Dressed as the Scumbag Alpha Mom of the Tragic Female Lead (ABO, GL) - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The four of them quickly arrived at the auditorium. Several exits of the auditorium were guarded by security, acting as ticket checkers. For the limited entry tickets, each ticket allowed the owner to enter and bring one dance partner.

Because of this system, the welcome party had encountered some troubles in the past.

Initially, the ticket-checking system wasn’t so strict. If the dance partner was also a member of the student council, one of their tickets could likely be traded—through money, favors, or some other cost—allowing completely unrelated or unknown people to attend the welcome party.

After a major disturbance, the student council set new rules, banning the sale of tickets and increasing the intensity of ticket checks. If both people had tickets, they needed to present them together upon entry.

However, where there’s a policy, there’s a workaround. If someone sold their dance partner slot, the student council couldn’t fully control it. In response, the council’s measure was that as long as the ticket holder could manage their dance partner, the student council would turn a blind eye to the practice.

During ticket checks, invited members like Jiang Chuxie faced stricter procedures. Zhuang Qi and Zhao Zi, both student council presidents, could practically enter by showing their faces. As for Gu Lingjun, a freshman who hadn’t appeared much, her inviter, Jiang Chuxie, was not only a new face but also still under the lingering effects of a suppressant, leading to suspicions that she was a Beta pretending to be an Alpha, causing her to be stopped at the entrance.

“Chuxie is my friend. Can you guys make an exception?”

Zhuang Qi hadn’t expected this year’s checks to be so strict and pleaded with the security guard, smiling.

“Yeah, there’s no rule saying Betas can’t attend the welcome party,” Zhao Zi chimed in.

The security guard looked helpless. “We can’t do anything. The student council president specifically instructed us to strengthen ticket checks. If you had listed a Beta as your dance partner in the registration, I’d let you in. But you registered an Alpha, and the person here isn’t one, so we have to assume she’s impersonating.”

“It’s fine. You guys go in first. I’ll wait here until the suppressant wears off…”

This was entirely her fault for miscalculating the suppressant’s effect. Jiang Chuxie didn’t want the three of them to stand in the cold with her. She and Zhuang Qi were fine, but the two Omegas were wearing thin dresses, and the night was already chilly. One wrong move, and they could catch a cold.

“It’s okay. I’ll wait with you,” Gu Lingjun said before Jiang Chuxie could finish. “I invited Senior, so there’s no way I’d abandon my dance partner to go to the dance alone. Senior Zhao and Senior Zhuang, you go in. We’ll be fine.”

“No way, we should all wait—”

Zhuang Qi was about to declare they’d stick together, but Zhao Zi grabbed her arm.

“Alright, it’s not a bad idea. Inside, Zhuang Qi and I might not be able to look after you two, so splitting up now works.” Zhao Zi grinned at Jiang Chuxie. “Jiang Chuxie, you better be a good knight for Her Highness the Princess and make sure no one bothers her, okay?”

Without waiting for their reactions, she pulled Zhuang Qi into the auditorium.

Jiang Chuxie felt a bit helpless but confirmed Zhao Zi meant no harm. Although Zhao Zi had shown interest in her before, nothing special had happened between them, so that flag was probably cleared.

“Sorry, I miscalculated.”

Jiang Chuxie apologized for her oversight. The suppressant’s effect was listed as twelve hours, but a half-hour to one-hour error was common. She had always used suppressants early to avoid the effect wearing off too soon, so she overlooked the possibility of a delayed effect.

“It’s not Senior’s fault. We didn’t expect the checks to be so strict this time. Waiting a bit is fine, no need to apologize,” Gu Lingjun said, comforting her.

Her words made Jiang Chuxie feel even guiltier. Seeing Gu Lingjun hugging her arms, Jiang Chuxie didn’t think twice and took off her jacket.

“Use this to block the wind.”

The jacket carried Jiang Chuxie’s lingering warmth. Gu Lingjun held the slightly oversized jacket and looked up at her. “Thank you, Senior.”

Jiang Chuxie took a sharp breath, nearly undone by Gu Lingjun’s gesture.

No matter the world, a girl in an oversized jacket always looked irresistibly endearing. Gu Lingjun’s appearance now had a seductive girlfriend vibe, and for the first time, Jiang Chuxie felt what it was like to be struck by Cupid’s arrow.

“It’s nothing. It was my mistake.”

Gu Lingjun only smiled faintly at her awkward response.

“Senior’s jacket smells like coffee. If the testing machine were more sensitive, it’d be great.”

Since the ticket-checking security were Betas, unable to smell pheromones, they relied on machines. In fact, there hadn’t been a rule requiring machine tests before, and it was unclear why this year was so strict.

“You can really smell it?”

Suppressants, as the name suggests, only suppress, not completely block. Most suppressants on the market could mask pheromone scents, but so far, only Gu Lingjun claimed to smell her scent during suppressant use.

Before, Jiang Chuxie might have wondered if it was flirtation, but now she was more curious about how Gu Lingjun could smell it.

“Yeah, my sense of smell seems sharper than most Omegas. I really like Senior’s scent.”

Gu Lingjun spoke candidly, her smile pure, seemingly unaware of the “critical hit” her words dealt to Jiang Chuxie.

Jiang Chuxie nearly let her true feelings slip.

No, no, no. Gu Lingjun didn’t mean anything by it. Even if she did, Jiang Chuxie couldn’t reciprocate. She was just accompanying her to the dance tonight—don’t overthink it!

“…The suppressant’s starting to wear off.”

Unable to respond to Gu Lingjun’s comment, Jiang Chuxie was relieved the suppressant’s effect was finally fading. Her neck gland felt slightly warm, and she could smell her pheromone scent growing stronger.

Gu Lingjun clearly noticed too, taking a soft breath. “Ah, it’s true!”

The girl’s delighted voice carried a hint of charm, making one wish to lay all the world’s wonders before her.

Jiang Chuxie’s mind buzzed from the obvious inhale, her heart racing at the thought of her pheromones entering Gu Lingjun’s body.

What are you doing, Jiang Chuxie? Snap out of it! This may be a smut novel, but you’re a pure, upright, and virtuous young woman!

“Senior, let’s go in.”

Gu Lingjun naturally took Jiang Chuxie’s hand. Jiang Chuxie nearly reflexively pulled away. The moment they touched, it felt like a sting—her skin, heart, and some chaotic part of her itched, tingled, and ached faintly.

Dazed, Jiang Chuxie was led to the entrance for inspection, vaguely hearing the security guard’s puzzled muttering. “Seriously, why would an Alpha use a suppressant? Making yourself wait out here.”

Though the words reached her ears, her brain didn’t process them. All her senses were focused on the hand holding Gu Lingjun’s.

Is this what love feels like?

Could she really be falling for Gu Lingjun?

No, no, no, don’t jump to conclusions. With pheromones and the suspension bridge effect at play, this could just be a momentary illusion.

Humans, driven by senses and hormones, are prone to illusions, aren’t they?

Love at first sight is just lust, and a racing heart is just adrenaline. People should trust science, not superstition. Love only grows through steady companionship. She and Gu Lingjun had only met a few times—how could she like her?

So this must just be…

“Senior, thanks for the jacket.”

Gu Lingjun’s words snapped Jiang Chuxie out of her thoughts. She realized she was already inside the auditorium. The air-conditioned hall was much warmer than outside, and Gu Lingjun handed back the jacket.

“You’re welcome.”

While taking the jacket, Jiang Chuxie surveyed the auditorium. Organized by the student council, various colleges, and clubs, the welcome party was B University’s grandest cultural event of the winter semester.

The spacious venue had a buffet and seating area along the outer circle, a dance floor in the middle, and a performance stage at the center.

Gu Lingjun also scanned the room reservedly. “Let’s find a quiet place to sit.”

“Just sit?”

They’d arrived a bit late, and the auditorium was lively. Most people were chatting enthusiastically.

“Yeah, I don’t know anyone else. Sitting is fine.”

Since Gu Lingjun said so, Jiang Chuxie didn’t press further.

“Let’s grab some food then.”

“Okay.”

The food was handled by Zhuang Qi and Zhao Zi. Jiang Chuxie glanced over and saw a five-star buffet spread, silently cursing Zhuang Qi’s capitalist excess.

The cost of this welcome party must be astronomical, yet the student council could afford it.

“What do you want to eat?”

Since Gu Lingjun’s outfit made it hard to carry food, Jiang Chuxie instinctively took charge of getting it for her.

The table was filled with a dazzling array of Chinese, Western, and desserts, even a gaudy, over-the-top champagne tower that nearly made Jiang Chuxie roll her eyes.

“Just some fruit is fine.”

“Fruit?” Jiang Chuxie’s hand paused with the tongs, looking at Gu Lingjun. “You’re not dieting, are you?”

Gu Lingjun quickly shook her head. “No, I just don’t have a big appetite.”

Jiang Chuxie eyed her slender frame and said lightly, “I won’t interfere with what you eat, but if it’s for dieting, I think you don’t need to… if anything, you’re a bit too thin.”

Convinced, Gu Lingjun smiled softly. “Then I’ll have some grilled steak too.”

Jiang Chuxie didn’t say more, just added a few pieces of cut steak to her plate.

As for her own plate, Jiang Chuxie piled on as much as she could. Having once been so poor she could barely eat, dieting was never an option. The only perk of attending this welcome party was the free feast—she’d be damned if she didn’t eat her fill.

Even Jiang Chuxie hadn’t expected to go from a corporate drone fretting over weight to this—poverty truly was the root of all evil.

“Tch, a bumpkin is a bumpkin. Did you really think the welcome party was just for eating? Lingjun, I thought you’d ditched that Beta and invited someone decent, but this one looks human but is totally classless.”

As Jiang Chuxie considered grabbing another plate, a familiar, infuriating voice came from behind.

Without turning, Jiang Chuxie knew it was the male Alpha from the library incident.

Zhuang Qi, that liar, said intimidating others in advance would keep trouble away! Or was the plot’s power so strong that it insisted on dragging her into some cliché drama?