Ruan Mei heard about the matter already on the second day. When she woke up in the morning and checked her phone, all the new posts on the school forum were discussing it.
“Regarding my Male God becoming an absolute fierce Alpha, those who want a number should gather here!”
“Gu Yanlin is the handsomest and most Alpha school heartthrob in First High, who dares to object?”
“Wuwuwuwu I really want to know what the Male God’s pheromones smell like! They must smell super good aah aah aah, are there any AO who can smell them to share?”
“The Male God has differentiated, where is the Goddess? Among the current Omegas, are there any suitable ones, everyone come in and nominate!”
Ruan Mei had a ‘subway elder with a phone’ look (a popular meme expressing bewilderment/disgust) as she quickly skimmed the thread titles and backed out. She didn’t want to get too involved with the male lead. After all, in the original novel, the person who ultimately caused her death was the male lead, not the female lead. Therefore, the male lead was actually her most direct enemy, and Ruan Mei had no interest in him, filled only with fear and disgust.
Unfortunately, probably because Gu Yanlin was so popular, Ruan Mei heard many people discussing the matter during the break, and some even enthusiastically pulled her into the conversation.
The male Omega who had been knitting a scarf before, named Li Xiu, was cupping his face, leading the girls and a few boys in infatuated chatter:
“Ah I really want to know what a top Alpha’s pheromones smell like! They must be especially Man!”
A girl asked Li Xiu:
“You’re so desperate for him, aren’t you afraid your Alpha will get jealous?”
Li Xiu chuckled:
“My Alpha won’t get jealous. She and I are both ordinary quality, and we have no interaction with someone like Gu Yanlin at all. It’s just like having a crush on a celebrity, it doesn’t affect anything.
Besides, the hierarchy suppression among Alphas is very strong. If Gu Yanlin really took a liking to me, she wouldn’t be able to stop him and would just have to hand me over. Aiya, now that I say it, I feel a little reluctant…”
Ruan Mei looked at Li Xiu, who was cupping his face and shaking his head bashfully, and suddenly realized that if Fang Zhishui differentiated into an Omega, she would definitely end up with Gu Yanlin, for no other reason than that one was a top Alpha and the other a top Omega.
In every sense of the word, these two were a match made in heaven.
At this thought, Ruan Mei’s brow unconsciously furrowed, and a place in her heart felt subtly uncomfortable and stifled.
She walked past her classmates, no longer listening to their conversation, and returned to her seat, looking at Fang Zhishui’s empty desk in front of her.
Only neatly arranged books and a pen were there. Her stationery, like herself, was simple, all black, and without any flashy decorations.
Ruan Mei looked down at her own things her pencil case had a strawberry print, her pen was topped with a big strawberry logo, and her notebook covers were all strawberries… Hmm, was it a bit too pink?
Look at Fang Zhishui; her low-key luxurious style matched the similarly low-key luxurious original male lead perfectly.
Ruan Mei touched her chest, the feeling of being stifled lingered and intensified, and her mood suddenly dropped.
She pursed her lips, lowered her head to look at her homework, and immersed herself in the ocean of knowledge.
It was too cold in winter, so Fang Zhishui took Marshmallow (the pet) to a small pet-boarding shop. Every few days, she and Ruan Mei would go together to visit Marshmallow.
Ruan Mei insisted on paying half of the boarding costs, and Fang Zhishui surprisingly didn’t object much.
“The two of us together will raise Marshmallow well,” Fang Zhishui said earnestly to Ruan Mei.
On the day they went to see Marshmallow together, Fang Zhishui would give Ruan Mei a small gift.
“Since you’ve differentiated into an Alpha now, your appetite will be bigger. You must eat until you’re full; it’s good for your health. These were all given to me by others, and I don’t like to eat them, so they’re all for you.”
In the luxury car, before every farewell, Fang Zhishui would take out beautifully packaged gourmet food or daily necessities, shove them into Ruan Mei’s hands, and tell her to take them home.
High-end ham, fancy desserts, exotic chocolates, and so on all kinds of things. Ruan Mei didn’t even have time to refuse before Fang Zhishui hit the gas and drove away.
Ruan Mei could only take them all home, but she couldn’t explain it to her grandmother, so she had to claim that they were all employee benefits.
After taking things like this a few times, one night, when Ruan Mei returned with a large bag of egg yolk pastries, she found her grandmother sitting in the center chair of the living room. Her grandmother suddenly slapped the table, her gaze extremely sharp:
“You brat! Didn’t you listen to me? Are you still hanging out with that rich person and bringing their things home?”
Ruan Mei trembled all over in shock. She didn’t dare to lie and could only nod:
“She said these were all given to her by others… I didn’t want them either, but she forced them on me…”
As Ruan Mei spoke, she watched her grandmother’s expression and retreated in fear.
“How dare you be as disobedient as your mother! So disobedient, you… me… what kind of things have I raised!”
The grandmother was shaking with anger. She shakily stood up, pulled off the slipper on her foot, and holding the shoe, came up to Ruan Mei, making a gesture to hit her.
Ruan Mei’s tears immediately streamed down. She had never been hit in her previous life, and her parents never even spoke harsh words to her; she was completely unable to bear a scene like this.
“You unfilial girl’s unfilial grandchild… what sin did I commit in my past life to end up with something like this…”
Under the pale electric light, the grandmother’s face was lined with wrinkles, and hot tears slowly fell from her cloudy eyes.
The two stood facing each other. Ruan Mei was crying miserably, and the grandmother was silently weeping, her slipper falling to the floor with a ‘pa’ sound.
“Grandma… why… why is this happening? Wuwuwu… I, can’t I even just hang out with a classmate…”
Ruan Mei felt especially wronged. Now, only the female lead, Fang Zhishui, knew her secret. Fang Zhishui had willingly kept her secret, and Ruan Mei felt she couldn’t repay her kindness. If she adamantly refused even Fang Zhishui’s gifts, wouldn’t that be a bit too abnormal?
She wanted to stay away from the plot, but she didn’t want to be an ungrateful, heartless person; she wanted to have a normal school life.
Moreover, after receiving Fang Zhishui’s gifts recently, Ruan Mei was already planning a thoughtful return gift whose value was comparable to what she received.
She had just been keeping it a secret from everyone. Yet, her grandmother reacted so strongly… Ruan Mei sobbed, unable to stop.
“You silly child… this is my fate, my fate!”
Her grandmother took two steps and hugged Ruan Mei, tears streaming down her old face, falling onto Ruan Mei’s head and shoulder.
Ruan Mei was crying herself but still reached out to pat her grandmother’s back, her mind a mess.
“Grandma… is it… about my mom…”
As Ruan Mei asked this, her grandmother instantly stopped trembling, stood up straight, turned her back, and whispered:
“Go study. Tomorrow, I’ll call your homeroom teacher. Go study…”
Her grandmother walked into her small bedroom, her figure seemingly melting into the unlit room, into the indistinguishable darkness.
After this farce that night, during the long break on the second day, the homeroom teacher, Zhang Fan, changed all the seats.
“We’re nearing the final exams. Let’s rearrange the seating so everyone can focus on the test and not be affected by their classmates’ state.”
When Ruan Mei heard this, her heart sank with an ominous feeling.
She glanced at Fang Zhishui and saw that Fang Zhishui was also looking at her, her gaze filled with worry.
Sure enough, Zhang Fan quickly finished the seating arrangement, placing Ruan Mei and Fang Zhishui on the far left and far right of the classroom, respectively.
Many people separated them; they couldn’t even see each other when they looked up; they were completely isolated.
Finally, Zhang Fan meaningfully glanced at both Ruan Mei and Fang Zhishui and said seriously:
“The previous pairing activity is now over. The paired students no longer have an obligation to help each other. If anyone has questions, just ask the teacher directly.”
After that, Zhang Fan cleared his throat and started the lecture.
Coincidentally, in this new seating arrangement, Ruan Mei’s front row was the class monitor, Chu Wanji. It was clear that the homeroom teacher, Zhang Fan, was taking good care of Ruan Mei, replacing the grade’s first-ranked student with the fourth-ranked one.
Ruan Mei listlessly finished the class, not paying attention to Chu Wanji in the front row.
When the class ended, her first instinct was to look at Fang Zhishui and found that the other girl was also looking at her. Their eyes met.
Ruan Mei tilted her head toward the door, walked out first, and stood anxiously at the hallway entrance, unsure if Fang Zhishui would understand what she meant.
Before long, Fang Zhishui walked over and stood in front of Ruan Mei.
“The change in seating… it might be because of my grandmother. Um, I’m sorry, but please don’t give me things anymore. I can’t take them home; if I do, my grandmother will get angry. She almost hit me over it yesterday.”
Ruan Mei, clutching the corner of her clothes, said seriously.
Her original appearance was delicate and lovely, with small features, like a gentle beauty from the Jiangnan region. Now, with her head bowed and a tearful ending to her voice, it sounded less like an apology and more like a complaint.
Fang Zhishui stared at her for a while before finally nodding:
“Mhm, I understand. Then, in the future, when we go to see Marshmallow, I’ll take you home early.”
Ruan Mei nodded, lifted her eyes, and saw Fang Zhishui’s dark, deep eyes. Suddenly, many questions rushed into her mind, but she didn’t know where to start.
There was a wind at the hallway entrance, bringing the intense cold of winter. It felt a bit like knives scraping her face. Ruan Mei couldn’t help but reach up and touch her face, remembering she had cried yesterday; her dark circles must be heavy, and she probably didn’t look very good…
“Classmate Fang, what a coincidence, meeting you again.”
Just then, a surprised male voice came from the stairwell.
Fang Zhishui and Ruan Mei turned their heads at the same time and saw the current absolute fierce Alpha of the school, Gu Yanlin, standing in the corner of the stairs. Beside him was Chen Ruo, a school celebrity wearing a flashy pink suit.
The moment Ruan Mei saw Chen Ruo, she was a little confused at first, but immediately connected his name to the original plot.
Chen Ruo was the second male lead in the original novel, with a high-profile, nasty, debauched, yet deep personality, sometimes even turning into a villain.
The second male lead was a good friend of the first male lead, Gu Yanlin, and would also fall for the female lead, Fang Zhishui. His pheromone match with Fang Zhishui was even better than Gu Yanlin’s. Because of this, Chen Ruo often released his pheromones throughout the school like a proud peacock when pursuing Fang Zhishui later in the story.
His personality was also very “peacock-like.” Seeing two beauties in front of him now, he immediately let out a whistle and teased Gu Yanlin:
“Old Gu, when did you meet such a stunning girl and not introduce her to me?”
Ruan Mei felt a little nervous. Was this the plot confronting her head-on?
She quietly moved to stand behind Fang Zhishui. Fang Zhishui noticed, took a step forward, completely shielding her, then casually nodded to Gu Yanlin, her tone cold:
“Mhm, we are going back to class.”
Gu Yanlin was clearly anxious. He took two steps forward and said directly:
“Classmate Fang, I’ve differentiated a top Alpha!”
Fang Zhishui was indifferent:
“Oh, congratulations.”
Ruan Mei:
“Pfft…”
This cold tone was truly a bit funny, and Ruan Mei couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Gu Yanlin gritted his teeth and asked unwillingly:
“What about you? Have you differentiated? Are you an A or an O?”
Fang Zhishui was even colder, her eyes sharp, and her tone carried anger:
“Are you prying into my privacy?”
Ruan Mei raised her eyes to study Fang Zhishui, trying to figure out from her expression whether she had differentiated, but could only tell that she was angry.
Ruan Mei actually wanted to know the answer too… but she knew that Fang Zhishui wouldn’t tell, even to a friend like herself, let alone the stranger male lead.
Ruan Mei gave Gu Yanlin a slightly sympathetic look.
Gu Yanlin was speechless for a moment, at a loss, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.
Chen Ruo laughed heartily on the side and clapped maliciously:
“I’ve never seen you so anxious, Old Gu. It seems you’ve really fallen for her… Hey, girls up front!”
Chen Ruo suddenly called out to Fang Zhishui. Fang Zhishui was unmoved, turning to walk up the stairs as if she hadn’t heard anything.
However, Fang Zhishui’s movement revealed Ruan Mei’s figure. Ruan Mei was directly facing Chen Ruo’s handsome, sarcastic face and was stunned for a moment.
Chen Ruo stared at Ruan Mei and instantly understood that this girl was very gentle and should be easy to manipulate. He stepped forward, winked at Ruan Mei, lowered his voice, and spoke with deliberate charm:
“Hey little girl, how about we discuss something? The two of us could cooperate and set up your friend with my friend?”
As Chen Ruo spoke, he deliberately batted his eyelashes. He knew that a delicate little beauty like the girl in front of him must be a good girl who had never encountered a personality as direct, enthusiastic, and frank as his, and she would definitely be attracted to him.
Ruan Mei, however, scrunched up her face in disgust, as if she had seen something dirty, seemingly wishing she could teleport ten kilometers away.
“No, you’re too greasy. We need to go to class. Bye.”
Ruan Mei drew a clear line with Chen Ruo in a very firm tone. She looked back and saw that Fang Zhishui was already near the classroom, so she quickly chased after her.
“Yo… why is the little girl so shy… Old Gu, what’s going on with you? Are you interested in that tall beauty? Tell your brother, your brother will help you chase girls; I’m guaranteed to succeed!”
Chen Ruo, slightly embarrassed, patted Gu Yanlin’s shoulder. Although his words were nice, a hint of suppressed darkness appeared in his eyes.
Gu Yanlin shook his head, removed Chen Ruo’s hand from his shoulder, and said flatly:
“I’ve only met her a few times. Don’t overthink it. Let’s go.”
Chen Ruo glanced at the door of Class Three’s classroom. The two girls had already walked into the room, one after the other, and were out of sight.
He watched for a moment before leaving, following Gu Yanlin.
In the classroom, Ruan Mei’s heart was pounding when she sat down.
She really wanted to see Fang Zhishui’s expression, to know her attitude towards the male lead—whether, as the original novel suggested, they were outwardly antagonistic but secretly fell in love at first sight.
But… she couldn’t see her!
She was extremely anxious, though she didn’t know where this anxiety came from; she just felt like she was sitting on pins and needles.
Suddenly, her phone in her desk compartment vibrated slightly a new message.
Ruan Mei hid from the teacher and secretly tapped to open it. It was from Fang Zhishui.
[What are your thoughts on Gu Yanlin or Chen Ruo?]
Ruan Mei: ???
What did the female lead mean by asking this? Was she treating Ruan Mei like a best friend and asking if these men were suitable as boyfriends?
Ruan Mei hesitated and wrestled with the question for a long time. She typed a line: [Both of them are good], but that sounded like encouraging romance, so she deleted it.
She wrote another line: [Neither is suitable for you, prioritize your studies], but that sounded too preachy, so she deleted it.
Finally, Ruan Mei wrote: [No opinion, I love studying.]
Click. Send.
She couldn’t hold back and lifted her head to look at Fang Zhishui’s expression. Separated by several people’s heads, Ruan Mei could only see Fang Zhishui’s delicate upper side profile and couldn’t see her mouth.
But she saw that Fang Zhishui’s beautiful eyes seemed to curve when she saw the message.
She was smiling, right? It must be! Were her words funny? No, right? So why was she smiling?
“Ruan Mei! Stop daydreaming, stand up and answer the question!”
The teacher suddenly called her name. Ruan Mei quickly stood up, having no idea what the question was. She frantically flipped through the book and finally managed to stammer out two sentences.
“It’s alright. Don’t daydream in class anymore. Sit down.”
Before Ruan Mei sat down, she subconsciously looked in Fang Zhishui’s direction again.
Fang Zhishui was looking at her, her gaze as gentle as water, her hand resting on her cheek, a crescent-shaped smile hanging on her lips.
Beautiful like a little fairy.
Zhishui: This is great. She loves studying, and I am the grade’s first ranked student, so I’m good at studying! Rounding up, she loves me.