Be Good and Hide Your Pheromones (GL , ABO) - Chapter 9
The morning birdsong roused Zong Qing from her slumber.
Rubbing her bleary eyes, she slowly crawled out of bed.
She hadn’t managed to finish her homework last night.
Thinking of someone’s stern, righteous expression.
Zong Qing couldn’t help but groan.
Why was that person so annoyingly persistent?
Not only had they distracted her from her homework, but they’d also worn her down until she had no choice but to compromise and go to bed early.
“Sigh…”
Her workload for the day had just increased.
With a resigned sigh, Zong Qing stepped out of bed and checked the time.
A little past ten in the morning.
Hmm…
She’d barely scraped seven hours of sleep.
The weather was splendid that day.
Blue skies, white clouds, and endless sunshine.
After washing up in the bathroom, Zong Qing passed through the courtyard and took the opportunity to collect her pajamas from the clothesline.
“They’re washed pretty clean…”
She inspected the pajamas as she walked, only noticing the unfamiliar item on her desk once she returned to her room.
“…”
What was this?
Picking up the box on the desk, she opened it. Ten suppressants.
Why had Xi Huan given her suppressants?
She was a beta! What did she need suppressants for?!
“So annoying.”
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that her true gender had long been exposed. Gripping the syringe, she felt a surge of irritation.
Truthfully, she’d known her cover was practically blown ever since her first meeting with Xi Huan.
But this time was just too brazen.
A certain someone’s face flashed through her mind. Pressing her lips together, Zong Qing set the suppressants down.
She refused to admit it until the very end.
She’d return these to Xi Huan when school started on Monday.
Speaking of which, “Which class is she in, anyway?” Zong Qing had no idea.
Fortunately, although she wasn’t clear about it, the Wen family had a top fan.
After two days of coaxing information out of Wen He, Zong Qing learned which class Xi Huan was in.
“Second year, Experimental Class 1…”
An experimental class, no less.
Not just any experimental class , the best one in the grade.
“Tsk…”
Someone who sneaks over walls at night can get into an experimental class.
Zong Qing suddenly felt a surge of confidence in herself.
She could definitely do it too.
Every Monday, Tengyang High School held a flag-raising ceremony.
This was a tradition that had been maintained since the school’s founding.
This was Zong Qing’s first time attending Tengyang High’s flag-raising ceremony.
Unlike the straightforward flag-raising at her previous No. 19 High School, Tengyang’s was much more formal.
First, the flag bearers were invited to carry the flag onto the stage.
Then, the national anthem played as the flag slowly rose to the top.
Finally, the dean would speak.
Followed by the student council.
The whole process took at least half an hour.
And today,
the one representing the student council on stage was none other than the student council president herself, Xi Huan.
“Good morning, teachers and fellow students! I am Xi Huan, president of the student council.”
“Next, I will summarize last week’s events.”
Her unhurried voice was like a spring breeze,
carrying a soothing gentleness that reached everyone’s ears through the microphone.
Zong Qing stood in the middle of her class, her gaze cutting through the neatly lined-up students ahead to land on the podium.
She took in every bit of Xi Huan’s carefully crafted performance.
“Compared to before, our school’s security has greatly improved, but even so, we must not let our guard down.”
“Conflicts between ABO are the student council and the school’s top concern. In this regard, the student council.”
Tengyang High’s uniform was primarily white with gold accents.
In terms of design and aesthetics, it ranked among the best in the capital.
But no matter how good-looking, uniforms were still uniforms destined to be disliked by students.
At Tengyang, hardly anyone wore theirs properly.
Xi Huan was one of the few exceptions.
She seemed to genuinely like the uniform.
From the first moment Zong Qing had seen her, she had been wearing it.
Even when climbing over the wall the other day, Xi Huan had still been in uniform.
And now was no different.
“Last Monday, a fight broke out in Class 3 of the second-year key classes.”
The white uniform did nothing to diminish Xi Huan’s striking appearance.
She seemed so serious, even pulling the zipper all the way up to cover her neck completely.
Blouse, skirt, knee-high socks, and leather shoes.
Xi Huan was the picture of formality and meticulousness.
Except for her unrestrained white hair, she might as well have been the walking embodiment of a model student.
“After some guidance from me, the alpha in question repented and voluntarily came on stage to deliver a public self-criticism.”
Her gentle voice paused here as Xi Huan’s lips curved slightly, casting a meaningful glance into the crowd.
By sheer coincidence, it landed right on Zong Qing’s probing gaze.
Caught off guard, Zong Qing: “…”
It wasn’t until Liang Feiyu stood on the podium, half-dead as she began reciting her self-criticism,
that Zong Qing finally snapped out of it.
She realized she had been staring at that person for far too long.
“…”
Her ears involuntarily grew warm as she silently justified to herself.
It’s all because the student council president is just too good at pretending.
Look at how righteous and gentle she appears on the podium, the very picture of propriety.
A complete contrast to that night when she was climbing over walls.
If the Xi Huan standing at the lectern was a gentle, intellectual older sister,
then the Xi Huan who had been fooling around at her place that night was nothing but a carefree little lunatic.
The kind who’d jump over walls when the mood struck.
“Tch.”
What an actress.
Feeling like she’d seen through someone’s two-faced nature, Zong Qing turned her face away, averting her gaze.
Having to read her self-criticism before the entire school, Liang Feiyu had thoroughly lost face that day.
Seething with silent fury as she stepped down from the stage, she shot Zong Qing a venomous glare while returning to her place.
After losing their fight last Friday, Liang Feiyu had privately agonized over it endlessly.
She’d originally planned to continue the fight later.
Who could have guessed she’d be ambushed by a falling sack on her way home?
The details needn’t be revisited.
Suffice to say Liang Feiyu had been beaten into complete submission, nearly reduced to tears.
Even now her body ached terribly, covered in bruises that made her miserable.
How could she possibly dare to fight Zong Qing again?
She could only shelve the matter for the time being.
Perhaps because of this, though Liang Feiyu was boiling with anger, she ultimately didn’t cause any more trouble.
Zong Qing’s school life finally settled into peace.
However…
“Again?”
With utter exasperation, she pulled the familiar paper crane from her desk drawer, nearly defeated by the sender’s relentless persistence.
Hadn’t it been over half a month already.
These little paper cranes arrived every morning without fail, more punctual than anything.
“Who could it be?”
Running fingers through her shoulder-length hair, Zong Qing sighed. “Yu Ting, when you passed the cranes to Liang Feiyu, did she say anything?”
Which admirer of hers could be this clueless, not even realizing the seating arrangement had changed?
“I…” For some reason, her deskmate Yu Ting bit her lip hesitantly. “I mostly just left them on her desk, hardly ever saw her. But…”
She hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly, “Liang Feiyu seems to think. I have a crush on her.”
“What?”
Zong Qing’s eyes widened, “You have a crush on her?”
“No!” Yu Ting shook her head frantically, looking utterly helpless. “It’s just, she seems to have misunderstood.”
“Misunderstood? Didn’t you explain it clearly?” Zong Qing was puzzled. “You were just passing it along, what’s there for her to misunderstand?”
“I did explain…” Yu Ting looked like she wanted to cry. “But she wouldn’t believe me. She insisted I was just shy and making up a ‘friend’.”
“…”
What a classic case of ‘making up a friend.’
Zong Qing was so angry she couldn’t help but crumple the paper crane in her hand.
“Yu Ting…” With a dark expression, she tossed the crumpled paper into the trash and said guiltily, “This is my fault. I’ll clear things up with her so it doesn’t affect your reputation anymore.”
“You don’t have to help me deliver them anymore. I’ll handle it directly.”
Since it didn’t really concern them much anyway, Zong Qing didn’t want to dwell on who had sent the cranes.
A crumpled ball of paper would settle it.
“Mm… okay.”
Finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, Yu Ting nodded repeatedly, almost raising her hands in celebration.
Seeing her deskmate’s relieved expression, Zong Qing felt even guiltier and silently vowed to remember this lesson.
She had to clarify things with Liang Feiyu as soon as possible.
…Maybe she’d go right after school.
Completely unaware that the paper cranes she had been using to pursue someone had ended up with someone else,
Xi Huan sat upright in the student council room, staring at the colorful papers spread across the desk.
She picked out the color she would use tomorrow.
“Hmm… orange…”
Selecting the lucky sheet that would become a crane, she muttered to herself while putting the rest away, “It’s been half a month and still no reaction.”
“How dense can someone be.”
All her heartfelt words written every day seemed wasted.
“Maybe they haven’t noticed yet?” Xi Huan rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. “Should I give a hint?”
“How about after school today.” she decided.