What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 13

Chapter 13 – Sour

“Listen, I swear, a mysterious snail girl came to our dorm.”

During break time, Jiang Wangshu said while eating a pancake, “This morning, I opened the door and found a big bag of snacks outside. Man, I asked everyone, but nobody knew who gave it!”

Hao Shanshan gasped, “Did someone secretly like my dad and send him snacks?”

Jiang Wangshu said, “Maybe, but this girl’s heart is too mean. Some of the snacks are already open.”

Hao Shanshan drooled, “What’s inside? I want to eat.”

Jiang Wangshu waved his finger, “Forget it, girl. All the snacks went to your dad. In just two morning classes, he ate everything.”

Duan Yi was sleeping soundly on the desk.

Jiang Wangshu ate his pancake, Hao Shanshan drank her free Mrs. T’s oral liquid, and both looked at Duan Yi’s baby-fat face.

“Eat, sleep, sleep, eat. Like a little piglet,” Jiang Wangshu said kindly. “Look at his face. Oh, Mommy’s little porky, so chubby.”

Hao Shanshan said, “Mommy, you’re so gross.”

Jiang Wangshu said, “To be exact, I’m your stepmom. Your real mom was called to the student affairs office to print test papers. He hasn’t come back yet.”

Speak of the devil, the devil came.

Sheng Yunze walked in through the front door carrying a stack of test papers and put them on the teacher’s desk.

Hao Shanshan looked at Sheng Yunze’s handsome face and sighed. “I wonder if I could write some mother-son incest story

Miss Hao, please be proper.

At noon, the autumn rain fell gently.

Not too heavy, not too light, just enough to turn PE class into physics class.

Duan Yi slumped down, basketball in his arms, leaning against the back door and gazing at the playground, leaving a lonely back view for the whole class.

After two physics classes and one math class, everyone in the class felt like they’d been skinned alive.

Every teacher left homework after each class. During the last self-study period, the classroom was filled only with the sounds of flipping papers and writing.

Jiang Wangshu hurriedly finished the physics test, threw it to Duan Yi to copy, then collapsed on the desk. “I’m not writing anymore. My brain’s about to explode. Every time I close my eyes, I see balls accelerating. Duan-bao, aren’t you scared of copying the multiple-choice questions wrong?”

Just as he spoke, Duan Yi left the last physics multiple-choice question blank.

“I clearly copied in order,” Duan Yi said.

“It doesn’t matter. The teacher will think it’s your normal performance,” Jiang Wangshu said.

Duan Yi borrowed correction fluid everywhere to erase his multiple-choice answers. Then he carefully copied them again, using a ruler to line up the answers.

“Are you going to tell the teacher you copied your answers?” he asked.

“Even if I don’t say it, the teacher will know I copied,” Duan Yi said, finally finishing his corrections.

Jiang Wangshu found Duan Yi’s serious copying cute. He lay on the desk like a puppy, his small mole on the tip of his nose barely visible. A tuft of hair stuck up on his head, making him look just like Jun Ji-hyun from My Wild Sweetheart.

He changed to a comfortable position to enjoy looking at Duan Yi’s face.

“Xiaoduan, why do you look a bit like Duan Shaoheng?” Hao Shanshan asked, puzzled.

“Husband! Who’s talking about my husband?” Fang Yun turned quickly, pulling out a magazine. “An introduction to friends? The only global brand ambassador for ln, featured in all nine major magazines, first film grossed over 10 billion yuan, excellent singer and dancer, beautiful and kind, can be salty or sweet, S.U.N. team captain and lead singer Duan Shaoheng!”

Duan Yi: …

“What language are you speaking? I understand every word, but I can’t understand any sentence.”

“President Duan, you don’t know Duan Shaoheng? You two were a family 500 years ago.”

Duan Yi thought, I know that.

We weren’t just family 500 years ago—we’re family now. We even shared the same womb and drank the same milk.

Duan Shaoheng was seven years older than him, his real brother, an Alpha, the kind who couldn’t turn into an Omega.

Now he’s a top celebrity. His haters could circle the Pacific Ocean. A nap at the airport gets him labeled “public property destroyer.” Not yawning means failed plastic surgery. Standing close to a female star is harassment. He pretends to be cool but acts like an idiot. Dark history videos flood the web—click any one and you’ll see Duan Shaoheng’s “amazing life” highlights.

It includes: failed cool act, failed smart act, accidentally posting unfiltered photos on Weibo, accidentally liking teammate gossip, pretending to be a fan to argue with haters (then getting exposed and ruined), forgetting to switch accounts when following adult content bloggers, getting caught by his manager buying snacks at midnight, fake crying at a teammate’s birthday party, mispronouncing “chan hui” as “qian hui”—a true slip through the cracks of compulsory education, a living example of a weirdo celebrity.

True fans many, haters more—a classic black rose.

In a way, Duan Yi and Duan Shaoheng were taught by the same mother.

Fang Yun said, “Who doesn’t know Duan Shaoheng? He’s my 165th husband. Don’t believe those online rumors about my husband being dumb. He just makes small mistakes because he’s too kind and simple!”

Duan Yi changed positions, bored. “Then you should get a new husband. He’s not just kind and simple—he’s stupid and foolish. His brain just works differently.”

Fang Yun: “You don’t understand. You don’t know how hard he worked. To chase his dream in the entertainment industry, he even dropped out of school. He never gave up on his dream…”

Duan Yi: “He just couldn’t pass the university entrance exams because his grades were bad.”

Fang Yun: “……”

“President Duan, are you a hater of Duan Shaoheng?”

Duan Yi: “I’m telling the truth. By the way, the brand he endorses, LN, is owned by his family.”

Fang Yun: “……”

So he really is a hater…

Duan Yi looked out the window. The gloomy, drizzling weather made him feel sad.

He missed Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi a little.

Sheng Ming was the older brother, Sheng Xi was the younger brother. The two looked so alike it was hard to tell them apart. Both were smart, just like Sheng Yunze.

As he thought about this, he fell asleep.

This kind of complicated spring melancholy was too much for his mind. He didn’t even get “melancholic” for long before falling asleep.

When he woke up, school had just ended. Jiang Wangshu invited him to play “chicken”.

Duan Yi didn’t want to play “chicken” with Jiang Wangshu. The guy couldn’t aim properly—he kept missing by inches. Using his gun as a brush, he was a master at drawing outlines on people.

Every time Duan Yi called Jiang Wangshu a “human outline artist”, Jiang Wangshu would call him a “war correspondent”. He meant that on the “chicken battlefield”, Duan Yi was just a camera watching everything, not really part of the game.

After finishing her test, Fang Yun turned to Duan Yi and showed him her new pink nail polish.

Duan Yi held his phone in one hand, while the other rested patiently on the table. He let Fang Yun paint his slender fingers—first pink, then hearts.

Hao Shanshan nudged him. “President Duan, visitor at the back door.”

Duan Yi looked up. Jian Qiao stood outside holding a cup of bubble tea.

Fang Yun’s hand paused. Duan Yi had already stood up.

Hao Shanshan sighed. “I say, stop liking Duan Yi.”

Fang Yun said, “Who likes him?”

She put away the remaining nail polish. Watching the tall, handsome Alpha boy walk toward another pretty girl, she felt a twinge of jealousy.

“Here, I got you this.” Jian Qiao handed Duan Yi a milk tea.

Duan Yi took it. “Why did you come find me? Change your mind about dating me?”

Jian Qiao rolled her eyes. “Be normal, Xiaoduan. Even if all Alphas died, I wouldn’t date you. We’re just close friends. I’m not into girl-girl relationships.”

Duan Yi said sourly, “Then you and Sheng Yunze are perfect for each other?”

Jian Qiao hummed softly, showing only half her lonely face. “He doesn’t like me. I can’t win him over.”

Somehow, Duan Yi felt he understood.

“Look at me, Qiao-jie. Xiaoduan’s shoulders and arms are always open for you.”

Jian Qiao rolled her eyes again. “My birthday’s Saturday. We’re having a barbecue at ‘Gao Kao’. Get Jiang Wangshu and your ex-boyfriend to come.”

“Gao Kao” was a barbecue restaurant across from Hangzhou Second High School.

“Why invite Nan Yi?”

Jian Qiao fidgeted. “Nan Yi did this to stop you from getting drunk and doing something rash that might make Sheng Yunze misunderstand. He also asked you to help me by bringing Sheng Yunze along.”

Duan Yi: …

Jian Qiao winked playfully. “If you really like me, why not help me? Can’t you turn your small love into big love and help me chase after Sheng Shuhuan, Duan Fei?”

“Jian Ruping, turn left when you leave.”

“Wow…” Jiang Wangshu peered through the rear window. “That’s intense.”

Hao Shanshan leaned closer. “Why does this scene feel so familiar?”

She asked, “Why did Jian Qiao ask President Duan for help?”

Students 1234 plus Fang Yun instantly crowded around the rear window like sardines.

Jiang Wangshu: “Blame Duan-ge’s old relationships.”

Fang Yun: “President Duan’s so devoted. He still remembers Jian Qiao.”

Jiang Wangshu: “That’s not it. Their relationship can’t be described as simple as ‘goddess’ and ‘standby boyfriend’.”

Fang Yun: ?

Jiang Wangshu: “You only became classmates with Duan Yi in senior year. Before that, they were in the same class for two years. Jian Qiao was our class’s arts representative—she could dance and play piano. Duan Yi liked girls with hair like noodles. At first, they were normal pursuer and pursued. But after Jian Qiao found out about Duan Yi and Nan Yi…”

His expression was hard to describe. “From then on, Jian Qiao and he are good. But it’s a bit like mother and son. You know President Duan. He’s an Alpha, but not very aggressive. He always makes people feel motherly love. Maybe this is what they call a ‘nursing Alpha’.”

Fang Yun thought for a moment, then agreed. “True.” She added, “So silly and cute. It’s different from what I heard before. Before class, he was just a campus bully in my mind.”

Jiang Wangshu asked, “What about now?”

Fang Yun said firmly, “He’s Mommy’s baby!”

“Commander Sheng is coming. Go, go, go.” Hao Shanshan hurriedly shooed them away.

Sheng Yunze sat in his seat. Jiang Wangshu jogged back to his own seat. Hao Shanshan asked, “In the war zone, Commander Sheng must have seen Duan Yi and Jian Qiao.”

Fang Yun said, “Trouble.”

Jiang Wangshu stroked his chin. “True. The school beauty’s harem is self-sustaining now. Big trouble.”

Fang Yun: …

Jiang Wangshu said, “Their three-person relationship is really confusing. Now I don’t know whose head is getting green.”

“What does your goddess want with you?”

Duan Yi came back with a milk tea. Jiang Wangshu looked over and said, “Commander Sheng saw you two earlier.”

“So what? Jian Qiao would love that,” Duan Yi said. “Her birthday’s this week. She wants us to have a barbecue dinner and invited Sheng Yunze too.”

Jiang Wangshu said, “I’m not asking the school beauty. You do it.”

Duan Yi grumbled, “I won’t do it either.”

Despite his words, after evening self-study ended, Duan Yi still went to Sheng Yunze and bumped his broom against him. “Hey.”

They were both on cleaning duty tonight. Sheng Yunze was wiping windows and blackboards, while Duan Yi was sweeping the floor.

The classroom was empty, chairs flipped onto tables. Bright white lights flooded the space.

Sheng Yunze turned his head. “What do you want?”

Duan Yi said, “Jian Qiao invited you to her birthday party.”

“Oh.”

“Are you going?”

“She told you this afternoon?”

Duan Yi said in a sly tone, “Yes, aren’t you thrilled? She asked for you, not me.”

Sheng Yunze said, “Do you like her?”

Duan Yi choked.

Like…

He did like Jian Qiao.

Jian Qiao could sing and dance, had a fun personality, and was talented. She could hang out with guys just as well as anyone.

The boys in class all secretly liked her—an unspoken agreement among them.

Duan Yi liked her like he liked a beautiful painting or a pretty flower.

He’d liked her for two years, and he couldn’t… just stop liking her because he wanted to.

Besides, Jian Qiao and he were good friends. Even without love, their friendship could last—just like his relationship with Nan Yi.

Rain began to fall outside the window.

Duan Yi snapped out of his thoughts and jumped back. “Damn! You scared me!”

Through the glass window, Nan Yi stood outside. “I knocked. You were daydreaming and didn’t respond.”

Duan Yi felt a bit guilty. “You didn’t go back to the dorm? Don’t second-year students get out half an hour earlier?”

“No umbrella. The rain’s getting heavy. I came to find you to go back together.”

“I only have one umbrella.”

“Perfect. We’ll share.”

A thought flashed through Duan Yi’s mind. What about Sheng Yunze? Does he have an umbrella?

Nan Yi opened the window and jumped in, landing easily. “Did you sweep?”

“No. Don’t you have other friends to borrow an umbrella from?”

“I do. But I want to go back with you. I wouldn’t take it from anyone else.”

Duan Yi was speechless.

Nan Yi turned his head and saw Sheng Yunze.

The two boys were about the same height. Sheng Yunze’s eyes stayed fixed on the blackboard, not looking their way.

Nan Yi grumbled, “Why are you always with him? I see him every time I come to find you.”

Duan Yi said impatiently, “The teacher assigned us as class cleaners. If you don’t like it, take it up with our homeroom teacher.”

Nan Yi circled around Duan Yi, acting cute, and helped him pack his bag early.

Duan Yi hesitated. “Commander Sheng, I’m leaving first?” He thought for a moment. “Do you have an umbrella?”

Sheng Yunze, with his back to them, didn’t answer.

Nan Yi hooked his arm around Duan Yi’s shoulders. “Hurry up, I’m starving. Let’s go to the store now—it’ll close soon.”

Duan Yi was dragged out of the classroom.

The large classroom fell silent.

Sheng Yunze’s hand slowed as he wiped the blackboard. He stopped in front of himself, then after a moment, put down the eraser and packed his bag.

The rain on the windows grew louder. The duty teacher had made his rounds, telling him to finish cleaning and go home early.

Sheng Yunze went downstairs with his backpack, looking at the curtain of rain outside the school building, and sighed.

Maybe I should wait until the rain lets up before going back.

He took out a book and leaned against the wall to read, but couldn’t focus because of his restless thoughts. I might as well go back now.

Sheng Yunze looked up. The schoolyard was misty in the rain. He was about to leave when he saw a black shape in the rain. Not only wasn’t it holding an umbrella, but it was getting closer.

Suddenly, Duan Yi appeared in front of him, shaking his head like a puppy.

“Freezing!” He put down the backpack he was holding on his head. Seeing Sheng Yunze, his eyes lit up. “Good you haven’t left!”

A rare look of surprise showed on Sheng Yunze’s face, quickly hidden. “…What are you doing back here?”

“To pick you up!”

“Pick me up?”

Duan Yi nodded. “Mm-hmm!”

Sheng Yunze took a step back, looking mysterious and hard to understand. “To be blunt, where’s your umbrella?”

Duan Yi didn’t notice anything wrong. He said simply, “I let Nan Yi go first with the umbrella. That’s how I could come back.”

Sheng Yunze: ……

Duan Yi’s eyes are bright. After a long moment, he finally reacts, keeping his smile and asking himself, “How do we get back?”

Sheng Yunze: ……

“Idiot.”

He covered his face.

Author’s Note:

Sheng Yunze: What do I do if my wife is too stupid? Waiting online, urgent.