Chapter 20: So Sour
At 7:00 AM, Ruan Zhimian climbed out of his small bed on time, though his movements were much slower than usual. For some reason, his arms felt sore and his head was a bit muddled.
“Is it a cold?”
He pressed his fair little hand against his forehead, talking to himself as he let his snowy-white calves dangle from the edge of the bed. He put on his slippers and went to the balcony to stretch, completely unaware that he was practically covered in Shi He’s amber pheromones.
Below the dormitory, many students were headed to the cafeteria. Huajiang University not only covered a vast area but also offered many unique majors; it was one of the top universities in the country and a gold-standard landmark for Huajiang.
A gentle spring breeze blew. Ruan Zhimian walked back to his desk, tore open a bag, and took out a dose of Chinese medicine. He would heat it up first and take it with him to breakfast.
Taking medicine wasn’t difficult for him.
No matter how bitter, Ruan Zhimian had taken plenty.
The dormitory door moved. An Alpha in a black tracksuit returned from outside. Ruan Zhimian, whose hair was still fluffy from sleep, looked at him blankly, appearing to process information slowly.
—Right, Shi He. He stayed in the dorm with him last night.
Shi He stopped his steps. His long fingers grabbed a water bottle from the desk and twisted it open. His cold phoenix eyes suppressed that “keep away” chill, quickly becoming much gentler.
“Going down to eat in a bit? Then to class.”
Ruan Zhimian checked his watch and answered obediently, “I need ten minutes to wash up. Will I delay you?”
“No rush. I’ll wait for you.”
Ruan Zhimian lowered his head and took his cup outside to get hot water to warm his medicine. His ear-tips turned red silently.
Mhm, it was very natural; he definitely wouldn’t be found out.
Shi He took a bath towel and a change of clothes to the public washroom of the dorm building, leaving the space for Ruan Zhimian to wash up.
Inside the dorm bathroom, Ruan Zhimian stood before the mirror with his beautiful small face lifted. He held his toothbrush, carefully brushing his teeth like a very squishable white ball of dough.
So healthy—he goes to exercise every day.
I feel dizzy just from waking up. I should listen to Gege and go for a follow-up at the hospital next week. He thought quite logically: If my body is better, I can run faster when I flee.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Ruan Zhimian spat out the foam, quickly rinsed his mouth, and went to open the door.
“I… I didn’t lock the door…”
In the bright hallway, Han He’an stood before the door in a suit, carrying an exquisite breakfast bag. Both his clothes and hair were meticulously styled, his usual hypocritical expression replaced by an even more hypocritical gentleness.
“Mianmian, I’ve brought you breakfast. These are the crab roe soup dumplings from your favorite shop. I drove out early this morning to get them; eat them while they’re hot.”
“Please forgive me. You really misunderstood me last time.”
Not just breakfast, there was also a small gift bag.
Han He’an opened it for Ruan Zhimian to see. it was much more expensive than the birthday gift he had offhandedly used to dismiss him before. If he remembered correctly, this ruby bracelet was something Han He’an’s mother had won at an auction not long ago.
Since it was offered, he would take it. Why wouldn’t he?
Over these years—judging by what Teng Yu offhandedly mentioned during their chat yesterday—even ten bracelets wouldn’t be enough to compensate. Ruan Zhimian had given Han He’an and the Han family far too many benefits.
Ruan Zhimian wasn’t polite; he took it directly.
Han He’an thought he had successfully coaxed him. His attitude immediately took a sharp turn for the worse, unable to hide his arrogance. “We’ve had feelings for so many years, how could I lie to you? You have to believe me. Besides me, who could like you as much as I do?”
“Mianmian, talk to your mother properly. Our Han family’s bidding is serious business; we can’t let the Han Corporation be barred just because we had a quarrel.”
If it weren’t for the need to follow the plot…
Ruan Zhimian really wanted to bundle Han He’an up and throw him into the Pacific to feed the sharks.
He interrupted with a dazed expression. “He’an Gege, I don’t know anything about the things you’re mentioning.”
Not far away, the Alpha who had just finished his shower stepped around the corner.
He stopped his steps, standing a few meters away, just in time to hear that soft “He’an Gege.”
Ruan Zhimian stood before Han He’an, his porcelain neck lifted. In his hand was the apology gift the other had likely sent. Those glistening, pure dark eyes were curved, looking at the other party with focus.
Does he like him that much?
Shi He ground his canines, his expression cold and solemn.
…
If it weren’t for Ruan Zhimian’s mother, Ruan Jiarong, suddenly refusing to accept their bid documents yesterday afternoon, causing his parents to scold him mercilessly, Han He’an wouldn’t have come to coax Ruan Zhimian so early.
In this world, a person who could make him actively cling to them and coax them hadn’t appeared yet—especially not Ruan Zhimian, whom he hated most for being willful, arrogant, and stupid.
In the past, if he just ignored him for a few days, Ruan Zhimian would go looking for him himself.
Regarding Han He’an, Ruan Zhimian didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the doorknob. “I have class in a bit. I’ll ask my mother when I have time today and give you an answer.”
Just as he finished speaking, the door slammed shut with a thud.
Han He’an didn’t even get a chance to chase after him. He could only endure it, cursing in a low voice, “He really thinks he’s some ‘good student’ now.”
Han He’an turned to leave and ran straight into Shi He. He couldn’t lose his temper at Ruan Zhimian, but he could at Shi He. He extended his arm with cold mockery. “Hey, deafie, you’re back at school too?”
The S-grade Alpha flipped his hand and pinned Han He’an’s shoulder, easily pushing him against the dormitory hallway wall, suppressing him from a height.
“Han He’an, I recall telling you before: when you see me, learn to shut your mouth.”
Han He’an’s back was aching. He glared defiantly at Shi He. He had always been the most outstanding in the Han family; after starting school, this Shi He suddenly popped up—someone who was measured with high-tier Alpha tendencies at birth.
Later, trouble struck Shi He’s family, and he vanished from Huajiang.
He had been overjoyed, cursing Shi He to never appear again.
“I was wrong. You’re not just a deafie, you’re a lunatic who killed his own mother.”
“Shi He, you will never be like a normal person.”
“This is your fate.”
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