Chapter 12: Grip

Cheng Si stared at the words on the screen for a long time, unable to tell if Wen Xi was satisfied or not. Coming from her, such slightly crude language didn’t sound lecherous; it sounded like a dispassionate statement of fact.

However, when he caught sight of his own enlarged photo, his ears turned bright red. He had taken the picture too quickly and hadn’t found a good angle, making his chest look like it was pushing against the screen. No wonder Wen Xi noticed the color right away.

He asked tentatively: [ 4 : Is this good or bad? ]

Unfortunately, Wen Xi didn’t give him a direct answer. Instead, she abruptly changed the subject. [ ? : When we kiss, do you ever have a physical reaction? ]

Cheng Si’s eyes widened. He read the message several times, his heart skipping a beat.

His first thought was: Did she find out? Did she discover his secret, filthy thoughts—how just a kiss made him want to strip himself bare and offer himself to her, or how he lacked even a shred of desire to refuse her, no matter how she touched him?

If he had already differentiated, he could at least use pheromones as an excuse. But since he hadn’t, the evidence of his arousal made his longing seem even more sordid.

Would she be disgusted by his overconfidence? Would she hate him for uncontrollably desecrating her?

While Cheng Si was drowning in sweaty-palmed speculation, Wen Xi asked again. This time, she sent a voice message, her tone laced with impatient inquiry. “I’m asking you—when you kiss me, do you have a reaction?” After a moment, she added with a cold laugh, “Try saying no and see what happens.”

Cheng Si’s Adam’s apple rolled. He felt completely transparent before her. He had no choice but to reply via voice, his own throat incredibly raspy. “I… I do.”

“Then how do you relieve it?” Wen Xi seemed to have obtained a satisfactory answer. She followed up leisurely, her voice revealing no flaws. [ 4 : I just… relieve it like that. ] [ ? : Like what? Be specific. ] [ 4 : … ]

Cheng Si was humiliated to the extreme. Yet, Wen Xi’s tone was so business-like that it didn’t sound like she was flirting at all. It was as if she were simply a child with many questions.

Her patience seemed thin. When no reply came for a while, she didn’t force it, sending a fleeting voice note: “Fine, if you won’t say, I’ll ask someone else.”

[ 4 : … ] [ 4 : Don’t! ]

In his panic, fearing she might actually do that, he called her directly through the app. When she picked up, his face burned. Talking to her about this in real-time was infinitely more embarrassing.

“What?” Wen Xi asked calmly. “Don’t… don’t ask others,” Cheng Si stammered.

Wen Xi laughed softly. “I thought you didn’t want to say?” “I do,” Cheng Si gritted his teeth. “I’ll tell you.”

Wen Xi hummed. “Go ahead.” Cheng Si took a deep breath. “…By hand.” “And specifically, how do you use it?” “…”

Cheng Si was nearly speechless, but Wen Xi’s tone had a sort of “investigative” innocence. She’s really curious, isn’t she? he thought. Then I can’t let her down.

Having convinced himself, he forced the words out one by one. “Grip it…” “…” Wen Xi was silent for a second. “Grip it?”

“Move it,” Cheng Si said with difficulty. “It feels… very good.” “…” Wen Xi’s side suddenly went quiet, save for her breathing, which was noticeably faster than before. It was punctuated by a startled “Mmh.”

“What’s wrong?” Cheng Si asked. “Nothing…” Wen Xi’s cold voice took on a trace of weary laziness. After a moment, she said with a touch of admiration, “Thank you, Teacher Cheng. For being so thorough.”

The call ended. Cheng Si’s ears tingled slightly at the words “Teacher Cheng.”

Though he didn’t understand why she suddenly called him that, he thought to himself: Thorough? Not quite.

The next day, when Wen Xi took Luo Wanran’s car to school, the latter pointed at the area under Wen Xi’s eyes with an exaggerated expression. “What did you do last night? Why are your dark circles so obvious?” Wen Xi’s skin was very pale, making the dark circles stand out.

Wen Xi adjusted the suppression bracelet on her wrist and said expressionlessly, “Don’t ask.”

The method Cheng Si taught her had actually felt quite good at first, giving her the novel thrill of opening Pandora’s Box. Usually, even when showering, she viewed her body with a detached, almost disgusted “business-only” attitude. This was the first time she realized that “gripping and moving” could feel like that.

Unfortunately, the joy didn’t last. Soon, she felt pain. The whole area had turned bright red. The pain had extinguished her “fire” instantly, making the cold water unnecessary.

Wen Xi leaned against the car window, thinking listlessly: Is Cheng Si made of iron? How can he stand that kind of pain?

Due to the dual torture of insomnia and physical discomfort, Wen Xi was sluggish all morning. Usually disciplined and well-rested, she never napped in class, but today she couldn’t hold on. Her eyelids kept fighting. During a long break, she stood up to wash her face. She looked back and saw Cheng Si in the back row, head down on the desk, looking as peaceful as a corpse.

“…” Wen Xi suddenly felt a bit envious of his freedom.

“Wen Xi-tongxue,” a sweet voice chirped. Wen Xi turned and saw Lin Xiayang walking toward her with a red face. “I have something I want to ask you. Can you come out for a moment?”

Wen Xi wanted to tell him to just say it here, but she noticed several nearby students watching with interest. After a thought, she relented. “Okay.”

The moment Lin Xiayang and Wen Xi left the classroom, the “dead-to-the-world” Cheng Si suddenly snapped his eyes open. He was sensitized to Wen Xi’s voice; it was a reflex honed by instinct.

Cheng Si calmly ran a hand through his hair. Before he was even fully awake, his legs had already instinctively followed the two of them.

At the end of the hallway was a fenced-off garden balcony that was usually deserted. Lin Xiayang stopped and turned to face Wen Xi.

“I asked Luo Wanran to check with you last night, but I never got an answer. I thought maybe I wasn’t being sincere enough, so I should invite you in person.” Lin Xiayang’s cheeks were flushed, his voice soft. He looked at her with clear, deer-like eyes. “Wen Xi, my birthday party next week… would you be willing to come?”

Wen Xi didn’t even consider it. “No.”

Lin Xiayang hadn’t expected her to refuse so bluntly. He froze, and after a long while, he forced a smile, though his eyes brimmed with sadness.

Most people differentiated during high school. On the day he differentiated, he happened to be on cleaning duty. Even more unfortunately, he ran into an Alpha who was in a sudden, uncontrollable “heat” (rut) after most people had left the school. The Alpha dragged him into the restroom. Vulnerable during his own differentiation period, Lin Xiayang was defenseless. He had cried and struggled in vain, nearly being marked.

It was Wen Xi who had heard the noise, kicked open the door, and saved him. At that moment, she looked like a descending deity.

An Omega, who looked as delicate as he was, had effortlessly pulled the Alpha aside and snapped her own suppression bracelet onto his trembling wrist. He had tried to warn her that the air was filled with oppressive Alpha pheromones, only to find that they didn’t affect her in the slightest. She had held the perpetrator down in the sink without blinking.

Though Wen Xi later told him she was just passing by, Lin Xiayang couldn’t help but feel a deep admiration and attraction to her. For years, it had become a habit. When Wen Xi transferred to Class 7, he thought he might finally have a chance.

Lin Xiayang blinked, his voice choking for a moment as he couldn’t help but ask, “Do you… like the type like Cheng Si?” He had noticed the way Wen Xi looked at Cheng Si earlier. Before this, he had never seen her show such complex emotions toward anyone.

Hearing his name mentioned, Cheng Si—standing just outside the balcony—felt his heart race. He was satisfied with his current relationship with Wen Xi and didn’t expect more, nor did he think she’d like someone like him. But since someone had asked, if Wen Xi was willing to answer…

“Who told you that?” Wen Xi’s voice was indifferent.

Below the teaching building, the cicadas chirped piercingly, sounding heartbroken.

“So you don’t?” Lin Xiayang asked again. “Then, can I ask what type you do like?” The latter question had a purely pragmatic purpose. Even if Wen Xi’s refusal meant he was out, maybe another “sister” in the chat group had a chance? Better than letting some “flamboyant hussy” from outside take her.

Wen Xi scanned his honest face for a few seconds. She sighed inwardly and spoke without much thought: “At the very least, they should be on the same level as me in terms of looks.”

Lin Xiayang: “…” In the whole school, maybe only a handful of people are on your level, he thought.

Wen Xi continued, “Ideally, they should have fair skin, be quite tall, and have a personality that isn’t too rowdy but isn’t boring either. Their pheromones should smell good, their grade shouldn’t be too low, and they should have a beautiful smile that brings me joy.”

Lin Xiayang nodded. Well, he thought, she really doesn’t like Cheng Si. These descriptions were the exact opposite of Cheng Si.

“And,” Wen Xi added thoughtfully, “they should be at the top of their field professionally. That way, we’d have a common language.”

“…” Lin Xiayang let out a miserable groan. Thinking of his own uneven grades, he instantly lost any desire to pursue her. The standards were too high. Do excellent people only like other excellent people?

Cheng Si’s eyes drooped as he lost himself in thought, his lips thinning into a line. He didn’t understand—he had already guessed this would be her answer, so why did it still feel so disappointing? Before the people inside could come out, he tightened his white knuckles and walked back to the classroom with unsteady steps.

After school, Wen Xi received a call from Pei Huanzhou. He said he was back in Nanjiang and asked if she was free. He would pick her up for dinner and a gland check-up.

Wen Xi was, of course, free. She hadn’t eaten with him in a long time.

When Cheng Si and Jiang Shuo walked out of the school gates, this was the scene they saw:

An incredibly handsome male Omega was ruffling Wen Xi’s hair with a gentle smile. The moment Wen Xi saw him, the joy in her eyes was completely undisguised. She got into his car, and they drove away.

Jiang Shuo gasped. “Wen Xi actually knows Doctor Pei? My ‘dimensional wall’ just shattered.” Cheng Si’s eyes followed the car. “You know that doctor?”

“I don’t know him personally, but I know of him,” Jiang Shuo said with admiration. “He’s the most prestigious gland specialist in all of Nanjiang. Not only is he a brilliant doctor at a young age, but he’s also famous for his looks. The hospital where he works posted a photo of him during surgery on their official account, and they gained a million followers overnight.”

Cheng Si listened in silence. He realized this Doctor Pei was almost a perfect match for the ideal type Wen Xi had described.

“What do you think,” Cheng Si turned back and asked softly, “of me as a person?” Jiang Shuo was supportive. “You’re my brother, of course you’re great.”

After a two-second hesitation, Cheng Si asked, “Compared to Doctor Pei?” Jiang Shuo raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Why are you—someone about to differentiate into an Alpha—comparing yourself to an Omega?”

“What if I insist on comparing?” Cheng Si looked at him, his tone almost stubborn.

Jiang Shuo: “…” Though he didn’t know what aspect Cheng Si wanted to compare, he mentally went through their traits. After removing gender from the equation, he fell into a weird silence. But his friend looked like he needed an answer.

Left with no choice, Jiang Shuo gave an awkward smile and patted his shoulder. “I can only say… he’s definitely not as tall as you.”

Cheng Si: “…”

Cheng Si touched the suppression patch on the back of his neck and looked up at the sky. The sun was setting, but the light had become strangely piercing, making his eyes sting and his heart ache with a dull, suffocating pain.