After Entering a Contract Marriage with a Disabled Alpha - Chapter 22.1

After stealthily hanging up his freshly washed underwear to dry, Pei Yu returned to his room with a burning face to sleep.

Staring at the pitch-black ceiling, he couldn’t quite understand why he had such a dream. He had never dreamed of anyone else before; his life was entirely packed with part-time jobs and studying, leaving him with barely enough time to sleep, let alone dream.

He tossed and turned for a while but couldn’t fall back asleep. He took out his phone and searched for answers online.

【What does it mean if I dream about an Alpha at night after our first kiss?】

Could it be that I have special feelings for Qin Shen? Pei Yu, who knew absolutely nothing about romance, thought blankly.

Many people who had similar experiences answered the question. It boiled down to spending too much time together during the day, combined with the awakening of romantic interest during the first kiss—it was only natural to have a few “scarlet” dreams at night.

As he browsed through the various answers, Pei Yu suddenly noticed a difference between himself and the others. In their answers, the first kiss was innocent and hazy—lips simply pressed against lips, not daring to move, feeling the other person’s breath until their faces turned red and their heads spun.

Pei Yu’s first kiss… was so intense.

The scene of the kiss reappeared in his mind. He recalled the crisp, cool taste of Qin Shen’s lips and that distinct softness.

…

Before he knew it, when Pei Yu opened his eyes again, it was time to get up. He couldn’t even remember if he had slept at all during the latter half of the night. He opened the wardrobe, took out his clean school uniform, and changed into it unhurriedly.

The uniform was the standard blue-and-white style common in domestic high schools. The fabric and cut were excellent, feeling very comfortable. The size was an XL, perfectly suited for Pei Yu’s 175cm height.

There was still time, so Pei Yu sat at his desk and finished two English reading comprehensions, then spent some time on listening practice. His listening had always been good; he didn’t specifically listen to exam questions but opted for interesting news to maintain his sense of the language and expand his knowledge.

After packing his things and grabbing his backpack, he went downstairs. The rest of the Qin family was already seated at the dining table for breakfast.

Pei Yu’s eyes instinctively drifted toward Qin Shen. Qin Shen was holding a glass of hot coffee—pure black Americano in a transparent glass. It looked incredibly bitter, but Qin Shen seemed used to the taste, drinking it without changing his expression.

Pei Yu’s seat was right next to Qin Shen. Suddenly changing seats would definitely attract the attention of Grandpa Qin and Qin Yiyang. Pei Yu placed his backpack on the sofa and walked over just as he had for the past two days, sitting down beside Qin Shen.

As soon as he sat down, Qin Shen poured a glass of milk and placed it in front of him.

“Drink some milk to replenish yourself,” Qin Shen said, his eyes lowered.

Pei Yu didn’t even know where to put his hands. “…” He suspected Qin Shen was implying something and gave him a strange, sideways glance.

But Qin Shen sat upright and dignified, elegantly eating his fish fillet congee. Pei Yu slowly breathed a sigh of relief. Qin Shen was indeed acting exactly as he had said the night before: pretending he hadn’t seen anything.

He picked up a slice of bread, unscrewed a jar of blueberry jam, and scooped out some jam to spread on the bread.

“Brother Pei, didn’t you sleep well last night?” Qin Yiyang asked from across the table.

Pei Yu paused and blinked.

“You have dark circles,” Qin Yiyang pointed out.

Grandpa Qin also looked up. “Are you uncomfortable living here? If there’s anything that needs improving, just tell the family.”

Pei Yu’s skin was very fair, so any faint shadow under his eyes was very obvious. Having the “incident” brought up again, Pei Yu’s face instantly turned red.

“I wasn’t uncomfortable…” Pei Yu said sheepishly. “Maybe it was just a bit of insomnia.”

As soon as he spoke, a slightly husky chuckle sounded beside his ear. Pei Yu tensed instantly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man’s lips curve up slightly.

He knew exactly why Pei Yu had insomnia. This little secret was known only to the two of them. Pei Yu’s ears turned even redder. He lowered his head and silently gnawed on his bread, wishing he could bury his face in his bowl.

Qin Shen glanced sideways. Seeing the boy in his clean school uniform and thinking about the incident from last night, he couldn’t help but marvel in his heart—it really was great to be young.

After breakfast, Old Yang drove Pei Yu and Qin Yiyang to school. Following the morning self-study session, the first period was Sun Hai’s physics class. The results from the diagnostic test were out.

Sun Hai had the class committee distribute the papers. He looked at the score sheet, his voice tinged with anger. “Every one of you—did you forget you’re in your senior year after just one summer break? So many simple questions, questions I’ve explained countless times, and people still got them wrong!”

“The Gaokao is like thousands of soldiers and horses crossing a single-log bridge. One point can put you ahead of a thousand people, yet you still haven’t focused.”

“After the next round of review, we’ll have monthly exams. If your grades are still like this, don’t even think about attending PE class!”

Sun Hai shouted sternly, and the students who hadn’t performed well shrunk their necks like quails, not daring to lift their heads. After scolding several students whose grades had dropped significantly, he moved on to the praise phase.

“Zhou Yue, Fang Shiya, Chu Ke, and Zhao Lin did quite well. It’s clear they didn’t slack off during the summer. They deserve praise! Everyone, let’s give them a hand.”

Applause rippled through the classroom.

In the back row, Qin Yiyang picked up Zhou Yue’s paper. Out of a total of 300, she got 287. “How do you get at least 280 every time? You’re barely human.”

Zhou Yue thought Qin Yiyang was being sarcastic and was about to snap back, but she saw him staring at her paper with genuine admiration. “You’re a literal deity. Give me some of that top-student aura.”

Delighted, Zhou Yue’s almond-shaped eyes crinkled as she turned to check Pei Yu’s score. “How much did you get?”

Qin Yiyang also turned around. When the two of them caught sight of the paper lying on Pei Yu’s desk, they both froze in place.

The next second, Qin Yiyang couldn’t help but stand up and shout, “300 points?!”

“Brother Pei, you got 300 points?!”

With Qin Yiyang’s shout, everyone in the classroom turned to look. Suddenly becoming the center of attention, Pei Yu was so embarrassed his face turned red. He could only nod slightly.

“It… it’s probably because the questions were quite foundational.”

The surrounding students all took a sharp breath. This is textbook ‘humble bragging.’ You’re telling me that final physics problem on electromagnetic fields was foundational?!

Zhou Yue’s brief satisfaction with herself vanished instantly. Even the person who got a perfect score wasn’t as excited as she was; she’d better stay humble.

“I was just about to mention Pei Yu’s score…” Sun Hai said, looking a bit proud. He hadn’t expected the transfer student to be such a promising talent. “Pei Yu did very well this time. A perfect score on the science comprehensive. Everyone should learn from him in the future.”

The students of Class 3 clapped again. Pei Yu gripped his test paper and gave an awkward smile. Qin Yiyang beamed with reflected glory, even bragging to the students in the front and the aisles: “My brother is amazing, right?” He looked prouder than Pei Yu did.

Pei Yu lightly kicked Qin Yiyang’s stool. Qin Yiyang turned around casually and asked, “Brother Pei, something up?”

Pei Yu: “…”

“Qin Yiyang, stand up!” Sun Hai shouted, looking at him with frustration. Qin Yiyang thought he was being called out for being too rowdy.

Sun Hai continued: “You’re quite something, aren’t you? You even copied the blanks for biological inheritance onto the wrong lines? You don’t work hard in the summer, but you play these little tricks during the exam.”

“You can copy now, but can you copy during the Gaokao? There are cameras everywhere during the actual exam. What’s the point of copying now?!”

Qin Yiyang gave a sheepish smile. “I promise not to copy next time.”

“You’re still grinning? Cheating on an exam… write a self-reflection and hand it into my office tomorrow.”

Qin Yiyang’s face fell instantly. “Ah…”

“What do you mean ‘ah’? You do something wrong and then complain?” Sun Hai criticized him.

Pei Yu listened from the back. Even though Sun Hai was talking to Qin Yiyang, he felt like the words were directed at him as well.

“Fine, fine, I’ll write it.” Qin Yiyang sat back down, dejected.

After class ended, he pulled out a sheet of stationery to write his reflection. Then he saw Pei Yu also writing… a reflection?

“Brother Pei, why are you writing a reflection?!” Qin Yiyang asked curiously.

Zhou Yue, sitting nearby, also blinked curiously. Looking at the neat and clean handwriting on the paper, she couldn’t help but praise: “Tsk, tsk, as expected of a top student—even your handwriting is beautiful.” Her gaze moved to Pei Yu’s hands—slender and clean, with pink fingernails. She felt that if she looked at Pei Yu a few more times, she could eat two extra bowls of lunch.

“I…” Pei Yu said a bit embarrassedly, “Because I let you copy my paper.”

“?” Qin Yiyang looked dazed, only realizing what he meant after a moment. “No, Brother, the teacher doesn’t know. You don’t have to write one.”

Zhou Yue added, “Exactly. It’s several thousand words! You’re far too obedient.” Her heart nearly melted from his cuteness.

Pei Yu paused and said, “I’ll feel bad if I don’t write it. I’d better do it.”

Seeing him like this, Qin Yiyang also found it amusing. “You really are… Fine, I promise I’ll never copy your paper again.”

Just as Pei Yu was about to nod, he heard Qin Yiyang whisper sneakily, “Copying your homework should be fine, though, right?”

Pei Yu: “…” He coughed lightly. “Copying homework is fine.”

Zhou Yue couldn’t help but praise him. “You’re truly amazing. I heard you had to work part-time jobs at your old school. With so much pressure, your grades didn’t slip at all.”

Pei Yu said modestly, “It was okay. I used my phone to do practice questions whenever I had free time. And I tried to find tutoring jobs, which were quite easy.” Every time he waited for the middle-school students to finish their tests or review their lessons, he could read for a while. The parents knew about this arrangement; Pei Yu charged lower than the agencies and provided high-quality teaching, so many parents were satisfied and agreed to let him do his own thing during the breaks.

“That’s quite…” Zhou Yue couldn’t find the right word, so she blurted out: “Your study environment wasn’t good, yet you kept your grades at this level. Lin Shuxing has such great resources, yet his grades aren’t as good as yours.”

Qin Yiyang agreed. “Exactly. Last time he was in the same exam room as me.” He paused. Wait, his own study environment was also great, yet his grades were trash. Damn.

“In the future, let’s not…” Pei Yu didn’t expect her to bring up Lin Shuxing suddenly.

“What are you guys babbling about?!”

Outside the window in the hallway, Qin Fen and Lin Shuxing were returning from buying snacks. They happened to pass by and heard the blunt comparison and disdain. Pei Yu paused, looking at the angry Qin Fen and Lin Shuxing, who was holding a drink behind him.

Lin Shuxing’s face was deathly pale. He gritted his teeth and squeezed the words out from his throat: “Pei Yu, don’t go too far. Is this how you talk about people behind their backs?”

Pei Yu moved his lips, wanting to explain, but then felt there was no point.

Lin Shuxing clenched his fists. “Are you feeling very proud of yourself? Come the banquet, everyone will know you’re the son the Lins have acknowledged, and I’ll just be the fake.”

The atmosphere was incredibly awkward; even the students sitting around Pei Yu didn’t know what expression to make. Pei Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Seconds later, he raised his eyes and faced Lin Shuxing directly.

“But I am the Lin family’s child. As for the label ‘fake,’ that’s other people’s opinion, I have no control over that.”

Standing outside the window, Lin Shuxing’s eyes widened. He clearly hadn’t expected Pei Yu to show no mercy at all, and his face turned bright red with anger.

“Exactly. And we weren’t wrong just now your grades really are about the same as mine,” Qin Yiyang said, standing firmly on Pei Yu’s side and adding fuel to the fire. “You’re assigned to the last few exam rooms every time.”

With his pride ruthlessly stripped away, Lin Shuxing bit his lip, his eyes growing red. His voice trembled: “I know it’s my fault. It’s my fault I took your parents. But my biological mother was very good to you too; she loved you so much while you were growing up.”

“Besides, it was the nurse who swapped us back then; it’s not like I wanted it to happen.”

“Just because the Lin family is rich and mine is poor, are you going to blame all of this on me?”

“I am also a victim of the accidental swap.”

The surrounding classmates were somewhat moved by his words. After all, Lin Shuxing truly didn’t seem to be at fault for the incident itself. Furthermore, during his first two years at school, Lin Shuxing had always been very generous toward his peers. Although he was a bit willful, he was an Omega who had been pampered since childhood and was good-looking; being a little spoiled wasn’t seen as a major flaw.

Pei Yu’s lips parted slightly, his hands hanging by his sides quietly clenching into fists. Seeing the classmates’ gazes and opinions starting to shift, Qin Yiyang couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t care about the consequences; he only spoke what he saw, heard, and knew to be true.

“You’re right, the swap wasn’t your fault, but what’s wrong with saying a few words about you?! You still think you’re the one being wronged, don’t you?”

“The Lin couple is still doting on you now, sending luxury cars to pick you up every day. Pei Yu’s adoptive mother is even doing everything she can to compensate you.”

“Just look at this marriage. As soon as Pei Yu was recognized, he was sent away by the Lin family.”

“If my brother—” Qin Yiyang paused and corrected himself, “If the President of the Qin Corporation were truly as cruel and violent as the rumors say, what would happen to Pei Yu?”

“I’ve never seen people like the Lins. They find their biological son and don’t treat him well, yet they treat a fake like he’s everything…”

Qin Yiyang’s words were like a bucket of cold water waking up the onlookers. It was true—if anyone was miserable, it was Pei Yu. He came from a wealthy background but lived the life of a poverty-stricken student, only to be found by his biological parents and immediately sent off for a business marriage.

Everyone knew that when the Qin family put out the word for a high-compatibility Omega, they were essentially looking for a “medical pack” to soothe an Alpha’s pheromone disorder.

Lin Shuxing hadn’t expected the supposedly simple-minded Qin Yiyang to have such a quick wit and offer such a clear-headed rebuttal. Every point was a direct hit. He opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself further, but found himself at a loss for words. He could only circle back to the beginning.

“But I didn’t do anything to Pei Yu. Why was he talking about me behind my back?”

“Er—” A trembling Zhou Yue raised her hand. “Sorry, I was the one talking about you just now, not Pei Yu.”

Lin Shuxing: “…” The Class 3 students: “…” The Class 2 students watching from the hallway: “…”

Even Qin Fen, who was only interested in Lin Shuxing for his looks, felt a bit embarrassed.

“Heh!”

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