What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 27

Chapter 27 – “I like you”

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Duan Yi’s rebellious spirit flared. “I won’t.”

Sheng Yunze: ……

Duan Yi beckoned with a finger. “Come down here.”

Sheng Yunze slowly descended.

Duan Yi was surprised. “You actually came?” He turned to look at the west, then at Jiang Wangshu. “The sun must’ve risen from the west today.”

Jiang Wangshu exaggeratedly said, “You’ve got such clout, old man. I won’t disturb your couple time. I’ll personally scram.”

Then he cheerfully moved to sit next to Hao Shanshan, claiming it was to “cultivate mother-daughter bonds.”

Oh, Hao Shanshan was the fruit of Jiang Wangshu and Duan Yi’s love.

Duan Yi was her dad.

Hao Shanshan shamelessly munched on durian, its aroma wafting for miles, as she slyly said, “Mom, you haven’t been getting along with Dad lately, have you?”

Jiang Wangshu, one hand on his phone, affectionately patted Hao Shanshan’s head while asking the killer question, “Shanshan, who do you like more, Dad or Mom?”

Hao Shanshan didn’t hesitate for a second. “I like Dad.”

Jiang Wangshu: ?

“Here’s your chance to say it again.”

Hao Shanshan, the gold-digger, said, “Dad has money.”

Jiang Wangshu sighed. “You know how men are—money brings second wives.”

He pointed at Sheng Yunze, then suddenly put down his phone. With a napkin, he dramatically wiped his tears. “Look at this! Your mom can’t compete with that woman—grades, looks, everything. Now mom’s just yesterday’s flower, a wife left behind. Your dad’s heartless, leaving us mother and son alone to…”

Hao Shanshan interrupted. “I think my new mom’s pretty reliable. I’m sticking with this leg to lean on.”

Jiang Wangshu’s expression hardened. “Have you no conscience? Who copied homework for you during holidays? Who covered for you?”

“Mom, stop worrying about the midterms in November,” Hao Shanshan said. “Good luck—may you surpass my new mom soon!”

Duan Yi swung his knee, nudging Sheng Yunze’s leg. “Hey, ge.”

Sheng Yunze glanced at him. “You’re addicted to that nickname now?”

“You’re the one who said ‘willing to bet means accepting the consequences’,” Duan Yi retorted. “If I dared accept my bet, why can’t I use that nickname?” He added, “Jiang Wangshu’s treating us to barbecue after evening self-study. You coming?”

“Gao Kao?”

“Yeah. That corrupt official took the money he’d extorted from the people and used our betting match to swindle them into placing bets. He made several hundred that way.”

Sheng Yunze remained silent.

Duan Yi didn’t feel awkward at all. Instead, he quite enjoyed these leisurely moments sitting side by side with Sheng Yunze.

“Who’s the Alpha looking for you?” Sheng Yunze opened his eyes.

“You saw that?” Duan Yi countered.

“Hard not to. You think I’m blind?”

“Qin Shu from First High School,” Duan Yi said. “Do you remember him? He also attended Attached Middle School with you.”

“Lu Tong’s son?” Sheng Yunze asked.

Duan Yi was surprised. “You know Lu Tong too?”

“I surf the web too, you know.”

In truth, he hadn’t knew Lu Tong online.

Qin Shu’s father had come to visit Sheng Yunze’s father before. His father was a top-tier physicist in the country, with considerable international standing.

Every time Qin Shu’s father came, he would quietly discuss some project with his father in the study. Once, Lu Tong himself came, rushed into the study carrying some documents, and left in a hurry that afternoon.

His dad had locked all those things away in a safe.

Duan Yi tapped his thigh. “I’m friends with him.”

“Oh,” Sheng Yunze replied, toneless.

“He came to deliver me some materials.”

Sheng Yunze glanced sideways, his expression clearly saying, “You think you can actually study?”

Duan Yi instantly got angry. “Don’t look down on me! In elementary school, my grades were actually pretty good. I even won second prize in the Mathematical Olympiad.”

—A school-organized competition where only three people participated, sponsored by Xiaoduan Dad.

The certificate got blown into the river on the way home, drifting away with Duan Yi’s childhood to the end of time.

Thinking about it now still made his heart ache a little.

His few academic certificates…

Not knowing what else to talk about, Duan Yi mentioned Qin Shu. He hesitated slightly. “Speaking of which, Qin Shu was as unlucky as me. In his first year of high school, he fell into First High School’s wishing pond. He was unconscious for several months before waking up.”

Sheng Yunze wasn’t too happy to hear Duan Yi talk about Qin Shu.

A handsome guy naturally wouldn’t want to hear his crush talk about another handsome guy.

“What happened with that car accident during your summer break?” Sheng Yunze asked belatedly, showing concern.

Duan Yi: “It was just…”

He thought recalling the accident would be easy, but his mind went blank—all memories of it had vanished.

Duan Yi: “I can’t remember.”

Sheng Yunze: “How can you forget something like that?”

Duan Yi felt it was weird, “I really can’t remember. A few days ago I still remembered the accident…”

The accident, pain, high heat, explosion.

Snow-white hospital walls, the urgent beeping of a heart monitor, bloody hands, children’s cries, and then… Sheng Yunze?

Huh? Sheng Yunze?

The memory vanished like snowflakes.

Duan Yi patted his cheek, Must be sunstroke. When he was in the accident, he hadn’t even been in the same class as Sheng Yunze. How could he have seen him there?

“What’s wrong?” Sheng Yunze asked.

Duan Yi: “Nothing. Just a headache.”

Sheng Yunze asked casually, “What kind of study materials did Qin Shu send you?”

Duan Yi thought, What kind of proper study materials could that weirdo Qin Shu possibly send me? The two of them were like negative times negative equals negative type. What Qin Shu actually sent were his own ramblings about transmigration and some epic masterpiece he’d written—so damn cringeworthy that Duan Yi couldn’t even bring himself to show it to Sheng Yunze.

So he mumbled, “Oh, that… uh… yeah… kinda.”

Sheng Yunze said coldly, “Speak properly.”

The scolding made Duan Yi shiver. He blurted out, “First High School isn’t on the same track as us anyway. They’re a provincial key high school—what kind of materials could he possibly send me? Just some printouts he made for fun.”

At this point, Duan Yi’s mind wandered. “Hey, why didn’t you go to First High School, ge?”

The word “ge” made Sheng Yunze feel warm inside. Truth was, he was actually a few months younger than Duan Yi. Being called “ge” by someone older gave him an inexplicable sense of pride.

“I didn’t want to.”

Sheng Yunze’s middle school exam scores had been so outstanding, it was practically perfect.

First High School and Second High School went crazy trying to recruit him. Even the principal of a prestigious school from the neighboring city—a century-old institution where every class typically sends half its students to Tsinghua—came to Sheng Yunze’s house for a visit.

In the end, he didn’t choose First High School or the neighboring city’s school. He picked Second High School instead.

Duan Yi asked curiously, “Why not go to First High? They have great teachers, and their competition class is super strong. You know Lu Tong, right? He used to be in their competition class.”

Sheng Yunze replied, “I can learn well anywhere.”

Duan Yi was taken aback by his tone and gave him a thumbs-up. “That’s our Yunze.”

Sheng Yunze suddenly turned the question around. “Why did you come to Second High instead of Seventh High?”

Seventh High was a specialized art school, often called the “backyard garden” of the National Academy of Arts. Half of the students admitted to the National Academy came from there.

Duan Yi mimicked him. “I don’t want to go.” He added, “I can draw well anywhere.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Duan Yi had exceptional artistic talent, and with his current cheat-like advantage, he effectively had over a decade of experience compared to ordinary high school art students. It was like a national-level artist drawing children’s drawings—they could do it with their eyes closed.

Sheng Yunze casually asked, “Don’t you want to be outstanding?”

“I’m good with what I have. I’m different from you and Jiang Wangshu. I don’t have grand ambitions—I just want to draw. Hey, ge, do you have any dreams?”

Sheng Yunze fell silent for a moment. Duan Yi ventured, “To become a scientist?”

“Are you giving a speech under the national flag, kid?” Sheng Yunze retorted.

“What’s that?” Duan Yi asked, puzzled.

“Nothing. To become an astronaut.”

Duan Yi hadn’t expected Sheng Yunze to joke around. He burst out laughing, “Hahahaha!”

He doubled over with laughter, then slumped against Sheng Yunze when he caught his breath. Sheng Yunze’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept it hidden.

Duan Yi’s movements were too natural. He didn’t notice anything wrong as he shifted into a more comfortable position against Sheng Yunze. “When’s your physics competition?” he asked casually.

“Next week,” Sheng Yunze replied.

“Our class has you, Jiang Wangshu, Hao Shanshan, and Yue Chengyang going,” Duan Yi said, then looked up. “How many top spots you aiming for?”

Sheng Yunze’s empty shoulder felt a bit lonely. “Depends on the situation.”

“You’re insane,” Duan Yi sighed. “Trying to control your scores?”

But then he remembered—Sheng Yunze had every right to be confident.

In math, physics, and chemistry, Sheng Yunze was strongest in math and physics. His chemistry was slightly weaker, but he still scored full marks on regular exams.

He’d swept national-level competitions in math and physics, dominating all of China. The Beijing Youth Class director had even contacted him during middle school, but he’d turned them down.

For provincial competitions, Sheng Yunze usually took first place. Jiang Wangshu was more unpredictable—he could crack the top 20 in Zhejiang when in good shape, or completely fail when not. He excelled in English and chemistry, especially chemistry, where even Sheng Yunze had to admit he was better.

This physics competition came about because after seeing Jiang Wangshu’s top score in the school entrance exam, they’d forced him into it like a duck being herded up a ladder.

Besides, First High School loomed over Second High School. First High’s experimental class wasn’t just for show—after Sheng Yunze took first place, Second High’s results dropped off completely, with First High sweeping up all the remaining awards.

Duan Yi asked him, “Do you ever feel like you’re too high up to handle the cold? Like you’re lonely, searching for someone worthy of your skills?”

Sheng Yunze replied, “Then do you ever feel like you’re about to fail your high school exam and end up farming back home?”

Duan Yi pouted. “It’s not that bad! I still got 250 points, okay?”

“Right, two more exams and you’d have 520. One more after that and you’d get into Tsinghua!”

Duan Yi refused to admit his terrible grades. “I just don’t want to study…”

Sheng Yunze said, “Then study for me.”

Duan Yi froze.

“This Sprite is for President Duan, who came for a barbecue despite his ‘crippled’ grades!”

“Whoa—”

The commotion nearly shook the small Gao Kao shop.

Nearly half of Third Year Class 1 was there—Pingtou, Sister Ma, Fang Yun, Hao Shanshan, Zhao Lai… even Commander Sheng, usually the hardest to invite, was present.

Jiang Wangshu felt like he’d accomplished something as monumental as the moon landing. He exclaimed, “This is the most complete gathering since class! Are you trying to empty my wallet?! I admit I’m a greedy official, but I haven’t taken more than 50 yuan from anyone! I’m paying for this meal and losing over ten 50-yuan notes!”

Hao Shanshan shouted, “Mom, don’t panic! If you’re out of money, Dad has some! Use your pillow talk skills—show some big wife spirit!”

Jiang Wangshu sighed. “Your dad’s being pestered by a fox spirit right now. The first wife has no rights.”

When everyone saw Duan Yi sitting with Sheng Yunze, they burst out laughing again.

Hao Shanshan introduced, “This is my new mom. You all know him already, right? To be honest, if someone had told me in my second year of high school that I’d be calling Commander Sheng ‘Mom’, I’d have beaten them so hard they wouldn’t even recognize their own mother.”

Sheng Yunze seemed to be in a good mood today. He didn’t get upset at his classmates’ jokes, and a small smile stayed on his face throughout.

He suddenly felt an indescribable sense of belonging, like he was part of the class for the first time.

He thought, We’re in the same class. We’re classmates, friends, people who’ll take graduation photos together, people who’ve been part of each other’s lives.

He’d never felt this burning, almost boiling passion of youth before.

Sheng Yunze had always been different from his classmates—calm, mature, and distant.

No one had ever done what Duan Yi did, suddenly squeezing into his life, pulling him out of a small circle, and dragging him into his group, his friend circle, his world.

Whenever he hung out with Duan Yi, it felt like he’d never run out of friends or social connections.

Even classmates who used to be scared of him now joined in teasing him alongside Duan Yi.

He didn’t mind this feeling at all.

Amidst the laughter and playful banter, Sheng Yunze found himself admiring the Old Class Teacher’s foresight.

Duan Yi was the perfect class president. His natural charisma and ability to bring people together made him shine like a star, always surrounded by a colorful crowd.

“Commander Sheng, cheers to you!” Pingtou stood up. “To be honest, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you for a while. Why are you so damn cool?”

“Pfft—” Duan Yi nearly spat out his soda.

Sheng Yunze replied calmly, “Born with it.”

Fang Yun chuckled, “Damn, just the fact that I’m eating with Commander Sheng today would blow up the campus forum for three days straight.”

Zhao Lai said, “Commander Sheng, you’re actually quite different from what I imagined…”

“Commander Sheng, cheers to me too…”

“Commander Sheng, any study tips you can share?”

“Cheers to you, Commander Sheng! May you and President Duan enjoy a hundred years of happiness…”

The soda had been replaced with alcohol, and as everyone drank more, their inhibitions melted away.

Pingtou stood up, slurring his words, “Listen up, comrades! Drinking alone isn’t enough. Should we bring out Second High School’s traditional entertainment?”

Duan Yi, drunk and dizzy, asked, “What traditional entertainment does Second High School even have?”

Pingtou spoke with a mysterious air, his tongue thick, “Class president, President Duan, Commander Sheng, the class monitor and secretary, make a statement! You two are our Third Year Class 1’s parents—one handles external affairs, the other internal!”

Duan Yi laughed and shoved him, “Get lost!”

Pingtou swayed, “I’m telling you, President Duan, I heard if the class president doesn’t treat us to a meal after midterms, he’ll have to marry the class secretary…”

Jiang Wangshu protested, “What about my position as a chairman?!”

Pingtou pushed him away, “Shut it…”

After the push, he completely forgot what he was saying.

Midway through the meal, Hao Shanshan suggested singing. The crowd booed Duan Yi into action, with Fang Yun and Jiang Wangshu joining in.

Duan Yi, cornered by their relentless teasing, was dragged to the microphone and forced to duet with Jiang Wangshu.

They sang “Little Dimples,” sending the entire class into a frenzy of wild cheering. With no way out, he then performed “You Mustn’t, Guest” with Fang Yun, and finally “I’m Marrying You Today” with Sheng Yunze.

Pingtou and the others wouldn’t let Duan Yi off, mainly because his singing was genuinely impressive—practically concert-quality. Without modesty, Duan Yi gave in to Pingtou’s urging and picked “I Miss You So Much” by Suoda Green.

When the lights come on, this sight before me, this vast room, this lonely bed.

In the dim yellow light, Duan Yi’s profile glowed with a soft, melancholic aura. As the song’s climax approached, he gradually turned to face the screen, leaving his back to the crowd.

The young man’s lonely profile and clear voice drifted through the room.

I miss you so much, but I deceive myself.

I miss you so much, I’ll keep it secret.

I miss you so much, I’ll bury it deep.

When the song ended, everyone stared in stunned silence.

After a long moment, Pingtou finally regained his senses, exclaiming in awe, “President Duan, you’re some kind of romance expert! That singing was insane!”

He even captured the original singer’s desperate, unfulfilled wail—raw and heart-wrenching, yet silently borne.

The barbecue stretched until 11 PM. Second High School’s dorm curfew loomed at 11:30, like a countdown to doom. The drunken crew scrambled toward the school’s rear gate like zombies from Plants vs. Zombies.

Duan Yi sprawled across the table in deep slumber. Jiang Wangshu nudged him, “Hey, time to head back. Wake up.”

Duan Yi’s eyes fluttered open as Sheng Yunze emerged from the restroom. The man’s icy demeanor contrasted with his striking good looks.

Duan Yi chuckled, “Heh heh.”

Jiang Wangshu covered his face. “Oh god, the booze’s turned him into a fool.”

As Jiang Wangshu moved to help Duan Yi, the drunk man squirmed in his arms. “I don’t want your help! Make Sheng Yunze carry me.”

“You’re picky now?” Jiang Wangshu retorted. “Check if he’s willing first.”

“I am.” Sheng Yunze stepped forward without hesitation, taking Duan Yi into his arms. “Anything else?”

Jiang Wangshu snapped to attention, solemnly transferring Duan Yi’s hand to Sheng Yunze’s. “Now, please exchange rings.”

Duan Yi clung to Sheng Yunze, barely staying upright. Jiang Wangshu said, “Well then, I’m off. Commander Sheng, if it’s too much trouble, just dump him at our dorm door. I’ll come retrieve the corpse anytime.”

He fled faster than a startled rabbit, like a parent finally dropping off a kid at preschool and escaping a major headache.

Duan Yi clung to Sheng Yunze like an octopus, moving only when dragged along with each step.

His eyes remained stubbornly shut.

“Alright, Duan Yi,” Sheng Yunze said, “I’ll carry you piggyback style, cradle you, or let you crawl back. Given your current state, wriggling your way back would fit your ‘character’ best. Choose.”

Duan Yi played it smart, scrambling onto Sheng Yunze’s back like a monkey. He obediently wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, pressing his baby-fat cheeks against his neck.

He mumbled weakly, “Ge.”

Sheng Yunze ignored him.

Duan Yi persisted, “Sheng-ge, Yun-ge, Ze-ge—”

Sheng Yunze was about to ask, “Are you enjoying this? Want me to toss you off?”

Duan Yi grinned cheekily, tightening his grip. “Gege.”

After a moment’s thought, he still felt something was off and called out again, “Husband.”

His eyes sparkled with mischief.

Sheng Yunze took a deep breath, trying to keep his steps steady as he asked, “Why do you keep calling me ‘husband’?”

This wasn’t the first time he’d heard it.

Duan Yi shrugged. “I don’t know. Because we’re married.”

Sheng Yunze refused to stoop to the level of a drunkard, maintaining a casual conversation. “Is that so? Did you marry a ghost? Or did you unilaterally declare yourself married?”

“I married you.”

“Oh. How come I wasn’t aware of this?”

“We got married during our second year of university.”

Sheng Yunze casually shot back, “Who do you like more, Nan Yi or me?”

“I like you.”

Though he’d guessed as much, hearing Duan Yi say it himself still gave him a secret thrill.

Then Duan Yi listed off names like reciting a grocery list: “…And Jiang Wangshu, Jian Qiao, Hao Shanshan…”

Sheng Yunze’s face darkened. “Is your affection sold wholesale?”

His sharp tongue continued, “If you like them so much, why did you marry me?”

“I don’t know either.”

After that, they fell into a long silence.

He suddenly felt overwhelmed by sadness, nearly drowning in it. His voice trembled softly as he said, “I miss you so much.”

I miss you so much. Let’s keep this a secret, buried deep in our hearts.

Sheng Yunze froze in place.

Duan Yi was crying.

No loud sobs, no dramatic scenes. He just cried quietly on Sheng Yunze’s back, saying he missed him.

Silent tears, accompanied by endless, desperate longing.

Why?

Sheng Yunze felt a sharp pain and panic, leaving him hollow inside.

He thought in confusion. But I’m right here!