The plaza where Shen Huaizhi was waiting wasn’t far from where Jiang Heng lived. As Jiang Heng headed over, the temperature started to warm up slightly, and the sun was unusually bright.
Early in the morning, the plaza was still bustling with people. Many had returned home for the New Year, and with nothing to do at home, they came out to wander around. Shen Huaizhi was waiting for Jiang Heng at a breakfast shop. The shop was crowded too, and it was well-decorated with floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing a clear view of everything inside from the outside.
Jiang Heng glanced into the shop from outside and immediately spotted Shen Huaizhi sitting in the center. He paused for a moment. He hadn’t expected Shen Huaizhi to come looking for him. Perhaps his behavior last night had been too clingy, conveying to Shen Huaizhi that he was eager to see him.
A swelling emotion began to rise in Jiang Heng’s chest. He decided to walk around to the front entrance, but just before he looked away, he noticed a girl suddenly standing next to Shen Huaizhi. The girl said something to Shen Huaizhi and even took out her phone. Shen Huaizhi’s expression was indifferent, seemingly not paying attention to what the girl was saying, until he suddenly looked up when she handed him her phone.
Then, Jiang Heng saw Shen Huaizhi say something to the girl. Shen Huaizhi could attract others no matter where he went. Jiang Heng decided to wait until the girl left before going in. But in the next second, the girl suddenly looked in his direction. At the same time, Shen Huaizhi’s gaze also fell steadily on him, as if he had known Jiang Heng was standing there all along. His previously indifferent expression now showed a hint of a smile.
Shen Huaizhi was wearing a long black coat, making him look taller and less like a student. Despite his youthful appearance, his demeanor was imposing and hard to ignore. The girl seemed to have noticed Jiang Heng too. She nodded apologetically at him before quickly returning to her original position, looking quite embarrassed.
Jiang Heng paused for a moment and shook his head lightly. He sat down opposite Shen Huaizhi and hesitantly asked, “Why did you… suddenly come over?” Even though he had a guess, he inexplicably wanted to hear Shen Huaizhi’s reason.
Shen Huaizhi chuckled softly, picked up the menu, and teased, “Didn’t you say you missed me?” Jiang Heng hesitated for a moment, then replied, “So, do I have the superpower of making my wishes come true?”
Shen Huaizhi was taken aback by his words. After a few seconds, he smiled and nodded, then asked earnestly, “Do you want to think about anything else you want to get?”
As he finished speaking, he saw Jiang Heng slowly shaking his head. Jiang Heng’s down jacket was very large, making him look even thinner as if he was engulfed by it. However, his expression was quite serious.
“No, that’s enough,” Jiang Heng’s voice was soft. The surrounding chatter was loud, but outside the school, there was a big street lined with snack shops, accessory stores, and internet cafes. Since it was a holiday, the school’s gates were closed.
The two of them wandered outside for a while. Jiang Heng hesitated and said, “We can only climb over the wall to get in.”
For a good student like Shen Huaizhi, he had probably never done anything so sneaky. Jiang Heng thought about this and smiled, “Class monitor, can you climb over walls?”
Shen Huaizhi paused, “I’ve never tried.”
“So you can’t,” Jiang Heng’s eyebrows almost lifted with delight. It was rare to find something Shen Huaizhi couldn’t do, so he definitely wanted to tease him about it. Before he could say anything, Shen Huaizhi interrupted, “We can try.”
“But it seems a bit obvious now,” he added, gesturing for Jiang Heng to look inside the school.
Although it was a holiday, the security guard at the school gate wasn’t off duty. Seeing the two of them loitering outside for a while, the guard had been watching them with his phone in hand, ready to call the police at any moment.
“Do you think the guard will let us in?” Jiang Heng thought it would be a pity not to sneak in with Shen Huaizhi, but walking through the front gate openly seemed like a good idea too. Shen Huaizhi raised an eyebrow. The guard didn’t seem to recognize Jiang Heng, but he still asked, “Why don’t you give it a try?”
As soon as Shen Huaizhi finished speaking, Jiang Heng confidently told him to wait there for him. Jiang Heng had taken off his thick down jacket, which was now hanging on Shen Huaizhi’s arm. The boy in the white sweater looked much more lively than before. At least, he didn’t seem as lonely and sad as he did yesterday.
Watching Jiang Heng’s back for a while, Shen Huaizhi lowered his gaze and smiled.
“Uncle, I’m just here to get some homework,” Jiang Heng said, trying to look like a good student.
The guard glanced at him a few times. This guard had been hired after Jiang Heng transferred, so he didn’t recognize him. Shaking his head firmly, the guard said, “I can’t let you in. If you really were a student here and looked as handsome as you do, I’d remember you.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
For a moment, he didn’t know whether to be happy or angry. He tried to persuade the guard for a while, but the guard was too determined and dutiful. In the end, Jiang Heng had to give up.
“We should come back tonight to climb the wall,” Jiang Heng said as he returned to Shen Huaizhi’s side, his expression carrying a hint of coldness, clearly irritated by the security guard.
Seeing him like this, Shen Huaizhi nodded cooperatively. “So, where should we go now?” It was still early, not even lunchtime. Since they couldn’t get into the school, the two of them aimlessly wandered around. When they reached the internet cafe outside the school again, Jiang Heng paused and hesitated a little. “Class monitor, how about we go in and use the internet?”
Jiang Heng felt this suggestion was a bit odd. Who brings their boyfriend over to their place and ends up taking them on a day tour of an internet cafe? In reality, even he hadn’t been to the internet cafe outside the school much. He didn’t play many games, unlike some boys in his class who skipped class just to play games. As a result, although the disciplinary director often caught students in the internet cafes outside the school, he had never caught Jiang Heng.
There were even boys who asked Jiang Heng what fun it was if he didn’t play games and skip class. At that time, Jiang Heng mocked them, saying sports were the only fun. When he skipped class, he usually played basketball, wandered around, and then went home to sleep.
Since it was the winter break, only one internet cafe outside the school was open. The owner was quite surprised to see people come in.
“How long?” Shen Huaizhi asked, handing over his ID to get a computer.
The owner quickly waved it off, “No need for an ID here. Just pay.”
“A whole day?” Jiang Heng paused, not considering whether his gaming skills could sustain a whole day.
Hearing the voices, the owner noticed another person following the first boy. The owner found the person familiar and after a moment, his expression became excited.
“Jiang Heng, is that you? It’s been a while! Did you transfer schools?”
Shen Huaizhi found the situation amusing and glanced back at the somewhat bewildered Jiang Heng.
Jiang Heng was surprised, “Boss, you know me?”
He couldn’t remember ever coming to this internet cafe.
The owner nodded, “Do you want a private room?”
“Yes, a private room,” Shen Huaizhi responded.
While setting up their computers, the owner reminisced, “There was some trouble here before, and a few boys said they’d find someone to settle it. I remember you clearly because you were the only one with a buzz cut, and you were really handsome. The scene was quite intimidating, hard to forget.”
Jiang Heng was indeed memorable, being the only one with a buzz cut and good looks, and the intimidating presence he had made it impossible for the owner to forget him.
The owner had been quite grateful at the time and had waived the internet fees for the boys who had helped out, but he never had the chance to see Jiang Heng again. Initially, he thought Jiang Heng wasn’t a student at Yuancheng High School, but later found out that Jiang Heng just didn’t go online often.
Jiang Heng cleared his throat and sneaked a glance at Shen Huaizhi, feeling a wave of embarrassment at the thought of his boyfriend knowing about his past heroics. Although he couldn’t clearly remember when he had come here to fight and help out, he straightened his expression and nodded seriously, “I transferred schools.”
The owner expressed his regret upon hearing this.
When the two entered the private room, Jiang Heng was carrying a bunch of snacks that the owner had given them. The owner explained that he had never had the chance to thank Jiang Heng before and hoped he wouldn’t refuse the gesture, otherwise, he would feel bad about it. Jiang Heng couldn’t decline, so he accepted the snacks.
Once inside the private room, Shen Huaizhi looked at Jiang Heng with a constant, faint smile.
Feeling a bit self-conscious under his gaze, Jiang Heng thought for a moment and said, “You don’t have to keep looking at me like that. I don’t even remember much of it myself.”
Shen Huaizhi nodded and chuckled lightly, “Seems like you’ve done a lot of good deeds?”
Taking the question seriously, Jiang Heng tried to recall. He wasn’t sure what counted as good deeds; he just liked playing the hero when he had nothing better to do. Many things were blurry in his memory.
“Yeah, a lot, but I don’t really remember them.”
“I’m curious,” Shen Huaizhi paused, “Can you tell me about the ones you do remember?”
He wanted to hear about Jiang Heng’s past.
Jiang Heng paused in his action of turning on the computer. Talking about this felt a bit embarrassing.
He glanced at Shen Huaizhi, who was looking at him with a gentle smile, not teasing but genuinely interested, as if he wanted to be a part of Jiang Heng’s past.
Jiang Heng cleared his throat, “If you really want to hear it, I suppose I can.” He hesitated for a moment and then smiled slightly, “How about this: for every story I tell, you let me kiss you?”
Shen Huaizhi was taken aback, not expecting Jiang Heng to make such a suggestion. This guy…
He probably didn’t realize that proposing such an idea in a space where it was just the two of them would give the Alpha some rather unwholesome thoughts.
Before Shen Huaizhi could respond, Jiang Heng quickly added, “I mean, I’ll initiate.”
After saying that, Jiang Heng felt a bit embarrassed himself. Here Shen Huaizhi had come all the way to Yuancheng to be with him, and all Jiang Heng could think about were these inappropriate ideas.
Shen Huaizhi lowered his gaze, the smile on his lips fading, and his eyes took on an indescribable emotion. The sound of the computer booting up was particularly loud in the silent private room.
The private room had leather sofas. When Jiang Heng sat down, he sank into it. The internet cafe’s dim lighting cast a faint glow on him.
“What do you mean by you taking the initiative?” Shen Huaizhi asked softly, his voice tinged with a tender undertone.
Jiang Heng thought about it. Since he had already brought it up, saying a bit more wouldn’t hurt. “I mean, without you making the first move.”
He felt he had explained it clearly, but Shen Huaizhi still had a look of confusion. He leaned forward slightly, almost half-leaning on Jiang Heng’s sofa, his eyes unabashedly on Jiang Heng’s neck.
Because of the temporary marking before leaving, the Alpha keenly noticed the faint scent of his pheromones on the Omega.
Jiang Heng’s middle school and high school years were spent at Yuancheng High School, a direct progression from one to the other. The noodle shop had been around since he started middle school.
Back then, the noodle shop was small and not doing well. There were many stores outside the school, and students tended to flock to the popular ones. At that time, the owner’s wife was still around.
One day, the owner’s wife was no longer there. People asked the owner where she was, and he said she was sick and needed money for treatment.
Soon, half the school knew the noodle shop owner’s wife was ill and the owner was poor and needed money for her treatment. Students started eating at the noodle shop, which had decent food, and the owner was a nice, optimistic person.
Jiang Heng paused. “You might think this has nothing to do with me.”
Shen Huaizhi hesitated slightly, then shook his head gently.
Jiang Heng chuckled. “The fool who spread the word about the owner’s situation was me.”
“I thought if the business did well, there would be money to save her.”
“The couple were really good people,” Jiang Heng reminisced with a light smile, his eyes downcast. “I was in middle school at the time. Once, during a parent-teacher meeting, no one came for me. The teachers wouldn’t let students sit in, so I ran out.”
“The owner and his wife thought I had done poorly on my exams and gave me a free bowl of noodles,” he paused. “They were both Betas, married for a long time without children.”
The fertility rate for Betas is much lower than for Omegas.
After hearing this, Shen Huaizhi gently patted Jiang Heng’s head, even more softly than before. He couldn’t imagine how Jiang Heng felt, being the only one without parents at the parent-teacher meeting.
Shen Huaizhi suddenly lost any favorable impression of Jiang Heng’s parents. Despite hearing from Ruan Shu about Jiang Jin’s achievements and how amazing Xie An was with all the research awards he had won, it couldn’t change his feelings. He thought that if he and Jiang Heng had children in the future, no matter how busy he was, he would always make time to be with them, ensuring they grew up well. If he couldn’t do that, then he wouldn’t have children at all.
Shen Huaizhi’s comforting gesture made Jiang Heng look up slightly. “I’m not upset,” he said, lightly cursing. Then he continued his story.
Although the business improved and money was made, the owner’s wife didn’t survive to see the New Year when Jiang Heng was in his third year of middle school. It was after the New Year that Jiang Heng found out. He went to the shop to find the owner, and since it was just after the school term started, the shop was relatively quiet. The owner was alone, eating noodles.
When he saw Jiang Heng, he warmly invited him to have some noodles. Perhaps because he was in the presence of a familiar young face, the owner started crying as he ate.
“I panicked at that moment,” Jiang Heng said, laughing again. “I thought he had cried because of his own spicy sauce.”
Shen Huaizhi chuckled softly.
“The owner saw my panic and quickly reassured me, saying it had nothing to do with me,” Jiang Heng’s tone softened. “He said he just couldn’t understand why so many people liked to pity others. He didn’t know where this pity came from and felt overwhelmed when he saw so many people coming to his shop out of sympathy.”
“Even though he knew everyone meant well, he just couldn’t feel happy.”
“I didn’t understand the owner’s feelings at the time. I thought I was being kind, so why couldn’t he accept it?” Jiang Heng clicked his tongue, as if regretting it. “So I went and scolded him.”
“After that, I never went back to their shop.”
Jiang Heng finished and looked at Shen Huaizhi, who seemed to be staring at him with a complicated expression. He smiled, “Do you think what I did back then was foolish?”
“Thinking I was a hero, but just hurting others.”
It wasn’t until people pitied him that Jiang Heng understood how unpleasant it was to be pitied. Some people might need that sympathy, but others didn’t.
Shen Huaizhi gently shook his head, placing a hand on the back of Jiang Heng’s head, stroking it soothingly. “No.”
“Your intentions were good.”
Shen Huaizhi paused. “You just didn’t consider everything.”
Jiang Heng felt relieved that Shen Huaizhi didn’t say something blindly supportive like “you didn’t do anything wrong.”
Jiang Heng nodded, “Yeah, so now, whenever I want to play hero, I need to think about whether the person actually needs a hero.”
Though since moving to Jin City, he hadn’t really had the chance.
After he finished speaking, Shen Huaizhi laughed, “Didn’t we agree that you’ll take me along next time?”
His expression was serious, still concerned about the incident with the deer.
Jiang Heng was taken aback, and after a moment, he responded, “Got it, I’ll take you along.”
If Shen Huaizhi hadn’t brought it up, Jiang Heng would have forgotten about it.
After a few seconds of pause, Jiang Heng asked, “So, can we play a game now?”
After telling that story, Jiang Heng felt an itch to play.
Even though he wasn’t good at games, it didn’t stop him from wanting to play right now. After all, he’d been studying diligently for so long, and his only extracurricular activity was the unchanging morning runs.
Seeing how quickly Jiang Heng switched topics and that he wasn’t upset, Shen Huaizhi felt relieved and replied with a bit of teasing, “Do you even know how to play?”
Jiang Heng’s expression went blank for a moment. “I definitely play better than you.”
For someone like Shen Huaizhi, who spent all day buried in books, he probably hadn’t even seen what computer games looked like.
Jiang Heng’s confidence was high, but when they actually started playing, he witnessed the power of an academic overachiever.
Unlike Jiang Heng, who would only pick cool-sounding jungle heroes, Shen Huaizhi said before they started, “I’ll look up some strategies first.”
Jiang Heng was puzzled, “What?”
Shen Huaizhi then opened Baidu and searched for which heroes in which positions could carry, which ones were the strongest, and the best strategies and damage calculations for those heroes.
Jiang Heng watched him read quickly and asked in confusion, “Did you remember all that?”
Shen Huaizhi nodded and mimicked his tone, “More or less.”
Jiang Heng replied blankly, “Oh,” thinking it was just theoretical knowledge.
When they started the game, Shen Huaizhi chose a hero based on his research. Jiang Heng still played jungle, a role he was particularly fond of.
They played against AI opponents. Previously, when Jiang Heng and He Ci played, they got badly beaten by the AI, so this time, Jiang Heng was determined to redeem himself and show off in front of his boyfriend.
However, not long after the game started, while Jiang Heng was still struggling in the jungle, Shen Huaizhi suddenly got the first kill.
Jiang Heng: “?”
He turned to look at Shen Huaizhi, who calmly explained, “I understood the mechanics and calculated the damage.”
Jiang Heng blankly replied, “Oh,” again.
But it didn’t stop there. Shen Huaizhi went on to get the second, third… even the sixth kill, and he even came to help Jiang Heng invade the enemy jungle. He didn’t play like a beginner at all.
By the end of the match, Jiang Heng was still a bit lost in thought. Some people are just naturally good at games, unlike him, who didn’t have a single talent point in gaming. He couldn’t even get past levels in a simple game like Candy Crush.
Jiang Heng couldn’t help but say, “Class monitor, are you tricking me? Have you played this game before?”
“There’s no need to be embarrassed.”
Hearing this, Shen Huaizhi was momentarily speechless and shook his head, “No, maybe it’s just natural talent?”
Damn, that made Jiang Heng even more annoyed.
Seeing Jiang Heng’s expressionless face, Shen Huaizhi chuckled softly, his tone slightly appeasing, “Want me to give you the kills next time?”
Jiang Heng shook his head, “No, I need to practice my skills. How come I’m not as good as you at anything?”
Hearing this, Shen Huaizhi paused for a moment, “Alright.”
But there was no need to practice. When it came to skills, Shen Huaizhi figured it would be enough if he had them. However, he didn’t say this out loud, not wanting to provoke Jiang Heng further.
A single game could take quite a while, and they hadn’t even played ten games when Jiang Heng glanced at the computer’s lower right corner and saw it was already past five in the afternoon.
No wonder it felt colder than before. Even though the private room had air conditioning, they could still feel the temperature change. Plus, he was getting a bit hungry.
They had eaten a lot for breakfast, so they hadn’t felt the need for lunch. By now, they had digested everything.
After the last game, Jiang Heng was in a good mood. Maybe because they played a lot, he managed to get some kills, and his hand speed wasn’t bad. Initially, he just wasn’t familiar with the game, but with Shen Huaizhi’s guidance, he improved.
Seeing Jiang Heng so content, Shen Huaizhi suggested, “Let’s get something to eat?”
Jiang Heng nodded. “Sure, I’m hungry too.”
They left the private room, and Jiang Heng led Shen Huaizhi back towards the classroom. On the way, Jiang Heng shared some of his past experiences, “I used to come here often. The dean would often catch people here. I’ve been caught several times.”
Not just for skipping class, but also for smoking. However, the dean would just give him a lecture, knowing that even if he called Jiang Heng’s parents, they wouldn’t come, so he didn’t bother.
As they walked, Jiang Heng used his phone’s flashlight to guide the way, wrapped in Shen Huaizhi’s arms, feeling quite warm. He even regretted wearing such a bulky down jacket today—it was quite inconvenient.
“In our first year, we were in classrooms on the first floor, and in the second year, we moved to the third floor,” Jiang Heng explained as they walked. The hallways were dark, and the entire school felt eerily quiet with just the two of them.
Jiang Heng gave Shen Huaizhi a tour of the school. Before long, they arrived at the second-year classrooms. Jiang Heng had been in Class Three. The doors and windows of the classrooms were locked, so they couldn’t go inside.
Shen Huaizhi glanced around, “Where did you use to sit?”
Jiang Heng responded, “In the back, over there in the corner.” He pointed to a corner of the classroom that was now empty.
Because Jiang Heng didn’t study and often skipped classes, the teachers left him alone, fearing he might be a bad influence on the other students. They didn’t even assign him a desk mate.
Hearing this, Shen Huaizhi’s expression softened, and the smile on his lips faded.
But Jiang Heng didn’t seem bothered. “It gave me a lot of freedom, and no one watched me.”
“And now?” Shen Huaizhi suddenly asked.
Jiang Heng was taken aback and instinctively asked, “What do you mean, now?”
“At No. 1 High School,” Shen Huaizhi clarified.
Jiang Heng hesitated for a moment. This person clearly knew where he sat; they were desk mates, after all. Yet he still asked such a childish question. He thought about it and answered sincerely, “Not as much freedom, and someone is always watching me.”
“Watching me all the time,” he added, pausing to secretly observe Shen Huaizhi’s expression. Seeing the smile on Shen Huaizhi’s lips grow wider, Jiang Heng continued, “But it feels a lot better than before.”
Having someone care about and protect him made everything much better.
As they left the classroom building, Jiang Heng remembered something else. “We also have a little grove in our school that’s popular for dating.”
Shen Huaizhi paused. “Every school seems to have one.”
Even though schools strictly prohibited early relationships, high school romances were often the purest and most beautiful. Despite many of these relationships ending without much fanfare, it didn’t stop students from creating their own little sanctuaries for love.
Jiang Heng thought about it, “I used to hear people say that the grass in the grove was very comfortable to lie on.”
High school boys talked about everything, and although Jiang Heng didn’t participate much, he often overheard them discussing who had been seen lying together in the grove. He naturally assumed the grass there was perfect for napping. But he never had the chance to try it out.
Now, Jiang Heng finally understood that it was more about couples being unable to resist each other.
Shen Huaizhi’s steps slowed, and his voice lowered, “Jiang Heng, when you say things like that, it gives me the wrong idea.”
In the darkness of the night, talking about how comfortable a place was to lie down could easily lead to misunderstandings, especially for an Alpha with a mind full of less-than-innocent thoughts.
As his words trailed off, Jiang Heng shook his head slowly. “It seems like you didn’t misunderstand either?”
Jiang Heng spoke earnestly, “I’ve always wanted to try it, but I never had the right person to experiment with.”
“It feels quite exhilarating.”
Following his memory, Jiang Heng and Shen Huaizhi wandered around the school for a while. With winter approaching, the once lush trees had become bare, turning the small grove into a barren land. Seeing Jiang Heng’s darkening expression, Shen Huaizhi couldn’t help but chuckle. “It’s okay, this place is still pretty big.”
Not only was it big, but behind the small grove was a wall covered in messy drawings. It was then that Jiang Heng realized their school actually had the legendary “confession wall.” He even spotted his name several times on it.
“Senior Jiang Heng, I like you! But I’m too scared to tell you,” Shen Huaizhi’s soft voice reached Jiang Heng’s ears as the other person held their phone up to the wall, reading the confessions seriously.
Jiang Heng: “…”
“The feeling of liking you is like a gust of wind, gently brushing over my heart. Jiang Heng, I wonder if you’ll ever notice?” Shen Huaizhi continued, still absorbed in the confessions.
Jiang Heng: “…”
“Alright, Shen Huaizhi, I noticed. Can you please stop?” Jiang Heng said with a deadpan expression, reaching out and grabbing Shen Huaizhi’s hand.
Shen Huaizhi seemed to pause, his gaze still fixed on the wall. After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly, sounding somewhat worried. “What should I do? You’re so popular, it makes me a little concerned.”
Finishing his words, he turned his head, his eyes filled with unmistakable greed as he looked at Jiang Heng.
Author’s Note: Today is another sweet and ordinary day.
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading ❤️”
