The isolation room monitors showed nothing, leaving Old Feng, Xu Yue, and the school doctor in the adjacent control room stunned and silent.
The Alpha had destroyed the cameras, indicating he was already losing control.
Charging in now would only make things worse.
But as teachers, they couldn’t leave Zhou Le alone with a volatile Alpha. As they anxiously debated their options, a loud bang suddenly burst from the control room door.
A tall, imposing figure burst in.
—Lu Jingran.
“Hey! What are you doing?! Stay where you are!” Old Feng, despite the earlier argument with Xu Yue, bravely stepped forward, grabbing a mop to ward off Lu Jingran, warning him not to come any closer.
“Teacher, help!”
The Alpha’s face was filled with panic, completely devoid of the intimidating aura he had while smashing surveillance cameras and the broadcasting system moments ago.
It was only then that everyone noticed a person unconscious in Lu Jingran’s arms.
“Zhou Le!” Xu Yue couldn’t care about the danger anymore and rushed over to check on Zhou Le.
The school doctor followed suit.
Lu Jingran collapsed to his knees. “I don’t know what happened. I was just holding him, and suddenly, he went limp.”
The Alpha was truly panicking.
His voice was choked with urgency, and his scarlet eyes were filled with helplessness.
Old Feng glanced at him but couldn’t bring himself to scold him.
The school doctor inspected Zhou Le, lifting his eyelids and checking his pulse before calmly concluding, “He’s fine, probably just fainted from being overwhelmed by your pheromones.”
“Your pheromones are too strong. He’s likely not a fully developed Omega, or his development is delayed, so he can’t handle such intense pheromones.”
Lu Jingran lowered his gaze in guilt and muttered hoarsely, “I shouldn’t have… held him just now…”
Hearing this, no one present could bring themselves to reproach him further.
Just then, personnel from the Disease Control Center arrived to take Lu Jingran away.
But Lu Jingran refused to let go of Zhou Le.
Or rather, he held onto him stiffly, caught between rationality telling him to release him and an inability to act on it.
The school doctor had to coax him, “Don’t worry. Leave him to me; I promise he’ll be fine.”
Lu Jingran raised his eyes, his sharp features tinged with confusion.
“I know you want to take care of him, but think about it. The Disease Control Center is full of out-of-control Omegas and Alphas. Do you think it’s appropriate to take an underdeveloped Omega there?”
This reasoning seemed to sway Lu Jingran. He slowly loosened his grip.
He stared at Zhou Le as the latter was gently removed from his arms.
His gaze lingered, unwilling to part even for a second.
Even as he was led away by the medical staff, he kept looking back at Zhou Le, now lying on the bed.
—
When Zhou Le woke up, staring at the white curtains of the school infirmary, he thought he’d just had a dream.
He sat up, thought for a moment, and immediately asked, “Where’s Lu Jingran?”
“Doctor, where’s our class rep? The Alpha who just entered his susceptibility period?”
The school doctor rolled his eyes at him. “Aren’t you going to ask about yourself first?”
Zhou Le hurriedly said, “I’m fine,” and was about to ask more about Lu Jingran when Xu Yue, his homeroom teacher, walked in with a stern expression.
Zhou Le immediately recalled something, lowered his head, and stayed silent.
“Explain yourself. How did you go from being a Beta to an Omega?” Xu Yue stood over him, her tone imposing.
Zhou Le got off the bed, lowered his head, and explained his situation briefly. He had lied to earn more money to support his family.
He had no choice. Given his family’s circumstances, earning money to stay in school was the top priority.
If it weren’t for the extra money he earned while hiding his identity and living frugally over the past few years, he wouldn’t even have the chance to stand in front of Xu Yue and be lectured. Knowing his situation, Xu Yue couldn’t bring herself to scold him too harshly.
She softened as she listened, but Zhou Le suddenly added, “Teacher, I’m fine with however the school wants to handle me, but what about the class rep? Is he okay?”
“Why am I here? Shouldn’t I be with him?”
“Did something happen to him? He’s alright, isn’t he?”
As Zhou Le rambled on anxiously, not seeing Lu Jingran made him increasingly worried.
Xu Yue was at a loss for words and raised her voice. “You’re worried about him? Do you even realize that you’re an Omega? Yet you still approached someone in their susceptibility period? Do you know that Old Feng and I were scared out of our minds?!”
If Lu Jingran had truly lost control and something had happened in the isolation room, she, as the homeroom teacher, would have been infamous citywide.
Zhou Le shrank back under her scolding and mumbled, “I just… I just wanted to help him.”
The school doctor chuckled at this. “Little Classmate, is that how you help?”
“Quite noble of you, sacrificing yourself in the process.”
Zhou Le flushed with embarrassment and stammered, “I… I didn’t mean to…”
At that moment, his mind was blank. All he could think about was that Lu Jingran was in pain and needed him, and that he had to tell him—he liked him.
Whether he’d get hurt himself wasn’t even a consideration. His instincts told him that Lu Jingran would never harm him.
“Lu Jingran was taken to the Disease Control Center for isolation. Old Feng went with him,” Xu Yue said.
Zhou Le immediately asked, “Where is it? Can I go see him?”
The school doctor interjected, “You still want to go?!”
Zhou Le insisted, “I want to see him.”
The school doctor replied bluntly, “Better not.”
“Let me ask you this: Can you give him what he needs?“
“Huh?” Zhou Le, a newly manifested Omega with little experience, couldn’t grasp the bluntness of the question.
Xu Yue quickly interjected, “What are you talking about? They’re still so young! Just barely adults. The school would never allow such a thing.”
The school doctor seriously explained to Zhou Le, “Exactly. You can’t provide what he needs. During susceptibility periods, an Alpha suffers both the physical pain of their cycle and the mental struggle of restraining themselves from acting on their impulses. It’s a double torment, like being flayed alive.”
“So, are you still going? Or will you stay put? Earlier, his pheromones were practically exploding. That’s why you passed out.”
“For both your sakes, it’s best if you two avoid seeing each other for now.”
Zhou Le was stunned.
He hadn’t realized that what he’d done had caused Lu Jingran so much pain. He’d thought he was helping.
But it seemed he was always doing things that hurt him.
Thinking back to how he had rejected Lu Jingran before, Zhou Le felt a deep ache in his heart. At that time, Lu Jingran must have been even more devastated than now.
Why does he always make him sad? Clearly, he’s such a good person.
The emotions he had suppressed countless times now silently erupted within him.
As his heart grew restless and chaotic, Zhou Le suddenly realized—he liked him. He already liked him this much.
—
This kind of situation had never occurred at No. 1 High School before. The school leadership directly called Zhou Le in for a talk. Though they made it sound pleasant, it was a reprimand. Xu Yue wanted to speak up on Zhou Le’s behalf, but in front of the senior leadership, she didn’t dare say much.
The matter with Zhou Le wasn’t particularly serious, but it also wasn’t trivial. While it hadn’t caused any major issues, the new principal was eager to make a name for himself. This incident landed right in his lap, giving him the perfect opportunity to establish authority.
“Given your situation, I’ll need to report this to the higher-ups. Hiding your Omega status amounts to deceiving the school. If necessary, we might have no choice but to expel you.”
Expel?!
Not just Zhou Le—both Xu Yue and Old Feng widened their eyes in shock.
This was way too severe. While Zhou Le might have caused minor issues before, like earning small side incomes around campus and being chased by Old Feng, he was still a model student. He had even won awards alongside Lu Jingran. Expelling him seemed utterly disproportionate.
Moreover, Zhou Le previously didn’t even have pheromones. Without them, his status as an Omega was indistinguishable from a regular Beta.
This was clearly making a mountain out of a molehill.
Xu Yue and Old Feng exchanged glances, instantly understanding.
It was nothing more than targeting Zhou Le—a poor student with no family background or resources. If they truly expelled him, he wouldn’t have the means to fight back, while the principal could claim a reputation for strict governance.
The calculation was as loud as it was ruthless.
“Am I really… going to be expelled?” Zhou Le’s face crumbled.
It was his second year of high school, with college entrance exams fast approaching. If expelled now, finding another school and graduating on time would be near impossible.
He hadn’t expected things to escalate so drastically and was beginning to panic.
“Principal, my family situation is—”
“Don’t bring up your family situation with me! I’m not buying it!” the principal interrupted sharply. “I said no, and that’s final! Pack your things and go home. Starting tomorrow, you don’t need to come back. Your disciplinary notice will be sent to your home through your class teacher.”
“…”
A thunderbolt out of the blue.
Zhou Le’s head buzzed. He looked desperately at Xu Yue, who avoided his gaze, lowering her head.
In that moment, Zhou Le understood his fate.
Old Feng seemed about to speak, but the principal silenced him with a single glare.
“Alright, I understand. Thank you, Principal,” Zhou Le said bitterly, resigning himself to the outcome.
He lowered his head, unsure how to break the news to his family.
His nose tingled, and his eyes stung.
The principal, growing impatient, was about to dismiss him when the door suddenly creaked open. Someone walked in without knocking.
The principal raised his head, ready to scold, only to recognize a familiar face.
It was Sheng Qian.
And Chen Nan.
The principal immediately stood up to greet them, the anger on his face evaporating. He was about to call Sheng Qian his “nephew” when the young man handed him a phone.
Sheng Qian’s scholarly face bore a faint, detached smile. “A call from my uncle. Please take it.”
The principal hesitated but quickly accepted the phone with both hands, nodding repeatedly as he answered.
Under everyone’s stunned gaze, the principal’s tone shifted entirely. He fawned over the person on the other end of the line, nodding, agreeing, and completely reversing his earlier stance.
“Understood, understood. We’ll absolutely take extra care of students from underprivileged backgrounds. Don’t worry; Zhou Le is a model student and will be treated as such… Yes, absolutely. Thank you, thank you.”
The call lasted just a few seconds.
Returning the phone, the principal adjusted his expression, looking at Zhou Le with a mix of frustration and helplessness.
“Zhou Le, earlier, I was just scaring you. Of course, we wouldn’t really expel you.”
“You… we’re fully aware of your family situation. Rest assured, you’ll graduate smoothly. Just focus on preparing for the college entrance exams.”
“Xu Yue, please help Zhou Le update his academic records to reflect his Omega status. Let’s not delay his studies. We must support diligent and hardworking students like Zhou Le, who strive against adversity. He’s an excellent role model for our school…”
“…”
Xu Yue clenched her teeth but forced a polite smile. “Understood, Principal.”
Zhou Le, still reeling, struggled to process the dramatic turn of events.
Was he being expelled or not?
Before he could think it through, Chen Nan grabbed him by the arm and dragged him outside.
Leaning against the wall, Chen Nan crossed his arms, sizing Zhou Le up. “So you’re really an Omega?”
Zhou Le avoided his gaze. “…Yes.”
Chen Nan squinted suspiciously. “And you and Brother Lu… Are you two really together?”
