Avoidance

No one could clearly explain what was happening.

When it came to the engagement, both Wu Qie and Zhao Shu thought it was nonsense.

Yet strangely, on the very day this relationship was publicly announced, neither of them avoided the topic.

Everything simply unfolded as if it were natural.

As if people didn’t already have enough to gossip about.

Early in the morning, Zhao Shu from Class F walked through the corridors carrying a huge stack of geography workbooks.

His face was sour.

Like a door guardian, he followed closely behind the previously invisible geography teacher, Teacher Wu, patiently helping him distribute the books to different classes.

They moved through the hallway in full view of everyone.

Whenever someone familiar with Zhao Shu passed by, they would grin and tease,

“Oh wow, so affectionate this early in the morning!”

Amid the playful laughter, Teacher Wu barely managed to keep a blank expression.

Zhao Shu, however, remained calm.

To every teasing voice, he answered coolly,

“Affectionate my ass. Get lost.”

When they finally reached Class F, Zhao Shu placed the last stack of workbooks on the podium.

He turned around, about to ask Wu Qie whether he should call the class representative to distribute them.

But when he looked up—

Wu Qie already had one foot out the classroom door.

Zhao Shu: “…”

He raised an eyebrow and called out to him.

The black-haired Beta reluctantly turned back.

“What’s the hurry?” Zhao Shu asked.

“It’s not like there’s a ghost in Class F waiting to stab you.”

At that moment, every student in the classroom stared brightly at Teacher Wu standing by the door.

Wu Qie’s gaze moved around the room.

Finally it stopped on the last row—

Lin Zuwen.

The slender Omega had just finished differentiation and still looked pale and weak.

He sat quietly in the corner writing something.

He was the only person who hadn’t looked up.

Wu Qie said,

“I have another class with your class later.”

“My lesson plan is still in the office.”

“And… thanks for helping me carry the books earlier.”

It was a completely normal sentence.

But the classroom immediately exploded with howling and teasing again.

Zhao Shu stared at Wu Qie’s face.

The Beta was trying very hard to stay expressionless.

But his neck slowly turned red.

The redness spread from the base of his throat all the way to the top of his head.

Zhao Shu gave a quiet, ambiguous chuckle.

Then he tapped the stack of books beside him.

“Are we distributing these or not?”

Wu Qie nodded randomly.

Then turned and fled the classroom.

The noise behind him still hadn’t stopped.

Zhao Shu stared at Wu Qie’s hurried retreating figure.

Then he thought for a moment—

And followed.

The moment he stepped forward, the class erupted like a primitive tribe banging desks.

Outside in the hallway, Wu Qie heard the noise and wished he could cover his ears.

But the Alpha behind him clearly thrived in chaos.

He caught up easily.

Hooking his arm behind Wu Qie’s neck, he leaned close and asked,

“Training again this afternoon?”

Wu Qie just wanted him to go away.

He gave a vague “Mm.”

Then muttered,

“Stop following me.”

Zhao Shu almost cursed him.

He had helped carry books and now he wasn’t even allowed to follow?

But when he turned his head—

The classroom windows were filled with faces watching them excitedly.

Zhao Shu had no interest in being treated like a zoo animal.

Since he had already gotten the answer he wanted, he stopped walking and went back.

When he returned to his seat, everyone immediately surrounded him asking about Wu Qie.

Their curiosity was even stronger than when they had asked about Lin Zuwen the day before.

When Zhao Shu reached his desk, he noticed Lin Zuwen had stopped writing.

The Omega’s body still hadn’t fully stabilized after differentiation.

His pheromones were unstable.

He couldn’t sleep well.

He barely had an appetite.

He looked thinner than before.

Half his body was buried in his desk drawer.

Zhao Shu asked what he was doing.

Lin Zuwen didn’t answer.

Standing there for a while, Zhao Shu realized he was packing his things.

One by one he took items from the drawer and placed them into his bag.

When the drawer was empty, Lin Zuwen stood up and looked up at Zhao Shu.

“I’m changing seats.”

Zhao Shu stared at him.

Changing seats?

Why?

Under Zhao Shu’s intense gaze, Lin Zuwen nervously fiddled with his bag strap.

The entire class was watching them again.

Lin Zuwen lowered his head.

“I know about you and Teacher Wu now.”

“If I keep sitting next to you… it might be inconvenient.”

He paused.

Then gave a short, awkward laugh.

His pale face turned even paler.

“Shouldn’t we… avoid suspicion?”

When he finished speaking, everyone noticed Zhao Shu’s expression change.

When he came back from the hallway, Zhao Shu had seemed relaxed.

But now his face slowly turned blank.

A silent pressure filled the room.

“Avoid suspicion?”

Zhao Shu asked calmly.

This wasn’t some melodramatic high school drama.

No one in the class had bullied Lin Zuwen.

Yes, Zhao Shu’s engagement news had spread partly because Lin Zuwen had come to school carrying Zhao Shu’s pheromone scent the day before.

But no one mocked him openly.

This was Hongtie High School.

The students here had complicated backgrounds.

That made them difficult to control.

But it also meant they knew what not to say.

Privately, people might whisper about whether the Lin family had their own plans.

But no one would say it to Lin Zuwen’s face.

The Lin family wasn’t small either.

No one wanted to offend them.

Lin Zuwen clearly regretted coming to school today.

Without saying anything more, he picked up his bag.

He looked toward an empty seat in the corner of the classroom.

Zhao Shu frowned.

Instinctively he grabbed Lin Zuwen’s bag strap and lifted him like a kitten.

And in that moment—

Zhao Shu noticed a strange smell.

It wasn’t the mix of agave leaf and tequila pheromones from yesterday.

Instead—

It was something familiar.

A cheap lemon scent.

The same supermarket pheromone deodorizer Zhao Guipu had forced him to use recently.

Lin Zuwen must have sprayed it lightly.

Probably bought it on the way to school.

The lemon smell was faint but still present.

It masked Zhao Shu’s pheromones perfectly.

“You—”

Lin Zuwen’s face suddenly turned red.

“Let go.”

He tried to pull his bag away.

Zhao Shu tightened his grip.

Looking down at the Omega who seemed ready to cry, he wanted to say—

There was no need.

No one in the classroom dared to speak.

Lin Zuwen’s breathing became faster.

The sweet agave scent from his unstable pheromones leaked faintly through the anti-bite collar.

Several Alphas in the classroom stepped back.

Zhao Shu smelled it too.

He frowned even deeper.

“You can’t change seats like this.”

“Either go home—”

Before he finished speaking—

Someone behind him suddenly said,

“Teacher Wu!”

Zhao Shu froze.

The words stuck in his throat.

At the same moment his hand loosened.

Lin Zuwen had been pulling against him.

When Zhao Shu released the bag suddenly, the Omega stumbled backward and slammed into the wall.

He gasped in pain.

But Zhao Shu wasn’t looking at him anymore.

He had turned toward the front of the classroom.

Wu Qie had just entered.

He was carrying a pile of teaching materials and a large globe.

Seeing the strange atmosphere, he paused in confusion at the door.

“What’s going on?”

No one answered.

After about ten seconds, Lin Zuwen saw Zhao Shu step aside.

The path in front of him cleared.

Zhao Shu said calmly,

“If you insist.”

Lin Zuwen forced a smile.

His voice trembled.

“Okay.”

He picked up his bag.

And walked away from Zhao Shu’s side.