After Transmigrating as the Omega Fiance of the Cannon Fodder Top - Chapter 10

This was an elective course with students from various majors, making the class quite large. After Shu Baiyu and Lu Xingzhou entered the classroom, they shared a tacit understanding and chose to sit in the back row. Shu Baiyu sat next to Lu Xingzhou, on the side closer to the aisle.

They had arrived quite early. Shortly after sitting down, Shu Baiyu felt gazes from all directions, giving him his first direct experience of the novel’s description: that this “cannon fodder” rival’s popularity was equal to that of the protagonist.

Within minutes of sitting down, two groups of people had already attempted to approach them. However, without exception, they were deterred by the presence of Shu Baiyu next to Lu Xingzhou and retreated to whisper among themselves.

Shu Baiyu had a bad reputation at school, with rumors flying everywhere, and according to the original host’s “friends,” he had a terrible temper. With such a figure present, thin-skinned Betas and Omegas could only steal glances at Lu Xingzhou from afar.

Lu Xingzhou, seemingly oblivious to the stares, let his gaze sweep over Shu Baiyu and stop at the back of his neck, which was partially hidden by stray hairs. The bite marks on the gland had faded slightly but were still present. Since Shu Baiyu had followed him to class first thing in the morning, the boy hadn’t been able to go back to the dorm to put on a patch.

They had undergone another five minutes of “treatment” the night before, so a faint, sweet fragrance was still radiating from Shu Baiyu. But the boy himself was clearly unaware.

Shu Baiyu was used to all kinds of stares and didn’t feel unnatural in the slightest. After glancing at the name of the elective course, he lost interest, pulled up his hoodie once more, and prepared to slump over for a sleep.

But before he could hit the desk, a familiar figure walked toward him.

It was Jiang Min.

“Baiyu!” Jiang Min approached with feigned surprise as if he had just spotted him, though his eyes were fixed on Lu Xingzhou. “Don’t you have no classes this morning? You didn’t even sign up for this elective. Why are you here?”

He looked delighted: “I happen to be in this class too. I can sit right next to you.”

As the original host’s only “best friend,” he knew about the engagement with Lu Xingzhou. While he encouraged the host to chase Qi Yan, he was secretly plotting to use the host as a bridge to get to know Lu Xingzhou.

Seeing him, Shu Baiyu’s brain automatically searched the original plot. Realizing this interaction didn’t involve the main couple, he withdrew his mental energy, gave a flat “Mm,” and prepared to ignore the boy and sleep. As long as the Protagonist Bottom didn’t end up with the Cannon Fodder Top, he didn’t care who the Top dated.

Jiang Min was overjoyed by the response, failing to realize that his frequent glances toward Lu Xingzhou had already been noticed.

Lu Xingzhou looked at the hooded head on the desk, knowing the boy wasn’t asleep yet. “You know each other?”

Shu Baiyu didn’t get up, but the tuft of bangs sticking out of his hood bobbed up and down.

Lu Xingzhou saw through Jiang Min’s motives instantly. He asked: “Friends?”

The bangs bobbed again.

Receiving this answer, Lu Xingzhou’s expression didn’t change, but he stopped asking.

The area around Shu Baiyu’s ears finally fell silent. Before falling asleep, he heard the room gradually quiet down, guessing the teacher had entered to start the lecture. Just as he was about to close his eyes, he felt a shove on his arm.

The force came from the right—it was Jiang Min. He ignored it and kept his head down.

“Baiyu, how can you sleep in class?” Jiang Min didn’t stop; he kept trying to urge him up. “I know you don’t like studying, but the teacher is right there. At least show some respect…”

Shu Baiyu knew these words weren’t meant for him. Usually, Jiang Min couldn’t care less if he slept in class; he wouldn’t even object if Shu Baiyu skipped entirely. This sudden concern was clearly a performance for Lu Xingzhou. Since Lu Xingzhou came from a good family and had excellent grades, saying this was an easy way to win favor.

Shu Baiyu hadn’t planned on dealing with his antics, but since the boy insisted on using him as a stepping stone, he had to react.

He snapped his eyes open, turned to Jiang Min, and asked coldly: “What’s your GPA?”

Jiang Min was stunned.

Shu Baiyu continued icily: “If your GPA isn’t 4.0, you have no right to manage me.”

Jiang Min: “…”

His face turned green then white. Being humiliated like this in front of Lu Xingzhou was a pill he couldn’t swallow. Just as he was on the verge of exploding, the silent Lu Xingzhou suddenly spoke.

He called out the boy’s name: “Jiang Min?”

Lu Xingzhou had a slight memory of the name from the gossip Wei Li had mentioned—that Shu Baiyu only had one friend named “Jiang Min.”

Flattered, Jiang Min momentarily forgot about Shu Baiyu: “I-I am.”

Lu Xingzhou’s gaze bypassed Shu Baiyu: “Do you have a suppressant patch on you?”

A suppressant patch is a private item. Being asked this, a suspicious blush appeared on Jiang Min’s face as he shyly replied: “Yes, I happen to have one.”

Lu Xingzhou held out his hand: “Lend me one, please.”

Having succeeded in his first interaction with Lu Xingzhou, Jiang Min was too ecstatic to wonder why an Alpha would need a patch. He hurriedly rummaged through his bag and handed one over. Lu Xingzhou thanked him.

Looking down, he saw that—as expected—the round, hooded head had slumped back onto the desk. He softly called Shu Baiyu’s name. After receiving a faint mumble in response, he said: “Take off the hood.”

Shu Baiyu didn’t move at first. After a few seconds, he reached up and yanked the hood down, his very back-of-the-head radiating impatience. Lu Xingzhou, having anticipated this, began rustling with the packaging.

When the noise stopped, Shu Baiyu suddenly felt a chill on his neck. He instinctively recoiled, his elbow already swinging out by reflex. Lu Xingzhou, prepared, caught the boy’s arm with one hand while the other hovered behind his neck. He glanced at him: “I’m putting a patch on you.”

Shu Baiyu’s body stiffened, then he let Lu Xingzhou proceed.

When Lu Xingzhou focused on something, he often gave off a deceptive impression of intense devotion. He brushed away the prickly stray hairs on the back of the boy’s neck. Under Jiang Min’s shocked gaze, he pressed the patch against the slightly protruding gland. His palm followed, cupping the back of Shu Baiyu’s neck.

The patch was warm, while the palm outside it carried a slight chill. Even if Shu Baiyu didn’t understand the implication of this posture, his physical instinct made him want to bolt—only to be held back by his brain’s control. He lowered his head slightly to cooperate.

He was thin; as he bowed his head, his spine tensed slightly, forming a pleasing arc. Sheltered beneath Lu Xingzhou’s palm, for a fleeting moment, Lu Xingzhou had the illusion that the boy was completely at his mercy.

Jiang Min was clearly dumbstruck by this development, sitting frozen with wide eyes.

Once the patch was secure, Lu Xingzhou withdrew his hand. Shu Baiyu felt no discomfort. He tilted his neck to adjust and prepared to go back to sleep.

But this time, Lu Xingzhou didn’t allow it. He reached out and blocked the boy’s forehead with his palm.

“Don’t sleep,” he said, meeting Shu Baiyu’s annoyed gaze. “A GPA of 4.0? I have one.”

Shu Baiyu: “…”

He had only used that line to shut Jiang Min up; he didn’t expect Lu Xingzhou to take it seriously. Ignoring Jiang Min—whose face had turned completely livid—Lu Xingzhou said to Shu Baiyu: “I’m hungry.”

Shu Baiyu paused: “?” What did that have to do with him sleeping?

Lu Xingzhou said: “Go buy breakfast for me.”

Just as Shu Baiyu was about to snap back, Lu Xingzhou reminded him unhurriedly: “You promised me.”

Shu Baiyu searched his memory and indeed recalled the condition he’d agreed to in exchange for getting close to Lu Xingzhou: to be present and help whenever needed. After a long silence, he finally yielded, stood up, and left the classroom.

Once Shu Baiyu was gone, Jiang Min, still looking livid, tried to approach Lu Xingzhou again: “Lu…”

Lu Xingzhou retracted his gaze from the door. The look he swept over Jiang Min was so cold it made the boy shudder. The idea of approaching him died instantly. Jiang Min stood frozen.

Lu Xingzhou, seemingly unaffected, turned his gaze to the window. Two minutes later, a familiar figure appeared below. The corner of his mouth quirked up slightly before pulling flat again.

Shu Baiyu was headed for the cafeteria when he received a message from Lu Xingzhou saying to just buy bread. Since the convenience store was closer than the cafeteria, he didn’t object.

There were very few people in the store at this hour. He picked out a loaf of bread for Lu Xingzhou and a bottle of water. While paying, he thought about the plot regarding the main couple.

In the original plot, Shu Baiyu was supposed to be sticking to Qi Yan right now, going to class with him. It was also this morning that Tao Xi successfully transferred and messaged Qi Yan. Both were overjoyed and immediately set a time to meet. However, because the original host was acting like “dog-skin plaster” (clingy), Qi Yan eventually exploded, ditched him, and left alone.

The host chased after him, only to run into the two Alphas who had harassed him in the cafeteria. Without Qi Yan there, the two got handsy, and they were only stopped when a teacher saw them. Afterward, the host blamed everything on Tao Xi, branded him a love rival, and began his “death-seeking” process in earnest.

Now, Shu Baiyu hadn’t gone to class with Qi Yan, nor was he chasing him to meet Tao Xi. He figured Qi Yan had already ditched class and left, so he wouldn’t run into those two.

As he paid and walked out of the store, he heard two familiar voices approaching.

“Fuck, we went to Qi Yan’s classroom early today just to wait for him. Why wasn’t that Omega there?”

“How should I know? He usually sticks to Qi Yan like glue. How the hell did he disappear today!”

Shu Baiyu halted his steps.

Alright. He’d missed a detail. In the original plot, Qi Yan had scared them off. But in this timeline, Shu Baiyu had handled them himself. Consequently, the two Alphas were now nursing a grudge against him specifically.