Transmigrated as the Vampire Alpha of the Omega Heroine - Chapter 37

The results of the semifinals came out quickly within just over a week, the announcement was posted. Gu Li found her name at the top of the list.

Surprisingly, Wen Ru, who had tearfully claimed she had performed poorly, didn’t do as badly as she had said. She ranked third in her school and still earned a provincial first prize, though she didn’t make it to the provincial team.

B High wasn’t particularly strong in academic competitions to begin with. After rounds of eliminations, only Gu Li, who had pursued mathematics in her past life, remained on the competition track.

The finals were scheduled for summer break in City A, coinciding with Jiang Nian’s art school interviews. Unlike other students who could apply to multiple schools, Jiang Nian and Mu Lan had only one shot they could apply to just one program at one school, making it as decisive as the college entrance exam.

“Have you decided which one?” Gu Li noticed Jiang Nian had listed six art programs on her paper, with the two highest-ranked schools circled.

“A Art is near A University, and Z Art is near Z University,” Jiang Nian turned to Gu Li with a serious expression.

Both A University and Z University were top-tier institutions. If Gu Li could win a national first prize in the summer camp finals, she’d have a chance at guaranteed admission.

So Jiang Nian’s dilemma was whether she could choose an art school near Gu Li’s future university. The alpha took the pen and crossed out the two circles. “Pick the one you’re most confident in.”

She then wrote down the best local university next to each of the six schools. “I’ll follow you.”

Both were willing to compromise for the other. Jiang Nian bit her fingernail but eventually checked the box for A Art, it was her dream school.

She had researched it: Gu Li’s desired majors, mathematics and finance, were among A University’s strongest programs, and A Art’s fine arts department was one of the best in the country. Before Gu Li could say more, Jiang Nian declared, “A Art. I’m most confident there.”

She clenched her fist, determined.

Her teacher had said that with her rapid progress, she had a real shot. If she was going all out, she shouldn’t leave any regrets.

Gu Li had to pause her regular studies for provincial team training, while Jiang Nian and Mu Lan entered their final sprint, skipping classes to spend entire days in the studio. They sat there for over ten hours at a stretch, their relentless effort steadily sharpening their skills.

Often, when Jiang Nian lifted her head in a daze, she’d feel like she was drenched in the scent of paint, as if she had become one of the studio’s ceaseless brushes, tirelessly painting in hopes of one day achieving mastery.

Around her neck hung Gu Li’s jade Buddha, pressed against her skin. The alpha had insisted she take it before leaving, as if it could protect her health in her absence, keeping her from nicking herself carelessly. Gu Li, meanwhile, had proudly waved the bracelet she’d received for her birthday, saying, “I’ve already got your lucky charm. Of course I’d give you one in return.”

The lavender-scented candy jar was carefully hidden by her, with only one piece eaten each day to reminisce about the lavender fragrance on Gu Li. This time, they couldn’t be together during her heat cycle, so she had to endure these painful days of longing with just suppressants and these candies.

In contrast, Gu Li had already obtained her blood sample and taken it to the training camp, ensuring she could safely navigate her next rut without incident.

Days turned in endless cycles. Piles of draft papers and progressively refined artworks silently replaced the countdown on the blackboard for the high school seniors in the quietest building of School B, tearing away the calendar pages for those who worked hard.

Every day when she left the studio, her fingertips were stained gray from pencils, her hands smeared with various paints, and her fingers slightly indented from gripping brushes for too long. Yet even when she collapsed into bed, her dreams still placed her before an easel, brush in hand.

In youth, there’s always a time when one fights relentlessly for a dream, a period that, in hindsight, never feels regrettable or exhausting.

Only when cicadas began chirping outside the window and frogs croaked at night, providing a background soundtrack for Jiang Nian and Mu Lan’s painting sessions, did they finally realize summer break was approaching.

Young Master Mu’s hair had grown so long that he tied it up into a little bun on top of his head. Jiang Nian wasn’t much better, her once-neat bangs were now pinned back, revealing her smooth forehead and the delicate widow’s peak hidden beneath.

Gu Li’s hair, which had only reached her shoulders when she left, now fell to her collarbones when let down. But she carelessly tied it into a messy bun instead.

Art students, when pushing themselves to the limit, had no time to care about appearances.

A few days before the exam, their instructor handed them two admission tickets without assigning any more tasks. “Go home early today, get some rest, clean up, and tidy yourselves. Tomorrow, once you arrive, adjust your mindset and perform at your best.”

Having guided many batches of students like them, each class left him with unique impressions. Like every art examinee before them, he patted their shoulders and said, “Good luck, you’ve got this.”

Back home, Jiang Nian packed the essentials into her suitcase while Grandma Jiang fretted beside her. “Are you sure you’ll be alright going alone? Should Grandma come with you?”

Jiang Nian opened the lavender candy jar, unable to resist popping one into her mouth. She shook the few remaining pieces inside before carefully placing the jar into her bag. “It’s fine, Grandma. Gu Li’s there too. She finished her competition today and said she’d accompany me to the interview tomorrow.”

“Oh, Xiao Gu is there too? That’s a relief.” Grandma Jiang found this reassuring after all, that Mu Lan boy accompanying Jiang Nian alone didn’t seem nearly as safe as Gu Li, who had willingly offered her gland to ease Jiang Nian’s heat.

Without even realizing it, Gu Li though not yet officially titled, had earned Grandma Jiang’s favor simply by being the kind of alpha who let an omega mark her willingly.

“You probably don’t share a room either, right? Although Xiao Gu is a good person, he’s still an alpha. You shouldn’t…” Grandma Jiang was clearly about to launch into a lengthy lecture.

Before Grandma Jiang could finish, Jiang Nian’s phone rang, it was Gu Li calling.

“Hello, you finished your exam?”

“Yes. Is Grandma nearby? If you’re coming to join me, there are some things I need to discuss with her.” The alpha on the other end clearly had plenty of experience with long-distance travel.

She had fully assumed the role of traveling with her girlfriend. After all, omegas held no gender advantage over alphas. Any parent from her past life would worry about their daughter facing unexpected dangers while traveling.

Grandma Jiang took the phone, and Gu Li’s voice came through: “Grandma? I’ve already arranged rooms near the interview school for Nian. Her room will be between mine and Mu Lan’s. I’ll pick them up from the airport tomorrow morning after the closing ceremony. I’ll call you once they land safely, and we’ll message you again when we reach the hotel.”

Grandma Jiang, ever the worrier, seized the opportunity to ask every question on her mind, hotel prices, safety, even whether the food they’d eat was healthy. Gu Li answered them all, promising to clarify any uncertainties the next day. Her reassurances eased most of Grandma Jiang’s concerns.

“Good, good. Thank you,” Grandma Jiang said cheerfully, about to hang up, when the waiting kitten snatched the phone back.

“Hello?” Jiang Nian’s voice replaced Grandma Jiang’s, catching Gu Li mid-consolation mode.

Jiang Nian carried the phone into her room, shutting the door before whispering, “I miss you.”

“Me too. See you tomorrow.”

Swallowed within those words was the longing that had accumulated throughout their time apart.

The provincial team’s training intensity was no joke, endless problems every day, surrounded by equally relentless peers. Gu Li often gained insights from their discussions. Though her progress felt slow, the subtle accumulation over these long days had deepened her knowledge pool, expanding her once-small stream into a substantial reservoir.

Her rut had cost her two days of training, but knowing her teammates were still pushing forward forced Gu Li to gulp down some of Jiang Nian’s blood at dawn on the third day before fully recovering just to return to her seat.

During the exam, she knew that regardless of the outcome, this was the fruit of her utmost effort. She was always an exam-type test-taker, her well-adjusted mindset letting her slip into peak performance the moment she saw the paper.

The summer camp’s exams ended that afternoon. While others rushed back to their hotels to crash, Gu Li first called Gu Wei to report her safety, then leisurely took a taxi to scout the hotel where Jiang Nian and the others would stay tomorrow.

Her little notebook was filled with dense tally marks. Nearly three months had passed since her last meeting with Jiang Nian, yet she missed her more with each passing day.

Jiang Nian and Mu Lan arrived at the airport at one in the afternoon. Gu Li, who had been there twice before, expertly led the group to the booked hotel. Her luggage had already been moved there, and now she was holding a small suitcase meant for the kitten.

Her other hand wasn’t idle either, it was firmly clasped around Jiang Nian’s.

Mu Lan, the single one among them, carefully kept her presence low-key, silently enduring the couple’s affection from behind. She even had the awareness to take the front passenger seat in the taxi, leaving the back for the long-separated Alpha and Omega.

“First, let’s take you to see the exam venue.”

Their so-called interview was, in essence, more like a self-designed written test followed by a Q&A session with the school’s specialized faculty in the afternoon.

Since the number of candidates eligible for early admission was small, the exam was arranged in A University’s multifunctional classroom. After checking out the venue, the three strolled through the campus, their steps unconsciously leading them toward the most prominent building.

“Pursuing freedom and transcendence.” Jiang Nian stood beneath the art museum and couldn’t help murmuring the words aloud.

It was often said that visiting the university before the entrance exams would inspire motivation and longing. Standing there now, she felt exactly that way.

Like every student heading to the college entrance exams, they would give their all on their own battlefield just to leave no regrets.

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