Chapter 24: Shura Field (The Coat Dispute)
The hand Qi Bai used to grip Jiang Chenyan’s neck began to tighten gradually. A suffocating tightness surged into Jiang Chenyan’s throat, and his pupils constricted.
He kicked out at the other man in a futile attempt to resist, his fingertips desperately digging into the hand that imprisoned him.
“You… let go, you ***, you ***.”
Jiang Chenyanâs cursing was filthy, forced out in broken, airy gasps.
Qi Baiâs face filled with displeasure. Not wanting to hear those curses, his palm firmly covered Jiang Chenyan’s mouth. Warm breaths were completely cut off; Jiang Chenyan could even clearly count his own increasingly faint heartbeats. He didn’t doubt for a second that he would either be smothered to death under this palm or strangled by the other’s gradually tightening grip.
Qi Bai looked down at the struggling person beneath him, his eyes devoid of any ripple.
He clearly felt the tremors of the body beneath his fingers, and he knew perfectly well that as long as he exerted just a bit more force, this annoying body could disappear completely.
Qi Bai even thought absently: what would happen if Jiang Chenyan died?
After all, this person had long since turned the school into a chaotic mess.
He had even influenced Qi Bai’s own sanity.
The more force he used, the darker his eyes became. The person beneath him was still struggling, yet not a single word of plea for mercy came out…
Jiang Chenyan couldn’t have been more regretful. His life was already in the other’s hands, yet he had cursed the man regardless of the consequences.
His breathing became more and more labored. He wondered how Qi Bai dared. This was a military academy; no matter how great his influence, he couldn’t just strangle someone to death.
At this moment, Jiang Chenyan was no longer afraid. He stared deathly at the person on top of him, his nails almost sinking into the other’s flesh.
But the light on the ceiling was too bright, making his eyes sting and ache. An uncontrollable tear suddenly slid down, tracing his jawline and landing on the back of Qi Bai’s hand, scaldingly hot.
Qi Bai suddenly let go, the fingertips hanging by his side still retaining the burning sensation. He gradually regained his usual calm.
What was wrong with him? It was just Jiang Chenyan; was he worth losing control over?
Jiang Chenyan quickly crawled away to get some distance from Qi Bai. His throat felt as if it were stuck with razor blades, and he hunched his back, coughing frantically. Every breath brought a tearing pain.
He leaned against the cold floor and rested for a long time, his fingertips still trembling uncontrollably. Only one thought was incredibly clear: if it had been a second later, he really would have been strangled to death by Qi Bai.
Was this man crazy? He actually wanted to strangle him?
Up until now, Jiang Chenyan didn’t even know how he had offended the other. Qi Bai was acting as if he had taken the wrong medicine, biting down hard without regard for anything.
Because he had struggled so fiercely just now, Jiang Chenyan’s coughing was completely erratic. The top of his uniform had already been torn in several places, revealing a patch of faintly reddened skin that was exceptionally eye-catching amidst the disarray.
Seeing this, Qi Bai’s eyes suddenly darkened, as deep as ink that wouldn’t clear.
Not far away, someone noticed the commotion here. Ji Xuan walked over quickly. Seeing Jiang Chenyan sitting on the ground with his back to him, coughing, his tone was full of worry: “What’s going on? Jiang Chenyan, are you okay?”
Before Jiang Chenyan could turn his head to look at Ji Xuan, Qi Bai reached out and grabbed his own jacket from the rack, throwing it directly over Jiang Chenyan’s head.
The jacket fell, covering that exposed skin completely, not leaving even a sliver of a gap.
Jiang Chenyanâs world went black. “…”
Ji Xuan: “?”
He was puzzled, hesitating for a moment before speaking, “Senior Qi, is my friend okay?”
Qi Bai gave Ji Xuan a cold look. “What could happen to him? Go back to your own practice.”
Ji Xuan didn’t move, his gaze landing on Jiang Chenyan, waiting for him to speak.
Jiang Chenyan finally caught his breath, his eyes extremely cold. Glancing at his wrinkled and torn uniform, he really didn’t want to show this pathetic state to Ji Xuan, so he twitched the corner of his mouth: “I’m fine. Senior Qi is quite a character; we just practiced a bit too hard.”
“Then you two be careful, don’t get hurt.”
Ji Xuan felt something was off. A character? Why did those words sound somewhat derogatory?
Seeing the person walk away, Jiang Chenyan propped himself up on the cold floor and slowly rose, his fingertips still numb. He looked up directly at Qi Bai, no longer showing a hint of panic, only coldness: “Qi Bai.”
His blood felt frozen as he spoke word for word, “Were you trying to kill me?”
Qi Bai didn’t respond to Jiang Chenyan’s words, but his gaze faltered imperceptibly for a moment.
He suddenly realized that this was the first time Jiang Chenyan hadn’t called him ‘Senior,’ but had simply called him by his name.
Jiang Chenyan jerked the jacket off his body, his movements fast and fierce. The jacket was tossed aside by him, the fabric brushing across the floor and flying to Qi Bai’s feet.
Qi Bai’s brows furrowed, an inexplicable irritation surging up. His tone deepened by several degrees: “Put the jacket on. Do you know what state you’re in right now? Do you really want to be seen by others?”
Jiang Chenyan stood still, not moving. He looked up at Qi Bai. “Why shouldn’t I be seen? Are you afraid the marks on my body will cause a stir and point the finger at you? Qi Bai, I really don’t understand why you’re doing this. I haven’t provoked you.”
He had tried to strangle him, for no reason and with no justification.
Jiang Chenyan admitted that he clashed with Xie Huaijin and had conflicts with Mu Sixian, but he alone had no grievances with Qi Bai. In his eyes, the two of them had a most ordinary relationship; he even thought Qi Bai was quite responsible in his duties and acted with impartial fairness.
He really couldn’t fathom why Qi Bai had suddenly gone mad.
Looking down at the torn edges of his uniform, Jiang Chenyan sneered: “I don’t need your fake kindness. Take your jacket back.”
Qi Bai’s eyes turned colder by several degrees, his voice taking on an unquestionable hardness: “I’ll only say this once. Pick up the jacket and put it on.”
Jiang Chenyan didn’t respond, just stood there expressionlessly, clearly too lazy to deal with him.
The two of them were stuck in a stalemate, neither making a move.
The system watched and was anxious. [Host, what do we do next?]
“I don’t know, we’ll just wait it out like this.”
[System: Mhm…]
Wait it out?
Not until the teacher’s voice came from not far away: “What are you two standing there for? Finished practicing?”
As he spoke, he walked toward them, wanting to see the results of their training.
Jiang Chenyan’s whole body stiffened. This state of wearing rags was indeed a bit embarrassing, especially in front of the teacher.
The system was good at comforting people: [Host, I think it’s quite good. Battle-damaged? It’s normal.]
Jiang Chenyan didn’t say anything, thinking about how to explain to the teacher. Reminded by the system, he looked down at his torn uniform; it really did look a bit “battle-damaged.”
However…
Battle-damaged or not, the matter of Qi Bai trying to strangle him couldn’t just be ignored.
The teacher’s footsteps drew closer. The coldness in Qi Bai’s eyes hadn’t dissipated, but he bent down to pick up the jacket at his feet. Before the teacher arrived, he draped the clothes over Jiang Chenyan.
Jiang Chenyan frowned deeply, reaching out to pull it off. “I said I don’t need it.”
“What ‘don’t need it’?” The teacher’s voice arrived just in time as he walked up to them, his gaze sweeping over the two before landing on Jiang Chenyan. “What’s going on? Are you injured?”
Jiang Chenyan opened his mouth but didn’t say anything.
The teacher pointed at the torn uniform showing his collarbone. “Look at how torn these clothes are. Qi Bai, why didn’t you think to go a bit easier on your junior?”
Qi Bai: “My apologies.”
The next second, the teacher leaned in a bit closer, finally seeing the few red marks on Jiang Chenyan’s neck. The finger marks were clear and stood out on the pale skin; it was obvious they weren’t from an ordinary bump, but from someone strangling him with force.
Jiang Chenyan spoke the truth calmly, “Teacher, don’t ask Senior Qi to practice with me again in the future. He almost strangled me to death.”
Hearing this, the teacher was stunned.
His brows instantly knotted together, and he turned to Qi Bai. “Qi Bai, what exactly is going on here?”
Qi Bai’s face showed no expression, only speaking flatly, “It was just playing around; I didn’t control my strength well.”
Jiang Chenyan was incensed by Qi Bai’s dismissive attitude. He twitched the corner of his mouth and asked in return, “Right, it was just not controlling the strength well, almost causing me to die right here.”
“Don’t always keep the word ‘death’ on your lips, Student Jiang.” The teacher’s brows furrowed even more as he advised, “I know you’re in a bad mood, but having you in a group with Senior Qi Bai was intended for you to learn some techniques and progress faster. I hope you can understand.”
Jiang Chenyan lowered his eyes and stopped speaking. He knew perfectly well that while the teacher’s words sounded like advice, he had already taken a side. He would likely side with Qi Bai.
He didn’t want to listen to the empty words that would follow, so he just stood there lazily, gradually becoming impatient.
How could the teacher not see Jiang Chenyan’s impatience? He also knew more words were useless. His tone sank: “Fine, get back in line first. I’ll speak to the two of you privately about this later.”
Back in line?
Jiang Chenyan knew in his heart that the teacher intended to let this matter go.
After all, the Qi family’s background was right there; who would offend the Qi family for someone with no background like him?
The original body’s family had money, but it was just a small amount. How could he be mentioned in the same breath as Qi Bai? One generation’s hard work simply couldn’t compete with the family business others had accumulated over several generations. Jiang Chenyan understood this principle better than anyone.
The teacher turned and walked toward the group. Jiang Chenyan followed closely behind. After just a few steps, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by Qi Bai.
The other’s voice was still ice-cold. “I was impulsive this time. Button up the jacket first.”
Jiang Chenyan violently shook off his hand and mocked: “Stop pretending to be kind. You’re just afraid others will see the strangulation marks on my neck and spread rumors that will affect your reputation as President Qi, right?”
Qi Bai opened his mouth, wanting to explain something. He actually didn’t mean it that way; he just felt inexplicably irritated and uncomfortable seeing the torn uniform and the red marks on the neck.
But the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back, just looking at Jiang Chenyan with a frown.
Jiang Chenyan clicked his tongue. When he turned to leave, he impatiently buttoned up the jacket. There was no benefit in being seen by others; who knew what rumors would spread? Even the teacher wasn’t helping him, so why expect others to?
He could already imagine the headlines: [Jiang Chenyan beaten by President Qi], [Jiang Chenyan also offended Qi Bai], [Jiang Chenyan is finished].
It was just that Qi Bai’s jacket was really not a good fit. It hung loosely on Jiang Chenyan, looking completely out of place with his originally well-fitting uniform.
The classmates couldn’t help but steal extra glances, their eyes full of curiosity and strangeness, but no one dared to ask a question because some had recognized that Qi Bai had worn this jacket.
Since when did the two have such a good relationship? Terrifying.
Finally waiting until the class was dismissed, Jiang Chenyan ripped the jacket off and turned, wanting to return it to Qi Bai. Unexpectedly, Qi Bai took half a step back, his voice as cold as ice: “I don’t want clothes that others have worn.”
Jiang Chenyan’s hand froze in mid-air. The words at his lips were instantly blocked. He only felt a tightness in his chest and almost laughed from anger.
The original novel’s description was correct: Qi Bai was a germaphobe.
Looking at it this way, it was quite severe.
This uniform jacket was different from those of ordinary students; it was clearly custom-made and expensive enough that an ordinary person couldn’t afford it in their entire life.
Jiang Chenyan wasn’t polite either. “Then I’m taking it.”
He’d put it on an app and sell it another day.
He’d treat it as compensation.
After walking two steps, a scent suddenly lingered around Jiang Chenyan’s nose. It should be Qi Bai’s pheromonesâclear and with a hint of coolness. It wasn’t unpleasant.
Qi Bai watched his gradually receding back and actually didn’t speak to stop him.
Jiang Chenyan didn’t understand what Qi Bai was thinking at all; he could only say he wasn’t a normal person.
Just as he walked out of the training hall’s main door, Jiang Chenyan ran into Shen Shiyue at the corner. “I was just about to go in and find you.”
“Mhm,” Shen Shiyue responded. The next second, Shen Shiyueâs expression changed, as if he had seen something filthy. His eyes suddenly turned cold, his gaze deathly fixed on the jacket on him: “What’s with your clothes?”
“Think of it as compensation. I’ll explain to you in a bitâ”
Before he could finish the words ‘explain to you,’ Shen Shiyue suddenly reached out and ripped the jacket off him, tossing it onto the ground with disgust. “It stinks.”
Jiang Chenyan: “…”
Who could understand? The Protagonist Shou said the Protagonist Gongâs pheromones smelled bad.
He clearly remembered the novel’s description: what the Shou liked most was the pheromones of Attacker 3, Qi Baiâcool with a hint of hidden fragrance.
How was this plot development becoming more and more wrong?
Shen Shiyueâs gaze moved down, immediately catching the lingering red marks and strangulation marks on Jiang Chenyan’s neck, as well as the faint abrasions under the torn uniform. His face instantly sank so much it could drip water: “Who did this?”
Before Jiang Chenyan could say Qi Bai’s name, an extremely cold voice came from nearby: “It was me.”
The two turned their heads almost simultaneously to look toward the source of the voice. Qi Bai stood expressionlessly not far away. His gaze swept over the Shen Shiyueâs jacket on Jiang Chenyan, then landed on his own jacket on the ground, which was stained with dust and crumpled into a ball. His eyes suddenly turned ice-cold.
For a moment, Shen Shiyue and Qi Baiâs gazes met. Neither would give an inch, both looking as if they wanted to kill the other.
Translator’s Note:
Hey everyone! Thanks for sticking with me through these chapters. I’m honestly living for this “AA” (Alpha-Alpha) drama, even if the system is having a literal meltdown over the “corrupted” plot. And can we talk about Shen Shiyueâs possessiveness? That jacket toss was top-tier drama.
Hope you’re enjoying the ride! See you in the next update! ~ This is Lili ( the translator of this one~planning to open ko-fi myself but I have no idea how and I’m too lazy to do it myself. Iâm going to tell bee~)
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