Though Zhou Le hadn’t said anything, Xia Linchuan sensed something odd in his look.
“Hey, what are you doing?” Chen Nan nudged Xia Linchuan, who was inching closer.
Sheng Qian glanced down at Chen Nan’s rounded head, hovering protectively as Chen Nan moved away from Xia Linchuan’s advances.
Lu Jingran noticed the shift in the group and looked over, just in time to see Zhou Le edging closer to Xia Linchuan, his smile mischievous and gaze playful.
There was a hint of playful pleading in Zhou Le’s expression.
Lu Jingran pressed his jaw tight, refocusing on the lecture with a neutral face.
Zhou Le teased Xia Linchuan for a while but stopped eventually, knowing it wasn’t the right place to bring it up.
He’d have to find a time to chat with Xia Linchuan in private.
—
That night, while working on a chemistry experiment, Zhou Le kept trying to talk to Xia Linchuan. But Xia Linchuan and Chen Nan were deep in discussion, completely ignoring everyone else.
Chen Nan especially, despite knowing next to nothing, kept butting in.
Sheng Qian, while working on his project with Lu Jingran, occasionally glanced over to ensure they wouldn’t start bickering in the lab.
Fortunately, Xia Linchuan was patient, just rolling his eyes whenever Chen Nan’s rambling became too much.
Zhou Le thought about approaching Xia Linchuan but worried it would draw attention.
As he pondered whether to wait until they went home to talk, Xia Linchuan turned to leave, “I’m going to the restroom. We’ll talk later.”
Chen Nan, relentless, said, “You’re just avoiding me. I know I’m right!”
Zhou Le quickly followed, “Wait up! I need to go too.”
Lu Jingran’s gaze lingered on Zhou Le as he left.
He listened to Sheng Qian speak, but his attention drifted toward the door where Zhou Le had exited.
The restroom was at the end of the corridor, and at this late hour, their class was the only one in the building. Zhou Le entered to find Xia Linchuan drying his hands.
They turned and found themselves face-to-face.
“You going too?” Xia Linchuan asked, stepping toward the door. “All right, I’m heading back.”
But unexpectedly, Zhou Le blocked his way, leaning one arm against the doorframe.
Xia Linchuan: ???
Xia Linchuan asked, “Are you… trying to wall-pin me?”
The position did look a bit like a classic wall-pin, though Zhou Le was shorter than Xia Linchuan, making it feel more playful than intimidating.
Seeing Xia Linchuan pause, Zhou Le lowered his arm and looked down slightly, his bangs covering his conflicted expression. Words danced on his lips, but he struggled to get them out.
How could he ask an Alpha to mark him? It felt no different than asking for… well, it was awkward. Zhou Le’s cheeks turned warm, his thin, pink lips opening and closing. He wanted to say, “Can you mark me?” but couldn’t get the words out when looking at Xia Linchuan’s face.
Even though Xia Linchuan was a safe Alpha in his mind and a good friend, asking this was difficult—especially since Xia Linchuan thought he was a Beta, not an Omega.
Would Xia Linchuan think he was a weirdo?
Xia Linchuan couldn’t take the suspense anymore, seeing Zhou Le’s hesitation. “Dude, what do you want to say? My hands are already dry from waiting.”
Zhou Le swallowed and finally blurted out, “Xia Linchuan, can you…?”
Xia Linchuan: ???
Zhou Le whispered, “Can you give me a bit of your pheromones…”
His voice grew softer, nearly inaudible.
Xia Linchuan leaned closer, “What did you say?”
He genuinely couldn’t hear Zhou Le, who was mumbling like a mosquito.
Before Zhou Le could repeat, the restroom door suddenly swung open with a loud bang, jolting both of them.
Xia Linchuan looked up to see, “Class Rep?”
When their eyes met Lu Jingran’s, Xia Linchuan felt a chill.
Why did it feel like… the atmosphere was all wrong?
He glanced back to see Zhou Le practically shrinking, his head ducked low, his ears flushed pink.
On the other side, Lu Jingran stood with a stony expression, a low-key storm brewing around him.
Oh no!
Xia Linchuan suddenly understood, “Class Rep! Wait, let me explain, we were just, uh, using the restroom together. Nothing happened, don’t get the wrong idea!”
That explanation only made things worse.
Zhou Le resignedly closed his eyes.
“Get out,” Lu Jingran said coldly, his voice like ice.
Xia Linchuan, who had never moved so fast in his life, bolted for the door.
He even closed it politely behind him.
The door shut with a heavy thud, leaving only Zhou Le and Lu Jingran in the silent restroom.
The strange tension hung in the air.
Zhou Le didn’t dare lift his head for a moment.
When he couldn’t bear the awkwardness anymore, he forced a smile. “Class Rep… you came to use the restroom too, haha.”
“Well… you go first. I’ll just, uh, go now. Don’t mind me.”
He gripped the doorknob, cracked the door open slightly, only for it to be firmly shut again by a forceful hand.
Lu Jingran’s arm crossed over his face, pressing against the doorframe, trapping Zhou Le in front of him.
The Alpha’s presence closed in, enveloping Zhou Le.
His eyelids twitched.
“What do you need pheromones for?” A deep voice buzzed right beside his ear.
Zhou Le’s mind went blank.
He heard him!
Xia Linchuan didn’t catch it, but Lu Jingran did.
“You’re a Beta, why would you need pheromones?”
The Alpha’s cold pheromones circled around him, wrapping tighter and tighter, like a forbidden, dangerous touch skimming his skin.
Zhou Le’s hand tightened on the doorknob as he held his breath, heart thudding louder and louder in his ears.
Lu Jingran’s pheromones were too overwhelming; they stirred something inside him.
“I… don’t…”
“I don’t need it…”
Zhou Le forced himself to deny it, but his voice came out soft and hoarse.
From Lu Jingran’s vantage, he could clearly see the way Zhou Le’s delicate eyelashes trembled uncertainly.
Something seemed to scratch at his heart—softly.
Lu Jingran stared at him for a moment, then finally released his arm, letting Zhou Le go.
The oppressive atmosphere dissipated, and Zhou Le bolted from the restroom.
Back in the lab, he slumped at his workstation, half-heartedly scrolling through his computer.
A minute later, Lu Jingran returned.
“Back already? Let’s continue,” Sheng Qian said.
Zhou Le snuck a glance at Lu Jingran, who looked right back at him, making Zhou Le quickly avert his eyes.
Whether from nervousness or distraction, Zhou Le accidentally clicked on a link, and the lab’s large screen instantly filled with a blaring ad, complete with audio.
If it were a regular game ad, it might’ve been fine, but this was a racy one, complete with a coy, suggestive voice. The entire room froze, everyone staring in silent, agonizing embarrassment.
Chen Nan: “Dude! Zhou Le! I didn’t know you were into this kind of stuff!”
Xia Linchuan: “Bro, you seem… like you’re familiar.”
Ahhh, no!
Zhou Le had no idea how it popped up! Someone save him! How do you close this?!
Frantically, he slammed random buttons, finally closing the chaotic screen after thirty painful seconds.
Drenched in a cold sweat, he leaned weakly against the wall, dazed.
Oh god, Zhou Le thought: I want to disappear.
Sheng Qian sidled up to Lu Jingran, muttering with a smirk, “What did you do to him in the restroom? Look at how shaken he is.”
Lu Jingran said nothing, shifting his gaze from Zhou Le to Xia Linchuan.
Xia Linchuan caught the look, interpreting it as a hint to work faster on the experiment. He quickly hurried over to the high-powered microscope to analyze the components.
Chen Nan, suddenly interested, joined him at the microscope.
And so, for a short while, everyone worked in harmony.
Twenty minutes later.
“Zhou Le,” Sheng Qian suddenly turned to him. “Come over here.”
Zhou Le walked over, standing beside the lab equipment, and exchanged a glance with Lu Jingran.
Xia Linchuan and Chen Nan were also called over.
Sheng Qian said, “Let’s discuss our project, shall we? Our proposal is due tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Xia Linchuan suddenly remembered, “Hey, I thought Zhou Le had a great idea this morning.”
At that, everyone turned to look at Zhou Le.
Zhou Le: ? What did I say?
Xia Linchuan said, “That idea about the physiological mechanism of AO marking and pheromone exchange. You said you wanted to explore it at the symposium!”
Zhou Le remembered. It was something he had mentioned offhand, making up some nonsense about “physiological mechanisms” and such.
“Oh, that… it’s all right, I guess,” he said, feeling a bit guilty while trying to appear knowledgeable.
Xia Linchuan seemed genuinely intrigued. “I bet it’ll be a hit! We could extract Alpha and Omega pheromones and demonstrate the marking process mechanism live. The judges would definitely find it fascinating.”
Before they could test the judges’ interest, Chen Nan was already excited. “Marking? Pheromone bonding? Sounds intense!”
Chen Nan grinned.
Sheng Qian kicked his knee, “Be serious, will you?”
Chen Nan complained, “What’s not serious about this? I’m just giving feedback, okay? The real troublemaker is over there!”
Zhou Le caught his drift: That was an accident! A complete accident!
Sheng Qian stated seriously, “This isn’t feasible. If we accidentally induce a group heat during the demonstration and people start random marking, things could get messy. Next thing we know, we’ll all be under arrest.”
“No more school, straight to packing up our lives.”
“But why…?” Zhou Le was genuinely confused. The lecture earlier hadn’t sounded like this.
He didn’t fully understand, but it sounded a bit terrifying.
Marking seemed like it would just save on blockers and inhibitors. It could conserve medical resources—what’s wrong with that?
Sheng Qian asked, “Did you not pay attention to the lecture this morning?”
Zhou Le replied seriously, “I did. They said marking could work as an alternative to blockers and inhibitors.”
He’d listened carefully.
“But once someone marks you repeatedly, you get used to their scent, and then you can’t be without it,” Lu Jingran, who hadn’t spoken in a while, suddenly interjected.
The Alpha’s dark, intense gaze locked onto Zhou Le. “If you lose that scent, it’s like a fish out of water—you’ll crave it to the point of desperation.”
“And you won’t be able to tolerate other scents. Your body will reject them, and if forced, it could drive you mad.”
“…”
So if he ever asked Xia Linchuan to mark him, he might get addicted and end up being unable to leave him for life.
The dangerous attraction between Alphas and Omegas… Zhou Le had already felt it in the restroom when he lost control.
That uncontrollable feeling was terrifying.
The thought made Zhou Le’s face go pale.
“So, don’t let anyone mark you lightly. You wouldn’t be able to handle it,” Lu Jingran emphasized, as if speaking directly to him.
Zhou Le avoided his gaze.
The small bit of hope that had sparked inside him was snuffed out by Lu Jingran’s words.
He couldn’t accept an Alpha’s mark, but blockers and inhibitors were expensive, and he couldn’t afford them.
So… if he went into Omega heat one day, what would he do? He already had pheromones, and his physical cycle might start soon—what then?
Maybe he’d buy a blocker as a temporary solution, and if he had more money in the future, he could buy inhibitors, and that would be fine.
With this in mind, Zhou Le went home.
Unexpectedly, he received good news!
“Forty?” Zhou Le couldn’t believe his ears. “Did you say blockers are down to 40 per bottle?”
Xiao Zhang replied, “Yep.”
“Not only that, inhibitors are down too. They’re now 80 per dose for the premium kind.”
Zhou Le: ???
Inhibitors only 80? They used to be a thousand!
Zhou Le felt like he was dreaming. “You… you’re serious?”
Was he going to get scammed?
Xiao Zhang rolled his eyes, pushing a bottle of blockers and three inhibitors across the counter. “Are you buying or not?”
“I’ll give you a bundled price—300 for all of it, enough to last you six months.”
Three hundred!
Zhou Le’s eyes widened.
“Are you sure?” he asked again.
Xiao Zhang looked away, “You want it or not?”
After a moment’s pause, Zhou Le grabbed the items off the counter and bolted. “I’ll transfer you the money later—don’t try and cheat me!”
Xiao Zhang chuckled, pulling out his phone to send a message to someone: I gave him everything. As agreed, please send me double the amount on WeChat. Thank you.
Soon after, Xiao Zhang received a transfer of 10,000 yuan.
Whoa!
That was generous.
Double would have been 7,000, but they transferred 10,000, clearly not short on cash.
Remembering the school uniform the person wore when they’d come in, Xiao Zhang figured it made sense; they didn’t have the aura of an ordinary student.
Not long after, the person sent another message:
[If Zhou Le needs anything else, please make sure he gets it. I’ll reimburse the full amount as before. Thanks.]
Xiao Zhang read the message, whistling softly.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the other person was probably an Alpha, while Zhou Le was just beginning to differentiate as an Omega.
Xiao Zhang couldn’t help himself and asked, “Mind if I ask, what’s your relationship with Zhou Le? Why are you helping him so much?”
The other side didn’t respond for a long time. Just when Xiao Zhang thought they wouldn’t reply, a message finally came through.
“Classmate.”
“A good classmate.”
At least, that’s how Zhou Le saw him right now.
Lu Jingran put away his phone, watching Zhou Le happily run upstairs with a bundle of things, a faint smile in his eyes.
“Let’s go,” Lu Jingran said to the driver.
