ABMSI Chapter 3

In real life, Duan Wei was a college student. Those years of grinding through high school weren’t exactly a nightmare, but they were definitely not memories he wanted to relive. Yet, who would have thought that in a single twist of fate, he was transported back into his familiar high school life?

He had thought that in the novel, career and study were glossed over—but that wasn’t the case. As a provincial key school, No 1 Highschool was even more brutal than the school he had attended in reality: small tests every three days, big tests every five, and endless pop quizzes every day.

After listening to just a few minutes of class, Duan Wei laid his head on the desk and fell asleep.

He slept so deeply that his mind was a blur, with formulas and English phrases swirling in his dreams. Only when the second bell rang did he move the hand he had placed on the desk and slowly lift his head.

His blurry vision gradually cleared. He looked at his hand, numb from pressure, and noticed a small brown mole on his palm. Same hands, same classroom—Duan Wei sighed inwardly. He twisted open the bottle on his desk, and as soon as he removed the cap, warm steam rose from it.

This was tea brewed by the health-conscious mother of the original Duan Wei in the story, with a few red goji berries floating on top. He tilted his head to take a sip, burning his mouth slightly, when his peripheral vision happened to catch Fu Duqiu sitting next to him.

Just that one glance almost made him pour the scalding tea all over his mouth. He bit his burned tongue in disbelief as he looked at Fu Duqiu sitting beside him.

By now, it was the second period, and Lao Qin was standing at the podium. Holding a Chinese textbook, he was teaching classical poetry, swaying his head as he spoke, clearly lost in enjoyment. Meanwhile, several students in the classroom were holding their books upright, hiding behind them to nap.

In front of him, Fu Duqiu had a brand-new textbook lying on the desk, holding a pure black pen, occasionally taking notes. He was completely focused, unaware of the various curious glances directed at him.

It was winter, so the classroom was calmer than in summer, yet Fu Duqiu’s presence subtly filled the room with pheromones—some sweet, some fresh—instantly recognizable as an Omega scent.

But as a Beta, Duan Wei couldn’t sense any of it. What surprised him was that in the original story, Fu Duqiu was supposed to be sitting with Xu Jianian. So why was he sitting next to Duan Wei now?

Perhaps because Duan Wei’s gaze was too conspicuous, Fu Duqiu finally lifted his head from his textbook and looked directly at him.

As he leaned to one side, Duan Wei noticed the silver leaf pattern on Fu Duqiu’s jacket. Simple, yet distinct. The more Duan Wei looked, the more familiar it seemed, though he couldn’t recall where he’d seen it before. Not wanting to stare at someone’s chest forever, Duan Wei awkwardly waved and said, “Hi…”

So pale, so weak.

Fu Duqiu glanced at him, nodded heavily, and then returned to his notes.

Seeing this, Duan Wei pursed his lips and shyly pulled back his hand.

Luckily, Fu Duqiu was the male lead; otherwise, in the original story, Duan Wei probably would have been roughed up by the school bullies by now.

He straightened up and closed the bottle cap, stopping the rising steam. Just as he was about to try for a quick nap, the boy in front suddenly turned around.

The boy in front was an Alpha, named Peng Yan, a good friend of the original Duan Wei. He was burly, much bigger than Duan Wei, and at first glance could look dangerous. But his hearty smile and loyal personality made him surprisingly endearing.

“Duan-ge,” Peng Yan said, rubbing his recently cropped short hair, which felt a bit chilly. “Want me to sneak it back for you?”

He was, of course, referring to the headphones and tablet that had been confiscated from Duan Wei.

No 1 Highschool strictly forbade electronic devices, yet the school bullies never listened. Every day, students stuffed pads and phones into their bags, and they were confiscated countless times.

But since so many items were seized, the teachers couldn’t tell whose was whose. So Peng Yan and Duan Wei often retrieved the items without anyone noticing, and it always worked.

As soon as he spoke, Fu Duqiu paused mid-note, his peripheral vision falling on Duan Wei. The latter caught his gaze and looked back.

The moment their eyes met, hot-tempered Peng Yan slammed the desk and glared at Fu Duqiu: “What are you looking at?!”

Duan Wei: “……”
Fu Duqiu: “……”

Big bro, have you been watching too many gangster movies?

The loud bang drew some attention from nearby students. Lao Qin, immersed in his poetic lesson, frowned at the interruption.

Duan Wei picked up his book, pretending not to know Peng Yan.

Seeing Duan Wei escape, Peng Yan paused briefly, then turned back reluctantly to stare at the classical poem with wide eyes.

By then, Lao Qin noticed that a large portion of the class had dozed off without him realizing, so he clapped his hands: “Wake up, wake up! It’s only the second period, some of you are sleeping, some are being woken!”

Amid the groggy stir of everyone waking up, Duan Wei looked over at Fu Duqiu, who still showed no expression. Knowing that he would inevitably have to interact with him later, Duan Wei tossed aside any pride and flashed a bright smile at Fu Duqiu. “Don’t get me wrong—I never do sneaky, underhanded things!”

Fu Duqiu’s gaze landed on Duan Wei, and for a moment, there seemed to be a flicker of emotion in his eyes. But when Duan Wei tried to examine it closely, it vanished in an instant.

Seemingly worried that Fu Duqiu wouldn’t believe him, Duan Wei raised three fingers and said, “I swear.”

He smiled beautifully, the small mole at the corner of his eye shifting slightly as he moved. Sunlight filtered through his hair and landed on Fu Duqiu’s forehead, making him feel as if he had been struck by fire.

Ignoring whatever Duan Wei wanted to say, Fu Duqiu turned back silently to look at the blackboard.

Seeing this, Duan Wei couldn’t help but roll his eyes internally.

The morning classes passed quickly—perhaps because Duan Wei had been sleeping so much, it felt like only an instant had gone by. He stretched in his chair, picked up the spoon he had already placed on the desk, and lazily headed toward the cafeteria.

At that moment, Xu Jianian walked over. Seeing the dark circles under Duan Wei’s eyes, she smiled. “You really can sleep—I think you’ve been asleep the entire morning.”

“No choice—it’s too hypnotic,” he replied.

Seeing Xu Jianian’s usual gentle smile, Duan Wei’s mood improved considerably. They walked downstairs together, the winter sun warming them, and Duan Wei stretched, letting out a long, drawn-out yawn.

A few students passing by glanced at them. In school days, with so little malice in the air, even just a hint of romance could make someone the center of attention. At No 1 High, Duan Wei and Xu Jianian naturally drew everyone’s gaze.

As the surrounding eyes fell on them, Duan Wei glanced at everyone and then let his gaze scatter. Normally he wouldn’t care, but now it was different—Fu Duqiu was here, so Duan Wei had to maintain the female lead Xu Jianian’s image.

Though he had never been a school bully, he could easily intimidate these seventeen- or eighteen-year-old kids. As expected, the crowd no longer stared at them. Duan Wei strode confidently into the cafeteria with Xu Jianian.

The cafeteria at No.1 High was self-service: you scooped what you wanted, and it was weighed at the end to calculate the cost. When they arrived, it wasn’t crowded. Duan Wei picked and chose quickly, then swiped his campus card to pay.

Xu Jianian, a picky eater, wandered around for a long time, and by the time she filled her plate, it was barely a quarter full.

Duan Wei sat down, bored, swinging his legs and scanning the crowd. He noticed his handsome classmate Fu Duqiu standing by the cafeteria staff, holding a packed meal in one hand and his phone and cash in the other. Across from him, the cafeteria lady waved dismissively, looking completely unimpressed.

Duan Wei smacked his forehead—of course, as a transfer student, Fu Duqiu didn’t have a campus card. Excitedly, he hurried around to catch up to Xu Jianian in line. “Quick, help him swipe his card!”

Xu Jianian, puzzled, glanced at Fu Duqiu at the front of the line. “No, my card’s almost out of money—I still need to top it up later.”

Duan Wei clicked his tongue and handed over his own campus card. “Then use mine.”

“Are you close with him?” Xu Jianian asked, frowning. By all logic, the original Duan Wei wouldn’t have cared about this “trivial matter.”

Duan Wei gently nudged her forward, smiling calmly. “He’s a new student—mutual help, a traditional virtue!”

“…Alright then,” Xu Jianian said, momentarily speechless.

The further they went, the more Duan Wei chuckled to himself. This method was perfect: a small gesture at the right time, nothing more touching than this kind of timely help.

Lending and returning, one for one—before you knew it, their feelings would naturally develop.

And Duan Wei had only spent eight or nine yuan to orchestrate this little story. Even the matchmaker god couldn’t have written it better.

Duan Wei stood among the crowd, watching Xu Jianian walk toward Fu Duqiu with his campus card raised. The bustling crowd flowed around them, a boy and a girl standing opposite each other, each visually pleasing to look at.

Several students nearby saw the usually fearsome school bullies, now with one of them grinning foolishly while carrying a packed meal toward Fu Duqiu.

After a while, Duan Wei realized he had been acting a bit silly. He quickly composed himself, putting on a triumphant look, and turned to find a corner to celebrate privately.

Before he had taken a few steps, he heard a familiar voice behind him:

“Duan Wei, here’s your meal card!”

Duan Wei froze. He knew he shouldn’t look back, but he couldn’t help it, instinctively turning to see.

Xu Jianian was smiling brightly, holding the card high. Behind her was Fu Duqiu, his expression complicated.

“…”

Damn.