He hadn’t expected Chen Nan not only to pay but to give him so much…
But… maybe it was because of what the class rep had just said.
The class rep was so kind, Zhou Le thought to himself.
Three hundred yuan for three boxes of sushi was a bit much. Their actual cost was only a little over a hundred, and even with regular profit, this was a big markup.
Zhou Le wondered how he could return some of the money. He preferred earning a fair wage for his work, and getting this much made him feel uneasy. As long as he didn’t lose money, he was content.
But figuring out how to give it back was another problem.
Thinking about Chen Nan’s attitude earlier, Zhou Le gave up on mentioning a refund to him. So… that only left the class rep…
“Hurry, hurry, let’s go!”
Just as Zhou Le was lost in thought, Lin Xiaoxiao suddenly grabbed him.
Zhou Le: “What? Is there an earthquake?”
Lin Xiaoxiao: “What are you talking about? Let’s go sign up with the class rep.”
Zhou Le: “? Sign up for what?”
“The sports festival.” Xia Linchuan, sipping a milk carton from who-knows-where, chimed in. “The spring sports festival, this Saturday.”
He gestured with his chin towards the front. “See? Everyone’s surrounding Lu Jingran over there.”
Zhou Le looked up as if snapping out of a daze.
“Where? Where’s the class rep?”
He saw that Lu Jingran’s seat was absolutely packed—three or four layers of people had surrounded him, blocking him entirely from view.
From within, the voice of Vice Monitor Li Yang came out, sounding exasperated. “I said line up! Don’t crowd!”
Zhou Le: ???
Can he just say that? Right here in class?
“Aaaah, I want in too!” Lin Xiaoxiao squealed, pulling Zhou Le along as she made her way forward.
Flying along, Zhou Le thought: You want in, but don’t drag me, please, sister!
Thanks to Lin Xiaoxiao’s determination, they managed to squeeze into the innermost circle, right in front of Lu Jingran.
He sat there calmly, taking down names with a pen. Chen Nan and Shen Qianan were busy organizing a form, while Li Yang grabbed the completed forms from Chen Nan, grumbling, while Chen Nan argued back.
Zhou Le felt dizzy from the commotion, unsure where to look. All he could hear was Li Yang’s shrill voice: “Listen! Fill out the form here. Once done, we’ll screen participants and then decide who’ll compete… Wait, I haven’t said what to fill out yet! What’s the point of reporting directly to the class rep? Tian Chi, get back here!”
Even though Li Yang was trying to stop them, most people ignored him, symbolically grabbing a form from him before heading over to report to Lu Jingran, like it was a celebrity fan signing event.
Everyone’s goal was to get close to Lu Jingran, Lin Xiaoxiao included.
Come on, just looking directly at Lu Jingran and having him quietly ask for your name, then writing it down—who could resist that?
Lin Xiaoxiao was so excited she practically dragged Zhou Le along as she pushed closer to Lu Jingran.
Zhou Le followed her absent-mindedly, only to unexpectedly lock eyes with Lu Jingran.
When Lu Jingran saw him, his gaze lingered for a moment.
Zhou Le smiled and was about to greet him when someone called Lu Jingran away.
Helpless, Zhou Le dropped his smile.
Seeing Li Yang struggling nearby, Zhou Le asked Lin Xiaoxiao uncertainly, “Shouldn’t we grab a form first?”
Lin Xiaoxiao didn’t even reply, focused solely on getting closer to Lu Jingran.
Seeing this wasn’t working, Zhou Le tried moving towards Li Yang to get a form for her. But since everyone was moving toward Lu Jingran, he was the only one moving against the flow.
With his small build, he felt unsteady as the crowd pushed him back and forth.
Suddenly, someone accidentally bumped into his shoulder, throwing him off balance, and he almost fell under a desk. Just then, a hand grabbed his arm firmly.
The person beside him provided a steady force, and Zhou Le instinctively clung to the arm, holding on for balance.
Once he steadied himself and his heart calmed, he looked up to see Lu Jingran.
Their eyes met.
Only then did Zhou Le notice how strangely quiet the area was—Li Yang’s loud voice was nowhere to be heard.
Lu Jingran looked at him for a moment, then lowered his gaze and helped him stand straight.
He then asked, “Which event do you want to sign up for?”
“I…”
Zhou Le glanced sideways at Lin Xiaoxiao, wanting to say he was just there to accompany her. But with him at the center of attention now, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
He had pushed his way in only to not sign up? That would be too embarrassing.
Zhou Le thought for a moment, then finally said, “I… I’m fine with anything.”
Immediately, a wave of gasps rippled through the crowd.
“…Wow, he’s that confident?”
“No way. Zhou Le, that kid, is he really that capable?”
Zhou Le felt his face flush, wishing he could find a hole to hide in. He wasn’t impressive at all. He only hoped the class rep would see through him and dismiss him.
But unexpectedly, Lu Jingran gave him a once-over, then said calmly, “Then go for the sprints.”
Zhou Le nodded on the outside, “Okay.”
Internally: What even is a sprint? How many meters is that?
Lu Jingran added, “The prize for first place is a rice cooker, brand new, 5 liters.”
Zhou Le: ???
Zhou Le: !!!
“Really?” Zhou Le’s eyes lit up instantly at the mention of a prize, practically sparkling.
Lu Jingran looked at him with a hint of a smile in his eyes. “Yes.”
Zhou Le: “Then I’ll run!”
The atmosphere around him became lively in an instant.
“Is it the 100-meter sprint? With such a big prize? No way, is the school really that generous this year?”
“Right? I’ve never heard the upperclassmen mention anything like this in all these years.”
“Wow, I want to join too!”
“I’m in, I’m really good at sprints!”
“Me too, me too!”
Zhou Le hadn’t expected so many competitors for the sprint, and suddenly felt a sense of urgency. A fighting spirit sparked within him—no one could get between him and that rice cooker! No one!
A good rice cooker would be perfect for his family, especially with the large capacity; it would make it so much easier for his mom to prepare sushi.
The classroom became noisy and bustling again as everyone chatted eagerly.
Li Yang was about to shout again when Lu Jingran, standing off to the side, raised an eyebrow and said coolly, “Line up, stop the noise, or go outside.”
Although his voice wasn’t as loud as Li Yang’s, it had a commanding force.
In an instant, everyone lined up in two orderly rows, quiet and organized.
Li Yang, who’d nearly lost his voice from yelling, teared up: Big guy, where were you earlier? Sob, sob.
Because each event was so popular, with only two spots per event, the class committee decided to hold a mini competition before the actual sports day to determine who would represent the class.
Details on the Board:
- Time: First period on Friday
- Events: All track and field categories
- Judges: Class committee members
Zhou Le looked at the notice with confidence. While he might be unsure about other events, he was definitely a strong sprinter—after all, even the director couldn’t catch him.
But his moment of self-satisfaction was cut short as Lin Xiaoxiao grabbed him by the shoulder, exclaiming, “Ahhh! How are you so close with the class rep? What have you two been doing behind my back?”
Zhou Le: ???
Zhou Le: “Big Sister, which eye of yours saw us getting close?”
Lin Xiaoxiao: “Both eyes! Plus, he held you, didn’t he?!”
Lin Xiaoxiao got more worked up, shaking Zhou Le by the shoulders.
Zhou Le, getting dizzy from her shaking, pulled her hands off, “That was because I almost fell, and he was just helping.”
“If it were you falling, he’d help you too, alright?”
Lin Xiaoxiao froze, seemingly comforted by his words. After a pause, she muttered, “True, he is that kind and good-looking.”
Zhou Le nodded along dismissively. Yes, you got it; now please stop tormenting me.
Lin Xiaoxiao, feeling at peace, patted Zhou Le’s shoulder. “You’re lucky you’re a beta, so you don’t understand the class rep’s charm.”
“If it had been Liu Yanyan today, trust me, she would’ve fainted on the spot.”
“And honestly, I would’ve fainted too!”
Lost in her fantasy, Lin Xiaoxiao blushed and ran off.
Zhou Le stood still, his face becoming serious.
He raised a hand to his right shoulder, where there was a small, raised bump at the back of his neck.
Lately, he’d been feeling an itch there, as if something was trying to emerge.
But he was an incomplete Omega, one who wouldn’t fully present or release pheromones…
Yes. He was an Omega.
He’d vaguely realized this back in middle school. The school nurse had first noticed something unusual about him and told him the possibility. Though his school records listed him as a Beta, he had privately recommended he get checked at a proper hospital more than once. Zhou Le had always brushed it off.
School checkups were free, but self-paid ones weren’t, and back then even a few hundred yuan was precious to him. So he hadn’t worried about it until one night, when he was feverish, tossing and turning in bed. The next day, still woozy, he went to school, where the nurse noticed something was wrong and took him to the hospital. Sure enough, he was an Omega.
An incomplete Omega, to be precise—a defective Omega. It meant he might never fully present, never have pheromones, and certainly never experience a typical Omega’s reproductive cycle.
At that age, he didn’t fully understand what it all meant, though he did notice the nurse’s gaze softened with pity.
When they returned to school, the nurse had planned to help him change his secondary gender status in his records. But unexpectedly, he was called to the principal’s office and shortly after, news came that he’d been dismissed.
Since then, Zhou Le had no guidance on updating his record. He didn’t understand, and his mom was a Beta, so she wasn’t aware either. Consequently, Zhou Le had never entered the world of Omegas, remaining oblivious to that part of his identity.
So, he continued living as a Beta all the way to high school.
It wasn’t until he took a physiology class again in high school and connected it to his own situation that he began to understand what it truly meant to be an Omega.
But by now, it was too late.
He wanted to remain a Beta. This way, whether at school or in society, everything—from studying to working—would be much simpler. Besides, he was only partially developed, likely to live as a half-Omega, half-Beta, so there was no real need to update his gender.
—
In the afternoon gym class, Lu Jingran explained the purpose of the class to the PE teacher, who then let them use the time for their own activities.
“Alright, let’s start with the internal selection for this weekend’s sports meet,” Li Yang stepped up to lead. “We’ll begin with the first event—sprints.”
“Zhang Liang, Yun Xi, Zhou Le, you three will race from here to there, and I’ll time you. Whoever has the shortest time will represent us this weekend.”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone gathered around the track.
“Go, Zhou Le!” Lin Xiaoxiao cheered, shaking Xia Linchuan’s arm excitedly. “Ahhh! You’re the best!”
Xia Linchuan: Awkward, clueless.
The struggles of having an overly enthusiastic friend.
Zhou Le heard Lin Xiaoxiao cheering and turned to flash them a bright smile. With his vibrant, youthful face, he couldn’t help but look a bit sweet.
Lu Jingran glanced at Zhou Le, then over at the animated Lin Xiaoxiao and the stoic Xia Linchuan.
Sheng Qian noticed, sidling up next to him with a smirk. “So, that poor kid actually has friends, huh?”
“I mean, they’re always hanging out in class. I even heard that Xia Linchuan is an Alpha.”
He glanced at Lu Jingran, curious for a reaction, but Lu Jingran remained impassive, simply looking away.
Meanwhile, Zhou Le was already in his running stance.
He’d never done an official 100-meter sprint, but he’d certainly been chased before. Many times.
“Alright! Timer ready—go!”
As Li Yang’s hand went down, Zhou Le shot forward.
His speed was clearly from real-life practice, with his focus completely on running until he was out of sight. Even after reaching the finish line, he kept going for another 50 meters before he finally stopped.
“Whoa! Is this guy even human? How is he so fast?”
“Guess he really has been practicing. No wonder he was so confident in class; he’s insanely fast. Whew… I’m exhausted just watching!”
Both of his opponents admitted defeat.
When Li Yang brought Zhou Le back, Zhou Le was still a bit dazed. “Did I win?”
Before Li Yang could respond, Lu Jingran nodded.
“Really?” Zhou Le’s eyes lit up.
He was still catching his breath, but the surprise and joy on his face were unmistakable.
“14.7 seconds. You’re the fastest,” Lu Jingran said, looking at him.
It was real!
“Wow!” Zhou Le exclaimed in awe.
Lin Xiaoxiao ran over with Xia Linchuan, screaming and twirling Zhou Le around.
“I knew you were the best! Ahhh, Zhou Le, you’re god!”
To an outsider, the scene would’ve looked as if Zhou Le had just won a major championship.
Li Yang wanted to complain about Zhou Le’s excessive running, but before he could, Lu Jingran shot him a look that instantly silenced him.
Zhou Le was still processing his win, holding his head in disbelief.
Did he really win? That easily?
But this was just normal for him, was he really that great?
“Not quite.”
Zhou Le: ?
As Lin Xiaoxiao continued her excited celebration, Lu Jingran interjected.
Xia Linchuan’s expression froze.
Lu Jingran maintained his calm, almost indifferent demeanor. “14.7 seconds isn’t enough to win a championship.”
Zhou Le’s smile faltered.
Sheng Qian also approached. “Class 7’s Xiao Lan specializes in sports; his explosive power is incredible. A hundred meters is a breeze for him.”
“…Huh?” Zhou Le’s tone dropped.
So he had no chance.
His expression fell, disappointment clear on his face.
There’s no sadness greater than seeing a glimmer of hope, only to watch it fade away.
The light in his eyes faded too visibly.
Watching him, Lu Jingran’s gaze shifted. After a moment, he looked down and then back up. “You can train. We still have a few days. We could do some intensive practice after school—you have the basics down, so maybe you can improve.”
“Intensive training?” Zhou Le considered it. “But in the evenings, I still…”
He still had to deliver packages and do food delivery.
But since there were only a few days until the weekend, maybe he could talk to Uncle Zhou.
Looking up, he found Lu Jingran also looking at him, his calm eyes seeming to wait for an answer.
Gritting his teeth, Zhou Le agreed, “I’ll do it.”
The 2000-meter relay started, and Lu Jingran and the class committee members headed over.
Zhou Le was still figuring out how to tell Uncle Zhou, when Lin Xiaoxiao grabbed his shoulder with a strength that seemed uncharacteristic for a girl.
It startled him.
Lin Xiaoxiao had a serious face: “Did you see that?”
Zhou Le: “See what?”
Lin Xiaoxiao: “Just now! The class rep! He was talking right beside me. Did you see? He! Was! Right! Next to me!”
Zhou Le: “…Oh.”
What else would it be? A ghost?
Lin Xiaoxiao: “Ahhh! He was talking right beside me, so close! I could even see his…ahhh, his face! Ahhhh!”
Xia Linchuan skillfully covered Lin Xiaoxiao’s mouth. “Alright, we can head out.”
