Be Good and Hide Your Pheromones (GL , ABO) - Chapter 2
Meeting Xi Huan was just a minor episode. Zong Qing’s immediate priority remained the entrance exams.
To be assigned to a good class required excellent grades.
After a morning of testing in the faculty office, Zong Qing barely made it into Key Class Three with a score just over five hundred.
…
“I’ve reviewed your papers, and there’s no obvious imbalance in your subjects. Your error rate isn’t high either your grades across these subjects are quite stable, which is good…”
Holding a few thin test papers, Xu Fang, the homeroom teacher of Class 3, looked up from her desk and asked, “But you left quite a few questions blank. Was it because you didn’t know how to answer them? Were these topics not covered in your previous school?”
“Mm.”
Clearly surprised by her low score, Zong Qing stared at the papers with a serious expression and nodded. “The textbooks here are different from my old school’s…”
The curriculum was also far behind.
“Alright, I understand.”
Having grasped the situation, the teacher adjusted her glasses and set down the papers.
“Here are this semester’s textbooks. Take them for now.”
She pulled out brand-new books from her desk drawer and handed them to Zong Qing.
“When you have time, you can borrow older editions from your classmates. Flip through them, and if you have any questions, come ask the teachers.”
Listening to the teacher’s careful instructions, Zong Qing took the books and nodded repeatedly.
A score in the 500s. For her, it really wasn’t up to par.
This was the first time she had ever scored so low, and she felt she needed to catch up properly.
“By the way.”
Just as the exchange was finished and Zong Qing was about to leave, the teacher suddenly called her back.
“?”
“Your gender is Beta, right?” Xu Fang asked.
“…Yes.”
Her fingers subconsciously tensed slightly as Zong Qing nodded. “Is there a problem?”
She remembered her enrollment application had clearly stated it…
“Hmm… That’s strange…” Frowning slightly, Xu Fang sniffed the air and confirmed, “Why does a Beta have a scent?”
As everyone knew, apart from Alphas and Omegas, who naturally carried distinct pheromones, Betas had no scent at all.
Though they could detect pheromones, they could only perceive them nothing more.
Yet now, Xu Fang, a Beta herself,
was catching a faint, lingering fragrance cool and refreshing, like orange soda in midsummer.
Tracing its source, it was unmistakably coming from the girl before her.
“……”
A ripple of emotion crossed Zong Qing’s calm expression at the homeroom teacher’s words. Her breathing hitched slightly, fingers tightening as coldness flashed in her eyes.
Unlike typical Omegas, her late differentiation meant incomplete physical development in all aspects.
Which was why she still couldn’t fully control her pheromones.
Therefore.
The orange scent Xu Fang detected was actually her pheromones.
Yet all this…
Had to remain hidden.
“Probably because…”
Her tense fingers relaxed slightly as Zong Qing shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “…I was wearing perfume!”
To conceal the truth, she had no choice but to offer this flimsy excuse.
“I see.”
Not being an alpha, Xu Fang couldn’t distinguish the scent’s uniqueness anyway.
So she accepted the explanation without further thought.
“While the school doesn’t prohibit perfume, you should focus on your studies as the top priority…”
After this earnest admonishment, Xu Fang waved her hand, signaling the conversation’s end.
By the time Zong Qing left the office, her back was drenched in sweat.
The homeroom teacher’s questioning had genuinely frightened her.
No one cared more about her true secondary gender than Zong Qing herself.
After all, she so desperately didn’t want to be an Omega…
“Hah…”
Forcing down her agitation, she quickened her pace while carrying a stack of new textbooks, soon slipping into the restroom.
The faculty building’s restrooms were ABO-unisex, so Zong Qing’s first action was scanning for occupants.
Only after confirming she was alone did she exhale in relief.
Setting down the textbooks, she retrieved a syringe and perfume bottle from her old backpack.
“Still need some disguise…”
Muttering to herself, she lifted her shoulder-length hair to expose the inflamed gland on her nape.
“Tch…”
A tentative touch sent needle-like pain shooting through her, drawing a sharp inhale.
The incomplete differentiation was unmistakable.
Not only was the gland painfully inflamed her pheromones kept leaking uncontrollably…
The doctor had said this condition would persist for at least half a year until full differentiation.
“Ugh…”
The more she thought about it, the more unfortunate it seemed. Gritting her teeth, Zong Qing administered a dose of suppressant.
The Omega-specific pheromone blocker worked remarkably fast within a minute, the scent in the air noticeably faded.
“Not enough yet.”
Disposing of the empty syringe, she unscrewed the perfume cap and spritzed herself liberally.
The pungent fragrance instantly overpowered the citrus notes.
The Omega’s scent had seemingly vanished.
“That’s better.”
Stowing the remaining perfume, Zong Qing gathered her textbooks with a satisfied nod.
After lunch break around 2 PM, Zong Qing entered Classroom 3 with the homeroom teacher.
As a mid-semester transfer student, no spare desk was available.
They had to borrow one from another classroom.
Fortunately, there was an empty seat in the last row by the window, and Zong Qing naturally took it.
Little did she know, this simple act would invite trouble.
“Hey.”
Waking from her nap to find an unexpected desk mate, Liang Feiyu was in a foul mood.
“Who said you could sit here?!”
“Don’t you know this whole area is mine?”
As one of Class Three’s notorious troublemakers, her temper had never been great.
And waking up to this certainly didn’t help.
“There weren’t any other seats left…” Zong Qing replied flatly. “So the teacher told me to sit here for now.”
“I don’t care what your excuse is! Pack your things and get out right now.”
With an irritated kick to Zong Qing’s desk, Liang Feiyu wrinkled her nose in disgust. “What’s that smell on you? It’s disgusting.”
That pungent perfume was the very thing that had jolted her awake.
As an alpha, her sensitive nose was practically overwhelmed, the scent making her nauseous.
“The teacher told me to sit here.”
Word for word, Zong Qing repeated herself, unmoved, not even sparing her a glance.
She had dealt with plenty like Liang Feiyu at her old school.
She wasn’t intimidated.
Not even by an alpha.
“Are you deaf or something?”
This ‘broken record’ act was infuriating. Liang Feiyu’s patience had officially run out.
Class hadn’t started yet.
Most of the students were still napping.
Then, from the back row, came a loud, grating screech.
With a sharp scrape, Zong Qing’s desk was sent flying with a single kick.
It skidded across the floor, books tumbling out in disarray.
The sight was a mess.
“…..”
Her calm expression froze. Zong Qing remained seated, her gaze fixed on the scattered books.
“Pick them up.”
Her voice was soft but firm, leaving no room for argument.
“In your dreams.” Liang Feiyu sneered, tilting her chin up. “You wouldn’t leave, so I had to help you out.”
For some reason, her temper was especially volatile today.
A restless, inexplicable anger churned inside her, making her alpha instincts flare uncomfortably.
To vent her anger, she decided to stop holding back her temper.
“……”
Her dark pupils, usually clear and bright, now seemed devoid of any light.
Zong Qing’s aura underwent a dramatic shift in that instant.
It was as if a switch had been flipped her face twisted with hostility, radiating danger.
“What? You got a problem?” Witnessing her new desk mate’s transformation, Liang Feiyu paused momentarily before feeling a spark of interest.
“Looks like you’re just a Beta, aren’t you?!”
Though she hadn’t seen the other’s gender designation, as an Alpha, she could tell they weren’t the same.
If not an Alpha, then they could only be a Beta or Omega…
“That stench all over you, it’s perfume, isn’t it?” With just a slight sniff, Liang Feiyu detected the artificial scent and sneered, unable to resist mocking, “Just a Beta trying to pass as an Omega…”
Unlike Alphas and Omegas who naturally produce pheromones,
Betas are completely ordinary and can’t generate any scent.
Perhaps due to market demand or other reasons,
perfumes specifically for Betas were created.
But since they’re not real pheromones, spraying them on is nothing more than self-comfort with no actual effect.
And most importantly…
Alphas like her found such scents utterly repulsive.
“Are you insulting us Alphas?” Liang Feiyu demanded,
her expression dripping with arrogant disdain.
At this,
Zong Qing finally moved.
Perhaps having reached her limit,
she stood up from her seat without a word,
reached out decisively, and yanked Liang Feiyu up by the collar.
“What’s there to be proud about?”
One hand gripping the other’s collar, the other clenched into a fist, Zong Qing glared coldly at her.
This wasn’t the first time she’d been treated this way,
nor the first time an Alpha had given her trouble.
Since childhood, she’d beaten up plenty under her hands.
But…
these Alphas all had the same damn smug face.
Arrogant and ugly exactly the type she despised most.
“What’s there to be proud about?”
Releasing her grip, Zong Qing smirked and raised her leg,
delivering a ruthless kick to the back of Liang Feiyu’s knee.
Caught off guard, Liang Feiyu lost her balance, knees buckling as she stumbled and fell.
Instantly,
the entire classroom fell silent.
Zong Qing’s icy voice rang out clearly for all to hear:
“Just an Alpha, that’s all…” she said.