After Rebirth, My Archrival Omega Looks at Me Differently - Chapter 45

Bright headlights cut through the quiet of the residential complex as the smooth car body slowly passed the rows of old brick apartment buildings, both sides lined with parked cars.

This massive vehicle moved steadily through the darkness and finally stopped in front of the outermost building. The rusty front door stood stiffly in the light, more for decoration than function.

This was the housing block for the School of Life Sciences, once prestigious, now long past its prime.

Chi Yan got out of the car swiftly after thanking the driver.

She was used to this place. She knew exactly which floor had a broken voice-activated light and quickly made her way up to the fifth floor where her home was.

But tonight, the stairwell, which usually felt gloomy, was unexpectedly bright.

Her father, Chi Xufeng, was standing in the stairwell holding a flashlight.

The flashlight bulb was unusually strong, casting a sharp, bright beam that lit up the entire corridor.

Chi Yan saw her father, wrapped in his military overcoat, waiting for her in the stairwell. A warmth she could not quite name bloomed in her heart. She quickly stepped forward and hooked her arm around his.

“Why are you being so nice today, Dad?”

“When am I ever not nice?” Chi Xufeng replied, pretending to be offended.

Their footsteps echoed gently in the quiet stairwell.

Seeing that Chi Yan seemed to be in good spirits, Chi Xufeng could not help but grumble a little.

“You’re really something, you know that? How did you manage to break the entire alarm system in the study? Do you have any idea how much effort it took me to fix it? Did you get hurt?”

Chi Yan shook her head and stuffed her right hand deeper into her pocket.

“I’m an S-class Alpha, remember? How could I get hurt?”

Chi Xufeng sighed and frowned slightly.

“I really don’t know whether being S-class is a blessing or a curse.”

Chi Yan leaned against his shoulder and tilted her head proudly.

“Of course it’s a blessing.”

Hearing that, Chi Xufeng could only shake his head and smile helplessly, full of fondness for his daughter.

“You really…”

The fifth floor was not high, but even walking at a relaxed pace took some time.

Chi Yan glanced at the white work uniform peeking out from under her father’s coat and remembered that he knew far more than she did. She hesitated for a moment before asking,

“Dad, do you know what pheromone dependency is?”

“Pheromone dependency…” Chi Xufeng frowned, thinking it over. Then, as if something occurred to him, he turned and looked at her with concern.

“Why are you asking? Did something happen?”

Chi Yan could not possibly let her father know the truth. She shook her head quickly and made up an excuse.

“No, no. It was Zhong Yi. She shared a weird post in our group chat about strange medical conditions. That’s where I saw it.”

As they reached the landing at the corner of the stairs, the flashlight lit only half of Chi Yan’s face. Her father did not see the flicker of panic that crossed her eyes.

“I see…” he said with a nod.

Chi Yan saw that he believed her and tugged on his arm again.

“From your reaction, you seem to know a lot about this stuff.”

“I know a little,” Chi Xufeng admitted. “Back when your mother was still alive, I did a lot of research. I learned quite a bit about symptoms like that.”

“Pheromone dependency sounds harmless, but the actual symptoms are similar to withdrawal. When it flares up, the affected person needs exposure to the specific pheromones or they suffer severe discomfort.”

Chi Yan nodded. That lined up with what she knew. But what she really wanted to know went deeper.

“So, does having symptoms automatically mean someone has pheromone dependency?”

“Of course not,” Chi Xufeng said firmly.

“If only one person is dependent, that alone doesn’t confirm it. A lot of couples with matched pheromones experience those symptoms too, even when they’re in love. There’s another condition to consider. During an attack, the gland swells and hurts, and the pain can spread through the body. Whether they are Alpha or Omega, people become irritable and may show aggression toward others, unless they receive relief from the specific pheromone.”

“The worst case I ever read about involved an Alpha. Because their Omega partner refused to help, they literally died from the pain.”

Hearing this, Chi Yan instinctively reached behind her neck.

She did not know if it was the story or something else, but as her fingers touched the faint bump beneath the suppression patch, she gave a small shiver.

The flashlight illuminated everything clearly. Her small movement did not go unnoticed by Chi Xufeng.

His expression changed instantly.

“Yanyan, are your glands hurting? Don’t scare yourself with what you read online. Those symptoms aren’t always accurate.”

“No, Dad.” Chi Yan quickly shook her head, seeing how anxious he looked. “I was just thinking about how cruel that Omega must have been.”

“Things in life are rarely as simple as the ending makes them seem,” Chi Xufeng said gently. “You’re still young. You don’t understand yet.”

Still feeling uneasy, he gave another reminder.

“Don’t go looking up this kind of stuff to scare yourself. If something feels off, go to the hospital. Got it?”

Chi Yan mumbled a quiet “okay,” though it was hard to tell which sentence she was replying to.

The sound of a key turning in the door echoed clearly in the quiet stairwell. The sensor light in the entryway turned on obediently.

Chi Xufeng switched off the flashlight. As he changed his shoes, he said,

“Yanyan, rest well during estrus. It’s already eleven. Go to bed.”

Chi Yan glanced up at the clock in the living room. It was only ten thirty-six.

But this time, she did not correct him. She took off her shoes, said, “Good night, Dad,” and went to her room.

The night was deep and quiet. Moonlight spilled through the slightly open curtains, outlining the shape of the girl curled up in bed.

Chi Yan did not sleep. She lay there listening to the sound of the bathroom light being turned off, then the quiet footsteps as her father returned to the master bedroom.

The soft rustle of fabric broke the silence in her room. She pulled a neatly cut suppression patch from her pocket.

Its scent was faint, but had not faded. The gentle smell of sea salt and morning dew still lingered, soft and cool like the moonlight falling into her room.

Chi Yan stared at the small square patch, thinking back to the things her father had said on their way upstairs.

Each condition and symptom he described. Some of them fit. Some didn’t.

Her glands had not been painful earlier that afternoon.

But she had missed the scent of Yan Youqing’s pheromones.

Otherwise, why would she have run out in the middle of the night to find her?

“A lot of matched couples in love experience similar symptoms.”

Suddenly, her father’s words replayed in her mind. Words that were not even the focus of their conversation.

She put the patch back into her pocket. Her eyebrows, smooth just moments before, furrowed sharply.

In love…

How could she possibly be in love with her?

The moonlight was silent. And just like that, the thoughts about pheromone dependency were stuffed into a quiet, hidden corner of her mind.

The soft pillow cradled her face, and the girl drifted into a peaceful sleep.

But just two seconds later, the calm moonlight was disturbed by the flutter of the girl’s eyelashes.

Chi Yan opened her eyes.

What did it really mean to like someone?

Red firecrackers scattered across the white snow as the sound of celebration welcomed the New Year.

Chi Yan and Yan Youqing continued with their tutoring plans as usual. However, the sunlight that fell on the wall split the faint shadows of their shoulders apart, creating a polite and distant atmosphere between them.

Shortly after the Lantern Festival, school resumed at the affiliated high school.

Students, still caught in the relaxed mood of the holiday, were suddenly pulled back into routine. The last class before lunch on the first day back felt especially hard to get through. As soon as the bell rang, the students poured out of the classroom in a rush toward the cafeteria.

There was yellow croaker on the menu today. Chi Yan and Zhong Yi had just stepped out of class when someone blocked their way.

It was an Alpha boy Chi Yan had never seen before. His tall frame filled out his school uniform perfectly. He looked clean and composed, a clear contrast to the noisy and hurried crowd around him.

“Excuse me, could you help me call Yan Youqing?” he asked politely.

His tone was respectful and calm, with a refined presence that Chi Yan found hard to describe. Still, a strange feeling of discomfort rose in her chest.

Zhong Yi was surprised. Since Chi Yan didn’t say anything, she turned and called toward the back of the classroom, “Yan Youqing.”

Yan Youqing was packing her things. Hearing Zhong Yi’s voice, she looked toward the classroom door.

But the first person she saw was not the boy.

It was Chi Yan.

The noon sunlight was bright and warm. Their dark eyes met across the moving crowd in the back of the classroom for one brief second.

Then they looked away.

Neither of them said a word.

Zhong Yi didn’t notice the moment between them. She pointed at the door and said, “Someone is looking for you.”

“Thank you,” Yan Youqing replied in a calm voice.

“You’re welcome.” Zhong Yi waved her hand and quickly pulled Chi Yan along to meet up with Wang Chuning.

The hallway outside the classroom was packed with students. Wang Chuning stood waiting in the middle of the bridge, clearly impatient. When she saw them coming, she frowned and said, “Why are you so slow? We might miss out on the yellow croaker.”

“Wait, what I’m about to tell you is even more exciting than fish,” Zhong Yi said quickly, trying to calm her.

“What is it?” Wang Chuning didn’t believe her. Her expression said she expected something truly worth the delay.

“An Alpha came to find Yan Youqing.” Zhong Yi’s eyes were full of excitement. “I’ve seen him before. He was at her birthday party. He kept sneaking glances at her the whole night. I think his name was Wu Zhuiyang or something.”

“Wu Zhuiyang? That sounds almost like Wu Zhuiyan. Is someone finally brave enough to approach the school’s most unapproachable flower?” Wang Chuning’s skepticism faded, and her curiosity burned bright. “Even the head of the discipline committee is breaking school rules? This is too good.”

Chi Yan listened to their conversation with her hands in her pockets, clearly uninterested. She spoke in a cold voice.

“Come on. There’s no way Yan Youqing would go out with someone like that.”

Zhong Yi didn’t agree.

“I think that Alpha looked pretty good. He wore the uniform really well. He and Yan Youqing would actually look great together.”

“Exactly,” Wang Chuning said, nodding. “A girl like Yan Youqing, someone from such a well-off family, is definitely going to end up with one of those polished Alphas from fancy parties. It’s a perfect match. Power meets power.”

Chi Yan couldn’t help but picture Yan Youqing’s birthday party in her mind.

The soft sunlight in the hallway could not compete with the dazzling gold of the banquet room that night. She didn’t know why, but a strong discomfort settled in her chest. It felt like something was stuck there, unable to move up or down.

She slapped the railing beside her and snapped, her tone sharp and irritated.

“If Yan Youqing actually agrees to have lunch with that guy, I’ll eat this railing.”

Right after she said that, a breeze passed through the corridor.

A faint scent of sea salt brushed gently across her cheek, lifting a strand of hair.

Yan Youqing walked across the hallway, steady and calm.

Walking beside her was the same Alpha boy who had stopped them earlier at the classroom door.

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