In August, the scorching sunlight cast down while the constant chirping of cicadas buzzed incessantly in one’s ears. Jiang Zhihuo lay sprawled on the desk as the homeroom teacher outlined the entire study plan for the senior year, talking about the first-round review and the second-round review. Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t grasp a single word. He had stayed up late last night and was very drowsy right now. Every word sounded like a sleeping spell.
After years, Jiang Zhihuo had already mastered the art of sleeping in class. He could fall asleep as soon as his eyes closed, resting his cheek against his arm and his fingers draped on the back of his neck. With his head lowered, he appeared to be reading a book. Only upon closer inspection would one realize he was sleeping.
Lincheng No. 1 High School started the senior year early, during the hottest moment of August. Without air conditioning in the classroom, the heat was so intense that one could see the steam with their eyes open, especially when the wind blew in from outside. It was hot enough to roast people.
The heat in the classroom was unbearable for everyone. They continually glanced at the clock above the blackboard, waiting impatiently for the class to end. Fortunately, the homeroom teacher didn’t extend the class, announcing the end of it when the bell rang. The moment the word ‘dismissed’ was uttered, Jiang Zhihuo’s phone, placed inside the desk, began to vibrate wildly. It was a group call.
The phone was connected to earphones, which he inserted directly into his ears. Still not fully awake, he said lazily, “Mhm?”
“Boss! Boss!” Several boys’ voices could be heard, creating a noisy and chaotic sound.
“Boss, wake up! Class 3 has ended! They’re still packing their things!”
Jiang Zhihuo: “!”
He sat up straight, and his lazy manner changed from a moment ago. He glanced at the group chat. The group chat’s name was simple and straightforward, called ‘Jiang Zhihuo’s Chasing Team’. There were five members in the group, including Jiang Zhihuo himself. It was created when they found out Jiang Zhihuo wanted to pursue the school beauty. They happened to be in different classes, from Class 2 to Class 5, providing all the updates regarding the school beauty’s activities.
They had already started discussing in the group during class. At that time, Jiang Zhihuo missed it because he was asleep.
“Class 3 ended on time without delay!”
“I’m out now, hey! Let me see… Bai Yujun is talking to a girl sitting next to her.”
“Why call her Bai Yujun? Call her sister-in-law! Boss, sister-in-law said she is going to the canteen with her deskmate for lunch today!”
“Sister-in-law has finished packing her things and is talking to the class monitor!”
“She’s out, heading down the east stairs towards the canteen from the sports field!”
“Got it!” Jiang Zhihuo turned off the phone screen, quickly tidied up his hair, and said, “Wait for me, I’m coming!”
“Huo-ge? Where are you going?” asked Cheng Luo, the person sitting in front of Jiang Zhihuo. During the class end period, the canteen was crowded as everyone was rushing there, but the other party was the only person packing his things leisurely.
Jiang Zhihuo: “I’m going to chase your future sister-in-law!”
“Eh? The school beauty, right? You started chasing her before summer vacation, didn’t you? How is it?” Cheng Luo moved slowly as he spoke word by word. After asking, he turned around, only to find Jiang Zhihuo had already left.
Lincheng No. 1 High School’s school beauty was Bai Yujun. Jiang Zhihuo had been chasing her recently. She was a tall and slim beta with a beautiful appearance, a good temperament, and a warm personality. She was the president of the student council for three years in high school. Half of the confession notes on the confession wall at No. 1 High School were for her.
As an alpha, Jiang Zhihuo was also handsome. Although his grades were a bit lacking and his reputation as a school bully was intimidating, his height and appearance still encouraged many girls to confess to him boldly. However, Jiang Zhihuo never considered dating and turned down all of them.
On the last day of the second year of high school before the summer vacation, a group of friends asked Jiang Zhihuo whether he liked any girls. At first, Jiang Zhihuo shook his head firmly, but the next second, he saw Bai Yujun, who had just bought a cake. She wore a white dress, white socks, and white shoes, with a pink cake box in her hand. She appeared fresh, and all the boys’ eyes were drawn to her. Jiang Zhihuo was stunned for two seconds, then he patted his friend’s shoulder and said, “She’s your future sister-in-law.”
When he decided to chase her, the summer vacation had already begun. They wouldn’t be able to meet during the entire summer break, making it impossible to make a move. They only exchanged WeChat IDs as a way of becoming acquaintances. At this moment, it was still in the stage of creating an opportunity for a coincidental encounter.
The boys were reporting the location through the phone call.
“The school beauty is passing by the playground! Near the football field!”
To make the encounter more real, Jiang Zhihuo took a different route. He ran quickly and was greeted by many people along the way. Jiang Zhihuo was quite famous at Lincheng No. 1 High School.
Not only was he famous for scoring below the threshold required for admission to third-tier universities in a school where 80% of students were able to be accepted into prestigious universities, but he was also known for an accident that occurred when he first entered the school.
A couple of days after the school started, when they didn’t yet know each other, Jiang Zhihuo directly fought and defeated the school bully of the vocational school. It was five against one, and it was rumored that the opponents even bought sticks to confront Jiang Zhihuo, but he managed to send the school bully to the hospital alone.
At that time, the incident caused quite a stir. Originally, hearing such a figure appear in school was frightening, yet as time went by, it turned out he wasn’t that scary. The school bully was completely righteous.
“Huo-ge, where are you going?” The boy from Class 3 asked.
Seeing him, Jiang Zhihuo lifted his brows. “Chasing love, of course.”
Upon hearing this, the boy understood. Huo-ge had been chasing the school beauty of their class lately. “I heard from the class monitor that she is going to stop by the dorm before heading out.”
Jiang Zhihuo waved at him. “Thanks!”
Overall, this encounter went quite smoothly. Jiang Zhihuo reached the corridor between the canteen and the playground before Bai Yujun. Although the third-year high school students started earlier, half of the school was under renovation. The path was blocked off and particularly narrow. With twelve classes in the third-year grade, the path was often crowded with people coming and going, which required them to walk in line in order to go through.
Jiang Zhihuo took a deep breath and walked calmly to Bai Yujun’s side. He showed no sign of nervousness or excitement as he said, “Hey, what a coincidence.”
Bai Yujun smiled faintly. “Yes, it’s quite a coincidence.”
The two exchanged words while waiting at the end of the corridor for a bit. Bai Yujun noticed Jiang Zhihuo wearing earphones and asked, “What are you listening to?”
“Nothing much.” Jiang Zhihuo responded without hanging up the phone. He pulled out the earphones and stuffed them into his pocket. “Just listening to random stuff.”
Bai Yujun was wearing the uniform today. The No. 1 High School uniform was white and loose, enhancing her figure. Bai Yujun had long legs, and she slightly adjusted the hem of her pants by folding them up a bit, revealing fair ankles. Their heights were quite matched.
The weather was hot, so Bai Yujun tied up her hair and tucked the loose strands behind her ears. This posture could only be pulled off by the school beauty, attracting all the boys around her.
Jiang Zhihuo thought that since this was a coincidence, maybe he could ask the school beauty to have a meal together. After all, it was an important step in his pursuit of love. Before he could open his mouth, he saw the other person touch her bag and say, “I need to go back to class.”
“What’s the matter? I’ll help you,” Jiang Zhihuo said.
“It’s fine, I just forgot to bring my phone.” She smiled, her eyes sparkling. “You should hurry to the canteen, or else it will be too crowded later.”
Her smile was so alluring that it could steal the souls of any boy. The boys standing nearby were stunned for a moment before they remembered to move forward.
“Huo.” Someone patted Jiang Zhihuo’s shoulder and waved their hand in front of him. “Wake up, you’re daydreaming.”
It was still summer vacation, with just one canteen open. However, only half of it was accessible, as the other half was undergoing renovation. Partitions were added to prevent people from passing through. The place was small with many people, filled with various smells, making it uncomfortable for the nose.
All the boys who came in with Jiang Zhihuo had dispersed, and only Zong Bei was still following him closely.
“Does the canteen have lobsters today?” Jiang Zhihuo asked.
Zong Bei couldn’t detect any scent, so he stood on tiptoe and glanced around. “No.”
Jiang Zhihuo sniffed again. “Then why do I smell the Thirteen Spices?”
The boy in front turned around awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry, it’s my pheromone. I ran out of the masking spray.”
Jiang Zhihuo: “…”
Fortunately, the boy was an alpha. If it was an omega pheromone, it would have caused the alphas in the canteen to be in susceptible periods. In comparison, being a beta was better. They couldn’t smell pheromones and didn’t have the trouble of experiencing susceptible periods.
However, alphas and omegas were extremely rare. There were only a few of them in school, probably two or three in each grade. Most of the students were ordinary people.
“Being an alpha isn’t easy,” Zong Bei said.
Zong Bei was from Class 5, with above-average grades. He had known Jiang Zhihuo since junior high school. In junior high, Zong Bei consistently ranked among the top students, but when he entered No. 1 High School, he discovered that the environment was different, and the grades that used to be in the top 5 now barely ranked in the top 100.
During junior high, Jiang Zhihuo’s grades were also not good; he always ranked at the bottom in every exam. Originally, these two didn’t have much of a connection. However, who would have known that their homeroom teacher had the idea of pairing up the students for personalized tutoring. The class monitor arranged for matching partners, and Zong Bei ended up being paired up with Jiang Zhihuo.
Zong Bei had never encountered underperforming students before. He thought they just had a little lower grade and could improve with basic tutoring. Yet, during the tutoring session, he was shocked by Jiang Zhihuo’s questions, which seemed to be from someone with a learning disability. At that time, he simply wanted to thank compulsory education for at least allowing Jiang Zhihuo to finish junior high school.
After spending a few months together, their relationship became closer. They initially thought they wouldn’t see each other again after graduating from junior high, but when the results of the high school entrance exam were released, Jiang Zhihuo unexpectedly made it into No. 1 High School.
The whole junior high school was shocked at that time. Other underperforming students ended up in vocational schools, and Jiang Zhihuo, who was the worst among them, miraculously managed to enter No. 1 High School. There were plenty of rumors, accusing him of cheating or paying someone off. People said all sorts of things, and with his reputation as a school bully, no one dared to confront Jiang Zhihuo directly.
Zong Bei and Jiang Zhihuo had a good relationship. Zong Bei boldly asked him how he managed to pass the exam. Jiang Zhihuo lifted his head with a proud and smug expression:
“It was nothing, really. Before handing it in, my answer sheet fell on the ground and I accidentally stepped on it. Just lucky, I guess.”
Zong Bei: “…”
Jiang Zhihuo and Zong Bei were queuing up in front of a fish dish store. This place had great flavor, and they came here often. Obviously, they weren’t the only ones who thought the taste was good; the queue was quite long.
Zong Bei, unsure of when their turn would come, sighed. “If it weren’t for that food poisoning incident with the takeout at the end of last semester, we wouldn’t be stuck standing in line at the canteen on such a hot day.”
“Mhm.” Jiang Zhihuo touched his chin and thought for a moment. “I think the school beauty definitely likes me.”
“……” Zong Bei had just helped Jiang Zhihuo track Bai Yujun’s whereabouts, but he was the most reasonable in their pursuit team. After pondering for a while, he pointed out, “I think the school beauty is just fooling around with you.”
Zong Bei’s words were logical. “Huo, your intention to chase her is so obvious. Everyone in our year knows about this. If she didn’t have any interest, she could easily avoid you.”
“Mhm, it makes sense.” Jiang Zhihuo raised his eyes, pondering for a bit, then continued, “If she doesn’t like me, why is she fooling around with me? Why doesn’t she do it to someone else?”
Zong Bei: “……”
You could never have a proper conversation with someone in love.
After saying this, Jiang Zhihuo ignored Zong Bei and looked down at his phone. After a while, his shoulders were fiercely shaken. “Damn it, she’s fooling around!”
Jiang Zhihuo: “What do you mean?”
Zong Bei pointed in a certain direction. “The school beauty is fooling around with someone else!”
Jiang Zhihuo looked over and saw the school beauty laughing and walking side by side with another guy into the canteen.
The other party had fair skin and sharp features, making him stand out even in his school uniform. Despite his handsome appearance, he always appeared cold and distant, giving off an air of ‘do not approach.’ However, whenever Bai Yujun spoke, he would lower his head slightly.
Both of them were tall, and they looked good together.
Jiang Zhihuo: “…F*ck!”
“Calm down! Calm down! Huo!” Zong Bei grabbed Jiang Zhihuo, who was rolling up his sleeves and about to rush over. “Fair competition, fair competition. You’ll scare the school beauty away like this! No girl likes a guy who loves fighting!”
Jiang Zhihuo took a deep breath.
The guy walking with the school beauty was called Yan Mu, Jiang Zhihuo’s love rival.
Jiang Zhihuo managed to restrain himself from punching Yan Mu many times, all thanks to Zong Bei holding him back.
Yan Mu was also an alpha. Unlike Jiang Zhihuo, who lagged behind in academics and had a reputation for getting into fights, Yan Mu was a top student with outstanding grades. He always ranked first in exams, leaving second place far behind. While other schools had students competing to become top students, with Yan Mu’s presence at No. 1 High School, they could only compete for second place. Yan Mu was an obstacle they couldn’t surpass.
Good grades and a handsome appearance could make someone a male god, and if the person came from a wealthy family, even with a terrible temper, countless people would still flock to them.
This person and Jiang Zhihuo were interested in the same girl, and both were chasing Bai Yujun.
“Two signature dishes.” As the line moved forward, Zong Bei also ordered for Jiang Zhihuo. Then they stood aside to wait for their food while trying to calm Jiang Zhihuo down. After getting their food, he saw Bai Yujun walking out of the canteen with a package of food. “You see, they didn’t eat together, did they? Let’s go; there are seats over there. I’m hungry; let’s eat first.”
Jiang Zhihuo suppressed his anger. “One day, I’ll make Yan Mu bow down to you in gratitude.”
Zong Bei: “Why?”
Jiang Zhihuo clenched his fists so tightly that they cracked. “If you hadn’t held me back, I might have already beaten him a hundred times by now.”
“……”
Yan Mu’s class ended later, and the canteen was already crowded when he arrived. After getting their food, they found there were no seats left. Meanwhile, Xie Qiu scanned the place and spotted a four-person table with only two people sitting, the other half still vacant. “Yan-ge, there’s a place over there!”
Yan Mu didn’t care where they sat, so he simply nodded, and they walked over together.
In the direction they had just come from, the two people were sitting with their backs facing them. Everyone was wearing the same school uniform, so they couldn’t tell who it was just by looking at the backs of their heads. When Yan Mu approached, the two boys who were eating looked up. The four people were stunned.
Jiang Zhihuo showed an extremely disgusted expression.
Yan Mu let out a disdainful laugh.
“……” Xie Qiu wanted to beat himself, feeling truly blind. These two were going to clash, making it impossible to eat in peace.
He had no idea how Jiang Zhihuo managed to provoke Yan-ge all the time. Yan-ge was usually so cold and reserved, barely saying a word. Yet, whenever he saw Jiang Zhihuo, he seemed to lose his cool.
“Maybe…” Xie Qiu suggested cautiously, “We should change seats?”
“No need.” Yan Mu put down his cutlery, sitting directly across from Jiang Zhihuo. They were already facing each other, so there wasn’t any need to move. “Right here.”
Xie Qiu: “……”
Zong Bei: “……”
Jiang Zhihuo rolled his eyes when he saw Yan Mu using his own cutlery. While eating, he talked to Zong Bei, “I don’t quite get it. Why would someone complain about the canteen being dirty but still choose to eat here?”
He glared at Yan Mu. “Is your chef not to your taste?”
It was obvious that he was looking for trouble.
Yan Mu glanced at Jiang Zhihuo casually; his actions didn’t stop. “The food at home isn’t good; I got tired of it.”
Jiang Zhihuo sneered. “Wealthy people have it easy; there are so many good things. How about sharing?”
Yan Mu remained expressionless. “Of course, one shares with those who deserve it. Unlike some people who use cheap tricks to create a coincidence encounter,”
Jiang Zhihuo: “Someone interfering openly?”
Yan Mu: “Better than being shameless.”
Xie Qiu and Zong Bei exchanged a glance, seeing the same expression in each other’s eyes. They both nodded in unison, then buried their heads to eat.
Once these two got into an argument, there was no room for others to step in, and there was no need to add fuel to the fire.
The meal was already tense when a guy with a collar passed by.
The collar could protect the gland, and only omegas wore collars.
The canteen floor was slippery, causing the omega to slip and bump into Yan Mu.
The moment he was touched, Yan Mu’s expression changed. While he could maintain calm manners in front of Jiang Zhihuo, the touch from the omega seemed to produce a sense of hostility and disgust in him. It was as if he wanted to lash out at the other person with his gaze.
“S-Sorry! I-I didn’t mean to!” The omega was scared stiff, blurting out an apology before fleeing in panic.
Jiang Zhihuo bit down hard on his chopsticks.
Whether he was his love rival or a top student, none of these were the reasons for Jiang Zhihuo to hate Yan Mu. What he hated and was disgusted by the most about him was this.
Young Master Yan was cold and arrogant, looking down on others. Ordinary people, especially omegas, didn’t have the qualifications to touch him.
Jiang Zhihuo had seen this scene more than once, and Yan Mu’s expression always made him feel very disgusted.
Jiang Zhihuo mocked, “Does it offend you to breathe the same air as us ordinary people?”
Yan Mu lifted his eyes slightly; the place that was touched was burning with pain. Without showing any expression, he responded, “It’s alright; it’s more of an annoyance to breathe the same air as you.”
The meal was eaten in a tense atmosphere.
Jiang Zhihuo wasn’t in the mood to sit with this person any longer. Seeing that Zong Bei had finished eating, he picked up his tray and headed out. The afternoon sun was even hotter, and the air greeting them was steaming.
“Did you see that kind of person?” Jiang Zhihuo licked his lips and muttered to Zong Bei, “If I ever eat with Yan Mu again, I might as well be a dog.”
Yan Mu lowered one arm; the pain was still there, and a large red patch appeared on his skin, making it too eye-catching.
He ate his food with one hand and said to Xie Qiu beside him, “Next time, if I want to make a move, don’t stop me.”
The author has something to say:
Casual Little Theatre:
Later—
Jiang Zhihu: Woof.
Yan Mu: I can’t beat my wife.
Heyoo~ for those who love to read enemy-to-lover tropes, this are for you hehehe~
