That evening after school, Zhou Le was held back for a quick meeting with Lu Jingran.
The gist of it was that due to the tight timeline, they’d be studying until 9 or 10 p.m. over the next two weeks. Zhou Le wouldn’t be able to continue his part-time job delivering food for Uncle Zhou.
At first, Zhou Le hesitated. But thinking of Lu Jingran, he clenched his teeth and agreed.
Surely, the class rep picked him because he believed in him.
In that case, he’d at least show some basic sincerity in return.
Thankfully, the money he’d earned from running a stall before was enough to cover this two-week gap, and who knows? Maybe they’d really win. If they made it past the city level, it’d be more than worth it.
“Alright! Let’s do this!”
“We’ll break through from school, sweep the city, and take on the world!”
Zhou Le clenched his fist with sudden enthusiasm.
The other three Alphas in the room stared at him blankly, then couldn’t help laughing.
Chen Nan gave in, “Fine, I admit it—you’re definitely our mascot.”
Zhou Le chuckled.
Then, out of nowhere, he felt a gentle hand ruffle his hair.
The pressure was just right—comforting, almost like petting a cat.
He turned his head and found himself looking right into Lu Jingran’s soft, affectionate gaze.
The other boy looked at him, smiling slightly, with his dark eyes brimming with warmth.
Zhou Le froze.
For the first time, he felt the full impact.
The class rep really was… incredibly handsome.
And for a moment, he thought—
If he could be looked at like that forever, he’d do anything for it.
Aside from discussing Zhou Le’s situation, the purpose of the meeting was also to finalize their fourth member.
Chen Nan eagerly volunteered. “Is there anyone else in this room who could be the fourth? I knew you all kept me here because you thought I’d be the perfect…”
“How about Zhang Yang from Class Five?” Sheng Qian suggested to Lu Jingran. “He won first place in the last international chemistry competition.”
Leaning back against the desk, arms crossed, Lu Jingran pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
Chen Nan protested, “Hey, bro, if you’re not going to pick me, why did you even call me here?”
Sheng Qian turned to Lu Jingran. “So, who would you recommend? This has to be submitted to the office tomorrow for final evaluation, and we need a four-person team.”
The group fell silent.
Realizing he wasn’t being considered, Chen Nan shrugged it off, pulled out his phone, and started a round of poker.
“Hit him!”
“I won!”
It was an awkward vibe.
Zhou Le looked from Lu Jingran to Sheng Qian, seeing that they still hadn’t come up with any candidates. Just as well, because he had someone in mind.
“Uh, if it’s okay, I think… Liu Yanyan would be a good fit,” Zhou Le suggested.
The moment he said it, the room went silent, even more so than before.
Even Chen Nan looked up from his phone, stunned.
Zhou Le saw the look on everyone’s faces and quickly explained, “Since Liu Yanyan doesn’t have a team, and we’re missing a member, she’s good at chemistry too. She even got first place last time, and she’s… hardworking… ambitious…”
He trailed off when he met Lu Jingran’s gaze.
There was no emotion in it—if anything, it was cold, colder than any expression he’d ever seen from Lu Jingran.
Zhou Le’s voice faded.
He had a gut feeling that his suggestion hadn’t gone over well.
At the mere mention of Liu Yanyan, Chen Nan sighed, “Zhou Le, if you like her, just go for it—stop trying to bring her into everything.”
Zhou Le immediately waved his hands, “I don’t like her! How could I…”
“Then why?” Sheng Qian glanced at Lu Jingran.
Zhou Le nervously licked his dry lips, wanting to explain, but not knowing what to say. He just wanted to help Liu Yanyan get closer to Lu Jingran, but now…
“I remember telling you,” Lu Jingran said in a low, displeased tone, “I don’t like Liu Yanyan.”
“Nor do I like being paired up with her by others.”
“….”
Zhou Le hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from Lu Jingran and was momentarily lost. “I just thought… we’re all friends and maybe we could….” try
Lu Jingran looked at him, his voice cold and deliberate. “She’s your friend, and I’m not?”
Zhou Le: “….”
“You want to consider her feelings, but what about mine?”
The Alpha’s dark eyes were calm, but his words made Zhou Le feel as if his heart was boiling.
He was right.
Liu Yanyan liked the class rep, and they seemed like a good match—that was his personal bias. But Lu Jingran wasn’t interested in Liu Yanyan, and her feelings for him would make anyone uncomfortable, especially with Zhou Le’s constant efforts to pair them together.
It was incredibly annoying.
If he were in Lu Jingran’s position, he’d be angry too.
“Class rep, I’m sorry, I… I…” Zhou Le couldn’t find the words.
What could he say? That it wasn’t intentional? That would sound like a lie.
After a long pause, Zhou Le walked closer to Lu Jingran, though he didn’t dare get too close.
“I’m sorry, I… I was wrong, Class rep.”
Zhou Le watched Lu Jingran’s expression carefully.
But his expression didn’t soften.
“Sheng Qian, take him home.”
Leaving those words, Lu Jingran turned and walked out.
“….”
—
For the first time, Zhou Le found himself in a sleek, black, extended minivan. Normally, he was the one getting hit by this kind of vehicle.
He didn’t know what brand it was, but the air inside had a subtle fragrance.
There was even a hint of Lu Jingran’s scent—an inexplicable feeling, but instinctively he knew it was Lu Jingran’s scent.
“Thanks,” he said, saying goodbye to Sheng Qian as he dragged himself upstairs.
As he opened the door, Little White, his dog, bounced over to greet him.
Zhou Le bent down, picked Little White up, and whispered, “Shh, Mom’s asleep.”
Little White obediently quieted down.
After washing up, Zhou Le went to bed holding Little White.
Little White’s body was soft and warm, like a small animal, and holding it made his arms feel less empty.
He felt a little comforted.
After lying in bed for a while, Zhou Le sent a message to Liu Yanyan on WeChat: [I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can help you.]
Without waiting for her reply, he hugged Little White tightly and closed his eyes on the bed.
A few minutes later, he opened his eyes in the darkness.
“Little White,” he said in a hoarse voice, not sure what to do. “Do you think if I apologize sincerely to the class rep tomorrow, he’ll forgive me?”
Little White was already snoring.
No one answered him.
Lacking a sense of security, Zhou Le hugged Little White closer and closed his eyes again.
—
At the Lu family residence.
When Sheng Qian arrived, the housekeeper immediately came to greet him. “You’re finally here.”
“What’s wrong, Aunt Lan? Did something happen?” Aunt Lan was a housekeeper from Lu Jingran’s mother Xu Zhen’s family and had worked with them for many years. Every time Sheng Qian and Chen Nan came to play when they were young, she would always welcome them with a smile.
But this time was different; Aunt Lan looked anxious and worried. “Please go upstairs and take a look. I don’t know what happened, but ever since he came back, he’s been in his room upstairs for over two hours and hasn’t come down. Madam is very worried but doesn’t dare to go up.”
Sheng Qian glanced up toward the top floor of the Lu family villa.
That’s the gym room, equipped with various exercise machines.
Without another word, Sheng Qian went inside and headed upstairs. On the landing, Xu Zhen stood in a soft white evening dress, her brows slightly furrowed as she occasionally glanced toward the fourth-floor door.
“Aunt Zhen,” Sheng Qian called softly.
Seeing him, Xu Zhen seemed to snap out of a trance and gestured upstairs. “He…”
“I know. Don’t worry, Aunt Zhen, it’s nothing serious. Just a kid acting out a bit; I’ll go up and talk to him,” Sheng Qian reassured her with a smile.
Xu Zhen, usually a calm and composed woman, was feeling helpless due to her maternal instincts. “He’s never been like this before.”
Lu Jingran had always been a child who gave her peace of mind. He had never come home, locked himself upstairs without a word, or skipped greetings like this.
And his pheromones… She could sense their instability. Even though he was desperately suppressing them, it felt like the chilling wind before a storm, only making it seem more dangerous.
But as an Omega, she didn’t dare go up herself, and Lu Jincheng, his father, wasn’t there. So, she’d called the reliable Sheng Qian for help.
She hoped that as a friend, he could talk some sense into him.
Sheng Qian took on the task and headed upstairs to open the sports room door.
Bang—Bang—
Lu Jingran was hitting tennis balls.
His black hair was soaked with sweat, his gaze was steady and deep as the sea, and his swinging arms radiated powerful energy.
Each swing seemed like it could tear through the air.
The only sound was that of tennis balls being forcefully hit by the racket.
Since childhood, whenever Lu Jingran was upset, he’d come here to play by himself.
Everyone has their own way of dealing with stress, Sheng Qian knew, but after two hours, it seemed unusual that he hadn’t yet calmed down.
Lu Jingran didn’t stop when he noticed Sheng Qian’s arrival. Sheng Qian leaned against the wall and, half-jokingly, said, “It’s just a Beta. Do you really need to take it this far?”
The next moment, there was a sharp, shocking sound as the glass in the sports room window shattered, hit by a rapidly spinning tennis ball.
Sheng Qian frowned, his expression turning serious.
He looked at Lu Jingran. “Are you in your susceptibility period?”
Otherwise, he couldn’t understand why Lu Jingran was so intense—over a Beta?
Standing silently in the center of the court, the Alpha held a dark, impenetrable look in his eyes. His face was cold, and he exuded an unapproachable aura, even towards Sheng Qian, a fellow top Alpha.
“No.”
After a long pause, Lu Jingran responded in a low voice.
Sheng Qian had a point—Zhou Le was a Beta, devoid of pheromones, and wouldn’t have the same dependence on an Alpha as an Omega would.
In his mind, he was simply a caring class rep and good friend, without any distinction of gender.
Beta…. why did it have to be a Beta, who wouldn’t respond to an alpha’s pheromones?
If Zhou Le were an Omega, he’d sense his pheromones, be affected by them, and show some expression…
Lu Jingran frowned, suppressing the thought.
“I’m not in my susceptibility period,” he muttered, letting out a breath.
No susceptibility period. He was simply…unhappy.
Because of Zhou Le.
Because Zhou Le kept pushing him and Liu Yanyan together.
He didn’t like Liu Yanyan.
And he liked even less that Zhou Le kept trying to pair him with her.
It was frustrating but beyond his control.
He couldn’t control Zhou Le’s thoughts—it frustrated him, yet…why did he even want to control them? Just thinking it felt wrong.
“Did he get home safely?”
“Mission accomplished.”
Lu Jingran turned to see Sheng Qian keeping a considerable distance from him.
“…”
Sheng Qian shrugged, “Your pheromones are about to explode—don’t you realize?”
“This is self-defense. Very reasonable.”
Ignoring Sheng Qian’s teasing, Lu Jingran started gathering the scattered tennis balls. “For the chemistry competition, who’s your pick for the last spot?”
Sheng Qian thought for a moment. “Li Yang, maybe. He’s not always reliable, but his chemistry scores are solid.”
“No.” Lu Jingran cut him off. “The class needs a rep. If I’m not around, he has to be.”
Fair point…that leaves…. “Xia Linchuan.”
Sheng Qian continued, “He’s fairly close to Zhou Le, low-key but dependable, and his chemistry grades are decent. He’s especially good at experiments.”
Lu Jingran nodded. “All right, he’ll do.”
With Zhou Le’s friend there, maybe he’d feel a bit more at ease.
With the candidate decided, Lu Jingran finished tidying up.
“Lu Jingran.” Sheng Qian hesitated before finally deciding to inform him.
“I saw Gao Jian.”
Lu Jingran froze.
“He showed up just outside the school grounds but didn’t come in. I’m not sure what he was doing. Just be careful.”
“…”
Gao Jian…
Lu Jingran instinctively gripped his racket tighter.
