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

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

After several consecutive days of overcast rain, the sky finally cleared, and sunlight pierced through the lush branches, casting dappled shadows across the ground.

The teachers of Class 1 and Class 2 from the affiliated high school had hit it off and arranged a basketball game. Both sides of the court were packed with spectators.

Wen Yuan pulled her friend Shi Ran toward the shade of a tree. Her eyes remained fixed on the court as she said disdainfully, “They promised a fair match with balanced teams, yet Class 1 actually fielded five Alphas. Their desperation to win is quite unsightly.”

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

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

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

Applying the wet wipe to her neck, Wen Yuan turned to Shi Ran with a bright smile: “There’s a 70% chance I’m a Beta…”

“Are you really that happy to be a Beta?” Shi Ran couldn’t understand. “Betas are just so… average in every capacity.”

Wen Yuan didn’t mind: “I think being ordinary is perfectly fine.”

Shi Ran tilted her head, staring at Wen Yuan.

Wen Yuan was beautiful—sharp features, pale skin, a high bridge to her nose, and thin eyelids. Her pupils were a pure black; when her eyes were half-lidded, she carried a subtle air of cold detachment.

“If you differentiated into an Omega, you’d definitely outshine Ji Xingyao.”

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

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

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

Wen Yuan returned her gaze to the court. “Even though Betas are mediocre, they aren’t affected by pheromones. It’s safe. Plus… I’ll be 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, “I’m planning to confess to him in person after the game.”

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

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

Wen Yuan clamped her hand over Shi Ran’s mouth, looking around nervously. Most people were focused on the court; a small portion were immersed in their own social circles.

Before she could fully relax, Wen Yuan’s eyes met those of a girl standing a few paces behind her.

—Chu Yihan—

The name immediately popped into Wen Yuan’s head.

Even though they weren’t in the same class and had never spoken, Wen Yuan knew her—virtually the whole school knew her. On the Wall of Honor in the Zhixing Building, this girl’s name appeared so frequently you could play a game of Connect Four with it.

Their eyes met and then pulled away. Chu Yihan walked past them expressionlessly. Wen Yuan lowered her gaze and released Shi Ran’s mouth.

“Are you trying to smother me?” Shi Ran gasped, her eyes trailing Chu Yihan’s retreating figure. “Wasn’t that Class 1’s ‘Little Academic God’? 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 brief, like an accidental flicker of movement. Wen Yuan didn’t know if she had been standing there for a while or just passing by.

“She probably didn’t hear,” Shi Ran comforted her, resting a hand on Wen Yuan’s shoulder. “Even if she did, it’s fine. Geniuses like her don’t have worldly desires; she wouldn’t be interested in gossip.”

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

Realizing she was in the wrong, Shi Ran apologized repeatedly until Wen Yuan’s temper cooled. She changed the subject: “I heard an Omega from Class 3 say she caught a whiff of the Little Academic God’s pheromones. Said they smelled amazing.”

“What kind of scent?” Wen Yuan hadn’t differentiated yet and couldn’t smell pheromones.

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

Wen Yuan couldn’t be bothered with her anymore. She looked back at the court, but her eyes were involuntarily drawn to Chu Yihan’s figure.

The girl stood in a shaded corner, head down, looking at something. The golden sunlight hitting the ground seemed to separate her from the girls laughing nearby—like a lonely landscape partitioned off from the excitement.

The whistle blew, signaling the end of the first half. The score gap was wide. The Class 2 boys 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?”

“Frustrated on the court, lucky in love,” Shi Ran coached her. “Go buy a bottle of water. When the game ends, give it to him, comfort him, and then take the chance to win him over!”

Since even the PE teacher was ignoring students leaving to buy snacks during the game, Wen Yuan decided it was a viable plan. “Let’s go.”

“I need the restroom,” Shi Ran clutched her stomach. “Go by yourself. Pick up a scent-blocking patch for me while you’re at it.”

“Got it.”

At the convenience store, Wen Yuan picked up a bottle of water and a blocking patch. As she approached the counter, she noticed the patch had a cute “Little Lamb” design.

I think I saw one with a Ragdoll cat pattern on the shelf earlier.

Shi Ran’s family had just bought a Ragdoll kitten last week. Wen Yuan turned back.

At the shelf, Chu Yihan was holding the last Ragdoll cat patch.

Perhaps because Wen Yuan’s gaze was too direct, Chu Yihan looked up as she turned around. The two were standing face-to-face.

This was the first time Wen Yuan had seen Chu Yihan’s face clearly—not a fleeting glimpse across a court or a pixelated photo on a wall.

Chu Yihan’s features were soft, her skin clean and white, her face delicate—the kind of look that instinctively made people want to protect her. Especially her eyes; they were beautifully shaped, with light-colored pupils like glowing amber, warm and clear.

Chu Yihan’s gaze shifted down, passing 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, “would you like to swap?”

“Sure,” Chu Yihan replied readily.

Wen Yuan’s eyes brightened as she looked at the hand reaching out. The patch was held between a curved index and middle finger; the fingers were white, long, and elegant, like green scallion stalks.

Wen Yuan was a hand-fetishist; part of her attraction to Jiang Huaiyu was his beautiful hands.

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

“You’re welcome.”

After the swap, Wen Yuan walked briskly to the counter to pay. She glanced back; Chu Yihan was still there, head down, seemingly staring at the pattern on the patch.

Leaving the store, Wen Yuan didn’t go straight back to the court. She headed to the gymnasium restrooms to find Shi Ran.

The restrooms at the school were highly specific—divided not just by gender, but by ABO status. To save space, the genders were split between floors; the girls’ restroom was on the second floor.

As Wen Yuan reached the second floor, she passed two girls heading down.

One was fixing her bangs, saying, “Class 2 is playing terribly. Jiang Huaiyu is the only decent one. He’s handsome, too—wonder if he has a girlfriend.”

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

Wen Yuan glanced back at them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Chu Yihan at the bottom of the stairs, about to come up.

Did she really hear my conversation with Shi Ran earlier?

Shaking off the thought, Wen Yuan walked to the Alpha restroom door and called inside: “Shi Ran? Are you in there?”

She called again, but there was no response. She must have left.

Realizing how crowded the court was, Wen Yuan regretted not bringing her phone. Finding someone would be a nightmare.

As she turned to leave, she collided head-on with Chu Yihan, who was about to enter the Omega restroom.

“Sorry.”

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

Chu Yihan’s brow furrowed, then quickly relaxed. She bit her lip and said nothing.

She looked uncomfortable, as if the collision had hurt. Wen Yuan’s smile faded. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Chu Yihan’s voice sounded strange.

Before Wen Yuan could process it, the sound of cheering and catcalling drifted in from the distance. She checked her watch. The game was almost over; she had to get back.

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

Suddenly, Wen Yuan realized something was wrong. Chu Yihan’s hand was burning 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 crushing, burning grip loosened. Chu Yihan let go and pleaded, “Classmate… can you help me get a suppressor?”

Wen Yuan finally realized why Chu Yihan’s voice was strange. An Omega in heat has a voice like pulled sugar—sweet, sticky, and soft like cotton candy. It was enough to make one’s head spin.

Luckily, Wen Yuan hadn’t differentiated yet, so she remained unaffected.

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

Once she heard the lock click, Wen Yuan sprinted 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 the girl’s limp state, Wen Yuan locked the door behind her and sighed. “Fine, I’ll help you.”

A moment later, Wen Yuan deeply regretted that decision.

Although school health classes taught how to use suppressors, she was a Beta who had never used one. Her hands were clumsy, and Chu Yihan, driven by the heat, kept clinging to her. She couldn’t find a chance to administer the injection.

Suddenly, her neck felt wet. The girl’s damp, soft tongue flicked across her skin. Wen Yuan felt like her scalp was going to explode.

“Don’t lick there!”

Struggling to push her off, the suppressor fell and rolled to the door.

Wen Yuan met Chu Yihan’s watery eyes, and her frustration halved. She sighed in resignation and bent down to retrieve the injector.

Just as she straightened up, Chu Yihan clung to her back again. Fearing another lick, Wen Yuan blurted out, “Be good! Once I finish this, I still have to go confess!”

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

The next second, she realized Chu Yihan wasn’t settling—she was escalating. Chu Yihan bit directly into the back of her neck!

Wen Yuan couldn’t stop herself from letting out a howl.

Omegas in heat were terrifying! Just let the world end!

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

Chu Yihan bit down even harder.

Instantly, pain radiated from the bite through her blood and nerves, spreading across her entire body. Wen Yuan’s tears began to fall—she felt like she was being bitten to death.

It wasn’t just pain; it was heat. It was like being thrown into a furnace. Her skin felt like it was being torn apart, and her strength drained away.

In a daze, Wen Yuan slumped back into a soft embrace. Someone was whispering in her ear, but she couldn’t make out the words. Her consciousness grew dimmer.

Before fading out, Wen Yuan smelled a fragrance overflowing around her—like the fresh scent of grass in damp, post-rain air, wrapped in the rich perfume of flowers.

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