A World Asunder - Chapter 14

The scent of the Alpha pheromones was more distinct than ever before. Zhao Yexi was completely enveloped by them, feeling as though he had been forced to drink a massive amount of grapefruit tea spiked with alcohol. His head spun, and the corners of his eyes flushed a tipsy red.

Zhao Yexi bit his lip, struggling to stay conscious. “What… what are you doing?”

Lu Huangzhi’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “Maybe the odor blocker failed.”

Humans were still exploring the mechanism of how Alpha and Omega pheromones influenced each other. No one could tell them how to handle the current situation. In this unknown territory, they had no common sense or reference points left—only instinct.

Lu Huangzhi didn’t know the full effect of the pheromones, but he was acutely aware of his own bodily reactions. He forced himself to take a step back, putting distance between them. Turning away, he said, “I’m going to get more blocker.”

The area around Zhao Yexi’s gland continued to burn. He realized in his hazy state that only Lu Huangzhi’s pheromones could soothe the symptoms and stop the discomfort.

A hand grabbed the hem of Lu Huangzhi’s shirt. “You f***ing dare to leave?”

Lu Huangzhi’s body stiffened.

Why?! Why did Lu Huangzhi’s pheromones make him… feel so good? Zhao Yexi abandoned all pride and leaned his forehead against Lu Huangzhi’s back. “Don’t go.”

Lu Huangzhi spun around abruptly, placing a hand over the back of Zhao Yexi’s neck. His voice was low and hoarse, “So, what do you want me to do?”

Zhao Yexi looked into Lu Huangzhi’s eyes with a dazed expression, like a lamb caught by a hungry wolf.

Lu Huangzhi suddenly let out a small laugh. “How am I supposed to know if Senior doesn’t tell me?”

“I…”

A sudden knock on the door rang out. Zhao Yexi’s eyes widened slightly.

Lu Huangzhi asked the person at the door, “Who is it?”

“It’s me.” It was actually Guan Chengji.

Lu Huangzhi felt the person in his arms trembling. He chuckled softly, “We aren’t having an affair. What are you afraid of?”

Zhao Yexi was startled out of his “grapefruit wine” stupor. He said in shamed indignation, “Shut up.”

They weren’t having an affair, technically. They were just exploring the mysteries of the second gender in a pantry during work hours, just a door away from their colleagues. In a way, it was work. Thinking this way helped Zhao Yexi’s off-the-charts sense of shame recede just a bit.

“I’ll go open the door.” Lu Huangzhi took two steps, then turned back to lift a bewildered Zhao Yexi off the counter. “Almost forgot.”

Zhao Yexi’s face was practically on fire. “I… I can get down myself!”

Lu Huangzhi opened the door, his expression perfectly natural. “Professor Guan.”

Zhao Yexi kept his head down, not daring to look at Guan Chengji. He felt like a primary school student caught doing something bad by the teacher. He was incredibly guilty. “Professor.”

“Why was the door locked?” Guan Chengji saw Zhao Yexi behind Lu Huangzhi, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

Lu Huangzhi said calmly, “Senior wasn’t feeling well. I was helping him with a check-up.”

Zhao Yexi thought, You call that a check-up?

Guan Chengji caught the grapefruit scent drifting in the air. “Is this the smell of pheromones?”

“Yes. It seems Senior’s heat is approaching.”

Guan Chengji understood the nature of an Omega’s heat. Without hesitation, he said to Zhao Yexi, “I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Lu Huangzhi stepped in front of Zhao Yexi. “I’ll do it. I’ll take him directly to the pheromone lab in the institute. I know a researcher there; she’ll know what to do.”

Guan Chengji could see that Zhao Yexi was barely holding on. Not wanting to waste time, he nodded. “Alright.”

Lu Huangzhi fetched the odor blocker and quickly dealt with the scent on himself and Zhao Yexi. Perhaps because the gland had just finished growing, Zhao Yexi’s own pheromone scent wasn’t very obvious; you had to get close to the gland to smell it. The little Senior was covered from head to toe in Lu Huangzhi’s scent.

The pheromone lab was in the same building, just an elevator ride away. Zhao Yexi asked, “Why do you know a researcher in the lab?”

“That’s where I participate in the volunteer experiments,” Lu Huangzhi said. “Are you okay?”

Zhao Yexi said weakly, “I’m alright.” With the odor blocker applied, Lu Huangzhi’s pheromones weren’t as aggressive, and his reaction wasn’t as intense as before.

The lab was full of busy researchers and high-tech equipment, making Zhao Yexi feel a bit uneasy. “Are we going to disturb them?”

“No,” Lu Huangzhi said. “This is also part of the experiment.”

Lu Huangzhi found a female researcher. She looked to be in her thirties, wearing black-rimmed glasses and a neat ponytail. Even her white lab coat couldn’t hide her good figure, reminding Zhao Yexi of a female secretary from a business tycoon simulation game.

The female secretary—the researcher—looked at Zhao Yexi’s gland and felt his forehead. “It’s not the heat yet. The gland likely just finished growing, so it’s quite sensitive. Let’s do an ultrasound first to see if your gland looks beautiful.”

“Okay, thank you… uh?”

“My name is Chu Mo.”

Zhao Yexi immediately said, “Thank you, Teacher Chu.”

A male researcher drifted past them, tossing out a comment: “Her surname isn’t Chu, it’s Xiong.”

“Then thank you, Teacher Xiong Chumo (Xiong-chu-mo).” Zhao Yexi froze after saying it, feeling that something wasn’t quite right. (Note: Xiong Chumo sounds like the Chinese name for the cartoon “Boonie Bears”).

Xiong Chumo rolled her eyes at her male colleague and called an assistant to take Zhao Yexi to the ultrasound room. After Zhao Yexi left, she asked Lu Huangzhi, “What about you? Anything to report back to me?”

Lu Huangzhi asked, “Can the odor blocker suddenly fail?”

Xiong Chumo had led the team that successfully developed the blocker; no one understood it better than she did. After hearing Lu Huangzhi describe the situation, her eyes lit up. “It’s not that the blocker failed. Your pheromones went out of control.”

Lu Huangzhi raised an eyebrow. “Out of control?”

Xiong Chumo pulled out a recording pen and asked urgently, “What did you do right before you released a large amount of pheromones?”

Lu Huangzhi thought for a moment. “I smelled his scent.”

After the ultrasound, the assistant gave Zhao Yexi a tube of cooling ointment, saying it would relieve the burning and itching of his gland. As he walked to the lab entrance, he heard a very familiar voice: “You still think the funding isn’t enough? Your lab spends more than ten other departments combined!”

“I can’t help it,” Xiong Chumo said. “I need a huge sum to compensate the Alphas and Omegas participating in my experiments. Without them, forget solving the Omega heat problem, we wouldn’t even have the odor blocker. Not every volunteer is as wealthy as Student Lu. Director, even if you make everyone in the institute move bricks at a construction site for a month, you have to approve this payment.”

Zhao Yexi rushed into the lab and cried out excitedly, “Dad!”

Zhao Guangyao jumped. Looking at the boy who had suddenly appeared, he said, “Why does this person look so much like my son?”

Zhao Yexi’s smile gradually vanished. He really was picked up from the trash, wasn’t he?

Lu Huangzhi said, “…He is your son.”

Zhao Guangyao: “Oh-ho.”

Over the past few months, Zhao Guangyao had been worried sick over the institute. He had gained a noticeable amount of weight, and his beer belly was quite prominent. If he hadn’t seen Zhao Yexi in the lab today, he really wouldn’t have known his son had joined the institute.

Zhao Guangyao looked his son over, patted his shoulder, and said with relief, “You’ve grown taller again.”

Zhao Yexi had a deadpan expression. “Dad, if you have nothing to say, you don’t have to force a topic. Really.”

“Nonsense,” Zhao Guangyao said guiltily. “I just didn’t want to nag you. Such a big deal like differentiating, and you didn’t even tell the family.”

“I did! You guys just ignored me!” Zhao Yexi stood on the moral high ground, full of confidence. “I have proof. I’ll show you the chat logs!”

Zhao Guangyao was a bit helpless. “Fine, fine, it was my fault. Why can’t you fix that habit of holding grudges and keeping evidence?”

Zhao Yexi said, “My mom taught me well.”

Xiong Chumo held Zhao Yexi’s ultrasound report. “The gland grew well.”

Lu Huangzhi looked down at it. “It’s a bit cute.”

Zhao Yexi leaned in to look, but only saw a dark blob. He asked in confusion, “How can you tell?”

Xiong Chumo said, “You’ll need a blood draw later to check your hormone levels. I suspect your heat is coming soon.”

“Then do I need to pack my things and prepare for hospitalization?”

At this stage, there was no effective way to relieve the Omega heat besides continuous IV fluids to maintain body temperature and hormone stability.

“I have a method that isn’t so troublesome, but it’s still in the trial phase and carries some risk.” Xiong Chumo’s eyes were hidden behind her lenses, looking like a wicked sister trying to kidnap an innocent boy. “Do you want to try it?”

Before Zhao Yexi could answer, Lu Huangzhi said, “Does Teacher want to recruit another guinea pig?”

Xiong Chumo replied, “Volunteering is about being voluntary. I won’t force him.”

Zhao Guangyao hesitated. “This…”

Xiong Chumo teased, “Is it because he’s the Director’s son that you’re reluctant?”

Zhao Yexi remembered how he had acted tough in front of Lu Huangzhi earlier. He steeled himself and said, “No problem. I can do it.”

Lu Huangzhi said, “There’s no need to decide so quickly.”

“Student Lu is right. Go back and think about it before giving me an answer.” Xiong Chumo turned on her recording pen and opened her computer. “Now, both of you tell me how you felt when the pheromones went out of control. Student Zhao goes first.”

Zhao Yexi’s face, which had finally cooled down, began to burn again. He scratched his head. “How am I supposed to describe it?”

“Just tell the truth.”

Zhao Yexi’s eyes darted around. “Ah, well, I just… that…”

“Never mind, take a moment to collect your thoughts.” Xiong Chumo turned to Lu Huangzhi. “After you smelled Student Zhao’s pheromones, did your body have any specific reactions?”

Lu Huangzhi: “…”

“Was there anything you wanted to do to the Omega in front of you?”

Lu Huangzhi glanced at Zhao Guangyao and said calmly, “I refuse to answer.”

“Why?”

“I’m afraid of being beaten to death.”

Zhao Yexi quickly added, “Then I refuse too!”

Xiong Chumo’s face darkened. “This is a serious matter. Can you two show some professional attitude toward scientific research?!”