Qi Yang only had one medical check-up left. In previous years, it always took a long time to wait, but this year everyone was suddenly rushed out. True to form, senior year was different.
All the students in the gymnasium were called to the outer perimeter, quite a distance away from the main building.
Li Lan had just finished a meeting shortly before and hurried over to maintain order for Class 1.
Most of the high school seniors remained unfazed, simply gathering in small groups to chat quietly.
Qi Yang stood alone in a corner, watching the medical staff rush into the gymnasium. Soon, a powerful wave of pheromones spilled outward from inside. Fortunately, the doctors on duty were all betas, so they weren’t affected by the pheromones.
Watching the chaotic scene unfold before him, Qi Yang’s mind began to race.
The only classes currently undergoing physical examinations were Senior Year Class 1 and Junior Year Class 14. The pheromones Qi Yang smelled were overwhelmingly strong; if he hadn’t applied his pheromone blocker earlier today, he would have collapsed on the spot.
This particular pheromone carried an intense, almost addictive attraction. While not necessarily pleasant-smelling, the sensation was profoundly strange.
Standing nearby, Chu Huaize stared ahead with bloodshot eyes.
Qi Yang was startled by his appearance.
“What’s wrong with you? You look like you’re in a lot of pain.”
Chu Huaize breathed with difficulty, desperately suppressing an urge to lash out.
“When the pheromones erupted just now, I was standing too close and got caught in the fallout.”
Qi Yang himself didn’t feel any physical reaction, but upon snapping back to reality, he noticed that the omegas and alphas at the scene were reacting violently.
The omegas were suffering from forced heats, while the alphas were being violently dragged into their rut phases.
This pheromone crisis had swept up all the surrounding students along with several teachers.
Qi Yang couldn’t help but marvel: Is my pheromone blocker really this effective?
Chu Huaize conscientiously kept a wide distance from Qi Yang, instinctively isolating himself among the other affected alphas.
To avoid hurting anyone, Chu Huaize shut himself away in a quiet corner. Qi Yang felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of sympathy. Curiously, since this was only their second time meeting, Qi Yang chalked up the feeling entirely to the fact that Chu Huaize possessed a strikingly handsome face.
Noticing that Qi Yang was acting as if nothing had happened, Li Lan walked over with a tense expression and asked with deep concern, “Are you alright? You’re an omega—how are you completely unaffected?”
Qi Yang found the question strange. Why must he have a reaction?
Qi Yang waved a hand dismissively. “I’m not sure. I really don’t feel anything. Even though I was close by and definitely smelled the pheromones, I genuinely feel completely normal.”
Li Lan glanced around at the other omegas, who were writhing in misery all over the ground. Yet Qi Yang was the only one entirely unbothered. It was completely abnormal!
“Are you really okay? We just got word that a sophomore alpha accidentally mutated into an A-grade during the pheromone extraction process.”
Qi Yang widened his eyes in disbelief. “What? Then there’s no way I shouldn’t be reacting! Why am I not feeling anything?”
What worried Li Lan was precisely this point. Having no reaction at all was the biggest problem; reacting would at least prove that Qi Yang’s omega traits were functioning normally.
Logically speaking, an unexpectedly mutated alpha would release powerful pheromones capable of disrupting the normal lives of nearby alphas and omegas. Therefore, they were normally required to voluntarily check into a hospital for special isolation until the mutation period ended, allowing them to resume a regular cyclical routine afterward.
However, the mutation process was extremely difficult; not everyone could successfully reach their final developmental state.
According to data reports from 2X23, fewer than 20 percent of the global population of alphas and omegas reached B-grade mutation, and only about 5 percent reached A-grade.
The A-grade alpha who had mutated at No. 1 High School today was bound to become a prized talent fought over by all, potentially skipping decades of hardship on their future path.
Qi Yang felt a twinge of envy. He had always desperately wanted to mutate into an A-grade, but luck wasn’t on his side. Ever since he mutated into a B-grade at age 13, there had been no further changes.
Qi Yang’s mutation back then had caused quite a stir, and he had proudly become part of that 20 percent.
Now, Qi Yang couldn’t help but suspect whether something was wrong with his body. How could even the physiological reactions triggered by a mutation completely disappear? Could it be that the pheromone blocker his parents gave him was just that good?
Thinking about it, that made sense. His parents researched the disorders and regulation of biological pheromones. Judging by their travel frequency over the past few years, they must have achieved some small successes; otherwise, they wouldn’t be so busy. Naturally, Qi Yang attributed all of this to the success of his parents’ scientific research.
The mutation commotion quickly died down, and the physical examinations returned to schedule.
During the incident, a total of four students had to be taken away by ambulance—primarily due to the low overall number of successful mutations, compounded by individual differences in physiological tolerance.
Qi Yang stepped back into the gymnasium for his physical. The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant, completely masking the earlier traces of pheromones.
Walking with heavy footsteps, Qi Yang made his way to the pheromone extraction room, with a few other students lining up behind him.
Looking back, Qi Yang recognized Xu Sheng in the queue. Feeling generous, Qi Yang offered to yield his first-place spot so Xu Sheng could finish his check-up sooner.
Xu Sheng rolled his eyes dramatically. “Qi Yang, are you kidding me? You’re going to make such a fuss just having your pheromones drawn? (Crying out like a baby?)” The rest of his sentence was cut off as Qi Yang slapped a hand over his mouth.
Their scuffling almost knocked into a female student standing behind them. The girl gave them a flat, indifferent look, glanced at the line behind her, and backed far away to avoid being anywhere near the two of them.
The pair awkwardly separated. The two omegas who had previously been wrestling on the floor suddenly forgot all about their physical discomfort and scrambled to rush toward the extraction room door.
Consequently, both of them got stuck in the doorway again.
Xu Sheng refused to back down. “You were supposed to let me go first!”
Qi Yang didn’t care either. “It’s your fault for making a fool of me! I’m going first!”
Seeing that no one had entered for a while, the doctor pushed open the door and stared at the two wrestling figures once more.
With a cold, utterly speechless gaze, the doctor said, “Qi Yang, how old are you? Why are you still so childish?”
Recognizing the man before him, Qi Yang quietly dropped his hands.
Xu Sheng found it hard to believe. Qi Yang is usually so stubborn, yet he just let go? Raising his eyes, Xu Sheng wanted to see what kind of person possessed the authority to tame Qi Yang.
The person standing before them was none other than Pei Ming—Qi Yang’s perpetually busy uncle who moonlighted as the school physician.
Pei Ming possessed delicate, striking facial features. When unsmiling, he looked cold and aloof, giving off a strong do-not-approach vibe. However, when he smiled, it felt like a gentle spring breeze, instantly melting away people’s guard.
Qi Yang always lamented that if his uncle were an omega, he would surely charm legions of alphas. Yet this man was an alpha.
Having met Pei Ming before, Xu Sheng obediently stood straight, his voice softening considerably. “Dr. Pei, can I go in now?”
Pei Ming looked at him with a gentle smile. “Yes, come in.”
Left standing alone in the hallway, Qi Yang watched the two of them enter the testing room.
Qi Yang couldn’t figure out why Pei Ming had shown up here. Once might be a coincidence, but every single time Qi Yang had a medical check-up, Pei Ming was always there. Didn’t he have countless surgeries to perform every day? How did he end up gracing No. 1 High School with his presence?
Then he remembered that an alpha had mutated today, and Pei Ming specialized precisely in pheromones and glands.
Xu Sheng’s examination was finished in a flash. With a small rabbit-patterned adhesive bandage stuck over his gland, he proudly showed it off to Qi Yang. “Dr. Pei gave me this bandage. You don’t have one, do you?”
Staring at the bandage, Qi Yang was momentarily speechless, lamenting that Pei Ming didn’t even spare high school students from his charm.
Pei Ming’s voice echoed from inside: “Next.”
Pushing open the door, Qi Yang was greeted by the familiar and dreaded pheromone extraction machine.
Qi Yang teased, “Uncle, your skills haven’t slipped a bit—you’re still out here charming high school students?
“Uncle, can I skip the extraction? Can you just fake the results for me?”
The answer was a firm no.
Pei Ming gestured to the chair before him, motioning for Qi Yang to sit down and get ready for the examination.
Qi Yang stared at the bulky machine with its menacing needle, poised to pierce his gland at any moment and extract his pheromones.
Sitting in the chair with a pained expression, Qi Yang looked at his uncle, hoping for a shred of comfort. Instead, upon seeing that Qi Yang was settled, Pei Ming’s expression turned dead serious—as if he were about to perform a high-stakes surgical operation.
Sitting with his back to the machine, Qi Yang tried to put on a brave front. How was he still in the mood to joke with Pei Ming?
“It’s not a big deal. Why are you looking so nervous?”
Pei Ming’s brow relaxed slightly. Hoping to ease the tense atmosphere, he bantered back, “Aren’t I just worried our young master might get hurt, and when my sister finds out later, I won’t be able to survive your brother-in-law’s wrath?”
Qi Yang chuckled, amused by the remark.
Regaining his professional composure, Pei Ming said, “Stop moving. It’ll be over soon.”
The machine operated at high speed. The needle pierced his gland before Qi Yang even fully registered it. As the pheromones were drawn, he felt a familiar draining sensation within his body, and the old wave of discomfort began to creep in.
Before the worst of it could hit, however, the needle was already withdrawn from his gland.
Pei Ming collected the printed medical report from the machine and glanced at the numbers. A look of disbelief flashed across his face, though it was subtle enough that Qi Yang missed it entirely.
He simply told Qi Yang, “Everything looks fine. You can go.”
Seeing his uncle’s completely normal expression, Qi Yang didn’t suspect a thing. Hearing the same conclusion he received every year, he only grew more annoyed with this tedious test. Why do I have to take a normal check-up every single year anyway?
The pheromone extraction part really ought to be removed from the physicals altogether.
Once he finished turning in his homework, Qi Yang had nothing left to prepare. However, since they were moving into the school dormitories tomorrow, and the school had already fully equipped the basic facilities, students only needed to bring a few changes of clothes and daily necessities.
Chu Huaize had just walked out of the alpha testing room, a few beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. Qi Yang shook his head and sighed, “Whoever invented this machine is a menace to society!”
Walking over to Qi Yang’s side, Chu Huaize asked what his plans were for the rest of the day.
Qi Yang thought about it carefully.
“Nothing much. I’ll show you around during PE class tomorrow. I need to head home today to take care of some important things.”
Chu Huaize had nothing pressing to do either, so both of them prepared to head home.
No. 1 High School didn’t restrict the use of electronic devices—after all, the school hosted international students who would graduate and study abroad directly, most of whom were exceptionally talented and self-disciplined. Furthermore, many students came from wealthy and influential families.
If a serious incident occurred over confiscated devices, the school leadership would be the ones facing the headache.
Walking side by side, Chu Huaize pulled out his phone and opened a messaging app, wanting to add Qi Yang as a contact.
Qi Yang readily agreed, and the two scanned each other’s WeChat codes.
As Qi Yang held his phone to edit the contact’s nickname, he happened to catch a glimpse of Chu Huaize’s profile picture: a cute ragdoll cat.
He abruptly raised his head to stare at Chu Huaize.
“Turns out you’re a cat owner? I never would have guessed.”
Watching Qi Yang stare at him with wide, bright eyes, Chu Huaize couldn’t suppress the smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“If you like cats, I can take you to see mine sometime.”
Chatting and laughing, the two walked all the way to the school gates, where they happened to run into a group of female students from Class 2.
Among them was a girl with striking, confident beauty. Her eyes instantly locked onto Chu Huaize, whose rare, aloof iceberg persona stood out vividly in the school.
Boldly stepping forward, she blocked the path of Chu Huaize and Qi Yang.
Qi Yang recognized this girl: she was a famously pretty omega in their grade. Rumor had it she had been through numerous relationships, choosing partners strictly based on looks—a total slave to aesthetics.
She had once even tried to pursue Qi Yang, back before she realized they were both omegas, making their subsequent encounters supremely awkward.
“Handsome, can I get your contact info?” the girl asked, taking the initiative.
Qi Yang looked on with schadenfreude, eager to see how Chu Huaize would handle being hit on by a beauty.
Chu Huaize simply put his phone away, catching the girl off guard.
“Sorry, I don’t have the habit of adding strangers.”
Chu Huaize’s expression didn’t contain a hint of pretense—he was simply being pragmatic.
The girl refused to give up.
“My name is Hu Nana. Now we aren’t strangers anymore. What’s your name?”
“I don’t have the habit of telling my name to strangers.”
Hu Nana felt a bit awkward, but she was a persistent person. Pointing her finger at Qi Yang, she challenged, “You were willing to let Qi Yang know you, so why not me?”
Qi Yang felt slightly awkward hearing this. While he had once generously given out his contact info to her, Qi Yang hadn’t actually agreed to let her pursue him.
To Qi Yang, giving someone your info was one thing, but whether you actually added them back was another matter entirely.
Chu Huaize had no intention of wasting any more breath. “Sorry, I’m heading home. I hope you won’t block my way.”
Realizing she was in the wrong, Hu Nana stepped aside to clear a path. As the two walked away, she called out after them, “I will definitely get your contact info!”
Qi Yang looked back over his shoulder. Seeing the crowd of people quickly gather around the girl while laughing, he couldn’t help but admire her bravery. Turning back around, he struggled to suppress his amusement.
Turning his head toward Qi Yang, who was trying hard not to burst into laughter, Chu Huaize leaned slightly closer, speaking almost right next to him. “Is it really that funny?”
Qi Yang patted Chu Huaize’s shoulder, finally letting out his laughter. “Being good-looking really does make a difference. Pretty omegas love your type.”
With a complex expression, Chu Huaize looked at Qi Yang and replied, “You’re pretty too.”
Qi Yang was choked into silence by the remark and promptly decided to drop the subject.
Finding it strange that Chu Huaize had no bodyguards or family drivers picking him up, Qi Yang asked, “Does your family allow you to walk to school by yourself? You don’t even have a driver?”
Chu Huaize explained, “I specifically requested it. Since I’m going to be boarding at the school anyway, having someone drive me back and forth is just a hassle. It’s better to just cut it out and let me walk.”
Qi Yang grew even more curious. “You spent four years cooped up at home; it was obviously to get intensive medical treatment. Are you completely cured now?”
Chu Huaize nodded. “I’m fully recovered. As long as I don’t encounter any extreme, abnormal stimuli, there won’t be any issues.”
“Didn’t your family assign bodyguards to protect you? If a young master like you got kidnapped, I shudder to think how much ransom your family would have to pay.”
Chu Huaize chuckled lightly. “Who says I don’t have bodyguards? Right now, in places you can’t see, there might be a whole team of bodyguards watching over me.”
Though Chu Huaize spoke so mysteriously, Qi Yang didn’t find it particularly strange. After all, there were plenty of capable people in this world. While many A-grade alphas went on to become top global figures, not everyone was that fortunate; some A-grade alphas chose to serve major families instead, commanding compensation that matched their extraordinary abilities.
Seeing that Chu Huaize had shared so much with him, Qi Yang decided to share a bit of information in return. “Actually, I have a few bodyguards protecting me too. How about that? My identity isn’t so simple either.”
Chu Huaize didn’t seem surprised by this at all, but letting it slip so casually made him wonder if Qi Yang had any sense of self-preservation. If Chu Huaize were a bad person, wouldn’t Qi Yang have just laid all his cards on the table?
Chu Huaize reminded him gently, “You can tell these things to me, but don’t go telling other people. Not everyone out there is a good person.”
Qi Yang naturally knew that, but he felt an unconditional trust toward Chu Huaize, causing him to blurt it out without thinking. When he finally registered what Chu Huaize meant, he paused for a moment before realizing how sensible the advice was.
“Good thing you reminded me. Otherwise, I really would’ve slipped up over such a small thing.”
Qi Yang’s residential complex was only two intersections away from the school. When they reached the gates of the neighborhood, Qi Yang naturally prepared to say goodbye, only to realize Chu Huaize had no intention of leaving.
Qi Yang stared in disbelief.
“You live here too? How come I’ve never seen you before? Oh right, you were staying in that suburban villa before. When did you move here?”
Chu Huaize nodded. “I only moved during summer vacation.”
Qi Yang exclaimed excitedly, “Then we’re neighbors! You’re the first classmate of mine living in the same complex. Doesn’t that make coming over for meals super convenient?”
“Mhm.”
Then Qi Yang had a brief moment of hesitation. Not every family was like his, where business trips lasted half a year. “Will your parents mind me?”
“Probably not, since it’s the first time I’m bringing someone home. But neither of them is home for more than three days a month; they’re both very busy.”
Hearing this, Qi Yang sighed, “Ah, we really are birds of a feather. My parents are practically never around all year round, and I’ve spent several New Year’s eves completely by myself.”
Chu Huaize replied without hesitation, “Then I’ll keep you company next time.”
Qi Yang readily agreed. “Alright, I’m heading up first.”
Arriving at his building’s entrance, Qi Yang assumed Chu Huaize lived in a different building. But when they both stepped into the same elevator, rode to the exact same floor, and unlocked doors directly across from one another, Qi Yang froze for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Turns out you’re my next-door neighbor! What a coincidence. I’m heading inside.”
“Mhm.”
Watching Qi Yang’s retreating figure slip through his doorway, Chu Huaize stared at the closed door for a moment before unlocking his own apartment and stepping inside.