The Marked Alpha Is Extremely Hard to Coax - Chapter 28

Jiang Yunbian had ample reason to doubt that he was still half-asleep.

 

He tried to pull away from Zhou Die’s hand, but it moved down to the back of his neck and gave it a gentle, soothing rub.

 

Zhou Die’s voice was calm as he softly said, “It’s that uncomfortable feeling before the third heat, isn’t it?”

 

In the darkness, the warmth of his fingertips was very clear.

 

All the words Jiang Yunbian had built up in his throat dissipated, and he slowly turned his head. “No need, I’ll sleep soon.”

 

Perhaps it was indeed the pheromones at work; when Jiang Yunbian lay back down in his bed, much of his irritability had already been extinguished, and he drifted off to sleep in a daze.

 

The downside of staying up late is the difficulty in getting up. When Jiang Yunbian heard someone knocking on his bed, he was reluctant to move.

 

“Can you get up?” Zhou Die’s voice reached his ear, catching the half-asleep Jiang Yunbian’s attention.

 

The gentle morning whisper seemed merely an inquiry, without any intention to disturb his dreams.

 

Jiang Yunbian was surprised to find Zhou Die’s voice actually quite pleasant.

 

But no matter how pleasant, it couldn’t overcome his sleepiness. He curled up, covering half his face with the blanket, and mumbled, “I can’t get up.”

 

Seeing his eyes unwilling to open, Zhou Die suddenly felt like reaching out to touch his lashes.

 

He chuckled softly. “Then I’ll help you take the day off.”

 

“Mm.”

 

*

 

Jiang Yunbian slept until the afternoon. It was only when he washed his face that he recalled the brief memory from the morning.

 

So, Zhou Die had been paying attention to him all along.

 

Jiang Yunbian instinctively touched the back of his neck, but it felt completely different from when Zhou Die had touched him last night.

 

He glanced at the time and realized it was almost time for class to end. He still needed to prepare for Xu Zhan’s birthday party.

 

Just as he thought of it, there was a knock at the dormitory door.

 

Zheng Xinglin had skipped the last class to avoid Xu Zhan discovering the surprise and brought the cake back.

 

“How did you know I was in the dorm?” Jiang Yunbian took the cake from him. “Thanks for your trouble.”

 

“I heard you were sick this morning.” Zheng Xinglin looked at him, seeming to check his condition. “Are you feeling unwell?”

 

“No, I just overslept.” Jiang Yunbian, not noticing his scrutiny, turned to take out the gift he had prepared. “Don’t let Xu Zhan go out for dinner later, thanks.”

 

Zheng Xinglin, standing by the door, seemed to want to ask Jiang Yunbian something else when he heard footsteps behind him.

 

He turned to see Zhou Die’s gaze meeting his. 

 

Zhou Die, who had just returned, seemed to have noticed the presence of someone else in the dormitory. With no expression, he stood behind the door, just watching.

 

Zheng Xinglin, instinctively explaining, said, “I came to drop something off.”

 

“Mm.” Zhou Die’s gaze fell on Jiang Yunbian, who was tying up the gift. He placed the food on his desk. “Have dinner first.”

 

“Oh.” Jiang Yunbian looked at the food with some surprise that Zhou Die had brought him dinner. “Thanks.”

 

After Jiang Yunbian put away the gift and was about to open the thermos, he realized Zheng Xinglin hadn’t left yet. He asked, “Aren’t you going to grab a bite too?”

 

Zheng Xinglin then realized, nodded, and left.

 

After finishing dinner, Jiang Yunbian was focused on preparing for Xu Zhan’s birthday party and even called Gao Zining to warn him not to spill the beans.

 

When he hung up, he noticed that Zhou Die was washing clothes on the balcony.

 

It seemed that the young master hadn’t done much during his two days of illness. Now, he was slowly washing clothes by hand, frowning as he struggled with the task.

 

Jiang Yunbian glanced over and confirmed there were no private items. “You’re really like a young master.”

 

Zhou Die changed the basin of water. “Just washing slowly.”

 

Jiang Yunbian saw that the foam wasn’t rinsed clean and sighed as he went over to hold his hand. “Look here.”

 

Zhou Die looked down at Jiang Yunbian’s slightly smaller hand holding his wrist, guiding it under the running water to rinse off the foam.

 

The water was cold, but the contact between their skins had a spreading warmth.

 

Zhou Die watched as the foam fell from his hand into Jiang Yunbian’s light pink fingertips. After cleaning, Jiang Yunbian’s hand pulled away, leaving behind droplets of water that seemed about to fall.

 

When Zhou Die came back to his senses, Jiang Yunbian was already at the door. “Hurry up, we’re having cake tonight.”

 

*

 

When Jiang Yunbian was done preparing everything, Xu Zhan was taken out by a girl from Class 16.

 

It was said she was confessing, and many people followed secretly, hoping to hear some good news.

 

Zhou Die watched Jiang Yunbian setting up the cake in the classroom. He was still deciding whether to use eighteen small candles or one candle shaped like the number eighteen.

 

Jiang Yunbian couldn’t make up his mind and turned to Zhou Die. “Which candle do you think is better…”

 

“Here they come!” Gao Zining rushed in and immediately turned off the main switch.

 

The room suddenly went dark, and before Zhou Die could give his opinion, he felt Jiang Yunbian leaning into his arms.

 

The minty scent brushed his nose, seemingly coming from his hair.

 

Jiang Yunbian, not paying any attention to how close he had gotten to Zhou Die, pulled him in a bit. “He’s here, quick, hide.”

 

There was still space behind them, and Zhou Die’s hand rested on the desk as he looked at Jiang Yunbian’s neck close by, his gaze naturally following the ends of his hair into his collar.

 

It was the second time today.

 

Zhou Die averted his gaze and said indifferently, “We can’t hide.”

 

They were seated in the lower left corner of the classroom by the wall, making it a bit awkward to hide.

 

“Huh?” Jiang Yunbian turned around, trying to measure the distance from the wall but ended up stepping closer to Zhou Die in the darkness.

 

He reached out and felt, not touching the wall. “There’s still room…”

 

“Jiang Yunbian.” Zhou Die’s voice fell softly from close by, slightly husky, with a hint of warning.

 

After the room quieted down, the close warmth mingled with the pheromones.

 

Jiang Yunbian’s hand froze, and he quickly pulled away when the scent of cedar reached his nose.

 

He turned back and muttered softly, “…Forget it, no need to hide.”

 

“That idiot Gao Zining really forgets everything,” Xu Zhan’s voice came from the hallway, and Jiang Yunbian’s attention quickly returned to the cake.

 

He lit the number candles, gently placing them on the cake. When the number eighteen lit up, Xu Zhan pushed open the door.

 

Xu Zhan saw the faint candlelight on the table, as if only this surprise existed in the pitch-black classroom.

 

Before he could react, Yang You and He Ru followed up loudly, shouting, “Happy Birthday!”

 

Then came a cacophony of cheers and birthday wishes, making it as noisy as a market.

 

Jiang Yunbian and Zhou Die stepped aside, giving the spotlight to the birthday star.

 

Xu Zhan was surrounded and led to the cake, forced to make a wish, and after being tortured by “saying goodbye to all worries,” blew out the candles.

 

“Damn, you guys are so annoying!” Xu Zhan, somewhat at a loss whether to laugh or cry, looked at the extinguished eighteen candles with surprise. “No wonder you guys were acting so strange today.”

 

A few boys joked, urging Xu Zhan to cry a little, and asked about his wish.

 

Zhou Die stood outside the crowd, a bit surprised that Jiang Yunbian didn’t join Xu Zhan in conversation.

 

Although Jiang Yunbian was the one who came up with the plan, he seemed to care little about how much effort he put in. It seemed enough for him to quietly watch the excitement in front of him.

 

“Xu Zhan, did you agree to that girl?” He Ru asked curiously.

 

Xu Zhan touched his nose. “Of course not, I only met her for the first time.”

 

“That girl is one of the rare Betas who doesn’t like the two of you!”

 

“First of all, I’m not a fan of appearances, and secondly, I don’t care about gender.” Xu Zhan said with a smile, kicking him lightly. “Stop making a fuss here.”

 

Jiang Yunbian watched them joke around until Xu Zhan turned back and found him. He handed over the gift and said, “Happy Birthday.”

 

Xu Zhan was surprised. “You actually picked out a gift? I thought you’d just send me a 666 red envelope.”

 

“I can still send you one now if you want.”

 

Xu Zhan smiled and put his arm around his shoulder. “Thank you.”

 

Yang You pulled out a stack of beers from under the bookshelf. “Come on, let’s eat cake, drink beer, and chat! Tonight, we go wild!”

 

Just as he placed the beer on the table, the classroom door was suddenly knocked on.

 

A student council officer stood at the door, staring at the people in the classroom.

 

“Damn it,” Yang You cursed and quickly hid the beer behind him.

 

Xu Zhao and Wei Chu, wearing red armbands, walked into the classroom one after the other.

 

“Um,” Xu Zhao seemed to realize what they were doing and added, “Happy Birthday.”

 

Wei Chu glanced at her, and Xu Zhao smiled cheerfully, showing no sign of restraint.

 

He Ru, aware that Jiang Yunbian didn’t get along with them, instinctively stood in front of them. “Wei Chu, we’re just cutting a cake. Is it really necessary?”

 

“Cutting a cake requires alcohol?” Wei Chu sneered, looking at Jiang Yunbian outside the crowd.

 

Gao Zining was provoked by this: “Are you out of your mind? Last time…”

 

“Are you threatening the vice president of the student council?” Wei Chu asked coldly.

 

Gao Zining, irritated, raised his hand in the next moment.

 

Jiang Yunbian calmly grabbed his wrist and walked towards Wei Chu. “So? What do you want? Just say it.”

 

Wei Chu looked at him for a while, still finding Jiang Yunbian extremely irritating.

 

But before he could speak, Zhou Die, standing behind Jiang Yunbian, lazily raised his eyelids.

 

The pressure was silent but palpable, making Wei Chu hesitant to voice any of his planned retaliation.

 

He couldn’t afford to offend Zhou Die.

 

Wei Chu turned his head away. “Remember, there won’t be a next time.”

 

Xu Zhan’s birthday party went on for a long time. Eventually, someone started smearing cream, and the class became a mess.

 

Zhou Die didn’t join in and left for the dormitory first. Later, he received a message from Xu Zhao.

 

Someone posted a photo collection on the school forum. It was a tradition at Nan Zhong for each class to post characteristic photos, but since Jiang Yunbian started school, there were more personal posts along with class posts.

 

The personal posts were full of handsome candid shots from various angles, and there was even a CP thread.

 

The Jiang-Xu childhood friend thread once set the record for the most replies, being the most popular AA couple.

 

After Zhou Die took a shower, Xu Zhao forwarded him a new hot post from the forum.

 

[New AA couple replaces childhood friends, how can we stop progressing!]

 

The cover image was a photo of Zhou Die waking Jiang Yunbian from the audience. The angle was taken from below, probably an accidental shot. The photo perfectly captured Zhou Die picking up his jacket while Jiang Yunbian was sound asleep.

 

[1L: Strong veil-lifting vibe: P]

 

[2L: Damn, this is even more exciting than the childhood friends! Didn’t these two fight at the start of school and even during exams?]

 

[3L: Not accepting veil-lifting, flowers have many varieties, but Jiang Wangwang(puppy) must be number 1.]

 

[4L: Same, not accepting. You don’t know that Zhou Meow was sick that day, so delicate, and he even had a support fan! How can he be number 1.]

 

Zhou Die closed the post after seeing the fourth comment but was bombarded with Xu Zhao’s endless questions.

 

[Bro, how do you feel about becoming a delicate girl overnight?]

 

[?]

 

[Didn’t you read further? Your persona has been revealed, fake aloof yet clingy and spoiled. Jiang Yunbian is paired with you, a charming little tyrant who pampers his wife.]

 

[……]

 

Before Zhou Die could comment on this absurd setting, Jiang Yunbian burst through the door.

 

He frowned at the commotion and seemed to have run back, sweat beading on his forehead. Without taking off his backpack, he immediately opened the cabinet.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

Jiang Yunbian took out a small pot, emptied his backpack of books, and stuffed it inside. He handed the backpack to Zhou Die. “Run, the farther, the better.”

 

Zhou Die: “……?”

 

“Xu Zhan is an idiot. When I came back, he asked me to make breakfast for him tomorrow, and the disciplinary dean overheard. He’s coming to check our dorm!”

 

Jiang Yunbian hurriedly zipped up the bag and grabbed Zhou Die’s hand. “Help me out.”

 

Before returning to school, Zhou Die never imagined he would be wandering around the playground in the middle of the night with a backpack for a roommate’s pot.

 

Jiang Yunbian live-streamed the scene for him, and the disciplinary dean almost turned the dorm upside down.

 

Zhou Die wandered aimlessly around the playground, feeling a faint mint-like scent, as if a vine wrapped lightly around his neck.

 

Jiang Yunbian’s backpack had the scent of his pheromones.

 

Before differentiation, Zhou Die had been exposed to many pheromones in the hospital, mostly diluted and extracted to induce secondary differentiation. He had never left a deep impression on any particular scent.

 

But Jiang Yunbian was an exception; his scent was exactly what Zhou Die liked.

 

Zhou Die lightly tugged on the backpack strap, wrapping it around his fingers.

 

At 9:30, Zhou Die received a message from Jiang Yunbian telling him to come back: [Danger averted.jpg]

 

Just as he was about to return, a group of girls behind him started discussing him in low voices.

 

“Isn’t that Zhou Die? Why is he carrying Jiang Yunbian’s backpack?”

 

“Oh no, the forum seems more and more real…”

 

Zhou Die frowned slightly and saw that Jiang Yunbian looked somewhat gloomy when he returned to the dorm.

 

Jiang Yunbian was sucking on a lollipop and playing on his phone on the balcony. He waved when he saw Zhou Die and personally took back the backpack.

 

“Thank you for your hard work.”

 

Zhou Die noticed Jiang Yunbian’s phone, and he was also looking at that ridiculous forum thread.

 

Jiang Yunbian noticed his gaze and realized he was also looking at the thread about him being mocked, quickly turning off the screen. “Don’t mind it. They’re all like that, just idle gossip.”

 

Zhou Die looked at his nonchalant expression and commented, “You watch it often?”

 

“Know a bit. Gao Zining likes to use it to annoy me and Xu Zhan.”

 

What normal guy engages in CP?

 

Zhou Die caught the key term and asked, “Annoy?”

 

“Oh, not that the people are annoying. The stuff in that thread is all nonsense.” Jiang Yunbian put the pot back in place. “They write that Xu Zhan and I are doing indecent things in some stairwell corner. This person obviously didn’t attend the physiology class properly; how could two A’s do that!”

 

Jiang Yunbian tidied up the desk’s exercise books, and Zhou Die, watching his back, recalled that day’s relay race.

 

He asked, “Aren’t you bad at running?”

 

Jiang Yunbian didn’t expect the topic to be so random, so he just replied, “I didn’t expect it either. I actually ran quite fast that day.”

 

Zhou Die looked at him; he didn’t seem to have given the issue much thought, but his lips were curved in a fitting smile.

 

“Anyway, every time I think of how mouthy he is, I want to teach him a lesson.” Jiang Yunbian raised his eyebrows, as arrogant as ever. “After all, I’ve got Zhou Shao’s favor.”

 

Zhou Die looked at him for a while, then chuckled. “Well, I’ll keep working on it.”

 

After the preliminary excitement of the sports meet, the tight study schedule in senior year kept students busy.

 

Jiang Yunbian had been spending too much lately, so he had to reconnect with the band and play two gigs. Every Wednesday morning, he was so exhausted that he would slump over his desk and doze off.

 

On Wednesday mornings, there were back-to-back English classes. The teacher usually turned a blind eye to good students, but Jiang Yunbian didn’t wake up even after two periods. No matter how patient the teacher was, this wasn’t tolerated.

 

“This sentence should be explained how? Let’s leave it to the student who’s sleeping so soundly.”

 

Xu Zhan tried to suppress his laughter and nudged Jiang Yunbian’s desk.

 

“Hmm…”

 

Jiang Yunbian grumbled softly, clearly unhappy. Xu Zhan sat back down and decisively sold out his friend: “Teacher, can’t wake him up.”

 

The class burst into low laughter.

 

Even in his groggy state, Jiang Yunbian realized what was happening. He slowly got up and asked, “What?”

 

The English teacher had already rolled up the test paper.

 

“Come on, translate it.”

 

Jiang Yunbian’s desk still had a chemistry test paper. When he picked it up, he realized it was the chemical formula for calcium oxide, not an English word.

 

The teacher laughed in frustration. “Got the wrong test paper, did we? Let’s see what you can translate with a chemistry test paper.”

 

Jiang Yunbian had originally planned to resign himself to standing in the back to stay awake for a class, but just as he was about to move his chair back, a calm voice came from the back of the room.

 

He raised an eyebrow slightly, stood up straight, and wore a fearless expression.

 

“The author’s point is that when people cannot change the facts in front of them, they should accept it with calm optimism.”

 

The English teacher snorted. “Some students really have a lot of friends. Sit down, or you’ll be standing in the hallway.”

 

Zhou Die watched the front desk student escape this time without any self-reflection. He sat back down slowly and secretly gave Jiang Yunbian a thumbs-up from the drawer.

 

Nice, bro.

 

Zhou Die lowered his eyes, smiling.

 

The English teacher scanned the room and said, half-smiling, “Now for the first question. The student staring out the window, please answer.”

 

Gao Zining, who was suddenly called on, stood up with the test paper upside down. After awkwardly turning it around, he said, “Uh, this, The phrase…”

 

After stumbling over the rest of the word, he frantically gestured to those around him, but no one paid him any attention.

 

The English teacher found him amusing. “Called on the most popular student, and now we have a small unlucky one. Sit down and pay attention, no more daydreaming.”

 

After class, Gao Zining angrily leaned on Zhou Die’s desk.

 

“No way, Zhou Ge, you’re so unfair! This is blatant favoritism!”

 

Jiang Yunbian chuckled and, leaning on the desk, looked at Zhou Die, who was being disturbed. “Bro, you’ve got an issue with favoritism?”

 

“Did you hear what the teacher called me? ‘Little unlucky guy!’” Gao Zining insisted on competing with Jiang Yunbian. “Do you like that nickname?”

 

“Can I control that?” Jiang Yunbian fanned the flames. “Why don’t you ask Zhou Die?”

 

Gao Zining turned around, and Zhou Die, resting his chin on his hand, looked at the two with interest. “Yeah, it’s favoritism. What’s the problem?”

 

Jiang Yunbian laughed and joined in, “Did you hear that? It’s favoritism. What’s the problem!”

 

Xu Zhan, who had been watching the whole thing, shook his head from the front desk. “Jiang Wangwang, do you know the term ‘relying on others’ influence’?”

 

The class monitor, passing by, nodded. “You’re really getting arrogant with favoritism; it’s quite dog-like.”

 

Jiang Yunbian laughed and swore, “Get lost.”

 

On Friday, Xu Zhao organized the sports meet photos and sent them to him.

 

[Collecting so many photos was really a hassle.]

 

Zhou Die sent her a red envelope and then forwarded the photos to Wen Yue.

 

He always talked about having many friends, and now he had evidence.

 

Wen Yue looked at them all afternoon and messaged him in the evening, saying she missed Jiang Yunbian and wanted him to bring him for a meal over the weekend.

 

Before Zhou Die could mention this to Jiang Yunbian, he was already rummaging through his clothes in the dorm.

 

“You going out?” Zhou Die asked, looking at the two casual outfits Jiang Yunbian picked out.

 

“Yeah, working part-time on the weekend and staying at someone’s house.” Jiang Yunbian glanced at the calendar. His heat was approaching, so he was also bringing his blocker.

 

He knew his heat was near.

 

A bit worried about getting into trouble while staying at someone else’s house?

 

For some reason, Zhou Die recalled the pheromone he smelled in the hospital that day.

 

He asked, “Jiang Yunbian, where are you working part-time?”

 

“Hmm?” Jiang Yunbian was momentarily caught off guard, then pulled out a map and pointed to a location. “This place, just opened half a month ago. Next time you have time, I’ll take you there. Their cocktails are quite good.”

 

Still drinking.

 

Zhou Die scoffed and, turning to block the light, Jiang Yunbian heard him say without much emotion, “Let’s go today then.”

 

Jiang Yunbian didn’t expect his casual remark to become reality. While squeezing onto the bus with Zhou Die, he was still puzzled. “Are you the kind of person who always acts on a whim?”

 

Zhou Die held onto the handrail, looking out at the traffic. “Do you need a reason to skip class?”

 

Jiang Yunbian: …oh, forgot this guy can sleep through class and still score full marks.

 

Skipping evening study sessions to go out is nothing unusual.

 

When they arrived at the lounge bar, Jiang Yunbian headed for the staff entrance, while Zhou Die took a seat in the corner.

 

At this time, it was still mealtime, and a family had just finished eating. The restaurant was a bit too lively.

 

Zhou Die put on his headphones and played music from Ten Star on his phone.

 

Since moving into the same dorm as Jiang Yunbian, he hadn’t had much time to listen to music.

 

Zhou Die found it hard to describe why he was so obsessed with Ten Star’ sound.

 

But when he first returned to the Zhou family and had trouble sleeping alone in the dorm, it was this voice that kept him company until dawn.

 

Though not very technical and without any flashy presentation, just a guitar and a voice always saw him through till morning.

 

After sitting for a while, Zhou Die suddenly realized that Jiang Yunbian seemed to be the lead singer of that resident band.