After the Nerd Marked the Top Omega - Chapter 7.1

Evening at Jiangcheng University.

The dorm room is a quad, but most of the time there are only three people. One roommate rents an apartment outside and only occasionally sleeps in the dorm.

Tang Xingxing is playing a game online, Liu Hanxue is washing up, and Fang Xu is organizing files on her computer in her pajamas.

After neatly sorting the files, her gaze lands on the document on the side of the screen.

It’s the history major essay she wrote for Song Shu a few days ago, but they broke up before she could send it.

Fang Xu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. After a moment of silence, she right-clicked, deleted, and confirmed. The document disappeared from the screen.

Done with the task, she took a deep breath, suppressing the matter in her heart, and began to organize exercises for her tutoring session next week.

Tutoring for competitions pays more but is also more mentally taxing.

Some practice exams have already been done or are inappropriate in difficulty, requiring her to adapt and modify the problems herself.

By the time she finished, it was already close to bedtime.

Fang Xu moved her stiff arms and head, only to realize that the faint pain was coming from her scent gland.

She gently touched it with her fingertips, and the pain became more noticeable, making her involuntarily let out a small “hiss.”

Hearing this, Tang Xingxing quickly asked, “Xuxu, what’s wrong?”

Liu Hanxue, who was already in bed, also poked her head out and asked with concern, “Did you bump into something?”

Fang Xu wasn’t quite sure, saying, “My scent gland hurts a bit.”

Tang Xingxing thought for a moment: “It’s normal for the gland to be a bit unstable right after differentiation. When I first differentiated, it would occasionally hurt too, but it got better after two or three months.”

“Exactly,” Liu Hanxue, knowing about Fang Xu’s secondary differentiation, said, “But it’s better to go to the hospital for a check-up.”

Tang Xingxing agreed: “I don’t have class tomorrow morning. Want me to go with you?”

Fang Xu smiled, saying, “No need, I can go by myself.”

“Alright then, but don’t forget!”

After reminding her, Tang Xingxing remembered something else: “Oh right, I saw on the school’s public account a few days ago that the Pei Group is collaborating with our university and hosting a related themed event. Do you guys want to go join the fun with me?”

Liu Hanxue was interested and asked, “When is it?”

“In three days,” Tang Xingxing pulled up the event preview. “I sent it to the dorm group chat. Take a look, the introduction is quite interesting.”

Fang Xu hadn’t been very interested in these campus events before and didn’t have time to attend.

But today, upon hearing the words “Pei Group,” her hand subconsciously clicked on the forwarded event preview.

The Pei Group and Jiangcheng University are partnering to establish a laboratory, sharing technology, allowing people to experience the latest products, and will include mini-games and a lottery draw.

The prizes are exceptionally generous, including new smart home devices and the AR gaming pod developed by the Pei Group, which is highly appealing to university students.

Furthermore, dedicated staff from the Pei Group will be present. Students interested in internships or working for the company after graduation can inquire about related recruitment questions.

After reading it, Liu Hanxue immediately said, “Let’s go! Xingxing, call me then!”

“Sure thing!” Tang Xingxing then looked at Fang Xu and asked, “Xuxu, do you want to go?”

Before Fang Xu could fully understand her own thoughts, she spoke, saying, “I’ll go.”

Tang Xingxing was satisfied and smiled, saying, “That’s the spirit. You need to relax sometimes!”

Fang Xu’s gaze rested on the four words “Pei Group,” and she softly let out a breath.

Even if that person won’t be there, understanding the job market prospects is still worthwhile.

The next day.

Fang Xu’s scent gland was still hurting a bit when she woke up.

She didn’t have much experience with this and worried that her pheromones might be hard to control and affect others. After her classes ended, she went to the hospital.

The test results came out quickly. The doctor read the report and asked, “Was your secondary differentiation induced by high-level Omega pheromones?”

Fang Xu nodded: “Yes, I just differentiated a few days ago.”

Doctor: “It’s nothing major. Simply put, the Omega pheromones you encountered during differentiation were too concentrated. Now that you haven’t been exposed to them for a few days, your gland is unaccustomed to it, and the reaction is a bit strong.”

“If you have an Omega girlfriend, just let her give you some pheromones. If you don’t have a girlfriend, I’ll give you some medical-grade imitation pheromones. Use them when the pain flares up.”

Fang Xu hadn’t expected this reason and asked, “In that case, could you please give me the imitation pheromones?”

The doctor nodded: “Do you have a preferred scent?”

Fang Xu was momentarily confused, wondering, “Ah?”

Doctor: “A scent for the imitation pheromones. Do you have a preference, like floral or fruity?”

Although it’s medicine, pheromones also cater to public preference and come in dozens of scents.

Unbidden, Fang Xu thought of the overwhelming scent of bellflowers in the scorching air of the isolation room.

Unlike ordinary bellflower scent, it was mixed with a cool, clear mist.

When diffused into the air, it was light and pleasant.

She felt her earlobes and face growing hot, but thankfully, her black-rimmed glasses concealed it, making it less obvious.

“No preference. A light scent would be fine. Doctor, please choose one.”

The doctor nodded: “Then I’ll give you the unscented type. It’s the mildest scent.”

After receiving the medicine, Fang Xu confirmed the imitation pheromones were effective and then asked, “Doctor, how long will this condition last?”

Doctor: “Anywhere from a month to a year, until your scent gland stabilizes. Remember to always wear inhibitor patches. Marking an Omega should speed things up.”

Imitation pheromones are, after all, different in effect from genuine Omega pheromones.

“Okay, thank you, Doctor.”

Fang Xu replied verbally, but inwardly she thought that marking an Omega was a prospect far too distant for her.

The following two days were uneventful. However, on the night before the Pei Group’s campus event, Fang Xu received an unexpected phone call.

The name Song Shu flashed on the screen.

Fang Xu stared at the screen for two seconds, then slid to reject the call.

Maybe the other person accidentally pressed the wrong button.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, the screen lit up again, proving it wasn’t an accident.

This time, Fang Xu didn’t reject it and answered the call: “Hello?”

The voice on the other end, mixed with the sound of the wind, reached her ear: “You’re Fang Xu, right? Song Shu is a little drunk, and we still want to go to the KTV for a while. Could you come and pick her up?”

This was a friend of Song Shu’s, whom Fang Xu knew but wasn’t close to, having only seen them a few times when picking up Song Shu.

Fang Xu lowered her eyes: “Okay, what’s the address?”

The friend gave her the address, “Thank you for the trouble.”

“It’s no trouble,” Fang Xu grabbed the jacket draped over the back of her chair and, in a rush, applied an extra inhibitor patch to herself: “I’ll be there soon.”

After hanging up, Tang Xingxing saw her actions and curiously asked, “Are you going out?”

“Going out to buy something,” Fang Xu gave a different excuse, afraid to worry her: “If you guys want to go to sleep, just turn off the lights. You don’t need to leave the light on for me.”

Liu Hanxue glanced at the time: “It’s fine, go ahead. We’re both night owls.”

Fang Xu nodded, said no more, and went out with her key.

When the door clicked shut, Tang Xingxing felt something wasn’t right: “What is Xuxu going to buy in the middle of the night? Is the school supermarket even open?”

Liu Hanxue blinked: “Maybe she’s going to buy something outside?”

Tang Xingxing narrowed her eyes, remembering that Fang Xu’s late-night outings were mostly because of Song Shu.

“No! That’s definitely wrong!”

Fang Xu sneezed, pulling her coat tighter around her.

It’s true, even though it’s spring, the night is still cold.

Song Shu’s friend saw her and waved: “Over here.”

Fang Xu helped the drunk person: “Thank you for helping out.”

“It’s nothing,” Song Shu’s friend knew their relationship: “I’ll leave her to you. We’re going to go have fun now.”

Fang Xu acknowledged with an “Mm,” but added one more sentence than usual: “Song Shu and I have broken up.”

The friends hadn’t expected this, exchanged glances, and didn’t know what to say, and awkwardness spread.

“Oh… is that so? Then… can we still call you in the future?”

Fang Xu didn’t answer directly, only saying: “I will make things clear with Song Shu.”

“That’s good, that’s good. Don’t fight, you two,” the friends rubbed their noses and finally stopped dwelling on the difficult subject, leaving one after the other.

After everyone had left, Fang Xu supported the person next to her, without any other unnecessary movements.

While waiting for a taxi, Song Shu suddenly spoke, calling out with some drunkenness, “Fang Xu?”

Fang Xu responded with an “Mm.”

After a long time, she heard the other person’s voice: “Why did you come?”

Fang Xu didn’t speak, and Song Shu quieted down. The two traveled in silence.

When they arrived at the school gate and were about to get out of the car, the drunken Song Shu’s legs went a little soft, and she temporarily lost her footing.

Fang Xu saw this and immediately steadied her, but feeling the other person about to lean onto her, she quickly turned her body away.

Avoiding physical contact, Song Shu’s movement was completely unsuccessful.

After taking her back to the dorm, neither of them spoke another word.

The next day.

Fang Xu went to the event location with Tang Xingxing and Liu Hanxue.

Tang Xingxing looked at the crowd in the plaza: “Why are there so many people? It feels more popular than a lecture!”

Liu Hanxue casually accepted a flyer handed to her by a club member: “I bet half the people want to win a prize, and the other half want to get into the Pei Group.”

The Pei Group offers high salaries and good benefits and is very famous in the industry. Anyone capable would try to submit a resume there.

Fang Xu walked beside them, her gaze falling on the exhibition stand ahead.

Tang Xingxing followed her line of sight and curiously asked, “Xuxu, what are you looking at?”

Fang Xu: “Those seem to be employees of the Pei Group.”

Liu Hanxue also saw them: “Wearing their work badges. The new products must be next to them.”

“Let’s go, let’s go see. There’s an AR gaming pod too,” Tang Xingxing pulled the two of them along.

As Fang Xu followed, she overheard a conversation between unfamiliar students nearby.

“Do you think Pei Yunci will come this time?”

“We haven’t seen him yet, so he probably hasn’t come. After all, last time he only came because the principal was present.”

“What a shame! I was off-campus last time and by the time I rushed back, Pei Yunci’s speech was already over. I didn’t even get to see him in person!”

“The school posted event photos, you can look at those a few more times.”

“But everyone who went to the lecture said Pei Yunci is much better looking in person! You went too, is it true?”

“It’s true. He really is different from the photos.”

“The more you say it, the more disappointed I feel. Next time! I’ll definitely go early next time and won’t miss it!”

“…”

Fang Xu thought that the person in real life and in the photos actually had similarities—equally cool and distinguished.

But she only sighed in her heart and dismissed the thought.

That person had likely forgotten her long ago.

Before they reached the exhibition stand, the three of them were unexpectedly stopped.

Song Shu stood in front of them: “Fang Xu, can I talk to you?”

Before the person in question could speak, Tang Xingxing immediately bristled and refused: “No, you can’t! We’re busy!”

Song Shu had never liked her and wasn’t holding back now: “I wasn’t asking you.”

Tang Xingxing scoffed: “If you were asking me, the answer would be the same. I would never talk to someone like you!”

Fang Xu was worried they would start arguing and interrupted during a break in their talking: “It’s fine, let’s talk.”

As soon as the words fell, Tang Xingxing immediately turned her head to look at her, her eyes a mix of worry and warning.

The meaning was clear: You had better not soften up and agree to get back together!

Fang Xu subtly shook her head to reassure her, then left with Song Shu.

The plaza was too crowded for a conversation, so they turned two corners before stopping.

Fang Xu spoke first: “What did you want to see me about?”

Song Shu paused for a moment, saying, “Thank you for last night.”

Fang Xu: “No need to thank me. Remember to arrange for someone to pick you up in advance when you go drinking at night in the future.”

She could help once, but she couldn’t help every time.

Song Shu didn’t catch the underlying meaning and just vaguely “Mm’d,” then continued: “I’ve taken you off my blacklist.”

The person in front of her, though still wearing the most ordinary clothes and those black-rimmed glasses, always brought her a sense of calm and security, no matter what happened when she was around.

Fang Xu: “Okay.”

Song Shu: “So, can we get back together?”

It used to be like this—they would break up, cold-shoulder each other for a few days, and then get back together, with Fang Xu always being the one to initiate the reconciliation.

Fang Xu hadn’t expected her to say this. Her fingers twitched slightly, but her tone was the same as usual: “Song Shu, we have already broken up.”

Song Shu frowned: “Then why did you come to pick me up last night?”

She hadn’t actually drunk much, only semi-drunk, but when her friend called Fang Xu, a strange emotion flickered in her heart, and she didn’t stop them.

After thinking about it all night, she decided to actively seek a reconciliation.

She hadn’t expected this answer.

Fang Xu hadn’t intended to cause a misunderstanding, only saying: “Song Shu, it’s very dangerous for a drunk Omega to be out late at night. If it were any of my friends, I would have gone to pick them up.”

“Even though we’ve broken up, I won’t forget my teacher. If you need help, you can still call me, and I will definitely assist you.”

“But our relationship cannot go back to how it was before.”

When Fang Xu was in high school and couldn’t afford tuition, Song Shu’s mother, who was also her Chinese teacher, would secretly pay it for her and sometimes invite her to her home for dinner.

This was a rare time of relaxation for Fang Xu.

It was because of this that she and Song Shu gradually became closer.

To repay the kindness, Fang Xu would specially organize the key points and difficult parts of every subject and help tutor Song Shu after class.

She would even create specialized prediction exams before tests, and Song Shu’s grades steadily improved.

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