After Pretending to be a Beta, the Omega was Discovered by the School Heartthrob Chapter 25

“What’s going on? What’s all that noise?”

The loud sound of Zhou Le rushing out made an explosive impact in the otherwise quiet classroom, where only the teacher was speaking.

Everyone jumped in surprise, turning to look back, but no one saw who had run out; they already had a hazy memory of who sat in the back row.

“What’s going on? Stop with those weird sounds; you nearly gave me a heart attack,” the math teacher said, chalk in hand, chastising the class again.

After a moment, he moved on to the next problem.

“Who was that just now, bolting out like that in the middle of class?”

“No idea. Maybe they really needed the bathroom. Math teacher never lets anyone go to the restroom during class.”

“Tsk, now you’re making me feel like I need to go. I’ll just go at lunch.”

“Haha, are you gonna sprint out too?”

Amidst the murmuring laughter, Lu Jingran frowned slightly.

It was Zhou Le.

The one who had just run out was Zhou Le.

—

Zhou Le dashed into the farthest stall in the restroom and locked the door.

Hugging himself, he squatted down.

So cold.

But so hot.

He wanted something, but he didn’t know what. A strange emptiness he’d never felt before spread through him. His face flushed, and he gasped for breath.

He could smell the scent on his own body, feeling like he was melting into it.

What was happening?

What was this feeling?

Could it be… heat?

But he was a defective Omega, wasn’t he? The doctor had promised him there wouldn’t be a heat phase, nor would he emit pheromones…

But now… ugh, he felt awful.

He didn’t know what to think; there was a faint, nagging ache building in his lower abdomen, and a warm tingling spread across the back of his neck.

He desperately wanted relief, but nothing seemed to help.

His eyes were slightly misted with red as he endured this torment.

What should he do?

What was he supposed to do?

Maybe he should take an inhibitor… or, an Alpha could help, too.

Alpha…

Just thinking of the term seemed to make the heat in his body even more intense.

He wanted an Alpha.

Yes, an Alpha… he needed an Alpha.

He didn’t know how, but that was all he could think of at the moment.

Maybe in response to his silent wish, the bathroom door opened — someone had come in.

It was an Alpha.

Before Zhou Le could feel relieved, the overpowering scent of the intruder hit him: a thick, aggressive sandalwood scent.

Instead of providing comfort, it triggered a primal fear in him.

No… this wasn’t the kind of Alpha he wanted.

Zhou Le hurriedly covered his nose and mouth, trying to block the smell, but it was useless.

In the past, when he had no pheromonal reactions, he couldn’t smell anything, nor did he feel affected. But now, even the slightest hint of pheromones seeped into his skin, as if trying to take over every part of him.

“Is anyone there?”

The low, brooding voice echoed through the empty bathroom, impossible to ignore, filled with a suffocating dampness.

Zhou Le didn’t dare speak, holding his breath, desperate not to reveal his presence.

But how could he escape?

An Alpha as predatory as a demon would never let such a sweet Omega slip away.

Gao Jian inhaled deeply, then let out a dark chuckle.

The curve of his lips couldn’t fully convey his excitement.

An Omega… there was an Omega in here.

And he was the only Alpha around.

The scent of chamomile, both pure and alluring, unlike any he’d known before. A truly untouched Omega.

He had finally found the one rumored to be involved with Lu Jingran. He’d only come to see if he could gather some dirt on Lu Jingran, but it turned out this person had become Lu Jingran’s friend. And this was the first time Gao Jian had ever seen Lu Jingran take a friend outside of Chen Nan and Sheng Qian so seriously. Whether it was curiosity or suspicion, it was enough for Gao Jian to take notice.

So, he came to take a look.

He hadn’t expected this outcome. Heaven was clearly on his side, letting him discover that Zhou Le was an Omega.

—The only Omega allowed to get close to Lu Jingran.

How intriguing.

And this poor Omega was in heat… Gao Jian’s excitement was nearly uncontrollable, his eyes gleaming with a predatory red.

“You don’t have to speak, and you don’t have to make a sound. But it’s pointless,” Gao Jian said, each word dripping with malice. “I don’t know why Lu Jingran hasn’t marked you yet, but it doesn’t matter. In the end, I’ll take you from him… I’ll take everything from him. That’s his fate.”

Zhou Le’s mind was in a daze, unable to process the meaning of his words.

The scent of sandalwood grew thicker, mingling with his own, like something ready to burst from his body, leaving him entirely vulnerable to his Omega instincts.

It was terrifying.

Zhou Le had never been this afraid, not even when pushing his broken food cart home in the dead of night.

Don’t come closer… don’t come closer…

In the cramped stall, Zhou Le backed against the wall, trembling, as the Alpha’s footsteps closed in, followed by a chilling laugh.

Zhou Le was shaking from head to toe in fear.

Gao Jian stopped right in front of the stall where the scent was strongest.

The Alpha licked his lips, eyes glinting with amusement.

He reached out to push the door.

It was locked.

Inside, Zhou Le’s startled reaction sounded like a small, frightened animal.

How endearing, he thought, amused.

Although he’d never seen Lu Jingran’s Omega, just the scent and the sounds made him think of Zhou Le as a cute one.

Gao Jian chuckled in satisfaction and raised his foot, kicking hard against the door.

Zhou Le shrank against the back wall, covering his head in terror.

Each kick, louder and louder, echoed in his ears and struck him to his core, pressing on his already sensitive nerves.

Just as he was about to lose all composure, the mad Alpha outside the stall suddenly stopped.

Because someone else had entered the restroom.

He didn’t know who it was, but amidst the chaos, he heard the door open.

Gao Jian saw the person entering, and his expression changed slightly. The excitement in his eyes, which had been lingering, vanished in an instant.

Putting down the foot he had raised to kick the door, Gao Jian flashed a bright smile at the newcomer. “Long time no see, Lu Jingran.”

“Who would have thought that the doors in your school’s restroom are actually quite sturdy.”

Lu Jingran didn’t respond. He looked at him in silence.

His cold, piercing gaze pinned Gao Jian to the spot like a knife.

An Alpha’s pheromones surged in an instant.

They exploded like an icy waterfall, as if washing away all traces of Gao Jian’s repulsive scent in the space.

The suppression between Alphas was brutal and unrelenting, almost no different from throwing a punch to someone’s face.

Gao Jian felt as if a massive weight, like a million tons of stone, had been placed on his spine, causing his legs to tremble.

“Lu Jingran.” He ground out through clenched teeth, “You’re still as ruthless as ever.”

Just by standing there, merely standing, Lu Jingran made him struggle for breath.

Gao Jian’s face twisted, veins bulging on his forehead as he forced a smile.

Lu Jingran’s face remained expressionless, not even a flicker of his brow.

“Get out.”

—

Once Lu Jingran entered, the discomfort in Zhou Le’s body finally began to ease.

Those uncomfortable, unspeakable, unbearable feelings that induced fear gradually dissipated within him.

Only a faint blush remained on his face.

Zhou Le stood in place for a while, waiting until he felt strength return to his legs before slowly standing up.

The deranged Alpha from earlier had left, and now it was just him and Lu Jingran alone in the bathroom.

The faint scent of icy coldness brushed past his nose.

Was this… the class rep’s pheromones?

It was so soothing… Zhou Le leaned against the stall door, his reddened nose twitching as he took in the Alpha’s precious scent through the gap.

If only there were a bit more of it.

But Zhou Le forced himself to stop thinking that way. How could he dare to wish for the class rep’s pheromones?

He quickly suppressed the thought.

Now that he was feeling more normal, he should leave; classes were still going on.

But somehow, Zhou Le couldn’t bring himself to take that step.

How could he?

The class rep… would definitely know by now that he was an Omega, not a Beta.

He’d always been considered a Beta at school, but if people found out he was actually an Omega, that news would spread quickly, and any dreams he had of making it in the campus delivery service or being a food courier would be over.

Omegas are a complicated existence. Modern society places many restrictions on Omegas to prevent accidents, so much so that some jobs won’t even consider them. It’s really troublesome.

Just like today, he was practically useless, even causing a disruption to the Alphas around him. What employer would want such a liability? And if something worse happened, the responsibility would be enormous.

In society, everything is a trade-off. Omega protection laws provide a lot of security, but they also limit opportunities for growth and success.

Some Omegas might rise above these laws, but Zhou Le certainly wasn’t one of them. He was an Omega without a family safety net and could only survive by picking up what slipped through the cracks in the system.

He didn’t have a choice.

At least for now, no one could find out he was an Omega.

If necessary, he’d deny it to the end.

But hiding it from Lu Jingran wouldn’t be easy. All he had to do was tell Old Feng, and even if Zhou Le denied it, the school would likely make him go for testing.

It seemed like there was no escape—

“Are you okay?” Lu Jingran’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

Zhou Le’s heart skipped a beat, unsure whether to respond.

He must have picked up on the Omega pheromones. But he hadn’t called Zhou Le by name, which meant… perhaps he didn’t realize it was him in there. Maybe he thought it was someone else?

Clinging to that slim hope, Zhou Le kept silent.

And Lu Jingran didn’t leave, either.

D*mn it! Shouldn’t he be fetching a teacher by now? Why wasn’t he moving?

Could it be… that he had recognized him?

Impossible. Zhou Le was a Beta; he’d never released any pheromones before. There was no way Lu Jingran could identify him without seeing him.

Zhou Le clenched his fists, anxiety building — just then, the class bell rang.

The hallway outside grew noisy as students flooded out.

Someone pushed open the bathroom door.

“Oh, h*ll! Who’s just standing here? Almost gave me a heart attack—oh! Hey, Brother Lu!”

The student almost dropped his cigarette in shock.

“What’s up, Brother Lu? What are you doing just standing here?”

“No smoking in the bathroom. Put it out,” Lu Jingran replied.

“Oh, sure, no problem. You can trust me, Brother Lu, I don’t even smoke. I just light it up for the smell, really. I wouldn’t even know what it tastes like!”

A few chuckles broke out.

Seeing that Lu Jingran was only standing there and not saying anything else, the group grew more comfortable, some heading into stalls.

One of them went to the farthest stall.

“Huh? Why won’t this one open?”

“There’s someone in there; didn’t you see?”

“Someone? I was the first one in. Who’d be faster than me?”

He mumbled to himself, then moved on to another stall.

Gradually, the bathroom filled with more students, and the stalls started running out.

“Seriously? How long has that one in the back been occupied? What, did they fall in?”

“Haha!”

“Maybe it’s broken; should we call someone to fix it?”

“Call someone? I just saw Lu Jingran from Class Three here earlier. Isn’t he in the student council?”

Just now?

So Lu Jingran was here just a moment ago?

In other words, Lu Jingran was no longer around.

Hearing that, Zhou Le immediately dashed out of the stall.

Sure enough, Lu Jingran was no longer in the bathroom.

Zhou Le let out a deep sigh of relief.

Thank goodness!

“Wait, Zhou Le, it was you? I was wondering who was hogging the stall!”

A friend came over, throwing an arm around his shoulder in mock chastisement.

But Zhou Le instinctively didn’t want anyone too close, slipping out of his friend’s hold like an eel.

He offered a few laughs in response, then quickly made his escape.

Opening the bathroom door, he came face to face with Lu Jingran, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, meeting his gaze directly.

Zhou Le’s heart dropped, and his breath caught.

The Alpha’s dark eyes locked onto him, as if he’d been waiting there specifically for him.

Zhou Le’s mind went blank; he couldn’t find words.

A little way off, Sheng Qian and Chen Nan were walking over.

“Heard you couldn’t hold it in during class? Did you… make it to the stall in time?” Chen Nan teased.

“Why’s your face so red? Are you okay?” Sheng Qian noticed the telltale sign.

Zhou Le quickly averted his gaze, feeling exposed.

Lu Jingran remained silent, but Zhou Le could feel the inquisitive and scrutinizing gaze hovering above him.

He felt a chill down his spine, unable to lift his head. Sheng Qian and Chen Nan kept pressing him about what had happened in class, but he couldn’t answer. In the end, he bolted without a word!

Chen Nan: “???”

Sheng Qian: “???”

In a rare moment, both Sheng Qian and Chen Nan had identical expressions of surprise.

Chen Nan: “Why did he run? Did he really have an accident?”

Sheng Qian turned to Lu Jingran. “What’s that smell on you?”

He’d noticed it earlier, though maybe other Alphas hadn’t caught on. But now that he was closer, Sheng Qian could clearly detect it.

“Did you see Gao Jian?” The scent of sandalwood was usually pleasant, but associating it with that person made it unpleasant.

Lu Jingran gave a slight nod.

Chen Nan: “F*ck, I can’t believe he actually dared to come here. Isn’t he afraid I’ll beat him up?”

The Gao family had long-standing grudges with the Lu family, and Chen Nan couldn’t stand Gao Jian.

Sheng Qian frowned. “What was he here for?”

Lu Jingran paused, his gaze darkening. “He cornered an Omega in the bathroom.”

Even Sheng Qian hadn’t expected this.

Chen Nan thought he’d misheard. “What? Cornered an Omega in the bathroom? Has he lost it?! And at our school?”

“Wait a minute, that Omega—is it someone from our school? Who?”

Lu Jingran fell into a deeper silence.

After a moment, he looked in the direction Zhou Le had run off.

The Alpha’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly.

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