The Marked Alpha Is Extremely Hard to Coax - Chapter 44

Taking advantage of her brother’s absence, Jiang Yunyi was lounging around watching a movie, keeping her ears tuned to any sounds outside the door, like a child wary of their parents returning.

 

When she heard the door open, she quickly turned off the projector, pulled out her homework, and tried to look deep in thought, only to realize she had the test paper upside down.

 

But Jiang Yunbian didn’t pay attention to her little act. After entering, he just sat down at the door, his gaze vacant.

 

Jiang Yunyi glanced at him, then glanced again, and finally put on an expression as if she had just solved a problem, looking at her brother. “You’re back? Have you eaten? Aunt made dinner…”

 

Jiang Yunbian’s mood was flat. “I’ve eaten.”

 

“What’s wrong, bro?” Jiang Yunyi sat down next to him. “You look like your soul has been sucked out.”

 

Jiang Yunbian turned his head, not wanting his sister to see his expression.

 

“Wow, your ears are so red!” Jiang Yunyi noticed something was off and her gaze dropped. “Your neck is red too.”

 

Jiang Yunbian raised his hand to cover his face. “What are you looking at? I’m just hot.”

 

Jiang Yunyi poked his fingertips. “But it feels cold!”

 

Jiang Yunbian’s attempt to cover up was too obvious. Jiang Yunyi didn’t think twice. “Bro, have you made any progress with Zhou Die?”

 

Jiang Yunbian sprang to his feet, his face flushed red with panic. He was unusually flustered.

 

Jiang Yunyi was stunned. She had only mentioned it casually and didn’t expect it to hit the mark.

 

Realizing he had lost his composure, Jiang Yunbian cleared his throat. “Go back to your movie.”

 

“I’m… I’m seriously working on my problems!” Jiang Yunyi quickly protested.

 

“The math paper is upside down. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

 

Jiang Yunbian pushed open the door and lay down on his bed.

 

As an Alpha, he was typically the one to take the lead in relationships. If Zhou Die were a gentle and obedient Omega, Jiang Yunbian might have proceeded gradually.

 

But Zhou Die was neither an Omega nor gentle and obedient.

 

He was the type who, once given a little sweetness, would come back for more, often saying things that caught Jiang Yunbian off guard.

 

This was Jiang Yunbian’s first time caring about someone so deeply. In terms of relationships, he felt like a snail poking its antennae out of its shell, easily startled by every little movement.

 

He knew his cautious situation was problematic and felt helpless to change it.

 

Jiang Yunbian regretted not having more dating experience, which made him seem awkward in his interactions with Zhou Die.

 

The final exam results were released on the third day of the vacation and were sent to the students’ phones via text.

 

Early in the morning, before Jiang Yunbian had fully woken up, he received a phone call from Xu Zhan, who sounded excited.

 

“Congratulations, Xia Jiang! You’re back to being the top student in the grade!”

 

Still half-asleep, Jiang Yunbian slowly opened his eyes and asked, “What?”

 

“Oh, you might not have received the message yet! But I have the summary report! You’re first!” Xu Zhan had seen Jiang Yunbian’s name at the top of the list and called him without a second thought.

 

Jiang Yunbian sat up and asked, “What about Zhou Die?”

 

“Die Ge… is second!” Xu Zhan paused and then said, “Wait, you two have the same score! Damn!”

 

In cases of a tie, the list was arranged alphabetically, so Jiang Yunbian was naturally listed before Zhou Die.

 

But their total scores were indeed the same.

 

“This is insane! How can you two have the same score? Damn!” Xu Zhan sent the score sheet to Jiang Yunbian.

 

Jiang Yunbian compared each subject’s scores and found that although the individual scores were different, the total was exactly the same.

 

So… it was a tie?

 

Jiang Yunbian took a screenshot of the results and sent it to the top contact in the list.

 

[How should this be counted?]

 

[Zhou Miao Miao: Cat is disappointed.jpg]

 

Jiang Yunbian seemed to sense Zhou Die’s disappointment through the emoticon.

 

[No one lost, so the bet is void.]

 

[Zhou Miao Miao: Cat is sad.jpg]

 

But Jiang Yunbian adhered to his principles. A tie was a tie.

 

Zhou Miao Miao’s attempts to act cute were in vain, and he gave up struggling and asked about Jiang Yunbian’s holiday plans.

 

The winter vacation for the third year of high school was very short, just thirteen days, with New Year’s Eve coming up soon. His mother planned to take him and Yunyi to Nan City for a couple of days after the New Year.

 

[Zhou Miao Miao: Are you free on the second day of the New Year? My grandfather wants to invite you for a meal.]

 

Afraid he might refuse, Zhou Die added: [Xu Zhaoruo will also be there.]

 

Jiang Yunbian did feel a bit uncomfortable, but after considering that the Zhou family didn’t seem difficult to approach, he hesitated for a while before agreeing.

 

Then he received several lively cat emoticons.

 

Jiang Yunbian smiled and asked about Zhou Die’s plans.

 

Zhou Die’s New Year’s Eve was divided into two parts: he would stay with his family during the day and accompany Wen Yue in the evening.

 

Jiang Yunbian leaned on the sofa for a while before realizing he hadn’t visited Wen Yue’s house for a long time.

 

[Zhou Miao Miao: My mom misses you. Do you want to come over?]

 

[Something’s going on in the evening of New Year’s Eve.]

 

Zhou Die received the reply and didn’t press further.

 

When Jiang Yunbian sent the message, he felt a slight itch in his fingertips. He didn’t tell Zhou Die his true intentions.

 

He wanted to visit Wen Yue’s house on New Year’s Eve. After all, Aunt Wen had taken good care of him, and given the recent events, he wanted to drop by and give a gift for the New Year.

 

Not agreeing with Zhou Die was just to secretly prepare a surprise.

 

… Though he wasn’t sure if it could be considered a surprise.

 

Jiang Yunyi was on vacation and bought dumpling wrappers and filling for New Year’s Eve. Jiang Yunyi was clumsy and hadn’t managed to wrap a single dumpling properly.

 

Jiang Yunbian told her to stay out of the way and not cause trouble.

 

“Last year, I wrapped ten dumplings all by myself! None of them leaked when cooked!” Jiang Yunyi argued.

 

“People wrap dumplings, you’re pinching them. How could they not leak?” Jiang Yunbian countered.

 

Jiang Yunyi ran to their mother to complain.

 

“Alright, learn from your brother and wrap them slowly.” Mother Ji Min said with a smile. “If you really can’t manage, just make some meatballs soup.”

 

Jiang Yunyi, holding a piece of dumpling wrapper, asked, “Bro, did you wrap dumplings last year?”

 

Jiang Yunbian then remembered he spent last New Year’s at his father’s house. Bai Yinglian had taken care of everything, and he had only focused on being affectionate at the dinner table, with no sense of the New Year atmosphere.

 

Jiang Yunbian had eaten a bit of dinner and then went out, later celebrating New Year’s Eve by barbecuing by the river with his band members.

 

It was a cold and lonely night.

 

“Last year, Mom made dumplings and called to ask if you were coming back,” Jiang Yunyi said softly. “But the call was answered by that Bai aunt. She said you were already asleep.”

 

That woman always spoke with a constricted voice in front of Jiang Mu, and answering the phone was no exception, which disgusted Ji Min.

 

Jiang Yunbian responded, “I guess I was tired from playing and went to sleep early.”

 

Jiang Yunyi smiled and handed him the dumpling wrappers. “So why aren’t you sleeping tonight? You’re going out?”

 

Ji Min looked up and made eye contact with Jiang Yunbian.

 

The son awkwardly cleared his throat. “Mom, I’m going out later to deliver some things.”

 

Ji Min didn’t ask further. “Be careful. If you meet friends, take some New Year’s gifts with you.”

 

Jiang Yunyi recommended a box of cookies with enthusiasm. “Bro, this is really good! I specifically had Mom bring it from abroad!”

 

His sister had a unique taste for food, and Jiang Yunbian agreed it was good.

 

Dinner ended around nine o’clock, and before Jiang Yunbian left, Ji Min called him over.

 

“This.” Ji Min handed him a bag. “I’m not sure if you’ll run into Zhou Die, but if you do, give this to him. It contains some New Year’s money.”

 

Jiang Yunbian was taken aback, standing there feeling guilty, suddenly reluctant to admit, “I’m not actually seeing him…”

 

Jiang Yunyi stifled a laugh. Her brother had just changed into an outer coat in his room.

 

He used to wear any old sack when he was in the band and go out, when did he start changing coats?

 

Ji Min laughed and patted his head. “It’s not heavy. If you don’t see him, just bring it back.”

 

Jiang Yunbian mumbled and put on his scarf before heading out.

 

It was still a bit chilly on winter nights, so Jiang Yunbian wrapped his coat tightly around him and took a taxi to Wen Yue’s house.

 

He had rehearsed what to say in his mind, and as he got out of the taxi, he suddenly felt a bit more confident.

 

However, as soon as he got out of the car, the first thing he saw was Zhou Die, who was entering the residential complex carrying something and looking down at his phone, not noticing his surroundings.

 

Jiang Yunbian raised his eyebrows slightly. Just as he was about to follow, his phone rang.

 

Zhou Die had sent him a photo of a supermarket shelf filled with red, orange, yellow, and green candies, with several types of mint candy in the front.

 

[Zhou Miao Miao: The cat thinks this is heaven.jpg]

 

Jiang Yunbian couldn’t help but laugh. [Where do you get so many cute emoticons?]

 

[Zhou Miao Miao: From the cat I used to have, I made them myself.]

 

Jiang Yunbian used the messages to distract Zhou Die, quietly following him, planning to surprise him once he got to Wen Yue’s house.

 

[Zhou Miao Miao: Have you eaten?]

 

Jiang Yunbian timed his replies carefully to avoid revealing his presence, stealthily trailing behind.

 

Before going upstairs, Zhou Die passed by a small path next to some bushes where a girl was walking her dog.

 

“Woof woof woof—”

 

It was a small white dog, barking aggressively at Zhou Die.

 

Jiang Yunbian saw Zhou Die put away his phone and then look down at the dog.

 

The dog’s owner was also embarrassed, repeatedly apologizing to Zhou Die.

 

The distance was too far for Jiang Yunbian to hear their conversation, but he could clearly see the girl’s youthful expression under the streetlight.

 

She gently tucked her hair behind her ear, her gaze following Zhou Die, clearly smitten.

 

Zhou Die bent down and tentatively extended his hand. The previously fierce dog suddenly lowered its head and warily watched his hand.

 

Zhou Die seemed very patient, slowly closing the distance and only touching the dog once it accepted him.

 

The dog quickly warmed up to him, rolling over and letting Zhou Die rub its belly, while the girl also squatted down and reached out to pet her dog.

 

From a distance, Jiang Yunbian couldn’t see their exact actions, but his thoughts were uncontrollably spiraling.

 

Was Zhou Die’s hand touching the girl’s hand?

 

The thought made his fingertips tingle with a dull pain.

 

It was… really uncomfortable.

 

His phone buzzed again in his pocket, but Jiang Yunbian had lost interest in the messages. When he looked back, Zhou Die had already gone, leaving only the girl and the dog behind.

 

Jiang Yunbian adjusted his coat, and as he walked by, the small white dog, which had been lying down, suddenly stood up and barked aggressively at him.

 

Jiang Yunbian initially ignored it but then suddenly stopped.

 

This was the place Zhou Die had been standing earlier.

 

“Hey, Yoyo!” The girl hadn’t expected the dog to bark at everyone and quickly reached out to stop it. “What’s wrong with you tonight? No manners at all!”

 

The girl scolded the dog while Jiang Yunbian’s gaze wandered over her silhouette.

 

Whether it was stubbornness or another emotion, he extended his hand to pet the dog as well.

 

However, the little white fluff in front of him instantly bared its teeth and looked threatening, as if warning him not to touch it.

 

The girl was quite embarrassed. “Yoyo, why are you so bad-tempered?”

 

She quickly patted the dog’s behind, telling it not to be aggressive towards strangers.

 

“There was also a big brother who petted you earlier, so be good.”

 

This sentence inexplicably made Jiang Yunbian even more upset.

 

Why was it okay for Zhou Die to pet it but not him?

 

“Sorry, it might be a bit shy,” the girl said, finally looking up and then freezing for a moment.

 

What was going on tonight? Was every good-looking guy being barked at by her dog?

 

Jiang Yunbian curled his lips, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s fine, it’s quite cute.”

 

The last four words were spoken with slight reluctance.

 

But the girl didn’t pick up on it. She looked at him for a while, shyly asking, “Can we exchange contact information?”

 

Jiang Yunbian’s gaze deepened.

 

Had Zhou Die been asked the same question?

 

“Sorry, I can’t.” Jiang Yunbian’s refusal was blunt and straightforward.

 

The girl awkwardly waved her hand, apologized, and left with her dog.

 

Jiang Yunbian felt as if he had just eaten a particularly bitter piece of dark chocolate. He couldn’t understand why he was inexplicably angry and why he was venting his frustration on the girl and the dog.

 

Following the address he remembered for Wen Yue’s house, Jiang Yunbian was just about to go inside when he was suddenly stopped at the door.

 

“Caught a little tailgater.” Zhou Die’s amused voice came from the front, and Jiang Yunbian bumped into him.

 

Jiang Yunbian hadn’t expected to be caught here and, flustered, took a couple of steps back, only to have Zhou Die grab his wrist and pull him closer.

 

Before Jiang Yunbian could react, Zhou Die leaned his head on his shoulder and gently sniffed. “Let me check if you’ve picked up any other scents.”

 

Jiang Yunbian was still confused, racking his brain to recall when Zhou Die might have noticed him following.

 

Moreover, what was he sniffing for?

 

Jiang Yunbian raised his hand to push against Zhou Die’s shoulder, his voice carrying a slight edge of anger that he didn’t even realize he had: “Get away, I didn’t touch anything, you must have picked up the scent from someone else!”

 

He didn’t control his strength well, and Zhou Die was pushed back a couple of steps.

 

Jiang Yunbian, belatedly realizing what he had done, lowered his eyes and withdrew his hand, feeling quite embarrassed.

 

“Sorry, I came to deliver something and will leave once I’m done.”

 

Feeling inexplicably angry and unable to control his emotions, Jiang Yunbian thought he should really just leave.

 

Maybe this was the consequence of coming uninvited.

 

But before he could hand over the gift, the person in front of him suddenly unzipped his coat.

 

“No scent, if you don’t believe me, come and smell.” Zhou Die’s voice was gentle, with a hint of helplessness as he coaxed, “The girl knows my mother. Her dog might recognize my scent, which is why it allowed me to pet it.”

 

Jiang Yunbian was momentarily stunned, realizing he had misunderstood something.

 

“Then you came over without saying anything, got distracted by a little dog on the way, and even got asked for your contact info.” Zhou Die lowered his head, sounding rather aggrieved. “And now you’re taking it out on me.”

 

He sounded very wronged.

 

Jiang Yunbian: “……”

 

Jiang Yunbian was at a loss for words.

 

Seeing Jiang Yunbian’s helpless and speechless demeanor, Zhou Die restrained his laughter and continued in a slightly hurt and unhappy tone: “Did you give her your contact info?”

 

Jiang Yunbian couldn’t handle his act and admitted honestly: “……No.”

 

“If you really liked her, you could have given it,” Zhou Die said, zipping up his coat with a “I’m sad but not saying it” expression, and walked to the elevator.

 

Jiang Yunbian suddenly felt like his conscience had been stabbed.

 

“Ahem, that’s not what I meant.” He walked over to Zhou Die, holding the gift. “Are you angry?”

 

Zhou Die looked at the elevator button for a while before pressing the floor number, remaining silent.

 

“At first, I saw you greeting that little dog,” Jiang Yunbian clumsily explained. “I thought you… well, I misunderstood, I didn’t mean anything else.”

 

Zhou Die waited for a while longer, confirming that Jiang Yunbian had run out of things to say, then asked lazily: “What did you misunderstand?”

 

“Misunderstood that girl… talking to you.”

 

“Would misunderstanding make you angry?”

 

“Isn’t it okay to be angry?” Jiang Yunbian was puzzled by the question, realizing the situation didn’t seem to warrant such a reaction. Why did he get suddenly upset?

 

“Yunbian.” Zhou Die slightly bowed his head, and in the narrow space of the elevator, their winter warmth intertwined with pheromones.

 

“That’s not called anger; it’s called jealousy.”

 

Jiang Yunbian: “……”

 

Zhou Die lowered his gaze, looking at Jiang Yunbian’s slightly trembling eyelashes, feeling a tingle in his heart.

 

Jiang Yunbian was easy to fool and coax, and it was fortunate that it was him.

 

Licking his canine teeth with a bit of malice, Zhou Die pressed on: “What should I do? You were really cute when you were jealous.”

 

Ding— 

 

The elevator door opened. Jiang Yunbian, without thinking, walked out, his face burning with embarrassment.

 

Was that jealousy? He actually felt jealous! He never thought he would be jealous one day!

 

He used to think he had a broad mind, that he was an Alpha without strong control…

 

The door didn’t close, and as Jiang Yunbian entered, Wen Yue was just setting the dinner on the table. She was quite surprised to see him.

 

“Oh, Xiao Die, I only asked you to buy some snacks. Why did you bring Yunbian along too?” Wen Yue wiped her hands and immediately came up to hold Jiang Yunbian’s wrist. “Hmm? You seem to have gotten more handsome?”

 

Jiang Yunbian hadn’t been described as handsome since he was ten, so he was a bit embarrassed by the unexpected compliment.

 

He lifted the New Year’s gift: “Auntie, Happy New Year. This is something I brought from my home.”

 

Wen Yue insisted it was no trouble. Zhou Die took the gift and set it aside. Jiang Yunbian then remembered his mother’s instructions.

 

“The red one is for you, my mom prepared it for you,” Jiang Yunbian said softly.

 

Zhou Die understood.

 

As soon as Jiang Yunbian sat on the sofa, his phone buzzed again. He pulled it out and saw that Zhou Die had sent him a message while downstairs.

 

It was a photo of the little white dog.

 

[Zhou Miao Miao: Fierce, just like you.]

 

And the most recent one: [Zhou Miao Miao: Thank Auntie for me.]

 

Jiang Yunbian chuckled and replied to the first message: [How am I like a dog?]

 

Before he could send it, a hand reached out from behind and pressed the delete button, one by one.

 

“I didn’t say you were like a dog, just that you’re as fierce as one.” Zhou Die deleted the message and then tapped on the notes. “What does this mean?”

 

Jiang Yunbian showed no signs of having a secret exposed and instead teasingly displayed: “It says you’re like a cat. See, how cute, meow meow.”

 

He looked at Zhou Die challengingly.

 

Zhou Die raised an eyebrow, standing directly behind Jiang Yunbian, then took out his phone and leaned over.

 

Jiang Yunbian, sitting on the sofa, had a sense of being embraced when Zhou Die’s hand came down.

 

However, the person behind him was merely opening his phone and opening WeChat.

 

Jiang Yunbian noticed that only he and Wen Yue were pinned at the top of the chat list.

 

Zhou Die had labeled him as “Little Yunbian Candy.”

 

“What a terrible label, you…” Jiang Yunbian was about to protest when he saw Zhou Die open the chat window.

 

The chat background was a photo from the Truth or Dare game, heavily filtered to an exaggerated extent!

 

As Jiang Yunbian’s face turned red with embarrassment, Zhou Die calmly opened his profile and changed the label.

 

“Little Yunbian Candy” became “Jiang Wangwang.”

 

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Die looked at Jiang Yunbian’s blushing ears: “Suddenly, I don’t think couple names are that great either. I want to change it back. What do you think?”

 

Candy name, chat background, couple name—Jiang Yunbian felt like Zhou Die’s combination of actions had him completely disoriented.

 

“…I suggest you change it back to Jiang Yunbian.”

 

“Then let’s keep ‘Wangwang.’ It’s cuter.”

 

“……”

 

Zhou Die tactfully maintained a distance from Jiang Yunbian before his mother came out and nonchalantly went to the kitchen to help.

 

When Wen Yue brought out the dishes, she looked surprised: “Why is Yunbian’s face so red?”

 

Jiang Yunbian touched his neck and mumbled, “It’s hot.”

 

Wen Yue frowned.

 

Zhou Die quietly added from behind: “Yunbian is full of energy, running up to see you, so it’s warm.”

 

Wen Yue was amused and called the two kids to the table for dinner.

 

At the dinner table, Jiang Yunbian looked at the sumptuous meal and leaned towards Zhou Die: “Auntie, why is dinner so late?”

 

“Because she was waiting for me,” Zhou Die said softly. “She didn’t go to the Zhou family.”

 

Jiang Yunbian understood and smiled as Wen Yue sat down: “The meal looks so lavish.”

 

Wen Yue was pleased with the praise for her cooking and encouraged the kids to eat.

 

Jiang Yunbian ate a lot, but to avoid spoiling the mood, he stayed at the table.

 

Seeing the slightly pursed corner of Jiang Yunbian’s mouth, Zhou Die sighed lightly: “Just say it directly, don’t overeat.”

 

Jiang Yunbian shook his head: “I can still…”

 

Zhou Die gently supported his chopsticks and asked casually: “Well then, eat as much as you want. I’ll support you.”

 

Jiang Yunbian was at a loss for words, regretting not noticing Zhou Die’s intentions earlier.

 

If he had known sooner, there wouldn’t be so much past history.

 

Wen Yue brought Jiang Yunbian a sweet strawberry pudding, and he could only eat half before feeling too full.

 

Zhou Die lightly tapped his hand under the table.

 

Jiang Yunbian turned around and saw Zhou Die looking at the pudding with lowered eyelashes.

 

Understanding, he pushed the pudding over.

 

Zhou Die smiled: “Don’t understand or just pretending?”

 

Jiang Yunbian: “Hmm?”

 

“I meant you should feed me.”

 

“……If you want to eat, you can.”

 

Dinner was over close to eleven, and Ji Ran sent him a message.

 

Jiang Yunbian replied, and Zhou Die stood up: “I’ll walk you back.”

 

Wen Yue reminded them to be careful on the way, and Jiang Yunbian only asked Zhou Die to take him to the entrance of the residential complex.

 

“I can take a taxi back myself.”

 

“No,” Zhou Die leaned close to him, softly pressing against him, “There’s a first-year student who said he wouldn’t video call me but secretly came to my house. I need to get his bet back.”

 

His tone sounded very determined.

 

Jiang Yunbian smiled lightly and turned to him with open arms: “Zhou Die, I want your pheromones.”