What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 9

Chapter 9 – So Annoying

“Some people are alive, but they’re already dead.”

Duan Yi stood in the wind, speaking softly and sadly, “I’m talking about social death.”

Jiang Wangshu shouted from below the skydeck, “Xiaoduan! Xiaoduan, don’t be silly! Kid! Kid! If you have something to say, come down from the chair! After raising you all these years, you’d end it over a man? Who’ll take care of me when I’m old?”

Duan Yi quickly jumped down from the chair and started hitting Jiang Wangshu with it.

Jiang Wangshu rolled around on the ground from the hits. He grabbed Duan Yi in the chaos, “It’s not a big deal. Feifei won’t care. Though your dirty trick was a bit low and gross…”

“Who’s using dirty tricks?” Duan Yi couldn’t explain he was following system orders, so he picked on Jiang Wangshu instead, “Stop calling him Feifei, you fool!”

“Then Ex-husband bro?”

“Get lost!”

The two pulled and pushed each other downstairs.

Passing by the communal hot water room, Jiang Wangshu shook his thermos. Empty. He shouted, “Who stole the water from my thermos again? Didn’t your mom teach you right and wrong?”

The dorm hot water room often ran out. Second High School boarding students got water from the communal room.

Long lines formed at night, so students usually filled their thermoses at 4 PM when the water first boiled. They left the thermoses there while attending evening self-study.

Of course, this led to situations like Jiang Wangshu’s—water filled in the afternoon was gone by evening.

“I told you to take it to class earlier,” Duan Yi said, watching basketball players on the field, feeling a little jealous.

Jiang Wangshu used the evening water for foot soaking. He grumbled, “May the water thief die a horrible death.”

“Want to play basketball?” Duan Yi suggested.

“No. I’m going to soak my feet,” Jiang Wangshu replied.

Duan Yi’s heart wavered. He also wanted to soak his feet.

In the end, the desire to soak feet won over the desire to play basketball. Jiang Wangshu borrowed hot water from Room 301 and went back to soak his feet.

Duan Yi hated Jiang Wangshu’s Happy Little Lamb foot-washing basin. The main reason was that this guy used the same basin for bathing and washing feet, which Duan Yi found disgusting.

After soaking his feet, Duan Yi had already forgotten the embarrassing incident in the classroom.

The other two Betas in the dorm didn’t dare challenge his authority or make fun of it.

Jiang Wangshu climbed onto the bed next door after soaking his feet. He lay down and pulled out his phone to play. Soon, lights out. Jiang Wangshu put down his phone and said, “Hey, what are you doing? Let’s chat.”

Duan Yi was playing Frozen Fire Forest on his phone. His obsession with the game had reached a sickening level. Without looking up, he said, “Are you crazy? Are we supposed to stay up late chatting in a boys’ dorm?”

Jiang Wangshu: “Stop playing your stupid game. Let’s build some classmate bonds. Fatty, what are you doing?”

Fatty was sitting on the bed eating potato chips, crunching away. Duan Yi tapped the bed frame, “Give me some.”

Fatty handed him the chips, “President Duan, aren’t you afraid they’ll take your phone?”

Duan Yi grabbed a handful, “They wouldn’t dare. The student council has my people.”

Jiang Wangshu laughed. “Keep gloating. That pathetic act only gets 2.324 points.”

Bookworm closed his book, picked up his glasses from the desk, and spoke mysteriously. “Actually… I’d like to talk about Omegas.”

Jiang Wangshu instantly stood up straight. “Now that’s a topic that’ll keep me awake.”

Their dorm faced the Omega dorm. The night mist made the opposite building hazy. Even the school uniforms and short sleeves drying on the balcony made the boys dream.

Jiang Wangshu pointed. “See? The sacred ground we’ve worshipped for three years—the girls’ and Omegas’ dorms.”

“I like Omegas too,” Fatty said. “But they probably won’t notice me. I’ll just get rich, lose weight, and get plastic surgery. Then I’ll find a Beta like me.”

“Pathetic!” Jiang Wangshu said. “Have some ambition!”

“I’m not President Duan,” Fatty said. “He’s rich and handsome.”

Duan Yi said, “You can learn. You should frame that sentence and put it on your forehead for all Chinese people on both sides of the strait to see.”

Jiang Wangshu: “Don’t worry. In the great journey of pursuing an Omega, I’m your strongest rival. Your President Duan is now fully obsessed, his mind filled only with the school beauty.”

Bookworm asked, “Commander Sheng?”

Hearing the key word, Duan Yi turned off his phone and joined the discussion, “His reputation as a school beauty spreads far.”

Bookworm: “Commander Sheng is too aloof. He doesn’t fit in and I’ve never heard of him dating.”

Duan Yi: “Hey, who’s talking about him dating—”

Jiang Wangshu cut in, “There’s some truth. Do you think he might be asexual?”

Duan Yi: “Is anyone listening to me? Don’t ignore me—”

Fatty: “I have a friend who went to the same middle school as him.”

Duan Yi: “Huh? Huh! Huh— Do I still have any authority as dorm leader?”

Bookworm made the final summary, “Speaking of which, does anyone have Commander Sheng’s contact info?”

The dorm fell silent.

Jiang Wangshu: “He’s not in the class WeChat group, and he’s not on QQ either.”

Fatty: “My friend has Commander Sheng’s QQ number.”

Jiang Wangshu got excited, “Quick! Ask your friend to send it over! Xiaoduan, hurry down and check your dream lover’s space.”

Duan Yi: “I dream of your ass!”

He cursed, but still got out of bed.

Bookworm and Jiang Wangshu squeezed onto Fatty’s bed. Under everyone’s watching eyes, Fatty asked his friend for Sheng Yunze’s QQ number.

Duan Yi didn’t know why, but his heart was racing, and his face was a little red.

Just thinking about Sheng Yunze made him nervous.

Sheng Yunze’s QQ level was high, with six suns. He was clearly a kid who’d been online since fourth grade.

His QQ name was “Xiandan Superhuman Sonon”, with Jun Ji-hyun as his profile picture. His signature said “Speechless”, and his space was locked. He had over a hundred thousand likes, showing many bored people like them had checked Sheng Yunze’s page.

VIPs lined up in a row. Duan Yi quickly told Fatty to scroll down. He sighed in relief when he saw “Couple Yellow Diamond” wasn’t activated.

Jiang Wangshu watched excitedly. “Look at the school beauty’s old posts. Scroll through his history.”

Duan Yi was curious too, but didn’t want to watch with the group. Fatty had already opened it. Three days ago, Sheng Yunze’s status was a “?”. Yesterday it changed to “Tsk”. It looked like he wasn’t in a good mood.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

“What do you think?” Jiang Wangshu finished looking at Sheng Yunze’s QQ page. “Commander Sheng is more down-to-earth than I thought.”

He’d thought he’d see a blank page full of cold emptiness…

But not only was Sheng Yunze’s page not blank, it looked like a young man with a rich inner world. He wasn’t much different from their other friends of the same age.

Commander Sheng even played King of Glory and Dota—and followed stars.

Fatty: “I didn’t know Sheng Yunze liked Jun Ji-hyun type.”

Jiang Wangshu: “She’s pretty innocent, right? I like that too. I like innocent girls with a natural little tease…”

“Damn! If you keep talking like that, I’ll shoot you!” Duan Yi punched him.

Jiang Wangshu seemed to discover a new world. “Hey Xiaoduan, you have a mole on your nose too, just like Jun Ji-hyun.”

Duan Yi knew Jiang Wangshu was picking on him. Feeling annoyed, he decided to go all out and gave him a good scolding.

The night chat in the boys’ dorm ended.

Sheng Yunze’s QQ number could only be seen, not added. After looking at it for a while, everyone found it boring and went to bed.

Only Duan Yi, after getting under the covers, quickly hid the QQ number he’d just memorized in his phone’s notes. Then, like a thief, he searched for Sheng Yunze’s QQ number again.

He was surprised to find that Sheng Yunze’s status had just changed to “So Annoying”.

Duan Yi’s heart skipped a beat. Is he online?

Staring at Sheng Yunze’s QQ profile picture, Duan Yi fell asleep with his mind in a mess. That night he dreamed about a date with Jun Ji-hyun. Halfway through the date, Jun Ji-hyun suddenly turned into Sheng Yunze. Duan Yi and Sheng Yunze got closer and closer, until they were almost kissing, when a clear singing voice interrupted them.

“Along the familiar school path, I come to read under the morning sun, the newborn sun shining on my face…”

Hangzhou Second High School’s wake-up alarm, speakers installed in every dorm, sang right into his head. Duan Yi made an annoyed sound, then suddenly threw off his covers.

Jiang Wangshu shook Duan Yi’s bed while putting on pajamas, “Get up! We’re late! I already lost all my points this week. If I’m late again, the teacher will kill me!”

Then he ran like a racehorse toward the track field.

Hangzhou Second High School had a rule to stop students from oversleeping. From 6:30 to 7:00, there was a half-hour sign-in time.

All students had to go to the track field and sign in within half an hour. Missing once meant losing one point. Every Monday during morning assembly, students who missed were publicly criticized. Duan Yi was a regular at these assemblies.

Dazed, Duan Yi followed the crowd downstairs. Some were in pajamas, ready to sign in and go back to sleep. Others carried thermoses to get hot water. One student had shoes on the wrong feet. Another combed hair while running. At the track field entrance, it was so crowded people couldn’t move.

“Damn, why are there so many people signing in today?” Jiang Wangshu was shocked.

Duan Yi looked like a bird’s nest, half-asleep. He wore a bear pajama top and school pants, but his underwear edges showed. Jiang Wangshu couldn’t stand it and pulled the pants up, “Xiaoduan, in public, can’t you wear your pants properly?”

Duan Yi yawned, watching the girls return from signing in, all with pretty light makeup. He couldn’t help but admire them, “Women are amazing. They can still put on makeup even if they wake up at 6:30.”

Jiang Wangshu: “But I never see them wearing makeup normally?”

Hao Shanshan and her best friend Yang Suyan walked hand in hand. Jiang Wangshu said, “Strange. Your daughter is wearing makeup today too.”

Hao Shanshan—a wild woman who would rather sleep an extra minute than spend time putting on makeup.

Duan Yi shouted, “Girl! Come here. Let Dad see what kind of makeup you’re wearing today.”

Hao Shanshan saw Duan Yi and ran over quickly, “Why are you just waking up?”

Duan Yi: “Your dad always wakes up at this time every day.”

Jiang Wangshu: “Why are you all wearing makeup today? Is the school putting on a show?”

Hao Shanshan blushed, twisting around, “No. The one in charge of signing in today is Commander Sheng.”

Understood.

Jiang Wangshu suddenly got it.

Morning sign-in was always handled by the Student Council’s Disciplinary Committee. Sheng Yunze was the committee’s leader. Checking the duty roster, it should be his turn today.

Jiang Wangshu turned, “No wonder there are so many people signing in today. So it’s Commander Sheng. Xiaoduan—when did you get your hair done?”

Clothes not wrinkled, pants on properly, hair neat, face clean—ready to attend the US presidential election.

Duan Yi patted his cheeks, serious. “Just now.”

“Jiang Wangshu, Third Year Class 1, Commander, help me check off.” Jiang Wangshu pushed into the crowd.

Sheng Yunze wore a white school shirt with an ID badge hanging from his chest. Jiang Wangshu looked—Huh? Looks familiar. Why does he look like a one-inch photo cut from a wedding photo…

He made a steady check mark.

“Duan Yi! Third Year Class 1, help me check off!” Duan Yi pulled up his pants as he squeezed in, his freshly combed hair now messy.

Sheng Yunze’s long, beautiful hands with clear knuckles paused. Then he made a check mark after Duan Yi’s name.

He looked up at Duan Yi. Duan Yi was looking at him too. For some reason, the latter quickly looked away and disappeared into the crowd.

As if he had never been there.

“Zhou Min, Senior Sheng, help me check off~”

The next person to sign in quickly pushed forward.

Sheng Yunze lowered his eyelashes, making check marks in the sign-in book.

He looked up again. Crowds of heads pressed in front of him, but Duan Yi wasn’t there.

“Shit—” Duan Yi stumbled out, pushed by the crowd. “My organs are about to shift!”

He’d only glanced at Sheng Yunze. Before he could speak, his classmates pushed him out of the circle.

Jiang Wangshu put an arm around his shoulder. “Let’s get food. We’re skipping morning exercises today, but I bet you’ll stand half an hour in the assembly. You should eat first…”

On Monday, they raised the flag and held the morning assembly.

After the usual parts, came the most-watched part: the criticism announcement.

Duan Yi stood at the end of Third Year Class 1’s line. His school uniform hung loosely, his head nodding sleepily.

Sheng Yunze stood behind him, watching Duan Yi’s head bob like a pecking chicken.

Then with a “peck,” it hit his shoulder.

Duan Yi, half-asleep, stopped moving.

Sheng Yunze: …

Principal He’s voice came over the broadcast, “Now for the criticism announcement. Third Year Class 1, Duan Yi—”

The crowd began to laugh and talk. Duan Yi was a famous “public figure.”

The broadcast continued, “Every day at noon, he brings an empty bowl to the third-floor cafeteria to get free rice. He uses free seaweed soup to soak the rice and feeds dogs at the school’s back gate. He did this for a week, wasting school resources. When caught, he was rude and hit cafeteria workers…”

The crowd’s laughter grew louder. There was more.

The broadcast added, “During last week’s entrance exam, he bothered classmates, acted shamelessly, and ate instant noodles during the test. He ignored proctors and broke exam rules…”

“…He shamelessly copied Jack Ma’s ID photo pose. The Political Education Office told him to fix it, but Duan Yi showed no regret. He just handed in a wedding photo as a joke—very bad!”

“…During weekend self-study, when the school had a power outage, he held hands with a male classmate. A passing teacher caught them. Later, they found out Duan Yi forced his classmate…”

“……”

The morning assembly class was laughing so hard they were falling over.

Principal He shouted, “Quiet! Quiet!”

Class teachers started keeping order.

Principal He cleared his throat and said seriously, “… Based on these rule violations, the Political Education Office has decided to punish Duan Yi by making him clean public areas for a week. We hope all students learn from this and don’t test the rules…”

Author’s Note:

Xiaoduan’s life is really exciting. Thumbs up!

And what’s Commander Sheng so upset about? [Pushing glasses emoji]

Young love’s first confusing troubles.jpg