Chapter 13
Tong Yan stayed with Zhuo Xiang Ming for the week. They left together in the morning and came home together at night, then Zhuo Xiang Ming looked over his homework. Almost all of their free time was spent together.
On Friday afternoon, Tong Yang would pick Tong Yan up from school and take him home. This was the established schedule, but Zhuo Xiang Ming only remembered that arrangement while he was driving Tong Yan to school that morning, after Tong Yan offhandedly mumbled this sentence to himself.
“Then I don’t have to come over?”
A moment later, he asked a pointless question.
Tong Yan still hadn’t completely woken up. Lying askew on the seat, closing his eyes tightly against the intense morning sun, his thick black eyelashes sweeping his cheeks, his body swaying along to the car’s acceleration and deceleration. Struggling to maintain his balance despite his drowsiness, he didn’t notice how pointless Zhuo Xiang Ming’s question was: “Uh-huh, brother, you can go straight home after work.”
Zhuo Xiang Ming didn’t mention that he left work early every day, he even never attended the dinner parties held after 5 pm. If he didn’t need to pick him up today, he’d have to work overtime to take care of all the work that had piled up.
Drop Tong Yan off, then drive away as soon as he got out, this was the usual routine all week. But today, probably because he knew that he wouldn’t see Tong Yan for two days, Zhuo Xiang Ming felt reluctant.
It was dissatisfying to watch your domesticated kitten eat dried fish from another family, not to mention the child he had taken care of for more than two months. Plus, the child was excited to go back to the Tong family house, and on Monday, he’d look forward to Friday.
Zhuo Xiang Ming knew that this sort of comparison method was wrong. Tong Yan wasn’t his family, he was merely borrowing him for now. Tong Yang should be the one thinking this, not him.
Arriving at the school, he helped Tong Yan unfasten his seat belt. Seeing that Tong Yan hadn’t opened his eyes, still in that inexplicable mood, Zhuo Xiang Ming reached out and pinched the fair-skinned, cute-looking cheek in front of him: “Brat.”
Tong Yan originally wasn’t sound asleep, being teased by Zhuo Xiang Ming, the tickling sensation made him want to laugh. He dodged left and right, then plunged headlong into Zhuo Xiang Ming’s arms.
He shamelessly clung to Zhuo Xiang Ming’s waist, his hair poking Zhuo Xiang Ming’s shoulder socket, disregarding his image, he rubbed against him: “I’m sleepy …”
“Who let you stay up late.”
Last night, he and Xuan Gui secretly watched a 19+ rated horror movie until 12:30am. Originally, it was nothing special, and his mood relaxed as the movie was coming to an end, when suddenly, a bloody severed head appeared at the ending. The 5D effect jump scare made Tong Yan scream in alarm, which woke up Zhuo Xiang Ming.
It was already extremely late, so despite Zhuo Xiang Ming’s solemn expression, he merely instructed him to go to sleep. A moment ago, he’d mentioned that he would punish him this evening, but that was easily bypassed by one sentence from Tong Yan, “I’m going home tonight”.
In fact, Tong Yan was currently acting like a spoiled child because of that incident. Zhuo Xiang Ming was so nice to him, and the two had gradually gotten closer. Staying together wasn’t as uncomfortable as before, but he was still afraid of incurring Zhuo Xiang Ming’s anger.
Or, it could be said that because their relationship had become closer, he was even more afraid of incurring Zhuo Xiang Ming’s anger.
“I know, I was wrong …” Tong Yan said, trying to curry favor, “I won’t do it again, brother.”
Zhuo Xiang Ming sighed and straightened him out, fixing his uniform and hair, looking over him to make sure he had his water bottle and warning card on his chest. Then he opened the door and told him to get out, totally unaware of how much he resembled an old nursemaid.
Tong Yan stayed seated and refused to leave. Zhuo Xiang Ming saw that he was sitting there with a bold and righteous expression, thinking with some satisfaction, why was this boy so troubled even though he was going back home soon?
He seemed to be spoiling Tong Yan into revealing small faults, and he was even proud about it.
“You know that you did wrong?”
Tong Yan lowered his head and acknowledged his mistakes: “I know.”
“What did you do wrong?”
Tong Yan: “I shouldn’t secretly watch horror movies on a school night.”
“That is one.” Zhuo Xiang Ming said: “What else?”
Tong Yan pondered: “I shouldn’t watch 19+ rated horror movies.”
“What else?” Zhuo Xiang Ming said.
Tong Yan looked up at his solemn face, subconsciously feeling that Zhuo Xiang Ming wasn’t as angry as he put on, and maybe he was even teasing him, but Tong Yan still didn’t dare jump to conclusions, looking into Zhuo Xiang Ming’s eyes cajolingly.
Zhuo Xiang Ming: “Shouldn’t you watch this type of movie with a guardian present?”
“Oh …” Tong Yan held back a smile, “I’ll call you over next time.”
“Okay, go.” Zhuo Xiang Ming once again fixed the warning card on his chest, almost like someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder. “Don’t fool around too much, study well, and don’t go to places with a lot of alpha.”
These instructions were a daily routine. The time to leave was delayed for a while, and time was running out. Once this routine started, Tong Yan’s heart immediately relaxed. He promised to behave, and ran away.
Zhuo Xiang Ming watched him through the half-open car window, there were a few teachers entering and exiting the school, but there were not many students. His eyes stayed locked on Tong Yan until he turned into the building, then he instructed the driver: “Go.”
——
Starting from the third year of high school, there was usually a quiz on Friday mornings. After two exams, the class was dismissed. At noon, Tong Yan went to eat in the school cafeteria with his desk-mate, Chai ManMan, and the two students who sat in front of them.
The four found an empty table in the corner and sat down. Chai ManMan was anxious to know her results, she took out the answer sheet she’d written for memorization and compared with them. In the end, she got five multiple choice questions wrong, and Tong Yan got all of them correct.
“Your grades were so good?” Chai ManMan swallowed a few bites of rice. “If I knew that, I would’ve made you send me the key points yesterday.”
Tong Yan’s front desk mate said: “Tong Yan’s grades were always very good. Before he left school, his ranking was consistently high.”
Chai ManMan laughed: “Eh, speaking of that, Tong Yan is originally our senior.”
Tong Yan felt a little embarrassed, but still said: “You can still call me senior now, if you call me that, I’ll send you my notes next time.”
Chai ManMan glanced at the sign on his chest: “Come on, don’t you two still need us to protect you?”
Tong Yan and his front table mate were “Sensitive Persons”, the homeroom teacher arranged them to seat next to betas, the purpose was to help them be affected by pheromones as little as possible.
“You don’t need to say it,” Tong Yan said. “It’s a free consultation, but I can’t guarantee the accuracy.”
When they finished eating, before they separated, Chai ManMan proposed: “Why don’t we go out to play this afternoon? Tomorrow’s the weekend, we can go home a bit late.”
“Where do you want to play?” Asked Tong Yan’s front table mate.
“A new shopping mall opened up in the 21st district. I heard that there were many boutiques. I want to go stroll around, then eat hot pot upstairs. Oh, by the way, that street also has a pub we can check out, let’s have a drink.”
“I asked around, it’s not crowded over there, if we take a de-pheromone bus, you can go.” Chai ManMan added.
Tong Yan was not very interested in these activities, but the omega girl was tempted, and her desk-mate was also going. Tong Yan didn’t particularly not want to go, and he felt that shopping around was good, so he also agreed.
After group agreed, they were all a little less attentive in class that afternoon, immediately gathering to chit-chat in the intervals between classes.
During the lunch break, Tong Yan sent a text to Tong Yang, telling him not to pick him up that afternoon. He would go home by himself after hanging out with his classmates.
However, Tong Yang never responded back. Tong Yan thought that he was just busy, or that he didn’t see it. After school, they got onto the District 21 school bus, and Tong Yan called Tong Yang again, but Tong Yang still didn’t answer.
Except for those whose homes were very far away, on Fridays, basically everyone went home. Before five o’clock, a vast number of cars were parked at the school gate, all of which were picking up children. After school, Tong Yan’s cell phone was almost out of power. Fortunately, because of the traffic, the school bus he was on only moved about 100 meters from the school gate even after 10 minutes. He didn’t see Tong Yang’s car during that time, so he wasn’t worried about him waiting for him in vain.
When Tong Yang got some free time, he’d look at the text message, and everything would be fine.
–
Zhuo Xiang Ming received a call from a strange number at 8:30.
Before that, he’d been waiting for Tong Yan’s call, and also wondering whether or not he should call Tong Yan first, but seeing an unknown number flashing on the screen at this time, he felt inexplicably worried.
“It’s Tong Yang, did Tong Yan return with you?” Tong Yang asked as soon as he was connected.
Zhuo Xiang Ming frowned: “Didn’t you go pick him up?”
“…” There was a moment of silence, then Tong Yang said, “I was delayed by something, and my cell phone isn’t on me. I just called him; his phone is off. I came over to his school, but he’s not there.”
Zhuo Xiang Ming hung up and called Tong Yan, the phone was off.
He called Tong Yang’s phone again: “Where are you now?”
Tong Yang: “I’m still at the school gate.”
Zhuo Xiang Ming looked at the time, it was 8:40. It was already completely dark out, with the distinct drop in temperature that occurred at night, if he’d waited until now, Tong Yan would be extremely miserable. However, Tong Yan wasn’t stupid, nor was he a child who didn’t know the roads, even if he didn’t leave, it was impossible for him to wait there until now.
“Are you sure he didn’t go home by himself?” Zhuo Xiang Ming asked, although he knew that it was not very likely.
“No, I asked the housekeeper, they said that he didn’t come back.”
“He didn’t call you?”
Tong Yang said, “I don’t have my cell phone.”
Hearing this again, Zhuo Xiang Ming remembered.
“Wait there for me, I’m coming over now.”
“No need,” Tong Yang said politely, “I’ll look around again …”
“Where are you going to look? He waited a week for you to come pick him up and take him home, but you didn’t even bring your phone with you. Don’t you know that your brother is sick? He can’t use the subway, his cell phone is dead, how can you let him make his way home from so far away?”
Tong Yang’s ‘he can take a taxi’ suggestion was not fully uttered before Zhuo Xiang Ming cursed: “Bullshit!”
Tong Yang was rendered silent by his admonishment, Zhuo Xiang Ming paced a few steps, suppressing the sudden unknown anger before patiently saying: “Sorry.”
Tong Yang was also very worried, not taking it to heart: “Forget it, it’s all my fault.”
“… Wait there, I’m leaving now.”
Tong Yan’s cell phone couldn’t be reached. The two men made a few laps around the school, and the more Zhuo Xiang Ming circled around, the hotter his anger grew. He also couldn’t figure out how he got so angry. He wanted to thoroughly scold Tong Yang, and, when he found Tong Yan, he wanted to scold him as well, so that he would never dare to run around again, let alone with his phone turned off, leaving others unable to locate him.
What’s worse, news stories about omegas being victimized wouldn’t stop circulating in his head, to say nothing of Tong Yan’s vulnerability because of his illness.
Even more anxious and helpless, Zhuo Xiang Ming reported it to the police. They couldn’t accept a missing persons case before 24 hours passed, but hearing that it was a high school student, they suggested that he check the internet cafes near the school.
Zhuo Xiang Ming really went to check, of course in vain.
Just as he was about to call a police commissioner he was familiar with, Lin Yue Hua called and asked him to come home for dinner. After listening to his explanation, she was also worried, and said offhandedly, “Did you ask his homeroom teacher?”
His effort wasn’t wasted this time, as soon as Zhuo Xiang Ming asked, he learned Tong Yan’s general whereabouts.
That afternoon, they’d discussed going out to play in the 21st district. The homeroom teacher heard about it as she was randomly passing by, and recommended a few good hot pot restaurants to them.
In the end, Zhuo Xiang Ming got Chai ManMan’s cell phone number. When the phone was passed to Tong Yan, there was still a smile in his voice: “Brother?”
“Tong Tong, where are you now?”
Tong Yan was bewildered, but he quickly reported the restaurant’s name and address to him.
“Is your meal almost over?”
Sensing Zhuo Xiang Ming’s mood, Tong Yan glanced at the delicious looking dishes that had just been set on the table and said, “We’re almost done eating, what’s wrong?”
“Okay, I’ll come pick you up.”
Tong Yang’s car was following behind Zhuo Xiang Ming’s. Tong Yan noticed this, but Zhuo Xiang Ming got out of the car and opened the passenger side door for him, his complexion very unsightly. Seeing that Tong Yang wasn’t coming out, he didn’t dare say anything for the time being, and got into Zhuo Xiang Ming’s car.
It was already almost 10 o’clock. Just now, when Zhuo Xiang Ming hung up, their homeroom teacher also called to ask about them. At this time, Tong Yan roughly understood what was wrong. He wrung his fingers for a while before asking, “Didn’t my brother see my text?”
“He didn’t bring his cell phone.”
“Did you think I’d gotten lost”?
Zhuo Xiang Ming hadn’t responded before Tong Yan spoke again: “Sorry, my phone died after school…… I should’ve also called you at noon.”
Zhuo Xiang Ming still didn’t speak, Tong Yan covertly glanced at him, discovering that his complexion was even uglier than before. His jaw was clenched tight, and he stared at the road, as if he hadn’t heard him.
It was a freaky combination of factors; he could only say that it was a coincidence. Tong Yan knew that he’d made some mistakes, but even after he apologized, Zhuo Xiang Ming still seemed so angry, he really didn’t know what to do.
He could only suggest: “If you’re going to keep ignoring me, then let me sit in Tong Yang’s car.”
Zhuo Xiang Ming turned the steering wheel and parked the car in the emergency lane. Tong Yang was unprepared, and could only drive straight past.
Tong Yan was a little surprised, he turned and asked: “What are …”
Before he could finish speaking, Zhuo Xiang Ming hugged him. The smell of cedar tree flavored pheromones was already pervading the compartment, and it became ever richer after he drew near. Tong Yan panted for a few moments, raising his hands to return Zhuo Xiang Ming’s hug.
Zhuo Xiang Ming said in a low voice: “I thought that, after I found you, I’d seriously scold you.”
Tong Yan was pressed up against him, so he noticed the uneasiness that Zhuo Xiang Ming momentarily exposed. Rubbing his cheek against him, he said softly: “Then you should scold me, don’t just ignore me.”
“No scolding.” Zhuo Xiang Ming touched the back of Tong Yan’s head, stroking the hair that he’d ruffled, as if he was holding a kitten in his embrace. After giving him one final prolonged squeeze, Zhuo Xiang Ming took a deep breath and backed away, “I’ll take you home.”
=======================================
T/N:
Seemed etc – 好像是把人惯出了点小毛病 . This sentence was so confusing. EDIT Changed into a more correct sounding translation
My screen’s still broken, but this chapter was already half-done, so I pushed myself to finish it. Hope you guys enjoyed the cute hug, just wait till you find out why TYang was late…
I’ve seen that 好像是把人惯出了点小毛病 phrase too! I know cuz a read a lot of pampering novels and doting love interest. It’s saying that seme has made uke spoiled rotten, so that he can act coquettish, and make little troubles/tantrums. It highlights how seme makes uke feel accepted even when he is not behaving his best~ I love your translation, thank you for your hard work ♡
Now I understand why his estrus had gone awry.
Yeah. I can’t believe the nerve of that brother. My family, if one child said they will come home at a specific day, my parents will be waiting by the phone at all times. I still remembered our youngest incident, said he will arrive by noon, but otw, his phone died, he is delayed by rain and meet former classmate so he forgot his initial goal, later went to coffee shops with that ex-classmate. Our parents were so worried coz he rode bike on rainy days. They can’t sit still due to active imagination coz he is taking his sweet time. Our parents called us, his friends, everywhere! Of coz he is scolded later (he is 22 at that time). TONG YANG IS UNBELIEVABLE!
Thanks for the chapter! I understand why hubby was worried, imagining terrible scenarios, & the kid did inform his family, he’s 18 & married, not 12. His only fault is in not keeping his phone charged. The failure lies at that irresponsible brother’s feet. Imagine the kid hadn’t gone out with his friends… Would he have waited at school, done what?
In the name of advanced technology, it’s only AI robot there but anything else is ordinary…. Where is the powerbank? Or why not recharge at restaurants? Or at least the phone should’ve long battery for a week…. The plothole technology in this story… 🙃
Exactly 🙄🙄
It’s not that there is no power bank, he just forgot about it that it was necessary to inform.
Thanks for the chapters. Hope we get to know why he was late maybe that’s why he didn’t have his phone.
Children… If they don’t lose or break their phones, they can’t be bothered to recharge them properly!
P.S. Wow, Tong Yang is REALLY irresponsible (and I assume it’ll only get worse in the next chapter)
Thanks a lot for the update!
Thanks for the update!
好像是把人惯出了点小毛病 …my feeling is that this is referring to Tong Yan. From what I can tell, it seems like this is saying that Zhou Xiang Ming has spoiled/gotten Tong Yan accustomed to him (ZXM) enough to the point that Tong Yan feels comfortable showing him (ZXM) his faults, or will inadvertently let out his faults.
After studying the gammar, I learned that the sentence was structured 把+ object(人, people) + verb (惯, used to), resulting in used to people. But you’re right, 惯 also means to spoil. So it’s most likely ‘It seems (he) was spoiling people (Tong yan) into revealing small faults’. I’ll use that translation instead.
Ahhh I really love this story. The pacing is just right. I place the blame 99.9% on Tong Yang. It was probably a good idea to let ZXM know, but he diligently attempted to contact his brother in several ways. Who in this day and age forgets their cell phone 😋.
I hope that the weekends won’t always be him going back home ☺️
Thanks for the great translation ♥️♥️