Senior, Stop Pretending to be an Alpha - Chapter 23

Xie Bufei noticed Yu Qiao staring intently at her and couldn’t help but tilt her head, looking toward her own neck. “What are you looking at?”

Yu Qiao froze and hastily shifted her gaze. “Nothing.”

A blurry face flashed through her mind. Could the owner of that tooth mark be that Cheng Yeli?

He and Xie Bufei were close, childhood friends, and he was an Omega—the most likely candidate. Or perhaps it was someone else she didn’t know at all: Zhang Yeli, Chen Yeli, Wang Yeli…

In truth, regardless of the answer, it was Xie Bufei’s private business. Yu Qiao didn’t feel her status gave her the right to pry. After all, they were just friends. Yet, for some reason she couldn’t explain, she found herself inexplicably bothered by it.

Xie Bufei’s gaze fell on her own shoulder, and she suddenly realized. She silently pulled her scarf tighter. Her skin was delicate; even a bit of pressure usually left red marks. Having been bitten repeatedly by Yu Qiao that day, the resulting tooth mark looked rather dramatic, though it didn’t actually hurt much.

However, Yu Qiao wasn’t supposed to remember that.

Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Xie Bufei looked up slightly. She saw Yu Qiao sitting with her head lowered, the surrounding atmosphere seemingly heavier than usual.

“Qiaoqiao?” Xie Bufei called out. The other girl looked up abruptly, a hint of bewilderment appearing on her otherwise expressionless face.

Yu Qiao’s features were naturally cool: slightly upturned eyes, a high bridge, and thin lips. When she wasn’t smiling, she had a distinct air of distance. Usually, her heavy black-rimmed glasses neutralized this coldness, but today, without them and in a sour mood, she looked even more unapproachable.

Unaware that her face was so tense, Yu Qiao asked, “What is it, Senior?”

Xie Bufei looked at her, arching an eyebrow. “Why are you unhappy?”

Yu Qiao paused and instinctively denied it. “I’m not.”

Xie Bufei insisted, “You are.”

Yu Qiao pursed her lips, her eyes flickering. Under Xie Bufei’s steady gaze, she finally gave in. “Maybe a little bit.”

“Why?”

Xie Bufei softened her voice. Intending to cheer Yu Qiao up, she leaned closer to the bed. She extended two fingers, walking them like a little person along the quilt, bit by bit, until they finally hooked onto Yu Qiao’s finger. “Is it because you’re feeling physically unwell?”

Yu Qiao gripped her finger back and whispered, “No.”

Xie Bufei lightly tickled her palm, asking as if coaxing a child, “Then why is it?”

After hesitating for a long time, Yu Qiao spoke. “I… want to ask something, but I feel it’s impolite. I’m afraid Senior will be angry.”

Xie Bufei blinked curiously and laughed. “Ask away, I won’t be angry.”

Yu Qiao looked at her, hesitated again, and then opened her lips. “The tooth mark on Senior’s neck… was it from an Omega?”

Xie Bufei froze for a second, then burst into laughter.

Outside the window, the camphor trees rustled in the wind. The autumn sunlight, filtered through green leaves, fell finely across her face. Her beautiful features were shrouded in mottled shadows, looking hazy and gentle.

“It was bitten by a dummy.” Xie Bufei’s eyes curved as she gently fiddled with the pad of Yu Qiao’s thumb. “You know her, too. Are you curious who it is?”

Under her playful gaze, Yu Qiao couldn’t help but nod.

Xie Bufei pulled out her phone. “Then I’ll give her a call, and you’ll see.”

She tapped out a few digits and placed the call. Yu Qiao instinctively held her breath. Instantly, the familiar default system ringtone echoed through the silent ward.

Yu Qiao: “…”

Xie Bufei’s lips curled into a teasing smirk. “Dummy, why aren’t you answering your phone?”

Yu Qiao’s mouth hung open, her expression dazed. “So… it was me?”

“Who did you think it was?” Xie Bufei put her phone away, lying with a straight face. “You bit me during your differentiation. It still hurts now.”

Yu Qiao’s cheeks flushed crimson. She instinctively reached up to adjust her glasses, but her fingers met only empty air.

She stammered, sounding cautious, “Does it… does it hurt a lot?”

“It does.” Xie Bufei’s voice rose at the end. She held Yu Qiao’s hand and swung it back and forth with a hint of playfulness. “See? Three days have passed and it still hasn’t healed.”

Yu Qiao was overwhelmed with embarrassment. She hardly dared to meet the other’s eyes, whispering with her head down, “I’m sorry…”

She felt incredibly ashamed, her face hot enough to emit steam. She thought: Senior treated me so well, and I actually… I actually bit her. How could she be so terrible?

“Is ‘sorry’ all I get?” Xie Bufei propped her chin on one hand, tilting her head to look at the girl’s reddened ears. “Qiaoqiao doesn’t plan on compensating me?”

“Of course I will.” Yu Qiao looked up suddenly, her eyes as clear as a rain-washed sky. She said, “Senior has helped me so much. I’ll do whatever you want.”

If it weren’t for her tone being so earnest, Xie Bufei might have thought the sentence carried a more suggestive meaning. She puffed out her cheeks, feeling a bit frustrated. This person is really so dense, and so silly.

Yet, that pure nature was exactly what she liked about her.

Xie Bufei said offhandedly, “Then let me bite you back once, and we’ll call it even.”

Yu Qiao thought for a moment and nodded. “Okay.”

She reached out and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt, pulling the collar aside to reveal a pale, cool-toned shoulder and neck. Her collarbones were sharply defined. “Do you want to bite in the same spot?”

Xie Bufei’s pupils shrank as she watched. The next second, she practically lunged up to pull the collar back together.

“Are—are you for real?”

Yu Qiao met her gaze with a bewildered expression. “Is that not okay?”

“I was joking!” Xie Bufei buttoned her up, whispering, “And you actually took it seriously.”

Her gaze swept over the smooth lines of Yu Qiao’s shoulder and neck. Recalling the scene just now, her own cheeks began to heat up. Xie Bufei scolded her with a red face, “Don’t just unbutton your clothes in front of other people in the future, okay?”

Yu Qiao nodded obediently. “Okay.” (She wouldn’t have done it for anyone else anyway.)

She lowered her head gloomily and added, “Then I don’t know what else I can do for Senior.”

Xie Bufei sat back down and smiled. “Then just owe it to me for now. I’ll tell you once I’ve thought of something.”

After lying in the hospital for a day, Yu Qiao decided to be discharged. Despite the doctors and her two roommates suggesting she stay for a few more days of observation, she refused. By the afternoon, she was back at A University.

“You had a perfectly valid reason to take leave. Why come back so early?” Yao Rudong said, sounding incredibly regretful.

Yu Qiao shook her head and said, “I’ve already missed several classes.”

Lu Yun was bent over scooping cat litter and didn’t even look up. “See? That’s a top student for you. We can’t even grasp her level of thinking.”

Having not seen her for three days, Curry scurried over, rubbing her furry body against Yu Qiao’s feet and looking up at her with sparkling blue eyes.

Yu Qiao squatted down to pick her up, rubbing Curry’s head. “Has Curry been eating well these past few days?”

Yao Rudong said, “She adapted quite quickly, so don’t worry. It’s you who needs to focus on recovery after being unconscious for three days.”

Yu Qiao gave a hum of agreement, leaned over to set Curry down, and sat back at her desk to turn on the lamp.

Lu Yun glanced at her and said in surprise, “Aren’t those glasses broken? You’re still wearing them? Why don’t you go out and get a new pair?”

Yu Qiao thought for a moment and nodded.

During lunch, she stopped by a nearby optical shop. When the shopkeeper saw her take off her glasses, her eyes instantly lit up. She said enthusiastically, “Customer, you shouldn’t wear such heavy glasses normally. They hide the best features of your face.”

She picked up a pair of dark silver, thin-framed glasses and handed them to Yu Qiao. “You have fair skin, so you should try this silver style. It will look very good on you.”

Yu Qiao took them and put them on. Looking at herself in the mirror, she froze for a second.

The silver frames were slender, resting on the bridge of her straight nose. The lenses were thin and clear, softening her sharp features and adding a touch of scholarly elegance.

It really did seem different from usual.

The shopkeeper was full of praise: “So beautiful.”

Yu Qiao looked at her and asked hesitantly, “Excuse me, how much does this pair cost?”

The shopkeeper smiled brightly. “You’re very lucky. Our shop just opened recently, and we’re having a promotion. This model happens to be 30% off.”

Upon hearing the price, Yu Qiao breathed a sigh of relief. It was within her budget.

After Yu Qiao paid and walked out of the shop, an assistant came over and whispered, “Manager, we’ve been open for several months now. Since when did we have a promotion? You can’t just make things up like that!”

The manager pushed him away calmly. “What do you know? If I say there’s a discount, there’s a discount.”

4:00 PM, Classroom.

“Why hasn’t Yu Qiao been here lately?”

“I heard she differentiated and has been in the hospital.”

“Her differentiation was really late. She’s the last one in our class. What do you think she turned into?”

Tang Sijia sat in her seat and said carelessly, “What else could it be? Definitely a Beta.”

Someone said, “Not necessarily. Maybe she’s an Omega?”

Tang Sijia propped up her chin and sneered, while the friends beside her chimed in, “With Yu Qiao’s personality, being an Omega probably wouldn’t be very popular. Beta suits her better.”

Just as they were speaking, Yao Rudong walked in, chatting and laughing with Lu Yun. Yu Qiao walked behind them, cradling her textbooks and looking indifferent.

The crowd instantly stirred.

“Holy crap, is that Yu Qiao?”

“She changed her glasses. She looks pretty good…”

“Why does it feel like her whole aura has changed? It’s terrifyingly impressive.”

Someone boldly called out to her, “Yu Qiao, how is your health? Are you okay?”

Yu Qiao stopped and glanced at him. “I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

“That’s good. So, what did you differentiate into?”

Yu Qiao said calmly, “An Alpha.”

A momentary silence fell over the classroom.

Tang Sijia’s eyes widened, and she nearly bent the plastic water bottle in her hand. “What?!”

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