Chapter 3: Leaving Without Goodbye

Wen Xi stepped back immediately after speaking, widening the distance between them again.

Cheng Si remained pinned to the spot by her words, as if all the strength had been drained from his body, standing rigid like the walking dead.

“Didn’t hear me clearly?” Wen Xi gazed at him with a shallow smile. “Then I’ll ask once more—”

“No.”

Cheng Si finally found his voice, rasping out: “No one else has ever treated me like that.”

“Oh?” There wasn’t a trace of emotion in Wen Xi’s smile.

But Cheng Si could easily perceive that she wasn’t particularly satisfied with this answer.

Thinking back to the words he’d heard while half-asleep earlier, Cheng Si pursed his lips and attempted to explain further: “Lu Yinzhi and I are just ordinary friends. I helped him settle some trouble before, and someone must have spread rumors saying I’m his lackey who does his dirty work.”

Wen Xi: “That’s it?”

Cheng Si nodded.

Wen Xi: “If it was a misunderstanding, why didn’t you explain?”

Cheng Si glanced up at her but quickly lowered his head again: “I didn’t think it was necessary.”

He couldn’t control what everyone else said.

After a pause, Wen Xi spoke slowly: “So, when I misunderstand you, you also feel there’s no need to explain, right?”

Cheng Si clenched his fists at his sides; her words felt like a blade piercing his chest, sending waves of unavoidable, throbbing pain through him.

He parted his lips, wanting to explain himself just as he had for the previous question, but looking into those eyes—as clear and harmless as glass beads—every explanation stuck in his throat. In the end, he could only apologize dejectedly: “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave without saying goodbye back then. I didn’t have time.”

Unexpectedly, Wen Xi nodded with great understanding: “I know.”

Cheng Si’s parents used to work for the Wen family; his father was Wen Xi’s father’s driver, and his mother was the nanny who had looked after Wen Xi since she was a child. His mother’s cooking was unique, and that was when Wen Xi’s picky palate had been cultivated.

Cheng Si usually lived at the school dormitory, but with the permission of Wen Xi’s father, he would visit the Wen estate on weekends to see his parents. Naturally, Wen Xi and Cheng Si got to know each other. In the increasingly oppressive environment of the Wen household, Cheng Si became her only playmate.

In the beginning, they simply did homework and played games together in her room.

Later, she kissed Cheng Si on the cheek, and he didn’t refuse.

In that room decorated with the pink hues and princess dresses she loathed, she didn’t know how many times she had kissed him before Cheng Si suddenly pulled away, asking why she only kissed his cheek.

Wen Xi was stumped by the question and asked back: “If not the cheek, where else can I kiss?”

She remembered clearly that Cheng Si went silent for a full ten seconds. A flush spread from the tips of his ears and across his cheeks all the way to his neck; the breath he exhaled was scorching hot. Then, under her confused gaze, he pointed at his own lips.

Wen Xi didn’t know how to kiss.

It was Cheng Si who, when their lips met, proactively opened his mouth to show her how to deepen it. He hooked her tongue, swallowing her curiosity, excitement, flavor, and pants into his throat until both of their lips were wet, red, and alluring.

If it weren’t for the now-powerful Xu Linshen—who had fired Cheng Si’s parents behind her back and gradually replaced all the household staff with his own people—perhaps she and Cheng Si would have maintained that pure relationship forever.

She knew exactly how ruthless Xu Linshen’s methods of control were.

Cheng Si naturally never had the chance to say goodbye to her.

However.

He couldn’t do it then.

But in the past two years at school, he couldn’t do it either?

“Why did you apply to this school?” Wen Xi licked her lips and leaned against the corridor railing, her gaze cool. “Since you got into this school, why have you been hiding from me?”

Cheng Si felt humiliated by her piercing gaze, answering her questions one by one: “No reason. I just felt like you wouldn’t want to see me.”

After a few seconds of silence, Wen Xi let out a cold laugh: “At least you have some self-awareness.”

Cheng Si listened numbly and agreed numbly; he wasn’t hurt much by the remark.

To him, having self-awareness was a virtue.

Wen Xi took in his reaction and continued to ask ambiguously: “Have you had a girlfriend in the past two years?”

Cheng Si answered quickly this time: “No.”

Wen Xi: “Have you kissed anyone else?”

Cheng Si: “No.”

“Have you been marked by anyone…” Wen Xi remembered something. “Oh, I forgot you haven’t differentiated yet.”

She couldn’t smell any pheromones from him. The patch of skin on the back of his neck, exposed while he slept face-down earlier, was smooth and flat, confirming he hadn’t differentiated.

Generally, differentiation occurs between ages sixteen and eighteen, though the timing for high-level Alphas and Omegas is often extreme. She and Cheng Si were the same age; she had differentiated at fifteen, yet Cheng Si still hadn’t.

“Do you know your predicted direction?” Wen Xi asked again.

“Yes,” Cheng Si answered honestly. “The test report said my probability of becoming an Alpha is as high as 70%.”

“…”

Wen Xi’s brow furrowed for a split second. She narrowed her eyes, her tone becoming somewhat ethereal: “But I vaguely remember your old gland tests saying you were more likely to become an Omega or a Beta?”

“I don’t really understand it myself,” Cheng Si said. “It was a new test I took when I applied for this school.”

Wen Xi lowered her eyelashes and hummed in acknowledgment. After an agonizing silence, she said flatly: “One last question. Do you want to go back to the way we were?”

Cheng Si snapped his eyes up, staring at her blankly.

His heart beat so fast it felt like it would burst from his chest.

Because his mother knew he couldn’t bear to leave the Wen family, she had told him: Wen Xi is the moon in the sky. If she grants you her radiance, it is merely a casual gesture. You must never delude yourself into thinking the light shines for you, because the moon will never fall, and people in the mud like us can never reach the heavens.

At the time, he refused to accept that.

But over these two years, he had dreamed of Wen Xi many times and imagined standing before her again, yet he never dared to hope they could go back to the past.

He realized he didn’t have the courage anymore.

Hearing those words, he was stunned for a long while.

But without much hesitation, he instantly betrayed his self-awareness, nodding with trembling lips: “I do.”

It was an expected answer, yet Wen Xi gave a slight smile: “Even if you want to, it’s not happening. Just as I don’t like things that have been made dirty by others, I don’t like Alphas. And—”

Then, she added with a touch of cruelty that felt necessary: “I have a new puppy now. He’s very good, very obedient, and he won’t run away.”

Before the next class started, Wen Xi avoided everyone’s gaze and went alone to the top floor of the teaching building.

Nanjiang International High School was wealthy thanks to the Wen family’s investment; even the top-floor storage area had fully functional restrooms. No one usually came here except her, as she was the only one with a key to the roof.

Wen Xi entered the restroom marked for Alphas and cupped a handful of cold water over her face at the sensor-activated faucet.

The mirror reflected her cold expression—almond-shaped eyes, thin eyelids, thick and long lashes, and skin so pale it was almost transparent.

She had a very Omega-like appearance.

Unfortunately, she was not an Omega, so she had no inclination toward liking Alphas.

She had differentiated as an Alpha at fifteen and required an injection of gland suppressants once every half-month to prevent her Alpha traits from fully developing—or rather, to significantly reduce her primal needs as an Alpha.

Such as suppressing her height and appearance, keeping her pheromones from leaking out, making her less susceptible to the influence of Omegas, greatly delaying her rut, and…

She took a step back and looked down slightly.

She saw a very noticeable bulge under the upper part of her knee-length school skirt.

Gland suppressants weren’t entirely without side effects; for about half an hour after each injection, they caused the user to have certain uncontrollable reactions.

The period right after her differentiation had been miserable because no one told her how to alleviate this uncomfortable feeling. Later, she discovered that kissing Cheng Si helped her feel much better. To her surprise, Cheng Si had left without a word, leaving her to endure it alone.

Wen Xi’s lips pressed into a thin line, her fingers gripping the edge of the sink so hard her knuckles turned white.

She knew she should take her suppressant today.

But she hadn’t injected it yet, had she?

And even without the injection, it was already acting up this aggressively?

Wen Xi washed her face again, then expressionlessly pulled out her phone and made a call.

The sun hung high in the sky, and the midsummer heat was intense. While everyone else was sweating, Cheng Si felt his hands and feet go cold.

He returned to the classroom, appearing lost.

“Bro, this isn’t cool,” Jiang Shuo slapped his desk, smelling the scent of a secret affair. “I saw Wen Xi looking for you. Quick, tell me, what’s your relationship? Did you know each other before?!”

Cheng Si kept his eyes down without a word, his rugged brow looking even more somber.

Jiang Shuo observed him for a moment and let out a slow “Ah”: “…She just talked to you, why do you look like you just went through a breakup?”

“We’ve known each other for a long time.” To prevent Jiang Shuo from prying further, Cheng Si gave a brief explanation: “My parents worked for the Wen family, but that was two years ago. So, my relationship with her ends there.”

She had handed him a death sentence, and there was nothing he could do.

That said, Jiang Shuo still didn’t quite believe it.

Just as he was pondering, a sudden commotion broke out in the classroom.

“Who is that person outside our classroom?” “Holy sh*t, they’re so beautiful. Is it an Omega? They look like a college student… they’re carrying something, are they looking for someone?”

Amidst the chatter, Jiang Shuo followed the noise.

He saw an Omega standing at the classroom door; he had refined features, a slender build, and porcelain-white skin. His “fox eyes” looked classical and cool—he was almost too beautiful.

Someone gathered their courage to ask: “Excuse me, who are you looking for?”

“I’m here to bring something to Wen Xi. She didn’t pick up her phone.” The Omega’s voice was pleasant, like a clear spring hitting mountain rocks. When he mentioned Wen Xi, his expression softened, and a smile touched his eyes.

“I just saw her head to the top floor.”

“Okay, thank you.”

With that, the Omega turned and left.

Jiang Shuo pinched his chin and shed tears of envy: “What kind of god-tier Omega-attracting constitution does Wen Xi have…”

Curiosity came in waves, and the classroom soon returned to peace.

Only Cheng Si remained.

He slowly retracted his gaze, then raised a hand to stiffly press against the unhealed wound at the corner of his mouth.

Sharp pain surged to his brain, giving him a reason to convince himself that his reddened eyes weren’t because he saw the “new puppy” she mentioned, but because the wound on his lip hurt too much.