When Wei Xiaochi’s words registered, the alpha’s pitch-black pupils contracted violently, his body frozen like a statue in place.

Wei Xiaochi didn’t want to deal with him, so he just walked off, ignoring the situation.

Jiang Zhan stood there, expressionless, but his body reacted quickly, grabbing Wei Xiaochi’s wrist in a firm grip.

He stared at the visibly upset omega, his throat moving, chest rising and falling in agitation, feeling both anxious and flustered.

Just a moment ago, Wei Xiaochi had seriously considered returning all the money to Jiang Zhan—If you think my pheromones smell bad, I don’t even want you to smell them.

But Wei Xiaochi only thought about it. In reality, poor people don’t have the luxury of dignity or pride.

Even if he emptied his savings to give Jiang Zhan, it would barely be enough to cover what the other had spent on him—this was all a futile effort.

Moreover, that money was untouchable. It was Wei Xiaochi’s savings for his university tuition, every single cent hard-earned.

When he thought about it, Jiang Zhan wasn’t wrong; the smell of valerian root really wasn’t pleasant. He had just spoken the truth, which was very different from the malicious teasing from Fang Zhixin.

Wei Xiaochi pushed Jiang Zhan’s hand away, avoiding his gaze. “Don’t look for me these next couple of days… I’ll tutor you after my hormones stabilize.”

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t a person who would make others dislike him. When he sensed someone didn’t like him, he would immediately distance himself, never approaching with ignorance to annoy people.

The debt he owed Jiang Zhan still had to be repaid, but it would be through his services. He didn’t have money.

During the thirty-minute break in between classes, Wei Xiaochi returned to the classroom with just a few minutes before the next lesson.

The students in the back row were huddled together, playing games. The front row was chatting in pairs, and a few students from other classes were standing by the door, borrowing things.

Wei Xiaochi bypassed them and walked to his seat. As he passed through the aisle, someone bumped into his shoulder.

Looking up, it was Xu Yang. Wei Xiaochi quickly stepped aside, softly apologizing, “Sorry.”

Xu Yang glanced at him, frowned slightly, but didn’t say anything, just brushed past and left the classroom.

Once Xu Yang was gone, Wei Xiaochi quietly sat back in his seat and pulled out his phone from his bag. He searched online for more information about valerian.

He hadn’t paid much attention to it the last time, skimming through the text. This time, he read every word carefully.

Valerian flowers were quite delicate and pretty, resembling hydrangeas, clustered together in an umbrella-like shape.

But the smell of the roots was very unpleasant, like a strong moldy scent.

Wei Xiaochi raised his wrist and sniffed, but couldn’t smell anything. AOs were not sensitive to their own pheromones, no matter how bad they smelled, they wouldn’t notice.

Wei Xiaochi sighed and lowered his hand.

Valerian was an herbal plant known for its calming and sleep-promoting effects. The encyclopedia also mentioned that cats and dogs loved the smell of valerian.

No wonder he had always been so popular with cats and dogs. It turned out his pheromones contained the scent they liked.

The valerian flowers smelled nice, but judging from Jiang Zhan’s reaction, his scent must have come from the valerian roots.

Wei Xiaochi put his phone away and rested his head on the desk.

Most omegas smelled sweet and pleasant. Why was he always so unlucky, having to go through this kind of pheromone?

He buried his face in his arms. It would have been better if he hadn’t undergone differentiation. Not only would he avoid extra expenses, but he wouldn’t have to be disliked by alphas.

Jiang Zhan didn’t return to class after the second break. He didn’t show up until the bell rang for the next class.

The third period was Teacher Yan Xin’s class. She was the homeroom teacher for Class 7. As soon as she entered the classroom, she saw that the seat next to Han Ziyang was empty.

Yan Xin walked to the podium, raising an elegant eyebrow. “Han Ziyang.”

Han Ziyang immediately stood up, like he had been summoned. “Here.”

“Where’s your ‘Zhan ge’?”

Han Ziyang spoke up earnestly, “What ‘Zhan ge’? We’re law-abiding students who don’t mess around with forming cliques.”

Yan Xin slammed the English textbook onto the desk. “Cut the nonsense. Where’s Jiang Zhan?”

Han Ziyang knew he was looking for his little O, but he responded with another excuse. “He went to the infirmary. His glands were a bit uncomfortable.”

Yan Xin, who had spent years dealing with these mischievous students, was naturally skeptical. “Call him.”

Han Ziyang pretended to hesitate. “Ah, teacher, you’re making this difficult for me. I’m a model student who comes to school to study. How could I bring a phone?”

“Don’t give me that. Are you calling, or am I calling the school nurse? If I call and he’s not in the infirmary, I’ll reconsider your basketball practice on Friday.”

Caught in a tight spot, Han Ziyang bent down and started rummaging through his desk.

His desk was a mess—charging cables, snacks, comic books, a tablet, two new pairs of socks, earplugs, Bluetooth headphones, a game console.

From this mess, Han Ziyang finally pulled out four phones—one for calls, one for gaming, and two for multiplayer games with his teammates in case their phones were too bad, so he could prevent them from holding him back.

One word: rich.

Ah, it was all just for fun.

Han Ziyang took out the phone for calls and dialed Jiang Zhan’s number.

Two seconds later, a buzzing sound came from the desk next to him.

Han Ziyang pulled out the phone from Jiang Zhan’s desk. “Teacher, he didn’t bring his phone.”

“Well, forget it.” Yan Xin stretched out her finger like a slender green onion and pointed toward the podium. “Bring me both your phones.”

Han Ziyang choked, regretting so much he could have died on the spot.

Damn, it wasn’t the phone he was afraid of losing, but now he had to hand over Jiang Zhan’s phone too. What if this delayed his time with his little O? Han Ziyang feared he might get chopped to pieces.

Reluctantly, he shuffled toward the podium, praying Jiang Zhan would return quickly.

“You walking with bound feet?” Yan Xin raised an eyebrow, her commanding presence filling the room. “Hurry up!”

Yan Xin had earned the nickname “Teddy little alpha” for her small stature compared to other female alphas, but her temper was not to be messed with.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to control the notorious Class 7 so effectively.

Han Ziyang took three steps at a time, hurriedly handing over his phones.

Yan Xin then added, “Give me the phones in your book pocket too.”

“I don’t have any more, I only brought one.” Han Ziyang tried to look innocent.

Yan Xin gave him a knowing look, like she could see right through him, with the confidence of someone who had complete control of the situation.

Han Ziyang cursed inwardly. Damn, there must have been a traitor in Class 7 who reported him.

Reluctantly, Han Ziyang handed over all his phones.

Jiang Zhan didn’t come to class at all, and after the bell rang, Han Ziyang headed downstairs to Class 1 to find Wei Xiaochi, hoping to ask where Jiang Zhan was.

Standing at the door of Class 1, Han Ziyang peeked inside. He quickly spotted the lonely omega in the second row, looking like a desert cactus.

While others chatted and laughed, Wei Xiaochi was staring at his desk in a daze.

His deskmate was even stranger, flipping through a math workbook, solving problems.

No. 2 High School was known for its open-minded and lively atmosphere. They encouraged students to enjoy both play and study, with a rich variety of extracurricular activities.

Han Ziyang was shocked at how unpopular Wei Xiaochi seemed—was he really that disliked, having no one to talk to?

Li Suilin noticed Han Ziyang and walked over, asking, “What are you doing here?”

Han Ziyang withdrew his gaze. “I’m looking for Zhan ge.”

“He’s not here.”

“Then where is he?”

Both of them turned to look at Wei Xiaochi.

Feeling the intense stares, Wei Xiaochi lowered his head, shrinking back into his seat.

He thought Jiang Zhan must have told Li Suilin and Han Ziyang that his pheromones smelled like valerian, and his face flushed deeply, burying it further into his chest.

Wei Xiaochi had social anxiety. He couldn’t relax around people he wasn’t familiar with, especially when a lot of people were staring at him. It made him tense up, thinking there was something funny about him.

Li Suilin and Han Ziyang weren’t exactly strangers, but if it were any other time, he wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable around them.

Seeing Wei Xiaochi look at them and then bury his face in his chest, Han Ziyang was confused. “Why isn’t he even saying anything? Call him out and ask.”

Li Suilin, unlike Han Ziyang, quickly understood the situation. He said淡淡地, “Don’t call him. He probably doesn’t know.”

“Then who knows?” Han Ziyang asked urgently.

Jiang Zhan wouldn’t just disappear for no reason, right? He hadn’t heard of any organizations dedicated to catching lovebirds.

Li Suilin suddenly said, “I know.”

Han Ziyang was confused. “You know?”

Li Suilin smiled faintly. “I have a general idea.”

Han Ziyang followed Li Suilin up to the rooftop of the experimental building, his mind filled with confusion.

“How did you know Zhan ge is here?” Han Ziyang wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The weather was getting hotter, and as an alpha, his temper flared easily. Even the slightest movement caused him to sweat.

“I saw it,” Li Suilin didn’t elaborate.

They pushed open the iron door to the rooftop, and Han Ziyang saw a few large blue plastic barrels lying on the ground.

These barrels, once neatly placed in the corner, were now scattered and seemingly destroyed.

The wind, heated by the sun, felt suffocating and sweaty. In the shadowed corner, there was someone sitting.

Han Ziyang’s sharp eyes recognized him as Jiang Zhan. Just as he was about to walk over, he sensed something was wrong. His legs froze in place, and it took a while before he muttered a curse.

A violent and oppressive aura spread rapidly from three meters away, like a wildfire. It made Han Ziyang dizzy, and his glands felt as though they were being pricked by needles.

Jiang Zhan’s pheromones were in chaos.

He sat in the corner by the rooftop wall, his brows and eyes hidden in the shadow of his messy hair. His long legs were stretched out, his wrist resting on his knee, and his silhouette was as cold and sculptural as a statue.

Han Ziyang, now visibly unsettled, cursed his own bad luck.

Li Suilin didn’t approach but instead took out his phone and asked Jiang Zhan, “Can you control it?”

Jiang Zhan lowered his gaze, his face obscured, and didn’t respond.

Li Suilin frowned slightly, emphasizing his tone, “Jiang Zhan.”

Only then did the alpha make a slight movement. He lifted his head just enough to reveal his deep, pitch-black eyes, with turbulence brewing in their depths.

Li Suilin no longer hesitated and dialed the emergency number, briefly explaining the situation.

“I have an alpha classmate whose pheromones have gone out of control.”

“He hasn’t affected anyone else and is currently isolating himself on the rooftop.”

“A City No. 2 High School.”

“His A-value is quite high.”

During the fourth class, while Wei Xiaochi was attending his math lesson, he heard the sound of an ambulance approaching the campus.

The students by the window curiously leaned out to look.

The young math teacher, who likely had some experience in his youth, held a lesson plan in one hand while flicking a piece of chalk toward the students peeking out the window.

Every throw was spot on.

The rest of the students didn’t dare to look again and focused on the lesson, though they couldn’t help but worry.

Ambulances on campus usually meant an alpha had lost control or suddenly gone into heat. Since Li Suilin hadn’t shown up for this class, everyone suspected it was him.

Wei Xiaochi had some doubts too. Although Li Suilin had been very busy with student council matters, he rarely missed class. Could it be that he really lost control?

He had seemed fine just a little while ago. How could that happen?

After the class ended, seeing that everyone was calling to check on Li Suilin’s safety, Wei Xiaochi touched his phone and then put it back in his bag. He stood up and headed to the cafeteria.

Li Suilin had once been his superior and had paid him for services, so it made sense that he should check in on him.

But there were too many people asking. Wei Xiaochi didn’t think he was that important. It was fine whether he called or not.

Moreover, if something really had happened, everyone would be discussing it when they returned from lunch, and by then, he would know the details. It was better not to disturb the class monitor now.

Gossip was human nature, and the cafeteria was buzzing with talk about the ambulance.

Wei Xiaochi, holding his tray, couldn’t find a free table and reluctantly joined a six-person table.

Only three people were sitting there, so Wei Xiaochi took the seat at the far end.

The three people glanced at him, then resumed discussing the earlier topic.

“It wasn’t an omega in heat, it was an alpha who lost control.”

“I heard it was Li Suilin from Class 2, the one with the best student council vibes. He even came to check our morning reading session earlier.”

“It’s not him. I heard it’s the most famous one in our school.”

“Who, Jiang Zhan?”

Wei Xiaochi almost choked on his rice and coughed hard, which caught the attention of the three people next to him.

He quickly turned his body away, covering his mouth with his hand to stifle the cough.

The other table was also discussing who had been taken away by the ambulance, with people from the front and back tables joining in.

Wei Xiaochi kept hearing Jiang Zhan’s name, then Li Suilin’s, followed by several unfamiliar names.

He chewed his rice silently, and one person behind him mentioned that the ambulance had stopped in front of the experimental building, which made him pause.

Could it really be Jiang Zhan?

Had he lost control from the smell of his own pheromones?

Jiang Zhan sat on the hospital bed, a phone pressed to his ear, talking to someone.

His long legs hung restlessly over the side of the bed, with his pants rolled up to reveal a sharp ankle bone. His waist and abdomen showed the taut, flowing lines of his body.

“I know.”

“…I didn’t cause any trouble.”

“Yes, I know. Hanging up now.”

After Jiang Zhan ended the call with his sister, Li Suilin stepped forward to retrieve his phone.

Alphas before their sensitive period were prone to emotional outbursts, and a little carelessness could lead to chaotic pheromones like Jiang Zhan’s today.

Fortunately, it wasn’t too severe. Jiang Zhan still had his wits about him and wasn’t attacking anyone. After an injection, his A-value stabilized.

Li Suilin sat on the couch beside him, crossing his long legs and adopting the posture of a good listener. “So, what’s going on between you and Wei Xiaochi?”

This time, Jiang Zhan wasn’t as stubborn as before, telling Li Suilin not to meddle. But he still didn’t speak and turned his face away.

“Forget it.” Li Suilin stood up, ready to leave.

Jiang Zhan, seeing him leave, finally muttered, “He got mad at me.”

Li Suilin sat back down on the couch. He knew Jiang Zhan’s character well and continued the conversation, “He really shouldn’t have.”

Sure enough, Jiang Zhan said, “But I was the one who made him angry first.”

“What did you do?”

The alpha fell silent again.

Li Suilin wasn’t in a hurry. He had taken the afternoon off and had time to wait for Jiang Zhan to explain the situation.

After a while, Jiang Zhan, lying on the bed with a blank expression, said, “I don’t know why he got angry.”

Li Suilin raised an eyebrow, “Before he got mad at you, what did you do?”

Jiang Zhan fidgeted with the pillow, awkwardly saying, “I smelled his pheromones, so I went closer… to sniff.”

This action was indeed impulsive, but based on Li Suilin’s understanding of Wei Xiaochi, just sniffing his pheromones wouldn’t have made him angry.

Having been in the same class with Wei Xiaochi for two years, Li Suilin had never seen him lose his temper. It was clear that Jiang Zhan had crossed a line.

Jiang Zhan finished his story and looked at Li Suilin, waiting for his analysis.

Li Suilin raised an eyebrow, “Is that all?”

“Mm.”

Li Suilin didn’t believe him, “You just sniffed him, and nothing else happened? You didn’t say anything?”

Jiang Zhan thought for a moment and fiddled with the pillow again, “I didn’t say anything, just thought his pheromones… were alright, so I said it was ‘alright’.”

Li Suilin looked at him, clearly seeing through the contradiction, and massaged his furrowed brow, “You meant to say it smelled bad, right?”

Jiang Zhan insisted, “It was alright.”

Li Suilin didn’t buy it, “It smelled bad.”

“It was alright.”

“Fine.” Li Suilin didn’t argue with him, “By your logic, you complimented his pheromones, and he got mad. That means he doesn’t like you and thinks you’re taking advantage of him.”

Jiang Zhan fell silent for a moment. “…Maybe I did say it smelled bad.”

Li Suilin couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

Jiang Zhan’s story about the argument with Wei Xiaochi wasn’t necessarily meant to make himself look better. He was just one of those very proud and stubborn people. The more he liked someone, the more contradictory his words became.

In his mind: “So nice.”

But when his mouth opened: “Bad smell.”

At the moment the words “so nice” popped into his head, his mouth automatically said “bad smell.” It was as if his brain and mouth weren’t controlled by the same person.

Especially since Jiang Zhan was in his sensitive period, smelling Wei Xiaochi’s pheromones caused an extreme emotional reaction, and his brain was flooded with thoughts of “He smells so nice, he smells so nice.” But his mouth just kept saying, “Bad smell, bad smell.”

He didn’t even realize he had said something hurtful and was now complaining that the omega was mad at him, firmly believing that he had said “alright.”

Li Suilin said, “You said his pheromones smell bad, so of course, he’s going to get angry. This is your fault. You need to apologize to him.”

It was clear to anyone that it was Jiang Zhan’s fault. Even the most honest people could get mad at him, showing just how bad his temper was.

Jiang Zhan kicked the low cabinet at the foot of the bed. “I said it was alright.”

Seeing that Jiang Zhan was still stubborn and refused to admit he had been rude, Li Suilin calmly looked at him.

“Do you think he’s in love with you?”

“Get this straight, it’s you who like him, so you think he likes you.”

“Why are you acting so proud? Without you, he’d be much happier.”

As for the idea that Wei Xiaochi liked him, Jiang Zhan was quite confident. Hearing Li Suilin’s words, he didn’t react.

Li Suilin smiled lightly and asked, “I remember when you were tutoring him, he gave you a piece of chocolate, right?”

Jiang Zhan lifted his chin. “Two pieces.”

“Do you know where those two pieces of chocolate came from? He didn’t buy them himself. Someone gave them to him.”

Seeing Jiang Zhan’s smug expression fade, Li Suilin’s brow furrowed, “Wei Xiaochi has a problem with low blood sugar.”

“During the first-year military training, he fainted once because of low blood sugar. I was the one who helped take him to the infirmary.”

“Someone happened to have chocolate and gave him a piece. After that, he started buying chocolate to give to Wei Xiaochi every now and then.”

Actually, it was Li Suilin who had given the chocolate to Wei Xiaochi, and it was another omega who gave it to him.

But Li Suilin didn’t mind embellishing the story a little. “After that, they became quite close. Wei Xiaochi often helped him with homework, especially when I wasn’t around. The two of them made great progress.”

“You came in late, and your temper is worse than his,” Li Suilin casually threw in the knife. “Why would Wei Xiaochi like you?”

On the hospital bed, the alpha’s expression was so cold that it was almost unbearable to look at. If it weren’t for the injection earlier, he might still be releasing pheromones.

Li Suilin stopped smiling. “I told you before, if you don’t fix your temper, you’ll regret it one day.”

“He just differentiated into an omega. Before he was 18, he was a beta. He’s still in the stage of accepting his new identity. If you just tell him his pheromones smell bad, what do you think he’ll think?”

“No one’s a mind reader. If you don’t say anything, he’ll never know. And you won’t even get the chance to say it.”

When Li Suilin finished that last sentence, Jiang Zhan’s lips suddenly pressed tightly together.

At 10:30 PM, Wei Xiaochi had just finished a set of problems. Unable to resist, he pulled out his ledger to go over the accounts.

There wasn’t really much to calculate; every entry in the book was as clear as day to him, and he could even recall his balance to the last decimal point.

He couldn’t quite explain why he felt so down today—everything seemed off, and he couldn’t focus on anything. Doing the math gave him a sense of security.

Suddenly, his phone lit up, followed by the sound of an incoming call.

Wei Xiaochi glanced at the screen—it was an unknown number. He hung up immediately.

But soon, the phone rang again—same unknown number.

Wei Xiaochi hesitated for a moment before slowly answering.

To be honest, before the other person spoke, he felt a tiny spark of hope that it might be his mother.

Even though they hadn’t seen each other in over a decade, and most of their past together had faded from his memory, there was still that blood connection.

Perhaps the hormone imbalance from his differentiation made him more sensitive and nostalgic. Lately, he had been dreaming a lot about his childhood, some good, some bad.

There were more bad dreams than good, and in them, Madam Wei would often appear, angry and vicious, while young Wei Xiaochi cowered behind a cupboard, listening to her curse his mother.

Back then, he often wondered why his mother hadn’t taken him away.

Wei Xiaochi answered the call, holding his breath. Then a familiar male voice came from the other end, “Come out.”

Gone was the usual arrogance, replaced by a heavy, almost somber tone.

It was Jiang Zhan.

Wei Xiaochi’s heart skipped a beat. He had heard people at school saying that the person taken away by the ambulance was Jiang Zhan.

They said Han Ziyang had asked for leave for Jiang Zhan, claiming that his glands were acting up during the third period, and he went to the infirmary. However, the treatment didn’t work, so the school nurse called the hospital to pick him up.

But if Jiang Zhan was in the hospital, why was he now standing outside his apartment complex?

Had there been a mistake? Was the alpha taken to the hospital not him?

Seeing that Wei Xiaochi remained silent, Jiang Zhan spoke again, “Come out.”

Wei Xiaochi’s voice came out hoarse, “I… I’m asleep. I can’t come out.”

After saying this, Wei Xiaochi awkwardly turned off his desk lamp, but then remembered that Jiang Zhan didn’t know which unit he lived in, so he turned the light back on.

Jiang Zhan’s voice came through, low and insistent, “Come out!”

For some reason, Wei Xiaochi found a sudden burst of courage. His mind heated up, and he blurted out a stiff refusal, “I won’t.”

For once, Jiang Zhan didn’t get angry but fell silent for a moment. Then he said, “Come out.”

Wei Xiaochi wasn’t sure if it was fear or something else, but his heart raced, his breath became shallow, and his palms began to sweat.

He stood there, silently facing the alpha on the other side of the call for two minutes, neither of them speaking.

Finally, Wei Xiaochi, with uncertainty, asked, “Do you… need something?”

Jiang Zhan simply repeated those same two words, “Come out.”

Author’s Note:

A story of mutual growth.

Of course, Jiang Zhan grows the most, considering how immature he is.