Chapter 8

The soup wasn't cold, but it was crucian carp soup today, and Asher wasn't particularly fond of it. He stirred it back and forth with a spoon, causing more than half the classroom to salivate, yet his face remained completely expressionless, as if he were marching toward a heroic execution.

Sebastian truly couldn't bear to watch any longer. Taking off his glasses, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now I finally know why you haven't grown any taller at your grand old age."

The seventeen-year-old, six-foot-three Asher: ...

Everyone else whose height fell short of six-foot-three: ...

Asher put down his spoon. "Is growing that tall supposed to help patch up the sky?"

"My mom said you’re too thin, so she brewed it specifically for you. Since she couldn't add cilantro or celery, it took a lot of effort to remove the fishy smell."

Sebastian easily found Asher’s weak spot.

Sure enough, though Asher was reluctant, he still gripped his spoon, held his breath, and began swallowing it down slowly, spoonful by spoonful.

Midway through, the class representative, Mason, came over to deliver a message. After receiving a cool glance from Sebastian, he sealed his mouth and stood waiting by the side until the young master finished the soup. Only then did he speak: "Mr. Bennett and Mr. Peng want you both to come to the dean's office immediately. You must arrive within three minutes, or the punishment will be doubled."

"..." Asher looked up at him. "How long have you been standing here?"

"Seven or eight minutes."

Asher chuckled. "Are you intentionally targeting me?"

Mason felt wronged. "No, Ash, this isn't on me. Aren't you currently drinking soup?"

As he spoke, his eyes kept darting toward Sebastian, wildly hinting at the true culprit.

Sebastian was calmly writing a physics problem. "Since we're late anyway, eat the fruit too."

"Oh."

Asher slowly opened the lid of the fruit box again.

Mason: ...

He felt his authority as class representative was being severely undermined.

Clearing his throat, he said, "Ash, it’s not good for you two to act like this. Mr. Bennett and Mr. Peng are genuinely furious. The office is packed with people, and the atmosphere is as grim as a funeral parlor. Please don't add fuel to the fire..."

"The cherries taste pretty good today. Want one?"

"Sure! Thanks, Ash. Can I have a few more?"

By the time Asher and Sebastian arrived at the dean's office, the Director of Discipline, Mr. Peng, and the Dean of Students, Mr. Bennett, were spitting furiously at a dozen tall Alphas.

Their expressions were so agonized it looked as if their prized crops had been stolen.

When they caught sight of Asher and Sebastian, it seemed even the stalks of those crops were gone.

Mr. Bennett was fine, remaining his usual relaxed self.

Mr. Peng, however, was a different story. He had already entered male menopause prematurely and had been entrusted with the heavy responsibility of leading the senior year.

With the term not officially started yet and the principal's office vacant, he was the sole pillar supporting the roof. He had to make all the calls, and if anything went wrong, he would bear absolute responsibility.

He was still hoping to make a push for vice-principal after seeing this batch of seniors graduate.

Smoothing down his rather sparse hair, he pointed at the two of them. "I told you to get here within three minutes! How long has it been?!"

Asher checked his watch. "About fifteen minutes."

"...Is that what I was asking?! Asher, don't think that just because your grades are good, you can act recklessly, lawlessly, and entirely without restraint! You are in your senior year now! If you receive a disciplinary black mark, university recruitment and early admissions will be gone! Gone! Do you understand?!"

"Oh."

"What do you mean, 'oh'?! Do you still not understand the gravity of the situation?! Do you still want to go to the top national universities?!"

"Director, I don't need early admission to get into those top universities anyway, so it’s really not that severe. Please calm down."

The tone sounded quite obedient, but why was it so incredibly infuriating?

Mr. Peng felt a breath catch in his bronchia, nearly passing out right there. Mr. Bennett quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Alright, calling you two here isn't a huge deal. Sterling already admitted just now that they were the ones who initiated the fight. However, since one of you hit someone and the other deliberately unleashed high-concentration pheromones in a public space, both of you violated school rules. Therefore, punishments must still be issued. Don't hold any resentment."

Asher nodded. "Mm, it’s fine. I’m quite open-minded."

Sebastian agreed. "I'm fine too."

"..."

The other suspects present felt these two severely lacked political awareness.

But with their family backgrounds and academic scores backing them up, they had nothing to fear. It was only normal for the teachers to play favorites.

Yet, Mr. Bennett maintained absolute righteousness. "After discussions between Director Peng and myself, we have decided to treat everyone involved in today's fight equally! All of you will receive a formal warning!"

Everyone's heart sank by half.

If a formal warning couldn't be expunged quickly, early recruitment and applications to study abroad would be completely ruined.

"However..." Mr. Bennett dragged out his tone, pausing. "Considering you came forward to admit your mistakes with a relatively good attitude, and bearing in mind that you're seniors, the school has decided to give you another chance for the sake of your futures."

The sunken half of their hearts warmed up again.

"For the upcoming five-school joint exam, those who rank within the top one hundred can have their punishment commuted to a public criticism. If you don't make it into the top one hundred... brace yourselves."

The hearts of the eight students from the international class broke entirely.

The international class had to take this joint exam too. With three to four thousand students across five schools, forcing them into the top one hundred was no different from asking them to die.

Fearing that Sterling and his crew would remain defiant, Mr. Bennett deliberately put on an exceptionally fierce expression. "Finally! Asher, Sebastian, as students of my class, I must discipline you strictly and hold you to higher standards! They only need to make the top one hundred, but the two of you must place in the top five!"

"Mm."

Another nonchalant response.

But at least Asher had answered. Sebastian just stood there the entire time, his aura so noble and composed that anyone unaware would think he was the director himself.

At this point, Sterling and his crew felt incredibly suppressed yet found nothing to say. In the end, they could only mutter sullenly, "Teacher, this decision of yours is playing favorites with Asher a bit too much."

Asher nodded. "Yes, Teacher. I also feel you’re playing favorites with me too much, so I apply to swap punishments with Sterling."

Sterling: "..."

It sounded like a great way to correct favoritism, but he simply lacked the fortune to endure such kindness.

Mr. Bennett gave a light reprimand. "Don't blindly give classmates silly nicknames."

Sebastian, who had been dazed the entire time, finally showed a sign of life. He tilted his head toward Asher, asking with total seriousness, "The Bull isn't his real name?"

Asher recalled carefully, stating with certainty, "It is his real name. I don't recall him having any other name."

Sterling: "..."

Fearing that Sterling would be driven to a stroke by Asher's words, Mr. Bennett quickly waved his hands. "Alright, alright, all of you go back to evening self-study. Your studies are what matter most."

The students from Class 1 and Class 2 left the office with light steps, while the group from the international class lifted their heads to look at the sky.

The moonlight was truly beautiful tonight.

Perfect for a beating at home.

On the way back, Asher fell asleep in the car.

Sebastian sat on the other side of the back seat, watching the slender silhouette of the boy illuminated under the warm, yellowish glow of the car light.

Based on his observations, Asher’s primary reactions during his presentation phase were lethargy, fatigue, weakness, and sensitivity to pain.

This was quite different from his own experience.

From what he knew, most Alphas during their presentation phase exhibited irritability, a short temper, and impulsiveness, craving an outlet for their strength. It was very rare to see this kind of weak, sickly reaction.

Perhaps presenting too late had caused some adverse physiological reactions.

He still needed to be properly taken care of.

The car came to a stop in the middle of the estate, and both of them got out, preparing to head to their respective houses.

Sebastian suddenly called Asher back. "I think you should take a few days off, or have Aunt Eleanor come back early."

"Why?" Asher turned around, his face full of confusion.

For a moment, Sebastian didn't quite know what to say. When this person was sharp, he was like a monkey turned spirit, but when he was clueless, he truly resembled a single-celled organism.

He explained patiently, "Have you really not realized that you’ve officially entered your presentation phase?"

"Ah, I see. No wonder everything felt off lately."

Sebastian felt he had insulted single-celled organisms.

He let out a sigh, his voice laced with helplessness yet slow and gentle in the night air. "Your reaction isn't ideal. If you don't get enough rest and proper nutrition, the final transition might be very excruciating. Take some rest at home; I'll have Auntie Liu go over to take care of you."

Perhaps because that touch of gentleness had nowhere to hide on the quiet, sycamore-lined path, even someone as oblivious as Asher could perceive that this wasn't a provocation, but genuine care.

His words rarely lacked thorns. "It’s fine, it’s just that I love sleeping. Sleeping in the classroom or at home is the same. Today they caused such a massive scene, and didn't I recover instantly anyway?"

Sebastian didn't tell him that the reason he had recovered was because he had been using his own pheromones as a guide from the sidelines. Otherwise, the boy might have been in too much pain to walk today.

He simply nodded. "Suit yourself."

With that, he prepared to turn and head inside, but Asher called him back.

"Hey, about those physics problems you did today... I think there might be a few issues. Want me to take a look for you?"

The boy slung his bag strap lazily under the streetlamp, his gaze drifting elsewhere because he wasn't adjusted to actively offering goodwill, his tone still holding onto a fiercely proud front.

"Otherwise, if you fail to make the top five later and get a disciplinary black mark, how would I have the face to see Grandpa Henry?"

Sebastian turned around, looking down as he pressed the combination lock, the moonlight falling exactly on the slight curve of his lips.

"Sure. It just so happens a comprehensive magnetic field question is quite difficult."

That question was the final problem from the top national university's early admission exam last year. It was indeed very difficult, and Asher estimated that even the eternal runner-up of their class, Mason, would find it exhausting.

However, after Asher gave just a few brief pointers, he discovered that Sebastian already understood it.

He felt he truly was a genius teacher.

Instantly fired up, he rapidly picked out several similar questions, insisting that Sebastian solve them, and even demanding to grade them afterward.

Sebastian actually held his pen, seriously reworking the problems he had already completed once today, while Teacher Asher sat beside him with his legs crossed, eating fruit and playing on his phone, thoroughly enjoying himself.

The two of them rarely shared such a peaceful coexistence without provoking each other.

That was until a link forwarded by Milo shattered the original tranquility of this beautiful night.

【Shocking! Riverdale Prep’s school heartthrob might be unseated! Riverdale's number one Alpha completely dominates the scene! Is this a carnival for look-enthusiasts or a victory for Omegas? Let us wait and see—the arrival of Sebastian!】