[Green-Skinned Tangerine]: [Image] I’ve hidden some snacks.
[Cicada]: Why didn’t you bring them out just now?
[Cicada]: Did you order takeout?
[Green-Skinned Tangerine]: Yeah.
[Cicada]: It’s not like I’m craving them that much.
A shadow flashed past the window. The takoyaki balls Fan Yue had just brought back for Xiao Yan were swept away by a gust of wind, leaving behind neither the plastic bag nor the utensils.
“Oh my god.” Fan Yue jumped in fright. “What did you do to piss him off?”
Xiao Yan: “……”
By the time the bell rang for class, Luo Zhiyu still hadn’t returned.
Xiao Yan had earned too many affection points. Halfway through the lesson, the lingering effects of the temporary marking were still clinging to him, occasionally tickling at his heart. The sensation wasn’t entirely unpleasant—in fact, it was even a little comfortable—which left him feeling both fond of and annoyed with the tangerine upstairs.
Don’t feel sorry for an alpha. Xiao Yan had warned him about that before, yet Luo Zhiyu kept forgetting.
Alphas and omegas tended to want to stay together after a temporary marking. Both Luo Zhiyu and Xiao Yan had experienced this more than once, and this time was clearly no exception.
Unfortunately, Luo Zhiyu had just made a bold declaration earlier. He had to maintain this “cold war” for at least an hour or two.
Since Luo Zhiyu’s previous definition of a “long-distance relationship” had turned out to be invalid, he decided to ask Yan Zihan about the standard duration of a cold war between couples. After all, Yan Zihan knew a lot about these things.
[Cicada]: Little Spicy Strip, you there?
[Yan Zihan]: Spit it out. Math class. The teacher’s freaking scary!
[Cicada]: How long do you and Big Spicy Chip usually give each other the cold shoulder?
[Yan Zihan]: Anywhere from one to two months, I guess. Could be longer if we’re really pissed off. Basically, we ignore each other completely, block each other’s contact details, and take detours to avoid each other when walking around. If we fight again, we go find another spicy chip.
[Cicada]: ……
[Cicada]: Pretend I never asked.
Other people were other people. They were themselves. It wasn’t that big a deal. Luo Zhiyu couldn’t stay angry for more than three days.
School Forum —
[How do you comfort your boyfriend when he’s angry?]
1F (ID hidden): As the title says. Urgent. Waiting for answers online.
2F: Kisses and hugs. What else?
3F: I’m curious what the OP did.
4F: Get a new boyfriend.
5F (ID hidden): Drag the fourth-floor idiot out and beat him to death. I’ll pay the labor costs. Smiling.jpg
6F: Now we’re talking. I’m wide awake. Is the OP in an AO relationship? If so, one temporary marking should solve everything. As long as your pheromones are compatible enough, there’s no obstacle you can’t overcome. Good luck, OP! I believe in you.
7F (ID hidden): ……
[This post has been deleted by the administrator. The page is no longer available. You will be redirected to the home page in five seconds.]
“Are you going into heat or something? Why are you wearing a blocker patch?” During the break, Jing Ximing noticed the blocker patch that had appeared on the back of Luo Zhiyu’s neck. “Or are you just bored? Where did you buy it? It even smells like green tea.”
“No, it was an accident.” Luo Zhiyu lay face-down on his desk. Xiao Yan, upstairs, was still sending him messages.
[Green Tangerine with Leaves]: I was wrong.
[Cicada]: What did you do wrong?
[Green Tangerine with Leaves]: I shouldn’t have bitten you.
[Cicada]: Bite me, then. I never said you weren’t allowed to. We’re already dating in high school, so what’s wrong with biting someone’s neck? If you bite me, don’t chicken out afterward. Fairy frowning.jpg
[Green Tangerine with Leaves]: ……
Perhaps it really was because their pheromone compatibility was too low. Luo Zhiyu reacted strongly to Xiao Yan’s pheromones. Even when he went to bed that night, he dreamed about the end of last summer.
In the dream, he was chasing Xiao Yan all the way into the alpha dormitory area with a broom. This time, Xiao Yan didn’t dodge. Instead, he snatched the broom away from Luo Zhiyu, and countless green-skinned tangerines with leaves came raining down from the sky, burying Luo Zhiyu completely.
Luo Zhiyu struggled awake. He could feel that his body temperature and heart rate were both higher than usual. At the gland at the back of his neck, the tingling sensation left over from the marking still lingered, following him right into his dreams.
The next day was Friday. Luo Zhiyu had spent the entire night tossing and turning without getting a good night’s sleep. He brought his suitcase to class, as the four students from No. 1 High School who had registered for the National Secondary School English Competition were scheduled to depart after school that afternoon for a hotel in S Province, where they would officially begin the competition.
A real green-skinned tangerine sat on Luo Zhiyu’s desk. Someone had drawn “QAQ” on it, and the result was hideously ugly—nowhere near as good as Luo Zhiyu’s own drawing.
He peeled the tangerine. When Xiao Yan went to the teachers’ office after morning self-study, Luo Zhiyu placed the peel on Xiao Yan’s desk.
When Xiao Yan returned from the office and flipped open his textbook, green tangerine peels scattered all over his desk.
“What’s going on between you and Xiao Yan?” Jing Ximing pulled out his textbook. “Xiao Yan kept circling around our classroom several times during evening self-study yesterday.”
“We had a fight.”
Can you detect even a hint of young love in that?
“Oh.” Jing Ximing opened his supplementary Chinese reading book and highlighted every single line on every page, marking the whole thing as read. “That’s weird. Director Wu was just saying this morning that you two haven’t been picking fights with each other lately. He said it was great.”
Luo Zhiyu: “……”
It was all that pheromone compatibility report’s fault. When they were dating, everyone thought they were picking fights and causing trouble. When they gave each other the cold shoulder, everyone thought they were finally getting along peacefully and had temporarily declared a ceasefire.
After school that afternoon, the four students boarded the competition organizers’ bus under the watchful eyes of the school leadership. The four representatives from No. 1 High School were the last students from the city to board, leaving them with only the four seats in the back row.
The other two contestants from No. 1 High School were betas in the same class. They had stuck together from the moment they boarded, occupying the two seats on one side of the back row. Luo Zhiyu reluctantly sat beside his boyfriend and tossed his schoolbag onto Xiao Yan’s lap.
As soon as the students from other schools sitting in front saw the two of them board, they immediately began whispering among themselves.
“Luo Zhiyu and Xiao Yan? Is that really them? They’re even more handsome than in the photos. I want to try flirting with them, but they both seem so aloof.”
“It’s definitely them. Their auras are ice-cold! The legendary zero compatibility pair. You can tell at a glance that they have a terrible relationship. They haven’t said a word to each other since boarding. Do you think they’re going to fight?”
“Stop gossiping about their private lives. No matter how bad their relationship is, they’re both from No. 1 High School. They might crush you all in the competition later.”
[Green Tangerine with Leaves]: Cicada, are you still angry?
[Cicada]: Fairy frowning.jpg
[Cicada]: Can you please take this seriously and let me experience the atmosphere of a cold war between a young couple? Are you even capable of this?
[Cicada]: If you send me another message, I’m going to hit someone. You’re ruining the atmosphere.
[Green Tangerine with Leaves]: ……
[Green Tangerine with Leaves]: Your boyfriend wants to experience making up after a cold war in a young relationship as soon as possible. Is that okay?
Luo Zhiyu plugged in his red earphones and concentrated on listening to music. He rejected his boyfriend’s request and used his boyfriend’s shoulder as a temporary pillow, sleeping soundly throughout the bumpy journey.
The wind blowing through the bus window stirred Luo Zhiyu’s hair, which brushed against Xiao Yan’s neck and tickled him. Xiao Yan steadied Luo Zhiyu with one hand. Whether it was because of the temporary marking or simply because of the person he was, this little delinquent was sleeping very peacefully.
The bus eventually arrived at the hotel, and the teachers in charge began assigning accommodations to the contestants from the schools in their city.
[Cicada]: That omega from No. 9 High School smells like grilled fish. I like it.
[Green Tangerine with Leaves]: Fairy frowning.jpg
[Green Tangerine with Leaves]: No. You don’t.
[Cicada]: We’re having a fight. Take it seriously.
[Green Tangerine with Leaves]: ……
The hotel’s room arrangements were rather poorly planned. Students from the same school were supposed to share rooms, but by the time they got to Luo Zhiyu’s group, only two rooms remained.
“Perfect, then the two of us can share a room.” The two beta students from No. 1 High School continued sticking together, keeping well away from the two big shots. “We’re in the same class, so it’ll be convenient to talk about things. We know each other well, too.”
Xiao Yan nodded, indicating that he agreed.
“Teacher, what about me?” Luo Zhiyu raised his hand. “Can I squeeze into a room with my friends from No. 9 High School?”
We’re in the middle of a cold war over our young romance here. Can you people please let us have some atmosphere?
His friends from No. 9 High School were more than happy to have him. They had two omegas in their group, one who smelled like grilled fish and another who smelled like barbecue. They were hoping a fruit-scented classmate would come along to freshen things up. Besides, they were particularly eager to get to know Luo Zhiyu. They wouldn’t have minded chatting with him all night.
“Wouldn’t that be too crowded? If you don’t sleep well, it could affect your performance in the competition.” The two directors accompanying the students from No. 1 High School took this competition very seriously and were rather exclusionary on this point. “There’s still one room left, right? We happen to have two students who can use it.”
“It’s better to room with students you already know. It’ll also be easier to discuss the competition,” Director Wu suggested.
Luo Zhiyu: “?”
What on earth gave them the courage to make that decision?
“Director, Xiao Yan and I have been fighting for the past two days. We’ve had a little disagreement.” Luo Zhiyu emphasized the fact that they were fighting, trying to make one last attempt to escape. “Our relationship is terrible right now.”
“The past two days? When do you two not fight?” one of the beta students from No. 1 High School interjected. “We’re used to it by now.”
“Exactly. When do you two not fight?” Director Wu laughed heartily. “It’s fine. We know the situation, so don’t worry.”
“Actually, we’re doing all right.” While Luo Zhiyu wasn’t paying attention, Xiao Yan slipped an arm around his shoulders. “As you can see, we’ve been peacefully minding our own business these past two days. We haven’t crossed any lines at all.”
Luo Zhiyu: “???”
“So, for your school, this alpha student and omega student will be sharing a room, correct? We’ll record their names and examination numbers.” The competition organizer’s teacher entered the students’ information into a laptop. “There definitely won’t be any problems, right?”
“Correct. There won’t be any problems with these two. Their pheromone compatibility is practically zero. Scientifically speaking, there’s absolutely no chance of them getting into a young romance.” Director Xu settled the matter, then turned to warn the two students. “We don’t have enough rooms, so you’ll have to make do with each other for now. Whatever you do, don’t fight. Fighting will cost you your conduct evaluation points. They’ll be deducted right down to zero.”
“Now’s your chance to bring glory to the school!” Director Wu launched straight into an inspirational speech. “You’re all outstanding students from our school. I hope you’ll demonstrate your collective pride and look forward to seeing your brilliant performances in the competition.”
“No fighting, no fighting. Don’t worry, Director. We promise we won’t fight. I wrote that self-criticism sincerely, from the bottom of my heart,” Xiao Yan promised.
Luo Zhiyu: “……”
With an arm around his boyfriend’s shoulders, Xiao Yan happily checked into the hotel.