I Heard You Only See Me as a Friend - Chapter 9

The front door opened and closed, sealing away the shouting inside.

Ji Wan walked all the way out of the residential area, finally stopping when he reached a small park nearby.

The October autumn wind already carried a chill. Because Ji Wan had left in a hurry, he was only wearing a short-sleeved T-shirt meant for indoors. As the wind blew, the cooled-down Ji Wan shivered along with the falling leaves.

Ji Wan sat down on a park bench, leaning his upper body forward. He propped one elbow on his leg and rested his forehead against his palm, while his other hand rubbed his chest where his heart was still throbbing with a faint, dull ache.

He hadn’t had time to bring his medicine, so it was best to use another method to distract himself, preventing his irritation from continuing to build up.

Ji Wan took a deep breath, fumbled in his pocket, and pulled out his phone.

There were many missed calls on the phone, all from home; because the phone was on silent, none had been heard.

Perhaps because no one answered the calls, they turned to sending WeChat messages.

At the very top was a message from Father Ji:

【Get home and apologize this instant! 】

Ji Wan frowned, deleted the messages, and exited WeChat to open an English learning website that usually helped clear his mind.

As a top student, Ji Wan quickly focused his attention and immersed himself in study.

The introductory “Fun English Reading” section was fine, until Ji Wan reached the final essay prompt.

【You have a friend who has a hot temper and always strives to be first. However, in this exam, you surpassed him. He wants to give you a beating. Please use your wit to make him acknowledge you as his father.

Please write a short essay based on the above content, no less than a hundred words. 】

Ji Wan: “…”

What kind of trash prompt is this?

Ji Wan scrolled back to the top and realized he was looking at a “Humorous Learning Site” he had bookmarked long ago.

Ji Wan exited the site speechlessly. He thought the prompt was preposterous even with someone as “good-tempered” as Feng Jin, if he tried to make Feng Jin call him “Daddy,” Feng Jin would likely hunt him down with a knife.

Ji Wan didn’t feel there was anything wrong with his assessment of Feng Jin as having a “good temper.” He was about to open another study file when he saw something move in his peripheral vision. A figure came to a stop beside him.

Ji Wan snapped out of the world of study and turned his head.

The first thing he saw was a pair of long legs. Looking up along those legs, he saw Feng Jin, his handsome face dark and scowling as he looked toward the opposite direction. There was a hint of threat in his eyes.

Stunned, Ji Wan followed Feng Jin’s line of sight and saw several “street brothers” wearing distressed denim jackets and ripped jeans, their faces dotted with bandages.

Seeing him look over, those hooligans let out a whistle and shouted vulgarly: “Little brother, aren’t you cold wearing so little? Why don’t I take off my jacket for you!”

Before Ji Wan could speak, a dry, hot hand pressed against his exposed, chilled nape.

It was Feng Jin.

Ji Wan shivered slightly. He resisted the urge to break away and put on an expression of being “old acquaintances” with Feng Jin, hoping to make the group across from them retreat.

After all, he wasn’t an Omega; there were no sensitive glands on his nape that couldn’t be touched by an Alpha. A Beta’s glands were very dull pressing the back of the neck was no different from pressing a hand.

Alpha pheromones drifted in the air, engaging in a silent and fierce struggle. Those hooligans were ultimately wary of Feng Jin and left, looking back with every three steps.

Ji Wan breathed a sigh of relief and said to Feng Jin: “Thank you.”

Feng Jin withdrew his hand from Ji Wan’s neck. His fierce gaze shifted to Ji Wan as he asked coldly: “What were you looking at so intently that you didn’t even notice those people staring at you from across the way?”

Ji Wan said softly: “Study materials.”

Feng Jin: “…”

Feng Jin looked like he wanted to say something but forcibly held it back. Finally, he let out a cold laugh: “Truly impressive. Coming out in short sleeves to study in the wind, using physical cooling to keep a calm head and focused mind. Ancient scholars studied in the middle of a noisy market, but you’re even more impressive than them. Remarkable.”

Ji Wan could hear the awkward concern in Feng Jin’s tone, so he twitched the corners of his mouth, though he failed to produce a real smile: “It’s not too cold. I was just thinking about something and didn’t notice them. Usually, I’m not like this.”

Feng Jin remained expressionless: “Why are you explaining to me? Who cares if you’re usually like this? ‘Not too cold’? When I touched your neck just now, it felt like touching a block of ice. If you don’t go back soon, I expect you’ll end up as a corpse on the street.”

Ji Wan acted as if he hadn’t heard. He certainly couldn’t go back. Just as he was trying to change the subject, Feng Jin suddenly frowned: “Whose pheromones are on your clothes? They stink.”

Stink?

Ji Wan froze, then realized Feng Jin was talking about the scent of pheromones he had brought from home. He had been home for a long time, and with many people there who didn’t bother to restrain their pheromones, his clothes had naturally picked up some.

Ji Wan murmured: “Do they stink… they’re probably better than my original scentless state, right?”

“Nonsense.” Feng Jin’s brow remained furrowed. “Who told you that? The owners of these stinking pheromones? You actually believed it.”

Feng Jin was wearing clothes that Ji Wan couldn’t identify by brand, but they looked expensive based on the design. Standing there casually, he exuded an air of superior nobility, appearing worlds apart from the people in Ji Wan’s family.

Ji Wan felt inexplicably lighter: “But I heard others say that having pheromones makes you smell more ‘impressive’ and makes it easier for people to like you.”

“Can pheromones be eaten for dinner? If so, do you want my excess pheromones as a gift?” Feng Jin’s gaze turned toward the direction where the hooligans had left. His dark eyelashes drooped, making him look cold and unapproachable. “A loser is a loser, regardless of gender.”

This time, Ji Wan gave a truly sincere smile. He didn’t continue the topic but looked instead at the small boy, about six or seven years old, who was quietly following Feng Jin and licking an ice cream: “Are you guys out for fun?”

The little boy had been looking at Ji Wan with a serious little face, but the moment Ji Wan spoke to him, he instinctively grinned, revealing a gap-toothed smile missing two front teeth.

Realizing he had exposed himself, the little boy quickly became serious again.

“Yup. Big cousin said we could go wherever I want.” The little boy spoke with a bit of a lisp. He tugged on Feng Jin’s clothes. “Big cousin, I want to go to the high-altitude glass walkway!”

Ji Wan remembered that Feng Jin was suspected of being afraid of heights. He unobtrusively checked Feng Jin’s expression out of the corner of his eye and, as expected, saw his face grow even darker.

“Go my ass. What’s fun about that? Boring,” Feng Jin said. “Let’s go to the amusement park.”

“I won’t! We go to the glass walkway first, then the amusement park! You promised I could go anywhere!” The little boy squatted on the ground, hugged the leg of the bench Ji Wan was sitting on, and began “playing dead.”

Feng Jin looked as though he wanted to knock his cousin out and carry him away. Neither of the Fengs would budge, beginning a silent standoff.

Ji Wan thought for a moment and rubbed the prickly head squatting beside him: “How about I go with you?”

“Huh?” The little boy looked up with wide eyes.

“I’ve always wanted to go there too, but no one would go with me, and I’m afraid to go alone.” Ji Wan lied through his teeth without a blush. He leaned down to eye-level with the boy. “You look particularly impressive; can you lead the way for me? Since Feng Jin thinks it’s boring, we won’t take him.”

The little boy blinked, looking at Ji Wan at close range. His face turned slightly red, and he unnaturally pulled away a bit, saying in a gruff, childish voice: “Fi—Fine then. I’ll take you.”

“Okay.” Ji Wan patted the boy’s shoulder and stood up. He looked up at Feng Jin and smiled: “Let’s go, Brother Feng. We’ll trouble you to drive us there.”

Feng Jin didn’t look very happy. He was still frowning: “You’re going too? You aren’t going home?”

“Not going back,” Ji Wan said.

Even if he stayed out in the wind until he caught a fever, he didn’t want to go back right now.

Feng Jin let out a cold snort. He stared at Ji Wan for two seconds, reached out to unzip his jacket, took it off, and threw it into Ji Wan’s arms.

Ji Wan was dazed for a second, but soon recovered and tried to hand it back: “I’m not cold. You wear it.”

“If I tell you to wear it, wear it. Why so much trouble?” Feng Jin said.

Ji Wan looked at Feng Jin. Feng Jin was wearing a very thin long-sleeved shirt underneath, which clearly wouldn’t provide much warmth.

Ji Wan shook his head: “You’re cold too. No need to give it to me.”

“Are you comparing your physical constitution to mine?” Feng Jin said with a cold face.

Ji Wan wanted to say more, but Feng Jin took a step closer. He was taller than Ji Wan, and his lips were right by Ji Wan’s ear.

Feng Jin’s intention was to prevent his cousin from hearing his next words, but once he was truly close, he felt it was too close. He only had to lower his eyes to see Ji Wan’s nape, which was so white the faint blue veins were visible through the skin.

Feng Jin shifted his gaze to the bench beside them: “I still need to bite you to balance my pheromones. Don’t argue with me about this. When I bite you, I don’t want to smell the scent of medicine all over you. It’s unpleasant.”

Fine then.

Ji Wan stopped insisting. He put on the jacket, feeling the chill being driven away as his body became warm again.

With something as personal as clothing, the pheromones on it were naturally abundant.

Ji Wan had originally carried no scent other than the chill of early autumn. Feng Jin took a step back and watched Ji Wan put on his clothes, becoming wrapped and stained by his pheromones layer by layer. His mood became somewhat subtle.

The jacket is a bit big on him, Feng Jin thought with a frown.

…It looked a bit like a “boyfriend jacket.”

The glass walkway was a fairly popular local attraction, and there were many people there.

When the three of them reached the entrance, Feng Jin stopped, wearing an expression that said he couldn’t be bothered to play such a boring game.

“Let’s go, the two of us will go and leave him behind.” Ji Wan rubbed the little cousin’s head and led him inside.

The little cousin volunteered to hold Ji Wan’s hand, putting on a serious face to act mature: “Don’t be afraid, I’ll protect you.”

Ji Wan wasn’t afraid of heights at all, but he cooperated by feigning a trace of fear, giving the little cousin a great sense of achievement.

The view beneath the glass walkway was quite good, and the little cousin enjoyed it immensely. Ji Wan held his hand and asked as if casually: “Is there anyone in your family who is afraid of heights?”

“Huh?” The little cousin thought for a moment. “Maybe some of the Omegas or Betas are, I’m not really sure.”

Ji Wan continued: “None among the Alphas?”

“Well… I don’t know about the other Alphas, but Brother Feng Jin definitely isn’t!” Speaking of Feng Jin, the little cousin puffed out his chest, a hint of admiration in his eyes. “He’s super impressive!”

“You’re so sure.” A hint of a smile appeared in Ji Wan’s eyes.

The little cousin met Ji Wan’s gaze and looked away shyly: “Yeah. Uncle’s family is very strict with him; they require him to be the best at everything. Small flaws like that wouldn’t be allowed.”

He thought for a bit and added: “If he were, they would force him to change it, or take him to high places for training every day.”

Ji Wan was thoughtful. He dropped the topic and continued to enjoy the scenery with the little cousin.

After coming down from the walkway, the little cousin clamored to go to the children’s playground. Ji Wan and Feng Jin took him to the entrance, and the boy immediately dashed inside and vanished.

Feeling relieved, Ji Wan sat on an empty chair in the waiting area at the entrance, and Feng Jin sat beside him.

The two let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Great, finally some peace.

The parents waiting around them had eyes full of tender love as they watched their children inside a sharp contrast to the “salted fish” vibe of the two boys, which drew several glances.

Fortunately, both were people who didn’t care about others’ stares. Ji Wan looked at a milk tea shop nearby and asked Feng Jin: “Want a drink?”

“No,” Feng Jin said with a stony face.

“Oh.” Ji Wan got up, went to the shop, and bought two cups of lemonade. He poked a straw into one for himself and brought the other back for Feng Jin.

Feng Jin’s mouth twitched: “…I said I wasn’t drinking.”

“Then don’t drink it; save it for your cousin.” Ji Wan was flexible and sat back down to sip his lemonade. “Thanks. I was in a bad mood today, but I feel much better after coming out with you guys.”

“Hmph.” Feng Jin let out a cold snort, picked up the lemonade sitting between them, poked a straw in, and took a sip. After a long silence, he suddenly spoke, “You noticed?”

Noticed his fear of heights, which is why he had stepped in to help multiple times.

…Both times someone had covered for him, it was this person.

Hearing this, Ji Wan looked up at Feng Jin’s face. Feng Jin appeared no different from usual, except for a trace of well-controlled tension in the depths of his eyes.

Was he afraid of his secret being discovered?

Ji Wan looked surprised: “What did you say? Noticed what?”

Feng Jin scrutinized Ji Wan’s expression. The confusion didn’t seem faked, so he looked back with relief: “Noticed that my cousin is very annoying.”

“He’s alright, quite cute actually,” Ji Wan said.

The conversation ended, and the two began a long wait. Feng Jin took out his phone to play games, while Ji Wan continued reading study materials.

After a while, Feng Jin closed his game and opened study materials as well. The two of them began studying intently at the entrance of the noisy, laughter-filled children’s playground.

Ji Wan was focusing on calculating a math problem in his head when he noticed the person beside him’s breathing gradually became rapid.

He turned his head and saw Feng Jin instinctively fumbling for something in his pocket, only to stop when their eyes met.

Feng Jin took a deep breath, withdrew his hand from his pocket, and instead grabbed Ji Wan’s wrist.

“Come to the restroom with me.” Feng Jin’s brow was furrowed, and he looked uncomfortable. He paused, his tone becoming a bit more tactful, “I’ll agree to any terms you set.”

Over the past two days of the holiday, Feng Jin had thought it over carefully. Ji Wan was doing him a massive favor, and the return he was providing was far lighter than the weight of Ji Wan’s help.

The first time had been too rushed, and neither had thought it through. But after these past few days, Ji Wan should have realized that the previous deal wasn’t balanced.

Feng Jin was prepared for Ji Wan to make an outrageous demand, but Ji Wan only gave him a calm look, stood up, and pulled him up in return: “Let’s go.”

Feng Jin didn’t move immediately. He endured his discomfort and looked at Ji Wan, who seemed completely oblivious to his subtext: “You don’t have anything else to say?”

Money, status, or something else.

“Didn’t I already tell you what I wanted last time?” Ji Wan still seemed not to understand and urged, “Stop dawdling.”

Feng Jin: “…”

Who’s dawdling! Who am I trying to get benefits for here!

Before Feng Jin could grow angry, the person before him suddenly curved his lips into a light smile.

Ji Wan smiled and said: “If I must say something, then I hope… your technique this time is a bit better than the last.”