Chapter 2: I Enjoy Self-Control
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His older sister was in class, and when she saw An Lan’s message, she thought he was joking.
Youngest child at home: [Sis, I’m at the hospital for a check-up. Fell a bit short on money. Can you help out?]
Afraid his older sister wouldn’t believe him, An Lan deliberately took a photo of the doctor’s test request and sent it over.
The strongest older sister at home replied: [You brat, at your age, still thinking of developing into an alpha? Are you short of money for indulgence?]
An Lan was speechless. It wasn’t easy to pluck feathers from his iron-rooster sister.
Just as he was thinking of coming back next week, someone suddenly called his name.
“An Lan, done sending the message? Come over and line up.”
An Lan turned around and saw Xu Xingran standing near the payment window, his right hand naturally hanging down, holding a stack of documents between his long fingers.
“Class… class monitor? Why are you here?”
“I’m worried about you. Besides, this class is definitely not going to be held. It’s better to come and check on you.”
This was Xu Xingran, clearly a high-quality alpha but without a hint of arrogance or recklessness. On the contrary, he was very good at taking care of people.
He was the ideal type for all omega students in the school.
“I won’t line up. I’ll wait for my family to accompany me for further examinations.” An Lan hesitated to say that he didn’t have enough money with him.
“But I’ve already paid for you. Since it’s not the weekend today, let’s get all the examinations done. In case you really differentiated, there are many things to pay attention to. It’s better to know sooner.” Xu Xingran came to An Lan’s side, smiling.
An Lan liked sports, and he was already considered tall at 1.78 meters.
However, Xu Xingran was more than half a head taller than him, with a slender figure. Wearing the oversized blue and white school uniform, he appeared more mature than his peers. Although they were both alphas, Xu Xingran did not possess the provocative features of Xiao Chen. Instead, he exuded a gentle and inclusive aura.
He handed the payment slip to An Lan and said, “Go on. Let me, as the class monitor, be reassured.”
“Reassured?”
“In case you really turn out to be an Omega, that could be troublesome.” Xu Xingran’s lips curled upwards, and there was a hint of elusive teasing in his eyes.
He was leaning in a bit too close, and An Lan was seeing him this close for the first time.
At first glance, Xu Xingran’s features were pleasing to the eye, but upon closer inspection, a sense of aggression could be vaguely felt. An Lan’s gaze seemed to be controlled unintentionally, making it difficult to look away.
“What’s the trouble?” An Lan asked.
“There might be many alphas fighting over you. I, as the class monitor, won’t be able to study well every day, and I’ll be tired of dealing with conflicts among alphas.” Xu Xingran laughed, his eyes squinting. The feeling of visual control suddenly disappeared.
An Lan breathed a sigh of relief. “You really scared me with that joke.”
“This is not a joke.” Xu Xingran handed the payment slip to An Lan.
“Th… thank you, class monitor. I’ll pay you back for the examination fees.” An Lan wasn’t a melodramatic person. The examinations were indeed necessary, as Xu Xingran had said. Discovering any issues earlier would be better, especially during this growth period.
An Lan thought that with so many examinations, he would need to wait in line for a long time or, even if the exams were completed, the results wouldn’t be available until the afternoon.
But unexpectedly, everything went smoothly. Everyone’s attitude was so good that An Lan considered posting a Weibo later to praise them.
The examination report came out quickly, and Xu Xingran only had a few sips of his latte.
“Why did the results come out so fast?” An Lan sat on a chair, talking to himself.
Xu Xingran sat next to him, supporting his chin and looking at him, saying meaningfully, “Maybe someone specifically made arrangements to take care of you?”
“Who?” An Lan remembered the call that caused the head nurse’s attitude to change dramatically during the blood draw.
Xu Xingran smiled without answering.
“Is it you, class monitor?” An Lan asked.
Families with high-quality alpha genes, accumulated over many years, often had a certain social status and connections.
However, Xu Xingran shook his head and answered candidly, “No.”
At this moment, the guiding nurse called An Lan’s name, and An Lan stood up nervously. Xu Xingran turned his face slightly, “Do you mind if I accompany you inside?”
An Lan immediately responded: “I don’t mind, I don’t mind. I’m grateful.”
An Lan had been a beta for seventeen years and hadn’t paid much attention to alpha matters. Having someone who understood things next to him to listen to the doctor’s explanations was actually better.
The doctor’s conclusion left An Lan uncertain whether to be happy or worried.
He was happy because An Lan was indeed differentiating towards an alpha. That explained why he had been growing so rapidly during this period. No wonder his desk mate Qiao Chuluo had stared at him for so long yesterday, saying that he suddenly looked more handsome.
He was worried because most alphas and omegas completed differentiation at the age of thirteen or fourteen, and An Lan’s differentiation was too late. It was uncertain how much time he needed to complete the process.
Even if the differentiation was completed, there was a high possibility that he would be a low-quality alpha.
“That means, the so-called advantages of being an alpha, like keen senses and strong reactions during the susceptible period, I may not have them?” An Lan looked at the doctor with an expression full of anticipation.
“Ah… yes. But at least you will be more outstanding in physical fitness, comprehension, memory, and so on compared to betas. Also, your pheromones…” The doctor paused for a moment, seemingly unsure how to answer.
“What about his pheromones?” Xu Xingran frowned.
“His pheromones won’t be as intense as typical alphas, possibly not as attractive to omegas. Of course, this also means that the negative emotions like agitation and violence during his susceptible period will be relatively low.”
Meaning he has strong self-control.
An Lan let out a long sigh and said, “Well, that’s not bad.”
Xu Xingran shook his head. “It means that other alphas can easily use pheromones to suppress you.”
“Why would they want to suppress me with pheromones?” An Lan asked again.
Xu Xingran clenched his fist and coughed. “For example, when competing for omegas with you. Or during fights.”
“Do you alphas really use pheromones to suppress each other?”
The feeling of competing to see whose pheromones are stronger reminded An Lan of the times in sixth grade when they hadn’t differentiated yet and were comparing sizes in the restroom.
“It’s not ‘you,’ it’s us.'” Xu Xingran corrected him with a smile.
“…Class monitor, do you also do that?” An Lan couldn’t help asking.
“Do what?”
“Use pheromones to suppress other alphas?” An Lan had been Xu Xingran’s classmate for so long, and he had never seen him get into a heated argument or fight with anyone. Whenever there were disputes among classmates, Xu Xingran always mediated and peacefully resolved the issues.
Xu Xingran beckoned to An Lan with a finger, and An Lan glanced at the doctor before leaning toward Xu Xingran.
“Not only do I use pheromones to suppress other alphas, but I also use them to seduce omegas.”
Xu Xingran’s voice was magnetic, as if a bass cannon suddenly exploded in An Lan’s ears.
An Lan sat up straight suddenly, and Xu Xingran chuckled softly.
The doctor coughed and tapped the table, indicating for them to be more serious.
“It’s better to come for a check-up every week.”
“Okay.” An Lan nodded.
The doctor reminded An Lan to pay attention to nutrition, as differentiation consumes a lot of nutrients.
“Especially, be careful not to touch things that disrupt pheromones. Your A value is very low now, and alpha pheromones are also weak. Be particularly cautious about taking medications; check the ingredients of things like cold medicine and anti-inflammatory drugs. If it says ‘caution during differentiation period,’ never take it casually. Add my WeChat; you can consult me if you have any questions.”
“Taking cold medicine can stop differentiation?” An Lan seemed to have seized on an important point.
“Stopping differentiation is a small issue; the real problem is the disruption of pheromones. Haven’t you been paying attention to recent news? The omega ratio in society is decreasing, leading to a decline in fertility rates. Some unscrupulous traffickers specifically abduct children and give them a drug called ‘Eve’s Apple.’ In small doses, this drug causes pheromone disruption, and long-term use increases the likelihood of differentiating into omegas.”
“That’s really terrifying.” An Lan suddenly felt that it wasn’t easy for his desk mate Qiao Chuluo, as an omega, to grow up healthy.
On the side, Xu Xingran looked at An Lan’s expression and smiled lightly.
Walking in the hospital corridor, Xu Xingran asked, “I originally wanted to comfort you, saying that low-quality alphas are still alphas, but it seems you don’t need that.”
“Huh?” An Lan paused, turned around, and awkwardly said, “Because… how should I put it, I was originally very fortunate to be a beta. Although my senses are not as keen as alphas, my state of mind is very stable, always calm and content. This state makes it easier for me to enter a focused state during shooting… I like shooting, so I hope to maintain this state.”
Everything else fades away, leaving only the target.
“I know.” Xu Xingran nodded; they were both members of the high-end youth shooting club, although An Lan hadn’t encountered him in a competition yet.
“At first, my parents sent me to learn shooting just because if I could get a ranking in the provincial competition, I would get extra points for the college entrance exam. But later on, I really enjoyed it. I like the feeling of controlling my own breath, heartbeat, adapting to everything to enter the most stable state, and then aiming and shooting.” An Lan said earnestly.
“But actually, only alphas entering their susceptible period will lose this stability. Most of the time, alphas have stronger stability than betas due to arm strength.” Xu Xingran explained.
“Ah… I don’t have the experience of being a high-quality alpha, so I can only imagine.”
And saying this in front of Xu Xingran, who had such advantages as an alpha, seemed a bit inappropriate.
Xu Xingran lowered his eyebrows and smiled, “You enjoy tranquility, while I enjoy self-control.”
After saying that, they had already reached the entrance. From afar, they saw another person in a blue and white school uniform opening the car door and getting into a low-key private car.
In the early spring sunlight, the silhouette of that person had a kind of cold feeling, as if detached from all the worldly noise, inexplicably awakening.
“Is… that Gu Liyu? Why is he here?” An Lan had very good eyesight.
“Yes, it’s Gu Liyu.” Xu Xingran nodded.
“Does he not feel well or something?” An Lan casually asked.
Xu Xingran smiled without answering.
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