56: Holding Hands
Shen Jin had always been sensitive. The moment he realized Qian Kun couldn’t rein in that surging anger, he made a snap decision and went to put out the fire.
He was afraid Qian Kun would slip up and let his pheromones explode. Just the tiny bit that had leaked before had already been hard to withstand, so who knew what it would look like if it fully erupted.
Shen Jin didn’t know how long Qian Kun had struggled over this engagement, or how many times he forced himself to give up and not interfere with them.
That painful back-and-forth was something Qian Kun had lived through himself. Now Ke Minghuai could say it so lightly. How was Qian Kun supposed to swallow that?
He leaned in a little closer, unwilling to let the two outside notice them.
Shen Jin had only meant to try, yet in just a few seconds, Qian Kun’s lips, which had been pressed into a tight line, curved faintly upward. His attention snapped fully back onto Shen Jin.
The moment Qian Kun couldn’t help lifting his hand, Shen Jin moved like a small animal that had caught a whiff of danger. As soon as he sensed Qian Kun steady again, he retreated fast, back behind the boundary line.
Seeing Shen Jin plastered against the trunk like he wanted nothing more than to bolt, Qian Kun’s hand hung there, awkwardly suspended midair. Then he gave a small, helpless smile.
Cunning little fox.
You leave me hanging like that and don’t care at all that once an Alpha’s interest has been sparked, someone has to deal with the aftermath.
Qian Kun forced his hand to change direction and planted it beside Shen Jin’s head.
Outside, the girl had already left. Ke Minghuai turned his gaze toward a nearby tree. A hostile stare had brushed across him just now.
He walked over. The crisp crackle of leaves being crushed sounded closer and closer.
Shen Jin tensed. Then he felt a slow, steady pressure rubbing at his earlobe.
Qian Kun knew he was thin-skinned. If Shen Jin didn’t want Ke Minghuai to find them, then Ke Minghuai wouldn’t.
Qian Kun rested his head against his own hand, leaning into the tree. He guided Shen Jin down gently, pressing him against his shoulder.
Qian Kun kept perfect restraint. He didn’t touch anywhere unnecessary or add any extra gestures. That was the only way to lower Shen Jin’s guard to the minimum.
Even though they were close, it didn’t count as a hug. Apart from that small point of contact, everything else stayed suspended in the air. Qian Kun played the role of a “tool person” so cleanly it was almost professional.
From Ke Minghuai’s angle, he could faintly see two tall boys behind the tree, nearly pressed together. The taller one seemed to be comforting the other. Soft golden sunlight spilled down, dappling over them. Even the air they breathed looked like it had turned beautiful.
The grove was a place many couples used for secret meetings. Ke Minghuai understood immediately. He smiled faintly, about to leave without disturbing them, then his gaze locked in place.
He saw the boy with his back turned. On the snow-white, straight line of his neck, half-hidden among fine strands of hair, was a faint black mole.
Shen Jin had one in the exact same spot.
A mole many Alphas called the ultimate temptation.
*
After Ke Minghuai left, the two of them separated at once. A strange atmosphere drifted between them, and the “practice” was shelved for the time being.
Shen Jin walked ahead. A few Omegas greeted him. His hand hung at his side, white enough to dazzle in the sun.
Qian Kun frowned, staring at that hand close enough to touch. The bone structure was pretty, and even the nail beds were a pale pink.
He laid the groundwork for so long, found a reasonable excuse, finally earned a legitimate chance.
It got ruined just like that.
Was Ke Minghuai his natural enemy or what?
Why was it so hard to hold a hand?
When they returned to class, Shen Jin received a text from his mother, Xie Yan.
Xie Yan said the Ke family intended to visit this weekend, likely to discuss details related to the broken engagement. She asked whether Shen Jin had time to come home.
In the past, she would’ve simply informed him.
Ever since he stopped going home, Xie Yan’s attitude had been slowly changing.
Shen Jin replied that he wasn’t sure about the weekend. He added that if it was about the broken engagement, he had no objections on his end.
In truth, he had already arranged with Xie Ling to go back this weekend to pick up his luggage.
Xie Yan: [The Ke family wants to re-engage. If you don’t want it, Mom will refuse them for you.]
Xie Yan was a rather reserved Omega. For her to be this direct was rare in the extreme, like red rain falling from the edge of the sky.
Shen Jin silently raised his hand and pinched his deskmate’s solid upper arm. The muscle was a little hard, so he increased the pressure.
Qian Kun, who was checking Shen Jin’s chemistry test paper, lifted a brow, clearly asking what he was doing.
Shen Jin asked, “Does it hurt?”
Qian Kun considered it carefully and answered honestly, “It’s kind of itchy.” Like scratching, so if you’re gonna pinch, use more force.
Shen Jin nodded. Itchy meant there was sensation.
Sensation meant it wasn’t a dream. Then why was Xie Yan being so reasonable this time, putting his wishes first? If he didn’t want it, could he really get what he wanted?
He remembered Shen Xie’an saying their parents had started to change. Still, once bitten by a snake, he had long been thoroughly disappointed by their years of interaction. He wouldn’t let himself hope again.
He replied briefly: [Okay, thank you.]
It kept the same distance he’d always maintained. Not too close, so neither side would end up awkward.
Qian Kun asked, “Why pinch me?”
Shen Jin said, “I wanted to see if it would hurt.”
“Why not pinch yourself?”
“I’m afraid of pain.”
He said it without the slightest shame.
Qian Kun covered the corner of his upturned eyes with his hand.
Mischievous.
In class, everyone was talking about class uniforms.
Jiang Yifan went upstairs to the storage room and carried down the uniforms they were supposed to wear for the sports meet entrance.
Liu Qimai leaned in, picking through them left and right, then fished one out. “Class rep, serious question. Is this a f*cking mold?”
Jiang Yifan saw the glaring mold spot too and comforted him. “The storage room’s a bit damp, so… cough. Wash it and it’ll still be wearable.”
Liu Qimai looked like someone ready to die rather than be humiliated. “No. I absolutely refuse to wear clothes that can grow mushrooms. Also, you all have one, so what about us? We’re Class Nine too!”
Plus, it was an ugly sports uniform. Wearing it made your body look like a barrel.
It was a direct assault on his aesthetics. Honestly, the Omegas didn’t like it either. It really was ugly. Still, they had no choice. The uniforms were paid for with class funds, and their class funds had a cap. The previous life committee member had spent most of it on other things the class needed more.
Luo Ying was painting her nails a cherry red. She blew lightly to dry them, then looked back. “If you’ve got so many demands, then go order a custom set yourself~”
Liu Qimai grinned. That was exactly what he’d been waiting for. He turned to Qian Kun. “Kun-ge, let’s personally check the designs and raise their taste. Sir, sponsor it for us?”
This amount of money wasn’t even pocket change for their Kun-ge.
Qian Kun set down his pen and shifted his gaze toward his deskmate.
Shen Jin didn’t understand at first. Then it hit him, slow and late. They’d signed the relationship agreement.
After that, Qian Kun had added a few clauses verbally, like how during the agreement period, neither of them could have emotionally romantic contact with any of the other six genders.
Shen Jin actually liked and agreed with that. He preferred clean, straightforward agreements with no third parties mixed in.
He wouldn’t be getting involved with anyone else anyway, so he agreed right away.
At the end, Qian Kun added one more line. “Then that means you’ve ‘kept’ me again. From now on, you should look over my spending too.”
Shen Jin had assumed it was a joke. He didn’t expect Qian Kun to mean it.
Shen Jin felt guilty about the three yuan on the agreement, so he proposed, “I’ll cover this. You guys just pick something that looks good. Most of the class has to approve.”
He was worried Liu Qimai’s taste would be too “individual.”
“Holy shit, Ice God 6666, that’s insane!”
“I love it. I already thought I loved Jin-ge enough, but now that Jin-ge’s showing off his golden thigh, I can’t hold it back!”
“Ahhh! Since it’s Jin-ge sponsoring, everyone, let’s pick class uniforms together! Send your picks to me and I’ll compile!” Luo Ying didn’t even care about her nail polish anymore. She immediately went to the ‘Qianjin Ship Study Society’ group and started screaming. This candy is guaranteed real.
“Shen Jin, why are you helping Kun-ge? His allowance could never run out!”
“Kun-ge, you’re eating soft rice! Where’s your pride?!”
That was Liu Qimai wailing.
Qian Kun stood up and walked toward the back door.
He glanced back with a smile, completely unashamed. “At least I’ve got rice to eat. What about you?”
Multiple critical hits smashed straight into Liu Qimai.
What did he do wrong, to end up with a friend like Qian Kun, someone who lived to stab people right in the sore spot?
That mouth was so poisonous. No wonder he was still single. They were all single dogs, so what was he being smug about?
Just as everyone was buzzing with excitement, Zheng Zhepeng appeared at the door. “I think our class is getting another transfer student. He’s in the office doing papers right now, might be coming over soon. I peeked at a few of the tests. I thought it was some super genius, but maybe not. I saw him staring at a paper that was eighty percent blank. I couldn’t tell if it was too hard for him or way too easy!”
“Probably too easy. Otherwise why would he transfer into Nanhu?”
“No way. A mid-semester transfer is weird.”
“Yeah. It’s not like Kun-ge and them, because of policy reasons. Also, shouldn’t the placement test happen before they’re admitted?”
Everyone argued back and forth. Shen Jin thought of You Jia, the one he’d run into earlier. Don’t tell me it’s him.
That afternoon during Chinese class, Hu Shengqiang walked to the podium with his lesson plan. “Today we’ve got a transfer student joining our class. He’s an Omega. Everyone, take care of him.”
“Xiao Qiang, where is he?”
“Hahaha, you introduced him forever. Did he get lost?”
Amid the teasing, You Jia walked in carefully. He was only fairly neat-looking, but his eyes were large and watery, the kind that made Alphas want to protect him.
You Jia introduced himself softly. His voice was small. Shen Jin, sitting in the back, couldn’t hear clearly. He lifted his head and saw it was really him.
While Shen Jin was thinking, he suddenly realized his deskmate, who’d been playing a handheld console, wasn’t playing anymore.
The hand hidden beneath the desk had clenched into a fist, veins raised, like he was forcing something down.
The instant You Jia entered the classroom, Qian Kun seemed to hear the sound of some gear of fate turning.
He realized he had to look at You Jia right now, and he had to keep staring.
This time the pain hit more fiercely than usual. He guessed this might be an important “plot point.”
Qian Kun thought to himself that it wouldn’t kill him. After so many tests, he’d already mapped out the boundary and knew he’d be fine once he endured it.
Besides, there was something else he wanted to prove.
Every time he met You Jia before, if Shen Jin touched him, his mind cleared a lot.
He looked over.
Shen Jin had already been watching him. When he saw Qian Kun’s gaze drop, saw that clenched fist, his fingers unfolded.
“Can we hold hands?”
Now?!
Shen Jin’s heart jolted slightly.
Was he supposed to grab it? They were in class.
Shen Jin was the kind of person who, unless it was absolutely necessary, didn’t do anything extra during class. This clashed with his usual principles.
More than that, this had nothing to do with class. It felt exactly like challenging the teacher’s authority.
Shen Jin glanced at the homeroom teacher, who was still introducing the new student, and fell into a brutal internal battle.
Qian Kun closed his eyes. When he didn’t get an answer, he clenched his fist again.
He tried to comfort Shen Jin. “I’m just talking nonsense—”
Suddenly, cool-warm fingertips poked the back of his hand. The pressure was light.
At first it was only a cautious test, fingertip to fingertip. Then it slowly wrapped around Qian Kun’s fist.
The pain faded bit by bit. Qian Kun blinked. The sweat that had gathered on his lashes vanished. He turned his head and saw only Shen Jin’s profile, focused on the podium.
Shen Jin looked perfectly natural, still the most attentive one, yet under the desk, he was quietly holding Qian Kun’s hand.
Qian Kun opened his hand again. At the instant Shen Jin tried to pull away, Qian Kun slid his fingers swiftly between Shen Jin’s.
Only after he was sure Shen Jin couldn’t escape did he slowly interlace them, brushing across the palm and stirring waves of prickling heat.
Slowly, tenderly, their fingers locked.
Finally.
He was holding him.
Author’s Note:
So soft.
.
Qian Qian, beautiful, right~~
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