I Heard You Only See Me as a Friend - Chapter 39

With a “ding,” the elevator reached the designated floor and the doors slid open.

In this situation, it didn’t matter that Ji Wan was exceptionally good-looking,  even if he were the Buddha himself, he couldn’t stop the other person’s urge to cover his face and run into a wall. Liu Xiang lowered his head, pretending to scratch his hair to hide half his face, and strode out of the elevator, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Ji Wan found it amusing. After bidding farewell to the “Number Two” (Lin Ang), he estimated the time and returned to their room.

Feng Jin had already finished showering. Water was still dripping from his hair, and his body carried the fresh scent of milk body wash.

Ji Wan placed the rice noodles on the table. “Come eat. After we finish, we’ll study a bit and then head to sleep.”

Feng Jin’s gaze swept over Ji Wan several times. Seeing no signs that he had been bullied, he walked over.

However, as soon as he got close, Feng Jin smelled a lingering pheromone scent on Ji Wan that hadn’t yet dissipated.

It wasn’t a normal scent; it was the kind of fragrance an Alpha emits specifically when trying to show interest or flirt with someone.

…An Alpha had their eye on Ji Wan. Someone wanted to pick him up, not even a hundred meters away from him.

“Eat up. Why are you spacing out? Aren’t you tired?” Ji Wan asked.

Feng Jin suppressed his emotions, broke apart his chopsticks, and took a couple of bites. He asked with feigned nonchalance, “Did you run into an Alpha you know on your way back?”

“Yeah, someone from my old school,” Ji Wan started eating as well.

“Be careful. It’s best to stay away from him; he likely has those kinds of intentions toward you.” Feng Jin picked up two slices of meat from his bowl and stuffed them into Ji Wan’s, then took half a hard-boiled egg yolk that Ji Wan didn’t like from Ji Wan’s bowl. He teased with a pretend lack of concern, “You really attract the peach blossoms, don’t you? You weren’t even out for twenty minutes.”

Hearing Feng Jin say this, Ji Wan recalled the earlier incident and explained the whole story while laughing.

“…Even if he was interested in my face before, he’s probably so embarrassed right now that he wants to hang himself with a noodle the moment he sees me,” Ji Wan analyzed after finishing his explanation. “He definitely misunderstood before and thought I was an Omega. Once he knows I’m a Beta, he shouldn’t be like that anymore.”

An Alpha like that handsome and high-achieving must be very popular with Omegas. He would surely forget the setback he suffered here within two days.

Feng Jin didn’t pursue the topic. He ate his rice noodles slowly, looking like someone who strictly followed the etiquette of not speaking while eating.

Influenced by his upbringing, one viewpoint was deeply rooted in Ji Wan’s mind:

Alphas and Omegas are a match made in heaven, attracted by pheromones. An Alpha would never truly fall for a Beta. Therefore, he didn’t believe that Alpha would maintain any long-term romantic interest in him.

It was also because of this belief that, once Ji Wan decided Feng Jin was a “true gentleman,” his guard was low. He felt Feng Jin could not possibly develop feelings for him beyond friendship.

This was a double-edged sword. It protected Feng Jin, ensuring he wouldn’t be exposed in the short term, but it also made it difficult for him to move forward.

When it was time for bed, Ji Wan lay properly on one side of the bed. He estimated the distance between him and Feng Jin; there was enough room for three more people. It was safe Feng Jin definitely wouldn’t be tormented into insomnia like last time.

The room was lit only by a dim little nightlight. Feng Jin tossed and turned a few times, moving closer to Ji Wan.

“You’re sleeping so far on the edge, be careful not to fall off in the middle of the night,” Feng Jin said.

“I won’t,” Ji Wan said confidently. “Usually, where I am when I fall asleep is exactly where I am when I wake up.”

“Is that so?” Feng Jin said gloomily. “I wonder who it was last time who almost squeezed me off the bed.”

Ji Wan let out an awkward laugh and turned over, pretending he hadn’t heard what Feng Jin said.

Feng Jin changed the subject: “That pheromone perfume I gave you last time did you bring it?”

Ji Wan hadn’t. Bringing such “fancy” things to a competition seemed a bit off.

“No. What do you want that for?” Ji Wan asked.

Feng Jin let out a sigh. “This place is too new. It feels uncomfortable to sleep in a place that doesn’t smell like my own pheromones; it doesn’t feel like my territory. So I was asking if you brought the perfume. If you had, we could spray a bit on the bed.”

Ji Wan didn’t understand. “Wouldn’t covering this bed with your actual pheromones be better than perfume?”

Feng Jin’s eyes dimmed slightly.

Of course. He was waiting for exactly those words.

If he covered the entire bed with his pheromones, then Ji Wan would surely be firmly enveloped by his scent as well.

Ji Wan couldn’t smell it; he could have done this secretly, but that was no longer enough to satisfy him.

He wanted Ji Wan to clearly know that he was lying on a bed saturated with his pheromones.

The pheromones leaked out bit by bit, and the person beside him was draped in his scent. Enveloped in Feng Jin’s pheromones, Ji Wan slowly drifted into dreamland.

The next day, Ji Wan and Feng Jin woke up on time and headed early to the school where the competition was held.

There, Ji Wan saw Lin Ang, the former “Number Two,” and Liu Xiang beside him.

When Liu Xiang saw Ji Wan, his ears turned red. His gaze moved as fast as a jet plane, darting around before finally landing back on Ji Wan.

“Hi,” Liu Xiang greeted softly. “What a coincidence. Have you had breakfast? Let me treat you.”

The pheromones on Liu Xiang’s body began to release showily again. Lin Ang stood a bit further away and directly told Ji Wan the intel: “He wants to pursue you.”

Ji Wan: “…” Young man, choosing based on face alone isn’t good.

Just as Ji Wan was thinking of an excuse to refuse, an arm draped over his shoulder.

“Sorry,” Feng Jin’s voice was very cold. “He has a boyfriend. Please stop thrusting your pheromones at him.”

Ji Wan: “…?”

Ji Wan realized this was the simplest and most direct way to prevent harassment and unwanted advances in a strange environment, so he leaned into Feng Jin’s embrace.

Ji Wan gave a soft smile. “My boyfriend doesn’t like it when others do this. Sorry, we’ll be going now.”

Liu Xiang forced an eight-tooth smile and nodded, trying his best to look gentlemanly as he watched them leave.

Once they turned the corner and were out of Liu Xiang’s sight, Ji Wan couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“As expected of you, coming up with a trick like that.” Ji Wan lightly thumping Feng Jin’s shoulder and laughed. “I’m honored. To have this kind of experience during a competition trip.”

Feng Jin huffed and led Ji Wan a different way to their destination, while also instructing: “I am your boyfriend for these two days while we’re out studying. Got it? Don’t let it slip.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let it slip,” Ji Wan laughed, his tone carrying the light softness unique to when he was playing around.

He looked at Feng Jin, his clear eyes curving slightly, and said in that light, soft voice: “Boyfriend.”

Feng Jin felt as if a hundred feathers were tickling his heart. He maintained a calm facade as he put his arm around Ji Wan’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

The school first took them on a tour to show off their strong faculty and superior campus environment before leading them to the competition site.

It was a large auditorium, enough to seat everyone with empty spaces between every two people.

This competition was jointly drafted by several schools. The questions were randomly selected from a question bank right before the exam; no one could know what the paper would contain.

There were nearly ten sheets of paper covering all subjects, yet the exam time was only three hours. The goal was to ensure no one could finish the entire thing and see who could achieve a high score under such conditions.

To prevent cheating, students from the same school were seated far apart.

Once Ji Wan got the test papers, he began to scan the questions quickly. His mental calculation speed was very fast, and in the next second, he immediately began filling in answers.

Time flew by during the exam. Ji Wan’s pen never stopped; his hand felt sore toward the end, but he still couldn’t bring himself to waste a single second on a break.

The exam ended. The teacher told everyone to put down their pens and sit quietly in their seats while the papers were collected.

Ji Wan put his pen into his case and pressed his aching neck, tilting his head to move the bones.

However, as he looked up, Ji Wan saw the Omega sitting in front of him slumped over the desk. The exposed skin on the back of the neck and the base of the ears was flushed pink, and the person seemed to be trembling slightly.

Physiological knowledge he had learned surfaced in his mind, and a term popped up:

An Omega’s heat.

The moment this thought flashed, Ji Wan stood up to call a teacher. But he was one step too late. The sweet scent of Omega pheromones filled the air. The screams of the Omega and the gasps of Alphas rang out, drowning out his voice.

The proctors noticed the abnormality. Omega and Beta teachers quickly strode over with suppressants, while the Alpha teachers, after swiftly giving themselves a shot, began to evacuate the others.

“Alphas! All Alpha candidates, leave here immediately!” An Alpha teacher blocked a candidate who looked as if he were about to lose control and pushed him out forcefully.

The Alpha teacher roared: “Alpha candidates go first, move to the left! Omega candidates move to the right after exiting! Do not huddle together! Betas, don’t be in a rush to charge out; clear the way for the other two genders first! You can leave once they are gone!”

Most people carried pheromone isolation sprays and ran out while spraying themselves. After spraying a few times, they covered their noses and glands with their hands to minimize the induction of pheromones as much as possible.

Ji Wan felt anxious. He didn’t know if Feng Jin had brought isolation spray; he rarely saw Feng Jin use that thing.

Forget it, he hoped Feng Jin could leave smoothly. If Feng Jin also couldn’t resist, then he could only do his best to drag Feng Jin away.

Ji Wan stood still to leave a path for the Alphas and Omegas, while searching for Feng Jin with his eyes, hoping not to see him nearby.

But things went against his wishes. Someone was walking this way against the flow of people surging toward the door. Ji Wan looked closely it was indeed Feng Jin.

Feng Jin’s face was expressionless, showing no reaction even when bumped by the crowd. His eyes were fixed on this direction, seemingly calm, yet he was like a volcano on the verge of eruption, hiding a great danger.

The distance between them wasn’t close, yet Ji Wan even had the illusion that Feng Jin wasn’t looking at the Omega in heat, but at him.

The Alpha teacher saw Feng Jin and shouted, “That student, stop coming this way! Turn around! Did you hear me? Turn around!”

Feng Jin heard the voice, but he was completely unmoved.

The Alpha teacher’s eyes widened, looking as if he were about to explode in anger. Ji Wan hurriedly stepped forward: “Teacher, he’s my friend! I’ll go stop him!”

The Alpha teacher glanced at Ji Wan. Ji Wan couldn’t worry about much else and turned to run toward Feng Jin.

He absolutely could not let Feng Jin get near that Omega; he couldn’t let Feng Jin wake up later and find he had done such a thing.

Would stopping Feng Jin be difficult? Definitely. Two of him wouldn’t be enough to fight Feng Jin. He only hoped Feng Jin would show mercy based on their friendship.

As Ji Wan got closer, he reached out to grab Feng Jin’s arm, but before his hand could touch him, Feng Jin grabbed him back.

A large hand directly covered his nose and the gland on the back of his neck. Feng Jin turned around decisively, pressed him into his embrace, and dragged him outward.

Feng Jin’s palm still held the scent of ink from writing the exam, covering most of Ji Wan’s face. Ji Wan was tucked away and quickly led away from this place filled with pheromones.

Ji Wan’s eyes widened, unable to understand why things had suddenly turned out like this.

He was a Beta and couldn’t even sense pheromones what was Feng Jin covering him for?

Ji Wan tried to break free, but the more he struggled, the tighter Feng Jin held him. Ji Wan had no choice but to settle down, while reaching out a hand to help Feng Jin cover the gland on the back of his neck, quickening their pace toward a safe spot.

Ji Wan was touching his gland.

This realization made Feng Jin’s whole body tremble. He took a deep breath. The sweet pheromones in the air couldn’t occupy a fraction of his mind he was already unsatisfied with the current situation, wishing he had ten more hands to press onto Ji Wan. How could he possibly spare half a bit of attention for anything else?

Not enough… it was completely not enough.