Chapter 127
Gu Ximian was an S-class Alpha.
She differentiated at the age of ten, and the result quickly spread throughout the country and even the world. Her family had no intention of hiding it—the world's one and only S-class Alpha symbolized glory and a halo, and revealing it would only benefit Gu Ximian's life and the entire Gu family. Therefore, the Gu family intentionally publicized it widely, and from that moment on, Gu Ximian's name rapidly became known to all.
She was as excellent as everyone imagined in all aspects, perhaps even more so. But these aspects never received as much attention as her overly outstanding appearance. Gu Ximian's looks didn't really resemble those of an S-class Alpha. Or rather, she didn't really look like an Alpha. By the age of eighteen, a person's room for growth is already not very large, and in that year, Gu Ximian came to realize: it seemed she really wouldn't grow taller and stronger like the traditional perception of an Alpha.
Her appearance was actually more in line with the stereotype people had of Omegas—fair-skinned and slender, with an unparalleled cool beauty. Everyone who had heard her name and met her for the first time showed either an obvious or subtle expression of confusion. Gu Ximian had seen it enough to be bothered with explanations. Fortunately, her pheromones were very potent; releasing just a little was enough to make all possible doubts rot in those people's throats.
Having just recently come of age, Gu Ximian was already living a life of splendor. Her family background was already excellent, and now that she had differentiated into such an advantageous gender, her path ahead was smooth and unimpeded. It was a foreseeable life of success, and it wouldn't even be unimaginable if she eventually reached the pinnacle of the world.
Gu Ximian had nothing to say about this. It wasn't that she didn't have her own thoughts, but as a vested beneficiary, she felt it was better not to voice those thoughts.
It seemed like an enviable life to others, because by the looks of it, there was probably nothing in the world she couldn't obtain. Gu Ximian thought.
With this mindset, Gu Ximian came to St. Blaisedon to study.
Even though she had already realized that this world was born from her former black history novel, Zhuang Chi occasionally couldn't help but wonder if she was in some strange dream.
She had been in this world for several years now, and during that time, she had of course seen Gu Ximian's name on the internet—the only S-class was quite famous. Zhuang Chi had been muttering to herself since then, but she felt a little relieved after noticing that this Gu Ximian was an Alpha. Who knew that when she got to university, she would find out it was St. Blaisedon, which was practically irrefutable proof.
…Damn it, my female protagonist seems to have been gender-bent (a bit inappropriate, but I don't know what other word to use). Zhuang Chi thought these things wistfully, only to later realize after meeting Ling Jing, An Chen, and the others: oh, it seems like the entire cast has been gender-bent.
It wasn't entirely incomprehensible, if one had to say. After all, from the perspective of the novel, all those Alphas liked Gu Ximian. If only Gu Ximian was gender-bent, it would seem a bit unreasonable, but…
But after the gender-bending, her plot becomes really weird! Since everyone was gender-bent, couldn't they have found a way to change the plot as well! Zhuang Chi looked at Ling Jing, who, despite being an Omega, was relentlessly provoking Gu Ximian at the school gate, asking her to release some pheromones for a sniff. For a moment, she only felt that this was even less logical than the plot she had originally written. Her black history had become even blacker!
To be honest, she really wanted to escape and pretend it had nothing to do with her; no one in this world would know anyway. But how to put it. Zhuang Chi thought. If it were exactly the same as her original work, that would be one thing; she would at least have some idea of what to expect. But this current situation was too unpredictable. With her bizarre plots, if they were to develop according to this situation, then, then…
…She really couldn't rest easy. Zhuang Chi sighed and decided to take responsibility for the time being, to try and keep an eye on things, lest something truly terrible happened.
And at that moment, she heard Ling Jing's roar of anger after being rebuffed by Gu Ximian. In the nick of time, she remembered the existence of Xiao Ying and subconsciously shot out her hand.
Gu Ximian had been seeing Zhuang Chi a lot recently.
Actually, "seeing a lot" was an inaccurate description. In terms of sheer numbers, it wasn't that many, at least far less than the number of times she saw her classmates. But Zhuang Chi's every appearance was always accompanied by something quite memorable, which inevitably deepened Gu Ximian's impression of Zhuang Chi as well.
The first time they met, she blocked the hawk for her, her wrist getting scratched and bloodied. Gu Ximian had actually heard the sound of the wind behind her at that time and was about to dodge, but Zhuang Chi's reaction was even faster than hers—honestly, that point quite surprised her. After all, as an S-class Alpha, even if aspects like her physical strength and power were relatively weaker, her reaction speed was already outstanding. For Zhuang Chi, someone who hadn't even differentiated yet, to be faster than her was truly an incredible thing to speak of.
But Gu Ximian didn't say it. She just planned to observe this person with a hint of raised interest. After all, it was the first time in her life as a child of heaven that she had encountered such a thing, and it was a bit novel.
It was strange, though. Putting Ling Jing aside, at least An Chen had been a pretty normal person in their past interactions, but recently, both of them had started acting not quite right. It was as if an invisible vortex was pulling them in. Gu Ximian had planned to be a cold observer and see what was going on, but she hadn't expected this vortex to eventually affect her as well.
This person always seemed to appear at such moments—like now.
Ling Jing and An Chen seemed to have both entered their susceptible periods, curled up in a corner of the warehouse. The scent that came from them was very thick. Although Gu Ximian was disgusted in her heart, her body began to heat up on its own. She frowned tightly.
Gu Ximian cursed under her breath. The only flaw of an S-class Alpha was this—the Omega pheromones that were supposed to fascinate her only made her feel utterly nauseated. In contrast, when stimulated by Omega pheromones, it was very difficult to suppress the urge to release her own pheromones to overwhelm the other's. This was because she knew in her heart that this was a simple and effective method, or perhaps her subconscious couldn't tolerate being affected by this heat, thus having an instinct to want to cover the scent.
It was at such a moment that Zhuang Chi appeared at the warehouse door.
When Gu Ximian heard a voice approaching, her first reaction was vigilance—heaven knows if someone had deliberately set this trap to harm both her and Ling Jing. But the voice from the doorway was very familiar. It was Zhuang Chi calling out anxiously: “Gu Ximian, Ling Jing, are you in there?”
It's this person again. Gu Ximian thought.
The timing and occasion of her appearance were almost enough to make one suspect she was the mastermind, yet the anxiety and concern in her voice were so real, as if they couldn't be faked.
Gu Ximian's gaze flickered. She remained silent for a long time, but finally, just as Zhuang Chi was about to give up on this place and head to the next warehouse to search, she spoke softly: "…We're here."
It was too late when she remembered this plot, but not entirely too late. Zhuang Chi hurriedly sent messages to Ling Jing and Gu Ximian, but they all vanished like stones in the sea. She knew they were probably already trapped, and was so scared she couldn't sit still. She pocketed a few tubes of suppressant and ran to the sports warehouse, searching inside and out for a long time before she finally found them.
Fortunately, she arrived in time, and no major disaster had occurred. Gu Ximian said Ling Jing had entered her susceptible period, and for safety's sake, it was best not to seek help from others. Zhuang Chi tried everything to open the jammed warehouse door, and was greeted by a sneeze-inducing wave of sweet pheromones: “…So sweet.”
It was all the scent of cream cake. Faintly mixed in was a hint of an elegant and pleasant smell. Zhuang Chi's glands suddenly heated up, unable to tell if it was attraction or repulsion. She couldn't be bothered with that much and first looked at Gu Ximian. The other person looked rather normal, aside from a slightly flushed face, with no other issues. A pair of ink-black eyes, deep as night, were locked on her, their emotion unreadable.
Zhuang Chi felt a little relieved and turned to look for Ling Jing. Seeing her curled up in a corner, shivering, she felt a pang of pity and was about to help with the suppressant in her hand. But as soon as she took a step, she was grabbed by Gu Ximian, whose cool voice was slightly tense: “I remember… you differentiated into an Alpha a while ago, right?”
Indeed, it had been less than a week since she differentiated. Zhuang Chi didn't know what she meant by bringing this up now, and heard Gu Ximian continue: “…Can you let me see what you're holding in your hand?”
The only thing she was holding was the suppressant. Zhuang Chi was a little confused, but she still obediently handed it over. She watched as Gu Ximian checked that the packaging was intact, then took out the syringe, squeezed out a little, and cautiously dabbed it on her fingertip, bringing it to her nose for a small sniff.
…Oh. Zhuang Chi gradually understood. It seemed Gu Ximian was worried she was going to inject Ling Jing with some strange substance disguised as a suppressant.
Realizing she wasn't fully trusted, Zhuang Chi felt a momentary pang of disappointment, but she quickly cheered up, understanding that it was reasonable for someone with Gu Ximian's personality to do so. This was followed by a deep recognition that the person before her was indeed her female protagonist. A hundred emotions welled up in her at once, and her gaze towards Gu Ximian softened considerably. This caused Gu Ximian to give her an uncomprehending look before handing back the suppressant that had passed inspection, softly apologizing to her, and then asking, “Why would you, an Alpha, suddenly appear here with an Omega's suppressant?”
“…” Although she had just apologized, the look in this person's eyes now was one of complete suspicion. Zhuang Chi, who had left in too much of a hurry to think of an excuse, was speechless. She met Gu Ximian's gaze for a long time before finally, silently, holding out her hand. “…I also brought an Alpha's suppressant. Do you want it?”
The change in Gu Ximian's expression was quite spectacular, but in the end, she didn't press further, seeming to tacitly agree to deal with the more urgent matter at hand first. She took the suppressant and injected herself cleanly and efficiently. As Zhuang Chi proceeded to pick up the Omega suppressant to inject Ling Jing, she watched her the entire time. Zhuang Chi could feel the probing gaze that followed her like a shadow, so tangible that she could clearly understand that if she did anything bad to Ling Jing, she would probably be immediately attacked by the S-class Alpha's pheromones, which was truly stressful.
It was chaotic, but they got through it without any major incident.
After finally getting things more or less settled and sending the suppressant-injected Ling Jing to the school infirmary, Zhuang Chi had just let out a long sigh of relief when she turned her head and met Gu Ximian's pitch-black eyes.
“We still have things to talk about, right?” Gu Ximian said slowly, tilting her head suggestively. “Have you figured out what to say now?”
After taking the suppressant, this person looked almost the same as usual, and she had also refused the doctor's suggestion to get a check-up. Zhuang Chi now felt that this was all just to corner her at the infirmary entrance. She cursed her luck inwardly, and as she racked her brains, she heard the impatient Gu Ximian continue: “There has to be a reason. Why did you know that Ling Jing and I were trapped in the sports warehouse, and even know that we needed suppressants…”
“The simplest explanation is that you orchestrated all of this. But that doesn't add up.” Gu Ximian looked straight at Zhuang Chi, taking in her evasive gaze, and said flatly, “Let's not even talk about how you could control Ling Jing's susceptible period. Just the reason I went to the sports warehouse today isn't something you could have planned in advance—my tennis racket suddenly broke, but I brought it directly from home, so it's almost certain you didn't touch it.”
…Of course I didn't touch it. The reason her tennis racket broke was entirely due to the irresistible force of the original novel's plot. But as for whether she orchestrated it… from the root of it, perhaps it could be considered so. Zhuang Chi thought. Sigh, her actions this time seemed a bit too suspicious. She couldn't blame Gu Ximian for being so aggressive. It felt like she wouldn't be able to leave today without giving a proper explanation…
But she couldn't say her "reason," as if constrained by some mysterious force. Zhuang Chi herself also felt that she shouldn't confess rashly—what if Gu Ximian couldn't accept that she was a character in a novel? Zhuang Chi fell into silence, watching as Gu Ximian's frown grew tighter and tighter. Then she saw her stride over, standing very impolitely a step in front of Zhuang Chi.
“I want the truth, Zhuang Chi.” Gu Ximian's voice was soft, her gaze light, but the pressure she gave off increased instead of decreased. A chill seemed to emanate from between her lips as she spoke. “I know there are ways to make people tell the truth, ways that even an unwilling person cannot defy. But I don't want to go that far. What do you think?”
It had already escalated from suspicion to a threat!
Zhuang Chi shivered and had no choice but to start speaking tremblingly under Gu Ximian's gaze: “I… I was just worried something would happen, I wanted to come and help you. As for my reason… I'm afraid if I tell you, you'll think it's too absurd, so…”
Gu Ximian looked at her thoughtfully, tilting her head up slightly: “Tell me.”
“…”
Zhuang Chi was silent for a long moment, her mind spinning so fast it was about to emit smoke. Finally, she threw caution to the wind and closed her eyes.
“…If I said I can predict the future, would you believe me?”
To be honest, Gu Ximian didn't really believe it.
She was already more inclined to be a non-believer when it came to supernatural matters. Now, faced with Zhuang Chi's difficult-to-verify claim of "being able to predict the future"—an ability that, according to her, was hit-or-miss—Gu Ximian naturally remained skeptical.
But strangely enough, this person sometimes really seemed to be the real deal.
Putting aside the matter of rescuing her and Ling Jing from the sports warehouse, Gu Ximian later tried to test her and asked her out again. But she didn't mention anything first, only asking with a bit of a challenging attitude if she had predicted anything that would happen during the Eleventh Holiday. As a result, Zhuang Chi thought hard for a long time and answered weakly, not very certain: '…Maybe a ball?'
This was indeed quite surprising to Gu Ximian. She couldn't guess whether Zhuang Chi had made a lucky guess or had truly foreseen it, so she simply invited Zhuang Chi to attend the ball with her. Zhuang Chi clearly didn't want to go much, but Gu Ximian of course wouldn't let her refuse. A simple 'if you don't go, I'll spread the word that you can predict the future' silenced Zhuang Chi, and she couldn't utter a single word of protest.
It always felt like the standing between the two of them had become a bit delicate. Gu Ximian sometimes felt as if she were taking advantage of having leverage on Zhuang Chi to threaten her. She didn't actually have this intention; it was just the first time she had encountered such a curious person and matter, and also the first time she had the thought of wanting to get closer to see. She couldn't think of any other way to get Zhuang Chi to cooperate, so the attitude she ended up showing was inevitably forceful.
…And Zhuang Chi was really an Alpha with no temper, making it easy for people to take a mile when given an inch. Gu Ximian thought. Even though she had gone a bit too far like this, Zhuang Chi had never gotten angry at her, but instead had let her have her way with good temper time and time again. Whether it was coming to the ball, or being her dance partner.
It was only today that Gu Ximian was shocked to realize that having a female Alpha companion on such occasions could help her block a lot of trouble. Whether it was the adults eager to get close to her, or the Omegas her age trying to hit on her, she could find a reasonable excuse to avoid them all because of Zhuang Chi's company. The experience was so good that she even started to feel surprised. It wasn't until she stepped onto the dance floor with Zhuang Chi that she belatedly realized she seemed to have used the other person as a shield for the entire ball. For a rare moment, she felt a bit of guilt for her previous action of unhesitatingly rigging the draw to get Zhuang Chi's number tag: “…Do you have someone you want to dance with? If you do, it's fine to go find her after we finish this dance.”
“No…” But Zhuang Chi answered a bit distractedly, quickly changing the subject with a sigh, “Do you get approached by so many people at every ball like just now? It's so tough being an S-class Alpha.”
“…” Hearing a very rare word, Gu Ximian raised an eyebrow, “Tough? Everyone else says they envy me.”
She had never heard anyone say her life was tough. Gu Ximian thought, hearing Zhuang Chi mutter "is that so," and then suddenly ask: “Don't you find it tough yourself?”
She must have just asked it on a whim, but it made Gu Ximian startle, her dance steps nearly faltering.
…Tough? Gu Ximian thought vaguely. If someone else said that, it was most likely a trap to fish for information. And if she really said that being an S-class Alpha was tough, she felt she would be secretly cursed as pretentious or ungrateful. Even worse, it might be made public and used as a stain on her to be widely publicized.
But Zhuang Chi's tone didn't sound like she was setting a trap for her. The eyes before her were the same, as if they were truly just concerned about her.
“…If it's just the ball, it's not really tough.” A more appropriate method would be to change the subject and avoid answering, but Gu Ximian, as if possessed, opened her mouth, “I can only say… it feels a bit troublesome at times.”
Zhuang Chi let out a sigh of understanding, chattering on about things like “it's indeed troublesome to talk to so many people, I feel tired just watching,” and so on. Gu Ximian listened for a while, only feeling that this person's sincere tone made her not know how to react. Her mouth was faster than her brain: “Because you were here today, it was already a less troublesome situation.”
After saying it, she was the one who was stunned first. Gu Ximian pressed her lips together slightly, unsure if the faint hint of implication in her words would be caught by Zhuang Chi—and also unsure if she wanted it to be caught. But the person in front of her was only half-understanding, and after hearing it, she said dazedly: “…Is that so? I actually helped you like this?”
“…Yes.” A strange impulse surged up, driving Gu Ximian to change her tone, speaking in a roundabout way that sounded very awkward, “Since you can predict the future, can you see if you'll still help me like this in your future?”
Her words were convoluted, and Zhuang Chi took a while to react before stammering out a reply: “…This ability of mine can't predict my own future…”
Ah. Gu Ximian lowered her eyes. This was basically a rejection, right?
“…But, if you need…”
But in the next moment, she heard Zhuang Chi's hesitant voice. Gu Ximian looked at her, at this Alpha who was the same gender as her yet different in every way, who gently lowered her head obediently, her features gentle and soft.
“Then even if I don't have the ability to predict the future, I will help you.”
Zhuang Chi and Gu Ximian's relationship was constantly changing.
A year had passed since that ball, not too short and not too long, but long enough for many things to happen. Zhuang Chi had witnessed many of the bizarre plots she had once written unfold by Gu Ximian's side. Some were consistent with the novel, while others had undergone some demonic alterations due to the gender swap. In any case, they could all be described as chaotic. Under the guise of "predicting the future," she bustled about under Gu Ximian's watchful eye, barely managing to keep the sins she had once committed within a range where they wouldn't turn into major disasters.
As for Gu Ximian, Zhuang Chi knew that she had been investigating her throughout this year. It wasn't because she was particularly perceptive that she noticed this, but because Gu Ximian had no intention of hiding her investigation at all, openly and thoroughly looking into her entire life history. Zhuang Chi wasn't afraid of being investigated—after all, no matter how one investigated her resume in this world, nothing problematic could be found. So she often just acquiesced with a wry smile.
Perhaps it was because her attitude seemed so open, or perhaps it was because she had earned Gu Ximian's approval over this year. In any case, after this year passed, Gu Ximian finally stopped her investigation.
Zhuang Chi understood that this was a sign of Gu Ximian's trust in her, and it also meant that Gu Ximian had decided to believe that she could really predict the future—to believe the lie she had spun in a moment of panic.
When she thought of this, even though she knew that Gu Ximian's actions were a good thing for her, Zhuang Chi would still feel a sense of guilt, unable to be completely happy.
During her time with Gu Ximian, Zhuang Chi was well aware that Gu Ximian's trust was a precious commodity. The Alpha version of her female protagonist wasn't very different from the original; if anything, the current Gu Ximian was a bit more flamboyant. If the Gu Ximian in her original work was the type who would put on a good surface show even if she didn't trust others, then the current Gu Ximian was too lazy to hide it. Perhaps her identity as an Alpha naturally gave her an advantage over an Omega, giving her the confidence to be more distinct in her attitude—in any case, the result was… Gu Ximian previously had no one close to her.
…Perhaps it was also her fault for not writing a close friend for Gu Ximian back then. Zhuang Chi thought. She wondered if it was still possible to make up for it now…
“Gu Ximian,” during a break while they were eating in the cafeteria together, Zhuang Chi threw out the question she had been thinking about for a while, “Are we considered friends now?”
“…”
Gu Ximian, who was eating, paused, quietly put down her chopsticks, and slowly glanced at her.
“…I don't know.”
The first words out of her mouth were a cold and hard sentence, causing Zhuang Chi's face to fall. But after a moment of silence, Gu Ximian suddenly asked, “Then what is your relationship with the others in the Presidium? Are they also 'considered friends'?”
This question was a bit strange. Zhuang Chi blinked, not understanding. She thought that her relationship with the Omegas in the Presidium was indeed good, and they could indeed be called friends, but why was Gu Ximian suddenly asking about this now? Before she could figure it out, Gu Ximian herself sighed first, and changed her words as if with regret: “…Forget it, it's nothing, pretend I didn't ask.”
“If you're willing, then I guess we are friends.”
Zhuang Chi immediately perked up, her eyes even brightening, and she nodded vigorously to show that she was of course willing. Perhaps her reaction was too exaggerated, as Gu Ximian's expression also softened, and she chuckled lightly: “So happy? You didn't predict before that we would become friends?”
Zhuang Chi said, “I told you I can't predict my own future,” and they looked at each other and smiled, feeling as if the whole world had become a bit more beautiful.
Of course she was happy. To be able to become friends with her female protagonist was like a dream.
Zhuang Chi felt content.
Gu Ximian was actually happy too.
In her past eighteen years of life, to put it nicely, she had no close friends; to put it badly, she didn't have a single person who could be called a friend. Gu Ximian didn't have much thought about this before. After all, the universally acknowledged view in this world was that lions always walk alone, as if S-class Alphas were also naturally destined to be loners, unless there was an S-class Omega of the same rank to stand by her side.
So, it took her eighteen years of life to meet someone who could be considered a friend for the first time. In all fairness, Zhuang Chi was a very good friend, almost willing to help her with anything unconditionally, sometimes to a degree that even surprised Gu Ximian a little, making her unable to help but suspect if she had ulterior motives. It took a long time to confirm that she was just overthinking things, and that Zhuang Chi was just genuinely concerned about her.
Gu Ximian admitted, the feeling of being cared for was very good.
It was just that Zhuang Chi, due to her good personality, was also very popular and had many friends, unlike her, who had a cold personality. It was the same in the Student Council Presidium; the other members were all no pushovers, but they all had a harmonious relationship with Zhuang Chi, sometimes chattering more with her than they did with Gu Ximian. Gu Ximian watched with a cold eye, always feeling that what Zhuang Chi had said at the ball about "it's quite troublesome to talk to so many people" might have been to coax her.
But it didn't matter. Gu Ximian thought. Anyway, she and Zhuang Chi shared the secret of "predicting the future," so they would always be a little closer than others.
She just needed to be the most special one. Since she was the most special S-class Alpha to the whole world, this surely shouldn't be a difficult task.
Gu Ximian had thought so, never having had a doubt, until one ordinary afternoon, before the start of the Presidium regular meeting, she heard Ling Jing's teasing voice, asking Zhuang Chi: “I saw you last night! Were you on a date with that girl next to you?”
She saw a faint blush appear on Zhuang Chi's delicate face, and her heart, for some inexplicable reason, sank.
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