The temperature around Zhou Jian plummeted by ten degrees after hearing what Xiao Yiheng had said.
Zhou Jian’s breath became stagnant, his gaze chasing Li Cheng as he exclaimed incredulously, “Captain Li, he… you… ”
He couldn’t believe it when he realized the strange alpha in front of him was Li Cheng’s boyfriend!
Zhou Jian had always thought of Li Cheng as a “steel straight O” with only training and no love in his heart. He had been plainly hinting to Li Cheng for the past two months, expressing his feelings time and time again. Li Cheng, on the other hand, was like an insulator, and all of his straight shots failed every time. Li Cheng was completely focused on training as the games were about to begin. Zhou Jian resolved that he would win a medal and confess to Li Cheng after the games. And at that time, he would clearly explain his intentions—how could he anticipate the games hadn’t yet begun but Li Cheng’s lover would pop out of the blue?
Zhou Jian refused to believe it.
He even hoped Li Cheng would inform him that it was the first of April today and that what Xiao Yiheng said was an April Fool’s Day hoax.
The lingering alpha pheromone on Li Cheng, on the other hand, proved his relationship with Xiao Yiheng.
Zhou Jian couldn’t help but wonder what the two of them had done to make Li Cheng smell of pheromone.
Li Cheng had no idea Xiao Yiheng would announce their relationship so abruptly. He gave Xiao Yiheng a confused look and inquired in hushed tones, “Didn’t you say we should keep a low profile and not reveal to others that we are dating?”
Xiao Yiheng thought to himself — Does a love rival count as a person?
Xiao Yiheng: “I changed my mind.”
Li Cheng clenched his teeth and muttered: “My dear boy, your rebellious phase has come at the worst possible time. It makes father very nervous, hmm.”
“…” Xiao Yiheng raised his hand and playfully flicked the little knot on top of his head, saying helplessly, “You’re talking rubbish again.”
They were full of affection in front of Zhou Jian, which made Zhou Jian’s eyes burn with rage as he stared at them openly.
“Cough, cough—” Li Cheng didn’t detect his psychological shift at all. He took Xiao Yiheng’s hand in his own, interlocked his fingers, and extended it to Zhou Jian. His face was slightly flushed, with a hint of shyness and a tinge of pride “Hehe, presenting my boyfriend, Xiao Yiheng! Just call him sister-in-law. Zhou Jian, you are the first one on the team to know this. You must keep it a secret, okay?”
Xiao Yiheng: “…” Why am I still a sister-in-law?
Contrary to expectations, Zhou Jian didn’t care about the phrase “sister-in-law”. He fixed his gaze on their clasped hands. If line of sight energy could be converted into matter, Xiao Yiheng’s hand would have been lit on fire.
That type of look was called jealousy.
When Xiao Yiheng saw Zhou Jian’s expression that wanted to beseech but couldn’t, he felt invigorated, his annoyance faded, and his mood perked up.
Xiao Yiheng had been suffering from lovesickness for the past two months of a long-distance relationship. Li Cheng was imprisoned in the training center, and the people and things he came into contact with on a daily basis were severely restricted. Apart from his roommates, the person he mentioned the most was Zhou Jian.
For example, “Zhou Jian smashed the record in 1500m again today” or “Zhou Jian was preoccupied during land training with me today”… Despite knowing that Li Cheng had nothing to do with Zhou Jian, Xiao Yiheng couldn’t help but let his imagination run wild.
However, the previous lovesickness he had suffered was finally compensated for and returned today!
Looks like I still need to look for opportunities to show off my love in front of my rival and consolidate my status as a genuine boyfriend.
The corner of Xiao Yiheng’s mouth hooked up, adding reservedly: “Classmate Zhou Jian, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time. ChengCheng mentioned that he gets along with you.”
Zhou Jian’s gaze softened: “… What did he mention?”
Xiao Yiheng’s smile remained unchanged: “ChengCheng said you are an excellent athlete.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Wljb Tltfcu mjra j atbeutaoei uijcmf ja Ol Jtfcu, rjslcu vfilyfgjafis, “Ktja wjs yf yfmjerf sbe’gf ecojwliljg klat Jtfcumtfcu, gluta?”
Li Cheng: “…”
Zhou Jian: “…”
In displeasure, Li Cheng elbowed Xiao Yiheng’s waist, his eyes yelling “Shut up right now!”
Zhou Jian’s face was gloomy. He cast a fleeting glance at Xiao Yiheng before diving vertically into the water like a seal.
Li Cheng hauled Xiao Yiheng out of the swimming pool as he saw Zhou Jian’s figure swim away.
Li Cheng had a strong feeling that something was wrong: “Xiao Yiheng, what’s the deal with Zhou Jian? Isn’t this your first meeting? Why do I have the impression you’re about to fight?”
“You think too much,” Of course, Xiao Yiheng refused to admit it. “I think classmate Zhou Jian is exceptional and awesome. He is your teammate. How can I be hostile to him?”
Li Cheng had the same opinion as well. Xiao Yiheng and Zhou Jian had met for the first time and they only exchanged three sentences. How could they have become adversaries?
… …
Li Cheng couldn’t miss lunch because he still had training in the afternoon. He sneaked into the cafeteria with Xiao Yiheng, taking advantage of the absence of people.
Because it was late, the cafeteria’s buffet offerings were simply leftovers. Li Cheng was not choosy and filled two large plates with food. He gave Xiao Yiheng the plate with more meat, and he kept the plate with less meat for himself.
He exclaimed: “Dig in! Our cafeteria food is delicious!”
Xiao Yiheng was not particularly hungry and only ate a small amount. He lifted up his chin and watched Li Cheng make a clean sweep of the meal. He noticed that Li Cheng had little meat on his plate, so he took a large portion of meat from his plate and served it to Li Cheng.
Li Cheng never wasted food and ate everything on his plate. He put down his chopsticks and quickly wanted to drag Xiao Yiheng somewhere else.
“Wait,” Xiao Yiheng said as he came to a halt.
Li Cheng: ?
Xiao Yiheng extended his hand, wiped the corner of Li Cheng’s mouth with his thumb, and removed a grain of rice: “When you eat, you still get food on your face. I think you are not seventeen years old this year. You are seven.”
Li Cheng blushed and hurriedly wiped his mouth with a tissue, muttering: “I’ll be eighteen in a month!”
Li Cheng and Xiao Yiheng were only two months apart in age, but because Li Cheng’s birthday was at the beginning of the year, he began school a year later. As a result, Xiao Yiheng was in his third year of high school, while Li Cheng was still in his sophomore year.
Li Cheng was also overjoyed that he had started school a year late. For him, going to school was a pain in the neck. He’d rather swim ten kilometers than write an essay of 800 words.
“Eighteen?” Xiao Yiheng whispered, “ChengCheng is also coming of age.”
“Of course!” Li Cheng was super excited, “I won’t have to discreetly disable network management when I visit Internet cafés in the future. If I want, I can stay overnight and surf all night!”
Xiao Yiheng: “…” He chuckled, “Speaking of adulthood, you can only think of such a thing?”
Li Cheng was stumped: “What else? Er, I can drink legally, I can get a driver’s license, I can…”
“You can also get a—” Xiao Yiheng leaned in close and whispered into his ear, “—permanent mark.”
Permanent marks were not the same as temporary marks.
Temporary marking could be carried out during an omega’s first estrus period. An alpha could use their pheromone to assist the omega in passing through the agitating estrus period and calming their mental and physical state. Before the permanent marking could be completed, both parties had to reach adulthood. A permanent mark, as the name implied, represented the AO couple’s unbreakable bond. From then on, they would have the smell of each other’s pheromones!
Furthermore, even if one of the AO pair died, the permanent mark remained—so many people romantically hailed it as “even death can’t separate us.”
Despite tremendous advances in science and technology, removing permanent markings remained a difficult and dangerous procedure. Divorce rates had gradually climbed in recent years. Even though many AO couples had been married for a long time, they had not decided on a permanent mark.
It could be said that “permanent mark” was a more sacred commitment than “marriage”.
After all, people in a marriage can drift away, but a permanent mark represented unending love.
Li Cheng’s eyes widened as he heard Xiao Yiheng’s remarks, and his impassioned blood instantly raced to his head.
His thoughts were jumbled, and he reflexively held out his hand to cover Xiao Yiheng’s mouth.
“You’re talking nonsense!” He was hesitant to admit anything. “There are so many flowers in the world. I’m not sure if I want to spend the rest of my life with you!”
Xiao Yiheng was not angry at all. He’d known Li Cheng for a long time and was well-versed in dealing with this duplicitous omega.
“It’s all right. You can take your time and consider it.” Xiao Yiheng held the back of Li Cheng’s hand and pressed a kiss on his palm. “You can think till we are 80 or 100 years old. If you can’t decide about it in this life, let people bury us together and continue to think about it in the next life, okay?”
Li Cheng felt like ice cream melting in the sun at this point. His soul, his body, and all his deception melted in the face of Xiao Yiheng’s gentleness.
Li Cheng’s ears were a bright red. He wanted to be bashful and curl up into a ball; he wanted to be unrestrained and howl loudly; he wanted to drag Xiao Yiheng and jump headfirst into the snow with him, allowing each snowflake to listen to his heartbeat at this moment.
He had the sensation of being drunk, and his eyes were dazzling. He couldn’t stop giggling when he peered into Xiao Yiheng’s eyes. The small knot on top of his head was practically curved into the shape of a heart.
Xiao Yiheng stretched out his little finger and hooked it in Li Cheng’s direction: “Then it’s settled?”
Li Cheng bit his lower lip: “What’s the deal?”
“From now on, let’s date on the premise of ‘permanent mark’, okay?”
Li Cheng stared at Xiao Yiheng’s outstretched hand, believing he was reserved, but he actually hooked his little finger up excitedly.
“For the sake of aifei‘s initiative…” Li Cheng held Xiao Yiheng’s little finger tightly, reluctant to let it go, “… zhen will reluctantly agree!”
On this day, Li Cheng was still a month away from adulthood.
On this day, apart from agreeing on the permanent mark, they also…
……
The lunch break was only two hours long. Li Cheng took Xiao Yiheng on a walk around the training center, familiarizing him with the training locations in his daily life.
He pointed out the canteen, the dorm, the indoor training facility, the outdoor exercise area, and so on… Li Cheng went over each location one by one. Following his lead, Xiao Yiheng imagined Li Cheng living in these locations.
Although they did not hold hands, the backs of their hands would always rub together instinctively when walking side by side. Their fingers were numb from the cold, but they were reluctant to put their hands in their pockets. Instead, they quietly hooked their fingers under the cover of their sleeves.
Li Cheng still had training in the afternoon, so time was of the essence. Even though he was unwilling to give up, Xiao Yiheng had no choice but to depart.
When it came to leaving, Xiao Yiheng felt a little embarrassed: “I was just caught by the north gate security guard… cough, stopped… rebuked…cough cough cough, I was just found by the north gate security guard. This time, I’ll exit by the south gate and see if the security guard can let me out.”
Li Cheng waved his hand: “Hey! It’s not so hard!”
He led Xiao Yiheng back to the grove behind the swimming pool and came to the fence where they had agreed to meet.
A surveillance camera was mounted at the top of the fence. Not long ago, there was a bird’s nest in front of the camera, but it had vanished. It was estimated that security took it away.
The camera was now functioning diligently. It rotated slowly left and right, recording the pictures around it.
Li Cheng snatched a handful of leftover snow from the ground, excitedly pressing it round and tight with both hands. He asked Xiao Yiheng, as he was pressing the snowball, “Have you ever had a snowball fight?”
“…” Xiao Yiheng told the truth, “No.”
Li Cheng comforted him: “I had never seen snow before coming to the capital. But now, my snowball fighting skills make the Northeastern guys on our team call me Dad.”
“Uh…” Xiao Yiheng was perplexed and didn’t understand why Li Cheng brought this up for no apparent reason. Was he supposed to compliment him on his skill?
Li Cheng: “But don’t be discouraged. When we come to the capital to study at university, I’ll teach you how to have snowball fights!”
Li Cheng’s efforts did not cease as he ran his mouth; the snowball became larger and larger. Xiao Yiheng was certain that if Li Cheng hurled a snowball at him, he would hit his head crooked.
“So now—” Li Cheng tossed the snowball skyward, catching it with his hand. Then he flashed a beautiful smile, revealing a mischievous little tiger tooth, “—let dad show off his ability.”
Before the words fell, he had already swung his arm. The snowball in his hand shot out straight into the air travelling an amazing parabolic curve, and like a sharp arrow seeking its target, it slammed into the camera accurately!
When the snowball exploded, it not only covered the camera lens, but also smashed it askew. With its head down, it could only look down at the earth.
Xiao Yiheng: “…”
The alpha subconsciously reached out and grabbed his neck.
Li Cheng clapped his hands and said triumphantly: “This is what the captain of the javelin team taught me! What do you think? Is it accurate enough?”
He looked at his watch and urged: “It takes 2 minutes and 20 seconds for the security guard to notice that the camera is blocked by snow and rushes over. Hurry up and leave, alright? I’ll be on the lookout for you.”
Xiao Yiheng: “…”
—He now had reason to suspect that the bird’s nest that had previously blocked the camera had very likely been placed there by Li Cheng!
The author has something to say:
Xiao Yiheng’s day trip to the training center is over~!!
But… but Xiao Yiheng still cant climb over any fence… Li Cheng you overestimated your aifei’s ability…
Li Cheng being all bashful and shy is just soooo cuteThanks for the chapter € ^ *^)/// ~~ ♡♡♡♡♡
Xiao Yiheng: is this the difference between top student and a school bully
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
I got diabetes over this love birds 🤣thank you so much for update and translating this ❤️❤️❤️
I wonder if he could make it 🤔
Anyways Thanks for the chapter 💖💕💖💕💖
On this day, apart from agreeing on the permanent mark, they also…
huh? wait, author you didn’t finish what you’re saying QAQ author really knows how to tease 😤
Thanks for the chapter!
hahaha. Now the problem of Xiao Yiheng climbing over the fence. Can oversee Xiao Yiheng embarrassing himself in front of Li Cheng.
Thanks for the chapter
Awwwww time flies so fast when you are enjoying.
Merci pour ce chapitre 🐥
Thanks for the chapter!!! They’re so wholesome eheheh
Thanks for the chapter!!
Thank you for another chapter!
LMAOOO xD And hhhh, is Li Cheng finally gonna find out abt Xiao Yiheng’s wall climbing “skills” 👀
Thanks for the chapter! 🙂
I seriously want to know why Chinese people think all other country people are racist against them . I mean you guys treat us the same way . You are not hospitable to foreigners either but why you expand on the idea that you guys are the good ones while we are the bad ones. Does victimizing yourself feel powerful ? . I don’t want to offend anyone . Ofc there are instances where foreigners were racist towards you but that can be said the same towards you. I don’t judge a whole race or community based off an individual .
Hey, I think you commented on the wrong story. There’s a lot of racism in c-novels for sure (as a Chinese speaker and person, I’ve noticed), but so far there’s been no racist views expressed in this one. Please keep in mind that xenophobia isn’t just limited to China, though I do understand and share your frustrations about the prevalence of it.
Ok I’ve read ahead now and although there is a racist incident in this novel, the author 100% denounced it and pointed out irl examples of it in international sports events toward racial minorities. Your point about some other Chinese novels being way too racist still stands, but doesn’t apply to this story.
Now lets see how XYH climb lol.
This chapter is so cute. Chengcheng acting shy is so hilarious. I just cant imagine it.😂
Thanks for the chapter
Ahaha goodluck Xyh
Can anybody enlighten me on China’s schooling system? Why is since Li Cheng birthday got to do with him started schooling later than Xiao Yiheng?
Logically speaking? Not a damn thing. Chinese schools begin on September 1st, and admission is based on the students’ age as of August 31st. The situation makes sense only if we assume that the age for school admission is calculated on New Year’s Day (Chinese or Gregorian) in the story. After all, this is a fictitious ABO setting!🤷Or maybe, perhaps, umm… I’ve completely mistranslated it?😰
Thank you Chipoholic for the explanation. Maybe I think too much of the plot 😅
Should have read with a pinch of salt.
😆
Anyway, I’m enjoying reading the story so much. Thanks a lot. Keep up the good work! 😍
Permanent mark- eh? That sounds like a huge commitment for 18-year-olds
Thanks for the chapter <3
So how will he climb up now? 😆
Thanks for the chapter <3