Chapter 105

Chapter 105

SM BBS

"New" "Hot" "Have They Left Yet"

OP: "Don't know where they're gathering, but I haven't spotted anyone at this hour. Crush must have left already."

1l: Already left. They're probably almost at the competition venue by now.

2l: [Image] 19 has his hair in a braid today. Long time no see, looking sharp.

3l: Who's that cropped out on 19's right? They're standing way too close, couldn't even crop them out cleanly.

4l: 2

5l: 2?

6l: Yeah. But since when are they this close?

7l: Seriously... where on earth did 2 even meet 19?

8l: ...My heart is so tired. Just thinking about 19 being surrounded by Alphas where I can't see him, and now I'm even starting to find the ones around him tolerable 🙂

9l: First time feeling like life at St. Maria is so bitter 🙂

37l: Is there a livestream for the preliminaries?

38l: No, gotta wait another week to see Jiu.

41l: I just hope during the main competition they keep the camera glued to 19's face the whole time, okay? Okay.

42l: I refuse. Is Crush's face something those commoners are worthy of seeing? 🙂

...

*

The preliminary round was held at Lottelance First Military Academy.

This prestigious academy was clearly already in session. News of the multi-school alliance preliminaries had spread, and the campus was abuzz with activity, surrounded by many curious onlookers.

Once inside the First Military Academy, the towering walls completely cut off the outside world.

When Meng Shijiu stepped off the shuttle, the surrounding whistles were a bit too loud.

Sunlight bathed the sky with a glass-candy-like quality—bright but not scorching, lazily enveloping every visitor.

The silver-haired Alpha cast a cold glance at the crowd, and the noise finally subsided.

Only after the St. Maria delegation had moved on did the crowd, feeling as if released from a chokehold, erupt into clamor again.

"I knew he'd come. Worth the wait..."

"What's the deal? Who is that? Does anyone have his contact info?"

"Get online, mate. Haven't you seen the match between St. Maria and the Combat Department?"

"...Seeing him in person, I'm a bit dead. St. Maria is so lucky. Can anyone poach Shi Jiu to our school, or can I transfer?"

"You could ask Senior Jie about that. Didn't she already transfer over?"

"...Speaking of which, Senior Jie has transferred. So which school is she representing for this competition?"

"Still our school. I saw her in our uniform this morning."

...

The gathering point was the auditorium.

Meng Shijiu recognized most of the twenty people in the St. Maria delegation—the F4, Qian Chunyan, Ye Lingxi, Jie Xile, Wen Qiuyu... However, the silver-haired Alpha didn't pay attention to their scheming expressions as they gathered around him.

His gaze swept across the crowd, landing on the First Military Academy delegation not far away.

As the host of this preliminary round, the First Military Academy's participants had arrived earlier. Among them, Meng Shijiu spotted two familiar faces.

His eyes swept over Jie Mucong and paused on the somewhat familiar-looking girl beside her. Leaning slightly towards Jue Ning, he recalled, "El?"

The Omega being watched by Meng Shijiu seemed to sense it and looked over. This time, there was no glass between them; their eyes met clearly.

Meng Shijiu confirmed it was El and then withdrew his gaze.

El was the Omega from the "Floating Shadow" auction—the one escorted by royal guards, who had accidentally lost an earring, and was suspected to be Cui Suifu's future stepmother.

Jue Ning: "That's her. El Lancaster, the most talked-about youngest daughter of the Lancaster family. She's been frequently seen at the palace these past few months..."

"—You ask him, but not me?"

A low voice suddenly came from behind Meng Shijiu without warning.

Lips almost brushed past his ear, their presence overwhelmingly strong, casually interrupting their conversation.

Meng Shijiu turned his head, coming face-to-face with the red-haired Alpha's visage, now extremely close.

Cui Suifu's expression was calm, even a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

The moment Meng Shijiu turned, that smile deepened, revealing a glimpse of sharp canine teeth.

Just as Meng Shijiu was about to say something, his gaze flickered, catching sight of El in the distance suddenly raising a brow. Her eyes swept over the three of them, gradually revealing an amused expression.

Cui Suifu sat down beside him.

Seeing the plainclothes guards near her, Meng Shijiu unconsciously leaned his head slightly towards Cui Suifu. "Is El really your future stepmother?"

The Alpha answered readily, but insisted on speaking close to Meng Shijiu's ear. "No."

Meng Shijiu: "Oh."

Cui Suifu: "I'm not sure exactly what her role is, but the rumors outside—"

He suddenly stopped mid-sentence. A bit puzzled, Meng Shijiu turned his head to look at Cui Suifu.

But the red-haired Alpha wasn't looking at him. His gaze was fixed straight ahead to Meng Shijiu's left. The light in his dark eyes faded completely, and the slight smile at the corner of his mouth gradually sank away.

Following his line of sight, Meng Shijiu looked down at his own left hand.

The silver-haired Alpha's hand was distinctly boned, long and powerful. But this power was different from the ordinary kind—it held a stagnant tension, like silent restraint and struggle.

It was precisely this subtle sense of obstruction, intertwined with the smooth contours, that inexplicably drew one's gaze, often evoking improper fantasies and lingering thoughts.

And at this moment, another, broader-knuckled hand enveloped his slightly prominent wrist bone—entwined, lingering, pressed together.

Body warmth seeped through the skin, Jue Ning’s thumb pressed over the faint blue veins on his wrist, like stroking a silent river under a snowy plain.

Meng Shijiu looked up instantly, staring at Jue Ning.

Meng Shijiu raised an eyebrow: *Weren’t you acting pretty calm?*

Jue Ning remained composed: *You’re joking, Xiao Jiu.*

Seeing the two lock eyes, Cui Suifu raised his brow ever so slightly.

The Second Prince of Qiyu was a quick learner—once bitten, twice shy. He wouldn’t freak out and lose his composure like he did last time when he saw Shen Huaixu kissing Meng Shijiu, which had upset Meng Shijiu.

Cui Suifu smiled: “When did this happen?”

The smile was like a thin, sharp blade.

The person in charge of the preliminary round had already begun introducing things on stage, but Meng Shijiu’s thoughts drifted slightly.

*When did this happen.*

…Memories flashed back.

Returning from the Saint Maria exam, the day he left the dessert shop with Jue Ning.

Dusk, a narrow alley, before that kiss.

Warm, hazy light danced with the shadows, and the breeze blowing from the alley carried a hint of soft sweetness, as if the lingering scent of cream from the shop hadn’t yet faded.

Jue Ning walked beside Meng Shijiu, still maintaining that not-too-close, not-too-far distance.

His eyes held the fading twilight, his voice slightly lower than usual, as if afraid to disturb the quiet of the moment: “Why are you so nice to me today?”

The silver-haired Alpha only spared a fraction of his attention, replying casually: “How was I nice?”

Jue Ning didn’t answer.

He suddenly took half a step forward, abruptly closing the distance between them.

Meng Shijiu was forced to stop.

Jue Ning lowered his head slightly, his breath almost brushing Meng Shijiu’s lips, yet stopping at a tantalizing distance:

“Meng Shijiu, I’ve been waiting for this kind of ‘niceness’ for a long time.”

His voice was hoarse, carrying a rare sharpness and obsession directed at Meng Shijiu: “If you don’t push me away… I won’t let go.”

From this angle, lingering light fell into his eyes like a silent temptation.

Meng Shijiu: “Oh.”

He raised a hand and lightly pressed against Jue Ning’s chest, pushing him back slightly, his eyelashes narrowing: “Let me think about it.”

He said nothing more, tormenting someone like that all the way.

When Jue Ning’s kiss landed, Meng Shijiu slapped him.

That seemed like a rejection.

Jue Ning thought.

But what Meng Shijiu said was *sorry*.

So Jue Ning stopped holding back, stopped restraining himself, like a tide finally granted permission, completely swallowing all thought and hesitation.

Silence wound like a thin thread between them, each step feeling like treading on an unsettled heartbeat.

Meng Shijiu didn’t push him away again.

So before the daylight faded, they were together.

…

Cui Suifu clicked his tongue beside him, and Meng Shijiu suddenly snapped back to reality.

He turned his head to look at Cui Suifu.

The barely concealed expression Cui Suifu had worn earlier had faded, and he was now gazing thoughtfully at the silver-haired Alpha.

Cui Suifu abruptly leaned close, pressing down on Meng Shijiu’s other hand, staring into his eyes: “What were you thinking about just now?”

The next sentence came via his mental link.

*“Your expression was the same as when you were in my bed.”*

Cui Suifu wouldn’t allow interruption, his mental voice cold and hard as he continued: *“When did it start with him?”*

Meng Shijiu, speechless, pinched his palm: *“Not long ago.”*

Cui Suifu smiled, clasping his fingers, then suddenly asked: *“Why him?”*

Meng Shijiu didn’t answer.

He had actually considered Shen Huaixu too, but Jue Ning was like a pillow handed to him when he was sleepy—he came at just the right time that day.

Besides… Jue Ning just talked a good game.

He wove an alluring net for Meng Shijiu; even a cold, venomous snake could whisper sweet nothings, but the gaze he fixed on Meng Shijiu was always that of a predator watching its prey.

From the start, this relationship lacked a bit of sincerity, as if it could begin lightly at any moment and naturally end cleanly just as easily.

The day he was no longer sleepy, he could leave whenever he wanted, conveniently.

Meng Shijiu’s gaze passed over the crowd, landing on a certain black-haired Alpha not far away.

He just didn’t want to see someone sinking deeper and deeper.

Cui Suifu closed his eyes, his fingers tightening around Meng Shijiu’s hand.

From this angle, it happened to fall in Jue Ning’s blind spot. He whispered, repeating like an incantation in the other’s mind: *“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to, just don’t leave me.”*

Meng Shijiu chuckled softly, his fingertips squeezing back in Cui Suifu’s palm for a moment.

Cui Suifu clung tightly, as if greedy for it.

…

As soon as the assembly in the auditorium ended, Meng Shijiu thought of letting See out for some air, so he walked alone through the dispersing crowd toward the exit.

After leaving the auditorium, when people saw the silver-haired Alpha again, he was accompanied by a black-haired, silver-eyed youth. No one knew who that person was, but no one grew suspicious either.

*

Lottelance First Military Academy, the West Wall.

A tall Alpha was kneeling on one knee, one hand pressed heavily against the ground, knuckles white from the strain.

His pheromones, like a beast forced into a cage, churned restlessly around him, faintly visible, as if about to break free and surge out at any moment.

His chestnut short hair was already dark with sweat, plastered to his temples, outlining a sharp profile.

Sweat rolled down his taut neck. The Alpha's shoulders and back heaved violently, like a trapped beast nearing its breaking point, every muscle taut as a drawn bow.

Just before Xie Zehuan's consciousness completely slipped away, his terminal finally connected.

"Where are you?"

The voice from the terminal was casual and amused, its tone lifting lightly at the end: "Should've known not to come. Good thing you didn't. The auditorium's so damn noisy, couldn't even sleep properly..."

Xie Zehuan's voice was so hoarse it was almost unrecognizable: "West Wall."

"The West Wall's huge, how am I supposed to find you... Are you okay? Hold on a bit longer, I'll ask someone..."

The nonsense from the terminal only worsened his already frayed nerves. Xie Zehuan didn't wait for the other to finish, raising his hand to end the call with Song Qingxiao.

He tried to distract himself, recalling the scene when he left the dorm and that Omega who had deliberately bumped into him.

Such a clumsy trick, and he still fell for it. Xie Zehuan let out a low, derisive snort.

His consciousness sank deeper into the scorching chaos. Just as he was about to completely lose control of his body, a cold, calm voice suddenly fell before him.

"Classmate, your cafeteria is—"

The words abruptly cut off.

Yet the sudden silence felt inexplicably desirable, as if that voice were thirst-quenching snow, pouring down, briefly dousing his burning agitation.

A shadow slowly moved to his feet.

Xie Zehuan struggled to lift his head.

The autumn sunset hung lazily on the horizon. The light was no longer harsh, falling unhurriedly, becoming drawn-out and sparse.

Backlit, in his blurred vision, before he could even see the newcomer's face clearly, the person simply reached out, fingertips lightly touching his forehead.

The slight coolness was just a touch, yet it seemed to press a pause button on the clamorous blood surging through his entire body. All agitation froze in an instant.

...But that bit of temperature, like an antidote, soon withdrew.

Xie Zehuan's jaw tightened almost instinctively.

"...Don't go." The low, raspy voice seemed ground out from his throat, carrying a trace of barely perceptible pleading.

He looked up. Meng Shijiu saw his pale blue eyes.

Like the sky.

*

When Song Qingxiao finally found Xie Zehuan at the West Wall, this was the scene that greeted him.

His always unruly, arrogant childhood friend was motionless, holding onto a silver-haired Alpha, with an expression he had never seen before—dazed and...

utterly lost.

And that unfamiliar Alpha merely lifted his gaze calmly and said plainly, "He needs to go to the infirmary."

-----------------------

Author's Note: After the intimacy with his brother, Shijiu looked at that ring while considering Principal Shen.