Chapter 5: Apartment

Wen Xi had just finished talking with the PE teacher when Luo Wanran dashed over from the classroom to find her.

“And you still say there’s nothing going on between you and that Cheng Si! Fencing! You actually lost the match to him! I’ve never seen you show mercy to anyone!” Luo Wanran held her face in exaggerated shock.

Wen Xi, the loser of the match, looked helpless: “It’s not that I wanted to go easy. There was something wrong with that blade; it likely would have snapped if I used forced.”

Luo Wanran gasped: “What do you mean?”

Wen Xi explained her discovery: “A blade worn down from years of bending will snap easily if the force is applied incorrectly. There have been news reports of broken blades piercing an opponent’s chest or neck. That’s why gear is supposed to be re-checked before every bout.”

“If it was dangerous,” Luo Wanran asked, confused, “why didn’t you just call for a stop?”

“If I stopped then, the teacher would have just given me a new blade. But if I finished the match—” Wen Xi smiled, her voice dropping slightly as she looked up. “I’d have time to catch the ghost.”

The two walked toward the Alpha locker rooms, only to hear a commotion coming from the nearby showers.

“Sounds like a fight!” “Cheng Si just went in. No way, is he fighting again?” “Who knows, let’s go check!”

Wen Xi and Luo Wanran exchanged a look and followed the crowd.

The entrance to the shower room was packed. Seeing Wen Xi, the crowd instinctively parted to let her through. Inside the brightly lit room, Wen Xi saw Cheng Si, his face looking like he was ready to kill, grabbing someone by the hair.

He spoke one word at a time: “If you have a problem, come at me. I’ll play with you. But if you dare say one more word about her—I’ll let you experience what a real piece of trash looks like.”

Zhao Jie, pinned beneath him, had a face covered in blood. Seeing the students gathering, he roared in desperation, “Bullying! This is school bullying! Believe it or not, I’ll tell the principal tomorrow and get you expelled, you f*cking idiot!”

“I don’t care,” Cheng Si said expressionlessly. “I didn’t want to be here anyway.” Then, with cold eyes, he slammed Zhao Jie’s head hard against the tiled wall.

Zhao Jie screamed, seeing stars from the pain as saliva and blood mixed on the floor. He never imagined Cheng Si was a literal madman. In the past, Cheng Si usually ignored his verbal taunts. He thought Cheng Si was just a low-level lackey for Lu Yinzhi, but today he realized that when this man snapped, he didn’t value his own life—it seemed there was nothing in this world he feared.

Luo Wanran couldn’t help but whistle. Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing it was another. She was very interested in the “her” Cheng Si was so fiercely defending. She glanced at Wen Xi.

Wen Xi’s expression was as cold as ever, but surprisingly, she didn’t choose to stay on the sidelines this time.

“Enough.” Wen Xi stepped forward and grabbed Cheng Si’s hand just as he was about to strike again.

Those two simple words caused the violence radiating from Cheng Si to vanish instantly. He froze, turned his head, and met Wen Xi’s eyes, which were illuminated into a pale ring of light by the overhead lamps.

Cheng Si pursed his lips. Although he felt it wasn’t enough, he obediently stood up and explained in a low voice: “Your blade… he swapped it. And he said bad things about you—”

“I know. I’ll handle it,” Wen Xi interrupted him, shifting her gaze to the bruised and swollen Zhao Jie. “Teacher Jin wants you in his office.”

She and the PE teacher had pulled the surveillance footage and seen exactly how Zhao Jie had swapped the blade. However, since no harm was done, the PE teacher and Jin Ping had initially suggested leniency.

Wen Xi had nothing to say to that; after all, if the person with the swapped blade wasn’t her, Zhao Jie might have only received a verbal warning. In this school, teachers were often in a weaker position than the students and were loath to offend anyone.

For the sake of the teachers, Wen Xi had intended to let it go. At least, on the surface.

Zhao Jie gasped for air, baring his teeth: “Fine! I wanted to find Teacher Jin anyway! With a bully like this in class, how is anyone supposed to stay!” He pointed at Cheng Si. “You wait, I’ll make sure you’re gone by tomorrow!”

Wen Xi stopped in her tracks. She scanned the crowd of students watching the drama, then looked at Cheng Si, who hadn’t offered a single word of defense since she appeared. She narrowed her eyes, suddenly changing her mind: “A bully? Are you talking about yourself?”

Zhao Jie stared at her: “I’m talking about f*cking Cheng Si!”

“Cheng Si isn’t nearly as ‘creative’ as you,” Wen Xi said slowly, her eyes tracking him. “Maybe you should take a moment to think back. Think of the many Omega ‘girlfriends’ you’ve had. Were they all… willing?”

The moment those words left her mouth, Zhao Jie’s face turned deathly pale. The surrounding students erupted into chaos.

“What does Wen Xi mean? Is she saying Zhao Jie forced people to be his girlfriend?” “Is that for real? Zhao Jie is that kind of person?” “If it’s coming from Wen Xi, I doubt it’s a lie.” “That’s disgusting. I thought he was just a ‘bro’ type. Forcing Omegas? That’s a crime, isn’t it?”

Zhao Jie broke down, denying it in a panic: “You’re lying! Stop slandering me! Where’s your evidence!”

His first instinct was that Wen Xi was bluffing. On the day she moved in, she hadn’t even cared to remember his name. How could she suddenly know everything about him? He tried to convince himself to stick to his denial.

But the girl’s gaze was too piercing. It was entirely inconsistent with her clean, delicate appearance. Just looking at her gave him a terrifying sense of being suppressed to his very core.

“Evidence?” Wen Xi said. “Plenty.”

“Impossible!” Zhao Jie screamed. “Even if the Wen family is rich, you couldn’t have… in such a short time…”

“The time wasn’t that short.” Wen Xi glanced at her watch. “From the end of the match to the end of class, twenty minutes was enough.”

Zhao Jie’s eyes widened. He saw his own collapse reflected in her pupils.

“You know the Wen family is rich. So, twenty minutes was enough for someone to send me… unspeakable evidence regarding you.”

“…” Zhao Jie was completely panicked, his face alternating between red and white. He nearly collapsed.

“Disperse, disperse! School is over, why are you still gathered here? Everyone go home!”

The PE teacher arrived late. He looked at Wen Xi, then at the terrified Zhao Jie. After clearing out the crowd, he closed the shower door and whispered to Wen Xi, “Student Wen, we agreed to report the blade incident to your homeroom teacher and let him handle it. Why did you… take matters into your own eyes?”

Hearing this, Cheng Si snapped out of his daze and stepped forward, explaining sheepishly: “…Teacher, I was the one who hit him.”

“Cheng Si!” the PE teacher bellowed. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in! This could have ended here, but you had to—”

“Why blame him?” Wen Xi interrupted. “I changed my mind.”

The teacher was flabbergasted: “What do you mean?”

Wen Xi’s lips curled: “I changed my mind. I don’t want it to end here anymore.”

Zhao Jie didn’t care about his pride anymore. He fell to his knees before Wen Xi, tears and snot streaming down his face as he wailed: “I was wrong, I was really wrong! I promise I’ll never bother you again! Please let me go, I beg you…”

Cheng Si moved silently to stand in front of Wen Xi, ensuring Zhao Jie’s dirty hands couldn’t touch even a corner of her clothing.

Wen Xi’s brow twitched. She instinctively wanted to tell him to move, but seeing his serious expression, she said nothing, permitting his protective stance. Then, in front of everyone, she dialed a number.

Her voice was cold and clear: “…Don’t send the files to me. Send them exactly where they need to go… Being a concerned citizen once in a while isn’t such a bad thing.”

“It’s over, it’s all over…” Zhao Jie shook like a leaf. He couldn’t hold himself up anymore; his legs gave out and he slumped onto the floor.

The students outside had been cleared. Only Luo Wanran remained. The PE teacher hauled Zhao Jie off to the infirmary, telling Cheng Si and Wen Xi to follow; Teacher Jin was already on his way there to discuss the final outcome.

Walking at the back, Luo Wanran noticed that in Wen Xi’s usually indifferent eyes, there was a flash of something called anger when she looked at Cheng Si.

Seeing Wen Xi angry made Luo Wanran happy. Many Alphas had fought for Wen Xi before, but none had ever garnered even a shred of her attention. Let alone anger—she usually didn’t even feel disgust. Just perfect politeness, perfect distance, perfect indifference.

This was the first time Luo Wanran had seen Wen Xi show genuine emotion.

“Don’t take the initiative next time,” Wen Xi said suddenly. “I can handle my own affairs.”

Cheng Si stole a glance at her before quickly looking away. His voice sounded guilty and low: “Did I cause trouble for you again?”

Luo Wanran, following like a little spy: Eee! That look he gave her! So obedient!!

“Drop the act,” Wen Xi said. “You were pretty fierce just now. Don’t pretend with me.”

Cheng Si muttered: “I’m not pretending… I’m really afraid of causing you trouble.”

Wen Xi let out an ambiguous laugh: “You aren’t afraid of expulsion, but you’re afraid of causing me trouble?”

“Those… those are different.” Cheng Si stiffened, blinking hard to push back a sudden sting in his eyes. He whispered, “No one wants me anyway. It doesn’t matter where I go.”

Luo Wanran was screaming internally: Aaaaah! No one can resist a pitiful large dog!

Wen Xi was silent for a few seconds before changing the subject: “Are you stupid? You accepted those accusations without a word. You don’t care about being called a bully, but other students’ parents will. If they get involved…”

She frowned, seemingly picturing a troublesome scene. “If you want to stay in school, keep your mouth shut in the office.”

Cheng Si nodded instinctively, then suddenly realized something and stared at Wen Xi.

So her changing her mind and exposing Zhao Jie in public… was to strip the ‘bully’ label off him and protect his precarious reputation?

Luo Wanran, crawling in the shadows: HOLY SHT!! YES!! IT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU THINK!!!*

Wen Xi, however, added a cold postscript: “Don’t overthink it. It’s not to help you. I just didn’t want to waste more time. My puppy is waiting for me at home.”

“…” Cheng Si hummed a response from deep in his throat and stopped talking.

Luo Wanran mentally drew a question mark. Just as she was about to speak, Wen Xi sensed it and turned back to give her a warning look.

Luo Wanran: “…” Oh ho, so you’re silencing me now.

At the infirmary, Jin Ping called them in one by one. By the end, he was almost in tears because the police had come to school to take Zhao Jie away. An Omega had accused him of using coercion to forcibly mark her, and the evidence was solid.

To protect Omegas, the Alliance usually handed down heavy sentences for such crimes. When Zhao Jie was led away, his face was withered, the spark gone from his eyes.

Since Cheng Si’s conflict with Zhao Jie was largely provoked by Zhao Jie’s insults, Jin Ping ultimately decided to give Cheng Si a formal warning and ordered him never to let it happen again.

Once everything was settled, Cheng Si, Wen Xi, and Luo Wanran walked toward the school gate together.

Luo Wanran had gotten her license the month she turned eighteen and drove herself to school. Since the two families lived close to each other, Wen Xi didn’t call her driver and usually caught a ride with Luo Wanran.

Still seemingly in a bad mood, Wen Xi didn’t say goodbye to Cheng Si. She got into the passenger seat and urged Luo Wanran to hurry.

Luo Wanran turned to Cheng Si: “How are you getting back?” Cheng Si: “The bus.”

Luo Wanran smiled: “Do you want to go see Wen Xi’s puppy?” Cheng Si’s gaze met Wen Xi’s inside the car. He whispered, “No.” “Why not?” “I don’t want to see it.”

Luo Wanran prodded: “Don’t you want to know what her puppy looks like?” Cheng Si’s mind went blank for two seconds: “I’ve seen it.”

Luo Wanran was suspicious: “You’ve seen it? When?” Cheng Si pursed his lips and said nothing.

Luo Wanran found a post-it note in the car and wrote an address: “Take the bus to the park across from this apartment immediately. Friend, this is all I can do for you.”

Cheng Si didn’t understand and wanted to ask more, but Luo Wanran had already started the car.

The car sped away. Cheng Si stood there, staring at the address: “City of the Scented Sea.”

He hesitated for thirty seconds, then clenched his hand. He told himself not to dream anymore… but even as he told himself that, his body made the choice for his brain. He chased down the bus at the stop that was about to depart for the City of the Scented Sea.

Leaning against the window, he thought numbly: Maybe if I experience this a few more times, I’ll become immune to the pain of disappointment that follows wishful thinking.

The sunset shifted, casting a orange glow over the world. The bus stopped at the City of the Scented Sea.

Cheng Si followed Luo Wanran’s instructions and searched the park across from the apartment. Since there weren’t many residences nearby, the park was quiet, with only a few scattered groups of people.

Because of this, he easily spotted Wen Xi. She had changed into casual clothes and was walking a fierce Doberman Pinscher.

The Doberman was beautifully built, fierce and strong. It panted to cool off while turning its head to lick Wen Xi’s hand. Wen Xi was patient with it, occasionally rubbing its head or tossing it a treat.

Cheng Si felt a moment of mental dissonance.

Before he could recover from the shock, Wen Xi suddenly looked up. A flash of surprise crossed her face.

In the next instant, the leash in her hand lengthened rapidly. The Doberman, as if sensing an enemy, became instantly alert. With a loud bark, it charged toward Cheng Si.

Cheng Si didn’t dodge. He didn’t even show a hint of fear.

Seeing that it hadn’t scared him, the Doberman skidded to a halt in front of him. It whined once. Man and dog stared at each other for a long while before the Doberman suddenly circled him. Then, it crouched down, and as if displaying its dominance, it took a dump right in front of him.

Wen Xi: “…” Cheng Si: “…………”

At that moment, Cheng Si finally confirmed it. The puppy… was a literal dog.