I Heard You Only See Me as a Friend - Chapter 28

After Feng Jin stepped out, Ji Wan continued playing the “cake smashing” game. However, having lost a powerful natural shield, he was soon defeated.

Those ferocious Alphas showed him some mercy; after all, they couldn’t bear to see Ji Wan’s beautiful face completely smothered in cream, so they only smeared a thin layer over his face and body.

Of the thirty-six stratagems, retreating is the best. Ji Wan beat a hasty retreat, deciding not to give the others a chance to coat his entire body in cream. Thus, with a thin layer of cream on his face and words of surrender on his lips, he slipped away.

He went to the outside restroom to wash his face and tidy himself up, his mind wandering as he scrubbed.

Who knows where Feng Jin went? Maybe he slipped away early because he was afraid of ruining his image by getting hit with cake?

The more Ji Wan thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Otherwise, Feng Jin wouldn’t have left so suddenly and stayed away for so long that he couldn’t be found. Considering this possibility, Ji Wan couldn’t help but want to laugh.

He wiped the cream off his face and washed up. Once he was tidy, he was just thinking about calling Feng Jin to find a place to hide together until the chaos inside ended. But just as he pulled out his phone, a call came in.

Looking at the name on the caller ID, Ji Wan’s brow furrowed, and the smile vanished from his face.

It was Ji Ke.

Ji Wan listened to the ringtone for five seconds before finally picking up. He didn’t speak first, listening silently to the sound on the other end.

Unlike before, Ji Ke didn’t immediately start barking orders at him the moment the call connected. Instead, there was the sound of pained gasping.

Sensing something was wrong, Ji Wan’s frown deepened as he asked, “What is it?”

“I… I think my heat is starting, but I don’t have any suppressants on me.” Ji Ke’s voice was somewhat raspy and weak. “I-I came out to play with a group of Alpha classmates, and they…”

Why didn’t you bring suppressants when going out? Why would an Omega be so careless when hanging out with a group of Alphas?

Many questions surfaced in Ji Wan’s mind, but he didn’t ask. He directly interrupted Ji Ke: “Stop talking. Find a place to hide and give me your address right now.”

Ji Ke gave an address, and Ji Wan was surprised to find that Ji Ke was actually in this same KTV, currently hiding in the neighboring Omega restroom.

Ji Wan didn’t say much. After hanging up, he walked quickly toward the location. He glanced into the nearby Omega restroom, confirming there were no other people inside and that no one had discovered Ji Ke was in heat before he quickly left.

As a Beta, Ji Wan didn’t carry any suppressants, but fortunately, as a staple necessity, they were sold in many places, including inside the KTV.

After buying the suppressants, Ji Wan returned to the Omega restroom. He went to the last closed stall and, without saying a word, handed the suppressants and a scent-neutralizing spray over the top of the door.

The suppressants were quickly taken. Ji Wan waited outside. Before long, he heard Ji Ke’s breathing stabilize.

“I’m better now,” Ji Ke said from inside.

“Mm.” Once he was sure Ji Ke was fine, Ji Wan didn’t want to exchange much more with him. He simply said, “Remember to bring suppressants when you come out in the future; I won’t always happen to be nearby,” and prepared to leave.

However, just as he took a step, Ji Ke spoke from inside: “It’s not like I didn’t bring them on purpose. I just accidentally forgot. Besides, even if you weren’t nearby, you could still rush over to help me.”

Ji Wan stopped in his tracks.

He endured it for a moment, then turned around to face Ji Ke as he opened the stall door and walked out.

Ji Wan’s voice was devoid of emotion: “How do you know I would rush over to help you?”

“Wouldn’t you?” Ji Ke retorted.

Ji Wan fell silent.

Ji Ke was right. Even if he didn’t like Ji Ke, he truly couldn’t leave an Omega in heat alone to fend for himself. Ji Ke didn’t have close friends and wouldn’t dare tell their parents; he truly was one of Ji Ke’s best options.

“I’m going to tell Mom and Dad about this. Think of how to explain it to them yourself,” Ji Wan said flatly.

“What?” Ji Ke cried out. “Are you crazy? Why tell them? You still have to live with me for decades; what good does it do you to offend me like this now?”

The words Ji Ke spoke were so absurd that Ji Wan almost couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He asked in surprise, “We have to live together for decades?”

“Yeah,” Ji Ke said. “What else? It’s not like you can just cut ties with this family.”

Ji Ke continued: “You can’t leave. Dad needs you. The family company can’t be left entirely to outsiders; he’ll definitely need your help.”

Ji Wan froze for a second, then finally couldn’t help but let out a short laugh, suppressing the mockery in his eyes.

“As long as you’re happy,” Ji Wan hooked the corners of his mouth, though there was no mirth in his gaze.

Ji Ke nodded, sprayed some scent-neutralizer on himself, and once he looked normal, he swaggered out.

Having resolved the matter, Ji Wan saw it was still early. After leaving the restroom, he took a turn, wanting to walk around somewhere else.

After turning the corner, Ji Wan discovered a terrace not far behind the restroom, likely built for customers to have some quiet time or blow off some steam from the alcohol. A figure was standing on the terrace, back to the view, letting the wind blow on him. He looked up upon hearing Ji Wan’s footsteps.

The dim light hit the smooth lines of the person’s profile, carrying a hint of gentleness.

It was Feng Jin.

Ji Wan stopped and looked at Feng Jin, then back toward the restrooms.

“…I’ve been here the whole time,” Feng Jin said, sounding a bit tense. “I didn’t eavesdrop on purpose.”

“Mm, it’s fine.” Ji Wan didn’t actually care if Feng Jin had heard his conversation with Ji Ke. He was concerned about another issue: “Did Ji Ke’s pheromones affect you?”

Feng Jin shook his head. “I couldn’t smell them. The wind is strong here; the scent doesn’t travel this way.”

“That’s good.” Ji Wan walked to Feng Jin’s side and rested his hands on the railing, letting the wind blow on him as well.

Below was a street bustling with traffic and noise. The dry, cold wind hit his face, chilling away all the warmth. Feng Jin moved over slightly, trying his best to shield Ji Wan from the wind.

“The wind really is quite strong now,” Ji Wan chatted casually. “Why are you standing here? Aren’t you cold?”

Feng Jin specifically needed the cold wind to disperse the restlessness in his body, but since the culprit causing his heat was standing right in front of him, he obviously couldn’t say that. So, he said vaguely, “I’m not cold.”

Since Feng Jin wasn’t cold, Ji Wan said no more. He leaned on the railing, watching the flow of traffic. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly heard Feng Jin ask, “Will you keep helping him like this, even though you don’t like him?”

Ji Wan was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood who Feng Jin was referring to. He smiled: “Why would you think that?”

Feng Jin didn’t speak for a moment.

Ji Wan was easily moved to soft-heartedness; it was evident from his daily attitude toward him. He had also used Ji Wan’s soft-heartedness several times to get more opportunities to be close to him.

Ji Wan shook his head and laughed: “Sometimes I really am a bit of a meddler… but I can still distinguish the consequences of my meddling. Once I get into university, I’ll leave this place and won’t involve myself in this family’s affairs anymore.”

“That’s how it should be. It’s just a small, crappy company; what’s there to manage?” Feng Jin felt somewhat relieved. “You’re quite decisive, that’s good. I was worried you might force yourself to stay out of some sense of sentimentality.”

“Then you might not know me very well,” Ji Wan joked. “Betas don’t have many advantages, so I have to make good use of the few I have. Have you heard what people on the internet have been saying about Betas lately?”

Feng Jin didn’t know which quote he was referring to, so he shook his head.

“It’s…” Ji Wan felt it was a bit too cringey to say aloud, so he pulled out his phone, opened an entertainment app, and showed Feng Jin a trending topic.

At the very top was a Beta’s monologue:

[When I was young and ignorant, I once pursued an Omega. Later, that Omega ran off with an Alpha whose pheromones were a perfect match. From then on, I understood that as a Beta, I won’t be attracted by pheromones anyway and won’t be caught up in the entanglement of love and hate. Since that’s the case, it’s better to just be a heartless person from the start.]

Following it were numerous posts from “victims” lamenting that they had been tricked by this heartless Beta, though fortunately, they later found a pheromone match and successfully escaped the pain into a sweet romance.

#ColdBloodedKiller #StinkyBetasHaveNoHeart! #On the Correctness of AO Union

Ji Wan waited for Feng Jin to finish browsing before putting his phone away. “…It’s pretty much like that. One of the few advantages of being a Beta or maybe you could call it a disadvantage?”

Feng Jin turned his head to look at Ji Wan. The trending topic made him feel a bit uncomfortable, and a hidden sense of unease rose in his heart.

“Betas aren’t interfered with by pheromones. Unlike AOs, who easily become physically dependent on each other’s scents, as long as a Beta is mentally willing to let go, they can break it off whenever they want and leave whenever they want,” Ji Wan said calmly.

His eyes reflected the brilliant lights of the bustling city, yet those lights couldn’t warm his gaze. The cold wind blew against his slender frame, as if it were about to blow him away.

“So it’s still better for Alphas to find Omegas.” To lighten the atmosphere, which seemed a bit too heavy, Ji Wan steered the topic back to Feng Jin, joking, “Don’t do anything rash and suddenly go looking for a Beta one day.”

Ji Wan thought that, given Feng Jin’s personality, he would immediately retort and emphasize that he didn’t care about finding a partner that ABO was entirely outside his scope of interest. But after hearing him speak, Feng Jin didn’t retort for a while and appeared somewhat stiff.

Just as Ji Wan’s confusion began to surface, he saw Feng Jin raise an eyebrow, and the stiffness vanished.

Feng Jin stuffed his hands into his coat pockets, pretending to be frightened: “I’m shocked. Truly terrifying.”

Ji Wan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “What are you afraid of? You won’t run into this kind of thing.”

Feng Jin didn’t continue the topic, but said instead, “Let’s go back. It’s cold. They should be done smashing cake by now.”

Ji Wan agreed and started walking back inside. Feng Jin didn’t walk side-by-side with him; he trailed half a step behind, watching Ji Wan’s back.

Ji Wan was still at the age where he was growing, appearing tall and thin with the lingering greenness of a youth.

Feng Jin lowered his eyes.

He had never felt the disadvantages of Ji Wan being a Beta so clearly as he did now. He couldn’t be permanently marked, couldn’t be completely possessed like the wind, he couldn’t be held or kept. They could only meet at the right point in time; once time passed, he would never look back and they would never meet again.

Feng Jin’s brain, which since childhood had always been able to analyze the best path forward even in bad situations, had already sounded an alarm. It would be best to stop here, before these feelings had a chance to go deeper, and remain simple friends with Ji Wan.

Feng Jin pursed his lips.

Friends?

The birthday party ended successfully, and the three of them returned happily to the dormitory.

After the happy days ended, they were greeted by wave after wave of classes and studying. With final exams approaching, everyone exerted their utmost effort to review, hoping that during the Spring Festival they would receive large red envelopes rather than large slaps.

On the night before the actual exams, Kong Liyan used a pen as incense and made a prayer gesture toward Ji Wan and Feng Jin.

Kong Liyan muttered: “Study gods, protect me. Let me rank in the top fifty for this exam. Each of you give me fifty points, protect me, protect me.”

Feng Jin dodged him expressionlessly. “If we give you a hundred points total and you only aim for the top fifty, isn’t your base score a bit too low?”

Kong Liyan: “…”

Dammit, that stings!

Once the final exams were over, everyone fell into a state of high spirits, and even the winter break homework couldn’t dampen the mood.

Kong Liyan grabbed his luggage and waved to Ji Wan and Feng Jin: “My family’s car is here. I’m heading out first, brothers! Let’s hang out during the Spring Festival!”

Ji Wan waved goodbye to Kong Liyan. When he looked back at the dorm, Feng Jin was still sitting on his bed playing on his phone.

Ji Wan reached out and shook Feng Jin’s bed. “When are you going back?”

Feng Jin put down his phone and looked over. “What, can’t wait to kick me out?”

“No.” Ji Wan looked innocent. “I just wanted to say that meeting during winter break won’t be as convenient as it is now. What do you want to do during the break? Do you have any plans?”

Actually, they lived in the same city. If they really wanted to meet, they could just pick a spot; it wasn’t too much trouble.

Feng Jin thought the same. He discussed with Ji Wan that they should meet every few days, with the specific locations to be decided then.

“Mm, okay.” Ji Wan nodded and continued packing his luggage.

Ji Wan folded his quilt and then knelt on his bed to lay out the dust cover. Having finished, he was about to get down when Feng Jin suddenly grabbed him.

Ji Wan: “What is it?”

Feng Jin looked down at him. “Before you go, let me take a bite.”

Since meeting right after the break started might be a bit troublesome, Ji Wan agreed: “Then let’s go down…”

“No need to go down.” Feng Jin interrupted. “I want to lie here for a bit before packing my things. I don’t want to get down yet.”

Ji Wan didn’t quite understand. If they didn’t go down, how could he bite? His own bed was already covered with a dust sheet and wasn’t convenient to stay on. Did he want Ji Wan to stand on the ladder while Feng Jin leaned out to bite him? Like some kind of acrobatics?

Feng Jin saw through Ji Wan’s confusion. The hand holding Ji Wan’s arm tightened slightly: “Come onto my bed.”

Ji Wan: “…?”

Ji Wan looked in disbelief at Feng Jin’s perfectly neat, un-mussed bed, then at Feng Jin. Feng Jin’s expression didn’t look like he was joking, which made it even harder to believe.

Even an easygoing Alpha like Kong Liyan had once said his bed was his territory, let alone Feng Jin.

“Are you sure?” Ji Wan asked. “I won’t step on it only for you to transform on the spot and punch me, will I?”

Feng Jin: “…No.”

Seeing Ji Wan still skeptical, Feng Jin said helplessly, “When have I ever raised a hand against you? You can come up onto this bed.”

Feng Jin paused for a second, then added: “After all, you’re coming up to help me. I won’t mind.”

Only then did Ji Wan follow the pull on his arm and step onto Feng Jin’s bed.

The different perspective and bedding gave him a sense of novelty. Sitting on Feng Jin’s bed, Ji Wan felt a strange sense of “entering the inner sanctum.”

Feng Jin’s eyes darkened, and he pressed forward.