Chapter 2

Xia Mo suddenly asked, “School is starting soon. How many worksheets do you have left to do?”

He didn’t receive a reply. Noticing Jiang Chuxing’s gaze fixed on something behind him, Xia Mo turned to look as well.

Not far away, a teenager with a guitar case slung over his back was walking toward them. As the figure came into focus, Xia Mo realized it was his own brother.

Once Xia Huai reached them, Xia Mo assumed his brotherly tone and interrogated him: “Where are you going so late at night?”

Xia Huai raised those deep, quiet eyes reminiscent of the dark ocean and swept a glance over the two of them. His voice was indifferent. “None of your business.”

Xia Mo’s mouth twitched. “You think I want to bother you?”

Xia Huai stepped aside to avoid him. Xia Mo noticed the gesture. “What are you doing?”

“You reek of smoke.” Even at a low volume, Xia Huai’s disdain was palpable. “Are you afraid people won’t know you’ve been at the internet cafe?”

“Do I?” Xia Mo raised his arm to sniff. “How come I can’t smell anything?”

Because their family had two pheromone professors and were pure-blooded, the entire family was extremely sensitive to scents everyone, that is, except Xia Mo, who was a Beta.

Having issued his warning, Xia Huai was about to brush past them with his guitar case.

“Right,” Xia Mo called out to him. “For your school orientation meeting, find Dad to go for you. Don’t expect me to talk to them for you.”

Xia Huai: “Got it.”

“It’s not that I’m lecturing you,” Xia Mo said, looking at his indifferent expression and pouting, “but your grades this time have dropped to a pathetic level. You actually fell into Class 13. I’d like to see how you explain this to Mom and Dad.”

Xia Huai looked blank, showing no concern at all.

“Forget it, I don’t want to talk to you.” Xia Mo was used to this look.

In the last two years, Xia Huai had changed completely, inside and out. He used to cling to him and Jiang Chuxing; he didn’t know why he had suddenly changed his temperament.

Maybe he was suddenly “weaned”?

Xia Mo was still somewhat at a loss as to how Xia Huai had become like this. After all, he wasn’t fun to bully anymore.

“Are you done?” Xia Huai said flatly. “If you’re done, I’m going.”

Xia Mo was stunned for a moment, then nodded. Watching Xia Huai’s retreating back, Xia Mo sighed. “This brat is getting colder and colder. It’s rare to hear him say more than two words now. People really do change as they grow up.”

Jiang Chuxing also watched Xia Huai’s back.

Yeah, he thought, he’s grown up.

The breeze blowing through Ningcheng at night carried a hint of stuffiness.

It took Xia Huai half an hour to walk home from band practice. Passing an alley, he saw a boy standing at the entrance and narrowed his eyes slightly.

He was surprised.

Seeing him approach, Jiang Chuxing stood up straight and said calmly, “Let’s talk.”

Without another word, he walked straight into the alley. Xia Huai glanced at his back and followed.

They stood facing each other with about a meter of distance between them.

Jiang Chuxing raised his eyes and suddenly asked, “Why did you deliberately fail the exam?”

The air went silent.

After a moment, Xia Huai lazily lifted his eyelids, saying in an offhand, cold tone: “You’re overthinking it. Who would deliberately fail an exam?”

Jiang Chuxing’s expression didn’t change. He continued to look at him with absolute certainty, waiting for Xia Huai to admit it. The atmosphere remained tense.

Finally, Jiang Chuxing broke the silence. “This is a major matter concerning your future. Don’t act like a child.”

Xia Huai licked the inside of his cheek. “Don’t think you know me so well. I said I didn’t.”

The situation was like a bowstring pulled taut. They stared at each other.

“You didn’t?” Jiang Chuxing repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“The third question on the first page of the sorting exam paper you did no less than five times,” Jiang Chuxing began listing the evidence. “There were four calculation problems on the second page of the ninth-grade curriculum, and the first geometry problem on the third page… you’ve been doing those types of problems since the eighth grade. You have always gotten them all right.”

Jiang Chuxing’s expression remained steady, but the tone of his voice betrayed his emotions. “Do you need me to go on? All of these were left blank. You’re telling me you didn’t do it on purpose?”

Xia Huai frowned and shot him a subtle look. “You looked at my test paper?”

“So you admit it,” Jiang Chuxing stood his ground, meeting his gaze. “You did it on purpose.”

Seeing that Jiang Chuxing was genuinely angry, a flash of something unreadable crossed Xia Huai’s expressionless face, but his tone remained cold. “It’s been so long, who remembers how to do them? I just didn’t know how.”

Jiang Chuxing knew he was just being stubborn. Facing such a perfunctory excuse, he didn’t get angry; he felt a sense of helplessness.

He softened his voice. “If you are doing this because of me, there’s no need. I can transfer classes.”

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere turned toxic.

A heavy, oppressive aura typical of an Alpha spread from Xia Huai. Xia Huai looked at him, his voice squeezed through gritted teeth. “Who do you think you are? Don’t be so full of yourself.”

Xia Huai didn’t want to say another word. He turned and started to leave.

“Xia Huai,” Jiang Chuxing called out. He didn’t know what he had done to offend him, but he felt it was absurd. Still, he voiced his thoughts: “Can you test your way back up?”

Xia Huai’s voice was colder than before. “My affairs don’t concern you.”

Jiang Chuxing watched as Xia Huai’s back disappeared around the corner of the alley. He stood there for a long time, looking up at the sky in confusion. A raindrop landed on his eyelash.

He felt lost. The fact that their relationship had reached this point of stagnation was his own fault.

Is this what I deserve? he wondered.

A light drizzle began to fall, dampening Xia Huai’s black hair. His expression was grim. He walked fast for a while before slowing down, as if waiting for someone. But by the time he reached his front door, he hadn’t seen the person he was hoping for.

He opened the door and walked straight inside.

Back in his room, Xia Huai dragged his tired body to his desk and stared blankly at the lamp. There was a tightness in his chest, making him feel dizzy and his heart racing. He clenched his fists, finding no release for his frustration, his mood continuing to spiral.

Finally, he took a stack of square paper and a star-shaped bottle from his drawer, skillfully folding a paper star.

The bottle soon filled at the bottom, and his mood gradually began to settle.

With one week left until school started, Wanchun called the second-year students back early to assign classes. Because the third-years had already started, the streets of Wanchun were bustling with activity.

As soon as Xia Huai arrived in the classroom, he slumped onto his desk and didn’t move, perhaps because he had stayed up too late the night before.

The whole grade knew that Xia Huai had dropped to Class 13. Having been shocked for the entire summer break, everyone was quite calm about it now.

Gu An burst into the classroom from the hall, shouting at the top of his lungs: “Holy crap, this is insane! Another honors class student is transferring to our class!”

The roar mixed with the noise in the classroom, and all the students looked at him.

“Where are you hearing this nonsense again?” His childhood friend, Xiao Shi, rolled his eyes, helpless. “Who would transfer classes now? Unless they’re a new transfer student.”

“Exactly,” someone chimed in. “Gu An, can you ever quiet down? You think it’s that easy to get into Class 13?”

“Yeah,” a boy in the front row added, laughing. “Without real skill, you might get in, but you won’t be able to get out!”

“Get lost,” Gu An swatted the boy’s forehead lightly. “I heard Old Xu and Old Chen discussing it. This student requested to transfer to our class.”

“No way? Director Chen’s class is the absolute top tier. Is that person’s brain stuck in a door?”

A heated discussion broke out in the classroom. They screened all the students in Director Chen’s class but couldn’t guess who it was.

Who could possibly be so brain-dead? After all, staying in the Wanchun honors class gave you a 90% chance of getting into a prestigious university. Coming to their class felt like surrendering to the darkness.

Before they could reach a conclusion, the bell rang.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, heavy, authoritative footsteps that belonged to no one but Old Xu, the head teacher of Class 13. Xu Heng was known throughout Wanchun No. 1 for his strictness and his sophisticated methods of tormenting students, which was exactly why he was assigned to Class 13.

Xu Heng stood on the podium, his sharp gaze sliding toward Xia Huai, who was slumped on his desk. “This semester, we have a student coming down from the honors class.”

“Let me be clear: since you’ve come to Class 13, you must follow the rules. Don’t think you don’t have to study just because you’re here. Here, just like in other classes, you are students, and your studies come first.”

Just as he was about to continue, Director Chen knocked on the door. “Everything is set. I’ve brought him over.”

Xu Heng immediately changed his face, smiling brightly. “Good, leave it to me.”

The students below giggled and teased, seeing their head teacher go soft. Everyone knew Xu Heng and Chen Qian were a married couple.

Xia Huai stayed slumped on his desk, not even lifting his head.

Before Director Chen left, she squeezed Jiang Chuxing’s shoulder. “If you have any problems, feel free to come to me.”

Jiang Chuxing nodded. “Thank you, Teacher Chen.”

Xu Heng waved at the boy standing outside. “Come on in.”

Seeing the boy enter, and remembering his grades, Xu Heng’s strictness melted into a warm smile. “Although you are all in your second year and shouldn’t be strangers, you should still introduce yourself.”

Seeing the boy standing on the podium, Gu An almost jumped out of his seat. What is going on?

Not just him, the whole classroom went silent, their eyes fixed on Jiang Chuxing.

Everyone knew the grade-level legend. Not only was he a top student, but his reputation was intimidating, the only Beta who had ever beaten a pure-blooded Alpha, and a beautiful one at that.

This is huge.

As for the introduction, Jiang Chuxing kept it as brief as possible: “Hello, I am Jiang Chuxing.”

Xu Heng waited a few seconds for more. Seeing none, he turned and asked, “Are you done?”

“Yes.” Jiang Chuxing’s gaze settled on a spot in the room.

Hearing the familiar voice, the boy at the desk finally moved. He slowly lifted his head.

Their eyes met in the air.

When Xia Huai saw the boy standing on the podium, his brow furrowed immediately, and his peach-blossom eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion.

Jiang Chuxing pulled his gaze away, his expression remaining indifferent.

“Alright then.” Xu Heng scanned the room and pointed to the back row. “You sit there. We’ll rearrange the seats in a couple of days.”

Jiang Chuxing nodded and walked toward the back wall, meeting Xia Huai’s gaze as he passed.

Gu An darted his eyes between the two of them. He could smell the gunpowder of an impending war. Xiao Shi poked his arm, equally confused and shocked, asking with his eyes, “What’s going on here?”

Gu An shrugged, signaling that he was just as baffled.

The classroom had single desks, except for the one shared by Xia Huai and Jiang Chuxing. Xia Huai took up most of the space, his chin in his hand, not moving.

Jiang Chuxing stood before his desk, also not moving.

One stood still, the other sat still. The air in the classroom tightened like a string ready to snap, waiting to see who would break the stalemate.

Seeing they wouldn’t move, Old Xu couldn’t help but speak up: “Xia Huai, sit properly. If you can’t, get out.”

…

Xia Huai made space, then slumped back down onto the desk.

After Jiang Chuxing sat down, he saw Xia Huai lift his hand and rest it heavily on the back of his own neck.

Although they hadn’t spoken a word, it was clear that he was in a foul mood.

He was, in fact, disgusted.

Old Xu began to drone on about school regulations. Jiang Chuxing took out a pen and poked Xia Huai’s arm.

Xia Huai pulled away to the side, clearly not wanting to be bothered.

He kept his head down like that for the entire period.

As soon as the bell rang and Old Xu stepped out of the classroom, there was a loud bang.

The sound of a chair crashing to the ground.

The whole class was startled by the sudden noise and turned around in surprise. Xia Huai stood up, didn’t even look at Jiang Chuxing, and walked straight out of the classroom after leaving behind one sentence.

The voice was very low, tinged with a slight, gritted-teeth edge of cruelty that made the students in the back row shudder.

He said: “Follow me.”

The tone was as if he were saying, “Don’t even think about leaving this school alive today.”