Chapter 38

Meanwhile, the gaze of the onlookers also turned toward them, tinged with gossip and curiosity, after all, these two were in love.

Lin Xiaoran remained silent, merely casting a faint glance at the spectators, causing them to feel as if their minds had been read. They promptly forgot their gossiping intentions and hastily packed up, dispersing like rabbits.

In no time, the classroom was left with only Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang.

Gu Yang couldn’t help but inwardly chuckle at Lin Xiaoran’s style. Whenever he tried to evade, he would come straight at him like a fastball, leaving him with no escape route.

However, he maintained his composure on the surface, smiling as he asked Lin Xiaoran, “What’s up?”

Lin Xiaoran couldn’t be bothered with beating around the bush. He stood up, turned to face Gu Yang, and fixed her clear eyes directly on his, saying, “What did I do to you last night?”

Huh?

Gu Yang never expected Lin Xiaoran to ask such a question, and he was momentarily stunned before reacting.

So, Lin Xiaoran thought he had been avoiding her all day because of something strange he did last night?

Really? What’s up with this guy’s thought process?

Gu Yang couldn’t help but lower his head and laugh, “Lin Xiaoran, your concerns are quite peculiar. Shouldn’t you be worried about whether I did something to you? You’re the Omega, getting drunk and being alone with an Alpha late at night, you’re the one who might have had something done to you by someone else!”

Could you please have some awareness as an Omega?

“So, are you feeling guilty today because of what you did to me last night?” Lin Xiaoran quickly switched the question, following Gu Yang’s line of thought, her eyes still fixed on him.

Ugh~

Gu Yang had just finished venting, but he was nearly speechless now. Lin Xiaoran’s question hit him right where it hurts.

Fortunately, he could always maintain a calm demeanor on the surface, smiling as he said, “What are you thinking? I’m just reminding you not to drink outside next time. Omegas should still be careful about their safety.”

In fact, Lin Xiaoran didn’t really think Gu Yang had done anything to him. He was just puzzled by his reaction today.

But Gu Yang was really troublesome. He would joke around whenever he didn’t want to talk.

That’s the most annoying thing about him for Lin Xiaoran.

“Gu Yang, stop beating around the bush. Can we just talk straight? Why have you been avoiding me all day? If I did something excessive to you last night, just tell me, all this beating around the bush won’t solve anything.”

Of course, I know, but what can I say?

In fact, nothing happened. It’s just me being abnormal.

Gu Yang thought helplessly.

The fact that Lin Xiaoran could say so much in one breath showed that he was genuinely worried.

Well, he got drunk last night and couldn’t remember anything. Waking up to find his friend avoiding him everywhere, naturally, he was confused.

Gu Yang felt he was quite boring, but he couldn’t tell the truth. What would Lin Xiaoran think of him if he did? Even though it’s because of the marking, how come Lin Xiaoran didn’t throw herself at him because of the aftermath of the marking? Why does his aftermath have to be so severe?

He felt a headache coming on and irritably ran his hand through his hair. “It’s really nothing…”

“What’s wrong with you here?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Xiaoran suddenly took two steps forward, coming close to him, her face leaning in.

In that instant, the scene from his dream flashed through Gu Yang’s mind. He was startled and quickly stepped back, but Lin Xiaoran grabbed his wrist and approached him, staring at his forehead with a puzzled expression. “Why is there a bruise here?”

Lin Xiaoran’s voice seemed to echo in Gu Yang’s ear, clear and crisp. It took him a moment to come back to his senses, gently pushing Lin Xiaoran’s hand away and stepping back, creating some distance between them. He casually brushed his bangs aside, trying to cover the bruise on his forehead.

Actually, he had been covering it all day, but he had forgotten about it now, letting Lin Xiaoran see it.

How should he explain this to Lin Xiaoran? Gu Yang felt troubled.

“Could it be… I got hit last night?”

Huh?

Before Gu Yang could come up with a good excuse, Lin Xiaoran’s voice came again, sounding somewhat guilty this time.

Gu Yang looked up at her and noticed a hint of embarrassment in those beautiful eyes.

So…

Gu Yang couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly at Lin Xiaoran’s penchant for overthinking. Why did he always love to imagine things? And that awkward yet guilty look on her face was surprisingly amusing, making Gu Yang unable to resist teasing her.

So, looking at Lin Xiaoran, he nodded as if resignedly and said, “I didn’t want you to know in the first place.”

Naturally, the bruise wasn’t from Lin Xiaoran hitting him. It was because he dreamt that he kissed Lin Xiaoran, got startled awake, fell off the bed, and bumped his head on the bedside table.

It was such an embarrassing incident that he would never tell anyone about it in his lifetime.

Fortunately, it was also caused by Lin Xiaoran, so saying this wasn’t exactly blaming Lin Xiaoran.

“You’ve been avoiding me all day because of this?” Lin Xiaoran asked.

“Aren’t you feeling guilty about it?” Gu Yang said, pretending, but intentionally poking at the bruise and putting on a pained expression.

Seeing him remain silent with pursed lips, Gu Yang suddenly worried that he might have gone too far with the joke and Lin Xiaoran might take it too seriously. Just as he was about to explain, he saw Lin Xiaoran turn his face towards him, earnestly saying, “If you hit back, we’re even!”

Gu Yang: “…”

Staring at the fair and pretty face so close to him, Gu Yang was dumbfounded.

He actually worried that Lin Xiaoran would overthink it? He really thought too much. That guy had a straightforward way of thinking, always choosing the most direct method to solve any problem.

How could he overthink? He would catch you off guard!

“Hit me, I won’t fight back.”

After Gu Yang didn’t move for a while, Lin Xiaoran felt puzzled. He impatiently added, “Come on, hurry up, don’t waste time.”

What’s going on with this guy?

Gu Yang was at a loss.

“What’s the matter?” Lin Xiaoran impatiently glanced at him and said, “The marking is over for today.”

Meaning that there were no more marking symptoms, so there was no reason for Gu Yang not to retaliate against him.

“So, you think just because there are no marking symptoms, I would lay a hand on you, an Omega?” Gu Yang chuckled, “Is your problem-solving method really that barren? You hit me, so I have to hit back?”

“What do you suggest then?” Lin Xiaoran asked.

Actually, what’s the point of suggesting anything? Lin Xiaoran didn’t really hit him.

But now, Gu Yang didn’t know how to explain it. If he said the bruise on his forehead wasn’t from Lin Xiaoran, how could he explain his abnormal behavior all day?

“I’m hungry, treat me to something to eat.”

At this moment, most of the students leaving evening self-study had gone, and the duty teachers were inspecting classroom by classroom. It was almost time for Class One, and Gu Yang didn’t want to bump into the teacher, so he grabbed Lin Xiaoran’s hand and walked out.

Well, let bygones be bygones.

Lin Xiaoran’s words just now reminded him that the temporary marking he gave Lin Xiaoran last Friday had ended today. So, he didn’t need to avoid Lin Xiaoran anymore.

Without marking symptoms, he could now face Lin Xiaoran honestly without worrying about any abnormal behavior.

So, let’s just brush off the abnormality of today with a good meal.

Lin Xiaoran didn’t think much about it, feeling that he should indeed express something to Gu Yang. So, he took him to the food street behind the building. However, just as they stepped out of the classroom building, a bolt of lightning struck, followed by heavy raindrops.

“Oh, damn! Does it have to be like this every time?”

Gu Yang couldn’t help but curse and pulled Lin Xiaoran to run outside.

Fortunately, luck was on their side today, as they just made it to the school gate when they spotted a taxi. Both of them were somewhat soaked, and their plans to eat out had to be abandoned. Instead, they decided to take a taxi straight back to Gu Yang’s villa.

Upon arriving home, they each went to their respective rooms to shower. Lin Xiaoran, after finishing his shower and changing into dry clothes, casually opened his computer, intending to play a few rounds of solo games before bed. However, to his disappointment, his friend, Autumn, wasn’t online. Just as he was about to log off, he heard a knock on the door. Turning around, he saw Gu Yang pushing the door open while casually drying his hair with a towel, “Is there anything to eat? I’m feeling a bit hungry.”

When Lin Xiaoran asked him to treat him to food earlier, Gu Yang just said it casually, merely as an excuse to brush off yesterday’s incident. But now, coming back, he actually felt hungry.

The trouble was, he just found out that their housekeeper, Aunt Wu, took the day off today, and they couldn’t find anyone to make a late-night snack. Plus, he had searched around and couldn’t find any snacks, so he decided to try his luck with Lin Xiaoran, the only living person at home.

Lin Xiaoran shook his head.

Actually, Gu Yang probably guessed as much, since he hardly ever saw Lin Xiaoran eating any snacks. But he was just being persistent.

Now, he had to give up. Shrugging, he said, “Looks like I’ll just have to drink more water.” With that, he turned around and went back to his room.

Lin Xiaoran watched his retreating figure, his thin lips twitching slightly. He asked, “Want some noodles?”

“Huh?” Gu Yang thought he misheard and turned to look at him. He saw Lin Xiaoran getting up and passing by him, saying, “If you want some, come down.”

After saying that, Lin Xiaoran had already gone downstairs.

Gu Yang was momentarily stunned before he realized that Lin Xiaoran wanted to cook noodles for him?

Lin Xiaoran could actually cook?

Quickly, Gu Yang followed downstairs. Lin Xiaoran had already entered the kitchen and was rummaging through the fridge for ingredients.

Although there were no snacks at home, the fridge was fully stocked with food.

Gu Yang saw Lin Xiaoran pick out some vegetables and two eggs from inside, along with some noodles. He then grabbed a pot and started boiling water, rolling up his sleeves to wash the vegetables, his soft bangs falling gently over his forehead.

Gu Yang leaned over to watch. From this angle, he could only see Lin Xiaoran’s profile, with his long and thick eyelashes drooping down, his gaze focused on the vegetables as he washed them meticulously.

“You can cook?” Gu Yang still found it surprising.

It was evident that Lin Lan doted on Lin Xiaoran. Gu Yang could hardly imagine her letting Lin Xiaoran cook at home.

“I can only cook noodles,” Lin Xiaoran said as he finished washing the vegetables, his fingers now circling in the water, and then took out a couple of handfuls of noodles into the pot. He added some vegetables before grabbing chopsticks to stir.

Gu Yang was a young master who hardly ever entered the kitchen, let alone cook noodles. Watching Lin Xiaoran do all this felt both refreshing and intriguing to him.

“Do you cook for yourself when Aunt Wu is not at home?”

Lin Xiaoran, while seasoning the noodles, seemed so focused that he didn’t seem to hear Gu Yang’s question.

Gu Yang didn’t mind, watching with interest. He was starting to look forward to the bowl of noodles.

“I used to cook for myself often when I was younger,” Lin Xiaoran said softly after seasoning the noodles. Then, he turned his attention back to the pot of noodles.

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