Dou, the so-called scumbag, stood calmly to the side, completely unfazed by the blond thug’s accusations.
Meanwhile, Jiang Wan had gotten too wrapped up in the drama, forgetting that he was essentially sabotaging himself. His heart twisted in knots as he looked up at Dou Ming. The teenager stood tall and elegant, his profile as perfect as a sculpture, so handsome it made Jiang Wan’s legs weak. He couldn’t bring himself to say a single word of blame and could only pout and complain to the blond thug, “What’s it to you? I’m fine with it.”
The blond thug choked for a moment, then angrily waved his hand. “Idiot!” He turned to his gang and called, “Let’s go. This Omega’s brain isn’t working; he doesn’t deserve to be your ‘sister-in-law.’”
The underlings grumbled, “But he’s really good-looking…” Still, they reluctantly followed their leader.
Dou Ming glanced at the bike’s deflated tire. They were in the middle of nowhere, and there wasn’t a repair shop in sight.
He parked the bike on the side of the road and told Jiang Wan, “Let’s call a car to get you home.”
“Let’s just take the bus,” Jiang Wan, now done with his sulking, still tried to be considerate and save Dou Ming some money.
Dou Ming’s lips curved slightly, but he remained calm as he said, “I’m actually really rich now. That gang leader is really nice—he gives me 30,000 yuan in pocket money every month.”
As he spoke, he had already called for a ride.
Jiang Wan’s expression instantly turned sorrowful, full of bitterness. “So, the food I ate today was bought with his money, wasn’t it?”
Dou Ming nodded without hesitation. Then he turned to look down the road, pretending to check if the car was coming, but in reality, trying to suppress the smile, threatening to break free.
Barely holding back his laughter, Dou Ming lowered his gaze, his expression suddenly turning somber. “I’m sorry. I know I’m despicable, using a sponsor’s money to date you. But my feelings for you are real. I’m only with him for the money. Once we graduate, I’ll leave him and make money on my own to take care of you.”
Jiang Wan’s mind was in turmoil, and his head spun as he returned home.
Everyone at home knew he’d gone on a date with Dou Ming, so they expected him to come back happy and excited. Instead, he came in with a long face, a cloud of gloom hanging over him.
Mother Xue, sitting on the sofa knitting, lowered the TV volume and asked, “Did you two have a fight?”
Jiang Wan weakly shook his head, then sat down across from her with a deep sigh. “I’m heartbroken.”
Mother Xue perked up with interest. “Tell me all about it.”
The chef nonchalantly walked out of the kitchen, picking up a broom and pretending to sweep the floor.
[Steel Teeth] and [One-Eyed Dragon] appeared out of nowhere, squatting by the coffee table, munching on sunflower seeds.
Everyone was ready and attentive, ears perked, waiting for Jiang Wan to spill the juicy gossip.
Jiang Wan’s sadness quickly turned into anger, and he lashed out, “I’m not telling!”
Mother Xue hurried to calm him down. “We’re all just worried about you.” At the same time, she signaled the others to tone down their nosy attitudes.
The chef pretended to sweep more seriously, [One-Eyed Dragon] frowned and put down his sunflower seeds, and [Steel Teeth], ever the suck-up, poured Jiang Wan some tea.
Jiang Wan took a sip and finally regained his composure. “Okay, listen up. I’m serious about this.”
Everyone nodded seriously, their expressions solemn.
Jiang Wan began to recount what had happened, using several dramatic phrases to describe how he felt at the time.
Like being struck by lightning, like a sudden blow to the head, helplessly resigned, overwhelmed with sorrow.
If anyone asked for details, the answer was simple: his heart ached, he was in pain, and—worst of all—he was jealous of himself.
Mother Xue stared blankly for a moment before returning to her knitting. “Oh.”
The chef shrugged and went back to the kitchen, and Jiang Wan swore he saw a look of disdain in her eyes.
[Steel Teeth], always quick to speak, immediately said, “So why don’t you just tell Dou Ming that you’re Brother Jiang too? Problem solved, everyone’s happy.”
Jiang Wan reacted dramatically, “I won’t!” He declared confidently, “Didn’t you all hear what Dou Ming was implying? Brother Jiang is nothing more than an ATM to him! He just wants Brother Jiang’s money!”
[One-Eyed Dragon] mused, “So, are you not really Brother Jiang, just a stand-in?”
Jiang Wan gave him a deadpan stare: What kind of soap opera logic is this?
[One-Eyed Dragon] shrugged. “So what’s the big deal? It’s all still you. It’s not like he doesn’t love you.”
Mother Xue, in a more measured tone, added, “People in love tend to get overly dramatic sometimes.”
[Steel Teeth] nodded in agreement and thoughtfully scratched his chin. “But aren’t you forgetting something? Sooner or later, you’ll have to stop pretending to be a high school student. Or do you plan to take the college entrance exams and attend university with them?”
Jiang Wan froze in shock. “You’re right!”
[Steel Teeth] looked up at him, curiosity written all over his face. “So, what are you going to do?”
What am I going to do?
Jiang Wan slumped over the table, frowning in frustration, thinking: What am I going to do?
Wu Qian, nearby, was furiously taking notes, occasionally glancing over at Jiang Wan, who was visibly fidgeting, his expression growing more and more strange.
Unable to resist, Wu Qian glanced toward Dou Ming… specifically, Dou Ming’s lower half.
His suspicious behavior caught the math teacher’s attention. “Wu Qian, you’ve solved the problem, haven’t you? Come up to the board and write it out.”
Wu Qian: “!”
His heart sank as he glanced helplessly at Jiang Wan beside him. The math teacher followed his gaze and called out, “Jiang Wan, you’re not doing anything either, are you?” She threw the chalk down and crossed her arms, sneering, “Come on, both of you. Up to the board.”
Jiang Wan blinked in confusion. “?”
Wu Qian, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction, happily pulled Jiang Wan up to the board to solve the math problem together.
The math teacher, standing behind them with an eerie smile, said, “If you can’t solve it, you’ll be assigned fifty problems to correct.”
Jiang Wan’s entire back radiated confusion, and even the strands of hair he’d neatly combed earlier now stuck up in bewildered spikes.
Who am I? Where am I? Why am I suffering like this?
The math teacher, full of disappointment, paced around the classroom, spitting out life lessons as he walked. “With the new marriage law this year, Omegas can no longer claim all of an Alpha’s property in a divorce. At most, the Alpha will only have to give up half. And let’s not even talk about going to jail like before. Some of you here think that just because of your gender, you can sit back and coast through life. But let me tell you, the only person you can rely on is yourself! The college entrance exam is the first big step to independence, and math is the most crucial part of it. Remember the saying: ‘Master math, physics, and chemistry, and you’ll have no fear in life…’”
Jiang Wan stared blankly at the function problem in front of him, and after a while, he peacefully closed his eyes to the teacher’s lecture.
“I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!” Jiang Wan sobbed in Dou Ming’s arms in the music room. The math teacher had really assigned him fifty problems to correct, and Jiang Wan had lost all will to study.
Those people who longed for their school days after entering society must have slapped on an eighteen-layer filter in their memories, erasing all those piles of homework from their minds.
The scent of cedar wrapped around Jiang Wan, calming him, as Dou Ming spoke softly, “It’s okay. If you don’t want to do it, then don’t.”
Jiang Wan immediately felt guilty and lifted his tear-stained face. “But I’m scared the teacher will scold me.”
I can’t break character—he remembered that high schoolers took their teachers’ words as law.
Dou Ming wiped away the tears at the corners of his eyes with his thumb.
Jiang Wan felt like Dou Ming was silently laughing at him, as if he had figured something out!
But when he looked closely, Dou Ming’s expression was serious, without a trace of amusement.
After a moment of thought, Dou Ming lifted the piano lid in front of them, placed his right hand on the keys, and his long fingers began to dance, a bright melody flowing from the piano.
Jiang Wan’s attention was drawn to the music. Resting his chin in his hands, he sat beside Dou Ming, noticing that Dou Ming never used his left hand. He gently lifted Dou Ming’s left arm, placing it on the keys as well.
Dou Ming paused for a moment, but still didn’t use his left hand, continuing to play with just one hand.
“I hurt it while working. I can’t use my left hand.” He explained briefly before resting his left hand by his side and continuing the one-handed melody.
