What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 28

Chapter 28 – Possessiveness

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Even with the brightness set to its lowest, the phone screen still displayed the page Sheng Yunze had just searched.

White background with blue frame—Baidu search.

Keyword: [Transmigrate]

A variety of answers popped up: Transmigrating to Cultivate, Transmigrating to Become a Big Star, What are some good transmigration novels?, This one about returning to my dad’s high school days is pretty good—check it out! Author: Three Thousand Snows…

Nope.

That’s not what Sheng Yunze was looking for. He switched to a different keyword.

[ What are the chances of time travel being possible? ]

This time, the answers finally got closer to what he wanted: Can humans really travel through time?, Scientists study the feasibility of time travel, Will humanity go extinct?, Why haven’t future humans come back to visit us…?

Sheng Yunze placed his phone behind a tall stack of books and patiently scrolled through the results.

Then he tried a new keyword: [ Parallel universes ]

[ Do parallel universes really exist? ]

[ What are parallel universes? ]

[ Scientists once discovered a second universe… ]

[ Wow! You have to click to see this true story—Australia had a real parallel universe crossover event… ]

The last link caught Sheng Yunze’s attention. As a high-and-mighty internet user who rarely surfed, he had no idea he was about to fall into the trap of China’s massive ad scheme.

Just as he clicked, the page jumped to a screen filled with blue, green, and red explosive headlines polluting Sheng Yunze’s vision: “First Macau Casino Online—”

Has absolutely nothing to do with parallel universes.

Sheng Yunze internally swore for the first time in ages and clicked back—but fell into the ad’s second trap: the “back” button led to another porn page.

Expressionless, he clicked the “X” in the top right corner—and fell into the third trap: opening a third casino ad.

As everyone knows, smaller than atoms are protons, smaller than protons are neutrons, smaller than neutrons are quarks, and smaller than quarks is the “X” button on porn sites.

Finding it proves your skills, but only true champs can close it properly—because nine times out of ten, that “X” is fake.

After being tormented by porn sites all morning, Sheng Yunze felt like a complete idiot. He might as well turn off his phone screen entirely.

The irritation in his chest hadn’t dissipated, and Duan Yi’s tearful plea still echoed in his mind, “I miss you so much.”

Miss who?

Calling me your husband while missing another man?

The one who left a mark on his neck?

—So annoying.

—Absolutely infuriating.

“Duan Yi, wake up! Bei-ge wants you to answer a question.”

Bei-ge was the physics teacher for Third Year Class 1. Unlike others with a bald spot in the middle, his head was bald on both sides. He was a campus legend—a guy who’d scored into Peking University through the high school exam, then after one year of dissatisfaction, came back to retake and got into Tsinghua instead.

He was pretty laid-back, except he loved picking on Duan Yi to answer questions.

During fourth period in the morning, students had to endure not just the boring lectures, but also drowsiness and burning stomachs from hunger. Their minds were already at the cafeteria.

Duan Yi had slept through the whole morning. When he stood up groggily and saw Bei-ge’s face, he mumbled, “Hello, teacher.”

“Mm,” Bei-ge replied with a sardonic tone. “You’re doing great, Xiaoduan. Had a good sleep, didn’t you? I didn’t disturb you at all, did I? Look at those red marks on your face—I almost want to shout ‘Yes!’ for you myself.”

Jiang Wangshu covered his face. “Duan Yi, the teacher asks you a question, you should answer page 96 of the review book.”

By third year, students had already finished both required and elective courses.

Each school would prepare review materials for practice problems or use them as textbooks. Schools sometimes exchanged materials, but to maintain their college admission rates, they all kept secret “high school exam treasures” hidden away.

The “Total Review” was a set of meticulously compiled materials by Second High School’s third-year teaching team over three years. Covering all nine subjects, it was an absolute secret—never to be shared outside the school.

Bei-ge’s purpose was simply to wake Duan Yi, with no expectation that he’d actually stand up and answer the question.

“Sit down,” Bei-ge said, looking up. “Sheng Yunze, you come.”

Sheng Yunze’s mind was still wandering, but upon seeing Bei-ge, he calmly answered, “Choose C.”

Bei-ge: …

Some students in the class couldn’t hold back their laughter, while others already burst out with a “pfft” sound.

Bei-ge: “Look at what book you’re holding!”

Sheng Yunze looked: Second High School’s Chinese Language Total Review Materials.

In the corner were Principal He’s inspirational quotes for the college entrance exams, along with his sayings, present on every page. These were the hopes Principal He had for each student.

The page Sheng Yunze was looking at had written in the corner: “During middle school, interactions between boys and girls should be limited to friendship. Anything beyond that is wasting emotions and harming both parties!”

Sheng Yunze: …

For some reason, he suddenly felt rebellious and a bit hopeful. He thought, Duan Yi isn’t a girl.

“You sit down too,” Bei-ge said helplessly. Sheng Yunze was his favorite student, and his favoritism knew no bounds.

Jiang Wangshu clicked his tongue. “I never thought a school beauty like you, a top student, would zone out in class. Even when you don’t know the answer, you still pick C.”

Bei-ge said, “I know you’re still hung up on the sports meet. I know exactly where you were last night. But think about it—can third year be like second year? Others might not pull themselves together, but can Third Year Class 1 not? A key class, a top class, an experimental class, a competition class! Big brothers and sisters, did you work your asses off to get into Class 1 just to play around?”

The student who was almost asleep quickly sat up straight.

Bei-ge said earnestly, “I know you’re smart and good at studying—that’s why you’re in this class. But don’t think you’re better than others just because of that. Don’t think you’re a genius and don’t need to study or work hard. Let me tell you, there are students in parallel classes who would kill to get in here. If you don’t want to get demoted to the borderlands, you’d better all pull yourselves together. You’ve gotten too spoiled.”

As the class representative, Jiang Wangshu was the first to respond after Bei-ge’s impassioned speech: “I—understand—Bei-ge—”

Bei-ge said, “I’m talking directly to you, Jiang Wangshu!”

Jiang Wangshu: …

Damn, the early bird gets shot.

Bei-ge, frustrated with his underachieving student, snapped, “If you’ve got the brains, spare some for physics! Put just three percent of the effort you use for English into it, and you wouldn’t have ended up so far behind in the competition!”

The mention of “competition” instantly perked up the class.

Jiang Wangshu continued his sarcastic humble act, “Bei-ge, you flatter me too much. I treat English and physics with equal respect.”

Duan Yi hurried to cover for him, “Bei-ge, I can vouch for it. Chairman Jiang’s English and physics multiple-choice answers were both copied.”

Hao Shanshan chimed in eagerly, “Right! He even copied the English single-choice questions and came up with a new approach for multiple-choice!”

Bei-ge was left speechless by their coordinated mockery, torn between anger and laughter.

Fang Yun asked, “Bei-ge, did the competition results come out?”

The conversation circled back to its original topic.

At the beginning of the school year, the provincial physics competition’s second round had kicked off at First High School.

Last semester, Sheng Yunze had participated in this competition. When he advanced to the second round at the start of the term, he’d missed the initial placement test. This had allowed Jiang Wangshu to secure first place in their grade. Now burdened with the role of class representative, he’d been unfairly labeled as a corrupt official exploiting his position to skim off the “people’s sweat”—in this case, classmates’ homework to copy.

Jiang Wangshu got eliminated in the preliminary round. During the summer break, Duan Yi was involved in a car accident on the exact day of the competition. He fled the venue halfway through the exam, barely managing a second-place award that didn’t even qualify him for the finals.

Third Year Class 1 sent Jiang Wangshu, Fang Yun, and Sheng Yunze.

Along with the usually unnoticed Abbot Zhang Xinke: the guy with beer-bottle-thick glasses who looked like he was constantly high, solving problems through divination—a new-age fortune-telling cultist.

His name “Xinke” came from his father’s unwavering belief in science.

And then there was the tiny Zhou Yue: a slim, petite girl with fair skin.

“Hey, Sheng Yunze, Fang Yun, come to my office after class.”

Fang Yun’s heart skipped a beat. She felt uneasy.

Jiang Wangshu tugged on her ponytail. “Hey, you’re getting invited? No treats?”

“Don’t jinx me,” Fang Yun said. “If I get rejected, I’ll blame you.”

“Bei-ge isn’t stupid,” Jiang Wangshu said. “Would he call you to his office to reject you? Come on, you’re being paired with the school beauty! Have some confidence!”

Fang Yun suddenly glanced at Duan Yi. He was fully awake now, completely revived. With a swift motion, Duan Yi tore off a blank corner from the physics textbook’s right page, scribbled a note, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it to Sheng Yunze.

A crumpled paper ball suddenly rolled across Sheng Yunze’s desk.

In Third Year Class 1, only one person would dare pass notes during class—and that person was Duan Yi.

Sheng Yunze looked up toward Duan Yi, who was making exaggerated facial expressions and repeatedly whispering “pipipipi—”

If he kept making that sound any louder, he’d attract Bei-ge’s attention.

Duan Yi acted like nothing happened, but the next day, Sheng Yunze was the one stewing in anxiety all morning.

He’d been like a gust of wind, accidentally triggering a mountain flood.

Sheng Yunze was first angry, then amused, then found Duan Yi endearingly cute. His face was snow-white, eyes jet-black, like a meticulously crafted porcelain doll.

He reluctantly opened the note, and his smile vanished.

The note read, “Are you there?”

Duan Yi quickly received Sheng Yunze’s reply and eagerly opened it.

Sheng Yunze’s handwriting was bold and fluid, like dancing dragons and soaring phoenixes. The two words written were, “Stupid idiot.”

Duan Yi’s chubby face scrunched up as he nudged Jiang Wangshu’s shoulder. “Why did Commander Sheng call me a stupid idiot?”

Jiang Wangshu thought to himself, He actually dared to call you that?

He leaned closer and saw that above Sheng Yunze’s “Stupid idiot,” Duan Yi had scribbled messily, “Are you there?”

Jiang Wangshu instantly switched sides, patting Duan Yi’s shoulder with exaggerated solemnity. “Commander Sheng’s right, you’re in the wrong here.”

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Wangshu sighed at Duan Yi’s bewildered expression. “You should be thankful. I feel for him—he’s handsome, young, and smart. How could his eyes be so blind?”

He looked exactly like a mother-in-law who’d found a handsome young man willing to marry her daughter despite her lack of education. Afraid the guy might change his mind, she’d be desperate to pack her daughter off in a hurry.

Before the wedding, she’d even teach her daughter how to handle a husband, just in case the guy’s eyesight improved and he tried to return her.

Jiang Wangshu said kindly, “It’s not easy to find a blind handsome guy in life. And not just handsome—he’s smart too! Go get him, Duan Xiaokui!”

Duan Xiaokui didn’t have time to chase after Jiang Wangshu. The bell rang, and Bei-ge left just like a Pokemon trainer summoning his partner, whisking away Sheng Yunze.

Duan Xiaokui ran too slowly, not even catching the hem of Sheng Yunze’s clothes. He watched helplessly as Sheng Yunze’s figure disappeared down the hallway.

The classroom emptied in a flash as most students rushed to the cafeteria with their meal cards.

Those left behind were sneaking in takeout. Second High School strictly prohibited students from eating takeout during lunch, so they’d stationed student council disciplinary committee members at several key spots to catch anyone trying to bring in food. They’d already dismantled several of Jiang Wangshu’s bases.

This year, Jiang Wangshu had launched a strategic war against the student council. He’d even set up his own spy network, turning several disciplinary committee members to his side. He’d planted undercover agents within their ranks and was now supporting over half of his class’s population—truly a rare talent for political maneuvering.

As he walked in with the takeout, a group of hungry guys nearly threw themselves at Jiang Wangshu’s legs, chanting “Mother of Heroes” at the top of their lungs.

But at the door, he was stopped by a girl from Class 4—an Alpha with a fierce personality. After a brief exchange, she handed him a cup of bubble tea and walked away.

The Abbot boy let out a “Holy shit!” and dragged Duan Yi’s entire class over to watch. “The chairman’s got some serious drama going on…”

Duan Yi also swore. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

The Abbot boy chanted “Amitabha” and patted Duan Yi’s head, blessing him. “Benefactor, you’ll get used to it. When a wife seeks her second spring, not even Buddha could stop her.”

“I just can’t believe there’s actually a woman who’d go for him!” Duan Yi exclaimed.

The Abbot boy, puzzled, pushed his beer-bottle-bottom eyes forward with a sinister glint. “President Duan, you’ve been around him too long. The Chairman’s actually quite handsome.”

He was indeed. Jiang Wangshu stood 184 cm tall with long legs, peach blossom eyes, excellent grades, and came from a wealthy family. He always wore a smile that hid gentle warmth. Apart from his penchant for sculpting himself into a mother figure and his habit of running off trains to spout nonsense, he fit the mold of a standard teenage girl’s fantasy—the gentle second-in-command among the four school heartthroats.

“You know, you and the Chairman have a nickname on the school forum?” the Abbot said.

Duan Yi’s face paled as if struck by lightning. “Fuck! I know! If you’re going to mention that ‘magical realism homage to postmodernist reality’ masterpiece about him pretending to be a poser while carrying my child for seven months, only to have Sheng Yunze steal me away and cause him an early delivery—spare me. I’ve already read it.”

The Abbot boy sighed, “I never expected your little game to get this out of hand.” He then added with a chuckle, “Who knew the story would end with the chairman giving birth early… The plot took an unexpected turn.”

Duan Yi’s face split into a grin. “Holy shit! You’re actually following that trash?”

The Abbot sold Jiang Wangshu out without hesitation. “The chairman recommended it to me.”

Duan Yi: “……”

Jiang Wangshu dropped the takeout on the table. “Kids, dinner’s here!”

Hao Shanshan’s eyes lit up as she squeezed between them. “Mom, I heard you found me a new dad!”

Jiang Wangshu pulled out a pork chop rice box, opened it, and broke chopsticks for Duan Yi. “Where’d you hear that? Have you decided if you want a dad or a mom?”

Hao Shanshan pointed at the bubble tea on the table, chuckling mischievously. “Spit it out. What’s the real story?”

Duan Yi also stared at him with a sly grin. Jiang Wangshu said, “Oh, it’s from a second-year girl in Class 4. Want some? One sip each, no grabbing!”

“I think she’s an Omega,” Hao Shanshan said. “That’s great too! Mom, you should agree. Remember to ask for 300,000 yuan in dowry, two city properties, a car, and urban residency. Even if it’s a second marriage, we can’t let them shortchange you on the dowry. I’ll definitely support you, Mom! Right, Dad?”

Duan Yi chimed in, stirring up trouble, “Exactly! Xiao Jiang, you should hurry up!”

Jiang Wangshu laughed, “You’re crazy. There’s no chance between us. Stop daydreaming.”

Duan Yi’s gossip instincts kicked in, “Why not?”

Hao Shanshan echoed, “Why not?”

Jiang Wangshu chuckled, “I have the right to remain silent.”

The truth was… it was a messed-up story that went back to when Jiang Wangshu was in middle school, and Duan Yi started dating Nan Yi.

The three of them had grown up together, practically inseparable since childhood. Duan Yi and Nan Yi betrayed him by turning their revolutionary friendship into romance. The main culprit was Nan Yi, who’d always harbored unrealistic fantasies about Duan Yi. He’d even gotten some fortune-teller to predict Duan Yi would eventually become an Omega, then ordered Jiang Wangshu to play matchmaker and push them together.

Jiang Wangshu had been forced into a situation he wasn’t ready for, half-heartedly playing along for a while. He was convinced Duan Yi wouldn’t end up with Nan Yi, but events took an unexpected turn. First, Nan Yi and Duan Yi actually got together. Second, Nan Yi started looking at him more and more like a rival—like he was some kind of romantic enemy. Heaven only knew that Duan Yi had only been Jiang Wangshu’s girlfriend during kindergarten days, and even then it was a strict rotation system: Duan Yi on odd days, Nan Yi on evens.

For the next ten years, he’d been playing the role of Duan Yi’s wife to repay a debt, okay?!

In any case, during this chaotic third year of middle school when everyone was busy growing up, Jiang Wangshu predictably differentiated into an Alpha.

To preserve their precarious friendship, Jiang Wangshu—who still hadn’t outgrown his chuunibyou phase—suddenly developed a sense of justice. With an innocent expression, he told Duan Yi he was a B—aside from it showing on his ID, nobody would know unless he said so. It was like his ID number: technically public, but easy to keep hidden.

So online, he pretended to be a B while being a wife, and in real life, he pretended to be a B while being a hero’s mother.

Then Nan Yi and Duan Yi broke up after less than half a year. Jiang Wangshu was left speechless, asking himself every night, “What the hell was I doing?”

Are you just putting on that lonely act?

Even now, Duan Yi remained clueless, and Jiang Wangshu couldn’t be bothered to correct him.

Everyone just mindlessly sprayed their three daily doses of pheromone suppressants. If anyone caught even a whiff of natural pheromones at school, they’d immediately report it to the Political Education Office.

Jiang Wangshu’s life motto was simple: find a hot O, no interest in dual Alphas.

So that second-year Alpha girl never stood a chance from the start.

The aroma of food wafted through the classroom. As Sheng Yunze entered, he spotted Duan Yi with rice grains scattered across his face, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.

With a casual stride, he swept Duan Yi’s lunchbox onto his own desk. After wiping the rice from Duan Yi’s face, he grabbed a pork chop and bit into it.

“Are you eating like a pig?”

Duan Yi: =口=!

“That was the last piece!”

Hao Shanshan and the others were equally stunned, primarily by Sheng Yunze’s audacious familiarity.

The school beauty had always been like a Himalayan flower frozen in eternal snow—when had he ever done something so… so…

They couldn’t quite put their finger on it.

It’s like a young, solitary wolf in the animal kingdom, marking its territory and asserting dominance.

And eating leftovers…

Duan Yi gets along with everyone and has tons of bros, but sharing a single box lunch and chopsticks with someone? That’s basically eating each other’s saliva!

Jiang Wangshu eating leftovers is understandable—he’s a childhood friend, so it’s different.

But since when did Sheng Yunze get so down-to-earth…?

The Abbot boy figured he’d never stoop to eating someone else’s leftovers. Gross.

Then he thought about it again and realized the real issue: This is Sheng Yunze we’re talking about… Sheng Yunze? Could Sheng Yunze actually do this? Did he get soul-swapped or something?

The Abbot boy swallowed hard and tried a different angle: Commander Sheng… are you trying to join the common folk?

Fang Yun’s nose twitched at the aroma. “What’s the food? What’s the food? What’s the food?”

The tense silence finally broke.

The Abbot boy quickly grabbed a box. “I saved this for you. There’s only one left. Come any later and you’d be eating air.”

Fang Yun saw Sheng Yunze sitting next to Duan Yi and blinked in surprise. “Commander Sheng, you’re eating with us today?”

Duan Yi was still bickering with Sheng Yunze over who got the rice, aside from the pork cutlets.

“Can’t you just get your own portion?!” Duan Yi snapped.

“Nope.” Sheng Yunze’s face was deadpan as he bit directly off Duan Yi’s chopsticks, eating straight from his hand.

“How immature are you?!” Duan Yi watched his food being ravaged, struggling in vain before giving up. He tossed his chopsticks to Sheng Yunze and grabbed a spoon instead, scooping a massive scoop of potato-beef brisket from Jiang Wangshu’s bowl.

Jiang Wangshu was left flustered. “Fucking hell…”

Elementary school boys fighting, innocent bystanders getting caught in the crossfire.

Fang Yun opened her lunch box. “President Duan, I’ll share half of mine with you. I can’t finish it all anyway.”

Seeing Duan Yi and Sheng Yunze sharing the same container, her heart twinged briefly.

But then she thought, Why am I getting jealous? What’s the point of being jealous over an Alpha? Duan Yi’s an Alpha too—I’ve never even been jealous of Jiang Wangshu before.

Yet a woman’s intuition told her Sheng Yunze’s threat was real—as a romantic rival.

Duan Yi declined her offer. Fang Yun smiled awkwardly, showing no reaction. But the moment their eyes met Sheng Yunze’s, she felt a chill run down her spine.

His gaze was icy, carrying a clear warning.

The moment passed quickly. Fang Yun soon regained her composure, thinking: How could that be? I must be seeing things.

Jiang Wangshu had just finished arranging for Hao Shanshan to clean up the mess, claiming it was to train her domestic skills so she wouldn’t end up unmarriageable when grown. What a Qing dynasty-era zombie mindset!

Hao Shanshan roared, “Mom! The Qing dynasty is dead!”

She meant to remind him that as a modern woman, he should have some open-mindedness!

Jiang Wangshu nodded, “You’re right. We need some new ideas and trends.”

After eating, Duan Yi wanted to sleep—classic pig behavior. He played with his phone listlessly, then soon lay down on the table with half-closed eyes.

At this point, nothing could pull him from his seat except going to the track field to play basketball.

Warmth and fullness breed desire. Jiang Wangshu suddenly said mysteriously, “Everyone, I have something good to show you.”

As he spoke, Jiang Wangshu pulled out his phone and flicked it open.

Duan Yi jolted upright from his seat, nearly falling over in his haste. “The fuck are you doing?!”

Sheng Yunze had already settled back into his chair, AirPods in place and his black-and-white school uniform zipped to the top. The collar accentuated his long neck as he closed his eyes to rest.

Duan Yi pressed Jiang Wangshu’s phone to his chest, careful not to wake Sheng Yunze. “You’re actually bringing porn to class?!”

Jiang Wangshu wagged a finger. “No, no, no. We’re all watching together.”

He beckoned, and Abbot, Pingtou, and Hao Shanshan crowded around.

“Fuck! Abbot and Pingtou are bad enough, but you’re a girl!” Duan Yi roared at Hao Shanshan. “Have you no sense of propriety? Go do your homework!”

Hao Shanshan pressed her hands to her chest in a mock prayer. “Father,” she declared, “this is the new era! Can’t you have some modern views on gender equality? In our great, ancient tradition of sports, there’s never been a gender divide. True equality means everyone gets a piece of the action.”

Duan Yi, infuriated by her twisted logic, cursed Jiang Wangshu, “Look at the fucking daughter you’ve raised!”

Jiang Wangshu said earnestly, “Dad, don’t get too invested in the drama.”

He noticed Sheng Yunze, his gaze sharpening. Turning to the Abbot, he said, “I just had a sudden idea.”

The last time Jiang Wangshu claimed to have a sudden idea, he’d taken all the male students from Second Year Class 2 on a midnight wall-climbing spree to the internet café. They’d jumped from the second-floor dormitory of the International Building, breaking seven legs among twenty people. Each student wrote an 8,000-word apology and spent a month cleaning the school’s public areas for free.

Duan Yi’s hair stood on end at these words.

Jiang Wangshu said, “I think our usual movie nights have lost their novelty. Why don’t we spice things up?”

The Abbot and Pingtou nodded vigorously in agreement.

Duan Yi’s mental alarm blared, “Fuck, Jiang Wangshu! Whatever you’re thinking, stop it immediately…”

Jiang Wangshu raised his index finger solemnly. “What if we invite Commander Sheng to join us?”

Duan Yi: “Fuck! I knew it!”

Jiang Wangshu was already waving enthusiastically, “Commander Sheng—”

Under Duan Yi’s despairing gaze, Sheng Yunze removed his headphones and looked at them with slight confusion, “Hmm?”