Delicate, Yet Shamelessly Freeloading [Quick Transmigration] Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Alpha with Pheromone Disorder (7)

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Just as Shui Que was carefully shifting his leg to adjust his position, he was startled by the voice, causing him to lose his balance and fall off the wall. In his panic, he grabbed onto a tree branch sticking out from the wall.

 

Inside the courtyard, someone happened to be standing on the lawn. Seeing him fall, the person instinctively stepped forward and reached out to catch him.

 

The result? Shui Que crashed into the person, and the two of them tumbled into a heap on the ground.

 

It didn’t actually hurt much.

 

Just as Lu Fengchi had said, the grass below provided a good cushion.

 

And on top of that, there was a human cushion as well.

 

“Are you okay?” Shui Que heard the person beneath him ask, their voice clear and smooth.

 

He had landed on someone!

 

“I’m sorry…” Shui Que’s heart was still pounding as he shook his slightly dizzy head and tried to push himself up.

 

A faint scent of juniper berries lingered at the tip of his nose, mixing with the crushed grass beneath them.

 

Was he hallucinating?

 

Why did it smell so good?

 

He leaned in slightly, sniffing curiously, his nose almost brushing against the side of the person’s face, like a kitten seeking out the source of a delicious scent.

 

“Your cologne smells really nice…”

 

Before he could pinpoint the source of the fragrance, a large hand grabbed the collar of his school uniform from behind and lifted him up.

 

Lu Fengchi looked at him with a disgusted expression, as if Shui Que had just rolled in something filthy.

 

“You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?” he asked with concern, completely ignoring the fact that there was still someone lying on the ground who had broken Shui Que’s fall.

 

The juniper scent faded, leaving only the crisp coolness of late autumn in the air.

 

Shui Que suddenly snapped back to reality as if waking from a dream. Hurriedly, he reached out to help the classmate still lying on the ground.

 

“I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to fall. The wall was a bit slippery, and I couldn’t hold on,” he explained apologetically.

 

It was all that Observer’s fault, always showing up out of nowhere and saying weird things at the worst moments.

 

The other person placed his hand in Shui Que’s, his fingertips lightly stained with ink from a fountain pen. The ink smudged slightly as it mixed with the crushed grass stains on Shui Que’s palm. However, he didn’t actually use Shui Que’s support to get up, merely resting his hand there before rising on his own.

 

He looked delicate, but in truth, he was more lean than frail—and nearly a head taller than Shui Que.

 

Behind them, Lu Fengchi muttered, “What’s a thick-skinned Beta got to worry about?”

 

Yet, just as he finished speaking, the seemingly unscathed Beta adjusted his slightly askew glasses. The reflective lenses obscured the expression in his eyes, but when he moved, it tugged at a wound, making him hiss in pain.

 

Shui Que noticed that his elbow was scraped, the skin broken and smeared with dirt, mud, and grass. His school uniform was no longer neat and clean.

 

“I’m fine. As long as you’re okay,” the young man said lightly. “Next time, don’t climb over walls. It’s too dangerous.”

 

Lu Fengchi stared in disbelief. “Qu Jiuchao, are you pretending—”

 

Shui Que cut him off. “Classmate Lu, could you take my backpack back to the classroom for me? I’d like to take this classmate to the infirmary first.”

 

Lu Fengchi had originally planned to go back with Shui Que and was about to refuse, but Shui Que turned to him with a smile. “Alright?”

 

“Oh.” Lu Fengchi grumbled under his breath as he left, still muttering, “Stupid Beta, acting all delicate.”

 

It was still early, so the infirmary was open but unmanned. On regular school days, the infirmary was only bustling with activity during the morning exercise break.

 

Qu Jiuchao retrieved a bottle of iodine from the medicine cabinet. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Shui Que standing there, looking a little uneasy.

 

On the way here, they had exchanged names.

 

As he dabbed the iodine onto his wound, Qu Jiuchao pretended to be struggling with the task and said, “Thanks for bringing me to the infirmary, Classmate Song. Morning reading is more important—you should head back to class.”

 

“Do you need my help?” Shui Que stepped forward and took the cotton swab and iodine.

 


Having spent years in the lab and frequently interacting with medical staff, he had some skill in treating wounds, even if this was just a simple disinfecting procedure.

 

Qu Jiuchao stared at Shui Que, his lowered lashes concealing his thoughts.

 


He asked slowly, “Did you just say that the scent of my perfume smells nice?”

 

Shui Que responded absentmindedly while tending to the task at hand. “Mm, it has an alcohol-like scent, almost fruity?”

 


He wasn’t very familiar with alcohol, having little experience with it, so he could only describe it in broad terms.

 

Since Lu Fengchi had mentioned that Qu Jiuchao was a Beta, Shui Que hadn’t considered the possibility of pheromones. However, he knew that because Betas lacked glands, they often chose to wear perfume.

 

“Shui Que.” Qu Jiuchao suddenly called his name, closing the distance between them. “Can you close the curtain for me?”

 

He was sitting on the innermost bed in the infirmary. A little further away, there was a white curtain that could block off the outside world.

 


Shui Que: “Alright.”

 

He set down the iodine and pulled the curtain closed.

 

Qu Jiuchao said, “My back might be scraped. Can you help me apply the medicine?”

 

Turning his back to Shui Que, he unhurriedly took off his school uniform, revealing a well-toned back. His muscles were lean and defined but not overly rugged, his skin a cold, pale shade of white.

 

There was an abrasion near his shoulder blade, where the skin had been scraped off slightly, seeping a bit of blood.

 

After all, it was partly his fault.

 


Shui Que became even more careful as he disinfected the wound.

 

There it was again.

 


The scent of gin.

 


And gardenia.

 

Gardenia?


Was his own pheromone leaking out?

 

Shui Que bit his lip, trying to suppress the strange sensation. His lower lip, full and flushed, was now tinged with a deep red. Sweat beaded at his forehead.

 

The scent of gin wrapped around the fragrance of gardenia, tangling together and squeezing out the air in the small space.

 

The cotton swab in his hand froze mid-motion.

 

Qu Jiuchao let out a low chuckle, his voice husky.

 

It was as if he was mocking himself, sighing softly. His face had taken on an unnatural flush, and droplets of blood dripped from his palm, landing with soft splashes on the pale blue tiles of the floor.

 

At some point, he had clenched his fist so tightly that he had torn open his own palm.

 

The heat fogged up his glasses, obscuring the suppressed madness hidden behind them.

 

Qu Jiuchao put his uniform back on, his back muscles tensing as he forced himself to appear at ease. Feigning nonchalance, he said, “I actually hurt my hand by accident. I’ll take care of the rest myself. Classmate Song, you should head back to class first.”

 

Shui Que could sense that something was off about Qu Jiuchao, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Considering the other’s mood, he chose to comply and returned to the classroom.

 

As he left the infirmary, he glanced back.

 

Qu Jiuchao’s eyes were half-lidded, his face expressionless as he wrapped a bandage around his injured hand.

 

Sloppy. Uneven. Completely disorganized.

 

*


Qu Jiuchao?

 

Shui Que only now realized why the name sounded so familiar. Wasn’t he one of the targets the system had mentioned on the first day?

 

The student council president?

 

But he hadn’t deducted points for him and Lu Fengchi being late. Instead, he had even gone out of his way to catch him when he fell.

 

And…


【77, isn’t Qu Jiuchao a Beta? I smelled his pheromones.】

 

Although he hadn’t been certain before, Shui Que was now sure that the scent of gin wasn’t from any perfume.

 

Morning reading had already ended, and the hallway was bustling with students coming and going.

 


The system responded: [The original story never mentioned this. Since the novel mainly focused on Song Qin’s business battles, all the school and livestreaming details were only briefly touched upon when mentioning his younger brother, Song Shui Que.]

 


[The only detailed event was yesterday’s scene about stealing clothes. The rest of the plot points are summarized—repeatedly harassing Lu Fengchi and Qu Jiuchao until they reluctantly agree to date at the same time, secretly two-timing them, and ultimately getting exposed as an Alpha, leading to breakups and revenge.]

 


[So don’t worry, Host. As long as you hit these key plot points, the story progress will be considered complete.]

 

Last night, Shui Que had seriously browsed through various forums for information. People referred to this kind of behavior as that of a scumbag Alpha or a serial player—basically, someone who recklessly messed around with ABO relationships.

 

The only difference was that he might be even worse. He was pretending to be an Omega while deceiving others about his gender.

 

Shui Que had also asked forum users: What if an Alpha pretended to be an Omega and messed around with ABO relationships?

 


The replies were full of mockery, calling him clueless. Alphas were built like double-door refrigerators—though exaggerated, there was still no way to mistake them for the delicate and fragile Omegas.

 

One particularly enthusiastic user had replied: Be careful of those scheming Alphas. If you get caught, you’ll definitely be—

 

The rest of the message was censored by the platform.

 

That scheming Alpha was probably referring to him. But what would happen if he was discovered? Would he be beaten up? Or was the censored part something even more violent?

 

Shui Que decided that he absolutely had to hide if his identity got exposed.

 

Now, following the timeline, the next plot point should be…

 

Shui Que consulted System 77: [What should I do next? How many times do I have to harass them? What exactly counts as harassment?]

 


System 77 helpfully suggested: [Things like following them around or acting like a creepy stalker are definitely annoying enough.]

 


[By the way, isn’t there an empty seat next to Lu Fengchi?] System 77 added, [Host, you can just take that seat!]

 

Shui Que: “Got it.”

 

After the morning exercise break, Lu Fengchi was walking back to the classroom when he noticed a few of his usual friends grinning and winking at him. He grabbed the most shameless one by the collar.

 

“What’s up? Did your facial nerves stop working?” He raised an eyebrow, looking amused.

 

“Brother Lu, the new student is sitting next to you now.” The lackey gestured with his chin. “Is he…?”

 

Lu Fengchi followed his gaze and saw Shui Que sitting calmly in the seat beside his.

 

“Wow, this is a big deal. That’s Brother Lu’s exclusive seat.”

 

The others gave knowing looks and chuckled.

 

Lu Fengchi frowned and waved them off. “Get lost. Watch what you say and stop making stuff up.”

 

He sat back down, pretending not to care, but Shui Que’s gaze was locked onto him, following his every move. It was impossible to ignore.

 

Feeling slightly uneasy, Lu Fengchi asked, “Why are you sitting here? Do you need something?”

 

Out of nowhere, Shui Que said, “My deskmate didn’t come today.”

 

Zhao Anhang had taken a sick day.

 

Lu Fengchi was confused. “Huh? Oh.”

 

Shui Que continued, “So I was sitting alone over there. It felt kind of lonely.”


“Can I sit here?”

 

Even though he had already taken the seat, he still asked for permission.

 

Shui Que thought he was being polite—but just a little.

 

Lu Fengchi said awkwardly, “Uh… if you want to sit, then sit. No one ever wants to sit next to me anyway.”

 

Clearly, it wasn’t that no one wanted to sit next to him—it was that no one dared to. But the way he said it made it sound like he was being left out.

 

With naturally sharp, sword-like brows extending toward his temples, Lu Fengchi’s cold expression made him look unapproachable, perfectly fitting his rumored reputation as a fierce school bully. But at this moment, with his soft brown hair falling over his forehead and his round, drooping puppy-like eyes fixed on Shui Que, he looked more like a stray dog without a home.

 

For the entire day, Shui Que followed the system’s advice. Not only did he occupy the seat next to Lu Fengchi, but he also clung to him, pretending to fall asleep during class and leaning half of his body against Lu Fengchi’s.

 

Lu Fengchi sat there frozen stiff, his body so tense it barely moved.

 

During PE class, after downing an entire bottle of mineral water in big gulps, Lu Fengchi was immediately approached by an eager Shui Que, who asked if he could have the empty bottle.

 

Lu Fengchi’s face flushed red. Under Shui Que’s persistent pestering, he eventually gave in and handed over the bottle.

 

Shui Que thought, He must be absolutely disgusted by me by now.

 

At lunch, he even followed Lu Fengchi through the cafeteria line, deliberately ordering the exact same dishes.

 

But they were too spicy. Shui Que’s eyes turned red as he ate, his tongue peeking out slightly as he exhaled through his mouth. Many people around them were staring.

 

They were probably laughing at him.

 

Lu Fengchi’s voice was stiff as he said, “Don’t order this next time.”

 

“Mm-hmm!” Shui Que nodded enthusiastically.

 

So this was what harassment felt like—it was truly annoying. Lu Fengchi couldn’t even stand eating the same food as him anymore.

 

The books were right: bad people always got what they deserved.

 

That afternoon, Shui Que lay slumped over his desk, clutching his stomach, deeply convinced of this truth.

 

Sweat beaded on his forehead, his delicate brows furrowed tightly, and his face was pale.

 

Lu Fengchi, at a loss, glanced toward the front of the classroom where the teacher was still lecturing. Keeping his voice low, he asked, “Does your stomach hurt?”

 

Shui Que, resting his head on his arms, gave a small nod.

 

“I can carry you to the infirmary?”

 

His insides felt like they were twisting together—he didn’t want to move at all. Keeping his eyes closed, Shui Que shook his head.

 

He must’ve finally had enough of me and ran off.

 

Even the teacher at the podium seemed used to Lu Fengchi skipping class. They didn’t bother stopping him.

 

“The new seatmate got a stomachache from eating too much spicy food?”

 

The school nurse was incredulous as they turned to rummage through the medicine cabinet.

 

Lu Fengchi having a seatmate? The rumors had already reached the nurse’s ears—apparently, he had gotten himself a particularly gorgeous Omega boyfriend, one who stuck to him everywhere like a little tail. No one knew what kind of spell Lu Fengchi had put on him.

 

So this seatmate must be that rumored Omega.

 

The nurse compared two types of stomach medicine and asked, “Is your boyfriend usually cold-handed?”

 

Lu Fengchi froze. Stammering, he replied, “I-I haven’t held his hand before.”

 

The nurse raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t expect you to be such a pure-hearted guy.”

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Huge shoutout to @candycorns2 on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.

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