The Strongest Alpha is Overwhelmingly Omega After Rebirth - Chapter 22

Ning Youji saw that Lin Yan was truly at a loss, so he pulled him out from the group.

“If you have any questions, go find Jiang Xue.” Having escaped their clutches, Lin Yan quickly dismissed them. “I still have to go back and study. I have an exam tomorrow and cannot be delayed.”

“An exam?” Li Yang, from the Second High School, wore an expression that clearly said, “Are you kidding me?” He asked, “Brother Lin, what kind of joke is this? What do exams have to do with us?”

The School Boss of the Third High School chimed in. “Yeah, exactly. Let us go to the nearby bar for a few drinks. Is ‘Big Papa’ coming with us?”

Jiang Xue quickly interrupted them. “You guys should head back. I will explain everything to them in detail.”

“Right,” Lu Xiangshi added. “Don’t worry, with me here, I will lead them well. Being the first ‘son’ is not just for show.”

Lin Yan was speechless. As he watched Lin Yan and Ning Youji leave, the other School Bosses stared at each other. A School Boss studying? And taking an exam? Judging by the tone, it sounded like he was quite serious about it.

Li Yang of the Second High School could not help but feel suspicious. “Is Brother Lin’s academic performance really that good? Was he not ranked dead last in the grade last year?” Had even the bottom ranked student started studying now?

Mao Cun rolled his eyes at him. “If you are still sticking to old concepts, you are falling behind the times!”

Jiang Xue pulled out his phone and displayed his friend QR code. “Come on, add me. I will pull you into the lackey group so you can see your Papa’s glory for yourselves.”

Once Jiang Xue added them to the group, he told them, “Check the announcements. There are links to the No. 1 High School internal forums, specifically the threads about your Papa.”

The group clicked the links one by one. The first thread was titled, “The Secret Relationship Between the School Boss and the Top Scholar!” The second was “The School Boss Passed Every Subject in One Month!” The third was “Voting for the School Boss’s Unified Exam Tomorrow!”

Mao Cun stuck his nose up proudly. “Were you not just questioning Brother Lin’s grades? Click the second link and look closely; it will overturn everything you thought you knew!”

The group was used to clickbait titles where the reality was far from the headline. However, five minutes later, their reactions changed.

“Holy crap! This has to be fake, right?” Ye Qinghuan from the Fifth High School felt lucky once again that he had chosen the right side. “This is incredible. Passing every subject in a single month? Even cheating would not be this miraculous!”

“What is even more unbelievable,” Li Yang rubbed his eyes to confirm that the transcript on his screen was from a legitimate official website, “is that our ‘Big Papa’ is actually a genius scholar!”

Slackers did not understand the world of top students. Entering this new territory for the first time, they were shocked beyond measure. Not only could he subdue a genius Alpha and win fights, but he was also brilliant.

While the group was feeling relieved that they had not actually picked a fight, Lin Yan, who had just stepped out of the alley, was feeling very guilty. He watched Ning Youji’s expression and asked tentatively, “Are you angry?”

Seeing that Ning Youji did not respond, Lin Yan wanted to say more, but his teeth accidentally grazed his bitten lip. “Hiss, that hurts.”

Lin Yan felt something warm flowing from his lip. He reached up and wiped it; it was covered in blood. Ning Youji stopped in his tracks. Seeing the blood on Lin Yan’s lip, his gaze deepened and his brow furrowed as he stared intently at him.

A wave of Alpha pheromones pressed heavily onto Lin Yan. It felt like it carried anger, but also something else. Lin Yan’s body had just been soothed by the Alpha, but receiving such a heavy dose of pheromones so suddenly made his legs go weak.

Just as he was about to stumble backward, an arm grabbed him and yanked him forward, causing him to crash into a firm chest. The blood on his lip had been smeared everywhere by his movements, looking somewhat gruesome. A bright red lip print was left directly on Ning Youji’s white shirt, creating a suggestive image.

Lin Yan blinked at the red mark and reached up to wipe it away. Before he could move, a large hand cupped the back of his head and pressed it down, burying his face into the hollow of Ning Youji’s shoulder.

“Do not move,” Ning Youji said with a tone of command.

Lin Yan stiffened and remained still. The boy carried a refreshing woody scent, like sunlight on tree branches, mixed with a sweet fragrance like the air after rain. It was very comforting.

“Why did you not tell me?” Ning Youji’s voice was low. Thinking of the scene in the alley, he imagined what might have happened if he had arrived even a minute later.

Regarding this, Lin Yan was actually curious. He pushed Ning Youji away slightly and asked, “You still have not answered me. How did you know I was there?”

Ning Youji looked at the bloodstains near his mouth and reached out to wipe them away. His voice was slightly hoarser than usual. “Your lackey group.”

“Oh, right. I see,” Lin Yan realized. He had completely forgotten that he had been shouting in the group chat that morning. His gaze shifted, and he accidentally saw the red mark on Ning Youji’s white shirt, making him feel incredibly guilty. “Your clothes…”

Ning Youji looked down and saw the prominent bloodstain on his shirt, feeling a bit helpless.

“When we get back, take it off and I will help you wash it,” Lin Yan said, taking responsibility. Thinking of something, he took off his own black jacket and handed it over. “Wear this to cover it. It would be bad if people saw.”

The more Lin Yan spoke, the more he felt like a jerk. As Ning Youji took the black jacket, his eyebrows rose slightly as he looked at the person in front of him.

“Do not look at me like that. The jacket is yours.”

Lin Yan walked forward a few steps to hide his embarrassment and explained vaguely, “I knew those School Bosses would use their pheromones to pressure me, so…”

“So?” Ning Youji prompted.

Lin Yan glanced back at him, thinking that this refined scoundrel would not stop until he forced an admission. “Fine! I used your clothes to block other people’s pheromones!” Lin Yan’s ears turned red, and his voice got louder with each word. “What? Is that not allowed?”

After speaking, Lin Yan clicked his tongue and turned to walk away with large strides. Damn it, Ning Youji always caught him at his most embarrassing moments. Sensing that Ning Youji had not followed, Lin Yan’s pace slowed.

Ning Youji watched his back, unsure if he felt more helpless or soft hearted. He knew that for an Omega to use an Alpha’s personal belongings to resist other Alphas was equivalent to an indirect admission of being claimed by that person.

The corners of his mouth curled up as a single word escaped his lips. “Allowed.”

Anything was fine. He took a long stride and caught up with the boy ahead.

The unified examination finished after three days. The morning sessions were Mathematics and English, while the afternoon was Physics and Biology. Lin Yan was assigned to examination room 507. Inside, students were whispering.

The girl in front of Lin Yan said to her neighbor, “I heard that if you do well in this exam, you do not have to take the final exams.”

“I heard that too. Apparently, it is for selecting the advanced intellectual training class.”

“They are doing the selection early this year? Does it not usually happen after the final exams?”

Hearing “intellectual training,” Lin Yan’s light colored eyes shifted. It was an unfamiliar term, but anything related to intelligence was surely important. He tapped the girl’s shoulder. “Excuse me, what is this intellectual training?”

The girl gasped and nearly fell off her stool. She turned around and looked at Lin Yan tremblingly. Lin Yan’s smile was gentle and polite. “What is this training you were just talking about?”

The girl looked into Lin Yan’s eyes. They were very beautiful. Thinking of the time he explained problems at the old playground, the fear deep in her heart vanished.

“You have not heard? It is posted on the school bulletin board. The Scholar’s Mansion holds an intelligence test twice a year.” The girl explained the details while they waited for the exam to start.

Lin Yan understood the gist: the unified exam rankings determined the training spots. The top ten students in the grade could participate. Stronger people would only get stronger, so one had to fight for a spot.

“Thanks.” Lin Yan was thoughtful. The top ten in the grade was a far cry from his current level. The girl turned back, her entire face flushed red. The rumors on the forum that the School Boss’s temper had improved were true. Not only was his temper better, but he was also handsomer.

After finishing two subjects, Lin Yan was preoccupied with the thought of the training. He remained distracted until a figure appeared in front of him. He looked up to see a handsome, cool looking boy. Ning Youji stood over him with his hand in his pocket, looking down at him.

Ning Youji tapped on the desk. “The exam is over, yet you are still reluctant to leave.”

Lin Yan looked around and realized he was the only one left in the room. As he packed his things, he asked, “Why are you here?”

“I was waiting for you at the stairs. When I did not see you come down, I came up to check,” Ning Youji replied.

Lin Yan nodded. “Where are Jiang Xue and Li Xingming?”

“They went to the cafeteria.” Ning Youji noticed Lin Yan’s drooping eyelids and distracted state. He asked in a low voice, “Did the exam go poorly?”

Lin Yan blinked. “No, it went quite well.”

“Then what is wrong?”

Lin Yan had to admit his seatmate was very observant. He did not want to miss this opportunity for growth; he was still far from his goal. Once they left the classroom, Lin Yan spoke up. “Do you know about the intellectual training?”

Ning Youji narrowed his eyes and gave a faint “mhm.”

“I want to go too,” Lin Yan said, walking with his head down. “But I do not think I have the chance. You are going to participate, right?”

Ning Youji’s eyes darkened as something seemed to well up in his heart. After a moment of silence, he said, “There is an extra special spot this year. You should be able to join us for the training.”

“What?” Lin Yan looked confused. “What special spot? I can go? Why?”

“A progress spot,” Ning Youji explained concisely. “I do not think anyone in the sophomore grade has improved faster than you.”

Lin Yan’s eyes lit up as if they held a thousand stars. “Really? Who told you? Is the information reliable?”

Bright sunlight spilled into the hallway, casting a glow over Lin Yan’s face. “Do well on the remaining exams,” Ning Youji said, his own sense of anticipation spreading.

“Definitely!” Lin Yan felt as though he had found water in a desert. “Why would there be a special spot like that?”

Ning Youji did not answer. That special spot had been proposed by Su Xue, his mother.

Lin Yan’s mood improved, and he became more talkative. “Do you think they gave out the spot because they saw how hard I was working?”

Ning Youji stopped walking and looked at the boy. Before Ning Youji had arrived, this person had spent every class sleeping or skipping. Why had such an arrogant person become so well behaved? He felt both expectant and uneasy. He finally asked the question directly.

“Why have you suddenly become so invested in studying?”

Lin Yan turned back and realized Ning Youji was standing a distance away, motionless against the light. Lin Yan had intended to say it was for his family, but seeing Ning Youji’s serious expression, he felt like teasing him. “Why else? Because of you, of course.”

Ning Youji stood in the shadows, his emotions unreadable. When he did not speak, Lin Yan finished his sentence, “Sooner or later, I will drag you down from the number one spot. Just you wait.”

Lin Yan laughed; he really was being boastful. Ning Youji stared at the dimples in his smile. When his eyes curved, they were like a spring breeze.

“Okay,” Ning Youji whispered. He walked down the stairs and stood in front of Lin Yan. Lin Yan saw a smile on his lips and thought he was going to mock him. Instead, Ning Youji reached out and rubbed Lin Yan’s head with a gentle gaze.

“I look forward to seeing you at number one.”

Lin Yan was stunned. When he recovered, he slapped the hand away and turned to go downstairs. Why did the man not argue back? And why did he keep touching his head? Lin Yan’s ears turned pink, thinking that this man was very good at handling teasing.

The results of the unified exam were released subject by subject, and the final grades were out that evening. The school was abuzz. During evening self study, the sophomores were refreshing the school website.

When the rankings were released, the top spot was unchanged. Ning Youji was 89 points ahead of the second place student, Ji Qing. The students of Class 7 were used to the top rankings; they were only interested in the School Boss’s rank. Lin Yan had hovered around the 500s in previous small tests, so they started looking from the 400s downward.

They could not find his name. “Did you find it? I cannot find him in the 500s. Did he drop further?”

“I cannot find him in the 400s either. He couldn’t have dropped, right?”

“He is not in the bottom 500 either.”

The students looked at the boy in the back row before returning to their phones. This time, they looked from rank 100 downward. Before they could find it, a boy in the back cheered. “My god! The School Boss is ranked 309!”

The classroom fell into a dead silence. The ranking was so high it felt unreal. After a few seconds, someone said, “That is impossible!”

Jiang Xue was the first to find the rank. He proudly sent the link to the lackey group and tagged his sons from other schools. When he heard someone questioning the result, he looked at them with annoyance. “How can you still doubt it? Look at who is sitting next to my brother. Use your brain.”

The person was silenced. It made sense; with help from the top genius, anything was possible. Others agreed, noting that Lin Yan had indeed been working much harder lately.

Lin Yan, however, was not satisfied. He had not hidden his strength this time. In previous tests, he had purposely stayed in the middle to avoid attention. He had not expected that even with his full effort, he would only reach the 300s.

When Ning Youji heard the rank, he was also slightly surprised despite expecting it. He looked at Lin Yan. The boy was spinning a pen, looking bored. His profile was exquisite under the classroom lights. This was the boy whose grades were improving every time, and whose pheromones matched his own.

“You did well,” Ning Youji said. “Why are you unhappy?”

Lin Yan leaned his chin on his hand and looked at his seatmate. “Tell me, how are you so amazing? How can you get so many points? What is inside your head?” He sounded frustrated yet competitive.

Ning Youji found the question adorable. He tapped the desk and said, “Just do your papers.”

After the first self study period, Wang Fenghai entered the classroom with a list. “I am sure you have all seen the results. This exam is linked to the intellectual training. I will read the names of the students who will participate.”

The class perked up. Wang Fenghai announced the names: “Ning Youji, Lin Yan, Li Xingming, Qiao Xi.”

Out of eleven total spots, Class 7 had four. A student asked why Lin Yan was included when only the top 50 usually went. Wang Fenghai explained the progress spot for the student who showed the most improvement. Although some were dissatisfied, no one could deny that Lin Yan’s progress was unmatched.

“The students I just named do not have to take the final exams,” Wang Fenghai added. “Also, tomorrow is a Friday, and the school is giving a holiday for New Year’s Day. Happy New Year.”

The class cheered. That evening, many students planned to go home. Lin Yan, in a good mood, stayed to do some problems. He noticed Ning Youji’s phone vibrate. Ning Youji walked to the window and answered the call. When he finished, he locked eyes with Lin Yan.

“I was not eavesdropping,” Lin Yan said guiltily. “Was that your family?”

Ning Youji confirmed it and started packing his bag. “Are you going back today?” Lin Yan asked. He felt a bit lonely. “It is just for one night; can you not stay?”

Ning Youji looked at him. His deep gaze seemed to see right through Lin Yan’s thoughts. “Why are you looking at me?” Lin Yan huffed. “Go if you want to. I wanted you to do some papers with me, but it is fine. No one will scold me if you are gone.”

“Are you reluctant to let me go?” Ning Youji asked.

“Go, go! Get out of my sight!” Lin Yan retorted, his ears turning red.

Ning Youji smiled and slung his bag over his shoulder. He patted Lin Yan’s head. “Call me if there is a problem you do not understand.” He rubbed Lin Yan’s hair one more time and left.

Once he was gone, Lin Yan rubbed his head where he had been touched. He treats me like a child again, he thought. He kicked Ning Youji’s stool in frustration but eventually tucked it neatly under the desk.

Outside, a white car pulled up for Ning Youji. Inside were his parents, Su Xue and Ning Heng. Su Xue was excited to see him, but the mood in the car shifted when they brought up the Omega. Ning Youji made it clear that he did not want Lin Yan to be used as a tool to cure his condition.

That night, back at his villa, Ning Youji fell into a familiar dream. A thin figure turned around, holding a bouquet of flowers that smelled like white magnolias. He woke up at 5:00 AM to a sudden, violent eruption of pheromones. His condition was having a true breakout.

He injected a suppressant with such force that the needle went in deep. He collapsed on the floor, shivering and pale. As dawn broke, he put on a down jacket and left the house. The cold air stung his lungs. He found himself walking toward a flower shop.

He saw a plant with three small, translucent white flowers. It was a white magnolia. He bought the last one of the season, thinking of the boy who was always restless yet so serious when it mattered. He smiled.

He walked to Lin Yan’s apartment complex. The security guard recognized him and let him in. He walked up to the second floor.

Lin Yan, who had returned home late with Jiang Xue, was woken up by the knocking. He opened the door, cranky from the cold. “Who is knocking so early!” He stopped when a white flower appeared in his vision.

“The smell is very similar to your pheromones,” a familiar, raspy voice said.

Lin Yan looked up and saw Ning Youji. He was shocked. “Why are you here?”

The Alpha’s pheromones were faint, as if he were exhausted. Lin Yan realized something was wrong. “Wait, is your condition acting up?”

Ning Youji just stared at him. Seeing his abnormal flush, Lin Yan reached out to touch his forehead. Suddenly, his wrist was grabbed, and he was pulled into a tight embrace. Ning Youji felt like a block of ice, yet his breath was hot against Lin Yan’s neck.

“The flower. Do you like it?” Ning Youji murmured.

Lin Yan smiled. “I like it.”