Despite Having Many Disguises, I Failed to Impress the School Heartthrob - Chapter 5

Ding Wenlin was originally in high spirits today because he had actually managed to trick that bastard Chu Yi a few days ago, and it had actually worked! He had come to the entrance of Tongyan High today specifically to gloat.

Instead, before he could even start his performance, a cup of milk tea was dumped over his head. He looked up to see that face, the one that was many times more handsome than his own, looking down at him with a half-smile that made his blood boil.

“Fuck! Chu Yi, are you blind?!” Ding Wenlin shouted, drawing confidence from the fence between them. “You’re a total dipshit!”

Chu Yi’s side had much more style. The man himself didn’t even need to speak. Li Jinhang stepped forward immediately, his face practically screaming “I’ll kill you,” and launched a Zuan-style verbal assault: “Ding Wenlin, are you asking for a beating? You look like a brainless idiot! When your mom gave birth to you, did she forget to include the head? You dog!”

Ding Wenlin: Total defeat.

He Yu confirmed that “Boar Peppa” was indeed standing behind the scrawny pheasant known as Ding Wenlin. He tilted his head and gave Chu Yi’s sleeve a tug. Chu Yi lowered his head, his ear close to He Yu’s mouth. “Hmm?”

He Yu stood on his tiptoes and whispered, “That guy in the sunglasses… a few days ago, I saw him leaving my apartment complex carrying a steel pipe covered in blood. Right after that, I found you.”

Chu Yi nodded solemnly. He Yu nodded back. The two shared a silent, perfect understanding.

Ding Wenlin noticed the Omega standing next to Chu Yi almost instantly. The two were pressed together, whispering right in front of him, and neither had given him a single glance!

“I heard that the legendary school idol of Tongyan High was cornered a few days ago?” Ding Wenlin’s lips curled into a smile, though he couldn’t control the twitching, making it look like a muscle cramp even as he tried to look cool. He was deliberately trying to expose an Alpha’s weakness in front of an Omega, his acne-scarred face full of petty, malicious pride.

“Grandson, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?” Xin Tao held his strawberry juice, the corners of his phoenix eyes curving into a smile. “Ever since your ex-girlfriend dumped you to chase Chu Yi, you’ve acted like you lost your mind. Do you need me to call the Alpha Emergency Center and tell them you’re planning something reckless for love?”

Ding Wenlin instantly flew into a rage. “Shut your damn mouth!”

“Just ask anyone; everyone saw her confess to Chu Yi with a massive bouquet of roses,” Xin Tao said with fake sympathy. “She probably never bought those for you, right? Too bad for her, though, Chu Yi has an Omega now.”

“Xin Tao, fuck you!” Ding Wenlin hit the fence with a loud clang.

Xin Tao shrugged with a punchable grin. “When the game gets tough, you start throwing sand.”

He Yu and Chu Yi, the two people at the center of the conflict, acted like spectators. They leaned against each other, holding hands and chatting quietly.

“Who is this guy, Brother?” He Yu asked at the right moment as onlookers began to stare.

“Who knows? He’s so eyesore,” Chu Yi said nonchalantly. He reached out to straighten He Yu’s collar and patted it down, not even sparing Ding Wenlin a glance.

“True…” He Yu hid behind his lenses and buried his face in Chu Yi’s shoulder, his voice trembling. “He’s too eyesore!”

Ding Wenlin: …You’re wearing a uniform that looks like a burlap sack! How dare you talk about me!

Chu Yi patted He Yu’s back with a look of mock concern, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear: “There, there, don’t be scared.”

Ding Wenlin: “…FUCK!”

Since it was class time, there were no other students around. Ding Wenlin looked left and right, said something to Boar Peppa, and the group of thugs began to climb the fence. To He Yu, they looked like a horde of zombies scaling a wall.

“Chu Yi, don’t think your luck will last forever,” Ding Wenlin hissed, his gaze like a venomous snake. “You’ll pay the price sooner or later.”

“Oh? What price?” Chu Yi replied dismissively, his eyes still on He Yu. Their gazes were so entangled they looked ready to turn into butterflies and fly away.

“…You’re going to die eventually!” Ding Wenlin shouted.

“Oh,” Chu Yi finally deigned to give him a look—the kind of look reserved for an idiot. “You’ve remembered your lessons well. Everyone dies eventually.”

The “tool” He Yu nodded on cue and was rewarded with a pat on the shoulder from Chu Yi.

Ding Wenlin was about to explode with rage. He barked at the thugs, “Hurry up!”

He Yu scanned the scene: six thugs, at least three with knives tucked into their waistbands. On their side, they had four top-tier Alphas with explosive combat power and one “bug”, himself. This was a battle with zero pressure.

As the thugs hung from the fence, glaring down at them, the atmosphere grew tense. Chu Yi pulled He Yu into his arms, pressing his head against his chest and patting him comfortingly. “They can’t beat your boyfriend,” he whispered.

He Yu nodded solemnly, playing the part of the fragile, delicate lover to the best of his ability.

Just as the thugs were about to jump down, a thunderous roar echoed from the distance: “STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE!!! DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT RUNNING!!!”

He Yu jumped and turned around. Their Dean, Zeng Guanghong, was charging toward them with a dozen campus security guards. Not a single person escaped; they even caught Ding Wenlin, who was directing from outside.

“What is wrong with you boys!” Zeng Guanghong shouted. After dealing with the thugs, he turned to interrogate Chu Yi. “Skipping class again? How many times have I told you! Either don’t skip, or don’t get caught! You never learn!”

He Yu: Wait, what?

Chu Yi laughed and walked over, clapping Zeng Guanghong on the shoulder like they were old buddies. He Yu half-expected him to pull out a pack of premium cigarettes and offer one. “I was just looking out for campus safety. I stayed here specifically to make sure these thugs didn’t hurt any students,” Chu Yi said. He Yu truly admired his ability to lie through his teeth.

“Oh,” Zeng Guanghong glared. “So I should praise you for your kindness?”

“Thank you, no need to be so polite,” Chu Yi replied, keeping his arm around the Dean’s shoulder.

“Get back to class!” Zeng Guanghong swiped his hand away. As he turned, his peripheral vision caught an unfamiliar head. “You, stay right there.”

He Yu stopped his attempt to sneak away and bowed dutifully. “Hello, Dean.”

“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in class?” Zeng Guanghong asked.

“I have low blood sugar, and Brother Chu was buying me a drink,” He Yu said. His face behind the thick glasses looked incredibly honest, and because he never released his unique pheromones, he looked like a weak Beta.

“Go to the infirmary for low blood sugar,” Zeng Guanghong sighed, waving them off as he focused back on the thugs. “Get back to class. If I catch you skipping again, it’s a 5,000-word essay for each of you.”

He Yu murmured an “okay” while the other four gave lazy grunts of agreement. They turned and started walking in the opposite direction of the classroom, but Zeng Guanghong caught them within two steps and personally escorted them back.

He Yu experienced this “VIP treatment” for the first time and realized that money truly allowed one to do whatever they wanted. These four Alphas could probably tear the school down and be fine, considering half the buildings were donated or renovated by their parents.

*****

They arrived back just as the bell rang for the break. As soon as He Yu sat down, Li Jinhang kicked the chair in front of him and said impatiently, “Swap seats with me.”

The student in that seat was an Omega who knew Li Jinhang didn’t hit Omegas, so they weren’t scared. They just huffed, “You only bully me because I can’t beat you,” before grabbing their bag and leaving with their head held high.

He Yu lowered his head to play with his phone.

“You really think ahead, texting Old Zeng in advance,” Li Jinhang said, looking much happier now that he was in his preferred seat. “That sissy idiot Ding Wenlin… bringing thugs onto campus? Old Zeng is going to skin him alive!”

“If we waited for you to think of a solution, our bodies would be cold by now,” Xin Tao said. He sat on the desk with a bag of dried strawberries, his long legs stretched out like a model’s.

“Whatever,” Li Jinhang protested, patting his buzz-cut hair. “Chu Yi alone could have taken all those punks down.”

“Would he actually do the work, though?” Cheng Haoyan asked from across the aisle, delivering a soul-crushing question.

“…” Li Jinhang was speechless. He turned to Chu Yi in mock agony. “Comrade Chu Yi, can you have some team spirit? You can’t just watch us go in one by one and get wiped out just because you’re lazy, only to step in at the very end!”

“Sorry,” Chu Yi said as he naturally took the bag of dried strawberries from Xin Tao. He opened it and placed it in He Yu’s hand, his lips curving into a guilt-free smile. “Keep up the good work next time.”

Xin Tao looked at his empty hand, shrugged, and pulled another bag from his desk to share a single piece with the other single guys.

“Why are you so stingy!” Li Jinhang complained.

“I’m worried you’ll get fat,” Xin Tao patted his head. He glanced at He Yu, who was fully committed to the act and was hand-feeding Chu Yi. “Besides, there’s enough dog food here to keep you full.”

Unfortunately, the “Mad Dog” Li Jinhang didn’t take the hint. He snatched the entire bag and dumped the contents into his mouth.

Xin Tao: “…Ignorance is bliss.”

*****

Class started, and He Yu’s phone began to vibrate like it had Parkinson’s. He quickly silenced it.

Yuan the Ancestor: You’re fucking famous! The school forum is covered in photos of you two! You actually went to get milk tea hand-in-hand! What did the tea taste like? What does it feel like to hold Brother Chu’s hand?? SPILL IT!!!

Yuan the Ancestor: Heavens! I still can’t believe you’re doing a “transaction” with my pure and noble Brother Chu!

Yuan the Ancestor: [Crying and hitting the floor.jpg]

He Yu offered some “comfort.”

He Zuizui: It didn’t taste like much. Not as good as the 5-yuan pearl milk tea.

He Zuizui: Hand-holding… his hands are nice to touch. He smells clean, his pheromones are great, and his muscles are comfortable to lean against.

He Zuizui: [Life is peaceful.jpg]

Yuan the Ancestor: GO AWAY! Brother Chu isn’t clean anymore! He’s been tainted by an old rascal like you!

He Yu reflected on that. An Omega tainting an Alpha? That actually sounded quite exciting.

He Zuizui: If he’s tainted, I’ll take him. It’ll help heal the pain of my breakup. [Laughter.jpg]

Yuan the Ancestor: You’re using my Brother Chu as a rebound?! Prepare to die!

Before He Yu could reply, another contact flashed.

Brother Feng: Come over tonight.

He Yu refused immediately.

He Zuizui: I got off at 4 AM yesterday and you want me to go again? Sir, I’m going to drop dead-duck~

He Zuizui: [Your conscience is broken.jpg]

Feng Cang looked at the weird “duck” and figured the kid was acting up again.

Brother Feng: No, you have to come tonight. Downtown, there’s a “Golden Spoon.” I don’t trust anyone else.

He Zuizui: Big brother, I’ve done two all-nighters in a row. This is against the rules.

He Zuizui: [I’m trying to be reasonable.jpg]

Brother Feng: Don’t call me brother; I’ll call you “Daddy.” It’s an emergency. I’ll pay extra.

He Zuizui: I’ll be there at seven.

Brother Feng: .

He Yu slumped onto the desk to catch some sleep. To be a “Daddy,” he had sacrificed far too much…

Is Brother Feng’s job related to the “Golden Spoon” he mentioned? And what is He Yu’s secret “night owl” job?

Support Despite Having Many Disguises, I Failed to Impress the School Heartthrob