After Transmigrating as a Scum Alpha, a Cold Omega Stole My Heart - Chapter 24.1

Several major news items surfaced at school today, spreading across the campus in an instant:

Cheng Lingxue and Xie Shuyun finally didn’t get out of the back seat together. They even maintained a distance of over three meters while walking. Suspected emotional fallout. (Reported by a certain gossiper)

Senior Xie Shuyun, the Master of Romance, entered her rut and actually put on a muzzle! She looks dangerously cool! (Reported by a certain fangirl)

The Cold School Beauty has faint red bruises on her neck and arms. Suspected to be left by Senior Xie Shuyun. (Reported by a certain sharp-eyed observer)

The moment Shang Yan arrived at school, she was stunned by these revelations. She sprinted to the classroom, only to find it filled with an eerie atmosphere…

The cause, naturally, was Xie Shuyun, who was at the center of the storm. Because she and Cheng Lingxue had taken leave together, everyone was already talking. The news that Xie Shuyun’s leave was due to her rut added explosive fuel to the fire. Combined with the fact that Cheng Lingxue had also taken leave, it was impossible for people not to let their imaginations run wild.

Rumors of all kinds followed one after another. Shang Yan had already heard more than three versions. Although they were all made up, they undoubtedly satisfied her gossiping heart. She stole a glance at Xie Shuyun sitting in her seat and couldn’t help but click her tongue.

Xie Shuyun was currently wearing a black, curved muzzle that tightly covered her nose and mouth. One buckle strap connected to the back of her head, while another wrapped around the back of her neck. A thumb-sized indentation at the top of the neck strap pressed precisely against Xie Shuyun’s gland, suppressing most of her uncontrolled pheromones.

The already spirited girl now possessed a wild, “conquerable” vibe with the addition of the muzzle. Since the primary function of a muzzle is to prevent Alphas from marking recklessly rather than completely suppressing pheromones, a few wisps of her scent still leaked out, making her aura feel unstable and floating.

This caused the eyes of the Omegas present to be filled with spring-like longing and lust, casting frequent glances toward Xie Shuyun. Even some Alphas of ambiguous orientation licked their lips, looking at her with a hint of desire for conquest. As for “normal” Alphas—like Shang Yan—she frowned and crinkled her nose, jumping away the moment she got within three meters of Xie Shuyun.

“Ugh, this smell is really…” Shang Yan didn’t dare say the rest out loud; it was too provocative. But the clash of Alpha scents was real. Just as Xie Shuyun previously thought other Alphas smelled like rotten apples, her own scent didn’t fare much better in the noses of other Alphas. Her high rank only made the sense of intimidation stronger, forcing others to keep their distance.

Fortunately, the scent wasn’t overpowering and remained within a bearable range. Otherwise, some Alphas might have exploded their own pheromones in retaliation, potentially triggering a riot.

Shang Yan sat at her desk with a sour face. Thinking she had to spend the next few days in this atmosphere, she felt the world had gone dark.

“Is my pheromone scent really that bad?” Xie Shuyun asked, somewhat confused. She was actually quite curious about her own scent, but since Qin Yu and the servants were all Betas, they couldn’t smell it. She could hardly go and ask Cheng Lingxue, could she?

“This… you shouldn’t ask me. You should ask an Omega. Don’t you know about Alpha-Alpha repulsion?” Shang Yan said listlessly.

These words immediately reminded Xie Shuyun of the “rotten apple” experience. She could only rub the muzzle on her face helplessly. She decided not to ask further, lest she hear heart-stabbing comments from Shang Yan.

“But those marks on Cheng Lingxue…”

Shang Yan gestured suggestively toward her own neck and arms. That “suffering yet desperate to gossip” look truly left Xie Shuyun speechless.

However, thinking that the bruises on Cheng Lingxue were indeed her doing made her feel guilty. The girl’s skin was so fair and delicate; it felt like a light touch would leave a mark. She must have used a lot of force back then for the red marks to still be so vivid a day later. The thought was enough to make her drown in guilt.

Xie Shuyun couldn’t help but let out a long sigh, her head nearly drooping onto the desk. If Shang Yan hadn’t perked up her ears, she wouldn’t have heard the tiny, mosquito-like “Mhm” in response.

A gossiping smile nearly split Shang Yan’s face to her ears. She even forgot about Xie Shuyun’s annoying scent and hurried to follow up:

“Then did you guys… wait, no. The School Beauty is still wearing her protector. If you had marked her—pfft—” Before she could finish, Xie Shuyun’s quick hand muffled her mouth.

“Shang Yan, don’t talk nonsense, or more strange rumors will start. Nothing happened between us; that was just an accident…” Xie Shuyun explained helplessly. However, Shang Yan nodded while her eyes clearly remained unconvinced, leaving Xie Shuyun feeling even more powerless.

Shang Yan pried Xie Shuyun’s hand away, coughed uncomfortably several times, and tossed the hand aside: “Cough, cough! You’re suffocating me! I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

“Is it really that unpleasant?” Xie Shuyun couldn’t help but sniff herself, but she still couldn’t smell a thing.

“Don’t think of it that way. In the eyes of an Omega right now, you are a piece of ‘sweet fruit’.” As she spoke, Shang Yan cast an ambiguous glance around the room.

Hearing this, Xie Shuyun couldn’t help but rub her arms. She felt that at this moment, she wasn’t a person, but a piece of meat being eyed by others. She could only smile bitterly.

“Just wait and see,” Shang Yan shrugged.

Xie Shuyun internally hoped her friend was joking, but unfortunately, it was just as she said. As soon as break time arrived, several bold Omegas approached.

She couldn’t exactly chase them away because they all brought academic questions. Xie Shuyun had no choice but to lower her head and quickly explain the problems to them.

Whether intentional or not, they weren’t wearing protectors. As they moved around Xie Shuyun, their scents would occasionally waft over.

There weren’t many Omegas in the “Rocket Class,” about ten or so. Their ranks were at least B, and those brave enough to surround her were mostly A-rank, with even one S-rank Omega.

During her rut, her sense of smell was particularly acute. Even though these Omegas only released a tiny bit of pheromones, they were captured by Xie Shuyun. In an instant, she smelled all sorts of things: strawberry, cherry blossom, milk candy…

Although these scents were pleasant, none of them compared to that mellow, soft, and sweet coconut milk scent in Xie Shuyun’s mind. Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but look toward Cheng Lingxue.

As if by coincidence, she met Cheng Lingxue’s gaze. In those dark eyes, Xie Shuyun saw a hint of darkness. She couldn’t help but shiver. For some reason, it felt like Cheng Lingxue was a little bit angry. She was baffled—had she done something to upset her?

In the next second, she realized that the “bees and butterflies” surrounding her probably gave the other girl the impression of a “Scum Alpha.” Realizing the severity, Xie Shuyun finished the explanations and then warned the Omegas with righteous gravity:

“Omegas must remember to wear their protectors, otherwise it’s very dangerous. You must protect yourselves well.”

As soon as she finished, she met the strange looks of several Omegas. They nodded to her and then turned to leave. Xie Shuyun was even more confused, not understanding what she had said wrong. She looked at Shang Yan for an answer.

To her surprise, her friend looked even more speechless than the Omegas. Shang Yan covered her eyes as if she couldn’t bear to look, leaned into Xie Shuyun’s ear, and whispered:

“While reminding them to wear protectors is a good thing, they were practically throwing themselves at you. Saying that… you’re really breaking their hearts. It would have been better to just act like you didn’t notice.”

“…Huh?” Xie Shuyun was left in a daze, not quite understanding what Shang Yan meant. But thanks to this episode, the Omegas didn’t approach her again; the failure of the high-ranking Omega had served as a deterrent to the others.

Finally having some peace, Xie Shuyun breathed a sigh of relief. However, the downside of letting her guard down was that she was nearly cornered by Omegas in the restroom. Terrified, she stayed in the stall until the bell rang, scurrying back to the classroom like a gray mouse. After that, she didn’t dare step out again…

She finally made it to noon. Asking Shang Yan to bring her lunch back, Xie Shuyun waited for everyone to leave in groups before slumping onto her desk in exhaustion.

“Sigh…” She never expected a rut to be so tiring. If this happened every month… well, it was like a period, except Alphas didn’t seem to get periods, which was a somewhat encouraging thought.

Lying face down, Xie Shuyun touched the back of her neck. She felt her temperature rising and a slight itch at her glands. She rummaged through her bag, pulled out the suppressant Qin Yu had prepared, and injected it into her arm. Feeling the cool liquid enter her system, her slightly ragged breathing gradually calmed, and she began to feel drowsy.

Just then, she heard footsteps approaching. Xie Shuyun perked up her ears, feeling a bit strange. Was Shang Yan’s step always this light? But she figured no one else would return to the classroom at this time. When she felt the familiar plastic bag from the cafeteria being placed on her arm, she didn’t think further and looked up happily:

“Shang Yan, tha—” Before she could finish, she saw a beautiful figure and the faint, sweet scent of coconut milk that followed. It was Cheng Lingxue!

She stared blankly at her, then at the lunchbox on her arm, and then at the slender hand holding the bag. It really was her! Cheng Lingxue had actually brought her lunch?

Seeing the girl dazed and unmoving, Cheng Lingxue raised an eyebrow and tapped the heavy lunchbox in her hand.

“Not hungry?”

“I’m starving… but Shang Yan…” Xie Shuyun wanted to say she had already asked Shang Yan to bring food, but under Cheng Lingxue’s deep gaze, her voice grew smaller and smaller until she was just mumbling.

“If you’re hungry, eat.” Cheng Lingxue placed the lunchbox on the desk and turned to leave the classroom.

Seeing her come and go like a breeze—completely different from the “fire-like” Omegas—Xie Shuyun felt both relieved and a tiny bit of loss. Suddenly, she noticed that Cheng Lingxue only had a small bun in her hand!

Looking at her own lunchbox, it was full of color, aroma, and a variety of dishes. It was much, much better than the one she had picked out for her before.

But she had brought a meal for her while eating a bun herself? How could that be? Xie Shuyun immediately threw the thought of her other lunch and notifying Shang Yan to the back of her mind and chased after Cheng Lingxue with the lunchbox.

“Why are you only eating a bun again? I told you before, you’re still growing. How can you only eat that?”

What Xie Shuyun didn’t know was that Cheng Lingxue, while appearing to walk away, was actually monitoring her out of the corner of her eye. The moment she saw her chase after her, a flash of joy—which she didn’t even notice herself—crossed her eyes. She spoke indifferently:

“It doesn’t matter.”

“How can it not matter? Besides, the lunchbox you got me is huge. Let’s share it.” Xie Shuyun thought for a moment and continued. She watched Cheng Lingxue’s profile and waited. Seeing that the girl didn’t express agreement but also didn’t reject the proposal, Xie Shuyun broke into a happy smile. The two of them went to a deserted gazebo in the garden.

Placing the lunchbox carefully on the table, Xie Shuyun finally remembered she was in her rut and shouldn’t be too close to Cheng Lingxue. Before the other could sit down, she swished over to the opposite side of the table. She looked around, decided it was safe enough, and nodded in satisfaction.

Unfortunately, while she was satisfied, Cheng Lingxue didn’t cooperate. Although she didn’t sit right next to Xie Shuyun, she sat only one seat away. This made Xie Shuyun’s eyes widen. Before she could speak, Cheng Lingxue had already said:

“I saw you inject the suppressant just now.”

Uh… that’s true, but at home, don’t you usually sit diagonally across from me? You usually want to be as far away as possible… wait… she seems to have gotten closer lately… she’s sitting across from me now…

Xie Shuyun blinked, wanting to ponder this further, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cheng Lingxue slowly opening the plastic bag of the bun. Before she could take a bite, Xie Shuyun reached out and stopped her.

Taking advantage of Cheng Lingxue’s momentary distraction, she took the bun. With her other hand, she quickly arranged the dishes, laying out the foods she remembered Cheng Lingxue liked while nagging:

“Don’t eat this. If there’s a meal, you should eat properly. Buns are fine as snacks, but not as main meals. Look, here are the fresh vegetables you like, cream baked mushrooms, lamb ribs… with so many delicious things, why eat a bun?”

As she spoke, in order to prevent Cheng Lingxue from arguing, Xie Shuyun tapped the buckle at the back of her head. The strap loosened, and the muzzle dropped to her chest. She immediately stuffed the bun into her own mouth and said through mouthfuls:

“I’ll eat this for you. If you’re hungry this afternoon, I’ll buy you something else. Eat the meal now. Go on, eat.”

There was only one pair of chopsticks. Xie Shuyun was about to hand them to Cheng Lingxue, figured she could just run to the cafeteria for another pair. Unexpectedly, Cheng Lingxue pulled out a brand new pair of chopsticks from somewhere. This left Xie Shuyun in a daze. She felt… like she was being played… was she overthinking?

The growling of her stomach pulled Xie Shuyun’s thoughts back. She stopped investigating and lowered her head to eat. As she ate, she couldn’t help but sigh and vent to Cheng Lingxue about her tragic day:

“No matter where I go today, I get cornered by Omegas. Don’t they usually wear protectors? I don’t know if today is some special day, but not a single one wore one, and they were all releasing pheromones. They don’t know how to protect themselves…”