Chapter 65 Online Romance with a Bad Beta 18: Are You Avoiding Me?

After leaving the empty classroom, Tan Yicheng quickly found the two people walking ahead of him on the road.

She wanted to quicken her pace to catch up with the two, but then, as if remembering something, she raised her hand and touched her earlobe, which was indeed burning hot.

Recalling what happened in the empty classroom, Tan Yicheng was shocked to discover that the temperature could still rise.

Tan Yicheng still remembers the shivering sensation when the antidote was removed from the back of her neck and a new one was put on. Even though she could beat up hundreds of classmates without batting an eye, just thinking about it makes her limbs go weak.

She intended to leave and find a quiet place to calm down, but unexpectedly, Xiang Wei, who was walking ahead, twitched her ears, turned around, and caught Tan Yicheng hesitating.

"Ah, senior is here," Xiang Wei said.

Qi Qianqian quickly turned around: "No, no... It really is. Senior, what are you doing here? We were just looking for you."

"..."

Tan Yicheng had no choice but to stop, take a deep breath, exhale, and then join them.

Qi Qianqian: "Where did you go? The coach was looking for you, but you've disappeared."

Tan Yicheng's heart skipped a beat, as if she had done something wrong and someone had found out. She replied, "No, I went to change the patch."

“That’s exactly what I told the coach.” Qi Qianqian remembered something. “But it seems that my senior has to use a suppressive patch every day, which is indeed quite troublesome.”

Tan Yicheng was still thinking about what had just happened and didn't hear what Qi Qianqian said at all. She could only nod and say "uh-huh".

The two assumed she had some unspeakable secret that she couldn't share with outsiders, so they stopped asking and instead started talking about what to eat that night.

Of course, they had heard about the senior student who had all A's in the previous year suddenly being asked to take a leave of absence. That person was Tan Yicheng, who was supposed to get enough credits and enter the military for an internship ahead of schedule.

Who wouldn't remember her outstanding performance in her first mecha competition? She was a highly sought-after genius in the mecha department, and countless flowers and applause flocked to her.

But at the age of nineteen, at the height of her fame, she suddenly disappeared for unknown reasons.

When she reappeared, she was much quieter, and there was a faint smell of medicine on her.

She even became classmates with the girls a year younger than her. Her former glory seemed to have vanished in the silence of that year, and the name Tan Yicheng became unknown.

There are many geniuses in the world. If one genius fades into obscurity, countless others will shine and compete with each other.

Fortunately, Tan Yicheng didn't care much about these things and didn't feel any sense of loss, continuing her daily life as usual.

only……

Xiang Wei didn't quite understand why her senior's ears were so red.

She tried to recall whether her ears turned red when she needed to apply the suppressor patch to stabilize her pheromone levels. Now, her mind was filled with various fighting theories and tactics, and after trying for a long time, she still couldn't recall anything.

I plan to look in the mirror more often when she's close to her heat cycle, and then I'll know the answer.

There were already many students eating in the cafeteria. Tan Yicheng's ears had cooled down along the way, and she sat down with the two of them to get their food.

None of them had the habit of not talking while eating, so they chatted as they ate.

They're all students, already exhausted from their heavy studies every day. Their limited rest time is spent eating, showering, and sleeping, so they should make the most of their free time to chat.

As she was talking, Qi Qianqian started looking for a day off this month, but after searching for a long time, she couldn't find any statutory holidays this month, so she had to give up with regret.

But then she remembered something else and asked, "When our North Campus and West Campus merge for the dance, there will definitely be a lot of people. Have you invited your dance partner yet, senior?"

"What dance partner?" Tan Yicheng asked, confused.

Qi Qianqian: "You forgot? The Midsummer Ball is coming soon. Our Federation was founded on Midsummer Night, and the First Academy, as the cradle of military affairs, holds a ball every Midsummer Night to celebrate."

Seeing Tan Yicheng's constantly changing expression, from pondering to trying hard to think, Qi Qianqian exclaimed in shock, "You haven't really forgotten?"

Tan Yicheng recalled: "No...it seems there is such a tradition."

So much had happened since she left school that she could hardly remember the dance, which was more of a social event than an entertainment one.

In the first two times she participated, she only appeared briefly at the beginning and then bored the omegas who came up to dance with her by reciting various mecha controls.

Back then, her classmates complained that she was too rigid and boring. They said these omegas were gentle and beautiful, and Tan Yicheng was simply wasting her face.

The most painful thing in communication is when the other person doesn't listen to you at all. No matter how good-looking a person is, they will only talk to themselves and the other person will eventually be driven away by their words.

Even the most beautiful face loses its charm in the face of this kind of behavior.

Tan Yicheng did not refute it, taking it as her lack of understanding of romance.

Seeing this, Qi Qianqian knew she didn't need to ask anymore. Tan Yicheng had definitely forgotten about it and didn't remember anything about dance partners.

"I remember there are more omega students on the west campus, right?" Xiang Wei reminded his friend, seeing his troubled expression.

Qi Qianqian suddenly realized: "It's impossible for everyone to invite a dance partner. We can just invite an omega that we like."

"..."

Tan Yicheng had already decided which text she would memorize. Based on her past experience, no omega could survive the introduction.

The introduction was tedious and boring. Someone who could memorize even this seemed abnormal. The conclusion that she was an alpha who only knew how to study by rote would only spread more and more in the West Campus.

Most omegas are sentimental and sensitive, and naturally drawn to beautiful and healing things, so they definitely wouldn't be interested in her straightforward and assertive personality.

The First Academy is divided into four campuses. The North Campus is entirely composed of Alphas, and only four majors occupy the largest campus: the Mecha Department, the Mecha Repair Department, the Reconnaissance Department, and the seemingly minor Command Department.

These majors only admit alpha students, so they have become gathering places for alphas and hotspots for various disputes.

The remaining three campuses are all ABO hybrids, and without exception, they only recruit the best students from all over the universe.

In terms of sheer numbers, the West Campus has the largest number of omegas. Sensitive omegas have an extraordinary talent for the arts, and many famous musicians and painters are omegas.

The South Campus offers business and law programs, and it has the most beta students.

Betas, who are diligent and hardworking and never bothered by pheromones or heat cycles, are actually quite good at business and law, and many political figures are betas.

Xi Congshuang, who holds a place in the business world, has just finished her daily record-keeping work and left the date at the very end of the record.

June 20th, 1206 in the New Star Calendar. Three days have passed since I met Tan Yicheng that day.

The wound on her collarbone could no longer be healed with medication, and it had mostly healed, leaving only a faint trace.

The person who leaves traces is like a stray cat retreating to its den, unwilling to show itself. As long as Xi Congshuang isn't stupid, she'll know that someone is deliberately hiding from her.

She didn't want to see me, and even bit me when we parted. Did she accidentally do something wrong again that made her unhappy?

On the other hand, Red Apple's online time is getting shorter and shorter, and it doesn't even have the strength to cry about being hungry. It goes online and offline at the exact time every time.

Occasionally, he would urge others to complete tasks, muttering things like "serves him right," "if only I had known," and "it's not bad to just slack off," before logging off again.

Xi Congshuang couldn't understand the meaning behind its words, but she listened calmly, assuming it was just a side effect of their deal.

This made her even more certain that they had made some kind of deal, but she had forgotten it, while it hadn't, and because of the trust built up over their long-term relationship, it often blurted out all sorts of things to Xi Congshuang that she didn't remember.

The figure sitting at the table lowered her gaze, which fell on the date, and a guess began to surface—this was probably not her first mission.

Her hazy memory of the last mission was likely due to some kind of exchange she made, which made her very curious as to why she would agree to such a deal.

Someone outside moved swiftly upstairs, flung open the door to the school clinic, and peered inside.

Xi Congshuang's thoughts returned, and she looked in the direction of the sound.

Dr. Fan exclaimed with delight, "You really are still here! Come on, the North and West campuses are hosting a Midsummer Night's Dance tonight. Let's skip the cafeteria and head over to the dance banquet!"

Xi Congshuang subconsciously glanced at her white coat: "A banquet? I didn't bring a formal dress."

Dr. Fan didn't understand. Dr. Fan was in a hurry to eat: "No need for formal attire, just go and freeload a meal. The main characters are the students and the big shots who were invited. It has nothing to do with us."

Dr. Fan, who was anxious to urge Xi Congshuang to leave quickly, forgot that if Xi Congshuang hadn't been so impulsive as to donate medicine and become an assistant, the First Academy would have needed at least an exquisitely designed and carefully worded invitation to have her appear at the banquet.

She might not even attend these invitations; they'll just end up as discarded scraps of paper, buried at the bottom of a drawer, along with many other invitations.

Urged on, Xi Congshuang took off her white coat, washed her hands, and went out together.

On the way, Dr. Fan also said, "Today is the banquet for the North and West campuses, and tomorrow night is the banquet for the East and South campuses. I can just take advantage of two big meals."

The food provided by the school cafeteria is not bad, but eating it every day will eventually feel stale. Who would refuse to add a little excitement to their life?

Xi Congshuang listened attentively and suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. I remember it took the Federation coalition two days to break through the Imperial Palace, so the First Academy was also held over two days."

"Huh? Oh right." Dr. Fan, who only wanted to eat well, had no idea how many days it took for the empire to fall. His mind was full of fine steaks, creamy shrimp desserts, and high-end drinks.

She added, "This banquet requires an invitation to enter, but we are staff members of the school, so theoretically we can go and eat there, as long as we don't foolishly try to steal the same steak from some big shot."

Xi Congshuang: "Mm."

Dr. Fan also said, "Once you've taken the food, don't stay there too long. Find a quiet place to eat so you can have peace of mind. The Midsummer Night's Dance is very crowded with all sorts of people."

She hadn't forgotten the incident where a student got angry and embarrassed after being refused contact information on the second floor of the cafeteria. Although the student had been expelled, Dr. Fan was still very annoyed.

Xi Congshuang agreed to everything, like an obedient colleague who was new to the workplace. This colleague not only knew how to read the room but also handled things well, so no one would dislike her.

During this time, Xi Congshuang acted very convincingly, causing Dr. Fan to completely forget that the person in front of her was the future head of a pharmaceutical company who owned almost half of Hongcha Star, and she really treated her as an assistant who came to work.

They sincerely shared their experience on how to take advantage of the school as much as possible, suggesting that anyone who could get something at the school should use it, since it would be reimbursed anyway.

From sneaking into various banquets and lavish meals to using anything the school has, they use whatever the school provides.

By the end, Xi Congshuang felt a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

The other person was so sincere that she felt bad about wasting their experience.

However, Dr. Fan was right. There were many people at the banquet, not only students, but also people from all walks of life. They were drinking and chatting, and the atmosphere was lively.

Normally used as a school auditorium, the high-ceilinged hall opens in the middle, revealing the dark blue sky. The starry sky is highly visible, and the stars seem close at hand, as if you could reach out and pluck them from the sky.

Starlight and moonlight reflected in the dance floor, where many people danced gracefully to the melodious music.

Xi Congshuang didn't look at it for long before Dr. Fan led her to the food area, where she planned to grab some food and leave.

As she passed by a row of booths, Xi Congshuang's eyes glanced around and then fixed on one spot.

Deep inside the booths, where the light couldn't reach, many glamorous young women gathered, attracting a lot of attention.

The person surrounded in the middle looked familiar; it was none other than Tan Yicheng.

If Xi Congshuang were to glance to the left or right, she would see Qi Qianqian and Xiang Wei not far from her, whispering to the girl in the evening dress beside them, occasionally glancing teasingly at Tan Yicheng, who was surrounded in the center.

Even as the other party looked at them with pleading eyes, they pretended not to know and averted their gaze, blatantly refusing to help those in distress.

Helpless, Tan Yicheng turned away listlessly, his eyes lifeless, and turned his back to the group of people who were all snickering.

Seeing that Tan Yicheng had given up resisting, the omegas became even more excited and invited him to dance. If they could dance with such an alpha, it would definitely be the highlight of the banquet.

Tan Yicheng listened to someone's words and smiled in agreement, which made the atmosphere even more lively. Someone even reached out and tugged at her sleeve.

Tan Yicheng, whose coat sleeve was being pulled, raised his arm helplessly and remained seated.

"..."

Dr. Fan, preoccupied with his meal, had already disappeared into the crowd. Xi Congshuang withdrew her gaze and continued searching in the direction Dr. Fan had left.

She remembered that the mainstream in this world advocated AO pairing, where they needed each other's pheromones, which Xi Congshuang happened to lack.

The school auditorium was a large hall, but Xi Congshuang couldn't find anyone. She called the waiter to stop, grabbed a glass of wine, and started looking for someone while drinking, completely ignoring the curious glances coming from all directions.

She wasn't wearing a formal dress, and her appearance didn't match any of the prominent families in the central star, yet she remained so calm and composed, which always made people wonder who she really was.

*

Having finally memorized the entire introduction, Tan Yicheng, who had bored all the omegas away, also began to shift his focus.

Having escaped the sweet pheromones, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she had changed to a new suppressor patch before leaving the house today, which firmly locked her glands in place.

Otherwise, with so much omega hormone stimulating her glands so subtly, her glands would suffer again.

She knew they didn't mean it; it was perfectly normal for every omega to carry pheromones. But she didn't know why, she always subconsciously resisted pheromones from others. The more types of pheromones around her, the more tense she became.

It's not so much a rejection as a stress response.

She had never experienced this before.

I'll consult Dr. Wei again when I go for my next checkup; perhaps that will provide the answer.

Tan Yicheng avoided people as she decided to leave. Since she had already shown her face, there was no need to stay any longer.

She was preoccupied with something on her mind, and in order to avoid a waiter who was walking quickly by, she instinctively darted to the side, but bumped into someone.

Tan Yicheng was startled and apologized hastily without turning her head: "I'm sorry, did I bump into you?"

The person behind her didn't answer, but instead grabbed her arm and reminded her, "Stand firm, there's a champagne tower next door. If you don't stand firm, you'll become famous at the banquet."

Champagne tower!?

Tan Yicheng then remembered where he had passed by. No wonder the waiter deliberately avoided walking in one direction; it turned out to be the table with the champagne tower.

A moment later, Tan Yicheng realized the voice sounded familiar and turned around in surprise: "It's you?"

The person standing behind her, holding her arm to steady her, was none other than Xi Congshuang. She was holding a wine glass in her other hand, her eyes slightly lowered as she looked into Xi Congshuang's eyes.

Xi Congshuang: "Why do you ask that? Are you unhappy to see me?"

She let go of his hand, and Tan Yicheng stood up straight. She paused for a moment and shook her head: "Not really."

Xi Congshuang said indifferently, "Oh, I thought I was bothering you."

"?" Tan Yicheng didn't understand what Xi Congshuang meant. She was just passing by, so what could she possibly do to bother her?

Xi Congshuang: "Why are you looking at me like that? You've been avoiding me for so many days, isn't it because I'm getting in your way?"

"..." Tan Yicheng suspected that Xi Congshuang was not speaking human language. Why could she understand each word individually, but not when they were put together?

"Wait, stop talking." Tan Yicheng quickly raised his hand to stop her from saying something unintelligible again.

However, it was no use. Xi Congshuang, with a faint scent of champagne, smiled and said, "So you're not even willing to listen to me. Then I'll leave."

"Wait a minute, explain yourself first." Without thinking, Tan Yicheng reached out and grabbed the person.

She didn't use much force, but she actually managed to stop Xi Congshuang from leaving, making her stand still, and then slowly turn around.

It's not easy to find out what the young lady is thinking, but it's quite easy for her to let others know what she's thinking at any given moment.

There is a certain connection between the two; the former is deliberately hidden, while the latter is deliberately displayed.

Xi Congshuang's face clearly said, "You speak, I listen," and then she fell silent.

"..."

With her brain fogged up by the omega's pheromones, Tan Yicheng began to think with difficulty. She started by answering the first question: "I'm not unhappy to see you."

Xi Congshuang hummed in agreement, swirling the wine glass in her hand, and the faint aroma of champagne intensified.

Tan Yicheng said while recalling, "I didn't feel like you were bothering me. We only met for the first time these past few days, so it can't be considered a bother."

Something about that sentence displeased Xi Congshuang, and the faint curve of her lips flattened again.

She raised her hand, took a big gulp of champagne, and then beckoned a passing waiter to bring her a fresh glass.

Seeing this, Tan Yicheng thought to herself that she had a pretty good alcohol tolerance, and continued, "I didn't mean I didn't want to listen to you. I just didn't know what I wanted to say to you for a moment because I've been sent for special training by Colonel Lin these past few days. She hopes that I can graduate as soon as possible and start my internship at the military headquarters."

There is no causal relationship between these two sentences, and Tan Yicheng doesn't even know why she is being so awkward.

Tan Yicheng couldn't help but add, "Colonel Lin was the instructor who trained us that day."

"..."

The music stopped for a moment, one piece ended, and the performers prepared to move on to the next piece. The hushed conversations that had been hidden beneath the melodious music became noticeable.

Tan Yicheng didn't listen to anything, but just looked up, waiting for the answer from the person in front of him.

Xi Congshuang's voice rang out, the coldness in her tone lessening: "So that's how it is."

Once the performance team had coordinated, the music resumed, flowing gently like water.

Tan Yicheng had lost all interest in listening until she heard Xi Congshuang say again, "So you weren't avoiding me after all."

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So many people are asking you to dance, congratulations! I'm getting a little carried away with you guys (doesn't mind) (drinks) (drinks) (drinks)