Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Lunch was at Tingsong Pavilion on campus, with a quiet, elegant atmosphere.

Wen Jueqian looked at the exquisite dishes before him, still felt a bit dazed.

Wen Yanxu was still seated to his right, but the table was large enough that the morning's awkwardness was finally avoided.

By the end of the meal, Wen Jueqian's initial tension had gradually faded.

Wen Yanxu was indeed different from what he had imagined—not the aloof, untouchable type. On the contrary, he was patient, detail-oriented, and ready to help classmates when needed.

He seemed like a dependable team leader.

Wen Jueqian lowered his head and took a sip of soup, his worries about completing the project successfully from start to finish had largely faded.

After the meal, the group said goodbye at the entrance to Tingsong Pavilion.

"Wen Jueqian." Wen Yanxu called out to him, handing him a light blue paper bag with a high-end bakery's logo.

"This is for you. If you get hungry this afternoon, feel free to have some."

The bag was a little heavy, and he could faintly smell butter and chocolate.

Wen Jueqian was pretty sure this brand wasn't sold anywhere on campus.

"This..." He was flustered, not sure what to say.

"No need to be polite." Wen Yanxu smiled, sunlight catching his lashes, casting a faint golden glow.

Wen Jueqian's refusal ultimately came out as a simple "Thank you."

"See you Saturday." Wen Yanxu gave him a nod and turned to leave.

Wen Jueqian looked down at the paper bag in his hand, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the smooth texture of the paper, then walked toward the dormitory building.

His steps were lighter than when he'd arrived.

What he didn't see was that after he turned, Wen Yanxu stopped, tilted his head, and watched his retreating figure.

His eyes held the innate predatory instinct of an Alpha.

————

Saturday morning, Wen Jueqian met Wen Yanxu as planned, and together they headed to the Aegis-affiliated medical group, Ruiping Kanghe Hospital.

Fang Weian, the head of the pheromone department, was already waiting in the reception area. He was an Alpha male in his forties, wearing a crisp white coat with the Ruiping Kanghe name badge stitched on the chest.

When he saw Wen Yanxu, his demeanor was respectful and professional, showing no hint of condescension due to the young man's age.

"Welcome, both of you." Director Fang shook hands with them, his gaze lingering politely on Wen Jueqian for a moment before leading them to the elevator.

"Defining pheromone dysregulation syndrome clinically requires great caution." Director Fang's explanation was simple and easy to understand.

"We divide patients into two main categories. First, those whose physiological fluctuations exceed normal thresholds and rely on suppressants to maintain daily function. Second, those with pathological dysregulation, often accompanied by organic glandular lesions or endocrine abnormalities, requiring long-term medication or even surgery."

He switched slides, showing the list of suppressants covered by the national public medical insurance. "There are twenty-seven suppressants covered by insurance—eighteen for routine cycle regulation and nine for pathological treatment. Both the reimbursement rate and the approved uses are strictly limited."

Wen Jueqian jotted down key points while Wen Yanxu sat beside him, relaxed but focused, occasionally underlining notes in the materials.

The lecture lasted over an hour. Afterward, Fang Weian gave them a tour of the ward and introduced them to Dr. Chen Pei, the department's leading physician with over twenty years of clinical experience in pheromone pathology.

"If you have any questions later, you can ask Dr. Chen directly." Wen Yanxu leaned in slightly and whispered. The warm breath grazed his ear, and Wen Jueqian's lashes fluttered as he nodded and made a note.

They entered an office where Fang Weian opened an encrypted terminal and brought up the relevant clinical data.

Finally, he said, "Due to patient privacy and commercial confidentiality agreements, raw case data can't be shared externally. All analysis must be done on the hospital's internal network, and only processed data can be exported."

Wen Jueqian frowned slightly. That meant they'd have to make frequent trips to the hospital. He instinctively glanced at Wen Yanxu, waiting for his reaction.

Wen Yanxu seemed to have expected this restriction. "We'll follow the hospital's rules."

"Would it be possible for us to process the raw data here first, then apply to export it for off-campus analysis?"

Fang Weian thought for a moment, then nodded. "That works. This office and the encrypted terminal are set up for you."

And with that, the plan was set.

After Fang Weian left, Wen Jueqian and Wen Yanxu were alone in the office.

The two quickly dove into the data, occasionally exchanging brief remarks in low voices.

Around noon, Wen Yanxu checked the time and said, "We've been at this for three hours. Let's take a break and get lunch?"

Wen Jueqian looked up from the screen, rubbing his stiff neck, and nodded. "Sure."

The staff cafeteria at Ruiping Kanghe was on the second floor of the administrative annex.

When two obviously high-school-aged boys walked into the staff cafeteria, they drew a lot of looks.

Wen Yanxu, however, seemed completely unfazed by the stares, staying perfectly composed.

Wen Jueqian also pushed down his discomfort and followed Wen Yanxu, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

Luckily, Wen Yanxu's personal assistant had already handled everything, so they skipped the line and picked up their reserved meals.

The two chose a corner spot to sit down.

Wen Jueqian's tray had pan-seared cod, beef with potatoes, stir-fried broccoli, corn and pork rib soup, and a small spinach salad.

Halfway through the meal, Wen Yanxu suddenly asked, "Not a fan of spinach?"

Wen Jueqian paused mid-bite, eyeing the untouched spinach salad in his bowl...

"Yeah, I'm not a fan of the flavor."

"So what vegetables do you like?" Wen Yanxu continued naturally.

Wen Jueqian felt a flicker of awkwardness.

But he still answered, "Baby cabbage, regular cabbage—stuff like that."

Wen Yanxu nodded and didn't push it.

Around three in the afternoon, someone brought over two cups of takeout drinks.

"Try it." Wen Yanxu set one of the cups in front of Wen Jueqian.

Wen Jueqian stuck the straw in and took a sip.

"It's good." He gave an honest evaluation, his eyes, tired and dull from working nonstop, lighting up again.

Wen Yanxu looked at him, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The two didn't leave the hospital until evening.

"Need a ride back?" Wen Yanxu gestured to the black hovercraft parked nearby.

Wen Jueqian shook his head in refusal. "I'm good, thanks."

Though he didn't know where Wen Yanxu lived, it was probably out of the way, and Wen Jueqian wasn't the type to put people out.

He added, "I'll just grab a cab. Don't want you to go out of your way."

Wen Yanxu didn't insist, simply saying, "Safe home. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

When he got home, Wen Jueqian found the whole family there.

His mother, Qin Jingqiu, seeing him return, immediately smiled and told the housekeeper to get dinner ready.

The mood at the dinner table was relaxed, and Wen Jueqian figured the funding problem had been sorted out for now.

Qin Jingqiu casually asked, "Jueqian, where was your practical project today?"

"Ruiping Kanghe Hospital," Wen Jueqian replied after swallowing a mouthful of food.

"Hospital?" Wen Juelang raised an eyebrow in surprise. "High schoolers have to go to a hospital for their practical work? What exactly are you doing?"

"It's a study on whether suppressants should be covered by medical insurance. We need to analyze clinical data."

That kind of heavy topic made the whole table go quiet for a few seconds.

After a brief pause, Wen Juelang's face showed admiration. "Nice, Jueqian. Beichen really puts you on a whole different level—you get access to top-tier resources. When I was in high school, the hardest practical project I did was, at best, about community-level stuff."

Wen Qishan, at the head of the table, also gave a slight nod. Though he said nothing, the approval in his eyes was obvious.

Wen Qingya stared at her brother, eyes full of admiration.

Wen Jueqian answered quietly.

But inside, a mix of complicated feelings stirred. The resources and opportunities at Beichen really were something other schools couldn't match.

So even though he was constantly stressed about making ends meet, he never once thought about giving up—this was his only ticket to a bigger world.

The next day, Wen Jueqian went back to the hospital to work on the data with Wen Yanxu.

When they wrapped up, Wen Yanxu asked, "Next step is the analysis. So, Monday through Friday, are you free in the evenings?"

Beichen's classes and club activities were all during the day, so evenings were basically free.

Wen Jueqian said, "Yeah, I'm free."

"Then starting next week, we'll work in the library's study room from seven to ten each night. Sound good? It's quiet there, and the Wi-Fi is secure."

"Sure."

So they settled on the schedule.

Over the next few days, they met every evening on the dot in the library study room to work on the data.

Spending so much time together, Wen Jueqian gradually loosened up around Wen Yanxu.

One afternoon, Wen Jueqian was walking back to the dorm alone across campus when he passed a group of four or five people, a mix of Alphas and Omegas.

As they passed by, Wen Jueqian could clearly feel several pairs of eyes linger on him a few seconds longer than usual—not the appreciative or curious looks he usually got for his looks, but something more like quiet scrutiny.

He kept walking without changing his pace, and after a few meters, glanced back.

The group was looking back at him too. The second their eyes met, they quickly turned away and sped up, as if they hadn't been staring at all.

Wen Jueqian frowned slightly, a flicker of suspicion rising in his mind.

When he returned to the dorm, Zou Xingzhu was sprawled out in a chair, scrolling on his phone.

As Wen Jueqian tidied his desk, Zou Xingzhu suddenly sat up straight and yelled, "Jueqian, dude, you gotta see this. I sent you the link."

Beichen High School had a student-made and student-run social app called "Polaris." It wasn't public—only Beichen students could use it—and it had become the main spot for campus info, resource sharing, and gossip.

The link Zou Xingzhu sent was to an anonymous post. The title was clearly designed to grab attention:

"The Iceberg President and the Mysterious Beauty: A Library Chronicle"

The post listed, in timeline format, every time Wen Jueqian and Wen Yanxu had entered and left the library together over the past few days, down to the date and approximate time.

There were also nine photos, all taken secretly from far away outside or from corners of the library, clearly showing the two of them from behind or in profile.

Wen Jueqian's heart sank a little as he scrolled through the comments.

The top comment read:

"Going to the library together isn't like going to a hotel—what's there to dig into? OP's got way too much time on their hands."

The second top comment said:

"Wen Jueqian joined President Wen's project group. They're doing data analysis for the project. Quit spreading rumors."

This comment wasn't posted anonymously. Wen Jueqian tapped the avatar and saw from the profile that it was Lin Lan.

But the replies under the clarification weren't buying it:

"Just data analysis? Then where's everyone else in the group? I remember President Wen's project group has seven people, and you're one of them, right? Why weren't you included in the work?"

Lin Lan replied: "Different roles, different tasks, different progress."

Someone replied: "Sure, I totally believe that—they're just working on a project together (dog face)."

Wen Jueqian pressed his lips together and stopped reading. Without a word, he logged into his own account and posted a public reply:

"Thank you to President Wen Yanxu for letting me join the A-07 project. We have indeed been using the library study room frequently lately for data processing. Some of the project's data is confidential, the processing is complex, and the workload is heavy, so we need to work together in focused sessions. Please focus on the actual project instead of unnecessary speculation. Also, repeatedly taking photos of others without permission is an invasion of privacy. I'm asking the original poster to delete the content immediately—I've already saved screenshots as evidence."

After posting, he didn't check the responses and went back to packing his bag for the weekend.

Zou Xingzhu, who'd been watching, saw Wen Jueqian's reply and immediately shouted, "Jueqian, you're a legend, straight up calling them out."

"Aren't you heading home?" Wen Jueqian asked Zou Xingzhu, who was still scrolling on his phone.

"Later. I'm going to the science museum with my project group in a bit," Zou Xingzhu said, then couldn't help but add with a sigh, "Still, your project's way better than mine. Our group gets fewer points and way more drama."

Wen Jueqian didn't say anything. He'd already packed up, said his goodbyes, and left.

————

Once he got home, Wen Qishan called Wen Jueqian into the study.

"The company's hit some financial trouble recently." Wen Qishan sat behind the large desk, a serious look on his face.

"Mm, Mom mentioned something."

"Hewei Pharmaceutical is willing to provide financing, but the funds won't be enough to cover the gap this time."

Wen Qishan: "I've heard Mr. Xu has a beta daughter. She's in her third year of middle school, gets great grades, and her goal is Beichen High School too. When he found out you go to Beichen, Mr. Xu got interested in you."

Wen Jueqian listened quietly, already having a pretty good idea where this was going.

"Jueqian, could you talk to Mr. Xu's son? As an upperclassman, give him some advice and tell him about the school. If Mr. Xu is happy with it, we might be able to negotiate a higher amount."

The study was quiet for a moment.

Wen Qishan added, "You don't have to do much—just share your experience."

Wen Jueqian looked down, knowing this wasn't really just about giving advice.

He was a senior in high school, juggling a practical project, keeping his grades up, and prepping for college applications next year—he was already exhausted.

How much more energy would it take to coach a middle schooler into getting into Beichen?

Wen Jueqian suddenly wanted to ask if his dad would've made his older brother do this when he was a senior.

He knew his dad loved him, but that love and expectation always seemed to take a backseat next to his Alpha brother and Omega sister.

But he couldn't just watch the family go bankrupt—Wenyuan Medical wasn't just his dad's career, it was the family's livelihood.

"Fine." Wen Jueqian finally gave in. "When?"

A relieved smile spread across Wen Qishan's face. "Thanks, Jueqian."

"I've already set it up with Mr. Xu to take you to his place tomorrow."

That night, lying in bed, Wen Jueqian opened the Polaris app. He wanted to check how his afternoon reply had gone, but the post link was dead, showing "Content has been deleted or blocked."

He didn't know that after he'd responded, the post had blown up again.

Wen Jueqian exited Polaris and opened WeChat. His chat history with Wen Yanxu was still from last night.

Last night, they'd worked through a complex set of data and left the library around midnight.

Wen Yanxu offered to walk him back to the dorms, but Wen Jueqian declined, even cracking a joke to ease the pressure of all that consideration:

"Even though I look like an Omega, I'm actually a Beta—no need to fuss over me."

Wen Yanxu looked at him for two seconds, then just smiled and didn't push it.

They split at the fork where their dorms went different ways.

When he got back to his dorm, washed up, and got into bed, he saw a message from Wen Yanxu: "You made it back?"

Sent twenty minutes ago.

His finger hovered over the screen for a few minutes before he replied: "Yeah."

The reply came fast: "Good night."

Wen Jueqian: "Good night."

Such a simple exchange, yet Wen Jueqian stared at the screen for a long time.

He wasn't sure if it was Wen Yanxu's social etiquette or just how he was, but sometimes he felt the guy was a little too considerate.

As he was spacing out, a new message suddenly popped up in the chat.

Wen Yanxu: "I took care of the post on Polaris, don't worry."

Wen Jueqian typed quickly and replied: "I wasn't worried."

The reply came fast: "Your response this afternoon was well written—clear logic, firm stance, and you even threw in a warning."

"Very much like handling PR crises—you'd make a good spokesperson someday."

Wen Jueqian stared at those lines, his ears heating up before he could stop them.

His gloomy mood lifted thanks to the teasing.

He let the other know about tomorrow: "Something came up at home, so I can't make it to the hospital tomorrow."

"I'll catch up on the data analysis Sunday."

Wen Yanxu: "Perfect, I've got other plans tomorrow too and was going to suggest moving it to Sunday. Let's meet at 8 a.m. Sunday and head out early."

Wen Jueqian: "Okay."

The conversation ended there.

==========Author's Note:==========

At this point, he's still an innocent little kitten.