A World Asunder - Chapter 15

Zhao Yexi began to weigh the possibility of pretending to faint to escape the situation. If he just closed his eyes and let his legs give out, the troubles of the mortal world would no longer concern him.

Xiong Chumo was on the verge of an explosion. “Are you two going to talk or not?”

Zhao Yexi remained silent.

How was he supposed to say it? Lying would be the ultimate disrespect to scientific research, but telling the truth meant informing Xiong Chumo and his dad that the moment he smelled Lu Huangzhi’s pheromones, he felt so good he nearly died, clung to Lu Huangzhi to stop him from leaving, and kept burrowing into the guy’s chest.

He appreciated the invitation to speak, but he chose death.

Since Lu Huangzhi wasn’t talking, he wouldn’t either. At least if he got scolded or had his salary docked, he’d have Lu Huangzhi’s company.

Seeing that neither boy would open his mouth, Xiong Chumo completely lost it. When a female researcher loses her temper, every man in the lab trembles with fear. Zhao Yexi and Lu Huangzhi were scolded until they were covered in “dog blood,” and even Zhao Guangyao couldn’t stop her.

Finally, Lu Huangzhi spoke up. “I’ll write down my feelings from that moment and send them to you via email.”

As if writing it down makes it any less embarrassing! Zhao Yexi thought. But compared to saying it out loud in front of all these people… fine.

For once, Zhao Yexi stood on the same front as Lu Huangzhi. “I think that works.”

Xiong Chumo begrudgingly accepted. “Fine. It must be sent to me by the end of the week. No less than 800 words, and ideally with diagrams or photos included.”

Zhao Guangyao added, “CC me on that email, too.”

Lu Huangzhi: “…”

While Lu Huangzhi found it difficult to decline Zhao Guangyao directly, Zhao Yexi wasn’t nearly as polite. “Dad, go approve Teacher Xiong Chumo’s funding already. Stop meddling.”

“How is this meddling…”

Zhao Yexi quickly changed the subject. “By the way, Dad, how’s Mom doing?”

Zhao Guangyao and Xiong Chumo exchanged a knowing glance. “Your mom is out in the Northwest researching that meteorite. She’s doing great, no need for you to worry.”

Leaving the lab, Zhao Yexi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Huangzhi checked his phone and said, “It’s past quitting time. Don’t work late today. Just go straight home.”

Zhao Yexi touched the gland on the back of his neck and asked, “Um, what do I smell like?”

The answer was on the tip of Lu Huangzhi’s tongue, but on a sudden whim, he changed his mind. “You’re asking me? Don’t you know your own scent?”

Zhao Yexi felt this conversation was oddly familiar. He remembered that when he was the first to smell Lu Huangzhi’s pheromones and Lu Huangzhi had asked him the same question, he had given that exact answer.

Damn it, how can someone be as petty as Lu Huangzhi? In over twenty years of life, he had never met anyone like this.

“Fine, don’t tell me. I’ll ask someone else,” Zhao Yexi snapped. “Xiong Chumo said my gland just finished growing, so the scent is faint. Should I find another Alpha to sniff it? They say Alphas are more sensitive to Omega pheromones…”

Zhao Yexi rambled on, only to realize his companion was no longer beside him. He stopped and turned to see Lu Huangzhi standing behind him, his face expressionless.

Zhao Yexi: “?”

Lu Huangzhi stared at him for a moment before letting out a meaningful smile.

It was a look that was both handsome and wicked, making alarm bells go off in Zhao Yexi’s head. He knew that expression—it was the precursor to Lu Huangzhi messing with him.

“Senior,” Lu Huangzhi said, walking toward him. “Why didn’t you tell Teacher Xiong your feelings from earlier?”

Zhao Yexi took a step back. “You didn’t say anything either, did you?”

“Well, do you want to know?” Lu Huangzhi stopped just one step away. “If you want to know, I can tell you.”

Facing Lu Huangzhi, who was “roughly” the same height as him, Zhao Yexi felt a sense of being suppressed for the first time. He smelled grapefruit again. It wasn’t as intense as when the pheromones were out of control, yet not as faint as usual. It felt as if Lu Huangzhi was releasing them on purpose, just enough to influence him without making him uncomfortable.

Zhao Yexi’s heart sped up slightly, but it didn’t stop him from biting back. “Why would I care about how you felt? What does that have to do with me?”

Lu Huangzhi smiled. “It has everything to do with you.”

“Then say it,” Zhao Yexi commanded imperiously. “I’m listening.”

Lu Huangzhi took the final step forward and placed a hand on Zhao Yexi’s shoulder. “After smelling your pheromones,” he leaned down and whispered into Zhao Yexi’s ear, “I got hard.”

Zhao Yexi’s eyes widened in shock.

Lu Huangzhi barely made a sound for those last few words, yet they were crystal clear.

If any other man had said that, Zhao Yexi would have kicked him by now. But Lu Huangzhi’s voice was low and ambiguous, and the sheer meaning of the words carried a teasing sexiness.

It didn’t help that Lu Huangzhi was so damn handsome.

Zhao Yexi was in a state of massive shock, completely losing his ability to retaliate.

Seeing that the little Senior seemed sufficiently terrified, Lu Huangzhi let out a light chuckle. “I didn’t mean anything by it. I just wanted to remind you: don’t let just any Alpha get close to your gland or smell your scent.” With that, he brushed past Zhao Yexi’s shoulder. “I’m off.”

It took a while after Lu Huangzhi had walked away for Zhao Yexi to snap out of it. He flipped the middle finger at Lu Huangzhi’s retreating back, his face flushing crimson. “Shameless!”

Zhao Yexi rushed into the restroom. He was relieved it was empty; he was certain he looked presentable to no one right now.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, and the reflection only added insult to injury for his crumbling state of mind.

Is that him? Since when was his face this red? He looked like Guan Yu! He might as well change his name to Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yexi turned on the tap and splashed cold water over his face.

Calm down, Zhao Yexi. Look at Lu Huangzhi; he says something like that and just walks away without a care in the world. How cool is he? And look at you, panicking over such a trivial thing. How are you going to survive in the office after this?

But that raised the question: why did Lu Huangzhi… get like that?

Was it because Omega pheromones naturally have that effect on Alphas? That seemed so unscientific. Could differentiation really change someone’s sexual orientation?

Or was Lu Huangzhi actually gay? Like Tao Qiaosheng?

Zhao Yexi fell into deep thought.

Anyone with half a brain could guess that plenty of girls liked Lu Huangzhi. Yet he had never heard of Lu Huangzhi having a girlfriend, nor had he ever seen him get close to any girls.

Zhao Yexi felt he had found the “Golden Point” of the situation.

That evening, the fruit shop owner near the ABO Research Institute welcomed another customer who preferred sniffing over tasting. Unlike the cute high-schooler from before, this customer was tall and handsome. The moment he walked in, he asked if there were any peaches.

The owner brought out every peach in the shop. Nectarines, honey peaches, flat peaches… none were right.

Lu Huangzhi asked, “Are there any peaches that smell like cheese?”

“Cheese?” The owner was baffled. “How can a peach smell like cheese?”

Next to the fruit shop was a milk tea store. A young lady there had been stealing glances at Lu Huangzhi for a long time. Hearing him looking for cheese-scented peaches, she mustered her courage and said, “Are you looking for milk tea?”

“Milk tea?” Lu Huangzhi didn’t like sweets. High-sugar things like milk tea usually made him feel nauseous after one sip. But thinking back, he definitely smelled milk, yet he hadn’t felt disgusted at all.

“Our shop has that kind of milk tea. Do you want to try…”

Lu Huangzhi said, “Yes.”

The milk tea had two layers: one of white cheese foam and one of honey-peach pink. After a gentle shake, the layers merged into a soft, pale pink.

When he opened the lid, the scents of honey peach and cheese mingled together—sweet, soft, and carrying a clingy, milky aroma.

Lu Huangzhi took a sniff and said, “The milky scent needs to be a bit heavier.”

“Should I add double cheese foam for you?”

“Let’s try that.”

With the double foam, everything matched perfectly.

So, the little Senior was “Cheese Peach” flavored.

Lu Huangzhi picked up the tea and, for the first time, tasted the flavor of Cheese Peach.