SCOM - Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Although that person had already left the classroom, the impact she had just made was far from gone.
The students who remained in the classroom secretly sized up Ji Yuezhi. Any Alpha on the verge of differentiation, being pinned against a wall by another Alpha, would likely find it hard to get over. This was especially true since the one being suppressed was the head of the Disciplinary Committee. It was like viciously stomping the Disciplinary Committee into the ground.
However, in everyone's eyes, Ji Yuezhi did not lose his composure. He simply lowered his head, straightened his military uniform, and left the classroom with a blank expression.
The moment he left, the classroom erupted. Some felt Zuo Luohuan was indeed formidable, that Ji Yuezhi didn't even have the ability to resist. But more people felt indignant on Ji Yuezhi's behalf, thinking Zuo Luohuan was far too arrogant.
After this class, in less than half a day, the forums were flooded with posts about the incident. Most of them condemned Zuo Luohuan's actions, feeling that for an Alpha who had long since differentiated, her behavior was too excessive.
【I was in the classroom at the time. Ji Yuezhi wouldn't fight her, so Zuo Luohuan just went ahead and slammed him against the wall.】
【That outrageous?】
【More than that. Before she left, she provoked Ji Yuezhi by touching his neck. I think she touched his gland on the back.】
Omegas possessed the most distinct glandular feature: a slightly soft, raised area on the back of the neck where an Alpha would mark them. An Alpha's nape could barely be said to have one, it was practically nonexistent, but everyone knew the importance of the gland area on the back of the neck. Unless it was someone intimate, people generally wouldn't touch it. For someone of the same secondary gender to touch the back of the neck was an absolute, naked provocation, often a gesture used by the toucher to mock the one being touched.
【Hiss—What was Ji Yuezhi's reaction?】
【No reaction, he just left. I guess we'll have a show to watch after he differentiates.】
【I hope Senior differentiates into an Alpha and teaches her a lesson! A student like this who doesn't follow school rules will just end up becoming another Ren Pingbo.】
【Becoming a Ren Pingbo is probably an exaggeration, right? She's from the Zuo family, after all. But for Ji Yuezhi to differentiate into an Alpha stronger than Zuo Luohuan might be a bit difficult.】
【At least he won't be weak.】
...
The anonymous forums were in an uproar, but the person at the center of it all was not as angry as one might imagine. After returning to his single dorm room, he simply sat quietly, his eyes lowered as he lifted a hand.
A red mark on his slender wrist stood out against his pale white skin, exceptionally glaring.
Ji Yuezhi raised his other hand, his fingertips lightly touching the red finger marks. She hadn't held back her strength when she grabbed him, clearly already seeing him as an Alpha on the verge of differentiation. If not for that, she wouldn't have... touched him there today.
Ji Yuezhi's fingertips left his wrist, and he raised them again to touch his neck, his lips pressed into a thin line. Zuo Luohuan would never touch an Omega like that.
Ji Yuezhi didn't attend his later classes. It was unclear whether it was because of the intense emotional fluctuations stirred up that day, or if the time had finally come, but he began to show signs of differentiation: headaches, and weakness in his limbs.
A normal differentiation period typically lasted two to three months from start to finish. The body needed enough time to adapt to the changes. The last few days were the peak, when the symptoms were most severe. The rest of the time, one would only experience mild discomfort and could still live and study normally.
Perhaps because this was Ji Yuezhi's second time experiencing differentiation, his physical discomfort was slightly more pronounced. To prevent any accidents, Ji Xixiu personally came to the school to pick him up.
...
"Taking leave?" Hearing this news, Zuo Luohuan was momentarily stunned, a rare occurrence. "Because of what happened yesterday?"
Jiang Hong shook his head and leaned in to whisper, "My mom said a doctor went to the Ji residence overnight. He might be about to differentiate."
Differentiation?
She had just laid hands on him yesterday, and today he might be starting to differentiate. Zuo Luohuan felt an inexplicable twinge of guilt, but her expression remained nonchalant as she said, "I wonder if he can successfully differentiate before the coming-of-age ceremony."
"The differentiation period is so long, it should probably end after he comes of age," Jiang Hong said, sneaking a glance at Zuo Luohuan. She didn't seem to care in the slightest about what rank he would differentiate into; her attention was surprisingly focused on the timing.
"I'm not going to the next class. You go by yourself," Zuo Luohuan said casually.
"Skipping class again?"
"Can't I?"
"You can."
After leaving the academic building, Zuo Luohuan couldn't hold on after just a few steps. She had to turn and press herself against the back wall of the building, using the trees to hide her figure. She leaned her head back against the less-than-clean wall, her face as pale as paper, unable to shake the feeling of a power drill attacking her brain.
After all this time, the aftereffects were still so intense.
Zuo Luohuan's hand trembled slightly as she fumbled in her pocket for a pack of cigarettes, taking several tries to light one.
However, not even nicotine could numb the pain. In less than a few minutes, Zuo Luohuan's inner shirt was nearly soaked through, clinging stickily to her body. At this point, the wound on her abdomen actually didn't hurt as much. She held the cigarette between her fingers, trying to think of other things to distract herself as she looked through the exhaled white smoke.
She wondered what symptoms Ji Yuezhi's differentiation would have. When she had differentiated, she had suffered from a continuous high fever and only avoided disaster by relying on a machine to lower her temperature.
Zuo Dihong and Yi Tong were both S-class. From the moment Zuo Luohuan was born, they had been prepared; their daughter was expected to be among the earliest to differentiate. But they never anticipated that she would begin to differentiate at the age of fifteen.
The fifteen-year-old Zuo Luohuan was always running wild outside, covered in bumps and bruises, and paid no attention to the early signs of differentiation. When the final stage of differentiation truly began, she collapsed in bed, unable to get up. If she hadn't been discovered early, she might have been burned into an idiot.
Zuo Luohuan tilted her head back and squinted. Her vision was already blurring from the pain. Speaking of which... the person who had found her back then was actually Ji Yuezhi.
That time, her father had hosted a dinner party to celebrate his promotion, but he had only invited the Ji family. It was said to be a way to spite Ji Xixiu, since everyone had originally thought the position would be his. Zuo Luohuan had only overheard a few words at the time and didn't take it to heart. She had no intention of attending and had even planned to go out and have fun on the day of the party.
Who could have expected that Zuo Luohuan wouldn't be able to get up that morning? No one at home noticed, assuming she wasn't there.
Zuo Luohuan didn't quite remember what happened that day. She vaguely heard someone calling her name and was in a daze for several days. When she woke up again, her differentiation was over. Her parents stood before her with worried expressions, telling her that it was Ji Yuezhi who had found her collapsed at home. That was his first and last time visiting the Zuo residence. After all, the two of them were not familiar with each other, and they had no contact afterward.
She had, in fact, thanked Ji Yuezhi. She thanked him in person at school, but he didn't seem to appreciate it. He gave a slight nod to show he accepted her thanks, then brushed past her and left.
Zuo Luohuan had no interest in trying to get close to someone who gave her the cold shoulder. At that time, they were always in the same school but different classes, so they never crossed paths again.
But differentiating too early or too late was a burden on the body. I hope he doesn't suffer too much, Zuo Luohuan thought as her consciousness drifted. On this point, she was quite sincere and honest.
...
Ji Yuezhi, recuperating at home, was doing reasonably well. After returning, he only felt dizzy and weak in his limbs, with no other symptoms. But the family doctor checked on him every twelve hours, and even Ji Xixiu had been coming home early these past few days, afraid something might go wrong with him.
Ji Yuezhi leaned against the headboard and looked at Ji Xixiu. "Father, I want to go back to class."
"The differentiation period is no small matter." Ji Xixiu frowned, a rare sight. "You know better than anyone how Zuo Luohuan nearly died in the hospital back then."
Ji Yuezhi looked up at the doctor. "There's nothing wrong with my physical condition. It's just the early stage of differentiation."
The doctor carefully compared the data from the past few days, looked at the father and son, and nodded. "His vital signs are all on a steady upward trend. It might still be some time before he differentiates. There are no major issues."
Ji Xixiu stared at his son for a long time before finally agreeing reluctantly. "Take precautions first, in case of any sudden accidents. But I will send someone to pick you up from school in the evening."
The differentiation period was a special case, and the school would do its utmost to accommodate the student.
After they came out, Ji Xixiu glanced back at the doctor, who seemed to want to say something but hesitated. "Is there anything else we need to be aware of?"
The doctor glanced at Ji Xixiu, recalling the rampant rumors about the Zuo and Ji families, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Finally, he said, "Young Master Ji's differentiation trend might be... different from what you imagine."
Ji Xixiu's expression was perfectly calm. He didn't ask what kind of trend, only, "Will his health be affected?"
The doctor's prepared answers all went unspoken. He was stunned for a moment before saying, "Young Master Ji's health is fine. He is in a normal differentiation period."
After leaving the Ji residence, the doctor was hit by a gust of wind and finally came to his senses. Why wasn't the head of the Ji family surprised at all? Could it be that he already knew it would turn out this way?
...
After a few days of leave, Ji Yuezhi returned to class as usual. But the protective patch for the differentiation period on the back of his neck seemed to be telling everyone that he had entered his differentiation period.
The most excited people at school were undoubtedly the die-hard fans of Ji Yuezhi's support club. It was as if they had finally seen a glimmer of hope—the hope of seeing Zuo Luohuan get stomped underfoot.
【Wuwuwu, our Head of the Disciplinary Committee is finally going to differentiate!!!】
【Shedding tears of emotion. After he differentiates, let's see who dares to bully our senior! Who the hell does Zuo Luohuan think she is!】
【Senior Ji looks so Alpha with that protective patch on. Does anyone know what brand it is? I want to use it during my differentiation period too.】
...
Within a single day, a celebratory atmosphere seemed to permeate the First Military Academy. Meanwhile, Zuo Luohuan was glared at several times as she walked down the path, by Alphas, Betas, and Omegas alike.
Zuo Luohuan still didn't know what had happened. Jiang Hong wasn't walking with her today, so there was no one to gossip with. Feeling utterly baffled, she entered the classroom through the back door. Jiang Hong, who was already in his seat, pursed his lips, motioning for her to look ahead.
Zuo Luohuan looked up and immediately saw that figure. Her gaze fell on the protective patch on the back of his neck. Zuo Luohuan subconsciously raised an eyebrow. He had actually started to differentiate. Her eyes lingered on it for a few moments before she looked away, lowering her head to flip idly through a book.
The classroom was very noisy today, with most students quietly discussing Ji Yuezhi's differentiation. Even after the teacher arrived to start the lesson, some people were still secretly sending messages on their optical computers.
Perhaps sensing the restlessness of the crowd in the classroom, Zuo Luohuan also felt a bit agitated. She raised a hand to rub her neck, then suddenly looked up. Just a moment ago, she thought she had smelled someone's pheromones, extremely faint. When she looked up, the scent had vanished, and she couldn't smell it anymore. The classroom appeared completely normal.
"Did someone just release their pheromones?" Zuo Luohuan asked Jiang Hong beside her.
"What?" Jiang Hong turned to look at her. "Alpha or Omega?"
As someone who had differentiated into a top-tier Alpha, Zuo Luohuan had passively smelled the pheromones of every differentiated student in the class. Sometimes, when they couldn't control them well, or when the scent clung to their clothes and hadn't been cleared away in time, she could smell it.
"Never mind." Zuo Luohuan recalled the scent of the pheromones from just now. It was very unfamiliar, and there was only one person left in their class who hadn't differentiated.
She looked up at the back of Ji Yuezhi's neck, at the white protective patch that was smoothly covering the area, a patch that claimed to be one hundred percent effective at blocking the escape of pheromones during differentiation.
Zuo Luohuan clicked her tongue. This guy didn't get scammed and buy a fake, did he?
Comments
Post a Comment