After Dumping the Female Lead, It's My Turn to Cry - Chapter 19.1

The corridor in the deep of night was bathed in moonlight, the marble floor like a vast mirror perfectly imprinting the swaying shadows of tree branches outside the window.

【Nan Zhuge wasn’t as picky as his younger brother. The moment he spotted someone with even slight attractiveness, he’d pounce like an impatient monkey, knife in hand. Sometimes, just for the thrill, he’d even sink his teeth into male Omegas. Someone like Nan Zhudi, a purebred Alpha straight man, naturally couldn’t understand what there was to like about the same gender. Even if it was a male Omega, the thought of biting another man’s stiff neck made him sick. But Nan Zhuge never cared about such things. When he found someone appealing, he’d start a fight right in the classroom.

This time was no exception. With his Alpha’s sensitive period approaching, Nan Zhuge never liked using suppressants to control his pheromones. He grabbed a young male Omega from the next class who had been secretly flirting with him, too lazy to even step out to find a restroom. He tore off the scarf the Omega used to cover his gland, his hard teeth piercing through it instantly. The unique cigarette scent of an Alpha’s pheromones spread through the air. After the temporary marking, Nan Zhuge rubbed the Omega’s neck and chuckled, “Your skin isn’t bad, kid, almost as smooth as a girl’s. When the pheromone mark fades, remember to come find me again.” After the boy trembled and hurried away, Nan Zhuge sat half-slouched in the classroom, quietly savoring the dull moments after marking. He should have felt satisfied, yet it always felt like something was missing.】

This was, of course, a scene from The Proud Girlfriend of the Interstellar Admiral Alpha, though it actually happened later in the story. By then, the female lead and male lead were already the school’s acknowledged golden couple. Nan Zhuge, with his rampant hunting instincts, though not particularly fond of domineering older women like the young mistress, always felt a urge to conquer.

Naturally, he was no match for the male lead. In the end, he could only find substitutes, but it always felt like a gaping hole remained in his heart. Watching his younger brother with a beauty in his arms, he felt intensely bitter.

One could say he perfectly embodied the role of the male lead’s foil.

But for Ruan Yubai, who had merely intended to pass by, things were different. In the original plot, the supporting male character Nan Zhuge hadn’t run into anyone else. After sitting for a while, he would have packed up and headed to a bar for round two. But because of Ruan Yubai’s intervention, an extra scene with the student council was added.

Was this the consequence of straying from the storyline?

Hearing footsteps at the end of the corridor, Ruan Yubai’s heart raced like an out-of-control pump, its frantic beats echoing in the quiet dimness. The hallway still carried the lingering scent of an Alpha’s pheromones. Even though Nan Zhuge was already knocked out cold, traces of tobacco-like odor drifted through the air, dispersing like ash from burnt grass.

If the approaching person were more perceptive, they would surely detect a faint hint of blood, adding a heavier layer to the already oppressive corridor atmosphere.

Fortunately, the girl walking behind was a Beta with a less sensitive sense of smell. She sniffed lightly and muttered under her breath, “President, how could an Alpha actually mark someone right here at school? They must have lost their mind!”

Huddled in the corner, Ruan Yubai thought: Thanks for the invitation, but the male lead you’re looking for is right behind the door ten meters to your left, currently slumped over like a dead pig.

Qing Ling didn’t speak, her expression somewhat bored, though her footsteps didn’t stop.

A faint scent of freesia drifted over, replacing the unpleasant odors. Dark high-top boots stepped on the ground, and a charcoal-colored pen twirled idly in her palm, making her fair fingers appear even more slender.

Ruan Yubai felt like cursing. Just over half an hour ago, she had personally witnessed the Student Council President Qing Ling walking out of the simulated Sahara Desert on the training ground. Watching from outside the screen, she had been so thirsty she chugged one and a half cups of full-sugar matcha milk tea. How could this person now be strolling around here as if nothing happened?

Is she even the female lead? More like some kind of robot!

The Beta student behind them was still complaining: “Going out to get a room wouldn’t cost much in interstellar credits. If you’re really short, I could even chip in a bit. The series I’ve been following is airing its finale today twelve years! I’ve outlived the author, and I’ve finally made it to the ending!”

It wasn’t that she was slacking off, but dragging an anime fan away from a live-streamed finale was like revealing the murderer to a reader deeply engrossed in an Agatha Christie novel, it was enough to make you spit blood.

The figurines in the Beta student’s backpack felt like they were burning, as if summoning her from another world like passionate shikigami! At such a critical moment, why did she have to be here hunting down a half-naked Alpha?

Once she caught him, she was going to kill him!

Even with just a sliver of moonlight around the corner, Ruan Yubai could see the blazing fury in this Beta student’s eyes. She instinctively swallowed, feeling an illusory pain in her own neck.

Ruan Yubai: Who’s strangling this salted fish?

She felt sorry for interrupting someone’s anime marathon, but she didn’t want to die yet!

“The surveillance equipment being deliberately damaged is no small matter. Recently, some Omegas have reported similar incidents to the school.”

Hearing this, the student also grew serious: “President, are you suggesting this might be the work of a group? Could it be those perverts from outside the school who have their eyes on our Omegas?”

Without exception, every student at Laurels came from privileged backgrounds and were top students with sharp intellects. Even Ruan Yubai, often called a “salted fish,” could rank at the top in planet-wide comprehensive assessments. Perhaps due to a combination of genetics and hard work, the students here were all exceptionally good-looking they could easily debut as interstellar idols on the cybernet. The Omegas, in particular, were the perfect blend of intelligence and beauty.

The most classic example, of course, was Qing Ling.

While these beautiful Omegas attracted admiration, they also drew the attention of wandering lowlifes who lurked in the shadows. Even if they had no right to, these creeps fantasized about catching one late at night to permanently mark them. That way, no matter how unwilling the victim, they’d have no choice but to submit to the vagrant.

There were plenty of criminals who dared to cross boundaries and were caught their photos were still circulating on the interstellar network. No wonder her Beta companion suspected as much.

Qing Ling gave a noncommittal nod. “That’s possible.”

Seeing their conversation drift further away from the “cat meowing,” Ruan Yubai heaved a heavy sigh of relief, desperately praying that the two would move on to patrol elsewhere after rounding the corner.

Putting everything else aside, even though Ruan Yubai had only struck Nan Zhuge out of self-preservation, it was unlikely anyone would believe her.

Assaulting an Omega might be plausible, but Betas were never considered vulnerable in the public consciousness. After all, compared to delicate and soft Omegas, who would take an interest in a Beta without even a scent gland?

Not to mention, the surveillance equipment here was broken, leaving Ruan Yubai with no evidence to support her case. Defending herself would be incredibly difficult. From the plot twists in those melodramatic novels she’d read, she could tell the Nan brothers came from a powerful background. They were just playing humble now, biding their time, how could the Ruan family possibly compete with the male lead’s influential clan?

Come to think of it, if her beating up Nan Zhuge were discovered and made public, she probably wouldn’t have to worry about the novel’s plot anymore.

She wouldn’t even make it to the point of taking a hit for the female lead she’d likely be sacrificed as a scapegoat right away!

Oh, shit, what a disastrous turn of events.

But every cloud has a silver lining. If Ruan Yubai managed to escape undetected, Nan Zhuge wouldn’t dare admit his shame either, how could a supposedly invincible Alpha admit he’d been knocked out by a Beta with a fire extinguisher? He’d have to swallow his pride, or it would be like pouring acid on his own reputation.

Unfortunately, before Ruan Yubai could fully relax, she heard the female lead’s calm voice: “Did you hear the cat meowing from here just now? Laoleisi doesn’t allow pets. If a cat wanders into the lab, it could be in danger.”

Ruan Yubai: …

Gunala Dark God, wuhula, bring the fire extinguisher!

She should’ve knocked out this damn female lead instead of the male lead’s brother!

What pet? Where did a pet come from?

At this point, her only hope was the classmate of the same gender behind the female lead. Ruan Yubai’s dead-fish eyes looked expectantly behind the female lead, hoping this Beta classmate could save her from this predicament.

“The president is right. The sound I heard earlier came from this direction.” Unfortunately, the accompanying Beta classmate was blindly devoted to Qing Ling and mercilessly pointed toward the corridor corner. The shadow overlapping with the window frame belonged to none other than the trembling Ruan Yubai.

Qing Ling, walking ahead, was now almost face-to-face with Ruan Yubai so close that Ruan Yubai could smell the faint, clean scent of her uniform, along with a hint of matcha.

The very same matcha milk tea Ruan Yubai had left unfinished half an hour ago.

Ruan Yubai: That milk tea will be the death of me!

If even she, a Beta with unremarkable senses, could smell it, it was wishful thinking to assume Qing Ling wouldn’t notice. The female lead must have discovered her presence by now.

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