After Transmigrating as a Beta, I Got Messed Up with an Alpha (BL) - Chapter 25

Breath was forcefully stripped away.

Pheromones surrounded him, seeping into every pore. His chest ached with suffocation; it was far worse than simply being unable to breathe.

His limbs felt both heavy and limp. He was forced down upon someone else, left completely at their mercy. Though no sexual act had occurred, being pinned and restrained made it feel as though everything had been done.

Gasping for air, heart racing out of control, drenched in sweat.

Waves of vertigo made it impossible to distinguish reality from dreams. The powerful pressure crushing his bones and skin brought along an inseparable pair: pain and panic. It felt as if he were falling into a bottomless abyss, falling further and further, while a terrifying monster below prepared to swallow him whole.

Pei Yule wanted to break free, but he had no way to do so.

In that forgotten memory, he was like a fish caught in a net, dragged onto the shore. No matter how he opened his mouth, he couldn’t inhale any oxygen. Trapped by layer upon layer of netting, his entire body burned with pain from the sun, and the agony of his lungs failing to draw air made him feel the very breath of death—

“Student, it’s your turn.”

A low, slow voice nudged Pei Yule back to reality. His body jolted. He realized the judge had already called his number twice from the stand: “Team 2, Row B, No. 38! Team 2, Row B, No. 38! Step forward and prepare!”

Under the sunlight, his body, wrapped in the thick, fleece-lined sports jacket, lost its original warmth and turned ice-cold.

Pei Yule stared blankly at the gentle Alpha who had reminded him, then looked up at the target ahead. His own target was clean, without a single arrow, while the Alpha’s target next to him already had one arrow lodged right in the gold ring.

Clearly, while he was trapped in his memories, the Alpha next to him had already fired his first shot.

10 points.

The finals awarded victory to the person with the highest score. Each person had ten arrows, and the format was a turn-based round system. After the eliminations of the preliminaries and semi-finals, twelve people remained: seven Alphas, three Omegas, and two Betas.

The disparity in numbers perfectly illustrated the power hierarchy of the ABO world. If physical fitness was excluded, Betas were at the very bottom of the social ladder, even falling behind Omegas in many respects.

All finalists stood before their respective targets, ordered by their identification numbers. By the time it reached Pei Yule, whose number was near the end, he was the final shooter of the round. Of the twelve finalists, the first eleven had already fired. The Alpha next to him had the only 10-point shot so far.

Pei Yule had seen the Alpha’s consistency; he was likely the type who, once he hit a bullseye, would continue to hit them indefinitely. Pei Yule thought that if he didn’t give it his all now—if he continued to hide his skills as he had before—the MVP of the field would undoubtedly belong to that Alpha.

He understood the logic. But…

Pei Yule retracted his gaze, landing it on his own slightly trembling fingertips. The resurrected memory made him recall everything about that day, and the residual terror manifested honestly in his body. His skin turned cold, his spine went numb, and his fingertips shook—all demonstrating the unspeakable fear hidden deep within him.

Starting his first shot in this state? The arrow flew wide of the gold, hitting only the 9-ring. The slight quiver of the fletching told him he was being delusional. For the first time, even though Pei Yule forced himself to calm down, he didn’t get the score he wanted.

“…”

Pei Yule silently lowered his bow to his side and took a deep breath.

“I thought his first shot would go straight into the ten. Is he still trying to control his score? It’s a mistake to underestimate Bian Chuan; he’s truly formidable. I bet he didn’t even use his full strength in the last two rounds. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to hit tens for the rest of the match.”

The archery competition had been going on for nearly two hours, and they had been watching for just as long. Xu Yanxi, tired of leaning over the railing, decided to sit directly on it, hooking one leg over the edge. Though the posture looked like he could tumble off at any moment, he looked as relaxed as if he were sitting in a chair at home.

Having observed the round, Xu Yanxi was surprised that Pei Yule missed the bullseye on his first shot. He thought Pei Yule would get nervous facing Bian Chuan, but was he really still trying to manipulate his score? That would be quite arrogant. If one isn’t careful against Bian Chuan, they’ll pay a heavy price.

Huo Juan remained silent for two seconds, his deep dark eyes fixed on Pei Yule below, who had his head slightly lowered. “…His state is wrong.”

When Pei Yule stood side-by-side with Bian Chuan, for a moment, his entire body had tensed up. After that, he had been dazed. He hadn’t even reacted when the judge called his name twice. Now, even though he had snapped out of it, his condition was clearly different—there was a sense of abnormal tension… or rather, he was suddenly, inexplicably terrified of something.

A suspicion formed in Huo Juan’s mind.

“Now that you mention it, he does seem different than before,” Xu Yanxi observed, agreeing. “Is he nervous?” But would he be? He was teasing the audience during the first two rounds. Xu Yanxi couldn’t see the reason yet, so he continued to watch.

Below, the second round was mostly finished. It was Bian Chuan’s turn again. The tall, slender Alpha had impeccable posture, his expression calm and composed. There was no sign of nervousness or arrogance; a slight smile played on his lips, as if he weren’t in a final but simply enjoying the process of shooting.

Pei Yule felt that this Alpha would hit the ten-ring again. Sure enough—zip—Bian Chuan’s second arrow cleanly struck the gold, right in the center. His movements showed no sign of struggle; it was a natural release, a natural bullseye.

A genuine 10 points.

It was Pei Yule’s turn. He looked at the two tens on Bian Chuan’s target and pursed his lips. He had intended to give it his all just now, but he hadn’t achieved his best result. If he continued to be influenced by that memory, causing his skill to drop… he would be very frustrated.

After all… “Big Brother” doesn’t rely on luck; he has real skill. If he didn’t shove that fact into the faces of those two Omegas who had slandered him, wouldn’t the drama of the first two rounds be wasted?

Pei Yule told himself to push aside everything that made him tremble with fear. Right now, the competition before him was the most important thing. He would seal the memories away for now and analyze them later.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, opened them, raised his bow, and drew.

Bian Chuan, standing closest to him, clearly saw the change in his expression. The boy’s entire aura had shifted. If he had seemed lost and helpless a moment ago, this shot—from the draw to the release—radiated an unstoppable determination.

He’ll hit the ten, Bian Chuan thought. As expected, a flash of an arrow followed, and the tip cleanly struck the gold.

This was the third 10-pointer since the start of the finals. The people nearby knew Bian Chuan and weren’t surprised by his back-to-back tens; they were used to it. But Pei Yule hitting a ten caused a much larger stir among the spectators.

This Beta was unusual. He had scraped through the first two rounds at the last possible second, making it impossible not to pay attention to him. Everyone wanted to see what he would do in the finals. Seeing his second arrow hit the ten after a first shot of nine—two high-scoring rings delivered casually—made the audience who suspected score-manipulation think: So he really can control his score? They were half-convinced now.

When Pei Yule followed Bian Chuan’s third ten with a ten of his own, their suspicions were confirmed. No matter how much luck one had, it was impossible to have such stable scores. This Beta had real talent; he hadn’t advanced on luck alone.

Even the two Omegas in the rest area, who had been eliminated in the first round, began to doubt themselves: Is this Beta… actually really good? They weren’t blind. Even if they didn’t want to admit it, the facts were right there.

By the time Bian Chuan hit his sixth ten, Pei Yule had hit his fifth. Their scores were only one point apart, a very tight race. As for the other contestants, though some hit tens or nines, they were now only competing for third place. The top two spots were locked in by these two. It all came down to whether Bian Chuan would slip up and let Pei Yule close the gap.

“Found his rhythm?” Xu Yanxi hadn’t expected to see such an intense battle between an Alpha and a Beta. Since Bian Chuan enrolled two years ago, he had won every seasonal archery championship. As the current president of the Archery Club, his skills were undeniable.

It was a pity; if Pei Yule’s first arrow had been stable, the match would be even more intense. But being one point behind was also interesting. Bian Chuan couldn’t afford a single mistake; he had to steadily take tens, because Pei Yule was right on his heels. The feeling of being chased creates a sense of crisis. Xu Yanxi wondered if this was the first time the “perfect” Student Council President had been put in a position where he could only move forward, not back.

By a Beta, no less. Truly fascinating. As expected of someone Huo Juan took an interest in; Pei Yule was full of surprises.

At this point, the finals entered the climax. When Bian Chuan hit his ninth ten, Pei Yule followed with his eighth. The one-point gap remained. Both had only one arrow left. Even if Pei Yule hit a ten, if Bian Chuan hit a ten as well, Pei Yule still wouldn’t win.

Many spectators felt a sense of regret for Pei Yule. If his first shot had been a ten, this final arrow would be the ultimate showdown. And honestly, having two people tie for first with 100 points would be great! The Beta spectators, in particular, desperately wanted Pei Yule to win. An ordinary Beta beating a top Alpha would be the “Glory of all Betas.”

But now, it looked like they were just waiting for Bian Chuan’s final ten to end the match. It had been an entertaining battle, but still felt a bit a pity.

And just when everyone thought the outcome was a foregone conclusion, Bian Chuan drew his final arrow.

Zip!

The crowd erupted in a clamor. 9 points! Bian Chuan had missed the bullseye! It was his first nine of the entire final.

Pei Yule looked at the arrow in the 9-ring, then turned to look at Bian Chuan. He knit his brows. From Bian Chuan’s face, he couldn’t tell if it was intentional. After all, the man had shot nines before. But to shoot a nine on the very last arrow after nine consecutive tens—it felt deliberate.

What’s the deal? Pei Yule wondered, but he didn’t let it stop him from firing his last arrow.

A perfect ten. No suspense.

One Alpha, one Beta. Both at 99 points. A tie for first place. According to the rules, a tie meant a sudden-death overtime.

“We have a tie! According to the regulations, we will now—”

The judge was about to announce the three-arrow overtime when Pei Yule handed his bow back. “No need for overtime. I lost.”

The failure of the first shot had already sealed his defeat. He had to admit that. Even with overtime, it would likely just be another tie. Based on his performance on that first arrow, he had truly lost.

Bian Chuan’s last arrow was likely an intentional miss. A loss was a loss; he didn’t need a “pity point.”

Since the contestant was unwilling to continue, the judge couldn’t force it, but they couldn’t just accept a loss either—the data was clearly displayed on the big screen.

“Team 1, Row A, No. 17 Bian Chuan, and Team 2, Row B, No. 38 Pei Yule, tie for first place in the Winter Sports Meet Archery Competition!”

“They both got first… so which of us wins the bet… hmm?”

Xu Yanxi paused. He saw that after the announcement, Bian Chuan also handed over his bow and left the field. With his long legs, he quickly caught up to Pei Yule and stood in front of him. The tall Alpha lowered his head and said something to Pei Yule. Xu Yanxi saw Pei Yule’s expression turn to one of shock.

What did he say…

Xu Yanxi pondered for a moment. Suddenly, a realization struck him. He jerked his head around to look and saw that Huo Juan had stood up. With both hands on the railing, he vaulted over and dropped from the first-floor height, walking toward Pei Yule and Bian Chuan.

No way… is the “crematorium” scene about to start?

The sight of the two champions standing face-to-face drew a lot of attention. The light scent of violets wafted over. This fragrance triggered Pei Yule’s terrible memories. Smelling it again at such close range made him shudder; the mental scars he had forcefully suppressed for the match were starting to resurface.

No, no, no! I finally calmed down! I don’t want to remember this right now!

Pei Yule’s scalp felt numb. He wanted to walk around Bian Chuan and leave, but he heard the Alpha ask: “You recognize me?”

Bian Chuan had heard that Pei Yule had forgotten that day. As a “guide,” he understood that it was a normal neurological response to forget such intense pheromone suppression. Based on their eye contact before the match, the boy’s curious, unfamiliar gaze confirmed this. Pei Yule had forgotten.

But because he understood this, he had noticed something was wrong the moment he stood next to Pei Yule for the first shot. The boy had been dazed, looking at him with a strange expression. After that, he fired the failing shot. Connecting the dots, it wasn’t hard to guess the cause.

Sure enough, at the question, Pei Yule’s face changed.

Bian Chuan had watched his preliminaries and semi-finals. Facing him in the finals, he had wanted to see the boy’s true power. If those memories hadn’t returned minutes before the match, the boy wouldn’t have been affected. Though Bian Chuan wasn’t the primary cause of the trauma, it was somewhat related to him.

Pei Yule didn’t know what to say. He could only nod and mutter, “…Yeah, I remembered. And, uh, you didn’t have to give me points.”

Give points? Bian Chuan’s lips curved into a smile. “I wouldn’t do something like that.” That would be insulting. His last arrow had truly been off the mark due to a slight error—it wasn’t a deliberate miss.

Pei Yule was stunned. “Wait, so you didn’t lose to me on purpose?”

Bian Chuan stated as a matter of fact: “An old injury was acting up.” So it affected his performance.

Old injury? Who are you kidding, you were shooting perfectly before!

Seeing Pei Yule’s disbelief, Bian Chuan smiled and took a step toward him, pulling up his sleeve to reveal a white bandage around his wrist.

“This…” Real or fake? Pei Yule looked down at the bandage. In his uncertainty, he instinctively reached out as if to touch it—

Up on the balcony, Xu Yanxi arched an eyebrow. Hey, hey, hey. Talking is fine, but standing that close and making physical contact is a foul! That’s going to make the approaching ‘Lord Juan’ very angry. He’s been suppressing his mood since that day Pei Yule was soothed by Bian Chuan’s pheromones. If you keep poking him, you’d better keep an eye on your surroundings—

Of course, his internal monologue couldn’t reach the two below. Pei Yule’s hand, halfway to the wrist, was intercepted by Huo Juan.

The tall Alpha who had jumped down from the first floor gripped Pei Yule’s wrist, preventing him from touching Bian Chuan. However, his expression didn’t soften after the successful interception; instead, it grew even darker.

He felt Pei Yule’s wrist shudder violently the moment he touched it. The boy looked up at him in shock, his pupils constricting. Then, with an incredibly exaggerated movement—

He forcefully yanked his hand away.

Huo Juan saw the dark eyes that had recently begun to smile at him now filled with raw terror and dread. The fear was more obvious than ever before.

From the way Pei Yule threw off his hand and the look of sheer horror on his face, Huo Juan’s suspicion was confirmed.

He had indeed… remembered.