Chapter 2

Chapter 2

A trace of crimson still lingered.

The boy’s gaze deepened slightly, his fingers twitching at his side, barely resisting the urge to reach out.

Li Yang uttered an "Oh," oblivious to his peculiar behavior.

"It’s fine. I wasn’t paying attention and bumped into you."

The bus arrived.

Li Yang boarded first, the boy trailing behind him.

Half an hour later, Li Yang alighted, the boy following suit.

Li Yang entered the residential complex, the boy shadowing his every step.

Li Yang halted abruptly, ceasing his walk. He frowned, scrutinizing the boy with a suspicious gaze, as if he were a villain. "Are you following me?"

"No." The boy shook his head, his face still devoid of much expression, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.

Li Yang stepped aside, clearing the path. "Then you go first."

The boy remained motionless, standing rooted to the spot, gazing at him. His eyes were dark and profound, as if he had something to say but hesitated.

"What do you mean?" Li Yang asked, thinking to himself: *Is this person some kind of pervert?*

"I’d like to get to know you," the boy replied, his tone as calm as ever.

Li Yang was speechless. "...Just for that?"

He followed him all this way, just to get acquainted.

They were classmates; there was no need for such a deliberate introduction.

"Mm." The boy stared at him. "You still don’t know my name."

The original Li Yang should have known, but the transmigrated Li Yang truly didn’t.

As class monitor, he only recognized a few faces in the class; the rest were strangers.

"Oh, then let’s introduce ourselves. My name is..."

"I know the class monitor’s name," the boy interjected. "I’m Ying Xi."

He extended his hand toward Li Yang.

The name sounded familiar; he must have heard someone mention it in class today.

Li Yang was eager to get home, so he nodded to acknowledge it.

"No handshake?" Ying Xi maintained his posture, the corners of his lips curving slightly into a faint smile.

The cold aloofness in his eyes and brows dissipated, finally revealing a hint of the youthful innocence appropriate for his age.

Li Yang briefly clasped his hand, then withdrew it. "See you."

He walked away quickly, but after a few steps, he saw Ying Xi still standing in the same spot, staring at him, doing who-knew-what. Li Yang’s hand at his side curled slightly. As if sensing his gaze, Ying Xi looked up.

Their eyes met, and that handsome but expressionless face instantly broke into a brilliant smile.

Li Yang paused, muttering "weirdo" under his breath.

Then he watched as the boy gradually walked into the affluent area ahead.

*

"I’m home," Li Yang called out as he pushed open the door, a force of habit.

No one answered.

In the cramped living room, unwashed dishes still sat on the table.

Li Yang exhaled, washed the dishes, then cooked himself some egg-fried rice. After eating, he returned to his room to do homework.

His room was tiny, just enough space for a 1.5-meter bed and a desk.

Facing north, it received no sunlight and was perpetually cold.

After three days here, Li Yang had grown accustomed to studying wrapped in a small blanket.

Rustling sounds signaled his parents’ return, followed by a knock on his door.

Li Yang said, "I’m doing homework."

This was their peculiar way of confirming Li Yang was home.

Beyond that, the three of them rarely conversed.

Li Yang could sense his parents’ strained relationship.

He had no memories of the original host, but through three days of interaction and arguments with them, he had pieced together some information.

His mother had an unexpected pregnancy, forcing his father to marry her, and then he was born.

Neither of them was pleased that Li Yang was a Beta.

At eighteen, they had hoped for a secondary gender presentation, but nothing happened; he remained a Beta.

Just an ordinary Beta in this world.

Their disappointment was profound, and from then on, they held no expectations for Li Yang.

Thirsty, Li Yang opened his door to get water, only to overhear them arguing again, this time about divorce.

He quietly filled his cup, returned to his room, and continued his homework, trying his best to ignore the commotion outside.

Until a knock came—his Alpha father asking who he would live with if they divorced.

This wasn’t because he wanted Li Yang, but to clarify who would be responsible for Li Yang, who they saw as a burden.

His Omega mother didn’t even bother to ask.

"Whatever," Li Yang replied.

The sound of doors opening and closing echoed, then silence.

Li Yang opened his room door; the house was empty except for him.

He felt surprisingly relieved. He washed an apple, munching on it while reading a book.

It felt suffocating.

Li Yang thought distractedly.

School was a mess, and so was home. He couldn’t imagine how the original host had survived in such an environment.

As for Li Yang, he was fine. After all, there were very few things he truly cared about, and his greatest skill since childhood had been tolerance.

Night fell, and Li Yang showered before going to bed.

The next day, he arrived at the classroom on time, sat down, and began to eat a steamed bun. As he chewed intently, he suddenly felt a burning gaze beside him.

Li Yang turned his head, his throat bobbing as he swallowed the bun the moment he saw the other person’s face.

It was the boy he had bumped into yesterday, the one who had shared the same bus and gotten off at the same stop last night.

Memories of the previous night flooded his mind, and Li Yang recalled the name the boy had introduced himself with—Ying Xi.

The gaze was so intensely present it was impossible to ignore.

Li Yang instinctively frowned but relaxed a second later, finishing the last bun with indifference.

After rinsing his mouth in the restroom and returning, an all-out brawl had erupted in the classroom. Chaotic pheromones permeated every corner, making the atmosphere utterly unbearable.

Li Yang covered his nose and mouth, rushing to his desk. Before he could even pull out a mask, someone grabbed his collar.

"Hey, Monitor, whose fault do you think this is?"

The piercing, provocative gaze on him was far from friendly. Li Yang shook off the hand, casting a disdainful glance at the fingers that had touched him.

Now they wanted to use him as an excuse for trouble, yet usually they didn’t treat him as the monitor at all.

Li Yang smoothed his uniform collar and wiped his fingers clean with a tissue.

He was annoyed, turning to look out the window to distract himself, afraid he might lose control and throw a punch.

The Alpha was still emitting pheromones, attempting to influence him, only to belatedly remember that Li Yang was a Beta.

Jiang Su "tsk-ed" in annoyance. "No wonder you’re the Monitor, being a Beta. Can’t sense any pheromones at all."

The sarcastic remark didn’t affect Li Yang.

He genuinely felt fortunate to be a Beta and liked being one.

If he were an Alpha, he would have ruts, uncontrollable.

If he were an Omega, it would be even more despairing.

"A total blockhead," Jiang Su muttered with an eye-roll, no longer paying him attention.

Li Yang sat at his desk, put on his mask, and turned his head to see that familiar face again.

Yesterday, other classmates had been sitting to his left, but today, it was Ying Xi.

Li Yang asked, "Is this your seat?"

"It is now," the boy replied, his voice hoarse and slightly languid, as if he hadn’t slept well. There were faint dark circles under his eyes.

Li Yang withdrew his gaze, uninterested.

The classroom was full of lunatics; one more enigmatic presence was perfectly normal.

At some point, the classroom had fallen silent. Li Yang belatedly realized it was because Ying Xi had spoken.

What a dramatic scene—truly a novel world.

His eyes remained impassive as he opened his book, no longer looking elsewhere, focusing intently on the words.

The gaze beside him was scorching, but Li Yang remained unmoved.

His greatest strength was his imperviousness to external influence.

Back in high school, when fights broke out in the cafeteria and food flew everywhere, it never stopped him from silently memorizing vocabulary.

Out of the corner of his eye, Li Yang noticed long, distinct fingers lightly tapping the desk.

His deskmate, as if afraid he’d forgotten, repeated his introduction: "Hello, I’m Ying Xi."

Li Yang paused. Out of politeness, he stated his own name: "Li Yang."

"Li Yang." The clear, magnetic voice repeated, effortlessly scattering his concentration.

A strange emotion welled up from deep within him. Li Yang clutched his book tighter, ignoring it, pressing his lips together as he walled himself off into an independent world, unaffected by any external influence.

"Class is starting," Li Yang finally warned, unable to bear the other’s overly intense gaze any longer.

As if finally realizing his own presumptuousness, that gaze instantly retracted, accompanied by a voice full of apology: "Sorry."

Li Yang ignored him and focused on the lesson.

This novel didn’t elaborate much on school life; it was merely a backdrop for the romance.

Li Yang had researched the universities here. Based on the original host’s grades, none were an option.

Although his own grades were decent, the textbooks in this world were different from the real one. He would have to study hard to get into the school he wanted.

After class, the familiar scene resumed.

The homeroom teacher had just arrived but, having heard about such incidents before, stood at the classroom door for a moment before silently leaving.

To endure this, one had to pretend to be blind.

After all, the troublemakers didn’t need teachers and resented their interference.

Only an anomaly like Li Yang would place hope in a teacher.

Desks were overturned, chairs were thrown, and the classroom lights lay shattered on the floor, accompanied by incessant cursing.

His right eye twitched uncontrollably. Li Yang raised a hand to press it, silently chanting, "Right eye twitch means fortune, right eye twitch means fortune."

"Bang." The teacher’s desk was shoved over as the towering Jiang Su stood on the podium, in a frenzy.

The classroom was chaotic like a KTV, everyone holding a microphone, vying to sing.

"Stop the noise," the vice class monitor said weakly.

He was short, his voice faint, appearing extremely vulnerable among the tall Alphas.

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, the vice class monitor pursed his lips, looking on the verge of tears.

Li Yang sighed. The vice class monitor looked at him with reddened eyes, full of pleading.

There were pitifully few normal people in the class. Perhaps out of shared empathy, Li Yang stood up.

Before he could even utter a "Stop the noise," everyone in the classroom’s expression suddenly changed.

More than half of them covered their noses and mouths, their faces contorted in discomfort, while a few slumped to the ground like limp noodles.

Only a handful of the toughest troublemakers remained standing, their expressions twisted as they froze in place, ceasing all movement.

Except for Li Yang, everyone else simultaneously looked toward his side.

Li Yang froze, accustomed to the mingled scents of pheromones. But now, an overwhelmingly powerful pheromone flooded the air, so intense that even a mask couldn’t block it.

His stomach churned violently—so much so that opening his mouth would make him gag instantly.

He couldn’t quite describe the scent that invaded his nose. It left him dizzy, his mouth dry and bitter, with nothing but the urge to vomit.