Since Liang Yan’s perspective on Ji Qiu had subtly changed, his attitude toward him had improved quite a bit as well.
For example, when Yin Tongguang brought up reserving a spot again, he would occasionally condescend to open his phone and ask Ji Qiu if he wanted to come to class.
As for how Ji Qiu’s contact information was added?
It was probably after that encounter in the elevator when an oblivious Yin Tongguang casually asked Ji Qiu if he wanted to join the class later and suggested adding him on WeChat.
Just as Yin Tongguang took out his phone, Liang Yan, sitting next to him, expressionless, also pulled out his phone, displaying a large QR code, and said to Ji Qiu, “Scan.”
Yin Tongguang looked at Liang Yan for a while before finally swallowing his words, “Didn’t you just say a few days ago that your relationship with him wasn’t that good?”
The previous unpleasantness caused by Lai Qiutong seemed to have never happened, and both of them kept quiet about it.
Liang Yan slowly typed in the chat box.
【Yan: Yin Tongguang wants you to come to class.】
He frowned at it for a while, dissatisfied, and deleted it.
【Yan: Want to join the class? Yin Tongguang just asked you.】
That was too much; he deleted it again.
【Yan: Yin Tongguang reserved a spot for you.】
…It still felt like an invitation. Liang Yan moved the cursor and deleted it once more.
Five minutes later, Ji Qiu received a message on his phone.
【Yan: ?】
Ji Qiu replied instantly: ??????
【Yan: ………】
In that moment, Ji Qiu understood: Got it, Yan Yan! I’ll be there right away!
He even added a somewhat unnecessary comment: After all, Yin Tongguang’s reserved spot can’t go to waste.
Though that statement sounded quite insincere, Liang Yan at least felt inexplicably relieved.
Liang Yan put away his phone and, taking advantage of the professor’s absence, was about to organize his notes when he felt Yin Tongguang poke him.
“Yan Yan,” Yin Tongguang, who was always in the know, was holding his phone and browsing the news. He curiously nudged Liang Yan’s elbow, “I saw a piece of news that you might be interested in?”
“What is it?” Liang Yan turned his head.
Yin Tongguang directly handed over his phone, “You can see for yourself. I just stumbled upon it, but it’s not an official source, so you can take a look and don’t have to believe everything.”
Liang Yan took it and was immediately drawn to a bold red news headline.
【KB Pharmaceuticals reveals: The latest generation of Omega estrus suppressants is about to enter the clinical trial phase. If this product successfully passes the trials, it may become the most stable suppressor available.】
KB is the name of the suppressant manufacturer that Liang Yan uses most often, and just a few days ago, Ji Qiu had just returned them to him.
After all, once he confirmed that the pheromone scent from the other party was fake, Liang Yan naturally didn’t ask Ji Qiu why all the batch numbers from his suppressant manufacturer matched.
Liang Yan continued reading. Perhaps because it was still unofficial news, the media became bolder: “According to reliable sources, KB Pharmaceuticals, which claims to have the lowest incidence of adverse reactions among suppressants, has recently developed a new product, Suppressant 3.0, which has preliminarily passed the execution standards. This recruitment is conducted with 100% informed consent from the participants, and the first batch of participants is currently being recruited…”
“It’s understood that among the Omega suppressants 3.0 produced by KB Pharmaceuticals, the most common adverse reactions include functional abnormalities of the respiratory system, such as bronchospasm and respiratory depression. In a previously much-discussed case, a patient died after using the 1.0 product. KB has repeatedly emphasized that it was not their fault, and compensation has been provided to the patient on humanitarian grounds…”
Liang Yan returned the phone to Yin Tongguang, “Why are you showing me this?”
Yin Tongguang was not unfamiliar with seeing Liang Yan tormented by the side effects of suppressants: “I just thought, if a new generation of suppressants really comes out, do you think your adverse reactions might get better?”
Liang Yan didn’t answer directly, replying ambiguously, “…We’ll see.”
“By the way, I also heard that the default participants for this trial are all Omega, but they still divided the study group and control group as usual, with the control group receiving the old version of the suppressants… How should I put it? Although this doesn’t concern me as a Beta, I still feel like something is off.”
Because Alphas do not have estrus periods but still possess pheromones, in principle, Alphas can also participate in suppressants trials as long as their pheromone metabolic curve is monitored.
However, KB seems to assume that Alphas, as social elites, should not be subjected to such clinical trials. Therefore, every time this company conducts trials, the participants are all Omega, who not only are exempt from all testing fees but also receive an additional monetary compensation—In short, they can pay, but there’s no need for Alphas to get involved.
Liang Yan knew a bit about this matter, but at the moment, there were still many people who publicly advocated for equality while actually looking down on Omega. If everyone were to count their grievances, it would be impossible to keep track.
And how KB operates is not something he can control.
But he knew that Yin Tongguang was concerned about this for his sake, and he felt grateful. He comforted him, saying, “It’s fine. My adverse reactions aren’t that serious, so don’t worry.”
“Not that serious? Every time I see it, I’m shocked…” Yin Tongguang recalled, “I even looked up the news from back then. It seems there really was an Omega who had severe adverse reactions after getting the 1.0 product, but the death report only stated that the cause was asphyxiation. KB gave a large sum in compensation, and it seems that’s how it ended—Hey! Ji Qiu! Over here!”
He caught sight of a figure entering through the back door of the classroom, stopping mid-sentence and waving to signal him over.
Ji Qiu walked over, as usual, amidst a group of envious Alpha stares, and sat down next to Liang Yan, smiling and looking quite cheerful: “Yan Yan, what are you guys talking about?”
“We’re discussing some rumors.” Yin Tongguang hadn’t planned to elaborate, but suddenly remembered that Ji Qiu was also an Omega, so he continued, “It’s about KB’s suppressants. Do you know about it, Ji Qiu?”
“Ah, this,” Ji Qiu’s voice faltered suddenly, and after a two-second pause, he hurriedly said, “I don’t know. I’m not using their suppressants.”
“Oh, that’s fine then.” The righteous Yin Tongguang said, “I was just telling Yan Yan about the previous 1.0 incident. Seriously, this company is ridiculous, making products for Omega while treating Alphas as a principle. Even as a Beta, it makes me uncomfortable to hear…”
Ji Qiu coughed a couple of times. Liang Yan looked over and felt that Ji Qiu’s complexion seemed a bit off, so he awkwardly changed the subject: “I haven’t really kept up with that. By the way, Yan Yan, have you submitted your biochemistry assignment? Can I borrow it to check?”
Liang Yan observed Ji Qiu’s expression carefully while handing over his biochemistry experiment.
In less than two minutes, the professor entered the classroom on time, and Yin Tongguang stopped bringing up the topic.
However, the usually vibrant and bright Ji Qiu was seemingly troubled today. From the beginning of class, he remained silent, and even when the class was only halfway through, he stood up during a break, glanced at Liang Yan, and spoke in a calm tone, but Liang Yan felt that something was off: “I just remembered I left something in the lab. I’ll go back to get it and won’t come back… I’ll head out first.”
After saying this, he didn’t look at the two of them again and walked straight out of the classroom.
Liang Yan watched his retreating figure, feeling a strange sensation rising within him.
It seemed like Ji Qiu’s entire demeanor shifted after hearing the name “KB.”
It wasn’t until Ji Qiu had been gone for a while that Yin Tongguang brought Liang Yan back to his senses.
Yin Tongguang looked at Liang Yan, “Yan Yan, do you think we keep inviting him to audit classes and take up his time?”
Liang Yan’s doubts lingered, but he instinctively denied it, “It shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Oh, that’s good then. He must really have something going on today,” Yin Tongguang sighed in relief.
Liang Yan, however, did not speak again.
He lowered his head, his phone lingering on the previous conversation between them.
Ji Qiu’s profile picture was of a lazy cat, elegant in posture and with drowsy eyes.
When Liang Yan had just added Ji Qiu, he used to receive messages from him now and then. Looking at the string of messages from someone who seemed so different from that cat’s temperament, Liang Yan felt a bit out of place.
Now, he stared at the cat in Ji Qiu’s profile picture, feeling its gaze upon him, and he vaguely felt somewhat ridiculous.
He kept his finger on the screen for a long while.
【Yan: Are you okay?】
Just as he was about to send it, he hesitated again.
But after thinking it over, he pressed the send button.
He and Ji Qiu… could be considered friends, right?
After all, aside from Yin Tongguang, he hadn’t had this much interaction with anyone else.
The usually quick responder took a long time to reply this time.
It wasn’t until Liang Yan finished dinner and was about to head back to his dorm that his phone finally lit up.
Ji Qiu had sent a Shiba Inu emoji: I didn’t check my phone in the lab! Sorry!
Liang Yan stared at the smiling face, and his brows softened unconsciously.
It seemed that Ji Qiu probably wasn’t in any trouble.
【Yan: It’s okay.】
Another emoji came from Ji Qiu, this time a cute cat face: Yan Yan! I’m a bit curious and want to ask you a question.
【Yan: ?】
Ji Qiu’s side showed “typing” for a long time before a message popped up: If you found out someone accidentally deceived you, would you forgive them?
Liang Yan had been doing quite well in life; to be honest, he hadn’t really felt what it was like to be deceived.
Moreover, Ji Qiu’s premise was “accidentally.”
He thought for a moment and replied.
【Yan: Probably not.】
This time, Ji Qiu responded quickly, attaching a happy cat emoji.
The two of them chatted casually for a bit longer before ending the conversation.
After locking his phone, Liang Yan realized that his mood seemed to have improved a little.
The sun sank low, bringing with it a hint of the coolness of night, casting shadows among the trees on campus.
Liang Yan walked back alone.
Just as he was strolling along the artificial lake and passing the pavilion in the center of the lake, he heard voices coming from that direction.
“I finally approached the Omega girl from the nursing department next door today; it was so difficult.”
“The Omega I like said my pheromones smell bad and rejected me many times. What else can I say?”
“Ah, I’m still infatuated with that Ji Qiu from Class S.”
“Omega resources are unevenly distributed; there are just too few Omegas in our school.”
“Hey, after all, Omegas really aren’t that useful. They can only give birth to a litter of kids, and their bodies are even inferior to Betas; their estrous periods are a huge hassle.”
“Shh, don’t say that. It’ll cause trouble if someone hears.”
“What’s wrong with saying it? To hell with the equality movement; this world is all about survival of the fittest. Omegas are just not as good as others; they were born to be used by Alphas…”
“But I really like Ji Qiu. No other Omega is more perfect than him.”
“What’s so perfect about him? What’s so special about Class S? Just because he seems charming all day long, who knows whose Alpha he’ll end up with when he goes into heat…”
Then came a series of knowing laughs.
However, the laughter of the few people in the pavilion didn’t last long before it abruptly stopped.
Liang Yan stood before them, his expression cold and fearless.
He looked disdainfully at one Alpha who had just been spouting nonsense and sneered lightly, “An Alpha like you, whose mind is only filled with heat and mating, isn’t any better than some inferior creatures, you know?”
1You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️ -TL: Ysiad
