“How’s Lu Jingran’s wound?” Liu Yanyan had noticed it during the sports meet. When Zhou Le went back to get bandages and ointment, she’d also wanted to approach Lu Jingran. She had some light pink bandages, but worried he wouldn’t like them.
The most crucial point was that Liu Yanyan felt a bit shy, so even when she wanted to bring milk tea, she asked Zhou Le to help her with it.
Zhou Le had already guessed her reason for seeking him out this time. “He’s fine—I even asked him this morning, and he said it’s nothing serious.”
Liu Yanyan breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”
Seeing how concerned she was, Zhou Le couldn’t help but say, “Actually, I think you could ask him directly. If you really like him, wouldn’t it be good to let him know that you care?”
Liu Yanyan: “…”
At the mention of this, Liu Yanyan felt a bit disheartened.
Lu Jingran was someone she’d liked since middle school, but they rarely spoke, as she was too self-conscious. She could speak freely with other boys, but with Lu Jingran, her heart would race, her face would heat up, and her words would get all tangled.
“I…I’m afraid he’d find me annoying. And besides, he doesn’t like me. Didn’t you tell me that before…” she said, lowering her head sadly.
Zhou Le suddenly remembered that, indeed, Lu Jingran had hinted for him to politely turn her down once.
Bringing up this sad topic again made Zhou Le feel guilty, but he couldn’t think of anything comforting to say. He managed, “Don’t be sad. The class rep’s a good guy, and you’re such a good person too. I think you two would make a great pair. Who knows, maybe one day…”
“Zhou Le.”
A low voice suddenly spoke near his ear. Zhou Le turned and saw Lu Jingran approaching.
Liu Yanyan, who had been listening attentively, met Lu Jingran’s gaze and immediately felt her heart race, her face warming up as she froze in place, unable to speak.
Lu Jingran merely glanced at her before turning his gaze to Zhou Le. “The Chinese teacher asked you to collect the homework and bring it to her before class.”
His voice was deep and calm, as if this was the most normal request in the world.
Zhou Le was surprised. “Huh?”
The Chinese teacher… the homeroom teacher? She wanted him to collect the homework?
Usually, wasn’t this the class rep’s job?
Although confused, Zhou Le obeyed and started heading back to the classroom. On his way out, he glanced at Liu Yanyan.
Realizing she would be left alone with Lu Jingran, Liu Yanyan looked at Zhou Le nervously, like a socially anxious person clinging to a friend for support during a confession, silently pleading for him to stay.
Zhou Le gave her a reassuring look, silently cheering her on.
—Even a shy bride has to meet the parents eventually. It’s not like he could date Lu Jingran on her behalf.
But from Lu Jingran’s perspective, it looked like the two were sharing a drawn-out, sentimental farewell, their glances practically filled with longing.
This put him in the role of the unwelcome, monk-like figure, unwanted and disruptive.
“L-Lu Jingran, I… I’m Liu…” After Zhou Le left, Liu Yanyan hesitantly tried to start a conversation.
“Liu Yanyan, I know.” Lu Jingran interrupted her.
Flustered that he’d spoken to her first, Liu Yanyan’s cheeks warmed, and she looked down shyly. “Oh, so… you remember me.”
Lu Jingran nodded. “Yeah.”
Liu Yanyan: “And last time… I’m sorry if I bothered you with the beef stir-fried with mint…”
“We’re not allowed to date in our class.”
Liu Yanyan froze, momentarily unable to process his abrupt statement.
“So in the future, please find Zhou Le outside of class time.”
“Otherwise, the teacher might bother me about it.”
“Thanks.”
“…”
—
During the last class of the morning, Lin Xiaoxiao leaned over to whisper in Zhou Le’s ear, “Bad news—apparently Liu Yanyan ran away from our class with red eyes.”
Zhou Le: “Huh?”
That must have been… just now?
When he’d dropped off the homework with the Chinese teacher, she had even asked, “Where’s Lu Jingran? Didn’t he say he’d collect it in the afternoon? Is everyone done with it?”
Zhou Le didn’t know anything, so he couldn’t respond. Luckily, the teacher hadn’t pressed further.
When he returned to class, he hadn’t seen either Liu Yanyan or the class rep and had thought they were getting along just fine.
But, knowing Lu Jingran’s personality… Zhou Le glanced toward the front, only catching a view of the back of Lu Jingran’s head, which seemed particularly cold and distant.
“The class rep is great in every way, except he’s clueless when it comes to understanding girls’ feelings.” Zhou Le shook his head with concern, like a disappointed matchmaker.
Xia Linchuan chuckled, “Do you really think Lu Jingran needs you to help him get a girlfriend?”
Zhou Le clicked his tongue. “Not exactly…”
It was just that he enjoyed shipping them a little.
Liu Yanyan was wonderful, and so was class rep Lu Jingran—they were such a good match. It just made sense for them to be together. Why wouldn’t it work out?
Of course, it wasn’t really his business. He just felt a bit regretful about it, like a fan of a favorite pairing that didn’t work out. But it wasn’t like he could meddle in the love lives of these top-tier people; better to focus on his little courier side job instead.
Just as he was about to pull out his phone to check for any delivery tasks that afternoon, the physics teacher called, “Zhou Le, come up to solve an acceleration problem on the board.”
“…”
Zhou Le, still reeling from bad luck today, trudged up to the board. He had to pass Chen Nan’s desk on the way.
As he walked by, Chen Nan’s expression soured, and he frowned deeply.
Once Zhou Le was at the front, chalk in hand and all eyes on him, Chen Nan finally exhaled in relief, muttering, “What the h*ck is that smell?”
Alphas are sensitive to scents, especially those of other Alphas and Omegas; even a slight brush can make the pheromone particles in the air noticeable, especially when it’s such an agitating scent.
“D*mn,” Chen Nan muttered, covering his nose with one hand, uncomfortable.
Sheng Qian, who was standing behind, frowned slightly, feeling uncomfortable.
Lu Jingran had noticed it from the start.
A faint scent, reminiscent of familiar flowers, like the ones you might often smell in a flower shop.
It was the unmistakable aroma of an Omega’s pheromones, unmasked and pure.
It was coming from Zhou Le, and not for the first time—it was the same enticing scent from when they were practicing on the track, a scent that stirred emotions, especially for Alphas.
A pristine blossom like this always provoked a certain urge to crush it.
Chen Nan couldn’t help but mutter, “Isn’t he supposed to be a Beta? Where’s that scent coming from?”
Sheng Qian took a deep breath. “It’s probably from Liu Yanyan. I saw them together just now.”
Chen Nan turned, lowering his voice. “No way, such a strong Omega scent? What were they doing? Hugging? D*mn, right there in the hallway?”
Before Sheng Qian could answer, Lu Jingran spoke up. “They weren’t.”
Chen Nan: “Then what’s going on? It’s not like he’s secretly an Omega, right?”
Sheng Qian, exasperated by Chen Nan’s thoughtless remarks, responded, “Have you ever seen someone differentiate after 18? That’d be a mutation.”
Chen Nan squinted, thinking for a moment. “I get it—it’s from another Omega, like Lin Xiaoxiao. Isn’t she also an Omega?”
Sheng Qian replied, “Lin Xiaoxiao’s scent is passion fruit, not flowers.”
Chen Nan: “Then… wait, Sheng Qian, why do you remember Lin Xiaoxiao’s scent so well?”
Sheng Qian chuckled, “What, I can remember clearly, jealous?”
Chen Nan: “Jealous? Me? Get lost…”
Physics Teacher: “Chen Nan! Up here, now!”
“Talking down there about what, exactly?!”
“…”
—
During the sports meet, Class Three took the top spot, completely crushing Class Seven, making Xiao Lan’s previous boasts look ridiculous, with even the Class Seven homeroom teacher getting teased, and Xiao Lan having an even rougher time.
Initially, the Class Seven homeroom teacher had cut Xiao Lan some slack due to his athletic edge, but now, even that one redeeming point was lost. So, the teacher called him into the office for a stern lecture about his academics.
When Xiao Lan came out, he was at his wit’s end. Skipping class entirely, he gathered his buddies and took them to the No. 2 High School night market for food.
The street next to No. 2 High School was famous for its delicious food and was popular even among those who weren’t students there.
“I swear, what’s wrong with Lu Jingran? Just because we threatened Zhou Le, he’s been sabotaging every event we were in, so we ended up with nothing but a rice cooker, which he gave to Zhou Le anyway.”
“Seriously, I never realized how protective Lu Jingran is of Zhou Le. Honestly, if I didn’t know Zhou Le was a Beta, I’d think he was an Omega. Do you think… Lu Jingran has a thing for Zhou Le?” he laughed.
Xiao Lan scoffed. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“No, but think about it—why else would Lu Jingran keep messing with us? Doesn’t it make sense?”
“If you put it that way, maybe Lu Jingran is interested in Zhou Le! Imagine, an Alpha and a Beta, ha!”
“Right? Otherwise, why would he be so protective of Zhou Le?”
“Exactly, haha, makes perfect sense.”
Xiao Lan chuckled along with their theory.
As they were laughing, a group of people quietly approached them.
The laughter quickly died down as they recognized the newcomers from their No. 2 High School uniforms and confident stances—clearly, these weren’t people to mess with.
Before Xiao Lan and his group could fully understand the situation, the group parted, allowing a tall Alpha with long hair in a school uniform to step forward.
The Alpha lowered his gaze, a dark look in his eyes, though a slight, unsettling smile hinted at something almost amusing.
Word by word, he said, “So, tell me, who’s Lu Jingran’s treasure?”
