Studying in a Den of Wolves

There seemed to be an argument at the door.

The bouncer’s voice was loud enough that a few words managed to seep through the thick glass doors. Guests nearby glanced toward the entrance, where a boy who looked like a high school student stood arguing with the security guard.

The youth stood his ground, a black backpack slung over his shoulders. He gripped one strap tightly, leaning his body to peek through the glass into the bar. Compared to the scantily clad crowd walking by, his blue and white school uniform made him look like a well-behaved white rabbit that had accidentally wandered into a wolf’s den.

The bouncer stepped in front of him again, scolding, “What’s a kid doing here? Go home!”

He waved a hand to shoo Li Chen away with an impatient expression, but Li Chen remained stubbornly rooted to the spot.

The backpack behind him was bulging; every movement produced the rustle of plastic packaging. Li Chen’s knuckles were white as he gripped the strap. “I’m looking for someone,” he said softly.

This was the commercial street closest to No. 11 High School. Li Chen had come here to buy a gift for a roommate, but on his way back, he had spotted Shi Ji’s car.

He had walked straight over, staring up at the dazzling neon sign. The flickering lights from inside spilled out through the glass. Li Chen didn’t even have to think—he knew Shi Ji was in there.

“I don’t care who you’re looking for, you can’t go in.” The bouncer gestured to a notice on the wall. “Can’t you read? It says minors are prohibited.”

Li Chen frowned, replying defiantly, “I’ll be an adult in a month.”

“I don’t care when you turn eighteen,” the bouncer sneered. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and blew a thick cloud of smoke toward Li Chen. The boy choked, coughing violently.

He retreated, waving his hand to clear the pungent smoke. “My brother is in there,” Li Chen said, his face turning cold and expressionless. “If he doesn’t come out to get me, I can’t go home.”

“Then squat out here and wait,” the bouncer retorted.

Just then, a couple pushed the heavy doors open to leave. For a few brief seconds, the roar of rock music flooded out. In that tiny window, Li Chen saw Shi Ji sitting next to a blonde man. The man was leaning against Shi Ji, even lifting a glass to the other’s lips.

Then the doors swung shut, cutting off the noise once more.

Li Chen’s jaw tightened, his expression darkening. Taking advantage of the bouncer’s distraction, he shoved the door open and sprinted inside.

“Hey! You…!!” The bouncer dropped his cigarette in shock, slapped the ash off his trousers, and chased after the disobedient kid.

Li Chen ran straight to Shi Ji’s table and stopped, breathless. He shouted, “Shi Ji!”

The outburst drew immediate attention. Guests cast curious glances, and several Alphas, sensing a defenseless Omega, watched with playful, predatory eyes.

Shi Ji froze. It wasn’t an illusion—Li Chen actually found me! How did he even get here? He thought back to Li Chen’s earlier words. Does he have the nose of a dog? He subconsciously sniffed his own sleeve but smelled nothing.

“Hey kid, who are you looking for?” one of Feng Yu’s friends asked.

Li Chen’s gaze swept over the group before landing on Shi Ji, then shifted to the blonde man leaning on him. The man was an Alpha, and being drunk, he wasn’t controlling his pheromones. The scent of red wine stained the air, and Shi Ji, sitting so close, was naturally coated in it.

Disgusting. Li Chen wrinkled his nose.

Shi Ji saw Li Chen take a few steps forward, his tight lips relaxing slightly. “I’m looking for my brother,” Li Chen said softly.

The two words were spoken with such “innocent” sweetness that, combined with his harmless, beautiful face, they instantly charmed several people at the table. Li Chen raised a hand and pointed directly at Shi Ji.

“Shi-ge, this is your brother?!” Feng Yu scrambled up, eyes wide. “What a coincidence! Hey, Shi-ge, why don’t you just let him come home with me?”

He nudged Shi Ji’s arm, only for Shi Ji to grab his wrist and shove him aside with more force than intended. Feng Yu rubbed his arm, wincing.

Li Chen stepped forward to go to Shi Ji, but before he could reach him, a hand grabbed his arm.

“You little brat!” The bouncer, red-faced and panting, caught up. “Get out!”

The guard tried to drag him away, but Li Chen resisted. A physical tug-of-war ensued.

“Let go of me!” Li Chen clawed at the guard’s fingers, prying them back with surprising strength. The audible crack-crack of knuckles under pressure sounded eerie in the club. Wincing in pain, the bouncer was forced to let go.

Freed, Li Chen squeezed into the narrow gap between Shi Ji and Feng Yu. The forceful move nearly knocked Feng Yu off his seat. Feng Yu stared at the youth’s cold profile, only for Li Chen to turn and glare back. His misty-blue eyes were fierce, like a dog protecting a prized bone.

Feng Yu swallowed. I think I’m being intimidated by a high school Omega.

After a moment, Feng Yu patted Shi Ji’s shoulder. “What a wild temper. I like him even more now.”

Shi Ji: …? You have strange tastes.

Feng Yu then tried to rest his hand on Li Chen’s shoulder. Li Chen’s brow furrowed. He felt the man’s heavy pheromones leaning in and shrugged his shoulder violently, knocking the hand away. He shuffled even closer to Shi Ji, creating a gap between himself and the blonde Alpha.

The bouncer, still nursing his sore fingers, hissed through his teeth. “You… you kid…”

“It’s fine, Lao Xu,” Feng Yu waved him off. “This is my brother’s brother, which makes him my brother too. He’s just here to play. No harm done.” He grinned. “Besides, maybe he’ll be mine one day—Ow!”

Feng Yu had been leaning back smugly, but he suddenly felt his foot being stomped on with immense force. Li Chen glared at him, fists clenched as if ready to swing.

“Sorry, sorry! Just a joke,” Feng Yu laughed nervously. For some reason, he felt he truly shouldn’t mess with this boy.

The bouncer left after a final glare at Li Chen. Li Chen turned to Shi Ji. “When are you going home?”

“Shi-ge just promised us we’d drink until we drop!” Feng Yu interjected.

Shi Ji glanced at Feng Yu but stayed silent. Li Chen didn’t even look at Feng Yu; he kept his eyes on Shi Ji. “Really?”

“Of course it’s true!” Feng Yu chirped. “But… if you’re willing to play with us, we’ll let your brother go.”

Li Chen clicked his tongue impatiently. “I don’t play.”

He swung his backpack around, unzipped it, and pulled out several exercise books. Thwack. He slammed them onto the table, pulled out a pen, leaned over, and started doing his homework.

The entire table fell silent. Sensing the frozen atmosphere, Li Chen looked up and blinked. “Carry on.” Then he buried his head back in his work.

It was as if he couldn’t hear the ear-splitting rock music. His slender fingers flew across the page. Soon, a blank sheet was filled with answers. Then he pulled out an English textbook and started memorizing vocabulary.

Feng Yu and his friends exchanged bewildered looks. Someone silently pushed the beer bottles aside to give Li Chen more space.

“Uh…” Feng Yu blinked. “Kids, huh? Education comes first. Let’s just drink and not disturb him.” He pushed a fresh glass toward Shi Ji. “Shi-ge! A toast!”

Before he could finish, Li Chen turned and handed his English book to Shi Ji.

Shi Ji raised an eyebrow. “Dictation,” Li Chen said flatly.

Shi Ji pushed Feng Yu’s glass away to take the book. Feng Yu’s hand hung in mid-air. “Fine! We’ll toast later!”

Once the dictation was over, Feng Yu tried again. But Li Chen placed a test paper in front of Shi Ji. “The teacher said a parent needs to check the mistakes.”

Feng Yu stared at the bright red score at the top of the paper. A thought crossed his mind. Is this kid… doing this on purpose?

By the time Li Chen finished his last word and put his pen down, Feng Yu’s enthusiasm was completely dead. Li Chen packed his bag and looked at Shi Ji. “Can we go now?”

The full beer glass sat untouched. Because of Li Chen’s “accidental” interruptions, Feng Yu hadn’t had a single chance to drink with Shi Ji. The blonde man leaned back, depressed. He leaned toward Shi Ji’s ear and whispered, “Did I offend your brother somehow?”

Shi Ji glanced at him, then at Li Chen. The boy’s movements paused; he was shamelessly eavesdropping. Then, Li Chen swung his heavy black backpack over his shoulder. Wham. It hit Feng Yu right in the face.

Feng Yu cried out, clutching his cheek. As he opened his mouth to complain, Li Chen turned around with a look of pure innocence. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

The apology died in Feng Yu’s throat. Li Chen stood up. “I have class tomorrow, Brother. It’s getting very late.” He put on the act of a model student, even faking a yawn. The others, feeling guilty, urged Shi Ji to take the kid home.

At 11 PM, Shi Ji successfully left the bar.

The night air was much colder than the day. A sharp autumn wind bit at his collar. Inside the car, Shi Ji watched Li Chen buckle his seatbelt, clutching his backpack like a good student. The dome light cast a soft glow over his dark hair.

Li Chen looked up, his misty-blue eyes calm. He gave Shi Ji a small, innocent blink. He looked like a completely different person from the one who had just terrorized a table of Alphas.

Shi Ji looked away and started the car. “Quite the actor,” he muttered.

The “dog” with excellent hearing caught the words. He hugged his bag tighter. The rustle of plastic from inside was loud. Shi Ji frowned. “What’s in there?”

Li Chen silently unzipped the bag, revealing a fluffy bear ear. “A classmate’s birthday is tomorrow,” he said. “I’ll be home late.”

Shi Ji shrugged, feigning indifference. Li Chen watched his profile, knowing he didn’t need to worry about being locked out. Shi Ji wouldn’t have the heart to leave him outside. He smiled to himself, feeling his heart thumping against his ribs.

The next morning, Li Chen was already gone when Shi Ji woke up.

Shi Ji stared at the ceiling for a while before sitting up. His hand landed on something soft and fuzzy. He looked over to find a plush teddy bear staring at him with big, round eyes.

It was the bear from Li Chen’s bag. Wait, wasn’t this for a classmate? Why is it here? He rubbed the bear’s head; the soft fur felt like Li Chen’s hair.

His phone buzzed with a text from Yan Guangsheng.

Yan Guangsheng: Mr. Shi, I have good news and bad news. Which first? Yan Guangsheng: The good news is the Top-tier Omega Ji Shichu traded for will be at an auction. The only people trading with them are the organization that breeds them. So the person who took our file is definitely in that organization. Yan Guangsheng: The bad news is… please don’t be mad.

Shi Ji typed back: “Speak.”

Yan Guangsheng: Ji Shichu caught me.

Shi Ji choked on his water, coughing hard.

Yan Guangsheng: Ji Shichu says he wants to meet you. [Address attached]

After a long silence, Shi Ji replied: “Tell Young Master Ji I will be there on time.”

He sighed. He hadn’t expected to face the second protagonist so soon. Ji Shichu was a “smiling tiger”—shrewd and calculating. In the original novel, he was the one who lured the host into a trap. If the first protagonist, Jiang Mo, was a “little sun,” Ji Shichu was the shadow behind Li Chen, ruthlessly clearing obstacles in the dark.

Before leaving, Shi Ji’s phone rang again. It was an unknown number. He answered. Loud music and cheering played on the other end before fading into the sound of footsteps and Li Chen’s voice.

“Hello? I won’t be back too late,” Li Chen said quickly, sounding rushed. “Don’t wait for me. I’m using a classmate’s phone. If anything happens, call this number.” He hung up before Shi Ji could reply.

What was that about?

Shi Ji arrived at a high-end restaurant. The rain had just stopped. A man in a red tie greeted him. “Mr. Shi, the young master is waiting.”

They took an elevator to the second floor, which was covered in thick, expensive carpeting. Inside the private room, the air smelled of incense. A musician played the guzheng behind a screen.

Ji Shichu sat in a chair, cradling a white kitten. He looked up with a lazy smile. “Mr. Shi, you’re on time.”

His deep red eyes met Shi Ji’s. “My father often mentions you,” he said, pulling out a chair for Shi Ji. “He says you’re decisive. I happened to see you last night and thought we should meet.”

He served Shi Ji some Longjing tea. After a sip, Shi Ji said, “Mr. Ji, please speak plainly.”

Ji Shichu’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. He waved for the staff to leave. Once they were alone, he spoke in a calm, cold voice.

“—I wonder, Mr. Shi, what exactly were you trying to find out by having men follow us?”