“You’re amazing, Athletic Committee! Our class finally got some recognition. We’ve made it to the finals of the basketball tournament for the first time ever!”
“Isn’t it incredible? This is the same class that got knocked out in the first round last year. Not anymore! We’ve made it to the finals! I feel like I’m dreaming; I never thought our class would excel in sports.”
“Even Mr. Zhao is thrilled. Despite his daily reminders in class that we should focus on our studies and that participation is more important than winning, I saw him boasting to the teachers of Class Seven and Class Eleven about how our class is a strong contender for the championship.”
“I believe we can win, especially with Gu Yang and Lin Xiaoran, and the Athletic Committee members Zhao Shuang and Wu Xu playing so well. We’re definitely going to get that championship.”
“Gu Yang, Lin Xiaoran, what do you guys think?”
After nearly a week of matches, tonight was the basketball finals.
Since splitting into arts and science streams in second year, Class 3-1 had never placed in these competitions. This time, however, they smoothly advanced to the finals, making every student in the class ecstatic and prompting enthusiastic discussions during breaks.
During this period, Gu Yang and Lin Xiaoran had become closer to their classmates because of their participation in the basketball tournament, often going out to eat together at the Athletic Committee’s invitation. This brought them closer to their classmates, who now found them more approachable and were more willing to talk to them.
However, Lin Xiaoran still didn’t like to talk much. He glanced up briefly before laying his head back on the desk to catch some sleep. Gu Yang, on the other hand, smiled and responded, “Absolutely. Our star players’ skills are unmatched.” He said this while twirling his pen and pointing it at the unperturbed Lin Xiaoran beside him.
Though Gu Yang’s words were mostly in jest, they were also quite true.
The class immediately burst into laughter and cheers.
“Gu Yang’s right. Lin Xiaoran’s scoring ability is phenomenal. He scores at least thirty points per game. Whenever the ball is passed to him, I’m confident those two points are guaranteed.”
“Not to mention, he’s incredibly handsome, right? Even his simplest shooting form looks so cool when he does it. It’s strange!”
“Have you seen the top ten videos of Lin Xiaoran on the forum? It’s awesome!”
“Yeah, I saw it. I heard someone even posted it on Weibo, and a lot of netizens are swooning, asking for his contact information.”
“Are you kidding? They can forget about it.”
“Remember when the forum speculated Lin Xiaoran might be an Omega? Looking back, it’s hilarious. How could an Omega be so tough? I wouldn’t believe it if you beat me to death.”
“Exactly. Even though I’m an Omega, I have to admit, an Omega could never manage that.”
…
The conversation veered to Lin Xiaoran’s gender, and everyone treated last week’s speculation on the forum as a joke. After watching so many of Lin Xiaoran’s basketball games, they, like Chen Hongqiang, firmly believed Lin Xiaoran couldn’t be an Omega.
Gu Yang, engrossed in his studies, couldn’t help but glance at the peacefully sleeping Omega beside him, chuckling to himself. If Lin Xiaoran’s gender were ever revealed, he wondered how shocked everyone would be.
Meanwhile, in the head teacher’s office, the middle-aged, balding Mr. Gao frowned as he touched his shiny scalp, perplexed. His account showed a login at midnight when he was asleep. Was it a system error or had someone used his account?
It wasn’t a big deal, though, and after pondering briefly, he let it go. Today, he was invited to watch the school basketball finals and present the award to the winning team. He decided to spruce up his appearance and planned to get a haircut.
Soon, it was dismissal time.
Anticipating a larger-than-usual crowd for the finals, the venue was set at the outdoor basketball court. Before the game started, the court was packed with layers of spectators. The stands were filled to the brim, making it seem like the entire school had shown up.
Most were there to cheer for Class 3-1. With their own classes out of the running, they could only root for the two handsome stars, whose good looks attracted many supporters.
This created a unique atmosphere for the opponent, Class 2-7, making it feel like an away game. Only their own classmates cheered for them, interspersed with exclamations like “Gu Yang is so handsome” and “Lin Xiaoran just looked at me.”
Despite this, both teams, having made it to the finals, were strong contenders. The cheers wouldn’t determine the outcome. The match was intense, with the score remaining close. At the end of the first half, the score stood at 37:35, with Class 3-1 barely leading by a last-second shot.
During halftime, the players returned to their respective benches to rest and strategize. The spectators took this time to chat and check their phones.
Suddenly, a loud exclamation pierced the noise: “No way! Lin Xiaoran is really an Omega?”
The shout was loud and startling, causing the crowd to fall silent and turn towards the source.
A boy, staring at his phone in shock, raised it and said, “Really! Someone posted on the forum, with a screenshot of Lin Xiaoran’s student record from our school’s database, clearly stating he’s an Omega.”
Everyone was stunned and quickly pulled out their phones to check the forum.
Sure enough, amidst the excitement of the finals, a new post had appeared on the school forum’s homepage: “The True Gender of Lin Xiaoran: See the Solid Proof Inside!”
Clicking on the post revealed a screenshot of Lin Xiaoran’s file from the school system, with the gender section highlighted in red, unmistakably marked as Omega.
In an instant, all eyes were on the white-clad boy in Class 3-1’s rest area.
Was this real?
Could Lin Xiaoran truly be an Omega?
Impossible, right? How could an Omega have the stamina to compete with Alphas?
But the school records couldn’t be wrong, could they?
Despite being the center of attention, Lin Xiaoran seemed unaffected. He continued to sit there, calmly drinking water, seemingly oblivious to the discussions around him.
Of course, he wasn’t oblivious.
Sitting next to him, Gu Yang heard everything clearly, so Lin Xiaoran must have heard it too.
Even the usually composed Yu Fei and the others couldn’t resist checking their phones to see the forum. No one was unaware of the situation.
How did this happen?
Who would go to such lengths to reveal Lin Xiaoran’s gender?
Though being an Omega wasn’t shameful—in fact, it was quite prestigious—Lin Xiaoran probably didn’t want this to be public, especially not like this.
Gu Yang stood up abruptly, ready to tell everyone to be quiet, but Lin Xiaoran grabbed his wrist.
Gu Yang looked down at Lin Xiaoran, who still had his head lowered, revealing only his defined jawline.
“You—”
“The second half is starting.”
Lin Xiaoran interrupted Gu Yang softly, standing up and looking at him with clear, calm eyes, completely unaffected.
At that moment, the referee, unaware of the situation, returned from the restroom and blew the whistle to start the second half.
Lin Xiaoran was the first to walk onto the court. Gu Yang hesitated for a second before following him.
The other three members of Class 3-1, still in shock, followed suit out of a sense of team pride.
However, the players of Class 2-7 stayed in their rest area, discussing something and occasionally glancing at Lin Xiaoran. After a while, they approached the referee, with their captain Jiang Chen speaking up: “Referee, we forfeit!”
The stands erupted in chaos. Why would they forfeit after making it this far?
“Damn…”
As if to confirm everyone’s suspicions, Jiang Chen spoke loudly, “They have an Omega on their team.” His tone carried the pride of being an Alpha.
“Hmph!”
A cold snort echoed in his ears right after he finished speaking.
He looked over and met Lin Xiaoran’s sharp gaze. He froze, feeling as if those piercing eyes were like two sharp swords stabbing into him, sending chills down his spine.
For a moment, he almost doubted the information from the forum. Could someone with such an aura really be an Omega?
“If you’re afraid of losing, just say so. Don’t make excuses.” Lin Xiaoran’s clear voice rang out again. Though not loud, everyone’s attention was on him, so they all heard what he said.
Jiang Chen and his friends, all Alphas, were naturally proud. They couldn’t tolerate such provocation, and their expressions immediately changed.
“Study God Lin, it’s just that we don’t want to compete against you. It’s a principle we Alphas live by. Competing against an Omega, even if we win, there’s nothing to brag about.”
“You’re talking as if you could win.” Lin Xiaoran looked at Jiang Chen with a calm tone, “I scored twenty points in the first half. How many did you get?”
“…”
Jiang Chen’s face turned pale, and he couldn’t find the words to reply. In fact, his score was decent, about ten points, but it was nothing compared to Lin Xiaoran’s.
So he bit his lip, ignored the question, and insisted, “Anyway, we won’t compete. Winning against you isn’t honorable.”
“Say that after you’ve won,” Lin Xiaoran’s clear eyes carried a hint of a smile as he provocatively asked Jiang Chen, “Dare to try?”
Sixteen or seventeen-year-old boys, all Alphas, how could they endure such provocation? Especially when it came from an Omega.
Instantly, a few boys who prided themselves on their demeanor got fired up, “Compete then! Do you really think we’re afraid? Ref, start the game!”
After this interruption, the second half of the game began.
But the atmosphere was completely different from the first half. In fact, the game was more intense because Jiang Chen and his friends, angered by Lin Xiaoran’s words, were determined to win and prove that as Alphas, they were naturally superior to an Omega.
And Lin Xiaoran… he hated losing, regardless of gender or honor. In every competition he participated in, he only wanted to win!
However, the atmosphere off the court was a bit strange. Everyone was still wondering how Lin Xiaoran could be an Omega. Could an Omega really compete against a bunch of Alphas on the basketball court?
Hadn’t all Omegas been taught since differentiation that basketball wasn’t a sport for them? They were supposed to be delicate, avoid strenuous exercise, protect themselves, and be the most refined and gentle Omegas.
But now, they were witnessing an Omega engaging in an activity deemed unsuitable.
Wasn’t this a bit surreal? But it was happening right before their eyes.
This strange atmosphere persisted until the final seconds when Gu Yang intercepted the ball from the opponent and passed it to Lin Xiaoran. Lin Xiaoran swiftly dashed towards the opponent’s basket, leaping through the defense of three players, relying on his exceptional jumping ability and flexibility, and scored, reversing the score and leading Class 1 to victory.
The classmates from Class 1 in the stands stood up excitedly, shouting, “We won, Lin Xiaoran is amazing!”
In an instant, it was as if a valve had been opened, and the suppressed excitement of the crowd erupted. They shouted, “Lin Xiaoran is incredible!”
At that moment, the question that had been puzzling everyone suddenly resolved.
Whether Alpha or Omega, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that the game was truly spectacular, especially Lin Xiaoran’s final shot, which could be considered the best play of the entire tournament.
On the court, Lin Xiaoran stood under the opponent’s basket, wiping the sweat off his jaw with his jersey. He was suddenly startled by the unexpected cheers, and after a moment of confusion, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Beside him, Jiang Chen looked down at the basketball on the ground, feeling deeply frustrated.
They had actually lost to an Omega!
He raised his head angrily, looking at Lin Xiaoran, but the harsh words stuck in his throat. His gaze fixed on Lin Xiaoran’s face.
Lin Xiaoran was undeniably good-looking, a fact anyone with eyes could see. But Jiang Chen had never realized that the usually cool and indifferent face could look so different when it smiled, like the melting of ice and snow, with sunlight warming the earth.
So beautiful! So… incredibly beautiful.
Jiang Chen almost couldn’t tear his eyes away, staring straight at Lin Xiaoran.
Suddenly, someone blocked his view. He blinked and looked up into a pair of amber eyes, the peach-blossom shape carrying a faint smile but exuding a pressure he couldn’t explain.
But when he looked again, Gu Yang had already turned his back, talking to Lin Xiaoran, standing firmly in front of him, blocking Lin Xiaoran entirely, whether by coincidence or intention.
Jiang Chen couldn’t hear their conversation, only seeing Gu Yang pulling Lin Xiaoran away by the wrist after a few words.
Watching their departing figures, Jiang Chen suddenly remembered the forum posts speculating about Gu Yang and Lin Xiaoran being a couple.
So… it was true?
Seeing Lin Xiaoran being obediently led away by Gu Yang, a sour feeling rose in Jiang Chen’s heart.
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