Chi Zhan: Is Xu Zou a Beta?
Tao Ran: Nope, he’s an Alpha.
With that, Chi Zhan had a plan in mind. He asked Tao Ran to get him a copy of Xu Zou’s class schedule. Then, he grabbed Cen Chi’s schedule too—an easy task.
After all, Cen Chi’s schedule was posted right on the wall. Chi Zhan had glanced at it a few times before and remembered most of it.
He cross-referenced the two schedules, eliminated all overlapping classes, and selected a time slot when Cen Chi was absent. It just so happened to coincide with an elective course on pheromone physiology.
Perfect.
Afternoon classes were always a struggle, heavy with drowsiness. Students trudged into the lecture hall, burdened by the stress of academics and graduation plans, yawning as they took their seats.
Xu Zou arrived just before the bell. Most of the seats were already taken. He scratched his head, looking a little lost.
“Hey, sit here,” someone said—not loudly, but clearly directed at him.
Xu Zou looked around and found the speaker—a neatly dressed young man with pale skin. His features weren’t as delicate as an Omega’s, but he had a very pleasing face.
Xu Zou’s mind jumped. Wait, is he into me?
Not an entirely baseless assumption—nearly half of all Alphas were notoriously self-absorbed. Blame the genetics. Xu Zou couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the guy again.
Why hasn’t he confessed yet? How can I say yes if he doesn’t confess first? I can’t make the first move… can I?
But even after the bell rang, the other man said nothing—completely focused on the lecture, utterly ignoring Xu Zou’s lingering stares.
“……”
“We’ll be exploring the relationship between pheromone scent and physiological state today,” the professor began, launching into a long-winded lecture. Most students looked like they were about to doze off.
“Alright,” the professor said at last, “pair up and discuss for ten minutes. I’ll ask a few of you to share your insights afterward.”
Xu Zou’s eyes lit up. Finally, a chance!
As expected, the moment the professor gave instructions, the guy turned to him.
“Ahem… hey,” Xu Zou began, “are you an Omega?”
“Beta,” Chi Zhan replied.
Xu Zou was surprised.
“A Beta interested in pheromones?”
“Not being able to smell them makes me more curious,” Chi Zhan said with a faint smile. “Mind sharing?”
“Oh, sure.” Xu Zou was a little disappointed to learn the guy was a Beta, but quickly rallied. “It’s a shame you can’t smell pheromones—they’re fascinating. Each one is different. Sometimes I even catch a whiff that smells like braised beef. Makes me hungry as hell.”
“That’s certainly unique,” Chi Zhan nodded. “Under what circumstances are pheromones usually released?”
“When someone’s angry, anxious, upset—emotional stuff can trigger uncontrolled release. Physiologically, if there’s bleeding, pheromones can be present in the blood, too,” Xu Zou explained. “As for identifying them… well, if you suddenly smell something strange and it stirs up your emotions, it’s probably a pheromone.”
“Can pheromones relieve pain?” Chi Zhan asked next.
“Where’d that come from?” Xu Zou blinked. “Alpha pheromones have a calming effect—stronger when the compatibility is high with the Omega. It’s like medicine, which is why high-compatibility pairs are encouraged to marry.”
Chi Zhan paused in thought.
“So if a headache goes away after smelling it… that would explain it?”
“You say that like you’ve experienced it yourself.”
“Sorry, I lied,” Chi Zhan said seriously. “I’m actually an Omega.”
Xu Zou was caught off guard.
“…?”
Chi Zhan continued, “I really like your friend’s pheromone.”
“…What? Whose? My friend?” Xu Zou puzzled over it for a while before reluctantly guessing, “You don’t mean… Cen Chi?”
Chi Zhan nodded.
Xu Zou’s expression visibly changed. “
You must be mistaken. That guy’s a Beta—no pheromones to speak of. You must’ve picked up someone else’s scent.”
He was clearly covering for Cen Chi—and clearly knew Cen Chi was actually an Alpha. Their relationship was clearly far from simple.
“It smelled like tropical greenery,” Chi Zhan said slowly. “Fresh and clean, but with a cool edge, like mint…”
As he spoke, Xu Zou’s eyes began to dart around nervously. Sensing this, Chi Zhan added, “But there were other people around at the time. Maybe it wasn’t his.”
“Yeah, yeah, that must be it,” Xu Zou said hastily, discreetly wiping the sweat from his brow. Whatever interest he might’ve had in Chi Zhan evaporated completely.
The moment class ended, Xu Zou bolted out of the room and immediately called Cen Chi.
“We’ve got a problem,” he blurted. “An Omega caught a whiff of your pheromone today. He even questioned me about it—thankfully I managed to bluff my way through it.”
“…What do you mean?”
Xu Zou explained everything that had happened, finishing with, “You need to be more careful. If your identity gets exposed, it’ll be a disaster—”
Before he could finish, Cen Chi’s soft chuckle came through the line.
“That ‘Omega’ is my boyfriend. If he wants to know anything, you can tell him.”
***
Xu Zou almost dropped his phone. “You’re serious? He’s really your boyfriend?” Something still felt off. “Wait, does he even know you’re an Alpha? He was testing me earlier, I swear… Why’s your love life so damn complicated?”
To say Xu Zou had mixed feelings would be an understatement. Just moments ago, he thought the guy might be into him—only to find out the guy was his best bro’s lover. It felt like getting stabbed in the back.
Over the phone, Cen Chi replied calmly, “No need to worry. He’s already suspicious, and your cover’s blown anyway. But it doesn’t really matter.”
Xu Zou groaned and held his head.
“You’ve clearly been brainwashed by love. Shouldn’t we be focusing on staying sharp and biding our time right now?”
“Don’t worry. This won’t interfere with anything. Aside from that matter, if he wants to know something, you don’t need to hide it from him.”
Xu Zou never would’ve guessed that Cen Chi had a hidden ‘love-struck fool’ side. The contrast was so extreme, it was like talking to a completely different person.
Was this really still Cen Chi?
