What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – Like Him?

Jiang Wangshu said, “Why did you post a picture of a milk tea in your feed? How old-fashioned. Are you stuck in 2013? Did you get poisoned by that fake Xie Ji Ba Dou industrial sugar?”

Duan Yi’s WeChat post showed an art photo of “Xie Ji Ba Dou” milk tea with the caption “Hmph.”

Nan Yi liked the post and commented, “I like it. I’ll buy you more next time.”

Jiang Wangshu clicked his tongue. “Look at this deep devotion. Why not go act in a TV drama?”

Duan Yi replied, “You’re crazy. I bought this myself!” [Disapproval]

He didn’t mention Sheng Yunze bought it, feeling it might be too presumptuous.

Jiang Wangshu glanced at him, then calmly took out a bottle of Mrs. Taitai Oral Solution and drank. He commented, “This is what a love-struck fool looks like.”

After closing WeChat, Duan Yi used his lunch break to memorize Sheng Yunze’s QQ number. He quickly typed it into the search bar and checked his updates.

Sheng Yunze had changed his status from “So annoying” to a pink pig emoji.

Duan Yi didn’t understand the change. He hesitated and turned to look at the back door. Sheng Yunze, wearing wireless headphones, was leaning on the desk in a light sleep.

With his face turned to the wall, Duan Yi could only see the back of his head.

Jiang Wangshu, pouring hot water from a kettle, advised him, “Stop looking. No matter how you stare, he won’t bloom into a flower.”

Duan Yi: “I’m not looking at Sheng Yunze.”

Jiang Wangshu blew a hot breath, talking in a strange, serious way, “I didn’t say you were looking at Sheng Yunze…”

Duan Yi: “……”

“You really like him?” Jiang Wangshu asked.

“Who, Sheng Yunze?” Duan Yi answered, lying on the desk, “I don’t really like him. I just can’t stand how he ignores me.”

Jiang Wangshu: “Do you think your answer sounds guilty?”

Duan Yi: “……”

“A little.”

Jiang Wangshu: “Having two A-type lovers won’t work. Didn’t you try it with Nan Yi once? It ended badly. You didn’t learn your lesson?”

Duan Yi: “He’s different from Nan Yi.”

Jiang Wangshu: “How is he different? More eyes? More legs?”

Duan Yi held back for a long time, then mumbled into the desk, “He’s just different.”

Jiang Wangshu: “Even if you like him, you need to see if he likes you. Commander Sheng has always been an A-type. He could choose from many pretty Omegas, so why does he keep bothering you?” He added quickly, “I’m not saying you’re bad. Xiao Jiang supports you from the heart! True love doesn’t care about gender! If he goes to Peking University, you go to Peking University Qingniao. If he goes to Tsinghua University, you go to Tsinghua Tongfang…”

He stopped, then took out his phone. “I’ll add you to a group.”

Duan Yi’s phone vibrated once. QQ showed he’d joined a new group called “Caring for Campus Beauty Association”.

Duan Yi’s face cracked into a smile as the group began welcoming the new member.

Jiang Wangshu said, “I added you from my forum. It’s full of people who like Sheng Yunze. There are Second High School students and outsiders. Talk to them and you might find common interests.”

“What common interests?” Duan Yi asked.

“Shared heartbreak!” Jiang Wangshu replied.

“Get out! Get out! Get out!” Duan Yi shouted.

He didn’t leave the group. Jiang Wangshu said, “Most in the group are Omegas. You might be the first Alpha, but don’t write your real gender. Just make something up.”

Duan Yi didn’t say he was now an Omega. He touched his neck, feeling prickles of pain again.

He needed some of Sheng Yunze’s pheromones.

“I know you’re sleepy in the first afternoon class, but please don’t sleep with your head down. What will I say if other teachers see? Get up! Get up—get up!” Math Teacher Li knocked hard on the desk.

After lunch break, two-thirds of the class were half-asleep.

Three loud noises later, people slowly looked up, forcing their eyes to focus on the blackboard.

Duan Yi was sleeping so deeply he might as well have been using his desk as a bed.

Jiang Wangshu nudged him awake, “Old Li’s mad. Get up before he hits you.”

Duan Yi was too sleepy to care, “Tell Old Li I have a cold and need to go to the infirmary.”

Jiang Wangshu: “You’re going to sleep in the infirmary? Without me?”

Duan Yi: “There’s only a few beds! Who said I’m going to sleep? I’m going to get medicine. I have a cold and fever, you know…”

Jiang Wangshu raised his hand, “Teacher Li.”

Teacher Li nodded.

Jiang Wangshu said, “Duan Yi’s not feeling well. I’ll take him to the infirmary.”

Teacher Li: “What’s wrong?”

Duan Yi pretended to be dizzy, leaning weakly against Jiang Wangshu’s shoulder.

Jiang Wangshu: “He has a cold, a headache, and his period’s coming. He’s not feeling well anywhere.”

Teacher Li laughed coldly, “Fine. Duan Yi can go, but you don’t need to come. I won’t make you take him, Jiang Wangshu. Or you both won’t come back today. Sheng Yunze, you take him.”

Duan Yi sat up straight, “Why?!”

What else could it be? Sheng Yunze has good grades, so the teacher trusts him.

“How did your cold get better? Can you keep listening to class?” Teacher Li asked.

Duan Yi fell weak again, “Ouch, my head hurts, my stomach hurts, I’m feverish… I’m done for, I won’t last long…”

Sheng Yunze took off his headphones and pulled Duan Yi up from his seat.

“Don’t grab me like a cat,” Duan Yi said. “I can walk by myself.”

“Can you stop giving me trouble all day?” Sheng Yunze asked.

Duan Yi made a stopping motion and looked at Teacher Li. “Did you hear that, Teacher Li? Stop giving him trouble!”

Teacher Li: …

Duan Yi jumped up to run, but Sheng Yunze grabbed him by the throat and dragged him to the infirmary.

Duan Yi was pretending to be sick. When he got to the infirmary, he couldn’t say what was wrong. The nurse looked at him and said, “Duan Yi, back again? Old friend.”

She asked kindly, “Period problems again?”

Duan Yi, dragged here by Sheng Yunze, said angrily, “Postpartum problems! Is that better? Why do you keep asking about our women’s private matters?”

Infirmary teacher: “Can’t you have a correct understanding of your own gender?”

Duan Yi made a stopping gesture seriously, “Not even for a girl.”

Sheng Yunze’s face showed a mix of emotions.

He knew Duan Yi’s personality—a person who talks without thinking, saying different things to different people, nine out of ten words are lies, not a single truth.

Unconventional, unreliable, doesn’t follow normal rules.

The infirmary teacher shook his head, “Go. Vitamin C is on the table. Take it yourself. Don’t eat all the effervescent tablets—last time you fell asleep in the afternoon and ate my effervescent tablets like candy…”

Duan Yi easily found his special bed, lay down, and looked at Sheng Yunze, “Sheng-ge, the patient is ready. You can leave now.”

After saying this, he added in a lively voice, “Wishing Your Majesty a safe return to the palace—”

Sheng Yunze looked at him, then turned and left.

Duan Yi quickly jumped up from the bed in a carp flip, “Old Zhang! Old Zhang! Give me some inhibitors—Omega use. The kind that makes you not want men!”

Old Zhang, the infirmary teacher, real name Song Baiqiao.

Duan Yi always called him “Old Zhang” because when they first met, he wore a hooded shirt under his white coat.

From then on, Duan Yi never used his real name.

“Can you stop calling me Old Zhang? Now everyone in a ten-mile radius thinks my last name is Zhang.”

“What’s wrong with Zhang? People named Zhang live long and get government-assigned partners.” Duan Yi sat in front of him. “Hurry up and give me some inhibitors.”

“Who’s it for? Infirmary inhibitors can’t be given out randomly. They have to be recorded at school.”

“Jiang Wangshu.” Duan Yi sold him out without hesitation, sounding heartbroken. “You know him, right? A Beta, but… but he turned into an Omega. What’s going on here?”

Old Zhang looked at Duan Yi, not fully believing him.

Duan Yi got impatient after two sentences. “Haven’t you read novels? All Betas are just Omega disguises. Give me some now! I’ll take responsibility if anything happens. Otherwise Xiaoduan’s dad will pull the funding tomorrow.”

Old Zhang heard about the withdrawal and looked serious. “This isn’t a small matter. Teachers must be responsible for every student.”

Five minutes later, Duan Yi got Omega suppressants. They were made to look like mint tablets. He swallowed two and lay on the bed waiting for them to work.

Duan Yi was a marked Omega. Ordinary suppressants didn’t work well on him. His body might even reject them because of his natural pheromones, but he didn’t know that.

When Sheng Yunze came back with hot water, he saw Duan Yi burning up. He was surprised.

This idiot. How could he get sick in just a few minutes?

Duan Yi tossed and turned on the bed, not fully awake. He kept trying to press against the metal bars.

As soon as Sheng Yunze came near, Duan Yi threw himself into his arms. Sheng Yunze had hot water in his hands. He pulled back to avoid spilling it on Duan Yi’s head, but that left his hand exposed. The water burned him red.

Sheng Yunze put down the cup and hesitated before touching Duan Yi’s forehead.

Old Zhang heard noise and looked over. He was half-scared. “Aiya, what’s wrong with him?”

Seeing the empty inhibitor bottles on the table, he said, “Aiya, this kid! How did he eat Omega inhibitors like candy? He looks silly sometimes, but he really did something stupid.”

Sheng Yunze asked, “He ate Omega inhibitors? Why?”

Old Zhang said, “What else? This brat was hungry. What sweet-tasting medicine that looks like candy in our infirmary hasn’t he eaten? What hasn’t he put in his mouth?”

Sheng Yunze asked, “Duan Yi likes eating candy?”

“He likes snacks. All kids are like that.”

Old Zhang hung an IV bottle for him. Half an hour later, Duan Yi woke up to see Sheng Yunze sitting beside him.

He mumbled, “Husband…”

Sheng Yunze looked up at him, his gaze turning cold. Duan Yi felt a chill down his back and suddenly woke up. “C-C-Congratulations… on making money…”

Sheng Yunze raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”

Duan Yi said earnestly, “Wishing you a happy New Year early. I was afraid with so many New Year’s Eve wishes, you wouldn’t see mine. I was afraid on New Year’s Day…”

Sheng Yunze: “Shut up.” He rubbed his forehead in frustration and sighed. “I have no desire to talk to someone who treats suppressants like candy.”

Duan Yi realized why he was lying down.

Pretending too much can make you really sick.

He felt wronged and refused to speak.

Sheng Yunze wasn’t used to this silence. He turned to look. “Are you upset?”

“No,” Duan Yi said. “Why did you come back?”

“I went to get water for the pretend-sick pig. When I came back, he was really sick.”

Duan Yi sniffed, his voice muffled. “Maybe it’s swine flu.”

Sheng Yunze: …

After lying still for a while, Duan Yi couldn’t stay quiet. “So boring, Sheng Yunze. Talk to me.”

Sheng Yunze said, “It’s late. I need to go back to class.”

But he stayed firmly in his chair, not moving.

Duan Yi’s thoughts jumped quickly. “I draw well. How about I draw you a watch?”

Sheng Yunze: “Don’t move if you’re sick.”

Duan Yi argued, “I got the shot in my right hand. My left hand works fine. My left hand draws well too.”

He was afraid of needles. His right hand stayed still. He bit open the black pen cap and carefully drew a watch on Sheng Yunze’s wrist.

“Here’s a Vacheron Constantin for you,” Duan Yi said, focused on his drawing.

Sheng Yunze didn’t move or look, letting him continue.

Five minutes later, he asked impatiently, “Finished yet?”

“Don’t talk. I’m drawing the light-dark line.”

What light-dark line? This is a simple drawing!

Remembering Duan Yi’s strange way of thinking, Sheng Yunze’s heart skipped a beat. He looked down in surprise—Duan Yi had drawn a 3D watch on his hand.

Sheng Yunze: ……

“Done!” Duan Yi admired his work.

Sheng Yunze said expressionlessly, “Ugly.”

But his face softened a little. Duan Yi lay on the bed staring at him, caught by Sheng Yunze’s gaze.

Their eyes met in the air.

The mood was good. Duan Yi could hear his own heartbeat.

In the empty infirmary, a cold voice suddenly spoke.

His heart raced to 200 beats per minute—this time from fear.

[ Choose. ]

Duan Yi: …Shit, is this not what he thought?

[ A.) Ask Sheng Yunze what color underwear he’s wearing today and if you can borrow them. ]

[ B.) Pin Sheng Yunze to the table, give him a wicked smile, and lick his lips, “You’ve got my attention now, man.” ]

[ C.) Grab Sheng Yunze’s chin, “The weather’s so nice today. Let’s get in bed.” ]

Sheng Yunze: “What?”

Duan Yi’s face wasn’t just embarrassed—it was completely pale.

From bitter experience, he knew the system would choose for him no matter what. It was shameless and unreasonable.

Sheng Yunze checked the IV bottle. Duan Yi’s lips trembled as he stammered, “Y-you… you…”

“What about me?” Sheng Yunze asked quietly. “Are you feeling sick?”

Like a brave martyr, Duan Yi asked, “What color are your underwear?”

Sheng Yunze: ……

Duan Yi’s face turned red then white. “Can I… use it… for a moment…?”

Sheng Yunze took a deep breath. The warm atmosphere vanished. He looked at Duan Yi with a hard-to-explain expression. “Are you a pervert?”

Duan Yi felt like something suddenly broke free inside him. He silently screamed in his mind.

This damn system! Aaaahhh!

Author’s Note:

Xiaoduan: This damn system will kill me someday.jpg