After Differentiation, My Arch-nemesis Thinks I’m Fragrant - Chapter 26

The physical training at First High was a grand affair. It was now nearly May, and summer was beginning to show its tail. Students in good physical condition had already secretly shed their jackets, opting for the short-sleeved summer school uniforms. The white and blue ties overflowed with the colors of youth.

The training grounds were filled with a variety of sights. Some stubbornly insisted on maintaining their last bit of grace and public persona before the tests began, while others couldn’t wait to change into athletic wear, revealing the heroic postures and muscle lines usually hidden beneath their uniforms. The line of Alphas heading toward the gymnasium looked more like a gathering of “flexing kings.”

With an average height of around 180cm and generally handsome features, they drew countless covert glances from Betas and Omegas on the playground—until the very end of the line.

Where a little lamb had blended in.

It was like a towering, continuous mountain range that suddenly dropped in elevation to meet a rolling hill.

Yet, the person in line seemed completely oblivious. She stood at the back, peering forward, squinting slightly to see that the test in this venue was “Shooting.” She walked slowly with the moving crowd, hands clasped behind her back. Her soft, short hair was slightly curled, giving her a delicate and pitiable aura. Her figure, which had become increasingly soft after turning into an Omega, made her look entirely out of place in this pack of wolves.

Noticing more and more gazes falling nearby, the Alpha standing in front of Shu Youzhan sensed something and turned around to look.

Because he was so tall, he didn’t find anyone within his initial horizontal line of sight. Just as he was about to turn back, his gaze accidentally brushed over the top of a head of black hair.

He froze for a moment, then visibly lowered his gaze, finally seeing clearly who was standing behind him.

The moment he saw that face, a flash of pure amazement crossed the boy’s eyes.

Immediately following that, he reflexively leaned forward toward the front of the line, as if terrified of offending her. His eyes darted left and right, and when they accidentally met the slight redness at the corners of her eyes, he jerked his gaze away as if burned.

He even spoke with a stutter: “Student Shu… this, this is the Alpha testing area…”

He seemed to be kindly reminding Shu Youzhan to go elsewhere, lest she get hurt or run into trouble being surrounded by so many Alphas inside the venue.

Shu Youzhan didn’t recognize him, but since her gender had been exposed, this was the first time she had encountered such a pure and friendly Alpha. Consequently, her gaze softened.

“It’s okay, I’m just here to try it out.”

She didn’t realize how much what she had just done with Zhao Qinglan was affecting her current state. Thinking she was merely offering a kind smile, the slight redness at the corners of her eyes and her lips—which had become vivid red from being bitten for so long—made her look like a rose blooming brilliantly and dripping with morning dew. She exuded an unconscious charm, her every move an unintentional temptation.

The boy backed up so far, he nearly collided with the person in front of him.

His entire face turned an unexplainable shade of red, and his tongue seemed to tie itself in knots: “Go-go-good luck!”

Shu Youzhan couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile. She wanted to ask about the standards here, but her nose first caught a familiar scent approaching. Before the person even reached her, a voice drifted over: “What are you two chatting about? You seem so happy.”

The slightly husky tone reminded her of the sound of an electric current passing by her ear. Hearing just this one sentence, Shu Youzhan subconsciously recalled the hot and cold breaths of the other person biting the back of her neck earlier. Like an overstimulated kitten, her fur was about to stand on end, and she hurriedly reached up to rub her ears.

She didn’t say a word, stepping out of the line to put distance between herself and Zhao Qinglan. She didn’t want to be influenced by Zhao Qinglan’s pheromones right after a heavy marking…

Besides, she held a bit of a grudge.

Zhao Qinglan had bitten her harder this time than the last—so hard she suspected her gland might actually break. In the intervals of her teary eyes, Shu Youzhan had vaguely heard a few low, embarrassing moans. Now that the memory was surfacing, she instinctively suppressed it.

Seeing her look as if she were ready to give up on the line entirely, Zhao Qinglan raised an eyebrow. She looked at the distance between them, as if silently asking Shu Youzhan:

You’re just going to toss me aside after using me?

Shu Youzhan looked at the sky and the ground, looking anywhere but at her. The more she rubbed her ears, the redder they got. She looked at the sky in confusion: Was the sun really this big today?

Zhao Qinglan saw that she was desperate to distance herself from any label associated with her and sighed inwardly. However, she couldn’t do anything to her in front of everyone.

So, she looked around and switched to a different testing line. In any case, with her grades from the military department, participating in the school’s physical training was merely a formality.

Only when the person had walked far away and that aggressive pheromone departed did Shu Youzhan quietly heave a sigh of relief.

She waited patiently in line. When it was finally her turn to enter the venue, she realized that there were still many Betas and Omegas gathered not too far from the windows.

In the past, she definitely would have shown off a bit, but now she simply retracted her gaze calmly and focused on the upcoming test.

“Next.”

“Student card Regis—”

The person responsible for recording scores stopped mid-sentence the moment they saw her. After staring at Shu Youzhan for a few seconds, they pointed outside: “The Omega testing ground is on the playground, and you don’t need to participate in shooting tests.”

Shu Youzhan’s tone was calm: “I want to try. Not being required to participate doesn’t mean I’m forbidden from it, right?”

“But there is only one testing standard—”

“Then use the Alpha standard. If I don’t pass, I’ll go line up for something else. Is that okay, Teacher?”

Under Shu Youzhan’s natural gaze, the teacher scratched their head awkwardly with the clipboard. They wanted to ask the physical education director, but because the students behind were pushing, the Beta teacher could only follow her step by step: “This is a bit dangerous. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll just move to the next student. You have to be careful; plus, the Alpha pheromones here will dissipate…”

Shu Youzhan listened very obediently: “Okay, I’ll be careful. Thank you for the reminder, Teacher. Do I need to sign a life-and-death waiver?”

Teacher: “…” That won’t be necessary.

While they were talking, Shu Youzhan had already walked to the number one position. Other Alphas took their places beside her in order. Ten people could be tested at once. In front of them was a large black table where weapons would appear randomly—it could be a bow and arrow, a handgun, a rifle, or even a more powerful sniper rifle. It all depended on luck.

Ten clay pigeons would fly out from the opposite wall. Each person had to break one, and their speed would be recorded. After hitting their own target, they could snatch the targets of those next to them; the more they hit, the better the score. There were five rounds in total, and by the fifth round, the pigeons would fly at a dizzying speed.

Shu Youzhan’s weapon for the first round was a Browning.

She put on noise-canceling headphones and focused on loading the bullets one by one. Her expression carried a hint of nonchalance, but her movements were swift and precise. Her fluid speed gave the other competitors in her group an unconscious sense of pressure.

On the playground…

Pei Yi was still looking around for Shu Youzhan, wondering why she hadn’t arrived, when she suddenly heard the commotion of students nearby discussing something: “Ahhh! Everyone goes to Venue No. 1 and look! An Omega is taking the Alpha shooting test! So badass! Sister, marry me! I’m down for an O-O relationship!”

“Who is it? Who is it?”

“Shu Youzhan! Wuu wuu, I didn’t expect her to still be my queen even after changing genders. Mom, I’m going to love her for the rest of my life! Quick, I sent you the video! Look at it!”

“What’s the point of watching a video? Her part will be over soon, get to Venue No. 1! Also, I remember the other half of the venue is the free combat event, right? Who’s the ring leader for the tenth grade this time?”

“It’s Zhao Qinglan! Wuu wuu, she used to just brush us off with running or push-ups, but today Sister Zhao is showing her true strength! Holy crap, every Alpha rumored to be better than her can’t even last five moves before scurrying off. I declare today the day I marry both of them! My first loves are back!”

“Someone, bring the chicken coop (thirsty trap).”

“I don’t care, even in the cage I’m going to scream at the top of my lungs. I just admire the strong! Wuu wuu, I just love powerful and sexy ladies!”

Amidst the playful shouting, Pei Yi keenly caught the key points. She hurriedly pulled out her phone and entered the First High group chat, scrolling through the recorded videos. Sure enough, she found one of Shu Youzhan.

Amidst a flurry of “Sister love me” comments, she clicked the video and saw several flashes of small white objects across the screen.

This was followed by the loud “Bang, bang, bang” sounds. Three or four snow-white targets exploded in mid-air, crumbling into powder that drifted down.

In the faint smoke, she looked toward the right side and, not knowing who she was looking at, gave a smiling wink.

It looked like a provocation, yet also like she was being mischievous.

The owner of the camera knowingly panned the lens—

The footage moved past the crowded people in the venue and suddenly captured a figure standing on the high platform at the other end of the field. Thin sweat covered that person’s neck, and two buttons of her shirt were undone. The fabric at the shoulders was slightly translucent, and her originally cold expression…

Because of the reflected light from the sweat, she exuded a sense of abstinence and repressed desire.

Her originally neat black hair, with only the tips damp, lay flat like folded raven feathers, and the iris flower among her hair glowed brilliantly. She had originally been standing with her back to the center of the platform, watching the situation at the shooting range.

However, the moment the camera caught her, the corner of her mouth visibly turned upward.

Even her eyes held beautiful starlight.

It was like a spring breeze blowing across a frozen wasteland. The hormone-fueled smile made the screams beneath the high platform significantly louder.