What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 35

Chapter 35 – Supermarket Shopping

The back gate of Second High School led directly to two residential complexes. Across the street was a middle school, and beyond that lay a commercial plaza with a large imported supermarket on the fourth floor. Influencers and high school students from the area loved to visit the plaza to take photos and check in.

Duan Yi walked through the back gate and encountered many students heading out for lunch, all making a beeline for the commercial plaza.

As he passed through the residential complex, a stone flew up from the ground and landed at his feet. Duan Yi stopped and glanced to his right. In a pavilion by the river, several Alpha and Omega students were gathered together. Their hair was dyed in a rainbow of colors, and Scar was among them.

Leading the group was a high school girl around seventeen years old. She had long, black hair that hung like noodles, straight bangs, and narrow, sinister eyes. Tall and wearing the uniform of Fourth High School, she leaned against the pavilion with one leg bent, a cigarette dangling from her lips. She stared defiantly at a girl with a ponytail to her right, whose uniform was torn and her shirt partially unbuttoned. The girl, head bowed in fear, stammered as she spoke.

Dragged next door by two or three people, she was forced to the ground.

The girl’s face was flushed with an unnatural redness, a reaction typically seen when suppressed by an Alpha’s pheromones.

This level of bullying would likely result in disciplinary action.

Scarface saw Duan Yi and turned to speak to the girl with long black hair. Everyone’s gaze immediately shifted to Duan Yi, who crossed his arms.

The girl with long black hair chuckled and roughly yanked the ponytail, pushing her forward. The ponytail stumbled forward a few steps before tripping and falling.

The people in the pavilion erupted in laughter, as if enjoying the spectacle.

It was clearly a case of campus violence.

The ponytail sat on the ground, crying. Since she was far away, Duan Yi couldn’t make out her features.

The girl with long black hair stood up and strode over to the ponytail, kicking her. “Stuttering bitch, can’t even walk straight when you see an Alpha?”

Scar acted as if nothing had happened. “Yo, Duan-ge~”

Before he could finish speaking, Duan Yi kicked him in the chest. Before anyone could react, Scar was already on the ground, screaming in agony.

“Damn it,” the woman with long black hair muttered, stubbing out her cigarette. Someone pulled her back, warning, “Don’t start trouble. That’s Duan Yi.”

Duan Yi hadn’t realized his name carried such weight. He tilted his chin and said, “Get lost. I don’t hit women.”

Then he took off his school uniform jacket and tossed it over the ponytail girl’s head, completely covering her face. “Wash this and return it to me. Third Year Class 1, Second High School. If you don’t know the way, ask around.”

When he looked up again, the pavilion was empty. Scar climbed to his feet, forcing a flattering smile. “Duan-ge, don’t be so angry. Do you know that woman?”

Duan Yi stared at him coldly.

Scar flinched under his gaze. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and took one. “We were just messing around…”

Duan Yi: “I’ll join in too. You don’t mind, do you?”

Scar brushed the footprint off his chest. “Of course not, of course not. I was in the wrong today. I apologize. Want a cigarette?”

Duan Yi rarely smoked. Scar’s uncharacteristic offer, complete with lighting the cigarette for him, made Duan Yi suspicious. He didn’t take it, so Scar stuffed it into Duan Yi’s pocket instead.

At the same time, Duan Yi’s phone buzzed. Sheng Yunze had replied.

Location: the supermarket on the fourth floor of the plaza.

Duan Yi didn’t have time to deal with Scar or notice his dark expression.

“Where’s your school uniform?” Sheng Yunze asked, standing at the supermarket entrance.

“I lost it on the way,” Duan Yi explained.

“How did you lose it? Did it grow legs and run away?” Sheng Yunze seemed a little angry. When Duan Yi walked closer, his expression changed drastically. He suddenly pulled Duan Yi close, sniffing him intently. “Where did you get this other Omega’s pheromone?”

Duan Yi was shocked. He sniffed his sleeves frantically. “I don’t smell anything.”

Sheng Yunze: “It drifted ten miles away. Do you enjoy showing off so much?”

Duan Yi was speechless, then suddenly realized, “Oh, I know! I must have picked it up while playing hero and saving a damsel in distress on the way here.”

“You played hero?”

Duan Yi preened. “Don’t underestimate me. I saw Scar and his gang bullying an O on the road. Your brother stepped in like a god descending from the heavens…”

Sheng Yunze sneered, “According to the plot, she’d offer herself in gratitude, right?”

Duan Yi: “That’s impossible.”

Duan Yi glanced at Sheng Yunze and changed the topic. “What are you buying at the supermarket?”

The shelves were overflowing with chips and snacks.

Duan Yi had finished all his snacks days ago and was starting to crave them.

He leaned on the shopping cart, one foot on the lower bar and the other pushing himself forward with a “whoosh.”

Sheng Yunze followed slowly, tossing a few bags of chips into the cart before finally replying to Duan Yi with a hint of sarcasm, “To fatten you up like a pig.”

Duan Yi swallowed hard, staring at a display of beef jerky. Hearing Sheng Yunze’s words, he flared up. “Can you stop being so mean?”

Sheng Yunze: “Oh. Nan Yi isn’t mean to you.”

Duan Yi’s mind buzzed. He finally realized the source of Sheng Yunze’s anger.

He chuckled slyly. “Did you see me with Nan Yi?”

Sheng Yunze didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Next time, you can flirt with him under the flag. I’ll get a better view.”

Duan Yi: “Oh… but I don’t want to.”

Sheng Yunze’s mood improved slightly, but the memory of Duan Yi and Nan Yi standing together still irritated him.

Even his throws were stronger.

Duan Yi asked, “Why are you always picking on me? What about that junior who confessed to you today? Where is he? I saw you laughing and joking with him, and you didn’t even reject him.”

Sheng Yunze: ……

Duan Yi thought for a moment, then looked at him with genuine sincerity. “It’s a beautiful day. Why don’t we just let each other go? No more tormenting each other. Can’t we just buy things and be done with it? This turn-based sparring match is getting boring.”

Sheng Yunze was infuriated by his nonchalant attitude and slapped him on the butt, leaving Duan Yi completely stunned.

He stood upright like a rabbit, his ears erect like antennas, his eyes wide with disbelief. “You slapped my butt?!”

Duan Yi’s face flushed crimson. Afraid of being seen, he glanced furtively left and right like a thief, then lowered his voice in disbelief. “Even my dad doesn’t spank my butt!”

Sheng Yunze retorted sarcastically, “Oh, you can call me Daddy if you want.”

Duan Yi’s perception of Sheng Yunze was shattered. “Your image is ruined! School beauty!”

“Who told you I had an image?”

Sheng Yunze slapped him again. Practice makes perfect, so he took the opportunity to pinch Duan Yi’s waist, scoffing, “All meat.”

Duan Yi: =口=!

“Damn it, I’m not letting you touch anymore.”

“Why not?” Sheng Yunze, like a stubborn elementary schooler, refused to let him touch, yet insisted on doing so, even pinning Duan Yi down to do it.

He pinched Duan Yi’s tickle spot, causing Duan Yi to double over with laughter between two shipping containers. He dodged Sheng Yunze while running forward, playfully fighting and wrestling, nearly crashing into a pile of snack gift boxes someone had stacked up.

Sheng Yunze, quick as lightning, grabbed him, his smile vanishing. “Watch where you’re going. You’ll die one day without even knowing it.”

Duan Yi finally stopped laughing. He lifted his short-sleeved shirt to examine his waist, which was covered in bruises. He accused Sheng Yunze, “You went too hard! It’s all red.”

For some reason, Sheng Yunze felt a secret satisfaction, but his possessiveness flared up, and he wouldn’t let Duan Yi lift his shirt again.

He draped his school uniform over Duan Yi, covering him completely.

“If you don’t have abs, don’t show off your body.”

“Damn it.” This was a matter of male dignity and face. Duan Yi couldn’t stand it. He grabbed Sheng Yunze’s hand and made him feel his abdomen. He’d secretly been working out recently and had developed a thin layer of abdominal muscles—not very obvious, but they looked great. “Can you feel them? See this? This is what a real man is. I’m a man.”

The real “man,” Sheng Yunze, had a mind full of wild, lewd thoughts: Could he get pregnant?

If he were an Omega, he probably could.

Sheng Yunze pressed his hand against Duan Yi’s abdomen. Duan Yi was so thin, he couldn’t imagine this lively, mischievous teenager being submissive beneath a man, accepting a man, or even bearing his children.

Duan Yi pulled his hand away. “Done feeling them yet?”

Sheng Yunze took a pack of cigarettes from Duan Yi’s pocket. “Smoke?”

Duan Yi remembered Scar had given him those. “Yeah. You smoke?”

Sheng Yunze replied, “I think you’re looking for a beating.” He put the cigarette pack in his own pocket. “Are you addicted?”

Duan Yi answered honestly, “No.”

Then he sold out Jiang Wangshu, “Jiang Wangshu took me to smoke. I’m actually a pure high school student. I don’t smoke, drink, fight, or get tattoos. The school bully title was just something people gave me. I’ve never bullied a classmate.”

Duan Yi was very humble, “Maybe my imposing appearance makes people think I’m a six-armed, three-headed Xi Chu the Conqueror who can punch the Southern Mountain Nursing Home and kick the Northern Mountain Kindergarten.”

Sheng Yunze sneered, “Xi Chu the Conqueror who’s only 1.78 meters tall?”

Duan Yi: “WTF!”

The heat that had just faded from his face flared up again, this time from embarrassment.

“I’m 1.80 meters tall, okay…”

Sheng Yunze: “Anyone who’s 1.78 meters tall will round up to 1.80 meters. I thought that was the default for high school students nationwide.”

Duan Yi said guiltily, “I’m really 1.80 meters…”

“Oh?” Sheng Yunze took a step back, sizing him up with a mocking gaze. “I’d estimate you’re a bit short of that.”

Duan Yi knew Sheng Yunze was teasing him. He was deliberately using a condescending look to mock him. Enraged, Duan Yi bared his teeth and claws, ready to fight him.

Sheng Yunze grabbed his hands behind his back and offered a half-hearted apology, “I was wrong. Don’t be angry. You’re 3.20 meters tall, okay?”

Duan Yi: “So what if I’m only 1.78 meters tall? I can still beat anyone! Let me tell you, what’s the point of being so tall? Are you trying to be a clothes rack? Some people look tall, but their brains are just… messy. It’s like they don’t even have one!”

Sheng Yunze: “Your brain isn’t messy, and it’s definitely not useless.”

Duan Yi wiped his nose, his tail wagging. “Of course not!”

He’d been playing somewhere and scraped his chin, now covered with a SpongeBob Band-Aid.

His voice was lively and radiant, instantly capturing Sheng Yunze’s attention.

Duan Yi turned back. “I might actually do really well on this midterm exam.”

Sheng Yunze continued to fill the shopping basket with Duan Yi’s favorite snacks, fully committed to his pig-raising plan.

Duan Yi was brimming with confidence, bragging about his exam performance. “I did amazing! I knew how to solve every problem!”

Sheng Yunze shook his head with a “tsk tsk.” “People who say that usually end up doing terribly.”

Duan Yi: “Why would I lie to you? It’s true! You taught me everything I needed to know.” His brain finally caught up, and he said sincerely, “I really need to thank you, Teacher Xiaosheng.”

“Oh,” Sheng Yunze said, his interest piqued. He quite enjoyed hearing Duan Yi call him Teacher Xiaosheng, it had a bit of a role-playing vibe. “How are you planning to thank me?”

Duan Yi: “I haven’t decided yet. Just name your terms, as long as they don’t cross my bottom line.”

Unnoticed, a few girls had started following them.

They weren’t obvious, and they weren’t wearing school uniforms, so it was impossible to tell which high school they were from. Some of the bolder ones even took out their phones to secretly snap photos.

Sheng Yunze had bought enough snacks. “I’ll take my time thinking about it.”

He subtly blocked Duan Yi, positioning them in a delicate corner where the girls behind them couldn’t get a clear shot of their faces.

Jiang Wangshu texted him on WeChat, asking where he was having his youthful fun. Duan Yi, embarrassed to admit he was with Sheng Yunze, simply sent a mental reply to Jiang Wangshu and put his phone away.

Back in the dorm, Duan Yi realized Sheng Yunze had bought all the snacks for him. But the infuriating part was that Sheng Yunze only gave him half, dividing the rest into daily portions to be collected from his dorm room each evening.

Duan Yi immediately protested, “You’re treating me like a dog!”

His resistance proved futile. Sheng Yunze held all the cards, and Duan Yi had no choice but to concede.

After the afternoon exam, Jiang Wangshu, Pingtou, and Abbot arranged to go to an internet cafe to play games.

Duan Yi had performed well today, and for the first time, he felt a genuine desire to study hard and aim for an even better score tomorrow. Even Fang Yun’s courageous invitation to dinner was turned down.

During evening study hall, he buried himself in his books, making Ah Mi think the world was ending. As soon as class ended, he rushed to dorm room 306, only to be told by his roommate that Sheng Yunze wasn’t there.

Duan Yi was stunned.

He called Sheng Yunze and learned he had gone for a night run.

Duan Yi was shocked. “What time is it? Why are you still running at night?”

Despite his grumbling, he went to the Central Pavilion where Sheng Yunze had said he would be waiting.

A kilometer away from Second High School, an inner river meandered slowly around Hang City.

As the weather grew colder, fewer people went out for night runs. The Central Pavilion was deserted, except for Sheng Yunze, who stood quietly with white earbuds in, wearing a dark-colored tracksuit. Even this simple outfit looked like a runway showstopper on him. Duan Yi refused to admit he was secretly impressed by Sheng Yunze’s looks, muttering, “I came to find you to work on practice tests tonight, and you’re not even there.”

Sheng Yunze was slightly surprised. He thought Duan Yi’s sudden enthusiasm would fade after a day, but it seemed the young man was genuinely eager to learn, still burning with passion.

Realizing this, Sheng Yunze found a touch of satisfaction in his role as a teacher.

“What else don’t you understand? Ask me right here.”

Duan Yi: “It’s so cold here, and the lighting is too dim. I can’t write well.”

Sheng Yunze: “Should we go back to the dorm?”

Duan Yi: “The dorm is too crowded and noisy.”

Sheng Yunze: “…Are you inviting me to rent a room?”

“Hell no! I thought this spot was perfect. Let’s study happily together right here.”

Couples strolled along the riverbank, scattered in pairs and threes.

In the darkness, the red glow of cigarette tips flickered.

After studying for a while, Duan Yi looked at Sheng Yunze’s face, his mind wandering as he asked, “Hey, Sheng Yunze, do you smoke?”

Sheng Yunze replied calmly, “I know how. But I don’t.”

Duan Yi had expected to hear “No,” so he was completely taken aback that Sheng Yunze actually knew how to smoke.

He asked in surprise, “When did you learn?”

Sheng Yunze: “I didn’t. What’s there to learn? Just inhale and exhale. I don’t like it.”

Duan Yi didn’t hear what Sheng Yunze said. His thoughts had already drifted far away.

Even in parallel worlds, he rarely saw Sheng Yunze smoke. On the few occasions he did, Sheng Yunze would be standing on the balcony while working on a project, his back appearing somewhat lonely. When Duan Yi woke up and startled him, Sheng Yunze would quietly carry him over, sit still, and call it recharging.

He looks really cool when he smokes.

Duan Yi suddenly had this thought for no reason.

And he acted on it immediately, suggesting, “Secretary Sheng, want a cigarette?”

Sheng Yunze glanced at him.

Duan Yi looked at him expectantly. “I’ve never seen you smoke before.”

Sheng Yunze had initially planned to refuse. After all, Duan Yi’s bizarre reason was completely nonsensical.

That’s how they say falling in love lowers your IQ—even though they weren’t officially dating yet, flirting was enough to do the trick.

For some inexplicable reason, Sheng Yunze agreed.

Neither of them smoked, and the only pack they could find was the one Scar had given Duan Yi.

It was just a pack of cigarettes, so Duan Yi didn’t think much of it. He tapped one out and offered it to Sheng Yunze.

Duan Yi borrowed a lighter and lit the cigarette for him, watching Sheng Yunze secretly as if lighting birthday candles.

Pale skin, thin crimson lips, a meticulously sculpted profile—cold yet alluring. His expression was indifferent, but Duan Yi couldn’t shake the feeling of immense aggression radiating from him.

Sheng Yunze took only two sips before tossing the cigarette away. While he found it amusing to watch Duan Yi drool over him, he hated the taste of smoke.

Duan Yi didn’t press the issue and continued tutoring Sheng Yunze in the pavilion. Half an hour later, Sheng Yunze felt dizzy.

Duan Yi was biting the end of his pen, struggling with a physics multiple-choice question. He looked up to see Sheng Yunze resting his forehead, pretending to nap. Concerned, he asked, “Are you sleepy? Should we go back to the dorm?”

Sheng Yunze opened his eyes, feeling uncomfortable but unable to pinpoint what was wrong. “I’m fine, just a little dizzy. You keep working on the problems.”

Duan Yi, slow as ever, asked, “Did you catch a cold from the wind?”

The pack of cigarettes Scar had given Duan Yi lay quietly on the table.

Hidden within the ordinary packaging was a gram of an inducer that could send an Omega into heat. Mixed with various synthetic Omega pheromones, it was masked by the tobacco’s scent.

When an Omega encountered it, it triggered heat. When an Alpha encountered it, it forced rut. It was an extremely potent aphrodisiac.

Sheng Yunze had just smoked one of these cigarettes.