Chapter 3
Lu Jingran just left like that?
He didn’t hit him, nor did he throw water at him?
Aside from the faint pheromone lingering from earlier, there was almost no evidence to prove that he had been here.
“Aaaaah! Class monitor is really so handsome, I’m dead,” Lin Xiaoxiao laid her face on the desk, blushing and repeatedly “dying” of excitement.
“Damn, that scared me so much my legs went weak,” Xia Linchuan slumped into his chair. Just now, he almost rushed out. He had already prepared himself mentally—if Lu Jingran made a move, of course... he was ready to take the hit.
Zhou Le took a while to recover, smacking his lips, “Seems like... the class monitor is actually pretty nice.”
He didn’t even take his anger out on him, the errand boy. He had thought he’d get beaten up...
When he came over, the pheromone was calm, without any oppressive feeling.
Lin Xiaoxiao sat up, cupping her face excitedly, “Of course! The class monitor is super kind, you know. Last time I handed him some papers, he even said ‘thank you’ to me. Ahhhh, you have no idea, seeing him up close—oh my god, he’s just so handsome!”
Xia Linchuan shook his head, “Love-struck, there’s no cure for you.”
Zhou Le hadn’t had time to celebrate not getting beaten when he saw the bubble tea in front of him, being returned.
“...”
“I’m sorry, but this 1000 yuan... I don’t think I can earn it.” Zhou Le returned the bubble tea to Liu Yanyan as soon as class ended.
The girl frowned slightly, her pretty and gentle face now full of disappointment.
Seeing such a beautiful girl sad, Zhou Le couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for her in his heart.
Such a good-looking girl, and Lu Jingran doesn’t like her? What kind of person would he like then?
“How about you do me another favor? If you figure it out, I’ll still give you 1000 yuan. Please, this is really important to me, Zhou Le-didi.”
Zhou Le... didi?
Liu Yanyan was an Omega, and her pheromone had a pleasant fragrance like gardenias, which Zhou Le quite liked.
For a moment, he was too stunned to respond.
After a long pause, Zhou Le finally averted his gaze from Liu Yanyan’s direct stare, blushing slightly as he murmured, “S-sure.”
...
As he walked back to class, Zhou Le only wanted to slap himself.
He agreed again! Again!
Why couldn’t he just say no?
Why did he have to keep getting involved with that group of Alphas around Lu Jingran?
Did he really need that 1000 yuan?
...Though, to be honest, he really did need it.
But he had to admit, being a bit of a face-con played a part in it.
I mean, really, when a campus beauty is standing in front of you, softly asking for a favor, would you say no?
Of course not!
Zhou Le: ...
Zhou Le was really exasperated with himself.
- “Can you help me figure out what Lu Jingran likes? Anything—food, clothes, things he uses, anything at all. He doesn’t like bubble tea, so maybe he likes something else. I just don’t know what.”
- “If I find the right gift, maybe... he’ll accept it. The fan group has some information, but honestly, I’m not sure how reliable it is. He’s already rejected me once. I don’t want to be disliked again.”
- “Thank you. I’m counting on you for this thing with Lu Jingran.”
Zhou Le: ...
Find out someone’s preferences?
Zhou Le never imagined that he’d go from being a delivery boy to a detective overnight.
This 1000 yuan was turning out to be harder to earn than he thought.
Thinking about it, he realized it was already time to head home after school.
Zhou Le rode his bike home.
The journey took about 10 minutes, not too far. Zhou Le went upstairs and unlocked the door.
“Lele, you’re back?” Zhou Le’s mother, Cheng Ying, sat in her wheelchair, wearing gloves, packing something into plastic containers.
Seeing Zhou Le come home, she smiled gently.
Although she was middle-aged, the wrinkles around her eyes seemed to fit her so harmoniously, adding a touch of mature beauty.
“Mom, didn’t I tell you? I’ll do it when I get home. Your legs aren’t good, you shouldn’t be doing this.” Zhou Le put down his schoolbag and quickly put on gloves, taking over the kimbap from Cheng Ying’s hands.
Cheng Ying was a great cook, especially when it came to kimbap. Her kimbap was well-known in the local market. If it weren’t for her bad legs keeping her from going out to sell, she could have sold even more.
But because she had sold in the market before, she had a good relationship with most of the stall owners. Now, to help her out, they all displayed a small sign for Cheng Ying’s kimbap at their stalls. They would take pre-orders a day in advance, and Zhou Le would deliver them to the stall owners, earning enough to cover living expenses.
And since people knew how tough life was for this mother and son, the stall owners only took a symbolic 10% cut of the profits from each sale, which wasn’t much at all.
Zhou Le glanced at the row of kimbap on the table and said, “Mom, you don’t need to make so much. There’s only about 30 orders for tomorrow, and you’ve already made nearly 40.”
Cheng Ying smiled, “The rest is for you. You can’t just eat steamed buns every day. Haven’t you noticed? You haven’t grown in a while.”
Zhou Le was 1.75 meters tall, which was indeed a bit short for a Beta. While Betas didn’t grow as tall as Alphas, who could reach nearly 1.9 meters, they shouldn’t be this short either.
But that’s assuming... he really was a Beta...
“Alright, Mom.” Zhou Le took off Cheng Ying’s disposable gloves and squatted down, speaking softly, “You should go to bed soon. I’ll finish these up. I still have to deliver food to Uncle Zhou. Don’t wait for me, just watch TV for a bit and then go to sleep, okay?”
Cheng Ying knew she couldn’t win an argument with her youngest son, so she agreed. After all, he would be out for several hours, and she couldn’t keep an eye on him.
She could always sneak back to work later.
“Okay, I’ll watch TV for a bit,” Cheng Ying smiled.
“When you’re done with the deliveries, come back early. Don’t stay out too late. Even though you’re not an Omega, it’s still dangerous to be out so late. Don’t make me worry.”
Zhou Le nodded repeatedly, and only after settling his mother into bed did he feel comfortable leaving the house.
First, he delivered the kimbap to the uncles and aunties in the market, and then went to find Uncle Zhou, who ran a small restaurant nearby.
Uncle Zhou was very kind to him. Sometimes, he would give Zhou Le and his mother untouched leftovers from the restaurant.
“Be careful tonight, ride slowly. These orders are all close by,” Uncle Zhou couldn’t help but remind him.
The motorcycle was Uncle Zhou’s, and he actually wanted to do the deliveries himself, but his health wouldn’t allow it.
“Good thing you’re a Beta. I feel more at ease with you than an Alpha or Omega. You’ve never caused any trouble,” Uncle Zhou said, increasingly satisfied with Zhou Le, his eyes filled with affection.
“Oh, and today we made too much pickled cabbage and pork ribs. I’ll pack some for you to take home to your mom. She needs to get some nutrition. Her legs... it’s bound to become an issue someday.”
This was something Zhou Le had been thinking about for a long time. If his mother had surgery, there was a good chance she could walk again, but the surgery costs were astronomical for their current situation. They could barely make ends meet, let alone afford surgery.
“Thank you, Uncle Zhou! I wish you big sales and booming business tomorrow!” Zhou Le clapped his hands in appreciation.
“You cheeky boy, haha,” Uncle Zhou laughed heartily.
When Zhou Le was delivering food for Uncle Zhou that evening, he couldn’t stop thinking about Liu Yanyan’s request.
That 1000 yuan sitting in his WeChat wallet was really tempting.
But Lu Jingran’s preferences... how would he know?
After all, Lu Jingran was a bona fide rich kid, the kind of person who probably liked things Zhou Le had never even seen in his life...
Lost in thought, Zhou Le stared at the lunchbox in his hands, deep in contemplation.
Food, clothes, daily necessities... the cafeteria?!
The more Zhou Le thought about it, the more it made sense. So, the next day, he started his plan—following Lu Jingran.
He pulled out a small notebook he’d once found near a trash can, the kind used for jotting down homework, and decided to use it to record everything Lu Jingran liked. Once he had a complete list, he’d hand it to Liu Yanyan, and the 1000 yuan would be his. Perfect!
Zhou Le rode his beat-up motorbike happily down the street, deciding to treat himself to a grilled sausage the next day as a reward.
“What's for lunch today?” After the third class, Chen Nan slumped in his seat, “I’m so hungry. Is the cafeteria open yet? I want to skip class.”
Lu Jingran was focused on a problem, ignoring him.
Chen Nan leaned his head over, “Seriously, Lu-ge, you already rank first in the whole grade, and you’re still working this hard? Who are you trying to outperform?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just eat, drink, and enjoy life every day?”
Sheng Qian, who was seated behind them, took out his thermos, “Are you a pig?”
Chen Nan: “Shut up! Lu-ge, he’s slandering me!”
Lu Jingran lifted his head and glanced at him, and Chen Nan immediately went silent.
Lu Jingran continued working on his problem, and the surroundings fell into a hush.
After finishing an English question, he said, “Braised beef.”
Braised beef was the cafeteria’s signature dish—delicious and always in demand.
By the time Lu Jingran and his friends went to the cafeteria for lunch, they were a bit late, and a long line had formed at the braised beef window.
They stood at the end of the line.
With Lu Jingran’s appearance, the line broke into a stir.
“Holy crap, that’s Lu Jingran, Lu God!!!”
“Aaaaah, my god, he’s so handsome!!!!”
“Lu Jingran and his crew? I can’t believe it, are they really coming to the cafeteria to compete with us for food?”
Their exclamations weren’t quiet, and Chen Nan and the others heard them.
Chen Nan thought they were talking about him and tilted his chin up, full of arrogance.
Sheng Qian, however, had the self-awareness to know better. They didn’t often come to the cafeteria. Usually, he and Chen Nan would come and bring food back for Lu Jingran. After all, being the top student, he had a heavy study load. But the real reason was that Old Feng had talked to Lu Jingran about it before.
—“You shouldn’t go to the cafeteria anymore. You attract too much attention there. Last time, there was almost a stampede. Just stay in the classroom and stop causing trouble.”
Apparently, several lower-year Omegas had even gone to Old Feng to complain, upset that they had lost their only chance to see their idol in the cafeteria.
Lu Jingran hadn’t really wanted to come today either, but he was feeling frustrated after struggling with some problems, so he decided to take a break and grab some food.
Then, he felt a gaze—shifty, sneaky.
Someone who seemed afraid to be noticed, but still wanted to see something, craning their neck with caution.
Lu Jingran glanced over, and there was Zhou Le, hiding behind a pillar, occasionally peeking out.
His small face looked anxious, lips slightly parted, brow furrowed. But because of his short stature, he couldn’t see anything, looking a little sad, a little frustrated, and a little... pitiful...
...It seemed like he was really concerned about the sign above the window.
Lu Jingran shifted a bit to the side.
As the crowd moved with him, they ended up slightly off-center.
Through the gap, Zhou Le finally saw what was written on the sign.
Braised beef!
Ah! So, the class monitor likes this! Wow, who would have thought?
Zhou Le triumphantly jotted it down in his little notebook, feeling like he could almost fly from joy.
Finally! The first task was complete!
Just as he was contentedly closing his notebook and looking up, he froze, his hair standing on end.
Lu Jingran was staring right at him, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
_______
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