What the hell, Zhuang Chi thought. There’s no way I actually wrote this plot and these lines, right?
In the ABO worldview she had come to understand over the years, pheromones were an extremely important and private matter for everyone. Generally, people did not openly discuss the scent of pheromones, as it was something only partners would come into contact with. It was fine for close friends to chat about it privately, but for someone like Ling Jing to brazenly ask, “Can I smell your pheromones?” was either a marriage proposal or harassment.
And it was obviously not the former. Wasn’t this woman just being a complete hooligan?
Zhuang Chi stood woodenly, still unwilling to accept the high probability that this was a plot she herself had written back then. But memories of the names “Ling Jing” and “An Chen” were gradually surfacing in her mind.
To put it simply, they were the very classic archetypes of the “arrogant and domineering school tyrant” and the “academically outstanding student council president” found in campus stories. And, unsurprisingly, both of them would fall for Gu Ximian. In fact, even without these memories, she could already see the early signs of it. Not to mention that An Chen was an old acquaintance of Gu Ximian’s, and although Ling Jing was a new face, she had already shown an unusually strong interest in Gu Ximian—albeit expressed in a very poor manner.
…Besides, how should she put it, Zhuang Chi thought. Did she really have to keep standing here? Between Ling Jing and Gu Ximian?
Ever since her failed escape attempt when Ling Jing had knocked her back, she had been plotting to find a chance to leave. But watching the three of them go back and forth, the development of the situation left no room for her to interject. Forcing her way in to say goodbye and leave would be too strange, and it would be even harder to sneak away unnoticed under everyone’s watchful eyes. As a result, the situation had been dragged out to this point.
In other words, from a geographical standpoint, the words Ling Jing had just said to Gu Ximian were actually more akin to being said to her.
Help me. This was just like the torture of “listening to someone else read your cringey old stories out loud with great emotion.” Zhuang Chi’s spirit was being damaged in every sense of the word. Ling Jing had long since noticed her presence and was frequently shooting her glares filled with displeasure, as if to say, “What are you doing just standing there?” Zhuang Chi thought to herself, You think I want to be here? Even if she couldn’t escape immediately, she could have at least stepped aside a little. That would be much better than standing between the two of them now. The reason she was still here was, was because—
…Wasn’t it because Gu Ximian was clearly using her to hide from Ling Jing.
It probably wasn’t intentional. Gu Ximian had simply taken a subconscious step back behind Zhuang Chi when Ling Jing approached her, but it was enough to make Zhuang Chi halt her own intended step to the side. With a half-sigh in her heart, she reluctantly served as a wall to block Ling Jing.
She must be scared, right? Zhuang Chi thought. A strange Alpha suddenly showing interest in you is just like the beginning of some malicious crime.
The worst part was, the ultimate culprit behind this whole affair was none other than Zhuang Chi herself. Although she definitely hadn’t written it with malicious intent—nine times out of ten, she was just influenced by the domineering CEO genre that was popular back then—but…
After one’s age and era change, one’s perception of the same things can also change considerably. This was a perfect description of the current Zhuang Chi. Her mood at this moment was incredibly strange. On one hand, she wanted to travel back in time and knock out the younger Zhuang Chi who had just started writing. On the other hand, she was still trying hard to recall how this incident developed afterward.
Recalling memories from over a decade ago was truly difficult. While she was still struggling to think, An Chen had already strode over in a few quick steps, standing beside Zhuang Chi and glaring at Ling Jing. “Ling Jing! What nonsense are you spouting!”
“What, she hasn’t even said anything herself,” Ling Jing retorted, not to be outdone. Though slightly shorter than An Chen, she did her best to lift her head. “I’m not trying to do anything, I just want to… Ugh, anyway, it’s just a little sniff.”
“You still say it so lightly…!”
Fine, the two Alphas were arguing, so it seemed they had no time to bother with them for now. Zhuang Chi silently took half a step back, away from the battlefield, and retreated to Gu Ximian’s side. She turned her head and met a pair of eyes as clear as a deer’s. Gu Ximian was looking at her.
Still not used to seeing such eyes the moment she turned her head, Zhuang Chi flinched and gave her a sheepish smile. The other girl returned a serene smile. If not for the fiery argument raging in front of them, it would have been a truly delightful sight.
…Strange. Zhuang Chi glanced at Gu Ximian’s calm brow. She felt… as if Gu Ximian was completely detached from the situation.
Generally, shouldn’t the female protagonist be at the center of the plot and drive its development? Although a storm was indeed brewing around Gu Ximian, she looked as if she had no intention of getting involved. It had been like this from the beginning. She just stood there, clear and cool, as if waiting to see how things would unfold.
Come to think of it, Gu Ximian’s personality did seem to be like this. Zhuang Chi shook her head slightly as a piece of evidence abruptly popped up in her fuzzy memory.
【A species like Alphas… they’re kind of like fighting cocks.】
…Alright, if she remembered correctly, that was probably how she had described Gu Ximian’s inner thoughts here.
“Ugh, this is so annoying!”
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Ling Jing’s exasperated voice. Zhuang Chi looked up with a start and saw Ling Jing run a hand through her hair in frustration, saying angrily, “I already said I just want to smell it…! Can’t you just loosen that strap a little!”
She seemed to have more to say but stopped herself abruptly, her pretty face flushing red. Biting her lip, she changed the subject. “…One thing at a time. No one has answered my first question yet. So, did you just differentiate recently or not?”
Ling Jing craned her neck, peering over An Chen’s shoulder to look at Gu Ximian. She then fidgeted and gestured around her own neck. “Isn’t this the kind of thing you wear when you’ve just differentiated and can’t control your pheromone leakage on your own?”
Indeed. Zhuang Chi silently nodded in her heart. Although it looked like the choker accessories from her world, in the ABO world where everyone had a gland on the back of their neck, such an accessory that brought a sense of restraint to the extremely delicate gland was not popular. So, it basically only existed as an aid for Alphas and Omegas during the period after differentiation when they couldn’t fully control their pheromones, using some high-tech physical barrier to prevent accidental leakage.
Although that was generally the case, Gu Ximian’s situation was different. Zhuang Chi looked at Gu Ximian, her gaze briefly sweeping over her neck. Her fair skin was encircled by a finger-width black cloth, tied in a knot approximately where her gland was. Black cloth on snowy skin—it was reserved, yet it held a faint, indescribable allure.
In her setting, Gu Ximian was supposed to have differentiated very early. She was a natural S-class Omega. The reason she still wore a choker was that her pheromone level was too high, making it difficult to control completely on her own, so she had no choice but to wear it all the time.
…Back then, she had written such a setting purely because she thought chokers were pretty. The younger Zhuang Chi hadn’t thought one bit about how uncomfortable it would be for the gland to be compressed. But for the current Zhuang Chi, who now understood the common sense of the ABO world…
Ah, this is just awful. Zhuang Chi closed her eyes in pain. Whatever the reason, now that she had actually met the person in question, her guilt towards Gu Ximian had been surging uncontrollably in the short span of a dozen minutes…!
Awful, as in the feeling that “the other person’s suffering is all my fault.” Including this Alpha, Ling Jing, who was now questioning and pressuring her—wasn’t she also a creation of Zhuang Chi’s… Wow…
Zhuang Chi’s mood plummeted. This time, Gu Ximian seemed to have noticed. She could feel Gu Ximian’s gaze linger on her for a moment, which made her tense up again. Fortunately, when Gu Ximian spoke, her words were not directed at her, but were a standard response to Ling Jing’s question. “No. I differentiated very early.”
She fell silent after saying that, with no intention of explaining why she was still wearing a choker. Ling Jing, however, didn’t press the issue. Instead, her face suddenly lit up with visible happiness, and she hummed in satisfaction. “I knew it… Then let me smell it. Just loosen that strap, okay?”
Wow, she said that so matter-of-factly. Zhuang Chi scrunched up her face, and then, as expected, she heard Gu Ximian’s gentle yet firm reply, “I refuse.”
Ling Jing was clearly stunned for a moment. Then, her eyes and shoulders slumped in unison, and her voice dropped two octaves. “…You…”
She didn’t continue, looking to be in a terrible mood. After a long silence, she furiously ruffled her already messy long hair, then said in a “what can I do with you” tone, “Fine then. Telling me what your pheromones smell like is also acceptable.”
Oh. Zhuang Chi silently closed her eyes. The level of harassment had probably decreased by about ten percent. How could she act as if this was the next best thing?
Gu Ximian had probably never met someone like this before. She was silent for a long moment, then smiled warmly.
“There is none,” she said softly. “My pheromones have no scent.”
“…” Ling Jing clearly did not accept this answer. Her expression grew darker, and her whole body seemed to be simmering with anger. “…Are you trying to fool me?”
“Of course not.” An angry Alpha was dangerous, but Gu Ximian showed no fear, merely shaking her head earnestly. “I’ve answered your questions. I’m going to register now, please move aside.”
As if Ling Jing would let her. She stood her ground, puffing out her cheeks, refusing to move. An Chen shot her an annoyed look and said in a low voice, “I will report everything that happened today to the principal. Let’s go.”
The first half was for Ling Jing, the latter for Gu Ximian. Zhuang Chi, who hadn’t been named, wondered if she could slip away now. It seemed like this incident was more or less over… right?
…She felt like something was still missing. Zhuang Chi thought vaguely. Although her memory was really fuzzy, in this incident, there should still be—
“…Damn it, I don’t care anymore.”
Amidst her thoughts, she heard a mumble. Zhuang Chi turned her head and saw Ling Jing, who seemed to have lost her temper, suddenly look up and point in their direction. “…Then I’ll just figure out a way to take that cloth strip off myself!”
Zhuang Chi was startled. Scattered images flashed through her mind. An Chen reacted quickly, already moving closer to Ling Jing to prevent any potential violent acts. But to his surprise, Ling Jing didn’t rush towards Gu Ximian. Instead, she took a step back, snorted at him defiantly, and then, without any warning, blew a sharp whistle.
A whistle. Zhuang Chi’s heart skipped a beat. Her gaze subconsciously shifted down to the thick-looking leather glove on Ling Jing’s left hand, whose purpose had been unclear until now.
No way, Zhuang Chi thought. No way, she seemed to remember now—
“Watch out!”
A beat faster than An Chen’s shout, Zhuang Chi had already extended her hand without thinking, shielding the back of Gu Ximian’s neck beside her. Then, amidst the sudden flapping of approaching wings, she felt a sharp pain that instantly spread, burning, across her wrist.
“…!”
Before Zhuang Chi could cry out in pain, her hand was grabbed. The grip was light, accompanied by a soft gasp. Gu Ximian stared at the three scratches of varying depths on Zhuang Chi’s wrist. Blood was already gushing from the deepest one, silently trickling onto her hand that was loosely cupped under Zhuang Chi’s wrist, warm and sticky.
For what was probably the first time today, Zhuang Chi saw Gu Ximian’s eyes suddenly harden, completely devoid of any smile.
“…A hawk,” she said softly, raising her head to look at the gray-white shadow that had just injured Zhuang Chi. Her gaze followed it to Ling Jing’s left hand, her voice low and slow. “So there’s something like this, too.”
…Exactly.
Zhuang Chi silently closed her eyes. Her wrist was scratched, and it hurt quite a bit, but her heart hurt more. Or rather, it was already numb to this kind of plot that she didn’t know how to evaluate, to this kind of unbelievable character setting.
How… How could there be a hawk! What was Ling Jing thinking! What was she herself thinking when she wrote this plot back then!
This place, St. Blaisedon… is the absolute worst!
Huge thanks to Cal for the support!
