Shen Huaizhi’s movements were so sudden. One of his hands pressed against Jiang Heng’s back while the other grasped Jiang Heng’s hand, guiding it to his waist in a slightly forceful manner. It took Jiang Heng a couple of seconds to react, and then his fingertips slowly brushed against Shen Huaizhi’s clothing at his waist. The winter clothes were thick, making it hard to feel anything through them.
Even so, being pulled into the Alpha’s embrace, with his head resting on Shen Huaizhi’s shoulder, was enough to make Jiang Heng’s ears warm.
“Why… did you suddenly hug me?” Jiang Heng hesitated for a moment.
He felt that Shen Huaizhi was acting really strange today.
He wasn’t sure if Shen Huaizhi felt a similarly overwhelming reaction when he snuggled up to him.
Jiang Heng held his breath, trying hard not to make any strange sounds.
The person hugging him buried his face in Jiang Heng’s neck and spoke.
“I didn’t mean to.” Shen Huaizhi’s voice was muffled, his breath landing on Jiang Heng’s sensitive neck, making the already sensitive skin even more so.
Jiang Heng pressed his lips together.
“I just want to cling to you,” Shen Huaizhi said slowly, his voice carrying a hint of undeniable amusement. “You see, I also like clinging to you.”
Jiang Heng was slightly stunned.
Shen Huaizhi continued, “So, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Jiang Heng.”
“I like it when you cling to me too.”
“Whether it’s hugging or kissing, I want it anytime, anywhere.”
Shen Huaizhi’s blunt words made Jiang Heng’s cheeks flush.
This person really remembered his words from the morning till now just because he felt embarrassed?
Omega’s nature made them highly dependent on their Alpha.
But Shen Huaizhi’s actions made it clear that they were equals.
Jiang Heng’s heart warmed, but he couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Shen Huaizhi, are you a dog?”
“Hmm?” Shen Huaizhi chuckled lightly but didn’t respond further. Instead, he pressed a series of delicate kisses to Jiang Heng’s neck.
Jiang Heng wanted to say something more, but Shen Huaizhi’s gentle kisses completely distracted him. Shen Huaizhi’s cool lips touched his skin like feathers, brushing lightly and then quickly pulling away, only to return again and again.
It was both ticklish and unbearable.
Jiang Heng endured it for a while, but when Shen Huaizhi showed no signs of stopping, he couldn’t help but tremble, “Stop kissing.”
His voice was shaky.
They were still on the rooftop.
Shen Huaizhi hummed in acknowledgment and stopped the light pecks, stepping back slightly. He lifted his gaze to meet Jiang Heng’s eyes, and to prevent Jiang Heng from escaping, he moved his hand from Jiang Heng’s waist to the back of his head, holding him firmly.
Jiang Heng blinked, still processing, when his lips were gently bitten.
The Alpha’s kiss carried a cool, snow-melting sensation, assertively parting his lips and delving inside.
The fingers on the back of Jiang Heng’s head slid through his very short hair. When Shen Huaizhi sensed Jiang Heng’s slight struggle, his other hand firmly gripped Jiang Heng’s waist.
The sky was dimming, and the winter evening breeze blew past.
In the distance, the bustling city gradually faded under the setting sun, and everything on campus was becoming quiet.
The sound of their hearts beating grew clearer in their ears.
—
As the winter break approached, the atmosphere for studying at school intensified. There was about a month left before the final big exam of the first semester of the second year, and even those who usually didn’t study were now scrambling to catch up.
After all, their final exam grades would determine how much New Year’s money they’d receive and whether they could have a happy and complete New Year. Jiang Heng had successfully joined the group of diligent students.
After the second class in the morning, the classroom was quiet. Jiang Heng was biting his pen, seriously working on a math problem. Unlike other subjects that made him sleepy, math at least made him dizzy but didn’t put him to sleep.
Chen Xingchi came in with snacks from outside and casually put them on Jiang Heng’s desk. He glanced at Shen Huaizhi’s empty seat. “Jiang Heng, He Ci asked me to see if you want to play games tonight.”
Although He Ci actually wanted to know if Shen Huaizhi would play games with them.
Jiang Heng lifted his eyelids. With the pen in his mouth, his words were a bit muffled. “Why doesn’t he come and ask me himself?” As he spoke, he finally moved his gaze from the test paper, looking suspiciously at Chen Xingchi. “Since when did you two start passing messages for each other?”
“Don’t look at me like that. We just ran into each other at the snack shop,” Chen Xingchi said.
Before he could finish, Jiang Heng guessed his meaning and chuckled, not minding the implication.
“So you’re here. Tell me how to solve this problem.” Jiang Heng didn’t feel embarrassed at all. The ancients said there was no shame in asking questions. Chen Xingchi was a bit surprised. Jiang Heng, with his temperament, was willing to ask others for help to improve his grades, which was quite unusual.
Chen Xingchi’s math wasn’t bad, and he was more than capable of helping Jiang Heng with these problems. He explained the needed formulas and the steps to solve the problems. As he explained, the person who had been nodding and responding suddenly fell silent.
Jiang Heng frowned, took a piece of candy from his desk, and put it in his mouth. When the sweetness filled his mouth, he mumbled, “Do you think taking a pill that boosts intelligence would help?”
His voice was too muffled for Chen Xingchi to understand.
Jiang Heng didn’t ask Chen Xingchi to explain again. “Alright, I’ll figure it out myself.”
“Thanks.” With that, he turned away, expressionless, holding his test paper.
After a while, Jiang Heng stared at his test paper and sighed.
There probably isn’t anything more painful in this life than studying, and if there is, it’s probably taking exams.
When Shen Huaizhi returned from the academic office, he saw Jiang Heng lying listlessly on the desk, idly twirling a pen in his hand.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Huaizhi reached out and touched Jiang Heng’s cheek.
The temperature had dropped sharply in the past few days, causing many students in the class to catch colds. Shen Huaizhi was momentarily worried, thinking that Jiang Heng might have also fallen ill.
Jiang Heng didn’t avoid his touch, just sighed again and said, “Youth knows no sorrow.”
Exams.
Last year, Shen Huaizhi had also helped out, which gave him some privileges, but in the end, he still took the exam. Generally, no one skips the final exam since it’s recorded in their files. Taking the exam themselves is better than having the school randomly assign a score.
So, earning extra points through effort seemed more reliable.
Jiang Heng murmured in acknowledgment, burying his face in his arms. After a while, he hesitantly raised his head. “Then can you ask if the academic office needs an ordinary student like me to help?”
He asked seriously, “I don’t have high demands. Just give me a few extra points.”
“I’ll do whatever is needed, no slacking off.”
Shen Huaizhi was stunned for a moment, then laughed. “Alright, I’ll ask this afternoon.”
Seeing Jiang Heng’s head move slightly but still looking listless, Shen Huaizhi’s worry deepened. “What’s really the matter?”
Chen Xingchi couldn’t hold back any longer. He leaned half his body out from behind and said, “Jiang Heng wants to study hard but doesn’t want to ask you for help.”
After speaking, before Jiang Heng could react, he quickly gathered a pile of books from his desk and moved back, even dragging his desk a bit.
“Study hard?” Only then did Shen Huaizhi notice the crumpled test paper Jiang Heng had been hiding under his arm.
Shen Huaizhi realized he had been too busy these past few days and had somewhat neglected Jiang Heng’s situation.
Now that Shen Huaizhi knew, Jiang Heng didn’t bother to hide it anymore. He nodded. “Isn’t the final exam coming up?”
“I thought if I scored higher, my mom would give me more New Year’s money when I go home,” he lied with a straight face.
In truth, Xie An didn’t care how many points he scored. Otherwise, Jiang Heng wouldn’t have been so neglected all these years.
Shen Huaizhi was silent for a moment. “Is studying very painful?”
Jiang Heng thought about it, then tilted his head and said, “It’s actually not that bad.”
Not that bad? More like terrible.
He couldn’t even understand the questions.
After painstakingly memorizing the formulas for so long, Jiang Heng found that his answers were still wrong. He forced a smile, trying to appear unaffected.
Shen Huaizhi’s smile faded a bit. “Jiang Heng,” he said, tapping Jiang Heng’s desk, his expression serious as if reminding him of something.
“Did you forget something?”
Jiang Heng took a moment to react.
Without giving him a chance to guess, Shen Huaizhi continued, “Your boyfriend is the top student in the grade.”
He rarely mentioned his academic achievements, having been outstanding for as long as he could remember. But now, seeing the conflict in Jiang Heng’s eyes, for the first time, Shen Huaizhi felt that being too excellent might not always be a good thing.
Jiang Heng had mentioned this kind of thing before, fearing the gap between them. Shen Huaizhi could overlook this gap, seeing Jiang Heng as perfect no matter what. He believed he could protect Jiang Heng and let him be himself, regardless of which university he attended or who he became. However, he had overlooked the fact that Jiang Heng might struggle to do the same. Even though he hadn’t brought up grades since the last time, his earnestness in class showed how much he cared about it.
Jiang Heng let out a small “oh,” like he was realizing something belatedly.
“So,” Shen Huaizhi took the test paper from under Jiang Heng’s arm, “if you ask your boyfriend nicely, he might consider helping you study.”
He seemed to be joking, but his tone was serious.
Hearing this, Jiang Heng tilted his head. “I can work hard on my own.”
“I think I’m pretty awesome. After all, I’m the strongest Omega in this school. I should be able to handle studying, no matter how annoying it is.”
Shen Huaizhi raised an eyebrow, sensing something off about Jiang Heng’s attitude.
“Jiang Heng,” Shen Huaizhi’s voice lowered, carrying a hint of threat.
Hearing the shift in his tone, Jiang Heng lowered his eyes. “It’s just that you’ve been so busy lately,” he muttered. “I thought it might be too much to ask you to take extra time to teach a student like me who lacks talent. I was worried you’d be too tired.”
He spoke hesitantly, clearly reluctant to reveal his true reason. But Shen Huaizhi’s stern call of his name broke down his defenses completely.
Damn, Jiang Heng, you’re too soft.
As he finished speaking, the classroom grew quieter. There were still two minutes until class started. The front door of the classroom was blown open by the wind, letting in a cold draft that made even those sitting in the back feel a chill.
Unexpectedly, it was this reason. Shen Huaizhi even began to doubt what kind of impression he had given Jiang Heng recently to make him fear that Shen Huaizhi was tired. Although it was out of concern for him, questioning an Alpha’s stamina like this really wasn’t a good thing. Shen Huaizhi chuckled lightly. “Do you think I’m tired?”
Jiang Heng vaguely felt that the tone wasn’t quite right, but since it was his own thought, he nodded along with Shen Huaizhi’s words. “Don’t you have blue under your eyes?”
“Sleeping late at night,” Shen Huaizhi replied.
“Did I doze off during the day?” Shen Heng asked.
“Not really,” Jiang Heng replied after some thought, looking much more spirited than before.
Shen Huaizhi nodded again, lowering his gaze to Jiang Heng’s face as if to explain, “Jiang Heng, our Alpha stamina is quite good.” It seemed there was a hidden meaning behind his words. “Several days without sleep is also manageable. Not to mention teaching you to study.”
The author has something to say: Jiang Heng, you’re so naive.
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 ❤️”
