After Pretending to be a Beta, the Omega was Discovered by the School Heartthrob Chapter 45

Realizing what had happened, Zhou Le leaned back a little.

Lu Jingran also sat back up.

Seeing Zhou Le’s expression, he spoke softly, “Did I scare you?”

Zhou Le shook his head. “No.”

He just felt his cheeks heating up.

He shifted slightly to the side to put a bit of distance between them, thinking it would go unnoticed. But how could a keen Alpha not pick up on it?

Lu Jingran’s face turned uncharacteristically cold.

He usually didn’t show that expression unless he couldn’t hold back.

“So… you really don’t remember anything?”

The Alpha suddenly spoke.

Zhou Le looked at him, confused, “Don’t remember… what?”

Lu Jingran turned to look at him, watching for a moment before ultimately giving up, “Nothing.”

Jerk.

He thought this to himself.

Unknowingly deemed a jerk, Zhou Le still seemed a bit dazed. But seeing Lu Jingran’s somewhat aggrieved gaze, he started to panic.

Did he say something wrong just now? No, right?

—

After dropping Zhou Le off at home, Lu Jingran stayed downstairs, working on some homework while waiting for Zhou Le to return from his delivery shift. Only after seeing him safely enter his building did he head home himself.

As he approached his front door, he saw Sheng Qian, dressed all in black, walking over and tossing him a bag.

“Get changed, let’s go out for a drink. I already told Aunt Zhen.”

Lu Jingran caught the bag—it was one of his regular outfits, probably packed by his mom.

Sheng Qian looked uncharacteristically worn out; it was rare to see him like this.

Lu Jingran could guess what it was about, and he was also feeling a bit annoyed, so it was a good time to unwind together.

Changing out of his school uniform, Lu Jingran put on something casual and relaxed. Sheng Qian, however, looked a bit more formal, with a trench coat styled like a suit. Combined with his composed demeanor, it was hard to believe he was a high school senior.

Lu Jingran’s casual outfit highlighted his aloofness and sense of distance.

As the two walked into the bar, they drew quite a few looks. They didn’t choose a designated spot, opting instead to sit at the bar, backs to the crowd. Even then, a number of curious glances sneaked their way.

Ten minutes in, each had ordered a mild drink, sipping without speaking. Neither was the first to break the silence.

Finally, Sheng Qian couldn’t hold back. “What did you and Zhou Le do that night?”

Straight to the point, no beating around the bush.

Lu Jingran didn’t seem surprised. They both knew what night he was referring to.

Lu Jingran replied, “What do you think we did?”

Sheng Qian turned to look at him, chuckling slightly, “Zhou Le just got a whiff of the scent that time, and you nearly flipped out on me. Do you think I’d believe you did anything more with him?”

Lu Jingran gave him a sidelong glance.

With his slender fingers holding a glass tinted with the faint color of alcohol, Lu Jingran replied nonchalantly, “Why don’t you first tell me what you did with Chen Nan that night?”

Sheng Qian’s expression faltered, and he fell silent. Then, with a heavy breath, he downed the rest of his drink in one go.

The spiciness seemed as if it was about to pierce through the throat.

Duang—

Sheng Qian slammed his glass down on the bar counter.

“We… slept together.”

Those few words even made Lu Jingran pause mid-sip.

Being close friends for so many years, Lu Jingran had known Sheng Qian harbored feelings for Chen Nan, but he hadn’t expected things to go this far at this time…

“We didn’t go all the way… we just… helped each other out.” Sheng Qian’s face reddened. Even as an Alpha, recalling that night with Chen Nan made his heart race, and his face flush.

Chen Nan’s movements, expressions, reactions, and even the soft sounds he couldn’t suppress all seemed to set Sheng Qian’s blood on fire.

Maybe he was just too warm from drinking, but Sheng Qian loosened the top button of his well-done-up shirt.

“Does he still remember?” Lu Jingran asked, surprised.

Sheng Qian nodded silently.

The next day, when they woke up together, Chen Nan had been so shocked his eyes almost popped out of his head.

He swore, quickly got dressed, his arms and legs visibly trembling.

Sheng Qian had tried to help, but Chen Nan wouldn’t let him, even shoving him away.

He’d apologized sincerely, said “sorry,” but whether Chen Nan heard it or not, he hastily dressed and fled.

All warmth was gone from the disheveled bed.

The room was so quiet, it was as if last night had been just a dream, and the scent of Chen Nan’s pheromones had gradually faded away.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Sheng Qian felt, for the first time, what it meant to have an empty space in his heart.

He thought he would lose Chen Nan for the rest of his life.

But surprisingly, Chen Nan still went to school with him and would still let him drive him.

He just wouldn’t talk to him.

The moment Sheng Qian tried to say something, Chen Nan would tell him to shut up.

Since he was clearly in the wrong about what happened, Sheng Qian didn’t dare argue back. So, they kept up this awkward arrangement, even eating together with a noticeable tension between them.

Sometimes, Sheng Qian felt hopeful—after all, Chen Nan hadn’t broken off their friendship completely. But other times, he felt that Chen Nan was just saving face, trying to quietly erase what happened and pretend that they were still just close friends.

But how was that possible?

After what they’d done, how could he just think of Chen Nan as a friend?

Sheng Qian couldn’t do it.

Caught between these conflicting emotions, he felt like he was about to lose his mind over the past couple of days.

The only person he could confide in was Lu Jingran, hoping his friend could give him some advice or maybe put in a good word with Chen Nan, since Chen Nan always listened to him.

But seeing Lu Jingran also looking as though he were drinking to drown his sorrows, Sheng Qian knew he wouldn’t get any help, and that maybe Lu Jingran’s situation was even more complicated than his own.

“You really didn’t do anything?” Sheng Qian asked, not quite believing it.

Lu Jingran looked at his drink for a moment. “He forgot.”

Sheng Qian: “?”

So, something really had happened? And Lu Jingran… had been ghosted?

Sheng Qian couldn’t help but chuckle. “Never thought I’d see you looking like a jilted lover in my lifetime.”

Lu Jingran shot him a look.

Sheng Qian was curious. “He really forgot? He’s not faking it?”

After a moment’s thought, Sheng Qian realized that since it was Zhou Le they were talking about, it was probably true. Zhou Le could never hide anything, and if he said he didn’t remember, he’d probably genuinely blacked out from drinking too much.

“So what are you going to do?” Sheng Qian leaned back in his chair, swirling his drink. “Just going to come clean?”

Lu Jingran thought back to earlier that day in the car, to Zhou Le’s expression as he kept his distance, and he frowned.

“No chance,” he muttered, pressing his glass against the table with a light tap.

—

By Saturday afternoon, everyone had arrived at Xia Linchuan’s relative’s place.

Zhou Le had originally planned to bike over, but Lu Jingran insisted on picking him up, saying he was already on his way.

Zhou Le didn’t argue further, especially since he wasn’t feeling up to it due to a cold and wasn’t in the mood to ride a bike anyway.

Yes, he’d caught a cold. When he woke up that morning, his nose was stuffed, his throat hurt, and his voice was hoarse. He felt cold all over.

The moment he got in the car, Lu Jingran noticed something was off.

“You have a cold?”

Zhou Le blinked drowsily, struggling to keep his eyes open. “Yeah. Class rep, you’d better keep your distance. I might get you sick.”

He’d thought about wearing a mask, but didn’t have one at home, and then figured it wouldn’t matter since they were going to eat soon anyway.

“You took medicine?” Instead of pulling back, Lu Jingran reached out to touch Zhou Le’s forehead.

No fever, so that was good.

“Yeah, I took some cold medicine,” Zhou Le mumbled, instinctively closing his eyes.

Lu Jingran’s hand was cool and soothing, with a comforting scent that made Zhou Le want him to keep touching him.

Maybe it was because of the illness making him feel more vulnerable, but Zhou Le found himself wanting to lean on Lu Jingran a little longer.

Seeing Zhou Le trying to resist the discomfort, Lu Jingran frowned. “Maybe you should just stay home and rest. We can reschedule.”

Zhou Le looked visibly unwell. It didn’t seem like he was in any shape to be out, let alone eating greasy food like kebabs.

Zhou Le hurriedly protested, “No…I can handle it.”

After all, he’d helped organize this with Xia Linchuan. How could he not show up? It would ruin everyone’s plans.

Seeing his determination, Lu Jingran knew it was pointless to argue.

Once they were in the car, Zhou Le’s eyes drooped shut as he drifted in and out of sleep, trying to find some comfort by resting his head against the window. But with nothing to support it, his head bobbed up and down as the car shook, making it difficult to rest.

Lu Jingran reached over and gently guided Zhou Le’s head onto his shoulder, wrapping an arm around him to keep him steady.

Zhou Le was startled, opening his eyes just enough to see Lu Jingran’s sharp jawline above him.

“Get some sleep. You’ll feel better this way. I’ll wake you when we get there.”

This intimate position put him nearly face-to-face with Lu Jingran, so close he could feel the warmth of his skin.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been way too embarrassed to allow this. 

But feeling so unwell, he couldn’t resist leaning in to take in Lu Jingran’s comforting scent, which made his headache feel slightly less intense.

He instinctively nestled in closer, finding a comfortable spot against Lu Jingran’s neck and closing his eyes.

Looking down at the soft flutter of Zhou Le’s eyelashes, Lu Jingran’s lips curved into a faint smile, and he gently tightened his arm around him.

He lowered his head and carefully rested it against Zhou Le’s, cherishing this quiet moment.

---

Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get up to 5 more chapters of After Pretending to be a Beta, the Omega was Discovered by the School Heartthrob right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)

---