After Dumping the Female Lead, It's My Turn to Cry - Chapter 16

After school, Bi Biba slung her backpack over one shoulder, covered her mouth as she yawned, her voice sounding a bit lazy: “Xiao Bai, aren’t you heading straight home?”

After that round of frog jumps earlier, she had completely worn herself out. The spark of gossip that usually lit up her eyes had gone into standby mode, so she didn’t notice anything unusual about her friend.

“Yeah, I still have something to take care of,” Ruan Yubai’s gaze drifted somewhat evasively.

Right now, the slacker felt nothing but regret.

That morning, she had clearly agreed with the female lead, she would politely visit Qing Ling’s training ground as an observer, secretly record a bit of footage as evidence for Lin Yi, and then go their separate ways, ending this amusing little journey with a wave and a “see you never.”

Wasn’t that perfectly fine? Why did she have to lose her mind and end up holding the female lead’s hand like that, doing this and that?

Even though she was the unlucky one, thinking back on Qing Ling’s usually emotionless, delicate eyes, Ruan Yubai couldn’t help but feel the illusion that it wasn’t her who had been taken advantage of, but rather the female lead who had suffered a great loss.

Ruan Yubai was so frustrated she felt like banging her head against the wall: So what if she’s a Beta? A Beta is just a Beta. Objective facts speak for themselves, why had she been so impulsive?

Bi Biba didn’t pick up on her friend’s troubled expression. After saying goodbye, she casually added, “What is it? Don’t tell me you’re planning to go to the convenience store for that White Rabbit flavored ice cream again.”

Then she walked out of the classroom, ready to head home for a good shower.

But Ruan Yubai’s eyes lit up at those words. That’s right, why hadn’t she thought of it? She could totally use the excuse of bringing ice cream to go see the female lead. If Qing Ling didn’t accept it, she could always eat the ice cream herself.

Although, based on Qing Ling’s usual habits, Ruan Yubai was about 99% sure she wouldn’t take the ice cream.

Holding onto this procrastinator’s idea, Ruan Yubai slung her small bag over her shoulder and headed to the convenience store.

Compared to the bustling crowd during the day, the store was much quieter after school. The cooler in the corner finally served its true purpose, offering a bit of relief from the lingering early autumn heat to anyone who approached.

Ruan Yubai, who also loved the cool, leaned against the cooler and squinted contentedly, not in any hurry to check out just yet.

At that moment, the empty convenience store held only Ruan Yubai, who was lazily slumped like a cat pancake, and a group of Omegas who had just come from the locker room to buy drinks.

“Don’t joke with me this is serious. Did you really see something like that?”

“Absolutely. You all know my family is a pretty traditional Omega lineage, so my elders taught me these skills from a young age. The other night when the power went out in the locker room, I noticed something reflective in the corner of one of the lockers. I kept it in mind, and once the power came back, I deliberately checked around and ended up finding over a dozen hidden cameras.”

“Holy crap, that’s seriously messed up. Which Alpha would do something so disgusting? Can we report this to the teachers? This has to be exposed, right?”

“Shh, keep your voice down. These Alphas are particularly cunning. When I took those cameras back last time, I specifically had someone examine them. It turns out they don’t have storage systems like USB drives. The data is transmitted wirelessly directly to a junk planet located a hundred light-years away. There’s simply no way to catch them.”

“But we can’t just stand by and do nothing. We have to report this to the authorities. If we can catch even one, we should. Their faces should be exposed from every angle on the interstellar network, permanently etched onto the pillar of shame!”

“That’s why we’ve been trying not to alert them lately. We’re informing other Omegas one by one to be cautious. I haven’t even told my Alpha sister about this, afraid of giving anything away.”

These were, of course, private conversations among Omegas. Ruan Yu Bai was neither too close nor too far from them, separated by numerous shelves. The voices drifted over faintly, and she could only vaguely make out words like “changing room” and “USB,” unable to discern the rest clearly.

However, Ruan Yu Bai had no intention of eavesdropping on others’ private conversations. Even though she was reluctant to leave the cool air of the freezer, she stood up. Just as she was about to join the checkout line, one of the Omegas grabbed her sleeve.

“Hey, you shouldn’t go to changing rooms or school restrooms to change clothes lately. There’s a group of perverts causing trouble.” This Omega was petite but thoughtful, worried that revealing the specifics might frighten others. She omitted the details and simply warned, “Especially during your heat cycle, you absolutely cannot be alone in such places. Understand?”

The Omega’s companions behind her also stared intently, nodding seriously in unison, like a row of little hamsters.

Ruan Yu Bai blinked in confusion. “I understand, but it seems I don’t have something like a heat cycle.”

The Omega froze, then grabbed her collar and sniffed intently. Her eyes widened in disbelief, as if she were about to scream. “What? You’re actually a Beta!”

How could there be a Beta who looked so much like an Omega?!

It wasn’t that this Omega had poor judgment. In fact, her mental rating was A, and she had noticed Ruan Yu Bai lounging by the freezer while chatting with her friends.

The girl’s cheeks were pale and delicate. The mist from the machine’s cooling system swirled around her forehead, forming tiny ice crystals that slowly condensed into droplets along her hair, falling onto her small, rounded earlobes.

To cool herself evenly, Ruan Yu Bai occasionally shifted positions. Her movements were slow and deliberate, her eyelashes trembling slightly, casting faint shadows on her eyelids. Her uniform was slightly disheveled, occasionally revealing a slender, pale waist, all enveloped in the golden circle of afternoon sunlight streaming in.

The mingled scents of various ice creams and sodas drifted over, confusing this Omega, who had identified countless disguised genders, into mistaking the person before her as one of her own.

The shopkeeper tapped the counter impatiently. “Are you checking out or not? If you want to chat, take it outside!”

Ruan Yu hurriedly placed her belongings on the counter and smiled apologetically at the Omega beside her, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Don’t worry, my mental and physical ratings are both B. I didn’t hear what you were talking about earlier.”

After paying, she picked up her ice cream and walked out of the convenience store.

“Who was that?” The petite Omega seemed dazed even after Ruan Yu’s figure disappeared, squinting as she turned to ask the others.

Her friends all shook their heads, except for one who hesitated and said, “Someone who looks like an Omega but has all B ratings, I’ve only heard of one person like that. But since I’ve never met them, I’m not sure.”

“Who is it?”

“Ruan Yu.”

The subject of their discussion had already arrived at the entrance of Class A. Peeking through the back window and finding no one inside, Ruan Yu unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and naturally unwrapped her ice cream to eat.

If everyone’s gone, then there’s no helping it if I can’t find anyone.

But just as Ruan Yu took her first bite, she felt a vibration from the terminal connected to her wrist.

???: 「I’m at your classroom door.」

Who is this?

Ruan Yu was momentarily confused until she checked the previous call log and suddenly remembered this was the female lead’s alternate account!

Startled, she instinctively swallowed and immediately turned to rush toward Class F, only stopping when she caught sight of the tall figure.

This time, Qing Ling wasn’t wearing a lab coat or mecha suit but the same academy uniform as Ruan Yu, which accentuated her slender waist and the graceful lines of her limbs.

Her thick black hair cascaded loosely as she idly flicked a lighter. The corridor, unlit after sunset, was dim, and the occasional flare of light outlined her serene, beautiful features. The faint scent of freesia drifted through the air, lending her an unusually lazy aura less like a protagonist and more like a villain.

Hearing the hurried footsteps, Qing Ling lifted her eyelids to look over, tucking the lighter back into her pocket with a single finger. She parted her lips slightly and asked, “Where did you go?”

Her demeanor felt vaguely dangerous, and Ruan Yu’s mind went blank. She answered truthfully, “I went to buy you ice cream.”

Qing Ling raised an eyebrow slightly.

And the ice cream?

Well, I ate it, of course.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Ruan Yu foresaw the foolish conversation that would follow and inwardly cursed herself. She took another bite of ice cream to calm her nerves.

What else was she supposed to do? The ice cream was about to melt, it would’ve been such a waste!

Fortunately, Qing Ling didn’t dwell on the topic. Just as Ruan Yu turned to switch on the classroom lights, Qing Ling gracefully approached and gently pinched the back of the girl’s dark blue collar.

For some reason, even though Ruan Yu was a perceptually dull Beta, she could still catch a strong whiff of freesia pheromones. The cool, subtle scent enveloped her tightly. Though it carried no aggression, it made her flustered, the tips of her ears tinged with a faint blush.

“The scent of osmanthus,” the young lady’s voice, already cool by nature, seemed even colder in the dim surroundings. “Before meeting me, did you go see another Omega?”

In the pitch darkness, human senses become infinitely heightened. The voice wasn’t particularly loud, but with their backs turned, Ruan Yubai couldn’t even tell whether Qing Ling was speaking from far behind her.

Or whispering right against her ear.

This was too intense. Doesn’t campus murder violate the law?

Just for being slightly late and eating the female lead’s ice cream – was it necessary to resort to silencing her permanently?

Just as Ruan Yubai couldn’t resist turning around, she suddenly heard a “click.” Qing Ling had already reached past her to flip the light switch. In an instant, the classroom became bright as daylight, and the young mistress had retreated half a step, changing the subject: “Where’s the ice cream?”

Ruan Yubai couldn’t keep up with such abrupt topic shifts and asked in confusion, “What?”

“Didn’t you say you bought me ice cream?”

Her face alternating between pale and flushed, Ruan Yubai had no proof, but seeing the female lead’s cool, smiling eyes, she felt certain she was being messed with. She couldn’t help but take an angry bite of the ice cream, stiffening her neck and snorting, “Isn’t it right here? If you dare to wait, how dare you actually eat it! I’ve already taken a bite, Miss Qing, please be reasonable!”

Alas, the ice cream didn’t survive.

Suddenly, the faint scent of freesia that had filled the room vanished completely, replaced by the sweet, soft fragrance of White Rabbit milk candy.

Qing Ling expressionlessly finished the remaining half of the ice cream in several bites, tossed the wrapper into the trash can, casually tied up her hair, and stood up first: “Let’s go. Weren’t you going to visit my training ground?”

Ruan Yubai hesitated, desperately trying to erase the scene she’d just witnessed from her mind. It took her a long while to barely calm down, which was when she noticed the difference in her uniform.

The slightly messy collar had been neatly straightened, gently and smoothly wrapping around the girl’s slender, pale neck.

So?

Ruan Yubai instinctively glanced at the aloof, noble young mistress walking ahead, belatedly realizing.

Earlier, the female lead hadn’t been plotting murder but helping her adjust her collar?

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