After Differentiation, My Arch-nemesis Thinks I’m Fragrant - Chapter 16

After taking off her thin suit jacket and pressing it against her arm to slightly cover her waist, Zhao Qinglan stood at the door and took several deep breaths for a long while before regaining her composure.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of steady footsteps approaching from a distance.

Tap, tap, tap.

Zhao Qinglan looked over, and the first thing that caught her eye was the hem of a black military greatcoat. The newcomer’s aura silently seeped into the air; almost reflexively, Zhao Qinglan straightened her posture. The blush on her face faded away a beat too late, and her dark eyes were wiped clean of all emotion. “Mother, why are you…”

The tall, long-legged Alpha walked toward her. Noticing her standing outside this particular training room at the end of the hall, and seeing the small red light on the closed door indicating it was occupied, she raised an eyebrow. “A few people from the military industry are bringing equipment over to talk this afternoon. I came back to check the venue—but you, you brought a friend home?”

Zhao Qinglan unconsciously took a step toward the door, as if trying to block something or perhaps acting out of a guilty conscience. Her gaze remained lowered, not meeting the other’s eyes, as she replied softly, “Yes…”

The golden epaulettes on the newcomer’s shoulders reflected a sharp luster under the cold hallway lights as she moved, mirroring the keen, soul-piercing edge hidden deep within her dark eyes.

Zhao Xi stared expressionlessly at her child for a moment. She did not miss that small movement and suddenly felt a flicker of curiosity about the person inside the training room.

However, she didn’t ask directly. Instead, she finished her business first, signaling to several deputies down the hall and leading a group of people in Sixth Legion uniforms toward a door on the other side.

After leaving the basement level and being met by the butler, Zhao Xi—who was currently cross-checking the details of the afternoon’s negotiations with her subordinates—seemed to remember something and asked casually, “Qinglan brought a friend home today?”

“Yes…” the butler replied with standard poise. “It was the eldest young lady of the Shu family.”

Zhao Xi’s brow twitched slightly, and her hands paused. “Shu Yu’s child?”

This time, without waiting for the butler to respond, she murmured thoughtfully to herself, “I remember her birth report indicated she would differentiate into an Alpha this year. Their relationship has become this good now?”

The people around her didn’t dare to chime in randomly.

Fortunately, Zhao Xi’s words weren’t really a question. She thought for a moment before refocusing on the task at hand, barking several reminders to her adjutant before leading the group toward the courtyard exit.

Seeing as she intended to head back to the military headquarters, the Zhao family servants escorted them all the way to the door. Only then did she say casually, “I won’t be back for dinner. Tell Sujin not to wait for me.”

“Understood…”

Inside the training room…

Shu Youzhan was drenched in sweat from head to toe. She was almost in a daze; if Zhao Qinglan hadn’t adjusted the sparring robots to their lowest setting, she wouldn’t just be exhausted right now—she might have been beaten.

Even so, in the face of that terrifying pheromone, it was still difficult for her to muster the energy to deal with the sparring robots’ attacks. Several times, even when she avoided a major blow, she still let the force graze her skin, leaving marks of varying depths.

Sweat pooled on the floor to the point where an accidental step would cause a slip.

Shu Youzhan had forgotten when exactly she collapsed. By the time she reacted, the concentration of pheromones in the room had dropped, leaving only a very faint trace that allowed her sense of smell to dully catch a hint of fragrance.

Zhao Qinglan had walked to her side at some point, carefully reapplying the biological patch to block that rich water lily scent. She pulled her up and draped her own jacket over her shoulders, trying her best not to look at her current sweat-soaked appearance.

Shu Youzhan rested her forehead against the other’s shoulder. In her dazed state, she felt this movement was strangely familiar…

It seemed that without realizing it, she had already come to trust Zhao Qinglan deeply.

“Do you still have strength?” A question fell by her ear. Perhaps because they were so close, or perhaps because the other’s voice was slightly husky with an ambiguous undertone, Shu Youzhan actually detected an incredible tenderness in that tone.

She first shook her head, then remembering their awkward relationship as rivals, she forced herself to nod, though she didn’t move. “Wait a moment…”

Zhao Qinglan didn’t say a word, seemingly granting her silent permission. Her gaze shifted elsewhere, yet her keen sense of smell was faithfully describing the enticing appearance of the person in front of her—the dampness mixed with the lingering sweet pheromones rushed at her nose, as if tempting her to look down at those glistening collarbones.

And that thin short-sleeved shirt that clung almost perfectly to her curves.

Zhao Qinglan’s throat bobbed for a long time until she heard a mumble from the crook of her shoulder: “Was it a Lycoris? It’s a bit like it…”

Her breathing hitched as she asked, “What?”

Shu Youzhan gathered a bit of strength and, while still leaning in her arms, looked up at her. “The Alpha pheromone you simulated just now… was it the scent of a Lycoris (Spider Lily)?”

Zhao Qinglan reflexively looked down, crashing into those beautiful dark brown eyes and the corners of her eyes that were flushed red from overexertion. Unintentionally captivated by that peach-blossom-like beauty, she dazed for a second and responded subconsciously, “Yes…”

Shu Youzhan gave an “Oh” and slowly pushed the person back. “Behave yourself. An Alpha shouldn’t always be thinking about taking advantage of people when they’re down.”

Zhao Qinglan: “Huh??”

She crossed her arms and glared at the person who was still wearing her jacket. “Wasn’t it someone who, relying on being an Omega, was shamelessly flirting just now?”

Shu Youzhan looked her up and down. “Flirting with you? Even if I liked the owner of that simulated pheromone just now, I could never like you. I hereby declare!”

“That scent from just now is now my basic standard for finding a partner! Everyone else can go home and go to sleep.”

“Basic standard?” Zhao Qinglan repeated the phrase with a strange expression.

Shu Youzhan mimicked her posture and replied smugly, “Mm-hmm…”

After training at the Zhao house for half an hour and resting for eight, Shu Youzhan finally left after freeloading a meal. The sky had already darkened. Zhao Qinglan saw her off and, upon walking back through the courtyard, paused in front of the vat of lotuses where a certain someone had lingered during the day.

A tender pink bud was gracefully blooming on the water’s surface.

Tempted, she reached out to touch the edge of the petal. Zhao Qinglan whispered softly, “You wish,” her tone carrying a hint of playfulness, though it wasn’t clear who she was addressing.

Creak…

A soft sound…

The front door opened again. Zhao Qinglan thought Shu Youzhan had forgotten something and straightened up with a teasing smile, only to see the person entering. She immediately withdrew her hand from the lotus, and her voice tightened. “Mother…”

Zhao Xi took off her military coat, the lingering coldness still in her eyes. She glanced at her casually and said, “The Shu family kid came over?”

“Yes…”

Zhao Xi nodded as if she already knew and walked inside. A gentler woman came out, glancing cautiously toward Zhao Qinglan before smiling at Zhao Xi. “You’re back…”

She tactfully went to take Zhao Xi’s coat.

However, the Commander of the Sixth Legion showed no trace of tenderness. Her gaze remained fixed on her child. “She differentiated into an Omega?”

Zhao Qinglan’s breath stopped instantly.

She understood. Though her mother’s words were phrased as a question, she was already 100% certain.

“No…” Just as she hesitated to deny it, her mother interrupted her without hesitation.

“I can feel it. There’s no need to lie to me. Since Shu Yu hasn’t announced it, I won’t interfere in their family affairs.”

Zhao Qinglan fell silent. Her peripheral vision caught only the slight ripples on the green leaves in the water vat and the swaying of the many small flowers in the wind.

The cold voice pressed in again, carrying an aggressive undertone: “I was wondering why you agreed to participate in the military experiment before.”

“You thought the Shu kid would differentiate into an Alpha, so you wanted to become an Omega to be with her. Unfortunately, the experiment went wrong, and you differentiated early…”

“Looking at it now, your luck is actually quite good. Although the experiment failed, she turned out to be a miracle Omega. Even the heavens are helping you—”

“Is that what you’re thinking, Zhao Qinglan?”