Upon seeing Shen Huaixiu and Rong Shu tumble off the stage together, Shen Huaiqiu hurriedly ran over.
However, as he got closer, his urgent steps unconsciously slowed down. “Ahem, are you guys okay?”
The two people, upon hearing this, immediately separated.
Rong Shu climbed off of Shen Huaixiu. His cat ears on top of his head twitched non-stop and his beautiful peach blossom eyes had a hint of red at the corners due to the earlier movement, resembling falling petals. He smiled naturally and said to Shen Huaiqiu, “I’m fine. I just slipped a bit.”
After speaking, he turned his head to look at Shen Huaixiu, who was slowly getting up from the ground. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Shen Huaixiu pressed his hand to the ground, stood up, and looked at Shen Huaiqiu.
The moment Shen Huaiqiu saw him looking at him, his eyes widened, and a chill ran down his spine. He hadn’t thought much when he rushed over, but who would have expected that they would fall in such a way that their lips would end up colliding? Now, he didn’t even dare look at the corner of Shen Huaixiu’s mouth, which had split from the impact. “What’s the matter?”
“The mat on the stage needs to be replaced; it’s not slip-resistant enough.” After Shen Huaixiu said this, he glanced down at Rong Shu, who was still sitting on the ground catching his breath. “I’m going to take a shower. Watch over him for me.”
“Oh, okay.” Shen Huaiqiu’s mind was still somewhat in shock, not yet fully recovered from the earlier scene. But when he thought about it, why was he, as a bystander, less composed than Shen Huaixiu, who had experienced it firsthand?
What was he embarrassed about?
“Ahem. Xu Shu, are you alright? Can you stand up?”
Rong Shu, who had been sitting on the ground trying to calm his emotions, immediately jumped up upon hearing this. “I can!”
Not only could he stand up now—he could run ten laps outside if needed!
He was full of energy!
If he had known that falling down could lead to a kiss, he would have done it long ago! What a waste of all that time!
Shen Huaiqiu didn’t need to ask; one look at the excitement in Rong Shu’s eyes was enough to tell that this kid was fine. In fact, he seemed to be doing quite well.
“So, do you want to rest for a bit or take a shower first?”
“I’ll rest for a bit.”
“Then sit here and have some fruit. Huaixiu went to take a shower. It’ll be a while before he’s done. You two can leave together later. Have you eaten dinner?”
“I’ve eaten.”
“Alright then, just have some fruit.”
“Okay.”
After the two sat on the sofa, they fell into silence. Shen Huaiqiu was still preoccupied with the matter he hadn’t clarified earlier, while Rong Shu was still excited about the sudden “kiss” from before.
After sitting for a while, Shen Huaiqiu stood up, smiled at Rong Shu, and went straight to find Shen Huaixiu, who was changing clothes inside.
When Shen Huaixiu saw him rush in, he raised an eyebrow, silently asking what the matter was.
Shen Huaiqiu sat down heavily on a nearby chair. “Alright, tell me—what’s the deal between you two?”
Staring at the split corner of Shen Huaixiu’s lip, Shen Huaiqiu felt a headache coming on. While the Shen family had always been hands-off when it came to raising children, if Shen Huaixiu brought home an Alpha, he would definitely be a little concerned.
Shen Huaixiu finished putting on his clothes and looked back at him. “We’re just classmates.”
“Don’t try to fool me, I’m not blind. The way you act around him is definitely more than just ‘classmates’. And besides, I saw what happened just now. You can’t tell me you couldn’t avoid falling off the stage like that.”
Shen Huaiqiu wore an expression that said, I’ve already seen through the truth, while Shen Huaixiu just gave a slight smirk. “At least for now, we’re still just classmates.”
Shen Huaiqiu sharply inhaled, “So you really…”
“Don’t worry about it!”
“It’s not that I don’t want to, but can I even control you? Just make sure you know what you’re doing!”
After saying that, Shen Huaiqiu turned and walked away, clearly implying that he didn’t want to see any more of this.
Rong Shu’s eyes lit up when he saw Shen Huaixiu come out, freshly changed. He stood up and said, “You’ve changed!”
“Mm.” Shen Huaixiu walked over, his gaze falling on Rong Shu’s similarly bruised lip. His eyes darkened. “Go change your clothes. I’ll wait for you.”
“Okay.”
Shen Huaiqiu watched this scene unfold, then pulled out his phone and sent a message to the eldest of the Shen family:
「Shen Huaiqiu: Your mouth must be blessed. Please stop talking from now on!」
「Shen Huaian: Does Huaixiu like him?」
「Shen Huaiqiu: He didn’t say he liked him, but he definitely has feelings!」
「Shen Huaian: Okay, got it.」
「Shen Huaiqiu: …That’s it? Aren’t you going to do anything about it?」
「Shen Huaian: If he likes him, that’s all that matters. You don’t need to interfere.」
Shen Huaiqiu was nearly furious with Shen Huaian. That’s it? That’s all?!
Based on Shen Huaian’s previous bold attitude of “waiting until he falls in love”, Shen Huaiqiu had thought he might actually take some action. But in the end, he was no different from himself!
Shen Huaiqiu rolled his eyes dramatically and stuffed his phone angrily into his pocket.
Rong Shu, now dressed in fresh clothes, turned to wave at Shen Huaiqiu. “Second Brother, we’re heading back. Thanks for today.”
“You’re welcome. Come by with Huaixiu more often.”
After leaving the boxing gym, Rong Shu, who had eaten dinner earlier, started to feel a little hungry again. He tugged at Shen Huaixiu’s sleeve. “Are you hungry? Let’s go grab something to eat on the night market street.”
“Alright.” Shen Huaixiu didn’t refuse and turned to walk with him toward the street.
“Did you come here to box because you had something on your mind tonight?” Rong Shu asked as he pulled Shen Huaixiu to a takoyaki stand, ordering two plain ones before glancing at the Alpha beside him.
The bright lights lit up the night, making it seem almost like daytime, but with a livelier atmosphere. Even the usually stoic Alpha appeared gentler in this setting.
Shen Huaixiu’s lip, where it had been split, had started to scab. Rong Shu noticed and instinctively licked the corner of his own lips in the same spot. Suddenly, his wrist was grabbed, and he looked up, confused, meeting Shen Huaixiu’s deep black eyes. The Alpha’s low voice came, “Don’t lick it. Put some ointment on when we get back and it’ll be better by tomorrow.”
Shen Huaixiu’s tone was casual and straightforward as if the injury on his lips was nothing special.
Rong Shu’s excitement dimmed. In that moment, all the joy drained away. Shen Huaixiu clearly didn’t have the same thoughts as him—what an oblivious, dense fool!
“Oh,” Rong Shu muttered, turning his head dejectedly, not wanting to look at the clueless Alpha anymore.
Shen Huaixiu noticed the small sulk, a hint of confusion flickering in his eyes. But before he could say anything, the takoyaki was ready.
Rong Shu handed it directly to him.
Shen Huaixiu didn’t take it. Instead, he stared at the boy who wouldn’t even look at him. “Are you mad?”
“Why would I be mad? I’m not mad at all,” Rong Shu said, shaking the food in his hand to indicate Shen Huaixiu should take it already.
After accepting it, Shen Huaixiu asked gently, “Do you want some water? I’ll go buy some.”
Rong Shu originally wanted to say, No, I’m not drinking, I’ll just die of thirst. However, Shen Huaixiu didn’t give him the chance and ran off to buy water before he could speak.
“Smart when he shouldn’t be, dumb when he should be—what an idiot!” Rong Shu stood there angrily, stuffing a takoyaki ball into his mouth. Unfortunately, it was straight out of the pan and scaldingly hot. “Ow!”
When Shen Huaixiu returned, he saw Rong Shu’s scrunched-up face. “What happened?”
Rong Shu finally swallowed the hot takoyaki, looking pitifully at him. “It’s too hot!”
A faint smile flickered in Shen Huaixiu’s dark eyes. He inserted a straw into the lemon tea he’d bought and handed it over. “Drink something cold to cool down.”
Rong Shu took it, gulping down a big sip. The burning in his mouth eased.
“Better?” Shen Huaixiu asked softly when he saw Rong Shu’s frown relax.
Rong Shu nodded. “Yeah, much better. Thanks.”
“Good, as long as you’re okay.”
The two of them strolled around the busy street for a while. Only after filling their stomachs did they start heading back.
On the way back, they were lucky that it wasn’t curfew yet, so they didn’t have to sneak in by climbing the wall.
“Shen Huaixiu?” A sudden voice made both of them stop as they were walking towards the dormitory building.
Rong Shu glanced at the approaching Omega, his gaze darkening. He shot a look at the cold-faced Alpha beside him but said nothing.
“It really is you! I didn’t expect to run into you here. Oh, Xu Shu is here too.” The Omega smiled. “I’m from the student council’s publicity department. We’re about to hold the intercollegiate sports meet soon. I was planning to ask your class tomorrow if you’d like to participate, but since I bumped into you here, I figured I’d ask now. If you’re interested, I can bring the application forms to you tomorrow.”
The intercollegiate sports meet was an annual event, with participants mostly being second-year students from various universities across the federation.
Seeing that the Omega in front of them was entirely focused on Shen Huaixiu, Rong Shu smiled and tilted his head to ask the Alpha beside him, “Are you going to participate? I heard that if you stand out in the sports meet, you might get noticed by the military.”
“Xu Shu is right,” the Omega added.
“Thanks, I’ll think about it,” Shen Huaixiu replied.
“Could we exchange contact information?” the Omega asked.
Rong Shu’s heart tightened, and he instinctively wanted to say something, but then he heard Shen Huaixiu calmly respond, “Sorry, it’s not very convenient. If I decide, I’ll let our homeroom teacher know.”
The tension in Rong Shu’s chest instantly dissolved, he even felt a little amused.
The Omega didn’t expect such a straightforward rejection from Shen Huaixiu. He opened his mouth several times but couldn’t say anything, leaving the atmosphere awkward.
“It’s getting late. You should be careful out here on your own, senior,” Rong Shu said with a bright smile, breaking the awkwardness with ease.
“Thank you, Xu Shu, for your concern, but—”
“Let’s go back,” Shen Huaixiu interrupted, grabbing Rong Shu’s wrist and using it as an excuse to block the Omega’s lingering gaze on him. He then led Rong Shu towards the dormitory building.
It wasn’t until they reached the dorm that Shen Huaixiu finally let go. Rong Shu casually stuffed his hands into his pockets, leaning closer with a grin. “Come on, he’s still an Omega. Couldn’t you have turned him down more gently?”
“He’s not someone I care about,” Shen Huaixiu said flatly, implying there was no need to waste time.
Noticing the surprised look on Rong Shu’s face at his comment, Shen Huaixiu gave a faint smirk.
So silly!
Author’s note:
Rong Shu: Fortunately, I have taken a liking to him. Otherwise, I would have been a loser!
Shen Huaixiu: Well, you are right ^_^
