Chapter 11
A cool breeze blows, and people keep putting on thicker coats. The sweltering summer has passed, and it's only when they see the fallen leaves that they realize autumn has arrived.
Pei Xingzhi patted his cheeks to wake himself up, then naturally sat down in the seat Xie Nanyi had reserved for him, and slowly began to eat the breakfast he had prepared in advance.
Pei Xingzhi's hair, which he had previously dyed, had almost started to fade, but he still hadn't given up on the idea of transforming into "Abi". After being well-behaved for a few days, he dragged Zhuang Xiaoyue to get all sorts of nails pierced. Fortunately, after Zhuang Xiaoyue's stern dissuasion, he only got a tongue piercing and then gave up.
Although it's not much better, at least it doesn't inspire fear of being trendy at first glance.
Pei Xingzhi's tongue no longer hurts, but due to psychological factors, he always feels that his tongue is a little awkward, and this feeling is especially obvious when eating.
"Xiao Zhi, are you seducing me?" Xie Nanyi rested her chin on one hand, looking at Pei Xingzhi with affectionate eyes, a very ambiguous smile on her lips.
Pei Xingzhi couldn't help but roll his eyes when he saw his affected expression.
The downside is this: even if you just stick your tongue out unintentionally while eating, you can be sexually harassed.
University time always flies by. Before Pei Xingzhi even realized it, the two had already known each other for more than three months.
Xie Nanyi still didn't give up pursuing him, and Pei Xingzhi had long been used to his daily pestering. Since he couldn't get rid of him, he might as well accept it with a clear conscience.
He's being harassed so much every day that he's developing mental health issues; it's not unreasonable to ask him for some compensation.
"It's so nice that someone brings you food every day, unlike me, who's just a pitiful little thing with no one to care for me or love me..." Zhuang Xiaoyue sat down next to Pei Xingzhi with a bitter face, while the lonely Zao Ba was the only one trembling.
Although both arrived right on time, their treatment was vastly different. Pei Xingzhi and Xie Nanyi were considered prominent figures at school, and he, as their "follower," inexplicably received a lot of attention as well.
Although he didn't particularly dislike it, his phone was constantly bombarded with gossip and rumors every day, and after a while, he couldn't take it anymore.
“You can find a boyfriend to deliver it to you. By the way, is Gu Xiang still bothering you lately?” Pei Xingzhi took a bite of the greasy bun from the school cafeteria, a look of disgust on his face.
These buns are probably frozen products from last semester; you can't even get any filling after two bites.
"Don't mention that person, I feel disgusted." Zhuang Xiaoyue shook her head with a grin, feeling extremely resistant to this person. Pei Xingzhi only mentioned his name, and it made her feel uncomfortable all over.
"Who is Gu Xiang?" Xie Nanyi asked from the side after hearing only half of the question.
Pei Xingzhi glanced at Zhuang Xiaoyue, who made an X sign with her fingers, pleading with Pei Xingzhi not to say anything.
"nothing."
Pei Xingzhi didn't want to talk about it, and Xie Nanyi smiled and nodded without pressing further. He didn't need the person to tell him what he wanted to know.
"Did you like today's breakfast? We just got strawberry milk today, I think you'll like it. I queued for ages to get it." Xie Nanyi held up the milk with both hands, her eyes sparkling as she showed Pei Xingzhi her praise.
If we ignore Xie Nanyi's previous entanglement and his inner monologue that day, his current behavior is the perfect example of a good boyfriend.
However, precisely because Pei Xingzhi understood his purpose, Xie Nanyi was unable to sway Pei Xingzhi's emotions in the slightest, no matter how hard she tried.
“I still prefer coffee in the morning,” Pei Xingzhi commented without any emotion.
He thought his preferences were quite obvious, but Xie Nanyi didn't seem to notice.
Or perhaps he simply doesn't care.
“Coffee is indeed better in the morning; it’s more refreshing.” Xie Nanyi nodded, took out her phone and wrote it down in her notes app. This doting behavior made Zhuang Xiaoyue envious.
"Can you two please stop showing off your love in front of me? It's really annoying!" Zhuang Xiaoyue gave a bitter laugh, lamenting her own unfortunate fate, as she was being pursued by a scumbag while her friend had a perfect boyfriend who didn't appreciate him.
"Where are we showing affection? Can't you tell I hate him?" Pei Xingzhi raised an eyebrow. Did his honesty look like showing affection to Zhuang Xiaoyue? Xie Nanyi didn't seem to be showing much love for him.
"Wow, I didn't see that coming at all." Zhuang Xiaoyue curled her lips in disgust. She was about to say something when her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and glanced at it, her expression instantly turning ugly.
Pei Xingzhi was curious about what he had seen, but before he could ask, Zhuang Xiaoyue turned her head away, buried her face in her arms, and ignored him.
Zhuang Xiaoyue's recent behavior has been strange; she's been throwing tantrums all the time. Pei Xingzhi looked it up online and guessed that she was probably in heat as an Omega.
Zhuang Xiaoyue was his first formal Omega friend.
Society's gender division in ABO is still quite clear. Most Alphas and Omegas go to special schools, and very few would lower themselves to live with Betas in a regular school.
As a Beta, Pei Xingzhi naturally didn't have any special privileges. From elementary school to high school, he lived among a predominantly Beta population and rarely encountered other gender groups at school, except for his teachers. It wasn't until university that he entered a truly multi-gender society.
His parents never spent their fertile and heat cycles with him, so to this day his understanding of Alpha's fertile and Omega's heat cycles remains zero.
He wasn't quite sure what kind of behavior people in heat would exhibit, but emotional fluctuations were likely also a factor.
Pei Xingzhi considered himself a gentleman, and he silently endured Zhuang Xiaoyue's recent little tantrums, trying his best not to provoke her so as not to further aggravate her mood.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"Can you please just leave me alone?!"
Pei Xingzhi tried to strike up a conversation, but Zhuang Xiaoyue slapped him away forcefully, and his fair hand quickly turned red.
Xie Nanyi's gaze suddenly turned cold, and she subconsciously released pheromones to warn Zhuang Xiaoyue. Pei Xingzhi's breath hitched, and he glared at Xie Nanyi warily. Xie Nanyi immediately switched back to her gentle smile and withdrew the pheromones she had just released.
Before class started at 8 a.m., many people were catching up on sleep. The two of them were making quite a bit of noise, and the students in the front row were clearly affected by Xie Nanyi's pheromones. Many people were already turning around frequently to express their impatience with their eyes, and some even took out their phones and silently turned on their cameras.
Zhuang Xiaoyue noticed this as well, and pretended to yawn, quietly explaining that she had just been sleeping too much.
His reasoning was rather weak, but everyone was given an explanation and didn't want to cause any more trouble. After all, they had a high-quality Alpha on their side, and if they really started arguing, they definitely wouldn't gain anything.
No one wanted to deal with what was going on, so they rolled their eyes and went back to sleep.
Pei Xingzhi gently nudged Zhuang Xiaoyue's shoulder and handed him the extra milk he had brought. Zhuang Xiaoyue pursed his lips and took the milk, his expression softening slightly.
This class was Pei Xingzhi's major course. Xie Nanyi was not a student in this major, so as soon as the bell rang, he lay down on the table to catch up on sleep.
Pei Xingzhi couldn't help but glance at him.
Xie Nanyi was sleeping in a similar position to the day they first met, his arm covering the lower half of his face, revealing only his beautiful eyebrows and eyes. He was still wearing a long-sleeved shirt that covered him up completely. Ignoring the feigned affection in his eyes, he actually looked somewhat like a deeply affectionate person at this moment.
Xie Nanyi's maternal grandfather was Westerner, with one-quarter Caucasian ancestry. His appearance perfectly blended the best features of both Eastern and Western features: superior bone structure and a gentle, refined complexion. His natural good looks allowed him to automatically attract attention simply by sitting there.
As soon as class started, everyone became idle, and there were many curious glances cast around. Pei Xingzhi looked down at his textbook, his fingers fiddling with the pages, feeling inexplicably irritated.
He somewhat disliked being stared at like that.
Driven by a desire to spy, they turned his self-esteem into a laughing stock.
Pei Xingzhi was getting sleepy from the teacher's various theories on stage. Xie Nanyi changed her posture, showing Pei Xingzhi the right side of her face.
The dark circles under his eyes were very noticeable, probably because he hadn't been getting enough sleep lately.
He didn't have class this morning, but in order to please Pei Xingzhi, he got up early and came to the classroom with him.
Xie Nanyi, having learned this method of pursuing someone from who-knows-where, took it upon himself to handle everything for Pei Xingzhi, and even Pei Xingzhi's repeated rejections could not dampen his enthusiasm.
Pei Xingzhi deliberately made things difficult for him, intentionally pushing all sorts of trivial tasks onto him. For the volunteer delivery and takeout activities, he assigned everything that could be done by someone else to Xie Nanyi. He thought Xie Nanyi would give up easily, but he completed everything diligently, and the results were perfect.
Xie Nanyi's purpose was merely to use him to appease his father's demands. All his actions were driven by his own motives, and he had no reason to pity Xie Nanyi.
Pei Xingzhi stared at Xie Nanyi's face, lost in thought.
Sunlight streamed through the glass onto the table. The morning sun wasn't too harsh, but Xie Nanyi still frowned. Pei Xingzhi turned his head and reluctantly held up a notebook to block Xie Nanyi's view.
"Xie Nanyi, do you really need to go this far?"
Even if it's to pursue him, there's no need to waste your rest time doing these meaningless things.
The angle of the sunlight was very tricky; just as Pei Xingzhi blocked the light from above, the sun changed direction and shone from the other side.
Pei Xingzhi abandoned his act of kindness and silently withdrew his hand. Xie Nanyi moved, reaching forward with her right hand to grasp Pei Xingzhi's hand.
Pei Xingzhi's hand, which was being held, trembled slightly, but he ultimately did not pull it back.
Xie Nanyi was not asleep. Sleep disorder had become his daily routine. He had not had a good night's sleep since the imprint appeared.
The rest of the Xie family aren't just sitting around doing nothing; Pei Xingzhi doesn't need to solve his problems personally.
However, since Pei Xingzhi had misunderstood, there was no need for him to explain. It seemed nice to use someone else's credit to gain a good impression.
As for his extremely poor condition these past few days, it's probably because he's become somewhat addicted to Pei Xingzhi's treatment, and the previous injections are no longer able to alleviate his pain.
Pei Xingzhi has a gentle personality, and his hands are also soft, feeling like they have no bones when touched.
Xie Nanyi adjusted his position, and their hands intertwined under the desk. The warmth of her palms stiffened for a moment, as if she hesitated whether to reject his touch, but then obediently let him do as he pleased.
Xie Nanyi originally just wanted to take the opportunity to get closer to Pei Xingzhi, but she didn't expect that she would actually fall asleep.
The new assistant, Qin, patted him on the shoulder to wake him up. Xie Nanyi, who had finally gotten a good night's sleep, was a little groggy. When he looked up, he had a rare childlike look of bewilderment. He looked around, but Pei Xingzhi was nowhere to be seen.
"Young Master Pei has already left." Assistant Qin, sensing his thoughts, thoughtfully offered an explanation.
“Okay.” Xie Nanyi rubbed her palm, where Pei Xingzhi’s warmth still seemed to linger.
For the first time, he felt that having an Inscribed One by his side wasn't so bad.
There was only one class in the morning, 8 AM, and Xie Nanyi was still fast asleep when the bell rang.
Pei Xingzhi looked at the soundly sleeping Xie Nanyi, hesitating whether to wake him. While he hesitated, Zhuang Xiaoyue packed her things and left without saying goodbye to Pei Xingzhi.
Seeing Zhuang Xiaoyue leave directly, Pei Xingzhi disregarded Xie Nanyi and got up to follow her.
A note from the author:
I really didn't expect there would be no rankings for two consecutive weeks. I'll hold back the word count for now and resume normal updates once there are rankings again.
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