51: You
Shen Jin’s eyes were beautiful. When he looked at people, there was always a hint of cool detachment in them, yet right now, the gaze he directed at Qian Kun was exceptionally bright.
Qian Kun calmly pressed down the irregular pounding of his heart and said, “Then I’ll head out first.” He was getting ready to go to the track for his morning run.
While Shen Jin was still thinking about how to solve the problem, Qian Kun appeared in his field of vision just like that.
The idea that hadn’t even taken shape yet suddenly gained a concrete candidate.
The feeling was like struggling through a difficult problem and then realizing the answer had been right beside him the whole time.
If it was Qian Kun, Shen Jin knew he’d be safe.
Qian Kun had already made it clear that he felt nothing for him, and if the goal was to scare off perverts, who could be more suitable than Qian Kun?
As someone who could sweep through the entire school even as a Beta, Shen Jin couldn’t think of anyone more appropriate.
The problem came next.
Oranges were tasty, yet that didn’t mean oranges had to be given to him. Oranges could choose to be given to someone else, or remain on the tree, beautiful all on their own.
What advantage did he have that would make an orange willingly agree to pretend to be his boyfriend for a while?
Once the alarm was lifted, he’d let the orange go free.
Shen Jin thought it over again and again. There didn’t seem to be anything about him that could make an orange’s heart stir.
His brows knotted together in hesitation, and he never expected reality to slap him in the face so quickly.
Just the day before, the other party had brushed him off like fallen leaves in autumn, clearly stating they were only ordinary friends with no intention of pursuing anything. Now he was about to ask that same person whether he could be his fake boyfriend.
Even Shen Jin himself felt that it sounded like he was splitting into two people.
He would take it one step at a time. Maybe a solution would show up soon.
Shen Jin let out a world-weary sigh and asked without much spirit, “Can you wait for me?”
Even though Shen Jin always kept a cold expression, Qian Kun still noticed the change in his mood. He honestly found it a little too cute and took the initiative. “Go wash up first. I’ll grab you some clean clothes.”
The two of them often brought in each other’s laundry from the balcony, sometimes even folding it neatly. Their wardrobes had practically known each other for a long time.
Shen Jin nodded and slowly got out of bed.
Qian Kun’s sharp eyes caught the necklace slipping out from under Shen Jin’s T-shirt as he went down the ladder.
Joy surfaced unexpectedly in his light-colored eyes.
He was wearing it.
It really was partly for Shen Jin’s safety, and also because wearing other accessories at school easily got someone called in for a talk. A necklace was relatively discreet under the school uniform.
Still, Qian Kun couldn’t deny that he had his own selfish intentions.
When Shen Jin reached the bathroom and saw the person in the mirror, he finally noticed several strands of hair sticking up.
Like Shen Xie’an, he had soft hair that was hard to style. Every morning after waking up, a few strands always refused to lie flat.
Shen Jin had a bit of a headache. Was he really showing up in front of Qian Kun looking this unkempt?
Forget it. How many embarrassing scenes had Qian Kun already seen?
Shen Jin felt like his skin had grown thicker through sheer training. When he reached for the toothpaste, he realized the styling toothpaste that used to appear every morning had made a comeback.
Oh.
When had the styling toothpaste disappeared?
It seemed to be during that stretch when Qian Kun distanced himself from him several times because he disliked Ke Minghuai.
Today’s hairstyle was “waves.”
Shen Jin couldn’t help smiling. Such a childish ghost.
The two of them walked to the track together, and quite a few people were already running.
They joined the flow of people. Shen Jin ran slowly, and Qian Kun didn’t go fast either. Both of them jogged along at an easy pace. The track team that had been leading noticed the overall speed drop noticeably, and everyone’s attention was drawn to the newcomers.
“Qian Kun’s here!”
“Is he late today? I thought he wasn’t coming.”
“Who’s the person next to him? So beautiful!”
“You don’t even know Shen Jin? Second year’s aloof flower, cold as ice!”
“That’s a bit much. Just coming for a run and he’s already bringing family along.” An Alpha complained gloomily about this dragging-the-family-along behavior, sped up to overtake them, then rolled his eyes back at them.
Shen Jin: “?”
The track team had caused trouble for Qian Kun some time ago. Qian Kun always had a habit of morning runs and inevitably attracted plenty of admirers, which dealt a blow to the track team’s already decent popularity. One morning, they challenged him, saying that if Qian Kun lost, he could never come for morning runs again.
Just a few days later, they had a competition to attend, yet their bus broke down on the way.
With the start time drawing closer, they posted the situation on the forum. Someone contacted the school for them, and others reached out to classmates with influential family backgrounds. Qian Kun was among them.
When they were completely at a loss, a bus that happened to pass by took them straight there. That bus belonged to the Qian family’s company. Their employees were holding a company event nearby and managed to free up an extra vehicle.
Without Qian Kun mentioning it, there was no way they would’ve made it in time.
That was why, even though Qian Kun lost by a few seconds during the competition, they still admired him. He wasn’t from a special athletics class, and that alone was already impressive.
With the bus incident added on top, they couldn’t bring themselves to cause trouble for him again. Their impression of Qian Kun ended up extremely positive.
Seeing that Xiao Jin was starting to pant, Qian Kun stopped. The two of them rested by the edge of the track.
An Alpha from the track team came over and said, “Brother Kun, how about racing us again in the 3000 meters during the sports meet?”
Qian Kun smiled and shook his head, replying lightly, “Can’t run anymore.”
He had participated in plenty of competitions growing up and had no interest in rankings.
“You won’t know unless you try. No one dislikes a physically strong Beta. If you move too slowly, an Alpha might snatch him away first.” The Alpha pointed toward a spot not far away.
At some point, Shen Jin had been called aside and was talking with Ke Minghuai.
The senior Yu Pingling had taken leave today, leaving one fewer student on duty at the school gate. Ke Minghuai wanted Shen Jin to help out.
Shen Jin was on good terms with Yu Pingling, so he naturally agreed.
For Shen Jin, this was official business and involved nothing else.
He ran back to let Qian Kun know, then left with Ke Minghuai.
Ke Minghuai glanced back at Qian Kun, nodded slightly, and remained as composed as ever.
Ke Minghuai wouldn’t do things like clinging stubbornly and annoying people. He knew that would only wear away Shen Jin’s goodwill toward him. He couldn’t take that risk again. He could only chip away at Shen Jin’s iron walls bit by bit.
He’d always been someone who kept personal and professional matters separate. This was the first time he’d abused his authority, yet if it could make Shen Jin change his mind, then so what if he abused it?
The Alpha who’d come over earlier disliked Ke Minghuai’s pretentious act. He didn’t know the relationship between the three of them and just wanted to stir things up. “By the way, I heard Young Master Ke signed up for the 1500 and 3000 meters. Our Brother Kun isn’t chickening out, right?”
Qian Kun shot him a look, and the terrifying pressure almost made the Alpha shut up on the spot.
During the morning assembly, the grade director announced that Zhao Haotian from the second-year special class was being expelled. Due to repeated violations of law and discipline, causing negative social impact, and with serious circumstances, the school had decided on expulsion.
The news nearly blew up the school forum, with everyone asking what had actually happened.
Zhao Haotian was the second-year top dog, a textbook school tyrant. Rumor had it he had connections outside and came from a wealthy family.
No matter how big the trouble he’d caused before, he’d always gotten away with it. This time though, it was suddenly so severe.
Some people said Zhao Haotian had finally hit an iron plate. His falsified age had been exposed, and it looked like prison time was unavoidable.
Others had already found related information on the public security bureau’s official website.
“The police found key tools used in the crimes in his room. He secretly filmed a lot of Omegas’ private moments, some in public places and some in private ones. He even planned to sell them on adult websites!”
“No wonder police came to the school last week. They must’ve been collecting evidence!”
“Absolutely insane. Just thinking about what he did gives me goosebumps.”
“Scum! Good riddance. Which righteous hero carried out justice on his behalf?”
The Omegas felt lingering fear. They’d almost become the protagonists of those videos.
Just imagining how their lives would’ve been destroyed if he’d succeeded made this outcome deeply satisfying.
Shen Jin silently glanced at Qian Kun’s empty seat.
Without Qian Kun, Shen Jin had no idea how long it would’ve taken to catch Zhao Haotian’s handle.
Someone like him was like the sun, warm and gentle, shining on so many people, including Shen Jin himself.
Qian Kun was called to the top floor by the principal and brushed past Ke Minghuai, who was just coming out.
The principal asked about the evidence Qian Kun had submitted. He’d just returned from a business trip and heard that Qian Kun was the one who reported it, so he wanted to understand the situation.
He also asked about the kicked-down bathroom door. Qian Kun took responsibility for everything, sparing Shen Jin from being dragged into it and covered in trouble.
When the principal politely saw Qian Kun out, Qian Kun spotted an Alpha leaning against the stair railing.
Ke Minghuai hadn’t left. He was clearly waiting.
Qian Kun’s expression cooled. He went downstairs first, and Ke Minghuai followed silently.
Their footsteps landed one after another on the stairs.
“You were the one who called me last time and said Xiao Jin was in danger, right? On behalf of Xiao Jin, I’m thanking you for your help.”
“His matters don’t require you to overstep on his behalf.”
Qian Kun replied coldly. Ke Minghuai remained as gentle as ever. There was no open confrontation, yet the atmosphere was far from harmonious.
“Looks like you know about him and me.”
“Yeah. I also know that you and he have no relationship now.”
Ke Minghuai showed no embarrassment. If Qian Kun had no ulterior thoughts, he wouldn’t have been affected by those words.
Clearly, Qian Kun had coveted for a long time. How upright could he really be?
“So you should understand what nine years of shared history represents. Xiao Jin is soft-hearted and nostalgic.”
Ke Minghuai seized his greatest advantage.
Nine years of affection. Even raising a dog for nine years would create feelings. Shen Jin couldn’t possibly cut it off completely. This was something Qian Kun could never surpass.
“Nine years, and you still didn’t make a soft-hearted, nostalgic person fall for you.” Qian Kun laughed and shot him a sideways glance. “You should reflect on yourself.”
How excessive must you have been for Shen Jin to leave you so easily.
That single sentence nearly sent Ke Minghuai reeling.
When Shen Jin saw Qian Kun return to his seat, he seemed unusually quiet and couldn’t help glancing over a few more times.
Qian Kun couldn’t be bothered to listen to the lesson and simply laid his head on the desk.
He lost the composure he maintained in front of Ke Minghuai. He covered his face with his palm, feeling aggreived.
Nine years of shared history was something he truly couldn’t catch up to.
He was jealous to the point of madness.
Dark storm clouds gathered in Qian Kun’s eyes when suddenly a very light, very soft tug pulled at his sleeve.
He turned his head and saw his deskmate sitting upright, listening attentively. This was Shen Jin’s usual posture in class.
The sensation hadn’t been an illusion. While the teacher wasn’t paying attention, Shen Jin slipped him a note.
Qian Kun hadn’t expected a model student to do something so out of character. Passing notes was something he used to do when harassing Shen Jin. He hadn’t thought Shen Jin would learn it so quickly.
He opened it and saw the question: Do you need a Chinese tutor? (^-^)
There was even an emoticon.
It felt strangely lively.
The jealousy that had nearly burned Qian Kun up moments earlier eased quite a bit.
He’d originally planned to refuse. His Chinese wasn’t that bad.
Then he reconsidered, twirled his pen, and replied: What for?
Shen Jin took the note and wrote back: How about I teach you?
That morning, when Shen Jin collected the Chinese test papers, he’d deliberately glanced at his deskmate’s paper while he wasn’t looking and found the accuracy rate quite high. Chinese was Qian Kun’s weak subject, especially idioms, classical texts, and ancient poetry, though that was only in comparison to his near-perfect scores in other subjects.
A weak subject was still a weak subject.
Shen Jin felt he needed to offer something first. That way, when he made his request, Qian Kun would feel too embarrassed to refuse.
I’m really just an ordinary little genius.
Qian Kun looked at the reply and felt that the kid was considerate to an absurd degree.
His mood lifted, and he wrote back: Sure. I’ll teach you math.
Shen Jin after seeing it: …
How did I forget that my math isn’t top-tier and drags down my overall score?
Wouldn’t this turn into an equal exchange? How was he supposed to bring it up then?
The English teacher had been watching the two students in the back for quite a while. Qian Kun was one thing. Ever since transferring, he’d always been this lax in class. Shen Jin, though, was usually the most focused one. Now even he had been led astray.
This wouldn’t do. A good student couldn’t be allowed to fall.
“Shen Jin, translate this passage.”
Shen Jin immediately stood up, his eyes flickering with panic. He hadn’t been listening just now.
As he was about to look at where everyone else had flipped to, a pair of hands promptly helped him turn to the correct page and pointed at a specific paragraph.
Shen Jin translated it quickly. The English teacher gave the two students in the back a long look. Two partners in crime, no, working in perfect sync. With a helpless sigh, he let Shen Jin sit back down.
Shen Jin didn’t notice the teacher’s worried gaze. He was still thinking about what Qian Kun might be lacking. Nothing came to mind, so he sent another note, throwing the question directly at him.
[Do you lack anything?]
Qian Kun seemed surprised by the question. He paused, then leaned over when Shen Jin looked his way.
“You.”
Shen Jin’s eyelids trembled.
Qian Kun added, “…r notes.”
Author’s Note:
You.
Qianqian, you’re so good at flirting. No wonder you have a wife!
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