Chapter 1 – Flag Raising Ceremony

It is the end of September in NingCheng1, the temperature is slowly cooling down.

The rain is pitter-pattering on the window and the sky is dark, the perfect weather for sleeping in.

The students in the back of the classroom have long fallen asleep. Wang JiaYan, who is usually the first to fall asleep in class, is currently lackadaisically holding up his face with his palm while holding a conversation with a goddess on WeChat.

The goddess Jiang QiNian is a student from the art faculty. The two of them have been chatting for quite a while and can be considered to be pretty familiar with one another. Jiang QiNian sent JiaYan a message saying that she’ll send him a cup of milk tea during the next class which helped to wake Duan JiaYan a little from his daze, a grin appearing on the corner of his lips.

Just as he was finished typing his reply, Duan JiaYan felt that someone was always looking at him. He subconsciously lifted his head and just so happened to meet the gaze of his physics teacher standing on the podium.

The first lesson of the day was physics and most of the students were inevitably unable to avoid feeling lethargic. This was something the teacher was used to, though to his surprise, Duan JiaYan actually managed to stay awake. After teaching Duan JiaYan for more than a year, this was the first time the teacher has seen this happen.

“Hey! Duan JiaYan, I’ll pick you then,” the physics teacher said with a smile. “Answer this question.”

Duan JiaYan stood and glanced at the big screen in the classroom, it seems every question is a multiple-choice question, “I’ll pick C?”

Physics teacher, “……”

Sounds of laughter came from the classroom, Song Yi who was Duan JiaYan’s table buddy seemed like he was close to dying from laughter, “Hahahaha, are you sleepwalking? The teacher asked you to explain a problem-solving question.”

“Alright, sit down,” the phsyics teacher said as he slapped the podium to get the student’s attention. “Everyone concentrate, there’s only 10 minutes left till class is over.”

Right at this moment, the sounds of chatter came from the back of the classroom.

“…Lu-ge, the back door is closed.”

“Should we knock? Right now it’s physics class right? Ol’ Feng’s temper is good, if he sees his best students knocking on the door he wouldn’t say much for sure.”

“Once the class monitor is standing there, Ol’ Feng will happily open the door.”

“It’s class time now, what are we doing going in,” a light-sounding male voice came from behind the door, “Isn’t it the same just sitting on the floor to rest?”

“But my phone and water bottle is in the classroom…”

“Are you stupid? We just changed seats yesterday, the one sitting in the back of the classroom now is Duan JiaYan.”

Right after saying that, the man who first spoke looked at the back door with some apprehension, but then thought of something, “Lu-ge’s not afraid of him.”

Outside the door, Chen Yue laughed, “Will you die if you speak a little less?” Are you a kid? Still talking about being scared or not.”

Then the bell rang. The physics teacher promptly dismissed the class after a few quick words and the class soon become noisy. Just then someone kicked open the front door of the classroom.

Chen Yue, the one who kicked open the door, looked at his physics teacher’s twitching mouth and gave a mischievous laugh, “Hello teacher Feng!”

“Went to play?” The physics teacher’s gaze swept over the young boy’s slightly sweaty forehead. It wouldn’t take a genius to guess what these boys skipped class to do.

The first few times Lu XingCi skipped class, the teachers of Class Ten got a fright, thinking that the student has finally learned to be bad.

It was only after a while that they realised the boy is just taking some time off to destress himself. He still ended up being the top of his cohort. The teachers of Class Ten were now very accustomed to the habits of this young master. As long as his results were good, nothing else mattered.

Chen Yue said without a shred of guilt, “Only you understand us students best. It was too boring this morning, so we went to exercise for a bit to wake our brains up.”

One could tell he was not saying this seriously and laughter rang throughout the class. Chen Yue really liked being in the spotlight and just as he was about to add a few more words, someone gently kicked his calf, quietly telling him to not block the way.

Chen Ye silently closed his mouth and went on his way.

“Lu XingCi,” the physics teacher said to the tallest boy in the group. “You got first place in this week’s physics quiz. The paper was definitely not easy so seeing as you got full marks, you must have studied hard. It is very worthy of praise.”

Hearing the teacher praise Lu XingCi so, Chen Yue directed a strange gaze to Lu XingCi.

This Lu-dog2, studying hard for a physics quiz? After teaching him for more than a year, has the teacher not realised that he has a talented genius in his midst?

It is funny no matter how they think about it and a few boys around Lu XingCi could not help laughing. Yet the face of the one getting praised remain unchanged, his long eyelashes drooping.

“Thank you teacher.”

So, he can still pretend to be a model student.

The youths who just finished exercising carried a vigorous air around them, full of vitality. Although he just became a sophomore, Lu XingCi’s shoulders were already broad, with the muscles on his arms clearly defined whenever he was carrying books.

Song Yi, who was sitting next to Duan JiaYan, was looking to his heart’s content, “Oh man, the class monitor’s so good looking. His handsome face has once again made its way into my heart.”

Duan JiaYan smiled, “Since it’s already in your heart, why don’t you make your move?”

“Since it’s already in my heart, I’m contented with just looking. So many people have their eyes on him, if I really go out with you I’ll surely be the target of their jealousy and scorn……” Song Yi said. Following this line of thought, he added, “Though if he were to just give me a smile, I wouldn’t mind all the trouble.”

Duan JiaYan could not be bothered with him, and left his seat to exit the classroom.

Many students pass by the corridor, Duan JiaYan was lazily looking at the spider ivy hanging from the floor above him when he heard someone shout his name.

He turned around, eyes lit up.

It was Jiang QiNian, smiling as she held up two cups of milk tea. Her long chestnut dyed hair was tied into a bun sitting atop her head, she wore lipstick and on her large school uniform was a small, white tie.

Since young, Duan JiaYan has always had a preference for glamourous looking girls. Song Yi had even teased him for having the same taste whenever he was picking a female.

Duan JiaYan softened his tone, giving her a smile and said, “Why’d you bring two cups?”

“One’s for you, and one’s for your class monitor.”

After she said it, Duan JiaYan’s smile froze. Concentrating on her last point, he asked, “Lu XingCi?”

Jiang QiNian did not pick up on his emotions, “The one with half sugar is yours, and the one with one-third sugar is your monitor’s. Don’t take the wrong one alright, he doesn’t like drinking anything too sweet.”

Seeing as how Jiang QiNian was already holding the cups of milk tea in front of him, Duan JiaYan could only accept. Jiang QiNian continued, “Let me know once he’s accepted the milk tea okay? Thank you!”

Duan JiaYan carried the two cups of milk tea inside the classroom.

His gaze swept across the classroom before hesitantly stopping by the window seat in the fourth row.

The boy sitting there has long legs and a nice looking body, Song Yi had even praised his face to the high heavens earlier.

If he was to be perfectly honest, he really has a handsome looking face. It just deserved a beating.

Duan JiaYan expressionlessly placed the cup of milk tea on Lu XingCi’s table, “It’s from Jiang QiNian.”

Without knowing when, the gaze of the class ended up converging on the both of them.

Lu XingCi raised his eyes. He has single eyelids, and long and dense eyelashes, his gaze somehow always carrying a sense of distance and isolation.

The boy’s slender fingers traced the lid of the cup, “I don’t drink this.”

Duan JiaYan patiently replied, “This only has one-third sugar, it’s not sweet.”

Without waiting for Lu XingCi to reply, he added, “If you’re not going to drink it then just throw it away.”

Seeing him leave after giving the cup of milk tea, Chen Yue who was sitting being Lu XingCi gave a short “En” before sitting forward.

Everyone is in the same class, and they all could always tell that Duan JiaYan more or less did not really like Lu XingCi. Chen Yue had his earphones on so he did not hear that the milk tea was a gift from Jiang QiNian. He blinked his eyes at this surprising phenomenon and said absentmindedly, “Is the end of the world here? I actually say Duan JiaYan giving you a drink? Lu-dog, do you think the drink is poisoned?”

Lu XingCi actually laughed.

“What are you laughing for?” Chen Yue said incredulously. “It’s really poisoned?”

“No poison,” Lu XingCi said, bringing out the physics questions he missed from the lesson before, prepared to have a look at it when he has nothing else better to do. “I just felt like his look just now was pretty amusing.”

Honestly speaking, Duan Jiayan’s pose just now, instead of sending a cup of milk tea, was more like he was picking a fight.

Seeing him return, Song Yi could not hold his question in any longer, “Where did you get the milk tea from?”

Duan JiaYan answered acerbically, “Jiang QiNian gave it to him.”

“……” Song Yi did not know what to say in reply.

Song Yi and Duan JiaYan have known each other for quite a few years. Duan JiaYan is a Beta, from a good family. His family is not very strict with him in terms of discipline and though his grades are not worth looking at, but luckily he was born with a good looking face, which made life smooth sailing for him.

But, after attending high school, as if falling under a curse, every girl that Duan JiaYan has feelings for ended up liking Lu XingCi instead. After a number of incidents, Duan JiaYan ended up treating Lu XingCi as his life’s enemy, a threat he can’t remove.

Song Yi always felt that, if Lu XingCi was not the one Duan JiaYan was facing, according to Duan JiaYan’s character, he would have probably long tried to solve this problem with violence.

Duan JiaYan’s mobile phone started vibrating. It was Jiang QiNian asking him on WeChat is Lu XingCi has accepted her milk tea or not.

Duan JiaYan grinded his teeth and replied with a “Yes, he accepted it.” He glanced at Song Yi, “Let me ask you, Lu XingCi and me…eh?”

Unlike Duan JiaYan, Song Yi is an Omega, and is much clearer than Duan JiaYan on Lu XingCi’s attractiveness as an Alpha. Even though Duan JiaYan was good looking in his own right, he still could not be compared to Lu XingCi.

Of course, he could not say this. If he did, he will definitely be pummeled by Duan JiaYan who lack the concept of ABO gender differences in his brain. Fortunately, Song Yi has a hundred ways to coax the Beta, “Hee hee, of course you are better. You’re much more approachable, unlike the Monitor was who is definitely an Alpha I will never be able to get close to. Us sisters will be happy just looking.”

Duan JiaYan, “……”

Caught off guard by the term ‘sisters’, Duan JiaYan asked, “When did you male Omegas start calling each other sisters?”

After seeing that this ancestor’s attention was diverted, Song Yi struck while the iron was still hot, “We have many popular terms among us male Omegas, do you know what’s called–”

Duan JiaYan suddenly narrowed his eyes, “I’m approachable?”

Song Yi, “……”

Duan JiaYan has already vented his anger, he lazily poked the cup of milk tea Jiang QuNian sent, and mumbled to himself, “I’m already so approachable, will it kill to like me back a little?”

For a split second, Song Yi heart clenched at how cute he looked.

Just for a split second.

–

It was Monday’s flag-raising ceremony and the whole school was gathered in the field.

Duan JiaYan came late and slowly made his way to the Sophomore level’s Class Ten. On his way there, girls kept trying to sneak a peak of him.

“Look at that, Class Ten really does have handsome looking dudes.”

“But Duan JiaYan has always looked this handsome ah.”

“He’s still a little punk though, plus his grades are so bad…”

The boy was tall and fair-skinned, but his eyes were rimmed with red and his hair was messy. One look and you can tell he just woke up.

“The students who have yet to fall in line hurry up!” The school’s director said atop the flag-raising podium. “Don’t take your own sweet time, make haste, quickly find your own class.”

Duan JiaYan turned a deaf ear to the nagging as he slowly made it to the end of Class Ten. In front of him was Song Yi, who was no better than him, arriving only two to three minutes ahead of him.

“Good morning Xiao Duan,” Song Yi turned back while sucking on a packet of yoghurt, his speech a little slurred, “Why aren’t you in uniform?”

Duan JiaYan gave a short “Ah–” before adding, “I forgot.”

Right after Song Yi asked his question, two female students from the Discipline committee made their way to his class.Song Yi thought that Duan JiaYan was about to have his name recorded, they don’t really care about getting in trouble anyway. Who would have thought that Duan JiaYan would give a short laugh to the female students before adding, “Fellow students, can you not record my name this time around?”

The female student was originally about to put a cross at the back of his name. After hearing his question, she paused.

The other female student softly murmured under her breath. The first Discipline committee member turned to look at her partner, then back at Duan JiaYan, not sure what to do for a moment there.

When Lu XingCi turned his head around, this was the scene that greeted him.

He did not know what Duan JiaYan said but it made the female Discipline committee member’s ear turn red. Duan JiaYan has a good face, with a pair of youthful, bright-looking eyes, high nose bridge, and pale lips, whenever he smiled it always carried a lazy air to it, looking both amorous and affectionate.

Chen Yue reminded him earlier that the discipline committee was stopping by their class for too long, and might attract the attention of the director. With their teacher not here, it was his responsibility as class monitor to try and find a way to chase the discipline committee members away.

Chen Yue just mentioned it as a joke, knowing how Lu XingCi usually will not butt into other people’s matter, but who knew that this time, he actually started making his way over to the end of the line.

His arrival broke the students out of their stalemate, “Is it okay if he goes to the classroom now to get a school uniform to wear?”

The two girls looked up at him, then looked at each other, both their gazes looking a little shy.

One of the two female students quietly answered, “The flag-raising ceremony hasn’t started yet so y-yes he can…”

Lu XingCi turned to look at Duan JiaYan, “Head on to the classroom, Chen Yue hung his uniform on his chair, you can wear it first.”

Duan JiaYan met his gaze for a moment. Inexplicably, the last string in the back of Duan JiaYan’s mind, under the ease of how Lu XingCi handled the situation, snapped.

An air of mischief rose from his body, Duan JiaYan lifted his eyes, stifling a smile.

“I twisted my ankle, so it’s not convenient for me to get the uniform. Going to the classroom and back just to get the uniform might make it worse,” he said as he looked Lu XingCi in the eyes. “Class monitor, why not you go get it for me? Won’t you help a classmate in need?”

Everyone in the class knew that the pair rarely saw eye to eye, yet it was not often that Duan JiaYan was this nice to Lu XingCi.

The pair’s conversation ended up attracting the attention of not only their class, but the attention of the classes around them.

Lu XingCi met Duan JiaYan’s gaze, not breaking his line of sight.

Even though he was still developing, the pressure eminating from the body of the Alpha was more than enough to make one break out in cold sweat. Though Duan JiaYan seemed like he was not affected in the lease, Song Yi was more than ready to start kneeling for him already.

Xiao Duan really was all brawns and no brains3.

He had always thought that Duan JiaYan would only antagonise Lu XingCi behind his back, while acting like a normal human face to face. Who knew that he will actually do this now?

The both of them always had some friction between them, but it was usually Duan JiaYan looking for trouble on his own, Lu XingCi usually doesn’t bother.

Song Yi always felt that, in the great Class Monitor’s eyes, Duan JiaYan was but a small child, no matter how bratty, it wasn’t worth his attention. But this time was different, the bear child is finally acting wildly in front of the parent.

Even with just Lu XingCi standing there, the alarm is Song Yi’s heart is already sounding thousands of times for Duan JiaYan.

Under everyone’s eyes, Lu XingCi smirked a little, his gaze playful.

“How convenient. I’m having a bad cold. Taking off my clothes could make it worse.”

It was raining just a while ago, so the field was indeed pretty cold.

Song Yi was feeling a sense of deja vu when he saw Lu XingCi give Duan JiaYan, who was wearing a sweater, a once over, “Tell you what, why don’t you take your sweater off, I’ll go take the school uniform and exchange it with you for the sweater.”

宁城 – City of Ning?
路狗 – Literally Lu Dog but it’s more a nickname.
莽夫 – I’m not too sure on this. Chinese site says this is used to describe someone that has a well developed body but isn’t all that bright?