After Rebirth, My Archrival Omega Looks at Me Differently (GL) - Chapter 2

What exactly was this scent?

Chi Yan had no words for it.

Her bl00d, now boiling hot, surged through her body with the force of the scent, crashing through her veins like a storm. It clouded her vision and nearly tore away her reason.

Her damp tongue hovered over the slight bulge hidden beneath the suppressant patch, circling it, hesitant but tempted.

She stared, craving the small source of the alluring aroma. Her body burned with desire for the scent drifting from the Omega’s neck.

Hot breath fell on the Omega’s skin. Even through the suppressant patch, the sensitive gland underneath trembled from the heat.

“…Chi Yan.”

The Omega’s voice trembled with disbelief. Pinned beneath Chi Yan, she looked up and realized something was wrong. Her gaze shifted to the Beta who had lost control.

Chi Yan’s long hair slipped forward, exposing the back of her own neck completely.

A gland that had long been dormant and undeveloped now began to stir. Like it had finally awakened, it resumed its differentiation. A sharp, unfamiliar scent burst forth. Even though it was only a trace, it sent shockwaves through the Omega’s limbs, draining her strength.

The craving inside Chi Yan only grew stronger, but it couldn’t silence the violent transformation happening within her. Her gland throbbed with pain. She let out a low groan.

It felt as if something vast and terrifying was trying to escape from her body. It clawed its way out from the narrow, suffocating gland, tearing at her from the inside. Her entire body shook with the force of it.

The overwhelming chemical reaction turned her vision completely red. The pain tore through her nerves. Her last shred of sanity stretched to its breaking point.

The cold air from the overturned temperature cabinet spread across the floor, seeping into her limbs along with the pale purple reagent. It was a chilling reminder of what had happened.

The drug that had touched her wound… had triggered her differentiation.

She had changed—from Beta to Alpha.

“Chi Yan!”

The Omega noticed that Chi Yan’s grip was weakening. Her voice rose in panic as she called her name.

But all she got in return was a single word, spoken through gritted teeth.

“Go…”

The explosions outside were getting louder. Chi Yan kept her head lowered, biting her lip so hard it began to bleed. Her fists clenched tightly until her knuckles turned white.

The remnants of pheromones lingering on her tongue reminded her of the vast power gap between Alpha and Omega. It also warned her of just how dangerous she would be if she truly lost control.

Chi Yan avoided any further contact with the Omega, doing everything she could to suppress the burst of pheromones building in her newly formed gland.

With all the strength she had left, she forced the words out.

“I… can’t make it. You… need to go!”

She didn’t want to give up her life. But in this lab, without inhibitors, there were only two outcomes for her now.

Either she marked the Omega to survive—or she died.

And she refused to drag down the girl who had risked everything to save her.

“If you don’t want to be ruined with me, then leave!”

Chi Yan growled like a wounded beast, her voice full of false menace, trying to scare the Omega away.

But before she could finish, a cold hand gently touched her tense arm.

That scent—the one she couldn’t name—surged closer.

The Omega’s voice came calmly through the chaos, steady and clear despite the surrounding explosions.

“I won’t leave. I’m taking you with me.”

There was strength in her voice, unshakable and calm. The sound of clothing being pushed aside was small, but clear.

Around them, everything was in chaos—glass shattered, equipment burned, furniture scattered.

But this girl sat upright in a beam of light. Her bare shoulders gleamed despite the dim, flickering room.

Her pale, slender fingers ran through her wet hair, pulling it aside to reveal the back of her neck.

Her gland, delicate and unguarded, was finally exposed—glimmering and vulnerable in a world full of danger.

She released her scent freely, letting it wrap around Chi Yan.

She knew her pheromones could ease the agony of Chi Yan’s unstable transformation. She also knew what kind of response this would trigger in a newly awakened Alpha.

“Mark me.”

Even the thunder of distant explosions couldn’t overpower the resolve in her voice. Her scent softly kissed Chi Yan’s neck, instantly soothing the pain that had nearly broken her.

Chi Yan had never imagined that one day, someone would choose her so decisively.

She used every ounce of strength she had to lift her heavy head.

Just as her vision finally cleared, just as she was about to see the Omega’s face through the bl00d and haze, a blinding flash swallowed her whole.

Bang. Crash!

The sound of something massive falling filled her ears. Even the floor beneath her feet shook.

Chi Yan didn’t even have time to react before everything went still.

The alarm stopped. The distant explosions were gone.

A steady light fell on her face. It was so bright she squinted, unsure where she was.

When she finally saw her surroundings, her eyes widened in shock.

She was in a classroom.

The room was clean and orderly, with rows of desks and a chalkboard filled with notes at the front.

Around her, students sat frozen—some stunned, some barely holding back laughter. At the front of the room, the teacher stood with a book in his hand, glaring toward a collapsed desk.

Chi Yan followed his gaze and saw an Alpha girl standing up from the aisle, clearly confused. A nearby classmate helped her lift her desk.

Sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a soft, dreamlike haze across the room. It was as if time had reversed, turning all the grown-up faces in her memory back into their teenage selves.

She had seen this scene before she and Wang Chuning had laughed about it countless times. And now, it was playing out again, right in front of her.

Almost on cue, the English teacher’s scolding voice echoed across the classroom. Every word matched what Chi Yan remembered.

“Alright, Zhong Yi. If you think you can sleep through the placement exam review, why don’t you answer this one?”

Chi Yan froze.

She remembered the lab, the explosion, the spilled reagent, her transformation into an Alpha.

So, which one was the dream?

Was it the moment she almost marked the Omega who came to save her?

Or was it this, sitting here in a classroom?

Or… could both be real?

“Chi Yan, you seemed pretty relaxed just now too. Why don’t you give this one a try?”

The teacher’s voice rang out again from the front of the room.

Chi Yan sat there, dazed, completely lost in the moment.

Just like in the past, the teacher’s nagging started the moment Chi Yan stood up.

“Chi Yan, don’t think that just because you ranked first in the grade this time you can do whatever you want. Do you even realize that your English score was the lowest in the entire class again? Can’t you learn from Yan Youqing just once? She always ranks first in English. Why can’t you show me results like that?”

Even after so many years, hearing someone compare her to Yan Youqing still made Chi Yan frown instinctively.

She followed her memory and looked toward the center of the classroom where Yan Youqing sat. She wore her school uniform exactly by the book. Even the loose tracksuit jacket couldn’t hide her tall and refined figure. Her straight posture gave off a cold, distant aura.

Chi Yan couldn’t help but think to herself that this person was exactly as she remembered.

Just as proud and annoying.

“Chi Yan, this kind of attitude won’t get you far. When it comes to the college entrance exams, even a single point can make all the difference. Just look at her—”

While the teacher was still lecturing, Chi Yan looked up at the English question projected on the screen.

She skimmed through the entire passage quickly and spoke before the teacher could use Yan Youqing as an example again.

“The answer is B. A is a distractor. The passage already mentioned that Jinne had been to Atlanta, so that’s not where she’s going next. A is incorrect. B is a bit confusing, but in the second-to-last paragraph, based on everyone’s opinions, Alex clearly disagrees with the decision.”

The teacher’s words were cut off mid-sentence. She was about to get angry but froze for a second.

She checked the notes on her answer sheet and gave Chi Yan a slightly surprised nod.

“That’s… correct.”

Then, she turned to the class and said something she usually only said after Yan Youqing answered.

“Chi Yan’s explanation is very accurate. Everyone, take notes. If anything is unclear, you can ask her.”

Chi Yan couldn’t deny the satisfaction she felt as she sat back down in her seat.

Unfortunately, it came at Zhong Yi’s expense, who hadn’t been able to answer.

The teacher turned to her. “Zhong Yi, look at Chi Yan. She didn’t fall behind, did she? Go stand in the back and wake yourself up.”

Zhong Yi groaned and slowly muttered “Yes,” picking up her test paper as she left her seat.

She gave Chi Yan a slightly resentful look before dragging herself behind her. In a low voice, she said, “What happened to you? Didn’t you say last night that you got half the reading wrong and didn’t understand anything?”

Chi Yan had almost forgotten how bad her English used to be in high school. She let out a quiet hum and replied casually, “So I crammed last night.”

“Oh, nice. You crammed without me! No wonder I got roasted for nothing.” Zhong Yi clutched her test paper dramatically against her chest. “Now I finally understand how it feels when they keep comparing you to Yan Youqing.”

Chi Yan laughed under her breath. “Took you long enough to figure that out. I—”

Before she could finish, a piece of chalk flew through the air and hit the space near them.

The English teacher glared at them both. “Zhong Yi, move to the other side of the room.”

Their conversation was cut short. The teacher picked up another piece of chalk and returned to writing on the board.

The sharp tapping of chalk echoed crisply in the classroom.

Chi Yan stared at the familiar English content. It had been so long since she had seen this material. She hid behind a wall of textbooks and gave herself a hard pinch.

The pain made her expression twist, but the dream still didn’t end.

On the board, English words formed full sentences. Key grammar points were already circled.

She glanced out the window beside her. The faded red track on the sports field looked exactly like it had in her final year of high school.

This wasn’t a dream.

This was… rebirth.

Chi Yan could hardly believe the conclusion she was coming to, but everything around her kept reinforcing it.

She didn’t know exactly what had happened in the lab, but the chain of explosions was enough to kill her.

Now she was back at eighteen, in her final year of high school.

It was a strange feeling, one she couldn’t easily describe.

But the warm sunlight outside the window made starting over feel… not so bad. In fact, it made her feel oddly excited.

The teacher’s earlier praise reminded her of something important.

She had been reborn with ten years of future knowledge and experience.

She knew far more than Yan Youqing at this point. She could completely surpass her.

She could finally win.

No one would ever again say, “Look at Yan Youqing.”

No one would look at the rankings and sigh, “Chi Yan still didn’t beat Yan Youqing.”

All they’d be able to say was, “Chi Yan is incredible. She left Yan Youqing far behind.”

Sunlight streamed through the window, landing on the girl seated in the middle of the classroom.

The Omega sat with her pen in hand, carefully copying notes from the blackboard. Her eyes were cool and focused, her expression meticulous.

So, what if she was an S-ranked Omega?

She still couldn’t compete with ten years of experience that Chi Yan now carried like a hidden weapon.

Even if Yan Youqing eventually followed her into the Life Sciences Institute, she would still be the one trying to catch up—left behind and looking up at her.

But at the thought of the Institute, Chi Yan’s sense of triumph softened.

Being reborn hadn’t erased the memories from her past life.

She still didn’t know exactly how she had died, but she remembered clearly the Omega who had run into danger to save her.

If there was one person she owed in this new life, it was that Omega.

She had lost her vision due to the drug reaction and couldn’t see the person’s face. But entering the lab required a code, and only team members knew it.

Logically, the Omega must have been part of their team.

Yet Chi Yan had never smelled that scent before. It had been completely unfamiliar. She couldn’t match it to anyone.

Who was she?

Had Chi Yan marked her?

And… had she died too?

“What are you thinking about, Chi Yan? You’re completely out of it. Class is already over.”

A hand clapped hard on her shoulder, shaking her out of her thoughts.

Zhong Yi tossed her paper onto the desk beside Chi Yan and grabbed her workbook like she owned it.

Chi Yan looked at her and smirked. “I was wondering how someone managed to knock over their whole desk while asleep.”

“Chi Yan!”

Zhong Yi gasped, clearly embarrassed. She raised her hand as if to smack her, but before she could, a voice called out from the back of the classroom.

“Ayan.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah?”

Two voices replied at once from opposite ends of the room.

Chi Yan paused. The scene felt oddly familiar.

She looked up and saw Yan Youqing slowly rising from her seat. Her gaze was calm as she looked straight at Chi Yan.