So, do you want my contact details now?

Jiang Lan had always led a full life at university.

Especially lately, with the sports meet approaching, everyone in the student council was so busy they could not stop complaining.

Before today, Jiang Lan would never have taken on any more trouble.

In fact, there had been a degree of impulsiveness in his offer to be Wen Zhiyan's bodyguard.

Jiang Lan had thought he might regret saying it.

But in fact, he discovered that not only did he not regret it, he was even faintly worried that Wen Zhiyan would turn him down.

"I don't have any money, Lan-ge. Can I get it for free?"

After waiting for a long while, that was the question Jiang Lan finally got from Wen Zhiyan.

He discreetly breathed a sigh of relief and said jokingly:

"I'm one of S University's best-looking Alphas, after all. You can't have me for free."

Wen Zhiyan knew Jiang Lan was not someone who expected repayment for a favor.

If he were, he would have asked for something in return back on the day he had spent the whole afternoon helping Wen Zhiyan complete his move-in paperwork.

But not only had Jiang Lan done no such thing, he had also looked as though he wanted to avoid getting too involved with him, not even daring to exchange contact details.

Wen Zhiyan could tell Jiang Lan was joking, but rather than play along, he deliberately undercut him with a regretful tone:

"One of S University's best-looking Alphas? I can't afford that. Let's forget it."

Looking at the amusement in Wen Zhiyan's eyes, Jiang Lan thought he was just like a sly little fox.

"Hey," he protested. "Don't. What do you mean, forget it? I'm cheap. One meal will do."

"Really?" Wen Zhiyan said with a laugh. "I have no money. A fancy meal is out of the question."

Jiang Lan rubbed his nose. "It doesn't have to be fancy. Breakfast will do. Two buns and a cup of soy milk. How about it?"

Wen Zhiyan hesitated. "I'll think..."

Jiang Lan laughed in exasperation and cut him off. "You still need to think about that? You won't spare my pride at all?"

Wen Zhiyan shook his head and continued:

"An Alpha your size won't be full on two buns. I'll think it over and see about adding another two."

Jiang Lan clicked his tongue and praised Wen Zhiyan:

"How thoughtful."

When they left the scenic area, it was just before the morning rush hour, and many taxis had only just started their shifts. They had barely reached the roadside before they hailed one.

Jiang Lan opened the taxi's rear door and let Wen Zhiyan get in first, then sat on the other side, leaving a seat's worth of space between them.

Perhaps it was because the sunrise had been so beautiful, or perhaps it was because the feelings Wen Zhiyan gave Jiang Lan were so new.

Jiang Lan was neither sleepy nor tired.

He disliked talking to people in small, enclosed spaces with strangers present, so he fell silent as soon as he got in, watching the scenery stream backward outside the window without saying a word.

Two minutes later, he could not resist turning to glance at Wen Zhiyan, who was also keeping quiet, only to catch him drowsily closing his eyes, his head about to tip to one side.

Jiang Lan instinctively reached out to support Wen Zhiyan's head. Seeing no particular reaction from him, he shifted closer and carefully rested Wen Zhiyan's head on his shoulder.

Jiang Lan's body went stiff, and he hardly dared move.

He tilted his head to look at the crown of Wen Zhiyan's head, even unconsciously lightening his breathing.

The journey back to campus was not particularly long, but they ended up hitting rush hour after all, and the stop-and-go traffic took up quite a bit of time.

And Jiang Lan watched Wen Zhiyan in the rearview mirror by the windshield for the entire ride.

Only when the taxi stopped at the university's north gate did Wen Zhiyan seem to sense something. He opened his eyes blearily and asked:

"We're here?"

Only then did Jiang Lan snap back to his senses.

"Ah," he said, pulling a twenty-yuan note from his pocket and handing it to the taxi driver before opening the door and getting out first.

Wen Zhiyan followed Jiang Lan out of the car and stretched by the roadside, revealing a small strip of firm, slender waist.

That flash of porcelain-white skin dazzled Jiang Lan. He hurriedly reached out to tug down Wen Zhiyan's hem, meddling:

"Pull those pants up a bit. You raise your arms and expose that much of your waist. It's so white it hurts my eyes."

Wen Zhiyan looked down at his pants. They sat above his hip bones, and although they were somewhat rumpled after the night's activities, they were still presentable overall.

He slapped away Jiang Lan's hand, which was tugging at his hem.

"Then don't look."

"Oh," Jiang Lan said, letting go and falling quiet.

They crossed the road side by side. Seeing that Jiang Lan had gone silent, Wen Zhiyan tilted his head.

"Are you angry?"

Jiang Lan denied it. "No. What would I be angry about? I'm not your Alpha."

Wen Zhiyan pursed his lips and furtively looked around. Only after seeing that no one was paying attention to them did he secretly tug his waistband up a little.

He had also wanted to say, "Look at you, so petty, saying one thing and meaning another."

But after thinking about it, he felt that saying it would sound somewhat flirtatious.

They had merely gone through some unusual situations together and begun to establish a friendship.

Wen Zhiyan had no plans to date anyone right now, nor did he think Jiang Lan could have fallen for him in just one night.

There was no need to make things ambiguous.

So he swallowed the words he had left unsaid and, after adjusting his pants, casually pinched Jiang Lan's waist.

Although Jiang Lan still said nothing, Wen Zhiyan's compliant behavior had clearly pleased him. Not only did a smile return to his lips, he also reached up and ruffled Wen Zhiyan's hair.

Wen Zhiyan had promised to buy Jiang Lan breakfast. Once they entered campus, he was about to head toward the dining hall, but Jiang Lan stopped him.

"The dining hall will be full of people heading to early classes right now. It'll be too crowded. How about another day?"

Seeing Wen Zhiyan yawning nonstop and looking a little tired, Jiang Lan found an excuse, wanting him to hurry back and sleep.

Wen Zhiyan frowned. "Aren't you hungry?"

Jiang Lan shook his head. "I still haven't digested that sandwich from before we went up the mountain. I don't have much of an appetite right now. Are you hungry?"

Wen Zhiyan was not particularly fond of breakfast to begin with, and more importantly, he was so sleepy right now that he really was not in the mood to eat.

"I'm not hungry either."

With that settled, Jiang Lan scanned a nearby shared bike to unlock it and patted the rear seat.

"Hop on. I'll take you back to your dorm."

Wen Zhiyan did not know how to ride a bicycle, nor had he ever sat on the back of one.

Looking at the narrow little rear seat, he hesitated, unsure which way to sit so it would not dig into his backside.

As though sensing what he was thinking, Jiang Lan said in amusement:

"I'm not wearing a jacket. I can't exactly take off my shirt for you to sit on and ride back shirtless."

"If you're worried it'll dig in, sit sideways. Make do, young master."

Only then did Wen Zhiyan slowly sit sideways on that narrow, low seat, emphasizing:

"Don't call me young master."

Jiang Lan nodded knowingly. "Little rich boy."

"No."

"Little princess."

"Shut up."

"Little princess."

"Call me that again and I'll beat you to death."

"..."

Facing the morning sun, they passed through the people coming and going and patches of plane-tree shade, returning to the entrance of the Omega dormitory.

Jiang Lan locked the bike, then bought a carton of yogurt and a small sugar-free cake from the convenience store by the dorm entrance and handed them to Wen Zhiyan.

"Have a little something before you sleep. If you have class, tell your class monitor you need to take leave."

Looking at the little bag in Jiang Lan's hand, Wen Zhiyan could not quite describe what he felt.

He reached out and took the little plastic bag, then lowered his head and asked Jiang Lan:

"So, do you want my contact details now?"