A Short-Lived Cannon Fodder Alpha Just Wants to Be a Salted Fish - Chapter 27

Early the next morning, as the sky just began to pale, Chu Yihan woke up from a chaotic dream. Like many times before, she was momentarily unable to distinguish reality from the dreamscape—yet unlike those times, she didn’t wake up feeling a bone-deep chill.

The pheromones surrounding her were the fresh, damp scent of grass after rain, but they felt warm. It wasn’t just warm; it was soft.

Frowning, Chu Yihan forced herself out of her drowsiness and opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a fair neck. Further down was the curved neckline of a nightgown. It was wide, revealing a glimpse of snowy white skin and the subtle rise and fall of a chest with each breath. Her own arm was draped over a slender, curved waist; the touch was clear and real.

It wasn’t a dream…

Afraid of waking Wen Yuan and breaking this moment, Chu Yihan didn’t dare move, savoring this brief, secret time that belonged only to her.

As the sun rose higher, Chu Yihan very lightly and slowly withdrew her hand and got up with cat-like steps. Wen Yuan shifted her sleeping posture on the bed, her hand curling up by her cheek. Her brow was relaxed, eyes closed tight, and her long, thick, curled lashes hid her dark eyes, stripping away her usual sharp and flamboyant edge.

Chu Yihan’s eyes shimmered. Her gaze, like an invisible brush, slowly traced Wen Yuan’s eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth, finally resting on the hands by her face. Those hands were cool, white, and slender, the bone structure exceptionally beautiful. The fingertips were tapered with a faint pink tint—though the nails were getting a bit long.

Chu Yihan reluctantly withdrew her gaze, struggling to tuck away all her emotions and thoughts.

Good morning, A-Yuan.

She straightened the summer quilt on her side, pulled the curtains shut gently, and took one last look at the person still fast asleep. With a doting smile, she picked up her slippers and walked out of the room barefoot.

At 7:00 AM, the alarm woke Wen Yuan. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, stretching a beam across her face. She struggled to turn off the alarm and covered her eyes with her hand. After a moment, she suddenly remembered this wasn’t her home or the dorm. She snapped her hand away and looked to her side.

Empty.

The little liar who had clung to her all night was already up. Wen Yuan rolled over and reached out to touch the spot where Chu Yihan had slept. It was cool; she must have been up for a while.

Sigh, can’t stay in bed anymore.

Wen Yuan rubbed her eyes, got up, folded the quilt, and straightened the sheets. Then she pulled the curtains tight and went to change. She put on her denim shorts first; just as she took off her nightgown and reached for her bra, the door clicked open.

Wen Yuan instinctively clutched the bra to her chest and turned toward the door. She watched as Chu Yihan’s eyes widened, her gaze moving very, very slowly from Wen Yuan’s slender waist upward until it froze.

For a second, the air stood still.

The gaze moved so slowly and directly that Wen Yuan felt the illusion of standing naked before Chu Yihan, having everything seen. The spots where that gaze swept felt faintly hot.

“I’m sorry! I thought you were still sleeping!” Chu Yihan suddenly snapped out of it, covering her burning face with her hands and backing out while apologizing.

Wen Yuan originally thought she wouldn’t mind being seen that much, but for some reason, she felt a sudden rush of embarrassment. She quickly buckled her bra and pulled on her T-shirt. Taking a deep breath, she walked out.

Chu Yihan was standing outside the door with her head hanging, hands over her bright red face. She looked shy and quite cute. Hearing the door open, Chu Yihan glanced over with watery eyes, then quickly lowered her head again in embarrassment, her teeth biting her lower lip. Even her ears were stained crimson.

Wen Yuan thought: How is she more embarrassed than the one who was almost seen naked? On the surface, she acted casual to comfort her. “It’s fine. We’re both girls; it’s no big deal even if you saw everything.”

Chu Yihan pursed her lips, wanting to say something but remaining silent. She pulled the scent blocker and patches bought on Qixi from her pocket. “Which one are you using?”

Wen Yuan hadn’t tried the blocker yet, so she pointed to the bottle.

“I’ll spray it for you, then you help me with my patch.” Chu Yihan handed the patches to Wen Yuan, trying to speak in a normal tone. “Even if we’re both girls, don’t let people just see you like that.”

Wen Yuan didn’t catch the patch properly; the round sticker drifted down to the floor. As she bent over to pick it up, her wide neckline revealed her subtle curves. “Actually, there’s not much to see. There was some shape before, but now the ‘little hills’ have turned into a ‘Great Plain’.”

Damn this differentiation into an Alpha, it turned me completely flat.

Chu Yihan looked at her, wanting to laugh and unable to stop her lips from curving. Wen Yuan caught her, stood up, and narrowed her eyes in a threat. Chu Yihan took the signal and quickly pursed her lips to hide the smile, saying seriously, “Actually, there’s still a curve.”

The little hips are quite perky, too.

It sounded like a blatant lie of comfort. Wen Yuan turned around, lifting her hair to expose her gland. “Little liar…”

“I’m not lying,” Chu Yihan explained earnestly.

Wen Yuan arched an eyebrow. “Who was it that said they were a very well-behaved sleeper?”

Chu Yihan remembered waking up in Wen Yuan’s arms that morning and began scratching her head, stammering and unable to explain herself for a long time. Wen Yuan glanced back at her; one side of her hair was tucked behind her ear, and her small, exposed ear was glowing bright red.

Seeing her looking so flustered, Wen Yuan couldn’t resist teasing her further. “Holding someone so tight, murmuring in your sleep…”

Chu Yihan grew tense immediately. “What did I say in my sleep?”

“You said…” Wen Yuan paused and looked back at her. The red on Chu Yihan’s face had faded, replaced by a ghostly pallor. Wen Yuan didn’t understand why she reacted this way, but she suddenly couldn’t bring herself to keep teasing her. After a brief silence, she continued, “You just said what you said just now.”

Just now was silence, so there was no sleep talking.

Chu Yihan realized she’d been played. Her nerves relaxed and she pouted, “You’re scaring me.” Her voice was soft and sweet—more like a flirtatious pout than anger.

Wen Yuan smiled, accepting the silent accusation. She turned her back again and lifted her hair, signaling Chu Yihan to spray the blocker. The spray felt cool on her gland, quickly forming a thin film. Chu Yihan touched around the area to ensure it was properly sealed.

The skin around the gland is extremely sensitive. Wen Yuan could keenly feel the warmth from Chu Yihan’s fingertips. The touch was so gentle, like a feather brushing against her, causing a wave of tingly itchiness. Chu Yihan’s gaze swept over the goosebumps rising around Wen Yuan’s gland. She withdrew her hand, the corners of her lips curving almost imperceptibly. “Done.”

They swapped places. Wen Yuan peeled a patch to apply to Chu Yihan’s gland. As she pressed down on the edges, Chu Yihan let out a soft “Mmh.” Wen Yuan snapped her hand back like she’d been burned. “What’s wrong?”

Chu Yihan bit her lip, looking at her with watery eyes. “Your nail scratched my gland.”

Having just experienced how sensitive the area was, Wen Yuan understood how uncomfortable a scratch would be. She apologized immediately. Chu Yihan smiled and said it didn’t matter.

They headed downstairs. Chu Yihan went to the kitchen while Wen Yuan went to the bathroom. While brushing her teeth with her left hand, her mouth full of gardenia-scented foam, the memory of Chu Yihan’s lips brushing against her neck the night before flashed through her mind. Wen Yuan touched her neck in the mirror. Then she thought about the patch.

She curled the fingers of her right hand and held them up. They were clean and well-groomed, not particularly long. Looks like I’ll have to trim them even shorter next time. Chu Yihan’s nails were quite short, so she hadn’t scratched Wen Yuan. But her hands were pretty; they looked good even short.

Wen Yuan spread her fingers to look closely. Hmm! Mine aren’t bad either. Her gaze swept over her index and middle fingers. A flash of memory occurred—before she transmigrated, those two fingers were always trimmed very short. She assumed it was just a past habit and didn’t think more of it as she rinsed her face.

After leaving the bathroom, Chu Yihan called her over for breakfast. Wen Yuan smelled a familiar fragrance. “Century egg and pork congee?”

“Yes,” Chu Yihan smiled. “Since your nickname is CenturyEggSoloPorridge, I made a pot. Want some?”

“Yes, yes! I was just saying yesterday I wanted to try your cooking.”

Chu Yihan beamed and served her a bowl. Wen Yuan sat down and happily took a spoonful. “How is it?” Chu Yihan asked casually as she served herself.

“Delicious! It’s not fishy at all.”

“Boiling the eggs with salt and white vinegar helps remove the smell.”

Wen Yuan looked at the fried dough sticks, soy milk, and pickled cucumbers on the table—everything she loved. Her mother always made Western-style breakfasts; she had craved this for a long time. “Did you make all of this?”

“No, the dough sticks and soy milk are from a stall outside the complex.” Seeing Wen Yuan eating happily, Chu Yihan laughed. “I can only make congee. Anything more difficult and I’d mess it up; it’d be embarrassing.”

She spoke lightly, but the self-deprecation sounded quite playful. Wen Yuan smiled. “Frying dough sticks and pickling vegetables isn’t hard. I’ll teach you next time…”

Chu Yihan didn’t seem surprised that she knew how. Her eyes curved into crescent moons. “Okay…”

After breakfast, they tidied up. Once they received a message that Shi Ran had arrived at school, they drove over.

The school was much more crowded than the day before; clearly, many students were procrastinators. The parking lot was small, and with so many parents dropping off boarders, Chu Yihan had to circle around before finding a spot.

Since it was still early, Chu Yihan asked to tour the dorms, so Wen Yuan took her inside. The dorm door was open, and voices were coming from inside. Wen Yuan walked in to find that besides Shi Ran, Zhang Lili and Lin Meng from the neighboring room were also there.

“Whoa! You’re here so early?” Shi Ran said in surprise.

“Mm.” Wen Yuan gestured for Chu Yihan to set her bag down. “The Academic God drove.”

“Ah, the Academic God has her license too?” Shi Ran was excited. “We were just talking about that.”

Wen Yuan caught the word “too” and raised an eyebrow. “You have one too?”

“She doesn’t; I do,” Lin Meng chimed in. “She and Zhang Lili want to apply this year.”

“Little Bird, want to join us?” Shi Ran asked.

Before Wen Yuan could answer, Chu Yihan said in a low voice, “Don’t.”

This was the second time she’d discouraged her. Wen Yuan was used to it, but the others were confused. “Why?”

Chu Yihan bit her lip, paused for two seconds, and said, “You’ll get a tan.”

Lin Meng: “Pfft. True enough.”

Zhang Lili: “Hahaha…”

Shi Ran: “Academic God, don’t be so serious; your truths sound like jokes.”

After the laughter died down, Wen Yuan said, “I’ll see about the license later.” She was still a bit wary of car accidents. “Are you really afraid of tanning?” she asked Chu Yihan.

“Mm.”

Lin Meng started chatting with Chu Yihan about being a new driver, while Zhang Lili listened in to prepare for her own lessons. While tidying the wardrobe, Shi Ran leaned in and whispered to Wen Yuan, “Did you and the Academic God sleep in separate beds or share one last night?”

Saying they shared a bed might be bad for Chu Yihan’s reputation, but Wen Yuan didn’t want to lie. During her few seconds of hesitation, Shi Ran already understood. She covered her mouth in shock. “You guys didn’t do anything… ‘shy,’ did you?!”

In this world, an Alpha and Omega sharing a bed was a highly volatile situation—pheromones, sparks, and “indescribable” events were common.

Wen Yuan gave Shi Ran a look reserved for idiots. She glanced at Chu Yihan and Lin Meng chatting happily below and frowned almost imperceptibly. “Do you think if anything happened, I’d bring her here to see you Alphas?”

Shi Ran shivered at the sharp, aggressive edge that Wen Yuan hadn’t managed to suppress in her eyes. An Alpha’s possessiveness is so strong that if anything had happened, they’d likely keep the Omega in bed, or at least wouldn’t let them go talk to other Alphas while still carrying their scent.

Shi Ran blinked and looked at Wen Yuan meaningfully. “So, should I say you have great self-control, or that the Academic God isn’t charming enough?”

Wen Yuan instinctively looked at Chu Yihan again. The weather was still a bit warm; Chu Yihan lifted her ponytail, exposing her pale, beautiful neck.

Wen Yuan slowly withdrew her gaze. “I have great self-control.”