What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – ABCs of Death

“To the saints and pioneers, I have committed an error in my thoughts and actions. For my mistakes, for my faults, for my most serious crimes, I pray to God Jesus. Amen…”

Duan Yi lay peacefully on the bed, his hands folded across his chest.

“Tell the teacher I left peacefully, with a smile on my face.”

“Aren’t you going to the evening self-study?” Jiang Wangshu laughed in anger at Duan Yi’s appearance. “Get off the bed!”

Duan Yi, half-dead from illness, sat up suddenly and clung to the bedpost. “I’m not going! Even if you kill me, I won’t go! Either let go or take my corpse! Revolutionaries don’t fear reactionaries’ bayonets. How could I fear a clueless beta like you?”

Jiang Wangshu pulled him hard. “You fucking… You know revolutionaries don’t fear reactionaries’ bayonets. So why the fuck are you afraid of Sheng Yunze?”

“Revolutionaries don’t steal Sheng Yunze’s underwear!” Duan Yi added. “And they don’t get caught in the act! I can’t live with this!”

He crashed back onto the bed.

The string of “fuck” words made Duan Yi dizzy.

Sitting up, his mouth dry, he said, “Get me a glass of water.”

Jiang Wangshu: “You’re not dead?”

Duan Yi: “Dying of thirst counts as dead. If you don’t give me water now, I’ll really die.”

Jiang Wangshu poured him some. “You really won’t go to the evening self-study?”

Duan Yi: “I won’t go. I can’t face Sheng Yunze. It’s too embarrassing.”

Jiang Wangshu hesitated. “Okay, though you’re acting strange today. I took your thermos. Remember to get it from the hot water room tonight.”

Duan Yi waved his hand. “Goodnight, this Emperor is tired.”

Half an hour later, Duan Yi rolled over in the heat.

He got dressed, opened the door, and sneaked down from the third floor, using his phone flashlight to find Sheng Yunze’s short sleeve.

The afternoon’s awkward scene was too painful to remember. Duan Yi prayed: Sheng Yunze must be busy with class and didn’t pick up his short sleeve.

After searching, Duan Yi’s eyes lit up. He smelled a faint frosty scent, cold but thrilling.

He rummaged through the bushes and finally found Sheng Yunze’s short sleeve.

Duan Yi’s eyes filled with tears. He hugged it close and took a deep breath. He sighed: I really am a pervert now.

Sheng Yunze’s short sleeve was washed clean. Apart from the frosty scent, it only smelled like lavender from the laundry detergent.

Duan Yi’s pores opened wide, his own pheromones settling down. He quickly stuffed his short sleeves into his shirt and ran back to the dormitory from the bushes.

After bonding with Sheng Yunze, he needed Sheng Yunze’s pheromones to stay calm. Without them, he easily lost control. In another world, Sheng Yunze stayed close to him at all times. But in reality, Duan Yi had no connection to Sheng Yunze. In fact, Sheng Yunze might even see him as a twisted pervert. At this thought, Duan Yi covered his face with shame.

Forget staying close—even getting near Sheng Yunze would get him killed with an icy glare.

Damn, I’m living like a widow…

Duan Yi pulled out scissors from a drawer, planning to cut Sheng Yunze’s short sleeves into pieces and take one piece to school each day.

He told himself it wasn’t weird. Girls bring pieces of… sanitary pads to school too.

Both sleeves and pads are white. We’re all just dealing with natural needs. No difference.

Just as he was about to cut, evening study ended.

The whole dormitory building boiled like a pot of water. Running, playing, pushing, laughing, and shouting—every sound reminded Duan Yi he was back in reality.

And no connection to Sheng Yunze.

Bang!

The dorm door shook from the loud knock. Jiang Wangshu took off his shoes and clothes while talking, “I’m the first to shower today. No one can take my spot!”

In the international building, four people shared each dorm. Two dorms shared a bathroom with four showers and four toilets. Eight people fought to wash, with the first to arrive getting the shower.

As he spoke, Jiang Wangshu stripped completely naked. Duan Yi’s eyes burned painfully. “Can’t you be more proper?”

Jiang Wangshu: “We’re all guys. What’s there to be scared of?”

He grabbed the pink Happy Little Lamb basin and rushed into the bathroom, shouting, “Fuck! I’m running so fast, why can’t I catch up? You bastards didn’t skip evening study, did you?”

The guy from the neighboring dorm who got the faucet first laughed loudly.

The sound of water, discussions, the dorm manager’s loud voice, students running around with towels, and hairdryers in the hallway mixed together for a normal night in a guy dorm.

In room 306, Pingtou shouted in a loud voice, “Who stole Sheng Yunze’s shirt? Tell the truth!”

Duan Yi heard the noise in the dorm and felt a shock. He tried to calm himself: Relax. They won’t find you.

Besides, taking your husband’s things isn’t stealing. It’s shared property!

Room 305 yelled, “Pingtou, why don’t you shout to our Omega dorm? Who here took Sheng Yunze’s shirt?”

Pingtou shouted back, “Damn you all, looking so hungry! You’d even take from an Alpha? Listen up—I’m counting on Great God Sheng for this semester’s homework. Hand it over now!”

He searched each room as he spoke. When he reached Duan Yi’s, Jiang Wangshu blocked him after a shower, “What do you want? Have a search warrant? Know whose territory this is?”

Pingtou shrank back.

Jiang Wangshu, acting like a dog with a human’s backing, boasted, “You know Duan Yi’s in here, right? What’s wrong? Haven’t been beaten by him this semester? Looking for a beating?”

Pingtou cleared his throat, “Brother Jiang, you can’t say that. Every piece of land we stand on is part of the People’s Republic of China. How can your Brother Duan support separatism? That Nationalist Party land is also the people’s land!”

“Get lost!” Jiang Wangshu said.

Seeing Jiang Wangshu blocking the door, Pingtou unable to enter quickly, Duan Yi stuffed Sheng Yunze’s short sleeve under the pillow.

He deeply hated his own dirtiness, yet refused to change.

This was Duan Yi’s way of life: admit mistakes quickly, but never change.

After hiding the short sleeve, Duan Yi let out a sigh. Just as he was about to get off the bed, suddenly a cold, mechanical voice came from his mind.

[ Choose. ]

[ A.) Rush to Sheng Yunze’s room, express regret for losing his short sleeve, and promise to buy him a new one tomorrow.

B.) Return Sheng Yunze’s short sleeve and cry, ‘Husband, I was wrong! I promise I won’t do it again next time!’

C.) Tell Pingtou, ‘I stole the short sleeve. Not only will I steal Sheng Yunze’s short sleeve, I’ll steal his~ heart~ too~ Chuu~~’ ]

“What the hell?” Duan Yi’s eyebrow twitched.

The cold voice continued, “Fifteen-second countdown. If no choice is made after time ends, option A will be chosen by default.”

Duan Yi knocked on the lower bed, “Hey, did you guys hear any sound?”

The two below said, “No, what’s wrong Brother Duan?”

In his mind, the fifteen-second countdown was crystal clear.

“Fourteen, thirteen, twelve…”

Duan Yi was sure he didn’t hear wrong. Someone was clearly talking.

But after asking several people who all said they didn’t hear anything, he asked Jiang Wangshu, “Jiang Wangshu, did you hear a voice? A man’s voice, cold and a bit mean.”

Jiang Wangshu: “Nope. You’ve asked everyone already. Is this a side effect from the car accident? I heard hitting your head can make you hear things that aren’t there.”

He turned to Pingtou, “Fuck! I already told you, who would steal Sheng Yunze’s shirt? Are you crazy? You’re just stirring trouble! Don’t you know Duan Yi and Sheng Yunze are like Liang Shanbo and Ma Wenchai? Have you ever seen Liang Shanbo stealing Ma Wenchai’s shirt? Why don’t you spread rumors about Duan Yi stealing Sheng Yunze’s underwear instead?”

Duan Yi heard the countdown in his head getting smaller, “Four, three…”

He shook his head, “Must be an illusion. I’m really hearing things.”

“One.”

In the next second, Duan Yi suddenly found his hands and feet moving on their own.

He jumped off the bed in fear, then kept a scared face as he ran to the door faster than lightning, knocking Jiang Wangshu and Pingtou aside.

Both of them cursed, “Fuck!

Jiang Wangshu watched Duan Yi’s back disappear like a gust of wind, “Why are you running so fast? Are you in a hurry to reincarnate?”

Pingtou: “Eh, Duan-ge’s path seems to be going towards our dorm.”

Duan Yi: AAAHHH!

His legs moved on their own. He kicked open Sheng Yunze’s door.

Their eyes met.

Sheng Yunze had just showered. He held a new shirt and looked at Duan Yi calmly.

Duan Yi: =口=!

He walked to Sheng Yunze, not in control.

Duan Yi: No no no no no no no no…

Sheng Yunze looked at him without expression.

Duan Yi stared at Sheng Yunze, face twisted.

After a long pause, Sheng Yunze said coldly, “What do you want?”

Duan Yi heard a voice in his head, “Speak!”

Speak? Speak what?

The voice counted down, “Five seconds. If you don’t choose A, you’ll get B.”

B? What’s B?

[ B.) Return Sheng Yunze’s shirt and cry, ‘Husband, I was wrong! I promise I won’t do it again next time!’ ]

Fuck!

Fuck!

I’m fucking Sheng Yunze’s ancestors!

Duan Yi screamed, “Choose AAAAAAA! I’ll buy it!”

The whole dorm jumped at Duan Yi’s sudden appearance. Now they jumped again at his scream.

Everyone watched the two stare at each other, not breathing.

Duan Yi swallowed. He could move again.

Control of his body returned to him.

Sheng Yunze frowned. “What are you buying?”

Duan Yi, in a daze, said, “I’m buying…”

His eyes fell behind Sheng Yunze, where he saw his roommate standing in just underwear, staring wide-eyed.

What to do?

How to fix this?

In a split second, Duan Yi grabbed his roommate’s hand and shook it hard. “…What you can’t buy is classmates’ friendship!”

Roommate: ?

Duan Yi grabbed Roommate 2’s hand. “…What you can’t buy is youth’s time!”

Roommate 2: ?

Duan Yi’s gaze turned deep, his words flowing smoothly. “Time’s too short, years too long. Life’s about bonds. Three high school years hold endless stories. Countless beautiful moments shared. Fate brings classmates from afar. Without fate, hands won’t touch. In this short senior year, we came from everywhere, became classmates, and became family. It’s not easy. It’s true fate!”

“So—” Duan Yi said, his eyes firm. “I’m here to announce something. I plan to buy 3,000 yuan worth of snacks for everyone at tomorrow’s class meeting. You can eat and drink as much as you want! How about it?”

The moment he finished speaking, the hallway erupted in cheers.

Hangzhou Second High School assigned dormitories by class. This meant all the boys in this hallway were from Third Year Class 1.

It was the beginning of the school year, and everyone had just been assigned to their classes. They didn’t know each other well and needed a class meeting.

Hearing that Duan Yi, a rich kid, was willing to spend his own money to treat everyone to snacks at the class meeting, they were so moved they nearly burst into tears.

At the same time, they completely ignored his strange behavior earlier.

Jiang Wangshu pulled Duan Yi out of the crowd of boys, looking at him like he was an alien. “Are you crazy?”

The voice in Duan Yi’s head had disappeared. He swallowed hard. “Yeah, I think I am crazy. Did I get some kind of brain damage from the car accident? I need to see a therapist this weekend.”