Chapter 42
Grade 12 Office.
During class time, most of the teachers were absent, and those remaining were quietly focused on their work, making the office silent.
Director Gao Weixuan peeked through the back door and whispered to Zhao Tianhua, who was nearby, “Mr. Zhao, can you step outside for a moment?”
Zhao Tianhua quickly put down his pen and stepped out.
They moved to the nearby hallway. Zhao Tianhua, puzzled, asked, “What is it, Director Gao? Why couldn’t we discuss it in the office?”
Gao Weixuan rubbed his shiny bald head, looking troubled, “Mr. Zhao, what’s going on with Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang in your class?”
“Those two? What about them?” Zhao Tianhua asked.
Gao Weixuan sighed and took out his phone, showing a few photos to Zhao Tianhua, “Look, someone saw them entering the bathroom together during lunch break. When they came out, Lin Xiaoran smelled of Gu Yang’s pheromones. And this,” Gao Weixuan scrolled to a photo showing Lin Xiaoran’s gland from an odd angle, “there are bite marks. You know what that means, right?”
Zhao Tianhua examined the photos, from Lin Xiaoran pulling Gu Yang into the bathroom to the gland photo, clearly taken secretly.
“Who took these? This is an invasion of privacy!”
“You…” Gao Weixuan was furious, “That’s all you see? The issue isn’t the photos being secret; it’s the early romance! And it’s serious. You think the gland bite is casual? Gu Yang aside, if Lin Xiaoran’s grades drop because of this, what then? And the impact? Lin Xiaoran is a role model. If he’s openly dating, with Gu Yang’s pheromones on him, it sets a bad example. Kids their age don’t know limits. If something inappropriate happens, it affects both their reputations and the school’s.”
“I don’t think it’s that serious,” Zhao Tianhua returned the phone. “They’re my students. I know them well; they aren’t reckless. And it’s not certain. Did you smell Gu Yang’s pheromones on Lin Xiaoran?”
“How could I? I can’t smell pheromones.” Gao Weixuan was a Beta and couldn’t detect pheromones.
“You see? Neither of us smelled it, so how can we say they’re dating? Someone might just be spreading rumors. And about the gland photo, Director Gao, Lin Xiaoran is an Omega. Secretly photographing his gland is worse than early dating. What’s the purpose? Monitoring students in school—what’s the intent? That’s the real issue. I’ll talk to Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang. If they’re dating, I’ll handle it.”
“Forget the photos. Talk to Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang, and ensure nothing goes wrong during senior year!”
After Gao Weixuan left, he called back Zhao Tianhua, “Wait, tell Mr. Wang to send Zhang Zhihe from their class to my office after class.”
Zhang Zhihe?
After Gao Weixuan left, Zhao Tianhua shook his head, surprised that the second-best student could do such a thing. You never know people.
But what about Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang?
Though he defended them, the marking incident seemed real.
Schools crack down on early dating, but everyone knows it can’t be fully stopped. Dating at this age is normal, and marking privately isn’t a big deal if hidden. The issue is Lin Xiaoran not hiding it.
Director Gao had a point. If it becomes widely known, it’s problematic.
Returning to the office as the bell rang, Zhao Tianhua told Mr. Wang to call Zhang Zhihe to Director Gao and asked a class committee member to bring Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang to his office.
A few minutes later, Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang arrived, one after the other.
Zhao Tianhua looked around the office, then stood up, “You two, come with me.”
He led them to the rooftop.
Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang exchanged puzzled looks, wondering about a secret mission.
But Zhao Tianhua’s question left them stunned.
“I’ve taught you for three years, been your homeroom teacher for two. No one else is here; be honest. Are you two dating?”
Dating?
They were taken aback. Gu Yang laughed, “Teacher, did you see the forum post?”
“What post? Stop joking. Director Gao came to me; someone reported this to the principal…”
After hearing about the photos, Lin Xiaoran lowered his head, feeling remorseful. After Gu Yang marked him, a mishap left Gu Yang’s lips on his face, making him flustered. He hurried out, forgetting he smelled of Gu Yang. Though he quickly bought a blocker, someone noticed.
He felt he dragged Gu Yang into this.
Before he could explain, Gu Yang asked, “Who’s so idle to know when we use the bathroom, stalking us? Teacher, isn’t this behavior worse?”
“Never mind others. We’re talking about you two. You’re in senior year; focus on studies, not this…”
Zhao Tianhua explained the situation with the photos.
Lin Xiaoran blinked his clear eyes and lowered his head slightly, feeling a bit remorseful. After being marked by Gu Yang at noon, there was a sudden mishap where Gu Yang’s lips ended up on his face, making him flustered. He hurriedly left the bathroom, forgetting that he still smelled like Gu Yang. He quickly remembered and rushed to buy a blocker, but it seemed he had already been noticed.
He felt he had implicated Gu Yang.
Just as he was about to explain, he heard Gu Yang ask, “Who’s so idle to know when we go to the bathroom? Are they stalking us? Teacher, don’t you think that behavior is worse?”
“Alright, don’t worry about others. We are talking about you now. You’re in your senior year; you should focus on your studies, not on such things…”
In front of Gao Weixuan, Zhao Tianhua fully supported his students, but behind closed doors, he earnestly and repeatedly analyzed the downsides of early romance from various angles.
Lin Xiaoran listened half-heartedly, while Gu Yang didn’t pay attention at all, sending a message to Chen Hongqiang: “Find out who went to the principal’s office today.”
Five minutes later, Zhao Tianhua finally wrapped up his speech with a conclusion: “Now isn’t the time for romance. Work hard for one more year, and next year in college, you can date as much as you want, okay?”
Who knew? No one cared.
Gu Yang was still waiting for Chen Hongqiang’s message. Lin Xiaoran, seeing that Zhao Tianhua had finished, finally spoke slowly, “We are not dating.”
Gu Yang’s eyes finally moved away from his phone. He looked at Lin Xiaoran, who was looking at Zhao Tianhua with a serious expression, his thick eyelashes fluttering, “You know I’m a recessive Omega. Sometimes… my pheromones get chaotic and uncomfortable. Gu Yang was just helping.”
Helping? Just?
For some reason, these words felt a bit jarring to Gu Yang’s ears.
It was strange, but it was just helping.
Just then, Chen Hongqiang’s message came back. Gu Yang shook off the strange feeling and looked at the message.
Zhao Tianhua’s gaze shifted between Lin Xiaoran and Gu Yang, “So, you’re saying Gu Yang was just helping, and that’s why you had his pheromone scent on you?”
Lin Xiaoran nodded.
Zhao Tianhua, a Beta himself, learned about AO marking in middle school health classes and didn’t think it was anything special. He trusted Lin Xiaoran, believing his words to be true. Since Lin Xiaoran said they weren’t dating, it must be true.
He nodded, “If that’s the case, then it’s fine. But still, you need to be mindful of the influence. Don’t let other students find out and cause misunderstandings. Alright, you can go back now.”
As they were leaving, Zhao Tianhua called out to Lin Xiaoran, “Lin Xiaoran, stay for a moment. I need to talk to you.”
Gu Yang went downstairs first.
Lin Xiaoran turned and obediently asked, “What else, teacher?”
“It’s about your stolen file last time. The police have identified a suspect, a student from Chunfeng High School named Guan Jun. The police are still handling it. Although no major loss was caused, the nature of the act was quite serious. Guan Jun is currently detained, and Chunfeng High School will likely take appropriate disciplinary actions. You, as the victim, have the right to know,” Zhao Tianhua explained.
Lin Xiaoran nodded, indicating he understood.
But he found the timing of this resolution strange. Didn’t they have no leads just yesterday? How come there was a result today?
He suddenly remembered Gu Yang going out last night to beat up Guan Jun. Could this resolution be Gu Yang’s doing too?
As he was pondering, Gu Yang suddenly appeared in his line of sight, accompanied by a skinny student. Lin Xiaoran recognized him as Zhang Zhihe from Class 12.
They seemed to have run into each other at the staircase, one going up, the other down.
But the atmosphere seemed off.
Zhang Zhihe froze upon seeing Gu Yang, then quickly lowered his head and tried to pass by.
“Hey!” Gu Yang called out to him.
With just that casual word, Zhang Zhihe’s body visibly trembled, and he obediently stopped.
Gu Yang turned to look at him, hands in his pockets, casually, “Was it you who reported to the principal?”
Lin Xiaoran blinked and looked at Zhang Zhihe. Was it him?
Sigh!
Lin Xiaoran felt a bit helpless, realizing once again that he had implicated Gu Yang.
This Zhang Zhihe’s main connection to Lin Xiaoran was his perpetual second place in academics, never having surpassed Lin Xiaoran in exams, which made him harbor resentment toward Lin Xiaoran. This time, his tattling was likely aimed at Lin Xiaoran as well.
Zhang Zhihe was clearly afraid of Gu Yang but didn’t want to appear too cowardly. With a stubborn expression, he said, “I don’t do things in the dark. It was me. But I didn’t spread any rumors!”
“Heh…” Gu Yang sneered, “You were targeting Lin Xiaoran, right? What, if Lin Xiaoran gets punished, you’ll become first in the grade? Putting all your effort into these crooked schemes, I’m afraid…” Gu Yang paused, his amber eyes filled with undisguised mockery, “next time, you won’t even get second place.”
With that, he left Zhang Zhihe behind and walked away.
At the stairwell corner, Lin Xiaoran paused briefly, his clear eyes showing a hint of surprise. He quickly walked down the stairs, ignoring the stunned Zhang Zhihe, and caught up with Gu Yang, “Looks like you’ve been hiding your grades well.”
Gu Yang turned to him, shrugged with a smile, “Just pretending, don’t take it seriously.”
“Friendly reminder, there’s a monthly exam next week. If you don’t get second place…” Lin Xiaoran paused, raised an eyebrow, and threw out two words, “embarrassing!”
Gu Yang rubbed his nose and smiled, “It’s okay, I’ve been last before, not afraid of a little embarrassment.”
The two chatted casually and walked back to the classroom, clearly not taking the matter to heart.
Who knew that when they returned to the Gu family in the evening, they would find out that the school had contacted Gu Xiuyuan.
Gu Xiuyuan was a busy man, and during the time Lin Xiaoran had been staying at the Gu family, it was rare for him to even have dinner at home. It was almost unheard of for him to be waiting at home after school like today.
But today, he had come back early. Besides him, Grandpa Gu and Grandma Gu were also there.
As soon as Lin Xiaoran entered the door, Gu Xiuyuan stood up to greet him, his tone so gentle it was almost tender, “Ranran, you’re back? Are you tired?”
Lin Xiaoran shook his head in confusion. Gu Xiuyuan was always refined and polite, but today his attitude was overly exaggerated.
Not only him, but Grandma Gu also came over and took Lin Xiaoran’s hand, more careful than in the morning, “Come, come, you must be tired after a day of classes. Sit down and talk.”
Grandpa Gu didn’t say anything, but as soon as Lin Xiaoran sat down, he pushed the pre-prepared snacks and milk in front of him, and Grandma Gu began urging Lin Xiaoran to eat.
Gu Yang also looked bewildered, “What’s going on? Do you need something from him?”
Gu Xiuyuan glared at him, scolding, “You have the nerve to talk? Do you know what you’ve done?”
Gu Yang was stunned, but before he could say anything, Gu Xiuyuan’s attention was back on Lin Xiaoran, his tone instantly turning gentle again, “Ranran, I’m really sorry. I didn’t know you were an Omega. I only found out today when your teacher Gao called me. How have you been adjusting during this time? Are you comfortable with the food? If you feel uncomfortable in any way, you must tell us.”
“Yes, Ranran,” Grandma Gu patted Lin Xiaoran’s hand with a loving expression, “How could you keep such an important thing from us? Omegas are so precious and need to be careful about everything. You can’t be as careless as Yangyang, he’s tough-skinned.”
Grandpa Gu nodded silently in agreement.
Lin Xiaoran: “…”
Was this really necessary? He didn’t feel any different from Gu Yang.
But that wasn’t the main point. The main point was that the school had actually called Gu Xiuyuan, which meant Gu Xiuyuan had misunderstood his relationship with Gu Yang.
“Uncle Gu, Gu Yang and I aren’t like what the school said. He was just helping me,” Lin Xiaoran explained.
Gu Yang had returned home last time because Gu Xiuyuan had apologized, but the relationship between father and son remained distant, hardly speaking to each other. Gu Xiuyuan, despite his normally gentle demeanor, could be unreasonable when angry. Lin Xiaoran didn’t want Gu Yang to be misunderstood again because of this.
So, he quickly explained.
Gu Xiuyuan nodded, “I know. Your teacher Zhao explained it to me later. But Ranran, even if Gu Yang is helping you, he can’t just mark you casually. You’re an Omega. This is ultimately to your disadvantage, understand?”
Lin Xiaoran couldn’t help but glance at Gu Yang, blinking in confusion, unable to understand how he was at a disadvantage.
Gu Yang, who had been dreading this matter, saw Lin Xiaoran’s bewildered look and couldn’t help but turn away with a smile. Lin Xiaoran really had no self-awareness at all.
Thanks to Zhao Tianhua’s explanation, Gu Xiuyuan didn’t misunderstand Gu Yang. However, after dinner, he still called Gu Yang to his study.
Back in his room, Lin Xiaoran noticed some changes. The mattress and bedding had been replaced with softer ones, and all the sharp corners were padded as if they feared he might bump into them and get hurt.
This was too exaggerated!
Lin Xiaoran pouted in displeasure, dropped his school bag, and went into the bathroom to shower.
When he came out, he heard the door across the hall open. He stepped out and bumped into Gu Yang, who was carrying a storage box.
“What are you doing?”
Lin Xiaoran couldn’t help but peek into the box, which contained books, study materials, and a few changes of clothes. He looked up at Gu Yang in confusion, “Where are you going?”
Having just showered, his hair was wet, and droplets of water fell from his hair onto his neck, leaving a glistening trail on his pale skin before disappearing into his clothes.
Gu Yang looked away, smiling lightly, “They said Omegas are precious and don’t want me disturbing you, so I’m moving upstairs.”
“Huh?” Lin Xiaoran’s thick eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes, still moist from the shower, showed a hint of confusion as he stared at Gu Yang.
For some reason, Gu Yang felt an inexplicable irritation.
He didn’t oppose Gu Xiuyuan’s decision. As a teenage Omega, Lin Xiaoran indeed needed to maintain distance from an Alpha.
So when Gu Xiuyuan asked him to move upstairs, he agreed without a second thought.
But now, facing Lin Xiaoran, he had an indescribable feeling.
How pretentious!
It’s just moving from one room to another, not like they wouldn’t see each other anymore.
With that thought, he suppressed his inexplicable annoyance and joked, “Well, our three elders got all nervous hearing you’re an Omega. Right now, if you asked for the stars, they’d probably get them for you. Anyway, I’m just changing rooms, so you should get some rest too.”
After speaking, Gu Yang carried his things and left.
Lin Xiaoran stood at the door, watching him disappear around the corner, then turned his gaze to the opposite room. The layout was the same, just missing a few books, clothes, and a living person.
After staring quietly for a while, he turned back, closed the door, and flopped onto his bed, staring at the ceiling.
So, was there really such a big difference between him and Gu Yang? So much that they couldn’t even sleep on the same floor?
As an Omega, did he really need to keep his distance from an Alpha like Gu Yang?
Did Gu Yang always say he had no sense of being an Omega because he was bothered by his lack of boundaries?
Meanwhile, in the room upstairs, Gu Yang lay on his desk, unable to focus on a single word, his mind full of the image of Lin Xiaoran looking up at him.
Sigh!
He sighed helplessly, put down his book, and collapsed on the bed.
After staring at the ceiling for a while, he couldn’t resist picking up his phone and sending a message to Lin Xiaoran.
At the same time, downstairs, Lin Xiaoran’s phone beeped. He picked it up, and a smile tugged at his lips as he read the message.
Gu Yang said: “Let’s leave early tomorrow. How about we go to that place with the delicious dumplings you mentioned?”
