Chapter 66: I hate alphas

The vibrating phone startled Pu Sha awake from where he had fallen asleep on his desk.

It was eleven at night. Still groggy, he glanced at the screen. A video call. All sleep vanished, and he smiled as he answered. “Xu Lin?”

On the screen, Xu Lin’s smiling face appeared. “Teacher, sorry it took me so long to call.” Xu Lin had lost weight and gotten a bit tanner, but he looked energetic.

Pu Sha was overjoyed. “It’s fine. How are you doing now?”

“I’m doing well.” Despite his words, there was a hint of tiredness in his voice. “Just finished training. I’m a little tired. We just got our phones back. I have twenty minutes.”

Xu Lin seemed to have found a quiet corner, crouching down to talk. “I’m really sorry I couldn’t come home for the New Year. I’m new to the military, so it’s not that convenient. Once I’ve been here for two years, I can take leave. I’ll come see you as soon as I get a break.”

Pu Sha’s eyes curved into a smile as he poked the screen, touching Xu Lin’s face. “Good.”

Xu Lin had been away, and Pu Sha missed him terribly.

Back then, with Li Mu’s letter of recommendation and Zhuang Xun’s help, Xu Lin had successfully signed up and been selected, going to the Moqiu military district as he had wanted. A year had passed since he left.

He had finally come home after six years away, barely had time to settle in, and then made the decision to join the military. Pu Sha had been surprised and reluctant, but both he and Xu Lin knew it was the best choice Xu Lin could make.

First, the military had strict discipline. Only in a place like that would Ji Jinxuan not be able to find him easily. And even if he did, he could not do anything.

Second, Xu Lin had a future he wanted. Rather than staying in District Thirteen and living in obscurity, it was better to take a chance and do what he truly wanted to do.

So, despite his reluctance, Pu Sha had let him go.

Before he left, Pu Sha saw him off at the dock, unable to hide his attachment. Xu Lin had hugged him and said, “Teacher, I’ll come back to see you whenever I have time.” Even though military life was tough, there were ways to stay in touch. He had promised over and over. “I won’t break my word this time.”

Xu Lin had been insistent. “While I’m away, take good care of yourself. Zhuang Xun promised me, so he shouldn’t bother you anymore.”

“Alright,” Pu Sha had said with a soft smile. “I know.”

The call only lasted twenty minutes. Xu Lin talked nonstop, telling Pu Sha everything he had seen and done recently. He talked about the daily training, the occasional mixed martial arts matches. He was smiling the whole time. Pu Sha listened quietly and smiled along with him.

Xu Lin seemed much happier.

“Have you made any friends?” Pu Sha asked.

“Yeah,” Xu Lin said, a little embarrassed. “Most of them are younger than me though.”

“Is it inconvenient?” Pu Sha asked.

Xu Lin guessed what he meant, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, and lowered his voice. “Not really. There aren’t many Omegas in the military district, but there are professional doctors here, and they issue suppressant patches and suppressants specifically for Omegas. They work well. Don’t worry.”

Pu Sha felt relieved. “Good.”

Xu Lin had been a Beta for over twenty years. There was no way he would adjust to suddenly becoming an Omega overnight. An Omega in a military district full of Alphas sounded dangerous.

Xu Lin had said enough about himself. He did not want Pu Sha to worry, so he changed the subject. “Enough about me. Has anything happened at home lately?”

Pu Sha paused. “He came.”

Xu Lin’s smile froze, slowly fading.

Pu Sha told him the truth about Ji Jinxuan. “He came looking for you half a year ago. He couldn’t find you, so he stayed in your room, waiting for you to come home. He just left a few days ago.” He added, “…He took an old shirt of yours.”

Seeing Xu Lin’s expression grow serious, he reassured him, “Don’t worry. He doesn’t know where you went.”

After a year without Ji Jinxuan, Xu Lin had almost forgotten him amid the intense training. Now, without even a name being mentioned, his heart inexplicably sank, heavy like a weight, making his body stiffen.

“Oh.” He did not know what else to say.

“I think,” Pu Sha licked his lips, hesitating, “given time, he’ll give up.”

Even as he said it, he lacked conviction. After seeing Ji Jinxuan spend those months sleeping on the floor, only holding onto Xu Lin’s shirt, Pu Sha was not confident. Ji Jinxuan did not seem like the type to give up easily.

He thought that, but he could not say it. He had to reassure Xu Lin.

“Take care of yourself out there. Don’t worry about home.”

“If anything happens, I’ll message you.”

“He…” Pu Sha said, “he probably won’t be coming around for a while.”

Time was up. They had to turn in their phones.

Before hanging up, Xu Lin nodded, told Pu Sha to take care, and ended the call. He held the phone, standing still in a daze.

After a long moment, another call to turn in his phone came. He handed it over.

Life in the military was regimented and uniform. After a year of training, Xu Lin signed up for the special forces selection. He saw Li Mu again—Li Mu was one of the instructors.

The selection training had an elimination rate of over eighty percent. Loaded marches, high-intensity physical tests, extreme wilderness survival—these grueling challenges were hard even for Alphas to endure. Those who could not meet the physical requirements or got injured were eliminated. Success was far from easy. But against all expectations, Xu Lin, an Omega, distinguished himself with scores far surpassing his Alpha peers and made it into the special forces unit. He was assigned under Li Mu’s command.

During training, Li Mu did not go easy on him because he was an Omega, nor did he treat him as an acquaintance. He was fair and impartial, treating him the same as the other Alphas.

On Xu Lin’s first night in the unit, Li Mu came to his dormitory, crouched down, and handed him some medicine.

Xu Lin was covered in bruises and cuts from training. Some were still bleeding. He had not yet gone to the infirmary, but Li Mu had come to him first. He was so thoughtful.

“Thanks.” Xu Lin took the medicine and disinfected the scrapes on his knees.

Li Mu crouched beside him, watching him tend to his wounds. After a long silence, he said softly, “You did well.”

Xu Lin paused, looked up, and saw Li Mu smiling. In that smile, he was no longer the instructor. He was just Li Mu, Yi Wei’s cousin.

Xu Lin pressed his lips together and could not help but smile back. “Thank you.”

“You’re amazing,” Li Mu praised. “I didn’t think you’d actually make it.”

Xu Lin simply said, “Because I wanted to stay here.”

Li Mu’s smile deepened. He extended his hand. “Then, from now on, work with me?”

Li Mu’s palms were covered in thick calluses. Xu Lin looked at them, then reached out and shook his hand.

“Work with you, Captain Li.”

After a few seconds, Li Mu was the first to let go. He coughed a few times, pulled a pack of suppressant patches from his pocket, and handed them to Xu Lin.

“I just got these from the doctor. You’ll probably need them.” He pointed at the back of Xu Lin’s neck, where the suppressant patch was peeling, soaked in mud. “You should change that.”

Xu Lin touched his neck, realizing he had not even noticed it was coming off. He took them without much thought.

Li Mu sniffed, then said, “If you run out, just tell me.”

“Okay.”

Xu Lin was about to peel off the patch on his neck. Li Mu let out an “ah” and quickly stood up, stumbling in his haste. Xu Lin paused, confused.

“What’s wrong?”

Li Mu took a deep breath and said, “It’s best not to change that in front of an Alpha so casually.”

Xu Lin blinked, understanding, and awkwardly lowered his hand. “Sorry.” He really was still not used to it. Changing a suppressant patch was a very personal act for an Omega—pheromones could easily leak out. He should not have done it so openly in front of an Alpha. Having an Alpha smell it was no different from harassment.

Li Mu nodded, said, “Get some rest,” and left the dormitory, his ears red.

The door closed, leaving Xu Lin alone. He peeled off the old patch and put on a new one. He pressed his fingers to the small bump at the back of his neck—his gland. His skin was smooth, with no trace of the deep bite marks that had once been there.

Xu Lin ran his fingers over the small patch.

Yes, his life was finally getting back on track. Ji Jinxuan—that accident, Ji Jinxuan—would disappear from his world completely.

Two years later.

“A medical checkup?”

Xu Lin was eating in the mess hall when his teammate Fang Rong suddenly told him about it.

They had just finished a seven-day, six-night hell week, their bodies nearly broken. Everyone had rolled through mud, drunk dirty water, and sustained minor or major injuries. It made sense for a medical checkup to be arranged.

Xu Lin had been in the Moqiu military district for three years now. After joining Li Mu’s unit, they had formed a six-man team. Fang Rong was the team’s demolitions expert, four years younger than Xu Lin, cheerful, talkative, and a bit of a gossip. His personality was somewhat similar to Yi Wei’s.

Fang Rong said, “Yeah, a professional medical and research team is coming in the next few days. It’s a rare opportunity. It’d be good to get a thorough checkup.”

“Everyone has to go?”

“Of course.” Fang Rong was a Beta. He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then lowered his voice. “You haven’t been feeling well for the past six months, right? Let them take a look.”

Xu Lin was taken aback. “How did you notice?”

“Come on, I saw the captain pick up Omega suppressants from the infirmary the other day. You’re the only Omega on our team. Who else would they be for?”

Xu Lin was silent.

“Ah, Alphas and Omegas really have it tough.” Fang Rong suddenly perked up. “Oh, I heard a new medication came out at the end of last year, specifically for Omegas. Supposedly it’s really effective at managing heat cycles with no side effects. It was developed by the military academy. Why don’t you apply and give it a try?”

“I’m fine. I’m doing well.” Xu Lin poked at his rice with his chopsticks, brushing it off.

After dinner, they got their phones back. Xu Lin called Pu Sha as usual.

Pu Sha picked up quickly.

They chatted about this and that. Pu Sha asked, “Can you come home this year?”

Xu Lin nodded. “Yes, I have twenty days of leave.”

He had been in the military for three years and finally had leave time this year. The weather was getting colder, winter approaching, and soon it would be the New Year. He could finally go home and spend a proper New Year with Pu Sha.

There was a moment of silence. Xu Lin did not ask, but Pu Sha offered, “He hasn’t come back since he left last time. I’ve kept an eye out, and there haven’t been any suspicious people these past few years. It should be safe for you to come home for the New Year.”

Xu Lin knew who “he” was. He was silent for two seconds, then nodded. “Good.” He rubbed his fingers, picking at the calluses. “No interruptions this New Year.”

After so long without seeing each other, even the most persistent person would give up. Naturally, Ji Jinxuan was no exception. Three years had passed since all the entanglements and grievances. They should have faded by now.

“You look pale. Are you feeling unwell?” Pu Sha asked, frowning with concern.

Xu Lin touched his face. “No, just tired. I’ll be fine after resting a few days.”

After hanging up, Xu Lin leaned against the wall and let out a long breath. He held up his phone and looked at his reflection on the screen.

“Do I really look that bad?” he murmured.

He had lied. He was not fine.

He had thought he could adapt quickly to being an Omega after his differentiation, and he had managed for a long time. But last year, while talking to Li Mu in his dormitory, his heat cycle had struck without warning. The room filled with his pheromones. His body went limp, barely able to move. A strange sensation surged through him. It was the first time he had been so acutely aware of his body slipping out of control.

Fortunately, Li Mu had been there. He had rushed out, sweating, and returned quickly to give Xu Lin a suppressant with shaking hands. Otherwise, the consequences would have been dire.

Since then, Xu Lin always carried suppressants with him. But his heat cycles grew more frequent. Li Mu had once gently suggested that perhaps he should get a mark, even a temporary one—it would be safer than suppressants.

Xu Lin refused. “I don’t like people biting my neck.”

Li Mu was silent for a moment, then cautiously asked, “So you’ve never considered… finding an Alpha?”

Xu Lin stared at his own feet and said coldly, “I hate Alphas.”