What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Extra 3

Chapter 104 – Extra 3: Lifelong Mark

Third Year Class 1’s School Anniversary performance was a resounding success, especially after the preceding act—a droning tribute to Second High School’s glorious centennial—had nearly lulled the audience to sleep.

As the lights dimmed completely, the students exchanged puzzled glances. Then, a barrage of drumbeats and rhythmically charged music erupted, instantly electrifying the crowd. Though no one quite knew why they were so excited, the music made it impossible not to move.

“Is he coming out yet?!”

“Fuck! Why are you yelling so loud? I’m right next to you, you idiot!”

Whispers rippled through the stands.

Some Omega and female students, eager to get a closer look at Third Year Class 1’s spectacular performance, even pushed forward several rows, nearly breaching the safety barriers.

“Isn’t that the school beauty’s class?”

“He’s graduating this year… sob Our Second High School’s most beautiful sight will be leaving us soon…”

“Damn, I bet tons of people are heartbroken…”

“Doesn’t he have a boyfriend? Duan Yi, right?”

“They can’t break up, can they? Holy shit, is he coming out now?!”

“The forum says their class is doing a dance. Can Sheng Yunze even dance?”

“…I’ve never seen him dance.”

The crowd below buzzed with excitement as the music’s tempo quickened.

First to take the stage were the girls from Third Year Class 1, dressed in sharp, matching suits. Long hair was pulled into ponytails, while shorter styles cascaded over their shoulders.

The male students erupted in whistles and cheers.

Their dance was amateurish but energetic—just a few memorized steps.

After a brief routine where the girls cross-dressed as boys, they froze in place as the lights dimmed.

Then, in stark contrast to the clean, sharp music of the boy group dance, a sultry, drawn-out melody filled the air.

A spotlight landed on Jiang Wangshu, who strode onto the stage.

The six-foot-tall boy had crammed himself into a JK uniform skirt, his smug, self-absorbed expression and arms outstretched as if embracing the world. The crowd’s screams instantly shook the entire schoolyard.

No one had expected the third-year seniors to go this far, cross-dressing so completely. The performance’s atmosphere instantly reached a fever pitch.

The moment the spotlight hit Sheng Yunze, especially during his solo dance segment, Duan Yi, standing on stage, felt like he couldn’t hear the music anymore.

His ears were filled with screams and cheers. The flashlights from the audience below formed a blinding wall, almost brighter than the stage lights. The stage floor vibrated slightly, a testament to the audience’s frenzy.

The school beauty lived up to her title; whatever she did, the reaction was always more intense than for anyone else.

Duan Yi still found it hilarious years later when he thought about Sheng Yunze wearing women’s clothing for the School Anniversary performance.

He hadn’t noticed it during the graduation dance itself. Standing behind Sheng Yunze in the stage formation, Duan Yi’s gaze kept drifting downward to Sheng Yunze’s pale, exposed thighs. His mind became completely fixated on those thighs, nothing else mattered.

Two months later, Duan Yi was tossing and turning in bed, scrolling through graduation photos when he suddenly stumbled upon several pictures of Sheng Yunze in a dress.

At the time, he was helping his mother, Xiaoduan Mom, organize their room in preparation for his move to Beijing for university.

When Xiaoduan Mom saw the photos of Sheng Yunze in drag, she initially didn’t recognize him. It wasn’t until Duan Yi collapsed on the floor laughing that she finally joined in, her own laughter echoing through the room.

“You wouldn’t believe how much these photos sold for at our school!” Duan Yi exclaimed dramatically. “Four or five hundred yuan apiece! Unbelievable!”

He remembered how, after Third Year Class 1’s dance performance that day, Sheng Yunze’s photos had flooded the school forum.

Is he really that good at controlling his expressions? Duan Yi wondered. Not a single unflattering shot out of all those photos! With that kind of professional skill, he could easily be a girl group member!

He acts like he’s dancing reluctantly, but he clearly cares a lot about his image.

Duan Yi had saved numerous photos of Sheng Yunze in his school uniform from the forum, organizing them into a dedicated album. He printed out a few of his favorites.

Xiaoduan Mom flipped through the photos, alternating between Sheng Yunze and her son, her laughter bubbling over.

Seeing his own mother laughing at his photos, Duan Yi grew embarrassed and snatched them away. “Don’t look at those!”

“Just a peek…” Xiaoduan Mom protested. “What haven’t I seen of my baby before?”

Duan Yi slowly packed his suitcase, carefully placing the clothes he wanted to wear inside.

He, his mother, and his brother all shared the same “quirk”: when traveling or moving for school, they packed as if they were relocating permanently, insisting on bringing everything and ending up with four or five suitcases.

Sheng Yunze, on the other hand, was his complete opposite. When Duan Yi called yesterday to ask what he had brought to Beijing for school, his boyfriend had replied with just a bank card, an ID card, and his admission notice—nothing else. He planned to buy everything else after arriving in Beijing.

Duan Yi was speechless for a long time. After much deliberation, he decided to bring his own things anyway.

That morning, Sheng Yunze asked if he had finished packing. Duan Yi had originally planned to go to the movies with him that afternoon.

But Sheng Yunze didn’t want to see a movie. Duan Yi was too focused during films—he actually watched the movie, completely devoid of any romantic cells.

He preferred watching TV dramas. While Duan Yi also watched dramas intently, the commercial breaks provided opportunities for Sheng Yunze to kiss him.

So Duan Yi changed his plan and asked Sheng Yunze to come over that afternoon to help him pack.

With only half a month left until the September school term, Duan Yi planned to head to Beijing early and stay with his brother, Duan Shaoheng.

His brother owned an unoccupied apartment in Haidian, conveniently located near Peking University. Duan Yi had started renovating it during his third year of high school, and immediately after finishing the National College Entrance Examination, he moved in and claimed the place as his own.

After lunch, Sheng Yunze stood outside Duan Yi’s building.

The housekeeper greeted him and led him inside. Duan Yi was currently locked in a playful tug-of-war with his mother. More accurately, Xiaoduan Mom was clutching a photo album, refusing to let Duan Yi have it, while he stubbornly tried to snatch it away.

Unwilling to use force against his mother, Duan Yi was temporarily losing the battle, squealing and protesting loudly. During their struggle, the album slipped from its clasp and tumbled down to the first floor, landing right at Sheng Yunze’s feet.

Sheng Yunze casually bent down and flipped through the pages, immediately spotting a photo of Duan Yi at around eighteen months old. The toddler was wearing a one-piece romper, sucking on a pacifier, and sitting on the floor playing with a jigsaw puzzle.

Sheng Yunze: ……

“Holy shit!” Duan Yi exclaimed, rushing down from the second floor. “Why didn’t you text me when you arrived?”

Sheng Yunze casually flipped through a few more pages, discovering they were all photos of Duan Yi as a child, with pictures from every year of his life. It was clear Xiaoduan Mom loved taking photos.

Occasionally, Duan Shaoheng would appear in the frame—Sheng Yunze didn’t linger on those photos.

“I texted you, but you didn’t reply,” Sheng Yunze said, looking up at Xiaoduan Mom. “Hello, Auntie.”

Xiaoduan Mom: “I’ll get you both some fruit. Why don’t you and Duan Bao go upstairs first?”

Duan Yi quickly snatched his photo album and hugged it to his chest. “Have you eaten yet?”

Sheng Yunze’s gaze fell on the album. “Coming here at this hour, do you really think I haven’t eaten?” He confidently extended his hand. “I want to see.”

Duan Yi’s face flushed. “Don’t look! There’s nothing interesting in there.”

Once they were in the room, Sheng Yunze still managed to snatch the album.

Duan Yi muttered, “What’s so interesting about this?”

The villa was air-conditioned throughout, but Duan Yi’s room felt even colder.

Sheng Yunze sat cross-legged on the plush cashmere carpet, flipping a page to reveal a photo of Duan Yi around three years old.

By this point, Duan Yi could already stand and run, though not very steadily. As a result, in every photo, he was always running toward the photographer, his chubby arms outstretched as if reaching for a hug.

Duan Yi poured Sheng Yunze a glass of cola, couldn’t resist taking a couple of sips himself, then placed it in front of Sheng Yunze.

His hospitality was utterly perfunctory.

As Sheng Yunze looked through the photos, a smile crept across his lips. “You were so chubby as a kid.”

Duan Yi: =口=!

“I wasn’t that chubby! All kids look like that, okay?”

Duan Yi’s childhood photos were all rather silly. His mouth hung open, revealing two tiny, new teeth, his eyes curved into crescent moons, and drool nearly spilled from his lips.

Sheng Yunze picked up a few photos. “Can I have these?”

Duan Yi: “What do you want them for?”

Sheng Yunze: “To make copies.”

Duan Yi: “You can just take them, you know. But am I not more handsome than in these photos? Why look at pictures when you have the real thing right here?”

Sheng Yunze retorted without a hint of politeness, “You’re not as cute as he was.”

Flipping further back, they reached Duan Yi’s elementary school photos.

Back then, Duan Yi was already quite vain. While all his classmates sported buzz cuts, he was the only one with a styled haircut—long, with bangs—making him stand out as particularly handsome among the sea of buzz cuts.

Duan Yi sat beside Sheng Yunze, leaning in close and resting his chin on Sheng Yunze’s shoulder. He felt Sheng Yunze’s shoulder shift slightly, adjusting to provide a more comfortable spot for him to rest his head.

“Oh! That’s from the Children’s Day performance in sixth grade. I was even the host!” Duan Yi’s eyes widened, his face flushing crimson. “It’s this makeup…”

Sheng Yunze burst out laughing. Duan Yi’s makeup was hilariously overdone, with two bright red circles of blush on his cheeks and a red dot painted between his eyebrows with a chopstick. Standing in front of the auditorium with the other female host, they struck the classic V-sign pose.

Jiang Wangshu even made a cameo in the background, his face similarly plastered with blush, looking even more ridiculous than Duan Yi.

“We all wore makeup like that back then,” Duan Yi explained. “Didn’t you ever wear makeup like this when you were little?”

“My taste isn’t as strange as yours,” Sheng Yunze said, taking the photo and slipping it into his pocket to take with him.

After the elementary school photos came the junior high ones.

When Sheng Yunze reached this section, he paused almost imperceptibly, a flicker of anticipation in his heart.

Duan Yi looked much the same in seventh grade as he had in elementary school. He started growing taller in eighth grade, and by ninth grade, he already resembled his current self.

Sheng Yunze flipped to a photo from Duan Yi’s ninth-grade year, his heart skipping a beat.

Remembering that Duan Yi had been dating Nan Yi at the time, Sheng Yunze’s heart suddenly felt less empty, replaced by a faint surge of irritation.

Duan Yi, still reminiscing, remarked, “I remember there used to be a cherry blossom path at the entrance of our junior high. Later, they moved the main gate to the south, and the cherry trees were gone.”

He flipped through the remaining photos, which were from Second High School. These photos featured people Sheng Yunze recognized: Hao Shanshan, Pingtou, Xiaobang, and Bookworm.

When they reached a photo from a sports day, Duan Yi let out an “Oh!” and chuckled, turning to Sheng Yunze with a teasing grin. “Tsk, tsk, let’s get your thoughts on this. How does it feel?”

Sheng Yunze pretended not to hear.

In the photo, Duan Yi and Jiang Wangshu sat on the far right side of the classroom, animatedly discussing something—likely a game—their hands gesturing wildly.

Behind Duan Yi, a sports card faced Sheng Yunze.

Back then, Sheng Yunze rarely spoke in class. Although he had been in the same First-Year class as Duan Yi, they barely knew each other during the first sports festival.

Even as Class President, Duan Yi wasn’t one to force conversation with the aloof “school beauty.” He and Jiang Wangshu secretly thought Sheng Yunze was putting on airs, leading to numerous misunderstandings.

Sheng Yunze’s gaze had originally been secretly fixed on Duan Yi’s back. The photographer, whoever it was, had captured Sheng Yunze’s furtive glance perfectly.

His focused, quiet gaze left little room for doubt.

Duan Yi chuckled, “Man, even now it’s hilarious. If someone had told me two years ago that the school beauty had a crush on me, I would’ve slapped them right then and there! I’d say, ‘Are you even human? Look at the evidence! How dare you make up such nonsense?'”

Sheng Yunze remained silent. “Doesn’t it seem plausible?”

Duan Yi sat up straight. “What makes you think you were secretly in love with me?”

He immediately launched into a rant: “You remember when we were in the same First-Year class? What was the first thing I said to you? The Old Class Teacher made us clean the classroom together—he made me temporary Class President and you League Branch Secretary. How did you ‘cooperate’? I asked you, ‘Hey, classmate, do you know where the mop is?’ Did you even acknowledge me? You had those headphones cranked up to the max, didn’t even glance at me. I remember thinking, ‘Damn, what a pretentious jerk…'”

Sheng Yunze, completely unfazed, retorted, “That’s because I was shy back then.”

Duan Yi scoffed. “Shy? You gave me that ‘Brother is too noble for you mere mortals’ look!”

Sheng Yunze feigned innocence. “Did I?”

Duan Yi snorted coldly. Sheng Yunze immediately seized the opportunity to provoke him further. “That’s because you were dating Nan Yi at the time.”

Duan Yi suddenly felt guilty. “Come on! We broke up right after graduating middle school… We weren’t even together then…”

“Jiang Wangshu told me you were dating.”

“When did he tell you that?”

“I heard it myself,” Sheng Yunze said.

“You’re just twisting words!” Duan Yi retorted.

“Besides,” Sheng Yunze added, “when I did chase you later, you still didn’t agree.”

Tears streamed down Duan Yi’s face. “Brother, are you sure all those actions back then were really you chasing me, not trying to hurt me?”

“Why would I want to hurt you? Was my pursuit not obvious enough?” Sheng Yunze asked.

“If you’d been even slightly more obvious, we wouldn’t have only gotten together during the summer break of our second year,” Duan Yi replied.

He added, “Your flirting skills are truly appalling. If I hadn’t discovered my secondary differentiation issue in our second year, our paths would have diverged forever.”

When it came to Sheng Yunze’s pursuit of him back then, it had been so subtle it was practically invisible.

Duan Yi had only perceived Sheng Yunze’s constant teasing and provocations, completely missing that they were his way of showing affection.

It was like a grade-school romance—who bullies someone they like?

Moreover, Duan Yi’s romantic instincts were already blunt. Sheng Yunze’s misguided approach led to two years of constant clashes, each convinced the other was targeting them personally. One stewed in silent jealousy, while the other remained utterly clueless.

During a routine physical examination in the first semester of his second year of high school, Duan Yi’s health showed some abnormalities. After further examination at the hospital, doctors diagnosed him with early signs of secondary differentiation.

Decades ago, this condition would have been considered an incurable terminal illness.

The only options were to immediately undergo lifelong bonding or to remain in isolation at home. Otherwise, the pheromones of any Alpha would have a severe impact on Duan Yi.

In short, it was a condition requiring long-term isolation.

Later, a Beijing-based president named Qin donated an astronomical sum to research institutes. This funding gathered over twenty medical experts who spent years developing a harmless suppressant that could provide a reasonable life guarantee for individuals with unstable secondary differentiation.

Everyone was deeply grateful to him. During a magazine interview, a financial journalist asked why he had decided to undertake such an endeavor.

President Qin replied that this condition harmed both the afflicted and those around them, but primarily harmed the afflicted themselves. He added that it had nearly cost him his wife back in the day, making it a truly heinous affliction that deserved complete eradication.

A turning point in Sheng Yunze and Duan Yi’s relationship came when Sheng Yunze discovered that Duan Yi was an Omega, and moreover, an Omega in Heat.

He remembered it was a Wednesday evening during Evening Self-Study. Duan Yi had a low fever in the classroom, and Jiang Wangshu was absent, seemingly preparing for some competition. The Old Class Teacher directly assigned him the task of taking Duan Yi to the hospital.

To be honest, he had felt a secret thrill at the time, though he maintained a perfectly calm facade. What followed was incredibly dramatic. The hospital found nothing wrong with Duan Yi, but on the way back, Duan Yi suddenly entered Heat. The two of them ended up spending several hours in the Music Classroom, completing a temporary marking.

Duan Yi seemed to recall this too, nudging Sheng Yunze. “That bite you gave me was brutal. It hurt for days.”

Seeing Duan Yi being so restless and provocative, Sheng Yunze instantly pulled him into his arms and pinned him down. “I could give you an even fiercer bite right now. Would you submit?”

Duan Yi, being physically weaker, always ended up being teased. Lately, Sheng Yunze had also developed a habit of tickling his sensitive spots, making him laugh uncontrollably. He quickly rolled away, landing on the other side of the wool blanket. “I won’t submit! Why do you get to look at my photos but I can’t see yours? Show me your childhood pictures!”

“No, I didn’t take photos when I was little,” Sheng Yunze said dismissively, flipping through the album to distract Duan Yi. Suddenly, several photos from the School Anniversary celebration slipped out.

The photos hadn’t been laminated yet. The moment Sheng Yunze saw them, his expression darkened.

“Whoa!” Duan Yi exclaimed, jumping up with a mischievous grin. He snatched the photos, waving them around as he teased, “Look at this! A beauty! Sheng Yunze, those legs, that waist, that skirt—”

The photos showed Sheng Yunze dressed in a jk uniform.

Actually, all the boys in their class had worn skirts that day, since they were performing a cross-dressing skit for the celebration.

But Sheng Yunze’s photos in the skirt had garnered particular attention and left a lasting impression. Duan Yi loved to tease him about it.

“Nyah-nyah-nyah! Nyah-nyah-nyah!” Duan Yi stuck out his tongue, then scrutinized the photos. “Tsk-tsk, you look so good. Do you know how much your cross-dressing photos could sell for? I could make thousands selling these!”

Sheng Yunze glared at him silently, then pocketed all the photos of Duan Yi in a skirt from the album.

He had looked through all the photos of Duan Yi, from birth to high school. As for the future, he didn’t need to see it.

He and Duan Yi would create a new photo album together. He would be with him forever, until they could no longer be captured by a camera.

“Do you want to see some other photos?” Sheng Yunze closed the album.

Duan Yi was still admiring Sheng Yunze in his women’s clothes. He tilted his head, looking adorable. “What kind of photos?”

Sheng Yunze smirked, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Duan Yi knew that look well and wanted to warn him, “You better not be up to anything,” but his curiosity got the better of him. He rested his head on Sheng Yunze’s lap and asked shyly, “Can I see them? Are they photos from when you were little?”

“You really want to see them?” Sheng Yunze asked, avoiding a direct answer. This evasiveness was a red flag.

But Duan Yi’s brain failed him at this critical moment. He didn’t notice the warning signs and nodded eagerly. “Yes, I do.”

Sheng Yunze beckoned with a finger, and Duan Yi instinctively nestled into his arms.

Sheng Yunze wrapped one arm around Duan Yi’s waist and pulled out his phone with the other. The lock screen displayed a new unflattering photo of Duan Yi, so hideous it made Duan Yi’s vision go black. He could never understand why Sheng Yunze loved using his ugly photos and embarrassing memes so much!

After unlocking the phone, the wallpaper was a photo of the two of them together. Sheng Yunze changed his wallpaper several times a month, and this time he’d chosen one from their trip to Disneyland. Duan Yi was wearing Mickey Mouse ears, grinning sweetly with a perfect eight-tooth smile. Sheng Yunze stood beside him, expressionless (though he seemed to be looking at Duan Yi with a hint of disdain), looking quite aloof, but his eyes still held a hint of amusement.

It was a perfectly ordinary selfie of a young couple.

Duan Yi only realized something was wrong when Sheng Yunze opened the photo album.

When Sheng Yunze quickly flipped through to a password-protected private album, Duan Yi’s face flushed crimson from his neck to his ears. He wanted to scream but was afraid of alerting Xiaoduan Mom downstairs, so he began struggling in Sheng Yunze’s arms, trying to snatch the phone and delete the photos.

Sheng Yunze mischievously held the phone out of reach, grinning. “Like it? It’s much more interesting than your photos, isn’t it?”

Duan Yi’s face burned hotter. Through gritted teeth, he hissed, “Delete it!”

Sheng Yunze: “No.”

Duan Yi, his face burning crimson: “How could you keep a photo like this?!”

“I also have a video,” Sheng Yunze said. “Want to see it?”

Duan Yi: !!!

<i>School Beauty’s Treasured Video: Energetic High School Boy in Stunning Crossdressing.avi</i>

The two wrestled for a long time, Duan Yi finally giving in, panting with exhaustion.

Mainly, he just couldn’t snatch Sheng Yunze’s phone. By the time he was too weak to resist and collapsed into Sheng Yunze’s arms, Sheng Yunze leisurely began scrolling through photos.

The photo that had provoked such a violent reaction from Duan Yi was actually a recent crossdressing photo—of Duan Yi himself.

Of course… it wasn’t exactly a proper photo.

That day after the School Anniversary celebration, Sheng Yunze and Duan Yi didn’t return to their dorm or go home. After dinner, Sheng Yunze silently booked a hotel and took Duan Yi straight to bed.

His earlier threat, “I’ll fuck you to death in that dress tonight,” wasn’t entirely false. The “dress” part was a lie, but the “fuck you to death” part was very real.

Duan Yi was the one wearing the dress. Sheng Yunze, having changed out of his performance costume, was wearing the Second High School boys’ uniform, looking like a dashing young master from a romance drama.

The photos of Duan Yi were truly… extremely explicit and definitely not suitable for children.

Sheng Yunze’s photography skills were surprisingly good (Duan Yi insisted it was because he was so handsome). The first photo featured a pair of straight, beautiful legs, bare beneath the skirt, partially revealing glimpses of what lay beneath. The legs were slightly parted, and faint traces of white, sticky fluid were visible.

There was more than one such photo, each one more explicit than the last. Some even featured Sheng Yunze making a “guest appearance”… with his lower half.

Duan Yi let out a primal scream of “Aaaaaaaaaah!” before lunging forward and finally snatching the phone. He instantly deleted all the photos.

His face burned with mortification as he silently glared at Sheng Yunze. After a moment, Sheng Yunze calmly said, “I have backups.”

Duan Yi: =口=!

Sheng Yunze feigned innocence. “Want to see the videos too?”

Duan Yi: “I don’t!”

He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “How could you take such embarrassing stuff?”

Sheng Yunze: “Didn’t you enjoy it?”

“Don’t use such vulgar language!” Duan Yi hissed, his voice barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz. “That… it’s different when it’s filmed. Why did you even film it?”

Seeing Duan Yi’s genuine distress, Sheng Yunze decided to stop teasing him. “I didn’t make any backups or videos. I only took a few photos, which you deleted earlier. Besides, I asked you if it was okay to film, and you said yes.”

Duan Yi had completely forgotten this. He mumbled defensively, “Can you really trust what a man says in bed?”

“Oh,” Sheng Yunze replied with a deadpan expression. “Then next time you tell me to slow down, I won’t believe you either.”

“That’s perfectly acceptable!” Duan Yi howled, waving his arms wildly.

Sheng Yunze added casually, “And it didn’t even go in.”

“But it still hurt!” Duan Yi grumbled.

Duan Yi’s body was surprisingly delicate.

Even light touches would leave him flushed, especially his inner thighs, which were painfully tender. Sheng Yunze’s rough handling had even broken the skin a few times, making walking awkward.

For days afterward, Duan Yi refused to leave his bed, preferring to stay in his pajamas. He even avoided his beloved jeans.

It was sore from the friction.

Sheng Yunze, displeased, pulled him into his arms. “September,” he began, “my birthday is on September 22nd.”

Duan Yi knew what he was hinting at. September 22nd, the autumnal equinox, Sheng Yunze’s eighteenth birthday.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Duan Yi said, “Could you stop bringing it up so often…?”

“Why can’t I?” Sheng Yunze asked.

Duan Yi grew even more flustered. “It’s just… I think that kind of thing should depend on the right time, place, and mood… Picking a specific day makes it feel like a chore…”

Sheng Yunze feigned ignorance. “What kind of thing are you talking about?”

Duan Yi rubbed his ear, initially reluctant to say it. But the frustration of holding back finally overwhelmed him, and he leaned close to Sheng Yunze’s ear and whispered two words.

Sheng Yunze stared at him in mock surprise, his expression clearly feigned. “You’re such a pervert.”

Duan Yi: “=口=!”

Sheng Yunze maintained a righteous tone. “I never even thought of it that way. And you’re saying you’re not a pervert?”

“Fuck, I—” Duan Yi tried to interrupt, but failed.

Sheng Yunze quickly shifted the blame onto Duan Yi: “You haven’t been thinking like that all along, have you?”

Duan Yi was speechless: ……

After dinner at Duan Yi’s house, Sheng Yunze left. Duan Ji Huai was due to return that evening, and Sheng Yunze always made a point of not staying overnight to make a good impression on his future father-in-law.

As soon as Duan Ji Huai got home, he asked Duan Yi when he was going to Beijing and whether he’d be living with Sheng Yunze there.

Duan Yi outlined his plans for the next two months at the dinner table. Duan Ji Huai then told him to reach out to Duan Shaoheng for any practical help in Beijing.

After all, Duan Shaoheng was his older brother and wouldn’t mind helping out.

The father and son chatted until nine o’clock. From half past eight, Duan Ji Huai had been looking like he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to.

Duan Yi’s head tilted in confusion.

Duan Ji Huai finally spoke: “What date is your flight?”

Duan Yi: “The day after tomorrow. We’ll spend a few days sightseeing in Beijing before school starts.”

Duan Ji Huai: “Hmm…”

Duan Yi sensed his father was holding back something and waited on the sofa.

Duan Ji Huai struggled to speak: “You two…”

Duan Yi: “Huh?”

“I’m going to Australia for a business trip tomorrow, so I won’t be able to see you off,” Duan Ji Huai said. “Once you land safely in Beijing, let your mother know you’re okay. And don’t bother me.”

“Okay!”

Duan Ji Huai hesitated, then continued, “You two…”

“Dad, what are you trying to say?” Duan Yi asked.

Duan Ji Huai sighed. “You’re both grown up now. I can’t stop you from having early romances. Just be careful in college.”

He added in a strangely serious tone, “Don’t get anyone pregnant.”

Duan Yi: Holy shit!

Duan Ji Huai awkwardly set down his newspaper and hurried to his study, pretending to be busy.

Duan Yi was left petrified in the living room.

—

Before Sheng Yunze’s birthday, many people were preparing gifts.

Several classmates had been admitted to universities in Beijing. Since September 22nd fell just over a week after the start of the semester, everyone was still around. Jiang Wangshu asked Duan Yi if he wanted to throw a birthday party. Duan Yi thought a lively celebration would be fun, so he invited Hao Shanshan and their friends to book a private room and celebrate Sheng Yunze’s birthday.

After a week of military training at the start of the semester, senior sisters and brothers were adding Sheng Yunze’s WeChat like flies to honey.

Duan Yi sometimes logged into Sheng Yunze’s WeChat account. Once logged in, he found a flood of requests from the Student Council, various clubs, and even Omegas from the neighboring Film Academy—both male and female. Duan Yi marveled at how Sheng Yunze’s face was universally popular, then promptly changed Sheng Yunze’s profile picture to four bold red characters: “Brother Has a Husband.”

As expected, the number of friend requests for Sheng Yunze dwindled afterward. However, some persistent suitors remained. A Senior Sister from the Skateboard Club, undeterred by Sheng Yunze’s rejection of her dinner invitation, continued her fervent pursuit.

A male Omega from a neighboring school, introducing himself as having an exceptionally flexible waist and an irresistible pheromone, suggested they could “try being fuck buddies even if we don’t become boyfriends.” This infuriated Duan Yi. He added the male Omega and, using Sheng Yunze’s WeChat account, argued with him from afternoon until night, until Sheng Yunze finally blocked the man right in front of him. Only then did Duan Yi feel satisfied.

On Sheng Yunze’s birthday evening, after dinner, Duan Yi chatted with Jiang Wangshu and the others about the university environment.

Jiang Wangshu was studying at Tsinghua Medical College. According to him, the moment he saw his National College Entrance Examination results and realized he could attend Tsinghua, he immediately deleted the recruitment hotline for Lanxiang Technical College.

Now a proud aspiring doctor, Duan Yi learned from Jiang Wangshu that medical school required five years of study. This news left him sighing for quite some time.

Hao Shanshan majored in French at the Foreign Language School, with English as a compulsory subject. Her English had been decent in high school, but like Jiang Wangshu, despite their good grades, they felt immense pressure in Beijing, especially at Tsinghua and Beijing Foreign Studies University, where geniuses and top students gathered.

This was particularly true for Jiang Wangshu, who was naturally carefree and mischievous. Forcing him to study diligently for five years seemed like a cruel punishment.

After dinner, the other classmates excused themselves, claiming they had other commitments.

As Jiang Wangshu left, he winked at Duan Yi. Duan Yi, slightly tipsy from the wine, failed to catch the hint and stood at the door, waving goodbye.

Sheng Yunze called for a driver. Duan Yi, now talkative after the drinks, reminisced about the National College Entrance Examination throughout the ride. Meanwhile, Sheng Yunze—usually reserved—was even quieter than usual tonight.

Fortunately, Duan Yi was too tipsy to notice Sheng Yunze’s unusual behavior. If he had paid closer attention, he would have realized Sheng Yunze was actually quite nervous.

After getting out of the car, the wind outside the residential complex helped Duan Yi sober up a bit.

However, the drowsiness from the alcohol remained strong. His limbs felt as limp as cotton as he stumbled home, kicking off his shoes and stripping off his clothes as he dashed toward the bathroom.

Their spacious apartment spanned over 200 square meters, featuring a study, two bedrooms, a large living room, a kitchen, and two balconies. The master bedroom had its own en-suite bathroom, while the guest bedroom also had its own. In reality, Sheng Yunze and Duan Yi occupied separate rooms.

Duan Yi had previously discussed with him that sharing a room would inevitably lead to “accidental encounters,” and if things went too far, it could lead to “unplanned consequences.”

So, until they both turned eighteen, they temporarily maintained a “long-distance relationship” by sleeping apart.

However, this rule was practically nonexistent.

Sheng Yunze dutifully slept in his own room for one day. The next day, he concocted seventeen or eighteen excuses to end up in bed with Duan Yi.

First, it was that his shower was broken. Then, it was that his air conditioner was malfunctioning. Eventually, he stopped bothering with excuses altogether, simply grabbing his blanket and declaring he would sleep with Duan Yi that night.

After showering, Duan Yi groped his way back to his own room. As soon as he found his bed, he knew he had found the most comfortable place in the world.

He relaxed completely, feeling as soft as cotton. Vaguely, he heard the bathroom door open again, followed by the sound of running water—Sheng Yunze was probably washing up.

What’s that got to do with me? I’m going to sleep.

Duan Yi rolled over, pulling all the blankets around himself.

By the time Sheng Yunze emerged from the bathroom, Duan Yi seemed to be sound asleep.

Even though it was mid-September, Duan Yi had the air conditioning set to a frigid temperature, making the room icy cold. Sheng Yunze stood there for a moment, feeling a bit warm.

He cautiously sat on the edge of the bed, pondering life for about two minutes, then opened the bedside table drawer. It was filled with various “crime tools” he had secretly bought behind Duan Yi’s back—Duan Yi rarely rummaged through the cabinets at home.

Sheng Yunze held the tools in his hand for a while, warming them up, then his gaze fell on the bedside table. He carefully arranged them for what felt like an eternity, considering the best angle to grab them later—one that would be convenient yet wouldn’t make him seem too inexperienced.

In truth, apart from the final act, Sheng Yunze had already put Duan Yi through quite the ordeal in bed.

Duan Yi was the quintessential “sharp tongue, soft heart” type. He’d often say he wouldn’t do something, but his body would betray him, obedient as a lamb.

Moreover, he was utterly defenseless against Sheng Yunze’s feigned innocence—the kind of person who could be tricked into bed with a single lie.

But this was their official first time.

Sheng Yunze, having just come of age, couldn’t help but feel a little nervous.

After setting up his “tools,” he slowly lay down on the bed, turning his back to Duan Yi and remaining still.

The lights were remote-controlled.

Sheng Yunze casually switched them off, plunging the room into darkness.

They shared the same blanket. Duan Yi, having been asleep longer, had already warmed his side.

After lying still for a while, Sheng Yunze turned over, making a slight rustling sound.

“What’s wrong?” Duan Yi mumbled, half-asleep and completely forgetting what he had agreed to earlier that night.

Duan Yi’s pajamas matched Sheng Yunze’s. With his Heat approaching, Duan Yi had skipped his inhibitor spray that night, leaving his body scented only with bath gel and a faint coconut milk fragrance—the scent of his pheromones.

Sheng Yunze had always found Duan Yi’s pheromones easy to tease and irresistibly delicious, like the fruity erasers he used to smell as a child, making his teeth itch fiercely.

“Nothing,” Sheng Yunze replied, then reached over to the bedside table, testing whether he could easily grab his “tools” if he rolled over and pinned Duan Yi beneath him.

After a moment of experimentation, he realized it wouldn’t work.

The only viable option was to pull Duan Yi closer. Sheng Yunze groped in the darkness until he found Duan Yi’s waist. With a slight tug, he pulled Duan Yi into his arms.

“What are you doing…?” Duan Yi murmured, turning his head to look at him.

Even lying down, Duan Yi was shorter than Sheng Yunze. To meet his gaze, he had to tilt his head slightly upward.

But the moment Duan Yi tilted his head, Sheng Yunze leaned in for a kiss. Duan Yi, thinking it was just their usual goodnight kiss, instinctively opened his mouth, allowing Sheng Yunze’s tongue to slide smoothly inside.

Exhausted, Duan Yi’s mind drifted during the kiss. He just wanted to get it over with quickly so he could sleep.

Unfortunately, the kiss seemed to grow longer and more intense.

Just as Duan Yi tried to pull back, Sheng Yunze gripped his chin, swiftly flipped him over, and pinned him beneath him.

Only then did Duan Yi belatedly realize something was wrong.

School Beauty’s Eighteenth Coming-of-Age Ceremony