Chapter 11: Star-Chat

Luo Wanran’s sonic assault lasted for nearly three minutes.

Cheng Si, knowing he was in the wrong, endured it in silence. It wasn’t until Wen Xi, unable to watch any longer, promised to accompany her to an escape room next time that Wanran was finally placated. She headed off to the parking lot alone to retrieve the car, leaving Wen Xi behind to wait for her.

“Have you thought about it?” Wen Xi looked at Cheng Si and asked again. “What reward do you want?”

Cheng Si took off his gloves and sprayed waterless hand sanitizer on his hands. Only after the smell of grease and smoke had faded did he step back in front of Wen Xi. He asked somewhat nervously, “Can I… not have a kiss this time?”

Wen Xi raised an eyebrow, quite surprised by this response. No kiss? Then what?

That was about all she had to give. She couldn’t offer much more right now; at least not until he differentiated, she couldn’t bring herself to accept more intimate acts with a clear mind.

Taking a less arrogant line of thought, Wen Xi wondered if he simply wanted money. Although Cheng Si didn’t seem like the type to equate feelings with cash, money was one of the few things she could easily provide. With money, he wouldn’t have to live in such a dilapidated, remote place, and he wouldn’t have to skip class to sell skewers—especially since he wasn’t actually a bad student.

Class student numbers at the International High School were ranked by entrance exam scores. When his number was called during fencing class, she had realized that Cheng Si’s entrance score was actually the highest in the class. It was a world away from his current dead-last ranking.

Hesitation is often the most polite form of rejection. Cheng Si didn’t ask for much, and the small spark of expectation in his eyes vanished. His eyelids drooped as he added, “Is that not okay? Then forget about today.”

“You don’t even want a kiss?” Wen Xi asked.

“I want one, but… forget it.” Cheng Si struggled through a two-second internal battle before declining. Fearing she might misunderstand, he gazed at her steadily and explained with serious embarrassment, “I smell like BBQ. It’s not a good smell. I’ll get your clothes dirty.”

Wen Xi was a classic “soft heart, hard shell” type. Just as she hadn’t initially liked Xu Linshen but gave him the chance to enter the Wen family when he reached out to her, Cheng Si’s sincere, vulnerable words caused a flicker of internal conflict.

“It doesn’t have to be a kiss,” Wen Xi finally conceded. “Then what do you want?”

Almost the instant the words left her mouth, Cheng Si’s eyes lit up. Afraid she would take it back, he immediately pulled out his phone. “I want to add you on Star-Chat.”

“…”

Wen Xi raised her dark eyes slightly, looking at him expressionlessly.

“Can I?” Cheng Si raised three fingers as if taking an oath. “I promise I won’t bother you all the time.” He just wanted a way to find her.

Two years ago, he had forgotten to ask, which meant that after his parents left the Wen estate, he had to spend an immense amount of effort—crouching at the Wen gates and being driven away countless times—just to see her again. Since then, he had often made futile “what if” assumptions: if he’d had her contact information, he wouldn’t have gone to the house that day, and he wouldn’t have felt that urge to retreat during his most confident years.

Wen Xi brought up her Star-Chat QR code. Once the scan was successful and the request sent, she promptly transferred a sum of money to him.

Still riding the high of finally getting her contact info, Cheng Si stared at the amount in a daze. “6666?”

“Yeah,” Wen Xi said. “BBQ money.”

“It’s on me.” Cheng Si felt she might have a misunderstanding of street food prices. He reminded her softly, “BBQ isn’t this expensive.”

“The BBQ might not be,” Wen Xi said chillingly, “but you’re just that ‘6’ (slick).”

Cheng Si: “…”

By the time Cheng Si got home, it was 1:00 AM. Since there was no one else in the house, he didn’t bother much with etiquette after his shower. He came out in just his pajama bottoms, chest bare and a towel wrapped around his waist, and flopped onto his bed to check Wen Xi’s “Moments” (feed).

He had been too busy earlier to do it. He was also afraid he wouldn’t be able to focus on grilling if he saw snippets of her life.

Fortunately, Wen Xi hadn’t blocked him. Upon clicking her avatar, he saw her only post: a ten-second video of a whale with no caption.

It seemed she had filmed it herself; a very brief, light laugh of hers could be heard at the start. A boat sailed across the ocean, and amidst the deep blue waves, a humpback whale breached the surface, diving back down and spraying a brilliant rainbow. From the depths of the sea came the ethereal, free sound of whale song—beautiful and breathtaking.

Cheng Si watched the video over a dozen times. Still not satisfied, he hit save. Finally content, he prepared to sleep.

Just then, a manager from a club called 24th CLUB, where Cheng Si had worked before, messaged him. The club was hosting a themed event this weekend and needed “atmosphere staff” and stage dancers. He asked Cheng Si to help recruit some part-timers.

To earn money, Cheng Si was in many part-time job groups and knew many peers who worked long-term gigs. Since he was familiar with the manager, it was only natural to take the task, especially since he’d get a commission.

Cheng Si copied the recruitment ad the manager sent and did a “one-click” mass-send to his contact list.

Whether it was because she was annoyed by Cheng Si or because the chili oil in that tofu pudding was acting up, Wen Xi found herself inexplicably parched that night. She tapped her “electronic wooden fish” app until past midnight, but the feeling wouldn’t subside.

With no other options, she messaged Pei Huanzhou. [ ? : Sister-in-law, are you asleep? ]

She waited, thinking she wouldn’t get a reply. As a doctor, Pei Huanzhou’s schedule was usually disciplined. Unexpectedly, just as she set her phone down, he replied.

[ Pei Huanzhou : It’s late. Something wrong? ]

Wen Xi described her symptoms: she hadn’t used a gland suppressant, and she wasn’t in her “heat” cycle. Having a physical reaction while kissing Cheng Si was one thing, but lying here doing nothing and still getting a “rise” was hard to explain. She didn’t consider herself an Alpha who thought with her lower half; in fact, she detested such reactions.

Pei Huanzhou seemed to be weighing his words carefully. [ Pei Huanzhou : Considering your situation, it’s likely drug resistance. ] [ ? : Drug resistance? ] [ Pei Huanzhou : Yes. Like painkillers, long-term use significantly reduces effectiveness. Gland suppressants work similarly. With weak efficacy, the pheromones built up in your glands are overflowing, and it’s normal for that to manifest physically. ] [ Pei Huanzhou : I suspected this when I brought you the sedatives. I wanted you to come for a check-up this weekend, but I was sent on an emergency business trip. Remember to wear your suppression bracelet and wait for me to get back. ]

Wen Xi was tormented by this loss of bodily control. [ ? : What do I do now to relieve it? ] [ Pei Huanzhou : … ] [ Pei Huanzhou : You’re an Alpha. You don’t know? ] [ ? : How would I know? ]

Wen Xi thought irritably that no one had ever taught her how to be an Alpha. She’d even figured out the “kissing Cheng Si feels good” part through trial and error. But she could hardly drag the boy over in the middle of the night for a make-out session.

Pei Huanzhou was stumped and didn’t reply for a long time. Wen Xi grew more annoyed. Finally, two minutes later, a cold response arrived. [ Pei Huanzhou : Come to the hospital next week. We have professional lectures on this. ] [ ? : And right now? ] [ Pei Huanzhou : Maybe… a cold shower? ]

Wen Xi went silent. She threw the phone aside and walked expressionlessly into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, she walked out dripping wet, her expression even colder. Pei Huanzhou had lied to her. A cold shower wasn’t even as effective as Cheng Si’s mouth!

Just as she was fuming, her phone buzzed with a Star-Chat notification. It was from Cheng Si.

At first glance, Wen Xi thought he had sent her a “thirst trap.” Looking closer, it was an advertisement:

Saturday Animal Theme Party – High-end Players Only Free flow drinks & wild vibes. Sept 13th: 24th CLUB Hiring atmosphere staff & dancers. Dress code (all genders): [Accompanied by a promotional poster: A man wearing a fox mask and a club uniform with animal ears. He had an erotic collar around his neck, with a chain lead dangling over his exposed chest.] Text: Waiting for you! [Sassy Heart Emoji]

[ ? : … ]

The message was quickly retracted. [ 4 : Sorry, wrong person. ]

Cheng Si’s fingertips were shaking as he retracted the message. He had just added Wen Xi and forgotten to put her in a specific group, resulting in this massive blunder. He was terrified she would block him immediately. As the silence stretched on, Wen Xi finally replied.

[ ? : What is this? ] [ 4 : I work part-time at this club. Just helping forward it. ] [ ? : So this is you? ] [ 4 : No, it’s a model from the shop. ] [ ? : I don’t believe it. Unless… ]

Wen Xi tapped her phone with one hand. Mid-sentence, she recalled the scene in the alley where Cheng Si had taken off his tank top. Cheng Si’s chest… seemed fuller than this model’s? And the color wasn’t quite as dark.

[ 4 : Unless? ]

Wen Xi cracked her knuckles. Perhaps it was the pent-up pheromones making her head fuzzy, but she replied on a whim. [ ? : Unless you prove it. ]

The status bar showed “Typing…” Before long, a shirtless selfie arrived. Wen Xi’s eyelids lifted slowly.

On the other side, Cheng Si had practically bolted upright in bed. He lit a cigarette to calm his racing heart. Wen Xi didn’t say anything for a long time. Every second of waiting was agony. Just as the cigarette was almost finished, the phone buzzed.

[ ? : No wonder you hit so hard. ]

Cheng Si looked dazed. He didn’t understand how a shirtless photo translated to hitting people hard—he hadn’t even been in a fight lately. Fortunately, another message popped up.

[ ? : They’re pink. ] [ 4 : Huh? ] [ ? : Haven’t you heard? The pinker the chest, the harder the hit. ]