Moments later, Ji Mian dragged the reluctant Alpha back to the room.
Chu Shiye sat gloomily on the edge of the bed, his head turned away, avoiding Ji Mian’s gaze.
Ji Mian tilted his head. “What’s wrong? Do I look that bad?”
Chu Shiye quickly responded, “No.”
Ji Mian pressed on, “Then why are you turning away?”
Chu Shiye hesitated before mumbling, “…Stiff neck.”
Ji Mian raised an eyebrow. “That’s interesting. So talking can give you a stiff neck now?”
Chu Shiye: “Mm.”
After replying, he subtly tried to inch away from the bed.
Ji Mian reached out and grabbed him.
Chu Shiye froze. “!”
Now motionless, he resembled a deer caught in headlights.
Ji Mian thought: What’s with this strange behavior?
He leaned in, cupped Chu Shiye’s face, and turned it toward him so their eyes met.
Chu Shiye: “…”
Chu Shiye: “………”
In that instant, the Alpha froze completely, turning into a lifeless block of wood.
Ji Mian poked at him lightly. Yep, solid as a rock.
“So, why did you run off earlier?” Ji Mian asked.
The “block of wood” remained silent.
Ji Mian sighed. Such a stubborn block of wood.
He let go of Chu Shiye’s face.
The moment Ji Mian released him, Chu Shiye bolted to his bed, diving under the covers as if his life depended on it.
Ji Mian: “…”
Underneath the blanket, the darkness enveloped Chu Shiye completely. He couldn’t see Ji Mian, but he knew Ji Mian was still there.
Su Lan.
He glanced down at the little white snake in his hands, which he had successfully retracted into his control.
It was undeniable: he could now control his spiritual entity.
But earlier, his spiritual entity had behaved that way toward Su Lan…
No, since the day it was born, it had always behaved that way toward Su Lan.
So, was it because the spiritual entity was out of his control before? Or… was that his true intention all along?
“…”
Chu Shiye felt his mind go numb.
He couldn’t figure it out.
No, he didn’t dare to figure it out.
He lay under the blanket, paralyzed by his thoughts, until a sudden worry struck him: What if Su Lan gets mad at me for not saying anything?
Peeking out from under the blanket, he glanced over at Ji Mian.
Ji Mian lay quietly on his bed, covered by his own blanket, his back turned to Chu Shiye.
Sensing Chu Shiye’s gaze, Ji Mian calmly reached out and switched off the light.
The room plunged into darkness.
Chu Shiye: “…”
Slowly, Chu Shiye pulled the blanket back over his head and curled up beneath it.
After a moment, his muffled voice emerged from under the covers: “Are you mad at me?”
Ji Mian didn’t respond.
Chu Shiye’s voice grew softer. “I’m sorry.”
Still, Ji Mian said nothing.
Chu Shiye tentatively stretched a hand out from under the blanket, wanting to touch Ji Mian, but hesitated. Slowly, he withdrew his hand.
If his spiritual entity really acted on his innermost feelings…
Would that mean, deep down, he…
Chu Shiye’s eyes widened slightly in the darkness. For a moment, it felt as if he wasn’t lying in bed but trapped in a narrow coffin, unable to move, even his thoughts sealed away.
It took what felt like an eternity before his paralyzed mind began to function again.
Does Su Lan suspect anything?
If he finds out… will he hate me?
Slowly—painfully slowly—Chu Shiye turned his head to glance at Ji Mian again.
Ji Mian was still lying there, facing away from him.
Chu Shiye turned back just as slowly.
He stared at the darkness, realizing that no matter what he did, he couldn’t fall asleep.
—
Unbeknownst to him, Ji Mian was also awake, his thoughts occupied.
He was trying to figure out why Chu Shiye had been acting so strangely.
The Alpha’s connection with his spiritual entity had deepened. That was a good thing, wasn’t it? Why had he suddenly become so anxious?
Ji Mian replayed the events of the night in his mind.
Nothing unusual had happened, apart from the little white snake behaving as it always did…
Wait.
Ji Mian’s eyes narrowed.
Until now, he had dismissed the little white snake’s clinginess as Chu Shiye being unable to control his spiritual entity.
But earlier, hadn’t Chu Shiye already demonstrated control over it?
If the little white snake, like his own butterfly, had its own thoughts, that would explain its behavior. But if it didn’t—if everything it did was a direct reflection of Chu Shiye’s intentions—then…
Ji Mian fell silent.
Could it be that Chu Shiye’s strange reaction was because…
No, wait. Was he overthinking this?
Ji Mian rolled over in bed, still deep in thought.
As realization dawned, he found himself struggling to fall asleep as well.
—
The next morning, just before dawn, Chu Shiye got up slowly.
Chu Shiye glanced sideways at Ji Mian, who was still lying under the covers.
Ji Mian met his gaze head-on.
Chu Shiye: “…”
He quickly turned away, scrambling out of bed in such a rush that he stumbled.
Ji Mian said nothing, watching him in silence.
During breakfast, Ji Mian reached for the spice jar while Chu Shiye reached for the ladle.
Their hands accidentally brushed mid-air.
Before Ji Mian could react, Chu Shiye had already yanked his hand back as if he’d been burned.
Ji Mian raised an eyebrow, glancing at him, but Chu Shiye was already staring intently at the table, his head bowed.
Ji Mian: “…”
Chu Shiye’s face was impassive, but inside, he was panicking.
Did Su Lan notice?
Would Su Lan start to dislike me?
Ji Mian took a slow sip of porridge, his thoughts running in circles.
Was this Alpha avoiding him?
Maybe he was overthinking things last night?
Don’t overanalyze it… and don’t get too narcissistic. There’s nothing particularly great about me. There’s no way this Alpha has such bad taste, right?
The silent breakfast passed awkwardly, and the two left the house with an unspoken tension hanging in the air.
The quiet unease persisted as they walked to the school, barely exchanging a word.
Standing in front of the school building, Ji Mian turned to look at Chu Shiye again.
Chu Shiye’s gaze flitted everywhere, avoiding him.
Ji Mian: “…”
Finally, Ji Mian said, “Well… I’m heading in now.”
Chu Shiye avoided his gaze and mumbled, “Mm.”
As soon as Ji Mian turned around, Chu Shiye’s eyes followed him. He stared intently at Ji Mian’s retreating back, watching as he disappeared into the school building.
He stood there for a while longer, staring at the door, before slowly turning and walking away.
Meanwhile, Kane’s shop welcomed an unusual visitor.
Chu Shiye sat silently outside the store, his expression heavy and unreadable.
Kane was startled. Is that… emotion on this rock’s face?
For once, the ever-stoic Alpha looked a little… lost.
Kane teased, “What’s the matter? Did you lose an argument with Mr. Su and get scolded?”
Chu Shiye replied flatly, “…I wasn’t scolded.”
Kane nodded sagely. “Oh, so you lost the argument then.”
Patting Chu Shiye’s shoulder, Kane said dramatically, “Little brother, life is beautiful—don’t do anything drastic.”
Chu Shiye: “…”
“I didn’t argue with him,” Chu Shiye clarified after a pause. “And I’m not thinking about… that.”
Kane grinned. “So what’s the issue? Did Mr. Su hit you?”
Chu Shiye pressed his lips into a thin line, remaining silent.
Truthfully, he didn’t know what was wrong with himself.
He wasn’t even sure how he truly felt about Su Lan.
Or perhaps… somewhere deep down, he already had the answer. He just didn’t want to face it.
After several minutes of silence, Chu Shiye finally lifted his head.
“What do you think… of how I look?”
Kane: “Huh???”
Back at the school, in the office, Selena was leaning on her desk, watching Ji Mian curiously.
“You seem… preoccupied. What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing,” Ji Mian replied, taking a slow sip from his mug.
Selena rested her chin on her hand, studying him.
Was it her imagination, or did Mr. Su seem a little less calm and composed than usual today?
As her inquisitive gaze lingered, Ji Mian remained quiet for a while before finally looking up.
His tone was as steady as ever, but his words carried an unexpected weight.
“What do you think… of how I look?”
Selena: “Huh???”
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