29: Needs Better Technique
After making up for the missed shot, Shen Jin lay there like a corpse for a while before heading out. The corridor outside was completely empty.
The entire afternoon passed without incident. By evening self-study, just as Shen Jin was nodding off, the back door opened and a group of boys fresh from the basketball court filed in.
The autumn breeze swept in, carrying with it layers of mixed scents. Shen Jin’s fingertips resting on the desk trembled lightly.
He opened his eyes from his light doze and saw a boy standing nearby, wiping sweat away. Beads of sweat slid along a sharp jawline, down the neck, and disappeared at the collarbone.
The heated air stirred. Shen Jin withdrew his gaze, took a few deep breaths, and pressed his fingers against his brow.
It was happening again, that instinctive urge to draw closer.
Qian Kun was in a restless mood today. He played aggressively during self-study, sweating all over, and thinking about his deskmate’s condition, he had rushed back without even showering.
Before he could sit down, he saw Shen Jin frowning, head lowered over his homework, clearly forcing himself to endure something.
Qian Kun’s heart sank. Was he feeling unwell again?
He noticed several Omegas in the class covering their noses. This had happened before. Understanding immediately, he signaled Zhou You, then half-dragged and half-pulled the Alphas whose pheromones were leaking, herding them all into the restroom to spray blockers, himself included.
The process was filled with complaints and reluctance, all of which Qian Kun suppressed without mercy.
Several Omegas finally let out relieved breaths, inhaling air free of pheromones. Looking in the direction Qian Kun had disappeared, they clasped their faces dreamily.
Once might be coincidence, but twice? That was too gentlemanly.
Back when they voiced complaints before, those Alphas had paid lip service but never actually left the classroom. Some had even deliberately leaned closer to Omegas to mess with them.
Everyone treated it like a joke. The Omegas couldn’t very well get angry over it, since they were just uncomfortable from being suppressed.
“If Kun-ge even glanced my way, I’d have sprinted a hundred meters and tackled him on the spot!”
“What are you dreaming about? Someone like Qian Kun, that kind of Beta, is an unreachable star, get it?”
“He’s not even an Alpha. What are you all into, his face?” a Class Nine Alpha scoffed.
“You don’t get it. His existence is an instant kill for Omegas.” Several Omegas shot him disdainful looks and snorted, unwilling to argue further.
One particularly bold Omega gathered the courage to ask Shen Jin.
“Jin-ge, don’t you think so?” Only after speaking did they remember the two big shots had practically come to blows yesterday. The awkwardness nearly burst through their face.
Just as the Omega was scrambling to smooth things over, Shen Jin, who usually never voiced opinions, responded.
He glanced calmly at the speaker and gave a soft “Mm.”
That left the Omega at a loss for how to reply.
Rumor had it these two unlucky souls had been assigned to the same dorm.
Rumor had it that on the very first day, Shen Jin had exploded in anger inside the dorm.
Rumor had it their nightly routine was fighting.
Latest intel from Jiang Yifan said that just last night, Kun-ge’s fist had almost smashed into Ice God’s face, the kind of handsome face no one could bear to damage.
As for Shen Jin, whose presence was like perpetual snowfields, for him to be provoked like that meant how unbearable the other person must be.
From the above, one could conclude: Shen Jin was just maintaining peace superficially.
Don’t think they didn’t know. In private, these two were clearly at each other’s throats.
That afternoon, when Shen Jin collected homework and deliberately passed by several Alphas, he didn’t feel that tempting pull at all. Instead, it was Qian Kun, a Beta, whose sweaty presence made him uncomfortable.
Shen Jin knew he couldn’t take another suppressant shot. He even had the urge to ask the matching office why things still weren’t done.
However, that would be crossing a line. Applying for matching had already taken ages of hesitation.
Asking about progress on top of that? Did he have no pride at all?
He couldn’t act too eager right now or “Three Hundred” might be scared off by his recklessness.
No matter how slow the matching office was, they would eventually get to him, right?
Shen Jin was stubbornly prideful. Even if it killed him, he wouldn’t ask about the timeline. As long as “Three Hundred” didn’t back out, he could endure until the end.
He didn’t know the behind-the-scenes process and simply assumed there were too many applicants, so their files had been delayed.
The phone in his desk drawer vibrated. When Shen Jin saw the number, his heart clenched. It was the matching office.
However, it wasn’t a notice to come in, just a system message.
Of the three people whose compatibility with him exceeded 95%, one had shut off their phone. The message was a rejection notice from that person.
As expected. If “Three Hundred” hadn’t slipped through unnoticed, and if he hadn’t been dirt poor, there was no way Shen Jin would’ve gotten this chance.
Someone who could just shut off their phone was definitely high-ranked. Why would they agree to be a mere tool?
As he put his phone away, the screen lit up again with an incoming call from a familiar number. He had deleted the contact, but the digits were burned into memory. For over ten years, that number had always been reachable.
How could they be calling back home at this hour?
Shen Jin hesitated over whether to answer. Suddenly, a cool sensation brushed against his cheek.
Condensation dampened his skin, carried by a faint early-autumn breeze.
He turned his head to see Qian Kun had appeared beside him at some point, instantly stealing all his attention.
Qian Kun only leaned in briefly before placing an iced drink on Shen Jin’s desk. “Your stomach’s sensitive. Don’t drink too much.”
They said body temperature ran high during differentiation and physical cooling like this could help a little.
Shen Jin wasn’t used to accepting kindness. It felt like a foreign intrusion into his world.
In a barren wasteland suddenly splashed with color, what he felt wasn’t joy but the mud left after rain.
Still, all his refusals fell apart when he saw Qian Kun and Zhou You distributing drinks to the class, even handing one to an Alpha who had been badmouthing them earlier.
The Alpha scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. “Kun-ge, I’ll treat you next time.”
The “ge” sounded far more sincere than before. Qian Kun smiled lazily. “Forget it. You think I’m short one drink? Take it.”
Shen Jin figured that refusing now would be like carving disdain onto his forehead.
Once Qian Kun sat back down, he saw Shen Jin spacing out with the can in hand and tapped the desk lightly. “That one’s the right temperature. Didn’t find orange flavor, so I switched to green peach. Try it, maybe you won’t hate it.”
He tempered the drink with warm water so it wouldn’t upset Shen Jin’s stomach.
Qian Kun had a way of giving things that left Shen Jin unable to refuse.
Shen Jin took a sip. It wasn’t overly sweet, just a light peach flavor. Indeed very refreshing.
“How is it?”
“Mm. Not bad.”
The restless pheromones seemed to quiet down for a moment.
Seeing Shen Jin relax, Qian Kun’s frost-like eyes gleamed with faint delight.
Getting Shen Jin’s approval was no easy feat.
Only then did Qian Kun gesture lazily at his phone. “Did you get a call just now? Screen went black.”
Shen Jin jolted. Right!
Sure enough, one missed call.
*
Thanks to some behind-the-scenes maneuvering by the Qian family, the process sped along at light speed.
After class, Shen Jin saw Liu Qimai and the others miserably cleaning. Their punishment period wasn’t over yet, and the transfer students worked without complaint. Later, even the original Class Nine students pitched in.
Shen Jin helped for a bit and collected several heartfelt “good person” cards.
He didn’t mention it was because going back too early meant being overwhelmed by his roommate’s presence. He really didn’t want a third shot today.
Walking along the tree-lined path, he received another message from the matching office. This time he remained calm, assuming it was just another system notice.
Then he read it.
[Your materials have been approved. Please bring relevant documents to the Public Safety Matching Office tomorrow at 19:00 for registration.]
Tomorrow?
That fast?
After dinner, Shen Jin stayed holed up in the dorm, repeatedly opening the chat with [Hate Rabbits].
Test papers spread on the desk for ages showed no signs of being done. His expression didn’t change, but he kept standing up and pacing, clearly anxious.
Ever since their brief agreement, the other person hadn’t sent another message.
No matter how he reassured himself, they were still a stranger. Claiming not to be nervous would be a lie.
After pacing dozens of laps, he noticed the umbrella frame under the desk, the one the wind had destroyed and Qian Kun had retrieved.
When Shen Jin was eight and leaving the Xie family, it had been drizzling. Xie Ling had given him his own umbrella.
Shen Jin cherished it, maintained it carefully, and used it for nearly ten years.
It had finally reached the end of its life.
Beside it lay a perfectly intact black umbrella, the one Qian Kun had used to bring him back. It had been dried and folded neatly. Qian Kun had handed it over yesterday, saying it would save him a trip to buy one.
It looked a lot like the old one, so Shen Jin wanted to keep it.
He decided that when it came to treating others in the future, he wouldn’t cut corners.
He sent a photo of the broken umbrella frame to Xie Ling.
[Cousin, this umbrella’s retired.]
Xie Ling, just back from a social engagement to an empty home, saw the photo and smiled. [It’s old, time to rest. Is the one next to it something you bought?]
A simple umbrella, used for so many years.
This child hadn’t cared less about him as a cousin after all.
[My roommate gave it to me.]
[How’s your roommate?]
[Pretty good.]
The reply came quickly, not perfunctory. Xie Ling understood.
[It’s good to have a new umbrella.]
Xie Ling felt Shen Jin had grown much brighter since boarding, finally showing some youthful vitality. When he had time, he should visit the school and thank that kind roommate.
A Beta would be best. Safe.
The matching office’s message didn’t just reach Shen Jin, it reached the other party as well.
Before, Qian Kun had only thought about getting Shen Jin in. Now that he succeeded, he faced a forgotten issue.
He loathed marking.
Even more loathed touching others’ gland even more.
That day, he didn’t return to the dorm immediately, waiting instead until Liu Qimai finished taking out the trash.
Liu Qimai could now tie garbage bags one-handed. No longer the useless guy Jiang Yifan mocked.
Seeing Qian Kun wait for him, he was shocked and flattered.
Since Qian Kun applied for boarding, their dinners and after-school basketball sessions had dropped drastically. He almost thought Kun-ge had been bewitched by some little vixen. However, the dorm only had an ice cube, no a vixen.
“Kun-ge, you actually waited for me. Is this finally you responding to my pure, selfless love?”
“Then transfer your affection elsewhere.” Qian Kun cut straight to it. “Do you have those kinds of videos?”
First marking, the kind that wouldn’t make someone resist.
Liu Qimai was stunned, mouth opening and closing, unable to make sound for ages.
He never imagined that Qian Kun, who was repulsed by this stuff and practically asexual, would need it. Just like Ji Zhen said, their Kun-ge had entered a rapid growth phase and finally had male urges.
He wanted to grab a megaphone and announce it in the group chat.
One look from Qian Kun told him to keep his mouth shut.
“W-what kind?” Better confirm to be safe.
“The kind that makes Omegas comfortable.” Qian Kun couldn’t bring himself to be explicit.
“I have some. About 80TB. How much?”
“Just a few. Needs better technique,” Qian Kun said. The young master was delicate and afraid of pain.
After thinking, he added, “And the visuals should be more aesthetic.”
Otherwise he might throw up on the spot.
There were still 25 hours until tomorrow night. In that time, he needed to stop being disgusted by glands and learn some technique.
Liu Qimai, still reeling from discovering Qian Kun’s secret, sent over several files once he got home.
Qian Kun returned to the dorm fairly late. Both looked normal on the surface, yet subtle signs had changed.
He waited until Shen Jin was asleep before opening his laptop, guiltily accepting the videos.
One click, and the video played.
Onscreen, two barely clothed men were embracing, making suggestive sounds.
Shen Jin slept lightly since tomorrow was his first marking, and his nerves kept him from deep sleep.
He noticed a light from the other side of the dark dorm but couldn’t see clearly.
Covering his eyes, he slowly climbed down, slipping on his slippers.
“What are you doing?”
Qian Kun froze. His hand trembled as he reached for his earphones, meeting Shen Jin’s gradually clearing gaze.
On the screen, a lush green lawn. Soft sunlight. Two men rolling together, entwined, heat and intimacy overflowing.
When Shen Jin saw the screen, his mind blanked for a split second.
The next instant, heat surged upward, nearly blasting through his skull.
Author’s Note:
Kun: I wanted that kind of video, not that kind!
Mai: Huh? Didn’t get it wrong. That is that kind.
IsitRo: I gasped so hard when I read the 80 tb that my chest hurt. lololol
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