Chapter 49.1

He Xiezhou shivered while scrolling down the post, biting his lip tightly. His lips were dry and cracked, and his arm shook involuntarily.

It’s over…

Why does Jiang Zhihuo have a video, and why is he slowly releasing it in this way?

Each seventeen-second short video felt like a dull blade scraping against the skin, bringing a sore, aching pain that kept coming back and hurting again and again.

At this moment, He Xiezhou felt only one thing—regret!

So much regret!

Even getting ambushed and beaten up in a narrow alley back then wouldn’t have made him feel this much regret!

Why would he be so reckless as to try and take revenge on Jiang Zhihuo? Ever since Jiang was stubborn at the Academic Affairs Office, refusing to admit his mistakes and even throwing out a recording, he should have known this person wasn’t someone to mess with! He couldn’t afford to provoke him again!

No, no…

He Xiezhou buried his head low, let out a furious roar, then suddenly lifted his head.

It was just a treatment! Only a few extra words were said! He had already been expelled from No. 9 Junior High School, so why keep pushing him!!

Just as He Xiezhou collapsed, the post was updated again, with the latest comment from Tang Anmiao.

Since Jiang Zhihuo being an omega had already been exposed, an explanation must be given.

Instead of explaining the situation in a boring way and then facing the question, “Why didn’t you tell us from the start?” with no good answer, it’s better to find a similar event to relate to.

People usually focus more on flashy events, so they become more willing to accept other things.

He Xiezhou was the standout event in the whole series of incidents.

When it came to ‘O pretending to be A,’ things like school bullying, ‘curing homosexuality,’ and smear attacks were clearly more serious, more emotional, and more likely to get people’s sympathy and understanding.

Building on this foundation, the whole story shouldn’t have been told by Jiang Zhihuo, but by someone else who was also aware of the situation. Tang Anmiao was the best choice.

After the midterm exam, during the incident of the omega’s unexpected estrus, everyone was curious about who that omega was. But Tang Anmiao stayed quiet, which made her the most trustworthy person to tell the story.

When Tang Anmiao asked Yan Mu why she was the one to speak, Yan Mu gave a long explanation based on theory and sent over the first draft. Tang Anmiao blinked and looked at Yan Mu. “God Yan.”

Yan Mu: “?”

“I really think you and Huo-ge make a great match,” Tang Anmiao said earnestly. “Back during Director Feng’s incident, Huo-ge was able to deduce so much from only a few pages of reports. I thought he was incredibly amazing, and now I think you’re incredibly amazing too.”

Yan Mu quietly looked at her for a moment. “Is that so?”

Being stared at so seriously by the God of Learning Yan made Tang Anmiao a bit nervous; after all, saying he and another boy were a good match in front of him wasn’t very polite.

She spoke too soon. It seemed Huo-ge had a boyfriend… The recording on the forum was fake, but those photos were real.

Tang Anmiao lightly tapped her mouth a few times and said apologetically, “Ah, sorry, God Yan. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’ll revise this draft and get it published.”

After speaking, she lowered her head and carefully revised the draft word by word.

Yan Mu sent a very official, impeccably worded explanation, but it didn’t match her personality. Tang Anmiao adjusted some sentences to fit her usual tone.

While she was revising it seriously, Yan Mu suddenly asked, “Really a great match?”

Mhm?

Tang Anmiao’s fingers paused.

What does God Yan mean by that?

Not opposed to shipping CP?

Before the CP pairing thread appeared, did God Yan know that Huo-ge had a boyfriend?

The moment she saw the photos on the forum, Tang Anmiao couldn’t help but wonder if another guy could be God Yan. But with God Yan’s face, it was clear he was like a rare flower on a high peak—a stoic male god. As long as he lived, he could remain single for ages, devoted solely to academia. No matter how you looked at it, he didn’t seem like someone who would date or be involved in same-sex relationships.

Tang Anmiao thought it over again and again, wanting to ask but too afraid, hesitating multiple times. She had almost decided to give up, but then changed her mind—if she didn’t ask now, she might never get another chance to sit in front of God Yan like this. She couldn’t let the opportunity slip away!

“Um, God Yan, it’s just that…” Tang Anmiao stammered, being very cautious, “Do you know who the other person in the photo is?”

Yan Mu was replying to messages as the relay race was about to start. When Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t find him, he tagged him in the group chat.

Hearing Tang Anmiao’s question, Yan Mu didn’t look up, typing as he said, “It’s me.”

Tang Anmiao widened her eyes. “…….”

Tang Anmiao’s eyes widened to the maximum. “………………”

Tang Anmiao trembled all over. “Wah!!!!”

Huo-ge and God Yan!!!

Wah!!!

Knowing the secret of the two, Tang Anmiao was shaking so much that the table was rattling. Yan Mu asked, “Are you alright?”

“It’s nothing!!” Tang Anmiao bit her lower lip hard, afraid she would scream.

No wonder God Yan knew that Huo-ge was an omega from the very beginning!

No wonder God Yan shouted, “My Omega is inside!” back then!

No wonder God Yan is the only one who knows how to suppress Huo-ge‘s estrus!

No wonder the CP posts in the forum haven’t been deleted until now!

No wonder! No wonder!!

The ship is REAL!!!

Tang Anmiao’s expression was really too strange. 

Yan Mu: “?”

“It’s nothing! It’s nothing!” Tang Anmiao wanted to stomp her foot, but that would be too abrupt, so instead she tapped her toes rapidly on the ground.

“God Yan, you two are together, right?! Make sure you take good care of each other! And you have to get Huo-ge to study hard! Because if one is at Peking University and the other is in the Peking University Bluebird program¹[T/N: Likely a reference to a special program or a less prestigious branch.], then the MuHuo ship won’t be that impressive anymore!”

Yan Mu didn’t argue back; he simply said, “I’m still pursuing him.”

Tang Anmiao: “!”

Still pursuing?

She! Found! Out! Some! Huge! Gossip! Again!

“Yan-ge! The competition’s about to start!” Just then, Jiang Zhihuo rushed through the cafeteria doors, heading straight for Yan Mu. He put an arm around Yan Mu’s neck. “Oh, Anmiao, you’re here too… Are you okay? Why is your face so red?”

Tang Anmiao wanted to say, ‘I’m fine! It’s just that holding back my screams made me feel suffocated!’

But she couldn’t say it! All she could do was hold it in!

How could she ruin the unspoken, beautiful understanding between the two of them?!

“It’s okay,” Tang Anmiao typed a few words haphazardly on her phone. “You guys go ahead. God Yan just gave me a draft, I’ll revise it and send it out.”

“Thank you so much!” Jiang Zhihuo flashed a big smile. “I’ll treat you to bubble tea after the competition! We’re heading over now!”

“Mhm, good.” Tang Anmiao gave a polite smile, waved at both of them, and then kept her eyes on their retreating backs.

Jiang Zhihuo kept his arm around Yan Mu’s neck as they walked out of the cafeteria together. Yan Mu patted his hand, signaling him to take it down, but Jiang Zhihuo didn’t let go. The more Yan Mu patted, the tighter Jiang Zhihuo held on. Finally, Yan Mu couldn’t stand it anymore and pinched the back of Jiang Zhihuo’s neck. That made him instantly behave; he let go of his arm obediently, and the two of them walked on side by side.

Tang Anmiao: “!!!!”

It was all perfectly normal—completely natural actions!

Boys will be boys! Hooking arms like that is totally normal!

But those two! Standing together like that is such a beautiful sight to see!!!

Reason told Tang Anmiao that knew the secret between God Yan and Huo-ge; she couldn’t make the CP real, and she couldn’t tell anyone.

Three seconds later.

Tang Anmiao exited document editing and jumped into the close friends group chat.

Morning Meow: Ahhhhhh my god, I’m about to go crazy!!!

Morning Meow: I’ve discovered a huge secret!!

Morning Meow: But my lips are sealed, I can’t say, I can only scream!!!

*

Five minutes later, the forum.

Tang Anmiao: I only learned about Huo-ge being an omega recently.

Everyone at No. 1 High School knows about Director Feng’s incident. I almost became a victim myself, but it was Huo-ge and the God of Learning Yan who saved me.

At that time, I saw two alphas in front of me and felt very scared. However, Huo-ge told me that he was an omega.

I was shocked at first too. Later I learned that there’s a possibility of secondary differentiation from A to O.

At the beginning, Huo-ge was an alpha, and everyone was testing together, so the results were visible to all.

But surprisingly, he underwent secondary differentiation some time ago. The process of secondary differentiation was very painful, and most people wouldn’t believe it if you told them.

I knew it from the start, but I didn’t say anything because I felt it was a private matter. Regardless of his secondary gender, Huo-ge is still Huo-ge. Are you telling me everyone’s suddenly going to ostracize him because he differentiated into an omega?

Moreover, Huo-ge has never lied to anyone. At that time, many people were asking who the omega in the midterm exam incident was, and Huo-ge said it was him, but no one believed it.

I don’t agree with He Xiezhou, a student from another school, stirring up trouble, nor do I agree with other people’s judgment of Huo-ge.

It’s just secondary differentiation, not the so-called O pretending to be an A.

When he was an alpha, he never used that identity to pressure anyone, and as an omega, he never acted weak. We all know who Huo-ge truly is. Most of those jumping around in the forum are students from other schools being led by the rhythm. I hope everyone won’t be swayed by these distractions.

This speech was comprehensive, explaining each point clearly while subtly expressing opinions, leading to a new direction—

Second differentiation was not a mistake. Secondary gender was a private matter and shouldn’t be overemphasized. Using it as a basis to judge someone was simply unacceptable.

Having posted that message, Tang Anmiao didn’t look at the forum again, and dashed towards the sports field.

The third senior year 8x100m relay was the first event of the afternoon. The participants gathered at the check-in area, where the team captain was responsible for doing a headcount. Once everyone was present, they lined up in order of their leg number at the starting line.

The track was 400 meters with one inner lane and one outer lane. Eight runners had to complete two laps, and within each team, two members shared the same baton exchange point.

The referee leading the team raised a small flag on the sidelines, and team after team marched onto the field.

The relay strategy for Jiang Zhihe’s team involved pairing one male and one female runner. Since the female runners’ speed was slower, any gap they created was made up by the male runners, which ultimately set up Huo-ge, the team’s strongest runner, to finish the race.

Therefore, Jiang Zhihuo and Yan Mu were positioned at the eighth and fourth relay legs, respectively, starting from the same point.

Even though the competition was still in the preparation stage, the stands were already packed. This wasn’t only because of the two incredibly handsome school popular guys from No.1 High School, but also because He Xiezhou was participating in the relay race.

Having spent too much time on the forum gossiping, they were also curious about what this He Xiezhou, who was smearing mud on someone, actually looked like.

“The fourth and eighth runners line up and follow me.” The referee blew the whistle, raised the flag, and led the team to the starting point.

“1, 2, 3!”

“Go, Huo-ge! Go, God Yan!!!” The girls in the stands shouted in unison.

Yan Mu didn’t react much, only turning his head for a brief glance. The girls started screaming. Jiang Zhihuo, being rather showy, straightened the knuckles of his right hand into a gun shape and playfully ‘shot’ at the girls.

The confident boy looked especially cocky and undeniably attractive as he did that, causing the girls to swoon instantly, clutching their chests and stepping back.

The team was moving forward when Yan Mu reminded, “Let’s go.”

“Coming, coming.” Jiang Zhihuo turned around, his movements so hasty that his shoulder bumped into someone walking next to him. Before he could even say sorry, he saw the bloodless He Xiezhou. “Why do you have that video?!”

Jiang Zhihuo: “?”

Is there something off with this person’s thinking? Is now really the time to be worrying about the video?

Jiang Zihuo retorted, “You stole my recording; can’t I keep a video of you? Did you think I wouldn’t be wary of someone like you?”

He Xiezhou wanted to take action, but there were too many people around, so he could only hold back and said angrily, “What are you trying to do? What do you really want?!”

Jiang Zhihuo thought to herself, ‘How would I know? This question shouldn’t be directed at me; you should be asking Yan-ge.’

Seeing He Xiezhou in such a distraught and mentally broken state, Jiang Zhihuo didn’t mind twisting the knife a little further. “You can look forward to it.”

He Xiezhou’s mentality completely collapsed, and he cursed under his breath, “Damn it,” as he walked alone to the front of the line.

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  [T/N: Likely a reference to a special program or a less prestigious branch.]