A Short-Lived Cannon Fodder Alpha Just Wants to Be a Salted Fish - Chapter 10

At the flag-raising ceremony on Monday, the grade director announced the winners of the physics competition on the podium.

The queues for Class 2 and Class 1 were adjacent. Wen Yuan instinctively scanned the crowd for Chu Yihan, but after looking around twice, she couldn’t find her.

Just as she was wondering where Chu Yihan had gone, she heard Qi Hui behind her calling out to a boy from Class 1: “Hey, where’s that ‘Academic God’ from your class who took first in the physics competition?”

The boy replied: “She took a leave of absence today.”

“What kind of leave?” Wen Yuan turned around and interjected.

“How should I know?” The boy realized it wasn’t Qi Hui asking. Seeing that Wen Yuan was quite pretty, his tone softened instantly. “Oh, I think it’s a sick leave.”

Wen Yuan gave an “Mm” and turned back thoughtfully, her hand in her pocket, unconsciously rubbing the edge of her scent-blocking patch. She was perfectly fine when she was explaining math to me over voice chat this weekend. Why is she suddenly sick?

Back in class after the ceremony, He Xun was standing on the podium discussing class matters. Wen Yuan didn’t listen; she lowered her head and messaged Chu Yihan: “Your classmates say you’re on sick leave.”

A while later, Chu Yihan replied: “Yeah, I had an allergic reaction.”

CenturyEggPorridge: “Is it serious?”

Chu Yihan: “Not very serious.”

Seeing that Chu Yihan’s replies were slow and brief, Wen Yuan decided not to bother her further. She sent a “get some rest” message. Suddenly, Shi Ran nudged her with an elbow: “Hey, Wen Yuan.”

Wen Yuan reflexively blurted out: “Hey, I’m here!”

Her voice was loud, like a smart speaker responding to a prompt. Muffled laughter rippled through the classroom. Beside her, Shi Ran froze for a second before shaking with uncontrollable laughter: “Holy crap, why did you answer like that? Are you Siri?”

The students nearby laughed even more shamelessly.

Wen Yuan was still a bit lost. She instinctively looked toward the podium and locked eyes with He Xun’s expectant gaze. She felt a “snap” in her nerves.

“Great, since you’re ‘here,’ you’ll be the one in charge,” He Xun said with a beaming smile. “Whenever it doesn’t interfere with your studies, you can go to the playground to practice. Let’s work hard this time and try to beat Class 1.”

Wen Yuan: “??”

The students in the class joined in the cheering: “Beat Class 1!” “The girls’ team will rise!” “Wen Yuan will rise!”

Dazed, Wen Yuan turned to Shi Ran: “In charge of what?”

“You really didn’t hear a word ‘Auntie He’ said? Then why did you answer like that?” Shi Ran was dying of laughter. Only when Wen Yuan shot her a threatening look did she compose herself. “Class 1 beat our boys in the last basketball game, and now they want to beat the girls, too. They challenged us to a girls’ match this Friday. Auntie He was worried about who to appoint as captain, and then you said ‘I’m here’.”

To refuse such a match would be seen as cowardice; to accept and lose would only add glory to Class 1. Class 1 couldn’t lose either way, but Class 2 had to accept—and they had to win.

Wen Yuan felt the sudden weight of responsibility. She grumbled, “Why the hell did you call my name?”

“I just wanted to ask if you were going to play,” Shi Ran said innocently, her voice dropping. “After all, we’re the only female Alphas in our class.”

Wen Yuan: “…”

Great. Not only was she playing, she was now the captain.

Because Class 1 had even fewer female Alphas, to keep things fair, He Xun instructed Wen Yuan that she could have a maximum of three Alphas on her team. Shi Ran, feeling guilty, volunteered herself and dragged along Zhang Lili, a powerhouse from the school team. Wen Yuan then convinced two talented female Betas, Zhao Qi and Luo Weiyue. The roster was set.

Carrying the expectations of all of Class 2, the five girls agreed to use PE class, self-study periods, and one hour after school every day to practice and build chemistry.

After school, they were a step too late—the indoor court was already occupied by Class 1. Wen Yuan and her team had to use the outdoor court. Coincidentally, the Class 2 boys were also playing outdoors. Since their last defeat was so crushing, they were now counting on the girls’ team to reclaim their honor. The boys’ team proactively offered to be sparring partners.

The boys played together frequently; their strength and coordination were formidable. Wen Yuan and the others were essentially decimated. The more they played, the more frustrated the girls became. By the end of the half, they had gained nothing but a layer of sweat.

Wen Yuan began to drift. At this level, winning against Class 1 seemed impossible. She’d rather spend the time reviewing her lessons. By the end of the full game, the score gap was pathetic. Qi Hui, still remembering how Wen Yuan had suppressed him earlier, took the chance to belittle them: “With this level, kids playing with balloons are better than some people. You might as well just forfeit on Friday.”

Everyone knew exactly who he was referring to.

Luo Weiyue felt humiliated and pinned the blame on Wen Yuan, who had been in the worst state during the second half. “Aren’t Alphas supposed to have great stamina? How can someone play so terribly? Captain Wen, are you playing basketball or patting a balloon?”

Wen Yuan bit her lip. “Maybe I should ask Auntie He to replace me.”

Shi Ran grabbed Wen Yuan. “What are you doing?”

Wen Yuan was serious; she didn’t want to play. She wanted to go home and study. If it weren’t for that accidental response, she wouldn’t be in this mess.

But the words hit a nerve with Luo Weiyue. She exploded instantly: “Why don’t you just say we should surrender to Class 1 right now? If you don’t have the skills, don’t take the job. You’re wasting everyone’s time.”

“Alright, let’s stop with the angry words,” Zhang Lili mediated. “We’ve never played together; it’s normal to lack chemistry. It’s hot, and playing poorly happens. Let’s call it a day. We have several days left. We’ll practice more. Don’t rush; it’s only the first day.”

“Exactly, exactly. I’ll buy everyone water. Let’s cool down,” Shi Ran added. “Tomorrow, Wen Yuan and I will run out the moment class ends. I guarantee we’ll snag the indoor court…”

Luo Weiyue’s expression softened slightly. She glanced at Wen Yuan, who wasn’t speaking or looking at her. Not wanting to be the first to yield, she let out a huff and pulled Zhao Qi away.

Zhang Lili sighed. “I’ll go talk to them some more.”

Shi Ran waved her off. “Go ahead. I’ll handle this one.”

Wen Yuan picked up the basketball from the ground. Shi Ran walked over and asked, “Want to go to the store for water?”

“Let’s return the ball first,” Wen Yuan said flatly.

Near the equipment room, Shi Ran couldn’t help but ask: “What was up with you today? Weren’t you super cool when you played with me before?”

“I actually…” Wen Yuan paused.

Two girls from Class 1, whom she’d seen at the indoor court, were putting away balls in the equipment room while talking: “How did you know she was allergic to lilies?”

“I saw her fill out the form during the physical last semester.”

“You’re too ruthless. I heard severe allergies can be fatal.”

“I didn’t spray that much. Who told her to be so stingy? She wouldn’t even let me borrow her books for a second. I just don’t like her and wanted to teach her a lesson.”

Wen Yuan’s brow twitched. Her dark eyes darted to the corner of her eye, catching a glimpse of the dark-skinned girl speaking. She didn’t look away until they had passed.

“Actually what?” Shi Ran prodded, waiting for the end of the sentence.

Wen Yuan spun the ball on her fingertip, swallowing her desire to quit. “Actually, I was just in a bad state.”

“I thought you really didn’t want to play. I didn’t realize you were just off,” Shi Ran said. “Luo Weiyue and Zhao Qi were about to explode at you.”

Wen Yuan stopped at the door of the equipment room. With a flick of her wrist, she caught the spinning ball. “My mistake. I’ll apologize to them on QQ later. I’ll play properly tomorrow.”

“Mm-hmm,” Shi Ran said, relieved. “Play hard. We need to take Class 1 down a notch this time.”

Wen Yuan took a shooting stance and narrowed her eyes. “Definitely.”

With a swish, the basketball landed perfectly in the bin, right on top of the ball Class 1 had just returned.

At 9:00 PM, Wen Yuan sat restlessly at her desk, staring at her textbook. She slammed it shut and closed her eyes; she had lost count of how many times the dark-skinned girl’s words had replayed in her mind.

Frustrated, she ran her fingers through her hair. Her gaze fell on her phone. Before leaving school, she had messaged Chu Yihan: “Is your allergy better?” Chu Yihan hadn’t replied yet.

Wen Yuan picked up the phone and stared at the “Voice Call” option, falling into a dilemma once again. She was worried about the allergy but afraid a direct call would be too intrusive. After a long while, she bit her lip and pressed the screen.

The phone rang until the very end without being picked up. Wen Yuan sighed. Just as she was about to hang up, the red button changed to “Connected.” She froze, not reacting for a moment.

Hearing no one speak, Chu Yihan whispered uncertainly: “Hello? Wen Yuan?”

Her voice, slightly nasal, sounded like she had just woken up.

Wen Yuan felt guilty. “Did I wake you up?”

“No, my phone was on silent. I just saw the call when I woke up to check the time.” Chu Yihan paused. “Is there a problem you can’t solve?”

“No. I asked how your allergy was this afternoon and you didn’t reply, so I was a bit worried.” Wen Yuan felt both speechless and amused. “Why do you always think I’m only calling for homework?”

Chu Yihan let out an “Ah” and hurried to check the chat history. Her voice softened along with her gaze: “It’s much better now. Thank you, Wen Yuan.”

The weight in her heart finally lifted. Wen Yuan gave a light hum. “So when are you coming back to school?”

Chu Yihan looked at the small red rash on her arm. “I have to wait for the rash to fade.”

Wen Yuan frowned, thinking of the girl from earlier. “This Friday, our class is playing yours in basketball. The girls’ match.”

Chu Yihan fell silent for a moment. “Are you playing?”

Wen Yuan gave an “Mm.”

Chu Yihan said softly: “Good luck. You have to win.”

Wen Yuan teased: “You’re in Class 1—is it really okay to want your opponent to win?”

Hearing the smile in her voice, Chu Yihan let out a gentle laugh: “But last time, as a member of Class 2, didn’t you also bet on me to win?”

Ooh, the little lamb can talk back now.

The curve of Wen Yuan’s lips became more pronounced. She arched an eyebrow and clicked her tongue: “Well then, I won’t let you lose this time, either.”