What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 45

Chapter 45 – Speech Under the National Flag

The excitement of finally being single-free led to Duan Yi being completely unable to get out of bed the next morning.

Duan Shaoheng called him from downstairs five times. Around 7:20, Duan Yi finally rolled slowly out of bed, reached for the clothes he’d left by his bedside, and pulled them under the covers, hugging them like a treasure. “This will warm them up faster,” he mumbled.

He tried to sleep as much as possible while silently counting down the minutes.

Move a little, sleep a little, move a little, sleep a little. It took him ten minutes of wiggling under the covers to get dressed—with his school pants on backward.

A heavy snow had fallen overnight. Duan Yi’s air conditioner had turned off by itself around 3:00 AM, and the room was completely cold.

Half-asleep, he brushed his teeth, washed his face, and put on his school uniform jacket. His teeth chattered from the cold, but he stubbornly turned the air conditioner back on.

By the time he was fully awake and ready to leave, it was already 7:50.

Even a rocket couldn’t get him to school in ten minutes.

It was clear, Duan Yi was going to be late.

Second High School had a strict rule, the school grounds were cleared at 7:55, and the gates closed precisely at 8:00. Anyone arriving at 8:01 or later would be marked as late and denied entry.

At exactly eight o’clock, a line of late students already stood at the gate of Second High School.

Among them were those without their school IDs, those with improper attire, and those not wearing their uniforms, all standing listlessly.

Old He—Headmaster He.

Today was Monday, and he was certain to be at the school gate, strictly guarding against these little brats causing trouble.

Headmaster He was short but imposing. He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, pursing his lips and staring solemnly at the empty road.

In the distance, a teenager’s desperate scream echoed, “Aaaaaah!” The cry, piercing and lingering, grew louder as it approached.

A glint appeared in Headmaster He’s small, murky eyes. He knew the school’s number one little rascal had finally arrived.

A sinister smile crept across his face, sending shivers down the spines of the other little rascals lined up nearby.

Duan Yi hadn’t even had time for breakfast. Backpack slung over his shoulder, he sprinted wildly down Hang City’s main street, letting his youth run free.

When he reached the school gate, the iron bars were tightly shut. Duan Yi groaned in despair. “No way! I ran so fast and still didn’t make it!”

Principal He’s spirits lifted. Duan Yi, still unaware of the danger he faced, quietly approached the main gate. About a hundred meters away stood Duan Yi’s “latecomer’s wall”—a low barrier he could easily vault to slip onto campus.

First, he tossed his backpack over the wall. Then, he stepped back, accelerated, and planted his left foot firmly against the yellowing brick. With a swift push from his legs and arms, he pressed his hands against the wall’s edge, effortlessly hoisting himself over. As nimble as a swallow, he flipped over the wall with practiced ease and landed silently.

—Only to be caught red-handed by Principal He, who had been lying in wait.

Duan Yi picked up his backpack and stared wide-eyed at Principal He.

After a moment, Duan Yi grinned and bolted into a full-speed sprint, as if running the 800-meter dash.

Principal He had anticipated this move. Without a word, he gave chase.

The traditional Monday morning spectacle at Second High School had finally begun.

In the academic building, a class spotted Principal He sprinting across the school square. “Huh?” they murmured, setting aside their morning study books to peer out the windows.

“Isn’t that Old He? Why’s he running so fast so early? Is he finally exercising?”

“Old He’s gone crazy after getting hooked on Divine Sword and Hero. Is he trying to do light footwork on the snow?”

“Looks like he’s chasing someone…”

“Probably someone who’s late.”

“Holy shit! It’s Duan Yi!”

“Relax, man… It’s just the usual Monday morning show…”

This wasn’t the first time Principal He had chased Duan Yi through the school.

He’d chased him almost a hundred times in three years. Old He never got tired, but Duan Yi was sick of it!

The valiant sight of the sprinting youth stirred a cold morning breeze. The listless boys lined up at the school gate suddenly perked up, watching Duan Yi like a rebellious hero waving the flag of revolution. They whistled and cheered him on, earning a fierce glare from Principal He.

Duan Yi ran like the wind. Principal He, with his short legs, couldn’t keep up.

Panting heavily behind him, Principal He shouted, “I know your class, Duan Yi! Stop right there! Don’t make me come and drag you out of your classroom!”

Duan Yi pinched his throat, pretending to be an Omega. “Teacher He, you’ve got the wrong person! I’m not Duan Yi, I’m Jiang Wangshu!”

In the blink of an eye, he darted onto the boulevard—a wide, empty concrete path facing the school building. Fresh snow had fallen, and snowmen stood guard on either side.

Duan Yi and Old He raced down the boulevard, their cat-and-mouse chase drawing the attention of the entire school.

The sound of morning reading in the classrooms faded, replaced by a growing crowd of faces peering from the corridors.

Someone whistled first, then others joined in, egging Duan Yi on. Those who recognized him shouted “Duan-ge!” “Xiaoduan!” “President Duan!” “Run faster!”

Freshmen asked, “Who’s that? He’s so cocky!”

“Duan Yi! You don’t know Duan Yi?!” came the reply, as if knowing him was as common as drinking water.

The entire five-story building buzzed with excitement as students poured into the corridors to witness Duan Yi’s daring feat.

For the first time since Second High School was founded, someone dared to challenge Old He’s untouchable authority.

Duan Yi ran, stripping off his uniform as he went. He quickly put it on backward over his head and charged into the teaching building.

He didn’t mind the stares. With a triumphant grin, he waved to the crowd in the hallway like he was performing a solo concert.

This was youthful recklessness, riding a horse across a slanting bridge, with red sleeves waving from every window.

The second floor housed the second-year classes.

“Excuse me! Emergency! Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda! Sorry, move aside! I’m going to crash into someone!” Duan Yi shouted. “Someone give me a uniform! A second-year one!”

The uniforms for first, second, and third-year students at Second High School were all different.

Before he finished speaking, several uniforms came flying out of the classrooms.

Duan Yi grabbed one at random. “Thanks! I’ll return it later!”

The hallway wasn’t crowded: class representatives carrying homework, students standing in early morning detention…

“Duan-ge, have you eaten?” someone called out.

Duan Yi, still playing cat and mouse with Headmaster He, replied, “Got anything to eat?”

“Want a fried dough stick?”

“I have a steamed bun!”

“Soy milk here!”

As he ran, Duan Yi gathered the food offered from the classrooms into his arms, took a bite of a fried dough stick, and mumbled his thanks.

By the time he reached the third floor, the buzz from the second floor hadn’t died down.

“Does everyone know him?” someone wondered.

“I met him playing basketball.”

“We studied together for a test.”

“We chatted during detention.”

“We wrote our self-criticisms together…”

The onlookers stared in disbelief. “This… this is the School Pet…”

Bang! The door to Class 1 burst open.

Duan Yi rushed into the classroom, clutching a pile of breakfast. Jiang Wangshu dramatically exclaimed, “Baobao, you never cease to amaze me! Did you set off fireworks this morning? You turned Second High School upside down! We skipped morning study hall just to watch your hilarious two-man act with Old He.” He glanced at the food in Duan Yi’s arms. “Another free meal?”

Hao Shanshan smoothly picked her favorite mushroom-filled bun from Duan Yi’s pile and took a bite. “Old He’s about thirty seconds away from the battlefield.”

Jiang Wangshu’s eyes welled with tears. “Eat up, kid. Finish this meal and rest in peace in your next life.”

Exhausted, Duan Yi slumped into his chair and peeled off his third-year uniform, tossing it onto an empty seat behind him. He was already wearing his second-year uniform, and three more uniforms—from first to third year—lay piled beside his chair. It was clear this wasn’t his first time doing this.

Fang Yun, the emotionless countdown machine, began: “Ten, nine, eight… three…”

Duan Yi stared in disbelief. “Hey, why did you shorten my time?”

Fang Yun replied, “Based on my experience, Old He’s anger today is 20 times higher than usual. He’ll walk faster without realizing it, so I adjusted your time accordingly.”

She said, “One.”

Principal He’s furious voice echoed from the front of Class 1. “Duan Yi, stand up! Get out here! Report to the Political Education Office immediately!”

Fang Yun smirked. “Bingo, President Duan. Your turn.”

Duan Yi groaned, pretending to be clueless. “Old He, what’s this about? I’m just an innocent third-year student. I was studying… Can I go later?”

Principal He snapped, “One minute late, and you’ll copy Divine Sword and Hero twice!”

Jiang Wangshu gloated, “Hang in there, Duan-bao! We’re with you in spirit!”

Duan Yi reluctantly bit into his stick fried, trying to eat as much as possible.

As he stood up, he glanced at Sheng Yunze’s seat: empty.

But his backpack was there, and an English textbook lay open on the desk, along with a half-finished test paper. It looked like some teacher had called him away.

Head hanging low, Duan Yi trailed behind Principal He, shuffling slowly toward the Political Education Office.

“Are you still acting up, huh? Don’t think you can get cocky just because you improved a few ranks on the midterm! What was that stunt you pulled this morning? Duan Yi, do you even want to stay in school? If you want to drop out, just say so!” Principal He’s anger made his lips twitch. Duan Yi knew it was time to play the good boy.

He fell back on his old trick, immediately admit fault, but secretly plan to do it again.

“Principal He, I was wrong. I deeply regret my actions. I know being late violates school rules, and I shouldn’t have sprinted through the halls or disturbed other students during morning study hall.”

Principal He scoffed. “Disturb? You practically led the whole school in a rebellion!”

Duan Yi stood there and took the scolding.

Principal He continued his usual routine, a harsh lecture followed by a small kindness.

After venting, Principal He’s mood improved slightly. “If I could actually teach you properly, it wouldn’t just be teaching—it would be a scientific breakthrough! I could get a job at the Chinese Academy of Sciences!”

He picked up his large tea mug, its inside stained yellow-black from years of tea.

Principal He turned his back to Duan Yi, his gaze drifting to the magnificent library outside the window.

Every time he saw this building, he felt his anger fade away.

It wasn’t because of the books inside—it was because Xiaoduan’s Dad had donated it.

His eyes slowly moved to the science building—another gift from Xiaoduan’s Dad.

He calmly took a sip of tea, then turned back to Duan Yi, feeling composed and enlightened. Half his anger had vanished.

“This time, I’ll just give you a verbal warning. No written punishment. Go back and write a three-thousand-word apology. Read it to the whole school during the flag-raising ceremony today. Understand?”

“Yes, sir!” Duan Yi replied.

Principal He spoke gravely, “And don’t copy something random from the internet like last time! You ended up reading some nonsense we couldn’t even understand!”

Last time, Duan Yi had copied an apology letter from the internet—a husband’s promise to his wife. Without reading it, he recited it to the entire school during the flag-raising ceremony, earning thousands of “forgivenesses” from the female students.

Of course, that day’s ceremony had been a complete disaster because of him—The Best of Xiaoduan’s High School Life (Volume 1).

After Duan Yi finished getting scolded, he gathered his things to write his apology letter.

Principal He, not trusting him, made him write it right under his nose. This way, Duan Yi couldn’t sneak out his phone to search online.

He stood there scratching his head for a long time when he heard Sheng Yunze’s voice.

In an instant, he looked up and met Sheng Yunze’s gaze.

Caught off guard by seeing his new boyfriend, Duan Yi felt that familiar mix of shyness and embarrassment, like returning home after a long absence. He instinctively lowered his head, afraid to look at Sheng Yunze’s face.

Actually, Sheng Yunze looked perfectly normal today.

He was wearing his usual outfit, the autumn school uniform over the autumn school uniform.

Duan Yi’s mind wandered, Why isn’t he wearing the winter uniform?

The winter uniform at Second High School was a dark navy blue windbreaker with the school emblem on the chest. It looked pretty cool on handsome guys.

Duan Yi thought this uniform was the best-looking of all the school uniforms, which was why he especially liked going to school in winter.

It allowed him to show off his handsome face from every angle.

“Perfect timing. You’ve been to Teacher Xiao Chen’s office, right?” Principal He called Sheng Yunze over.

Sheng Yunze glanced at Duan Yi, who was buried in writing.

Sheng Yunze quietly stood beside Duan Yi, and right under Old He’s nose, gently poked him with his finger.

Duan Yi’s face burned red.

Principal He sneered, “When you’re done here, take your Class President back to your class.”

Duan Yi, who had never felt ashamed of breaking school rules or being sent to the Political Education Office, turned even redder at these words. Damn it, this is so embarrassing.

Writing a self-criticism in the Political Education Office was bad enough.

But being seen by his boyfriend?

Any high schooler would find that humiliating!

Sheng Yunze was bold. Even in the Political Education Office, he dared to make small moves, casually brushing his leg against Duan Yi’s.

He looked calm and collected, as if nothing was wrong.

Duan Yi refused to back down and tried to retaliate, but Principal He caught him in the act. The headmaster scolded him for not being serious about his self-criticism, for bullying his classmate, and for showing no remorse. He ordered Duan Yi to write another thousand words.

Duan Yi protested, but Principal He ignored him.

After dealing with Duan Yi, Principal He lowered his voice to speak to Sheng Yunze, but Duan Yi still caught snippets like “direct admission,” “Tsinghua,” and “Peking University.”

Duan Yi strained his ears to listen, but Principal He’s voice grew softer and softer, leaving Duan Yi to guess.

The early admission list is out already? Duan Yi was surprised, but then he thought, So what? Sheng Yunze’s brilliant competition record is more than enough for early admission.

His spot is guaranteed.

Who else will get in?

Duan Yi scanned his classmates. Jiang Wangshu was a possibility. He was the kind of laid-back student who didn’t care where he went. If he tried hard, Tsinghua shouldn’t be a problem.

If Jiang Wangshu performs normally, he won’t be rejected.

Who else? Fang Yun’s grades are pretty good too…

Duan Yi worried. If Sheng Yunze goes to Beijing, I’ll have to go too.

No matter how I look at it, I’ll end up at the Central Academy of Fine Arts.

In another world, Duan Yi remembered majoring in sculpture and oil painting—the kind that led to unemployment. He’d lived a miserable life, relying on friends and selling paintings to survive.

But unemployment didn’t matter much to him. As a rich kid, he didn’t need a job. Plus, with Sheng Yunze’s wealth, Duan Yi could open art galleries, fund museums across the country, and have plenty of people eager to please him.

Duan Yi had originally planned to apply to a school closer to home. After all, Beijing schools required much higher scores, and the Central Academy of Fine Arts High School was full of talented students. Even with over a decade more experience, Duan Yi couldn’t be sure there weren’t geniuses at the Attached Middle School.

True, Duan Yi had once been called a genius himself—in painting.

But facing the National College Entrance Examination, he still felt nervous.

It was like asking Lu Xun to answer his exam’s reading comprehension questions; even Lu Xun might not get them all right.

More importantly, he hadn’t been painting seriously for months. The last time he’d felt inspired was when he painted a watch for Sheng Yunze.

That thought led his mind to wander.

Principal He had changed the subject. Duan Yi snapped back to attention when he heard his name.

Principal He explained that the Admissions Office was filming a promotional video, and since Duan Yi happened to be present, he wanted him to participate.

“Any objections?”

Duan Yi: “Can I make up for this and skip writing the self-criticism?”

Principal He: “No.” He said firmly, “As a student of Second High School, it’s your duty to contribute.”

Duan Yi pouted.

At 8:20 AM, the flag-raising ceremony was about to begin. Principal He waved his hand generously, letting Duan Yi go.

Then, Old He turned to another teacher in the office. “Xiaozhou, take the student teachers to the schoolyard and woods today. They’re in their third year now, so crack down on early romance. We can’t let them go astray and ruin their futures. Oh, and print out that notice I gave you last time and put it on the bulletin board in the school square. Right… and about the Omega pheromone inducer we found in the dorms last time—this is serious. We need to handle it carefully…”

Hearing the words “early romance,” Duan Yi’s skin crawled. He quickly glanced at Old He, afraid he might see something and use the conversation to scold him indirectly.

If Old He found out Duan Yi had dragged his prized student, School Idol Sheng Yunze, into this mess, tearing him limb from limb wouldn’t be enough to satisfy his anger.

Sheng Yunze left the Political Education Office, turned a corner, and disappeared. Duan Yi stood there dazed for a moment, then looked up to find his boyfriend gone. He hurried after him.

As soon as Duan Yi reached the corner, Sheng Yunze grabbed his arm and pulled him into a narrow stairwell.

Duan Yi jumped. “What are you doing?!”

He immediately looked around nervously.

Sheng Yunze: “What are you looking for?”

Duan Yi: “Cameras! If we get caught, we’re dead.”

Sheng Yunze: …

“You’re pretty good at this.”

He added jealously, “Did you learn this from Nan Yi?”

Duan Yi: “I may not have eaten pork, but I’ve seen pigs run…”

Sheng Yunze grabbed Duan Yi’s uniform and examined it. “Whose uniform is this?”

Duan Yi grumbled, “I borrowed it from someone else. Old He chased me halfway across campus this morning. It’s my disguise.”

Sheng Yunze had also witnessed Duan Yi’s morning antics and couldn’t help but chuckle.

The Alpha pheromones were faint, and with the blocker’s effect, practically undetectable.

But Sheng Yunze, sensing another Alpha’s scent on Duan Yi’s uniform, felt a pang of jealousy and demanded he take it off.

He draped his own uniform over Duan Yi as the morning exercise music blared from the loudspeakers overhead.

“We’ll settle this later,” Sheng Yunze said coldly.

Duan Yi hadn’t quite adjusted to his new role as the “school beauty’s boyfriend.” He still felt awkward around Sheng Yunze, especially when he couldn’t meet his gaze.

The consequences of his morning chaos came during the flag-raising ceremony, where he had to deliver a public apology to the entire school.

Duan Yi took the microphone with practiced ease, looking more like he was hosting a fan meet-and-greet than making a confession.

He cleared his throat calmly and began reading his prepared statement, “I was wrong…”

Principal He crossed his arms, glaring at Duan Yi.

The crowd was a mix of blank stares and hushed whispers, no one yet noticing Duan Yi’s speech drifting further and further from its intended script.

“I was wrong… I shouldn’t have dressed up so fancy and tried to show off like a peacock so early in the morning, trying to attract attention…” Duan Yi recited with sincere remorse.

“Something doesn’t seem right here,” someone whispered in the crowd.

“Does this even sound like a real apology?”

“Did Duan Yi copy another apology letter meant for someone’s wife?”

“Damn… now that you mention it, it does sound like that…”

Duan Yi continued, “I especially shouldn’t have worn someone else’s uniform and known how to avoid the cameras. It made me look like I’d done this before, but this was really my first time. I’m truly sorry. I deeply regret my actions and promise never to do it again…”

As he spoke, he scanned the crowd for Sheng Yunze. Sheng Yunze’s expression shifted rapidly—he was clearly amused but trying not to laugh, and his anger had completely vanished.

Duan Yi seemed to possess an innate charm that made it nearly impossible for anyone who knew him to stay mad at him.

He looked up at Duan Yi, who had been chased off the stage by the furious Headmaster He, and saw the students in the crowd egging him on. Every gaze directed at Duan Yi was filled with indulgence.

Sheng Yunze suddenly felt a pang of unease.

Was his boyfriend too popular?

Duan Yi had spotted him alone. Avoiding the eyes of teachers and classmates, he found a hidden spot and flashed Sheng Yunze a sly grin.

Amidst the confusion of thousands of students, their budding romance remained a secret, yet thrilling.