After Transmigrating as a Man-Eater Omega, I Got the Protagonist Shou - Chapter 12

“Huh?” Qiao Xingyin instinctively refused. “How could that be okay?”

Qi Yan looked at him. “When you decided to make breakfast for me every day, did you think about whether it was ‘okay’?”

“That is different,” Qiao Xingyin said as he began to analyze the situation with him seriously. “I told you that I go to sleep early, so waking up a bit earlier does not affect me. In fact, it is a healthy routine. You work late into the night and are already exhausted. How could I let you make breakfast for me? Besides, I actually enjoy the process of making food. I do not find it troublesome at all. Sharing the breakfast I make with you actually makes me very happy.”

Qiao Xingyin felt he had explained it very emotionally and logically, and he believed Qi Yan should be able to understand his perspective. However, Qi Yan was not moved by his argument. His expression remained exceptionally serious.

“If you insist, then I insist as well,” Qi Yan said.

After the incident that day, Qi Yan had concluded that perhaps an Omega’s heat could affect a Beta, so he needed to restrain his untimely desires. But even as friends, he could not allow Qiao Xingyin to be the only one giving. He also wanted to do something for Qiao Xingyin.

Qiao Xingyin fell into a dilemma. After a moment of contemplation, he proposed a suggestion. “Then let us take turns. How about that?”

Although the proposal sounded a bit childish, it could also bring them closer together.

“I will do Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and you do Tuesdays and Thursdays,” Qiao Xingyin suggested.

Qi Yan wanted to say something more, but Qiao Xingyin held up a finger against his lips. “This is the bottom line. You are not allowed to refuse anymore.”

Qi Yan’s decision to make breakfast for Qiao Xingyin was not as easy as he had made it seem when he agreed.

At 6:17 in the morning, Qi Yan stood before the stove. The sound of the spatula hitting the iron pan was light, yet it still woke the man in the inner room. Qi Haisheng rushed into the kitchen while dragging his slippers. The smell of alcohol mixed with overnight cigarette smoke hit Qi Yan’s face.

“You little brat, are you looking for death?” Qi Haisheng grabbed Qi Yan by the collar and cursed in a raspy voice. “What is all this noise so early in the morning? How many times have I told you that you are not allowed to use the kitchen in the morning!”

Qi Yan expressionlessly pried Qi Haisheng’s fingers away while his other hand steadily flipped the egg.

“Am I talking to a deaf person? What else can you do besides acting deaf and mute?” Qi Haisheng caught sight of the plastic bag by the stove, which held three smooth farm eggs. “Are you stealing my eggs?”

“I did not steal them. Auntie Li from downstairs gave them to me,” Qi Yan stated calmly.

Auntie Li genuinely felt sorry for Qi Yan. She knew Qi Haisheng was a chronic alcoholic who was drowning in gambling debts and would hit or kick Qi Yan at the slightest provocation. Yet Qi Yan was the most promising child in the building, always ranking first in his grade.

The neighbors generally did not like Qi Yan, but ever since he helped her carry heavy items and fixed her lightbulbs without saying a single extra word or asking for a penny, she knew his nature was pure and kind. He was nothing like Qi Haisheng. She often thought about how such a good child could be stuck with such a father and such a dark life.

Auntie Li had carefully selected several farm eggs. When she tried to give them to Qi Yan, he initially refused, telling her to save them for her grandson. However, she was unusually insistent. Qi Yan was at an age where he was still growing, yet he was too thin. She heard he was in his second year of high school, a time when he needed to use his brain a lot. Eating a few eggs would provide him with some nutrition.

“When did she give them? Why would she give them to you? Why did I not know about this?” Qi Haisheng’s clouded eyes darted around as he spoke recklessly. “Or are you even seducing older women?”

The spatula slammed heavily against the iron pan.

“Qi Haisheng,” Qi Yan interrupted coldly, saying each word distinctly. “The words you say, along with you as a person, make me feel very disgusted.”

The air instantly froze. Qi Haisheng’s face turned the color of pig liver. He grabbed a soy sauce bottle and threw it.

“What did you say? Is that any way to talk to your father? You have really forgotten your place! You little brat, I think you do not want to live anymore, do you?”

Glass shards exploded at Qi Yan’s feet, and the dark brown liquid splashed onto his faded trouser cuffs. Qi Haisheng panted heavily and imperiously commanded, “Bring a bottle of wine back after school tonight, or I will break your legs!”

Qi Yan turned off the stove and placed the fried egg into a thermal container. As he walked out of the tenement building, the sky was just beginning to brighten. A stray dog at the mouth of the alley wagged its tail at him, and Qi Yan broke half a ham sausage to give to it.

At the school gate, the morning mist had not yet dispersed. Qi Yan handed the thermal container to Qiao Xingyin, his fingertips pausing almost imperceptibly. He lowered his eyelashes, his voice deep and carrying a rare sense of awkwardness.

“It is a bit simple,” Qi Yan said.

The container held a golden fried egg, two shrimp dumplings, and a small cluster of green vegetables. The plating could even be described as clumsy, with the edges of the egg white showing traces of being crispy and burnt.

However, Qiao Xingyin’s eyes lit up. “It is just breakfast. What does it matter if it is simple or not?”

He smiled and opened the lid. Steam rose up, momentarily blurring his beautiful features. Qi Yan watched him pick up his chopsticks and carefully poke the egg yolk.

“It is super delicious, okay?” Qiao Xingyin’s eyes curved into crescents as his cheeks puffed out while chewing. “The egg is fried perfectly, and the shrimp dumplings are especially fragrant.”

The morning light filtered through the gaps in the plane tree leaves, with tiny spots of light dancing on the boy’s hair and shoulders. He ate in a quiet and obedient manner, his eyelashes casting soft shadows on his cheeks.

Watching Qiao Xingyin hold the thermal container and sincerely savor the inexpensive breakfast he had made during a far-from-peaceful morning, a certain long-accumulated emotion in Qi Yan’s chest began to slowly dissipate. He suddenly understood what Qiao Xingyin meant by saying that sharing his breakfast made him happy.

On Friday, Xu Changqing stood on the podium and announced, “Starting next Monday, we will have a two-week military training. This is your first collective activity since the streaming into different classes, so everyone, pull yourselves together.”

Unlike most schools that hold military training in the first year, North City High School generally holds it in the second year. This is because students are streamed into different subjects before the start of the second year. Although North City High School is famous for its science programs, the school still believes that holding military training after the classes are finalized can improve the cohesion of the new classes.

As soon as Xu Changqing finished speaking, there was a chorus of complaints from below the podium.

“The next two weeks are all sunny days. Can it not just rain? It rains as soon as there is a spring outing, but it is clear as soon as military training starts. Is God fundamentally against us?”

“Teacher Xu, I accidentally fell down the stairs yesterday and hurt my leg. It hurts even to walk. Can I ask for leave?”

“Teacher Xu, the monthly exam is approaching. Can I apply to skip military training and review at home? I promise not to drag down the average this time!”

Facing the students’ various excuses for leave, Xu Changqing remained unfazed. “I have said it before. Academic performance is not the most important thing. A healthy body and an indomitable will are more important. These are precious treasures in your life, and both can be gained in the upcoming military training. Besides, there is only one such military training in your entire high school career. How rare and unforgettable it is. I hope everyone treats it well.”

“Compared to other schools, we are already quite humane. After all, it is already late summer. Of course, everyone still needs to do a good job with sun protection to avoid sunburn. The location is not at our school. It is at the North City Military Training Base. Next Monday at 7:00 AM, gather at the school playground and board the bus at the West Gate.”

“Jiang Shixu, take a classmate to collect the military training uniforms,” Xu Changqing concluded.

“Okay,” Jiang Shixu responded. He stood up and said to Qiao Xingyin, “Qiao Xingyin, come with me. I will take the opportunity to show you the logistics department.”

Qiao Xingyin did not think much of it. “Okay, Class Monitor.”

The logistics department was located on the second floor of the Xingzhi Building. Jiang Shixu patiently introduced the area to Qiao Xingyin.

“At the end of the logistics department corridor, there is a vending machine for suppressants and scent blockers. In case of special circumstances, you can ask a friend to come and buy them,” Jiang Shixu explained.

Qiao Xingyin nodded. Before this, he indeed did not know that suppressants and scent blockers were sold here. This was very important information for him.

At the military training materials application office, Qi Yan had also come to collect uniforms. Qiao Xingyin was very surprised to see him here, and he greeted him with a bright smile. “Qi Yan!”

His smile was so bright it was somewhat dazzling. Jiang Shixu was momentarily dazed. He had never seen Qiao Xingyin show such an unreserved smile to him. When they interacted, Qiao Xingyin always maintained a polite and restrained distance.

But Qiao Xingyin’s smile quickly faded. He realized that Qi Yan had come alone. In other words, Class 1 had only arranged for Qi Yan to collect the uniforms by himself. Taking the amount of military uniforms for an entire class would be very taxing for one person, while it would be much easier for two. Jiang Shixu had brought Qiao Xingyin along intending to take most of the weight himself, letting Qiao Xingyin carry only a small portion.

Qiao Xingyin wondered if this was a deliberate act of targeting. He wondered if these types of menial physical tasks in Class 1 were often pushed onto Qi Yan alone.

Qi Yan keenly noticed that Jiang Shixu’s gaze was firmly locked on Qiao Xingyin. This Class 8 monitor was handsome and would lightly rest his hand on Qiao Xingyin’s shoulder when there were many people around. He seemed like a gentleman and did not lose his sense of propriety, yet he was constantly in physical contact with Qiao Xingyin, discreetly getting close to him.

As Jiang Shixu bent down to pack the military uniforms, Qi Yan took a bundle first and handed it to Qiao Xingyin, successfully preventing Jiang Shixu and Qiao Xingyin’s fingertips from touching.

Jiang Shixu’s eyebrows rose slightly. “You two know each other?”

“Yes, Qi Yan is my friend,” Qiao Xingyin introduced, then spoke to him in a negotiating tone. “Class Monitor, could you please take a bit more? I want to help Qi Yan carry some of his military uniforms as well.”

Jiang Shixu nodded in agreement, then remarked in a distant tone, “Our Qiao Xingyin says he wants to help you.”

“Our?”

Hearing that deliberate word, the temperature around Qi Yan seemed to drop several degrees.

“Class Monitor, do not say that,” Qiao Xingyin interrupted with a frown, his voice carrying a rare sense of persistence. “Qi Yan and I have a very good relationship. There is no need to be so formal.”

This time, there were two people who were surprised at the same time.

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