It was Luo Yun’s first time directly confronting an Alpha’s desire. The scorching intensity of that gaze seemed hot enough to burn him.
Luo Yun himself did not even realize that he was trembling slightly beneath the undisguised possessiveness and covetousness of an Alpha.
Loose strands of hair fell over his forehead, partly hiding Luo Yun’s clear, moist eyes.
Noon was approaching. The warm-golden sun had risen halfway into the sky, and brilliant sunlight scattered through the misted glass windows.
His irises were pale, like amber or colored glass. When sunlight filled the depths of his eyes, they looked as beautiful as flowing resin.
Feng Ye froze slightly when their gazes met.
Luo Yun had opened his eyes too quickly. Feng Ye had not even had time to look away.
[Did he see me?]
[Did I scare him?]
[Annoying.]
The corners of Feng Ye’s thin lips tightened. A dangerous flash of agitation crossed his black eyes before he lowered his lashes and turned his face away.
He really could hear it.
Luo Yun’s eyes widened slightly. He had to admit that human beings were highly adaptable. Once he realized what was happening, he actually relaxed. As long as this was not some supernatural horror story and was merely mind-reading, it was not quite so frightening.
What surprised him was that Feng Ye really did like him.
Luo Yun unconsciously raised a hand and ran his fingertips lightly over the back of his neck, confirming that he did not have a gland capable of driving an Alpha wild.
The skin was completely smooth. There was nothing there.
Then why had Feng Ye just thought about marking him?
An Alpha could not mark a Beta.
“Sorry.” His deskmate suddenly spoke, his voice slightly hoarse.
Realizing the apology was directed at him, Luo Yun steadied himself and replied calmly, “It’s fine.”
Neither of them spoke after that. They both avoided mentioning the small, unexpected incident that had just occurred.
When the bell finally rang, Luo Yun felt for the first time that a class period could be rather difficult to endure.
The students filed out. Those who lived nearby or rented apartments around the school went home for lunch, while the rest usually chose either the cafeteria or restaurants outside the school gates.
Luo Yun ordinarily could not be bothered going home and usually ate with Su Nong.
The bathroom on the Grade Eleven floor was around the corner.
Su Nong leaned against the railing outside and enjoyed the breeze. Alphas passed in twos and threes, staring at him with expressions that wanted to look but were too embarrassed to do so openly. Su Nong simply smiled at them without self-consciousness.
Water murmured from the sinks outside the bathroom. Luo Yun scooped up a handful of clear water and splashed it over his face. The warm stream slid down his delicate features, leaving several droplets hanging from his dark, curled lashes. His lips were a clean pink, and his face was fair.
One of the Alphas who had just been looking at Su Nong happened to glance over when Luo Yun turned around.
He froze completely.
Only after the group had walked several steps away did they dare whisper among themselves—
“Holy shit, did you hear that? That was the sound of my heart falling in love.”
“I swear Luo Yun looks even fairer than before. Just now he was like a lotus rising fresh from the water!”
“Get lost. That phrase describes girls. Did you fail Chinese class?!”
“Ah, the class monitor really is popular.” Su Nong walked over and teased him with a smile. “Seriously, if I hadn’t known you for so long, I wouldn’t believe you were a Beta either. With a face like yours, you’re prettier than plenty of Omegas.”
“……” Luo Yun took out a tissue and wiped the water from his face. “I really am a Beta.”
Sitting in a restaurant outside the school, the two of them ordered two stir-fried dishes.
Luo Yun ate slowly and carefully. Remembering the physiology class, he hesitated before asking, “An Alpha really can only mark an Omega, right?”
Su Nong did not understand why he was asking, but answered as though it were obvious. “Of course. Only Alpha and Omega pheromones can bond.”
In modern society, Alpha-Omega relationships were the mainstream. Their inborn pheromones naturally attracted them to one another, especially when two people had a high compatibility rate. It was instinctive.
It was not that Alpha-Alpha, Alpha-Beta, Omega-Beta, and other kinds of relationships did not exist, but they were minorities.
Luo Yun asked again, “Then why would some Alphas want to mark a Beta?”
“An Alpha wanting to mark a Beta?” Su Nong repeated. His eyes shifted thoughtfully before he said with a teasing smile, “Then that Alpha must love the Beta down to his bones.”
Luo Yun’s hand trembled, and the food held between his chopsticks dropped onto the table. He quickly composed himself and asked as though nothing had happened, “Why would you say that?”
Su Nong chuckled, sounding very knowledgeable about this sort of thing. “Because Alphas are extremely possessive. As long as it’s someone they like, whether that person is an Alpha, Beta, or Omega, they’ll instinctively want to mark them.”
“It’s something rooted in an Alpha’s nature. They’ll…” At this point, Su Nong’s face reddened slightly. “They’ll keep licking and lightly biting the thin skin at the back of the neck, leaving their scent and traces behind, almost like claiming territory.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Luo Yun shoveled a few more mouthfuls of rice into his mouth, the tips of his ears faintly warm.
***
That morning, Shangguan Yi had shouted across the athletic field that Feng Ye had someone he liked.
It did not take long for the news to travel from the Omega group chat and No. 1 High’s online forum all the way to Lin Ke.
Lin Ke tightly furrowed his neat, slender brows.
He had clearly investigated Feng Ye before. Feng Ye was surrounded by nothing but a group of smelly Alphas, so how could some rival Lin Ke knew nothing about suddenly appear out of nowhere?
Still, he remembered the scene of his confession last semester.
It was something important, and he had not wanted to brush it off with a phone message. He had also been too embarrassed to confess face-to-face, so he had chosen the most old-fashioned option and written a love letter. Before Feng Ye could reject him, Lin Ke had turned and fled, calling over his shoulder as he ran that Feng Ye could tell him by phone whether he accepted or not.
Not long after Lin Ke returned to his classroom, he received a message from Feng Ye.
[Feng Ye]: Is this for me, or did you write it for Luo Yun and want me to pass it on?
Lin Ke was utterly speechless: [……You didn’t open it? I wrote it for you.]
Like hell he was going to read it.
Feng Ye glanced at the love letter torn into pieces in the trash can and suddenly felt less angry.
Everyone had been saying Lin Ke was interested in his deskmate. Feng Ye had thought Lin Ke had somehow grown enough nerve to use him as a messenger.
[Feng Ye]: Oh. Then that’s fine.
The moment Lin Ke saw those words, a tiny flame seemed to light in his eyes, and dimples appeared in his cheeks as he smiled.
Lin Ke had said the letter was for Feng Ye, and Feng Ye had replied that it was fine.