I Heard You Only See Me as a Friend - Chapter 37

After the hug, Ji Wan and Feng Jin walked back to the dormitory. As they walked, Ji Wan said happily, “Playing ball with you is much more effective than any of my previous methods for adjusting my mood.”

“Is that so? What methods did you use before?” Feng Jin asked, feeling somewhat absent-minded.

Feng Jin was still dwelling on that hug from Ji Wan. He had held Ji Wan’s waist; Ji Wan was lean, and his waist was slender, making it a perfect fit in his arms.

The only flaw was that Ji Wan had reached out to hug his shoulders. If Ji Wan could have hugged his neck, with fingers lightly grazing the gland on the back of his neck, it would have been perfect.

Ji Wan: “When I was in a really bad mood before, I would draw to regulate my emotions.”

An Alpha’s gland is like a dragon’s reverse scale something that cannot be touched casually. But at the thought of Ji Wan touching it, Feng Jin wished he could lower his head immediately and let Ji Wan touch it a few more times.

The more Feng Jin thought about it, the more his mind wandered, though his mouth remembered to respond: “What did you draw? Let me see.”

Ji Wan actually had drawings saved on his phone. Hearing Feng Jin ask, he took out his phone and found them to show him.

Feng Jin looked down, and his stray thoughts were instantly reeled in.

On the screen were rows of thumbnails. Ji Wan drew everything people, animals, landscapes.

Feng Jin stared at several figure drawings, clicked on them, and frowned.

It was a male in a “Thinker” pose, wearing no clothes.

“Why didn’t you draw clothes on him?” Feng Jin asked in a heavy voice.

“It’s a figure study,” Ji Wan looked at Feng Jin, puzzled. “Why would I draw clothes on him?”

Feng Jin was momentarily speechless.

It wasn’t like he had never taken an art class; he knew many famous sculptures and oil paintings featured nude figures. Such art contained no vulgarity and was meant to showcase the beauty and artistry of the human body.

Fortunately, he quickly found an excuse: “His physique is no good; it doesn’t look nice. Of course you should draw clothes, otherwise, isn’t it an eyesore to keep on your phone?”

Ji Wan: “…”

There were simply too many points to criticize in that sentence. Ji Wan chose one to express his disagreement: “His physique is very standard; it’s already better than at least ninety percent of people.”

Feng Jin raised an eyebrow and let out a scoff, appearing quite disdainful: “You call that a good physique? You’ve seen far too little.”

“Forget it. When we have a chance to shower together, I’ll let you see for yourself.” Feng Jin draped an arm around Ji Wan’s shoulder like a good bro. “Then you’ll know why I said he’s an eyesore. If you want to improve your aesthetic, you might as well use me as a model.”

Ji Wan: “…”

Brother Feng, is this really okay?

What made Feng Jin willing to sell out his own flesh? It was the greatness of friendship.

Ji Wan assumed Feng Jin was just speaking casually and didn’t take it seriously.

He remained in a pleasant mood all the way until evening. Even the unaware Kong Liyan noticed his cheerfulness when he returned.

“What’s up with Wan-wan? If there’s something good, say it so I can hear it too,” Kong Liyan asked curiously. “Sharing joy is better than enjoying it alone!”

Ji Wan cleared his throat with a fist to his lips and glanced at Feng Jin. He hadn’t decided whether to tell the story. After all, his ability to win against Feng Jin at basketball relied entirely on Feng Jin “letting the water out” like the Three Gorges Dam. Bragging about it felt a bit unfair to Feng Jin.

Ji Wan didn’t say it, but Feng Jin spoke up.

He flipped a page of his book and said with a straight face, “Your Brother Ji has amazing talent. I taught him once how to drive past an opponent and use fakes to confuse them, and he tricked me, driving to the hoop right in front of my face.”

Kong Liyan: “!!!”

Kong Liyan was so shocked he dropped his sunflower seeds. He lunged at Ji Wan’s desk, looking at him with eyes full of worship: “Wan-wan… no, Brother Ji! Brother Ji, how are you so good at everything? How did you do it? Can you teach me? I want to successfully steal the ball from Little Feng too!”

“Well…” Ji Wan couldn’t help but chuckle. Following Feng Jin’s lead, he said solemnly, “I can teach you when it comes to studies, but there’s no way to teach basketball. It’s just talent.”

The worship in Kong Liyan’s eyes was almost blinding. He said loudly, “How about I sign you up for the basketball team? With you and Brother Feng, our class will definitely be invincible throughout the whole school!”

Ji Wan: “…”

Oops, I bragged too much.

“No, your brother Ji has a weak heart. He can only spar a move or two with me occasionally, he can’t play in matches,” Feng Jin quickly intervened. “Don’t go picking at people’s sore spots.”

Kong Liyan stopped talking, but his gaze toward Ji Wan was full of the feeling that the heavens were unfair regretting that such a genius had ended up this way.

Kong Liyan sadly changed the subject to prevent Ji Wan from feeling too much regret: “Speaking of which, next month on this day is Brother Feng’s birthday. Time flies so fast.”

“May 5th is Feng Jin’s birthday?” Ji Wan asked in surprise.

“Yeah,” Kong Liyan nodded. “Wan-wan, you definitely have to come. Clear your schedule for that day.”

Ji Wan naturally agreed. When the lights went out for bed, he pulled the quilt over his head, turned on his phone, and sent a secret message to Kong Liyan.

[What do you guys usually give Feng Jin as a gift?]

Kong Liyan was indeed awake and playing on his phone, replying instantly: [That kind of stuff doesn’t matter. Brother Feng doesn’t lack anything; it’s fine as long as you show up. Or give something creative, though don’t make it too disgusting. Once I gave him a ‘Flying Kiss Bobo Chicken,’ and he thought it was so gross he gave me a real beating.]

Ji Wan: “…”

What on earth is a Flying Kiss Bobo Chicken?

Ji Wan searched on a shopping app and found a yellow chicken with “deathly Barbie pink” eye makeup and puckered lips constantly making flying kiss motions. One look was enough to make a person never want to see it again.

Ji Wan closed the app, feeling amazed that Kong Liyan hadn’t been beaten to death by Feng Jin yet.

Ji Wan began to think about what to give. He couldn’t afford expensive things, and Feng Jin didn’t need them; it was better to be practical.

Since he considered Feng Jin his best friend, the gift couldn’t be perfunctory. Ji Wan lay in bed thinking for a long time before coming up with a gift.

He could give Feng Jin a sketchbook, featuring stories of their friendship from his perspective. Every year thereafter, as long as they were still friends, they could add new things to it until the day he might not see Feng Jin even once a year.

Ji Wan was the type to act immediately. With a month until the birthday, there was plenty of time.

Time passed quickly with studies. A few days before the birthday, Ji Wan finished everything he wanted to draw and wrapped it secretly, planning to give it to Feng Jin when they were alone.

The birthday fell on a weekend, and Feng Jin invited his friends to celebrate together.

It wasn’t the first time Ji Wan had met Feng Jin’s friends, so he wasn’t restrained. After eating normally, Ji Wan noticed everyone’s mood clearly starting to become hyper, while only Feng Jin remained calm.

“Ugh, finally the annual tradition is here,” Da Hei said, theatrically wiping away non-existent tears. “I’m so excited.”

Zhang Yang put an arm around Da Hei’s shoulder: “Son, today you are innocent  tomorrow is the death penalty.”

Kong Liyan leaned toward Ji Wan and whispered in his ear, “Wan-wan, join us in a bit. Let’s mess with Brother Feng together.”

Ji Wan expressed confusion with his eyes. Kong Liyan whispered again, “Brother Feng is more lenient on his birthday. We can mess with him and he’ll mostly endure it, so we usually play Truth or Dare. If Brother Feng is unlucky enough to be picked, he won’t cheat. It’s a rare chance; let’s all work together to mess with him today!”

Ji Wan understood; no wonder Kong Liyan wasn’t beaten to death for the Bobo Chicken. Kong Liyan casually put an arm around Ji Wan’s shoulder, about to walk forward happily, when he was shooed away from Ji Wan by Feng Jin.

“You guys are full of bad ideas; don’t corrupt him,” Feng Jin said calmly, pulling Ji Wan into his own side.

Kong Liyan winked at Ji Wan and went off to play with the others.

After the meal, almost everyone couldn’t wait to head to the hotel suite Feng Jin had booked. It was a large room, enough for everyone to sit in a circle. Kong Liyan pulled out a deck of cards he had prepared and excitedly laid them out.

Snacks and fruit platters were delivered. As the staff was about to leave, they were stopped.

Da Hei said, “Brother Feng, let’s get some bottles of alcohol. What’s the point without a drink? Only after drinking can the brothers open their hearts and cry on each other’s shoulders. Anyway, there’s no class tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah! Only then will we have the guts to make a move on you,” Kong Liyan nodded vigorously.

Feng Jin: “…”

Feng Jin let them have their way. Everyone excitedly ordered a bottle of many different varieties. Once the alcohol arrived, they immediately poured a glass for Feng Jin quite unceremoniously.

Feng Jin shook his head, however. “My tolerance is average. You guys drink.”

“Being too humble is boring, Brother Feng. If your tolerance is average, then we’d pass out after one sip.” Kong Liyan didn’t stop pouring, explaining to Ji Wan as he did, “Don’t listen to his nonsense. Once he drank with us for fun, and all of us were done for while he was like nothing happened. His tolerance is excellent.”

Ji Wan clapped supportively. Feng Jin glanced at Ji Wan and stopped speaking.

His tolerance really hadn’t been built up yet; those times Kong Liyan mentioned, he had actually blacked out and didn’t remember what happened. But according to their descriptions and videos, the drunk him was no different from the sober him, he even seemed more oppressive and serious.

It was too hard for him to say “I can’t” over and over in front of Ji Wan.

Various beers and wines were brought in. Everyone put the cards aside for a moment, laughing and joking.

Ji Wan was also poured a glass of sweet fruit wine. After trying a sip and finding it good, he took another sip, and then another. With half a glass down, Ji Wan felt his face start to heat up and his head grew a bit dizzy.

“In a bit, if I draw the Joker card, I’ll make two random people among you ‘mwah-mwah’ (kiss)!” Kong Liyan took a huge gulp of ice-cold beer and raised his glass. “Brothers, so that our cold Brother Feng can also feel the sensation of a kiss for once, whether he’s picked or one of you others is picked even if it’s gross, endure it and give a kiss! Come on, bottoms up!”

The other Alphas all made gagging sounds but still raised their glasses, clinking them together.

Ji Wan also clinked his glass dizzily and happily. However, before he could drink after clinking, his back leaned against a warm body.

Feng Jin’s breath puffed by his ear, and Ji Wan heard Feng Jin answer clearly: “I’m not kissing.”

Feng Jin refused crisply and neatly: “If that question really comes up, whoever among you wants to play can play, but I’m not participating.”

“Aw, Brother Feng, you’re being a spoilsport,” Kong Liyan sighed, then started pointing randomly to stir things up. “Da Hei, Fang Wei, then in a bit you two can kiss. Your pheromones should smell pretty good together a perfect match!”

Kong Liyan was pushed into a corner by Da Hei and Fang Wei for a playful beating. Once everyone had drunk enough for “liquid courage,” the game officially began.

The game wasn’t intense from the start; it progressed gradually, and the initial questions were fairly innocent. Feng Jin unfortunately got caught once. The “Truth” for that round was asking at what age he stopped wetting the bed, and the “Dare” was to mix all the drinks together and take a few sips. Feng Jin wordlessly chose the dare and finished half a glass of the mixture without changing his expression.

After a few more rounds, Fang Wei who had drunk too much water couldn’t hold it and went to the restroom. When he returned, the cards had been dealt. He accidentally saw Kong Liyan’s card and then Feng Jin’s.

“Damn, you guys started before I was back, doesn’t count, doesn’t count…” Fang Wei flipped over his own face-down card and was shocked to find it was the Joker. He immediately swallowed his protest and praised, “Good card, good card! I’ll hit anyone who says it doesn’t count!”

Fang Wei didn’t actually dare to point at Feng Jin and make him kiss just anyone; he was afraid he wouldn’t see the sun the day after tomorrow. But Kong Liyan, who had been stirring things up and wanting him to kiss Da Hei earlier he was more than bold enough to retaliate against him.

Kong Liyan’s card number was two. Fang Wei cleared his throat and said, pretending to know nothing, “Number Two, Truth or Dare?”

Kong Liyan scratched his head. “What’s the Truth?”

Fang Wei said, “When was the last time your dad spanked your butt, and why?”

Kong Liyan: “…”

The last time Kong Liyan was spanked was for getting a zero on an exam; he refused to remember: “Say no more, Dare!”

“Then give Number Five a kiss.” Fang Wei gave a wicked grin. “I’m not making it hard for you; I’m not asking for a pheromone exchange, just a ‘mwah’ is fine. Your brother’s been good enough to you, right?”

Fang Wei didn’t know who Number Five was; he just knew it wasn’t Feng Jin, as he had specifically avoided Feng Jin’s number.

“Damn, you unfilial son,” Kong Liyan sighed and groaned. “Fine, who is Number Five? Come out and give your father a ‘mwah.’ Ah, my god, it’s so gross, I already want to puke.”

Everyone laughingly pushed him and looked for who Number Five was. A person nobody expected flipped over their card.

“Ah, I’m Number Five,” Ji Wan froze.

“Uh… UH????” Kong Liyan stood right up. “Wan-wan?”

Looking at Ji Wan’s face, which was flushed redder than usual from the alcohol, Kong Liyan suddenly became bashful: “Oh my, this is so embarrassing. Wan-wan might still have his first kiss; it wouldn’t be right.”

“Ah, no.” Ji Wan had drunk a bit, and his words weren’t going through his brain as usual.

Feng Jin’s hand hooked around Ji Wan’s shoulder, though no one noticed. Kong Liyan was shocked: “You actually aren’t? Wan-wan, have you been in a relationship?”

“No,” Ji Wan shook his head. “It was also with a friend.”

The crowd’s cheering grew louder, naturally assuming Ji Wan had played this kind of game before, and they clapped for the fact that Ji Wan also had a group of “bad friends” like them.

Feng Jin’s hand moved from Ji Wan’s shoulder to the back of his neck, his thumb sliding over Ji Wan’s gland that couldn’t accept pheromones.

Kong Liyan’s ears turned red. “Alright then, since you’ve played before, I’m relieved. One time to get used to it, twice to be a pro. Wan-wan, come here, mwah-mwah!”

Ji Wan didn’t move, and he couldn’t move. Feng Jin was pressing on his neck, pinning him firmly in place.

“You want to kiss him?” Ji Wan heard Feng Jin’s calm voice ring in his ear.

Ji Wan shook his head decisively: “I don’t. Let me explain to them.”

“Mhm.” Feng Jin let out a chuckle. “No need to explain. Whether you want to or not, no one can touch you.”

The sentence sounded a bit strange, but with his head heating up from the alcohol, Ji Wan didn’t think deeply.

Pheromones silently filled the entire space, pressing down on everyone. The noise of play suddenly went silent.

Everyone who could perceive pheromones turned their heads in one direction.

The direction where Feng Jin was. Behind the unaware Ji Wan, Feng Jin curled his lips and gave them a warning smile.

This was the first time they had ever seen such a smile on Feng Jin’s face.

Pheromones can express a person’s emotions, and Feng Jin’s extremely threatening pheromones at this moment clearly conveyed a single message to them:

He is mine.