ABMSI Chapter 19

Ding ling ling—

The faint morning light slipped through the gap in the curtains, scattering mottled shadows across the bedsheet. From beneath the blanket, a slender hand reached out, fumbling blindly across the desk until it finally silenced the phone that had been blaring since early morning.

After a brief pause, Duan Wei rolled over under the covers. He hadn’t been lying there long before the bedroom door swung open.

“You’re still sleeping at this hour? What is it, Saturday or Sunday today? Decided school doesn’t matter anymore, huh?”

Qiao Ying marched in and yanked the curtains wide open. A flood of dazzling light fell directly onto Duan Wei’s face.

He groaned, burying his head deeper under the blanket—only for the quilt to be snatched away in an instant. A chilly draft swept over him as Qiao Ying continued her relentless nagging right by his ear.

Frowning, Duan Wei resigned himself, sat up, and began dressing mechanically, expression devoid of emotion. With Qiao Ying there, resisting was pointless. Wrapped up like a dumpling, he shuffled out of the room.

Even as he washed up, his head still felt hazy. Since differentiating, he not only constantly smelled his own pheromones but also clearly sensed how weak his body had become.

All of these signs pointed to one fact: he was an Omega.

Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Duan Wei felt a moment of disorientation.

In the original story, the original host never had a differentiation scene—let alone one where he differentiated into an Omega. That kind of plot twist would’ve been considered a blatant betrayal of the established character. It seemed that ever since Fu Duqiu’s appearance, the whole storyline had begun to veer off track.

Still, he wasn’t too discouraged. Yesterday’s WeChat exchange had proven that his methods worked. He couldn’t afford to give up.

With that thought, he nodded to himself in the mirror, like a soldier bracing for battle. He set his toothbrush cup down and headed for the kitchen.

Fu Duqiu was already seated at the dining table. Opposite him sat Duan Wei’s father, buried in a newspaper, while Qiao Ying had just set down the dishes.

As they ate breakfast, conversation flowed easily. Fu Duqiu seemed able to contribute a few words to almost any topic. Duan Wei’s father, a teacher who loved literature and current affairs, usually found no conversation partner at the table—Duan Wei never joined in. Now, with Fu Duqiu there, he was eager to talk at length.

Duan Wei sat down, took a sip of soy milk, and listened to the three of them discussing economics and stocks. Unable to interject, he finally muttered, “Talking while eating interferes with the movements of the cricoid cartilage. In severe cases, it can even cause aspiration pneumonia. Mom, you’re the one who always said that.”

Qiao Ying, who had been speaking animatedly, froze mid-sentence. Her smile dropped, and she glared at him. “That’s only because you don’t know anything worth talking about. Speaking to you is just a waste of energy.”

Duan Wei: …

Fu Duqiu chuckled lightly. “Auntie, I think Duan Wei’s words are quite interesting.”

The vague wording made Duan Wei frown. Up until now, the number of good things he’d said to Fu Duqiu could be counted on one hand. How was that “interesting”?

Even Qiao Ying seemed doubtful, narrowing her eyes at Duan Wei. “Interesting? Don’t make me laugh. When he was a teenager, this kid’s mouth was full of curses. If I hadn’t corrected him, he’d probably have ended up riding on people’s heads.”

“Mom, just eat your breakfast…” Duan Wei quickly dropped a steamed bun into her bowl, trying to shut her up.

Fu Duqiu only smiled faintly, sipping his porridge without another word.

After breakfast, Qiao Ying called Duan Wei into the kitchen. She pulled out two transparent boxes filled with fruit and handed them to him. “Put them in your bag. One box for each of you. Eat them in class later.”

Rolling his eyes inwardly, Duan Wei accepted them with a perfunctory “Okay.”

Once everything was packed, he and Fu Duqiu set off for school.

Today seemed colder than yesterday. The streets were blanketed with fallen ginkgo leaves, and gusts of winter wind sent pale yellow showers drifting down.

Duan Wei tucked his chin into his collar, his breath misting white in the air, thinking it was high time he bought himself another set of warm gear.

The two walked in silence all the way to school. At the gate, a few classmates were gathered as usual.

Duan Wei was bundled up in a white down coat with a hood trimmed in fur that swayed in the wind. A scarf of alternating teal and white stripes wrapped protectively around his newly differentiated glands, making him look smaller, almost delicate.

The wind had painted his cheeks faintly red, like a touch of cinnabar dusted across fine white porcelain.

The moment he stepped onto campus, people turned to look at him in surprise.

The school’s resident bully… seemed to look far better than before.

And when he entered the classroom, surprise gave way to outright shock.

Part of it was the sight of the two school legends arriving together. But more than that—it was because they could all smell it.

Pheromones.

Omega pheromones.

Duan Wei had only just differentiated, and his control was unsteady. His pheromones surged and faltered erratically, and more than once on the way to school, they had slipped unbidden from his glands.

So Duan Wei didn’t bother hiding anymore—after all, a lie might last for a day or two, but it could never hold forever. Better to face it head-on.

The moment he sat down, Peng Yan immediately twisted around in his seat. After hesitating for a long time, he finally blurted, “Duan-ge, you… you…”

“What? Lost your wits?” Duan Wei shot him a glance.

“You…” No matter what happened, Duan Wei’s tall, invincible image in Peng Yan’s heart would never crumble.

After scratching his head furiously, Peng Yan squeezed out a line: “Yesterday… you… had a one-night stand with an Omega?”

At that, Duan Wei was speechless. He pulled a box of Omega suppressants from his bag and said flatly, “I just underwent a sex-change operation last night.”

Beside him, Fu Duqiu let out a soft, amused laugh.

The rest of the class gawked in shock—especially Peng Yan, whose eyes nearly popped out of his head, as if he’d just been struck by lightning.

It took them a long while to process this massive piece of information: overnight, the feared school tyrant of No. 1 High had somehow gone from an Alpha to an Omega.

After tossing out that line, Duan Wei ignored them. He pulled two transparent boxes out of his bag. Since Fu Duqiu’s backpack had been left behind in the alley yesterday, Duan Wei had been carrying both boxes of fruit ever since.

He set one box down on Fu Duqiu’s desk in full view of the class. “This is from my mom. For you.”

“Thank Auntie later for me” Fu Duqiu accepted it with ease, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

The looks on everyone’s faces grew even more colorful.

Unbothered, Duan Wei opened his own box, plucked out a slice of orange, and noticed Peng Yan still staring at him. “Want one?” he asked.

“N-no, no, no…” Peng Yan whipped back around, shaking his head furiously.

Just as the class was still reeling, someone entered from the doorway.

Old Tong, peering through her glasses, frowned at the few boys by the window. “Come out.”

When Fu Duqiu’s bag was left in the alley yesterday, Duan Wei had known it was only a matter of time before they were discovered—he just hadn’t expected it so soon. He and Fu Duqiu exchanged a glance almost simultaneously. After just one night, there seemed to be a strange new understanding between them.

Even if he didn’t want to admit it, Duan Wei had to admit Fu Duqiu really did look a lot more pleasing to the eye than before.

The three of them got up together. The moment they stepped into the hall, they saw a whole line of boys waiting—bruised and battered, like a rainbow-colored palette of injuries—with Li Shao at the front. Last night’s fight had been too dark for Duan Wei to take in much beyond throwing punches.

Now, seeing them lined up in the light, every face was marked with obvious bruises. Li Shao’s cheeks in particular were covered with the imprints of Duan Wei’s fists.

The moment Li Shao laid eyes on him, his already ugly expression darkened further. Duan Wei couldn’t help but laugh, tilting his chin arrogantly as he strolled into the office.

Inside, Old Tong frowned slightly as she looked him over. After confirming again, she asked, “You’ve differentiated?”

“Mm.” Duan Wei gave a weak little smile, putting on the look of someone just out of differentiation. “So, Teacher, you’d better go easy on me when you punish me. My body’s not doing so well.”

Old Tong froze for a moment, silent.

The office had never been this crowded. With so many students crammed inside, she pulled a backpack from her drawer, set it on the desk, and asked, “Whose is this?”

“Mine.”

Fu Duqiu was the first to step forward. Calm and composed, he looked straight at her and said, “Teacher, yesterday I was the one fighting in the alley. It had nothing to do with Duan Wei.”

Duan Wei, who had just been gearing up to argue with her, was thrown completely off guard. He blinked, glancing at Fu Duqiu in surprise.

He wasn’t the only one. Everyone in the room turned to look at Fu Duqiu in astonishment. Yet under all those stares, Fu Duqiu didn’t flinch. He simply lowered his gaze slightly, expression cool, voice steady.

“And this jacket?” Old Tong pulled out the coat Duan Wei had left behind in the alley. “Whose?”

“Mine.”

This time, Duan Wei spoke before Fu Duqiu could.

Li Shao: ??? Since when do people fight to take the blame?

The moment the words left his mouth, Fu Duqiu’s eyes landed on him. Duan Wei met his gaze head-on, his eyes firmer than usual. He’d always been someone who dared to act and dared to admit it. He didn’t need Fu Duqiu shouldering the blame for him.

Before Old Tong could say more, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and said, “Teacher, it wasn’t like we went out looking for a fight. Li Shao and his gang blocked us in the alley.”

At that, Li Shao’s crew exchanged looks, then someone snapped back angrily: “Teacher, they provoked us first!”

“You had so many people. If we provoked you, wouldn’t that be suicide?” Duan Wei lied without even blinking.

“Exactly,” Peng Yan chimed in. “Teacher, they started hitting us first! There were only three of us—what, we weren’t allowed to fight back?”

The group of bleached-haired boys gaped at the two of them tag-teaming their story, but after opening their mouths a few times, couldn’t get a single word out.

Li Shao finally lost it. “Teacher, they hit us first! Just look at us, look at our injuries!”

Sure enough, his group was covered in bruises, while Duan Wei and his friends were perfectly intact. The other teachers in the office exchanged baffled looks—none of this added up.

Old Tong remained expressionless. She looked at Duan Wei and asked, “You say they provoked you. Then why are they the ones so badly injured, while you’re all fine?”

Before Duan Wei could respond, Fu Duqiu answered evenly: “Because they’re too weak.”

“Yes!” Duan Wei couldn’t help laughing, then forced a frail expression. “Teacher, I’m an Omega now. Do I look like someone who could beat them up?”

“You? An Omega?” Li Shao pointed at him, face twisted with despair.

“That’s enough.”

At Old Tong’s words, the noisy room fell silent. She folded her hands neatly in her lap, her sharp gaze sweeping across them. After a long pause, she said, “Duan Wei and the others—write a self-reflection. Next Monday, read it under the flag.”

The decision startled Duan Wei. He’d already braced himself for the worst outcome on his way here. Compared to that, writing a reflection was practically a slap on the wrist. He nodded obediently.

Old Tong continued: “As for the rest of you—I want to see your parents here tomorrow morning. Especially you, Li Shao.”

Li Shao’s eyes went wide. He opened his mouth, but one look from Old Tong’s sharp gaze shut him up instantly. Already guilty inside, he could say nothing more.

“That’s all. Get to class.”

Released, Duan Wei and his crew left the office. At the doorway, he caught Li Shao’s eye from a distance. Making sure Old Tong couldn’t see, he swayed his head and smirked, his face practically begging for a beating.

Hotheaded as ever, Li Shao nearly lunged at him on the spot, but with Old Tong still present, he could only grind his teeth and hold back.

When Duan Wei turned his head back, he caught Fu Duqiu watching him. Schooling his expression, he asked, “What was that back there? Planning to take all the blame on yourself?”

“After staying at your place and eating the fruit your mom packed for me,” Fu Duqiu said lightly, “it’s only right.”

“You’re not worried Teacher Tong might call your parents to school?” Duan Wei asked.

“Li Shao already has a record in her book. And I helped her catch a thief before—she trusts me more.”

Then, after a pause, Fu Duqiu added, his expression unreadable: “Besides, I’m not as afraid of having my parents called in as you are.”