He really isn't my boyfriend. I don't even have his contact info

Wen Zhiyan didn't have much of a favorable impression of alphas, but he wasn't incapable of appreciating a kindness.

Although Jiang Lan had been very rude at first, Wen Zhiyan also knew that without Jiang Lan's efficient, orderly help, he probably wouldn't have finished all those complicated procedures even by tomorrow and would have had to make do with a night at a little motel off campus.

Originally, Wen Zhiyan had wanted to treat Jiang Lan to dinner as a small token of thanks.

But he had never had much of a sense of how to spend money, and when he checked out of the hotel that morning, he discovered that his bank card had been frozen.

He had spent most of the cash on him paying for the room. Now he had very little left, and he still had to live at school, with no idea how long he could hold out.

Treating someone to a meal was essentially beyond his means, so he softened his tone. Standing beneath the streetlight that had just come on, he looked at Jiang Lan's strikingly handsome face and said, "Thank you."

Jiang Lan had barely heard Wen Zhiyan say more than a few words all afternoon and hadn't expected any gesture from him. Hearing that sudden thank-you took him somewhat by surprise.

"Oh?" he said, teasing, "Finally."

It was getting late now. Almost all the students who needed to check in had done so, and the parents and upperclassmen who had been helping had already left.

Jiang Lan handed Wen Zhiyan's suitcase back to him. "Go on up. Alphas can't enter the omega dorm at this hour, so I won't walk you upstairs."

Wen Zhiyan pressed his lips together and took his luggage, then pulled the tissues Jiang Lan had thrust at him earlier out of his pocket. He drew one out and offered it to Jiang Lan.

"You're sweating."

Jiang Lan was a little speechless. He had been drenched in sweat all afternoon, and only now did this guy think to offer him a favor using his own tissues. That was a bit ridiculous.

But he could see Wen Zhiyan's wariness and unease, so in the end, he said nothing about it. He simply took the tissue and told Wen Zhiyan, "Go on."

Wen Zhiyan didn't move. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he asked Jiang Lan expressionlessly, "Do you want to add me as a contact?"

Jiang Lan: "..."

Jiang Lan had met reserved omegas before, but someone who clearly wanted to add him, yet asked whether he wanted to add him in a tone of mercifully granting a favor? That was a first.

He didn't think he could cater to a pampered young master like this, so he waved a hand. "No, thanks. My name's Jiang Lan, second-year jewelry design, class one. If you need anything, just come find me."

He was only being polite. He hadn't intended to have anything more to do with Wen Zhiyan at all.

Being turned down, Wen Zhiyan showed neither surprise nor displeasure. He merely nodded and said, "All right."

Then, after turning and stepping through the dorm entrance, he looked back and said again, "Thank you, Jiang Lan."

Jiang Lan had thought that would be the end of it.

A brief encounter with a beautiful, proud little peacock might have set most alphas' imaginations running wild, but it hadn't stirred any ripples in Jiang Lan's heart.

After the new academic year began, Jiang Lan's life went on as usual. Apart from classes and taking care of some student council business, he spent his time in the library or art studio, played basketball with his roommates on the court at night, then went back to the dorm to shower and sleep.

The only difference was that a whole bunch of people had suddenly started teasing Jiang Lan whenever they had nothing better to do, constantly bringing up his boyfriend, his omega, his cute little junior.

Jiang Lan was speechless. "He really isn't my boyfriend. I don't even have his contact info."

Xiao Fei, in the upper bunk, didn't believe him. "Quit lying. If he isn't your boyfriend, why was he the only person you helped check in all afternoon, and why didn't you get back until after dinnertime?"

If it had been anything else, Jiang Lan might not have bothered explaining, but there really was nothing between him and Wen Zhiyan. He didn't care himself; after all, there was no one he liked at school whose misunderstanding he needed to worry about. But what if that omega minded jokes like these?

So Jiang Lan still went to a great deal of trouble, explaining for several days. Throughout those days, he hung out with his roommates every day, never went out alone, never spent hours on the phone, and never grinned foolishly at his phone while messaging anyone.

Only then did he finally manage to clear up his relationship with Wen Zhiyan.

Yet just as he cleared things up on his end, Wen Zhiyan came looking for him.

Most classes at S University were divided into two sessions, lasting an hour and a half in total, with a ten-minute break in between.

At the time, the bell had just rung for the break, and Jiang Lan had just put his head down on his desk, planning to take a quick nap during those ten minutes. Before he could even close his eyes, a classmate who had just left the classroom to use the restroom leaned around the classroom door and shouted at him:

"Lan-ge! Someone's here for you!"

As he spoke, the moment Jiang Lan met his gaze, he flashed a toothy grin and waggled his eyebrows at him.

Everyone in the classroom had their attention drawn by that shout and craned their necks to look outside.

Ever since enrolling the previous year, Jiang Lan had encountered plenty of enthusiastic, uninhibited omegas who came to confess their feelings for him.

At first, he assumed it was another omega coming to confess, so he quickly closed his eyes and whispered to Xiao Fei, who was his deskmate, roommate, and close buddy:

"Gou-ge, cover for me. Go check. If it isn't anything serious, tell them I'm asleep, completely out cold. If it is something serious, come wake me."

He was so sleepy his scalp tingled, and he really wasn't in the mood to deal with those charming little cuties. If he handled a rejection badly and made one of them cry, he would spend the entire day feeling guilty again.

Better not to see them at all. Anyone who could take a hint would naturally understand where he stood and wouldn't come back.

But Gou-ge craned his neck to look outside and said, "Can't do that, Lan-ge. Looks like it's your boyfriend."

Jiang Lan froze at that, then lifted his head and glanced outside. Sure enough, he saw that somewhat familiar figure from behind.

Other omegas might have come to confess their feelings, but given Wen Zhiyan's personality, that was very unlikely.

Still, Jiang Lan wasn't particularly inclined to go over right then. He was afraid Wen Zhiyan had come to cause him more trouble.

He hesitated for a moment, then remembered that he had indeed told Wen Zhiyan to come find him if he ran into any difficulties. Only then did he heave a long sigh, rise resignedly from his seat, and head toward the classroom door.

Wen Zhiyan wore a white tracksuit and stood with his back to the classroom door, looking at a decorative picture on the hallway wall. The little bun at the back of his head was tied into a neat round shape, and he held a paper bag. From behind, he looked very well-behaved.

Jiang Lan couldn't help taking a couple of extra looks before asking, "What's up?"

Hearing him, Wen Zhiyan turned and lifted the paper bag in front of Jiang Lan.

"I wanted to treat you to a meal last time, but I didn't have any money. For now, I can only treat you to this."

Jiang Lan looked down at the paper bag. It was takeout packaging from a very popular café not far outside campus, but the prices weren't low. Apart from some students from well-off families, its clientele consisted mostly of white-collar workers in the area. Jiang Lan had never been there before.

He raised an eyebrow. "A cup of this isn't cheap. You've got money now?"

Wen Zhiyan shook his head, his expression solemn and earnest. "No. I mugged a passerby and stole it."