The no-contact directive should have made things better. Instead, Jintao's absence from physical proximity was replaced by an unsettling omnipresence through other means. He couldn't approach Xiaoran directly, but apparently nothing prevented him from watching from a distance, from tracking Xiaoran's movements through mutual connections, from making his presence felt without technically violating the directive.
Wednesday afternoon, Xiaoran was leaving his Movement and Physical Theater class when he spotted Jintao across the quad, leaning against a tree with clear sightline to the theater building exit. They made eye contact. Jintao smiled and raised his hand in a casual wave, as if they were old friends who just happened to be in the same place at the same time.
Xiaoran's stomach clenched. He immediately pulled out his phone and called campus security while walking quickly toward his dorm, keeping to populated areas.
"This is Officer Liu. How can I help you?"
"This is Wen Xiaoran. I have a no-contact directive against Zhao Jintao. He's currently watching me from the quad near the theater building. He hasn't approached, but he's clearly tracking my location."
"We'll send someone to his location immediately. Can you get somewhere safe?"
"I'm heading to my dorm now."
"Good. We'll follow up with you within the hour about next steps."
Xiaoran made it to his dorm and locked the door, heart racing. Wei Chen looked up from his computer setup, concern crossing his face at Xiaoran's obvious distress.
"Everything okay?"
"Ex-boyfriend is stalking me. Campus security is handling it." Xiaoran sank onto his bed, trying to calm his breathing. "It's fine. It's handled."
Wei Chen's expression suggested he didn't believe it was fine, but he respected Xiaoran's privacy. "Well, I'm here if you need anything. I may not look intimidating, but I can call people who are."
Despite everything, Xiaoran smiled. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
The campus security follow-up came forty minutes later—Officer Liu calling to report that they'd located and spoken with Jintao. He'd claimed he was just walking across campus and happened to stop in that location, complete coincidence that it had sightline to Xiaoran's class building. No violation of the no-contact directive since he hadn't approached or attempted communication.
"Technically, he's correct," Officer Liu said, frustration evident in her voice. "The directive prohibits contact and communication, but we can't prevent him from existing in public spaces. However, we've issued a warning that continued pattern of 'coincidentally' being in your vicinity will be treated as harassment. We're also documenting every incident."
"So he can keep watching me as long as he maintains distance?" Xiaoran felt defeat settling in his chest.
"Not indefinitely. If the pattern continues, we have grounds for stronger action. But we need that documented pattern first. I know it's not the answer you want, but the system requires evidence of sustained behavior before we can escalate to legal restraining order."
After the call ended, Xiaoran texted Zhou Mei: *Jintao was outside my class today. Security says he's not technically violating the directive by existing in public spaces. This is going to keep happening.*
Her response was immediate and fierce: *That's bullshit but also expected. He's going to push boundaries until someone pushes back harder. We need a different strategy.*
*What strategy? Legal process is slow and he knows it.*
*Social strategy. Make him uncomfortable enough that watching you becomes more trouble than it's worth. I have an idea but you're not going to like it.*
*Tell me anyway.*
*If people think you're seeing someone—specifically an Alpha who's clearly protective—Jintao might back off. Alphas respect territorial boundaries from other Alphas more than they respect Omega autonomy.*
*That's depressing and true. But I'm not seeing anyone.*
*You don't have to actually be seeing anyone. You just have to look like you are. Make Jintao think you've moved on with someone he can't intimidate.*
*Zhou Mei, I'm not going to fake a relationship just to scare off my ex.*
*Why not? It's practical.*
*It's also dishonest and uses someone else as a prop in my drama.*
*Fair point. Okay, different approach: just spend more time publicly with Alpha friends. Make it clear you have people looking out for you. Jintao is a coward who targets isolation. Show him you're not isolated.*
That was more reasonable. Xiaoran did have Alpha friends—Zhang Wei, for one. He could probably ask others from his classes to study together, create visible social presence.
His phone buzzed with a new message from an unexpected source. Lin Yuze: *Reminder: Library archival research workshop today, 4-5 PM. Professor Huang indicated our project would benefit from attendance. Will you be there?*
Xiaoran checked the time. 3:47 PM. The workshop started in thirteen minutes and he'd completely forgotten about it given the day's drama.
*I forgot about it but I can make it. Are you already there?*
*En route. Will save you a seat if you're attending.*
Something warm settled in Xiaoran's chest at the casual consideration—Yuze saving him a seat, thinking ahead about logistics, offering simple kindness while maintaining his characteristic formality.
*I'll be there in 10 minutes. Thank you.*
He grabbed his laptop and notebook, told Wei Chen he'd be back later, and headed across campus toward the library. The archival research workshop was being held in the main library's largest conference room, already filling with students from various departments when Xiaoran arrived slightly breathless at 3:59.
True to his word, Yuze had saved a seat—marked by his jacket draped over the chair next to his own in the third row. He looked up when Xiaoran entered, his expression flickering with something that might have been relief before returning to neutral.
"You made it." Yuze removed his jacket so Xiaoran could sit. "I wasn't certain you'd received the reminder."
"I did, just forgot about it until you texted. Thanks for saving a seat." Xiaoran settled in, noting they had a good view of the presentation screen without being conspicuously front-and-center. "How was your day?"
The question was casual small talk, the kind of thing friends asked each other. Yuze looked momentarily thrown, as if the concept of casual personal inquiry was foreign.
"Productive. Morning practice session, music theory class, composition work." His recitation was mechanical, listing activities without color or emotion. Then, with visible effort: "How was yours?"
"Complicated." Xiaoran wasn't sure how much to share. "I'm dealing with some personal issues that are bleeding into my campus experience. Nothing academic, just life being difficult."
Yuze was quiet for a moment, clearly processing. "The person who showed up at your dorm Sunday night. The one Zhou Mei documented. Is he the source of complications?"
"You heard about that?"
"Zhang Wei mentioned it. He was concerned." Yuze's voice dropped slightly. "Is this person threatening you?"
"Not exactly threatening. More like refusing to accept that our relationship ended and that I don't want contact." Xiaoran kept his voice low, aware of other students filing in around them. "Campus security has issued a no-contact directive, but he's finding ways to maintain presence without technically violating it."
Yuze's expression hardened—not quite anger, but something cold and dangerous that Xiaoran hadn't seen from him before. "That's predatory behavior. Legal harassment regardless of technical compliance with directives."
"I know. I'm documenting everything, building a case for a formal restraining order. It's just slow."
"While you're forced to deal with sustained intimidation in the meantime," Yuze said, his tone conveying clear disapproval of the system's inadequacy. "That's unacceptable."
"It's reality though. I'm managing." Xiaoran tried for a more positive tone. "I have good friends helping me. Zhou Mei is basically running security operations at this point. Zhang Wei offered his intimidating presence. Even Wei Chen said he'd call backup if needed."
"Add me to your support resources," Yuze said with zero hesitation. "If this person approaches you or makes you uncomfortable, contact me immediately. I'll respond."
Xiaoran turned to look at Yuze properly, surprised by the firm offer. "You would?"
"Of course. You're—" Yuze paused, clearly struggling with how to categorize their relationship. "We're collaborating partners. More accurately, we're becoming friends despite my general policy against friendship. Either status obligates support when you're being harassed."
"We're becoming friends?" Xiaoran couldn't help the small smile. "I thought you didn't do friendship."
"I don't. Generally. But you're persistently present in my life through academic collaboration, and you keep expressing care and concern despite my attempts to maintain professional distance. At some point, refusing to acknowledge friendship becomes more effort than accepting it." Yuze looked uncomfortable but sincere. "So yes. Apparently we're friends. I'm still not entirely sure how that happened."
"Aggressive friendship," Xiaoran said, thinking of Zhou Mei's philosophy. "I wore down your defenses through sheer persistent kindness."
"That's... probably accurate." Yuze almost smiled—his mouth didn't quite curve upward, but something softened in his eyes. "It's annoying but not entirely unwelcome."
Before Xiaoran could respond, the workshop presenter arrived and called for attention. The next hour was dense with information about accessing historical archives, proper citation methods for primary sources, and digital research techniques. Xiaoran took notes diligently, aware of Yuze doing the same beside him with characteristic precision.
Halfway through, Xiaoran felt his phone buzz with a text. He ignored it, but it buzzed again. And again. Someone was texting repeatedly, which usually meant emergency or spam. He carefully pulled out his phone under the table to check.
Jintao. Five messages in rapid succession:
*I saw you go into the library with that music student. Are you seeing him?*
*Don't ignore me. I deserve to know what's going on.*
*You're making a mistake getting involved with someone new when we have unresolved issues.*
*We need to talk about this properly. Stop avoiding the conversation.*
*I'm waiting outside the library. We can talk when your workshop ends.*
Ice flooded Xiaoran's veins. Jintao was outside. Right now. Waiting for him. This was definitely harassment, definitely violating the spirit of the no-contact directive even if technically he wasn't approaching or making direct verbal contact.
Xiaoran's hands were shaking as he screenshotted the messages. Yuze noticed his distress and leaned over slightly, voice barely audible: "What's wrong?"
Xiaoran showed him the phone screen, the messages clear and damning. Yuze's expression went completely cold, his jaw tightening with barely suppressed fury.
He pulled out his own phone and typed something quickly, then showed Xiaoran the screen: *I'm calling security and Zhang Wei. When workshop ends, we leave together. He won't approach if I'm present—Alpha territorial dynamics work in your favor here.*
Xiaoran nodded, grateful for Yuze's immediate practical response. Within minutes, Yuze had texted campus security with screenshots of the messages and their location, had messaged Zhang Wei to meet them at the library, and had somehow done all of this while appearing to remain focused on the workshop presentation.
The final twenty minutes of the workshop dragged interminably. Xiaoran couldn't focus, his attention split between the presenter and the awareness that Jintao was outside, waiting, escalating his behavior in ways that were getting increasingly difficult to ignore or manage.
When the workshop finally ended, Yuze gathered their materials with calm efficiency. "Zhang Wei is in the lobby. Campus security is sending someone to locate and remove Jintao from library vicinity. We'll wait five minutes for them to clear the area, then leave together."
"You don't have to—"
"I'm not debating this," Yuze interrupted, his tone allowing no argument. "You're being harassed. I'm providing assistance. Accept it."
They waited in the conference room while other students filtered out, Yuze maintaining a careful distance while still clearly positioning himself as protective presence. When his phone buzzed with a text, he checked it and nodded.
"Security has removed him from the immediate area. Zhang Wei is waiting by the main entrance. We're leaving now."
They walked through the library together, Yuze slightly ahead and to Xiaoran's left—not touching, but clearly establishing protective positioning. Zhang Wei was indeed waiting by the entrance, his expression unusually serious.
"Security found him outside the south exit," Zhang Wei reported. "Gave him another warning about harassment. He claimed he was just studying in the library and happened to text you, total coincidence he mentioned waiting outside." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "They can't arrest him for texting, but they've documented it as part of the harassment pattern."
"How long before I can get an actual restraining order that has legal teeth?" Xiaoran asked, frustration bleeding through his careful control.
"Officer Liu said probably another week of documented incidents," Zhang Wei said. "Which sucks, but that's the system. In the meantime, you don't go anywhere alone, you vary your routes, and you keep documenting every single interaction."
Yuze was staring at something past the library entrance, his expression dangerous. Xiaoran followed his gaze and saw Jintao about thirty meters away, leaning against a building, phone out but clearly watching them.
"He's not leaving," Yuze observed, his voice flat and cold. "He's maintaining presence despite security warning. He wants you to know he's watching."
"What do I do?" Xiaoran hated how small his voice sounded. "I can't control where he goes on campus."
"No, but we can make it clear you're not accessible," Yuze said. He turned to face Xiaoran fully, positioning himself to block Jintao's sightline. "This is going to involve physical contact. Do I have your permission to touch you for purposes of establishing visible Alpha protection?"
Xiaoran blinked, processing. "What are you—"
"Alphas respond to territorial signals from other Alphas more reliably than they respect Omega boundaries," Yuze said, echoing Zhou Mei's earlier observation. "If Jintao believes you're under another Alpha's protection, he may back off. I'm offering to provide that appearance."
"You want to pretend we're together?" Xiaoran's heart was racing for reasons that had nothing to do with Jintao.
"I want to make him think pursuing you comes with consequences from another Alpha," Yuze corrected. "It's manipulating his instincts, not actual relationship establishment. Do I have permission?"
Zhang Wei was watching this exchange with poorly concealed amusement, but he stayed quiet, letting Xiaoran make the decision.
"Okay," Xiaoran agreed. "What do you need to do?"
Yuze carefully, deliberately placed his hand on Xiaoran's lower back—proprietary but not aggressive, clearly protective without being possessive. The touch sent electricity through Xiaoran's nervous system, his body responding to the Alpha contact with confusing intensity.
"We're going to walk to your dorm," Yuze said calmly. "I'm going to maintain this position. Zhang Wei will walk on your other side. Jintao will see clear Alpha protection and territorial claim. His instincts will register threat from another Alpha, which may discourage continued harassment."
"This is actually kind of brilliant," Zhang Wei said. "Manipulating Alpha territorial bullshit for protective purposes. I approve."
They walked across campus in their protective formation, Yuze's hand steady on Xiaoran's back, Zhang Wei flanking his other side with casual alertness. Xiaoran was hyperaware of Yuze's touch—the heat of his palm through thin fabric, the subtle pressure guiding without forcing, the scent that had become familiar over their weeks of collaboration.
Jintao watched them leave, his expression progressing from confident to confused to frustrated. Xiaoran could see the exact moment when Alpha territorial instincts registered another Alpha's clear claim, when biological programming overrode conscious intention.
They made it to Xiaoran's dorm without incident. At the entrance, Yuze finally removed his hand, stepping back to restore proper distance.
"That should discourage him temporarily," Yuze said. "Alphas are territorial and competitive. If he perceives you as claimed by another Alpha, his pursuit becomes higher risk. It's not permanent solution, but it may buy time for legal processes to establish proper protection."
"Thank you," Xiaoran said, meaning it profoundly. "Both of you. For helping, for being here, for taking this seriously."
"Of course we take it seriously," Zhang Wei said. "You're our friend. Friends don't let friends get stalked by obsessive exes."
"I should return to practice schedule," Yuze said, already pulling out his phone to check the time. "But text me if there are further incidents. I'll respond immediately."
He left before Xiaoran could say anything else, walking away with his characteristic purposeful stride. Zhang Wei watched him go with a knowing expression.
"He's really committed to this 'we're not actually friends' performance, isn't he?" Zhang Wei observed.
"It's his emotional comfort zone," Xiaoran said. "Let him maintain the fiction. The reality is clear regardless of how he labels it."
"Fair enough. You good to be alone, or you want company?"
"I'm good. Wei Chen should be back soon anyway. But thanks for coming."
After Zhang Wei left, Xiaoran entered his dorm and immediately collapsed on his bed, emotionally exhausted from the day's accumulation of stress. His lower back still felt warm where Yuze's hand had been, the touch lingering in his nervous system with confusing significance.
It had been protective positioning, practical manipulation of Alpha instincts for his safety. Nothing more. But Xiaoran's traitorous body had responded to the touch with something beyond gratitude—attraction, interest, want.
Complicated. Everything was complicated.
His phone buzzed. Zhou Mei in their group chat: *I heard about the library incident. You okay?*
*Physically fine. Emotionally drained. Yuze and Zhang Wei provided very effective Alpha protection theater.*
*THEATER? Details needed immediately.*
Xiaoran explained the protective positioning, Yuze's hand on his back, the visible territorial claim that had made Jintao back off. The group chat exploded.
Chen Lili: *That's actually really smart. Using Alpha territorial instincts for protection instead of possession.*
Fang Ling: *Also lowkey romantic? An Alpha publicly claiming protective rights?*
*It wasn't romantic. It was practical.*
Zhou Mei: *Xiaoran. Sweetie. Yuze could have just walked next to you. He chose territorial touch. That's not pure practicality.*
*He asked permission first. He explained it was manipulation of Alpha instincts. It was clearly strategic.*
Zhang Wei, joining the chat: *It was strategic. But I was there. I saw his face. That wasn't just strategy.*
*What does that mean?*
*It means Lin Yuze might be catching feelings and has absolutely no idea how to process that information.*
Xiaoran stared at his phone, heart doing complicated things. No. Zhang Wei was misreading the situation. Yuze was just being a good friend, providing practical help for a practical problem. The territorial touch was pure strategy, nothing more.
Right?
His lower back still felt warm. His body still remembered the steady pressure of that touch, the sense of safety it created, the way his biology had responded to the Alpha presence with confusing intensity.
Complicated. Everything was so complicated.
Xiaoran turned his phone to silent and tried to focus on homework, on normalcy, on anything except the lingering ghost of Lin Yuze's touch and the question Zhang Wei had planted: what if Yuze was catching feelings?
And more terrifyingly: what if Xiaoran was catching them too?
Problems for future Xiaoran. Present Xiaoran had stalker documentation to organize and essays to write and a movement piece to choreograph.
But as he worked through the evening, his mind kept drifting back to cold eyes that had gone fierce with protection, to careful touch that had made him feel safe for the first time in months, to a brilliant, awkward composer who was learning friendship despite his best efforts to remain isolated.
The semester was only two months old. They had time yet to figure out what they were to each other.
Time, and proximity, and the slow building of trust between two people who'd both built walls around their hearts for very different reasons.
It would be interesting to see which walls came down first.
Or if they came down at all.