Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Gossip.

A small Omega quickly moved away from him as if he carried some contagious virus.

The surroundings fell silent. In this tranquility, he suddenly heard someone whispering behind him, "That's him... He seduced Peng Zihao and then dumped him... Rumor has it that he was permanently marked, so he had no choice but to reject Peng Zihao... How impressive, a permanent mark... Who marked him?"

Chu Li: "..."

He knew Chu Heyang wouldn't stay calm. Hearing such rumors, he wasn't surprised at all.

Chu Li put down the book he was about to open and glanced at his personal terminal. There were still five minutes until class started.

Five minutes would be enough.

He stood up and walked over to Chu Heyang with a smile. "Brother, can we talk?"

Chu Heyang never expected Chu Li to come straight to him. In his mind, such an embarrassing incident as being permanently marked by an unknown person – once discovered, he wouldn't even have the face to attend classes. How could he then have the audacity to confront him directly?

For a moment, Chu Heyang was intimidated by Chu Li's presence and instinctively retreated.

Chu Li continued to look at him with an 'amiable' expression.

Regaining his composure, Chu Heyang felt a surge of inexplicable confidence. It was Chu Li who should be ashamed, so why should he be afraid?

Straightening his back, Chu Heyang looked up at Chu Li and declared, "Talk? Fine! I don't know what you have to say to me!"

Chu Li found the situation increasingly amusing. He stood upright, allowing Chu Heyang to pass through the space between desks.

The two superficial brothers walked out of the classroom, one after the other. Barely two minutes had passed when a new red-thread post appeared on the school forum.

Title: Oh no! CL just called CHY out! Is he going to hit him?

1st Comment: What's wrong with you Omega students? Can't you use real names? These letter abbreviations give me a headache.

2nd Comment: Why did he call CHY out? Could it be that the previous rumor is true... He really was...

3rd Floor: An unmarried Omega getting permanently marked, won't he be expelled from school?

4th Floor: Is the person above still living in the pre-Gender Revolution era? Pregnant students aren't expelled, so why would an Omega with a permanent mark be?

5th Floor: But those pregnant Omegas have their own Alphas. Who has seen CL's Alpha? He's been wearing pheromone patches and a collar since he came back from summer break. Maybe he had an accident during his vacation?

6th Floor: That could be the case, but a permanent mark wouldn't affect anything. The school shouldn't expel him, right?

7th Floor: There's no rule in the school regulations that says an Omega with a permanent mark must be expelled. But what's the point of him attending Omega College now? Does he think some blind Alpha will take him in?

8th Floor: Cut it out with the jokes! He's not a Beta, how could anyone take him in!

9th Floor: What's wrong with Betas? Did they eat rice from your house?

10th Floor: Calm down, I didn't mean it like that. I meant Betas can't sense pheromones, so remarriages are common. Even if someone were to 'take him in,' it wouldn't matter. I'm a Beta myself, I wasn't insulting Betas. But in AO pairings, pheromones matter. No one would accept an Omega carrying another Alpha's scent, right? Besides, after being permanently marked, doesn't he need an Alpha's pheromones during his rut? Others won't do! Unless he goes to the hospital to remove the mark, but that would damage his glands, wouldn't it?

...

198th Floor: Now I understand. No wonder he refused Peng Zihao that way. Looking at it now, Peng Zihao really got the short end of the stick.

Peng Zihao gazed at his personal terminal for a long while. Unconsciously, he exerted too much force, and with a loud "crack," the mineral water bottle in his hand shattered.

Water splattered everywhere.

His minions, who had been browsing the forums nearby, were startled by the noise. Looking up, they noticed Peng Zihao's darkened expression, his brows knitted with repressed fury.

The minions panicked. One of them, gathering courage, glanced at Peng Zihao's forum feed. Since the privacy mode wasn't activated, he saw that Peng Zihao seemed to be browsing the same forum.

Too scared to linger, he quickly averted his eyes and cautiously addressed their leader, "B-Boss... You...?"

A mocking smile tugged at the corners of Peng Zihao's lips. "Excellent, I've been played!"

Being played was one thing, but being slapped in the face was another!

That Chu Li was truly audacious. He maintained his haughty demeanor despite already having been claimed by another Alpha. Hmph... Permanent mark? Well, a permanent mark suited him just fine. It meant that no matter what other Alphas did to him, he wouldn't get pregnant again.

Wasn't that convenient?

Moreover, considering he's already been permanently marked by someone else, he can't be as innocent as he appears on the surface. Why put on such an act of purity when it's just a game?

---

In the tea room, Chu Li cornered Chu Heyang with a smirk, "You're the one who leaked the news about my permanent marking, right?"

Chu Heyang trembled in fear but still tried to hold his ground, "D-Did I say anything wrong? I was just telling the truth!"

Chu Li laughed outright, "What benefit could you possibly gain from revealing that I've been permanently marked?"

Chu Heyang said, "What benefits... I just want to tell everyone to give it a try! So they won't be deceived by you!"

There were no real benefits. He was simply unhappy that Chu Li had become the center of attention in the academy. Although Shu Chengxing was also a student from the Military District School, his mentor had strict rules. Unless it was a holiday, he was not allowed to wander around freely, let alone come and go as he pleased to the Omega Academy's cafeteria like Peng Zihao.

Shu Chengxing had only frequently appeared at the Omega Academy when he was pursuing Chu Li back then.

Now, even though their matching results were out, nobody in school knew about it! Shu Chengxing wasn't cooperating with him to publicize it either! As a result, Chu Li had stolen the limelight.

He just couldn't stand Chu Li gaining fame within the school!

Chu Li scoffed coldly, not believing a single word Chu Heyang said.

He slammed his fist on the counter beside him and whispered fiercely, "I made it clear from the start that once I entered school, I would have nothing to do with your family. If you insist on interfering in my life, don't blame me for being ruthless later."

Despite being frightened, Chu Heyang still tried to put up a brave front. "What could you possibly do to me?"

Chu Li straightened his back. "There are countless ways to deal with you, and Chu Deyue and Zhu Wei are just ordinary people. It's best you don't cause any trouble at school; otherwise, even your parents won't be able to protect you. As for Shu Chenghang..."

Chu Li smiled, his gaze filled with menace.

Without even saying anything, Chu Heyang imagined Chu Li's intention to meddle in his relationship.

Chu Li merely wanted to confirm the situation and give Chu Heyang a warning. Knowing that a few words wouldn't change this person's behavior, he gave him a meaningful look and left the tea room.

After Chu Li left, Chu Heyang emerged from his hiding spot in the corner. Standing in the tea room, he stomped his feet in frustration. "You dare threaten me! What right do you have to threaten me?!"

Though he spoke thus, Chu Heyang was genuinely afraid of Chu Li losing control. He dared not proceed with his original plan.

Post 256: He's back! Look at that pout on CHY, he must have been scolded by CL! That's his own brother, how could he be so harsh?

Post 257: What expression? Let me see, let me see.

Soon after, someone in the thread posted a picture of Chu Heyang's profile. His features were quite appealing, and upon returning to the classroom, he sat silently at his desk with his head down. From the side, one could see a faint redness around his eyes, indicating extreme distress.

The photographer had captured the lighting and ambiance skillfully, with the blurring effect adding a poetic touch to the image.

As others were unaware of Chu Heyang's personality, they tended to romanticize the Omega Academy. Immediately, both males and females were captivated by his beauty and began speculating about the dynamics between these two supposed fake brothers.

Upon entering the classroom, Chu Li sensed something off, but given the constant peculiar atmosphere since he arrived, he didn't give it much thought. He opened his book and carried on with his usual routine.

Approximately ten minutes later, another photo was uploaded to the forum, showing Chu Li engrossed in reading with his head lowered.

Completely different from Chu Heyang's style, Chu Li had a slender build. The sunlight accentuated his long eyelashes as they cast a subtle shadow on his eyelids. His expression was serene, his translucent skin glowing under the sun. His neck, alluring in its curvature, had a gland patch adhered to it, and paired with a black collar...

Post 456: Slurp, if I didn't know he's permanently marked, I might've just blurting out 'husband'.

457th Floor: U1S1, he does have good looks, and judging from his demeanor, he doesn't seem like the type to mess around. Who marked him then?

458th Floor: Haven't you heard about these two brothers? Rumor has it that last semester, Shu Chenghang from the Military Academy was constantly pursuing Chu Li. But for some reason, news spread during the summer break that the Shu family was planning an alliance with Chu Heyang. Plus, Chu Li got permanently marked at the start of this term. You can ponder over the details of that.

459th Floor: Actually, if you think about it, Chu Li had no reason to reject Peng Zihao. Since he's already permanently marked, what's stopping him from having fun? Peng Zihao wouldn't be genuinely interested in a long-term relationship either. Yet, despite that, he still turned the other party down...

Sometimes, bystanders do catch glimpses of the truth, even though they're mostly unrelated and their discussions often veer off-topic. Occasionally, they stumble upon significant information.

However, Chu Li was unaware of these developments. Today's Omega physiology class was somewhat beneficial to him, so he listened attentively and packed his things, ready to head to the cafeteria. Just as he stood up, someone rushed in, panic-stricken, exclaiming, "Chu Li, why haven't you left yet? Peng Zihao is here with his gang to confront you!"

"Wh-what?" Chu Li was slightly taken aback. After a moment, he asked, perplexed, "Why would he come looking for me?"

"You..." This person had browsed the forums and knew about the dynamics between Chu Li, Peng Zihao, and Chu Heyang. However, since the information gathered online couldn't be directly disclosed to Chu Li, the individual hastily advised, "Anyway, he's here to see you! It'd be best if you leave through the side entrance and avoid a direct confrontation."