When Jiang Ruotang opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a pure white ceiling, and the air was filled with the faint smell of something like alcohol.

The final stage of his last life had been spent in a hospital; he was incredibly familiar with this kind of scent. He remembered that Lu Guifan was working late today. He had driven to the lab to pick him up and returned to their garage at home… Jiang Ruotang had looked at Lu Guifan’s sleeping profile, unable to bear waking him. He had closed his eyes in the driver’s seat for a short nap, so how did he end up in the hospital upon waking up?

Jiang Huaiyuan’s voice rang out, “Doctor, doctor, my son is awake!” Soon, Sister Juan and Xiao Gao also gathered around. Jiang Ruotang frowned at them. Where had Jiang Huaiyuan’s smile lines gone? Hadn’t Xiao Gao’s face gotten puffy with middle age? And hadn’t Sister Juan gotten a fashionable poodle perm?

“Ruotang, are you feeling unwell anywhere? Why aren’t you talking?” Sister Juan asked with concern.

Jiang Ruotang furrowed his brow, leaned closer to Sister Juan, and whispered, “Sister Juan, the gardenia scent on you is so fragrant.”

Sister Juan finally let out a breath. “That’s my pheromone. I was so worried about you, I couldn’t hold it in.”

Jiang Ruotang was stunned for a moment. Phero-what? It sounded like pheromone?

Jiang Ruotang searched his mind for a long time. Could it be the pheromones from the ABO setting that Jian Sha used to tease him and Lu Guifan about in high school?

A doctor in a white coat walked in quickly. After looking at Jiang Ruotang, a young nurse came to draw his blood. After a while, the blood test report came out. The doctor nodded and said, “The pheromones have finally stabilized. Although the differentiation was a bit late, it won’t have a major impact on his body. It’s just that the heat cycles might be chaotic for the first six months. It’s recommended to use suppressant patches daily during this period and get into the habit of carrying inhibitors at all times.”

Jiang Ruotang was completely bewildered. “What’s all this? Heat cycles? Don’t tell me I’ve become an Omega?”

Jiang Huaiyuan sighed. “You have indeed differentiated into an Omega. You were tested for differentiation right after you were born, and it was clearly Beta, so we were more relaxed about certain aspects of your upbringing… It will be very difficult for you to adapt now.”

Alright, Jiang Ruotang was now certain he was dreaming again. He couldn’t even be bothered to find a coin to spin to see if it would stop. But the problem was, he had fantasized about Lu Guifan acing his exams and being triumphant, but this whole ABO setting… he had only ever joked about it with Jian Sha. He had never imagined it before. Didn’t they say what you think about by day, you dream about by night? He had absolutely no expectations for an ABO world.

“According to the setting in novels, I must have fainted for some reason,” Jiang Ruotang said, looking at his dad.

“According to your classmates, you were in gym class, playing badminton with a classmate, when you suddenly collapsed. Your classmate was the one who carried you to the ambulance.”

“My classmate carried me? How?” The image of Zhao Changfeng carrying him like a sack of potatoes flashed in Jiang Ruotang’s mind, and his stomach immediately ached.

Jiang Huaiyuan held out his arms and lifted them up. “Like this… a very normal carry…”

Jiang Ruotang nearly choked on his own saliva. “Isn’t that the princess carry from idol dramas? And you call that normal?”

Sister Juan added, “The other person was tall and thin, but surprisingly strong. The doctor said you were fine, so that classmate went back to class.”

“Tall and thin, very strong…” Jiang Ruotang asked again, “And he wouldn’t happen to be wearing a pair of black-framed glasses that only stay up because his nose bridge is high enough?”

Sister Juan nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

Jiang Ruotang covered his eyes. It seemed he had suddenly differentiated while playing badminton with Lu Guifan. This was probably the legendary “exercise promotes growth.” He had exercised for the first time in a long while and ended up having a second growth spurt.

Sister Juan comforted him with some worry, “I know you always thought you were a beta, Ruotang, and found the beta lifestyle very convenient…”

“Sister Juan, I want to eat potato chips,” Jiang Ruotang quickly changed the subject before she could launch into her super-long comfort mode.

“Okay, Sister Juan will buy them for you.”

“I also want spicy gluten strips…”

“You just differentiated. Don’t eat spicy things, they can easily irritate your glands.”

“Alright then… I also want satay-flavored beef jerky and mushroom-flavored mini sausages…”

“Okay, okay.”

“For dinner, I want chicken-baked rice, and I also want to drink Coke…”

The doctor standing nearby pushed up his glasses. It was the first time he had seen someone with such a good ability to accept things after a late-life differentiation.

“Young man, this is the Omega Differentiation Handbook. Take a look at it when you have time.”

“Oh.” Jiang Ruotang nodded, thinking that since it was a dream anyway, there would be no ABO world when he woke up. He could just kill time tonight by reading it like a novel.

And so, Jiang Ruotang began his vacation mode in the hospital room. He propped his laptop on the small table and watched a recent cheesy soap opera, giggling foolishly in his single room. He kept popping potato chips into his mouth, followed by a sip of his happy water. The feeling was truly amazing.

He wondered if the news of his differentiation into an Omega had spread in his class. Thinking back to his young master temper in high school, there were naturally quite a few people who didn’t like him. Jiang Ruotang couldn’t be bothered to care. According to the stories Jian Sha used to tell, the tricks they could play were all the same old ones. Having been through all sorts of storms in reality, would Jiang Ruotang be afraid of them?

Before he knew it, an episode of the soap opera was over. Jiang Ruotang checked the time. Sister Juan would probably be here with his dinner in another half hour.

Jiang Ruotang crossed his legs, stared at the ceiling, and hummed an off-key version of the soap opera’s opening theme.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door. Jiang Ruotang turned his head and casually called out, “Come in.”

Who knew that when the door pushed open, it wasn’t Sister Juan, but Lu Guifan, dressed in a school uniform, his emotions hidden behind a pair of thick, heavy black-framed glasses.

Jiang Ruotang froze for a moment and quickly uncrossed his legs, only to knock them against the small table, causing tears to well up in his eyes.

“Gui…” He almost called him “Guifan,” but they shouldn’t be that close at this point. Jiang Ruotang immediately corrected himself, “Class President, what are you doing here?”

“To see how you are. Can I… come in?” Lu Guifan glanced around the room and saw that Jiang Ruotang was alone. He didn’t step forward, his feet lingering at the doorway.

“Huh? Come on in, why can’t you come in?” Jiang Ruotang was thrilled. He was seeing the eighteen-year-old Lu Guifan again!

Lu Guifan visibly paused for two or three seconds before walking to the bedside, pulling up a chair, and sitting down. Lowering his eyes, he could see the evidence of Jiang Ruotang’s snack feast on the small table.

He pushed up his glasses before saying, “I’m sorry.”

“Huh? Sorry for what?” Jiang Ruotang was opening a new can of potato chips, remembering that Lu Guifan liked this vegetable flavor.

“I should have let you rest for a bit. If we hadn’t played badminton for so long, you might not have fainted.”

Although his voice sounded much younger than in reality, with a more pronounced coldness, it was still Jiang Ruotang’s favorite voice.

“Huh? It wasn’t the fainting that caused the differentiation. And what’s wrong with exercising? Even if I’ve differentiated into an Omega, playing badminton regularly can make me a healthy Omega, right?”

Lu Guifan was taken aback and only spoke after a long pause. “You… differentiated into an Omega?”

Jiang Ruotang was also stunned. He leaned in, trying to see through the thick lenses into his eyes as he asked, “You… didn’t you know?”

“I didn’t know. And… no one in class should know either,” Lu Guifan replied.

It seemed his dad was quite considerate of his pride and hadn’t told the class teacher about his differentiation… which was good.

Jiang Ruotang extended his hand toward Lu Guifan. “Then pinky swear. Unless I say so myself, you can’t tell anyone else that I’m an Omega.”

“Okay. But the scent of pheromones can’t be hidden. It seems you… don’t know how to control your pheromones yet. I’m afraid other classmates will sense it as soon as class starts,” Lu Guifan replied.

“You can smell my pheromones?” Jiang Ruotang’s eyes widened in disbelief. He even lifted his arm and pulled his collar open to sniff inside. He couldn’t smell anything other than the scent of his family’s laundry detergent. Could his pheromone scent be the same as laundry detergent? Longyan grass?

Lu Guifan suddenly reached out and held the back of Jiang Ruotang’s hand, pushing his collar back down in the process. “You’ve just differentiated, so you’re not sensitive to your own pheromones.”

“Then what do my pheromones smell like? Please don’t let it be something like milk candy, or some floral scent…” In the ABO novels Jian Sha had mentioned, the little Omegas often had these scents, which either made people hungry or made them feel protective.

“It’s the smell of mint,” Lu Guifan said, then added after a pause, “Actually, the whole room smells of mint right now.”

“Huh?” Jiang Ruotang’s face fell in disappointment. “So do you feel like chewing gum right now?”

Lu Guifan shook his head. “Chewing gum uses spearmint. Your scent is different.”

“Then what is it like?”

Lu Guifan closed his eyes as if carefully sensing something. After a long while, he said, “Besides the clear, refreshing fragrance, there’s also a hint of apple. It should be apple mint.”

“There’s that kind of mint too?”

Jiang Ruotang couldn’t resist searching for it on his laptop and saw the description for apple mint. The leaves of this mint were round, suitable for making fruit tea and decorating desserts. It also had some medicinal properties, apparently good for the liver and lungs. Reading this, Jiang Ruotang was relieved. At least it was a useful herb.

The next second, Jiang Ruotang leaned toward Lu Guifan, his face almost crashing into the other’s chest.

Lu Guifan froze completely, his shoulders and back instantly tensing. He leaned back, his back pressing against the chair. Looking down, he could see the soft crown of Jiang Ruotang’s head, his nose sniffing around his chest. And that scent of apple mint was like a soft net, pulling Lu Guifan into a heart-pounding abyss.

“What… are you doing?” Lu Guifan’s one hand gripped the edge of the chair, while the other rose, wanting to push Jiang Ruotang away, but ultimately kept its distance without touching him.

“I’m smelling your pheromones! What do you smell like? How come I can’t smell anything?”

Lu Guifan took a deep breath, and only then did his palm press against Jiang Ruotang’s forehead, helplessly pushing him away.

“If everyone could smell each other’s pheromones so easily, wouldn’t it be chaos?”

So Lu Guifan had suppressed his own pheromone scent.

“That’s not fair. Why can you smell my pheromones, but I can’t smell yours at all? Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and pheromones should be the same!”

Lu Guifan sighed. “The laws of mechanics don’t apply like that.”

“So what’s your scent? Don’t be stingy, let out a little for me to smell!”

Lu Guifan’s gaze flickered to the “Omega Differentiation Handbook” on the bedside table. “I suggest you study up on Omega knowledge tonight.”

Jiang Ruotang gave up completely and lay back on his pillow. “As if I’m the studying type.”

The room fell silent again. Lu Guifan was quiet for about half a minute before he finally started explaining, “If you think of pheromones as a language, an Alpha actively releasing pheromones to an Omega is equivalent to a confession or a hint.”

Jiang Ruotang tilted his head to look at the serious Lu Guifan and found it increasingly amusing. “Well, you’ve heard my hint, so why don’t you hint back at me?”

“Jiang Ruotang, pheromones can also induce heat.”

Lu Guifan thought he had dropped a bomb, but he didn’t expect Jiang Ruotang to feel no danger at all. Instead, he looked at him with great interest.

“Really? It’s that powerful?” That was too interesting! With Lu Guifan being so serious, Jiang Ruotang really wanted to be “induced” by him!

“Jiang Ruotang.” Lu Guifan’s voice dropped a few notches, indicating that what he was about to say was very serious.

“Don’t call me by my full name. It sounds like we’re breaking up.”

Jiang Ruotang could see Lu Guifan’s brow furrow. Hahaha, this guy must think he wasn’t being serious enough.

“Your sudden differentiation today was very likely because of me.”

“Huh?”

Now that sounded more like a bomb.

Jiang Ruotang shot upright and looked at him. “Why because of me? Can your pheromones turn a beta into an alpha? That’s amazing.”

“I’m in my susceptible period. I might not have sprayed enough inhibitor, and my pheromones were released while we were playing ball together. Your differentiation would have been slower, not so uncomfortable, and you wouldn’t have needed to be hospitalized. But because of my pheromone’s inducement… your differentiation was accelerated… and then the scent you released made me lose control, and I enveloped you with my pheromones. That’s why the other students didn’t smell your scent, and they might have mistaken my pheromones for yours.”

This was Lu Guifan’s personality. Even if the truth was not in his favor, he would still choose to speak it. He lowered his head slightly, as if awaiting judgment from Jiang Ruotang. This was his first-ever loss of control since differentiating into an alpha. It was probably because the way Jiang Ruotang played badminton was so agile that it sparked a desire to capture him, leading to such a mistake. He had offended Jiang Ruotang with his pheromones.

“Oh! So since we’re already so close, you’re still not willing to let me smell a little of your pheromones?”

Lu Guifan froze. Jiang Ruotang’s reaction was completely unexpected.

“You really want to smell them?”

“Of course I do.”

Lu Guifan suddenly reached out and covered Jiang Ruotang’s eyes. Those eyes were too clear and frank; being watched by them, he couldn’t release them at all.

“Why are you covering my eyes?” Jiang Ruotang raised his hand to grab Lu Guifan’s wrist.

At that moment, a deep, rich scent drifted through the air, distant and long-lasting. All of Jiang Ruotang’s senses sank into it, but the scent quickly vanished.

Just then, Lu Guifan’s hand moved away. He saw Jiang Ruotang with his eyes closed, looking very serious.

“Why is it gone?” Jiang Ruotang asked, dissatisfied.

Lu Guifan replied, “Do you want to go into heat and faint again?”

“But I just felt soothed after smelling it, and I wanted to chase after it… What scent was that? It couldn’t be cedarwood, could it?” Jiang Ruotang vaguely remembered Jian Sha saying that cedarwood was a common scent for high-quality alphas in novels.

“It’s the scent of cliff cypress wood,” Lu Guifan answered.

“Oh…” Jiang Ruotang silently memorized it. The name sounded like a cypress tree growing on a cliff, giving a feeling of loneliness.

“I heard from Teacher Song that you’ve taken a week of sick leave. Can you… still keep up with your schoolwork?”

“I can’t,” Jiang Ruotang said casually, still pondering the scent of cliff cypress. “You’ll help me catch up anyway.”

Lu Guifan sighed imperceptibly, as if all the information he had just given Jiang Ruotang had gone in one ear and out the other.

“I’m an alpha.”

“I know, you’re an alpha, I’m an omega. The Qing Dynasty fell ages ago, are you trying to tell me that Alphas and Omegas are different and can’t be in the same room?” Jiang Ruotang waved his hand dismissively, then thought of something else. “Right, you also have to teach me how to control my pheromones like you do.”

“I forgot, your father is a beta.”

Oh, thank you, I didn’t even know my father was a beta.

“Since you’re the one who induced my differentiation, my studies and my pheromone control are all up to you now, Guifan.”

Jiang Ruotang deliberately paused, not calling him “Class President,” but using his given name.

Lu Guifan’s face showed no expression, but his fingertips resting on his knees twitched as if shocked by electricity.

After a long moment, he finally responded, “Alright.”

A while later, Sister Juan came to deliver dinner. She was very enthusiastic upon seeing Lu Guifan, thanking him once again for bringing Jiang Ruotang to the hospital.

“Class President, you probably haven’t had dinner yet, right? Eat with me,” Jiang Ruotang invited with a smile as he laid out the dishes on the small table.

“This is for you to recover…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Ruotang leaned close to Lu Guifan’s ear again and whispered, “I’ve been eating snacks all afternoon! I can’t eat much at all. Besides, Sister Juan treats me like a little pig, I can’t possibly finish all this food she brought!”

Lu Guifan only felt his ear become warm and itchy. The stream of air carried the undisguised scent of apple mint, so sweet and clear it felt like it had seized his heart.