Chapter 56

Chapter 56

"Ah?" Wen Yun exclaimed excitedly, "How did he seduce you?"

Li Yang instinctively replied, "He kissed me. It wasn't seduction—I just can't stop replaying it in my mind."

Wen Yun burst out laughing, his gaze flicking to Ying Xi’s unapproachable face. He couldn't possibly imagine Ying Xi seducing Li Yang.

Li Yang snapped back to reality, shaking his head to banish the memory, slowly regaining his composure.

Wen Yun chimed in, "Why don't you seduce him back? Kiss him too."

Li Yang covered his face. "No way. Studying is more important."

He wouldn't dare. The consequences of seducing Ying Xi were clearly beyond his control.

"Less than two weeks until the college entrance exams. The school's probably going to be even livelier than last time," Wen Yun said, his laughter subsiding as he remembered something, patting Li Yang’s shoulder. "You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Li Yang told him to just say it, no riddles.

"Confessions," Wen Yun drawled, propping his chin on his palm. "Those who didn't succeed last semester want to try again. The school forum is exploding—full of posts openly confessing with names attached. After all, in just over ten days, everyone will truly go their separate ways."

Li Yang hadn't visited the school forum in a long time. He opened it and skimmed through—sure enough, they were all confession posts with names.

His name wasn't there, but he saw plenty about Ying Xi.

"So many," Wen Yun leaned closer, surprised as he watched Li Yang scroll through the posts. "I thought there'd be a few at most, but there are over a dozen. Aren't you jealous?"

Li Yang paused. He didn't seem to have ever felt jealous, nor did he find these posts significant, believing there was no need to discuss them.

When Jiang Yunzhe called Ying Xi last time, he hadn't felt any ripple of emotion either.

"You and Ying Xi are probably two extremes," Wen Yun said. "One gets super jealous, the other doesn't get jealous at all."

Li Yang asked curiously, "Is it better to be jealous or not?"

"Whatever fits," Wen Yun replied, squinting with laughter.

"From my experience reading novels, jealousy means you care about the other person. Not feeling jealous at all means your relationship hasn't reached a deeply intimate stage. Someone who's extremely jealous has strong possessiveness, but as long as they don't interfere with your life, a little jealousy is fine. If it's pathological, run. Those people are terrifying."

Li Yang nodded, still scrolling through the posts, feeling nothing.

His relationship with Ying Xi hadn't reached that deeply intimate stage, so it was normal not to feel jealous.

Li Yang thoughtfully put away his phone.

That afternoon, Wen Yun's prediction came true.

Li Yang received several love letters, and a few Alphas confessed to him in person, all of which he politely declined.

He quickly noticed one thing: as graduation approached, most people in school were confessing to Betas.

Someone on the forum said Betas were rational and sensible, without unstable emotional periods, making them the best romantic partners.

High-quality Omegas and Alphas didn't look down on ordinary people, so well-liked Betas with good personalities were the most popular.

During lunch, Ying Xi had a stack of letters. He didn't read them, tossing them into the trash as usual.

Jiang Su unexpectedly received one. He pulled it out and sarcastically handed it to He Shi. "You didn't write this, did you? Secretly crushing on me? Wow, I never would've guessed."

He Shi: "I'm not blind, and I doubt anyone in this school is either. It was probably a mistake."

Noticing He Shi's drawer was full of letters while Jiang Su only had one, he irritably opened it, then immediately crumpled the letter and tossed it away.

It landed right at He Shi's feet.

Seeing Jiang Su's dark face, He Shi picked it up and realized it was a hate letter.

"Hahaha," He Shi laughed until his stomach hurt. "This perfectly fits the consequences of your usual mischief. You should be glad your lunch break was short, or you'd definitely have more than just this one."

While others received love letters, Jiang Su received a hate letter—he was probably the only one in the entire school.

Jiang Su's face darkened. He tore the letter to shreds and deliberately tossed the pieces into the air.

The fragments fluttered down, slowly scattering across the floor.

Amidst everyone's complaints, their high school life was drawing to a close.

...

The night before the college entrance exams, Li Yang tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He stared at the ceiling for a long time, until his eyes grew tired, yet sleep still eluded him.

The entire room was silent, a dead quiet slowly enveloping and consuming him. Li Yang felt the strong, steady beat of his heart in his chest and exhaled.

Unable to resist, he took out his phone and asked Ying Xi if he was asleep.

"Just got into bed," Ying Xi replied quickly. "Can't sleep?"

"Yeah." The phone's light illuminated Li Yang's clean face, casting a faint white glow over his features.

He frowned slightly, a little nervous—perhaps due to fluctuating emotions—he suddenly felt a strange heat in his body and picked up the remote to lower the temperature.

"Wanna sleep together?" His phone vibrated with a new message.

Li Yang froze, his fingers hovering over the keyboard. He was about to type and send a "Yes" when Ying Xi sent another message.

"Call me."

Oh, he meant a phone call.

Li Yang abandoned the idea of getting up and tapped the voice call button.

The other end connected quickly.

Ying Xi's steady breathing came through the phone, instantly easing Li Yang's tense mood.

He put it on speaker, placed the phone beside his head, pulled up the covers, and closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Ying Xi."

"Goodnight, Yangyang," a soft laugh echoed in his ear.

Li Yang easily drifted off to sleep amidst the even breathing.

He slept dreamlessly.

Li Yang woke with a jolt. When he opened his eyes, dawn was just breaking outside the window.

He heard a faint rustling of fabric from the phone, so quiet that you wouldn't hear it unless you listened closely.

Ying Xi was clearly afraid of waking him.

Li Yang picked up his phone and greeted, "I'm awake. Good morning."

His soft voice sounded almost like a playful whine. Ying Xi paused while putting on his clothes, then picked up his phone with a smile. "Morning. I'll wait for you at the door. Mom and Dad are driving us today."

Li Yang replied with an "Okay," got ready, and left with Ying Xi.

Li Xu and Ying Sui were waiting downstairs, having prepared breakfast for them.

As Li Yang ate his bun, he noticed something nestled in Li Xu's arms. Upon closer inspection, he froze.

"Is that Lingdang?"

"She's been shedding a lot lately. I saw online that many people trim their cats, so I gave her a little haircut, but I ended up shaving too much," Li Xu said, lifting Lingdang so they could see better. "I regretted it right after. She looks ridiculous."

Apart from her head, limbs, and tail, Lingdang's fur had been completely shaved off, revealing large patches of skin. The remaining fur on her legs made it look like she was wearing four fluffy snow boots.

Unaware of how she appeared in human eyes, Lingdang meowed as usual, trying to leap into Li Yang's arms.

Li Yang struggled to hold back but ultimately failed, letting out a quiet laugh.

"This is too ugly," Ying Xi remarked expressionlessly beside him. "Mom, how could you do this?"

Sensing her owners discussing her, Lingdang sat in Li Xu's arms, tilting her head and gazing innocently at the two younger owners in the back.

Faced with such a serious-looking kitten, Li Yang reached out and scratched Lingdang's chin.

"Purrrr." Lingdang made contented noises.

"Our little Lingdang wishes you both all the best on your exams," Li Xu said, waving Lingdang's paw playfully at them.

"Meow." Lingdang raised her tail, not understanding but cooperating enthusiastically.

When they arrived at the testing center, Li Yang's fingers curled slightly at the sight of the bustling crowd. He couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Don't be nervous," Ying Xi said, gripping his hand and ruffling his hair. "Believe in yourself, Yangyang."

"Okay." Li Yang nodded quickly, took a deep breath, and squeezed Ying Xi's hand. "You too. Let's both do our best."

"You got this," Ying Sui and Li Xu encouraged simultaneously.

"We'll be waiting for you in the parking lot," Li Xu added, lifting Lingdang gently. "Want a hug from Lingdang? Maybe she can give you some confidence."

Li Yang snuggled Lingdang for a full minute.

Lingdang lay completely still, letting him indulge. But when it was Ying Xi's turn, she suddenly got all snooty, swishing her tail.

"This cat reacts differently to different people now," Ying Xi remarked, poking Lingdang's cheek before getting out of the car with Li Yang.

The sun was blazing, and the heat quickly seeped into their skin. Li Yang raised a hand to shield his forehead, his fair skin glowing under the sunlight, strikingly bright.

Ying Xi glanced at him for a moment, then swallowed whatever he had been about to say. "Let's go."

His clear voice was like a refreshing summer spring, soothing and pleasant. Li Yang smiled and nodded, following him into the testing center.

They were assigned to different exam rooms and parted ways immediately.

Li Yang felt he had performed well, estimating his score wouldn't differ much from his mock exams.

On the day the college entrance exams ended, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief. Lying on the sofa, he stared at the ceiling, basking in the rare moment of tranquility.

His phone kept vibrating on the table, and Li Yang picked it up.

The class group chat was buzzing with messages, organizing a gathering.

Wen Yun asked him about his plans and whether he wanted to go out to relax.

Lingdang walked past gracefully. Li Yang glanced at her and typed a blind reply, "Staying home to cuddle my cat."

He set his phone aside and pinned Lingdang to the sofa, smothering her with affection.

When Ying Xi returned, he went into the opposite apartment, without mentioning moving back here. Li Yang held Lingdang, contemplating whether he should remind Ying Xi.

The doorbell rang. Guessing it was Ying Xi, Li Yang stayed lounging on the couch. "Just come in."

After the sound of the door unlocking with facial recognition, he heard slow footsteps approaching.

Li Yang looked up to find a face inches from his own.

Ying Xi had stopped by the sofa at some point, his arm casually draped over the backrest, leaning over him. His cool, deep-set eyes held a relaxed smile.

Their eyes met, and the soft, dark eyes sent countless thoughts swirling through Li Yang's mind.

He shoved Lingdang into Ying Xi's face, blocking that intense gaze. "You... aren't you moving back?"

"I am," Ying Xi said, picking up Lingdang and placing her on the floor, signaling her to go play, then looked back at Li Yang.

Propping his chin on his hand, he gazed at Li Yang's face with a smile, his eyes shamelessly tracing his features, then dropping to his Adam's apple, and further down to his collarbones.

The lying position suddenly felt dangerously awkward. Li Yang scrambled up, sitting ramrod straight, staring intently at the TV.

"Need any help?"

"No need," Ying Xi said. "Just a few things. One minute."

As he straightened, his superior height exuded a sense of pressure. Li Yang resisted the urge to look back, feeling the silence grow oppressive. He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV.

The loud commercials shattered the quiet. Li Yang secretly glanced back and saw Ying Xi going next door to pack.

He exhaled in relief, then quickly checked his clothes to ensure nothing was out of place.

Chill. The exams just ended. His relationship with Ying Xi wasn't official yet. What he was thinking wouldn't happen that fast.

Li Yang smirked.

His phone kept vibrating. He opened the messages—he desperately needed a distraction now.

Wen Yun: "The class group is insane..."

Wen Yun: "After graduation photos in a couple of days, aren't you and Ying Xi coming out?"

Li Yang replied, "Probably not. I want to get a summer job."

Wen Yun replied instantly: "I was just thinking the same! Jinx!"

Li Yang went back and opened the class group chat.

Over two thousand unread messages in fifteen minutes—it was indeed insane.

He thought they were discussing gathering plans, but the chat was filled with arguments instead.

Perhaps many felt they’d never see each other after graduation, so they freely unleashed their frustrations on behaviors they’d disliked but couldn’t speak about before.

Jiang Su was the main target, with multiple Omegas saying his pheromones were disgustingly foul, mocking his delusions of grandeur and tendency to suppress others with his scent.

Furious, Jiang Su sent three sixty-second voice messages. Li Yang didn't listen but saw the transcript—Jiang Su was trying to pin the blame onto Ying Xi.

The group wasn't having it, stating that Ying Xi was mostly a rational person, unlike Jiang Su, who acted like a rabid dog.

Eventually, it escalated into a real-life fight challenge.

Li Yang was so engrossed he didn’t notice Ying Xi had already moved all his things back into the bedroom.

“What are you looking at?”

Hot breath ghosted over his ear as Ying Xi leaned in, his face level with Li Yang’s. Li Yang could even feel the warmth of his skin.

“Group chat.” Li Yang set his phone down, eyes fixed on the melodramatic TV show. “What should we do next?”

“What we need to do,” Ying Xi murmured, gripping his wrist and pulling him toward the bedroom.

What needed to be done?

What was left between them that *needed* to be done?

Li Yang’s mind went completely blank, his entire body frozen.

Staring at Ying Xi’s back, he resisted internally but forced himself not to show too much tension. His pupils trembled as he clung to the doorframe, refusing to enter the bedroom.

Ying Xi turned, puzzled, meeting his panicked gaze. Li Yang stammered, “It’s… it’s too soon…”

“No, it’s not,” Ying Xi said. “I just got everything ready.”

The deliberately suppressed thoughts in Li Yang’s mind shattered into chaos. His eyes widened, lips parted, trying to say something, but he couldn't even find his own voice.

He didn’t dare ask what Ying Xi had prepared. After a helpless pause, he was pulled into the bedroom.

“O-okay,” Li Yang squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself, not even knowing what he was saying, his tongue tripping several times. “Since you’ve prepared… then… l-let’s go.”

He regretted not borrowing more novels from Wen Yun for reference. With zero experience, his palms grew clammy, his cheeks burning—he knew they must be red without even checking.

“Why are you so nervous?” Ying Xi tilted his head, swiftly fitting him with a sun hat and sunglasses before helping him into a UV jacket.

Li Yang stood stiffly throughout, letting Ying Xi help him, his brain so petrified he couldn't think.

Wait, what was going on?

“Done.” Ying Xi finished dressing himself, slinging a camera over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

Their full gear made it obvious they were heading out.

Li Yang glanced between the camera and Ying Xi, adjusting his sunglasses. “S-so… *this* is what you meant by ‘what needs to be done’?”

“Now that exams are over, we can finally date,” Ying Xi said, taking his hand, noting his odd tone and the blush creeping beneath the shades. With a half-smile, he asked, “What did you think I meant, Yangyang?”

Li Yang’s reflexes finally kicked in. “Nothing! I totally knew we were going out. D-date. Yeah, let’s go on a date.”

Under Ying Xi’s gaze, he wished the ground would swallow him, grateful his earlier assumptions stayed hidden—otherwise, he’d dig a hole and disappear.

“Meow.” Lingdang trotted over as they reached the door, clearly wanting to go out. “Meow meow meow.”

*Take me too, take me too.*

She looked up, her eyes full of longing, but received only their retreating backs.

“We could bring Lingdang,” Li Yang mumbled, his gaze constantly drawn to their joined hands. At least the cat could break the tension if anything awkward happened.

“Mom’s picking her up later to play for a couple days,” Ying Xi explained.

Li Yang nodded vaguely, not really listening to what he said, his attention solely on his palm, which felt like it was melting.

“It’s too hot for this,” Li Yang said, pulling his hand free and putting it in his pocket, trying to appear calm and composed. “Let’s go.”

He hurried into the elevator, Ying Xi’s laughter following him.

“You’re acting weird,” Ying Xi said, narrowing his eyes at their reflections in the silver elevator wall.

The boy beside him had his lips pressed tight, sunglasses hiding his eyes, so his emotions were unclear. But his unnatural expression hinted at shyness, his back overly straight, making it hard not to notice his oddness.

“There was a… small misunderstanding earlier,” Li Yang admitted, refusing to stay flustered. He decided to be direct.

“Misunderstanding?” Ying Xi replayed his earlier words and instantly understood.

He didn’t tease Li Yang, only said he hadn't expressed himself clearly: “My apologies for the misunderstanding, Yangyang.”

Li Yang quickly moved on. “Let’s not talk about that. Where do you plan to go?”

“All over the city,” Ying Xi said, holding up his camera.

The sun was scorching, and the UV jacket and sunglasses offered little protection. Li Yang soon became too hot to think about anything else.

He pulled his sun hat lower, standing with Ying Xi in a sea of flowers, looking at the crowded path ahead, feeling a momentary dilemma.

“So many people. Should we still go forward?”

“This is good enough,” Ying Xi said, aiming the camera at Li Yang. “Yangyang, I’m taking a picture. Look at the camera.”

Perhaps due to their time together, Li Yang was completely comfortable with Ying Xi. He calmly faced the camera, took off his sunglasses with one hand, and reached out to touch a flower beside him with the other.

He smiled, his eyes dark and clear, reflecting the flowers. His cheeks were faintly flushed, and his gentle, soft face was even more radiant than the sun, perfectly captured by the lens.

Li Yang put his sunglasses back on and saw Ying Xi was still taking pictures. He took the camera and aimed it at him. “My turn to take your picture. Quick, pose.”

The tall and slender Ying Xi didn't need to pose; just standing there, he became the most striking scenery.

He didn't speak, his tender, lingering gaze fixed on the boy holding the camera, silently conveying intense, clinging affection.

Even looking through the camera, it was hard to resist. Li Yang tilted his head, his face emerging from behind the camera, looking at Ying Xi, whose gaze was even more fervent in reality. He was momentarily lost.

Now was the perfect time.

Flower sea, gentle breeze, clear sky.

No experience needed, just follow instinct.

Li Yang chuckled softly, his gentle voice carried by the cool breeze to Ying Xi’s ears.

“Ying Xi, would you like to be with me?”

His heart pounded like a frantic drum, completely losing its rhythm. Ying Xi felt his heart racing with love, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed. “I would.”

“Would Yangyang like to be with me?”

“Of course I would.” Li Yang met those nervous eyes, placed his hand in Ying Xi’s palm, and smiled.

“Well then, I’ll be counting on you from now on, boyfriend.”