Chapter 1

On the athletic field, several banners promoting the upcoming sports meet had already been hung along both sides of the campus paths. After running two laps, Ren Shuiqiu and Gu Ling were both panting from exhaustion. At the same time, they shouted toward the person standing beneath a tree two meters away.

“Zhiying! Help!”

“Zhiying! Save us!”

The evening breeze stirred the swaying shadows of the trees, sending a shower of osmanthus blossoms drifting down with the wind, right onto Lu Zhiying’s head. Hearing her roommates calling, she hurriedly picked up the thermos behind her and ran over to them.

Ren Shuiqiu and Gu Ling collapsed onto the grass. After taking the thermos and drinking more than half its contents, they finally regained a little strength. They began stretching while pouring out their grievances.

Gu Ling looked up at the sky. “It’s already the year 1368. Why do universities still have sports meets? I wish I could go back to a week ago. I definitely wouldn’t be the last one to leave the classroom again and end up falling for the class monitor’s sob story about needing participants for the sports meet.”

“And I definitely wouldn’t get the itch to join the lottery again,” Ren Shuiqiu swore.

“Aaaaaah! So why do sports meets even exist?!”

Lu Zhiying quietly listened to her two roommates chatting without saying a word.

—Because she was the lucky one who had drawn the blank slip.

She didn’t have to participate in the sports meet. She had come along because it was Friday and she had no evening classes. Besides, they had agreed to go to the back street for a late-night snack afterward, and she could cheer them on during their regular training while she was at it.

So every time Ren Shuiqiu and Gu Ling ran past, she would shout encouragement.

By the time they finished complaining, they had also finished their post-run stretches. Ren Shuiqiu straightened up and pounded her shoulders. When she turned her head, she noticed the flower petals scattered across Lu Zhiying’s hair and the hood of her jacket.

She teased with a smile, “Aiya, our Zhiying is just too wonderful. Even the flowers like her.”

The moon emerged from behind the clouds, gradually illuminating the corner where they stood. Lu Zhiying blinked and looked at Ren Shuiqiu in confusion. A faint, luminous trace of moonlight fell across her face, making her skin look as fair as jade.

Ren Shuiqiu pointed to the top of her head and her right side. “You’ve got osmanthus flowers on you.”

Lu Zhiying raised a hand to pick them off, and her fingertips immediately became fragrant.

Standing to her left, Gu Ling helped remove the petals caught in her hair above her ponytail. Then she raised her eyebrows at the two of them and slowly closed her right hand around the petals, forming a fist.

“Take a guess. Will the osmanthus flowers still be in my hand in a moment?”

Ren Shuiqiu replied, “Not guessing. Great Magician, are we still going for a late-night snack or not?”

“Come on, just guess.”

Lu Zhiying good-naturedly played along. “I guess they won’t be.”

“Oh, really?” Gu Ling smiled mysteriously. “Then watch closely.”

Ren Shuiqiu watched, and Lu Zhiying continued playing along, staring without [unauthorized copy]blinking at Gu Ling’s raised right hand.

Just as the big reveal was about to happen, music suddenly began playing across the athletic field. The three of them turned toward the sound and saw someone playing an electronic keyboard on the central stage in the distance. At some point, a circle of spectators had gathered below.

It was probably the music club’s regular performance, held once every three days. Everyone was already used to it.

“All right, all right, look over here!” Gu Ling waved her fist from side to side. “Watch carefully.”

Finally, with the music playing in the background, she spread her five fingers, revealing a rosebud resting in her palm.

“Pretty amazing, right?” Gu Ling grinned proudly. “It’s a new magic trick I learned recently.”

Ren Shuiqiu gave her a thumbs-up.

Lu Zhiying immediately followed with applause. “That’s amazing.”

With her emotional support fully satisfied, Gu Ling’s smile grew even brighter. She was still smiling when they were almost at the entrance to the athletic field. Just as the three were about to leave, the melodious music drew to a close. After the final note faded into the air, the singer’s voice rang out through the microphone.

“This next song, If You’re Willing…” She paused. “…is a song I’d like to dedicate to Senior Fu.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the crowd below the stage erupted into cheers, their voices rising like a tidal wave.

Ren Shuiqiu slowed her steps and asked curiously, “Senior Fu Rongyue?”

Gu Ling zipped up her jacket. “Yeah. Yesterday in class, I heard some classmates say that Senior Fu has already completed her exchange program in Wennas and [stolen content]returned to the country on Wednesday.”

“So that’s what happened.”

The music gradually faded into the distance. As they walked along the broad, gingko-lined avenue, the two chatted about the campus celebrity whose name had been famous ever since they enrolled. Lu Zhiying, walking on the right, remained silent the entire time. She kept her eyes on the road ahead, seemingly uninterested in the topic.

It wasn’t until their phones began vibrating incessantly that all three stopped and took them out to check.

In their dormitory group chat, Wen Tao, who had been living off campus since their first week of university, was flooding the screen with reaction images.

[Wen Tao: (Little Bird Launching Bombs.jpg)]

[Wen Tao: (Little Bird Launching Bombs.jpg)]

…

The three immediately stopped walking. As the dorm leader, Gu Ling was the first to reply.

[Gu Ling: What’s wrong? What’s wrong?]

Ren Shuiqiu was also typing a message.

[Ren Shuiqiu-qiu-qiu: What happened?]

Finally came Lu Zhiying, the youngest in the dormitory.

[Lu Zhiying: (Confused Kitten with Question Marks.jpg)]

Wen Tao replied almost instantly.

[Wen Tao: There’s a gathering tonight at Persimmon Garden. Didn’t we agree to visit Persimmon Garden together when the semester first started? Wanna come keep me company?]

[Wen Tao: They’re all people I know from the club. Come on over!!!]

Then she delivered the finishing blow.

[Wen Tao: A certain someone’s crush will be there too.]

Seeing this, the corners of Gu Ling’s lips curved upward. The smile in her eyes was far too obvious to conceal. Besides, everyone already knew about her crush. Although she didn’t say anything, her eyes had already given away her answer about whether she wanted to go.

Ren Shuiqiu was also tempted by the location. “Shall we put it to a vote?”

Under the evening lights, Lu Zhiying was dressed entirely in black. She was quiet, rarely spoke, and hardly showed any expression. Looking at the messages on her phone, she actually didn’t want to go very much, because she was terrible at socializing.

But then she remembered the conversation she’d had with her mother the night before university started. Thinking that her three roommates would be going with her, she pressed her lips together and suddenly raised her right hand.

“I vote for Persimmon Garden.”

Five seconds later, the three unanimously voted to go to Persimmon Garden.

–

After making a quick trip back to their dormitory, the three left campus and took a taxi to their destination.

The elevated hover rail in Jiahua City flashed past like a streak of silver light. The three sat inside a hovering taxi. Their driver was a Beta and quite talkative. In just five minutes, she had gone from discussing Jiahua City’s recent weather to the current job market.

“You girls all study at C University, so you won’t have to worry about finding jobs after graduation.” The middle-aged driver asked cheerfully, “What majors did you choose?”

C University was the highest-ranked university in Keli in terms of overall academic strength. Internationally, it was tied for first place with W University in the independent nation of Seni.

Ren Shuiqiu let out a long sigh. “Sigh, it’s hard to say, Auntie. My major is really unpopular. Have you ever heard of anthropology? I’ll probably graduate straight into unemployment.”

Although the four of them shared a dormitory, they studied different majors. For instance, Gu Ling majored in architecture, Wen Tao studied fine arts, while Lu Zhiying, who was wearing earphones and hadn’t said anything, was enrolled in a seven-year integrated 3+4 doctoral program in biological sciences.

The one thing they had in common—

They were all Betas.

Two hundred years ago, humans had no glands, pheromones, or differentiation system. But after an unusual meteor shower, all of humanity underwent mutations to varying degrees.

Based on the characteristics of these mutations, scientists classified humans into three distinct categories: Alpha, Beta, and Omega. The reason they called it mutation rather than evolution was that scientists at the time weren’t certain whether the changes actually constituted an evolutionary advancement.

After all, although Alphas made up the majority of students at [Read on BaiLianTales]military and police academies, their heightened five senses also frequently subjected them to the torment of rut periods and other such conditions. As a result, the question remained hotly debated even today.

Moreover, as time passed and the economy and technology developed, the differences between Alphas, Betas, and Omegas continued to diminish. Nowadays, it was practically impossible to distinguish between them based on physical appearance and build alone.

“…That’s right. I saw on the news last week that the government announced the artificial gland project had achieved preliminary success,” the driver remarked with emotion. “Glandular diseases used to have such high mortality rates. Things are so much better now.”

Ren Shuiqiu was about to say something else when the hovering taxi’s intelligent system beeped, notifying them that they had arrived at their destination.

The three politely thanked the driver and got out. Looking at the long street leading into Persimmon Garden, Gu Ling belatedly asked,

“Eh? Isn’t that artificial gland project the driver mentioned the one our university is conducting jointly with Wennas?”

Ren Shuiqiu replied, “Yeah, it’s a cutting-edge project in the medical school’s glandular medicine department.”

Their three shadows stretched across the ground. A black hovercar passed them, heading down the long street into Persimmon Garden. Meanwhile, Lu Zhiying had her head lowered, watching a video of dogs.

In the video, two large dogs lay sprawled on a carpet, while a little corgi in the lower-right corner held a toy ball in its mouth, huffing and puffing as it played enthusiastically.

A pair of black-framed glasses rested on the bridge of her nose, and a smile shimmered in the eyes hidden behind the lenses.

It wasn’t until they approached the entrance to Persimmon Garden that she removed her earphones and shifted her attention from the video to the path ahead. Since the beginning of winter in Jiahua City, the cold winds had become biting, and the temperature difference between day and night was considerable. When she returned to the dormitory earlier, she had exchanged her hooded jacket for a black outdoor jacket with a thin insulated lining. Even standing directly in the wind now, she didn’t feel cold.

After entering Persimmon Garden, they found the entire grounds filled with persimmon trees laden with ripe fruit.

A round persimmon that had just fallen from a tree lay near her feet. Lu Zhiying picked it up and placed it in a nearby basket. As she did, her sharp eyes ​Read on BaiLianTales​spotted a tabby cat swishing its tail back and forth.

Unfortunately, the very next moment, the tabby was frightened away by Wen Tao, who happened to be approaching.

“You’re finally here!”

Wen Tao wore a long white winter dress, and her pink hair fell in long, wavy curls. After teasing them a little, she led the three farther inside. As they passed the garage, she glanced at Lu Zhiying with a smile.

There was a hint of curiosity and scrutiny in her gaze, but Lu Zhiying remained completely oblivious.

Although it was called Persimmon Garden, the place was actually a hill covered in persimmon trees as far as the eye could see. It was divided into two areas along a north-south axis. The northern garden was a scenic attraction open to the public, while the southern garden, nestled between mountains and water, offered villas, hot springs, and other amenities.

The four chatted as they followed a staff member through one winding corridor after another. Then they boarded one of the garden’s sightseeing vehicles and arrived at a secluded courtyard residence on the farthest edge of the grounds.

The courtyard residence resembled a small two-and-a-half-story villa. Outside, people were grilling barbecue, and smoke drifted through the air. Inside, others were singing and playing games.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Wen Tao, Ren Shuiqiu, and Gu Ling quickly mingled with the others. After greeting two senior female students she knew, Lu Zhiying found a quiet corner with fewer people and sat down.

She was quiet and reserved, and the large black-framed glasses perched on her nose made her look somewhat dull and wooden. Sitting in the corner, she seemed to blend into the surrounding darkness, like a little black mushroom trying to bury itself out of sight.

Then the doorbell rang at the side entrance near her.

Wen Tao, who was grilling beef skewers, raised her head. “Zhiying, could you get the door?”

Lu Zhiying stood up. “Okay.”

She was only a few steps from the side entrance. Assuming it was the staff member who had been arranged to deliver something, she unlocked the door and immediately lowered her head, stepping aside. Unexpectedly, as the door opened automatically, everyone in the courtyard turned to look.

Time seemed to freeze for an instant before the entire place erupted into excitement.

“!! It’s Senior Fu!!”

“Oh my god, it’s actually Senior Teng and Senior Fu!!!”

…

Standing on the left, Teng Ran, the president of the university student council, greeted everyone with a smile. “Hello, everyone! Sorry we’re late.”

The wind was noisy, and the sudden commotion around her left Lu Zhiying a little bewildered. She raised her eyes and looked over—

Under the evening lights stood a woman with a face so striking that anyone who saw it would find it unforgettable. Yet her bearing was cool and exquisitely refined, like plum blossoms in the snow beneath a cold moon. As the light shifted, Lu Zhiying noticed a faint beauty mark beneath the woman’s right eye, resembling a drop of residual ink that had seeped into a painting but had not quite bled through the paper. It lent her already beautiful face an even more captivating allure.

She had seen this face before in campus videos, on university forums, and elsewhere.

—Fu Rongyue, the universally acknowledged campus belle of C University, the top scorer in the entrance examinations two years ago, and a student specializing in glandular medicine at the medical school.