The sound of flowing water rang out again.
Li Yuheng leaned back in his chair, one long leg bent, his ankle resting on the knee of the other leg, the bag of potato chips in his hand rustling.
He sat there quietly, using a steady light source to dispel the darkness in the small area of the bathroom, occasionally commenting on the flavor of the potato chips or humming an off-key tune.
The light and shadow swayed in the misty steam, outlining the leisurely yet reliable silhouette of the person outside the door.
After a while, the sound of water stopped.
Shu Bai's voice came again, a little softer than before: "...What flavor are the potato chips?"
Li Yuheng picked up the bag and looked at it: "Honey butter. You want some? Beg me."
There was no sound from inside.
Li Yuheng chuckled softly, took out two intact pieces, and carefully handed them through the crack in the door: "Here, this is a reward for you. Don't say that Big A doesn't take care of you."
Shu Bai opened the door a crack, and warm steam escaped.
He leaned forward slightly and took the potato chip from Li Yuheng's hand.
Li Yuheng deliberately shrank back, causing him to miss.
Shu Bai paused, then looked up at him.
In the dim light, those dark eyes, moistened with moisture, shone exceptionally bright, carrying a silent question.
Li Yuheng squinted, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
With a flick of his wrist, he precisely placed the potato chip to Shu Bai's lips, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against his lower lip, the touch warm and moist.
Shu Bai bit into the potato chip, quickly retreated behind the door, leaving only the faint sound of chewing and a muffled "Thanks."
Li Yuheng stared at the door that had been closed again, twirled the fingertip that had just touched his lips, and a slow smile appeared on his lips.
"You're welcome, 'Success A'." He said lazily to the door, then took another bite of a potato chip, making a particularly crisp crunch.
Li Yuheng shook all the potato chip crumbs onto a corner of the bag, then tilted his head back and poured them into his mouth.
He stood up briskly, tossed the empty bag into the trash can, and suddenly spoke: "Shu Bai."
"Speak," came a muffled response from the bathroom.
Li Yuheng didn't reply, but turned on the tap, and the water gushed out.
He squeezed out some hand sanitizer and slowly rubbed his fingers together, the foam gently coating his knuckles.
"What exactly happened?" Shu Bai's voice was tinged with impatience, and the sound of water stopped.
Li Yuheng rinsed off the foam, shook his hands, took a tissue to dry them, and threw them into the trash can again.
He walked to the bathroom door and lightly tapped the frosted glass with his fingertips.
"Shu Bai, after thinking it over, I realize that your tactics are too sophisticated."
There was a moment of silence inside the door, then came Shu Bai's completely calm voice: "What trick did I play on you?"
"First, you took advantage of my unpreparedness and launched a sneak attack with a weapon of mass destruction like 'brother,' and now you're deliberately eating snacks from my hand. Shu Bai, this is a series of schemes that seriously undermine the fairness of the negotiations."
There was no sound from inside.
"Why are you silent now? Did I hit the nail on the head?"
A faint reply came from inside the door: "Oh. So, did you get infected?"
Li Yuheng opened the door and went in, then the door clicked shut.
A suppressed gasp came from the bathroom, followed by Shu Bai's annoyed voice: "Li Yuheng, you..."
"What? I've been infected."
"Li Yuheng! The lights aren't on yet—hmm..."
"Why do you need a light? Your darling baby already has its own built-in glowing effect!"
(I've been targeted by the little judge, so I'll behave myself for a while.)
...
At the school gate, next to the suspended bus, members of the mountaineering club gathered in twos and threes.
The dark-skinned, cheerful beta senior student, the club president, was calling roll with a blank whiteboard.
Li Yuheng draped his arm over Shu Bai's shoulder, leaning half his body against him as if boneless. He gestured with his chin toward the crowd and lowered his voice, "Tsk, there are quite a few people. Stick close to me later, or some clueless person will try to chat you up."
Shu Bai, expressionless, shook his arm off: "Mind your own business."
The shaking motion tugged at her collar, revealing a few faint red marks that flashed across her neck.
The club president clapped her hands to attract everyone's attention: "Classmates, quiet down! Before we set off, let's introduce ourselves briefly and get to know each other! Let's start with me, the club president. My name is Chen Niansha, a third-year geology major, a beta, I love hiking, I'm strong, so feel free to ask if you need any help!"
The atmosphere became lively, and everyone took turns introducing themselves.
A petite omega girl raised her hand and was the first to speak: "My name is Wu Yue, I'm a freshman in the biology department, and I'm an omega. I hope I won't hold everyone back, hahaha."
Chen Niansha laughed heartily: "Our club only looks at physical strength and endurance, not gender! I've led the team for three years, and the number of omegas who have reached the top is much higher than some alphas."
Everyone laughed, but a voice suddenly interrupted: "Don't be too sure of things. Omegas have an innate disadvantage in physical strength, that's a scientific fact."
Everyone turned their heads and saw a tall Alpha with an arrogant expression.
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
Li Yuheng chuckled and lazily raised his hand: "Li Yuheng, the person next to me is my family member Shu Bai. We are both freshmen in the Military Command Department, Alphas."
He draped his arm back over Shu Bai's shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the Alpha. "Scientific facts also tell you that AA relationships are legal, right? Keep your eyes to yourself and don't peek at other people's families."
The Alpha's expression darkened, and Chen Niansha immediately smoothed things over, "Alright, alright! It's good that you know each other! Next!"
A beta male student wearing glasses calmly replied, "Li Rui, a sophomore in the history department, beta. I believe that every gender has its own strengths, and it's unwise to judge by a single standard. It's nice to meet you all."
The tall Alpha was choked by Li Yuheng's words and his expression was not good, but he did not say anything more because of the atmosphere. He just said stiffly, "Gao Lang, mecha-related, Alpha."
The self-introduction session continued, and the atmosphere became lively again.
Seeing that everyone had finished speaking, Chen Niansha called everyone to get on the bus: "Alright, everyone, put your luggage down first, then get on the bus in order. We're ready to depart! Destination—Cuiyun Peak!"
Everyone began to put their luggage into the storage compartment at the bottom of the bus.
When it was Li Rui's turn, he noticed that Wu Yue behind him was carrying two rather large hiking backpacks.
He politely asked, "Do you need any help?"
Wu Yue looked up at him and smiled, her voice still soft but firm: "Thank you, no need."
Gao Lang, who was standing behind Wu Yue, happened to see this scene. He let out a soft snort, pursed his lips, and was about to say something.
But then Wu Yue lowered her arm and used her waist and abdomen to lift the two backpacks into the storage compartment one after the other with ease, her movements even more agile than some of the Alphas before her.
Gao Lang's words caught in his throat, and he shut his mouth with a slightly stiff expression, silently stuffing his backpack inside.
Li Yuheng and Shu Bai were standing a little behind and witnessed this small scene.
He nudged Shu Bai with his elbow, lowered his voice, and said in an undisguised tone of enjoying the show: "Tsk, did you see that? A face-slapping scene."
The sound wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for several people nearby to hear, including Gao Lang.
Gao Lang's face darkened further. He slammed the storage compartment lid shut and turned to get into the car first.
Shu Bai glanced at Li Yuheng, then opened the storage compartment and neatly put away his backpack.
"You'd better watch out, or you might get beaten up later."
Li Yuheng shrugged, stuffed his own hiking backpack inside, and then grinned as he put his arm around Shu Bai's shoulder:
"Let the family members go, let's grab a good spot!"
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