Chapter 46: What About Me? Do You Like Me? 

Fine, tiny snow clung to the dry branches, thinly blanketing the world in pure white.

Around Ji Xiao, students marveled at the snow, but only Wei Qingyu stood in her line of sight.

On her light gray down jacket were traces of melted snow, her jet-black hair cascading down undisturbed by the snow.

A faint blush adorned her cold profile, adding a conflicting fragility to the girl's otherwise flawless beauty.

Ji Xiao blinked unnaturally, then casually said to the person beside her, "You win. Now, tell me what wish you want from me."

Wei Qingyu's hand holding the umbrella tightened hesitantly.

Her initial intention in betting with Ji Xiao was not to ask for a wish, and she didn't know what wish she should ask for.

A breeze stirred, carrying the familiar scent from the girl to Wei Qingyu's nostrils.

She wondered if she could wish for Ji Xiao to promise not to treat her like she did in the past. "I..." Wei Qingyu hesitated, about to speak, but her lips closed again.

Hearing her words, Ji Xiao refocused her gaze on Wei Qingyu, earnestly listening to her wish.

Outside the umbrella, snowflakes fluttered. Wei Qingyu looked at the sincere girl in front of her and suddenly felt there was no need anymore.

But Ji Xiao, looking at Wei Qingyu who seemed hesitant to speak, still didn't understand. "What about you?"

Wei Qingyu thought for a moment, then lifted her gaze to Ji Xiao and said, "Can I request to keep it for now?"

"Of course." Ji Xiao nodded without hesitation.

Perhaps it was the romance of the winter's first snow, but Ji Xiao, looking at Wei Qingyu walking beside her, inexplicably added, "This is your right here."

Her voice sounded ethereal, blending with the snowflakes as it fell on Wei Qingyu's shoulders.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of the girl's lips. "Okay."

"But I have a question for you," Ji Xiao said. "You must answer truthfully."

Wei Qingyu nodded. "Go ahead."

Ji Xiao asked, "Why did you make this bet with me?"

Without much thought, Ji Xiao felt that this bet was somewhat weird.

One moment they were discussing the biology exam in the car, and the next moment Wei Qingyu invited her to make a bet.

At Wei Qingyu's words, she seemed to remember something. Her turquoise eyes carried a hint of warmth, and even her voice softened: "My mom said, that when it snows lightly, wishes will surely come true."

Ji Xiao listened, feeling like something had landed on her heart. Soft and gentle, it wrapped her tenderly with affection.

Wei Qingyu's expression remained faint, but Ji Xiao could hear the thumping of her own heartbeat.

She looked at the beautiful girl beside her, who could make any Alpha's heart race, and hurriedly escaped from under the umbrella as if avoiding something, saying, "With what you just said, this snow doesn't seem so bad after all. I might get an A in biology!"

"Yeah." Wei Qingyu softly echoed the unrestrained girl in her line of sight. After all, it was their shared wish...

"Come and eat hot pot with me!" Ji Xiao's voice was tinged with excitement, interrupting Wei Qingyu's thoughts. She stood under the tree where snowflakes fluttered, her golden-orange eyes shining brightly, rare in the winter. "I've been here for so long and haven't had hot pot!"

The first snow of winter came unexpectedly, catching people off guard. As the temperature gradually dropped below zero, the snowflakes that had been unable to settle on the road gradually accumulated on the roadside, and the tree branches were adorned with snow-white pear blossoms.

The outside world gradually draped itself in silver, while inside the hot pot restaurant, steam billowed, enveloping everything in a mist.

Ji Xiao, feeling flush with money, had the driver take them to the best and most expensive hot pot restaurant in the city center to celebrate.

Wei Qingyu looked at the synchronized menu on her phone, puzzled by Ji Xiao's choice of both spicy and non-spicy hot pots. "Two types of spicy pots? Aren't you going to order a clear soup as well?"

"Can't you eat spicy food?"

“You can't eat spicy food, right?”

The two spoke in unison, and Ji Xiao was surprised by this unexpected detail about the original owner.

She looked at Wei Qingyu, who looked puzzled and confidently explained, "Ah... I'm fine with it now, right? Didn't I eat spicy crayfish last time?"

"Besides, how can I eat clear soup at a hot pot restaurant?! Of course, it has to be spicy!"

Wei Qingyu looked at the determined girl opposite her and changed the hot pot from "Volcano Extremely Spicy Combo" to "Butter Cross-Hot Pot". "The spiciness of crayfish can't compare to this. You'll get stomachaches."

Ji Xiao disappointed that her beloved extreme spiciness was canceled by Wei Qingyu, felt particularly dissatisfied.

Just as she was about to secretly change it back while Wei Qingyu was changing it, she suddenly felt a chill overhead.

Wei Qingyu sat expressionless opposite her, her eyes icy cold.

Ji Xiao swallowed awkwardly, lowered her head, and muttered softly while ordering, "If it's not okay, then it's not okay... Why are you so fierce..."

"You also ordered shrimp balls?" Wei Qingyu looked at the updated menu and asked.

Ji Xiao stopped her hand from ordering and looked up at Wei Qingyu. "What's wrong? This lady can always eat shrimp, right?"

Shrimp ball hot pot was her greatest joy. 

Surely the author wouldn't even deprive her of this joy in this world.

"Sure." Wei Qingyu glanced at Ji Xiao's face, which showed reluctance and nervousness, and answered lightly.

But when she looked down at the delicate light pink balls in the picture, there was still a barely perceptible hint of surprise in her eyes.

In the menu Ji Xiao ordered, there were many things that she remembered the young Ji Xiao didn't like to eat.

The steam rising from the hot pot, along with the boiling spicy pot, blurred the vision of the two. Ji Xiao took the opportunity to secretly move the spicy pot towards her side, away from Wei Qingyu's line of sight.

But the decorative dragon-headed handles on both sides of the pot were slightly turning in the mist, and Wei Qingyu couldn't possibly fail to notice.

She just silently watched this arrogant dandy carefully cover her tracks in front of her.

Slices of lamb, ready to be cooked, hung in the pot, swirling in red oil. The spiciness of the red peppers mixed with the lightness of the mushroom broth in this small space.

As if suddenly remembering something, Ji Xiao, while picking up meat, said to Wei Qingyu, "Actually, there was one part of the biology exam that I wasn't sure about."

Upon hearing this, Wei Qingyu bit off the bamboo shoot she had just brought to her mouth and asked, "Where?"

"It's the second-to-last question about genetics," Ji Xiao said. "Isn't the final answer supposed to analyze the situation with the presence of Beta, because the Beta gene has a certain impact on the differentiation between Alphas and Omegas?"

Wei Qingyu recalled and nodded. "Yes."

Ji Xiao's face instantly lit up with joy at her words. "That's great."

She spoke as if she were a convict granted amnesty, opening up even more: "You don't know, but I kept silently repeating in my mind before going to bed last night that I must pay attention to the Beta situation in the genetics question tomorrow, I must remember Beta, don't forget again."

Hearing Ji Xiao say this, Wei Qingyu couldn't help but shake her head and said, "You're just too nervous. Actually, you haven't forgotten about Beta situations much this week."

"Really?" Ji Xiao listened, still somewhat incredulous. 

For someone who grew up in the ABO world, this problem was insignificant, but for her, who came from a world relatively different from this one, it was quite difficult.

"Really." Wei Qingyu nodded.

The snow outside was still falling, covering the ground in white and making the outside world appear especially bright.

Natural light shone through the glass onto Wei Qingyu's face, her pale skin under her black hair looking translucent.

She was looking at Ji Xiao with a rare certainty in her voice.

Her slightly closed lips were dyed red, exuding an enticing sheen.

The steam drifted between the two of them, and Ji Xiao blinked unnaturally.

Looking at the girl in front of her who was giving her confidence, she felt something stirring in her heart, rising and falling with the boiling hot pot.

Up and down, elusive.

"Actually, many questions follow the same principles. You've practiced the ones I gave you, so today's exam shouldn't be a problem."

Wei Qingyu's voice interrupted Ji Xiao's inner turmoil.

Ji Xiao suddenly realized she had been a bit distracted.

Shifting her gaze with the help of the steam, she agreed, "Yes."

As she spoke, her maroon chopsticks picked up a piece of tofu from the boiling hot pot.

Her teeth bit into it, releasing the broth, and the hot, spicy taste spread across her tongue, indescribably satisfying.

Ji Xiao ate while talking to divert her attention, “Actually, these kinds of questions are quite interesting. Betas can't smell pheromones and don't develop glands, but they can influence the differentiation of Alphas and Omegas through their genes. A lot of pheromone production is also related to Beta genes.”

“Mm.” Wei Qingyu listened to Ji Xiao's analysis and nodded in agreement, adding, “It's because of the existence of Beta genes that Alpha and Omega pheromones can attract each other and generate affection. The higher the rank, the purer the pheromones, the stronger the aggressiveness, and the more they are liked by people of the secondary gender, reducing the chance of being eliminated by nature.”

“That’s indeed the case.” Ji Xiao nodded thoughtfully, then said, “Try this, it’s quite good.”

With that, Ji Xiao placed a bouncy little penguin-shaped meatball onto Wei Qingyu’s plate.

Wei Qingyu looked at the little penguin on her plate and suddenly felt sentimental.

It had been a long time since she and Ji Xiao had sat together, chatting amicably like this while eating…

“Since we're talking about this, Wei Qingyu, I have a question to ask you.” Ji Xiao said, hesitantly looking at Wei Qingyu.

Her golden-orange eyes met the girl’s gaze through the steam.

Perhaps it was because of the good atmosphere just now, or maybe for some other reason, Wei Qingyu nodded without thinking, “Go ahead.”

Ji Xiao heard this and lightly licked her lips. A lazy jazz tune played in the noisy restaurant.

The melodious rhythm swirled in this small space, blending with the steam rising between them, adding a hint of an ambiguous magnetism to the girl's voice at this moment.

"So…what about me? Do you like me?"*

T/N: lit. Do you like?  the object of “like” wasn't explicitly stated.

Author's Note:

Discussion about genes is all made up, all nonsense by Pigeon

Coward Ji (patting her own chest): If God can't teach you love, I will!

Cold Wei (pounce): No need, I will do it myself.