Chapter 36: Nickname

Chapter 36: Nickname

Thinking he was late for work, only to realize the clock was an hour fast; believed the deadline was near, but found out he'd looked a month too early.

A newfound life after a disaster, an unexpected bliss.

This is exactly how Ye Lincheng feels now.

As the newly promoted top-pick boyfriend in the ambiguous phase, with instructions from Cheng Fei, during the evening self-study, Ye Lincheng confidently combined two tables at the back door, pulled Xie Chu to his side, and initiated a one-on-one VIP tutoring session.

Yu Yang looked disdainfully at Ye Lincheng, who was enthusiastically forming a small group three meters away from him, and sneered, "So stingy, aren't you? The top student tutors you, and you can't let us listen in? Can't a buddy learn and improve alongside you?"

"No."

Ye Lincheng responded swiftly.

Xie Chu sat rigidly. He knew well that Ye Lincheng's intention wasn't just for tutoring. Sure enough, before they even got through two questions, a folded note was slipped his way from the person next to him.

Any plans for the break after midterms?

Xie Chu's cheeks flushed as he crumpled the note tightly.

After sending a message in the morning, he'd turned off his phone, embarrassed and fearful of Ye Lincheng's continued inquiries. It so happened that it was time for the consecutive English exams at noon. There was no chance for a private moment amidst the crowd during the break. Only during the evening study session was he finally cornered.

However, the probing wasn't as intense as he had expected.

Xie Chu secretly sighed in relief.

Perhaps his previous "I'll think about it" was too impactful; the fact that he even received a response now must have left the school's heartthrob quite satisfied.

After sleeping on the floor for a day, a sofa wouldn't be too bad.

Moreover, he could somewhat discern that when it came to romance, Xie Chu hadn't given it much thought and lacked experience.

Ye Lincheng felt it'd be tactless to press further. There's still time, he can give Xie Chu space to contemplate.

Right after the midterms, there would be a holiday. As per Jiacheng First High's tradition, the first and second years would go on an autumn excursion. There are typically two destinations, and classes can choose where to go. Those who don't want to can stay home to study or make their own plans.

Ye Lincheng didn't want to miss this opportunity, so he decided to inquire.

Xie Chu composed himself, surreptitiously unfolded the note, and wrote back slowly, each stroke deliberate.

From the corner of his eye, Ye Lincheng nearly set the paper aflame with his impatience before finally seeing the nerve-wracking response.

Studying at home, and you?

Ye Lincheng furrowed his brow, pondered for a moment, and wrote back.

If I rank in the top 30, you'll join me for the autumn excursion. If not, I'll come over to your place for tutoring. Deal?

We have to stick together, no room for negotiation.

Xie Chu pulled out the little note tucked under his arm, bit the cap of his pen, his eyelashes quivering slightly, and wrote a single word,

Okay.

Ye Lincheng carefully folded the note with the word "okay", placed it into his pencil case, zipped it tight, then tucked the pencil case into an inner pocket of his backpack, zipped that up, and finally fastened the buckle.

Xie Chu: "..."

Like guarding against theft.

Reminded of the historical weight of the word "okay", Xie Chu felt a hint of guilt. He tore another piece of paper, scribbled a note, and passed it over,

Sorry about last week. This weekend... I’ll tutor you again. Send me the problems you couldn't solve last week, and I'll prepare them for you.

Have to rebuild the image, starting with the tutoring.

Ye Lincheng read it, his eyes softening and the corners of his lips lifting incessantly.

He initially thought that due to Wan Jun, Xie Chu couldn't visit his house anymore, hence the holiday plan.

Realizing they could spend the weekend together, Ye Lincheng quickly pulled out his chemistry workbook, noted down the page numbers and question numbers, added a few words, and then slid the note towards Xie Chu.

"What are you two up to!"

A thunderous voice erupted from above.

Startled, Ye Lincheng’s grip on the note slipped, sending it flying towards the back door.

Through the narrow window of the rear door, half of Lu Qingguo's face was visible against the door frame. Swiftly, he stepped into the classroom, picking up the note from the floor. The once silent study hall suddenly buzzed with tension as all eyes followed Lu Qingguo and the note in his hand to the front.

"Both of you, come to the front NOW!" Lu Qingguo sternly admonished Xie Chu and Ye Lincheng at the back door, "Passing notes like this, what kind of behavior is that! Not content with one note, you wrote a second! Do you two have so much to say? If you’re so eager, come up here and share!"

As the two stood at the podium, the classroom was filled with curious glances. Yu Yang wore an expression of reluctant sympathy, as though wishing to shield himself from any forthcoming drama.

Lu Qingguo slapped the note on the podium, pointing at Xie Chu, "You read it. Let everyone hear what's so urgent between you two."

Xie Chu recalled the contents of the note, feeling reassured, and began reading aloud.

"I apologize for last week. This weekend, I'll tutor you again. Please send me the questions you got wrong last week, and I'll ensure I prepare them for you."

Lu Qingguo: "..."

He had earlier bellowed with such fury that now the classroom erupted in chuckles, someone whispering, "Typical top student." Standing next to Xie Chu, Ye Lincheng's face tightened, his eyes fixed on the note in Xie Chu's hand, his Adam's apple shifting visibly.

With Lu Qingguo's face turning an angry shade of green and not halting the reading, Xie Chu had no choice but to continue, "From the purple textbook..."

"Page 28, question 16; page 32, question 4; and page 33, question 19. Just these three. Sweetie..."

His voice trailed off abruptly.

Xie Chu's face flushed crimson.

A deep furrow formed between Lu Qingguo's brows, and with a twisted smirk, he looked at the podium and demanded, "Why did you stop? Continue!" He then feigned an attempt to snatch the note from Xie Chu.

Xie Chu stiffened, clutched the note, took a deep breath, and read on,

"...strange...difficult,"

The tips of Ye Lincheng's brows lifted, a slight twitch accompanying at his temples.

"Honorable class representative, please, I beg you to teach me. If you do, I'm willing to call you 'Daddy' every day,"

Slowly, Xie Chu added, "Your son, Ye Lincheng."

The classroom burst into laughter.

Yu Yang laughed so hard he almost doubled over, while Gu Sheng looked disdainfully commenting, "No wonder he can't win her over. Where's our underachiever's pride?"

Ji Feifei looked heartbrokenly at the podium,

A heartthrob in love really does seem to lose some of his smarts.

Ye Lincheng didn't look offended or angered, just squinted and cast a sideways glance at Xie Chu.

The person beside the podium had a slight upward twitch at the corner of his eyes, hinting at suppressed amusement. After finishing, Xie Chu confidently placed the note on the podium.

With a serene expression, hiding nothing.

Lu Qingguo cleared his throat subtly, glanced briefly, and didn’t bother looking at the note again.

“Tutoring is fine! But passing notes in class? Everyone’s passing them around—what sort of study session is this! Watch yourselves from now on.”

Xie Chu nodded slightly towards Lu Qingguo, while Ye Lincheng managed a faint smirk. It was only then that Lu Qingguo, lips twisted in disapproval, strode out of the classroom.

As soon as he left, Xie Chu swiftly reclaimed the note from the podium, tucking his hand back into his sleeve. He averted his gaze from Ye Lincheng and returned to his seat.

The commotion settled.

Throughout the rest of the study session, no matter what Ye Lincheng said, Xie Chu ignored him, leaving only a reddened ear exposed to express his silent displeasure.

Ye Lincheng scratched his head, clicking his tongue.

He hadn’t expected Lu Qingguo to burst in like that. He’d merely intended to tease Xie Chu a little, but it ended up embarrassing the latter deeply. Now all he could do was continue his awkward apologies.

“Oh, illustrious class representative, please look at me.”

Xie Chu focused intently on his work.

Ye Lincheng nudged Xie Chu gently with his elbow, his tone playful and cheeky, “Xie Chu? Honorable Study Rep? Teacher Xie? I’m sorry; can we talk?”

The ear peeking out from beneath his tousled hair twitched, its hue now faded.

Still, Xie Chu remained silent. He planned to give Ye Lincheng the cold shoulder until tomorrow, letting him truly reflect on his impulsiveness.

Seeing that the evening study session was about to end and still getting the cold treatment, Ye Lincheng packed up his bag, and feeling bolder, thought, "I’ve already upset him, might as well push it further." In this respect, Ye Lincheng was one never to miss out on having the upper hand.

He leaned in, whispering into Xie Chu’s ear,

“Chu Chu, talk to me.”

Clearly hearing the emphasis on the third tone, Xie Chu's pen paused. He turned with wide eyes, his back slightly trembling.

Within his deep, dark pupils shone the brightness of overhead fluorescent lights, and the reflection of a mischievous grin.

Only Xie Weizhou and Wan Jun typically used that nickname; very few others knew it. Once, Xue Jiayan, after hearing Xie Weizhou use the nickname, asked at the dinner table if she could use it too. Lin Meilin dismissed it lightly, laughing, “What’s the big deal? It’s just a nickname, call him that if you wish.”

Xie Chu immediately slammed his chopsticks on the table in response. This led to a quarrel between Xie Weizhou and Lin Meilin. In the end, Xie Weizhou ordered Xue Jiayan not to use the nickname, and the matter was dropped.

For the first time, someone other than his parents had uttered it aloud.

It was as if a hidden room within his heart had an unexpected visitor. Without knocking or bearing any gifts, the intruder quietly cracked the door open, boldly smiling and declaring, "Hey, I'm in; no need to open the door for me."

He couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

The small ears that had just paled were now flushed red once again. Xie Chu blinked twice with wide eyes, at a loss for words.

Actually, Ye Lincheng wasn’t certain about Xie Chu's reaction either. He’d just been itching to say it for so long, and after letting it out, his heart raced.

Thankfully, Xie Chu merely turned into a silent pufferfish.

Puffed up, yet not driving him away.

Ye Lincheng shrugged, defending his actions with a hint of grievance,

“You were ignoring me, so I said it.”

Xie Chu opened his mouth, finding himself at a loss for a rebuttal. After a moment, he managed a fierce expression and stuttered, “Don’t, don’t call me that without reason.”

“Without reason?”

Ye Lincheng raised an eyebrow, “So, I can call you that when there’s a reason?”

Rogue, not even knocking.

Xie Chu turned his attention back to his assignment, choosing not to nitpick on words with him. He decided he would secretly assign extra homework to Ye Lincheng over the weekend to make up for the disadvantage he felt verbally.

Ye Lincheng knew his nickname, but he didn't know Ye Lincheng's.

Unfair.

After calling him, he still looked innocent.

Hooligan.

The cap of Xie Chu's pen squeaked as he bit on it, his hand scribbling away.

Seeing he had teased Xie Chu enough, Ye Lincheng shifted his focus. He pulled out two test papers from his drawer that he intended to complete later, stowed them in his bag, reviewed the key points from today's lesson, slung his bag over one shoulder, and prepared to leave the evening study session.

The next moment, two sheets of paper were handed to him from the side.

Ye Lincheng was taken aback.

On the A4 lined paper, a neat, dark blue ink documented the answers and solution steps for problems on pages 28, 32, and 33.

Xie Chu stared at him seriously, his voice so loud that even the last three rows in the classroom could hear.

“Call me daddy.”

Author's Note: During the National Day holiday, there will be two updates daily – one at noon at 12:00 and another at 9:00 PM.

Thank you all for your support. I give a humble bow.

Thanks to the little angels who've cast their king votes or nourished me with potions.

Special thanks to the little angel who threw a grenade: Xue Shanshanpolaries, one grenade.

Thanks to the little angels who set up landmines: Cha Cha Cha Tai and Xue Shanshanpolaries, one each.

Gratitude to the little angels who've offered nourishing potions:

Song Deng, 19 bottles.

I truly appreciate everyone's support. I'll keep working hard! Some people die, but they aren't entirely gone...

After an endless blackout, Shi Yu abruptly sat up from the bed.

He inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, bewilderment, and a rush of emotions filled him.

Where am I?

As Shi Yu instinctively surveyed his surroundings, his confusion only deepened.

A single dormitory room?

Even if he had been rescued, he should be in a hospital ward right now.

And his body... How could it be completely unscathed?

Puzzled, Shi Yu's gaze swept the room quickly, finally settling on a mirror by the bedside.

The mirror reflected his current appearance: a young man who looked about seventeen or eighteen, remarkably handsome.

Before this, he was in his twenties, a dashing young man with a certain distinguished air, having worked for some time.

But now, no matter how he looked, he seemed just about the age of a high school student...

This transformation left Shi Yu stunned for a long time.

Please don't tell him that the surgery was successful...

Both his body and appearance had changed. This was beyond the realm of surgery—it was more like magic.

He had completely turned into someone else!

Could it be... had he traveled to another world?

Apart from the ill-placed mirror near the bed that seemed misaligned with Feng Shui, Shi Yu also spotted three books nearby.

Picking one up, the title immediately silenced him.

"Beginner's Guide to Beast Taming"

"Postnatal Care for Pet Beasts"

"A Review Guide to Beast-Eared Species"

Shi Yu:

The titles of the first two books sound normal, but what's the deal with the last one?

"Ahem."

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened as he reached out, but his arm stiffened almost immediately.

Just as he intended to flip open the third book, wanting to understand what on earth it was, a sharp pain shot through his brain, and a flood of memories rushed in.

Frostland City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Interning as a Pet Beast Keeper. The website is about to shut down. Download the iRead app for the fabulous tales of Omega by the great author ZhiZhiZhi.

Beastmaster.