Chapter 10 - has been added

Jiang Chicheng woke up half an hour earlier than usual the next day. The sky outside was faintly bright, covered in a thin mist. He spent half an hour in the shower, and when he came out, his body was still damp with no trace of warmth.

He was blow-drying his hair when he suddenly heard a wolf-like howl. It was so loud that even the noise from the hairdryer couldn’t drown it out. Immediately after, there were heavy running footsteps, and the bathroom door was suddenly flung open.

"It's added! Jiang Chicheng, it's finally added!!"

Shi Ye shoved his phone right into Jiang Chicheng's face. Jiang Chicheng leaned back, his eyes sliding past the screen and down Shi Ye’s taut arm muscles, finally stopping at a certain spot. He raised an eyebrow and whistled, "Little Brother, you've got quite the morning energy, huh?"

"Sh*t!"

It was only then that Shi Ye realized he was stark naked except for a pair of briefs. He scurried back to the bedroom in embarrassment, pulling on clothes while shouting, "Do you know how long I've been waiting for this? Out of over 600 friends, this is the first one! The only omega!"

Jiang Chicheng couldn't help but smile along with him, but within two minutes, his grin was wiped off.

Shi Ye, now dressed, squeezed back into the room. But his outfit wasn't much better—tight-fitting athletic shorts hugged his long, well-proportioned legs, every inch of muscle visible, leaving little to the imagination.

Jiang Chicheng was not pleased.

Completely oblivious, Shi Ye brushed his teeth and heaped praise onto Jiang Chicheng, practically singing in his ear, "Jiang Chicheng, you're amazing! From now on, don't call me bro; I'll call you bro!"

Jiang Chicheng gave a half-smile, put down the hairdryer, and casually tied his hair back with an elastic band.

Shi Ye, brushing his teeth, asked eagerly, "How did you do it? Did you call her or message her? What did she say? Did you mention me? Did she ask about me? What did she think of me? This morning, I was groggily checking the time, and when I saw a new message notification, I almost jumped out of bed!"

At first, Jiang Chicheng humored him, but soon realized that Shi Ye was too excited to listen to anything he was saying. He stopped responding. Shi Ye, like a persistent puppy, followed him around, insisting on sharing the dream he had last night.

Shi Ye followed him as he brushed his teeth, as he went to the balcony to collect clothes, and even as Jiang Chicheng returned to his bedroom. When Jiang Chicheng headed to the bathroom, Shi Ye still trailed behind.

Jiang Chicheng slammed the door shut. "Get lost! I'm trying to take a leak!"

When Jiang Chicheng came out after washing his hands, Shi Ye was already almost done making breakfast, humming to himself. Soon, he brought out a bowl of noodles. "I made two eggs for you and added a lot of shredded pork. Eat up."

Jiang Chicheng's mood lifted slightly. He had only taken a couple of bites when Shi Ye, now wearing headphones, squatted at the doorway to put on his shoes.

Jiang Chicheng asked, "Aren't you eating?"

"I had an egg earlier. Can't eat too much before running."

"You don’t have an 8 a.m. class today. Why not go back and sleep some more?"

Shi Ye flexed his arm, showing off his muscles. "I've got more energy than I know what to do with!"

Jiang Chicheng didn't respond, but as Shi Ye was about to step out, he called him back.

"Wait. Where are you running?"

Shi Ye could run wherever he pleased—Jiang Chicheng had never asked before. Shi Ye was confused but answered anyway, "Just a few laps around the neighborhood."

"Dressed like that?"

The way Jiang Chicheng looked at him, full of disapproval, made Shi Ye uncomfortable. "This is comfortable. We wear this during training."

Jiang Chicheng frowned. "Are you wearing underwear?"

"The shorts have built-in lining. Why would I need underwear?"

Jiang Chicheng immediately retorted, "No. Go back and change."

Though his tone was calm, it was firm.

Shi Ye bristled as if someone had struck a nerve. "Why? I’ve been running in these every day, and you’ve never said anything before!"

"Clause five of our agreement. Party B has the right to regulate Party A's social behavior and reasonably avoid any uncertain factors. Party A must comply unconditionally, including but not limited to personal attire, social distance, and conversation content."

Under Shi Ye's stunned gaze, Jiang Chicheng calmly set down his chopsticks, clasped his hands under his chin, and said, "Little Brother, I know you're not used to it yet, but you need to start changing your single-minded thinking. Things aren’t the same as they used to be. You now have an omega you care about, and you need to avoid unnecessary risks."

Shi Ye was defiant. "I’m just going for a run downstairs. What risk is there?"

"The neighborhood isn’t the same as the training field. There are all kinds of people here. Do you know how many unwanted alphas and omegas you'd attract wearing that? How do you think Jiang Chizao would feel?"

The mention of Jiang Chizao's name instantly changed Shi Ye’s expression, his defiance shrinking away.

Like a reprimanded schoolboy, he bit his lip and thought for a long time before muttering, "I... I don't really know."

"Let me give you an example. What if Jiang Chizao was standing on a crowded beach in a sexy bikini, and you weren't by her side? Would you feel comfortable? Would you want all those alphas eyeing her with their lecherous gazes? Some might even try to hit on her, or worse, offer her a drink spiked with something..."

"Stop! That's enough!"

Shi Ye’s face turned pale as he stormed back to the bedroom, slamming the door. When he came out again, he was dressed in a proper loose-fitting tracksuit.

He stood in front of Jiang Chicheng, tugging at the hem of his hoodie. "Is this good enough?"

Jiang Chicheng snapped his fingers. "Perfect!"

The second class was at 10 a.m., a course on ethics and philosophy. The professor’s lectures were engaging, like storytelling. Shi Ye used to listen intently, but today, he had more important things to do.

Sitting in a corner by the wall, he dimmed the brightness on his phone and nervously, yet excitedly, opened the black cat avatar. Following the instructions Jiang Chicheng had given him the night before, he crafted his message carefully.

ShiyeBBQ: "Hello, Miss Jiang. I'm Jiang Chicheng's roommate, the one who chatted with you at the café. I felt like we had a great connection, so I asked him for your contact info. I hope I'm not bothering you."

ShiyeBBQ: "I'm Shi Ye."

Jiang Chi replied quickly. Within a minute, the status "Zao is typing..." appeared on the screen. Shi Ye’s heart pounded in his throat, and he stared at the screen without blinking.

Zao: "Chicheng told me about you yesterday."

Zao: "That day I actually asked him for your contact info, but we had an argument, so he never gave it to me."

Zao: "I didn’t expect you to add me first! [Happy]"

Seeing the string of messages, Shi Ye felt like he was dreaming. He was so happy he nearly jumped out of his seat.

He took a screenshot, cropping out everything except the second message, and sent it to Jiang Chicheng.

ShiyeBBQ: "[Middle Finger].jpg"

ShiyeBBQ: "[Despise].jpg"

Jiang Chicheng was probably at work and hadn't seen the messages yet. Shi Ye quickly switched back to Jiang Chizao's chat.

ShiyeBBQ: "Don’t worry. I stood up for you in the car that day!"

Zao: "Haha, you're very thoughtful."

Zao: "[Pat Head].jpg"

Shi Ye blushed as he stared at the meme of a little cat patting a pig’s head. His face and ears burned as he reached up to touch them. He opened his notes app, where Jiang Chicheng had helped him prepare some conversation topics.

ShiyeBBQ: "Thanks for the cat food you sent. They loved it. They’re all getting really fat now."

ShiyeBBQ: "Actually, all those cats are mine. I didn’t expect you'd send them to us."

Zao: "Chichen often sends me photos of them. I really like them."

ShiyeBBQ: "You shouldn’t have gone to all that trouble."

Shi Ye took a deep breath, remembering the conversation they had rehearsed the previous night. He nervously typed the next message.

ShiyeBBQ: "When you have time, I’d love to treat you to a meal!"

After sending the message, he immediately flipped his phone face-down, his heart racing. He didn’t need a mirror to know his face was as red as a monkey’s behind.

He felt like it was too soon to meet in person, like he wasn’t ready yet. But Jiang Chicheng had insisted he ask her out, saying that sincerity was key to pursuing someone. After all, you can't build a relationship purely through online chats.

Shi Ye agreed with him, but he was still scared. What if she rejected him? Would Jiang Chizao think he was too forward.

The phone lightly vibrated, and Shi Ye held his breath, slowly turning it over.

Zao: Sure!

She even added an exclamation mark!!!!!

Shi Ye slapped his thigh, so excited that he didn’t know what to say, typing and deleting repeatedly in the input box.

When will you be free? (Deleted)

How about this weekend? (Deleted)

Should I book the place or you? (Deleted)

I know a great Sichuan restaurant. (Deleted)

Do you have any dietary restrictions? (Deleted)

Just as Shi Ye was stressing about what to say, someone suddenly patted him hard on the shoulder. Startled, Shi Ye almost dropped his phone. He turned around and saw a familiar face — Luo Qing, a beta male from the same team who often hung out with him for BBQs and chats.

He didn’t even realize class had ended.

Shi Ye punched him: "Damn, you scared me to death!"

No one was sitting next to Shi Ye, so Luo Qing propped himself up on the table and jumped from the back row to sit beside him, leaning in: "Who are you chatting with? A pretty omega?"

Shi Ye grinned: "How’d you know?"

"Your mouth was practically stretched to your ears last class!" Luo Qing rolled his eyes and craned his neck towards Shi Ye’s phone. "What are you talking about? Let me see!"

Shi Ye shoved him away: "Get lost!"

Luo Qing only caught a glimpse — the screen was full of green chat bubbles. He curled his lip: "You’re chatting like this? Not even sending an emoji? Anyone else would think you two were negotiating a contract!"

Shi Ye raised an eyebrow: "What emojis?"

"Ugh, let me see your emoji collection."

Shi Ye didn’t have many emojis. At a glance, they were mostly dragon pictures or silly memes, a mix of colorful and black-and-white ones.

Luo Qing looked disgusted: "It’d be better if you didn’t send anything at all."

"Then what should I send?"

"I’ll send you some!"

Shi Ye’s phone kept vibrating nonstop. He opened it and saw that Luo Qing had sent over thirty emojis. As he scrolled through them, he saved them while muttering with a drooping mouth: "These are kind of gross."

"You don’t know anything! Omegas love this stuff!"

The class bell rang, and Shi Ye, who didn’t like people sitting next to him, stubbornly chased Luo Qing back to his seat.

After saving the emojis, he reopened the chat with the black cat avatar. After the "Sure!" message, there was only one new message.

Zao: I still have work to finish. Let’s chat later.

The smile on his face gradually faded, and his lips pressed together.

—

It was past ten o'clock when Shi Ye sent the message. At that moment, Jiang Chicheng had just finished his rounds and finally had a moment to rest.

However, after only a few exchanges, the head surgeon caught him slacking off and lectured him before dragging him to the consultation room to sit in on appointments.

Jiang Chicheng hurriedly typed out a quick message before shoving his phone back into his pocket.

By the time the consultations ended, it was almost twelve-thirty. On the way off duty, the head surgeon started chatting with him about the lab project, and they grabbed a meal together. When Jiang Chicheng finally pulled out his phone again, it was during the lunch break, already past one o'clock.

The hospital had a dormitory specifically for interns to rest in.

Jiang Chicheng lay down on the bed without undressing, pulled out his backup phone, and unlocked it. There were two unread messages. He clicked on them.

ShiyeBBQ: Alright.

ShiyeBBQ: [wave].jpg

The animated emoji was of a chubby little tabby cat lying on a desk, holding a phone in one paw and waving a handkerchief with the other. The tabby cat looked as if it had been abandoned, with tears of grievance welling up in its eyes.

Jiang Chicheng stared at the little tabby cat, and his mind immediately conjured up an image of Shi Ye, the poor student who didn’t understand the lesson, clutching his phone while lying on the desk, eagerly waiting for a reply, only to receive a pitiful "Let’s chat later."

Jiang Chicheng’s Adam's apple bobbed, and a flush slowly spread from his face to the tips of his ears.

He covered his face and, after a long while, let out a low curse: "Damn."

This is seriously going to kill him.

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