Lin Xi was silent for a moment.
Although she desperately wanted to use her rosemary scent to drive away that annoying mint smell, the clear-headed Alpha couldn’t perform such a selfish act of arbitrarily releasing pheromones to engulf someone else, especially since Zhong Xiu hadn’t given her permission.
Lin Xi grabbed a can of air freshener from the public sink, led Zhong Xiu away from the contaminated area, and carefully cleaned the residual pheromones off her, from head to toe.
“Is there any left?” Zhong Xiu raised her hand to sniff, only catching the faint alcoholic smell of air freshener.
“No more.” Seeing how much she disliked the mint scent, Lin Xi’s lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile.
“What about him?” Zhong Xiu pointed at Lin Yucheng, who was still kneeling by the restroom door.
“Ignore him.” Lin Xi held out her arm to prevent Zhong Xiu from getting near that area; the mint pheromones hadn’t completely dissipated yet.
“But won’t your uncle blame you?”
The feeling was completely different from what she saw on the back hill that day. The scene of pheromonal suppression just now had truly shocked Zhong Xiu. She had to admit that as a Beta, she truly didn’t understand Alphas that well.
“If he tries to complain, I’ll bring up the matter of him randomly releasing pheromones,” Lin Xi raised her voice slightly so the Alpha on the floor could hear clearly. This referred not only to the recent incident with Zhong Xiu but also to his unauthorized temporary marking of Zhang Mingming.
Zhong Xiu secretly glanced at Lin Xi. Besides the incident on the back hill, she had never seen such a fierce Alpha.
Turns out, she can threaten people too. If she had acted this way earlier, perhaps Lin Yucheng wouldn’t have dared to conspire with classmates to spread rumors on the forum.
“Let’s go,” when speaking to her, the Alpha retracted her aggressive demeanor, returning to her usual cool and aloof appearance.
“Okay.”
The birthday banquet hadn’t ended, yet the main character had secretly slipped away. Walking down the street, Zhong Xiu felt a sense of guilt, like she was abducting a child.
Along the way, many people looked their way. Their clothes were too formal, especially Zhong Xiu’s dress, which was eye-catching.
Fortunately, the dress length was appropriate, making movement relatively easy.
“Where are we going?” Walking aimlessly on the street felt like a waste of the precious time stolen from the banquet.
“I don’t know,” the Alpha, whose life revolved around a three-point routine (home, school, tutoring), had even fewer ideas than she did.
“How about we see a movie?” Zhong Xiu asked tentatively.
They weren’t far from the city center, and there were many large shopping malls nearby. The large screens on the side of the tall buildings were broadcasting trailers for the latest movies.
“Hmm,” Lin Xi usually watched movies alone on her computer with a projector screen.
They decided immediately. Zhong Xiu and she took the elevator to the second floor to buy tickets.
It was Saturday, and there were many students. Zhong Xiu even saw several classmates from Experimental High School, which scared her into pulling Lin Xi towards areas with fewer people, terrified of being spotted by them.
“Are we not supposed to be seen?” Lin Xi turned her head to ask.
“No, it’s not that,” Zhong Xiu tugged at her sleeve. “Our classmates probably don’t know that we’re… engaged yet. I haven’t prepared myself.”
She was actually a little scared; the scene at the banquet hadn’t been fully processed yet.
Recalling the Omegas’ words, Lin Xi nodded slightly, understanding her concerns.
While she carefully selected a movie, Lin Xi sent two text messages, one to Lin Yucheng and one to Shen Zhiqiu. The Alphas and Omegas present today were all their friends.
“What kind of movie do you want to watch?” Zhong Xiu held the list of upcoming films in front of her, having already selected one film from each genre in her mind.
“I’m fine with anything. What about you?”
“Let’s watch a sci-fi movie,” Zhong Xiu put the remaining flyers underneath, leaving only the top one, which looked like a doomsday-style poster.
A romantic art-house film was completely unsuitable to watch with Lin Xi. Zhong Xiu figured the Alpha would like this style and was very mindful of her feelings.
“Okay,” Lin Xi was indeed more interested in this genre.
The film was about the future of Earth, a hard sci-fi genre. The original novel was very famous, and even if she hadn’t come with Zhong Xiu, she would have watched it in her room herself.
Seeing her carefully browse the synopsis, Zhong Xiu knew she had chosen correctly and headed to the automatic ticket machine to buy tickets.
The available seats were shown on the screen, and seeing only a handful of empty spots, Zhong Xiu was momentarily stumped.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Xi, holding a large box of popcorn, leaned her head over.
“There are only single seats available,” the cinema was basically full. The empty seats were scattered individually across every row, making it impossible to find two connected ones.
“Aren’t there two here?” Lin Xi pointed to two seats in the very front row.
“Those are… couple seats.”
“Buy them.”
The other party seemed not to mind at all. Sigh, she really is a block of wood. Zhong Xiu couldn’t do anything about her.
With the showtime approaching, the two hurried through the ticket gate and entered the theater.
The light inside was dim. Besides the screen, all they could see were black silhouettes of heads. Only up close could they clearly see the surroundings.
No one would notice their clothes now.
Passing through the back rows, Lin Xi followed Zhong Xiu, holding the popcorn, finding the crowded cinema novel.
The atmosphere here was very different from watching a movie alone at home—it was a bit noisy, but quite exciting.
The biggest difference between couple seats and ordinary seats was the absence of a dividing armrest between them. They were wide, like a sofa, with high backs that blocked the view from behind and the sides, making it feel like a small private box.
The darkness concealed Zhong Xiu’s discomfort. When she used to come to the cinema alone, she often wondered what the people sitting in these seats were doing; gossip is human nature, after all.
She never expected to be sitting here with Lin Xi today.
The seats were softer than normal ones. She felt like she was sinking in as soon as she sat down. When Lin Xi sat down too, Zhong Xiu began to realize the seats weren’t as wide as they looked.
Lin Xi’s body was practically touching hers.
The concept of couple seats was truly insidious.
“Here,” Lin Xi presented the popcorn to her.
“Aren’t you going to eat any?” Zhong Xiu popped one into her mouth, and the sweet aroma exploded.
Lin Xi shook her head. She had only bought it for Zhong Xiu because she saw other Betas watching movies holding it.
In such a crowded public place, the number of Betas was indeed higher. Omegas and Alphas were much fewer by comparison. They either watched movies like Lin Xi in a home theater or in specialized VIP cinemas. Squeezing into crowded places with others was too undignified and not suitable for noble AOs.
“Just have one,” Zhong Xiu, oblivious to these social observations, picked up a piece of popcorn and fed it to Lin Xi’s mouth, thinking that since she loved snacks like egg waffles and grilled cold noodles, she wouldn’t refuse popcorn.
The finger near her lips was very close. Lin Xi finally couldn’t resist, lowering her head to take the popcorn.
“Is it good?” Zhong Xiu asked with a smile, her fingers lightly curled, switching to hold the popcorn container with the other hand.
The touch of her lips was warm. This might allow the feeling to linger a bit longer.
“It’s good,” Lin Xi lightly licked her lips.
The movie began, and the surroundings gradually quieted down.
Zhong Xiu wasn’t really interested in this type of sci-fi movie. She kept looking at Lin Xi, who was completely engrossed, staring intently, exactly as she looked when studying in the classroom.
The popcorn level was the same as at the start of the movie. Zhong Xiu had a very small appetite and couldn’t eat much of even the most delicious things. This large cup of popcorn was simply too much.
She didn’t feed Lin Xi anymore, either. Otherwise, by the end of the movie, she would have to be hospitalized for ‘cardiac arrhythmia.’
Halfway through the movie, Lin Xi felt a weight on her shoulder.
Looking down, Zhong Xiu had fallen asleep, still hugging the barely touched container of popcorn.
Lin Xi blinked at the screen, not quite understanding. It was the climax of the entire film, the most exciting part, yet Zhong Xiu was asleep.
Just like in physics class.
Despite her confusion, the Alpha remained motionless in a proper, upright posture, making sure Zhong Xiu was as comfortable as possible leaning against her.
The movie’s ending credits couldn’t wake Zhong Xiu, nor could the surrounding crowd’s noise. Thankfully, this was the last showing of the afternoon, and no staff came to rush them out. Some audience members also stayed in the theater to take photos.
Lin Xi picked up her phone with her other hand, intending to check the time, but her left hand was being leaned on by Zhong Xiu, making it inconvenient to move.
The unlit screen acted like a mirror, reflecting Zhong Xiu’s peaceful sleeping face resting on her shoulder.
They were still wearing their banquet clothes, truly looking like a couple.
When she lit up the screen, Lin Xi’s hand twitched, hitting the camera shortcut in the lower right corner.
Click—
The image on the screen was rendered with high-saturation colors: the red dress and the white shirt.
She wasn’t sure if she had pressed the wrong button. Lin Xi’s finger hovered over the delete button for a second, then changed direction and swiped up to return to the home screen.
“Zhong Xiu,” the air conditioning effect in the theater dissipated. Her dress had hollowed-out shoulders, and she might catch a cold. Only then did Lin Xi call her name.
“Mmm…”
When she opened her eyes, the theater was bright. Staff members nearby were cleaning, occasionally casting gossipy glances this way. Remembering they were in the couple seats, Zhong Xiu instantly jolted awake, and the blood rushed to her face.
“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”
“You were sleeping soundly,” the Alpha replied logically.
It sounded very reasonable, so Zhong Xiu couldn’t argue. She quickly pulled Lin Xi out of the theater.
“Wait, where’s my popcorn?”
“Here,” Lin Xi poked her own lower abdomen. The part of her suspender pants covering her stomach bulged slightly. She had finished all of it while waiting for Zhong Xiu to wake up.
How adorable, Zhong Xiu secretly smiled.
The lobby outside the theater was still crowded. It was probably the time when all the movies were letting out, and people were constantly exiting other theaters. To avoid contact with so many people, Zhong Xiu and Lin Xi didn’t take the elevator but used the emergency stairs.
“But it’s natural for Alphas to like Omegas. You won’t like me for long.”
When they reached the first floor, Zhong Xiu heard a familiar voice coming from beneath the stairs.
“How do you know I won’t like you for long if you don’t try?” The Alpha lowered her voice, but couldn’t hide her dejected mood.
This voice was more than just familiar; Zhong Xiu knew it very well. It was Gao Lan and Ye Shuwen.
What a coincidence. They must have also come to see a movie.
Exchanging a glance with Lin Xi, neither of them moved, hesitating whether to continue downstairs or go back the way they came.
“Because I don’t have pheromones, and I can’t smell yours,” Ye Shuwen was much calmer by comparison. “To me, whether you are an Alpha or an Omega makes no difference. I like boys. If you were a boy…”
Zhong Xiu chose to pull Lin Xi back the way they came. When someone wants to reject another person, they can always find a reason.
Your gender is wrong. You are too short. You are not pretty enough. …
The only thing she didn’t understand about Ye Shuwen was why, if she intended to refuse, she couldn’t just tell Gao Lan directly, “I don’t like you, don’t look for me again.” Instead, she kept dragging her along, always giving her a tiny bit of hope when she was on the verge of despair.
This movie trip was probably also Ye Shuwen’s suggestion. Gao Lan didn’t actually like watching movies. Zhong Xiu rarely asked about their business, but every time Gao Lan went out with Ye Shuwen, she would be silent online and offline for several days, which was why Yu Tian always scolded her for being a ‘simp.’
“Let’s go back. Grandpa and Grandma are waiting for us to eat dinner,” Lin Xi said to her in the elevator.
“Okay.” I hope Lin Xi never finds out that I like her. Unrequited love is better than that, Zhong Xiu thought, looking at her profile.
The warm food at home dispersed the fatigue of the day’s travels. Zhong Xiu had never felt the warmth of home so strongly.
“Xiu Xiu is so pretty today,” Grandpa’s doting on his granddaughter was obvious.
“She is very pretty,” Zhong Ruilin nodded in agreement, then felt something was wrong and added, “Xiu Xiu is beautiful every day.”
Zhong Xiu was already used to them talking like this and gave Lin Xi a helpless look. Lin Xi just smiled.
Actually, she thought so too.
“Cong Cong is also pretty. Xiu Xiu and Cong Cong are both beautiful,” Grandma smiled so widely her eyes were almost invisible, holding one of them by each hand.
As they approached the dining table, a burst of coolness wafted into Zhong Xiu’s nostrils. She felt something was wrong. “Dad, what are we eating today?”
“Oh, you asked me to buy mint two days ago, right? The restaurant didn’t use it all, so for dinner, we have stir-fried beef with mint, mint egg pancakes, mint fish fillets, and Grandpa even made you mint tea.”
Lin Xi’s gaze slowly drifted over.
Save me, Zhong Xiu desperately wanted to run.
What was even more exasperating was that Sherlock, the cat, also hated the smell of mint, but it darted onto Lin Xi’s legs, cuddling close to the Alpha, seemingly hoping Lin Xi would release some pheromones for it to inhale.
Releasing pheromones was out of the question. Lin Xi holding it and letting it stay in her arms was already very fortunate for the cat.
While tearfully eating the stir-fried beef with mint, Zhong Xiu felt that the look of provocation Sherlock gave her was just like one from a seductive temptress outside, with its paw resting on Lin Xi’s suspender strap.
After dinner, Grandpa and Grandma went for a walk, and Zhong Xiu, as usual, walked Lin Xi downstairs.
Before leaving, Lin Xi suddenly turned around, looked at Zhong Xiu who was wrestling with the cat, and said softly,
“Zhong Xiu, my pheromone is rosemary.”
…
On Monday morning, when she stepped into the school, Zhong Xiu was still a little nervous. She was afraid of being surrounded, like at the birthday banquet, and questioned about her relationship with Lin Xi.
But strangely, the news of their engagement hadn’t leaked this time. The campus was as calm as usual. Gao Lan was predictably silent, and Yu Tian still came over to discuss which Omega was the prettiest and who was most likely to end up with Lin Xi.
Of course, he only dared to say this when Lin Xi wasn’t around.
Zhong Xiu felt a little relieved, perhaps because the school forum had been sealed for a while recently.
Old Yu put the newspaper on the podium again. When Zhong Xiu went up to hand out test papers and composition sheets, a chorus of wails erupted.
“No need to write a composition this time,” Zhong Xiu’s voice was almost drowned out by them.
“Yeah! Hooray!”
The noise was deafening. Lin Xi walked in with her schoolbag at this moment, and seeing the situation, knew exactly what was happening.
“Lin Xi,” Yu Tian’s eyes lit up when she entered. He furtively took out his schoolbag and held it to his chest. “Did you bring it?”
“I did,” Lin Xi placed her schoolbag on her desk.
The two acted like they were meeting an underground contact—of course, this was only Yu Tian’s unilateral perception; Lin Xi was very open about it.
“Wait a minute!” Just as she was about to pull the zipper of her schoolbag, Yu Tian suddenly stopped her, glancing sideways.
“Are your eyes twitching?” Lin Xi asked him.
“What are you two doing?” Zhong Xiu walked down the aisle just then.
“Nothing,” Yu Tian gave her a slight smile, the curve of his mouth looking incredibly fake, indicating it was nothing good.
“Confess and be spared,” Zhong Xiu threw the test papers onto the desk.
Lin Xi was about to speak, but Yu Tian stepped forward, trying to cover her mouth, only to have his wrist instantly gripped and twisted back.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch, it hurts…”
Why is she so inconsiderate? This top-tier Alpha is so slow to catch on, Yu Tian muttered internally while rubbing his arm, his expression cheerful.
“This is an Alpha secret.”
Zhong Xiu looked at him, then at Lin Xi. “Alright.”
Zhong Xiu was quite happy that they could interact and have fun. After all, Lin Xi used to be alone all the time, which was too lonely.
“You can’t tell Zhong Xiu about this,” Yu Tian said to Lin Xi during the class break, looking exasperated.
“Why not?”
“Sigh, she’ll despise you just like she despises me if she finds out. I’m doing this for your own good.” Yu Tian wanted to pat her shoulder but was afraid of being immobilized, so he just patted the desk. “Don’t ask so many questions, young one. Trust me on this.”
He hadn’t forgotten that the last time Zhong Xiu saw the softcore model magazine in his back pocket, she didn’t allow him to touch her desk for three days, and any passing of notes had to go through Gao Lan’s hands before she would accept them, which was a serious blow to Yu Tian’s delicate self-esteem.
“Okay,” Lin Xi thought about it. Zhong Xiu had indeed seemed very unhappy with Yu Tian last time.
The two quickly exchanged the “secret” inside their schoolbags with lightning speed.
…
During the second class, English, a commotion came from outside, originating from the liberal arts class section.
Zhong Xiu was listening intently, but Yu Tian, sitting in front of her, secretly opened the window.
He peered outside for a moment, then retracted his head, covering his mouth with one hand, his expression exaggerated.
— OMG, that top-tier Omega next door is too beautiful.
Only he was posting in the group chat. Gao Lan took out his phone to look but didn’t react.
Zhong Xiu felt her desk shaking. She kicked Yu Tian’s stool with her foot. Her desk was right next to Lin Xi’s.
Glancing outside, Zhong Xiu only caught a back view. What was most impressive was a head of lustrous hair reaching her waist. Even without seeing her face, one would assume she was stunning.
Moreover, the Omega was very tall. Although perhaps not as tall as Lin Xi, Zhong Xiu estimated her height to be around 175cm. Such a tall Omega was extremely rare. She was wearing the Experimental High School uniform, which looked new, the fabric so white it had a bluish tint.
Ms. Annihilator (the teacher) had to crane her neck to walk beside her, a rare smile on her face, accompanying the Omega all the way to the stairwell.
“What are you looking at?” Lin Xi noticed her distraction and looked out as well, only seeing a beaming Ms. Annihilator.
“Nothing,” Zhong Xiu sighed inwardly. This Omega was too outstanding; even she was a little impressed. She wondered if Lin Xi would…
They were both top-tier. Their compatibility should be very high. The stronger the attraction between an Alpha and an Omega, the higher the rank. Top-tier was many times stronger than ordinary ranks.
“Why didn’t I take a picture!” Yu Tian fiercely smacked his hand, filled with regret.
That Omega seemed to have only come to register. It was said that she wouldn’t formally transfer until next week, after the second monthly exam.
Her arrival was like throwing a stone into the calm lake of Experimental High School. The red banner hanging in the hallway that read, “Master one question, one question decides your fate; strive for one point, one point achieves your life,” rippled with excitement.
The news of the top-tier Omega’s appearance spread along the row of buildings. From the freshmen to the seniors, a neat row of heads popped out of the classroom windows, mostly Alphas, some undifferentiated, and even Omegas weren’t immune.
It was a pity that the student named Xia Mu was no longer on campus, or she might have been startled by the enthusiasm of these students.
There’s a saying: if you want to know the latest gossip in a school, the best place is the restroom, regardless of whether you’re an Alpha, Omega, or Beta.
Zhong Xiu was in the restroom now. The sound of girls discussing outside couldn’t even be masked by the sound of the flushing toilet.
“She’s so gorgeous. You wouldn’t believe it, when she walked into our classroom, the teacher was stunned and broke the chalk several times.”
“I used to think Shen Zhiqiu was the limit of a goddess. Now I have to change my opinion.”
“Yeah!” Two girls outside slapped hands, agreeing on Xia Mu’s stunning looks.
“Then Shen Zhiqiu must be very sad. Xia Mu surpasses her by a large margin in both rank and grades.”
“Yeah, when Xia Mu came in, I specifically watched Zhiqiu. She only looked up at first, and then she kept her head down reading.”
Zhong Xiu remembered that Shen Zhiqiu’s expression hadn’t been good since she heard the news on flag-raising day. She probably found it hard to accept another Omega who was superior to her.
The topic of the students outside shifted from Xia Mu and Shen Zhiqiu to Xia Mu and Lin Xi. Zhong Xiu didn’t listen any further. She quickly washed her hands and left.
In the classroom, Yu Tian was twisting his body and harassing Lin Xi, talking animatedly. Without listening, Zhong Xiu knew he must be talking to Lin Xi about Xia Mu.
“Zhong Xiu, you’re finally back. I told her that Omega is a fairy, but she didn’t believe me. Tell her, isn’t the new student absolutely beautiful!”
“Gao Lan, you missed seeing her, it’s a loss of a million dollars.”
“Mhm,” Gao Lan casually responded.
“I only saw her back, but she should be a very beautiful Omega,” Zhong Xiu said honestly.
“Did you hear that? Did you hear that?” Yu Tian excitedly shook his arms. “I told you, you’ll definitely fall in love with her with just one look.”
“You said the same thing when you first saw Shen Zhiqiu,” Gao Lan interjected.
“This time is absolutely different!” Yu Tian patted his chest.
“What do you think?” Zhong Xiu asked the Alpha, who hadn’t spoken yet.
“Think about what?” Lin Xi turned her head to look at her, a ray of sunshine falling on the upper left corner of the desk.
“The top-tier Omega.”
“I didn’t see her.” Lin Xi had gone to the hospital again yesterday. The doctor still insisted that she interact with Omegas and told her the higher the rank, the better.
“Oh,” she actually didn’t say, “I don’t really think anything.” Zhong Xiu sensed a slight difference in her tone when referring to the top-tier Omega compared to others.
Her heart felt a little sour.
Although she already knew her pheromone scent, Zhong Xiu had secretly ordered a few rosemary seeds. But just as the seller had warned, rosemary seeds have a very low germination rate, especially in summer.
— So, are you worried that Omega will steal your Alpha?
Lion sent her a message, followed by a smiley face emoji.
— No, she wasn’t mine to begin with.
Zhong Xiu replied sheepishly.
— Why so little confidence in yourself? Maybe that Omega is more interested in you than in your Alpha.
— How could that be!
Lin Xi must still be looking for another Omega whose pheromones match hers.
This conjecture was indirectly confirmed during tutoring after school.
In the study, Zhong Xiu was working on a complex physics problem that Lin Xi had specially assigned her. It was a hot afternoon, and Lin Xi had sweated a lot and had gone downstairs to shower.
The problem wasn’t long, and the steps to analyze it weren’t too complicated. Zhong Xiu was solving it very smoothly with a little effort.
Lin Xi had pre-planned these problems and prepared a simple answer key. Her intention was for Zhong Xiu to look at the simple answer and redo the problem herself, which was equivalent to self-correction. If she still couldn’t solve it, Lin Xi would give her a detailed explanation later.
So, after finishing, Zhong Xiu went to her schoolbag to get the answer key.
The soft, small white cloud hanging next to her schoolbag—Zhong Xiu had searched for it online and found no matching sales. She heard it was made by Lin Xi herself during a childhood handicraft class. Zhong Xiu secretly pinched it.
The answer key was in the largest pocket of the schoolbag. Taken out with the key was the Asian beauty pageant magazine that Yu Tian had promised to give Lin Xi, and another complimentary magazine featuring sexy softcore models from Yu Tian.
“…”
The sexy softcore models magazine was on top. The Omega on the cover had a very fiery pose, sticking out her tongue as if to lightly lick the camera, her slightly lowered upper body revealing a deep cleavage.
Zhong Xiu had completely unexpected a magazine like that in Lin Xi’s schoolbag and was stunned for quite a while.
She didn’t look closely at the magazine underneath or flip through the content. She stuffed both magazines back into the schoolbag and returned it to its original place.
The formulas and text in the book suddenly became unfamiliar. Zhong Xiu’s mind was now filled with the Omega’s intensely desiring eyes.
So, she likes this type.
When Lin Xi came out after her shower, she saw Zhong Xiu staring blankly out the window, wondering what she was thinking.
“Finished?”
“Yes.”
Turning around, she could see the refreshing Alpha in a white T-shirt, still carrying the faint scent of body wash. It was hard to reconcile such a clean and sunny girl with that magazine full of lust and desire.
“Let me see.”
Zhong Xiu handed the notebook over. The moment she lowered her head, her eyes suddenly turned red.