YPSSS Chapter 14

A few days into the new semester, Xia Shiruan clearly felt the isolation from others in the lab, both subtle and obvious.

Sometimes when everyone was discussing a topic animatedly, their voices would suddenly drop when Xia Shiruan walked in.

Alphas always had strong territorial instincts, and this trait was perfectly demonstrated in this lab.

Xia Shiruan stood out like an outsider, with “out of place” written all over him.

But he had grown used to these kinds of looks since his freshman year, so he didn’t mind much.

Recently, Xia Shiruan’s health had been stable, so he focused his energy on writing his research proposal. He spent his days looking up large amounts of information and typing away at his document.

–

A week later, the lab held its first weekly meeting.

Weekly meetings were a tradition in every lab, and Professor Lu’s lab was no exception.

All students would attend these meetings to report on their weekly progress in studies and research, while their advisor would come to listen.

The first meeting of each semester was usually relaxed, and advisors generally weren’t too strict.

So after the meeting ended, everyone casually discussed where to go eat.

“Don’t leave yet, everyone!” After Professor Lu left, the meeting room was buzzing with noise when Huang Yun suddenly called out loudly, “There’s a new bar that opened across from campus. They’re having a discount this week. Everyone should come! We haven’t hung out together since school started!”

As soon as he spoke up, many people immediately agreed.

Xia Shiruan continued packing his things.

Just as he was about to leave, someone suddenly jumped in front of him and said, “Hey!”

Xia Shiruan was startled. He looked up to see Liu Yutong’s bright smiling face as he grinned and said, “Are you leaving? Not coming for drinks?”

Liu Yutong was probably the only person thick-skinned enough to not notice that others didn’t welcome Xia Shiruan joining them.

Xia Shiruan smiled faintly and said, “I’m not much of a drinker, so I’ll pass.”

This wasn’t a lie to make excuses. Xia Shiruan originally had low alcohol tolerance, and after presenting as an Omega, he theoretically should avoid stimulants like alcohol as much as possible to prevent any effects on his already unstable heat cycles.

Liu Yutong said, “Oh… well, you don’t have to drink alcohol, you can just have juice instead.”

As the two of them went back and forth, the people nearby couldn’t pretend not to hear even if they wanted to.

Huang Yun snorted coldly from the side and said, “Xiao Xia, since Tong-ge personally invited you, don’t put on airs. We’re all students from the same lab, come join us.”

His voice was neither loud nor soft, and his words weren’t particularly polite. Everyone present turned to look.

Being stared at by more than a dozen pairs of eyes would burn a hole through even the thickest skin.

Xia Shiruan wasn’t very comfortable being stared at by so many people. After a long while, he slowly said, “Okay then.”

Liu Yutong’s eyes lit up as he threw an arm around Xia Shiruan’s neck and said, “That’s more like it!”

Liu Yutong talked non-stop on the way there. Xia Shiruan had never noticed how talkative he was before.

However, except for him, everyone else remained cold toward Xia Shiruan. While not deliberately shunning him, they definitely wouldn’t take the initiative to interact with him.

Xia Shiruan had planned to find a corner to quietly eat a few bites before leaving, but when they arrived, he realized the atmosphere wouldn’t allow for that.

A large rotating round table sat in the middle of the private room, with everyone seated around it. The drinks and food went around in circles. He could barely get his chopsticks near a dish before it spun away.

In short, this setup wasn’t designed for proper eating.

After several failed attempts with his chopsticks, Xia Shiruan gave up and huddled in a corner, quietly sipping his juice.

Everyone else at the table was drinking enthusiastically, clinking glasses. The not-so-large private room was noisy and chaotic. Even without joining in, Xia Shiruan felt his eardrums throb.

Three glasses of juice later, Xia Shiruan felt dizzy.

The Alphas, who had already drunk a lot of wine, were flushed and slightly tipsy, their pheromones leaking out in faint, strange traces.

They might not have noticed it themselves, but to Xia Shiruan’s nose, the scents seemed magnified hundredfold, gnawing at his nerves like ants.

The most unbearable was Huang Yun’s pheromone, which smelled like Spanish mackerel.

Spanish mackerel was Xia Shiruan’s most hated food.

Xia Shiruan shook his head and put down his glass, planning to go to the bathroom for a suppressor shot.

One medical suppressor shot usually lasted at least a week. Xia Shiruan typically took it Monday morning and would take another the following Monday morning.

But perhaps because he was surrounded by many Alpha pheromones, and they had all been drinking, the suppressor’s effects were wearing off.

“Come on, let’s have a drink!” Huang Yun stood up, calling everyone for a toast.

People stood up around him, blocking the exit. Unable to leave, Xia Shiruan had no choice but to raise his glass with everyone else.

“Today we gather here to celebrate joining Professor Lu’s lab family and officially becoming part of the National Key Laboratory of Photonic Devices!” Huang Yun said with a flushed face, raising his glass first.

Everyone raised their glasses too.

Huang Yun’s eyes swept around, noticing that Xia Shiruan’s glass had a different color from everyone else’s. He raised his eyebrows and said, “Xiao Xia, why aren’t you having any alcohol? Everyone’s drinking, it’s not right for you to just have juice.”

Xia Shiruan forced a smile and said, “I can’t drink alcohol.”

“Can’t drink? Ha!” Huang Yun acted as if he’d heard a joke, speaking with a mocking tone, “Xiao Xia, if you were an Omega, I definitely wouldn’t pressure you today, but you’re a Beta. What exactly can’t you drink?”

Huang Yun was obviously a bit drunk. He slurred his words slightly with alcohol on his breath, and that Spanish mackerel scent grew stronger every time he spoke.

All eyes turned to Xia Shiruan again.

The overhead lights shone on Xia Shiruan’s face, making his already pale face look even whiter. His chin looked sharp, his eyelids lowered, lips pressed together in silence.

Liu Yutong, who was seated several spots away from Xia Shiruan, glanced at him as if wanting to say something, but ultimately kept quiet.

Seeing Xia Shiruan’s silence, Huang Yun took it upon himself to swap his glass, filling it with alcohol and handing it to him, “Here, take it!”

The glass wasn’t small, the liquid swaying inside it, reflecting Xia Shiruan’s pale face.

Everyone watched him with interest.

In the end, Xia Shiruan didn’t say another word. When everyone raised their glasses, he tilted his head back and drank it all.

Huang Yun glanced at him from the corner of his eye and sneered. He finished his own drink, wiped his mouth, put down his glass, and went back to chatting with others.

Xia Shiruan never made it to the bathroom.

He had underestimated alcohol’s effect on him after presenting as an Omega.

After drinking, the medical suppressor seemed to stop working instantly. Countless suffocating scents rushed into his nose, leaving him feeling irritated, uneasy, and exhausted.

The round table was surrounded by leather sofa chairs that looked incredibly comfortable and perfect for sleeping. Xia Shiruan was so dizzy he could barely walk. He leaned back and curled up, closing his eyes.

His temples throbbed with pain; this was the only way to feel slightly better.

The table not far from him remained lively.

Someone nudged Huang Yun’s arm, gesturing toward the sofa.

Huang Yun glanced over, turned back, and said dismissively, “Beta will be Beta, so petty, can’t even hold their alcohol. Let him lie there, he’ll be fine after a while.”

He continued talking to the person next to him, “What were you saying? Who else came?… Really?”

Huang Yun’s eyes brightened as he stood up, saying, “Then I’ll go say hi, maybe I can bring them over to introduce to you guys… Let me see what I can do.”