ABMSI Chapter 58

After the sports day lineup was finalized, the tense atmosphere of Gaokao^[1] preparations finally loosened a little. Over the years, Class 8 had always performed well in the sports meet, but they had never managed to win first place. So with a bit of time left to spare, everyone decided to start practicing early — aiming to charge straight in and take first place this year.

Duan Wei was, of course, one of them. Aside from registering for the doubles badminton event, all his other competitions required no equipment, which made things convenient. As soon as PE class started, he headed straight to the sandpit on the track field to practice long jump.

With the sports meet approaching, the usually empty field was now crowded with classes training with various equipment. After practicing long jump for a while, Duan Wei saw Fu Duqiu walking over from not far away, holding two pairs of badminton rackets.

“Wanna run through our doubles practice?” Fu Duqiu asked.

“Who’s playing with us?” Duan Wei took the racket and asked.

Right after he spoke, a few people walked over. Duan Wei wasn’t wearing his glasses, so he squinted slightly before realizing the person approaching was Li Shao — the same guy he’d had a “special misunderstanding” with before.

It had only been a short while, but the guy clearly looked more buff. And somehow, despite it being winter, he’d gotten several shades darker like he’d been roasted under the sun.

Beside him stood a boy Duan Wei didn’t recognize, but the expression on the guy’s face basically screamed four big words: “Here to cause trouble.”

But Duan Wei had never been the type to back down. He tilted his head and said, “Oh, it’s you guys?”

“What?” Li Shao said arrogantly. “Scared?”

Hearing that, Duan Wei acted like he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world. He leaned on his knee and burst into laughter, loud enough that several students nearby looked over — and enough to darken Li Shao’s expression several shades deeper.

“Did you forget what happened a few months ago?” Duan Wei said with pure disdain. “Want me to refresh your memory? Then ask me again if I’m scared.”

As soon as he finished, the crowd around them exchanged looks. The national-flag-raising incident from a few months back was still fresh in everyone’s minds — the whole school knew the two campus troublemakers had beef. They just hadn’t clashed publicly since then.

“Whoa, whoa — are they about to fight? We’re literally on the field, and the teachers are right there!”

“Kidding me? Since when does my Brother Duan need to check the venue before throwing hands?” Peng Yan said proudly.

“What’s Li Shao thinking? Did he forget how badly he got beaten last time? And he’s still here provoking?”

“He probably wants to save face. The two of them used to leave each other alone, then he got wrecked once — of course he’s salty.”

The murmurs around them only made Li Shao’s face darker. Finally, he snapped, “Badminton. You playing or not?”

He wouldn’t have come to challenge them without confidence. Duan Wei had heard before that Li Shao had competed in municipal-level badminton tournaments — his skills were definitely solid. But Duan Wei didn’t bother thinking too much and replied immediately, “Play. Why not?”

Then he paused, suddenly remembering the person beside him. He turned his head to speak, but before he could, Fu Duqiu said softly:

“You decide. I’m with you.”

Fu Duqiu was a head taller. When Duan Wei turned, he could see the slight movement of his Adam’s apple as he spoke — and in that fleeting moment, the small vibration somehow pushed straight into Duan Wei’s chest.

Feeling a little unsettled, he cleared his throat lightly. “Let’s start.”

On the far right side of the field was a small open area with ping-pong tables, basketball courts, and a badminton court. The four of them headed over, but somehow, those four managed to drag along a whole crowd. Students called out to friends like they were heading to an NBA game — full of energy, phones out and recording nonstop.

“Two out of three games? How many points?” Duan Wei twirled the racket, shrugged off the down jacket under his school uniform, and tossed it aside. Underneath was a cream-colored sweatshirt, making him look completely out of place next to the rough, dark-skinned Li Shao.

Li Shao realized the person in front of him was just an Omega, yet he didn’t feel the slightest bit of pity — only contempt. Just a frail little Omega, he thought, what right does he have to act so arrogant in front of me?

He let out a faint scoff. “Twenty-one points. You serve first. Odd scores, I serve. Even scores, you serve.”

“Hey, why do I have to serve first? Sounds like I’m taking advantage of you,” Duan Wei refused immediately.

“Then what do you want?” Li Shao rolled his eyes.

“Xiao Yan.” Duan Wei didn’t even look back as he called out.

Waiting on the sidelines this whole time, Peng Yan rushed forward. “Here!”

“Hold the shuttle. You decide who serves first.” Duan Wei tossed the shuttlecock over, then tilted his chin up slightly, looking straight at Li Shao.

Peng Yan caught the shuttle cleanly. With a quick nod, he walked to the center of the court, lifted the shuttle over the net, and let go. The moment it fell, it tilted slightly to the right and landed on Li Shao’s side.

“You serve first” Duan Wei said.

Li Shao didn’t bother arguing. “Fine.”

The moment his voice fell, the already-lively court burst into a new wave of excitement. A group of Omegas on the side lifted their phones and started recording the four players in this intense match. Moments later, the video hit the school forum and the comments section exploded.

In the clip, every jump Duan Wei made carried both the gentleness typical of an Omega and a surprising sharpness that absolutely did not belong to one. His off-white hoodie was cropped short to begin with, and every leap revealed the clean, slender line of his waist — making several Alphas nearby want to look but not dare to stare.

As for Fu Duqiu… he didn’t even need an introduction. From afar, out of the four players, he was the brightest presence on the court. His height alone made him impossible to ignore. You could pause the video at any frame and it would be screen-saver-worthy — that’s how flawless he looked.

And the chemistry between the two of them shocked everyone watching. The moment the serve went out, the pair shifted positions seamlessly. Seeing both of them already moving, Li Shao rushed to strike first, slamming the shuttlecock hard toward Duan Wei.

Fu Duqiu happened to be a bit far from that spot, and Duan Wei couldn’t reach it in time. Seeing this, Fu Duqiu took two long strides forward, powerful legs crossing the court in seconds. He swung his wrist sharply and caught Li Shao’s attack with perfect precision.

The shuttle spun a few times in midair, then shot straight back toward Li Shao and his partner. Both froze — missed the shot entirely.

The score widened again. Duan Wei’s side had just reached twenty-one points — time for the mid-match break. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Duan Wei turned to Fu Duqiu with a grin. “Not bad. You’re this good at badminton? You a sports major or something?”

“No. Played when I was little. I haven’t touched it in a long time,” Fu Duqiu replied calmly.

Duan Wei blinked. “That’s some serious humble-bragging.”

Fu Duqiu frowned. “Bragging what?”

Duan Wei: “…”

The break ended quickly, and the four of them returned to the court. This time they switched sides, but location wasn’t enough to turn the tide. Barely ten minutes into the second set, Duan Wei’s team was already leading 19–15. Just two more points and the match would be over.

Some spectators started drifting away, sensing the outcome was already carved in stone.

Noticing this, Li Shao exchanged a look with his partner — and it was clear they’d made some kind of decision. They signaled for a timeout. Duan Wei, panting a little, was honestly exhausted. He headed toward the rest area.

He walked ahead of Fu Duqiu — and ran right into Li Shao face-to-face. He didn’t think much of it, planning to simply walk past, when suddenly his foot caught on something. His balance vanished.

In front of him stood one of the metal basketball hoop poles. The moment his head crashed into it, his mind buzzed loudly — nothing but static filling his ears. Amid that ringing, he vaguely heard someone shouting his name. It sounded like Peng Yan… or maybe Fu Duqiu.

But Duan Wei figured it must be Peng Yan — the voice was far too panicked, nothing like Fu Duqiu’s usual calm tone.

His body went weak, tipping straight toward the pole. Rust scraped against his skin, leaving smears of reddish marks on his forehead. Just when he thought he was about to kiss the concrete face-first, he suddenly fell into a warm embrace.

The faint pine scent of Fu Duqiu’s pheromones washed over him, cutting through the metallic stench, replacing it with something steady and gentle that wrapped around him like a cocoon. It soothed him in a way he didn’t expect — it made him want to lean in closer.

“You okay?” Fu Duqiu held him firmly. Seeing the swelling on Duan Wei’s forehead, his brows tightened. “I’m taking you to the infirmary.”

Before Duan Wei could speak, Fu Duqiu scooped him up entirely, holding him securely against his chest.

“…What are you doing?” Duan Wei protested weakly, bracing a hand against his shoulder.

“I’m carrying you. It’s faster,” Fu Duqiu murmured, tilting his head down to look at him. The anger that had been simmering in him earlier faded. His voice lowered, steady and warm. “Don’t move your head.”

Something about his tone was soothing — almost like a sedative. Duan Wei felt oddly safe, and could only nod. “…Okay.”

Peng Yan rushed over from the side. Even though he felt something was off about the way Duan Wei fell, his friend’s safety came first. “Let’s go to the infirmary—”

He didn’t even finish the sentence when Fu Duqiu strode forward a few steps, then abruptly paused. He took several steps back.

Li Shao and his partner had just walked over. Seeing the scene, they pretended to show concern. “What happened? You fell?”

“You mother—”

Peng Yan pointed at them, ready to swing, but before he could rush forward, a tidal wave of pheromones erupted beside him.

Students standing farther away hadn’t seen exactly how Duan Wei fell, but they immediately caught the sudden, overwhelming scent drifting from Fu Duqiu’s direction.

When his pheromones were mild, they resembled cool mint — crisp and refreshing. But when unleashed at full strength, they carried a brutally dominant, aggressive edge that shot straight to the brain, forcing submission.

Now, his eyes were icy cold as he stared at Li Shao. The full force of a top-tier Alpha radiated from him, raw and terrifying. Omegas around them flushed and trembled, legs turning soft; those who could still move staggered away, and those who couldn’t collapsed where they stood, clutching their heads.

Li Shao and his partner had worn smug expressions a moment ago. Now, pain flooded their faces as if their skulls were splitting open. Fu Duqiu showed no sign of holding back — releasing his pheromones completely. Even Peng Yan had to cover his nose and run off.

While running, Peng Yan looked back — just in time to see the campus bully himself collapse to his knees in front of Fu Duqiu.