TCFGBH Chapter 58

The most profound impression that the people at the university had of Shen Wenqing was that of a high, unattainable flower: cold, indifferent, and polite but distant.

Now, hearing this kind of conversation, everyone was completely bewildered.

“Uh… are we dreaming?”

“I think so…” His companion also seemed dazed. “Maybe this is what they call love goggles?”

They watched the couple leave the lecture hall. After a moment of silence, they all took out their phones simultaneously to log onto the forum. No way could they be the only ones seeing this madness.

—

On Monday morning, the sun shone brightly, and the students, brimming with youthful energy, bustled around the campus. Yet, their eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to the Alpha standing in the distance.

“Why is Wu Qin here? I thought his department didn’t have classes this morning.”

“Maybe he’s waiting for Shen Wenqing?”

…

Curious onlookers slowed their pace to watch.

The man at the center of their attention, Wu Qin, impatiently ruffled his silver hair. His handsome face was marked by irritation, and his dark pupils were filled with a sharp, menacing intensity, like that of a growling beast.

So fierce!

The onlookers quickly averted their gazes, choosing to look at the sky or the ground—anywhere but at him.

But they didn’t leave either.

It was as if they were both scared and entertained at the same time.

Wu Qin: “…”

These people are crazy!

He lifted his foot to leave, but as he moved, the bag of clothes in his right hand brushed lightly against his thigh, a quiet reminder of its presence.

“…”

He hesitated for three seconds before obediently staying put.

After waiting for about five minutes, just as Wu Qin began to doubt whether he had missed them, a familiar figure finally appeared at the end of the path. He silently sighed in relief and quickly strode forward.

To the surprise of the onlookers, Wu Qin stopped in front of… a beautiful Beta.

Wait a second! They know each other?

No matter, it’s time to snap some photos and get the scoop.

—

Xia Yan never expected that Shen Wenqing could twist his words so effortlessly, completely derailing his self-deprecating efforts.

While he was strategizing his next move, a hand suddenly appeared before him.

It was a broad hand, the fingers long and well-proportioned, with nails neatly trimmed. The back of the hand had faintly visible veins. Following the hand upward, he saw a sharply defined wrist and a wide, muscular shoulder.

Finally, a familiar face came into view.

The man had a slightly prominent brow bone, deep-set eyes, and his dark pupils held a depth that carried emotions Xia Yan couldn’t quite decipher.

A gust of autumn wind blew by.

Xia Yan shivered slightly. The faint scent of tobacco, mixed with a woody fragrance, wafted through the air. It wasn’t unpleasant—on the contrary, it was somewhat intoxicating.

It was the scent of an Alpha.

The memories from that day suddenly resurfaced, and although Xia Yan had managed to swindle him a bit back then, the memory still brought with it an awkward sense of shame.

He raised his eyebrows high and pretended to be impatient. “What do you want?”

The man’s heart beat a little faster. Even though he was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt, he felt hot. A strange emotion filled his chest, leaving him at a loss for how to handle the situation. His face stiffened as he awkwardly said, “Your clothes.”

“Huh?” Xia Yan was confused. “What?”

“The clothes you left behind last time.” The man repeated.

“…?”

It took Xia Yan a good ten seconds to figure out what he meant. A light blush quickly spread across his face as he snatched the paper bag from the man’s hand and opened it abruptly.

Inside were his familiar jeans.

At that moment, Xia Yan’s mind went blank, as if a bomb had gone off in his head. Everything went black, and he didn’t even hear Shen Wenqing call his name.

“You—are you crazy?!”

Xia Yan swore he had never imagined he would one day be so angry that he’d stutter.

But seriously, what kind of person does this?!

When he returned to the hotel that day, the first thing he did was take a shower. He felt the sticky liquid on his back, which smelled sweet and cloying.

It didn’t feel like water, but Xia Yan didn’t want to think about what it could be—he didn’t even dare to guess.

He had consoled himself with the thought that he’d thrown the clothes away. Surely, no one at the high-end boutique would bother picking up someone else’s dirty clothes, so no one would ever know what happened. That meant it hadn’t happened at all.

But Wu Qin had just shattered that comfort.

Now, Xia Yan seriously considered the possibility of stabbing him.

The system, 999, quietly reminded him: [Host, calm down. That’s the protagonist gong.]

Xia Yan: […]

His raised voice inevitably drew the attention of the people around them. Xia Yan, already strikingly beautiful, looked even more captivating with the slight flush at the corners of his eyes, a blend of embarrassment and anger. The scene was so vivid and alluring, like a painting drenched in rich colors, that onlookers couldn’t help but be mesmerized.

If the passersby were so affected, how much more so would the man standing directly in front of him?

Wu Qin’s mind went blank. After a long pause, he showed a confused expression, as if he couldn’t understand why Xia Yan was so angry.

Xia Yan: “…” How absurd. He was so furious that he had calmed down.

The two stood there in silence, neither saying a word.

“You—”

Just as Wu Qin was about to say something, Shen Wenqing, who had been quietly observing from the side, stepped forward, placing himself between them. His gaze briefly flicked to the bag Xia Yan was holding.

“Is that Yan Yan’s clothing?”

Xia Yan nodded but didn’t bother explaining to his boyfriend. He let Shen Wenqing draw his own conclusions. If it led to a misunderstanding, all the better.

His dedication to his mission was impressive—he stayed focused even in his anger.

Truly, a committed worker.

Xia Yan stayed silent, and Wu Qin did not intend to explain either. He and Shen Wenqing never got along, and he didn’t care what the other thought.

Above them, the autumn sun filtered through the yellowing leaves, casting dappled light on the ground. Shen Wenqing suddenly gave a polite, insincere smile, his tone calm and courteous. “Yan Yan tends to be forgetful. Thank you for bringing his clothes.”

His tone was soft and respectful.

Yet beneath the politeness, he was clearly asserting his role as the rightful partner, which only made Wu Qin feel nauseous.

Wu Qin’s face darkened as he said, “I’m delivering something to him, what does that have to do with you?”

“He’s a freak, picking up clothes I threw away. What the hell am I thanking him for!” Xia Yan cursed for once, rare for him. “After sitting around for so long, those clothes must stink by now, and he still returned them.”

Shen Wenqing’s face instantly darkened.

His cold eyes locked onto the Alpha with a fierce intensity.

However, Wu Qin didn’t even spare him a glance. He focused on Xia Yan and defensively said, “Don’t slander me! I washed those clothes; they’re perfectly clean.”

Xia Yan: “…”

Shen Wenqing: “…”

As if worried that Xia Yan wouldn’t believe him, Wu Qin pulled the jeans out of the bag and pointed at them. “I usually just toss my own clothes in the washing machine, but yours? I hand-washed them—scrubbed every corner.”

Xia Yan looked at the jeans and almost coughed up blood.

This was public humiliation!!!

“Shut up!”

Xia Yan glanced around, catching sight of the crowd watching with gleaming eyes, and expressionlessly snatched the clothes back, stuffing them into the bag before quickly striding off-campus.

Visit the campus?

What the hell!

“Xia Yan—” Wu Qin called, wondering why Xia Yan was so upset.

He wanted to chase after him, but after only a few steps, someone blocked his way.

“We’ve received the item. Thanks for the trouble, Classmate Wu,” Shen Wenqing said politely, pulling out two bills from his pocket and offering them to Wu Qin. “This is from Yan Yan for the cleaning. Consider it payment for your hard work.”

The crowd: “…”

Wu Qin: “…”

Wow. With Wu Qin’s status, did he really need that 200 yuan? This was blatant humiliation!

“My business with him is none of yours,” Wu Qin retorted.

“As Yan Yan’s boyfriend, of course, I’m qualified to handle some of his small matters.” Shen Wenqing emphasized the last two words.

Boyfriend??

Wu Qin’s eyes widened.

Had Xia Yan already broken up with his cousin?

He was so shocked that he missed the chance to argue back. By the time he gathered himself, Shen Wenqing had already handed the 200 yuan to a random student, asking them to pass it along, and then walked away.

Wu Qin: “…”

“Wu Qin, your money…” the student hesitantly called after him.

“Do I look like I need that money?”

The smile Wu Qin forced was so chilling that the student shivered. Even after he left, the student stood awkwardly, holding the 200 yuan, unsure what to do. He dumbly asked his friend, “What should we do?”

His friend grinned, “Let’s go get hotpot and gossip.”

“This… doesn’t feel right.”

“Even if you give it back to Shen Wenqing, he won’t take it,” the friend said, rolling his eyes at him. “Next time, don’t get involved in the drama. You were the only fool who got dragged in and blindly followed orders.”

As their voices faded away, the area around the school building gradually grew quiet.

But the school forum was buzzing with activity, with countless new posts popping up.

From Shen Wenqing’s sweet, boyfriend-filtered praises of Xia Yan after class to Wu Qin showing up and confronting the young man to the grand finale featuring the infamous pair of jeans.

Each event was more intense than the last.

The entire school was stuffed full of drama.

【I never thought Senior Shen would be the type to say sweet nothings, LOL.】

【Why does Wu Qin know Senior Shen’s boyfriend?】

【Wait… why were the Beta’s clothes in Wu Qin’s hands, and why were they dirty, hand-washed…? Sorry, I’m filthy-minded. I need to reflect.】

【Damn! I just started shipping Wu Qin and Senior Shen today, and now the ship’s already sunk. I guess those “crack ships” are doomed from the start.】

【Don’t cry, bro. Let’s go ship Omega x Beta.】

【??? Bro, that’s an even weirder ship! Can an Omega even top someone?】

【Maybe not all Omegas, but Senior Shen and ‘Yan Yan’? I ship Senior Shen as the gong.】

【But that Beta has a pretty strong presence! Stop using height to decide who’s gong or shou.】

【But his skin is so thin. He’s embarrassed and angry over a mere post-‘action pair of jeans. Facing someone as cunning as Senior Shen, he clearly has no advantage. It’s only a matter of time before Senior Shen has him wrapped around his finger.】

【Wait! When did we confirm they actually “did it”?!】

【Weren’t y’all saying Senior Shen was as pure as the driven snow just yesterday… and now he’s a cunning fox?】

【Please, can someone give us a live reenactment of Senior Shen’s ‘green tea’ speech? The way he subtly declared ownership with every line, “My Yan Yan.”】

The forum was in an uproar.

Meanwhile, Xia Yan was stomping forward, his head down. He had no idea how long he had been walking before realising he seemed lost.

He pulled out his phone to check the navigation and saw he was still on the main road. The way to the campus gate was easy to find, and he let out a breath with that reassurance.

Thanks to the earlier delay, it was now lunchtime.

There weren’t many people around. A familiar face suddenly caught his attention as Xia Yan glanced around casually.

Tall and muscular, with a buzz cut—wasn’t that the bartender’s apprentice?

Why was he here? Xia Yan was puzzled and wanted to take another look, but the man had disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Did… did he mistake someone else?