TCFGBH Chapter 51

Wu Qin’s cousin, Wen Changming, is twenty-six years old. He is an Alpha with a face as gentle as jade. He appears kind and considerate, but in reality, his heart is as dark as night.

Their relationship is quite ordinary—when they meet, they greet each other, but otherwise, they don’t stay in touch.

At the last family gathering, Wu Qin accidentally noticed that his cousin’s phone wallpaper was a picture of a handsome young man. He paused for a moment, lost in thought, and couldn’t help but ask a few more questions.

“Him…” The man smiled meaningfully, and said casually, “He’s your future sister-in-law.”

The young man’s face was extremely distinctive. Even though Wu Qin had only glanced at it briefly, it was deeply etched into his mind.

“You two go ahead, I have something to take care of.”

“Boss, you’re not going to start a fight, are you?”

“Shut up and leave,” Wu Qin sent his two unreliable brothers away, then found a quiet spot and stared at the two figures in the distance.

The distance was too far, so he could only see blurry silhouettes.

Damn!

Why are they standing so close? No sense of decency.

Wu Qin gritted his teeth in frustration.

—

S University is an old institution with surrounding buildings that show signs of age. The alleyways are varied and complex; if someone was unfamiliar with the area and don’t use navigation, it’s easy to get lost.

As the lunch rush ended, the crowd began to thin out.

A tall, slender young man wearing a white, skull-printed, ripped T-shirt walked through the area. His slim waist was faintly visible, and a few strands of his black hair were dyed light pink, playfully curling at the ends.

This somewhat alternative outfit would look tacky on most people.

But with his superior appearance—red lips, white teeth, and an air of lazy arrogance—he looked like a rebellious and romantic young master.

Quite a few people watched him from the shadows, but none dared approach.

Finally, a brave soul stepped forward.

It was a beautiful Beta girl.

“Hey handsome, can I add you on WeChat?” The girl, dressed in a floral long dress, was tall and lively, not at all shy.

The young man, who had just finished breakfast and parted ways with Shen Wenqing, lifted his eyelids and said, “Got a gift?”

The girl was taken aback, confused.

Xia Yan, slightly gentler with women than men, continued, “Got any money?”

“I’ve got three thousand on me,” the girl replied honestly. “Have you eaten breakfast yet? I could buy you lunch.”

“Pfft.” The young man chuckled, not mockingly, but as if amused by her. He winked at the girl, lips curling slightly, “That won’t do. I only eat with rich people.”

His tone was flat, neither shameful nor proud.

He said it so openly that it was impossible to get upset with him.

The girl’s face turned bright red, enchanted by his smile, and she stammered, “Then when I get rich…”

“You’re always welcome to come find me.” If I’m still around, Xia Yan silently added in his heart.

“O-okay.”

The girl nodded in a daze, forgetting to ask how she could find him. It wasn’t until a fist reached out towards her that she instinctively opened her hands to catch what was being given.

A small, intricately carved silver snake ring, still warm from the young man’s hand, landed in her palm.

Huh?

She looked up in astonishment, only to see the young man already walking away.

“That ring…”

The young man waved his hand casually, his clear voice carried by the autumn breeze.

“To help you become rich sooner.”

The girl stood there, stunned, until her roommate tapped her on the shoulder and asked, “What’s up with you?”

“I think I just fell in love.”

“What? You left the house single this morning and already got a boyfriend?” Her roommate looked bewildered. “Did he give you that ring? It’s a bit too big. How careless.”

“No! You don’t understand,” the girl carefully put the ring in her pocket, speaking solemnly. “This is a token of our relationship.”

“…”

Why does this feel so strange?

Xia Yan’s side mission required him to receive gifts from others, with no value limit—the more gifts he received, the higher his points. The gifts could be either kept or resold.

However, considering his character, reselling gifts would be too low-class and would ruin his image.

That left only one option—giving them away.

After all, once he completed the mission, he would leave this small world, and having all those things pile up in his room would be a waste. It was better to make the most of them and casually pass them on.

As Xia Yan walked, he contemplated his task.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared in front of him.

Without looking up, he asked, “Got a gift?”

“…”

“If you don’t have any money, move aside. I only eat with rich people.” In some ways, his character was quite convenient—it helped fend off most unwanted attention.

“You really think of yourself as a gigolo, huh? Willing to keep people company as long as they pay?”

A mocking voice came from above, filled with anger, as if Xia Yan had done something unforgivable.

Xia Yan looked up and was met with a handsome, sharp face. The man’s defined jawline, pale, thin lips, straight nose, and deep-set eyes, paired with his short silver hair, giving off a dangerous vibe. His pitch-black eyes were burning with anger as he glared at Xia Yan.

This guy came with ill intentions.

Xia Yan quickly made his judgment.

But so what? His character was bound to stir up trouble; blatant provocation was more acceptable than being a stalker.

“Do we know each other?” Xia Yan asked.

“You don’t know me, but I know you,” Wu Qin said, his face tense. “You have a boyfriend, so you should be loyal to him, not going around flirting and chasing after money.”

Xia Yan was completely confused— when did he ever get a boyfriend?

He racked his brain, searching the original owner’s memories.

Nothing!

[Host.] The system chimed in. [He’s the protagonist gong and probably just saw you with the protagonist shou, misunderstanding that you two are dating]

[Ah, that makes sense.]

Xia Yan finally understood and sighed in relief.

But… what should he do now?

After a brief hesitation, he made a decision. Xia Yan crossed his arms over his chest and boldly replied, “That’s between him and me. It’s none of your business. If you don’t like it, why don’t you spend money on me instead?”

“…”

Wu Qin frowned.

He didn’t have much of a relationship with Wen Changming, and if it weren’t for the fact that he was his cousin, Wu Qin wouldn’t have bothered getting involved. But why would he spend money on his cousin’s boyfriend?

“Don’t tell me… you’re broke?” Xia Yan looked at him in shock, scanning him from head to toe. Not seeing any luxury brands, he immediately sneered, “Tsk! Got it wrong. You’re just a poor guy. Get lost.”

Did he just call him poor?!

Wu Qin was so angry that he laughed.

“You think everyone is like you, covered head to toe in big brands, dressed up like a Christmas tree?” Wu Qin scoffed. “The poorer someone is, the bigger the logos, desperate to shove the price tag in everyone’s face, trying to show off like a nouveau riche.”

Those words were sharp.

As expected, Xia Yan’s face shifted slightly, but he quickly composed himself and sneered, “Well, that’s still better than a poor guy whose whole outfit doesn’t even add up to ten thousand yuan.”

Wu Qin wasn’t picky about clothes. Aside from custom-made suits for events, he could wear designer labels costing tens of thousands or fast fashion items worth a few hundred.

Who would’ve thought he’d be called poor because of it?

And…

Did this kid even know what the average income was? Acting so high and mighty, out of touch with reality.

Suddenly, Wu Qin became more intrigued. “How old are you?”

“Get lost, don’t get in my way,” Xia Yan wasn’t interested in talking to him and turned to leave.

“Tsk! Cursing people and then running off—that’s a bad habit,” Wu Qin stood in place, casually playing with a lighter. He lit a cigarette, and the faint scent of tobacco drifted through the air.

Xia Yan’s back stiffened. His legs trembled, and the hairs on his arms stood up. It was as if he had encountered a predator and couldn’t move.

“What… what did you do?”

“This isn’t the best place for a conversation.”

Wu Qin grabbed Xia Yan’s arm and forcefully dragged him into a secluded alley. His strength was overwhelming, leaving Xia Yan no chance to resist.

The alley was flanked by tall walls, with only a narrow strip of sky above.

The autumn breeze blew, carrying a chill, but Xia Yan felt even more confused. Nothing was visibly wrong, but an invisible pressure seemed to be weighing down on him from all sides.

He sat down against the wall, panting slightly, and asked again, “What did you do?”

“Just a little trick.”

Wu Qin crouched down, resting his chin on one hand. “What’s your name?”

“…”

“Not talking? Then we can sit here all day. I’ve got plenty of time.”

Xia Yan: “…” What a lunatic, help!

—

In Xia Yan’s mind, he asked the system: [Is there something supernatural in this world?]

The system, 999, replied firmly: [No.]

[Then why…?]

[Maybe it’s drugs? He smoked earlier] the system guessed. [In an ABO world, due to gender differentiation, the medical field is more advanced than in the previous world. There are all kinds of experimental drugs. And since he’s the protagonist gong, he probably has access to something special.]

[Isn’t that illegal?]

[Not sure…] the system muttered quietly. [Are you planning to send the protagonist gong to jail?]

[…] Xia Yan looked up at the sky, speechless.

He wanted points, not to ruin this world.

After the two remained locked in a stalemate for over ten minutes, Xia Yan’s body grew hotter, as if he’d downed a bottle of strong liquor. He felt dizzy, disoriented, and unable to tell which way was north.

“What’s your name?”

The man’s voice seemed to come from a distant place. Xia Yan tilted his head sluggishly and mumbled, “Xia… Xia Yan.”

“How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

“Three years younger than me,” the man muttered a curse. “My cousin better not be luring minors.”

After a brief pause, Wu Qin continued, “What do you think of your… boyfriend?”

Boyfriend? He didn’t have one! Wait, actually, he did have a future boyfriend—Shen Wenqing. The young man blinked and calmly replied with two words, “Good guy.”

“…” Wu Qin was speechless. “You’re blind! Definitely being groomed.”

After hearing Xia Yan’s age, most of Wu Qin’s initial hostility faded. A barely adult Beta, beautiful, young, and temperamental—it all seemed somewhat understandable.

Wait a minute! He had come here to catch a cheater!

Wu Qin looked at the dazed youth with a headache and retracted his pheromones.

That’s right, what he used wasn’t drugs at all. The cigarette was just a distraction.

For a long time, common biological knowledge stated that pheromones were something exclusive to Alphas and Omegas. When an Alpha released pheromones, Omegas could be triggered into heat, while Betas were believed to be unaffected by either.

But when Wu Qin went through his differentiation, his father told him something important.

If an Alpha was powerful enough to reach the S-rank, their pheromones could potentially trigger a pseudo-heat in Betas with particularly sensitive constitutions.

Alphas were divided into S, A, B, and C ranks, based on the strength of their pheromones.

While Betas had degenerated glands that couldn’t detect pheromones, if the concentration of pheromones around them reached a certain intensity, their bodies could instinctively react, even if their nose couldn’t sense it.

Because S-rank Alphas were exceedingly rare and held positions of power, and not every Beta was susceptible, the phenomenon had been quietly kept under wraps by those in authority to avoid public panic.

Wu Qin’s mind wandered.

By the same logic, could S-rank Omegas also trigger Betas?

Before he could think further, someone suddenly threw themselves into his arms.

“?”

“I feel so hot… so uncomfortable,” the young man gasped, his cheeks flushed, breathing heavily. He clung to Wu Qin like a vine, and suddenly, a hand slipped under Wu Qin’s shirt, pressing against his abs.

“???”

Wait, isn’t this guy too sensitive?!