Once students began differentiating, they were reassigned from general classes to those based on their gender.

Chu Tao was placed in Class 3, which had relatively few students.

While he was packing up his things in his original class, a Beta named Tao Song reminded him, “When you’re in Class 3, make sure to steer clear of Jiang She.”

Chu Tao froze briefly, somewhat distracted.

Jiang She had a reputation at Huainan No.1 High School—not a good one.

His father owned the largest pharmaceutical company in Huai City, worth over a billion. He was one of the top ten entrepreneurs in the city, often featured in financial news.

The two school buildings at Huainan First High were funded by Jiang She’s father, so no teacher dared reprimand him no matter how brazen he was.

Almost every Alpha assigned to Class 3 was warned about him.

They’d either end up joining Jiang She’s crew or try to stay as far away from him as possible.

Chu Tao had only seen him once before, just outside school in a secluded alley. That alley was pretty quiet, usually filled with breakfast carts set up by nearby residents.

After all, the alley was close to Huainan First High School, so setting up or retrieving bikes was convenient.

Huainan No.1 High didn’t have a bike shed, so Chu Tao and Chu Xingning would often ride their bikes to school and park them at the alley entrance. There was an old, unused heating pipe there, perfect for chaining their bikes.

That day, school let out early, and since Chu Xingning was being pursued by yet another admirer, Chu Tao went to get their bikes.

When he reached the alley entrance, he stumbled upon a scene of a private confrontation.

“Brother She, I was wrong!”

“Stop hitting me…”

“I didn’t know that little Omega was yours!”

“Brother She, please let me go!”

Hearing the name Jiang She piqued Chu Tao’s curiosity, and he glanced inside.

In the dark corner of the alley, where a patch of hardened asphalt lay on the ground, a group of Alphas in Huainan First High School uniforms cornered someone against the wall.

There, a person cowered as they were grabbed and pushed around, their clothes repeatedly rubbing against the asphalt on the ground. They didn’t even dare to fight back.

Only one person wasn’t hitting anyone.

He was leaning casually against the wall, slightly hunched over, his gaze idly sweeping across the dimly lit ground, his messy hair hanging over his eyes.

A cigarette was between his fingers, its tip slowly burning, inching closer to his long fingers.

Hearing the pleas for mercy, he casually flicked the ash, grinding it out on the asphalt with his white sneakers.

“Too noisy.”

Taking this as a signal, the lackeys renewed their punches and kicks at the cornered person.

“Messing with Brother She’s people—aren’t you bold!”

“Do you want to die?”

“Idiot!”

The scene made Chu Tao feel a bit sick.

At the time, he hadn’t differentiated, but he’d heard that newly differentiated Alphas often had heightened sexual impulses. Those with poor self-control would sometimes lose themselves around nearby Omegas and go too far.

But Chu Tao wasn’t foolish enough to interfere.

He only wanted to get the bikes and head back to find Chu Xingning.

Unlocking the bikes would make some noise, though, and since Jiang She had chosen this secluded alley to “teach someone a lesson,” he clearly didn’t want any witnesses.

Just as Chu Tao thought this, Jiang She seemed to sense something, suddenly turning his head to scan in his direction.

His gaze was cold, edged with irritation, making Chu Tao’s back tense.

Jiang She whistled, tossed his cigarette aside, and smirked. “Alright, we’ve got an audience. Let’s keep it civil.”

Only then did the lackeys stop.

Jiang She blinked slowly, straightened up, his expression unreadable.

Chu Tao noticed that Jiang She was quite tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a toned build—physically, he was far superior to Chu Tao.

There was a white line left over from the brickwork along both walls of the alley. The line reached Chu Tao’s hip but barely hit Jiang She’s thigh.

Jiang She pressed his fingers together, making a slight cracking sound.

The sound was faint, but to Chu Tao, it felt like a thunderclap.

It was a sign that Jiang She was considering taking action.

Outnumbered, Chu Tao wasn’t one to act recklessly. Even if Jiang She decided he was a nuisance and wanted to deal with him, Chu Tao wouldn’t fight back.

Resisting might only lead to a worse outcome.

Jiang She raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

The lackeys dropped the person they’d cornered and fell in behind Jiang She.

With his hands in his pockets, Jiang She sauntered toward Chu Tao’s direction.

Chu Tao silently tightened his grip on his bike key, meeting Jiang She’s gaze with calm resilience.

For the first time, he regretted how short the alley was—so short he didn’t even have a chance to turn and run.

When Jiang She reached him, he looked him up and down.

Chu Tao hadn’t differentiated yet, so there was no scent of pheromones on him. This seemed to somewhat dull Jiang She’s interest.

Jiang She asked calmly, “Did you take any pictures?”

Chu Tao’s throat tightened, his heart racing, but he forced himself to stay composed.

He shook his head.

Jiang She’s lips curled into a smirk as he lightly patted Chu Tao’s chest and, with a seemingly gentle tone, said, “Good boy.”