Chapter 3: Campus Secrets & Hidden Fangs

After that strange, electric moment in the lecture hall, something shifted.

From that day forward, Lan Zhan began sitting beside Wei Ying in every class — like clockwork.

Same bench. Same silence.

He never initiated conversation, never reacted to Wei Ying’s dramatic sighs or mutterings. But his presence… was impossible to ignore. Silent, still, observing like a shadow with a heartbeat.

At first, Wei Ying found it annoying.

Then… intriguing.

He began to poke at the silence.

One sunny afternoon, the room was half empty before Professor Xu arrived. Wei Ying was already lounging at the back, spinning his pen like a bored cat. Lan Zhan arrived, cool as ever, sliding into the seat beside him.

Wei Ying leaned in, voice dripping with mischief.

Wei Ying (grinning):

“So… are you a stalker, Ice Prince? Or just obsessed with me?”

Lan Zhan didn’t even flinch.

He opened his laptop, eyes focused, ignoring the taunt.

But as he reached for a book, the back of his hand brushed against Wei Ying’s.

A simple touch. Barely there.

And yet —

Wei Ying’s heart jumped.

His pupils dilated for half a second. His scent wavered — sweetening slightly, giving off a trace of cinnamon and rain-soaked petals. A tell only an Alpha would catch.

Wei Ying quickly pulled back, masking his reaction with a smirk and a pop of his gum.

Library: The Project Pairing

Two days later, Professor Xu paired them for a group project.

“Business Crime Syndicates in Modern China,” the title read. Wei Ying had barely skimmed it.

When he finally arrived at the campus library — thirty minutes late — the main reading room was nearly empty.

There, at the far table by the window, sat Lan Zhan.

He was immaculately composed — his dark coat folded with surgical precision on the back of the chair, sleeves rolled just enough to reveal his wristwatch. His notes were color-coded, a laptop open beside a hardcover book on Mafia Governance Structures.

Wei Ying slouched into the chair across from him, bubblegum still in his mouth.

Wei Ying:

“You’re really into this mafia business case study, huh? What, planning to start one?”

He grinned, hoping for a reaction.

Lan Zhan didn’t look up. He highlighted a line slowly.

Lan Zhan (calmly):

“Because I’ve lived it.”

Wei Ying blinked, unsure if he’d heard right.

He leaned forward, elbow on the table, smirk returning.

Wei Ying (mocking gasp):

“Wow. You roleplay your project topics too? That’s intense. Should I start calling you Boss Lan?”

Lan Zhan finally looked up.

His eyes, deep and dark, met Wei Ying’s without blinking.

Lan Zhan (low voice):

“It’s not roleplay.”

The air went still.

Wei Ying’s smile faltered. There was something deadly real behind Lan Zhan’s words. Not a threat — just a fact. Cold, quiet, and unwavering.

Wei Ying sat back, chewing slowly now. His heart thudded somewhere beneath the teasing mask.

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

Raindrops began to tap lightly against the tall library windows.

Unspoken Questions

Wei Ying studied Lan Zhan, really looked at him this time.

The way his shoulders never relaxed.

The way his eyes always swept the room before settling.

The faint scar near his thumb — the kind you only got from handling knives, not kitchen ones.

A chill danced along his spine.

Wei Ying (softer now):

“…You’re serious, aren’t you?”

Lan Zhan didn’t answer.

He turned the page.

But his silence was the answer.

Wei Ying left the library that day with a heavy folder full of case study materials…

…and an even heavier knot of curiosity coiling inside his chest.

Who was this man really?

Why was he in this university?

And why — out of everyone — was he always watching him?

Wei Ying told himself he didn’t care.

But that night, for the first time in a long time…

He dreamed of ink-black eyes and a hand brushing his.

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