The next morning, Zhou Le woke up with a groggy head, feeling as if he were about to have a fever, and every joint in his body ached.
Half-asleep, Zhou Le tugged at his hair, trying to shake himself awake.
But it didn’t help; he still felt hot.
It didn’t feel quite like a fever, though.
Still dazed, Zhou Le’s alarm went off, forcing him to get out of bed.
He’d agreed to pick up some buns for a couple of classmates, and they’d sell out soon if he didn’t get moving.
Zhou Le got up with effort, and while preparing breakfast, nearly collapsed in the kitchen.
Hearing the noise, his mother Cheng Ying wheeled herself in. “Are you okay? Not feeling well? Want to stay home?”
Zhou Le leaned on the kitchen counter, unable to straighten up for a while, his head spinning.
“No, I’m fine, Mom.”
“If you need anything while you’re at school, let me know. If you’re not feeling up to it, come home and rest.”
Zhou Le nodded.
He took a painkiller before leaving to perk up a bit.
During the second period, Sheng Qian approached him to complete a form for the chemistry competition and gave one to Xia Linchuan as well.
“Me? Are you sure?” Xia Linchuan took off his headphones, asking several times to confirm.
Lin Xiaoxiao, annoyed with his hesitation, grabbed the pen and filled it out for him.
After completing his form, Zhou Le handed it to Sheng Qian.
“Are you okay today?” Sheng Qian immediately noticed something off about Zhou Le. “Your eyes are so red.”
Zhou Le answered weakly, “Maybe I didn’t sleep well last night.”
As he spoke, he glanced ahead.
In the past, Lu Jingran would be the one to come collect forms and assignments.
He would always come to Zhou Le’s side to collect homework.
It dawned on Zhou Le that this was the norm.
But this time… maybe Lu Jingran didn’t want to see him, so he sent Sheng Qian instead.
Thinking back to Lu Jingran’s cold expression last night…. made him anxious.
He should find a chance to explain to the class rep. He didn’t want their relationship to stay so tense.
It was just too uncomfortable.
But he couldn’t seem to find the right opportunity.
Until right before the fourth period, when Zhou Le was about to deliver his last morning order to a neighboring class, the class rep of Class Six stopped him, asking if he could help call Lu Jingran because the dean wanted to see him.
Perfect!
Zhou Le forgot about his delivery and immediately turned back to Class Three.
He’d start with this, then find an excuse to apologize about the Liu Yanyan situation.
If Lu Jingran didn’t accept, he’d just keep apologizing until he did.
Steeling himself, Zhou Le marched forward as if on a solemn mission.
When he was just a few steps away from Lu Jingran, he stopped.
He adjusted his hair and collar.
Swallowed nervously.
Pushed down his nerves, then stepped forward—
“Class rep, someone from Class Six is at the back door saying the dean wants to see you.”
Zhou Le stood to the side, only able to see Lu Jingran’s clean, handsome profile.
Lu Jingran was holding a pen, working on math homework. When he heard Zhou Le’s words, his pen paused.
Then he closed his pen, got up, and left from the other side.
He didn’t look at Zhou Le or speak to him.
He seemed completely unwilling to engage.
All of Zhou Le’s gathered courage deflated in an instant.
The class rep wouldn’t acknowledge him…
Just thinking about it made Zhou Le feel so sad, even to the point of heartbreak.
He couldn’t control his emotions.
He didn’t know why, but suddenly, he felt very emotional.
He was on the verge of tears.
He startled himself by how he was feeling.
Dazed, he returned to his seat.
Lin Xiaoxiao was at her desk, happily unboxing photocards of her favorite idol.
She casually brought up a topic, “Did you hear? Old Feng caught a group of troublemakers from another school this morning. They all had bleached hair and seemed suspicious. Security gave them a good scolding.”
Xia Linchuan, who for once wasn’t gaming or watching anime, was actually flipping through a chemistry book. “What? Outsiders? What are they doing here? Looking for trouble?”
Lin Xiaoxiao chuckled, “Who knows?”
“I think they were from No. 2 High School. The leader’s last name is Gao, I heard. He has a pretty bad reputation there, like infamous. Apparently, they once chased down an Omega and… well, things got bad.”
Xia Linchuan was shocked. “They didn’t get in trouble? That’s a crime!”
Lin Xiaoxiao shrugged, “I don’t know. It’s just rumors. Who knows the real story?”
“So Old Feng was really on edge this time, thinking those guys might be up to no good…”
Lin Xiaoxiao trailed off and turned to look at Zhou Le with a puzzled expression. She leaned in and sniffed a little.
“Zhou Le, you… what’s that smell?”
Zhou Le, still dazed at his desk, was slow to respond. “What…?”
Lin Xiaoxiao leaned closer to his neck and sniffed again, her expression becoming more concerned. “I feel like you smell…”
Like flowers?
“Alright, everyone, open your chemistry books to page three. This afternoon we’re learning about the chemical formula for potassium sulfate.”
The teacher walked in, and the classroom immediately quieted down.
Lin Xiaoxiao cast one more puzzled look at Zhou Le, then sat up straight without saying more.
However, throughout class, Zhou Le’s faint scent kept bothering her, making her feel restless.
Finally, she couldn’t take it and secretly messaged Xia Linchuan on her phone: “Hey, do you smell pheromones on Zhou Le?”
Lin Xiaoxiao: “I’m sitting right next to him, and it’s really uncomfortable.”
Lin Xiaoxiao: “It’s a faint floral scent, nice enough, but I can’t stand it.”
Sometimes, even Omega pheromones can trigger reactions in others, and one might enter their own heat cycle if exposed for too long.
That’s exactly the effect Zhou Le was having on her now, making her feel itchy and restless—not in a physical sense, but a deeper, harder-to-describe discomfort.
She scratched her neck, feeling increasingly agitated.
Xia Linchuan checked his phone and looked over at Zhou Le: “Nope, nothing.”
To be sure, he took a deep sniff in Zhou Le’s direction.
They were separated by an aisle, so he was further away from Zhou Le than Lin Xiaoxiao.
He didn’t smell anything except for the floral cologne on the student in front of him.
Xia Linchuan suggested: “Maybe he just picked up another Omega’s pheromones?”
Xia Linchuan: “He’s always running around, after all.”
Xia Linchuan: “Maybe try a pheromone blocker spray.”
Normally, AOs don’t emit pheromones unless they’re experiencing a strong emotional response, or are in a particularly sensitive period.
If it’s mild, a pheromone blocker spray usually helps, but in more intense cases, such as a heat cycle, they might need a suppressant injection, or even a hospital visit for an IV.
Prompted by Xia Linchuan’s suggestion, Lin Xiaoxiao quickly took out her pheromone blocker spray and sprayed herself a few times.
A cool, refreshing scent.
Sitting next to her, Zhou Le immediately noticed.
“What’s that?” he asked, dazed.
For some reason, he found the scent very comforting.
It seemed like the headache and grogginess from this morning had eased a bit.
Lin Xiaoxiao said, “This is a blocker spray; Omegas use it to block pheromones.”
“I think I’m close to my heat cycle. I’ve been super restless lately.”
At the mention of “Omega,” Zhou Le immediately turned his head away, as if it were something dangerous.
Instinctively, he avoided the topic.
But… the blocker spray… why did it make him feel so comfortable?
Could he be close to his own heat cycle?
As a high schooler, Zhou Le had learned some basic biology, and though he often forgot he was an Omega, he’d still paid attention to those lessons.
Heat cycle…
Impossible, he thought. He didn’t have any pheromones.
Plus, the doctor had told him he could just think of himself as a Beta and wouldn’t develop as an Omega.
Remembering this, Zhou Le felt reassured.
The doctor couldn’t be wrong, right? No way.
Zhou Le managed to get through the morning that way.
When he delivered lunch to Class Seven, he was scolded.
“Why are you so slow today? I’m starving!”
“If you can’t handle it, just quit! I’d be faster picking it up myself!”
Not feeling well and unable to push through the crowded line, Zhou Le had been delayed. Trying to save time, he attempted to run, but every step sent a wave of soreness and tingling through him.
He eventually had to slow down, which delayed the delivery.
“Sorry, it won’t happen again,” Zhou Le apologized, but his voice was weak from hunger and discomfort.
The others kept complaining and even tried to avoid paying him, but then Xiao Lan stepped in and gave them a look that made them back off.
Zhou Le, too exhausted to speak, brushed past Xiao Lan.
As he did, Xiao Lan noticed something was off. “Whoa, what’s that smell on you?”
He covered his nose and backed away.
Zhou Le, slow to react, didn’t catch what Xiao Lan said and assumed it was just more scolding. Taking the money, he turned and left.
As he headed back, he happened to see Lu Jingran and Sheng Qian coming toward him.
Sheng Qian greeted him with a look, while Lu Jingran glanced at him briefly before looking away, his face dark and his mood obviously sour.
Zhou Le’s hope to say something was crushed.
Forget it; the class rep probably didn’t want to talk to him.
Back in the classroom, Zhou Le slumped over his desk and took a deep nap.
However, the afternoon wasn’t any better. His face became redder, and even the corners of his eyes were turning red.
He felt hazy and drowsy.
Until the second period in the afternoon, during math class.
Suddenly, Zhou Le couldn’t bear it anymore.
His heart was pounding, his breathing was rapid, and it felt like something inside him was about to explode.
He hugged himself tightly, instinctively trying to suppress whatever was building up.
Lin Xiaoxiao wasn’t there in the afternoon, so the closest person to him was Xia Linchuan.
Initially, Xia Linchuan was focused on his chemistry problems, but he suddenly stopped and looked over at Zhou Le.
The boy hugged his arms tightly around himself, head lowered, fingers clenched around his uniform at the shoulders, knuckles turning white from the force.
And the scent in the air…
Xia Linchuan sniffed.
It was like he could really smell that scent Lin Xiaoxiao had mentioned that morning.
But… why was there an Omega pheromone scent coming from Zhou Le?
He was a Beta, so even if he’d accidentally picked up an Omega’s scent, it shouldn’t be this strong.
Xia Linchuan was about to whisper and ask when, suddenly, Zhou Le bolted up and ran toward the back door.