I Heard You Only See Me as a Friend - Chapter 23

Ji Wan fell silent for a moment before asking curiously, “There’s actually a serious and solemn version of this kind of thing?”

“Of course there is! It’s even official!” Kong Liyan couldn’t resist explaining at the risk of his life. “Lately, pheromone-scented sprays have become too effective. A few years ago, the birth rate hit a record low. On top of that, there were several cases where newlyweds had been married for years without conceiving. When they finally went for check-ups out of desperation, it turned out they had never even shared a bed once! So, the Fertility Bureau produced this official science communication video.”

Ji Wan truly didn’t know about this; it sounded somewhat bizarre. He looked at Kong Liyan in shock and couldn’t help but wonder, “Then… shall we take a look?”

Kong Liyan happily pulled out his phone, and as expected, he was immediately met with Feng Jin’s death stare.

Kong Liyan figured it out, he thought Feng Jin was like his old self, afraid that Ji Wan would see something too eyesearing. So, he explained, “It’s 3D modeled animation, not real people. It’s very proper. I definitely wouldn’t show Wanwan anything too graphic.”

It wasn’t a question of whether it was animated or not.

A trace of irritability pressed down on Feng Jin’s heart. As he watched Ji Wan pull a chair over to Kong Liyan’s desk, he couldn’t help but tighten his grip on the pen in his hand.

“Ji Wan,” Feng Jin spoke up. “Come here for a second. There’s a question I want to ask you.”

Ji Wan didn’t move. “Wait for me for half an hour.”

Feng Jin pursed his lips, forcibly suppressing the urge to pull Ji Wan away.

As a roommate and a friend, even if he controlled everything else, could he really control whether Ji Wan watched a science education film?

Feng Jin lowered his eyes, staring at the half-finished test paper beneath his hand.

There was no justification for that.

On his phone, Kong Liyan searched for the educational film he had downloaded earlier for fun. Once he found it, he clicked it open with delight. Just as he was about to place it between himself and Ji Wan so they could watch together, he felt a sudden tap on his shoulder.

Kong Liyan looked up and saw Feng Jin approaching with a chair in hand.

Feng Jin: “Move over a bit. Make some room for me too.”

Kong Liyan: “?”

To Kong Liyan, this was a total bolt from the blue!

What kind of person was Feng Jin? He was an iron tree that hadn’t blossomed in ten thousand years. Kong Liyan would sooner believe a rock could give birth than believe Feng Jin would watch this kind of educational film with him.

Such a person had actually suddenly seen the light!

Who would have thought that the day would come when he’d be sitting with Feng Jin watching this kind of movie!

Kong Liyan shifted and shifted, moving one seat over. Feng Jin sat down in the middle without any politeness, using his body to separate Ji Wan and Kong Liyan.

The film began to play, and Ji Wan observed seriously.

Kong Liyan hadn’t been exaggerating; this film really was quite serious and proper. Two 3D modeled protagonists smiled, showing eight teeth, while performing the demonstrations.

Ji Wan watched with a studious mindset. Betas lacked pheromones and were naturally more inclined toward being indifferent in those matters compared to Alphas and Omegas. Ji Wan was no exception, so he was able to watch with a completely focused mind.

Kong Liyan, on the other hand, gradually became entranced.

No one noticed that Feng Jin’s gaze hadn’t been on the phone screen from the very beginning.

At first, his eyes were out of focus, but gradually, they uncontrollably fell upon Ji Wan.

Ji Wan was watching with his knees bent and his legs pulled up. Because of this movement, his pants were pulled upward, revealing a section of snow-white ankle.

The bruised handprints on them had mostly faded, but some faint traces remained that could still be seen if one looked closely.

Feng Jin still remembered the feeling of holding that ankle slender, capable of being completely dominated by his single hand.

…It suited him very well.

An emotionless electronic female voice read aloud, providing physiological knowledge to the audience: “…By gripping the other party’s ankle and opening them up, you can better allow the other party to feel your strength, providing a sense of pressure and stimulating the evaporation of pheromones…”

Without even realizing it, Feng Jin began to fantasize along with this ridiculous and laughable electronic voice.

…If he had been in that hospital room that night, and hadn’t simply been holding Ji Wan’s ankle but had done something else, what would have happened?

It was as if he had returned to that snow-white hospital room filled with the smell of disinfectant, holding Ji Wan’s ankle. The quilt was right there. He didn’t tuck Ji Wan’s foot back in like he had before; instead, he slowly lifted it, and then, pulled it outward.

On the hospital bed, Ji Wan seemed to let out a few soft groans of discomfort, which scratched at Feng Jin’s heart like a feather, making it itch.

Ji Wan opened his eyes, looking at him silently with those moist pupils, as if accusing him of his behavior, yet also as if indulging him.

Feng Jin’s heart rate quickened. He didn’t let go, continuing his movements to adjust Ji Wan’s posture. Gradually, he would be able to wedge himself between Ji Wan’s legs.

Screech—

A chair was moved, letting out a piercing sound against the floor.

Feng Jin snapped back from his imagination. The fantasy scene vanished like a bubble, leaving no trace behind.

Kong Liyan rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it.

Ji Wan candidly accepted the fact that they were down one companion. He stretched and paused the video.

He had actually seen enough by now; everything he needed to understand had been covered at the beginning. The latter half clearly wouldn’t be part of the material their eleventh-grade teachers would cover in class.

Ji Wan rubbed his neck and looked at Feng Jin, who was still beside him. He was surprised to find that Feng Jin had actually remained in the same position without moving once from start to finish.

He really was composed.

Ji Wan looked at the expressionless Feng Jin: “I thought I was the only one uninterested, I didn’t expect you to—uh.”

Ji Wan’s gaze flickered to a certain terrifying sight, and he instantly fell silent.

Alright, he had misunderstood. Both Alphas in this dormitory had perfectly normal reactions; he was the one who didn’t fit in.

“You go ahead, I’ll step out for a bit,” Ji Wan said, about to stand up, but Feng Jin stood up a step ahead of him.

“You…” Feng Jin’s voice was tighter than usual. “You stay here. I’m going out.”

With that, without waiting for Ji Wan’s agreement, Feng Jin threw on a jacket and walked out of the dormitory, closing the door behind him.

The windows in the hallway outside the dormitory were wide open. The icy night wind blew, chilling Feng Jin from head to toe.

Feng Jin walked to the window and unzipped his jacket, letting the wind blow him more awake.

Ji Wan thought he had reacted because of that ridiculous educational film.

But he hadn’t.

He knew. He hadn’t even looked at it once.

Even if he could deceive others, he couldn’t deceive himself.

From beginning to end, he had only looked at one person, and it was because of that person that he had reacted. The self-control he had been so proud of not long ago was utterly defenseless when he was near that person.

Some concepts were collapsing; the high walls that had been built up fell, revealing the true world inside.

Feng Jin took a deep breath and, amidst the biting cold wind, rubbed the space between his eyebrows.