Chen Lan opened her mouth, wanting to ask a few more questions, but the doctor practically fled the room in a hurry, not giving her the chance to speak.
In the past, it had always been other Alphas or Betas who overwhelmed Bai Long with their pheromones, leaving her breathless. This was the first time a Beta had reacted so strongly to Bai Long’s pheromones.
“…No way, could you really have differentiated into an Omega?”
The girl also felt an inexplicable sense of tension. As an Alpha, she naturally knew just how enticing an Omega’s pheromones could be.
Being an average, somewhat rough-around-the-edges Alpha, Chen Lan had never even held an Omega’s hand in all her eighteen years. A faint itch crept into her heart.
She felt like a starved, desperate fool who hadn’t seen an Omega in centuries. The mere thought that Bai Long might have become an Omega set her entire being ablaze with restlessness.
But… they had been friends for so many years.
Some Omegas even ask close friends to help with temporary markings during their heats. So, just taking a whiff of her pheromones probably wasn’t too out of line, right?
Chen Lan thought it, and she acted on it.
She harbored no ulterior motives toward Bai Long—it was merely an Alpha’s instinctive yearning and attraction toward an Omega’s pheromones.
But before she could even lean in, Bai Long’s eyelashes quivered slightly as she stirred from her deep sleep.
Her eyes slowly fluttered open.
And as if perfectly timed, her gaze immediately locked with Chen Lan’s.
“What are you doing?”
The moment she sensed the other’s pheromones probing toward her scent gland, Bai Long’s expression shifted subtly.
She stared at her long-time friend for a long moment, her eyes filled with a complex light.
“Sister, ‘AA’ romance just doesn’t work.”
“……”
……
Bai Long had just woken up—her mind was still foggy, her thoughts tangled in a messy haze.
She listened vaguely as Chen Lan recounted how she’d been hit by a volleyball and fainted a few days ago. Only then did fragments of memory slowly return.
No one knew that Bai Long didn’t originally belong to this world. She had been caught in a car accident last month and had transmigrated into this body.
And the original owner of this body hadn’t been particularly lucky either. Her constitution was weak, and on top of that, she had been constantly juggling multiple part-time jobs. Working several night shifts in a row had pushed her past exhaustion.
That was how she ended up dying from overwork before even turning eighteen.
To be honest, even though this body was indeed quite weak, Bai Long cherished this second chance at life deeply.
So, from the very first day she found herself in this ABO world, she quit two of her part-time jobs, keeping only the relatively easier café gig.
Even though it left her financially tighter, it was enough to scrape by—and more importantly, it gave her overworked body a chance to catch its breath.
Sure, like the original owner, she had a bit of a weakness for money—but no amount of cash was worth risking her life over.
Yet, despite being so cautious, she’d nearly been sent back to the afterlife by a volleyball.
The thought made Bai Long frown in irritation.
She rubbed her temples and waited for the dizziness to fade before pushing herself up to sit.
“Old Bai, are you feeling any discomfort anywhere else? Should I call the doctor back for another check-up?”
Seeing her sit up, Chen Lan hurried over, picked up a pillow, and propped it behind her back.
Not only that, she poured a glass of warm water with unusual enthusiasm, even blowing on it to cool it down before handing it to Bai Long.
But instead of being touched by such meticulous care, Bai Long felt goosebumps rising all over her body.
Especially when she met Chen Lan’s gaze—soft and affectionate, almost dripping with tenderness.
“…Be honest with me. Am I running out of time?”
“Pah, pah, pah! What are you talking about? You just woke up—don’t say such unlucky things!”
The red-haired girl spat to ward off the bad omen.
“Then why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?”
“Huh? What’s with that tone? Haven’t I always been good to you? Whenever I had meat to eat, didn’t you always get a sip of the broth? You make it sound like I’ve been mistreating you.”
Chen Lan grumbled unhappily, about to complain further about Bai Long’s ingratitude, but she hesitated, holding back.
She watched as Bai Long took small sips of water from the glass.
Her lips glistened softly, and in the faint steam rising from the cup, her features looked soft and beautiful.
It did seem like something was different.
Even though Chen Lan couldn’t detect any pheromones in the air, she felt that Bai Long no longer seemed as timid as before. Instead, there was a cool, distant aura about her—a temperament that felt eerily similar to those aloof, prideful Omegas who paid Alphas little mind.
Chen Lan’s gaze was far from subtle. Since she was sitting right beside Bai Long, it was impossible not to notice.
Bai Long stayed quiet for a long moment, her eyes fixed on Chen Lan.
“…You really are a damn gay.”
In this ABO world, Alpha-Alpha and Omega-Omega relationships were considered same-sex pairings and generally frowned upon by mainstream society.
Bai Long wasn’t homophobic—she just couldn’t quite wrap her head around the idea that her friend might harbor those kinds of feelings for her.
“Chen Lan, even though you’ve always been good to me… I only think of you as a friend…”
She didn’t need to finish—Chen Lan already understood what she meant. Watching Bai Long hesitate, as if too uncomfortable to continue, Chen Lan herself felt a bit choked up.
“…You’ve got the wrong idea. I don’t feel that way about you.”
“Then why were you staring at me like that? And earlier, while I was unconscious, you were trying to take advantage of me.”
“Oh right, I almost forgot about that.”
The red-haired girl might have been wearing heavy makeup and had a bit of a punk style, but on closer look, her features were actually quite pretty.
She reached over to the fruit basket by the bed, grabbed an apple, gave it a casual wipe with her hand, and took a big bite, puffing out her cheek as she chewed.
“I’ve got some good news and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?”
“Let’s go with the good news.”
“Decided so quickly? You don’t want to think about it?”
Chen Lan had expected the other to hesitate for a while, but the reply came almost the instant she finished speaking.
“Given your personality, I thought you’d choose the bad news first.”
“Isn’t the bad news that you have feelings for me? Don’t worry—even though I’m a little surprised, I can understand how a beautiful girl like me walking in front of you every day might lead you astray and stir up… worldly desires. Still, I hope you can keep those animalistic urges in check.”
“After all, as you know, I’m a delicate Alpha who can hardly take care of myself. We’re friends—you can’t just force your way just because you’re stronger than me.
Bai Long paused here, hesitating for a moment. Considering that Alphas were essentially creatures driven by their lower instincts, she found herself equally skeptical.
So she sighed and made a concession.
“Of course, if you really can’t hold back… I guess there’s nothing I can do.”
“But I want to be on top.”
Chen Lan burst into a mix of laughter and exasperation, tossing the half-bitten apple straight at Bai Long.
For an Alpha, it was basically like watching a slow-motion replay. She reached out and effortlessly caught the apple.
“Alright, enough joking. Tell me, what’s the good news?”
Bai Long sensed she had pushed the joke a bit too far and that Chen Lan was genuinely annoyed, so she wisely decided to ease off.
She handed the apple back to Chen Lan, who snorted coldly before taking it and biting into it aggressively.
“The good news is that when the doctor examined you earlier, he noticed some unusual changes in your pheromones. Unless something goes wrong, it’s highly likely you’re about to differentiate into an Omega.”
Genetic traits are generally fixed from birth and rarely change over a lifetime.
Cases of differentiation or genetic mutation occur in only about one in ten thousand individuals, and most happen around adulthood.
It’s extremely rare.
Moreover, in this world, Omegas enjoy far better treatment than Alphas and Betas of the same rank.
If Bai Long truly differentiated into an Omega, she could easily stop taking on part-time jobs. Government subsidies alone would allow her to comfortably complete high school and even university.
Heck, if she wanted, she could even choose a foster family freely—no need to rent a place on her own anymore.
“Hmph, you’ve really lucked out this time. Getting hit by a volleyball not only left you unharmed but also landed you this massive windfall.”
Chen Lan had expected Bai Long to react with excitement upon hearing the news, but apart from a brief flicker of surprise, she remained largely unmoved.
“…What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy about potentially becoming an Omega?”
Bai Long didn’t particularly care whether she was an Alpha, Omega, or Beta. But when Chen Lan mentioned the possibility of her differentiating into an Omega, something just felt… off.
“It’s not that I’m unhappy, it’s just… it feels a bit strange…”
“Theoretically, if an Alpha were truly differentiating into an Omega, there should be two noticeable changes. First, they would become extremely sensitive and vulnerable to Alpha pheromones.”
As she spoke, she reached up and lightly touched the back of her neck—right where the scent gland was located.
“But just now, when I sensed your pheromones, I didn’t feel any discomfort at all. No shortness of breath, no weakness—nothing.”
“You might have a point there…”
Bai Long had always kept her pheromones well-concealed. Even when Chen Lan leaned in earlier while she was unconscious, she hadn’t detected anything. So now, even Chen Lan wasn’t entirely sure.
“Wait, hold on—you almost got me there. The doctor just said it’s because you just came of age and things aren’t stable yet. But your pheromones have genuinely changed. Maybe you just haven’t finished differentiating.”
Since Bai Long’s pheromones were still unstable, a proper genetic test couldn’t be done immediately—they’d have to wait a while.
“Then take a look at this.”
Without warning, Bai Long pushed the blanket aside. Even through the hospital gown, the prominent bulge underneath was unmistakably clear.
“If an Alpha differentiates into an Omega, shouldn’t this part change?”
Chen Lan was stunned.
“?! Holy shit—you… what the hell, how did you—?!”
“It’s true that certain measurements would shrink if an Alpha differentiated into an Omega. But that’s not what happened to me.”
Bai Long was clearly amused by the stunned, wide-eyed look on the other’s face. She squinted, a slight smirk curling at her lips.
“If I’m not mistaken…”
“This isn’t differentiation. It’s enhancement.”
“In simpler terms—I got stronger.”
She added with a proud tilt of her hips:
“And bigger.”