The Mark and the Dream

“Snap!”

The suppressant gun in the medical teacher’s hand fired. A tiny, sharp needle instantly pierced Li Chen’s thin skin, injecting the medicinal fluid directly into his bloodstream. Li Chen’s eyes darkened immediately, and the uncontrollable excitement on his face vanished without a trace.

His body, pinned over Shi Ji, swayed for a moment. In the next second, he collapsed straight onto Shi Ji’s chest.

As Li Chen fell, everyone present maintained a collective, breathless silence. After a few seconds, the principal’s trembling voice broke the quiet: “Go… go check on them.” Only then did the teachers in protective gear cautiously step forward.

They first tested Li Chen’s consciousness. Once they confirmed he was out cold, they grabbed his arms and hauled him up. The principal scurried to Shi Ji’s side, swallowing hard when he saw the gruesome state of Shi Ji’s neck.

“Someone get over here and check on Mr. Shi!!” he barked. A teacher ran over with a first-aid kit, pulling out a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a large roll of gauze.

“I’m fine—” Shi Ji started to say, but the words died in his throat as a disinfectant-soaked cotton ball touched the wound. He let out a sharp, pained hiss.

Shi Ji’s head throbbed with the stinging pain. He truly hadn’t expected Li Chen to be this ruthless.

Is this kid a dog? Shi Ji couldn’t help but wonder.

The playground was in total disarray. Yang Xing’s injuries were severe; several teachers were surrounding him to perform emergency resuscitation. Meanwhile, the remaining teachers—fearing Li Chen might wake up and lose control again—fixed his hands and feet to a stretcher. Beyond that, they even forced a bite muzzle onto him.

An Omega wearing a bite muzzle was an unheard-of phenomenon. Shi Ji stared at the restrained Li Chen, a complex mixture of emotions swirling in his heart.

He watched as Li Chen and Yang Xing were carried away on stretchers. Thanks to the timely rescue, Yang Xing had managed to keep his life; he was loaded into an ambulance for further treatment at the hospital.

The principal helped Shi Ji to his feet, wanting to take him to the hospital as well, but Shi Ji refused.

Shi Ji touched the thick bandages around his neck. The teacher who wrapped them seemed to have used enough strength to strangle him, winding the gauze around his neck several times for a relatively small wound.

The scorching sun baked Shi Ji’s sweaty skin. His racing heart refused to slow down. The scene that had just unfolded replayed behind his eyes, leaving him with a lingering sense of dread.

Plot points that shouldn’t exist, special settings never mentioned in the original text… without him realizing it, things had quietly spiraled off the rails.

A sudden wave of dizziness hit him. Shi Ji frowned and slumped to his knees. The principal grabbed his arm to hoist him up, but Shi Ji’s body felt like lead.

A faint ringing filled his ears, and cold sweat slid down his temples. He gasped for air, his chest feeling as though a heavy weight were pressing down on it.

It wasn’t until a cooling sensation touched his forehead that his chaotic thoughts began to return. He weakly lifted his eyelids to see the principal looking at him with an expression of pure anxiety. Beside him, a teacher in a white suit held a small ice pack against Shi Ji’s forehead.

“Mr. Shi, you have heatstroke.” The principal’s voice reached him, but despite the proximity, it felt muffled, as if filtered through thick glass.

He blinked slowly. “Where is… Li Chen?”

“Li Chen…?” The principal hesitated. “He was sent to the infirmary. The suppressant contained a sedative; it won’t harm his body, but he’ll be out for a while. You needn’t worry, Mr. Shi.”

Shi Ji lowered his lashes.

According to school regulations, Li Chen had to be kept in the infirmary for several hours of observation to ensure he was no longer a danger before being released. This rule was originally intended for Alphas who couldn’t control themselves during their rut, yet here it was, being applied to an Omega.

Supported by several teachers, Shi Ji wobbled to his feet. The onlookers had been forcibly dispersed, but today’s events couldn’t be hidden. Within hours, the news would spread like wildfire.

An Omega beating an Alpha was one thing, but Shi Ji feared the discovery of Li Chen’s “unknown” side.

“Not a word of today’s events is to be mentioned by anyone.” Shi Ji took a breath. Even with his ghastly complexion, his voice remained icy. “If I catch wind of it, you know the consequences.”

The principal swallowed and quickly agreed, ushering him toward the infirmary to rest.

This time, Shi Ji didn’t refuse. He had no energy left to speak, and his footsteps felt floaty.

The infirmary was close. As soon as the door opened, the air conditioning chased away the heat. As he sat down, a cup of sugar water appeared by his hand. Before he could take it, his eyes landed on a metal cage in the corner. Inside was a small single bed, and…

Li Chen was still unconscious. His hands and feet were bound to the bed, and the bite muzzle on his face was made of iron, about two fingers wide, with straps buckled behind his head.

It looked incredibly disturbing.

Shi Ji pushed the water cup aside and stood up, his face pale. As he moved toward the cage, a teacher blocked his path. “Mr. Shi, it’s best if you don’t go over there right now.”

Shi Ji stopped but commanded sharply, “Let him out.”

“But…” The teacher frowned. “Mr. Shi, we aren’t sure if the student is safe yet. Per regulations, we cannot—”

“I said,” Shi Ji turned his head, his gaze piercingly sharp, “let him out.”

His tone left no room for negotiation. The teacher hesitated, but knowing Shi Ji wasn’t someone to offend, he walked over and unlocked the iron cage.

The heavy chains hit the floor with a loud clatter. Shi Ji stared at the pile of iron for a moment, then pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The others wisely stayed back, watching from the doorway to ensure the boy didn’t wake up and go on another rampage, while silently marvelling at Shi Ji’s death-defying courage.

Shi Ji walked to the bedside and looked down at the youth. Li Chen was sleeping peacefully, a faint flush on his pale cheeks. Without the muzzle—a device that didn’t belong on someone of his gender—he would have looked like a perfectly “good boy.”

The wound on Shi Ji’s neck throbbed. The pulling sensation in his flesh reminded him of how dangerous this person was, yet he couldn’t stop a surge of pity from rising.

He reached out to brush the black hair from the boy’s forehead, revealing delicate features. Suddenly, the familiar sound of the system coming online rang in his ears.

Another mission.

[Loading next plot segment…] [Load successful.] [Next Task: Take revenge on the protagonist, Li Chen, while he is unconscious.] [Time Limit: Within 30 minutes.] [Syncing data… Sync complete.]

“In the original text, the ‘Original Shi Ji’ never did this, right?” Shi Ji asked internally.

[Due to the host’s interference, the original plot has deviated by 10%. This is a new task filtered by the system to maintain the narrative.] [This task is simple; the host should be able to complete it smoothly.]

Simple?! Shi Ji wanted to file a fraud report against the system.

[If the host is unsure, the system offers a hint: Given the original body’s high hatred for the protagonist, almost any action will be judged as ‘revenge.’] [However, extra points and generous rewards are available for ‘extra’ effort—such as strangling the protagonist to death! ~]

The system’s mechanical voice tried to sound upbeat, which only made it more unsettling.

Shi Ji frowned. As a law-abiding citizen, he wasn’t about to go on a murder spree.

[Good luck then, host! ~]

The system went offline. After a moment of thought, Shi Ji turned to the teacher outside. “Bring me a pen.”

When Li Chen woke up, the sun was already sinking in the west, painting the sky orange-red. A harsh ray of light pierced through the window, landing right on his bed.

He sat up, the bite muzzle feeling incredibly uncomfortable. He rubbed his aching wrists, and then he noticed something odd.

The cage door was wide open. The restraints lay in a heap on the floor. The red marks on his wrists proved he had been bound earlier.

But he had been released.

Li Chen knew the rules. Last semester, an Alpha who lost control during his rut was locked in here for three days and nights. By those standards, he should still be locked up.

Why am I out?

He knit his brows, and a sudden stab of pain flashed through his head. He remembered losing control, but the specifics were a blur.

Rubbing his temples, he climbed out of bed. His feet hit the floor and nearly gave way; he grabbed the bedrail to steady himself.

Then, looking up, he saw Shi Ji nearby.

Li Chen froze for several seconds before unconsciously walking over to him.

His shadow completely enveloped the man. Shi Ji lay there defenseless, black hair sliding over his cheek. A soft strand brushed against Shi Ji’s nose, making him frown in his sleep.

The man’s profile was elegant, his lashes long and slightly curled, like a beautiful ragdoll cat. He was breathing shallowly, fast asleep. Li Chen had been standing there for quite a while, yet Shi Ji showed no signs of waking.

Fragments of memory pieced together. Li Chen vaguely recalled Shi Ji being by his side during his outburst.

His gaze fell on the bandages around the man’s neck.

He had bitten Shi Ji. Again.

Li Chen didn’t know how to describe the feeling. He reached out a finger to touch the gauze. At the contact, Shi Ji’s head twitched reflexively. He let out a muffled groan and mumbled two words: “Li Chen.”

Li Chen flinched as if burned, pulling his hand back instantly. His Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. He peeked at Shi Ji’s eyes; when they didn’t open, he was stunned.

Not awake? Is he dreaming? Dreaming… about me?

An unrealistic thought sprouted in his head.

His heart thundered. Seeing Shi Ji’s lips move again, he leaned in closer to hear.

“Do you want me to give you a husband?” Shi Ji muttered.

“…”

Li Chen’s eyes widened. The dream-talk exploded in his mind, filling him with disbelief. He bit his lip, watching Shi Ji’s mouth curve into a faint smile.

Li Chen’s gaze turned cold. He suddenly wanted to shake Shi Ji awake, to drag him from his “Spring Dream” into the filthy mire of reality.

He reached out toward Shi Ji’s neck, but the man suddenly shifted, breathing raggedly as if a nightmare had replaced the sweet dream.

In the next second, Shi Ji’s hand shot out and gripped Li Chen’s hand tightly.

The warmth of Shi Ji’s palm pressed against the back of Li Chen’s hand. Li Chen froze, trying to pull away, but the more he struggled, the tighter Shi Ji held him. Round fingertips dug into his skin, leaving sharp stings of pain.

“Wake up,” Li Chen whispered, patting Shi Ji’s shoulder. His voice was low, easily drowned out by the birds outside.

Shi Ji didn’t wake. He seemed trapped in a nightmare, sweat beads forming on his forehead and nose. His brows were knit tight, and his lips turned pale.

Li Chen was about to call for a teacher when Shi Ji gasped out: “—Li Chen!”

The boy trembled. Li Chen stared at him intently.

Shi Ji’s eyelids fluttered, and a string of broken sleep-talk formed a sentence Li Chen could finally understand.

“…Don’t kill me anymore.” “Just let me finish my task.” “Let me go home.”

His voice shook with a hint of a sob. It was a plea, a pathetic, pitiful sound.

Li Chen’s pressed lips relaxed. Shi Ji was… begging him?

It was absurdly laughable. This man, who wanted nothing more than to trample him into the ground, was begging him?

Li Chen’s hand shook. His misty-blue eyes were a storm of emotions. He grabbed Shi Ji’s collar and hauled him up from the bed, growling, “Open your eyes! Look at me!”

The sudden movement jolted Shi Ji awake. His smoky-black eyes were vacant at first, but when they focused on Li Chen, they filled with fear.

The fear was fleeting, but Li Chen caught it. A surge of inexplicable rage crashed through his chest. He ground his teeth, tightening his grip on the collar.

Shi Ji blinked, bewildered.

“What do you want?” Shi Ji’s voice was soft with sleep, but his expression was blank. Inside, however, his heart was like a drum. He could feel the explosive emotion coming from Li Chen, but he didn’t understand why the boy was so angry.

Li Chen’s eyes were rimmed with red. He bared his teeth—if it weren’t for the muzzle, Shi Ji was sure he would have been bitten again.

Why is he always trying to bite people? Shi Ji frowned.

He looked like a little stray dog that had been abandoned and no longer trusted humans.

“Answer me,” Li Chen whispered after a long silence.

Shi Ji lifted his eyes and looked at him calmly, then gave a slight nod.

“What did you dream about?” Li Chen asked. Then he clicked his tongue in annoyance.

That wasn’t what he wanted to ask. He wanted to ask why Shi Ji cared but didn’t care. Why he was afraid. Why he had changed.

But what came out was: “What did you dream about?”

Shi Ji was even more confused by Li Chen’s frustrated expression. More importantly, he realized that he—who usually never dreamed—had talked in his sleep.

Did I… say something I shouldn’t have?

“You heard me?” Shi Ji asked instinctively.

“I’m the one asking you!” Li Chen shouted, his voice rising enough to make the teacher at the door look over.

His knuckles were white. He looked desperate to know.

Shi Ji lowered his lashes, casting a shadow over his eyes. After a long pause, he said, “Do you really want to know?”

“Yes,” Li Chen replied without hesitation.

Shi Ji looked up, a flash of mockery in his eyes. “Fine. In my dream, you had exactly that expression.”

Shi Ji smiled and looked Li Chen up and down. Then, he reached out and pinched Li Chen’s chin, his fingernail clicking against the metal bite muzzle.

Having learned his lesson, Shi Ji didn’t try to pry open the boy’s teeth. Instead, he grabbed the muzzle and yanked it, pulling Li Chen down toward him.

Li Chen hadn’t expected the move. His hands dropped to the bed to support himself. The sudden lack of distance made his breath hitch. They were so close he could count the man’s eyelashes.

“Looking at me with that much resentment,” Shi Ji whispered into his ear. “And then, you begged me…”

Shi Ji paused. He didn’t know how to finish the lie.

Warm breath brushed Li Chen’s ear. The man’s voice, lowered to a whisper, was seductive. Every word felt like a physical blow to Li Chen’s heart.

No. Shi Ji is lying to me again.

Just as Shi Ji thought the boy believed him, Li Chen used both hands to slam Shi Ji back into the pillow. The spring of the mattress made him bounce slightly.

Shi Ji blinked, his brain short-circuiting. At that moment, he was just glad he was on a bed. Otherwise, that impact would have given him a concussion.

Li Chen pinned him down, his movements crude and wild. He gripped Shi Ji’s shoulders so hard it felt like he might crush the bones. He was shaking with rage, his face flushed, eyes pinned to Shi Ji’s.

He wanted to rip off Shi Ji’s mask. He wanted to see the real Shi Ji. But the disguise was too deep.

Shi Ji, looking at Li Chen’s shifting expressions, did something inexplicable: he reached out and patted Li Chen’s head.

The boy’s hair was soft. As the strands tickled Shi Ji’s palm, he momentarily forgot his persona and gave it a few more rubs. It was like petting a fluffy puppy.

Li Chen looked up in shock, meeting Shi Ji’s eyes. To his surprise, the man’s gaze was softer than he had ever seen it.

His lips parted slightly, leaving a single phrase:

“Be good.”

At 8 PM, Li Chen was finally released. For safety, the bite muzzle couldn’t be removed yet—the teachers said he had to be emotionally stable first.

Thus, Li Chen, the Omega in a bite muzzle, became the talk of the school. At least 80% of the people he passed on the way to the dorm stared at him. Li Chen, however, acted as if nothing were wrong, ignoring them completely.

During the walk, Shi Ji received a call from the principal. Yang Xing was awake and stable, so Li Chen would avoid suspension. However, he had to submit a self-reflection letter every day for two weeks, to be checked by Shi Ji personally.

Shi Ji knew that without his presence, Li Chen would have been expelled. He relayed the news; Li Chen didn’t react.

They returned to the teacher’s dorm in silence. The pale streetlights made Shi Ji’s exhausted face look even worse.

Li Chen noticed Shi Ji’s dark mood and gave up on talking. Once inside, he dropped his bag and bolted for the bathroom to wash off the blood and sweat.

As he prepared to shower, he caught a glimpse of his reflection. He frowned and leaned closer to the mirror, tilting his head.

On his pale skin was a smear of ink. The handwriting was elegant—one could imagine the owner’s long fingers guiding the pen.

Though the ink had faded, Li Chen could still make out the two words written there:

Bad Dog.

The incident between Li Chen and Yang Xing was eventually hushed up. The school paid Yang Xing’s medical bills. Li Chen continued to wear the muzzle, and despite the cover-up, rumors flew. Being an Omega in a muzzle wasn’t exactly a badge of honor.

“Are you okay? Those people were out of line,” Jiang Mo whispered, coming up to Li Chen’s side.

Li Chen shook his head. His back, where a basketball had hit him earlier, was still throbbing. This wasn’t the first time; his best defense against the malice was to ignore it.

Jiang Mo gave him a worried look, then looked at the monthly exam results posted on the bulletin board.

“Li Chen, you’re 6th!” he said with a grin. “That’s amazing!”

Li Chen said nothing. He had expected to be in the top five. As he calculated where he might have lost points, Jiang Mo added something strange.

“…But I have to say, your brother is really good to you.”

Li Chen looked back, confused. “Brother?”

“Ah…” Jiang Mo hesitated. “You know… the gentleman you’re always with. The principal said you’re his brother.”

Li Chen let out a faint “Oh.”

He had lived with Shi Ji for years but had never called him “brother.” It wasn’t that he didn’t want to; Shi Ji had always loathed the term. He remembered writing an essay as a child using that word, only for Shi Ji to find it and rip it to shreds.

Shi Ji hated him. Why would he allow such intimacy?

Brother. Li Chen rolled the word over in his mind before swallowing it back down.

Jiang Mo blinked. “Did I say something wrong?” He was worried about accidentally stepping on Li Chen’s toes.

“No,” Li Chen said, glancing at him.

He knew he had been saved by Shi Ji. Without him, he’d be expelled. He’d heard the rumors—that he had a powerful brother backing him. A “vile connection-hire.”

As they walked away, Jiang Mo continued to follow him. Li Chen felt their relationship was neither close nor distant, yet Jiang Mo was always enthusiastic, following him everywhere. It was strange.

His thoughts drifted back to Shi Ji. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Lately, he was thinking about the man far too often.

Suddenly, a small Beta boy ran out and blocked their path. He was panting, his face flushed. He looked at Jiang Mo with sparkling eyes.

“Student… Student Jiang Mo,” he whispered.

Jiang Mo frowned, looked at Li Chen, then asked, “Can I help you?”

“Um…” The boy blinked rapidly, hands nervously clasped. “I… I have something to say to you…” He glanced at Li Chen, then looked away. “Can you come with me for a moment?”

Li Chen watched the Beta, his expression turning subtle.

Jiang Mo sighed and said to Li Chen, “Wait for me here. Make sure you wait for me.”

After Li Chen nodded, Jiang Mo followed the boy toward the back of the teaching building.

Li Chen leaned against a tree in the shade. As he wiped some white dust from the wall off his clothes, his gaze drifted back to the exam board.

The crowd had thinned. Now, only two people stood there—one tall, one short. The short one had a large belly; even from a distance, Li Chen could sense the fawning aura. It was the principal.

Beside him stood Shi Ji, staring at the results and seemingly ignoring the principal’s chatter.

Li Chen’s heart rate spiked.

He’s looking at my grades.

The numbers that had felt meaningless a moment ago suddenly felt heavy. He swallowed, unaware of the heat in his gaze. He twisted his fingers until they were red.

A few minutes later, Shi Ji turned around. As if by instinct, their eyes met.

Even from a distance, Li Chen felt Shi Ji was looking specifically at him. His heart thundered. He watched as Shi Ji dismissed the principal and began walking toward him.

Li Chen touched the edge of his bite muzzle; the metal was hot from the sun.

Shi Ji stopped in front of him. He was wearing a black suit vest today, the tailored waist highlighting his frame. His long hair was tied back, exposing his neck.

The bite mark hadn’t healed. Perhaps because the bandages were uncomfortable, Shi Ji had left them off, exposing the red mark on his pale skin. It was eye-catching.

Looking at the mark, Li Chen felt a surge of satisfaction—as if the man had been marked as his property.

Shi Ji looked behind Li Chen. “Just you?”

“Where’s Jiang Mo?” Shi Ji added.

Hearing “Jiang Mo” was like a bucket of cold water. The feeling of his “prey” leaving for another hunter made Li Chen instantly irritable.

“Over there,” he said coldly, pointing. Shi Ji looked and saw Jiang Mo being cornered by the small boy. It looked exactly like a confession scene.

Alarm bells rang in Shi Ji’s head. The leads’ romance was stalled, and now a rival had appeared?! He gritted his teeth, thinking of how to fix the situation.

“What are they doing?” Li Chen asked.

“Can’t you tell?” Shi Ji narrowed his eyes. “A. Confession.”

Confession. To Li Chen, that meant “I love you” plus kissing. His face began to heat up.

Shi Ji noted his reaction. “Never been confessed to?” He shook his head. “Kid.”

The term was full of disdain. Li Chen glared at him. He hated how Shi Ji always looked down on him. So what if he was five years older?

He turned his head away, ignoring him.

Shi Ji decided he had to act. If someone stole the male lead, his mission would fail! He started to walk toward them, but Li Chen stopped him. “Where are you going?”

“To check it out,” Shi Ji replied.

Li Chen looked at Jiang Mo, then back at Shi Ji’s sharp profile.

Is he upset because someone is confessing to Jiang Mo?

Li Chen’s knuckles turned white. As Shi Ji moved to walk away, Li Chen blurted out: “Jiang Mo… he doesn’t like people older than him!”

Shi Ji paused and gave him a strange look. “You aren’t that old.”

Li Chen: “…” Li Chen: “?”