MVCFO CH12

Chen Qiutian stepped into the classroom just as the lunch break bell rang.

At that moment, Xu Muwen was still in the homeroom teacher’s office, explaining that he was only following Shen Qiaolan around—not because he liked him. To make his point, he even blurted out a heartfelt confession: “I’m sticking with him purely because of his money.” But the teacher still made him stay and write a self-reflection essay.

Had Xu Muwen seen the state Chen Qiutian returned in, he would’ve realized that getting treated to a meal by Shen Qiaolan was not a good thing.

This foul-tempered, irritable, and vicious Alpha was equally cruel to everyone.

Chen Qiutian had been beaten by Shen Qiaolan.

Or to be precise, he had his throat gripped hard—so hard it left a ring of terrifying bruises around his neck.

All because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

Yet Chen Qiutian didn’t feel embarrassed—he actually felt proud.

Because he hadn’t been swayed by Shen Qiaolan’s money. He refused Shen Qiaolan’s request to spy on Lin Xiangqi and wouldn’t agree to act as a two-faced undercover by Lin Xiangqi’s side.

Shen Qiaolan even promised he could send him abroad—covering money, school, and even living arrangements.

But Chen Qiutian had grown up watching old-school gangster movies and was the type who held loyalty above all. When he was being righteous, he didn’t factor in any real-world consequences. Ask him why, and he’d say it’s about faith, brotherhood, and chivalry.

Even Shen Qiaolan was shocked by that kind of die-hard loyalty and asked Chen Qiutian repeatedly if he needed a brain scan.

Because no sane person would turn down five million yuan in cash and a future so bright it practically glowed. Especially someone like Chen Qiutian, whose grades were below average—this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to escape the hell of college entrance exams.

But he still rejected it without hesitation.

To be honest, Shen Qiaolan wasn’t even that angry when he got turned down. He even admired Chen Qiutian a little for his impulsive yet oddly noble sense of justice.

Had Chen Qiutian pushed away the check and left without looking back, Shen Qiaolan wouldn’t have stopped him.

Chen Qiutian made his mistake when he saw that Shen Qiaolan didn’t seem mad and assumed he was calm. So, trying to be helpful, he offered a little heart-to-heart before leaving:
“Everyone used to think Xiangqi was one-sidedly in love with you—chasing you for so long and getting turned down. But from what you said today, it’s obvious you like him too.”

Chen Qiutian was great in many ways—but reading the room wasn’t one of them.

He didn’t notice how dark Shen Qiaolan’s expression had become at those words. He kept going,
“If you ask me, why bother having me report on Lin Xiangqi every day? You’re just not using your energy the right way. If you really cared, you’d just be honest with him. Spend some of that money on gifts, take him out for a nice meal when he’s chasing you, write back when he sends you a love letter—say ‘I like you too’—you two would’ve been together ages ago. Don’t you think I’m right?”

He really thought he nailed it—and waited for Shen Qiaolan to come to his senses.

But Shen Qiaolan only said coldly, “I don’t like him.”

Chen Qiutian waved his hand dismissively.
“Come on. If you don’t like him, why go out of your way to hire me to spy on him? Why have me report everything he does, who he talks to every day?”

He just thought Shen Qiaolan was too proud to admit it, so he kept comforting him:
“Relax. If you’re too embarrassed, I won’t tell him. When you’re ready, go confess on your own—”

Before he could finish, he felt a wave of intense, terrifying pressure crash over him.

As a Beta who couldn’t smell pheromones, all Chen Qiutian could feel was a murderous aura in that pressure.

In the private booth, Shen Qiaolan grabbed him by the throat like a chick, lifting him off the chair. His eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead. Every word he spoke was like a knife being dragged across steel:

“I said, I don’t like him.”

Chen Qiutian couldn’t even speak—he was being choked.

He thought he was going to die.

Seconds later, Shen Qiaolan let go, throwing him to the floor and staring down at him coldly.
“Betas like you, born cheap, always have the most ridiculous delusions.”

Then he left.

Chen Qiutian was left gasping for air, almost coughing up a lung.

“Shen Qiaolan is crazy!” Chen Qiutian gulped down the water Lin Xiangqi handed him and continued,
“Is he split personality or what? One minute he’s throwing money at me to spy on you, the next minute he’s denying he likes you!”

Lin Xiangqi told him to keep his voice down. They had snuck up to the rooftop to talk during lunch break, but the school building was quiet—someone might overhear.

“Shen Qiaolan really isn’t normal,” Lin Xiangqi said objectively. He looked at Chen Qiutian’s neck.
“That mark is pretty bad. You should go to the hospital to make sure there’s no internal damage. Alphas are strong—you can’t take it lightly.”

Chen Qiutian clenched his fist.
“I’m definitely going to the hospital—not just for a check-up. I want to report him to the police! You don’t even know how horrible that pheromone of his was. The moment he released it, I had a headache, stomachache, chest pain all at once. I came back to warn you, but also… to see where you stand.”

Then he looked at Lin Xiangqi with concern.
“Qizi, tell me the truth—do you still like him? Don’t worry, if you give the word, I… for the sake of my brother’s love, I can take a little abuse. But I need to tell you the truth—this Shen Qiaolan, he’s probably mentally unstable.”

Lin Xiangqi said calmly: “I don’t like him.”

Chen Qiutian was speaking too fast to stop himself and kept going,
“He might be the type who tortures the person he likes, and he—what? What did you just say?”

Lin Xiangqi repeated, slowly and clearly: “I don’t like Shen Qiaolan. Believe it or not, I have to say it: I never liked Shen Qiaolan.”

“…” Chen Qiutian didn’t believe it.

You couldn’t blame him. Lin Xiangqi’s past behavior had been too obvious—everyone in the class knew he was chasing after Shen Qiaolan.

Just last week, Lin Xiangqi had even cold-shouldered Lu Cong over something involving Shen Qiaolan—everyone saw it.

Under those circumstances, if Lin Xiangqi said he suddenly came to his senses and no longer liked Shen Qiaolan, it might be believable.

But to say he never liked him?

That just sounded fake.

Lin Xiangqi hesitated for a moment. He hadn’t planned to tell Chen Qiutian that he was an Omega, but considering how righteous Chen Qiutian had been today, he figured he could be honest.

“Actually, I’m an Omega,” Lin Xiangqi said seriously.

Chen Qiutian: “Okay, I’ve been meaning to say this too—actually, I’m an Alpha.”

Lin Xiangqi: “You want me to slap you, is that it?”

Chen Qiutian: “I’d prefer you did! How the hell did you end up being an Omega out of nowhere?!”

Lin Xiangqi sighed and gave a simple explanation—how he realized he was an Omega, got it confirmed at the hospital, learned that his glands weren’t fully developed yet, and that he had a physiological dependence on high-quality Alpha pheromones, and so on.

The conclusion was: “I smelled Shen Qiaolan’s pheromones from the start, but I didn’t know what it was back then. I thought I just had some special feelings for him. Later, the doctor confirmed that it wasn’t love at first sight—I was just sick.”

“So you don’t even like Shen Qiaolan!!” Chen Qiutian cycled through shock, excitement, curiosity, and joy in the span of a second. “That’s great. I was worried, but now I’m relieved. If I ever get diagnosed with something, I’m totally making him—wait… have you recovered yet?”

Lin Xiangqi gave him a tight-lipped, fake smile.

Chen Qiutian: “Holy shit? You’re still sick?”

“This here’s a pheromone-blocking patch,” Lin Xiangqi pointed at the plaster on the back of his neck. “I’m undergoing treatment with Lu Cong’s pheromones. It’s been really effective. The doctor said my glands should finish developing in a few months, and I’ll be cured by then.”

Chen Qiutian patted his chest in relief.

Then suddenly, Lin Xiangqi asked him, “Qiutian, what are you planning to do about Shen Qiaolan laying hands on you?”

Lin Xiangqi was a bit worried that Chen Qiutian, being straightforward by nature, would really report Shen Qiaolan to the police and go head-to-head with him.

He couldn’t explain the details of the original story to Chen Qiutian, but he knew them well enough himself—Shen’s family wasn’t just wealthy.

Shen Qiaolan had grown into such an arrogant, lawless jerk precisely because his family held immense power and influence.

The Shen family doted on him immensely and always cleaned up his messes without hesitation. As long as money could fix something, they’d sweep it under the rug.

But if it escalated to a police report, whether it was just a minor incident or something serious, the Shen family had endless means to ensure Shen Qiaolan came out on top.

Chen Qiutian, just a regular Beta from an ordinary family, would definitely face retaliation if he truly offended them.

“I’m gonna make him pay up!” Chen Qiutian declared firmly. “Isn’t Shen Qiaolan just strutting around because his family’s rich? Then I’ll bleed him dry!”

Lin Xiangqi: “…You’re not going to the police anymore?”

“I’m not dumb. Saying I’ll go to the police is one thing, but actually doing it? Not gonna happen. After all, it was just a choke. The police wouldn’t throw him in jail—at most, they’d give him a warning. If the Shen family decides to deny it and twist the story, I’d end up screwed instead.”

Then he suddenly lowered his voice and whispered mysteriously in Lin Xiangqi’s ear, “You’d better not offend Shen Qiaolan either. I heard the Shens have relatives in high positions! We should be slick about things—don’t argue with idiots.”

Lin Xiangqi was slightly impressed by Chen Qiutian’s intelligence network. “Okay.”

But after thinking for a moment, he added, “Still, you should go to the hospital.”

Chen Qiutian: “Of course! Xu Muwen got two million just for a kick. I got choked—this neck alone should be worth billions!”

Lin Xiangqi: “Why don’t you just go to the police after all?”

Chen Qiutian: “Can’t you let your bro have a little hope of getting rich???”

Lin Xiangqi was amused. “Fine, let Shen Qiaolan pay you twenty billion.”

“Wait for your bro to make it big.” Chen Qiutian slung an arm over his shoulders and nodded like a future billionaire.

But the next second, he suddenly put on a serious face and scooted a little farther away.

Lin Xiangqi: “?”

Chen Qiutian: “We’re different genders now—we need to keep a respectful distance.”

Lin Xiangqi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m telling you this because I consider you a friend, and I know you won’t go blabbing. So don’t start acting weird. Just pretend you don’t know anything, okay? Do you think being the only Omega in the whole school is something people will talk about nicely?”

“How’s that not a good thing?! That’s amazing! The school will definitely favor you for everything. You’ll probably be the first in line for guaranteed college admission!” Chen Qiutian said.

“Exactly. You’re absolutely right,” Lin Xiangqi replied. “Everyone will think just like you.”

Chen Qiutian paused, then suddenly got it.

Once Lin Xiangqi’s differentiation was complete, he’d be the only Omega in the entire school. And since he was already a senior, it’d be too troublesome to transfer schools, so he’d probably stay to prep for the college entrance exams.

But the real issue was how special he’d be seen as. Whether by the school or his classmates, people would inevitably treat him differently.

The worst part? Even if the school didn’t give him any special treatment, the moment Lin Xiangqi got any kind of benefit, everyone would wonder:

Did he get that because the school is favoring him? Is he using his rare gender status to grab opportunities that should’ve gone to others? Why doesn’t he go to an Omega-specialized school or a joint AO institution? Is he just staying here to milk the system?

That was the part Lin Xiangqi dreaded most.

“Got it. I won’t tell a soul!”

Chen Qiutian made a vow, then grabbed Lin Xiangqi’s hand and sighed dramatically. “Ah, now that I know you don’t like Shen Qiaolan, I feel so relieved. Even my neck doesn’t hurt as much anymore! You have no idea—you were so head over heels for him before, it freaked me out a little.”

“What were you scared of?” Lin Xiangqi tried to recall. It was probably just some embarrassing love confessions or something.

He’d just deny it all later anyway.

But Chen Qiutian said, “I thought the CP I shipped was gonna BE*!”

[*BE = Bad Ending]

Lin Xiangqi: “Huh?”

Lin Xiangqi: “What CP were you shipping?”

Chen Qiutian clamped a hand over his loose mouth: “.”

Lin Xiangqi: “Speak. Don’t play dead. Wait a second, I just remembered—”

“Last semester, someone was passing around little notes in class about me and Lu Cong, saying we were childhood sweethearts, a perfect match, totally in love and secretly engaged. They even photoshopped our wedding photo. It got so out of hand our homeroom teacher really believed we were dating and made both of us write a pledge to not fall in love before the college entrance exam. I got punished to sweep the hallways for a whole week because I copied Lu Cong’s apology and forgot to change the name at the bottom. Just thinking about it pisses me off! I’ve been wondering who was so sick in the head to trap me like that…”

Lin Xiangqi narrowed his eyes at Chen Qiutian: “So. Was it you?”

Chen Qiutian: “…Hehehe.”