I Heard You Only See Me as a Friend - Chapter 4

Shortly after Feng Jin returned to the classroom, both he and Kong Liyan were called into the office.

Kong Liyan looked nervous when he was first summoned, but seeing Feng Jin with him, he instantly became arrogant.

“Going with you usually means it’s something good. Does the old teacher think I’m exceptionally brilliant and want to focus on cultivating me?” Kong Liyan fantasized happily.

Feng Jin remained expressionless. “Your eyes are still open; why have you started daydreaming already?”

Kong Liyan: “…” I can’t keep this brother anymore.

Upon reaching the office, they finally understood the headteacher’s purpose.

“I called you here to discuss boarding,” the headteacher said kindly. “Your dormitory is the only one in our class with a vacancy. Would you be willing to add another roommate?”

Kong Liyan didn’t mind, but he knew full well that Feng Jin was not the type to friendly welcome a new roommate. Expecting Feng Jin to agree was less likely than expecting an iron tree to bloom.

As Kong Liyan thought this, he heard Feng Jin ask, “School has been in session for a while; why is someone suddenly wanting to board now?”

“Because it’s the new transfer student,” the headteacher said with a smile. “He’s a Beta. He has no pheromones, so there won’t be any conflicts with yours. He’s also clean and values hygiene. Give it some thought?”

“Transfer student… it’s Ji Wan!” Kong Liyan finally reacted, slapping his thigh in delight. “Great, great—”

He stopped mid-sentence as he realized that even if he agreed, it wouldn’t matter; Feng Jin was the one who made the final decision.

Although Feng Jin lived at school, he didn’t like noisy dormitory environments. Since his family had donated a building to the school, the administration had done its best to fulfill his small wish by giving him a private dorm. Kong Liyan, as Feng Jin’s childhood friend, had been shocked by the setup and had to resort to a dramatic performance—vowing repeatedly to be an exemplary roommate—before he finally managed to get a share of that spacious room from a thoroughly annoyed Feng Jin. He was certain that if it weren’t for over a decade of friendship, Feng Jin would have kicked him out long ago.

And Ji Wan, as the rival who had snatched Feng Jin’s first-place ranking, had only known him for a few days. How could Feng Jin possibly let him move in?

“It seems Kong Liyan is quite welcoming. What about your opinion, Feng Jin?” the headteacher asked. He sighed as if a thought had occurred to him. “Sigh, if you’re unwilling, I’ll have to put Ji Wan in a dorm with another class. Since those would be strangers, I wonder if Classmate Ji Wan would find it difficult to adjust.”

Kong Liyan shook his head internally. This “retreat to advance” tactic might work on someone soft-hearted, but it was useless against the stone-hearted Feng Jin. If Ji Wan really moves in, I’ll treat him like a lucky koi—giving him the ‘ancestor’ treatment and praying to him every day to catch some of his luck!

Feng Jin’s face remained expressionless. His gaze shifted past the teacher’s shoulder, through the office glass, toward the distant gymnasium. He knew the teacher’s concerns could happen, or even worse. With Ji Wan’s looks, if there were even one low-quality Alpha in the dorm, Ji Wan might encounter something truly disgusting.

His rival should not disappear in such a manner.

After a long silence, Feng Jin finally spoke.

“…Whatever.” Feng Jin turned around, frowning. “But teacher, I’ll say the ugly words first. My temper isn’t great, and I can’t guarantee there won’t be conflicts. You’ll have to tell him… to be careful.”

At the end of school, Ji Wan received notice from the headteacher that the dorm was settled and he could move in whenever he was ready.

Ji Wan didn’t waste time. He immediately called the family driver to bring the luggage he had already packed. When the driver arrived at the school gate, Ji Wan was surprised to find Kong Liyan there to help.

“What a coincidence, we’re in the same dorm?” Ji Wan smiled. “You don’t need to carry that; I don’t have much stuff. Just lead me to the room.”

Kong Liyan looked as if his worldview had shattered. He wobbled over and snatched Ji Wan’s suitcase. Since he had sworn to give Ji Wan the ancestor treatment, he couldn’t just treat him like a “Daddy”—that would be wrong! Luggage and such should definitely be handled by him.

“Don’t stop a classmate from being a grandson,” Kong Liyan said solemnly.

Ji Wan: “…?” Is he speaking Mandarin? Why don’t I understand?

A bewildered Ji Wan followed Kong Liyan. After a short walk, they reached the dorm door. Kong Liyan took out the key and opened it, revealing the interior. The room had four beds in a “loft” structure (bed on top, desk below), with two on each side and a walkway in the middle. The place looked quite tidy, likely because there were few residents.

“You can sleep in the bed next to mine.” Kong Liyan pointed to one of the empty beds. He looked at Ji Wan and suddenly scratched his face awkwardly. “The beds on that side are off-limits, and sleeping on my side is safer.”

“…Safer?” Ji Wan didn’t quite follow.

“Don’t doubt it. The more powerful the Alpha, the stronger the territorial instinct. His hearing is excellent; if you sleep on his side, in the dead of night, it’ll be like you’re breathing right in his ear. It’s dangerous—you might even get thrown out in the middle of the night.” Kong Liyan patted his chest. “I’m relatively peaceful; my ‘claimed territory’ is just my own bed.”

Ji Wan nodded in understanding and glanced at the bed opposite. It was neatly arranged; the owner seemed to have OCD, as even the folds of the quilt were perfectly aligned.

Ji Wan asked curiously, “The other person living here is…?”

Before he could finish, the dorm door opened again.

Feng Jin stood at the doorway against the light, a basketball tucked between his arm and hip. It was a casual posture, but he made it look effortlessly cool and handsome. Probably not expecting Ji Wan to arrive so quickly, Feng Jin froze for a moment, then nodded as a greeting.

“Ah, Brother Feng, you’re back from playing.” Kong Liyan greeted him and added, “I’m having Ji Wan sleep on my side, okay?”

Feng Jin walked in, put away the ball, and said expressionlessly, “Otherwise? Was he going to sleep on my side?”

“Haha, wouldn’t dare.” Kong Liyan quickly changed the subject and diligently helped Ji Wan make the bed.

Once the bed was made, Kong Liyan checked his watch and realized it was his usual time to head to the internet cafe. He jumped down and ran out in a hurry. Only Ji Wan and Feng Jin were left in the dorm, and the air suddenly went still.

Ji Wan broke the silence first. “Thanks for the water; it really quenched my thirst.”

Feng Jin didn’t answer. He clearly didn’t want to dwell on the fact that he’d brought Ji Wan water. With a sullen face, he walked into the dorm’s bathroom.

The sound of rushing water started. Ji Wan continued to organize the rest of his luggage. By the time he was finished, over twenty minutes had passed. The water in the bathroom had stopped long ago, but Feng Jin still hadn’t come out.

Ji Wan opened his math paper and finished three major problems. Inside the bathroom, there was still no movement. Ji Wan looked toward the door with concern. This isn’t normal. Did Feng Jin faint inside?

Following the principle of “life first,” Ji Wan went over and knocked. “Feng Jin, are you still awake?”

There was a slight noise inside. Perhaps due to the acoustics of the bathroom, Feng Jin’s voice sounded quite fierce: “If I weren’t awake, could I be asleep?”

Ji Wan breathed a sigh of relief but found it strange. If he’s fine, why is he being so quiet?

Ruling out certain “R-rated” recreational activities, Ji Wan recalled Feng Jin’s actions before the shower and realized the problem: Feng Jin hadn’t taken any clothes with him.

If Kong Liyan went out every day at this time and the dorm was empty, Feng Jin might have developed the habit of showering without taking clothes, simply finding them once he came out. But now that he was here, Feng Jin couldn’t do that.

Ji Wan could even imagine Feng Jin standing there with a dark face, staring at his dirty clothes. He sighed and gave Feng Jin an “out”: “Did your clothes fall on the floor? Should I get you another set?”

Feng Jin didn’t answer immediately. He remained silent for so long that Ji Wan thought he wouldn’t respond. Finally, he spoke: “…There are clothes in the box under my desk. Thanks.”

Ji Wan went to help him. He knelt and opened the box, but his elbow accidentally bumped an unlocked cabinet next to it, causing the door to swing open. Ji Wan instinctively glanced inside and saw a black bag containing several items shaped like syringes, though they didn’t look like pheromone suppressants.

Once he snapped out of it, Ji Wan quickly looked away and closed the cabinet door.

Inside the bathroom, Feng Jin waited with his arms crossed and brows furrowed. Listening to the sound of Ji Wan riffling through his box, he felt increasingly irritable. The stronger the Alpha, the stronger the territorial sense; the thought of Ji Wan touching his things felt like an invasion. This irritability couldn’t be erased, but knowing Ji Wan was acting out of kindness—and that this was the best solution—he endured it.

Feng Jin heard Ji Wan’s footsteps return. He opened the bathroom door a crack, and soon, a cool, white arm reached in.

Ji Wan was holding several items of clothing. Feng Jin looked down and froze for a moment. These were clothes worn close to the skin; even if they were clean, they still carried a faint trace of his pheromones. The hand holding them was slender and clean, with neatly trimmed nails.

Thanks to Ji Wan’s cleanliness, the pheromones on the clothes weren’t ruined by any other scent; instead, they seemed to spread to those well-defined fingers, as if soaking into the pale skin.

Unlike the blending of pheromones between an Alpha and an Omega, or the collision between two Alphas, this Beta didn’t even know his body was being stained by someone else’s scent. His whole being was now carrying only one smell: the scent of Feng Jin’s pheromones.

It didn’t feel like a territory being invaded anymore. Instead… it felt like he had caught a prey lingering on the edge of his domain, while the prey remained completely oblivious.

The irritability in Feng Jin’s heart dissipated by half without him realizing it. He took the clothes, watching that hand—stained with his faint scent—withdraw, and slowly licked his teeth.