Be Good and Hide Your Pheromones (GL , ABO) - Chapter 1
The morning sun in May was gentle and warm.
Zong Qing stepped out of the private car wearing nothing but a faded gray short-sleeved shirt. The thin fabric had been washed to near transparency, and she carried a worn-out backpack.
She looked completely out of place in this school.
“That building ahead is the teaching block the cafeteria is on the right.”
Walking stiffly beside her, Wen He couldn’t help but complain inwardly about her father.
How could he dump the task of showing this “country bumpkin” around on her?
With such a shabby appearance, she refused to be seen walking alongside her!
Thinking this, Wen He deliberately slowed her pace, determined to put distance between them.
Zong Qing was well aware of her cousin’s petty thoughts.
But she didn’t care.
“Which class was I assigned to?” Zong Qing turned her head and asked.
Even now, on the day of enrollment, she still had no idea which class she would be placed in.
“……”
Wen He rolled her eyes at the question, answering impatiently, “You didn’t take the entrance exam, how would anyone know which class you belong in?!”
“At Tengyang, we’re assigned based on merit!”
As one of the top high schools in the capital, Tengyang was renowned nationwide for its exceptional teaching quality and elite academic environment.
Though some students got in through connections or money, most had earned their place through sheer ability.
Thus, classes were divided by performance, Experimental, Advanced, and Standard.
A transfer student like Zong Qing would naturally need to take an entrance exam before placement.
“How many subjects are on the entrance exam?” Zong Qing asked again.
“……”
Despite her irritation, Wen He answered, “Math, Chinese, Physics, Chemistry, and English.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she gave Zong Qing a once-over before lifting her chin and stating bluntly, “Once we get to the admin building, you’ll go up and find the teacher yourself.”
“At school, let’s just pretend we don’t know each other.”
This was the first time Wen He had ever expressed her disdain so openly, and she seemed slightly uncomfortable with it.
“I don’t want anyone knowing you’re connected to my family.” She bit her lip, her voice lacking conviction. “And you’re not allowed to tell anyone either.”
Zong Qing’s situation was somewhat unusual.
She was a newly presented Omega.
But because her presentation had come much later than most, and she hadn’t updated her records, her official gender designation remained as a regular Beta.
Wen He knew all this.
“Mm, got it.”
Zong Qing responded flatly, nodding without another word.
“……”
Surprised by her compliance, Wen He swallowed the rest of what she’d been about to say.
“Let’s go! It’s getting late!” Checking her watch, she strode ahead to lead the way.
Just then—
A figure emerged from the teaching building opposite.
Long, silver-white hair cascaded down to the waist.
The early morning sun climbed above the clouds, its rays spilling down like divine favor, illuminating the person perfectly.
The white strands shimmered faintly gold under the light.
From a distance, it was as if the entire figure was glowing.
Perhaps struck by such a poetic scene, Zong Qing unconsciously slowed her pace.
Her eyes were fixed intently on that person.
For some inexplicable reason, she felt drawn to this individual.
“What are you looking at?”
This unusual behavior was quickly noticed. Wen He followed her gaze.
At first glance, she saw that white-haired woman who seemed to glow from head to toe.
“Isn’t that the student council president?” Glancing between the person and Zong Qing, she asked curiously, “Do you know her?”
“No.” Shaking her head, Zong Qing reluctantly averted her gaze.
Yet seconds later.
She couldn’t help but ask, “Does Fujiyang High allow dyed hair?”
That audacious white shade practically made her the most striking sight on campus.
“What dyed hair?”
Perhaps because Zong Qing had been polite so far, Wen He unusually offered a patient explanation: “The president’s hair is naturally like that! It’s been that way since childhood!”
She then added enthusiastically.
“The president is an incredibly impressive Alpha! Top grades, stunning looks, and impeccable character.”
“And…”
Like a child gushing about their idol, Wen He’s voice grew increasingly animated.
Eyes shining fervently, she whispered excitedly: “They say her Alpha rating exceeds 90, she’s a top-tier Alpha.”
Unlike Zong Qing who’d just presented, Wen He had been an Omega since middle school.
Perhaps due to Omegas’ innate admiration for Alphas.
She’d always closely followed the school’s Alphas.
Among them, only one stood at the absolute peak.
“Alpha rating over 90?” Zong Qing was startled by the figure.
As everyone knew, an Alpha’s rating reflected their mental capacity, combat ability, intelligence quotient, and self-control.
Generally, an ordinary Alpha scoring 80 was considered decent.
Those above 85 could be called geniuses, classified as elite Alphas.
But exceeding 90…
Narrowing her eyes, Zong Qing remarked, “They say Alphas over 90 are all madmen.”
Such extreme-rated Alphas were natural-born executioners.
After all, most world-renowned criminals were Alphas with ratings approaching or exceeding 90.
When the Alpha rating reaches extreme levels, their destructive and predatory instincts overwhelm reason.
Making them dangerously volatile essentially walking human weapons.
“Having such a terrifying madwoman at school, yet you all remain so calm, how bizarre.”
The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
Zong Qing genuinely wanted to ask her cousin: How can you all be so nonchalant? Aren’t you afraid?
If someone like that ever snapped, who could possibly stop them?
“What nonsense are you saying?!”
Staring at her in shock, Wen He blurted out, “You don’t understand anything at all!”
Her worshipped idol being ‘insulted’.
As a devoted fan, she couldn’t tolerate it.
Halting abruptly, Wen He said indignantly, “The president is our school’s guardian! Despite her extreme rating, she’s incredibly dependable!”
“She single-handedly built our student council. The harmonious Alpha-Omega relations at Fujiyang High are thanks to her! Thanks to the student council!”
“You’re new, so you might not understand what our student council represents but you must know how historically fraught Alpha-Omega relations are. Before the president came, Omegas here were always walking on eggshells.”
Unlike Alphas’ strength or Betas’ neutrality.
Omegas had always symbolized vulnerability.
They are highly susceptible to pheromones, easily forced into heat, and even more vulnerable to forced marking which can ruin their lives.
Even with Omega protection laws in place, often, there’s little that can be done.
“President Xi saved us.” Wen He’s eyes gradually reddened, as if recalling something painful. “As long as she’s at school, those alphas don’t dare act recklessly. Only with President Xi around can we Omegas attend classes without fear.”
President Xi Huan was the radiant moon in the hearts of all Omegas at Tengyang High reliable and composed, powerful yet gentle.
“……”
Watching her cousin choke back a sob, Zong Qing slowly closed her mouth, choosing not to say more.
Perhaps due to their different upbringings, unlike Wen He’s emotional nature, Zong Qing was more inclined to believe that this alpha had ulterior motives.
She didn’t believe that in this world, there truly existed an alpha who would genuinely consider an Omega’s well-being.
There couldn’t be…
They were all born predators.
Repeating this to herself over and over, Zong Qing’s gaze remained clear and unmoved.
And soon enough,
her suspicions were confirmed.
Because she saw the face of that white-haired president.
Exquisite yet bold, even with a smile, she didn’t seem harmless.
Her beauty was striking, almost aggressive.
Like a black rose in full bloom, demanding attention without even trying.
But that wasn’t the main point.
The real issue was.
“……”
The longer she looked, the more familiar that face seemed. Zong Qing bit her lip, frowning as she wracked her memory.
Soon enough, she remembered where she had seen this person before.
Due to her transfer, she had once wandered into the wrong alley while shopping for supplies.
And in that very alley,
Zong Qing had encountered her.
Between slender, well-defined fingers, a thin cigarette rested. The woman parted her red lips, exhaling delicate smoke rings one by one.
Amid the swirling haze, her breathtaking features appeared both bewitching and elusive.
This was not someone to be trifled with.
That was Zong Qing’s first impression.
Soon, the woman in the alley made her move.
Perhaps bored with the cigarette, or simply impatient from waiting,
she pinched the still-burning butt between her fingers as if impervious to pain before bending down to yank someone up from the ground.
Only then did Zong Qing realize,
beneath her feet, several bodies lay scattered, motionless men and women, alphas and betas, whether alive or dead, it was impossible to tell.
The air was thick with the scent of various pheromones.
What followed next unfolded rather predictably.
From beginning to end, Zong Qing stood at the alley entrance, witnessing a brutal one-sided beating.
The memory ended there. Zong Qing pursed her lips and withdrew her scrutinizing gaze.
She thought to herself.
She must have accidentally stumbled upon some secret.
That frenzied fighting style bore no resemblance to the model student image at all.
“Let’s go.”
With meaningful pat on her cousin Wen He’s shoulder, Zong Qing said nothing more. She simply turned and quickened her pace, being the first to enter the office building.
“Hey! Wait for me!”
Unclear about her sudden change in demeanor, Wen He had no choice but to stop defending her idol and hurried after her.
Watching the two of them leave one after another.
As the subject of their earlier discussion, Xi Huan had naturally noticed long ago.
In fact, she’d been aware since being spotted by Zong Qing downstairs.
This seemed to be an acquaintance.
Casually brushing aside her long hair, she curved her lips into a slow, radiant smile.
The dense tree canopy effectively blocked the direct sunlight.
Standing amidst scattered beams of light, Xi Huan stood with her back to the sun, concealed within the shadows.
Almost blending into them completely.
Where was there any trace of brightness left.