After Pretending to be a Beta, the Omega was Discovered by the School Heartthrob Chapter 27

The lab was outfitted with modern equipment, complete with an electronic teaching display connected to a main computer, able to generate reports directly.

It was clear that the school was serious about wanting them to place well in the competition.

“Oh, the equipment here is top-notch,” Xia Linchuan marveled. There were lots of instruments they’d never encountered in the regular lab.

Sheng Qian scanned the room and seemed satisfied, but then—

“Is this thing sturdy enough for experiments? It’s so thin!”

Crash…!

The test tube didn’t last half a second in Chen Nan’s hand, shattering on the ground.

“…”

Sheng Qian sighed, exasperated. “Could you stand still, Young Master?”

Chen Nan was unbothered, snorting, “It was poor quality to begin with. Besides, I can afford to replace it.”

On the side, Zhou Le was fiddling with the large display. He’d been searching for the power button around the lectern area, pressing here and there but finding nothing.

“Don’t break it,” Chen Nan walked over, hands in his pockets, smirking. “If I break it, I can pay for it, but if you break it, what will you do?”

Zhou Le pursed his lips, his hands frozen in place, and stood there stiffly.

Chen Nan was right; if he broke any of this equipment, he couldn’t afford to replace it.

“He can afford it,” Lu Jingran spoke up nearby.

Chen Nan scoffed, “How? There’s no way he could afford even one of these things…”

Lu Jingran replied, “Because I can.”

Chen Nan: “…”

Chen Nan grumbled, “Bro Lu, that’s favoritism.” He’d been quiet earlier when Sheng Qian had teased him.

Lu Jingran ignored him and walked over to Zhou Le, pressing a small black button near the bottom. “The switch is here.”

“This is the mouse, and here’s the Bluetooth keyboard. You can control the desktop from down here.”

Lu Jingran explained step-by-step, and Zhou Le listened intently.

His soft eyes held a thirst for knowledge.

Lu Jingran observed Zhou Le’s small, delicate fingers moving over the keyboard. His hands were slender and fair, almost like those of an Omega.

His eyes were clear, lashes soft and fluttering, looking down with concentration.

Lu Jingran’s gaze lingered on Zhou Le’s face.

Zhou Le, unaware of Lu Jingran’s gaze, continued operating the equipment, fascinated.

He hadn’t used a computer much, and his smartphone only had basic functions, so he was quite interested in this.

But suddenly, the screen froze, and no matter what he did, the mouse wouldn’t respond.

Zhou Le began to panic. “Wh-what’s happening?”

It wouldn’t be broken, would it? He couldn’t afford to replace this computer!

He frantically clicked the mouse, but it didn’t help.

Just as he was at a loss, a large hand covered his, guiding him to operate the mouse. After a few clicks, the desktop unfroze and returned to normal.

“It’s just the machine lagging—no need to worry.”

Lu Jingran’s calm voice was reassuring, and Zhou Le gradually relaxed. Seeing the computer back to normal, he felt less anxious.

When he looked up, he realized how close Lu Jingran was—almost face-to-face. He quickly tried to step back, but he was pinned against the lectern with nowhere to go.

Since Lu Jingran had been guiding his hand on the mouse, he was partially embracing Zhou Le and didn’t seem to be letting go.

Zhou Le had no choice but to turn back around.

Behind him, he felt his back pressed against Lu Jingran’s chest.

The thought made Zhou Le’s heartbeat quicken.

Lu Jingran’s hand was still firmly holding his.

Zhou Le tried to pull his hand back, but Lu Jingran held it even tighter.

“Don’t move—it’s not finished yet.”

“…”

Lu Jingran’s voice came closer, low and raspy, ringing in Zhou Le’s ear. His hand pressed firmly against Zhou Le’s, with no gap between them, transmitting warmth through their skin.

Zhou Le closed his eyes, resigned.

Something strange was happening to him, as if something was stirring within.

He could feel his pheromones almost wanting to come out… This couldn’t happen.

Please, let this end quickly.

Finally, after who knows how long, Lu Jingran stopped moving his hand.

The cursor on the screen had also stopped.

Was it fixed?

Then why wasn’t the person behind him leaving or moving away?

“C-Class rep…” Zhou Le stammered anxiously.

Lu Jingran didn’t respond immediately. After a long silence, he finally said, “Hmm?”

His voice carried a slight tone of pleasure.

Looking down, he observed the small, cornered animal that he had encircled with his arms. It looked helpless and lost, completely reliant on him, with no way to escape.

An instinctive Alpha possessiveness surfaced as he ground his teeth.

He didn’t want to let go—in fact, he wanted to hold on even tighter.

Zhou Le turned around a few times, trying to find a way out but couldn’t. The Alpha’s scent was getting stronger, closer.

Dominant and possessive, the Alpha pheromones exuded primal intensity.

“Zhou Le.”

Lu Jingran suddenly called his name.

Zhou Le’s eyelashes fluttered, his cheeks flushed, and a hidden wave of warmth stirred within him.

His mind was clouded; he let out a faint hum, “Hmm?”

Then there was silence.

Lu Jingran didn’t ask anything further or come any closer.

Yet Zhou Le had a feeling he knew exactly what Lu Jingran wanted to ask.

No! He couldn’t answer that!

He couldn’t reveal that he was an Omega.

But the scent… he was losing control over it.

Sweat had formed in his hand, which was still held by Lu Jingran.

Sticky and warm.

Zhou Le was on the verge of breaking.

Just then, Lu Jingran suddenly withdrew, stepping away entirely.

Zhou Le steadied himself in place, his legs so weak he almost collapsed.

—

Lu Jingran quickly walked to one side, facing the wall.

Sheng Qian noticed something was wrong and approached him. “What’s up?”

Before he got too close, he leaned back slightly.

“What’s that smell on you?”

An Omega’s scent?

It felt familiar, like he had smelled it somewhere before.

Lu Jingran turned, enunciating each word, “You smelled it?”

Sheng Qian: “…”

The tension between the two Alphas was unmistakable; Sheng Qian could clearly see the dark emotions in Lu Jingran’s expression.

He was irritated, all because he had detected the scent lingering on Lu Jingran.

Just smelling it made him this angry?

Sheng Qian glanced toward the multimedia podium.

Zhou Le was leaning against it, breathing heavily.

His eyes were faintly red.

“Sheng Qian.”

A low, cold voice came out, carrying an unmistakable chill.

Sheng Qian turned to see Lu Jingran’s dark gaze fixed on him.

“OK.” Sheng Qian raised his hand in understanding and backed off a few steps.

As a fellow Alpha, he understood all too well the feeling of having someone he cared about be in the sights of another Alpha.

If this were during his own susceptibility period, he would have lashed out.

However, it seemed unlikely Lu Jingran would go to such lengths just for a Beta like Zhou Le.

“Is he an Omega?” Sheng Qian couldn’t help but ask.

Lu Jingran remained silent.

After the lab inspection, everyone divided up tasks and prepared to head home.

Sheng Qian offered, “Our family brought a car, so we could give you a ride.”

Noticing Lu Jingran’s gaze, Zhou Le immediately declined, “No need, I rode my bike, so I’ll just head back on my own.”

Xia Linchuan added, “I live close to Zhou Le’s place. He can just drop me off along the way.”

Sheng Qian looked over at Lu Jingran. Seeing no objection, he didn’t press further.

Outside the lab building.

Zhou Le pulled Xia Linchuan along, saying goodbye to everyone. “Alright, we’re heading out now.”

Xia Linchuan hadn’t even fully said “Bye” before Zhou Le pulled him off, exclaiming, “What’s the rush? You’re pulling my collar!”

Lu Jingran’s dark gaze briefly passed over the two, who were playfully bickering.

Chen Nan yawned loudly beside him. “Let’s go home; I’m exhausted.”

It was already past 9 PM, and without the thrill of a game, he felt weary and sluggish.

Right then, their van arrived.

Chen Nan got in first.

Sheng Qian followed him to the back seat, and the driver opened the front passenger door for Lu Jingran. But Lu Jingran didn’t get in right away.

“You go ahead,” Lu Jingran said, holding onto the car door. “I’ll head back shortly.”

A little later, he called for his own car.

Meanwhile, Zhou Le had biked Xia Linchuan to his building and was now pedaling home with urgency.

He rode quickly, clearly in a hurry. Fortunately, there weren’t many cars at this hour, so he sped through the streets.

He didn’t notice the black sedan that had been following him.

But Zhou Le wasn’t in a rush to get home. His real destination was a small clinic near his apartment.

The clinic, opened last year, was run by a young doctor, not yet thirty. Zhou Le had brought him dumplings a few times, and they’d grown familiar.

The young doctor, surnamed Zhang, knew of Zhou Le’s financial struggles and charged him at cost for IV drips and medication. Zhou Le visited often, preferring the comfort of Dr. Zhang’s small clinic over the bustling hospitals.

When Zhou Le finally arrived, Dr. Zhang was just about to pull down the shutters.

“Dr. Zhang…” Zhou Le called out pleadingly.

Dr. Zhang, with no other choice, opened the door again.

Zhou Le explained his symptoms to him.

Dr. Zhang was the only one who knew Zhou Le was an Omega.

Dr. Zhang said, “Your current state is clear—your secondary gender is already emerging. You can even smell your own pheromones. Do you really need a hospital for that? The answer is obvious.”

Zhou Le’s heart sank.

So, it really was happening.

“Isn’t there a way to stop me from becoming an Omega?”

Dr. Zhang’s tone turned stern. “Suppressing your differentiation is illegal, Zhou Le.”

Zhou Le’s face grew paler, and if one looked closely, they could see a faint tremor in him.

Seeing him like this, Dr. Zhang felt a pang of sympathy.

With Zhou Le’s family situation, being a Beta or an Alpha would have been ideal. It would allow him to earn money freely without needing constant care, and life would gradually improve. But as a rare Omega, things were different. Without pheromones, he had lived as a “defective” Omega, free from any worries, able to work carefree. But now?

Becoming an Omega isn’t a good thing for a kid from a poor family, especially one like Zhou Le’s. Heaven and h*ll can shift in an instant. If he suffers later on, his bedridden mother won’t be able to stand up for him.

Xiao Zhang sighed regretfully, looking at Zhou Le with a complex expression.

Clearly, he’s a kid who works so hard to live a good life.

But he’s also an Omega, with no protection to rely on.

“You should start preparing,” Xiao Zhang said, “Have you got blockers and inhibitors ready? An Omega’s physiological cycle isn’t a small thing. I think your time is close, so don’t let something happen then.”

“And if you go into heat and get accidentally marked… that’s a lifelong commitment.”

Zhou Le’s mind was a mess, but he knew this was a reality he couldn’t escape.

“How… how much are they? The blockers, the inhibitors?”

Zhang replied, “A 100ml bottle of standard blockers is 250 yuan, and the inhibitors are 1,000 yuan per injection.”

Zhou Le froze as if paralyzed.

These prices were beyond anything he had imagined.

Xiao Zhang sighed, “This is my lowest price for you. Omega medications are always expensive. I can’t do more than this.”

Zhou Le lowered his head, staying silent for a long time.

“Want a set?” Xiao Zhang offered.

A set? How?

250 plus 1,000… that’s 1,200. That’s almost their whole monthly budget.

A wave of bitterness spread through Zhou Le. His eyes were damp. “No need, Brother Zhang. I’ll think about it. Thank you.”

Zhou Le pushed his bike along the dark, deserted street.

Tall trees loomed around him, silent.

Then, his phone buzzed.

It was his mother.

Mom: [Why aren’t you home yet, sweetie? Are you on your way?]

Mom: [Don’t stay too late with Uncle Zhou. Mom will worry.]

Mom: [Are you scared? Do you want me to call you?]

Mom: [Little Le? Why aren’t you answering, honey?]

Mom: [Tell Uncle Zhou not to keep you so late next time. Don’t worry about earning money, I can make more sushi and take care of you.]

…

Zhou Le couldn’t hold it in anymore.

Seeing all these messages, he finally broke down.

He gripped his bike, crouched down by the side of the road, and cried.

They’d worked so hard—worked so hard—and yet, why was it still like this? Why did life throw him so many challenges?

Why did he have to be an Omega, one so expensive to care for? Was life not hard enough for them already?

Zhou Le crouched there, crying until he couldn’t catch his breath.

The streetlight cast a glow on him, making his shadow look especially thin and helpless.

Not far away, a driver in a black car watched, feeling sympathy, though he didn’t know why this boy was crying. The sight of his small, shaking form was enough to make anyone’s heart ache.

“Young Master, should we leave?” the driver asked, glancing back.

Lu Jingran watched Zhou Le’s small figure, hunched beside the old bike, smaller than the bike itself.

He felt a lump in his throat, his gaze fixed on Zhou Le.

Seeing Lu Jingran’s expression, the driver understood and didn’t press further.

Eventually, Zhou Le stood up, supporting himself on his bike as he wiped his tears and walked home.

Lu Jingran got out of the car.

He watched until Zhou Le entered his home, and the lights came on before he turned to leave.

As he headed back to the car, someone stepped out of the clinic Zhou Le had just visited.

Lu Jingran stopped him.