“You have a fever?” Shen Yan froze for a moment. “Do you need medicine?”
Xu Chu’s complexion wasn’t great. He opened his mouth to speak but was instead wracked by a violent coughing fit.
“Don’t you dare die on me!” Shen Yan had never seen him like this before. He yanked Xu Chu out from under the blankets. “I’m taking you to the infirmary.”
Xu Chu’s skin was burning hot, and he looked utterly weak, completely drained by illness.
“Stop cursing me,” Xu Chu said, his face growing even paler. “It’s not a fever. It’s pheromone imbalance. The suppressants don’t seem to be working.”
Earlier that afternoon, Wen Xiuran had also mentioned pheromone imbalance when using his medication. Shen Yan’s mind wandered briefly as he hoisted Xu Chu up, staggering under the weight. He grabbed the railing, his grip so tight his knuckles turned white, barely managing to stay upright.
Why are alphas so damn heavy?!
Summoning every ounce of strength he had, Shen Yan hauled Xu Chu out of the dorm and forced out the question, “What should I do, then?”
“Take me to the campus hospital. I need an injection,” Xu Chu replied weakly.
“Okay, okay.” Shen Yan adjusted his grip on Xu Chu’s shoulder. “Dude, can you at least try to put in some effort? I’m about to collapse.”
It was almost lights-out time. The neighboring dorms had already turned off their lights, leaving the hallway pitch-black except for the occasional flicker of motion-activated lighting.
Xu Chu had been somewhat responsive at first, but halfway there, he stopped answering Shen Yan’s questions. Frowning, Shen Yan glanced over and realized Xu Chu had passed out.
“Xu Chu! Wake up!” Shen Yan had never dealt with this before and was at a loss. His strength was spent, so he had no choice but to set Xu Chu down on the floor to catch his breath.
“Hey, are you two okay?”
Shen Yan looked up to see a guy in a workout tank top standing in front of him, eyeing Xu Chu with confusion.
He seemed like a beta too, but there was no time to dwell on that. Shen Yan tried to grab the guy’s arm, but his own arms were so sore he only managed to clutch at the guy’s pant leg.
Gasping for air, Shen Yan pleaded, “Can you help me get him to the campus hospital? I can’t carry him alone.”
The guy gave an “OK” sign. Shen Yan had intended to help him support Xu Chu, but the guy simply scooped Xu Chu up in his arms and strode off steadily.
“Hey,” the guy called over his shoulder. “Hurry up and follow me.”
Thankfully, there was still a doctor on duty at the campus hospital. After some chaos, Xu Chu was hooked up to an IV, breathing steadily as he lay on the bed.
Exhausted, Shen Yan curled up on the nearby couch, closing his eyes to rest. It was past curfew now, and getting back to the dorm would be difficult.
The campus hospital was quiet at night, though a bit chilly.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway, and someone entered the room. The person paused for a moment before walking softly toward Shen Yan.
Shen Yan couldn’t even be bothered to open his eyes.
The newcomer stopped beside him. After some rustling, Shen Yan felt a thin blanket being draped over him.
Instinctively, he opened his eyes and saw the guy who had helped carry Xu Chu to the hospital.
The guy was still focused on tucking the jacket around him, completely unaware that Shen Yan was studying him intently. When he finally looked up, their eyes met unexpectedly.
The boy’s gaze began to wander aimlessly around the room. He straightened up and stepped aside, his words coming out in a jumbled mess: “Classmate, I didn’t mean anything by it, I just saw you alone and thought—”
“If there’s nothing else, you can go now.”
Go wherever you want.
Shen Yan had no interest in betas, and he didn’t have the energy to pretend to be polite right now. If Shen Yan were a cat, his tail would be flicking impatiently.
He glanced down at the boy’s jacket, maintaining a polite smile on his face, though his tone was flat: “Thank you, but take your jacket. I’m not cold.”
The boy took the jacket back and tied it around his waist, leaning against the table by the window.
“Classmate, we actually met before at the art exhibition, remember?” The boy tilted his head. “You and another classmate helped me hang up my painting.”
Shen Yan vaguely recalled the memory. It was also the first time he had met Wen Xiuran.
“I remember.”
The boy brightened instantly. “I’m Lin Bai. ‘Lin’ as in forest, ‘Bai’ as in white.”
“Shen Yan.”
The campus hospital was a secluded area, rarely visited by anyone other than patients and doctors.
It was nearly midnight now, and only the small convenience store at the hospital entrance was still lit. The light stretched the store’s window into a distorted orange shadow on the dark ground. Frogs croaked incessantly by the drainage ditch next to the inpatient building, accompanied by the occasional drip of water.
Lin Bai paced around the room with his hands clasped behind his back, trying to make conversation. “What did the doctor say? Is Xu Chu’s condition serious?”
“Physical weakness caused by hormonal imbalance.” Shen Yan shifted into a more comfortable position on the sofa, eyes closed as he replied. “Just needs some IV meds, and he’ll be fine.”
While the doctor was preparing Xu Chu’s medication, Shen Yan had specifically asked whether S-rank alphas could also experience hormonal imbalance. The doctor seemed to find the question amusing—the part of his face not covered by the mask crinkled into bright crescents.
“Before an S-rank alpha reaches adulthood, their family will already have found them a compatible omega,” the doctor said, tucking his pen into his pocket as he explained. “Even if the alpha refuses, it won’t affect them. The chances of an S-rank alpha experiencing hormonal imbalance are extremely low. If it happens, there are usually only two reasons: One, they suppress their instincts—maybe they’ve found someone they like, but due to certain circumstances, they choose to restrain themselves, leading to imbalance. Two, they have a partner, but their partner can’t provide them with the necessary hormones, or their partner doesn’t reciprocate their feelings.”
Shen Yan clicked his tongue inwardly. Had Wen Xiuran already been claimed by someone else?
“Can an S-rank alpha’s rut be artificially induced with drugs?” Shen Yan rested an elbow on the table, propping his chin on his hand as he asked nonchalantly. “Just curious.”
The doctor paused, his fingers unconsciously pressing down on the corner of his notepad. “Theoretically, yes. But S-rank alphas are rare and hold high status, so they’re generally excluded from clinical studies. We don’t have much practical data on it.”
“An S-rank alpha will never experience a rut unless they have a mate. Most of the time, they choose to suppress their instincts rather than indulge them. Because once a hormonal bond is established, they become dependent on the omega—experiencing ruts, territorial behavior, even irrational competition with other alphas.”
Shen Yan nodded thoughtfully.
The doctor hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, “Is the person you brought in your alpha?”
Shen Yan shook his head in denial.
“When he wakes up, tell your classmate to use fewer suppressants and find a suitable partner sooner rather than later.”
“Alright, thank you, Doctor.”
Xu Chu spent his days gaming online, and when he wasn’t gaming, he was scouting out restaurants to eat at. Aside from attending classes, his life revolved around eating, drinking, and having fun. The idea of him getting into a relationship was probably harder than reaching the heavens.
Shen Yan turned on his phone, the screen’s glow glaringly bright in the dimly lit room. It was already six in the morning, and he had less than two hours before he had to report to class.
“You can sleep for a bit. I’ll wake you up when it’s time. I have class later too,” Lin Bai said, leaning against the nearby desk. He looked surprisingly alert.
“No need.” Shen Yan had assumed Lin Bai had left long ago. He glanced down at the couch he’d been sleeping on—there was still some space beside him. “Why don’t you sit here?”
“You don’t mind?” Lin Bai asked. “Don’t omegas usually have strong personal boundaries?”
Shen Yan enunciated each word deliberately, “But I’m a beta.”
“I’m a beta too,” Lin Bai said, sitting down on the couch. “You’re really pretty. I bet a lot of people mistake you for an omega, don’t they?”
The two of them chatted idly like this, and before long, dawn broke.
Xu Chu was still fast asleep. Shen Yan helped him request sick leave and informed the nurse to pass the message along when he woke up.
S University’s campus in the morning was bustling with students rushing to class on bikes or electric scooters. By the time Shen Yan finished breakfast and arrived at the classroom, the professor was already there.
The physical exam reports had just been released, and the students were chattering excitedly about them. Shen Yan’s report didn’t include his rank or pheromone type. Aside from his physical condition, there wasn’t much to see.
His deskmate nudged his arm and gossiped, “Shen Yan, listen to this—apparently, this test even included compatibility ratings.”
“Compatibility?” Shen Yan wasn’t very familiar with alpha and omega dynamics. “Is the school assigning partners now?”
“No, no. I just heard that the results were logged into the national database. Supposedly, you can look up the person with the highest compatibility match for you across the entire country.”
“I’m going to check mine later. Maybe my match is an A-rank alpha—that’d make me so happy.”
His deskmate sniffed and frowned slightly. “Where’ve you been? You smell like something.”
Shen Yan lowered his head to sniff himself, confused. “What smell?”
“Pheromones,” his deskmate said, waving a hand in front of his nose. “But it doesn’t matter—you’re a beta, so you can’t smell it anyway. No big deal.”
Shen Yan smiled. The sarcasm in the other’s words was obvious.
Just a C-rank omega, yet acting so high and mighty.
He ignored the chattering omega and opened his tablet to refine the composition of his exhibition piece.
After the professor finished lecturing in the morning, he announced that the next class would begin live sketching and advised the class representatives to find models with distinctive features—no “generic” faces.
Someone cheekily called out, “Find someone hot! Find an alpha so dazzling he’ll blind us!”
“Seconded!”
“That’s the only way we’ll stay motivated to draw!”
After class, Shen Yan didn’t leave immediately. He finalized his composition in the classroom and downloaded a few research papers.
Last time, Shen Yan had openly taken advantage of Wen Xiuran, and he wasn’t sure how long the other would avoid him. Calculating the time, it had already been a week since they last met. It was about time to make his presence known again.
He put on his headphones, hopped on his bike, and headed to the cafeteria, hoping to get lucky.
To his surprise, the moment he stepped inside, he spotted Wen Xiuran sitting at his usual spot, eating alone. People bustled around him, but he kept his head down, eyes fixed on his phone, absorbed in whatever he was reading.
Shen Yan grinned inwardly—today was his lucky day. He let out a low whistle, and the alpha glanced up at him, his expression as cold and indifferent as ever.
But the moment Shen Yan sat down, Wen Xiuran’s face darkened. In an instant, he stood up and walked away without a word.
Confused, Shen Yan chased after him. Why such a strong reaction?
He reached out to grab Wen Xiuran’s arm, but the alpha barely let him touch it before twisting Shen Yan’s wrist and throwing him to the ground.
“Don’t touch me,” Wen Xiuran said coldly. “You reek.”