Jiang Heng’s tone was somewhat playful as he spoke, raising his eyebrows afterward. There was no sign of his leg being numb, only an obvious hint of teasing.
Everyone in the class knew about his relationship with Shen Huaizhi. Upon hearing his words, the students, who were originally anxiously copying homework, all looked over at the two of them.
“Tsk tsk tsk.”
“Can you tone it down a bit?”
“Jiang Heng! Which leg of yours is numb? Do you need the class monitor to carry you to the opening ceremony later?”
Jiang Heng lazily lifted his eyelids and glanced at the joking student with a half-smile. Before he could reply, Shen Huaizhi, who had been standing at the podium with a cold expression, walked over to his seat with a registration form in hand, effectively blocking Jiang Heng’s view of the other student.
Jiang Heng’s gaze met Shen Huaizhi’s, and he smiled mischievously, “Both legs are numb.”
His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, leaving it unclear whether he was responding to the joking classmate or speaking to Shen Huaizhi.
Upon hearing this, Shen Huaizhi lowered his eyes, his gaze briefly sweeping over Jiang Heng’s legs wrapped in school pants. His expression remained indifferent, but there was a hint of an unnoticeable smile in his eyes.
“What needs to be changed?” Shen Huaizhi asked, taking the pen that Jiang Heng had just been biting and rubbing his thumb over its surface.
It was an ordinary action, but since it was the place Jiang Heng had just bitten, even though he had wiped it clean, it felt strangely intentional.
This caused Jiang Heng’s Adam’s apple to unconsciously bob. “Phone number and emergency contact.”
Before the school term started, Jiang Heng had removed his old SIM card and replaced it with a new number, so it naturally needed to be updated.
Shen Huaizhi responded, quickly filling in Jiang Heng’s other information without much thought. Even while standing, his handwriting was neat and attractive.
When he reached the emergency contact section, Shen Huaizhi paused.
Noticing this, Jiang Heng teased, “Write it, class monitor.”
“Just put: Shen Huaizhi, phone number…” Jiang Heng recited a string of digits.
Remembering a series of numbers was quite difficult for him.
Jiang Heng couldn’t recall how many nights he had spent lying in bed, silently reciting Shen Huaizhi’s phone number until he memorized it by heart.
Shen Huaizhi seemed to be momentarily stunned, the pen tip lingering on the paper for a few seconds before he softly responded, “Okay.”
Seeing Shen Huaizhi carefully writing his name, Jiang Heng’s smile widened, and he clicked his tongue twice. “Class monitor, since when did you become my brother?”
In the emergency contact section, there was a spot for the relationship, and Shen Huaizhi, without asking Jiang Heng, wrote down “brother” by himself.
Shen Huaizhi responded with a soft “Hmm,” without looking up as he continued filling out the rest of the information. He replied to Jiang Heng, “If you want to fill in something else, you can.”
Although his tone was calm, Jiang Heng couldn’t help but hear a different implication in his words.
“Something else?”
This time, Shen Huaizhi didn’t hesitate at all. His tone was steady, with no hint of joking, “Boyfriend, or fiancé. You choose one.”
Jiang Heng’s expression went blank for a moment. He thought about how the form would look with either of those identities, especially with Shen Huaizhi’s name in front of them. The expressions on the teachers’ faces would surely be interesting.
Thinking about this, Jiang Heng couldn’t help but smile again, but he was too embarrassed to push it further. “No, brother is fine.” Then, he tried to change the subject, “What time is the opening ceremony again?”
Sensing his intention, Shen Huaizhi didn’t expose him and followed along with the topic. “Nine o’clock, soon. I’ll submit these materials and then come back to carry you out.”
Jiang Heng: “…”
Damn.
As Shen Huaizhi spoke, he reached out and patted Jiang Heng’s head.
Like a little hedgehog, Jiang Heng’s spikes immediately stood up but quickly softened again.
“Carry your ass,” Jiang Heng retorted fiercely, but it lacked any real menace.
After Shen Huaizhi went out to submit the form, Chen Xingchi came over with an ambiguous look on his face, clicking his tongue twice. “Jiang Heng, your level isn’t good enough.”
Jiang Heng could be fierce with others, but in front of the class monitor, he wasn’t exactly obedient. It was more like a hedgehog whose fur stood on end, but when the class monitor patted him, his fur stood up even more but somehow became more obedient.
Quite peculiar.
Jiang Heng coldly laughed and mercilessly took back all his winter vacation homework. “Yes, my level is pretty low.”
Chen Xingchi: “…”
Chen Xingchi: “No, no, no, dad, your level is super high!”
There was still some time before nine o’clock, and the atmosphere in the classroom grew increasingly restless.
Today was the first day of school, and Wang Yong knew this group well. He figured many students would be catching up on their homework, so after saying a few words in the morning, he hadn’t appeared since.
Everyone enjoyed the freedom.
After bantering with Chen Xingchi for a bit, Jiang Heng grabbed his phone, feeling a little sleepy.
He had finished his homework just last night and couldn’t even remember when he fell asleep on the sofa. When he woke up, he was already in bed.
“Jiang Heng, the homeroom teacher is looking for you.”
Jiang Heng’s head hadn’t even hit the desk when a classmate who had just come in knocked on his desk. The classmate seemed hesitant at first, likely worried about disturbing Jiang Heng.
“Ah…,” Jiang Heng didn’t mind the classmate’s attitude. “Got it, thanks.”
Wang Yong, the homeroom teacher, was feeling a bit of a headache as he looked over the materials Shen Huaizhi had just organized and submitted.
“You two…” Wang Yong hesitated.
Shen Huaizhi, as usual, stood straight in front of the desk. When he heard Wang Yong, he nodded slightly, as if he didn’t understand the implication of Wang Yong’s unfinished sentence.
Seeing this expression, Wang Yong felt a throbbing headache. With other teachers present in the office, he couldn’t openly say too much. Even though he didn’t support early relationships, these two were a special case. Keeping a low profile was fine, but he was worried that the disciplinary director might hold him accountable later.
Wang Yong cleared his throat. “Alright, you go ahead and organize the opening ceremony. I need to talk to Jiang Heng.”
Shen Huaizhi looked up. “I filled it in.”
Wang Yong was a bit taken aback. “I recognize your handwriting.” He realized that Shen Huaizhi was trying to protect Jiang Heng, afraid that Wang Yong would give Jiang Heng a hard time.
Wang Yong didn’t really want to make things difficult for Jiang Heng. With Jiang Heng’s personality, it was already good enough if he didn’t cause trouble for others. He had just started to study seriously before the final exams, and Wang Yong didn’t want to be the one to break up the couple and reignite Jiang Heng’s rebellious streak.
“It’s not about that,” Wang Yong said, rubbing his temples. Seeing Shen Huaizhi standing calmly in front of him, his gaze unwavering, Wang Yong couldn’t help but feel a bit pressured by the student’s presence.
“I won’t make things difficult for him.”
“Thank you, Teacher Wang.” Shen Huaizhi responded as if nothing had happened, leaving the office just as calmly as usual.
Outside the office, Jiang Heng was half-squinting as he walked to the door. When he saw who was coming out, he whistled.
“Class monitor, what a coincidence.”
For some reason, this scene reminded him of when he had just transferred. As he walked out of the office, Shen Huaizhi had stood at the door, asking if he wanted to participate in the sports day.
People often have strange illusions, feeling like they’ve experienced certain things before, as if they’re repeating past events.
Shen Huaizhi smiled helplessly. “It really is quite a coincidence.”
As they brushed past each other, their shoulders bumped slightly, and they continued on their separate ways.
Jiang Heng didn’t have a very good impression of Wang Yong initially. One reason was that Wang Yong knew Jiang Jin, and another was that he had expressed sympathy for Jiang Heng back then.
However, after spending half a year together, Jiang Heng found that Wang Yong was actually a pretty good teacher. At the very least, sometimes he would help them cover up their mischief from the disciplinary director.
Jiang Heng had been in the office quite a few times before. This time, he familiarly pulled out a chair for himself as soon as he entered.
He was really sleepy and figured he might fall asleep standing up if he didn’t sit.
Seeing his familiar actions, Wang Yong’s eyelid twitched again.
Wang Yong took a sip of chrysanthemum tea and cleared his throat. “You’re here.”
Jiang Heng, half-lidded eyes, didn’t lean back against the chair, trying to sit a bit more upright. After all, his behavior now also reflected on Shen Huaizhi.
Wang Yong felt there was no need to beat around the bush with Jiang Heng. Seeing Jiang Heng looking at him, he went straight to the point. “How has the past half year been for you here?”
Jiang Heng was a bit surprised but quickly reacted, thinking carefully for a long time. Wang Yong thought he was unwilling to answer and felt increasingly uneasy.
After a long while, Jiang Heng replied seriously, “It’s been good.”
This was the truth.
The First High was pretty good; it had the life he wanted.
Rarely seeing Jiang Heng like this, Wang Yong felt a weight lifted off his chest.
Initially, Wang Yong had been more attentive to Jiang Heng at Jiang Jin’s request. But as a teacher, he couldn’t show too much favoritism, so he treated all students equally. What he could do was occasionally chat with Jiang Jin about Jiang Heng’s situation at school. He used to wonder why Jiang Jin didn’t come to see his son in person.
However, after thinking about it, Wang Yong understood. The Jiang family’s business was big, Jiang Jin was a public figure, and he now had a partner and children. Considering his reputation, it wasn’t convenient for him to come personally.
Still, Wang Yong couldn’t help but feel that Jiang Jin’s actions were somewhat hypocritical.
But that was Jiang Jin’s business, and it wasn’t Wang Yong’s place to say much.
Wang Yong refocused his thoughts. “That’s good. I called you here today for something.”
“Your mother contacted me yesterday, asking about the school’s transfer procedures. She said she would come in a few days to handle your transfer…”
But seeing Jiang Heng’s expression, it was clear he didn’t know about this.
Sure enough, after Wang Yong finished speaking, Jiang Heng’s initially smiling expression immediately fell.
Jiang Heng didn’t look much like a good person. With his buzz cut that gave him a rebellious edge, standing at the school gate without his uniform, he looked every bit like a troublemaker. When he put on a serious face, he appeared somewhat intimidating, which only confirmed Wang Yong’s thoughts.
After a while, Jiang Heng managed a smile, but compared to his previous genuine expressions, Wang Yong couldn’t quite decipher his emotions.
“I didn’t know,” Jiang Heng said truthfully, with a hint of sarcasm in his smile.
Wang Yong nodded. “Transferring schools is not a small matter, so we need to ask the student’s opinion and understand the specific reasons for the transfer.”
Transferring in was easy, but transferring out involved more complex procedures.
Hearing this, Jiang Heng let out an “oh” and asked, with his eyes downcast, “So if I disagree, does it matter?”
Wang Yong, seeing his attitude, hesitated a bit. “Yes, I’ll try my best to help you negotiate.”
He glanced at the time. “The opening ceremony is about to start. You should head back.”
Jiang Heng had no intention of staying in the office any longer.
He hadn’t expected that Xie An was still considering this. After all, Xie An was still his nominal mother and had the authority to interfere in such matters. Since he had changed his phone number and no longer lived at his previous address, Xie An, even if anxious, wouldn’t come to the school to find him. She would be concerned about her reputation, as she was quite famous.
As he left the office, the cold wind hit his face, clearing his mind a bit.
Xie An, indeed.
In her heart, was he her son, or merely her experiment subject?
When Jiang Heng returned to the classroom, everyone was getting ready to head to the auditorium.
Wang Yong hadn’t arrived yet, so Shen Huaizhi was managing the class, and everyone was maintaining order.
“Jiang Heng! Come on!” Chen Xingchi waved to Jiang Heng, who was walking leisurely past the window.
Hearing Chen Xingchi call him, Jiang Heng didn’t quicken his pace; he just shook his head at him.
The unexpected news about Xie An, especially concerning a forced transfer, dampened Jiang Heng’s mood significantly.
He forced a smile at Chen Xingchi and then looked down, fiddling with his phone.
After taking only a few steps, Jiang Heng bumped into a wall of a person.
The person smelled familiar, a mix of light body wash fragrance, just like the bed he slept in at night.
Jiang Heng’s previously agitated mood suddenly calmed down a lot.
He was a person, an individual with independent thoughts.
No matter how much Xie An tried, she couldn’t control his life.
If worse comes to worst, he could just stay in Jincheng and try to educate himself.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Huaizhi’s voice came from above him.
Surrounded by classmates, Jiang Heng took two steps back and adjusted his expression. “Weren’t you just in the front?”
With his eyelids lowered, it was hard to read his emotions. However, Shen Huaizhi could always clearly sense his Omega’s emotional shifts. He didn’t know what Wang Yong had said to Jiang Heng, but it was clear it wasn’t anything good.
“Yeah, I saw you and came over. Didn’t you say your legs were numb and you needed me to carry you?” Shen Huaizhi smiled, reaching out to touch Jiang Heng’s face. Remembering they were in public, he quickly withdrew his hand after just brushing Jiang Heng’s cheek with his fingertips.
Jiang Heng only felt a slight itch on his face, not much else. He glanced around at the surrounding students, raising an eyebrow, “Go ahead, carry me.”
Shen Huaizhi chuckled lightly, “Are you serious?” He made a move to wrap his arm around Jiang Heng as if he was really going to carry him.
Jiang Heng’s smile faded, and he stared at him with a blank expression.
Shen Huaizhi sighed with a smile, “What’s wrong? What did the homeroom teacher say to you?”
He wasn’t actually planning to carry Jiang Heng. With so many eyes on them at school, they had to be discreet.
Jiang Heng moved closer to him, giving way to the nearby classmates, and as their arms brushed against each other, they walked forward together. “Transfer,” he said.
Just that one word was enough for Shen Huaizhi to understand. Not long ago, Jiang Heng had mentioned that Xie An wanted him to transfer schools.
Shen Huaizhi lowered his eyes, “I won’t let you be forced to transfer.”
Hearing Shen Huaizhi’s reassurance, Jiang Heng let out a small sigh and was about to say something more when a few breathless classmates came running back, “Monitor! Someone from the next class fell down the stairs!”
Shen Huaizhi’s expression turned serious. He gestured for Jiang Heng to find Chen Xingchi and followed the classmates ahead.
During group activities like this, stampedes were the biggest concern.
The stairs at No. 1 High School were quite wide, as the school was famously wealthy. Nothing like this had happened in years, and it was the first time for many students to witness such an event.
Some of the students who saw the person fall were already crying in shock.
The student who fell was an Alpha from Class Four, who had tumbled down several steps. Fortunately, Alphas were strong and resilient; the student was still conscious, though their head was bleeding, which looked alarming, and their pheromones were leaking out.
The class monitor from Class Four was already checking on the situation, someone had gone to fetch a teacher, and a few Alphas were maintaining order.
“I-I-I… I was just messing around with him. He’s always joking with me, so I accidentally pushed him,” An Omega was standing on the stairs, crying continuously.
Pheromones could become uncontrollable due to emotional fluctuations. The stairs were crowded, and there were many frightened people. The mixture of smells in the air was overwhelming, especially with the strong Alpha pheromones dominating, which made the Omega pheromones less noticeable. The faces of the Omegas who had been watching the commotion suddenly changed.
“Anyone who needs to take a suppressant should do so immediately. If someone feels unwell, come forward now and go to the infirmary,” Shen Huaizhi said with a seriousness that was more intense than usual, his tone brooking no argument. The chaotic crowd quieted down upon hearing his instructions, although there were still some who continued to make noise.
“Those who need to go to the infirmary should line up and go down the right staircase,” Shen Huaizhi continued to direct.
It wasn’t long before the teachers arrived. The situation was relatively controlled; it wasn’t too serious, just a lot of people with uncontrollable pheromones that would take some time to settle.
Chen Xingchi, holding his nose, felt a bit dizzy, “Damn, it’s so strong.”
He had never smelled so many intense Omega pheromones in his life. For a moment, he felt light-headed and somewhat out of control. Alphas were naturally affected by Omega pheromones.
Jiang Heng sniffed his own nose and couldn’t detect anything. He didn’t understand Chen Xingchi’s reaction and glanced at him, “You’re having a nosebleed, Chen Xingchi.”
Even though Chen Xingchi was holding his nose, the scent was still overwhelming.
Chen Xingchi: “…”
“Damn it!” He shouted, turned around, and ran back into the classroom.
Two Omegas from Class Three nearby were also affected and, seeing Jiang Heng standing there unperturbed, were a bit confused, “Jiang Heng, aren’t you feeling unwell?”
Jiang Heng shook his head, not planning to lie. He genuinely couldn’t smell anything.
Soon after, Chen Xingchi came out of the classroom with tissues stuffed up his nose.
“I’m going to the infirmary. Jiang Heng, save a spot for me,” he said and ran off as if something terrible were chasing him.
Jiang Heng: ?
He glanced at Shen Huaizhi, who was still calm and collected at the front of the crowd, and suddenly felt that the difference between Alphas was really quite significant.
The incident wasn’t too severe. Although all the Alphas and Omegas present were somewhat affected, it didn’t impact the opening ceremony much, though many Alphas and Omegas from the second and third years and Class Four were absent.
However, Jiang Heng, as an Omega among a group of Betas, remained calm and collected, which made others admire him even more. In such situations, an unaffected Omega is either physically exceptional or has extraordinary self-control. Jiang Heng clearly belonged to the latter category.
No wonder he’s the strongest Omega at the school.
Unaware that he was being admired even more by others, Jiang Heng left school in the evening with Shen Huaizhi, not heading home but instead going out to look at apartments.
Jiang Heng thought he couldn’t keep living at Shen Huaizhi’s place forever. The money he had saved over the years was enough for him to rent his own apartment, and when he had more free time in college, he could work part-time to earn extra money. Without his parents’ support, he still wouldn’t be unable to survive. Jiang Heng was quite open-minded about this.
Before they entered the apartment, Shen Huaizhi took a phone call at the door. Jiang Heng went in alone.
The apartment wasn’t particularly large, but it was close to the school, right next to the apartment he had lived in before. The community had excellent security, and usually, strangers wouldn’t be allowed in unless they had an appointment.
Jiang Heng walked around the apartment and, when he returned to the door, he vaguely heard Shen Huaizhi mention words like “procedures” and “pressing.”
He blinked but didn’t say anything.
When Shen Huaizhi finished the call, Jiang Heng knocked on the door and leaned against it. “Class leader, I think there’s something that needs changing.”
“What?” Shen Huaizhi reached out and took his hand, pulling him inside.
“The bedroom has a single bed,” Jiang Heng said seriously. “I think it should be changed to a double bed.”
“What do you think?”
As he said this, he stared at Shen Huaizhi with a half-smiling expression.
Shen Huaizhi looked down at him for a few seconds and said, “Sure. You can change whatever you want.”
Jiang Heng nodded, stared at Shen Huaizhi’s face for a while, and then couldn’t help leaning in to give Shen Huaizhi’s chin a kiss.
The kiss seemed to carry no desire or intent, just a pure and simple kiss.
“How come you can do anything, Shen Huaizhi?” Jiang Heng smiled after the kiss, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
Shen Huaizhi responded thoughtfully, “Since you’re giving me such a hint, how could I possibly disagree?”
Jiang Heng wondered what other thoughts might have crossed Shen Huaizhi’s mind. He felt that Shen Huaizhi’s words might have another meaning, so he decided to turn away and ignore him, fearing he might end up at a disadvantage otherwise.
Fortunately, Shen Huaizhi didn’t continue on that topic. Instead, he walked around the house with Jiang Heng, and their behavior resembled that of newlyweds inspecting a home.
Finally, Shen Huaizhi mentioned, “Let’s move after the check-up on Saturday.”
Jiang Heng took a few seconds to react.
Jiang Heng had scheduled a full-body check-up for this weekend. The hospital was one that Shen Huaizhi had helped find, reportedly affiliated with his family’s family doctor and considered one of the top hospitals in the city.
Jiang Heng had been somewhat reluctant about this. However, now that he wasn’t alone, he needed to consider Shen Huaizhi’s wishes.
He thought for a moment, then hesitated and asked, “Class Monitor, is there a necessary connection between moving and the check-up?”
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! ❤️”
