What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 68

Chapter 68 – Stealing a Kiss

A Friday afternoon date meant spending Saturday and Sunday catching up on homework.

Meanwhile, Duan Yi was about to face a storm of his own: Duan Ji Huai had completed the first phase of his field research and market expansion in Australia.

That morning, Xiaoduan Mom received a sudden call saying something had happened at Xiaoduan’s maternal grandmother’s house. It wasn’t serious, but she needed to go immediately. Xiaoduan was told to stay home.

Xiaoduan initially didn’t understand what was going on. But the moment he saw Duan Ji Huai walk through the door that evening, it all clicked.

Duan Ji Huai loosened his collar, removed his tie, and pulled a mop handle from behind the door. “Do you know what this is?”

Duan Yi took a step back.

Duan Ji Huai stroked the mop handle. “This is the mop handle your grandfather used to beat your father with when he was a kid. It’s older than you are, and I don’t take it out lightly.”

Duan Yi bolted, shouting as he ran, “You’re full of shit! You used that mop handle on Brother just last week!”

The reason? Duan Shaoheng had been rumored to be having an affair with a junior colleague at his company, and Duan Ji Huai suspected his eldest son had gotten the girl pregnant.

Duan Ji Huai slowly and deliberately introduced the weapon, “An ancestral craft, a classic legacy, a technique passed down through generations. Attack Speed 10, Damage 10, Accuracy 10, Handling 20.”

Duan Yi earnestly asked, “Dad, can I quit the game?”

Duan Ji Huai scoffed, “You can always switch weapons.”

Then, throughout the vast villa, Xiaoduan’s agonized screams echoed for three days straight.

“Aaaah—it hurts so much!”

As he rolled around on the floor from the beating, Duan Yi had a profound realization: his father had deliberately sent his mother away.

Finally, tears streaming down his face, he clung to his father’s leg and wailed, “You’re going to kill me, Duan Ji Huai! Even tigers don’t devour their own cubs! Just beat me to death! If you do, Mom will fight you to the death!”

Duan Ji Huai couldn’t bring himself to hit hard. The mop handle—proof that no matter how wealthy, every father’s disciplinary tool remains the same—barely struck Duan Yi’s body, landing only twice on his calves.

Duan Yi was terrified of pain, utterly intolerant of it. Every twinge brought forth a fresh round of wails.

If Duan Ji Huai hits me again, he thought, I’ll kneel and lie! I’ll scream that another blow will kill three lives at once!

“Just send your son and your two grandsons away!”

He wanted to see if Duan Ji Huai would dare to move.

The beating was over, and he’d vented his anger.

Duan Ji Huai took out the first-aid kit and applied medicine to Duan Yi’s wounds.

Duan Yi’s whimpering subsided slightly as he sniffled through his tears.

“You did this on purpose! You sent Mom away. You’re getting meaner as you get older, full of bad intentions. Are you even human, Duan Ji Huai?”

Duan Ji Huai raised an eyebrow. “To save you from bothering your mother. You always use the same trick. Aren’t you tired of it? If I’m not human, what are you?”

Duan Yi’s trick had worked for over a decade, and it was still effective.

Get slapped by Duan Ji Huai, then run behind Xiaoduan Mom.

Though Duan Ji Huai was harsh with his son, he doted on his wife.

The slightest frown from Xiaoduan Mom would soften his heart, leading him to let Duan Yi off the hook.

After applying the medicine and easing Duan Yi’s pain, Duan Ji Huai pulled out a gift he’d brought back from Australia.

Duan Yi’s eyes lit up instantly. Forgetting his pain, he reached for the gift.

“Take it,” Duan Ji Huai said. “But don’t tell your brother. He’ll start pestering me again.”

“Heh heh,” Duan Yi grinned. “Does that mean I get two?”

Duan Ji Huai patted Duan Yi’s head. “You’re younger. You get an extra one.”

Seeing Duan Yi’s eyes practically disappear with laughter, Duan Ji Huai finally revealed his true motive, “Don’t tell your mother about this.”

Oblivious to the middle-aged man’s cunning trap, Duan Yi nodded after accepting the bribe. “Don’t worry, this is between us. I won’t tell Mom!”

Duan Ji Huai nodded in satisfaction. “At least you have some integrity.”

To outsiders, Duan Ji Huai projected an intimidating aura, the quintessential domineering CEO. But at home, shedding his public persona, he revealed a surprisingly down-to-earth side.

His parenting philosophy for Duan Yi and Duan Shaoheng centered on equality, with discipline as a secondary tool, striving to nurture them in a comfortable environment.

The father and son sat on the sofa when Duan Ji Huai abruptly announced, “You’re coming with me to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow.”

Duan Yi froze, wanting to refuse but intimidated by the “magic stick” in Duan Ji Huai’s hand. He stammered, “I’m old enough to go by myself!”

“Can you really go alone?” Duan Ji Huai challenged.

Duan Yi had been notorious since childhood for his aversion to medicine and fear of needles. Could he possibly go to the hospital willingly? Duan Ji Huai even suspected he hadn’t attended any of his follow-up appointments after his car accident.

He guessed right—Duan Yi had never been there even once.

“I’m not a kid anymore,” Duan Yi protested. “Why are you always on my case? Why don’t you nag my brother instead?”

“Your brother never gave me a moment’s worry,” Duan Ji Huai replied.

He couldn’t help but sigh nostalgically. “Back in the day, your father never troubled your grandfather either. He was an exemplary student—refined, cultured, and scored full marks in all nine subjects…”

Duan Yi interrupted, scoffing, “You sound just like Qin Shiwu’s dad, always bragging like that.”

Duan Ji Huai retorted earnestly, “Qin Chu can’t even compare to me. I scored a solid 700 on the high school entrance exam. How much did he get? 210! He brought shame to Hangzhou all the way to Beijing. Even our group of friends was too embarrassed to laugh at him. Even if his wife gave him some of her points, he still wouldn’t reach half my score.”

You two are as different as chalk and cheese, Duan Yi thought. If you averaged your scores with Mom’s, you might not even beat Qin Shiwu’s dad.

After all, 700 multiplied by zero equals zero.

Xiaoduan Mom was that extraordinary woman who scored zero.

Duan Yi: “You middle-aged people are all liars. You love spouting that ‘slow bird flies first’ nonsense. Let me tell you something: some slow birds don’t fly at all. They lay an egg and let the egg fly. Did you ever ask the egg if it agreed to that?”

Duan Ji Huai slowly tightened his grip on the mop handle.

Duan Yi sat up straight, his expression serious. “The egg agrees wholeheartedly!”

Duan Ji Huai had originally wanted to ask Duan Yi when he had become an Omega.

He also wanted to ask, “What’s really going on between you and Sheng Yunze? Can you two break up? Can you cut ties? Can you focus on your studies and stop dating?”

But the awkwardness between father and son prevented him from asking these questions directly.

Considering the sensitive topics of secondary gender and early romance, Duan Ji Huai decided to leave the matter to Xiaoduan Mom.

“When your mother returns from your grandmother’s, you need to have a serious talk with her. I know there are things you don’t want to tell me, and I won’t press you. But you have a good relationship with her—don’t you dare lie to her, understand?”

Duan Yi: “I won’t lie to her!”

Duan Ji Huai ruffled Duan Yi’s hair, leaving it a mess. The boy’s baby fat became even more pronounced, his cheeks round and irresistibly cute.

Duan Yi tilted his head back and playfully fussed in front of Duan Ji Huai, instantly melting his father’s heart.

Did I just randomly pick up a daughter?

Duan Ji Huai thought, I’m actually quite happy about this.

“How did you grow up so fast?” Duan Ji Huai sighed. “You used to be so small, barely bigger than my palm.”

Duan Yi grabbed his backpack from the sofa and, with a mischievous grin, said, “I’m going upstairs, Dad. You’re so gross!”

Duan Ji Huai: …

Seeing Duan Yi dart up the stairs like a rabbit, Duan Ji Huai hurriedly called out, “Slow down! Watch your step!”

True to form, Duan Yi promptly tripped at the foot of the stairs.

Duan Ji Huai: …

Duan Yi quickly scrambled to his feet, brushed off his knees, and nonchalantly continued to his room.

Boys are tough!

He tossed his backpack onto the desk, kicked off his shoes, and rushed into the bathroom.

After a steamy shower and a spritz of inhibitor, he finally lay down on his bed.

He fiddled with his phone for a while, wanting to text Sheng Yunze but worried he might be studying. He agonized over whether to disturb him, his message box stuck on “typing…”

Just then, Sheng Yunze called.

Duan Yi fumbled to answer.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” he asked, rolling over.

“What do you want to say?” Sheng Yunze watched Duan Yi type for ten minutes without sending a single message. In that time, they could have transfused 200cc of blood. What was Duan Yi agonizing over?

Duan Yi: “My dad beat me up. It hurts like hell.” He played the victim: “But don’t worry, I didn’t rat you out!”

Sheng Yunze: “Where are you hurt? Send me a picture.”

Duan Yi paused, then snapped a photo of his lower leg.

His legs were straight and beautiful, the bruises stark against his pale skin.

Sheng Yunze frowned, a hint of displeasure in his voice. “Did you put medicine on it?”

Duan Yi teased, “Yeah, it doesn’t hurt anymore. You’ll have to carry me to school the day after tomorrow. I can’t walk.”

Sheng Yunze retorted sharply, “Come if you don’t mind embarrassing yourself.”

After some small talk, Sheng Yunze grew anxious. “What did your dad say?”

Please don’t let this be some melodramatic plot where the Queen Mother of the West separates star-crossed lovers with the Milky Way.

If Duan Yi broke up with him over this, Duan Yi would be dead.

“He wanted me to go to the hospital for a checkup. I told him I’d go alone.” Duan Yi huddled under his blanket. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

“Working on a practice test,” Sheng Yunze replied.

Duan Yi glanced at the clock. “It’s past eleven. Still working?”

Sheng Yunze replied, “What else would I be doing?”

He figured he’d be done around two in the morning.

Before the Second High School’s final exams, they were bombarded with worksheets—the more it snowed outside, the more worksheets piled up inside.

Even a top student like Sheng Yunze found the mountain of papers daunting. And the Competition Class’s worksheets were even harder than the regular classes’.

Hearing this, Duan Yi felt a pang of guilt and sat up. “Then I’ll start working too.”

“How much do you have left to finish?”

Duan Yi suggested, “Ask me in a more tactful way. Like, ‘What have you managed to do?'”

Sheng Yunze’s expression remained impassive. “Never mind.”

He hesitated, considering hanging up and working separately.

But Duan Yi couldn’t bear to end the call. He kept his phone on and plugged it in to keep the connection alive.

“I want to video call,” Duan Yi declared, having yet to touch a single worksheet.

“Wait a minute,” Sheng Yunze replied.

“Why would a video call need to wait?” Duan Yi wondered. After a moment, he asked, “Can I initiate it?”

“I need to put on a jacket,” Sheng Yunze explained.

Duan Yi gasped in mock horror. “You’re not wearing anything?!”

Sheng Yunze: …

“Just a jacket,” he clarified.

The video call began.

As expected, Sheng Yunze was wearing an overcoat, with pajamas underneath.

Duan Yi had never seen his pajamas before. The dim light in Sheng Yunze’s bedroom cast a soft glow on his face, partially obscuring his features and enhancing his beauty to its fullest.

No wonder people say “holding a pipa, half-veiled.”

The more Duan Yi looked, the more he liked what he saw, grinning foolishly at the screen.

“Why are you wearing an overcoat?” Duan Yi asked, leaning closer to his phone.

“I was just in bed,” Sheng Yunze replied.

“But weren’t you working on your exam paper?” Duan Yi protested.

“I was working on my exam paper in bed,” Sheng Yunze stated matter-of-factly.

Duan Yi’s jaw dropped. “That’s a terrible habit, you know! What kind of exam paper is it? Let me take a critical look.”

“Just admit you want to cheat,” Sheng Yunze said.

“I was trying to be tactful, to save us both some face…” Duan Yi’s tone shifted abruptly. “But you promised I could copy your exams whenever I wanted! Don’t be so stingy. I’ll just take a peek at a few questions. I won’t finish the rest anyway.”

Sheng Yunze looked up. “Two choices.”

“Huh?” Duan Yi blinked.

“Look at me and you can’t look at the exam paper. Look at the exam paper and you can’t look at me. A or B?”

Duan Yi instantly switched sides. “AAAAA! Look at you, look at you, look at you!”

As he shouted, a sudden sense of familiarity washed over him.

Duan Yi realized something unsettling:

Damn! That annoying system voice has been gone for ages.

No wonder it sounded so familiar. Upon closer thought, that ghostly system voice bore a striking resemblance to Sheng Yunze’s voice.

Sheng Yunze said, “Stop whining. I’ll let you copy this once I’m done.”

“Oh…” Duan Yi replied.

He obediently leaned over his phone, watching Sheng Yunze. A sudden thought struck him. “What if my dad says I need to score 500 on the final exam to be with you? What would we do then?”

Sheng Yunze replied coldly, “If we’re not meant to be in this life, we’ll meet again in the next.”

“Can’t you have a little faith in me?” Duan Yi retorted. “Do you think I’ll never score 500, even if I die trying?”

Sheng Yunze gave him a complicated look. After a long pause, he said, “A family only needs one smart person.”

Duan Yi: =口=!

“Are you calling me stupid? You’re going to make me explode!”

He stubbornly refused to speak to Sheng Yunze, but couldn’t bring himself to end the video call.

With Duan Yi no longer distracting him, Sheng Yunze’s pace on the exam visibly quickened.

Duan Yi finished a test paper in fifty minutes. He tapped the screen, and Sheng Yunze glanced at him. “I want to see you,” Duan Yi said.

Sheng Yunze wanted to say, “Didn’t we just see each other this afternoon?” But seeing Duan Yi’s expression, he couldn’t bring himself to say it. Duan Yi was slumped pitifully in front of the screen, just staring at him.

Duan Yi averted his gaze to check the time, muttering to himself, “Why is tonight so long… Can I come over to play tomorrow morning?”

Sheng Yunze changed the subject. “Did you finish your test paper?”

“I can’t do it,” Duan Yi replied.

“If you spent less time arguing with me, you’d have finished at least one paper by now.”

Seeing Sheng Yunze reach to end the video call, Duan Yi quickly said, “Just talk to me a little longer!”

“No,” Sheng Yunze said coldly. “You’re distracting me from studying.”

“How can you be so heartless! The male leads in romance novels can’t wait to be with their partners all the time. Why are you always doing test papers?”

“Go to sleep.”

The video call ended abruptly.

Unable to sleep and unable to bother Sheng Yunze, Duan Yi grabbed an English cloze test from his desk to try to lull himself to sleep.

As expected, the moment Duan Yi stopped seeing the long English sentences about the Five Elements, he grew drowsy and slumped onto the desk, unconscious.

He woke up at two in the morning, shivering from the cold.

The air conditioner, set on a timer, had stopped running at some point, and the pear tree outside the window rattled violently in the wind.

Tonight’s wind was fierce. Even with the window tightly shut, the gusts sounded like the terrifying roar of a sports car engine.

Duan Yi groggily opened his eyes, shuddered, and hugged his arms, rubbing his trembling arms as he groped for the bed.

Reaching the window, as if drawn by some unseen force, he instinctively glanced outside.

There, beneath the streetlamp across from his villa, stood a figure.

Duan Yi nearly convinced himself he was still dreaming. He rubbed his eyes and stared wide-eyed: it was unmistakably Sheng Yunze.

“Holy shit!” Duan Yi’s drowsiness vanished completely.

The wind outside was howling, and the weather forecast had even predicted snow and hail around three in the morning.

Sheng Yunze leaned silently against the lamp post, having stood there for an unknown length of time. Duan Yi felt his blood boiling, his heart pounding so loudly he could hear it throbbing in his ears.

Half joy, half anguish.

Duan Yi burst out of his room, moving stealthily to avoid alerting the nanny and butler.

Fortunately, Duan Yi’s villa was large enough that no one noticed his absence when he ran into the garden.

Duan Yi, clutching some clothes he’d grabbed from the closet, trotted toward Sheng Yunze. His eyes lit up like stars at the sight of him, and he threw himself into Sheng Yunze’s arms, clinging tightly. Sheng Yunze had no choice but to hold him to prevent him from falling.

With a sudden surge, Duan Yi wrapped his arms tightly around Sheng Yunze and locked his legs around him, refusing to let go.

Sheng Yunze’s body was icy cold, carrying the chill of the winter night. Duan Yi held on for a while longer before Sheng Yunze spoke, “Let me check your leg.”

Duan Yi buried his face in Sheng Yunze’s chest and mumbled, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Oh,” Sheng Yunze replied.

After Duan Yi had his fill of hugging, he slowly slid down from Sheng Yunze’s arms, worried about his weight. “Why did you come so late?”

Sheng Yunze retorted, “Do you need me to show you the expression you were making in the video? You looked like you’d cry all night if I didn’t come.”

Duan Yi’s ears flushed crimson. “That’s not true,” he protested, trying to salvage some dignity. “I’m not that delicate…”

He couldn’t bring himself to admit he’d fallen asleep while doing a fill-in-the-blank exercise.

Duan Yi took Sheng Yunze’s hand and tucked it into his own chest to warm it. “I’ll take you inside.”

Sheng Yunze paused. “I’ll just take a look and leave.”

He wanted to say that if Duan Ji Huai found them, they’d both be in trouble.

Duan Yi quickly protested, “I haven’t had enough! Come upstairs. I won’t let you go back.”

Sheng Yunze had never been to Duan Yi’s room before, even when he’d visited his house.

Duan Yi’s room was surprisingly tidy, with everything neatly arranged. A glass cabinet displayed basketballs and figurines, and there were stacks of manga.

The bedroom connected to a bathroom, a study, and a kitchen, similar to Sheng Yunze’s own layout. A small living room occupied the center, with the bedroom facing a balcony overlooking the back garden.

As soon as Duan Yi entered, he frantically pressed buttons on the wall, cranking the air conditioning to its highest setting. He rummaged through the study, heating a cup of milk, then grabbed a blanket and wrapped Sheng Yunze in it.

“Are you still cold?” he asked anxiously.

Sheng Yunze: …

Only after bringing Sheng Yunze inside did Duan Yi feel a twinge of embarrassment. “I was just saying that offhand. Don’t come out so late next time.”

“Are you upset?” Sheng Yunze asked.

Duan Yi shook his head. “I’m happy, but I’m worried you’ll catch a cold.”

“I don’t have a cold,” Sheng Yunze said.

Catching Duan Yi off guard, he pulled him into his lap.

The thin blanket slipped from Sheng Yunze’s shoulders. Duan Yi hissed, “You’re freezing!”

“Let me bite you,” Sheng Yunze said.

Duan Yi rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s not my heat yet.”

Sheng Yunze didn’t actually try to bite him. Instead, he pulled Duan Yi’s pajama pants up to his ankles, exposing his entire calf.

The bruise was still there, despite the ointment.

Duan Yi sat awkwardly in his lap, wanting to get down but reluctant to move. “If you’d come a little later, it might have healed by then.”

Sheng Yunze released him and asked with feigned nonchalance, “Where should I sleep?”

“You can take the bed,” Duan Yi said, pointing. “I’ll sleep here. Two blankets, okay?”

Sheng Yunze seemed satisfied with the arrangement. He took off his coat and climbed into bed. The mattress dipped slightly, and Duan Yi suddenly realized: Sheng Yunze had really come to find him in the middle of the night?

Just because of that one casual remark.

Duan Yi buried half his face in the blanket, his cheeks burning crimson.

Honestly, he thought this whole thing was pretty stupid. This kind of impulsive, brainless act was something only teenagers would do.

But that didn’t stop his heart from racing wildly, almost bursting with excitement.

How can I like him this much?

I’m going to die.

Duan Yi’s mind kept repeating these thoughts.

I’m really going to die. This is the end.

Duan Yi couldn’t suppress his racing heart, his pounding pulse, or his overactive imagination.

Did he really come?

Are we actually sleeping in the same bed?

Shouldn’t I do something?

Duan Yi closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Sheng Yunze lay beside him, perfectly still.

Should I say something? Duan Yi thought. Just lying here in awkward silence is so boring…

What does Sheng Yunze like to talk about?

Maybe we could discuss the test we took tonight?

Duan Yi’s thoughts wandered wildly, then snapped back to reality. I need to wake up early tomorrow. If Duan Ji Huai finds out, I won’t just lose my legs—I’ll end up in a ghost marriage with Sheng Yunze!

Duan Yi was lying on his side, his back to Sheng Yunze. He didn’t dare turn around to see how Sheng Yunze was sleeping.

His body felt stiff as a board, his mind buzzing with thoughts, and behind his closed eyelids, inappropriate images flashed.

Duan Yi mentally recited the Eight Honors and Eight Shames of Socialism, the Five Waters Co-Governance, and lengthy passages from Marxist political theory, but nothing could calm his racing heart. It was pounding so hard his throat felt dry. He swallowed repeatedly, his eyelashes trembling with tension.

Maybe I should turn over?

Staying frozen like this is uncomfortable, Duan Yi thought. With the effortless grace of an Oscar-winning actor, he casually rolled over from his side to his back.

Duan Yi glanced sideways in the darkness and saw Sheng Yunze sleeping with his back turned to him.

A hollow feeling washed over him, tinged with bitterness.

Does he really not want to do anything?

Duan Yi was torn.

On one hand, he worried about what might happen if Sheng Yunze tried something, given that neither of them was of age. Would it be right?

On the other hand, seeing that Sheng Yunze was doing nothing at all, his secret hopes were dashed, leaving him with a strange sense of disappointment.

Duan Yi adjusted his position and slipped his hand under the covers.

His fingertips accidentally brushed against Sheng Yunze’s back, sending a jolt of electricity through his entire body. He didn’t pull his hand away, letting it rest against Sheng Yunze’s back.

Duan Yi closed his eyes, trying to drift off to sleep. He cleared his mind, wanting nothing more than to empty himself.

In the darkness, Duan Yi heard a rustling beside him.

Sheng Yunze seemed to have turned over, no longer lying on his side with his back to him.

As if compelled by some unseen force, Duan Yi opened his eyes. He turned his head and met Sheng Yunze’s gaze.

He felt as if something had exploded in his chest, his mind going blank.

That single glance was like lightning striking tinder, igniting the full force of the young man’s pent-up emotions.

Without another thought, they tumbled together.

Sheng Yunze’s movements were urgent yet silent as he pressed down on Duan Yi. Instinctively, Duan Yi tilted his head back, his hands awkwardly but eagerly wrapping around Sheng Yunze’s shoulders.

Under the taciturn night sky, they shared a hurried yet lingering kiss.

The blankets sank together, and the wind carried the sound of the young man’s muffled sobs.