Chapter 16: Physiology Class: Give me the tissue, I… I’ll throw it away for you… part 1
Zhou Lin stood in the center of the auditorium. The light of the crystal chandelier plated his silhouette with an illusory golden edge. Applause surged around him like a tide; the school leaders had just announced him as this year’s “Outstanding Student Leader.”
A perfectly measured smile hung on the corner of his lips as he nodded slightly in thanks.
A school leader patted his shoulder, voice loud enough for the whole auditorium to hear, “The heir cultivated by the Zhou family is indeed extraordinary.”
“Not at all, it’s the school’s cultivation that is good.” Zhou Lin’s voice was gentle, eyes humble. He wore a fitting smile on his face, but inside he had long felt bored with such occasions. He completed the procedures like a walking corpse; everything around him seemed like dead black and white.
Whispers from students in the crowd drifted into his ears, mostly about scouting marriage partners, the Zhou family, and so on.
Zhou Lin maintained his smile, but his stomach felt like it was stuffed with a block of ice. His mind couldn’t help drifting back to the conversation from last night.
Zhou Lin stood in the center of the mourning hall. Wisps of green smoke rose from three sticks of incense in the burner. Zhou Yu in the photo was forever frozen at sixteen, smiling in the black and white frame with a face seventy percent similar to his.
People around were sighing with regret: “Such a good Omega… actually cursed to death by a Beta. What a pity.” Yet his face was calm, like a cold statue, watching all this indifferently.
An elderly voice sounded behind him:
“We found a match for you. Age compatible, genetic test results good. Can marry and conceive upon graduation.”
“You don’t need to meet. Saves trouble.”
Zhou Lin didn’t turn back. He laughed low, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes. “Breeding livestock doesn’t require meeting?”
“What kind of tone is that? Truly sensible not at all,” the voice rose steeply. “The arrangement we gave you is the best. You must know—”
“Everything I have is a gift from the family.” Zhou Lin calmly finished the sentence, his fingertip grinding heavily over his cufflink, leaving a red mark on the finger pad. When he turned around, a perfect smile already hung on his face. “I understand.”
Zhou Lin stood at the end of the corridor in the experimental building. Outside the window was the twilight sky, pressing down heavily.
The butler, Uncle Jing, wearing a meticulous black Zhongshan suit with cuffs ironed straight, stood half a step behind him. His voice was pressed extremely low, yet every word was clear:
“Young Master, the Master specifically ordered to check the reproductive function…”
Zhou Lin tapped the windowsill lightly with his fingertips, rhythm scattering. He interrupted him, saying faintly, “Busy with schoolwork.”
Uncle Jing’s expression didn’t change, but his tone deepened: “The Master said, if you still want to obtain the family property rights.”
Zhou Lin finally smiled. He turned his face sideways, eyes slightly narrowed: “Uncle Jing, are you threatening me?”
Uncle Jing lowered his eyes: “I wouldn’t dare. Just relaying.”
Just as they were in a stalemate, the lab door was suddenly pushed open—
Tang Xingye walked in like the wind, hugging a pile of precision instrument parts and carrying deliveries in his hand. He didn’t even look at Uncle Jing, walking straight to the lab bench, throwing the deliveries on the floor casually, and bowing his head to start assembling.
His movements were fast and accurate. The screwdriver spun a circle in his fingertips, clicking into the groove with a snap.
Uncle Jing frowned, obviously displeased with this irreverent offense. He said in a deep voice: “Student, silence must be maintained in the laboratory.”
Tang Xingye didn’t lift his head: “Oh, then stop talking.”
The air stagnated.
In an instant, the ice in Zhou Lin’s stomach melted into water. He watched Tang Xingye’s slightly furrowed brows, the corner of his lips curving almost imperceptibly.
Tang Xingye’s eyelashes were very long. When he looked down, they cast a small shadow beneath his eyes, making him appear even more cold and distant.
Yet the person himself seemed unaware of his attractiveness. His expression was focused, movements serious and rigorous; every step was precise without any superfluous dismantling or connecting.
Tang Xingye was not in a good mood right now and couldn’t be bothered to feign politeness with people.
Just after picking up deliveries, he received another delivery notification at the gate. He queued up again in the hot noon sun for a long time, sweating a thin layer.
Someone broke the lab instruments, forcing him to repair them. The damn client wanted to change the report for the fifth time. Several annoying things piled together were like tangled earphone wires.
Uncle Jing’s face was ugly. Even the mayor had to toast him out of respect for the Zhou family. He was about to speak again.
Zhou Lin picked up the mineral water on the table, unscrewed the cap, and handed it over, his voice incredibly soft. “Drink some water, you’re sweating so much.”
Seeing Tang Xingye didn’t take it and continued working.
Zhou Lin wasn’t annoyed. He took out a silk handkerchief and meticulously wiped away the fine beads of sweat for Tang Xingye. “You didn’t come to the dessert shop that time. Let’s eat together tonight. What do you want to eat?”
Are you sick?
Tang Xingye looked up, glanced at him inexplicably, and tilted his head to avoid the handkerchief. “You are disturbing my work a little.”
Tang Xingye had no reverence or filter for rich people. After all, no matter how rich they were, it had nothing to do with him.
Uncle Jing stood aside, his face growing increasingly ugly. Serving the Zhou family for many years, he had never seen Zhou Lin be so “attentive” to anyone, nor had he seen anyone dare to ignore the Zhou family’s authority like this.
“This student—” Uncle Jing spoke in a deep voice, carrying an unquestionable command.
“Uncle Jing.” Zhou Lin suddenly interrupted. His voice was still gentle, but his eyes darkened a few degrees. “You go back first.”
Uncle Jing was stunned, then frowned: “Young Master, the matter the Master ordered…”
“I will consider it.” Zhou Lin smiled, his tone allowing no rebuttal.
The air fell silent again. Uncle Jing took a deep look at Tang Xingye and finally retreated.
Zhou Lin looked at Tang Xingye thoughtfully, carefully tracing the Beta’s features. He found that usually, he was cold and deserted. When disturbed by message notifications, he frowned slightly, expression very faint. His fingers poked forcefully on the screen to reply, fingertips tinged pink.
Because of the heat, his face was flushed red. The beautiful face had wet hair sticking to it; sweat beads rolled down from snow-white skin, softening that coldness and exuding a trace of bewitching color.
In the gray space, he was the brightest color.
Vivid, lively colors overflowed from him, extending out, cheering and rushing forward.
Zhou Lin’s stagnant emotions were like blocked stagnant water finding an outlet.
If he could take him home, the expressions of those old fogies would certainly be spectacular.
For the decaying ones about to enter the earth, the fact that the two heirs of the Zhou family both liked Betas one after another would definitely be a sky-collapsing event for them who firmly believed in AO unions.
This thought caused a secret pleasure to rise in Zhou Lin’s chest.
When Tang Xingye finished repairing the instrument and relaxed his brow, Zhou Lin spoke at the right time, “Angry?”
“Hmm?” Tang Xingye made a vague sound, eyes slightly blank, as if just noticing Zhou Lin’s existence. He blinked. “You’re still here?”
The voice was clear, no emotion discernible in the calm tone, yet Zhou Lin tasted a hint of disdain from it.
—Why are you still here?
“…You need something?” Tang Xingye maintaining a decent relationship with Zhou Lin on the surface didn’t mean he really wanted to be friends with him.
People around rushed to get close, hoping a little resource would flow from between Zhou Lin’s fingers onto them. This roommate treated everyone equally; his brain probably only contained studying.
The more he ignored him, the more it made people enthusiastic, wanting to force him to look straight at them.
“There is something I want to ask for your help with. How about dinner tonight?” Zhou Lin’s smile added a degree of sincerity as he looked at Tang Xingye.
Tang Xingye simply stopped packing his tools, his glazed eyes looking at Zhou Lin.
“Just say it. I don’t like crowded occasions.”
“Not many, just the two of us.”
“I have class.”
“Then I’ll wait for you.”
“…” Tang Xingye didn’t want to talk. The déjà vu scene made him think of Lu Zhi instantly. Are rich people all strange creatures who default to assuming others are starving and cold?
“What is it?” He scrutinized Zhou Lin. When did Zhou Lin become so familiar? Could it be…
Zhou Lin didn’t feel angry at Tang Xingye’s impervious attitude at all; instead, he felt a trace of interest arising.
The Beta was extremely good-looking. Looking him over coldly made one’s heart itch.
Those light gray eyes were clear as lake water under ice. Being stared at like that reminded Zhou Lin of a green snake he once raised.
Just like this—beautiful, cold, but the scales were unexpectedly warm to the touch.
Zhou Lin, as if possessed, wanted to touch his hand, to see if the body under the clothes was also cold and soft…
“I know.”
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