CH 24

Jin Siming snorted coldly: “No matter what I said in the past I was hated, but at least the root cause was me. But now I’m getting hate because of that troublesome spirit Yao Jin! Isn’t it obvious that I hate her? What are these rotten admirers thinking if they came to the conclusion that I am interested in her? Last time, they told me I was pestering her and told me not to interact with her anymore. Ah, people who like Yao Jin all seem to be a little touched in the head.” 

“Ai, you are a high rank Alpha in the end. You were already a very threatening presence in the first place, and now your differentiation makes them feel even more threatened. And…you’ve been getting close with Yao Jin recently?” 

Su Xiaohang’s head leaned close and studied her with a curious look. Jin Siming raised an eyebrow and stretched out a hand to clamp around her chin, causing Su Xiaohang’s lips to look like a small bird’s beak, “Close?” 

Su Xiaohang blinked and then quickly broke free of her hand, “Aiya, how many times have I told you. You can’t do these things with me now that you have differentiated.” 

Jin Siming pouted and withdrew her hands. The playful moments and actions she used to do with her friends were now considered inappropriate, “Annoying. Speaking of, you should be differentiating soon as well, right?” 

Su Xiaohang’s expression changed at these words and she lowered her head sadly, “Yeah the doctor said the same thing I went in for a checkup. However, that was 2 months ago and I still haven’t differentiated yet. Ai, if there’s a mistake in the testing and I fail to differentiate in the end…with my grades I’m afraid I won’t be able to get into even a third-rate college if I have to take the college entrance exams….” 

In the world, the percentage of the population that differentiates only accounts for 25% while the remaining 75% will remain ordinary people. Aside from the personal reasons, being able to differentiate is the same as winning the genetic lottery. That is because whether you differentiate into an Alpha, Omega, or even an unremarkable Beta, it means you unlocked your human body’s potential. In terms of life expectancy, you’ll live at least another 30 to 50 years. Compared to the ordinary masses, this is a huge difference. 

Furthermore, there are other special abilities that come from differentiation. Alphas receive the most abilities and will gain an all-round boost in things such as intelligence, physical fitness, etc. Of course, how much of a boost depends on the rank of your differentiation. After the Alpha is the Omega and although they are not blessed with physical prowess, with the exception of a few high-rank omegas, they still receive a boost to their other non-physical abilities. Lastly, the Beta, will also receive a boost but a much smaller one compared to the first two categories. However, Betas cannot smell pheromones and are entirely unaware of its presence. While the pheromones of Alphas and Omegas can lead to situations of poor control and bad consequences for those Alphas and Omegas, Betas are unaffected. This reduces lots of problems for them and allows them to focus on their work. Thus, they tend to have higher work efficiency and one can say that they also have their unique advantages. 

Due to this inequality at the biological level, in something as simple as education, ordinary people and ABOs must be separated. While ordinary people need to pass the National Unified College Entrance Exams and then go to different colleges depending on their test results, differentiated students compete on another platform. They instead submit their resumes and applications to ABO colleges where they then participate in individual interviews and assessments for each college. The assessments are different from those of the regular college entrance exams as while the college entrance exams tests the accumulation of knowledge the ABO colleges assess the student’s genetic talents and potential development. For example, an S-rank Alpha like Jin Siming has already received many letters asking her to apply to various ABO colleges. 

And this is also a reason why Su Xiaohang is so anxious about differentiation. Her grades are at the bottom of almost every class and so she will surely fail the entrance exams. Thus her last hope is her differentiation. However there are only about two months left of their second year. Around this time in the third year, the test results of various ABO colleges and universities are announced. Although the normal age for differentiation is between 15 and 17 years old, the latest documented is about 18 years old. Su Xiaohang has just passed her 17th birthday, so there is still hope in terms of age. However, if she misses the peak period of application season, she will have to wait another year before applying. 

And what worries Su Xiaohang the most is the possibility that she doesn’t differentiate in the end …just thinking about it gives her a big headache. 

Jin Siming sighed at her worried expression, “I’ve told you to be more serious in class, but you never listened. Now you understand the gravity of the situation?| 

Su Xiaohang slumped on the table, and said in an aggrieved tone, “I was young and ignorant then, playing instead of studying.” After speaking, the cogs in her head turned as if she remembered something and she hurriedly sat up, “Ah, speaking of, those seniors who went to participate in the interviews and assessments should be returning soon. Do you still remember Qin Ziqing?  She is Yao Jin’s number 1 admirer and back then everyone thought they would get together!” 

Jin Siming frowned in thought, “I don’t remember, but that Qin surname sounds familiar. I think I heard it from somewhere…but what’s all the fuss about? Aren’t there plenty of flowers around Yao Jin? I don’t care about another one of them, thank you very much.” 

“Tsk, back when Yao Jin and Qin Ziqing’s gossip was at its height you used to badmouth to me about Yao Jin a lot, have you already forgotten? However, Qin Ziqing has been away from school for a long time. I think it’s been almost half a year.” 

Hearing her friend siding with Yao Jin again made Jin Siming narrow her eyes and turn her head at her, “What do you mean badmouth? You talk as if I’m someone who talks behind other people’s backs. I am fair and just in my evaluations of other people and I never distort the truth, alright?” 

Su Xiaohang shrugged, and followed without argument, “Alright, as long as you’re happy~ However, I mentioned Qin Ziqing because you said someone picked on you recently. I’m afraid that Qin Ziqing will notice you once she comes back. She is not the same as those Alphas. She is the ace of our school’s fencing and although her rank is not as high as yours, you should still pay attention to her A+ rank.” 

Jin Siming suddenly remembered something after listening to her words. Last time in the bathroom didn’t that tall alpha mention something about Qin-jie…could she mean Qin Ziqing? 

Ah, what a headache. Provoking that troublesome spirit Yao Jin is like poking a wasp’s nest, one after another they just keep on coming. 

However, Jin Siming had already made a decision and so she didn’t worry about it too much. 

Her eyebrows furrowed and she raised her lips, “Don’t worry, I have my own plans in place.” 

Su Xiaohang was a little surprised at the unexpected show of confidence. 

“There is no need to feel guilty and frightened if I’m being targeted due to unwarranted aggression. Furthermore, it’s impossible to ask me to face Yao Jin like a tortoise hiding their head in their shell! To solve a problem, we must go to the root of the problem. 

“The root of the problem? What is it?” Su Xiaohang tilted her head and asked curiously. 

“Remember when I said I would tear up Yao Jin’s group of admirers with my bare hands?”

Of course Su Xiaohang remembers, but she thought they were just more impulsive words from Jin Siming and she didn’t take them seriously. After all, it simply sounded like boastful bragging. Yao Jin has so many admirers, how could she tear them all up? And with what method could she tear them apart? 

Seeing her friend’s disbelief, Jin Siming cleared her throat and explained her plan: “If you want to drive away the rotten bees and butterflies that hover around a flower, there are only three ways. The first is to rip off that bewitching mask of hers by exposing her dark secrets and ruining her reputation. When her perfect school goddess persona collapses, there will naturally not be many people left who will want to chase her. The second is to give the flower an owner, as in bind her to someone strong. Preferably someone with lots of power so no one will dare to pounce on her. The third, and the most stupid yet easy of the methods, is to keep an eye on her at all times. Disrupt her every appointment and cut off any opportunities for her to attract those rotten bees.” 

After listening, Su Xiaohang was surprised for a while with her little mouth hanging open before she started clapping her hands together and saying with praise, “How clever! But which option will you choose? The second or third one? Both seem rather difficult to carry out.” 

Jin Siming rolled her eyes, “I’m obviously going to choose the first method! The second one is too difficult and Yao Jin has made it quite clear that she will not date before graduation. The third option is a thankless and time-consuming task that has a high possibility of failure. In comparison, the first option is much similar and more time efficient. Of course, it is also to my liking!” 

As she finished her words, the corners of her mouth rose as she flashed a sinister-looking smile. 

The picture of a kitten smiling evilly popped up in Su Xiaohang’s mind and she burst out laughing. 

Jin Siming’s expression collapsed and she said sullenly, “Why are you laughing? I’m talking to you about a serious matter.” 

“Cough cough cough… It’s nothing, please, continue~”

“I’m already done!” 

“Uh….” Su Xiaohang rubbed her chin and thought for a while, then raised her head and said, “I understand the reasoning behind your choice, but Yao Jin doesn’t have any dark secrets, right? She’s always maintained a pretty good reputation.” 

“Hehe, that’s because all of you are being deceived by her ‘holier-than-thou’ appearance! Just you wait as I reveal her true face!” 

The corners of her mouth rose again, and this time there was a twinkle in her dark gaze. 

After dinner, Jin Siming decided to run around the school’s track field for about two laps. When she was bitten by Yao Jin before, her legs felt weak so she was worried her physicality was lacking. She rarely did exercise after her differentiation, she decided it was time for her to start doing so and had started going out the track field every night to run. 

She originally wanted to run with a partner, but Su Xiaohang and Jian Xi were both lazy people who wrinkled their faces at the mention of running and would rather die than exercise. With no other friends, she had no choice but to come alone. 

In the evening, the sky is just the right color, the breeze nice and cool, and the temperature was just right for exercising. 

After running a lap around the track field, the number of people on the school’s field increased with quite a few girls walking together on the track. Jin Siming didn’t like places with many people so she turned around and headed towards an older track field nearby that had fewer people. 

The old track field is located next to the newer one but it consisted only of a few basketball courts and a bare soccer field. After the new soccer field was built, this place gradually became deserted and not many people would come here. 

When Jin Siming ran over, however, she saw several girls playing basketball. 

Additionally, she saw the back of a slender figure sitting against the backboard of a lower basketball hoop.

The position where the figure sat was just too conspicuous and even Jin Siming couldn’t help but slow down to take a double look. 

The abandoned basketball courts are very different to the newer ones. The backboards are made of the old thick wooden boards and the hoops themselves are an old design. The paint on the hoops and backboard have long since peeled off and the height of the bhoops are relatively short enough that a slightly tall male could reach the hoop with little effort. 

The hoops are directly embedded in the cement court beneath. In addition to the two hoops on the opposite sides of the court, there is a lower and older hoop standing in the middle and to the side of the court. 

The figure in question is sitting on that middle extra basketball hoop that faces the court. When Jin Siming approached, she could see that it was a girl with long hair and a coat covering her legs. 

From where she is standing she can only see the girl’s slender back, but for some reason that back looked very familiar. 

Jin Siming withdrew her gaze and continued to run forward when she suddenly heard two “peng-peng” sounds and watched as a basketball bounced over and rolled to a stop at her feet. 

“Classmate! Please throw the ball over here!” 

The people playing shouted at her. 

So she bent down and picked up the ball. When she straightened up she saw the girl watching them also turned her head over. 

Her breathing stopped as they stared at each other. 

Fu*k, why is Yao Jin here?

Jin Siming threw the basketball at the girls and then turned around to leave. 

Yao Jin also didn’t expect to see Jin Siming here and was surprised for a moment then narrowed her fox eyes and stopped Jin Siming as she turned to leave. 

“Jin Siming~ Come here for a second.” 

Yao Jin cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted her name loudly. 

Jin Siming stopped in her tracks and turned her head around. 

After all the shouting was so loud she couldn’t pretend she didn’t hear it. 

“What do you want? Something wrong?” 

“Come over and you’ll find out~” 

Yao Jin replied as she swung her pair of slender and fair legs. 

The cogs in Jin Siming’s mind moved as she watched Yao Jin’s movements and a dark gleam flashed across her bright eyes as she walked over with a smile. 

As soon as she got close enough to Yao Jin, she took out her phone and took a picture of Yao Jin sitting on the hoop. 

She felt a dark glee as she took the pictures. Sitting on a basketball hoop isn’t very elegant, is it? If she posts this on the school forum and everyone sees it, it will definitely damage the perfect image of Yao Jin they have in their hearts. 

She patter herself happily on the back at the idea, however Yao Jin did not seem distressed as she struck a pose in front of the camera. 

“Classmate Jin, why didn’t you just say anything if you wanted to take pictures of me? I can give you many beautiful poses~” 

After saying so, she smiled sweetly at her phone’s camera. 

The corners of Jin Siming’s mouth fell, and she put her phone back into her pocket.

“Why did you call me over?”

The four girls who were playing basketball had stopped ever since Jin Siming came over and Jin Siming felt impatient under their attention. 

“I want to get down from here. Can you catch me down there?” 

Jin Siming’s eyes widened, and she looked in surprise at Yao Jin who had stretched out her arms towards her as if she was about to hug her.

“Hey…did I hear that right? Yao Jin, what are you trying to pull? No, I will not catch you!” 

Jin Siming believed that Yao Jin had purposely lied to her, telling her to come over just to tease her. She immediately grew angry and turned around to leave. 

But then she heard the other party say calmly, “Then, Classmate Jin, why don’t you take a look at this? You can decide whether to help me or not after you look.” 

Jin Siming felt an ominous premonition in her heart at the mischievous tone and turned around. Yao Jin had taken out her own phone and the screen was pointed at her. 

Although the distance between them is not close, it is also not too far. In addition to Jin Siming’s excellent eyesight, she could clearly see the zoomed in photons on the screen. 

On the screen is a familiar alley where Jin Siming is squatting on the ground and holding her head while crying….

Fu*k! It was a picture from when she biked Yao Jin from school in order to shake off the yellow-haired mohawk, but she didn’t know that Yao Jin would actually take a picture of her crying while squatting in the alley! 

So despicable! 

Fully aware of the audience watching from the side, she suddenly took two steps forward and reached to grab the phone in Yao Jin’s hand, but Yao Jin moved faster and pulled the phone out of reach. 

“Do you want to help me now?” Yao Jin smiled with bent eyes, her grin revealing two rows of pearly whites. 

“Jin-Jin, if you want to come down then I can help and catch you too.” 

One of the girls watching from the side couldn’t stand still any longer and stepped forward, purposely bumping into Jin Siming as she passed her. 

Yao Jin glanced at her and smiled lightly but did not give a response. 

Meanwhile, Jin Siming was already stewing in anger but when the girl bumped into her that anger exploded. 

She took a few big steps forward and knocked the girl to the side, raising her eyebrows and glaring at her in challenge. 

The girl was stunned by the sudden aggression and took a step back, not daring to make a single sound. 

“I’m going to count to three. You better get down quickly because I’m leaving after the count. One….” 

Jin Siming stood angrily under the basketball hoop and prepared to catch her when Yao Jin jumped right as she counted to one. 

Yao Jin landed perfectly in Jin Siming’s arms. She didn’t feel heavy at all and Jin Siming only leaned back slightly due to the inertia from the sudden jump. 

Jin Siming eyelashes fluttered slightly at the soft feeling in her arms and the familiar sweet scent that floated into her nose. She immediately moved to let the person in her arms down and try to push her as far away as possible. 

However, after much struggle, she realized that Yao Jin was hugging her neck very tightly and refusing to let go. 

The warm breaths hitting her neck made her flush and her body feel a little hot. She started to get anxious as she said nervously, “Hey…Yao Jin, are you taking advantage of me?” 

In response to her words, a crisp chuckle sounded in her ears as Yao Jin whispered softly. 

“Ha…I’ve finally found you.”

Before Jin Siming could push her away again, Yao Jin let go of her first and jumped back with a small step. She then smiled sweetly at her and said a quiet thank you. 

Then she gave her goodbyes to the girls playing basketball before turning around and leaving. 

However the matter of the photo hadn’t been resolved yet so naturally Jin Siming did not let her go so easily. She quickly followed Yao Jin all the way to the classroom. 

At this hour, the sky was almost completely dark and one couldn’t clearly see the faces of people who passed them by. 

Once they walked by the labs, which have always been less crowded than the classroom, Jin Siming finally couldn’t wait any longer as she rushed forward to stop Yao Jin. 

“I’m only going to give you one minute. You delete that photo right now or I’m going to forcibly grab it from you. At this hour, there is no one here to see it.” 

Jin Siming caught on fast enough this time. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to win a verbal argument with Yao Jin so she went the straightforward route of threatening to use her strength directly. 

She then stretched out a hand, wanting to stop Yao Jin by the arm but before she could even touch her Yao Jin swiftly dogged backwards. She tugged her collar slightly to the slide and then tucked her phone directly down the collar of her clothes! 

The bottom of her T-shirt is tucked into her shorts, so if Jin Siming wants to take her phone she’ll have to pull on the hem of her shirt or reach directly into her collar to get it. 

Jin Siming’s movements stopped as she hesitated. She pursed her lips at the raised chin and smiled on the other party’s face and said with displeasure, “Yao Jin, stop using these methods!” 

Before the differentiation, she would have definitely rushed forward and reached down to grab that phone with no hesitation. She would not worry about Yao Jin using these things to blackmail her if they were the same gender. 

“Didn’t you just try to use your inherent physical advantage afforded to you by your gender? My strength is not as strong as yours, so I can only protect myself with a bit of ingenuity.” 

As soon as she finished speaking, she took advantage of Jin Siming’s gestation to quickly pass her and run away with her long legs. 

“Hey, you–!” 

Jin Siming started chasing her without thinking and ran for a short distance before realizing this scene was a little too unexplainable and might damage her image. So she stopped in her tracks and immediately stopped chasing. 

She took a deep breath and quickened her pace. 

At this hour, it’s almost time for the first self-study period of the evening and the students should’ve returned to the classrooms by now. 

By the time Jin Siming reached the front of the first building, she could see the brightly lit classrooms and hear the droning of the first few lectures. 

Their classroom is on the third floor and she quickly made her way up the stairs. As she climbed the stairs between the second and third floors, she saw Yao Jin sitting on the steps. 

Yao Jin raised her head and smiled when she saw Jin Siming. From her posture, it almost looks like she was waiting for her here. 

“You were running so fast earlier so why are you sitting here now? Were you waiting for me?” 

Jin Siming climbed up the steps and approached her slowly but stopped about two or three steps away so she could see her face and read her expressions. 

Yao Jin took out her phone and shook it as she approached, “I just wanted to ask you one thing. Once you answer my question, I’ll delete the photo. What do you think?” 

Jin Siming crossed her arms, a “as expected from someone like you” expression on her face. 

She just knew that Yao Jin waiting here for her was a sign of her being up to no good. 

Jin Siming narrowed her eyes and remained silent, and Yao Jin smiled at the sight, “Don’t worry, I just want to know about that day in the infirmary. Did something happen in the infirmary that day?” 

Jin Siming’s eyes trembled and her heartbeat slowed for a half a beat. 

But, no matter why Yao Jin would suddenly ask her this, as long as she doesn’t say anything the other party will never know. 

While she may be panicking inwardly, she remained calm on the surface, “You…ahem, nothing happened. The school doctor was in the infirmary the entire time, so what could’ve happened? I just took you there and then left afterwards.” 

Yao Jin had noticed the way the other party’s eyes glanced to the side to dodge the question so she stood up slowly as her rosy lips revealed a smile. 

“Really?” 

Author’s notes: 

In my high school memories, I remember seeing a girl sitting on top of a basketball hoop. Please do not imitate these dangerous actions!

T/N: 

Reminder that classes in China extend beyond your American 8-3. It is not uncommon for classes to go on into the evenings, although these classes tend to be study halls or “tutoring” periods. It gets really bad in High School right before the college entrance exams. See infographic below.