A Hero Saves the Beauty

Duan Xu took a deep breath, his heart racing a little. "Then... what do we do?"

He had not fully differentiated yet, and his pheromone scent was faint. Besides, jasmine was naturally fresh and subtle, often used in perfumes, so it was easy for people to mistake it for perfume.

He had asked Shen Yanlang about it before. Shen Yanlang had said it could only be smelled from very close by, so he had not worn a suppressor patch.

Shen Yanlang had his own selfish motives. He wanted to smell Duan Xu's scent more often, so he had said nothing. Besides, with him by Duan Xu's side, what alpha would dare approach?

But now, Duan Xu was nearly done differentiating, and his pheromone scent had grown stronger.

"Don't panic." Shen Yanlang gently held him. "They should sell suppressor patches here. Wait here for me. I'll be right back."

"Okay." Duan Xu nodded and watched Shen Yanlang run toward the supermarket.

At the table, Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu were confused. "What happened?"

"I smelled pheromones just now," Ye Xinyu said. Apparently, Xue Jingshu and Du Shen were not the only ones who had noticed.

Han Xi also gave a quiet hum. Looking toward Duan Xu in the corner, he said evenly, "It was him."

"Huh?" Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu both froze. "Isn't Xuxu a beta?"

Han Xi said, "I don't know."

Xue Jingshu glanced over as well, considering it. "He probably underwent secondary differentiation."

"But he's already an adult. Can someone still differentiate that late?" Ye Xinyu's small eyes were filled with enormous confusion.

Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu exchanged astonished looks. Then Zhou Zhou said, "So Brother Xu and I are the only two betas?"

"Being a beta is good." Han Xi said this while looking at them, as though he wished he were a beta too.

Seeing this, Xue Jingshu pinched Han Xi's chin and made him look over. "Wishing won't change anything. You can only be my omega."

"Ew, aren't you being cheesy?" Ye Xinyu and Du Shen rubbed their arms in perfect unison.

Zhou Zhou and Xiao Xu watched with expressions of pure enjoyment.

Before long, Shen Yanlang returned with a box of suppressor patches. He personally put one on Duan Xu, and only after the scent had dissipated did he return with Duan Xu to their seats.

"Xuxu, that's not fair." Zhou Zhou pretended to be angry. "You didn't even tell us about your secondary differentiation!"

Xiao Xu said nothing. The others all looked at him.

Duan Xu instinctively leaned closer to Shen Yanlang and apologized, "I wanted to wait until I was done differentiating before telling you. Besides, you're all betas, so it wouldn't affect you."

Seeing his little movement, Shen Yanlang's lips curled upward in a particularly good mood.

"Oh? Then what about Shen Yanlang?" Xue Jingshu pushed up his glasses. Light reflected off the lenses, making his expression impossible to read.

As soon as he asked that, everyone looked at Shen Yanlang and Duan Xu with gossipy, suggestive eyes.

Duan Xu lowered his head embarrassedly. Now that he thought about it, the person he most needed to keep his distance from was Shen Yanlang. He was an alpha.

"Brother Yan, not bad!" Du Shen said meaningfully.

Shen Yanlang swept his gaze over them. When his face darkened, he was extremely intimidating. "Are you eating or not? If not, then leave!"

"We're eating, we're eating!" Du Shen immediately called out, not daring to ask any more questions.

The others did the same, but Xue Jingshu leisurely added, "Lashing out from embarrassment."

Shen Yanlang: "..."

Duan Xu felt rather guilty. He quietly tugged at Shen Yanlang's hem. "Brother Yan, thank you."

"You don't need to thank me." Shen Yanlang lowered his gaze to stare at his hand, but in the end, he could not resist giving it a squeeze.

So soft, so smooth.

Duan Xu: "..."

He expressionlessly pulled his hand back. "Brother Yan, eat quickly. It'll get cold soon."

"Mm." Shen Yanlang gave a low laugh.

I'll get to touch him as much as I want later.

Sure enough, no matter how proper Shen Yanlang looked on the surface, he was an old pervert inside!

After eating, they bought a few things at the supermarket. Once they put them in the car, they all went to use the restroom.

But everyone had returned except Zhou Zhou and Duan Xu.

In the restroom, Duan Xu had gone to the male beta restroom with Zhou Zhou as usual. But when they came out after finishing, they ran into an alpha at the sinks.

The alpha had been drinking and reeked of alcohol. In a restroom, the two smells combined into something even more nauseating.

As they passed each other, the alpha suddenly turned around. "An omega?"

Duan Xu's clothes still carried traces of the pheromones he had leaked earlier. The scent was faint, but the alpha had been close enough to smell it when they passed.

Duan Xu was startled. He immediately pretended not to understand and headed outside with Zhou Zhou, but before they could leave, the alpha blocked them. He took a deep sniff. "You really are an omega!"

"An omega going to the beta restroom—can't stand being lonely anymore? Hahaha... Then you should be going to the alpha restroom!"

"Mind your fucking business!" Zhou Zhou stepped in front of Duan Xu. "Watch your mouth!"

Seeing that Zhou Zhou was only a beta, the alpha did not take him seriously. "What? I'm not allowed to say it? Omegas are born to be fucked. It's all the same no matter who does it!"

Duan Xu was enraged by the disgusting words. "Scum of society! The one who gave birth to someone of your gender was definitely an omega. By what you said, the omega who gave birth to you deserves to be..."

"Fuck! Shut the hell up!"

The alpha actually had the nerve to curse at him. He was the one who had disrespected others first, and now he had dragged his own mother into it. Who could he blame?

Zhou Zhou scoffed. "You're the one insulting your own mom. You're the one who should shut up!"

"Fuck you!" The alpha lost his temper. Having drunk alcohol, he impulsively moved to attack.

He raised one hand and roughly shoved Zhou Zhou aside, while his other hand swung toward Duan Xu.

Caught off guard, Zhou Zhou staggered and nearly fell, but Xiao Xu, who had rushed over, caught him.

At the same time, Duan Xu's eyes widened. Just as he was about to dodge, Shen Yanlang grabbed the alpha's hand. "Try hitting him!"

Shen Yanlang's voice was icy, as though filled with frost. Overwhelming pheromones surged toward the alpha and forced him directly to his knees.

"Ah—"

The alpha cried out in agony. His wrist hurt terribly from being gripped, while the pheromone suppression made his entire body ache and sent cold sweat breaking out across him.

After steadying Zhou Zhou, Xiao Xu angrily wanted to kick the alpha, but Zhou Zhou pulled him back. "I'm fine. With them here, he won't get away with anything."

Hearing that, Xiao Xu gritted his teeth and held himself back instead of going over to beat the alpha.

Xue Jingshu and the others had arrived as well. The three alphas surrounded the troublemaking alpha, while Ye Xinyu and Han Xi stood beside Duan Xu.

"Are you okay?" Ye Xinyu looked at Duan Xu with concern in her eyes.

Duan Xu shook his head. "I'm fine."

He could barely have dodged that blow, but Shen Yanlang had come. Just like in so many television dramas, the hero appeared at the most critical moment.

It was completely dark outside. Half of Shen Yanlang stood beneath the lights, while the other half was swallowed by the night beyond the door. Under the light, his handsome features seemed several degrees colder and harder than usual.