Reservoir Dogs chapter 122
Reunion
The start of a new school semester is always the busiest time.
Xiao Zhou packed up his belongings, said goodbye to his mother, and the golden retriever, now grown a lot, seemed to sense another parting was near. It jumped into his arms, unwilling to let go, licking his face. Large dogs grow up quickly; Xiao Zhou found it a bit strenuous to lift it now. The dog was also very affectionate. Once, when Xiao Zhou bent down to pick something up, it leaped onto his back, nearly breaking his waist and causing him to collapse on the ground, unable to get up for a while.
When Xiao Zhou went to school, no one was around to watch the dog at home, so when he wasn’t there, Xiao Bao was sent to his mother’s place to be looked after.
He boarded the high-speed train to school. Looking out the window at the distant river, with boats sailing amidst the shimmering waves, he felt very calm. After a year, he seemed more reserved and closed off; nothing seemed to stir his emotions anymore.
Upon arriving at the dormitory, he began to clean, set up his bed, and boil water, as his roommates arrived one by one. Being the oldest, Xiao Zhou took care of everyone like a younger brother. His good temper, gentleness, and generosity made him very popular in the dorm, and everyone called him “Ge,” feeling closest to him.
Despite their close relationships, Xiao Zhou remained aloof and detached from everyone, as if there were an invisible barrier separating him from the others.
This was not his fault. The things that happened to him weren’t secrets, making everyone cautious and observant around him, like they were watching a rare giant panda. The age difference also meant it was impossible to bond with a group of younger students. His gentle and generous nature only added to the sense of distance.
The only time he nearly lost his temper was when someone unplugged his charging phone at night and forgot to plug it back in. The next day, when the phone’s battery was dead, Xiao Zhou was furious, almost as if he wanted to hit someone, scaring the person who unplugged his phone so much that they fell out of bed.
Occasionally turning off the phone wasn’t a big deal. His roommates didn’t understand why he reacted so strongly, so they took it as a quirk of a strange person and firmly remembered not to touch his stuff.
Xiao Zhou had some peculiarities. Besides his phone, he also wore a ring on his hand, which was obviously a genuine, valuable piece. It was uncommon for college students to wear such luxurious accessories, especially a male Alpha. It led to much speculation. Whenever asked, Xiao Zhou just shook his head and remained silent.
The ring was large, and it was inconvenient in daily life; it could easily get damaged while washing clothes, and once he almost lost it during a swimming class. So, Xiao Zhou put it on a chain around his neck to avoid accidents, hiding it under his clothes and making it much more low-key.
With his good temper, excellent grades, tall stature, and basketball skills, Xiao Zhou naturally became a key player on the school basketball team. He was athletic and handsome on the court, often attracting screams and capturing the hearts of all the school’s Omega students effortlessly.
Countless people confessed their feelings to him, sent love letters, chocolates, and hints. People of all shapes and sizes tried their luck, but he almost never took it seriously and rejected them without giving any opportunity. It was rumored that he had been marked before, but he had also been pursued by high-quality Alphas, yet there was no noticeable reaction from him. As a result, his sexual orientation remained one of the top ten unsolved mysteries on the X University forum.
Liang Ze, munching on mint candy, sat on the upper bunk, watching Xiao Zhou help set up the bed on the lower bunk. With his narrow waist, long legs, and abs, even his butt was firm and perky. Liang Ze thought about his cousin’s unremarkable figure and felt that this high-stakes matchmaking plan was destined to fail with almost no chance of success.
Unfortunately, once he had agreed, he had to give it a try, and whether it succeeded or not would be left to fate.
Liang Ze wiped his hand, which had held the candy, on the bed sheet, then jumped down from the upper bunk. “Zhou Ge, can I ask you for a favor?”
Xiao Zhou smoothed out the bed sheet and turned around, “What’s up?”
Liang Ze said shyly, “I have a football team tryout tomorrow, but it clashes with a public class. Can you help me attend the class? The lecturer is new and apparently quite strict. I’m worried he’ll call the roll. If you can help, I’ll treat you to dinner tonight.”
Xiao Zhou nodded, “What time?”
“Starts at 1:30 PM, for two hours, in the E Building lecture hall, with the freshmen.”
“Sure, I have no classes at that time.” Xiao Zhou agreed readily; he always helped with such small favors.
Liang Ze thanked him profusely and then sent a success emoji to his cousin.
The next day, Xiao Zhou was studying in the library. At noon, he had lunch at the cafeteria and habitually checked his phone to see if Ji Yang had contacted him, but there was no message. After spending another two hours in the library, he suddenly remembered the promise he made to Liang Ze yesterday. Checking the time, he saw he still had 15 minutes. It was only a ten-minute run from the library to the E Building, so he should make it.
He hurriedly packed up and dashed out of the library. Unfortunately, he collided with a cyclist on a small path, spending five minutes apologizing and helping the person. He ran the rest of the way, taking the stairs two at a time, breathless as he arrived at the door just as the class bell rang.
Grabbing his bag with one hand and his jacket hanging open on one shoulder, he was gasping for breath as he sneaked in through the back door. The lecture hall was enormous, accommodating hundreds of students. It was a public elective class, and the room was packed. The new lecturer was organizing the materials on the podium, with his head lowered, making it impossible to see his face.
Xiao Zhou bent over and walked halfway, looking for an empty seat in the inconspicuous back row, when he happened to see Liang Ze waving at him. Xiao Zhou was taken aback and quietly walked over. “How did you get here?”
Liang Ze said, “I reserved a seat for you. I’m about to leave, so don’t forget to sign me in.” As he spoke, he packed up his things and quickly left.
Xiao Zhou, not suspecting anything, sat down in the seat Liang Ze had chosen, only to realize that Liang Ze had picked a great spot. On either side of him were two Omega girls, subtly emitting a faint sweet fragrance. Xiao Zhou’s temples throbbed. He just silently took out the book he hadn’t finished reading and continued.
Until the girl with the flushed face on the left asked him, “Can I borrow a pen?”
Xiao Zhou handed over a pen without even looking up.
“Thanks.” The girl continued, “Are you also from the Law School? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”
Xiao Zhou was momentarily stunned. He looked up and asked the girl, “What’s this class?”
“Introduction to Criminal Law. Didn’t you know?”
Xiao Zhou was somewhat surprised.
The lecturer on the podium organized the materials and began the lecture. The lecturer’s clear voice, as precise as a broadcast host’s, spread through the loudspeakers placed on either side of the classroom, causing a stir among the students. When the lecturer looked up, there was a collective gasp from the audience, and the commotion quickly spread like a tide, with murmurs incessantly flowing.
Xiao Zhou had been looking down, but at the sound, his entire body tensed. Shocked, he suddenly stood up from his seat.
He was sitting in the second-to-last row of the staired classroom, with seats arranged in a semi-circular pattern. From his high vantage point, he could almost see everything. From above, the lecturer was at the center of the circle. The sunlight from the skylight above fell on him, casting streaks of light like piano strings.
As Xiao Zhou watched him, that person’s gaze also met Xiao Zhou’s through the glass lenses, pausing for a moment with a slight smile. Then he looked away and continued addressing the rest of the class with an unchanged expression, “My surname is Jiang, and I’m your lecturer for Introduction to Criminal Law this semester. Here’s my contact information. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. This is a public elective course with a large number of students and various departments. In class, you can sleep or do your own thing, but you must not speak and disturb others…”
Xiao Zhou seemed to be in a daze, motionless, his mind caught in a whirlpool of ecstasy and disbelief.
Until the girl next to him tugged at his sleeve and asked softly, “What’s wrong with you?”
Xiao Zhou shook his body sideways and stiffly sat back down.
The girl, trying to make conversation, said, “This lecturer is so handsome. I heard his resume is impressive, but I thought he’d be an old man.”
Xiao Zhou was somewhat absent-minded and didn’t even respond with a polite remark.
Throughout the entire class, he appeared dazed, his gaze following Jiang Chengyuan’s every move, but he didn’t catch a word of what was said. Even when the roll call was taken, it was only when the girl next to him jabbed his arm that he realized and eventually raised his hand to call out for Liang Ze.
Jiang Chengyuan looked up from the roll call sheet and raised an eyebrow, “Are you Liang Ze?”
Xiao Zhou awkwardly lowered his hand, forced a response, and sat down.
Waiting uneasily through the break, Xiao Zhou initially wanted to talk to Jiang Chengyuan, but Jiang Chengyuan was surrounded by students, forming an impenetrable barrier, not even a single strand of hair visible, let alone a chance for a private conversation.
Sitting alone, feeling a bit lonely and desolate, the girl who had been trying to strike up a conversation finally seized the opportunity and handed him a bottle of water. “Want some water? You don’t look too happy.”
Xiao Zhou didn’t speak or take the water.
The girl, somewhat dejected, awkwardly brought up another topic. “Have you heard anything about this new lecturer’s past? It seems he doesn’t have a good reputation. I don’t know why the school hired him. Some people say he’s been to jail…”
Xiao Zhou abruptly looked at her, “What are you trying to say?”
The girl was startled, unsure whether to be happy that Xiao Zhou finally acknowledged her or scared by his overly intense gaze.