I Am Not a Scummy Alpha (GL) - Chapter 6

The Alpha’s sticky voice was like a piece of candy entering Lin Jinzhu’s ear, making her eyelashes flutter repeatedly.

She re-clenched her relaxed palm, this time trying to suppress the ripples stirring at her heart.

She said, “Pay attention in class.”

After the Pheromone Control class ended, Lin Jinzhu didn’t leave immediately. After most of the students had gone, she walked to the faculty office on the same floor.

The office door was not completely shut, leaving a small gap. It was now almost six o’clock in the evening, and the light was slightly dim. Through the gap, the white light inside the office could be faintly seen, as if it had been deliberately left on for Lin Jinzhu.

Lin Jinzhu didn’t hesitate and pushed the door open, stepping inside.

Gu Qiu stood outside in the corridor, resting her hand on the railing carved with faint gold patterns, waiting for her.

The office door slowly closed from within. Only Jian Yi was inside. She was sitting at her desk. Hearing the movement, she looked up. Upon seeing Lin Jinzhu, she showed a softer expression than she did in class: “Student Lin, you’re here. Where is the Gu family child?”

“I asked her to wait for me outside. Professor Jian Yi, did you need to see me about something?”

The reason she came to the office this time was because she had received a message from Jian Yi asking her to come to the office after class.

Jian Yi had previously worked as a researcher at the institute under her mother, and Lin Jinzhu had met Jian Yi twice before she came to Svir.

Jian Yi asking her to come over this time was likely related to her mother.

Thinking this, Lin Jinzhu’s gaze dimmed slightly.

As expected, once she stood still, Jian Yi took out a file with a pale blue cover, placed it on the desk, and then pushed the papers towards Lin Jinzhu with her fingertips, saying, “Academician Lin asked me to give this to you.”

Lin Jinzhu looked at it when she heard this. A moment later, she bent slightly and picked up the file.

Opening it, she saw a series of data and specialized medical terms. Lin Jinzhu looked at it for a while and then closed it. It wasn’t hard to understand; this was a report on her current physical data.

She looked up and asked, “Professor Jian Yi, what does this mean?”

The white light in the office was somewhat harsh. Lin Jinzhu was very fair, and under this light, she looked even more distant and indifferent—in short, inhuman.

Lin Jinzhu’s reaction was too placid, making it impossible to discern her true thoughts.

Jian Yi secretly assessed her expression, and remembering Academician Lin Man’s request, she carefully framed her words: “You must have realized this is your physical data report. Academician Lin said you blocked her, so she asked me to relay a few words.”

“As you know, both the Alpha rut period and the Omega heat period become increasingly difficult to endure with age. This is an inevitable point in evolutionary history, and we must try to accept it.”

“Generally speaking, most Omegas and Alphas find a suitable partner by the age of 20 at the latest to help complete their first marking.”

“Academician Lin…”

But before she could finish, Lin Jinzhu already interrupted, “I’m sorry, Professor Jian Yi, I know what she wants you to relay, but I don’t want to hear it anymore.”

“I have no intention of finding a first-time marking partner. It’s just a heat period. I can get through it on my own.”

Jian Yi paused, then leaned back in her chair, looking at Lin Jinzhu’s cold eyes, and continued to try and persuade her: “Student Lin, if you’re only avoiding it because you don’t have an Alpha you like right now, that’s absolutely not a problem. It’s just for the first marking.”

“If you fall in love with someone later, washing the pheromones out of the scent gland is not difficult, and with current technology, there is absolutely no harm to the body.”

“After all, the first marking partner is just playing the role of a tool.”

Everyone gets what they need. Both Omegas and Alphas do this, don’t they?

“It’s just about finding an Alpha with $30\%$ or higher compatibility. It’s very easy,” Jian Yi said.

Yes, it was indeed easy—just $30\%$ compatibility.

Only $30\%$ compatibility was needed.

Thirty percent…

In a place where no one could see, Lin Jinzhu’s fingers holding the file turned white from how hard she was gripping, and she gave a sarcastic laugh in her heart.

The office fell silent for a moment, the atmosphere freezing.

Jian Yi sighed inwardly, then changed the subject: “Let’s not talk about that for now. Besides that, Academician Lin specifically mentioned she will be taking a vacation soon. You haven’t seen each other in a long time. She asked if you had time to meet so she could spend some time with you.”

Lin Jinzhu lowered her eyes and said, “There’s no need, Professor Jian Yi. Please tell her I am long past the age of needing familial companionship.”

…

In the corridor outside, Gu Qiu was leaning her chin on her hand, looking out at the scenery with little interest.

From this height, she could see the two rows of maple trees at Svir from a top-down perspective. Whenever the wind blew, maple leaves drifted down, a beautiful, vibrant red.

The optical computer on her wrist flashed, indicating an incoming message.

Gu Qiu glanced at it, tapped her finger, and the small, semi-transparent holographic screen appeared before her. It was a message from Xu Wenyue.

: Gu Qiu, I’m at the new Sophia restaurant outside the school right now. Do you want to join us for dinner tonight? I also brought a new friend—you’ve met her before.

Gu Qiu was about to reply when the office door opened, and Lin Jinzhu’s figure appeared in the doorway.

Gu Qiu put away her optical computer and walked over: “Lin Jinzhu, you’re out.”

“Mm.” Lin Jinzhu glanced at Gu Qiu’s wrist and asked, “Who were you chatting with just now?”

Gu Qiu frankly reactivated the holographic screen, displaying the chat page directly in front of Lin Jinzhu, and said, “With Xu Wenyue. She just asked if we want to eat together at Sophia. I haven’t replied yet.”

Lin Jinzhu asked, “Do you want to go?”

Gu Qiu replied as a matter of course: “I’ll do whatever you want.”

Lin Jinzhu shifted her gaze. A moment later, she said, “Then let’s go.”

Sophia restaurant was near Svir’s South Gate, about a ten-minute walk from here. The path to the South Gate was the same maple-lined road Gu Qiu had taken to pick up Lin Jinzhu.

It was now almost 6:30 PM, and the sky was darkening. The streetlights on the Svir campus lit up. There weren’t many people around; it was very quiet.

Gu Qiu and Lin Jinzhu walked side-by-side. The autumn evening wind was quite strong. Maple leaves were being blown down, carpeting the ground.

Lin Jinzhu had been supervised by Gu Qiu to wear the trench coat, and even a scarf was tightly wrapped around her neck. She didn’t feel the slightest bit of cold.

However, Gu Qiu couldn’t help but look towards the top of the Omega’s head several times.

Lin Jinzhu seemed to sense it and turned her gaze sideways: “What’s wrong?”

Gu Qiu finally suppressed her smile, then reached out, gently pinched with her thumb and forefinger, and picked a tiny maple leaf from the top of Lin Jinzhu’s head.

She held the maple leaf out in front of Lin Jinzhu, leaning her upper body slightly closer. Staring into Lin Jinzhu’s clear eyes, she said, “You have a maple leaf on your head, Lin Jinzhu. You’re so careless. What will you do without me in the future?”

Under the streetlights, the Alpha’s eyes were exceptionally bright when she said this. Her long hair was scattered by the wind, blurring the vision, but it couldn’t hide the smile curving her lips.

Looking at the Alpha like this, Lin Jinzhu suddenly recalled what Jian Yi had said not long ago.

Yes, it’s not just me; Gu Qiu is also almost twenty.

In the future, Gu Qiu would be this kind, this attentive, to another Omega.

That warmth would no longer be exclusive to her.

Lin Jinzhu felt a sudden, inexplicable memory of the dream she had during her heat. Her chest felt terribly tight.

But Gu Qiu, this silly dog, understood nothing and kept saying things that were easily misunderstood.

A pang of sourness surged in Lin Jinzhu’s heart. This sourness violently crashed through her body, shattering her rationality. Lin Jinzhu, usually so composed, blurted out, “Gu Qiu, do you know what Professor Jian Yi and I talked about just now?”

Gu Qiu was fiddling with the maple leaf, the smile in her eyes still present. She asked, “Hmm? What did she say?”

Lin Jinzhu stared into those bright, fox-like eyes and said word by word, “My mother asked Professor Jian Yi to relay a message, telling me to find an Alpha to complete my first marking.”

The movement of the rotating maple leaf subconsciously came to a halt.

The curve of Gu Qiu’s lips dropped. She felt inexplicably sad, even a surge of irritation.

Do other friends also feel this upset when they hear their friend needs to find a marking partner?

She spoke with a slightly dry tone, “Is that so… Then who are you planning to find?”

Lin Jinzhu retracted her gaze, and the air pressure around her dropped further. She said with rare impulsiveness and sarcasm, “Anyone will do, as long as the compatibility exceeds $30\%$.”

Gu Qiu frowned and subconsciously said, “How can that be? Lin Jinzhu, even if it’s just for the first marking, you have to look seriously.”

She emphasized, “You need to find someone gentle and kind to you.”

Otherwise, what if Lin Jinzhu gets wronged?

But these words, when heard by the other person, sounded strangely grating.

How considerate those words sound, and so sincere.

Lin Jinzhu clenched her hand, her voice so cold it seemed to freeze: “You don’t need to worry about that. Mind your own business.”

These two sentences were hurtful. Although Gu Qiu wasn’t angry, her mood also became low. Coupled with the inexplicable sadness in her heart, she stopped talking for a moment.

The atmosphere between the two silently became tense, and they were, confusingly, having a petty quarrel.

But their steps were honest; they walked side-by-side as before, neither taking a faster nor a slower step.

At Sophia Restaurant, the warm glow of the crystal chandelier made the environment bright and cozy. The walls were carved with antique patterns, adorned with intertwined fresh flowers.

In the private room on the second floor, a beautiful piano melody slowly flowed through the space. A waiter in a black uniform elegantly served the guests, setting the silverware on the tray.

A red cloth covered the large round table. Liang Suisui sat in her seat. After the waiter left the room, she suppressed the envy and longing in her eyes and tugged on Xu Wenyue’s sleeve: “Sister Wenyue, this place seems very expensive. I can’t afford it.”

Xu Wenyue smiled and reassured her, “It’s fine. Didn’t I say I’m treating?”

Liang Suisui stubbornly raised her apricot eyes: “But how can I let you do that? I…”

She was only halfway through her sentence when there was a commotion outside.

At the same time, Xu Wenyue’s optical computer chimed. She checked it, stood up, and said, “They’re here. I’ll go meet them.”