I Heard You Only See Me as a Friend - Chapter 31

Feng Jin’s face wore a rare look of daze. Ji Wan, amused, waved a hand in front of him to snap him back to reality.

“Why that expression? Did I actually pick the right one?” Ji Wan asked.

Feng Jin tried to restrain himself but failed, involuntarily breaking into a somewhat silly smile. “Yes.”

What Ji Wan liked… was exactly his scent. Just the thought of it brought him a surge of genuine joy from deep within.

Feng Jin gripped the perfume bottle tightly, heading to the counter to pay without further hesitation. After getting it gift-wrapped, he handed it to Ji Wan.

As they walked out chatting, Ji Wan was still amazed by the coincidence of picking Feng Jin’s pheromone scent. He joked, “I’ll keep this bottle in my room like a shrine. Before doing homework or studying, I’ll spray a bit on my books and pray for the Study God to grant me strength.”

Feng Jin remained silent for a moment. It wasn’t until they reached the roadside that he spoke: “Next time you come out with me… you can spray some on yourself.”

Before Ji Wan could react, Feng Jin smiled again. “Otherwise, I won’t know if you’re actually using it. I have a feeling you’ll just toss it in a corner to gather dust.”

Ji Wan understood that sentiment and agreed with a laugh.

Time flew by. On New Year’s Eve, Ji Wan followed Father Ji to his grandfather’s house for the New Year’s dinner. Since they were in the same city, there was no need for long-distance travel, and they soon arrived.

Compared to his stepmother’s relatives who loved to belittle him to highlight Ji Ke’s excellence Ji Wan preferred it here. The Ji side of the family was relatively better; at least they didn’t subject him to too many verbal attacks.

The younger generation sat at their own table for the New Year’s Eve dinner, planning to go out and play afterward. A young cousin in kindergarten refused to sit still, leaning against Ji Wan’s leg and swaying.

“Brother, I want to eat that!” The little girl pointed at the meat on the table.

Ji Wan picked up a chicken leg for her. She clapped happily. Then, Ji Wan added a portion of green vegetables to her plate, and she instantly froze.

“No picking favorites,” Ji Wan patted her head, lifting her into a specialized high chair. “Sit properly and eat. Be a good girl.”

The girl made a long face but started picking at the meat and rice.

Ji Ke, who was sitting nearby watching TV, sneered at the sight. “It’s been over ten years, and your skill at feeding kids is still this bad. No wonder I hated eating when I was little.”

Ji Wan said nothing, lowering his eyes as he ate, occasionally helping his young cousin with more vegetables. Being ignored, Ji Ke pursed his lips, let out a huff, and went back to the TV.

Late at night, the adults began handing out “lucky money” (red envelopes) to the younger generation.

“Thank you, Grandpa!” The young cousin chirped sweet blessings, took the red envelope from the old man, and skipped away.

Grandpa Ji handed them out one by one. When it was Ji Wan and Ji Ke’s turn, he first took out an envelope and handed it to the elder, Ji Wan.

“Thank you, Grandpa. I wish you blessings as vast as the Eastern Sea and a long life like the Southern Mountains,” Ji Wan said with a quiet, well-behaved smile.

“Mm.” Grandpa Ji nodded. He then looked at Ji Ke and pulled out another envelope, visibly thicker than Ji Wan’s.

Ji Ke took the envelope, knew the approximate amount with one squeeze, and pouted. He stepped forward to grab Grandpa Ji’s arm, acting spoiled: “Grandpa, why are you getting stingier? Look at me. I’m so good-looking and an Omega. Shouldn’t I be given a bit more? I need to be pampered; otherwise, what if I get tricked away by some poor guy? Wouldn’t your heart ache for me?”

“You child.” Grandpa Ji laughed, reached into his robe to pull out another red envelope for Ji Ke, and rubbed his head.

When the meal was over, those who could stay up continued the New Year’s vigil, while those who couldn’t went to bed. The children’s topics mostly revolved around games or the Spring Festival Gala, while the adults’ topics were much more practical.

“Eldest, how is your company doing? I heard a formidable competitor showed up recently?” Grandpa asked.

“It’s a bit tricky,” Father Ji took a puff of his cigarette. “Their boss seems to have a wide network. They’ve pulled in more clients than I have for a significant shipment, and their market share is much larger.”

Despite saying it was tricky, Father Ji wore a smile of certain victory. “However, I’m already in contact with the people over at the Feng Corporation. It’ll definitely work out. Once the contract is signed in a while and the word gets out, the situation will still be in my favor.”

“Brother, why are you so confident?” a younger aunt asked. “Who are you dealing with over there?”

“One of their materials managers,” Father Ji smiled, rubbing his thumb and index finger together in a gesture of counting money. “Money makes the world go round. What’s so hard about it?”

Listening to these conversations, Ji Wan felt a heavy sense of oppression. He chose not to stay for the countdown, instead heading to his assigned guest room. After a shower, he prepared to turn in.

Ji Wan changed into pajamas, dried his hair, and lay down. He opened his phone to watch the live stream of the Spring Festival Gala. By midnight, it would count as celebrating the New Year with the rest of the country.

He had just started listening to a veteran singer performing a classic folk song when a video call invite popped up.

[Feng Jin invites you to a video chat]

An unconscious smile touched Ji Wan’s eyes as he accepted the call.

Feng Jin appeared to be in his own room, alone. The background decorations were perfectly neat. The second after Ji Wan saw Feng Jin’s face, the video was abruptly cut.

Ji Wan: “?” Did Feng Jin realize he called the wrong person?

But before he could think further, Feng Jin called back. This time, Feng Jin looked the same as before, except for a subtle redness on his earlobes.

“Bad signal. It dropped,” Feng Jin explained.

“Mm,” Ji Wan smiled, relaxing as he chatted. “Aren’t you doing New Year greetings?”

“Finished them. Now it’s free time. Kong Liyan and the others wanted me to go out to the streets, but I couldn’t be bothered.” As Feng Jin spoke, he adjusted his camera angle, striving to look as handsome as possible.

“Couldn’t be bothered” was a lie; wanting to talk to Ji Wan sooner was the truth.

But he hadn’t expected to see Ji Wan like this.

Ji Wan was lying down, holding his phone above him for the call. Feng Jin had his phone on his desk, looking down. From his perspective, he was looking down at Ji Wan on the bed—making it look… as if Ji Wan were lying beneath him.

He saw Ji Wan’s smiling eyes pure, bright, and completely devoid of any guard against him. Ji Wan wasn’t trying to seduce him at all, yet Feng Jin felt like he had lost his soul.

Feng Jin took a quiet deep breath, continuing the small talk: “Why are you in bed so early?”

“I’m not sleeping, just watching the Gala,” Ji Wan said. Then, with a hint of expectation, he couldn’t help but ask, “Do you want to watch it with me?”

Feng Jin wanted nothing more than to talk to Ji Wan longer. He had been looking for an excuse to spend the countdown together, so he naturally agreed immediately. He didn’t want to minimize the video call, so he simply opened his laptop to stream the Gala there.

On screen, a “Green Tea” flavored Alpha who hated his own pheromones was trying everything to mask his scent with perfume. He bought the supposedly most popular perfume, only for the two scents to combine into the smell of garlic. The scheme backfired, and the Green Tea Alpha slumped in despair.

The audience roared with laughter. Ji Wan laughed too, then heard Feng Jin ask: “That gift I gave you last time… how much have you used?”

Ji Wan recalled the perfume. “Haven’t had much chance to use it. It feels a bit inconvenient at home.” If his family smelled it, they might mock him for not accepting the reality of being a Beta and wanting to be an Alpha.

“But I did use it once. I sprayed some on the quilt before bed,” Ji Wan offered a positive review. “It smells good.”

That night, he had studied too late and was too keyed up to sleep. On a whim, he sprayed the bed. He truly liked the scent the moist earth and the breath of vegetation relaxed his nerves and helped him fall asleep quickly.

Ji Wan smiled. “The scent of your pheromones is very nice.”

Feng Jin’s Adam’s apple bobbed. In the dark, quiet night, Ji Wan was surrounded by his scent, yet he couldn’t smell or see it.

In the future, there might be such a day, but not now. However, he could induce Ji Wan to spray some on himself during the video call. Though he couldn’t smell it through the cold screen, he could imagine it.

Feng Jin put on a skeptical face: “Really? I bet you haven’t even opened the packaging and you’re just saying that to make me happy.”

Ji Wan was helpless. “Of course I opened it. I’ll go get it to show you.”

Ji Wan got up to get the bottle. He had been worried he wouldn’t sleep well at his grandfather’s house, so he had brought it along. He walked toward his backpack, but before he could pull it out, there was a knock on the door. It was persistent the person outside clearly wasn’t going to stop until he opened up.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Ji Ke’s voice came through.

What does he want this late? Ji Wan frowned. He knew his brother wouldn’t quit until he got what he wanted; if he didn’t open the door, the whole family might get involved, questioning why he was ignoring his brother.

Ji Wan walked to the door and opened it. “Is something wrong?”

Ji Ke was in coral fleece pajamas, his delicate face looking flushed a supple Omega. He stared at Ji Wan. “Why aren’t you watching the Gala with everyone? Are you angry?”

Ji Wan was stunned. “…I’m not angry.”

“Stop pretending in front of me; you think I can’t tell?” Ji Ke shook his head, glancing at the small bedroom behind Ji Wan. “We’re different Genders (OB); isn’t it normal for Grandpa to give me a bit more lucky money?”

Ji Wan: “…”

“Besides, I got that second red envelope because of my own skill. If you want one, you can act spoiled for Grandpa too!” The pretty Omega tilted his head. “You don’t know how to act spoiled at all. Can you really blame me for that?”

Ji Wan: “…I don’t blame you. The amount in the envelope doesn’t matter. I came up early because I’m tired and want to sleep. Do you have any other questions?”

There wasn’t a hint of anger in Ji Wan’s voice, not even a ripple of emotion. Ji Ke instinctively shook his head and watched as Ji Wan closed the door in his face.

Once the sound of Ji Ke’s footsteps faded, Ji Wan scratched his hair and stood quietly at the door for a moment before returning to bed. As he pulled up the quilt, his back hit his phone. He picked it up and was startled to see Feng Jin’s face.

Ji Wan: “!!!”

“Ah,” Ji Wan sat up abruptly, remembering what he had been about to do. “I forgot. I’ll show you now.”

“Don’t bother, I believe you.” Feng Jin’s voice carried a suppressed fury. “What is wrong with that person? Coming specifically to mock you in the middle of the night?”

“It wasn’t exactly mockery.” Ji Wan got off the bed with his phone and smiled faintly. “I really don’t know how to act spoiled.”

Feng Jin said nothing, struggling to control his anger so he wouldn’t scare Ji Wan or make Ji Wan feel the need to comfort him. Only those who are cherished have the right to be spoiled. It wasn’t that Ji Wan didn’t know how; it was that his long-term environment had taught him that it was useless, so he gradually stopped.

Ji Wan took the gift out of his bag and held it up to the camera. “See? I’m using it.”

Feng Jin adjusted his expression to one of surprise. “Not bad. Since it’s not gathering dust, this perfume can die without regrets.”

“Nonsense.” Ji Wan laughed, walked to the bed to spray a bit on the quilt, and put it away.

They chatted a while longer until midnight struck. A flood of New Year blessings from various friends poured into his phone.

“Happy New Year,” Feng Jin said over the video. “I’m definitely the first one to say it to you.”

“Yes,” Ji Wan clapped. “Happy New Year. Brother Feng must also happily compete for rank one with me in the new year.”

“That might not work out,” Feng Jin arched an eyebrow. “You should be mentally prepared to be second.”

“Is that so? I’m so scared.” Ji Wan wrapped the quilt around himself to simulate trembling.

They teased each other for a bit until it got very late. Ji Wan’s internal clock couldn’t take it anymore; he bid Feng Jin goodnight and fell into a deep sleep.

The video call ended, but Feng Jin continued to stare at the dark screen. The smile on his face faded, replaced by a cold sharpness.

Doesn’t know how to be spoiled? Ji Wan shouldn’t have to act spoiled for those people in the first place.

Things Ji Wan wants shouldn’t need to be said aloud; one look should be enough for others to understand and place them before him. Those ignorant, useless people shouldn’t even be near him.

I hope Ji Wan has a good dream tonight, surrounded by the scent of my pheromones…

New Year’s Day was also bustling. During the New Year, asking the younger, unmarried generation about their age and whether they had a partner is a fixed tradition. As an Omega, Ji Ke was the focus of the focus.

“Xiao Ke, any Alphas you like? That new school you transferred to should be quite good.”

“To be honest, Xiao Ke is good-looking. Among this age group, I haven’t seen an—” Third Uncle paused, “—Omega better looking than Xiao Ke.”

As a Beta, Ji Wan was generally excluded from the circle of concern. He pulled out his phone under the table.

Feng Jin had messaged him: [It’s been almost three days. Are you coming out? I’m already outside.]

Ji Wan thought and replied: [I’m at my grandpa’s house. I’ll find a chance to get out. If you’re in a hurry, you can wait nearby. I’ll be down as soon as possible.]

Ji Wan sent his location. Shortly after, Feng Jin sent a message saying he’d arrive in ten minutes.

So fast? Ji Wan was surprised and looked up to excuse himself. He was just a placeholder here anyway; it made no difference if he stayed or left.

The marriage talk continued: “Xiao Ke’s partner can’t be chosen carelessly. I’m a straight-shooter—Xiao Ke is so pretty, he could marry into the elite! I’ve seen some madams who aren’t half as pretty as him!”

“That’s true. Omegas are few, and ones as beautiful as Xiao Ke are even rarer. He’ll have his pick later on.”

Everyone laughed. Ji Wan used the opening to stand and address his grandfather. “Grandpa, a classmate is coming to find me. I’m going out for a bit.”

Grandpa Ji nodded without even raising his eyebrows. Ji Wan left to go upstairs and change. Since he was going out with Feng Jin, he decided to wear the clothes they bought together.

As he changed, he remembered Feng Jin’s comment about using the perfume to prove it was being used. It would be too obvious if he sprayed it now while leaving. After some thought, he tucked the small bottle into his pocket.

By the time he came down, the ten minutes were almost up. Ji Wan jogged out of the door. As the door closed, the atmosphere inside chilled for a moment.

Grandmother frowned. “I wonder which Beta is looking for him. On New Year’s Day… he must be dating.”

“Most likely. With looks like that, he’s bound to attract people.”

Third Uncle clicked his tongue in curiosity and stood up to check the security monitor at the yard gate. Someone was already standing there.

A youth with sharp, handsome features stood waiting quietly, hands in his pockets, looking at the sky. Such a casual action carried an air of unbridled arrogance. The family might not recognize everyone, but in this house, where everyone tried their hardest to get close to the elite, they were more than familiar with the faces of the top families.

Third Uncle was shocked and called out: “Quick, come look! Is this… is this person…!”

Ji Wan didn’t know what was happening inside. When he reached the gate and saw Feng Jin waiting, he ran up quickly. Feng Jin was wearing the same coat as him, looking equally festive.

“Don’t run. What’s the rush?” Feng Jin walked toward him. “Don’t be so excited.”

“You got here so fast,” Ji Wan asked. “Are you in a hurry? Do you want to go now?”

“No,” Feng Jin smiled. “No rush. Let’s just wander around first.”

Ji Wan nodded. Hanging out with Feng Jin was much better than staying home. He walked forward happily, following Feng Jin into a car heading for the city center.

On the streets, Ji Wan noticed that besides the red lanterns and window paper for the New Year, there were many pink balloons, fresh flowers, and Chibi characters kissing.

Why is it so lively?

Ji Wan felt something was off. He opened his phone and checked the calendar he hadn’t bothered with since the break started.

February 14th.

Besides New Year’s Day, today was also… Valentine’s Day.