Zhou Le mentally cursed himself a hundred times over.
But he forced himself to smile, like a younger brother greeting his elder. He raised a hand to his forehead in a respectful salute, smiled brightly, and then turned to run.
His feet seemed powered by a small motor as he sped off.
When he finally reached the outside of the cafeteria, he stopped to catch his breath, resting his hands on his knees and breathing heavily.
Once he’d caught his breath, he took out the note he’d made about the braised beef. Who would have thought Lu Jingran would eat something so down-to-earth? Zhou Le had assumed Alphas would be more into fancy stuff like sirloin steak.
Reflecting on it, Zhou Le decided he probably hadn’t been caught. Although his sudden dash might have looked suspicious, everyone has moments when they need to leave urgently, right? It could be excused.
With this in mind, Zhou Le resolved to continue his stakeout.
Lunchtime gave him plenty of opportunities to gather intel. Who knew, maybe he’d see which brand of basketball Lu Jingran preferred—a detail that could bring in some cash.
So, as soon as Lu Jingran and his group left, Zhou Le trailed them stealthily, like a scheming character from a spy movie.
Sure enough, they went to another spot—a tea shop.
Zhou Le was puzzled.
Didn’t they say they didn’t drink milk tea? Why were they here?
“One lemon mint, one strawberry yogurt, and one mango smoothie,” Sheng Qian rattled off the order. “Mango smoothie, no ice. The other two, add ice.”
Chen Nan looked puzzled. “Why no ice in the mango smoothie?”
Sheng Qian replied, “Because it’s for you.”
Chen Nan protested, “Why no ice if it’s for me? No way, I want ice.”
Sheng Qian dismissed him, “Request denied.”
“You! Sheng Qian! Are you looking down on me?” Chen Nan shot back.
Sheng Qian smirked, “Is your stomach feeling better?”
Chen Nan: “…”
Chen Nan: “wah”
He had, in fact, been sick recently. Sheng Qian’s reminder brought it all back, and Chen Nan quieted down.
Turning, he noticed Lu Jingran gazing absently at something, his eyes fixed in one direction.
“Brother Lu, what are you looking at?” Chen Nan followed his gaze out of curiosity.
At first, there didn’t seem to be anything noteworthy—until a familiar figure came into view.
“It’s him again! Why is he everywhere?”
Chen Nan winced, still sore from an earlier collision with Zhou Le, who had left quite the impression.
“What’s he doing over there? And what’s that in his hand? What’s he writing?”
Zhou Le was deeply focused on his notebook, completely unaware he’d been spotted.
When he’d finally finished jotting everything down, he looked up to find Chen Nan staring at him intently.
For some reason, even though Chen Nan looked fierce, Zhou Le wasn’t really scared; he was just a little startled and smiled sheepishly.
He then closed his notebook, gazed up at the sky and the flowers, and casually enjoyed the scenery like a carefree old man out for a stroll.
“This kid’s been following us for a while,” Sheng Qian said. “He was even around when we were eating.”
Chen Nan shuddered, “Ew, what a creep.”
Then he considered another possibility, “Wait, could it be that he likes me?”
Sheng Qian looked at him, and Chen Nan quickly corrected himself, “No, wait, maybe he’s interested in Brother Lu? He did give Brother Lu a milk tea before—what if that wasn’t from someone else but from him?”
Sheng Qian pondered this, “You might be onto something.”
“Drinks are ready,” called the server.
Sheng Qian thanked her and handed the lemon mint drink to Lu Jingran.
Meanwhile, Zhou Le’s nose caught a whiff of something, and he started scribbling in his notebook again, glancing over at them with a friendly nod before running off.
The speed he moved at was impressive—no wonder even the strictest hall monitors couldn’t catch him.
He was gone in a flash.
Chen Nan, sipping his drink through a straw, looked up and realized Zhou Le had vanished.
“Wow, that kid could be a good sprinter for sure.”
“Why are you smiling?” Sheng Qian noticed the faint smile on Lu Jingran’s lips and couldn’t help but ask.
Lu Jingran scratched his brow with a small chuckle, his gaze lowering. “Nothing.”
He just couldn’t help but picture Zhou Le’s panicked face, the way he’d tried to act calm while clearly flustered—it was… amusing.
With another smile, Lu Jingran turned back, saying, “Let’s go play basketball.”
—
At lunch, Zhou Le reported his findings to Liu Yanyan, who was thrilled. Her family ran a restaurant, and after hearing what Zhou Le had discovered, she decided to create a new dish for Lu Jingran—mint stir-fried beef, with a savory flavor.
Zhou Le looked at the dish name, feeling like something was off.
But his doubt quickly vanished when Liu Yanyan transferred 500 yuan to him.
Getting paid felt so, so good!
Seeing Zhou Le grinning so widely, Lin Xiaoxiao couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked, “What are you up to?”
Zhou Le replied seriously, “I’m researching the class rep’s favorite dishes.”
Lin Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up, “!!!?! What does he like?”
She never missed any news about Lu Jingran!
“Mint stir-fried beef, savory style,” Zhou Le said.
Even though Lin Xiaoxiao was a bit of a fangirl, she paused for a second.
Something seemed odd.
But it was only for a second.
The next moment, she updated this piece of information in the [“No. 1 High School Male God Lu Fan Club”] group chat.
Lin Xiaoxiao: [“[Class rep’s taste has changed; he now likes mint stir-fried beef, with a savory flavor.]”
[“Ahhh! I also love mint, I also love beef, and I also love savory dishes!!! Ahhh, I’ve unlocked the same taste as my male god!!!”]
[Got it, I’ll get on it right away.]
[Babes, does this dish look good to you?]
[Image]
[Image]
[Wow! It looks amazing. Of course, our idol has such unique tastes—he’s one of a kind and beyond imagination.]
[Looks so tasty! starry eyes]
[Um… don’t you all think this dish is… a bit weird?]
The chat fell silent for a second.
Then, the person was kicked out by the group admin.
Lu Jingran’s tastes are not to be questioned!
—
“I heard the cafeteria’s working on a new dish that’s about to launch.”
“What?”
“Some kind of beef… I forgot what it’s called.”
“Like any beef can beat the braised beef on the second floor! Last time, I couldn’t even get in line.”
“Oh, right, I remember! It’s mint stir-fried beef, and it’s supposed to be savory.”
“Huh? What kind of dish is that?”
“So weird.”
“Yeah, so weird.”
“Apparently, Brother Lu likes it.”
“Oh, so Brother Lu is kind of… uh, I mean—”
The person next to him quickly covered his mouth as Chen Nan passed by with a piercing look.
The guy breathed out in relief, whispering, “Bro, if you want to die, don’t drag me into it!”
Sheng Qian smirked, “When did your tastes change?”
Lu Jingran shot him a glance. “Take a guess.”
Sheng Qian’s step faltered, feeling a chill down his spine.
Chen Nan, unable to contain his curiosity, asked, “Brother Lu, since when did you get so… weird?”
Lu Jingran gave him a look, and Chen Nan instantly retreated, whining and seeking a hug from Sheng Qian.
Since then, everyone in school knew Lu Jingran was “weird” for liking mint stir-fried beef. The rumor even spread to the infamous school bully of the neighboring No. 2 high school, Gao Jian.
“Hey, Brother Jian, they say the heartthrob at No. 1 High School is super weird, with some kind of… special tastes. You two were childhood buddies?”
“Really? Then, Brother Jian, your childhood must’ve been rough, huh?”
“Yeah, imagine! He’s an Alpha, smarter, more popular, and better-looking than you. Too bad he’s a tota—”
Seeing the look on Gao Jian’s face, the guy paled, stammering, “B-Boss, I didn’t mean to say he’s better than you… I didn’t! Ah!”
Gao Jian’s expression was dark and foreboding, his long black hair partially covering his face, exuding an intense sandalwood scent that felt suffocating.
The guy crumpled, eyes rolling back as if he couldn’t breathe, frozen in terror.
Gao Jian loomed over him and said in a low, icy voice, “If you think he’s so impressive, why don’t you go call him ‘big bro’? Aren’t you his biggest fan?”
“Want me to send you to see him?”
The guy panicked, his voice raspy as he begged, “No, Brother Jian… that’s not what I meant…”
He reached out for Gao Jian, but his face flushed red as he struggled to move.
The other followers around them didn’t look comfortable either. After all, Gao Jian was a high-ranking Alpha, and his overwhelming pheromone suppression wasn’t easy for anyone to endure.
“Brother Jian, please don’t be like this. Let Little Jia go; he’s new and doesn’t know anything.”
Gao Jian and his gang were notorious troublemakers at No. 2 High School—smoking, fighting, skipping class had all become routine for them. With Gao Jian as their powerful shield, even the school leadership dared not intervene, only warning them not to go too far.
But what “too far” meant was entirely up to Gao Jian. With a father on the school board, he acted as he pleased without consequence.
Everyone in their group knew that Lu Jingran from No. 1 High School was Gao Jian’s bottom line; you could say good things about anyone, but not about Lu Jingran.
This time, he’d taught everyone a harsh lesson.
Seeing that the person on the ground was on the verge of passing out, Gao Jian finally withdrew his pheromones.
The follower, saved from a tight spot, thanked him repeatedly. “Thank you, Brother. I understand now. I’m sorry, Brother; I’ll never say it again.”
Gao Jian didn’t respond, looking icily toward the outside.
They were in an abandoned building site, a place where no one would ask questions or care about what happened—a perfect place for them to gather.
“Find out who started the rumor about Lu Jingran being a freak.” A strange smile appeared on Gao Jian’s face as if he’d thought of something entertaining. “I want to reward him properly.”
—
The rumors about Lu Jingran being a weirdo didn’t die down; in fact, they only spread more wildly. People were now saying that despite his seemingly serious exterior, he was actually very “playful” in private and had supposedly been with countless Omegas in various positions.
“What a load of cr*p!” Chen Nan fumed as he read the gossip online, wishing he could drag the person out and give them a beating.
“Brother Lu, who the h*ck has it out for you? D*mn!” Suddenly, Chen Nan thought of something. “Could it be that Gao Jian punk? That jerk sure knows how to meddle.”
Lu Jingran’s gaze was unfocused, his expression indifferent, as if he hadn’t heard Chen Nan at all.
But the mention of Gao Jian’s name made his expression tighten briefly, his pupils narrowing coldly.
Moments later, he looked normal again.
After Chen Nan’s outburst, Shen Qian added, “You know, these rumors seem to have started around the time that little freak began following you. Did you notice that?”
Lu Jingran still didn’t respond, his expression as casual as ever.
Shen Qian, seeing that Lu Jingran was aware, relaxed but still couldn’t resist a quiet reminder. “That kid Zhou Le, we haven’t dealt with him much before, but he’s supposed to be from a poor family and is the school’s top financial aid recipient.”
Chen Nan added, “Well, then, that settles it. It’s definitely him. Some people will do anything for money. Just be careful around him, don’t let yourself get dragged into anything by these people.”
“Even though Lu Jingran’s status at No. 1 High School is unshakeable, it would be troublesome if people started getting the wrong idea.
The group continued their conversation as they reached the bathroom.
Each of them chose a stall and went in.
Chen Nan, listening to Sheng Qian’s analysis, felt it made more and more sense. “It must be that kid. I think he planned it from the moment he bumped into me.”
“Brother Lu, you really should be careful. Who knows? He might even try to make money by selling photos of you… in the nude.”
Lu Jingran chuckled quietly from his stall, finding their theories increasingly ridiculous.
The next moment, he opened the stall door.
And right outside was Zhou Le, holding a phone pointed right at his waist as he was fastening his belt.
Click—a picture snapped perfectly.
