PSWHNC CH2

Chapter 2 Absolutely Pure 

It was actually  him.

In an instant, Luo Zhiyu understood the meaning behind that series of ‘frowning fairy’ from yesterday.

Whenever Luo Zhiyu saw Xiao Yan, it was like stepping onto the grand stage of Zaun. The first thing he would say was never the other’s name, but ‘Your mom^[1]!’

It was instinct, always faster than thought, and this time was no exception.

Luo Zhiyu got angry looking at that person’s gloating smirk. “Your mo—”

Before the last syllable left his lips, Xiao Yan quickly reached out and pressed the mute button on the microphone in front of Luo Zhiyu.

A row of school administrators: “……”

Opening with ‘I’m your mom’ was far too shocking. The entire student body packed into No. 1 High’s auditorium erupted. Some students even laughed out loud.

Principal Zhang cleared his throat twice before the hall gradually quieted down.

“Schoolmate, you said it yourself, we should be united and friendly,” Xiao Yan said, nodding to the principal opposite him. He turned Luo Zhiyu’s mic back on, signaling with his eyes for him to continue.

A slanted band-aid still clung beneath his right eye, a masterpiece Luo Zhiyu had left him during their group fight two days earlier.

Luo Zhiyu rolled his eyes at Xiao Yan, finally remembered his own name, and continued his opening speech.

“I’m Luo Zhiyu from Class 1-3, one of this year’s new students.”

Never in his life had he imagined that the person he’d been fighting with since childhood would end up not only attending the same high school but also being selected, like him, as an excellent student representative.

His rival was just as excellent as he was.

The new student’s speech was only three minutes long. Reading from a script was too conventional and didn’t align with Luo Zhiyu’s philosophy. If he was going to speak, he’d do it off the cuff.

If Xiao Yan hadn’t appeared in the seat next to him, he probably would have already been leading all the new students in looking forward to the future, under the approving gazes of the teachers.

But now—

“The reason I’m standing here is because of my high school entrance exam scores.” Although he was addressing the entire student body, every word was clearly aimed at Xiao Yan. He picked up the paper cup on the table, took a slow sip of tea, nodded slightly, fully committing to the act, and finally finished his sentence with deliberate pause. “They were very high.”

Xiao Yan: “……”

Having the top scorer deliver the speech was an unspoken rule at the school, but Luo Zhiyu was the first to openly point it out.

Qiu Yi, the homeroom teacher of Class 1-3, stared at the stage in disbelief. The same Luo Zhiyu who had sounded completely normal on the phone yesterday was now unleashing an overwhelming presence at the podium.

The usual speech format was to start with modesty, then talk about the future, and end with encouragement. But after seeing Xiao Yan, Luo Zhiyu took matters into his own hands and skipped the modesty altogether.

The students in the auditorium were ready to throw hands.

“It’s him. Luo Zhiyu. That insufferable tone is definitely him.”

“No way!”

“I never should’ve let his face fool me, huhuhu.”

“As an underachiever, I feel personally attacked.”

“Shhh.” And this guy even had the nerve to complain about the noise, raising a finger to his lips to signal for silence.

“You might think I’m showing off,” Luo Zhiyu said, turning to Xiao Yan, “but every word I’ve said is true.”

He finished, “That concludes my speech. I hope everyone has an enjoyable high school experience.”

Only then did a few scattered applause come from the audience.

Xiao Yan chuckled and clapped his hands twice. Under Luo Zhiyu’s withering glare, he said matter-of-factly, “Unity and friendship, the motto of No. 1 High.”

“As the second-year student representative, I’m honored to be here,” Xiao Yan began, his opening similar to Luo Zhiyu’s. But as his speech went on, he also began to ad-lib. “Since we’re now at No. 1 High School, we have to keep working hard. After all, who knows who’ll be sitting in my spot next year?”

“Lastly,” Xiao Yan turned to look at Luo Zhiyu on his right, “on behalf of all second-year students, I’d like to welcome the first-year kids.”

The principal was pleased to see students competing academically, but Luo Zhiyu wasn’t. He had been made a fool of by Xiao Yan all day yesterday.

Luo Zhiyu, the ‘first-year kid,’ glared at Xiao Yan, grinding his teeth quietly. “Don’t let me catch you again.”

“Can’t promise that,” Xiao Yan replied as he stepped down from the stage and headed backstage with a few student council members.

“The little tyrant of the Luo family really does lose his temper the moment he sees you.” Fan Yue, an alpha, was well-acquainted with Xiao Yan, so he was familiar with the long-standing ‘feud’ between him and Luo Zhiyu.

Xiao Yan thought of their conversation from yesterday and still found it hilarious.

“Why do you keep provoking him?” Fan Yue asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

“He came looking for it himself this time,” Xiao Yan said. “I even warned him.”

Xiao Yan handed his phone to Fan Yue. “Don’t you think it’s fun seeing him exploding at the slightest touch? Look.”

On his WeChat screen was a string of messages Luo Zhiyu had just sent.

[Not Zhile]: frowning fairy.jpg

[Not Zhile]: You’re not human.

[Not Zhile]: I should’ve known it was you.

[Not Zhile]: You’ve been a bad egg since we were kids.

[Not Zhile]: spitting.jpg

[???]: Luo Zhiyu, we’re going to be at the same school now, so we’re bound to see each other all the time. How about a truce?

[Not Zhile]: Piss off. Who wants to see you all the time?

[Not Zhile]: gonna smack you to death with a poop scooper.jpg

[Not Zhile]: I swear I’ll stay as far away from you as possible.

The two top dogs’ fierce words at the opening ceremony caught the attention of the city newspaper reporter. Delighted by the scoop, they tapped into their journalistic instincts and churned out a fresh article by noon.

【Follow-up Report: The students surnamed Luo and Xiao, previously reported to have 0% pheromone compatibility, appeared together at No. 1 High’s opening ceremony. Netizens: 0% destiny.】

The opening ceremony ended to a round of applause from the entire student body. That afternoon, the campus forum featured a write-up about the event, along with several new posts.

【Thoughts on this year’s opening ceremony?】

1L: What do you all think?

2L: Sending nonstop support to Luo Zhiyu of Class 1-3!

3L: Luo Zhiyu was seriously badass, hahaha! This ceremony deserves to go down in school history. My blind guess is he wanted to curse out Xiao Yan but was cut off by the campus heartthrob.

4L: Saw the photo in the city paper. Xiao Yan and Luo Zhiyu sitting together looked so good. Kinda want to ship them.

5L: @4L, no way that’s happening. They’ve got 0% pheromone compatibility and clearly can’t stand each other. From the front row, it looked like they were about to throw hands on stage.

6L: Exactly, exactly, just give up. Anyone else might date, but not them. You have to believe in science.

7L: Wait, Luo Zhiyu’s an omega? Does that mean I have a shot?

8L: I think you guys don’t really know him……

9L: Can’t wait to see what happens at next year’s opening ceremony.

Luo Zhiyu sat on the auditorium steps, zoning out. Jing Ximing hadn’t come to the ceremony. He wasn’t feeling well that morning and was now resting in the dorm, asking Luo Zhiyu to bring him lunch.

[Qiangtoucao/Fencesitter]: Gotta give you my full respect. You rose to fame so fast.

[Not Zhile]: frowning fairy.jpg. I blame my own excellence.

[Qiangtoucao/Fencesitter]: Lunch is on you. I’m covered in pheromones right now, so it’s not really convenient for me to go out.

[Not Zhile]: Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to get you the best food. I’ve already gathered intel on the canteen tiny confident dino.jpg. 

[Not Zhile]: I’m gonna change into my training uniform first. The size isn’t quite right. Then I’ll head to the cafeteria.

At No. 1 High, it was tradition for all new freshmen to undergo a week of military training before classes officially started. Luo Zhiyu had received his uniform the week before but hadn’t had a chance to try it on. It wasn’t until yesterday that he realized he’d gotten the wrong size.

He made his way to the student activities office and knocked on the door. A teacher he didn’t recognize opened it.

“You’re here to exchange your uniform? We’re out of spares,” the teacher said, barely looking up from the form he was filling out. “Go to that room over there. The student council kids will take your measurements. They’ll figure out what size you need and make a note of it so you don’t have to come back again.”

“Can I measure myself?” Luo Zhiyu asked.

“Not very accurate if you do it yourself,” the teacher replied. “There are a few second-year students over there with nothing to do. Let them handle it.”

Luo Zhiyu took the measuring tape from the teacher and headed to the designated room. He pushed the door open.

Among a room full of blue-and-white school uniforms, a figure in red-and-white entered. The five alpha students inside, each holding a cup of instant noodles, clearly hadn’t expected anyone to walk in at that hour. All ten eyes blinked, staring at Luo Zhiyu, who had just become famous at the opening ceremony.

“Omega?” The student in front suddenly remembered this big shot’s personal information.

“Yeah.” Luo Zhiyu nodded and gave the measuring tape a shake. “Who’s doing it?”

“Wouldn’t really be appropriate for us…” Fan Yue looked a bit awkward. This newly differentiated young master didn’t seem to understand the distinction between alphas and omegas.

“The senior girls all went to lunch, and there’s no one else here… How about—” another alpha suddenly had an idea and shouted toward the inner room, “Xiao Yan, come help with something!”

“Right! Why didn’t I think of that?” Fan Yue smacked the table. “Their pheromone compatibility is 0%. Absolutely pure.”

Luo Zhiyu: “???”