TuxedoTranslations

Chapter 49

Zhou Yanjiu quickly noticed something was off with Xiaotong.

Polaris_Fire: [Why are you just sending ellipses? Kidnapped or something?]

Xia Xiaotong: [No… Just suddenly feeling a bit sleepy.]

Polaris_Fire: [Sleepy? Then hurry up and go to bed. Bye.]

Xia Xiaotong lay on his bed, staring at the chat record: “Unless their eyes don’t work, how could any Omega fall for him?” He froze for a couple of seconds, and then—thud—his phone slipped from his hand and smacked him squarely on the nose.

“Ow-ow-ow!” Xia Xiaotong cried out, rolling over and clutching his nose as tears welled up from the pain.

Getting hit in the face with a phone really hurt! Was his nose broken?

Rubbing his sore nose, he thought bitterly. So Zero’s really… that ruthless? Teaching someone how to play Hunter by sniping them? Tomorrow, Zero was supposed to take him out for a morning run… Would he chase him with a whip? Smack his little behind if he couldn’t keep up?

Not to mention… I have ulterior motives toward him! And I’m shallow enough to be into his looks!

It all seemed to fit too perfectly.

Xia Xiaotong felt a twinge of fear.

Tomorrow morning, I really have to give it my all. Even if I can’t keep up with those Alphas, I can’t embarrass myself too much!

Rubbing his now-reddened nose, Xia Xiaotong set his alarm with a heavy heart, turned over, and fell asleep.

–

The next morning, as soon as his alarm went off, Xia Xiaotong sprang out of bed like a spring-loaded toy. While his body got up, his soul seemed to stay behind on the bed. He stumbled sleepily, tripping on a slipper and sprawling flat on the floor.

The little Omega lay there dazed, as if cartoon birds were circling over his head, performing a grass-skirt dance. He stayed like that for a while, lost in thought, replaying the strange dream he’d had the night before.

In the dream, he was jogging in the park, the cold wind biting his nose. Breathless, he turned to see Lin Mingfei, the dashing P Team captain, pulling up in his flashy SUV. Lin stuck his head out the window, brandishing a small whip high in the air.

“SMACK!”

“Xia Xiaotong! Run faster!”

“SMACK!”

“Keep running!”

Xia Xiaotong spent the entire surreal, nightmare-ish dream running for his life. He didn’t sleep well at all and woke up with massive dark circles under his eyes.

–

Still groggy, Xia Xiaotong was startled awake by a knock on his door.

Lin Mingfei: “Xia Xiaotong, time to get up! Let’s go for a morning run!”

The voice was energetic, perfectly overlapping with his dream.

Xia Xiaotong jolted fully awake in a panic.

“Coming, coming! I’m coming!” He scrambled off the floor, dug through his wardrobe for a loose-fitting outfit, threw it on, washed his face quickly, and dashed out the door.

As he bolted downstairs, nearly slipping a few times, he saw the rest of P Team already assembled outside in the courtyard. The group of Alphas, each in their own stylish fall and winter workout gear, were stretching or yawning, a picture-perfect early-morning scene.

Bo Yu noticed him first and waved. “Morning, Xia Xiaotong.”

“Morning…” Xia Xiaotong replied sheepishly, walking over with a nervous grin. “Starting today, I’m joining your morning runs.”

“Huh??” Zhou Yanjiu, mid-yawn, froze in shock. His eyes widened as he stared at Xia Xiaotong like some kind of rare species. “You’re running with us??”

“Yup!” Xia Xiaotong shuffled his feet nervously. “Why? Is that not allowed?”

“We’re running twenty kilometers. Do you even know what that means? No stopping!” Zhou held up two thick fingers dramatically. “Yesterday I ran it, and I felt like I wouldn’t live to see 25.”

His words made Xia Xiaotong pale, but he puffed up his chest and tried to act brave. “Then I’ll… I’ll try my best to keep up—”

“Nope. No way you’re keeping up,” Zhou cut him off decisively. “Not only won’t you keep up, but you’ll probably end up being carried back to base by all four of us, each holding a limb. Right, Bo?”

Bo Yu nodded, concise as ever. “Sounds about right.”

Xia Xiaotong whimpered softly, “Whine…”

Zhou clapped him on the shoulder, speaking like an elder imparting wisdom. “Listen to your big bro Fire, little dude. Even we Alphas nearly die doing this, let alone you, a little Omega. This kind of crazy activity isn’t for you. Go back to bed—it’s way better! Don’t you love sleeping in? Why torture yourself?”

Xia Xiaotong bit his lip, thinking of all the times he’d felt out of place on the team. He couldn’t let himself be a burden. Gritting his teeth, he declared, “No! I’m going to run with you guys! I’m part of the team too! Why shouldn’t I get to train with you?”

Zhou blinked, leaning back dramatically. “Bo, did the little guy lose his marbles?”

Bo looked helplessly at Timer. “Timer, can you talk some sense into him?”

Timer didn’t respond immediately, just stood there with a hand on his hip, lazily eyeing Xia Xiaotong’s little sneakers.

“Are you planning to run in those shoes?”

“Yeah,” Xia Tong replied blankly. “These shoes… are they not okay?”

“They’re not ideal, a bit too heavy. They might hurt your Achilles tendon,” Shi Ya explained. “Do you have any other sneakers?”

After a moment of thought, Xia Tong recalled the shoes he brought from the Zheng household. “I have a pair of canvas shoes,” he said, rubbing his hands. “But they’re mesh-topped, and it’s so cold to wear them in this weather…”

“Running shoes are designed differently from regular shoes. They balance the stress on your legs and feet, protecting muscles and bones. So, for running, proper running shoes are essential.” Shi Ya raised a finger and swayed it confidently. “Since you don’t have running shoes for now, running would do more harm than good. I’d say skip today’s run. When Shi-ge comes back, he’ll take you to buy a suitable pair, and then you can start. As they say, sharpening the axe won’t delay chopping firewood! Don’t you agree?”

Zhou Yanjun, listening nearby, couldn’t help clapping. “Wow… Reasonable and convincing! I’m impressed, really impressed. Hats off to you!”

Xia Tong was a little swayed by Shi Ya’s persuasive words. He stood in place, nervously fidgeting with his fingers without responding.

He still wanted to run, though. Skipping even one day felt like losing valuable practice and delaying his progress.

“Maybe I should think about it some more…”

“No need to think. Go rest. We’ll head out once Zero gets here,” Zhou Yanjun said impatiently. Then, suddenly, he stopped speaking and stared dumbfounded at the garage near the base.

Not just him—everyone else turned their gazes in the same direction, their eyes gradually widening.

“What’s wrong with you all?” Xia Tong looked around in confusion. Following their line of sight, he turned around and saw Lin Mingfei walking over. He wore a dark sports outfit, his long legs moving elegantly. In his hands, he pushed a blue-and-white mountain bike.

“Come on, Xia Tong.” Lin Mingfei patted the bike seat. “Do you know how to ride this?”

Xia Tong’s eyes lit up. “I do! I can ride it!”

Back at the Zheng house, there was a mountain bike collecting dust in the storage room—a birthday gift for Zheng Linchuan. But Zheng Linchuan, who had switched to driving sports cars by his teenage years, had no interest in self-propelled vehicles. Whenever he was away, Xia Tong would sneak into the storage room, pull out the bike, and ride it up and down the Zheng household’s corridors for fun, always putting it back before Zheng Linchuan returned.

“I’ve adjusted the seat height for you,” Lin Mingfei said. “Try it out and see if it fits.”

“Okay! Coming!” Xia Tong exclaimed, rushing over in excitement.

“Wait a second…” Zhou Yanjun was dumbfounded. “What’s going on here?”

“It’s morning training,” Lin Mingfei replied nonchalantly. “I figured it’s unrealistic for Xia Tong to run 20 kilometers right off the bat, so we’ll start with him biking. I’ve already adjusted the bike to a resistance mode—it won’t be that easy to ride. While we run, he’ll ride along.”

Shi Ya chuckled softly and gave a thumbs up. “You’re something else, Zero. That’s a clever solution.”

By now, Xia Tong was already on the mountain bike, his feet just touching the ground. Overjoyed, he announced, “It’s perfect, Zero! I can ride it!”

Lin Mingfei smiled faintly. “Glad my adjustments worked.”

But Zhou Yanjun wasn’t done yet. “Isn’t this still unsafe? This short-legged little guy might fall behind! What if we’re running and look back, and both he and the bike are gone?”

“I won’t fall behind!” Xia Tong cut in anxiously. “Don’t underestimate me, Fatty! Hmph! I’ll ride faster than you can run!”

“Yeah, right,” Zhou Yanjun scoffed. “You trip on flat ground. Don’t kid yourself.”

Lin Mingfei tilted his head lazily. “I already thought of that.” Like a magician, he pulled out a spring rope from nowhere, casually clicking one end onto the handlebars of Xia Tong’s bike. Holding the other end, he gave it a meaningful shake.

“Oh my god! This is genius!” Zhou Yanjun exclaimed in disbelief. “Classic Zero! You’re going to leash him! This way, he won’t get lost! But… are you holding the other end, or are you tying it to something?”

“To you,” Lin Mingfei replied nonchalantly, nodding at Zhou Yanjun.

Zhou Yanjun: “???”

Zhou Yanjun: “Who the hell are you messing with, Lin Mingfei?!”

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