The Advisor He Didn’t Ask For

In the days that followed, Wu Qie’s name did not appear on the invigilation roster.

He stayed home without going out, binge-watching eight films in a row, until his mother finally asked whether he could at least go on a date and get some sunlight instead of living like a patch of moss.

Dark.

Damp.

And wooden.

Middle-aged people were like this.

When he had a partner, she frowned at the mention of Lan Yin and called him “that possibly underage boy with more ear studs than I have strands of hair.”

Now that they had broken up, she was urging him to date again.

He didn’t even have a partner.

Date who?

“Zhao Shu! Of course Zhao Shu!”

“Is it possible that the reason I’ve been home these past few days is because he, as a student, is taking exams?”

Wu Qie reminded her seriously.

“He has something going on with that young master from the Lin family. After that induced differentiation incident, he hates me. Please stop matchmaking.”

At the mention of the Lin family, Madam Li Junbi looked openly disdainful.

“The Lin family? They’re finished.”

Who knew what gossip she had picked up from the society wives’ circle.

“Whether the Lin family’s finished or not doesn’t matter. If Lin Zuwen is fine in Zhao Shu’s eyes, that’s enough,” Wu Qie said helplessly.

“Dating isn’t about that. If an Alpha and an Omega fancy each other, who can stop them?”

That was true.

No matter how the world evolved, the biological traits of Alpha and Omega were complementary.

Like perfectly fitted mortise and tenon joints, requiring no nails.

Once pheromone compatibility was high and a mark completed, it locked in with precision for a hundred years.

Even without exceptionally high compatibility, once an Alpha permanently marked an Omega, they would reach an indescribable union of body and mind.

For example, even separated by mountains and seas, their heats would arrive simultaneously.

Some unverified phenomena even suggested that certain Alpha-Omega pairs, five years after marking, could develop a resonance akin to twins.

This was something that would never happen if one partner were a Beta.

Madam Li Junbi fell silent.

As an Omega herself, she knew it well.

Twenty years ago, she had never regarded any beautiful Beta around her husband as a threat to her marriage.

Left speechless, she poked her son’s forehead in frustration.

“What do you mean? Are you planning to date a Beta next?”

“Ah?”

Wu Qie blinked.

“Not that absolutely.”

His ambiguous answer clearly felt like deflection.

She still hoped he would try to win over the young master of the Zhao family.

“I’m more familiar with the auntie who sold sticky rice outside my elementary school than I am with him. How exactly am I supposed to ‘win him over’?”

Wu Qie scrolled through messages in his colleagues’ group chat while replying absentmindedly.

“I’m heading out this afternoon. I won’t be back for dinner.”

“Where are you going?”

Wu Qie casually held up his phone, showing the chat exploding with messages.

“A colleague fell down the stairs and fractured something. I’m going to visit.”

She caught the keyword in the chat: “Once you’re past fifty, your bones really do crumble.”

In Madam Li Junbi’s eyes, visiting a colleague older than his own parents did not count as something meaningful.

She rolled her eyes and muttered, “Doing useless things instead of focusing on what matters,” before turning back to watering her flowers.

That morning, after invigilating, the English teacher, Mr. Yang, missed a step while coming downstairs.

He tumbled down more than a dozen stairs in a row and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.

Multiple fractures.

Fortunately, nothing life-threatening.

But he wouldn’t be able to teach for a while.

Mr. Yang was the same teacher who had swapped invigilation duties with Wu Qie.

Their offices faced each other across the corridor.

Despite the age gap, they got along well.

That afternoon, Mr. Yang lay in the hospital bed groaning faintly.

When he looked up and saw Teacher Wu standing at the door carrying expensive health supplements, he was visibly surprised.

He probably hadn’t expected young people nowadays to be this polite, visiting colleagues during a break.

Wu Qie was the first colleague to arrive.

He set the gifts down and sat by the bed chatting.

The black-haired young man wore a gentle, spring-like smile.

Whatever topic came up, he could carry it.

The conversation flowed naturally.

No awkwardness.

Mr. Yang’s wife even grew fond of him and enthusiastically asked about studying abroad.

Wu Qie answered patiently, one by one.

As the sun began to set, other colleagues with afternoon invigilation duties started arriving.

Wu Qie remained seated as though welded to the chair.

Like the secondary host of a banquet, calmly accompanying Mr. Yang in seeing off wave after wave of visitors.

Near dinnertime, Wu Qie glanced at his phone, refilled the boiling fruit tea with hot water, and casually asked about Mr. Yang’s son’s achievements.

If he planned to study abroad, certain specialties might help with applications.

No middle-aged parent could resist talking about their child.

Mr. Yang’s wife launched into an enthusiastic recounting.

At 7:25 PM, hospital staff delivered dinner.

At that moment, a towering, bear-like figure appeared outside the ward.

He wore shorts and a white tank top, a sports jacket slung in one hand, a slightly peeling metal whistle hanging from his chest.

His voice boomed.

“Old Yang! What happened? You just fell like that?!”

It was the school’s head of the Physical Education department, Teacher Xue.

He strode to the bedside and looked at the frail, half-broken middle-aged man.

He shook his head and sighed.

After a pause, he asked unwillingly, “Then next month’s national league… can you still go with the team?”

Mr. Yang looked at his heavily bandaged leg and replied calmly, “What do you think?”

Teacher Xue let out a bear-like sigh.

“I’ll push you in a wheelchair? Or carry you on a stretcher? What about our basketball team, huh?!”

The anguished question left the room silent.

Mr. Yang looked troubled.

Though he seemed fragile as paper, he also held another role at school.

He was the official advisor of the basketball team.

Being an advisor didn’t mean he taught layups.

School rules required that every club must have a non-PE academic teacher serving as advisor.

Every absurd rule usually came from an equally absurd scandal.

Apparently, years ago, a baseball team advisor had helped players cheat on monthly exams to ensure starters qualified for nationals.

An advisor was usually invisible.

But when it came time to travel for competitions, school policy required one to accompany the team and supervise academic standards.

Now, with the autumn national league approaching, and the entire team composed of Alphas—including S-class Alphas Zhao Shu and Pei Qingyu—Hongtie High had been unstoppable in friendly matches.

They were this year’s championship favorites.

And now their advisor was bedridden.

How was that not despair-inducing?

“Old Xue… file a report tonight and switch advisors?” Mr. Yang suggested weakly.

“Switch to who?!”

Teacher Xue nearly broke down.

“The gate guard’s already been dragged off to play board games. Who am I supposed to find—”

Clang.

A metallic sound rang out behind them.

They turned simultaneously.

Wu Qie stood there, half-peeled apple in one hand, looking slightly embarrassed as he bent to pick up the fallen fruit knife.

The ward fell silent for about ten seconds.

Mr. Yang suddenly asked, “Teacher Wu, didn’t you just join two months ago?”

Teacher Xue straightened up immediately, eyes shining.

“Ah… mm.”

Wu Qie smiled gently.

“Yes.”

“You’re not assigned to any club yet, right?”

“No.”

Before the last word even settled, the half-peeled apple was taken from his hand and placed aside.

His hands were seized by Teacher Xue’s large, hopeful grip.

The gentle smile on Wu Qie’s face never changed.

He nodded.

“Alright.”

“Alright.”

“That’s fine.”

The final subject of the monthly exam ended.

The basketball team had practice that afternoon.

They had heard their previous advisor was out and a new one had been assigned.

Before training, they were expected to greet the new advisor.

Zhao Shu dismissed it outright.

He slammed his locker door and said the school was being ridiculous.

These academic teachers who never showed up all year would only tag along during competitions, eat and travel on public funds, and still share in the team’s prize money.

It wasn’t fair to Old Xue, who acted like both father and mother to them.

“You’re so considerate,” Pei Qingyu said calmly, pulling out his training jersey.

“Then behave during practice. Annoy them less.”

Zhao Shu kicked him.

They changed and walked out side by side, still discussing the new advisor.

Then Zhao Shu’s peripheral vision caught sight of a familiar figure near the bench area, standing beside the bear-like Teacher Xue.

A hoodie.

Sweatpants.

Ordinary sneakers.

Long lashes.

Slightly round eyes.

Standing there quietly and obediently.

For Hongtie’s faculty, he looked almost too young.

More like a college student.

“Teacher Wu, thank you. Our basketball team has frequent activities. Sorry to trouble you with extra work.”

“It’s no trouble.”

Under the sunlight, the black-haired young man tilted his face slightly, smiling.

“I just suddenly remembered… I’m single now.”

“Ah?”

“Which means… my schedule’s free.”

“Oh.”

At the entrance of the basketball gym, the Alpha teenagers stopped in unison.

They stared at the black-haired Beta who seemed entirely out of place in this athletic setting.

Pei Qingyu watched him without expression.

Silent.

Zhao Shu, meanwhile, exploded beside him.

“What does that mean?! Is he exercising fiancé privileges a bit too fast?

Is this because I used the basketball team as an excuse not to eat with him last time?

Now he’s following the team too? Clingy much? Don’t tell me he fell in love at first sight and wants to lock me down like this?!”