Senior, Stop Pretending to be an Alpha - Chapter 8

“You’re hiding something!”

Yao Rudong reached out, her palms gently cupping Yu Qiao’s cheeks as she squished them into a little “chicken beak” shape. “Is there? Is there? Quick, tell the truth!”

Yu Qiao struggled to open her mouth, her voice muffled. “There is not.”

“When Xiao Yun and I went to get the clothes, she had to leave early for something, so she handed them to me. Senior Xie happened to see that I couldn’t carry them alone, so she came over to help.”

“I see…” Yao Rudong realized, but then felt something was still off. “But why would she come over to help you specifically?”

Yu Qiao replied, “Because your goddess is kind-hearted.”

Yao Rudong shook her head. “No, no, it cannot be that simple! You have no idea; so many people pretend to have all sorts of difficulties just to get Xie Bufei’s attention. But the goddess is incredibly cold; she usually ignores them.”

“Is Xie Bufei very cold?” Yu Qiao froze, feeling a huge discrepancy between that description and the girl she knew who loved to smile.

Yao Rudong gave her soft cheeks a few more firm squeezes before finally letting go reluctantly. “Otherwise, why would they call her the ‘Flower on a High Ridge’?”

Yu Qiao rubbed her numb face and spoke honestly. “Perhaps it is because I have run into her many times these past few days, so we have gradually become familiar with each other.”

“Run into her many times?!” Yao Rudong’s eyes widened, her expression turning strange. “Where? Where did you meet her? Can you take me with you?”

Yu Qiao reported the events truthfully, one by one, watching as the other girl’s expression became increasingly distorted.

Yao Rudong shrieked, “Holy crap! So you are that Alpha who stopped Xu Jie? But you haven’t even differentiated yet!”

After all that gossip, it turned out the subject was right next to her.

Yu Qiao shook her head. “No, that girl was mistaken. She thought I was an Alpha.”

Yao Rudong was speechless. After a long silence, she looked at Yu Qiao with envy. “It must be nice. I really want the goddess’s WeChat too…”

Yu Qiao thought for a moment and kindly patted her shoulder, making a fist in a gesture of encouragement. “You can do it. Good luck.”

Yao Rudong’s gaze was resentful. Resting her chin on her arm, she said with a look of worldly weariness, “I do not feel comforted. I never expected that in Dorm 301, Qiaoqiao would be the one quietly making a fortune.”

Yu Qiao shook her head, noncommittal. To her, Xie Bufei was indeed like an unexpected windfall. From borrowing a tissue to intervening in a fight and helping move clothes, the small, scattered favors had accumulated like a rolling snowball.

And today, she owed Xie Bufei yet another favor. Yu Qiao knit her brows in distress; she would have to find a way to pay her back.

Her gaze landed on the bear-themed water cup. The sunlight from the window made the glass transparent, its rim tinted with a soft golden glow. A faint lipstick mark on the edge was particularly prominent. It was a trace left by Xie Bufei, a bold display that she had once been there.

Everything she touched seemed to leave behind a sweet fragrance, like a hazy white mist in a winter forest; it was faint, yet impossible to ignore. Yu Qiao still did not know what kind of plant the scent belonged to.

She pursed her lips and asked casually, “Did you smell the perfume Senior Xie left behind? What scent is it?”

“Perfume?” Yao Rudong took a deep breath, her nostrils flaring exaggeratedly, but a look of confusion appeared on her face. “Is there one? I cannot smell anything at all.”

Yu Qiao held the cup closer to her. “Try smelling it again?”

Yao Rudong leaned down and sniffed for a long time before shaking her head. “No, nothing. Qiaoqiao, could it be your imagination?”

Yu Qiao froze, her expression turning odd. Whenever Xie Bufei appeared by her side, that fragrance followed like a shadow. There was no reason for it to be an illusion every single time. She leaned down toward the faint red mark; the light scent rushed to her nose like a tide, lingering and persistent.

Yu Qiao felt it was a bit absurd. She rubbed her brow and set the cup aside, letting the scent drift away. Between her and Yao Rudong, someone definitely had a problem.

Two days passed. Before Yu Qiao could verify anything with Xie Bufei, the week-long military training for freshmen officially began.

Assembly was at 7:30 AM, requiring neat uniforms and a clean dormitory. This meant waking up around 6:30 AM to organize. It was Lu Yun’s first time waking up this early since the start of summer, and she clutched her quilt, yawning repeatedly.

Yao Rudong was irritably fumbling with her belt, calling out loudly from the bathroom, “How do you wear this thing? It is beyond me!”

Yu Qiao lowered her head to snap her cap on. In the mirror, the girl in the camouflage uniform had skin as white as frost. The belt accentuated her lean, smooth waist. With her long hair tucked into the military cap, a section of her slender neck was exposed.

Yao Rudong finally managed to buckle her belt and walked out loosely. She spun around for them. “How does this look?”

“You have to tuck your shirt into your waistband,” Yu Qiao said, walking over to help her. “Tie your hair up and tuck it into the cap.”

“What a hassle! What a hassle!” Yao Rudong grumbled with morning irritability. “Why make it so complicated? University students should just abolish military training and fitness tests!”

Yu Qiao chuckled and gently patted her lower back. “Alright, it is only for a few days. You will get through it.”

Yao Rudong snorted and turned to Lu Yun. “Yunyun, are you not getting dressed? We are going to be late.”

Lu Yun’s eyes were drooping, and she looked listless. “I feel a bit unwell.”

Yu Qiao asked worriedly, “What is wrong? Are you sick?”

“No,” Lu Yun rubbed her lower abdomen, her expression pained. “Period cramps… the first day.”

The two of them immediately showed expressions of understanding and sympathy. “Should we help you ask for leave?”

Lu Yun shook her head and bit her lower lip. “Asking for leave on the first day of military training? That wouldn’t be good. And it will last seven days; I cannot ask for leave the whole time.”

Yao Rudong suggested, “Then go for now. If you really can’t handle it, tell the instructor.”

Lu Yun nodded and struggled out of bed to get dressed. When it came to organizing the room, neither of them could manage the “tofu-block” style bed-folding. In the dorm, only Yu Qiao’s quilt looked presentable. Seeing this, Yu Qiao took the initiative to help fold their quilts.

Yao Rudong watched her simple, clean technique with admiration. “Qiaoqiao, you even know how to do this? Why does it look so easy when you do it, but I can’t get it right?”

“I learned it specifically during middle school military training,” Yu Qiao said calmly. With a flick of her wrist, another perfectly neat tofu-block was formed.

The training ground was the large central sports field. By the time the three of them finished breakfast and rushed to the scene, almost everyone had arrived. Each class formed a square formation, looking like a vast sea of dark green.

Yao Rudong, with her sharp eyesight, quickly found Computer Science Class 1. Most people were already there. Their late arrival made the nearby instructor quite displeased.

“What is the matter with you? So slow. Do you have any sense of time!”

The instructor was a tall Alpha. He looked very young, perhaps only two or three years older than them, but his voice roared like a bell, and his glare made everyone tremble. He stared at the three of them and barked, “What are you standing there for? Get in line!”

Yao Rudong mumbled an acknowledgement. After joining the line, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes and whisper to Yu Qiao behind her, “The deadline hasn’t even passed yet. Is this really necessary?”

“Who is talking!” the instructor roared again. Yao Rudong shut her mouth instantly. “From now on, for any small movement, report to me first! Do you hear me!”

The team slowly formed a line and began standing at attention. The morning temperature was not yet hot, but standing for an hour was still difficult. Many people began to slack off. As the sun slowly rose higher, the entire field was covered in piercing sunlight.

Other classes gradually moved to the shade of nearby trees to train, but Class 1 remained stationary. Sweat began to bead on Yu Qiao’s nose, and her glasses started sliding down. She pursed her lips and called out, “Report!”

The instructor glanced at her. “What is it?”

Yu Qiao replied, “Adjusting my glasses.”

“Adjust them.” The instructor withdrew his gaze and paced around the formation with a fake smile. “Do you know why our team cannot go to the cool shade to rest like the other classes? Because your attitude is too lax!”

“Late in the morning, sloppy posture, low morale… and doing little movements without reporting. Is this how adults should behave? Do you have any sense of discipline?”

The class could only stand straight again, filled with resentment but afraid to speak out.

Yu Qiao finished adjusting her glasses and stood tall. Half an hour had passed, and the scorching sun baked the earth. She stood with her back straight, looking forward without distraction, when she suddenly heard a faint cry of pain beside her.

She knit her brows and looked at Lu Yun. “Xiaoyun, what is wrong?”

Lu Yun turned her head, her body swaying. Yu Qiao saw her biting her lip hard, her gaze losing focus, and her face was terrifyingly pale.

“I… feel bad…”

Yu Qiao’s pupils shrank, and she quickly stepped forward to support her. Their movements were seen by the instructor, who gave a loud shout. “What are Rows 3 and 4 doing?!”

Yu Qiao looked at the instructor and explained, “Report, Instructor! She is not feeling well today. Can she rest for a while?”

“It has only been half an hour and she is already ‘unwell’?” The instructor knit his brows, looking skeptical. “Are you just trying to dodge training?”

Many people felt uncomfortable hearing this, and a buzz of whispering broke out.

“Lu Yun’s face is literally white. If she is faking, the Oscars owe her a trophy.” “It’s too much. She looks like she is about to faint. Is it heatstroke?” “This is ridiculous. Why does this instructor have no empathy?”

The instructor’s face turned as black as a pot. “What are you all saying! What does it have to do with you?”

Yao Rudong shouted, “Report! She really is unwell; it started this morning.”

The instructor cast a cold glance at her. “Rows 3 and 4, step out!”

Yu Qiao gently supported Lu Yun as they stepped out. The latter hung her head weakly, fine beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead. The instructor looked at them and said, “You three were the ones who were late this morning, weren’t you?”

Yu Qiao knit her brows and looked at him. “Report! We arrived within the designated time this morning; we were not late.”

The instructor sneered. “Is that so? Are you the instructor or am I? You have more attitude than I do!”

Yu Qiao stood straight and said clearly, “Report! We clearly did not violate the rules. Why can we not stand up for ourselves? Before you argue with me, can you please let her go down and rest?”

The instructor laughed out of anger. “Very well. University students certainly have sharp tongues. She can go rest because she is sick, but since you have violated the rules, you will take double the punishment for her.”

The team was in an uproar. “What? Is that not too much?” “How can this be? Yu Qiao and the others didn’t do anything wrong!”

Yu Qiao pursed her lips, her gaze firm. “May I ask what rule I violated?”

“Talking back to your instructor!” he shouted. “Fourth row, third column! Stand out in the sun and stay at attention for another hour!”

Yu Qiao did not speak, but looked at him calmly. Meeting her bright black eyes, the instructor felt inexplicably nervous. Feeling guilty, he instinctively raised his chin. “What are you looking at? If you do not go now, the whole class will stand with you for an extra hour!”

Yu Qiao said nothing more. She helped Lu Yun to the shade of a tree and then walked back into the sunlight to stand at attention. The sun beat down recklessly, the heat waves feeling as if they were penetrating her skin.

When Xie Bufei arrived at the field, this was the scene she saw: the girl in the sunlight with a perfectly straight back, her gaze cold behind her lenses, and a halo of burning white gold surrounding her lean silhouette. She looked like a tall, beautiful young poplar tree.

Xie Bufei knit her brows imperceptibly. She turned to the Student Union representative sitting in the shade and asked in a cold voice, “What happened here?”

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