Chapter 5
Lin Xiaoran couldn’t help feeling like a parent who had raised their child with great difficulty, only to see them run away with someone else.
“White Sugar, come here,” he called out.
The little creature heard his voice, poked its head out from Lin Xiaoran’s arms, and let out a soft “meow” to acknowledge it had heard. Then, it continued to nestle in Lin Xiaoran’s arms and drink its milk.
As for the person who had taken away his beloved cat, it was as if he hadn’t heard Lin Xiaoran speaking at all, showing no response.
Watching this scene with a mixture of frustration and amusement, Gu Yang was just about to approach and retrieve White Sugar when he heard footsteps coming downstairs.
Without looking back, he knew it was Gu Xiuyuan. His amber eyes darkened slightly, and in the next moment, he forgot his plan to reclaim White Sugar. He picked up his bag and left without a word, leaving the room.
With long strides, he quickly walked out of the living room.
In the room on the couch, Lin Xiaoran couldn’t help but follow his gaze to where Gu Yang had left and saw Gu Xiuyuan coming down the stairs. His eyes followed Gu Yang’s path, and afterward, just like the previous night, he shook his head in resignation.
It seemed that the relationship between this father and son was not harmonious.
Lin Xiaoran, not wanting to get involved, took White Sugar, who had eaten and drank its fill, and gave it a few strokes. Then he picked up his bag and greeted Gu Xiuyuan as he left.
The Gu family’s villa was located by the side of East Lake, and the architecture was quite sparse. When they left the house, they walked along a shaded path by the lake.
Riding his bike out, Lin Xiaoran could see Gu Yang walking ahead. He had his school bag slung over his shoulder in a relaxed manner, the bag casually hanging behind him. His other hand was in his pocket, giving off an appearance of nonchalance, as if he were not on his way to school but simply strolling aimlessly.
It was no wonder he was late every day.
When Lin Xiaoran came to the conclusion, he had already passed Gu Yang with both bike and rider soaring past him. He didn’t look back but continued on, as if he had just encountered a stranger on the road.
Gu Yang, of course, didn’t bother to greet him either. After all, until yesterday, they had no interactions with each other except mutual disdain.
This mutual understanding allowed them to avoid getting too close despite living under the same roof.
At school, they sat together at the same desk but remained unrelated, just like before.
This situation made the classmates simultaneously relieved and somewhat surprised.
This was a temporary class arrangement that happened just yesterday.
Gossip Pro: My goodness, folks, don’t you find it a bit weird? Let’s leave Student Lin aside, given his excellent academic performance, he won’t intentionally cause trouble. But what about the school bully? Wasn’t he disdainful of Student Lin? Why isn’t he doing anything?
School Hero: Well, you guys might be overthinking it. Even though Yang Ge has a reputation, I haven’t seen him bullying any classmates in school. Have you?
Buddha-Eating Popcorn: Maybe you’ll see it right away, turn around.
The classmates all put down their phones and turned their heads, looking towards the corner of the last row.
The atmosphere in that corner was a bit strange at the moment.
Lin Xiaoran had just returned from outside and stood by his desk. He was looking at Jiang Tao, who was sitting in his seat. His intention was clear: Make way.
Jiang Tao was from Class 2 and often hung out with Gu Yang. After class, he liked to come over to their side.
Previously, when Gu Yang was sitting alone, their group of friends came over, sat next to him, and made it convenient for everyone. This didn’t disturb anyone else.
But now that Lin Xiaoran occupied someone else’s spot, according to etiquette, he should have moved. However, Jiang Tao was not inclined to do so.
One foot was propped up on the chair’s crossbar, one hand rested on his knee, and his body leaned against the wall casually. He struck a very arrogant posture and looked at Lin Xiaoran with disdain. “Are you the little guy Lin Xiaoran? Let me tell you, when you sit with our Yang Ge, you better behave. If you mess with our Yang Ge,” he huffed and sneered, “with your physique, our brothers won’t even need much effort to take care of you.”
This provocative speech was too obvious, but because of the unique characteristics of their group, no one dared to retort.
Moreover, the target was Lin Xiaoran.
Xueshen, with his excellent academic performance, indeed had a slender build. With a golden-rimmed pair of glasses perched on his nose, they concealed his eyebrows and eyes, revealing a high-bridged nose and a pointed chin. Along with his spotless and flawless skin, he appeared scholarly and even somewhat frail.
For an Alpha, his body type was on the delicate side.
A top student like him, not to mention facing the school bully and his gang, probably has never been in a fight before.
Now, suddenly confronted with this situation, he must be terrified, right?
The onlookers couldn’t help but feel anxious for him.
The Omegas in the front row were close to tears, biting their lips, wishing they had the courage to stand in front of Lin Xiaoran. However, they didn’t dare to do so and could only watch nervously.
But the person involved didn’t seem to be nervous. His cold gaze swept over Jiang Tao, and he shifted his attention to Gu Yang’s face. His thin, red lips moved slightly as he spoke with a clear and pleasant voice, “What’s your point?”
Even though Lin Xiaoran hadn’t interacted with Gu Yang’s group before, he knew that Jiang Tao was one of Gu Yang’s underlings.
Gu Yang was momentarily stunned and looked up at him.
Just a moment ago, Gu Yang was considering whether Jiang Tao was having some kind of adolescent delusions and was about to kick him away. He wanted to make him leave. However, Lin Xiaoran unexpectedly turned his attention toward him.
Teenagers of sixteen or seventeen naturally carried a certain degree of self-confidence in their personalities, along with a dislike of losing. Gu Yang was no exception.
So, even though this matter was clearly not his doing, he didn’t want to explain it. He just lifted the corners of his mouth and exchanged a glance with Lin Xiaoran, conveying a sense of “It’s me, what about it.”
Silence.
The noisy classroom suddenly fell into a strange and eerie silence.
Is it going to happen?
The calmness that had prevailed from yesterday until now seemed to be a façade. Was a storm about to break loose?
“You, kid, are quite gutsy to talk to Yang Ge like that,” Jiang Tao, who had a knack for ignoring the atmosphere, shouted loudly, breaking the eerie calm.
Lin Xiaoran’s gaze swept over him once again, and he lowered his head slightly. His pale fingers gently rested on the frame of his glasses.
In an instant, a memory flashed through Gu Yang’s mind. It was the night under the streetlight when Lin Xiaoran had also taken off his glasses like this. Afterward, Guan Jun and the others had suffered a severe beating.
He couldn’t help but lower his head and rub his nose. Then, he kicked Jiang Tao and said, “Go back to your own class.”
Jiang Tao hadn’t yet grasped the situation. However, after receiving some information from an unknown source, he quickly rushed to hold onto Jiang Tao and ran outside. He even hurriedly apologized to Lin Xiaoran, “Sorry, Student Lin, my buddy was just joking with you. Please don’t take it to heart. I apologize on his behalf.”
As the words fell, the two of them had already disappeared.
The sudden turn of events happened so quickly that the classmates couldn’t comprehend what had just transpired. They were left bewildered, exchanging confused glances.
What’s going on?
Aren’t Chen Hongqiang and Jiang Tao part of the same group? Chen Hongqiang is usually even more arrogant than Jiang Tao. Why does he have the feeling of a mouse meeting a cat today? What’s with that apology to Lin Xiaoran before running out? It’s so bizarre.
The students were left in a state of bewilderment, but fortunately, the bell for the next class rang, and the English teacher walked in on time. Everyone quickly put the matter out of their minds and began to focus on the class.
After Jiang Tao and Chen Hongqiang left, Lin Xiaoran quietly sat down at his desk. He opened his English book and listened attentively to the teacher’s lecture.
Gu Yang, who was playing games while leaning against the side, couldn’t help but let his gaze drift to Lin Xiaoran’s profile.
He replayed in his mind the moment when Lin Xiaoran had taken off his glasses.
Did this guy really intend to fight Jiang Tao just now?
This surprised Gu Yang. Lin Xiaoran had always been the school’s model student, and he couldn’t believe that he would act so recklessly.
Lost in thought, Gu Yang stared at him for a long time, not realizing that he had been watching him.
Slightly agitated by his scrutiny, Lin Xiaoran turned his head. His sharp gaze penetrated through the lenses as he coldly locked eyes with Gu Yang.
Gu Yang was taken aback for a moment but soon broke into a smile. He had no self-awareness of being caught in the act and, instead, couldn’t resist the temptation to lie down on the table, whispering, “Hey, you were really ready to fight Jiang Tao, weren’t you? If you had actually fought, wouldn’t you worry about damaging your image as the top student?”
“None of your business!”
These words lingered on Lin Xiaoran’s tongue before he swallowed them back. He had changed his mind.
His clear, melodious voice sounded again, but this time there was a touch of playful mockery, clearly intended to provoke Gu Yang. The effect was immediate.
Gu Yang’s lips twitched, and the next moment, he tossed his phone onto the table and lay down to take a nap, without saying a word.
And once the class ended, he disappeared. Lin Xiaoran didn’t see him again until after school.
This matter didn’t affect Lin Xiaoran in the slightest. In fact, his mind was not on this incident. He had been feeling a bit off since the afternoon, with a sense of weakness and dizziness creeping over him.
This made him somewhat nervous.
Since his separation at the age of fourteen, he had experienced this feeling many times. So, he knew what would happen next.
Finally, when the school bell rang for the end of the day, he promptly packed his things and left the school.
Riding his bike to the alley on the east side, he instinctively turned in. Instantly, a complex mixture of Alpha pheromones assailed him, making him feel nauseous, yet his body visibly softened.
He hated this feeling, and he raised his head, turning to look. At the end of the alley, seven or eight Alphas were blocking a tall, relaxed figure. The leader was none other than Guan Jun, the same person who had confronted him two nights ago, and the person being blocked was Gu Yang.
Coincidentally, Guan Jun also noticed him and shouted, “Lin Xiaoran, you came at the right time…”
But before he could finish his sentence, Lin Xiaoran swiftly turned his bike around and left.
Guan Jun: “…”
Oh my god!
Gu Yang also turned to look at him, but all he saw was Lin Xiaoran’s disappearing figure, leaving without a trace, as though he hadn’t even been there.
Guan Jun couldn’t help but chuckle, cursing Lin Xiaoran for being ungrateful.
He then turned back to Guan Jun, asking, “It seems like you can only catch me today. So, what’s your plan? Are you going to attack directly?”
The current situation was clearly one against eight, with the opponents wielding baseball bats. However, Gu Yang remained lazy and unfazed, as if he didn’t realize he was at a disadvantage.
This attitude greatly provoked Guan Jun, who glared at him intensely, and through clenched teeth, squeezed out a sentence, “Brothers, get him!”
With those words, Guan Jun himself led the charge, swinging his baseball bat at Gu Yang.
Gu Yang dodged with a swift movement, but the others immediately followed suit. As the school bully, Gu Yang had a reputation for being a formidable fighter. It was said that he had once taken on five people at once and sent several of them to the hospital. However, facing one against eight was proving to be challenging.
After kicking down one of his assailants, he felt someone approaching from behind with a bat, and he couldn’t turn around in time. It seemed he was about to take a hit.
However, he suddenly heard a loud thud, followed by the pained cry of the person behind him, who had fallen to the ground.
Turning around, he saw Lin Xiaoran standing behind him. Lin Xiaoran had lightly shaken his throbbing fist and stood tall. He had removed his glasses, and his sharp gaze swept over everyone like a knife.
Gu Yang was momentarily stunned, but he couldn’t help but smile. “What are you doing…”
However, before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly froze.
Sugar snow pear.
A strong aroma of sugar snow pear emanated from Lin Xiaoran.
Gu Yang squinted his eyes, perplexed. This wasn’t the scent of a perfume. It was so strong that even an Alpha could recognize it. It was the scent of Omega pheromones.
But wasn’t Lin Xiaoran an Alpha?
And the pheromones were so intense; he should be in heat.
Yet, looking into Lin Xiaoran’s cold, piercing eyes, he couldn’t see any signs of it.
Did he get it wrong?
He couldn’t help but rub his nose, continuing to scrutinize Lin Xiaoran, which didn’t escape Lin Xiaoran’s annoyance. A sharp glare shot his way, and Lin Xiaoran’s clear and disdainful voice rang out, “What are you looking at? Hurry up and handle this. You take four, and I’ll take four.” With that, he effortlessly knocked down one of the attackers.
