Fouls Prohibited

In order to avoid unnecessary contact with Huo Tinglan, Ye Ci did not dare to get up late from that day forward.

Huo Tinglan was in a high position but was extremely self-disciplined. If he hadn’t come home late, he would have woken up almost as early as Ye Ci, a high school student.

After figuring out Huo Tinglan’s daily routine, Ye Ci simply went to bed early and got up early. He got up at dawn, hurriedly grabbed breakfast, and went to school. The private high school ended early in the evening, so he took the initiative to go to the racetrack after two evening self-study classes. If he felt good, he raced a few more matches, and when he was in poor condition, he sat in the lounge and read a book.

The amount of medical expenses owed to Chu Wenlin was huge, and he would not pay it back in a year or two, but on the contrary, he was not in a hurry. Having more cash in his hand could give him some confidence in a situation full of uncertainty, not to be kneaded like dough by anyone. Although after entering a marriage relationship with Huo Tinglan, he could theoretically get astronomical assets from him, Ye Ci never coveted things that didn’t belong to him.

Seeing that Ye Ci was not at home all day, obviously hiding from him, Huo Tinglan was not in a hurry and only ordered the kitchen to remake the meal plan. He tossed out the excessively extravagant and expensive dishes, and mainly focused on nutritious and tasty home-cooked meals, letting Uncle He watch over Ye Ci every day when he ate and left for school.

An eighteen-year-old Omega, married to a strange older Alpha, with no protection from his family . . . . such behavior was normal.

Like a stray cat that had suffered too much and grown withdrawn and alert, when he saw people approaching, he would wave his small paws and posture, fierce and timid.

If he pursued Ye Ci at this time, he would only be regarded as a wicked scoundrel with bad intentions. Doing too much could have the opposite effect.

No matter how urgent he felt, how eager, he must be patient and give Ye Ci enough space to get used to it slowly.

However, some people thought otherwise.

When she heard that her son had quietly picked up a 100% matching little Omega from Chu Wenlin and placed him at home, Lin Yao swept away her usual elegance and made three calls that day. She anxiously urged him to take that person to the old house to show her. She also advised him between the lines not to miss an opportunity, and that “The purpose of marriage is to form a strong union between Huo and Chu, and to relieve the symptoms of the susceptible period.” Her entreaties were full of grievance, and she wholeheartedly believed that the real purpose of their shotgun wedding should be to give birth to a little heir to the Huo family.

That night, Huo Tinglan handled official business in the study alone, flipping through documents. At the same time, he listened with half an ear to Lin Yao speaking to him gently and tenderly.

“. . . . You are already thirty years old . . . .”

“. . . . The Huo family needs a legitimate heir. At your age, it is time to consider the matter of children . . . .”

“. . . . I heard that he is studying at Tiancheng, and his academics should be excellent. I don’t think it matters whether or not it’s the bloodline of the main house of the Chu family . . . .”

“. . . . It’s such a rare match, and you’re already married, why don’t you try going on dates? I heard that the two of you can’t exchange a few words all day long, so how do you know if you’re incompatible? I’ve seen the photos, it looks so painful, you shouldn’t be celibate . . . .”

Huo Tinglan just listened with a smile on the corners of his lips, occasionally making a gentle, “En.”

“At the very least, you have to give me and your father some face, don’t you? Even if the wedding is postponed, we Huo have to pick a time to hold a family dinner between our Huo and Chu families, otherwise, it’s inexcusable . . . .”

“A family dinner can be done.” It was rare for Huo Tinglan to agree, but then the conversation changed again: “We can wait to talk about it when I’m less busy.”

They were married, the wedding was postponed, and the family banquet was not held. It was truly unreasonable.

But Ye Ci had always resisted this sort of social situation, and Huo Tinglan didn’t plan to use these trivial matters to add trouble to Ye Ci before their relationship broke the ice.

It took a long time to bring him home . . . . what should he do if he was scared away?

“You . . . .” Lin Yao got angry and started lecturing him again.

After finally dealing with Lin Yao, it was half past nine, and Huo Tinglan rubbed his brow wearily.

He didn’t know when Ye Ci would be willing to get closer to him.

His next susceptible period was approaching, and for the past few days, he hadn’t even thought about how to make a request euphemistically so as not to scare Ye Ci.

He was thinking about this when there was a knock on the study door.

“Please come in.” Huo Tinglan raised his eyes.

“Sir.” Uncle He pushed open the door, looking a little anxious, holding the phone in one hand as he said in a low voice, “The police station called and said that Young Master Ye had beat up a few people at the racetrack. He’s now being held at the station for questioning. Do you want to send someone to get Young Master Ye out . . . .”

Huo Tinglan was stunned, and said, “I’ll go take a look.” He got up, grabbed his jacket, and hurried out.

He knew that Ye Ci could fight. After all, Ye Ci’s first differentiation result was an A-level Alpha. Before the second differentiation, his body had developed according to the genetic blueprint of a top Alpha. His muscle tone, explosive power, and reflexes were all excellent. Otherwise, it would be impossible to succeed in the realm of formula racing.

However, Huo Tinglan only “knew” that at a theoretical level.

In fact, he had never seen Ye Ci fight. First of all, such violent behavior might lead to an athlete’s suspension. Secondly, based on Ye Ci’s cool and indifferent temperament in his previous life, he seemed to not care about anything, and it was impossible for him to raise a fist to someone.

Now, it had been less than half a month, and he had just beaten someone up.

It turned out that the eighteen-year-old Ye Ci was like this.

Huo Tinglan’s heart jumped twice out of rhythm.

. . . . . .

At half past seven, the school bell rang.

Tiancheng Private High School advocated a free and independent learning atmosphere. Evening self-study was not compulsory, and half of the students had already dispersed.

In the last row of the classroom, Ye Ci was leaning his forehead on one hand. He turned his body slightly at an awkward angle and blocked his tablemate’s gaze with his arm.

The physics paper given out in his fourth class that morning was said to be for strengthening their foundations. The other student was in the same class and at the same table, but he filled out the paper as if he was playing during his lunch break. Not to mention those top students, who may not even bother to do such a simple task.

Ye Ci clenched the sweaty pen and skipped another question.

The large blanks on the paper made his scalp tingle – if this was the college entrance examination, he would have already failed.

Ye Ci had studied at an ordinary high school before dropping out. He could still rank in the top few grades even with his crippled English, and physics was his best subject.

However, the standard of teaching of the regular high school he had attended and this private school was vastly different. He had taken a long break from school before, and there were too many gaps in his knowledge. He didn’t know where to start when asking a teacher. A subject teacher had to be in charge of two or three classes of students, so how could he have time to waste accompanying him through so many questions? He could only muddle through books by himself, with poor results. As for his English, which was already crippled, the private school cracked down so hard on it that he was completely lost.

Ye Ci felt that he was not even good enough to be called a slacker student. He was now just a pinch of sand, which would dissipate with a gust of wind.

“Hey, excuse me, I’m going out.” His tablemate got up to leave, and his tone was neither hot nor cold.

Ye Ci had transferred over a month ago, and had hardly interacted with his classmates. Most of the children who could study there were wealthy and respectable people. They knew each other well and knew that there was no big family sunamed Ye in B city, so they didn’t take the initiative to communicate with Ye Ci – nor did they look down on him. It just wasn’t important. The few Alpha young masters who reached out to him all experienced his rejection. After that, his classmates knew that he was not easy to get along with, and fewer people talked to him.

Even in gym class, he would find a place to be alone.

His forehead was hot and damp. It was covered in red marks from the palm of his hand, but fortunately his hair was covering it. Ye Ci casually tossed his pen on the table, folded the paper leisurely, picked up his school bag, and walked out. It looked as if he didn’t intend to answer the questions at all, and was just wasting time there in order to appease his parents.

The more pitiful he was, the more he was afraid that people would pity him.

Unable to finish his examination paper, Ye Ci was restless and anxious. As a result, when it rained, it poured, and he encountered things at the racetrack that doubled his anxiety.

The last time, about half a month ago, he had beaten up a trash fish[1] who had tried to make him crash on the track. He was in the right, he didn’t do anything excessive, and he didn’t accept the 3,000 yuan bet that he should have taken. After all, hitting someone generated medical bills. According to his previous experience on the streets, this could be considered as taking a step back, and anyone with self-respect wouldn’t become entangled again.

The problem was that the trash fish was shameless.

After disappearing for half a month, his injuries were healed, and the trash fish led a few other small trash fish in an attempt to come win back some face. Ye Ci had an impression of his cheap yellow hair, and recognized him at a glance. Huang Mao was carrying a steel pipe in his hand, and his mouthful of vulgar cursing could be heard across the track.

At that time, Ye Ci had just finished a lap with some people and his body was hot. His sports jacket was open, revealing the blue and white school uniform underneath, clean and youthful.

The drag racing had eased his mood a bit, and the lump of pent-up frustration in his chest was blown away by the strong wind that swept through his body as he raced at high speed. Unfortunately, his good mood did not last long.

He straddled the heavy motorcycle and quietly looked at the gang of people approaching from a distance.

There were many people, but their weakness was visible to the naked eye.

Either a skinny monkey like Huang Mao, or a stout, fat man stained with beer and barbecue, neither were useful.

Before anyone approached, Ye Ci took out a carton of cigarettes and a lighter.

He was not addicted to cigarettes, and even though the carton was wrinkled, it was only missing a few, but the posture was familiar. He tilted his head slightly, his thin eyelids drooping. The burning red butt of the cigarette lifted up as he took a draw, and his porcelain-like beauty was hidden behind the smoke. He just appeared like a ruffian.

In a fight, the one with the most imposing manner had already won half the battle.

“It’s that little bastard!” Huang Mao approached, spat thick phlegm on the track, pointed at Ye Ci, and the foul language that followed was too dirty to listen to.

Ye Ci casually glanced at the surveillance camera and finished smoking half a cigarette. He stepped off the motorcycle and pinched out the cigarette butt, a few sparks leaking from his fingers.

He rolled up the sleeves of his uniform, showed no expression, and didn’t say any harsh words. He just said concisely, “Come on.”

“I’ll come, mother**** . . . .” Several people cursed and grabbed at him. The first one sent a swipe at his shoulder, slamming down with the steel pipe.

Ye Ci deliberately gave him a heavy shove within range of the surveillance camera, then stepped sideways to dodge. Five fingers clasped the man’s wrist and twisted it skillfully. The main quivered in pain, and the steel pipe fell to the ground. Ye Ci stomped on it so that it bounced up, then grabbed it with a slap and slammed it into the man’s knee!

That man tumbled to the ground and bloodied his mouth.

This sequence of events only took two or three seconds, and the other people only understood what had happened afterward.

Ye Ci weighed the steel pipe in his hand, gave a slight nod to the bloody-mouthed bastard, and said, “Thank you.”

– – That person was considerate enough to come pick this thing up and provide a weapon for him.

He couldn’t speak well, and he was also disgusted by the provocative way others spoke, so he had developed the skill of expressing ridicule with the fewest words possible

“You mother****er . . . .” Huang Mao was stunned for a moment before he could react, so angry that his face twisted out of shape. With a wave of his hand, he led the collection of thugs to pounce.

. . . . . .

At the police station.

In the guard room, Ye Ci sat on the edge of the bed with an English book rolled up in his left hand, quietly reciting words.

He was not a frequent visitor to the police station, but was also no stranger to it, so he stayed calm and did as he pleased.

The gangsters who followed that guy to come looking for trouble tonight were arrogant and conspicuous, and someone had called the police before they even started. Ye Ci thoughtfully beat them one by one, and then the police car arrived. After checking his documents, the police saw that he was still in high school and said that they would inform his family and school. Ye Ci really didn’t want to see Chu Wenlin, so he struggled through reporting Uncle He’s phone number.

Not long after the call was made, the door of the guard room was pushed open. Ye Ci thought it was Uncle He and looked up unprepared, but was startled to find Huo Tinglan’s tall, straight figure at the door.

Huo Tinglan had a coat over his forearm, and a suit vest and black shirt emphasized his chest muscles and sharp waist. The collar of the shirt was open, his hair wasn’t combed, and there was an unfathomable look on his handsome face, a bit like a smile, but his lips were not curved.

He first inspected Ye Ci from head to toe, and saw that he was not injured and that his school uniform was even neat, and then said: “You can go home.”

Ye Ci put away the English book, distanced himself from Huo Tinglan, and walked out of the room slowly. Auxiliary police officers and a shrewd-looking man in a suit and leather shoes, maybe a lawyer, were standing in the corridor. Huo Tinglan nodded at him and went downstairs first with the guard in charge.

“Have you eaten tonight?” Huo Tinglan asked calmly.

“. . . . No.” Ye Ci paused, as if afraid of being cared for, and quickly added, “I’m not hungry.”

“Even if you’re not hungry, your stomach can’t be empty all the time. Let’s go back and eat something simple,” Huo Tinglan said warmly.

Ye Ci was preoccupied and didn’t answer him. After a moment of silence, he clenched his fists and asked: “You paid, you paid how much . . . .for medical expenses? I’ll pay you back.”

According to Ye Ci’s experience, if one could be so straightforwardly released after fighting and brawling, it was certain that he had spent money to intercede.

The money was nothing worth mentioning for Huo Tinglan, but he had to bear his own responsibility.

“There was no need to pay.” There was no one in the corridor. Huo Tinglan stopped and turned to look at him.

Ye Ci was only half a head shorter than him, which was considered tall among Omegas, but his physique was thin, and looked even smaller hidden under loose sportswear. The fingers that were clutching the strap of the school bag were pale and delicate.

“Why, why . . . . is there no need to pay?” Ye Ci asked.

“You are presumed to have been acting in self-defense based on surveillance and injury reports,” Huo Tinglan explained further. “On the contrary, the issue of fighting using weapons and provoking trouble are more serious.”

A charge such as provoking a fight was enough to make that group suffer for a while.

Ye Ci no longer said a word, but his tense shoulders relaxed.

“One against five.” Huo Tinglan recalled the surveillance footage taken from the racetrack and his smile finally couldn’t be contained, spreading shallowly to the corners of his lips. He controlled his tone and jokingly said, “Nice skills.”

Ye Ci quickly glanced at him, then lowered his eyes again.

He was a teenage boy, and the phrase “nice skills” sounded very good to him, but he quickly suppressed that proud and shy smile, and said, “En,” indifferently.

Huo Tinglan noticed Ye Ci’s brief micro-expression clearly, and an idea occurred to him.

This was an expression he would never have seen on Ye Ci’s face in the past life. Ye Ci, who was unmoved when he won the Formula Racing Championship trophy would, at the age of 18, actually jump for joy a little at being told, “Nice skills.”

So childish, and so cute.

The fierce impulses of an Alpha emerged faintly in his bones, scratching at the tip of his heart. Huo Tinglan was itched and tickled, but held back and suppressed that evil fire. Unable to tease Ye Ci, he only said warmly, “Let’s go.”

The author has something to say:

Smoking is harmful to your health, please do not imitate it. The smoker in this story is an adult.

(Recently I heard that when there is a smoking scene, I have to add a statement in my notes to save myself.)

【small theater】

Young Ci: Exhibit B.

Lao Huo: A standing ovation! ! !

Young Ci: (*///_///*)

(Super happy but pretending it doesn’t matter.)

[1] Trash fish, 杂鱼, is an internet term that refers to a person with poor ability and no brain. ⮐