xiaoqiu, why are you here?”
“I thought I was mistaken.”
Feeling the gazes of the surrounding students on him and Jiang Yuebai, Yan Weiqiu swallowed hard and said nervously, “I… I just happened to be passing by the gymnasium, so I thought I’d come and see how your practice was going.”
Jiang Yuebai crouched in front of him, a wide smile on his face. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have come to get you.”
Yan Weiqiu said stiffly, “I didn’t want to disturb your practice.”
“I’m happy you’re here. How could I consider it a disturbance?” Sensing his discomfort, Jiang Yuebai wiped his dusty hands on his shirt and led him to the front row of the resting area. “Sit here. There are fewer people here, and you don’t have to squeeze with the other students. The view is better too.”
Jiang Yuebai handed him a bottle of water and then returned to the court.
His teammates whistled and gathered around him, their faces full of curiosity.
“What’s going on? Is that your childhood friend?”
“Yo, I knew it. No wonder he was so distracted earlier.”
“Tsk tsk, his whole demeanor has changed.”
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
He shouldn’t have come here.
In the end, Jiang Yuebai’s team won by a large margin.
The students started to leave.
As Yan Weiqiu hesitated, wondering whether to leave, Jiang Yuebai came over and took the water bottle from his hand.
Yan Weiqiu grabbed his arm, trying to stop him. “I already drank from that.”
Jiang Yuebai glanced at his hand and said, “I’m covered in sweat.”
Yan Weiqiu quickly withdrew his hand.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuebai chuckled. “I’m out of water, Xiaoqiu. Let me have a sip.”
“There’s…”
Before he could finish, the club president covered his mouth and kicked the half-box of water under the table.
Yan Weiqiu looked at them curiously, seeing only their playful figures.
“It’s okay, it’s not like I haven’t tasted your saliva before.” Jiang Yuebai finished the bottle of water in one gulp right in front of him.
Yan Weiqiu was silent for a moment.
Jiang Yuebai: “I’m going to take a shower. I’ll be right back. Wait for me here for a few minutes, okay?”
Yan Weiqiu nodded. “Hurry up, you stink.”
In an unfamiliar environment, even a few minutes felt like a long time.
Beep beep—
System notification: You have a new friend request.
Jiang Yuebai’s phone screen lit up.
Yan Weiqiu curiously tapped the screen. There was a four-digit passcode.
Two voices battled in his mind:
He even tells you his bank card password; his phone is practically yours to look at.
A phone is private; it’s wrong to snoop.
Yan Weiqiu muttered softly, “That’s right, a phone is private. Xiaobai’s money is my money, Xiaobai’s things are my things. What’s wrong with me looking at my own things?”
He tried entering Xiaobai’s birthday, but the system showed an incorrect password.
Yan Weiqiu’s heart twinged slightly.
He entered his own birthday, and the phone unlocked.
Jiang Yuebai’s lock screen hadn’t changed; it was a photo of them together.
He opened WeChat. He was still pinned at the top of Jiang Yuebai’s chat list.
There weren’t any special messages, but there was a small red dot on the Contacts tab. He clicked on it, and there were many friend requests, the number still increasing.
“What’s this?”
Jiang Yuebai silently appeared behind him, startling Yan Weiqiu. He frantically turned off the phone screen and stuffed the phone back into Jiang Yuebai’s hand.
Jiang Yuebai raised an eyebrow, handed him the phone back, and said, “You can look if you want. The password for all my apps is your birthday.”
Yan Weiqiu froze.
Why did Jiang Yuebai use his birthday as his password?
Yan Weiqiu lowered his eyes, suppressing the emotions welling up inside him, and said softly, “Your phone kept ringing, that’s why I looked.”
Jiang Yuebai casually put his phone back in his pocket. “The president arranged a dinner gathering, and he told me to bring you along.”
Yan Weiqiu was silent for a moment, then said helplessly, “The president is quite rich.”
In the end, he was half-dragged by Jiang Yuebai to the basketball club’s dinner gathering.
The president chatted with him for a while, mostly trying to persuade him to join the basketball club.
“You have no idea, Xiaobai was practically half-dead on the court in the first half, but as soon as you arrived, he was like a different person in the second half.”
“With you here, he definitely won’t be skipping practice anymore.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t need you to play. Just join the club, and come watch us play sometimes.”
Yan Weiqiu didn’t know how to refuse and looked a little troubled.
Just then, Jiang Yuebai returned and helped him decline.
In the end, they all drank quite a bit, except for Yan Weiqiu, who didn’t touch a drop of alcohol.
The president, slightly drunk, grabbed his arm and said, “You have no idea how much Xiaobai likes you.”
“So many Omegas are chasing him, but I’ve never seen him treat anyone nicely.”
“Last time, there was this Omega…”
“Don’t listen to his nonsense, he’s drunk.” Jiang Yuebai pushed the president away and clung to Yan Weiqiu, his whole body leaning against him.
“You’re so heavy.” Yan Weiqiu tried to push him away but couldn’t, so he just said to the other relatively sober team members, “I’ll take Xiaobai back now.”
Even in the car, Jiang Yuebai was still clinging to him.
“Are you really drunk?” Yan Weiqiu asked skeptically.
He remembered Jiang Yuebai having a good tolerance for alcohol; he shouldn’t be this drunk after only three drinks, right?
Jiang Yuebai leaned against his neck, nuzzling the back of his neck with his nose.
Yan Weiqiu immediately pushed him away.
Jiang Yuebai sniffed, as if savoring the sweet scent he had just smelled.
“Is that perfume?”
Yan Weiqiu’s pupils constricted, and he stared at Jiang Yuebai, holding his breath.
“Y-yes, I sprayed some perfume before I left.”
His voice trembled as he frantically searched his bag for the bottle of pills, poured out two or three, and stuffed them all into his mouth.
Jiang Yuebai leaned closer and held out his hand. “Can I have one? I want to taste the scent you like.”
Yan Weiqiu stuffed the bottle back into his bag and lied, “I don’t have any more.”
Jiang Yuebai was silent for a moment, looking at him with a grieved expression. “I clearly saw you still had some.”
Yan Weiqiu rummaged through his bag and found a soft candy. He had bought some snacks at the supermarket a few days ago, and since they didn’t have change for the last ten cents, they had given him two candies.
He handed the candy to Jiang Yuebai, saying, “I saved this one especially for you.”
Jiang Yuebai unwrapped and ate the candy, murmuring in his ear, “So sweet.”
The scent of lime filled the car. Smelling his pheromones, Yan Weiqiu hesitated for a long time before speaking. “I saw many Omegas confessing to you, on WeChat, the confession wall, and the forum. A lot of people like you.”
Jiang Yuebai held his hand and gave a soft “mm-hmm.”
The tension in Yan Weiqiu’s heart intensified. He took a deep breath, looked out the window, and asked casually, “Do you still hate Omegas?”
Jiang Yuebai didn’t know why he was asking this, but he still gave an affirmative answer.
“Mm.”
Even though he knew the answer, he still stubbornly asked, wanting to hear it for himself, setting himself up for disappointment.
“What if I became an Omega?”
Jiang Yuebai didn’t answer. As long as Xiaoqiu was a Beta, he could never say that he could accept an Omega.
Yan Weiqiu: “Mm, I understand.”
His nose tingled, and he quickly lowered his head, tears silently sliding down his cheeks, hidden in the darkness.
