Gu Yang’s teasing remark earned him a frosty glare from Lin Xiaoran, as if to say, Do you have a death wish?
Unfortunately for Lin Xiaoran, with a table full of elders present, he couldn’t act on his anger.
Gu Yang, fully aware of this, didn’t just hold back—he smirked and cheekily winked at Lin Xiaoran.
Annoyed but unwilling to engage, Lin Xiaoran turned his focus back to his meal. However, the faint sound of his displeased hmph betrayed that he wasn’t letting this slide so easily.
After dinner, the elders moved to the living room to sip tea and discuss the details of Gu Xiuyuan and Lin Lan’s upcoming wedding. Lin Xiaoran picked up his backpack and headed upstairs, with Gu Yang trailing closely behind.
At the door to his room, Lin Xiaoran suddenly stopped, turned around, and shoved Gu Yang into his bedroom. After shutting the door, he landed a punch on Gu Yang’s stomach.
Though the punch wasn’t too hard, it wasn’t exactly gentle either. Still, Gu Yang dramatically fell onto the bed, clutching his stomach and looking up at Lin Xiaoran with a pitiful expression. “Wife, are you trying to kill your husband—ow!”
Enraged, Lin Xiaoran pounced on him, grabbing his collar and glaring fiercely. “Say that again, I dare you!”
Gu Yang didn’t resist; after all, having his boyfriend throw himself on top of him was a rare and welcome opportunity. Wrapping his arms around Lin Xiaoran’s waist, he grinned mischievously and quickly capitulated. “Fine, fine, I won’t say it again. But if I can’t call you ‘wife,’ what should I call you? Baby?”
Lin Xiaoran shuddered at the thought, giving Gu Yang a side-eye. “Gross. Just use my name.”
He released Gu Yang’s collar and prepared to get up, but Gu Yang’s eyes gleamed with mischief. With a sudden move, he flipped their positions, pinning Lin Xiaoran beneath him.
Smirking, Gu Yang slid his hand under Lin Xiaoran’s shirt and leaned down to whisper in his ear, “If I can’t call you ‘wife’ or ‘baby,’ shouldn’t you give me something in return?”
The ticklish sensation made Lin Xiaoran squirm, but before he could retort, Gu Yang silenced him with a kiss, his hands growing bolder.
The intensity of the moment brought back memories of the previous night. Lin Xiaoran, flushed and slightly dazed, instinctively wrapped his arms around Gu Yang.
With that silent permission, Gu Yang’s smile widened. His Omega was so honest and straightforward—if he liked something, he didn’t shy away. Gu Yang found it utterly endearing.
Just as things were heating up, Lin Lan’s voice suddenly came from outside the door. “Ranran, we’re leaving now!”
The two froze as if struck by lightning. Lin Xiaoran quickly responded, “Coming!”
In a flash, they separated. Lin Xiaoran shoved Gu Yang away, hastily straightened his clothes and hair, grabbed his backpack, and made for the door.
Before leaving, he glanced back at Gu Yang, only to see a certain area of Gu Yang’s body looking quite “enthusiastic,” while his face wore an expression of utter despair.
Unable to hold back a chuckle, Lin Xiaoran whispered, “Handle it yourself,” before slipping out of the room.
As Lin Xiaoran’s footsteps faded down the stairs, Gu Yang sighed dramatically, accepting his fate. He trudged to the bathroom for a cold shower.
After addressing his predicament, Gu Yang emerged from the bathroom still feeling aggrieved. Unable to resist, he picked up his phone and sent Lin Xiaoran a message: You owe me one. Double payback.
Lin Xiaoran, having just arrived home, saw the message and instantly pictured Gu Yang’s current state—fresh out of the shower, with a sulky expression. The image amused him, and the corners of his lips curled up as he typed back:
5,000-word self-reflection. Including mine, 10,000 words. Good luck, Brother Yang!
Gu Yang: …
He had completely forgotten about the self-reflection assignment.
Resigned, he grabbed a pen and paper and got to work.
Fortunately, Gu Yang was no stranger to writing these. Though he didn’t usually get into serious trouble at school, minor infractions like tardiness, skipping uniform days, or unauthorized snacks in class often landed him with the task of writing apologies.
But 5,000 words was no small feat. And with Lin Xiaoran’s portion added, it totaled a whopping 10,000 words.
Though tempted to make Lin Xiaoran write his own, Gu Yang ultimately decided against it. After all, his straight-A boyfriend likely had never written one of these before, and Gu Yang was curious about what it would look like if he did. Still, it was rare for Lin Xiaoran to ask him for help, so Gu Yang didn’t mind taking on the task.
Once he got into the rhythm, Gu Yang actually started to enjoy himself. Three hours later, he had two comprehensive, heartfelt self-reflections totaling 10,000 words completed.
Gu Yang stretched his sore wrist, picked up his phone, and snapped a photo of the two completed self-reflection essays. He sent it to Lin Xiaoran along with a message:
“All done! Isn’t your boyfriend amazing?”
Lin Xiaoran, who had just finished his homework and was about to start on his own reflection, froze as he stared at the photo. His beautiful eyes blinked in surprise before he typed back:
“Is your wrist sore?”
Lin Xiaoran hadn’t actually intended for Gu Yang to write his portion. With so much homework to juggle, he figured Gu Yang would only manage his own. He was genuinely taken aback by the speed and efficiency with which Gu Yang had completed everything.
Looking at the densely written pages in the photo, a pang of guilt and tenderness filled Lin Xiaoran’s chest.
Gu Yang instantly caught on to the subtle concern behind Lin Xiaoran’s simple words. Truthfully, his wrist did ache after writing so much in one sitting, but Lin Xiaoran’s message made the discomfort melt away into a warm sweetness.
Still, he couldn’t resist milking the moment. Pretending his wrist was too sore to type, he sent a voice message:
“It’s super sore… What should I do?”
Lin Xiaoran, hearing the exaggerated tone in Gu Yang’s voice, immediately knew he was playing it up. Still, the soreness was probably real.
Deciding to humor him, Lin Xiaoran replied: “Go to bed early. Tomorrow morning, I’ll write your homework for you.”
Gu Yang chuckled as he read the reply. It was so typical of Lin Xiaoran—always practical, never sentimental. Couldn’t he just say something soft and sweet, like, “You’re the best boyfriend ever; let me kiss it better for you”?
Picturing Lin Xiaoran saying such syrupy words in a coquettish tone, Gu Yang shivered at the absurdity of the thought and quickly dismissed it. No, that wouldn’t be Lin Xiaoran at all.
The next morning, Monday, the school held its weekly flag-raising ceremony.
Most students typically dreaded the ceremony—it was time-consuming and came with strict uniform checks. But today was different.
Even though it had been the weekend, videos of Gu Yang and Lin Xiaoran’s fight had gone viral on the school forum, making their mandatory public apology the hot topic of discussion.
For Lin Xiaoran, this was a first. Up until now, his appearances at the flagpole had been limited to being a flag-bearer or receiving awards. Standing there to read a reflection was uncharted territory.
Gu Yang’s case was a little different. As a reformed “school tyrant,” his recent turnaround had turned him into a model student. Topping the grade in the last exams, even surpassing Lin Xiaoran, had made him the new pride of the school. He was now frequently used as an example of redemption by school leadership.
The thought of the top two students reading public apologies together was enough to make the student body buzz with excitement.
As the ceremony began, students craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the duo. Some even had their phones out, ready to record.
Finally, after the principal’s speech, the disciplinary teacher, Mr. Gao, briefly summarized the “serious nature” of yesterday’s incident and called the two students forward.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Gu Yang and Lin Xiaoran stepped out. Someone even shouted, “Go, Scholar and Brother Yang!”
Gu Yang turned and waved with a carefree grin, looking more like a pop idol than someone about to issue an apology.
The school leaders on stage frowned at his casual demeanor but let it slide, knowing the school culture tended to be more lenient about such antics.
When Gu Yang reached the podium, however, he immediately switched gears. His relaxed air disappeared, replaced by a composed and respectful demeanor.
Those familiar with Gu Yang knew he had a knack for adapting to the situation. Though often playful, he understood when to rein it in. Yesterday’s fight, though dramatic, hadn’t escalated too far, so it remained a minor incident. Today, he knew better than to push his luck in front of the entire school.
Standing tall and looking unexpectedly sharp, Gu Yang handed the microphone to Lin Xiaoran.
Lin Xiaoran, unfazed, began reading the reflection Gu Yang had written for him. His tone was calm and steady, making the words flow like a formal speech rather than a forced apology.
Not long into the reading, he was interrupted. The teachers, who had always been partial to Lin Xiaoran, decided to cut him some slack, citing time constraints.
To maintain fairness, Gu Yang was also asked to abbreviate his portion, turning what should have been a solemn punishment into something akin to a procedural formality.
The ceremony ended, leaving the students buzzing with excitement. As they returned to their classrooms in groups, the air was filled with chatter about the two stars of the show.
Far from looking like two students being punished, Gu Yang and Lin Xiaoran had turned the event into a spectacle that left their peers feeling more like fans at a concert than witnesses to a disciplinary action.
“Honestly, I used to think standing up there for a public apology was the most humiliating thing ever. There were so many times I thought about breaking the rules, but the idea of being forced to apologize in front of everyone always stopped me. But after seeing Scholar Lin and Brother Yang today… why does it suddenly seem kind of cool?”
“Same here! I thought there was something wrong with me, but it turns out I’m not the only one who lost their mind.”
“Putting the ‘cool’ factor aside, I honestly don’t think Brother Yang and Scholar Lin should’ve had to apologize. Zhang Zhihe was the one being disgusting, taking secret photos of Scholar Lin repeatedly—and of all things, his gland! If this had happened outside school and Zhang Zhihe tried something like that on an Omega who had an Alpha, he’d be lucky to walk away alive.”
“Not to mention he went and snitched afterward. I can’t stand people who run to the teachers to tattle.”
“But there’s nothing the school can do. Gu Yang did beat him up pretty badly, and Zhang Zhihe probably won’t be back for a while. The school’s likely trying to appease his family. If they didn’t, his family might’ve made a huge scene.”
“They won’t come. I heard from someone in Class 7 who’s close to Zhang Zhihe that his family was planning to cause trouble and even threatened to escalate things if Gu Yang didn’t apologize. But then someone from the Gu family contacted them directly, and after that, they just went silent.”
“They got paid off?”
“Probably.”
“Not necessarily. With the Gu family’s connections, shutting them up is no big deal. Have you seen a single online post exposing Brother Yang or Scholar Lin’s identities since last night?”
“That makes it sound like the Gu family is bullying people.”
“I don’t mean that! I’m just saying it’s easy for them to handle stuff like this.”
Whether it was easy or not, Gu Yang himself had no idea. He hadn’t bothered with it at all—likely, it was his brother Gu Xiuyuan who stepped in to resolve things. After all, Gu Yang had undeniably beaten someone up.
After the flag-raising ceremony, Gu Yang and Lin Xiaoran were heading back to their classroom when they bumped into Chen Hongqiang and Jiang Tao.
These two were usually all buddy-buddy with Gu Yang, but today they seemed awkward, shuffling around without saying anything.
Gu Yang chuckled, giving Chen Hongqiang a friendly punch on the shoulder. “What’s up with you guys?”
Chen Hongqiang immediately snapped out of it. Turning to Jiang Tao and the others, he laughed, “See? Brother Yang is still Brother Yang. He hasn’t gone all high and mighty on us. You guys were doubting him for nothing. When has Brother Yang ever been that kind of person?” Then, grinning, he added to Gu Yang, “But seriously, Brother Yang, you’ve been holding out on us! If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes yesterday, I’d never believe our Brother Yang is some kind of rich heir. It’s straight out of a fantasy! And then there’s…”
As he spoke, Chen Hongqiang glanced at Lin Xiaoran, who had already walked ahead, clearly uninterested in their conversation.
Lowering his voice, Chen Hongqiang whispered to Gu Yang, “You’re a legend, Brother Yang. When did you manage to snag Scholar Lin? You didn’t even give us a heads-up. At least let us greet the sister-in-law properly!”
Sister-in-law?
Gu Yang instinctively glanced at Lin Xiaoran’s back and thought, If Xiaoran heard that, I’d be the one getting beaten up next.
“Brother Yang, no time like the present. Let’s do barbecue tonight—my treat! You can bring the sister-in-law along. Sound good?” Chen Hongqiang, thrilled for his friend, was genuinely excited to celebrate.
Knowing Chen Hongqiang’s straightforward nature, Gu Yang didn’t take offense. Despite his poor grades, the guy had a good heart. Gu Yang patted his shoulder and laughed, “I’ll treat. Call everyone. Consider it my apology for keeping you in the dark. You pick the place, and we’ll head out after evening self-study.”
After setting the time, Gu Yang quickened his pace to catch up with Lin Xiaoran. Leaning closer, he said, “How about joining us for dinner tonight? The guys want to meet you.”
“Hmm?” Lin Xiaoran turned, blinking his thick lashes in confusion. “Haven’t we already met?”
Though he hadn’t interacted much with Gu Yang’s group, he definitely recognized them, and they should recognize him too.
Gu Yang scratched his nose, smiling. “Well, your status is different now. They want a formal introduction.”
Lin Xiaoran’s lips twitched as if he were about to say, That’s ridiculous, but he swallowed the words. Just as he was about to nod, Chen Hongqiang and the others passed by, shouting, “Brother Yang! Sister-in-law! See you tonight!”
Then they ran off.
Gu Yang froze on the spot.
Lin Xiaoran’s sharp gaze burned into him like lasers, and Gu Yang instinctively took two steps back, putting some distance between them. “It wasn’t me! I didn’t tell them to call you that! Hey… go easy on me…”
Leave a Reply