63: Is Eavesdropping Fun?
When the starting gun fired, another tidal wave of sound surged through the venue.
Cheers rose from all directions, surrounding the runners. This was the final individual event of the sports meet, and also one of the so-called hell events that could take half an Alpha’s life.
Even Class Nine, who were usually laid-back, mostly showed up. A few with better stamina even ran alongside the athletes for a stretch, shouting encouragement the whole way. More and more students from other schools refused to be outdone and joined the hype squad.
It was only because the referee saw there were two “star” competitors in the 3000 meters, and the crowd was getting bigger and bigger, that most of the students were finally stopped.
“All of you, get back. Don’t affect the athletes!”
For a school-level sports meet, 3000 meters was already the limit. Anything beyond that belonged to professional fitness testing.
And what it tested most was endurance. It was an event almost monopolized by Alphas. Shen Jin watched intently. As long as Qian Kun kept suppressing his pheromones and ran under a Beta identity, he couldn’t bring out his true strength.
At the start, nobody was running very fast.
Ke Minghuai drew even with Qian Kun. Neither of them looked at the other.
“He really isn’t a bargaining chip.” Ke Minghuai adjusted his breathing and cadence, trying to keep talking from costing too much. “But no matter what, you can’t win. This is an Alpha’s race. It doesn’t suit you.”
Qian Kun heard the subtext.
By the same logic, you don’t suit Shen Jin either.
Ke Minghuai smiled faintly. “My re-engagement with him is the general trend. It’s also what all our families want to see. You might not know this, but when he was little, he once fell into the water. After he woke up, he refused to get close to anyone, except me.”
What Qian Kun feared most was the nine years he’d never been part of.
Ke Minghuai had never truly examined his feelings.
He still didn’t completely understand them now, but he knew he cared about Shen Jin. If he didn’t move, it would really be too late.
“Do you understand? The imprinting effect.”
“He can’t reject me completely.”
Ke Minghuai finished and immediately pushed forward.
He left it at that. He believed Qian Kun understood exactly what he meant.
After being checked a few times, Ke Minghuai quickly adjusted and struck back with precision.
When it came to feelings, there was no such thing as yielding.
Qian Kun slowly closed his eyes. Sunlight stabbed into them, a mild sting.
When he opened them again, his aura nearly scared back the nearby Alphas. Then he abruptly accelerated.
As he passed Ke Minghuai, he dropped one sentence.
“I’m his boyfriend.” Present tense.
Simple and direct, straight through the heart.
If someone’s mentality was weak, that line alone could make them collapse.
Same move as what he’d said to Liu Qimai. It wasn’t new, but it worked.
Even if he was a contract fake boyfriend, it still wasn’t a lie.
Qian Kun clenched his fist and felt a little better.
No matter how nostalgic the past was, what was the use? Right now, the officially acknowledged boyfriend was him.
He couldn’t be bothered to look at Ke Minghuai anymore and focused on the track.
Everyone who signed up for the 3000 meters were their schools’ top athletes. The gaps were tight, and for a moment it was impossible to tell who would take it.
As the shouting intensified, the atmosphere climbed toward its peak.
Even the field announcer stood to call the race. The big screen kept switching between close-ups of the runners.
Two Alphas from First High listened to the stadium and stands filled with cheers for Qian Kun, then looked at how effortless he seemed, while they were nearly tapped out.
A Beta shouldn’t even be here, yet he was leading. Wasn’t that too much?
Moreover, First High had dominated school meets for years. This year, Qian Kun showed up out of nowhere and outperformed them in all the events they were proud of. Resentment had built from the very beginning.
Since they weren’t getting a placing anyway, they might as well drag him down with them.
The two Alphas exchanged another look. When it was time to push in the final two laps, one of them slammed into Qian Kun without warning.
That Alpha was tall and bulky. Qian Kun was locked into the moment and didn’t notice in time. He was knocked off the track.
Ke Minghuai heard the commotion and glanced back. He froze for only a second, then sped up as planned and drove toward the finish.
The stadium erupted into an uproar.
Qian Kun swept a glance at the Alpha who’d hit him. The guy tried to smooth it over with an apology, but the look alone made cold sweat pour down his back.
The announcer stopped speaking. The medical staff on standby were already preparing a stretcher. The track referee sprinted over and grabbed the culprit.
On the high platform, First High’s principal shot to his feet. For something this malicious to happen under First High’s name was an absolute disgrace.
Complaints exploded nonstop. The collision had been blatant, and the big screen camera had been on Qian Kun at the exact moment. Everyone saw it clearly.
Class Nine had sharp mouths on a normal day. Now that they’d seen Qian Kun get taken out on purpose, they went full firepower.
“That’s shameless! If you can’t beat him, you play dirty?”
“Ahhh, is my idol hurt? Kun-ge must be in so much pain!”
“Damn it, I’m gonna lose it!”
“First High, are you that unable to take an L?”
Plenty of First High students had been cheering too. Hearing this, they were mortified. Some with thin skin looked like they were about to cry on the spot.
They hadn’t expected something like this either. It felt like they couldn’t even stand here anymore.
Shen Jin frowned and strode that way.
The referee asked about Qian Kun’s condition. Qian Kun checked his ankle. He’d spent several summers at a military academy and could judge his own body. A slight sprain, nothing serious.
It was just that now, even the person in last place had passed him.
At that moment, the broadcast was playing Shen Jin’s cheer message. Qian Kun turned his head and saw Shen Jin walking over.
Qian Kun stood and made a gesture that he was fine.
He’d made Shen Jin worry. Damn it. This really lit a fuse.
His expression hardened. Without saying a word, he returned to the track. Now he was over half a lap behind the already-surging Ke Minghuai, who was leading with endurance far beyond the ordinary.
“That collision was intense. Qian Kun looks like he’s injured. The stretcher is already coming over… wait, he’s back on the track!”
“My god, is he still going to continue?”
Class Nine never expected that Kun-ge, who’d only joined their class halfway, would have this much class pride at a crucial moment.
The Shengshi students weren’t surprised at all. “The best part of Kun-ge is exactly this. He’s more badass than an Alpha!”
“Kun-ge, go! Crush those bastards!”
Luo Ying and the others saw him refuse treatment and keep running. Their eyes flooded with tears. “Ahhh, Brother Kun, please be okay!”
“We don’t need a medal, we’re still happy. Who cares about those trash mobs!”
Luo Ying was pretty. The moment she shouted, plenty of eyes turned toward her.
Third High: Who are you calling trash mobs?
Shengshi: Definitely not us.
Together, they looked at First High.
First High: …
Don’t ask. It’s just humiliating.
Losing was one thing. Pulling a stunt like that in front of other schools was next-level shame.
It was so bad it made them want to cheer for Qian Kun too. Were these Nanhu people contagious or what?
“Kun-ge, we don’t need to swallow this!”
“Let’s quit!”
“Screw it, let’s go home!”
Qian Kun didn’t stop running. Seeing his attitude, Class Nine’s thoughts slowly changed direction.
“Brother Kun doesn’t want to quit. What do we do?”
“Ice God’s up front. Let’s go too!”
“Wait for me, you guys!”
The Shengshi students also rushed toward the front line.
“Hey, why are you following? Your Shengshi runner isn’t even going this way.”
“We’re all brothers, why be so polite!”
Jiang Yifan and the others: Since when were we brothers? Did you just declare that unilaterally?
In the final two laps, Shen Jin stood where Qian Kun would pass.
Their eyes met in midair, silently. Shen Jin didn’t even glance at Ke Minghuai, who had already passed this point.
When Qian Kun reached him, Shen Jin said, “I’ll be waiting for you at the finish.”
He didn’t try to stop him. He understood Qian Kun. This was someone who didn’t allow himself to quit halfway.
All Qian Kun could hear was his own harsh breathing.
But that single sentence drilled deep into him.
He didn’t answer. He only accelerated.
Two back-to-back events were rapidly draining his stamina. Forcing another burst, he pushed his mental strength to the extreme.
His gaze swept past the first-place Ke Minghuai and locked only on the finish line.
The announcer hadn’t even known who Qian Kun was at first. Now her voice rang through the entire stadium.
The atmosphere was too blazing. It infected everyone, including her.
Qian Kun’s catch-up sprint, one overtake after another, pushed the visual payoff and anticipation to the peak.
“Qian Kun is back on track, but he’s fallen far behind. Will a miracle happen?!!”
“Ahhh, he’s overtaken three in a row! He’s passing the seventh-place runner now!”
“Next is sixth, my god. Is this speed even human?”
“He’s so fast I can’t see him clearly, like an afterimage. Fifth, ahhh, fourth!”
“He’s passed third! He’s attacking second, and there’s only the last half lap left. He’s passed him! He’s getting closer and closer to first place, Ke Minghuai!”
“Let’s see who takes it today!”
In the final moment, Ke Minghuai’s endurance reached its limit. He even developed a faint ringing in his ears.
But he heard the announcer shouting Qian Kun’s name, and he forced himself to hold on.
No one expected that Qian Kun, who had dropped to last, would claw back with such crushing momentum, overtaking one runner after another.
Ke Minghuai realized this was a terrifying enemy, one who fixed on a target like a wolf and refused to let go.
When they crossed the finish, Qian Kun was ahead of Ke Minghuai by half a body. It was visible to the naked eye.
“Oh my god! He created a legend!”
“He did it!!”
Qian Kun ran through the line, panting. The moment he lifted his head to look for someone, he saw Shen Jin standing quietly with his jacket, gazing at him. Under the sunlight, it felt strangely tender.
And when he looked again, it felt like an illusion.
Before he could go over, Class Nine swarmed him. Even the Shengshi students, who were basically strangers, piled in too. Together they tried to lift Qian Kun into the air.
Qian Kun had zero interest in being tossed skyward. He pushed through the crowd, grabbed Shen Jin standing on the outer edge, and took off running.
Shen Jin glanced at their clasped hands, a little tense. “Why are we running?”
“The way they’re looking at me, it’s like I’m Tang Monk’s flesh,” Qian Kun said. “This humble one is scared.”
Shen Jin was amused at the comparison. He didn’t have the bandwidth to care about their joined hands anymore and ran with him back toward their stands.
Neither of them paid attention to Ke Minghuai on the side, his legs trembling faintly. How could Qian Kun surge back from last place? Even for an Alpha it wasn’t realistic, and Ke Minghuai himself was a top-tier Alpha.
Ke Minghuai pressed a hand to his ear as the ringing slowly faded, eyes fixed on their interlaced fingers.
Shen Jin hated being touched and hated Alphas even more.
He had really changed.
The previously melancholic Shen Jin had at some unknown point become full of vitality and youthful vigor.
Class Nine still chased behind them, yelling.
“Kun-ge, why are you running? We need to check your injury!”
“Kun-ge, your leg is gonna fall off if you keep sprinting like that!”
“You’re so stingy. It’s just a victory lift!”
Qian Kun looked back. “Get lost! Who wants to be lifted by Alphas?!”
A whole group chased the two in front, all grinning. Maybe even many years later, they still wouldn’t forget this scene, laughter under a flawless blue sky.
Students from the other schools watched, and for some reason, their hearts felt sour.
First High: “If you didn’t know better, you’d think they won a team event. It’s just an individual race. Why are they being so dramatic?”
Third High: “Their class relationship is way too good. I’m jealous.”
Yeah. So envious.
So many clowns, such an easy, harmonious vibe. Regular school days must be fun too.
Hu Shengqiang brought the school doctor over to check Qian Kun’s injury. The doctor pressed his ankle. “Does it hurt when you walk?”
“No.”
“It shouldn’t be the bone, but I still recommend you go to the hospital.”
Qian Kun nodded. Not long after, several Omegas appeared near their seats carrying water.
Qian Kun took the bottle that Shen Jin was holding, twisted it open, and drank.
He didn’t even need to say no. That single action pushed the water-givers back immediately.
Seeing Shen Jin keep looking at him, Qian Kun raised a brow. “Wasn’t it for me?”
“It was,” Shen Jin said.
It’s just that he hadn’t expected Qian Kun to take it so naturally.
Shen Jin glanced at his ankle. “You should stop competing this afternoon. After it ends, go to the hospital and get an X-ray.”
“You’ll come with me?”
You’re not a kid. Do you really need someone to accompany you to the hospital?
Shen Jin figured there wasn’t anything else going on anyway, so he agreed. When he saw the joy flicker in Qian Kun’s eyes, Shen Jin’s own lips rose a little too.
A teacher from First High brought the Alpha who’d crashed into him over to apologize sincerely. The Alpha had just been given a crash course by classmates about who he’d offended, someone you absolutely couldn’t mess with.
Qian Kun looked at the Alpha, who was so pale he looked like he might drop to his knees, and said, “What you affected wasn’t just me. It was our entire class.”
“And I’m not someone who makes things hard for others. Go write cheer messages for our Class Nine, one for every person, wishing us victory this afternoon. If they all think it’s enough, then we’ll forgive you.”
Class Nine’s eyes instantly lit up. This was good. He’d lived this long and never heard sincere praise in his life.
As expected of you, Kun-ge. Even the bamboo shoots on the mountain have been harvested clean by you.
The First High teacher knew they were in the wrong and didn’t dare to interject.
The Alpha looked miserable. “But… I don’t know your class members.”
What should’ve been a single apology had been split into dozens. That was ruthless.
Qian Kun swept him with a look. The Alpha stammered, “I, I’ll go get to know them right now!”
So he went around, met every single person, then went back and wracked his brain to write a pile of glowing compliments.
At noon break, Qian Kun dozed for a bit. When he woke up, he noticed his little friend wasn’t at his seat. After asking around, he learned Ke Minghuai had called Shen Jin away.
Qian Kun frowned, searched for a while, and finally saw them outside the gym on the outer walkway.
Ke Minghuai came to ask about the boyfriend thing. He knew Shen Jin well. Even if their engagement had ended, Shen Jin wouldn’t fall for someone that fast.
“Qian Kun said he’s your boyfriend. Is it true?” Ke Minghuai watched every flicker of Shen Jin’s expression, trying to find a crack.
Shen Jin was a little surprised, but then he remembered how that Alpha got impulsive every time Ke Minghuai came up. Really impulsive.
There was a very high chance Qian Kun had said it outright.
Shen Jin nodded. “Mm. He is.”
Ke Minghuai had assumed it was smoke and mirrors meant to confuse him. He never expected it to be real.
The news pulled Ke Minghuai’s mind out of place. He thought he still had time, but that was only what he thought. He couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Why? You’ve only known each other for so long.”
“Time has nothing to do with it. The first time I saw him, I wondered how someone could exist who made it impossible for me to look away.” Such mushy words actually worked quite well here.
No matter how Ke Minghuai reacted, Qian Kun, listening at the corner, felt his heart rate spike.
That was his exact line from last night, and Shen Jin had copied it word for word.
So last night he was pretending to sleep?
Too bad. So bad it made him… want him even more.
Shen Jin only wanted to end things quickly, but Qian Kun was already being driven half-crazy by that sentence.
He didn’t know what else was said. Ke Minghuai had already left, and Shen Jin glanced at the edge of a piece of clothing at a nearby corner.
Then Shen Jin walked over.
He looked at the Alpha leaning against the wall, starlight-bright in his eyes, and said, “Are you happy eavesdropping?”
Author’s Note:
Qian Qian: Very much.
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