Chapter 2: Puppy

Jiang Shuo returned from the restroom only to witness this dramatic scene. He learned from the surrounding classmates that the Omega who had transferred to their class was Wen Xi, and that Cheng Si had shown zero respect by kicking her belongings over.

Jiang Shuo’s vision went dark. He forced himself to walk over, pondering how to persuade Cheng Si to temporarily lower his head and apologize to Wen Xi.

Then he saw his rebellious brother—as if they were telepathically linked—walk around the desk and right the overturned chair and table in the front row. Then, Cheng Si bent down and picked up the scattered personal items from the floor, placing them back into the storage box one by one.

“I’m sorry,” Cheng Si said in a low voice. “Sit wherever you want.”

Perhaps because his features were too sharp and cold, even his apology felt lacking in sincerity and more like a provocation. However, that didn’t stop everyone else from wearing expressions like they had seen a ghost.

What was even more shocking was that Wen Xi, who had been aggressive just a moment ago, only let out a scoff upon hearing this half-hearted apology; she accepted it easily and turned to sit in the seat she had personally chosen.

Zhao Jie, unwilling to let Cheng Si steal all the spotlight, spotted an item in a corner that Cheng Si had missed. It appeared to be a fountain pen; he quickly picked it up and presented it to Wen Xi like a treasure: “There’s one more here. Fortunately, it’s not broken. If it were, I’d love to see how that dumbsh*t would pay for it!” He recognized the brand of the pen; it was a top-tier limited edition series with a starting price in the tens of thousands.

Wen Xi didn’t take it, her exceptionally beautiful fingers curling slightly. “Things touched by other people—” She narrowed her eyes, her tone flat. “Throw it away. Sorry for the trouble.”

The girl’s skin was very white, her neck slender, and her aura had a purity that seemed detached from the mundane world. Even when asking a favor, her words were polite, yet they landed in Zhao Jie’s ears with an indescribable sense of disgust. Dirty? Where was it dirty? He had clearly wiped off the dust.

A moment later, Zhao Jie finally realized her meaning—the item was dirty because he had touched it. But. Cheng Si had also touched her things just now.

At this thought, Zhao Jie’s face flushed a deep red, a ball of stifled anger trapped in his chest; unfortunately, he dared not speak his mind. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to spit a caustic remark toward Cheng Si: “You f*cking poser, you’re just a coward who bullies the weak but fears the strong!”

Cheng Si unexpectedly didn’t retaliate this time; instead, he looked dazed. Back at his seat, he didn’t go back to sleep. He kept his eyes down, his pressed lips pale; the chaotic thoughts and the familiar figure in front of him made his entire being a mess.

When he was helping Wen Xi pick up her things earlier, he had picked up a USB drive keychain. Hanging from it was a small puppy plush that looked old and cheap—compared to her box of expensive belongings, it was completely out of place.

And that puppy plush. Was the last gift he had ever given Wen Xi.

The bell rang, and Jin Ping returned to organize the class meeting and distribute new books. Time passed quickly, and soon it was time for the lunch break.

The students swarmed out of the classroom to eat, but Wen Xi didn’t move. Cheng Si wasn’t in a hurry to leave either, until he saw a figure carrying a lunch box appear in the corridor; only then did he stand up in a trance and head outside.

He had thought Wen Xi would demand an explanation for his sudden disappearance back then. Now it seemed he had overthought it.

Wen Xi sat there with her head down, playing on her phone. The afternoon sun had shifted, casting patches of light on her through the gaps in the trees; her long lashes cast a shadow, making her look cold and casual. It was as if the fleeting aggression she showed him in the morning was merely a figment of his imagination.

When Luo Wanran entered the classroom, Wen Xi seemed to sense it and put away her phone right on time without looking up. Luo Wanran set down the lunch box and plopped down next to Wen Xi, complaining unhappily: “Why did you suddenly transfer to Class 7? I almost lost it when I didn’t see you in class this morning.”

Wen Xi lifted her eyelids: “I only found out I was transferring when I arrived at school.”

Luo Wanran was her Omega desk-mate from Class 1, beautiful and flamboyant; she was Wen Xi’s closest friend. Neither of them liked the food at the cafeteria or the nearby restaurants, so their lunches were always prepared by the Wen or Luo family maids and delivered to school.

“This wasn’t arranged by your second brother again, was it?” Luo Wanran asked with a frown. “No one else is that bored besides him.” Wen Xi’s lips curved into a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Even for a four-year high school, arranging a transfer when she was already in her senior year was somewhat ridiculous.

At the end of the last semester, her second brother, Xu Linshen, had suddenly taken time out of his busy schedule to attend a parent-teacher conference for her. After the meeting, he had suddenly said with a dark face that there were “too many Alphas” in Class 1. She thought he was just saying it in passing, but unexpectedly, she was “transferred” as soon as the new semester began; Xu Linshen had even specifically found her a class with many Omegas.

Luo Wanran couldn’t help but mutter: “Your brother wants to control everything.” “I’m used to it,” A trace of icy darkness flashed deep in Wen Xi’s eyes before vanishing. “He’s always been like this.”

From her social circle and environment down to her three meals a day and the content of her speeches. Xu Linshen interfered in every detail of her life.

Luo Wanran didn’t notice her mood. After eating most of her meal, she remembered something and blinked gossipy eyes: “I heard you got into a conflict with someone from Class 7 this morning. What happened? Who has the balls to disrespect my second princess Wen?”

Wen Xi’s brow twitched: “Don’t call me that, it’s disgusting.”

“How is it disgusting? It’s the truth,” Luo Wanran pointed at the fruit box on the table. “Never mind that someone has to pick out every single bone in your fish; you won’t even taste a strawberry unless the stem is removed first. If you’re not a princess, what are you?”

Wen Xi remained noncommittal: “Is it wrong to dislike trouble?” “Fine, fine,” Luo Wanran nodded like a chick pecking grain. “Now can you tell me what actually happened?”

“It wasn’t a conflict,” Wen Xi brushed it off lightly. “Just a misunderstanding.” “What misunderstanding? Is it resolved?” Wen Xi’s lips curled into an ambiguous smile: “I’m just about to resolve it.”

Luo Wanran shivered at her expression and instinctively grabbed her arm: “Don’t smile like that, it’s creepy.”

“…” Wen Xi’s body stiffened; she quietly pulled her arm away and looked at her calmly.

Seeing her offended expression, Luo Wanran let go with a pout and acted spoiled: “Oh, I forgot for a second. I know you don’t like people touching you. I’ll pay attention next time… I really will!”

The scene of the two girls playing intimately in the classroom fell perfectly into the eyes of Cheng Si and Jiang Shuo, who had returned from lunch.

“I finally understand why Wen Xi has so many Omegas who like her. Her sexual orientation is quite a mystery.” Jiang Shuo clicked his tongue in wonder, but when he turned to Cheng Si, he found a trace of inexplicable envy in the latter’s eyes.

“Mind your own business,” Cheng Si said stiffly.

“I’m just joining the fun,” Jiang Shuo said. “Wen Xi transferring to our class is huge news. Did you check the school forum at noon? All the trending posts are about her. Plenty of people are guessing if any Alpha will manage to win her over in this new environment.” He paused: “Honestly, for us Alphas, conquering Wen Xi would be a huge achievement… Wait, why are you looking at me like that?”

Cheng Si stared at him expressionlessly for a few seconds before a sentence suddenly popped out from between his sharp, thin lips: “Forget it. No Alpha can take her down.”

Because Wen Xi would never be the one to be conquered. It had always been the other way around; others could only beg for mercy at her feet.

After saying that, he took a long stride and turned toward the restrooms.

“Where are you going?” “To smoke.”

Seeing students gradually returning to the classroom, Luo Wanran packed up the lunch containers and prepared to leave: “Remember to wait for me after school so we can leave together.” Wen Xi nodded and saw her off.

After Luo Wanran left, Wen Xi also stood up and exited the classroom. She stopped on the path that someone coming back from the restroom would have to take. Not long after, the student whose attributes were still unknown—Cheng Si—walked toward her. The moment he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks.

Wen Xi took two steps closer to him, her eyes pitch black as she smiled: “Long time no see. Do you still remember me?”

The air suddenly became thin. Cheng Si froze on the spot, his eyes stinging and his mind going blank. He felt the blood in his entire body rush backward because of that single sentence; even making a sound became difficult.

“I remember,” After a long while, Cheng Si managed to squeeze a response from his throat. Of course he remembered. How could he possibly forget?

Wen Xi retracted her smile and let out a slow, cold scoff: “Good that you remember.”

A gentle breeze blew past, and Wen Xi caught a faint scent of tobacco from the person across from her. Compared to the menthol cigarettes she used to feed into his mouth two years ago, this smell was noticeably inferior.

At the beginning, he didn’t know how to smoke at all, but he would always lean in when she was smoking. So she would blow out the smoke and feed the remaining spicy taste from the back of her tongue into his mouth, letting him lick it clean bit by bit.

A slight dissatisfaction rose in Wen Xi’s eyes. Her puppy’s features had matured, he had grown taller, the brand of cigarettes he smoked had changed, and even his hair had been shaved into a clean buzz cut.

Back then, his hair had been so soft. When she stroked his head, he would obediently bury his face until her fingers were completely submerged in his hair. She would press him down firmly, kissing him until his face was flushed and tiny whimpers escaped his throat.

He was definitely not like this now—with a cut on his lip and a hairstyle that looked like it would prick her hands.

He had left so suddenly back then that she didn’t even know he had also gotten into Nanjiang International High School, in the same grade but a different class.

How exactly did he do it? Wen Xi thought expressionlessly. How did he manage to spend two years in this massive school, between two classrooms on different floors and amidst the constant flow of people, without ever crossing paths with her once?

As she thought this, the emotion in Wen Xi’s eyes grew colder. She curled two fingers toward him; Cheng Si instinctively lowered his head. She leaned into his ear, her tone growing increasingly icy: “Cheng Si, since when did you become someone else’s dog?”