A Short-Lived Cannon Fodder Alpha Just Wants to Be a Salted Fish - Chapter 1

In Ningcheng after the May Day holiday, the weather was a bit unpredictable.

After several consecutive days of overcast rain, the sky finally cleared, and sunlight filtered through the lush branches, casting dappled shadows across the ground. The teachers of Class 1 and Class 2 of the High School Affiliated to the University had hit it off and scheduled a basketball match.

The sides of the court were packed with spectators.

Wen Yuan pulled her best friend, Shi Ran, toward the shade of a tree. Her eyes remained glued to the court as she said disdainfully, “They promised a fair match with balanced teams, yet Class 1 actually put out five Alphas. Their sportsmanship is honestly pathetic.”

On the court, the Alphas from Class 1 were completely suppressing those from Class 2; only Jiang Huaiyu, a Beta, was barely managing to break through their defense.

“Exactly, exactly,” Shi Ran chimed in, pulling out a wet wipe and handing it to Wen Yuan. “Little Bird, did your genetic testing results come back yet?”

There were only two months left in the first year of high school, and most students had already finished their manifestation. In Class 2, only Wen Yuan had shown no signs of change. Her homeroom teacher suggested a check-up, so she went to the hospital last weekend for a physical and a genetic test.

Applying the wet wipe to her neck, Wen Yuan turned her head and gave Shi Ran a bright smile. “70% chance of being a Beta…”

“Is being a Beta really that exciting?” Shi Ran couldn’t understand. “Betas are just so… average in every aspect.”

Wen Yuan dismissed the comment. “I think being ordinary is perfectly fine.”

Shi Ran tilted her head, staring at Wen Yuan. Wen Yuan was very beautiful, with sharp features, cold white skin, a high bridge to her nose, and thin eyelids. Her eyes were a pure black; when she partially lowered them, she carried a subtle sense of cold detachment.

“If you manifested as an Omega, you’d definitely blow Ji Xingyao out of the water.”

A while ago, the students had privately voted for a new “School Beauty.” Originally, Shi Ran and Ji Xingyao were on equal footing in popularity, but then Shi Ran manifested as an Alpha and Ji Xingyao as an Omega. Consequently, the title naturally fell to Ji Xingyao.

“No thanks,” Wen Yuan shot Shi Ran a look. “I have no desire to experience a heat cycle.”

“True,” Shi Ran shrugged. “I heard Omega heats are incredibly, incredibly uncomfortable.”

Wen Yuan returned her gaze to the court. “Even if Betas are mediocre, they aren’t affected by pheromones. It’s safe. And,” she paused, “it’s the same as him.”

“You mean Jiang Huaiyu?” Shi Ran followed her gaze. “Do you really like him that much?”

“Yeah.” Wen Yuan leaned in and whispered to Shi Ran, “I’m planning to confess to him face-to-face after the game.”

Someone scored a three-pointer, and the surrounding crowd erupted in high-decibel screams.

“What?” Shi Ran thought she had misheard. “You’re going to confess to Jiang Huaiyu face-to—”

Wen Yuan slapped a hand over Shi Ran’s mouth, looking around nervously. Most people were focused on the court, while a few were immersed in their own small groups.

Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Wen Yuan’s eyes locked with a girl standing a few paces behind them.

—Chu Yihan—

The name immediately popped into Wen Yuan’s mind. Although they weren’t in the same class and had never spoken, Wen Yuan knew her—frankly, the whole school knew her. On the Honor Wall in the Zhixing Building, this person’s name appeared so frequently you could play a game of Connect Four with it.

Their eyes met and quickly darted away. Chu Yihan walked past them expressionlessly. Wen Yuan lowered her gaze and didn’t look further, releasing her hand from Shi Ran’s mouth.

“You’re going to smother me!” Shi Ran gasped, her eyes following Chu Yihan’s retreating figure. “Wasn’t that the little Study God from Class 1? Do you think she heard?”

Wen Yuan shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Chu Yihan’s glance just now had been excessively calm and exceptionally brief, like an accidental flicker of the eyes. Wen Yuan didn’t know if Chu Yihan had been there for a while or had just passed by, nor if she had overheard the conversation.

“She probably didn’t,” Shi Ran draped an arm over Wen Yuan’s shoulder to comfort her. “Even if she did, it’s fine. Genius types like her don’t have worldly desires; she wouldn’t be interested in gossip.”

“I hope so,” Wen Yuan crossly swatted Shi Ran’s hand away. “This is all your fault!”

Knowing she was in the wrong, Shi Ran apologized repeatedly until Wen Yuan calmed down. Changing the subject, she said, “I heard an Omega from Class 3 say she smelled the Study God’s pheromones, and said they smelled amazing.”

“What kind of scent?” Wen Yuan hadn’t manifested yet, so she couldn’t smell pheromones.

“No idea.” Faced with Wen Yuan’s speechless expression, Shi Ran looked innocent. “She didn’t say, just said it smelled good.”

Wen Yuan couldn’t be bothered with her and turned back to the court. However, when she saw Chu Yihan’s silhouette, she was unconsciously drawn to it. The girl was standing in a corner of the shade, looking down at something. The golden sunlight on the ground seemed to separate her from the laughing girls nearby, like a lonely piece of scenery carved out of the excitement.

A whistle blew; the first half was over, and the score gap was wide. The boys from Class 2 were leaning on their knees, panting, looking miserable—especially Jiang Huaiyu.

Wen Yuan began to get cold feet. “Is this really the right time to confess?”

“When things go wrong on the court, they should go right in love!” Shi Ran encouraged her. “Go buy a bottle of water. When the game is over, give it to him, comfort him, and then take your chance!”

Since it was a school-wide event, the gym teachers weren’t stopping students from buying things during class. Wen Yuan thought about it and decided it was a viable plan. “Let’s go.”

“I need the restroom,” Shi Ran held her stomach. “Go on your own. Buy me an anti-pheromone patch while you’re at it.”

“Sure.”

At the campus store, Wen Yuan picked up a bottle of water and a patch. As she approached the counter, she looked at the cute “Little Lamb” design on the patch. She remembered seeing a “Ragdoll Cat” design on the shelf. Shi Ran’s family had just bought a Ragdoll last week.

Wen Yuan turned back.

At the shelf, Chu Yihan was picking up the last Ragdoll Cat patch. Perhaps because Wen Yuan’s gaze was too direct, Chu Yihan looked up as she turned around. The two of them stood face-to-face, their eyes meeting.

This was the first time Wen Yuan had seen Chu Yihan’s face clearly—not a fleeting glance on a court, nor a pixelated photo on the Honor Wall.

Chu Yihan’s facial contours were soft, her skin clear and white, and her features were delicate and refined. She had the kind of look that instinctively made people want to protect her. Especially those eyes—the shape was exceptionally beautiful, and the irises were a pale, shimmering amber, warm and clear.

Chu Yihan’s gaze shifted down, brushing past the water in Wen Yuan’s left hand and landing on the patch in her right.

That look… maybe she prefers the one I have?

“Classmate,” Wen Yuan asked tentatively, “Could we swap?”

“Sure,” Chu Yihan replied readily.

Wen Yuan stared at the hand reached out toward her, her eyes brightening. The patch was held between a curved index and middle finger; the fingers were clean, long, and slender like scallion stalks.

Wen Yuan was a “hand person.” Part of why she liked Jiang Huaiyu was because he had beautiful hands.

After a moment of admiration, Wen Yuan took the patch. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome,” Chu Yihan replied.

After the swap, Wen Yuan walked briskly to the checkout. She glanced back; Chu Yihan was still there, looking down at the pattern on the patch.

Leaving the store, Wen Yuan didn’t return to the court but went to the gym restrooms to find Shi Ran. The school was co-ed and had detailed restroom divisions—not just by gender, but by ABO status. To save space, the restrooms were staggered; the girls’ restroom was on the second floor.

As Wen Yuan reached the second floor, she passed two girls coming down. One was fixing her bangs, saying, “Class 2 is playing so badly. Only Jiang Huaiyu is halfway decent, and he’s handsome too. I wonder if he has a girlfriend.”

“Oh, you like him?” the other girl teased. “Then go for it. Release your pheromones and make him crazy for you.”

Wen Yuan turned to look at them and caught sight of Chu Yihan at the bottom of the stairs, about to come up.

Did Chu Yihan really hear what I said to Shi Ran?

Not dwelling on it, Wen Yuan looked away and walked to the Alpha restroom door, calling inside, “Shi Ran? Are you in there?”

She called again, but there was no response. She must have left. Thinking of the massive crowd at the court, Wen Yuan regretted not bringing her phone; it was hard to find anyone.

Just as she turned around, Wen Yuan bumped right into Chu Yihan, who was about to enter the Omega restroom.

“Sorry.”

The two voices overlapped. Wen Yuan smiled. “I was in too much of a hurry.”

Chu Yihan’s brow furrowed, then quickly smoothed out. She pressed her lips together and didn’t speak. She looked unwell, as if the collision had hurt her. Wen Yuan’s smile faded. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Chu Yihan’s voice sounded strange.

Before she could think about it, cheers and hooting drifted from the distance. Wen Yuan glanced at her watch. The match was almost over; she had to get back.

But as she stepped away, her wrist felt a sudden heat. Wen Yuan’s eyes widened as she looked at Chu Yihan, who was holding her. “?”

Quickly, Wen Yuan realized something was wrong. Chu Yihan’s hand was too hot. She asked uncertainly, “Are you…?”

Chu Yihan lifted her head. Her face was as red as a ripe apple, her full lower lip bitten pale, the corners of her eyes flushed, and her gaze hazy.

Wen Yuan froze, her suspicion confirmed. It was a heat cycle.

The scorching grip tightened and then vanished. Chu Yihan let go, pleading softly, “Classmate, could you help me borrow a suppressor?”

Wen Yuan realized why the voice sounded strange. An Omega in heat has a voice like pulled silk—sweet, sticky, and soft like marshmallows. It was a bit intoxicating. Fortunately, as someone who hadn’t manifested, Wen Yuan was unaffected.

“Okay, wait for me.” Wen Yuan took two steps, then worriedly turned back. She helped Chu Yihan into a restroom stall, pressed the bottle of cold water into her hands, and instructed, “Lock the door. Wait for me here.”

Once she was sure the door was locked, Wen Yuan ran out.

She managed to borrow an Omega suppressor from a cleaning lady and rushed back, knocking on the stall door. “Open up, it’s me.”

The door clicked open.

Wen Yuan slipped inside. “Can you do it yourself?”

Before she could finish, Chu Yihan collapsed into Wen Yuan’s arms. Seeing how limp the girl was, Wen Yuan reached back to lock the door and sighed. “Fine, I’ll help you.”

Moments later, Wen Yuan deeply regretted this decision.

Although biology class taught them how to use suppressors, she was a Beta who had never used one. Her hands were clumsy, and Chu Yihan—driven by the waves of her heat—kept clinging to her body. She couldn’t find a chance to give the injection.

Suddenly, her neck felt wet. The girl’s soft, damp tongue slid across it. Wen Yuan felt her scalp go numb.

“Don’t lick there!”

Struggling to push her off, the suppressor fell to the floor and rolled toward the door. Wen Yuan looked into Chu Yihan’s watery eyes, and her frustration halfway evaporated. Resigned, she sighed and turned to bend over and pick up the suppressor.

As she straightened up, Chu Yihan clung to her back again. Fearing another lick, Wen Yuan blurted out, “Be good! I have to go confess after I give you this shot!”

Chu Yihan paused. Wen Yuan thought she had finally settled down.

The next second, Wen Yuan realized Chu Yihan hadn’t settled—she had gone further. Chu Yihan bit directly into the back of her neck!

Wen Yuan couldn’t control herself and let out a howl. Omegas in heat are terrifying! Just end me now!

Enduring the pain, Wen Yuan swiftly and accurately jabbed the suppressor into Chu Yihan’s wrist.

Chu Yihan bit even harder.

In an instant, pain radiated from the bite through her blood and nerves, spreading across her entire body. Wen Yuan’s tears began to fall from the pain; she felt like Chu Yihan was going to bite her to death.

It wasn’t just painful—it was hot. It was like being thrown into a furnace. Her skin felt like it was being torn open, and the strength was draining from her limbs.

In a daze, Wen Yuan slumped back into a soft embrace. Someone was whispering in her ear, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying. Her consciousness grew blurrier.

Before losing consciousness, Wen Yuan smelled a fragrance overflowing around her—like the fresh scent of grass in the damp air after rain, wrapped in a rich floral perfume.

Like ice water in summer, or a heater in winter, it felt incredibly comfortable.