Three

The first meeting was straightforward in content. The teacher laid out, in broad strokes, the arrangements for the latter half of the semester — matters concerning off-campus training camps, lecture attendance, and participation in the various activity-based competitions.

Xu Ze sat in the middle row, eyes on the big screen, but throughout the proceedings he could not help letting his gaze drift down, fixing on the seats in the front row in a kind of reverie — though each lapse lasted only a second or two; he would come back to himself quickly and turn his attention to the lectern once more.

Before the meeting ended, the teacher distributed a schedule. Most of the activities were organized and funded by the school; the remainder required self-payment.

Reading down the dates line by line, when his eye reached the prices listed beside the self-funded activities, Xu Ze's gaze paused. He folded the sheet in two and slid it into his uniform pocket. The others filed out of the conference room one after another; the teacher was packing up. Xu Ze stood, stepped down from the tiered seating, and made his way to the lectern.

"Any questions?" the teacher asked.

"Teacher, does every activity have to be attended?"

"There's no mandatory requirement, but I'd recommend attending all of them — it'll help with your future admissions direction and choice of major."

At the same moment, Lu Heyang and He Wei were making their way toward the door, and both of them heard the teacher ask: "Is there something inconvenient?"

The alpha standing before the lectern held himself very straight. After a beat of hesitation, he said: "I'd like to apply to be excused."

Lu Heyang lifted his eyes and happened to catch Xu Ze's profile; a moment later, he passed behind him. He Wei had an arm slung over Lu Heyang's shoulder — it was hard to say whether Young Master He was simply ignorant of the world's hardships or merely sighing over them, but in any case he laughed low and answered his own question: "Is there something inconvenient? Yes — the wallet's inconvenient."

The last class of the afternoon was swimming. Xu Ze came out of the changing room; Chi Jiahán was standing at the pool's edge warming up. He was from Class 9 — Classes 9 and 11 had shared their swimming period since the second year of senior high.

"Can you get in the water?" Chi Jiahán glanced at the wound along Xu Ze's ribs, a measure of worry in his voice.

"I'm fine."

"Even if something were wrong, you wouldn't say so." Chi Jiahán stretched his arms up high and added, offhand, "I just heard the PE teacher say your class's swimming period is moving to Tuesday starting next week."

Xu Ze did not particularly care about this, but he asked anyway: "Why?"

"Just a schedule reshuffle. After that you'll be with Class One... and a couple of other classes I've forgotten, all together."

Xu Ze gave a start, then very slowly shifted his gaze from the deep blue of the pool to Chi Jiahán's face: "Class One?"

"Mm, should be." Catching the sudden sharpening of Xu Ze's attention, Chi Jiahán turned his head and asked, "What's the matter?"

Xu Ze shook his head once: "Nothing."

The whistle sounded, and the two of them returned to their respective alpha and omega lines. The PE teacher began assigning training tasks; whoever completed theirs could leave early.

Chi Jiahán was a poor swimmer, and in the past Xu Ze would always finish his own quota and then come supervise his training. But today, when Xu Ze finished and climbed out of the water, Chi Jiahán noticed the wound had gone white. The PE teacher finished recording the data, looked up at Xu Ze, hesitated visibly, and in the end said nothing — just let him go.

After all, Xu Ze's injuries had always been one after another, endless, and questioning him about them was always fruitless. The Preparatory Academy's teachers adhered strictly to the principle of not interfering with students' private lives, and so, in time, they could only adopt an attitude of studied blindness.

An omega ran up to Xu Ze and said something to him; Xu Ze merely looked down, then shook his head.

It didn't take a genius to know he was probably saying 'I'm fine' again. Chi Jiahán hauled himself out of the pool, walked over, and pushed Xu Ze toward the bench, telling him to sit. From the shared first-aid kit nearby he took iodine-soaked cotton swabs and began disinfecting the wound.

Xu Ze put up almost no resistance the whole way, only saying: "It's already healed. It won't get infected."

Chi Jiahán was almost driven to laughter by him: "It won't get infected — but those omegas will worry themselves sick."

Xu Ze had always been remarkably slow on this front — or perhaps had simply never paid it any mind. He frowned: "What?"

"Nothing. In a bit don't get back in the water; I'll practice on my own. You leave early and get some rest."

"You'll be kept after class." Xu Ze knew Chi Jiahán's swimming level only too well.

Chi Jiahán faltered for a moment, then said: "I've improved recently. I can finish the training on time."

"I'm fine, let's go." Xu Ze pulled a piece of gauze at random and pressed it to the wound, stood up. "I'll watch you from the shore."

Back at the pool's edge, the atmosphere seemed somehow different. Chi Jiahán looked ahead and saw an alpha, half a class late, standing at the adjacent pool with a crowd of omegas gathered around him. The PE teacher blew the whistle with the stopwatch in hand, and the alpha entered the water cleanly — Chi Jiahán suspected his entry alone had cost him several seconds' worth of his own swimming time.

"He Wei, S-Class, transferred in last week, first day of class today," Chi Jiahán said. "Very close with Lu Heyang."

Lu Heyang's background had always been a mystery, known to almost no one, while He Wei was a new face who had been at the Preparatory Academy for barely half a day, with no whisper of him beforehand. The two of them walking together was, to say the least, intriguing — at the Preparatory Academy, anyone whose personal information could be kept entirely sealed, not a single trace leaked, was usually worth thinking twice about.

In Chi Jiahán's view, even if the whole school were busy speculating, Xu Ze would not be among them. He seemed to drift outside everyone, indifferent to everything — taciturn, unsociable, taking no part in entertainments. You didn't know what he cared about, what he liked, what he desired; if the face on his head had been a touch more ordinary, he would have been utterly anonymous, lost in the crowd of the campus.

But Chi Jiahán still felt that, as a friend, he had an obligation to give Xu Ze a little basic education in human relations. Even though Xu Ze would absolutely never go looking for trouble on his own, at the Preparatory Academy, knowing a little more was never the wrong move.

Xu Ze looked toward the pool over there, gave a single "mm," and, as always, offered no opinion.

Chi Jiahán really had improved — he finished today's training quota five minutes before the bell, while He Wei, by contrast, completed all his training tasks within fifteen minutes.

Back in the changing room, He Wei took a shower. When he came out, Lu Heyang was sitting on a chair in front of the lockers, looking at his mobile phone. At the sound of footsteps, he looked up: "Done?"

"Done. Thanks to Young Master Lu for coming all the way here just to wait for me. Come on, let's go eat."

The two walked out along the long corridor between the changing room and the showers. As they passed the door of the fourth changing room, an alpha suddenly stepped out from inside, wearing a black T-shirt washed to a faintly threadbare white, his hair half-damp, droplets from the ends rolling down his pale nape and disappearing into the collar.

Xu Ze stood with his head lowered at the changing room door, fastening his wristband, and stepped aside to let the two alphas pass.

Unexpectedly, the two did not walk past him. Xu Ze heard someone call his name — and in that particular way, one syllable at a time.

"Xu. Ze."

The tone sounded like someone coming to corner him. Xu Ze raised his head, expressionless, and looked over coldly — then froze for an instant.

He Wei was smiling at him, the corners of his mouth curved up: "The teacher told me your training score today was the best of all the alphas. Do you usually like swimming?"

It was plainly He Wei asking the question, but Xu Ze's gaze fell first on Lu Heyang's face. The moment it met that unfamiliar, unhurried look, Xu Ze's fingers curled without his knowing, and the wristband slipped to the floor.

"Don't like it." Xu Ze came back to himself, bent to pick up the wristband, and answered in a low voice.

"Then you're naturally gifted. Next week's swimming class happens to be the midterm — shall we race?"

Xu Ze went on trying to fasten his wristband, but for some reason he could not get it right. In the end he simply gave up, his hand dropping to his side. "Our class's swimming is moving to Tuesdays from now on."

"Tuesdays?" He Wei thought for a second, then turned to Lu Heyang. "Your Class One's swimming is on Tuesdays, isn't it?"

"Mm," Lu Heyang replied.

"What a coincidence — you two can have a race then." He Wei, it seemed, would die of boredom if he didn't stir something up.

Lu Heyang did not respond, looking rather indifferent. He glanced at his mobile phone: "Gu Yunchi says he's arrived. He's hurrying us over."

"Tch. When will that man's patience ever get any better. Let's go, let's go." He Wei draped an arm over Lu Heyang's shoulder and walked on. Passing Xu Ze, he remarked offhandedly, "Get a new wristband. Yours is too old — that's why it's so hard to fasten."

Xu Ze kept his head slightly lowered and gave no answer. After they had gone, he picked up the wristband again. The corridor light was dim, and it took Xu Ze a full half minute to fasten it. He slung his schoolbag over his left shoulder and walked out. A drop of water slid down his bangs and fell into his right eye; half his vision went blurred at once. Xu Ze raised a hand and wiped at his eye.

For no reason he could name, he felt a little annoyed with himself.

"What are you trying to do." On the way to the parking lot, Lu Heyang asked, out of nowhere.

He Wei played the fool: "Trying to do what?"

Lu Heyang looked at him.

"You mean Xu Ze?" He Wei smiled. "I didn't do anything. What's wrong with a bit of small talk?"

"Why bring up the wristband."

"Honestly no malice — just said it in passing, didn't think that much about it." He Wei spun his car keys between his fingers. "My cousin — she used to be at the Preparatory Academy's middle school division. Transferred out last year. You know?"

"I know."

"This kid, back in her third year of middle school, cried to me about confessing to an upperclassman and getting turned down. Today, hearing Xu Ze's name, I just remembered — he's that upperclassman." He Wei said, settling into the driver's seat. "So. I'm curious, that's all."

"In future, don't be so bored." Lu Heyang said.

One of He Wei's virtues was his boundless curiosity; one of his flaws was that his curiosity was never applied where it ought to be.

"We're both alphas here — don't make it sound like I'm bullying him." He Wei started the car. "He's an S-Class, after all."

Lu Heyang said, lightly: "Worried you'll stir up trouble."

"How could I? I'm the most well-behaved person there is." He Wei said, brazenly. "It's you, though — I get the feeling Xu Ze's actually a bit afraid of you. You just looked at him and his wristband dropped to the floor."

After saying that, he asked Lu Heyang: "Did you notice?"

Lu Heyang took off his wristband, hooked it on a finger and weighed it. "Didn't notice," he answered.