A Short-Lived Cannon Fodder Alpha Just Wants to Be a Salted Fish - Chapter 7

After the English exam in the afternoon, the students returned to their respective classrooms for self-study.

Though labeled “self-study,” the teachers of the six minor subjects had long ago negotiated a schedule to carve up these periods, using the time to summarize and categorize exam key points for the students.

Perhaps because time was so tight, every teacher spoke rapidly and broadly, occasionally adding a casual “this knowledge point is also quite important” until, by the end, every page was covered in highlighted “key points.”

Staring at the rows of blindingly bright fluorescent lines in her textbook, Wen Yuan began to miss Chu Yihan’s meticulous yet concise teaching style.

She had planned to ask Chu Yihan to highlight the essentials of the six minor subjects for her that night. However, after school, she bumped into Chu Yihan in the hallway, and the other girl simply handed her a stack of minor subject textbooks.

“Something came up today. The underlined parts inside are the key points. If there’s anything you don’t understand, message me. I’ll reply when I see it.”

Clutching the stack of books, Wen Yuan blankly muttered an “okay” and watched as Chu Yihan hurried away.

Adding these to the books already in her bag made it too heavy to carry, so Wen Yuan had to double back to the classroom to drop off her own books.

Most people had already left. Shi Ran was sweeping the floor; seeing her return with a pile of books, she asked, “Why are you back? Whose books are those?”

“Chu Yihan’s.” Wen Yuan bent over to transfer her own books from her bag to her desk. “She’s busy today, so she told me to just study from her books.”

Shi Ran walked over, picked one up, and flipped through it. She let out a gasp of surprise. “Damn, were these made specifically for you?”

Wen Yuan finished stuffing the last book away and stood up to look.

Next to the underlined sentences at the top, there was a note saying “Common Mistake.” Beside the circled example problems below, the difficult sections were analyzed with detailed, step-by-step solutions.

“These are probably the notes she took in class, right?” Wen Yuan marveled. “She writes so neatly. I can’t even recognize my own chicken scratch in my books.”

Shi Ran tapped a spot at the bottom right where she was holding the page. “I’m talking about this!”

Only then did Wen Yuan notice a folded corner. Shi Ran flipped through a few more pages for her to see.

“I checked. On the pages with folded corners, the key points are re-underlined with a pink pen, and the annotations are written very carefully. On the pages without folds, the underlining is casual and there are no notes.”

Wen Yuan picked up the books for other subjects; every single one was exactly as Shi Ran described.

These books had been brought to her specifically by Chu Yihan, so the highlights and notes were very likely marked specifically for her.

Wen Yuan instinctively touched the back of her neck, thinking that Chu Yihan must still feel guilty about biting her and was putting in all this effort to make it up to her.

Shi Ran glanced at Wen Yuan’s thoughtful expression. “What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, I was thinking…” Wen Yuan closed the book and made up an excuse, “that I really have to treat her to milk tea.”

Shi Ran clicked her tongue several times. “Even our teachers aren’t as responsible as she is. I think you owe her at least a small cake, too.”

Wen Yuan nodded very, very slowly. “After the exams.”

By the time Chu Yihan arrived at the hospital, Han Yu’s surgery was already finished.

In the hallway, Han Yu’s second husband, Duan Yun, was on the phone. His tone was harsh; he was likely speaking to his son, Duan Jiayan. Before long, Duan Yun pulled the phone away from his ear with a dark expression and muttered under his breath, “That little brat.”

Turning his head and seeing Chu Yihan standing outside the ward, Duan Yun’s expression and tone softened. “You’re here.”

“How is my mother? Why did she suddenly faint?”

Though her words expressed concern, Chu Yihan’s tone and expression remained detached.

This surgery had been significant; if it hadn’t gone well, she might not have made it off the table. Duan Yun couldn’t tell if Chu Yihan blamed him for not taking good care of Han Yu. He rubbed his head and explained, “The previous removal surgery wasn’t done thoroughly; some pheromones were left in her body. This surgery cleared them out. She’s fine now, don’t worry.”

Chu Yihan gave an “Mm” and stared at Duan Yun expressionlessly.

In reality, the pheromone conflict had occurred during intimacy, causing Han Yu to go into shock. Duan Yun didn’t mention this, but the way Chu Yihan looked at him suggested she knew exactly what had happened.

Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, Duan Yun cleared his throat. “Go in and see your mother.”

Chu Yihan turned and entered the ward. Han Yu lay weakly on the bed, her beautiful face pale and bloodless. She looked toward Chu Yihan. “Why did you come? Did your Uncle Duan tell you?”

Chu Yihan pulled up a chair and sat by the bed, her tone unreadable. “He should have told me.”

Han Yu sighed. “When did you get here?”

“Just now.”

“Have you eaten?”

Chu Yihan lowered her eyelids, avoiding Han Yu’s concerned gaze. “Yes.”

Pheromone removal surgery is exhausting for an Omega. Han Yu stopped talking, and Chu Yihan quietly stayed by her side. After a while, seeing that Chu Yihan had no intention of leaving, Han Yu urged, “I’m fine. Don’t stay here; let Uncle Duan drive you back.”

“Uncle Li is waiting downstairs,” Chu Yihan said calmly.

Considering her Alpha Rejection Disorder, Chu Yihan’s grandfather had arranged for his trusted aide, Li Zhang, to be her exclusive driver.

“Then don’t keep Old Li waiting. Go home.” Han Yu paused and instructed, “When you’re home alone, remember to lock all the doors. Check if your suppressors and blocking patches are ready.”

Chu Yihan’s eyelashes trembled. She replied softly, “I know. Rest now.”

Half an hour later, Li Zhang drove to the neighborhood entrance. Chu Yihan asked to get out. “Uncle Li, I’ll just walk back from here. You go on home; thanks for your hard work today.”

Li Zhang hesitated for a moment but complied. “Message me when you’re safely inside.”

Chu Yihan nodded and entered the complex. Nearing her front door, she messaged both Han Yu and Li Zhang. Just as she finished, a message from Wen Yuan popped up.

CenturyEggPorridge: “Are you finished with your business?”

Wen Yuan had originally thought she shouldn’t bother Chu Yihan if she was busy. But she kept thinking about the scene of Chu Yihan delivering the books and rushing away. The more she thought, the more she worried. Seeing no word from her by 10:00 PM, she couldn’t help but ask. To her surprise, Chu Yihan replied instantly.

[Are there problems you can’t solve?]

Am I really such a thoughtless, dull person who only knows how to ask about homework?

Wen Yuan took a breath and reminded herself that as someone with an adult soul, she shouldn’t get petty with a child.

CenturyEggPorridge: “No, you just seemed in such a rush today, I was a little worried about you.”

A while passed before Chu Yihan replied: “I’m fine. My mother was hospitalized.”

CenturyEggPorridge: “What happened to her? Is she okay?”

Chu Yihan: “The previous removal surgery wasn’t thorough, and residual pheromones were left in her body. They’ve been cleared now. She’s fine.”

Removal surgery? There were rumors at school that Chu Yihan came from a single-parent home. Washing away a permanent mark meant removing not just the partner’s pheromones, but the shared memories between two people—it usually meant the love was gone.

Wen Yuan bit her finger in hesitation for a moment, then typed and hit send with her eyes squeezed shut.

CenturyEggPorridge: “And you? Are you… okay?”

Chu Yihan replied quickly: “I’m okay.”

Wen Yuan suddenly didn’t know how to comfort her. There is no such thing as true empathy in this world; she was afraid her clumsy comfort might just rub salt in the wound.

Perhaps because she took too long to reply, Chu Yihan ended up comforting her instead: “Don’t worry about me. My father passed away a long time ago. My mother fell out of love and let go; washing the mark is a normal thing. I can understand.”

Though Wen Yuan felt at this moment that Chu Yihan was mature beyond her years, she agreed with her perspective.

CenturyEggPorridge: “Yeah… if there’s love, one would be loath to forget. It’s good that you’ve come to terms with it.”

Chu Yihan lowered her hand and looked up at the crescent moon hanging in the night sky, radiating a soft glow. Her eyes were even softer than the moonlight as she whispered very, very faintly:

“Yes. I’m not loath at all.”

The next day involved six exams; the schedule was grueling.

Although the first subject was History, the students in the hallway were clutching textbooks of all kinds. Wen Yuan, holding a piece of bread, was particularly conspicuous. From a distance, Chu Yihan saw her—and saw the look of agony on her face as she ate.

Chu Yihan wove through the crowd to Wen Yuan and handed her a bottle of water. “Want some?”

Wen Yuan nodded frantically. She took the water and gulped down several mouthfuls, finally swallowing the bread. “You’re a lifesaver. I almost choked to death.”

A shallow smile spread across Chu Yihan’s face.

After another sip, Wen Yuan asked, “Are you free after school?”

“I have to pick up my mother from the hospital. Why?”

She spoke calmly. Wen Yuan observed her for a moment, felt relieved, and explained: “To thank you for helping me these past two days, I wanted to buy you milk tea. No refusing!”

Taken aback by her forcefulness, Chu Yihan blinked and compromised: “Then let’s wait until the results are out. If you’ve improved, you can buy me one then.”

“Deal. Oh, and here are your books.” Wen Yuan set the water on a nearby table and pulled the minor subject books from her bag, presenting them respectfully with both hands. “Thank you. Please bless me again so I can pass all six subjects.”

Receiving such a grand gesture once more, Chu Yihan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she took the books. “Did you memorize all the key points?”

Wen Yuan shook her head. “There were too many.”

Even though Chu Yihan had narrowed down the scope for each subject, the total for six was still a lot. Chu Yihan checked her watch; there was still some time before the exam started. “I’ll predict a few more important points for you. Try to memorize them quickly.”

The surroundings were too noisy, so Wen Yuan leaned closer to her. Chu Yihan’s voice faltered for a moment. Wen Yuan habitually handed the water back to Chu Yihan. “It’s hard work, Teacher Chu…”

The half-bottle of water sloshed in a rhythm that matched Chu Yihan’s heartbeat. As if the world had switched to slow motion, Chu Yihan took the bottle. Her fingertips twisted the cap open. She lifted the bottle, her pink lips parting slightly as she took two sips, her mouth partially covering the rim.

Wen Yuan looked away—then suddenly realized that she had just drunk from that exact bottle.