A Short-Lived Cannon Fodder Alpha Just Wants to Be a Salted Fish - Chapter 24

School started on August 31st. He Xun notified the class group that day students should report at 9:00 AM, while boarding students could move in a day early or before 8:30 AM on the 31st.

Having stayed at home until she was practically growing mold and in desperate need of a change of scenery, Wen Yuan decided without a second thought to return to school a day early.

Fang Jingbai was away on a business trip, and Wen Ming couldn’t easily take leave from the hospital, so he could only drop Wen Yuan off at the school gate. As compensation, Wen Ming slipped her a card: “Don’t tell your mom. Buy whatever you’re missing…”

Wen Yuan happily tucked the card away and waved to him. “Go to work with a peace of mind.”

After her father left, Wen Yuan lugged her suitcase to the dorm supervisor to get her room number and check the assignment list. Since Alphas have an extremely strong sense of territory, especially regarding private life, Alpha dorms were all double rooms.

Wen Yuan and Shi Ran had spoken to He Xun at the end of last semester, so they were assigned to the same room. Wen Yuan noticed that the room next door was assigned to Zhang Lili and the Alpha ringer Class 1 had borrowed last semester—Lin Meng. Dorm assignments prioritized grouping students from the same class together. Unsurprisingly, Lin Meng was also in their class.

Wen Yuan returned the list to the supervisor and messaged Shi Ran and Zhang Lili with the news.

The supervisor handed over a key. “I’ve only brought one key for each room today, so don’t lose it.”

Wen Yuan hummed in agreement, pocketed her phone, took the key, and headed to the dorm. There weren’t many students moving in early; only a few girls were busy tidying up in the hallway. Since she didn’t recognize them, she skipped the greetings and quickly found her room.

The beds were already assigned with name tags. Wen Yuan set down her suitcase and went to the store to buy rags and a broom, then went to collect her bedding. Back in the room, she put on some music and cleaned at a leisurely pace, sitting down to rest whenever she got tired.

During her break, Chu Yihan messaged to ask if she was already at school. Wen Yuan took photos of her bed, desk, vanity, and bathroom one by one and sent them over.

Chu Yihan: “Looks pretty good.”

CenturyEggPorridge: “Yeah.”

Wen Yuan thought of the joke they made while gaming and followed up with a “seduce” emoji.

Chu Yihan stared at the emoji for a long time, then bit her lip and typed: “Where’s your roommate?”

CenturyEggPorridge: “It’s Shi Ran’s grandmother’s birthday; she’s coming tomorrow.”

Chu Yihan: “So you’re sleeping alone tonight?”

Chu Yihan: “Will you be scared?”

Wen Yuan slept alone at home too; changing locations would at most just feel a bit unfamiliar. She found the question amusing and sent a “I’m not scared at all” meme.

CenturyEggPorridge: “I need to keep cleaning, let’s talk later.”

Chu Yihan: “Okay. It’s almost lunchtime, where are you eating?”

Wen Yuan glanced at the time. “I’ll clean for a bit more then head to the nearby mall to forage for food and pick up some groceries.”

Chu Yihan didn’t reply. Wen Yuan plugged in her phone to charge and began unpacking her suitcase. Once everything was organized and she had noted down what she needed to buy, she grabbed her bag and headed out.

The mall was two streets away—not far at all. A bus ride took about ten minutes. Wen Yuan found a decent-looking wonton shop and ordered a large bowl of salted egg yolk and fish roe wontons. The broth was chicken soup with golden oil glimmers; the wonton skins were as thin as paper, revealing the reddish fish roe and white meat inside. It looked very appetizing.

Wen Yuan took a photo for her social feed. The taste was excellent; she added a lot of chili and ate slowly with her head down.

Suddenly, a bowl of wontons was placed on the table, and someone sat opposite her, their shadow falling over her bowl.

“Don’t you find that too spicy?”

A soft, familiar voice drifted into her ears. Wen Yuan looked up from her meal, her eyes widening. Chu Yihan tilted her head, a few stray locks of hair swaying slightly, much like the soft, sweet smile on her lips.

Wen Yuan blinked, confirming it wasn’t a hallucination. “Why are you here?”

“I heard you mention the mall, and since I was nearby, I decided to come for a stroll.” Chu Yihan scooped up a small wonton, lowering her head to blow on it to hide her slightly self-conscious expression. “I wanted to try their signature crab roe wontons, and I happened to see you.”

Wen Yuan didn’t doubt her. “What a coincidence. Are you done shopping?”

“Just started,” Chu Yihan asked. “And you?”

“Haven’t started yet.” Wen Yuan saw Chu Yihan picking out the egg yolk from her poached egg. Remembering she didn’t like yolks, Wen Yuan naturally extended her spoon.

Chu Yihan’s long lashes trembled as she placed the yolk into Wen Yuan’s spoon. “Shall we go together later?”

“Sure.”

After eating, they went to the supermarket. Wen Yuan needed daily necessities, and Chu Yihan was mostly there for company, so they only used one cart. Since Wen Yuan needed to pick out items, Chu Yihan took the initiative to push the cart.

As they walked, Wen Yuan tossed in toilet paper, tissues, towels, basins, and toothcups. Soon, the cart was half full. At the toiletries section, Wen Yuan was picking out laundry detergent and asked casually, “What brand of detergent does your family use?”

Chu Yihan froze, her ears turning hot, and named a brand. Wen Yuan found the brand and noticed a detergent with the exact same scent as Chu Yihan’s pheromones. She belatedly realized her question basically forced Chu Yihan to say, “Tell me which detergent smells like you!”

After a two-second hesitation, Wen Yuan acted calm and placed that specific detergent into the cart, explaining seriously, “This smells good. I like it.”

Chu Yihan bit her lip to suppress a smile and gave a soft “Mm” without saying more.

When Wen Yuan was struggling to choose a body wash, Chu Yihan held one out to her. “The scent you like.”

Wen Yuan’s eyes twitched as she looked at the words on the bottle: Gardenia Fragrance.

She took the body wash and placed it in the cart, sighing inwardly. I dug this hole myself; I have to fill it even if I’m crying.

But Wen Yuan didn’t expect this to be just the beginning. Next, Chu Yihan picked out gardenia-scented shampoo and gardenia-scented hand cream for her. And even gardenia-scented toothpaste!

Wen Yuan looked at the cart and then at the gardenia toiletries in Chu Yihan’s hands. She suddenly realized that if she used all of these, her clothes, her body, and even her breath would smell like Chu Yihan’s pheromones.

This is a bit too intense.

Her face felt hot. Wen Yuan stole a glance at Chu Yihan and hesitated. “You…” You aren’t doing this on purpose, are you?

“Hmm? What? Didn’t you say you like this scent?” Chu Yihan looked perfectly poised and sincere, like a child who had worked hard to find something someone liked and was now presenting a treasure.

Wen Yuan had said she liked the scent herself; it would be petty to suspect the other was messing with her now. She couldn’t find a reason to refuse. “I do like it, but…”

Chu Yihan suppressed a smile and added seriously, “I’ve used all of these. The scent isn’t overpowering; it’s pleasant and they work well.”

Wen Yuan resigned herself and added the items to the cart, joking, “If they aren’t good, I’m giving you a bad review.”

“Okay,” Chu Yihan’s voice lilted, a flash of mischief in her eyes.

“Let’s go to the snack aisle,” Wen Yuan said, adding a loofah to the cart. Enough with the gardenia in the toiletries section.

Chu Yihan pushed the cart behind Wen Yuan, her gaze traveling from Wen Yuan’s back to the items in the cart. The corners of her lips tilted up bit by bit. Silly bird…

Besides her own snacks, Wen Yuan bought some for Chu Yihan. When Chu Yihan tried to politely refuse, Wen Yuan said, “You spent all this time shopping with me and pushing the cart; it’s only right I treat you.” Only then did Chu Yihan accept.

While waiting in line to pay, Chu Yihan asked, “Are you heading straight back to school after this?”

“Yeah,” Wen Yuan said. “I need to organize everything I bought.”

“It’s a lot of stuff,” Chu Yihan suggested. “Let me drive you back.”

Wen Yuan assumed Chu Yihan’s driver, Uncle Li, was picking her up, so she readily agreed. But when they reached a white Audi in the underground parking lot and saw the empty driver’s seat, she realized Chu Yihan was the one driving.

Wen Yuan looked at the car and then at Chu Yihan, her dark eyes wide with disbelief. “You’re driving?”

Chu Yihan nodded. “I just got my license over the summer break. I gave Uncle Li his annual leave.”

In the ABO world, differentiation marks adulthood. Once differentiated, you are responsible for your actions and can get a license. Still, Wen Yuan was shocked. While she spent the summer as a salted fish, the Academic God had gotten her license. The gap is real.

Thinking Wen Yuan was scared, Chu Yihan offered a compromise: “My driving is actually okay. If you’re worried, I can call Uncle Li to come.”

That’s too much trouble. Wen Yuan defended herself, “I’m not worried. I trust you. You handle two wheels well; four wheels shouldn’t be much different.”

Recalling the Qixi Festival, Chu Yihan’s cheeks flushed a faint pink, and a shy smile spread across her face. “Then get in.”

She unlocked the car and opened the trunk. Wen Yuan loaded the two large bags and habitually headed for the back seat.

Chu Yihan stopped her and asked in a tiny voice, “Won’t you sit in the front to keep me company?”

Wen Yuan rubbed her head. “Force of habit.” She paused and teased, “I thought you said your driving was good, yet you still need someone in the passenger seat?”

Chu Yihan gave a bashful smile and didn’t argue. Wen Yuan sat in the front and buckled her seatbelt. Seeing Chu Yihan pull up the navigation, start the car skillfully, use her blinker, and pull out of the spot, she finally felt at ease.

They chatted idly along the way. Chu Yihan drove steadily, like an experienced driver. Wen Yuan felt a bit envious. “I’ll go get my license during the next break too.”

“Don’t,” Chu Yihan blurted out.

Wen Yuan looked at her in confusion. Chu Yihan gripped the steering wheel tight. “I feel like… you aren’t suited for driving.”

Wen Yuan was amused by the discouragement. She looked at the scenery outside the window and suddenly remembered she had transmigrated because of a car accident. She had to agree: “Maybe you’re right. I’m suited for riding.”

Chu Yihan gave a very firm “Mm” and added another option: “And for being driven.”

Well, that just made me sound much fancier.

They soon reached the school gate. Wen Yuan asked, “Want to come see the dorms?”

Chu Yihan’s eyes lit up. “Can I?”

“Sure. I see plenty of people bringing parents or siblings in today. After the tour, I’ll treat you to a meal at the cafeteria.”

As Wen Yuan spoke, she rummaged through her bag for her student ID and dorm key. Suddenly, she let out an “Ah” and looked up blankly. “Actually, you can’t.”

“Hmm?”

“I don’t have my key.” Wen Yuan remembered the supervisor’s warning. “Crap. The supervisor doesn’t have a spare today.”

Chu Yihan’s lashes trembled. “Then where will you stay tonight?”

“I don’t know…” Wen Yuan was stunned. Going home was impossible; her mother was away, her father was on the night shift, and her house keys were locked inside the dorm room.

After a brief silence, Chu Yihan swallowed and said, “Come stay at my house.”