Since that time, Jiang Xinglan seemed to appear at the medical university quite often.
Sometimes, he would wait for Liang Yan outside the classroom; other times, it didn’t seem like he was waiting at all—just casually dropping by, then “coincidentally” running into Liang Yan in places like the library, study hall, artificial lake, or gym.
Sometimes, he would politely invite him to a meal; other times, they would just exchange a few words before parting ways.
Everything was measured, appropriate, and well-mannered.
That was Liang Yan’s overall impression of him.
Even Yin Tongguang found it surprising: “Yan Yan, you’re actually tolerating an Alpha being around you for this long!”
Although, to be fair, this person was indeed decent—never once overstepping any boundaries.
But as someone who firmly believed that Lai Qiutong was the best Alpha, Yin Tongguang wasn’t going to admit that out loud.
Perhaps it was because their fathers were close friends that Liang Yan couldn’t reject Jiang Xinglan the way he would with other strangers. Instead, he maintained a polite but distant social boundary. And since Jiang Xinglan never pushed his limits, Liang Yan couldn’t find a strong enough reason to constantly turn him down. So, he just went along with it.
However, regarding what Yin Tongguang said about “tolerating an Alpha around for this long”…
Liang Yan thought to himself—actually, there was someone else who had been around even earlier.
But he didn’t say anything, afraid of startling his roommate.
Not only that, but Liang Yan also heard that Ji Qiu had been looking a bit down lately, no longer the bright and cheerful person constantly spreading love and justice.
On the university forum, the debate over whether to “invest” in Ji Qiu’s chances had finally been settled. Since Jiang Xinglan had been spending so much time with Liang Yan recently, those who had bet on Ji Qiu lost everything, crying out in despair, unwilling to believe that this high-quality Alpha from another school had actually taken an interest in the most difficult person to get along with—Liang Yan.
Besides that, other voices were starting to spread:
“I feel like Qiu hasn’t been happy lately.”
“Yeah, I’m in his class, and he hasn’t been smiling much these days.”
“Wuwuwu, bring back my angelic-smiling Ji Qiu!”
“Ahhh, so does this mean I lost my bet?! I was rooting for Ji Qiu!”
“So Jiang Xinglan really did end up pursuing Liang Yan? Give up—there’s no Alpha who’s ever succeeded after getting close to him.”
“Sigh…”
That day, as Liang Yan was leaving the library, he ran into Jiang Xinglan again. After a brief exchange, Jiang Xinglan invited him to sit for a while at the café downstairs.
This guy had really been making his presence known lately.
The café staff were all students working part-time, and when they saw the two people who had been stirring up heated discussions on the forum walk in, they excitedly handed over the menu. “What would you like to drink?”
Liang Yan glanced over it briefly. “Do you have milk tea?”
“Yes,” the server said with a bright smile. “But our signature drink is coffee. We have a unique—”
“Milk tea, then,” Liang Yan interrupted.
Jiang Xinglan smiled at the right moment, placed the order for him, and found a window seat.
“I thought you liked coffee,” Jiang Xinglan said apologetically. “Next time, I’ll bring you Q Café’s signature drink—it’s really good.”
“No need,” Liang Yan declined flatly. “There’s already a shop on the first floor of our campus’s north district.”
Though the line was always ridiculously long.
He recalled how Ji Qiu had once brought him milk tea from that shop. He still wasn’t sure how Ji Qiu managed to skip the queue that time.
Liang Yan had a feeling that Jiang Xinglan was somewhat interested in him, but he wasn’t particularly concerned about it.
As they occasionally chatted, Liang Yan pulled out his coursework and started working on it, completely ignoring what Jiang Xinglan was doing.
Across the low decorative shrubs, at the table next to them, two Alphas were having a conversation. The café was quiet enough that their voices carried over without effort.
One of them seemed to have taken a liking to an Omega and was asking his friend for advice.
“I’m planning to confess to Xiaoguo next week. I’m ready.”
His friend sounded unconcerned. “Don’t stress, man. You’re definitely gonna succeed. Your pheromone compatibility is so high—it’s basically fate.”
“That’s true, but I liked her first. I only found out about our compatibility later.”
“Either way, it’s a good thing. Even biology is telling you two to be together…”
Listening to their conversation, Liang Yan stared at his book absentmindedly for a while.
He suddenly remembered Jiang Xinglan’s opinion on inhibitors last time and grew curious.
Raising his head, Liang Yan called Jiang Xinglan’s name.
The other responded immediately, his deep, pleasant voice just right: “What is it?”
“What’s your take on pheromone compatibility?”
Jiang Xinglan hadn’t expected such a direct question and frowned slightly. “That? Personally… I don’t really like the idea of an innate pairing system.”
Liang Yan stayed silent, not responding.
“To put it bluntly, the so-called pheromone compatibility or high-concordance love that makes AOs pair up—if judged solely on this basis—it’s nothing more than an attraction driven by animalistic desires.” Jiang Xinglan, as expected of an elite from the Political and Law University, seemed to have his own views on these matters. “Humans are constantly evolving. Even if our instincts always drive us toward primal impulses, that’s no reason to be bound by a stranger’s pheromones.”
After finishing, Jiang Xinglan considerately glanced at Liang Yan. “That’s just my opinion. I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable?”
“No,” Liang Yan replied. “Go on.”
“I think love should be a personal choice. You choose someone who suits you, and even if your pheromone levels differ, it doesn’t matter. These things shouldn’t be an issue.” Jiang Xinglan took an elegant sip of his coffee. “Honestly, sometimes I envy Betas. They aren’t bound by any of this.”
As he spoke, he adjusted his glasses. The reflection from the lenses briefly flashed across the window, a sharp glint of light.
That subtle sense of something being off crept up in Liang Yan’s mind again.
He sat there without any extra movement.
He actually wanted to say—since you’re an Alpha, born with natural advantages over others, standing at the top, why are you the one criticizing the most primitive biological instincts?
But Liang Yan felt there was no need to say anything at all.
For some reason, despite Jiang Xinglan being an undeniably outstanding person—flawless in every aspect—he still felt distant.
And as for biological instincts…
He thought of the empty classroom, the cramped break room in KB.
The overwhelming, utterly irresistible scent of pheromones.
That endlessly chatty fake Omega hadn’t come looking for him lately.
Ever since that day in the lab, Ji Qiu had practically vanished from Liang Yan’s sight.
It was true he was busy. Even for the recent joint class with A-class, he had taken a leave of absence.
But Liang Yan had a good idea of the real reason.
Just like Lai Qiutong had said—right now, he couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if another Alpha held him, kissed him, or even…
His mind flashed to the glowing-white patch of skin on the back of Ji Qiu’s neck, the soft texture, the faint scent of mint—the very source of that fragrance.
If someone else were to bite down on that spot…
Just the thought of it made him feel like his susceptibility period was approaching.
The temptation of pheromone compatibility was terrifying. He had no way to resist it.
Maybe staying calm would help—help him see his true feelings for Liang Yan more clearly.
That was how he had been convincing himself every day lately.
Lai Qiutong had noticed, but after saying all that needed to be said, the rest was up to Ji Qiu to figure out.
But before Ji Qiu could, someone came looking for him first.
The S-class classroom was mostly fixed—aside from large lectures and lab courses, they usually had classes in the same room.
Ji Qiu rarely took notes in class. He had already studied the material beforehand, and his self-learning ability was too strong. Sometimes, coming to class was just a formality for attendance credit.
With everything that had been happening recently, he found himself zoning out during lectures.
Finally enduring through a grueling Applied Mechanics session, Ji Qiu felt restless and wanted to find something to lighten his mood. That was when he saw someone approaching him.
He frowned slightly. He hadn’t been in the mood lately—not really eager to put on his “universally adored Omega” act.
“Good afternoon, Qiuqiu.” A female Beta stood before him, looking nervous. Her smile was a little stiff with shyness.
Ji Qiu forced a small smile, still keeping his voice sweet. “What’s up?”
The girl blinked and gestured toward the door. “Someone’s looking for you.”
Ji Qiu was momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded. “Thanks!”
Without hesitation, he got up and walked toward the door.
Despite his popularity, thanks to his skillful attitude and strategic deflections, people’s enthusiasm had gradually shifted from “Ahhh, that little Omega is so cute, I want him!” to “Qiuqiu is amazing! We love you, baby! Go get ’em!”
Since he was approachable yet always kept his distance, the number of serious pursuers had dwindled, while his fanbase continued to grow.
Aside from someone as oblivious as Li Han, no one had dared to seriously pursue him for quite a while.
So when he heard someone was looking for him, a name instantly popped into his mind.
Could it be… him?
If it really was him, what should he do? Was he here to confront him?
It wasn’t like he had been avoiding him on purpose—he was genuinely busy with classes and lab work. If he explained properly, would he forgive him?
Even if he was angry, even if he wanted to hit him, anything would be fine…
For once, Ji Qiu felt nervous.
But when he stepped out of the classroom, the person standing there was someone he had only seen once before.
But the name and face—he remembered them clearly.
Jiang Xinglan.
The string that had been stretched tight in Ji Qiu’s mind suddenly snapped.
Not him.
For a moment, he almost lost the ability to maintain his usual polite smile as he faced this Alpha who had come looking for him for some unknown reason.
Jiang Xinglan wore a high-neck sweater under his open trench coat, his hands casually tucked into his pockets. The long black pants made his legs look impeccably straight and elegant.
By contrast, Ji Qiu was dressed much more casually—an oversized linen jacket over a simple hoodie, paired with joggers and sneakers. But thanks to his tall figure and natural charm, he still exuded a fresh and youthful energy.
Jiang Xinglan, seeing him approach, took a step forward and greeted him politely, “Sorry for showing up out of the blue. Hope I’m not disturbing you?”
Ji Qiu thought, You are, but he couldn’t say that. Instead, he forced the most standard smile. “Not at all. What’s up?”
“Well,” Jiang Xinglan tapped a finger against his chin, leaning slightly against the window as he considered his words. After a moment, he spoke with a trace of awkwardness. “I wanted to ask you—do you know what Liang Yan likes?”
In Ji Qiu’s mind, a thousand WTFs exploded all at once.
He had suspected that this Alpha might have some interest in Yan Yan, but he hadn’t expected him to take the roundabout approach and target him instead.
All the justifications he had fed himself—like “It’s a good thing if Yan Yan has a better Alpha pursuing him”—instantly crumbled into dust, replaced by an overwhelming sense of irritation.
“I don’t know if Yan Yan likes anything in particular.” Ji Qiu slumped, looking utterly deflated, too lazy to even lift his head to glance at Jiang Xinglan.
Jiang Xinglan remembered that the first time he met him, he wasn’t like this at all. Even Liang Chen had mentioned that this guy had a great personality and a good temper—clearly, that wasn’t the case now.
Annoyed beyond measure, Ji Qiu was barely holding onto his sweet Omega persona, frowning as he snapped, “Why are you even asking?”
Jiang Xinglan, for once, felt a bit awkward. Lately, Liang Yan hadn’t been agreeing to meet up much, and he couldn’t keep using Jiang Qi or Liang Chen as excuses, so he had to try another approach—like going through Liang Yan’s best friend.
He had no idea where this guy’s hostility toward him was coming from, so he decided to be upfront, hoping for some help. “Since you’re his friend, I won’t hide it—I do have feelings for Liang Yan, so I wanted to ask if he’s interested in anything in particular.”
Ji Qiu had already been overwhelmed by his own tangled emotions lately, struggling to sort them out. And now, Jiang Xinglan had walked right into the line of fire. He couldn’t even be bothered to keep up his green tea Omega act and replied impatiently, “I really don’t know. I forgot.”
Jiang Xinglan, surprisingly patient, maintained his composure even after being rejected several times. “No need to be hostile toward me. Anything at all—what does Liang Yan like…”
That was the final straw. The moment Jiang Xinglan said that, Ji Qiu’s hostility skyrocketed before he even realized it himself.
Something snapped in his mind. Without thinking, he waved a hand dismissively and blurted out—
“Enough, stop asking. He likes me.”
