023: First Time, Show Some Respect
Shen Jin couldn’t help staring at the friend request for a while.
The matching office would open up some contact info, but he’d already canceled matching at noon. They shouldn’t still be handing his information out to anyone.
It was also almost midnight. It wasn’t even their work hours. If he wanted to ask, he’d have to wait until tomorrow.
Shen Jin hesitated, then tapped Accept.
He planned to ask what was going on, though chances were it was just a staff mistake.
He opened the chat box and only then noticed the other person’s nickname.
The profile picture was a chubby black rabbit, exhausted and collapsed on the ground panting.
Shen Jin silently glanced at his own avatar.
A weirdly subtle feeling crept up, like this person was deliberately coming for him.
Hate Rabbits: Hello, my ID number is AX000034……
Brief and cold. That was Shen Jin’s first impression.
Snowball: [Hi. It’s late, so I’ll be direct. I already canceled matching, and I don’t plan to restart it for now.]
Hate Rabbits: [You have a match partner already?]
Snowball: [No.]
Hate Rabbits: [Mm. If you run into a problem, you can come to me.]
The other party didn’t pester, wasn’t enthusiastic, and didn’t ask endless questions.
That was… comfortable.
Shen Jin was thinking about how to end the conversation and then delete this new contact when pop-ups from Shen Xie’an started exploding on his screen. He was swearing up and down that aura was absolutely, definitely Alpha, and if it wasn’t, he’d chop his own head off so his brother could kick it around like a soccer ball.
Shen Jin’s mind instantly flashed to the horror movie he’d watched with his brother last week. There’d been a scene exactly like that. It scared him so badly he’d kept checking under the bed all night, half-convinced a human-face soccer ball would roll out.
His whole body went stiff. He immediately turned his head and looked at the only other living person in the dorm.
On the opposite bed, the pampered young master still wasn’t asleep. He was typing on his phone. When he noticed Shen Jin’s gloomy stare, he asked, “Still mad?”
Why was he mad for so long this time? Qian Kun really didn’t want to actually set the little ice mountain on fire.
Shen Jin was breathing a little hard. He looked away, then shook his head with a muffled, low sound.
His image absolutely could not collapse in front of an enemy.
Shen Jin, steady. You’re fine.
Qian Kun’s eyebrow lifted. He thought Shen Jin’s throat still felt bad.
He got out of bed, grabbed Shen Jin’s cup from his desk, and in the dark went to the dispenser for a cup of warm water. He handed it up to the bed.
Shen Jin sat up and didn’t bother being polite. He drank it all in one go.
Calming his nerves, whew.
He thrust the cup back at Qian Kun, gesturing with his eyes.
Qian Kun laughed in spite of himself. “More? What am I, your water carrier?”
He’d never served anyone like this in his life. Still, he poured another cup anyway.
Having someone in the room really wasn’t as scary, especially since Qian Kun’s presence was too strong. Shen Jin’s emotions came and went quickly.
Considering a certain someone had just made him furious not long ago, Shen Jin decided not to say thanks. Hmph.
He drank water while thinking about Hate Rabbits’ ID number. Why did it feel a little familiar? That kind of ID was rare.
Then something clicked.
He opened the chat again and stared at what the other person had typed earlier: “My ID number is AX000034……”
Only the very top-tier Alphas could use an ID that started with four zeros. The letters in front came from “Alpha” and “Max.”
The matching office’s text message was still on his phone. So that “three hundred” was…?
They weren’t called “three hundred.” They just had the ability to match with three hundred people, that was all.
Ahem. Cough, cough, cough.
Shen Jin choked on his water and started coughing even harder.
Qian Kun had already climbed back onto his bed. In the faint light of Shen Jin’s screen, he watched him cough until the corners of his eyes went a little wet. That indifferent eye-tail was dotted with snow that was finally starting to melt.
Only after a long moment did Qian Kun slowly pull his gaze away.
Shen Jin had already recovered and typed into the chat.
Snowball: [Didn’t you refuse before?]
Hate Rabbits: [Needed money.]
Hate Rabbits: [Really needed it.]
Honestly, that was the exact reason Shen Jin wanted. Cash up front, services rendered, and then they never interfered with each other again.
Snowball: [With your level, finding a match partner should be easy.]
Hate Rabbits: [Not as profitable as your price.]
Shen Jin: ……
So this was what it felt like to be rich, huh?
It carried this strange flavor, like he was paying to “book” the other person.
He’d heard the operator say before that this one was about the same age as him and had no bad record.
Shen Jin checked their Moments. It was blank.
Either they’d blocked him, or it was a burner account.
But that kind of caution with strangers actually made Shen Jin feel more at ease.
A 3S Alpha really didn’t need to set his sights on him. This person was rarer than he was. Something like Yang Junbi’s situation probably wouldn’t happen here. If anything, it was hard to say who would end up suffering.
Hate Rabbits: [Have you decided?]
A few more minutes passed. Still no response.
Qian Kun looked across the room, then chuckled. Shen Jin was holding his phone, but his eyes were already closed.
He’d actually fallen asleep mid-conversation.
Such an important matter, couldn’t you pay a bit more attention?
It’s my first time. Show some respect.
Qian Kun looked at his main account, which still hadn’t been accepted, then looked at the small account that had been accepted so easily.
Rejected the main account twenty-eight times, and look at you now, you still fell right in.
*
Shen Jin only felt his eyelids turning heavy. When he woke up, he groggily checked his watch, then his eyes flew open.
He had cleaning duty today. He was already almost out of time!
A certain pampered young master was still dragging things out in the bathroom, washing up at a snail’s pace. He saw Shen Jin’s outwardly calm expression, let his gaze circle the stray cowlick on Shen Jin’s head, then silently shifted to give him half the space.
They were both well-developed high school boys, tall with long legs, and the sink area was tiny. Bumping into each other was inevitable.
“Can you move over a bit more?”
“If I move more, I’m falling into the toilet. Bear with it.”
“Why are you using my towel?” He frowned.
“Small-minded. You’ve been using my toothpaste, haven’t you? Did I say anything?”
“Then you’ve really suffered.” That was because you insisted on doing those ridiculous perfect shapes every day.
“It’s alright, just a little.”
After the chaos finally settled, Shen Jin put on the cleaning-duty armband and reached for the dorm door. Then he heard someone behind him drawl, unhurried as ever.
“Class rep, take another look at the time.”
Shen Jin paused and lowered his wrist. “……”
He’d looked wrong.
It was an hour early.
Qian Kun saw Shen Jin’s whole body stiffen like a statue. He didn’t dare laugh right now. He’d just made him furious last night, he really shouldn’t pour oil on the fire.
Before Shen Jin could explode, Qian Kun had already changed into a sports top and walked over, casually asking, “I’m going on a morning run. You coming?”
Shen Jin saw that Qian Kun genuinely didn’t seem to be mocking him. After the embarrassment faded, he also felt like getting angry would be misplaced, so he wasn’t mad anymore.
Still, they were only ordinary enemies. They weren’t close enough for that.
Shen Jin refused, as always.
Qian Kun didn’t mind. They split up at the dorm entrance.
Shen Jin took out his phone.
Yesterday, when he realized “three hundred” had added him by mistake, it felt like a pie had fallen from the sky. The whole thing was so unreal.
He wanted to talk to an adult. The first person he thought of was Xie Ling, so he sent a message:
Snowball: Cousin, if I originally wanted to eat cake, but I took one bite and found out it was spoiled and never wanted to eat it again…
Snowball: Then another piece shows up, and it looks really delicious. I’m afraid it’s also just pretty on the outside. Should I eat it?
Xie Ling: Call me when you’re awake.
A very Xie Ling reply. Not a single wasted word.
That was what Xie Ling had sent last night. Shen Jin had already been asleep. He immediately called back.
At the Xie family’s main residence, a sharply dressed man was slumped over the dining table, seemingly asleep.
In front of him sat a delicately decorated white cream cake. Next to it were several small dishes Xie Ling had cooked himself. They were already cold.
When the butler got up and saw Xie Ling alone in the living room, still in his clothes, he understood with one glance at the table.
Yesterday seemed to have been Third Young Master’s birthday, but he hadn’t come back. So Xie Ling had waited all night?
The butler’s footsteps startled Xie Ling awake. The first thing he did was check his phone.
He saw a message from his younger brother:
“I’m not coming back. Don’t act fake.”
Flat, yet heartbreaking.
The Xie family had countless branches. Xie Yan’s side was one of them.
Xie Ling was from the direct line, which was why people joked he and Shen Jin were “three thousand li apart as cousins.” Their blood connection really did span several generations.
Back then, Shen Jin had been raised in a branch household. It was only by chance that Xie Ling had picked him up and brought him back.
After Shen Jin returned to the Shen family at eight, he didn’t keep in close contact with Xie Ling. Part of it was that Xie Ling was too busy, but part of it was also that invisible barrier.
The direct line of the Xie family was thin. Xie Ling’s father chased women all year round and had married several wives.
To Xie Ling, the only relatives he could truly be close to were two younger brothers with different mothers.
As for Shen Jin, he was an absolute accident.
The butler saw Xie Ling sitting motionless, head lowered. Under the shadow of his hair, his expression was hidden.
He asked carefully, “Young Master, should I clear the table?”
After a long while…
Xie Ling gave a low “Mm.”
Some time later, the phone suddenly rang.
Xie Ling didn’t want to pick up. He remembered this phone was his private number, and very few people had it.
He answered anyway. “Hello.”
Shen Jin heard fatigue in his voice. “Cousin, did I wake you up?”
Xie Ling snapped back into his usual self, calm-eyed. “I was already awake. Did you eat breakfast?”
Shen Jin had just reached the cafeteria and was looking around. “I’m in the cafeteria. I want an egg pancake, but I also want fried dumplings, and tofu pudding, and fried noodles with egg…”
Xie Ling caught the faintest hint of dependence in Shen Jin’s tone. His stiff, cold fingers warmed a little.
“Eat one thing a day.”
“That makes sense!”
Shen Jin pointed at the fried dumplings. The cafeteria aunt immediately scooped him a big ladleful.
“A handsome kid should eat more. If your appetite’s small, how’re you gonna find a wife!”
Xie Ling heard the other end ordering fried dumplings and soy milk, and heard her praising Shen Jin for being handsome. His mood lifted a little.
He hadn’t had an appetite, but listening made him want food too. He signaled the butler to prepare the same.
The butler had thought Xie Ling wouldn’t be able to eat again today, but when he came out of the kitchen, he saw Xie Ling actually talking while eating breakfast, and his expression turned haunted.
Xie Ling cared most about rules.
He always followed “no talking while eating, no talking while sleeping.”
Xie Ling hadn’t eaten last night. His stomach had been empty, and he’d been hungry for ages.
He took a sip of coffee, intending to praise the kid first. “You know to call me when you have a problem. You’ve improved.”
Shen Jin’s face heated up, guilty. “I do greet you on holidays.”
Xie Ling emphasized, “Yes, only on holidays.” For ten straight years, I thought I raised you for nothing.
Shen Jin lost. “I was wrong.”
Xie Ling: “If you’re wrong, fix it. About that cake question you asked yesterday.”
Shen Jin: “Mm.”
Xie Ling said slowly, “If you don’t eat it, you’ll never know what it tastes like.”
Xie Ling remembered an incident after the Shen and Ke families’ engagement. At a banquet, a few people with sharp mouths said the Shen family was a minor, irrelevant clan, and Shen Jin was a notorious jinx. They said when he was born, he almost “cursed” his mother to death, and he had no right to match Ke Minghuai, who had exceptional mental power and a bright future.
Shen Jin had heard it and said nothing.
Xie Ling could tell Shen Jin agreed, deep down.
That was the aftereffect of a childhood spent without a stable home, kicked around like a ball between Xie family households.
Xie Ling didn’t ask what the cake was. He knew Shen Jin wanted it.
If you want it, why hesitate?
Xiao Jin, are you going to spend your entire life healing your childhood injuries?
“Try it. No matter how bad it is, it won’t be worse than the last one.”
You’ve already prepared yourself, haven’t you?
On the other end, Xie Ling’s voice was steady and even.
Shen Jin froze slightly.
*
After the monthly exam ended, every class’s rankings came out.
These days, Hu Shengqiang had been practically glowing in the office. Their class had actually surpassed Classes Seven and Eight, whose scores were always stable.
He’d been worried about conflict between these young masters and the rest of the class. He’d also heard they’d started an 8v8 total-score competition.
Since it was healthy competition and nothing had blown up, most teachers had just turned a blind eye.
Now it looked like they’d integrated. He figured it was time to announce seat reassignment.
In tenth grade, after every monthly exam they’d reshuffled seats. The original Ninth Class students were used to it. This time, Hu Shengqiang walked in during self-study and announced, “We added a few new students this term. If I assign seats based on my own preferences, it won’t help the lower-performing students improve.”
Those words pinned all the students who were about to sprint out of the room right back to their seats.
Someone complained, “Xiao Qiang, are you trying to pull some weird stunt again?”
“I think my seat right now is perfect. I can love it forever!”
The moment the nickname came out, Hu Shengqiang’s face darkened. Everyone said high schoolers were hard to manage. The seniors hadn’t lied.
Laughter rippled across the room.
Hu Shengqiang said, “Call me that again and each of you copies ‘Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng’ ten times.”
That text was only around a thousand characters. One sentence and the whole class immediately shut up.
Brutal. You’re brutal.
Do you think we don’t have other homework?
Hu Shengqiang thought, back when I was a top graduate from normal university, I could handle grad school exams. You think I can’t handle a bunch of you half-grown kids?
He slammed down a decision with the same ruthlessness, and pulled out a handmade drawing-lots cylinder, clearly prepared in advance.
“I put slips for every seat in here. You draw, and whatever you draw is your seat. How about it, you just finished exams, let’s relax a bit.”
Everyone perked up. That sounded fun.
Jiang Yifan said, “Old Hu, isn’t this called a match made in heaven?”
Luo Ying said, “You’re too polite. This is random assignment!”
Hou Ruixing said, “I think Old Hu is playing with fire. Whoever I get, that’s it? If it’s an enemy, can I refuse? Like some deadweight who can’t even mop properly.”
As he spoke, he glanced toward Liu Qimai.
Liu Qimai was an Alpha through and through. He felt that same-sex hostility instantly.
He kicked his legs out and smiled provocatively. “Don’t flatter yourself. If I want anyone, it’s Omega. What would I want with a big rough guy like you?”
Luo Ying said, “Omega officially refuses.”
Liu Qimai said, “Give me some face. You’re making it hard for me to step down.”
The other Omegas laughed. Liu Qimai noticed a lot of them turning to look in Qian Kun’s direction.
Do you want me to remind you that Qian Kun is just Beta? He doesn’t really look like it, but he is.
What’s wrong with this class, do Alphas have no status anymore?
Qian Kun was dozing. When he woke, he glanced at the podium and had zero interest in seat reassignment.
His neighbor had gone off to student council again. Apparently the students going overseas for training had a livestreamed schedule in a few days, and student council had to check every classroom’s TV connection in advance.
Qian Kun opened his phone, bored out of his skull.
Then he remembered he hadn’t switched accounts.
If Shen Jin rejected him, he’d have to figure out how to get the matching office to cooperate and act out a whole play.
Shen Jin was cold and stubborn. If he could cancel without hesitation, he probably wouldn’t agree easily.
The moment Qian Kun switched to the small account, he saw that Shen Jin, silent for nearly a full day, had replied.
Xueqiu: [I’ve decided. When are you free?]
Qian Kun’s heart jerked hard that he abruptly stood up.
He cursed low, “F*ck.”
The heated, chaotic draw-lots scene went dead silent. Everyone stared at him.
Qian Kun looked up and met Hu Shengqiang’s murderous gaze.
Do you have any manners?
Author’s Note:
Kun: Somebody come pinch me.
Thank you so much for your support, I’ll keep working hard!
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