Zhuang Chi stayed muffled in her quilt for a while, only poking her head out with a start when the door was knocked on again, thinking Gu Ximian had come back.
“Zhuang Chi? Are you awake? Can I come in?”
…It was Lu Man’s voice.
Realizing it wasn’t Gu Ximian outside, Zhuang Chi relaxed slightly, yet for some reason, she also felt a little disappointed. She shook her head with a rustle, clearing away these strange thoughts, then cleared her throat and called out, “Come in,” before watching her roommate poke her head through the doorway.
“What are you doing here?” Zhuang Chi’s gaze followed Lu Man as she walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. “Did you come just to see me? Did the infirmary staff notify you?”
“No, and I didn’t need the infirmary to tell me. It’s spread pretty widely around the school.”
Lu Man stared at her collar for a few seconds and sighed. “I heard someone got trapped in the sports warehouse and differentiated… That could only be you, right? You’re the only person in the entire school who hadn’t differentiated yet.”
“So I came over as soon as I heard, but you weren’t awake yet, so I waited outside. It was the doctor who just came out of your room who told me you were awake, but he also said Gu Ximian was in your room, so I figured… I’d just wait a little longer.”
Her pause at the end was a bit subtle, making Zhuang Chi look at her a few more times. Lu Man averted her gaze, sat up a little straighter, and chose her words carefully, inexplicably lowering her voice to a whisper even though they were the only two in the room. “…Speaking of Gu Ximian, when she left just now, she asked me to tell you that she’s heading back first, and to contact her anytime if you need anything… What’s going on with you two? Nothing bad happened, did it?”
“…”
It was hard to tell if it was out of concern or gossip, or perhaps a bit of both. Zhuang Chi’s eyes flickered away as she said evasively, “…No, it’s nothing major…”
Fortunately, Lu Man was very good at reading the room. Seeing Zhuang Chi’s reaction, she knew she didn’t want to talk about it and tactfully changed the subject. “Well, on second thought, it’s probably for the best that you two left separately. Otherwise, you’d definitely be stared at by everyone—don’t give me that blank look. Two people trapped alone in the sports warehouse, one an Omega and the other differentiating into an Alpha on the spot. Of course that’s a topic university students would be interested in.”
“…Are the students at this school a bit too keen on this kind of thing?”
Zhuang Chi felt a little gloomy, thinking about how quickly such things always spread at St. Blaisedon. Lu Man replied with a straight face, “Yeah, aren’t all university students like this?” She then added, “It can’t be helped. You and Gu Ximian are already quite famous, not to mention Gu Ximian’s classmates were all outside when you were rescued. Every single one of them witnessed the scene firsthand. There’s no telling how many people saw.”
“But I guess that’s a good thing,” Lu Man said nonchalantly. “A lot of people saw it, and they all know each other… so the rumors are actually pretty close to reality. Gu Ximian’s reputation hasn’t been damaged at all, don’t worry.”
Zhuang Chi had indeed been worried about that, so she felt some relief hearing this. Lu Man paused, then added, “…After all, you were tied up, so it was obvious nothing happened.”
“…”
“…What a complicated expression. Well, that part of the story spread too, and… it’s not exactly a bad rumor, is it?” Seeing Zhuang Chi’s face scrunch up, Lu Man did her best to console her. “Because everyone knows that unless an Alpha cooperates, it’s very difficult for an Omega to subdue and tie them up on their own. So, everyone’s opinion of you has actually improved…”
She glanced at Zhuang Chi’s completely flushed face and said silently, “…But I can understand why you’d feel embarrassed. How awful. For something like this to be known by the whole school.”
…Whatever. Zhuang Chi took a deep breath and exhaled. St. Blaisedon was just this kind of place; she’d have to get used to it. She decided to steer the conversation away from this mess and remembered the person she had replaced. “…Speaking of which, have you checked on Ling Jing? Is she okay?”
“Her? Oh, her allergy is no longer a problem, but I heard her susceptible period started, so they gave her an inhibitor shot and locked her up. She won’t be out until tomorrow at the earliest.”
That sounded like they were treating a bird of prey.
It sounded both tragic and funny, but when Zhuang Chi remembered that she was now an Alpha herself and might face the same treatment during her susceptible period if things went wrong, she couldn’t laugh anymore.
In any case, at least she wasn’t locked up in the infirmary for now. After her conversation with Lu Man ended, Zhuang Chi received a few vials of injectable Alpha inhibitors from the infirmary and was told she could leave after a long list of instructions.
“They said you can come get them every month if you need to,” Lu Man, a Beta who had never experienced these things, said as she curiously turned the inhibitor over and over in her hands on the way back to the dorm. “But an Alpha’s susceptible period isn’t as regular as an Omega’s, right? It’s not a monthly thing? Though I’ve heard the frequency varies from person to person… I wonder what it’ll be like for you.”
“I hope it’s not too frequent…”
Walking down the path, her feet still felt a little unsteady. Zhuang Chi let out a soft sigh. The path from the infirmary had been deserted, but the closer they got to the dormitory, the more people there were. While she could act nonchalant, the collar on her neck was impossible to hide, and she could definitely feel the gazes of those around her—she wondered if it was because she had differentiated into an Alpha, but her awareness of such things felt sharper than before.
Before leaving the infirmary, she had been repeatedly warned not to take off the collar for the time being. She was also told very seriously to protect the gland on the back of her neck from any impact (mainly physical force and other people’s pheromones), especially during this first month after differentiation, otherwise, there could be unpredictable consequences.
They probably emphasized this because they knew she had pressed on it in the warehouse. Zhuang Chi thought about what a delicate organ she had acquired, raising a hand to touch her collar. It was thicker and heavier than Gu Ximian’s, which was clearly custom-made. To be honest, it was uncomfortable to wear, but on second thought, it was also quite reassuring. At least it added a layer of protection and could block any potential impact…
“I’ve only ever seen Gu Ximian wear one of these. It gives off a different feeling on you.” Noticing her movement, Lu Man turned her head and, after a moment of contemplation, offered her assessment. “You look… very loyal right now.”
That didn’t sound like a compliment.
Zhuang Chi didn’t want to dwell on it. In fact, the moment she heard Gu Ximian’s name, her thoughts had already uncontrollably drifted away, forcing her to pick up the matter she had deliberately set aside since Gu Ximian left.
Novel, official pairing. Zhuang Chi silently repeated these two keywords in her mind, followed by another sigh. What should she do?
‘…If my partner is really destined to be you, that would be quite nice.’
Ah, what a strange thing to remember! Zhuang Chi’s breath caught. She tried desperately to suppress the memory of that sentence, but it backfired. Her mind gradually filled with nothing but that thought. She remembered Gu Ximian’s voice and tone with perfect clarity, and it echoed in her ears over and over, leaving Zhuang Chi at a loss.
“…What’s wrong? You’ve suddenly started walking with your arms and legs on the same side.”
Zhuang Chi mumbled that it was nothing in response to Lu Man’s bewildered question, trying hard to correct her suddenly stiff, robotic gait, but she couldn’t stop herself from blinking frantically in nervousness.
Deceiving herself was pointless. Let’s be honest. Zhuang Chi took a deep breath and, in a fit of desperation, laid bare her true thoughts. The option in her mind to “find a way to get out of this situation” had been greatly weakened. In fact, her mind was now filled with the thought that maybe it was okay to go along with Gu Ximian’s idea for now…!
…Be-because, Zhuang Chi scrambled for reasons, not knowing who she was trying to convince, because Gu Ximian also said it didn’t mean they had to be together. She just wanted someone to talk to about this world, so the title of “official pairing” didn’t really matter, right? It felt like there was no need to overreact to this…
Perhaps another word would be more intuitive. What Gu Ximian wanted was probably a “companion.” Zhuang Chi thought. And although she now fully understood the mechanics of this world, judging from Gu Ximian’s words, she might be the only such person in the entire world, so…
…If she refused Gu Ximian, and then had to keep her distance from her, that would be far too cruel.
And if Zhuang Chi became this “companion”… it wouldn’t be entirely without problems. The biggest problem at this stage would probably be getting frequently dragged into those incomprehensible plot vortexes due to her association with Gu Ximian.
Although it was hard to say how much she would be involved. If it was just to the extent of the previous incident of taking away the Alpha in their susceptible period, that would be fine. But if there were more incidents like the one in the sports warehouse… Zhuang Chi’s eyes drooped sorrowfully. It wouldn’t be very good for her mental health…
“…What’s wrong now? You look like a little puppy torn between whether a bath or a trip to the hospital is scarier.”
…What a terrible metaphor from Lu Man. Zhuang Chi’s spirits suddenly deflated. Of course the hospital was scarier. She really did need to find time to go for a physical check-up in the next couple of days—what was she thinking? This wasn’t the time for that. Stop getting sidetracked, brain!
Lu Man, oblivious to her complex inner turmoil, was quite worried that she might be feeling unwell after just differentiating. Fortunately, they were almost at the dorm. She quickly hurried Zhuang Chi inside in a few large steps and urged her to rest well, saying she would go to the cafeteria to get her some food.
Only then did Zhuang Chi notice that the sky outside was already getting dark. She figured Gu Ximian must be home by now. After Lu Man left, the entire dorm fell silent. Zhuang Chi sat alone for a while, then picked up her phone.
【If you’re free tomorrow, let’s meet and talk again】
Let’s just talk first, Zhuang Chi thought. It couldn’t be a repeat of today’s bumbling mess. She needed to properly understand what exactly Gu Ximian needed from her.
She received a reply from Gu Ximian almost immediately. It was concise.
【Okay.】
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