Senior, Stop Pretending to be an Alpha - Chapter 4

“Xie… Xie Bufei?!”

The man spun around, his voice cracking like a duck being squeezed by the throat.

Xie Bufei walked quickly to Yu Qiao’s side. She cast a sidelong glance at the dumbstruck man and said coolly, “Retract your scent. It stinks.”

The man nodded like a chick pecking at grain, hurriedly withdrawing his pheromones, though a faint, pungent spiciness still lingered in the air. Yu Qiao noticed Xie Bufei knit her brows slightly.

It was only then that Yu Qiao remembered—the other person was also an Alpha; she would naturally be affected by the pheromones the man had released.

Almost no one noticed that Xie Bufei’s breathing was slightly rapid. She silently held her breath, intending to pull Yu Qiao further away, when a pale, cool hand suddenly appeared before her eyes.

The fingers were neatly trimmed, the nails showing a healthy faint pink, and light blue veins traced the back of the hand. Two slender fingers gently held a brand-new, unopened mask, offering it to her.

Yu Qiao said, “Senior, put this on first.”

Xie Bufei paused, looked up at her for a few seconds, and suddenly smiled. “Thank you.”

She brushed her curls behind her shoulder, revealing a delicate earlobe. With a light flick of her pinky, she hooked the mask strap behind her ear. The black mask obscured the lower half of her face, yet the striking bone structure around her eyes still marked her as a great beauty.

The man stared at them in shock, stammering, “I…”

Xie Bufei glanced at him, looking down from her height. “Apologize.”

The man immediately blurted out, “I—I’m sorry!”

Seeing Xie Bufei had her mask on, Yu Qiao turned to the dumbfounded man and added, “You should apologize to your girlfriend.”

The man mumbled an affirmative. He hadn’t expected this Alpha to be a friend of Xie Bufei; he was truly out of luck today. Even if he had a mountain of rage, he wouldn’t dare vent it in front of Xie Bufei. The Xie Corporation had deep ties with A University; it was rumored that the school board and student union both had members of the Xie family…

Such a dense web of connections was not something an ordinary person could resist. Furthermore, Xie Bufei’s popularity was enough to command the wind and rain at A University. If her fans found out he had offended her, they would skin him alive.

The man apologized repeatedly and slunk away in disgrace.

With the matter concluded, Xie Bufei’s beautiful eyes turned toward Yu Qiao. “Let’s go as well.”

Night had fallen, and the campus streetlamps lit up like yellow dandelions, carpeting the ground with warm light in the night breeze. Under the moonlight, they walked side by side toward the dormitory building.

After a moment of silence, Yu Qiao suddenly asked, “Did Senior just return to school as well?”

Xie Bufei: “Yes.”

The piercing scent of pheromones had dissipated, yet she didn’t take off the mask. She looked at Yu Qiao, her exposed fox-like eyes curving. “Has Junior had dinner yet?”

Going from “Qiaoqiao” back to “Junior” so suddenly—she truly was unpredictable. Yu Qiao pursed her lips and nodded.

Xie Bufei said, “So you’re heading back to the dorm now?”

Yu Qiao: “Yes.”

“So early…” Xie Bufei’s tone held a hint of regret as she whispered, “I remember you like morning runs. Don’t you plan on doing a night run?”

Yu Qiao shook her head. “I’m only used to running during the day. It’s dark at night, and wearing glasses is inconvenient.” She looked at Xie Bufei, her gaze drifting past the other’s shoulder before she suddenly stopped. “Senior, would you like some milk tea?”

Xie Bufei was startled and blinked. “Why the sudden offer of milk tea?”

Yu Qiao retracted her gaze and said seriously, “I want to thank you for helping me out today.”

Xie Bufei naturally had no reason to refuse. Looking at Yu Qiao’s earnest eyes, her fox-eyes curved. “Sure.”

Soon, the two of them were each holding a cup of iced milk tea, standing downstairs at Dormitory Building A.

Along the way, Yu Qiao didn’t say much, but Xie Bufei always managed to bring up interesting topics from various angles—ranging from their majors to favorite books. They chatted back and forth, and remarkably, there was no awkward silence at all.

Though Xie Bufei was known as a “flower on a high ridge,” she was actually very comfortable to be around; she didn’t overstep and maintained a perfect sense of distance.

This feeling was novel to Yu Qiao. For as long as she could remember, she hadn’t been good at socializing. She rarely pursued things her peers liked and found it hard to fit into social circles. Consequently, the most common labels she received were “too honest,” “doesn’t get the jokes,” or “not likable enough.”

Over time, Yu Qiao found socializing troublesome. Unwilling to force herself to cater to others, she began to actively keep her distance. But Xie Bufei made her feel as if she were standing in the middle of a boundless night and the moon had suddenly rushed toward her. It wasn’t her catering to others, but someone else actively reaching out to her.

It was strange, yet fresh.

Yu Qiao’s dorm was on the second floor. She stopped at the stairwell, looked at the beautiful girl, and said sincerely, “I really want to thank Senior for today.” Without Xie Bufei, that man might not have been so easy to get rid of.

“You don’t have to be so polite.”

“In that case, I should also thank Qiaoqiao for the milk tea.” Xie Bufei had already removed her mask. Her red lips took a light sip from the paper straw, and she looked at her with a grin. “It’s very sweet.”

In the evening breeze, that sweet, light fragrance drifted recklessly around her again, like an undercurrent surging during a rising tide—intense yet ethereal.

Yu Qiao had a momentary lapse in focus. She instinctively asked, “Senior, are you wearing perfume?”

For some reason, Xie Bufei paused. “You smelled it?”

Yu Qiao nodded. “Mhm. Is it a floral scent?”

Xie Bufei’s eyes flickered, and she unconsciously tugged at her sleeve. She gave a casual, light laugh. “Yes. Do you like the smell?”

“I do,” Yu Qiao said. “It smells very nice.”

Xie Bufei’s breath hitched. She asked in a low voice, “You haven’t differentiated yet, have you?”

Yu Qiao nodded, puzzled. “What about it?”

Xie Bufei asked a question Yu Qiao had been asked many times before: “What do you think you’ll differentiate into?”

Yu Qiao was silent for a moment before saying, “Probably a Beta.” Everyone assumed Yu Qiao would be a Beta, and she didn’t mind. She had no interest in the pheromone entanglements between Alphas and Omegas. If she could be a Beta—unaffected by instinct and able to maintain her self—that would be fine.

However, Xie Bufei seemed to think of something. She leaned back against the railing with both hands, her long hair fluttering in the wind as she let out a soft laugh. “I don’t think so.”

“You are an Alpha.”

Yu Qiao was stunned. She thought for a moment and said, “An Alpha like Senior? That would be good too.”

For some reason, the smile on Xie Bufei’s lips faded slightly. She stared fixedly at Yu Qiao. “What if I said I’m not an Alpha?”

Yu Qiao blinked. “Hmm?”

After a moment of silence, Xie Bufei quickly regained her smile, her expression becoming casual again. “Nothing, just joking.” She stood up straight, her voice gentle as a night whisper. “I’m going back. Get some rest.”

Yu Qiao didn’t notice anything odd and nodded. “Goodbye, Senior.”

She watched Xie Bufei walk up a few steps before the other girl suddenly turned back.

“By the way, remember to leave your lunchtime free for me tomorrow.” Xie Bufei used that natural, entitled tone again, her smile bright. “I’ll come find you.”

She possessed a natural confidence, acting so boldly as if the whole world should make way for her. She was like a rich, vibrant oil painting—hard to refuse and making one want to spend a fortune to keep it. This was likely the definition of “using beauty to get away with murder.”

Yu Qiao nodded. Sure enough, she saw Xie Bufei show a satisfied expression, her fox-eyes curving like a child who had received a desired candy.

…She was actually a little cute.

Yu Qiao paused, an unconscious smile appearing on her face. “Senior, goodnight.”

Xie Bufei blinked, appearing surprised by her initiative. “Goodnight.”

The two of them looked at each other in silence for a few more seconds. Finally, Yu Qiao asked curiously, “Aren’t you going up, Senior?”

Xie Bufei blinked. “Well, you haven’t left either.”

Yu Qiao pointed to the dorm door next to her and tilted her head. “Because I’m already home.”

Xie Bufei froze. A faint blush instantly rushed to her fair cheeks, and she turned around to hurry upstairs.

It wasn’t until she walked into her dorm that she slowly regained her composure. Her roommate, Bai Yi, greeted her from the desk: “Feifei, you’re back? Oh my, why is your face so red?”

Xie Bufei touched her face; her fingertips felt scalding. She bit her lip. “It’s a bit embarrassing…”

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