After Pretending to be a Beta, the Omega was Discovered by the School Heartthrob Chapter 59

By the second semester of their sophomore year, time seemed to fly. Everyone was gearing up for senior year. Zhou Le managed to score in the upper-middle range of his class during the midterms, ranking somewhere in the top 300 out of the whole grade.

Looking at the ranking list, he sighed at the gap between himself and the first-place student, Lu Jingran.

Three hundred ranks apart—each one felt like an uphill battle.

Still, this progress was decent. Zhou Le knew he couldn’t catch up to Lu Jingran, whose spot at the top felt utterly untouchable. Getting as close as possible was already an achievement.

“Zhou Le,” Xia Linchuan said, staring at the posted grades. “We’re done being friends.”

“?”

Xia Linchuan pointed at the grades, fuming. “You secretly improved! You went behind my back and scored so high!”

Now they were no longer partners at the bottom of the class. His mom would scold him alone from now on, without Zhou Le as a buffer.

Lin Xiaoxiao crossed her arms. “Well, who do you think has been tutoring Zhou Le every day? Can you even question the abilities of the class rep?”

Xia Linchuan grabbed Zhou Le’s shoulders. “Tell me, how can I get the class rep to tutor me too? I’ll do anything—even climb mountains or cross fire!”

Lin Xiaoxiao snorted. “Unless you’re an Omega and your name is Zhou Le.”

“…” Xia Linchuan groaned. “Did you have to hit me where it hurts?”

Lin Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, glancing at the grade sheet. With a sigh, she teased, “Zhou Le, you’re doing so well—looks like marrying into a wealthy family is just around the corner.”

The second half of sophomore year passed quickly. Zhou Le split his time between working small jobs and studying endlessly. Most of his study sessions were at Lu Jingran’s house, often lasting until late at night. Sometimes, he ended up staying overnight.

Lu Jingran’s mother, Xu Zhen, was very considerate. She even prepared a separate room just for Zhou Le.

But somehow, every night, it always ended up being shared by two people.

One day, Chen Nan, catching a whiff of the pheromones on Zhou Le, couldn’t hold back. “Hey, you two… have you done it?”

With neither Lu Jingran nor Sheng Qian around, Chen Nan asked bluntly.

Zhou Le, a bit slow to catch on, asked, “Done what?”

Chen Nan leaned in and whispered, “You know… that thing between an Alpha and an Omega? Marking, going all the way.”

After a few moments of processing, Zhou Le’s eyes widened. “W-what are you talking about?! We… we haven’t!”

At most, there had been kisses and cuddles, maybe some touching. But never anything so… explicit.

Chen Nan smirked. “No progress at all? Impressive. Brother Lu is really holding back.”

Sharing a bed with his Omega every night, day after day, without crossing the line—that would be a test of willpower for any Alpha.

Chen Nan thought to himself, My brother Lu is truly a master of self-restraint.

Zhou Le coughed awkwardly. “Wait, are you saying you and Sheng Qian… did it?”

Now it was Chen Nan’s turn to falter.

“No, of course not,” he replied dryly.

Zhou Le squinted suspiciously. “Why do you sound like you’re disappointed?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Chen Nan huffed. “If we did, I’d be the one on top, okay?!”

Zhou Le gave him a doubtful look. Chen Nan, feeling cornered, muttered, “Once a day, maybe. Just to give him a chance.”

Zhou Le frowned. “Wait… are you two really not doing anything?”

“Why don’t you worry about yourself?” Chen Nan deflected, coughing to change the subject. “The amount of pheromones Brother Lu’s left on you could form an ocean.”

Zhou Le lifted his arm and sniffed his sleeve. “What smell? I don’t notice anything.”

It was true—he usually couldn’t pick up on Lu Jingran’s scent. He just felt a comforting presence whenever he was near.

“That’s because he doesn’t release any aggressive pheromones around you,” Chen Nan explained. “He’s marking you. You’re his. Nobody else is allowed to touch you.”

“For example, if another Alpha gets too close to you—like putting an arm around your shoulder—he’d feel uncomfortable all over.”

Zhou Le suddenly recalled something. That morning, Xia Linchuan had slung an arm around his shoulder and flinched. When Zhou Le asked what was wrong, Xia Linchuan had said nothing and quickly backed away.

The Alpha’s jealousy… was intense.

“Will it always be like this?” Zhou Le asked.

“Of course not,” Chen Nan said with a sly grin. “Once you really let him have you, he’ll stop.”

“To put it simply, he’s just holding it in. With no outlet for his pheromones, he has no choice but to direct them all onto your body.”

Zhou Le couldn’t find anything to say in rebuttal. Embarrassed, he feigned ignorance. “I-I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

That evening, while doing homework at Lu Jingran’s house, Zhou Le couldn’t focus. His eyes kept wandering to Lu Jingran.

Of course, Lu Jingran noticed but pretended not to, keeping his head down and concentrating on his work.

Zhou Le couldn’t stop thinking about what Chen Nan had said earlier. The more he thought about it, the more distracted he became.

If that was truly the reason, then… Was Lu Jingran feeling uncomfortable? Could he actually be suffering from it?

But just a few days ago, they had… done something intimate in bed. Did Alphas have needs that intense?

By the Nth time Zhou Le stole a glance at him, Lu Jingran finally couldn’t hold back.

He closed his book and asked softly, “What’s wrong? Is something on your mind?”

“Huh? Oh.” Zhou Le lowered his head, coughing awkwardly. “Um… Are you uncomfortable?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Oh…”

“Do you feel unwell anywhere?”

“Nope.”

“Oh.”

“Are you uncomfortable?” Lu Jingran asked.

“I’m not uncomfortable at all. I’m perfectly fine—healthy, even! I haven’t been releasing any pheromones either!”

“…?” Lu Jingran chuckled. “What exactly are you trying to say?”

Zhou Le scratched his nose and muttered, “Let’s just focus on studying.”

After studying for a while and finishing their homework, it was already past 10 p.m.

“Staying over tonight?” Lu Jingran asked.

Zhou Le glanced at the time. His mom, Cheng Ying, was already asleep at this hour. Going home now would probably wake her up. These days, thanks to a government initiative supporting businesses for people with disabilities, their community had launched an online store selling Zhou Le’s mom’s handmade sushi and crafts. Business was booming, enough to comfortably support their household.

This also meant Cheng Ying had gained a close circle of female friends, some of whom occasionally stayed over at Zhou Le’s house. These middle-aged women enjoyed chatting endlessly, often bonding more closely than Zhou Le himself did with his mom. With them around to keep her company, Zhou Le could stay at Lu Jingran’s house without worry.

“Sure.”

“I’ll get your room ready,” Lu Jingran said as he stood up.

Whenever Zhou Le stayed over, it was always Lu Jingran who prepared his room. In fact, he seemed to know Zhou Le’s needs better than Zhou Le himself.

After informing Lu Jingran’s mom, Xu Zhen, Zhou Le went to wash up.

Looking at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, Zhou Le noticed how much his appearance had changed. His skin was now fair and smooth, and he’d even put on a little weight. He no longer looked frail and thin like he used to.

Lu Jingran had truly taken excellent care of him.

As Zhou Le thought about it, he sneakily opened the bathroom door a crack.

Sure enough, Lu Jingran had gone into his room again and was now sitting on the sofa doing homework.

As expected, being a top student isn’t easy, especially when you’re ranked first in the grade.

After finishing his nighttime routine, Zhou Le propped his hands on the sink. Suddenly, he felt curious about testing his own pheromones.

He cautiously released a tiny bit of pheromones.

He had been curious about this since the morning.

If Chen Nan could pick up on Lu Jingran’s pheromones on him, why couldn’t he sense his own?

And if he used his own pheromones to soothe Lu Jingran, would it help?

Zhou Le closed his eyes and concentrated. At last, he detected his own scent.

“What are you doing?”

The sudden voice startled him. Turning around, he saw Lu Jingran standing in the doorway.

“I-I was just testing my pheromones,” Zhou Le stammered in explanation.

“Testing them?”

“Yeah. I think my pheromones are better now. I can control them more.” Zhou Le explained further. Because of his condition as a disabled Omega, his pheromones had only just started developing and were difficult to manage. But now, he felt much more in control, able to regulate their release at will.

Lu Jingran frowned.

While working quietly, he had suddenly noticed a fresh, enticing scent wafting out of the bathroom.

Late at night, with emotions already heightened, having an Omega release their pheromones in this kind of atmosphere was… reckless.

Noticing Lu Jingran’s intense gaze, Zhou Le had a sudden realization.

“Lu Jingran, are you… uncomfortable?” he asked softly.

Lu Jingran swallowed. “Uncomfortable? How so?”

“Chen Nan said you’ve been releasing pheromones on me constantly. He said it’s because you’re anxious or… holding it in. Is that true?”

After a pause, Lu Jingran admitted, “…You could put it that way.”

Zhou Le blinked. “Then, why don’t we… just do it?”

Lu Jingran’s heart sank—and then began racing wildly, thundering in his chest as if trying to break free.

Zhou Le’s casual suggestion nearly shattered his composure.

Suppressing the heat rising within him, Lu Jingran asked, “What did you just say?”

Zhou Le replied, “You’re not going to give up on me, and I’m not going to give up on you. We’ve already decided to be together, so we’re not going to separate. Why keep holding back? We’re going to end up together sooner or later anyway.”

Lu Jingran stared at him, his breathing growing heavier.

He moved closer.

“Are you sure?”

The Alpha’s presence loomed over Zhou Le, who only reached up to his chest. The towering figure in front of him blocked all escape routes.

Lu Jingran’s build was impressive, not at all like that of a typical high school student.

Standing so close, Zhou Le felt his initial courage waver. The innate fear Omegas felt toward Alphas kicked in, especially at the thought of doing something so intimate.

“I… I think I can handle it,” Zhou Le muttered. “I looked it up, and apparently, it only hurts for a moment. Then it’s fine after that.”

Zhou Le lifted his head, his gaze innocent yet endearing as he spoke softly.

Lu Jingran stared at his face, studying it intently.

After a moment, the boy’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

Grasping the Omega’s delicate chin, his deep voice resonated like heavy marble being struck.

“Zhou Le, stop tempting me.”