After Differentiation, My Arch-nemesis Thinks I’m Fragrant - Chapter 20

Inside the cramped space.

The fragrance of water lilies swayed, its concentration so intense that no matter which Alpha were present, they would be unable to control their impulses. They would only want to utterly mark the Omega who possessed this pheromone, branding her with a seal that belonged solely to them.

Clearly, it was a tiny square of space where they could hear each other’s breathing, yet everywhere Shu Youzhan looked, the modern furnishings and walls vanished. It was as if she had suddenly been thrown into another vast world. Above her head was a crimson moon; beneath her feet was a mountain plain of seductive Manjusaka, appearing as though skeletal claws might emerge from the earth at any moment.

And with her as the center—perhaps sensing the powerful threat of this domain—the ground beneath her feet slowly changed. A round lotus leaf sprouted, not only melting the nearby yellow soil into water but also wantonly expanding more leaves outward. Amidst that crowded, fresh, and moist scent, lotus buds hidden beneath the leaves blossomed one after another upon the water’s surface.

It wasn’t until this moment that Shu Youzhan felt she could finally breathe again. Taking advantage of the cover provided by the reckless release of her own pheromones, she tried to regain her senses, only to find that the retreating spider lilies were not afraid of her. After allowing her to occupy the territory, they turned back to surround her in the center; some red flowers on the edges even rubbed and leaned toward the lotus leaves on the water.

“What are you looking at?”

Behind her, a voice overlaid her thoughts, carrying a temperature hotter than the spider lilies leaning against the water lily.

Shu Youzhan was about to turn around, but the skin near the back of her neck first felt a puff of moist, hot air. It was the movement of Zhao Qinglan leaning in close, causing a large patch of goosebumps to rise.

She was so frightened by the sight before her that she wanted to recant. Although her mind was currently so blurred that she couldn’t quite react to what was happening, the answer was already obvious…

It wasn’t that Zhao Qinglan didn’t have pheromones.

On the contrary, that scent of spider lilies—which she had misunderstood many times as belonging to the other’s bodyguards or acquaintances—actually originated from Zhao Qinglan. It couldn’t be smelled on ordinary days because this person’s pheromone concentration was too high, and her self-control was so good that she could hide it perfectly.

It was just that in this kind of situation, she couldn’t hide it anymore.

Having figured out this fact, Shu Youzhan felt her legs go weak. She didn’t know if she was disturbed by these pheromones—which already had high compatibility and concentration—or if it was because the surge of heat from her “bonding fever” was becoming increasingly rampant.

Regardless, she was now completely slumped in Zhao Qinglan’s embrace, using the other’s arm as her final support point. If Zhao Qinglan were to let go now, she would surely fall to the floor.

“Why did you… lie to me?”

Shu Youzhan’s voice was hoarse from her rising body temperature. Words that should have been an accusation sounded more like acting spoiled. Zhao Qinglan gave a soft laugh, and her breath brushed over the back of the other’s neck again. “When did I lie to you? All those times you said I didn’t have pheromones; did I ever admit to it?”

After a pause, she used her fingertips to brush away the hair near Shu Youzhan’s neck. “Besides, you were the one who repeatedly invited me. Even though I hate this kind of place.”

In Zhao Qinglan’s vision, whether it was a temporary mark or anything else, as long as it was a confirmation of a relationship, it should be done in a more solemn place to reflect her attitude.

But because of Shu Youzhan’s sudden emergency, and the fact that her Omega pheromones were now completely unrestrained and overflowing, she had to help her get through this period in a place like a restroom. To her, this felt just like… doing “that” in the wild.

Hearing this, Shu Youzhan’s fingertips couldn’t help but tighten around the fabric of the school uniform on Zhao Qinglan’s arm. For some reason, her voice sounded as if she were about to cry, complaining with a hint of a milky, unhappy tone:

“Then… then don’t come.”

“You lied to me just now, and now you’re leaving me hanging. If I had known, I wouldn’t have called you…”

Zhao Qinglan was somewhat caught between laughter and tears by the twisted logic in her words, but hearing that last phrase “wouldn’t have called you,” a surge of anger rose up in her heart for no reason.

It was as if she were merely one of Shu Youzhan’s countless backup options.

How could that be allowed?

Emotions surged in the depths of her dark eyes. The stray hairs on her forehead brushed diagonally across the other’s nape, stirring a bit of an itch, while a cold golden chain flickered against her skin. At the very moment Shu Youzhan wanted to use her last bit of strength to push her away, Zhao Qinglan finally took action.

Shu Youzhan could not find the language to describe that kind of pain.

She didn’t even know if she had let out a groan. She only vaguely remembered that later on, she was being held entirely in Zhao Qinglan’s arms. Even though her knees were constantly softening and sliding down, the arm encircling her remained strong and never let go.

Heat filled her eyes, and even when she opened them, she couldn’t see anything clearly. Then, that moist heat fell from the corners of her eyes to her cheeks and chin, only to be wiped away by a gentle force.

A voice like a sigh fell by her ear, but she couldn’t hear it clearly. She only trembled continuously, wanting to hide, like a prey whose lifeblood was seized by a bird of prey, shivering and begging for mercy.

She regretted it so much.

Shu Youzhan thought: If I had known it would be this painful, I would have been better off taking an injection.

However, the effect of the temporary mark was also obvious. After that initial pain passed, her body temperature indeed dropped back down. Even her thoughts gradually became clear, and once her physiological tears had mostly finished flowing, she had more or less recovered.

Only her strength had not yet returned.

It was then that Shu Youzhan realized that at some point, she had been turned around to face Zhao Qinglan. The other’s fingertips were lightly pressing and stroking the area near the wound through her collar, trying to help soothe the pain. As soon as she lifted her head slightly, she could smell the source of that spider lily scent.

Seeing that Shu Youzhan’s eyelashes were still damp, a sense of satisfaction from marking an Omega welled up in Zhao Qinglan’s heart. Consequently, her voice became much gentler. She touched those brush-like eyelashes very lightly with her fingertip and asked:

“Feeling better?”

Shu Youzhan looked at her gloomily. “What do you think?”

Zhao Qinglan moved her hand in front of her. Her pale fingertips gave off a cold feeling, as if the owner herself were heartless. However, Shu Youzhan heard her reply with a hint of a smile:

“Then, want to bite me back?”

Shu Youzhan stared at her wrist and went silent.

“Abandon.”

The English teacher’s pronunciation for the dictation fell. A slight commotion occurred in the back row. She looked up and frowned, seeing that it was Shu Youzhan and Zhao Qinglan. She only gave them a stern glare as they returned to their seats, ultimately saying nothing and moving on to the next word.

Shu Youzhan pulled out her dictation notebook and lay there as if she had no bones, looking somewhat drowsy.

Zhao Qinglan poked her head out slightly to check the front row. Not caring much, she flipped to a blank page, picked up her pen, and began writing down the words and Chinese translations she heard. After a period of smooth writing, she noticed that Shu Youzhan beside her had fallen asleep to the English teacher’s voice.

She glanced at the female teacher’s back as she headed toward the podium.

A moment later, Zhao Qinglan took the notebook from Shu Youzhan’s desk. Her right hand quickly wrote out two identical sets of answers, while her left hand quietly propped up the English textbook on Shu Youzhan’s desk to hide her movements.

Ping Hui, who was sitting in the front row acting like a hooligan, didn’t know a single word. He was spinning his pen and swinging his legs. When he leaned back in his chair—because there was still some distance from Shu Youzhan’s desk—he suddenly lost his balance and made a loud noise.

Screeech—

“Ping Hui! If you can’t write, then stand up and listen!”

The English teacher turned around sharply from the podium, glaring straight toward the back corner.

Ping Hui was thick-skinned and didn’t mind standing. Then, remembering to pick up the pen he had just dropped, he bent down. When he stood back up, he unintentionally saw Shu Youzhan sleeping in the back row, and a section of snow-white skin on the back of her neck was exposed because she was lying down. Her soft, short black hair failed to cover that area.

There was a very obvious, fresh bite mark.

The look of it—not yet healed—made it crystal clear to him, an Alpha, what had happened.

His eyes widened in shock. Staring at Shu Youzhan’s neck, he couldn’t help but let out a “Holy crap!”