After Differentiation, My Arch-nemesis Thinks I’m Fragrant - Chapter 8

Wei Shuangchi was tossing washed green vegetables into the pot. Amidst the crackling sound of water meeting hot oil, she took a half-step back and turned to instruct Shu Youzhan, who was watching from the side: “Go down to the basement and check on them. Tell them to come up for dinner—and keep an eye on your mother. Qinglan is a guest I invited today; tell her not to be so heavy-handed with our guest.”

Shu Youzhan’s expression stiffened. She looked toward the kitchen exit, chewed on the words for a moment, and then remained rooted to the spot.

“But… I can’t keep an eye on Mother.”

Wei Shuangchi held her spatula, looking at her daughter with bewilderment, her beautiful eyes curving slightly. “I recall your mother never doing anything terrible to you. Why are you always so afraid of her?”

Shu Youzhan blinked. Taking advantage of Shu Yu’s absence, she whispered: “If throwing me into a military camp for summer training right when I started kindergarten, or dragging me to the training grounds for a beating whenever she felt like it while I was growing up, doesn’t count as trauma—then sure, I have no reason to fear her.”

Wei Shuangchi: “Uh…”

She stirred the vegetables in the pot and mimicked Shu Youzhan’s innocent blink, skillfully trying to smooth things over for her lover: “Oh, come on, wasn’t that a long time ago?”

Shu Youzhan stared gloomily at her: “Mom, Mother just beat me at the end of last month before she went on her business trip…”

Wei Shuangchi couldn’t keep the facade up any longer. She gave a fake cough and handed the spatula to Shu Youzhan: “You finish up these greens. I’ll go call them.”

Shu Youzhan happily took the spatula. Wei Shuangchi untied her apron, hung it on the wall, and headed toward the basement. The butler and maids immediately swarmed the kitchen, worried that their young mistress’s independent cooking might lead to an unnecessary minor disaster.

Ten minutes later.

Shu Youzhan picked out the most exquisite plate from the disinfection cabinet to hold her masterpiece: “Stir-fried Lettuce.”

She placed the plate of lettuce closest to her own seat, pulled out her phone, and began adjusting filters and angles, preparing to take a commemorative photo.

She acted as if she had just produced a dish of rare delicacies.

When Zhao Qinglan followed the two elders upstairs, she saw Shu Youzhan bent over the dining table. To capture the most tempting angle of her lettuce, she was repeatedly shifting her phone.

Because of her movements, her silver-white school uniform jacket rode up slightly, revealing rounded curves against her bright white uniform trousers—looking like a white peach at the start of summer, peeled to reveal snowy flesh.

Zhao Qinglan glanced once and instinctively looked away.

It wasn’t until she walked near Shu Youzhan that she let her gaze drift back. She saw Shu Youzhan sit down with satisfaction, waving her phone at her. On the screen, the lettuce drizzled with soy sauce looked glossy and mouth-watering.

Shu Youzhan tilted her chin and asked, “Does it look good?”

Zhao Qinglan swept her gaze over her, her tone flat: “It looks good…”

Not only did it look good…

It was also quite shapely…

The thought flashed through her mind, but she hid it well, sitting obediently next to Shu Youzhan.

She even noticed the corner of the other girl’s mouth glistening while she chewed on a pork trotter and smoothly handed over the tissue box sitting beside her.

Normally, Shu Youzhan’s routine involved acting spoiled with Wei Shuangchi after dinner to bond.

However, with Shu Yu home, she gulped down her red date and black chicken soup, wiped her mouth, and bolted from the table.

She was afraid that if she lingered, Shu Yu would find another excuse to be dissatisfied and give her a “lesson.”

In her bedroom, there was a wall-mounted bookshelf stretching from ceiling to floor. Shu Youzhan pulled over a rolling swivel chair, kicked off her shoes, and stepped onto it. She reached up for a row of literary classics at the very top that she hadn’t looked at in ages.

She stood on the chair flipping through a book for a while. When she went to climb down, she wasn’t paying close attention; she pushed against the bookshelf for leverage, but the reaction force caused the rolling chair beneath her feet to slide outward—

Zhao Qinglan, who had finished eating a step behind her, had intended to come over and say goodbye. At the doorway, she witnessed the “ice-skating” maneuver on the chair.

An Alpha’s superior reflexes allowed her to dash forward. Just as the chair skidded away, she caught the off-balance girl by the waist.

Shu Youzhan held the book high in the air, her brown eyes blinking as she stared at Zhao Qinglan’s pale, elegant jawline.

“What are you doing in my room? Alphas and Omegas shouldn’t be so physically close.”

Because the distance was so small, their body heat mingled through their thin uniforms. Zhao Qinglan could faintly smell that sweet water lily scent. She took a quiet, deep breath and looked down: “I mainly wanted to enjoy the spectacle of someone attempting ‘suicide by chair.’ It’s generally a rare sight.”

Shu Youzhan was choked for words for a moment. Annoyed, she nudged Zhao Qinglan’s shoulder with her elbow and jumped down. She was about to snap back when she saw Zhao Qinglan’s brow furrow and then quickly relax.

Was she faking it?! She hadn’t even used that much force just now…

Her thoughts paused.

Shu Youzhan remembered that before dinner, Zhao Qinglan and Shu Yu had “exchanged pointers.” Her mother was always ruthless even toward her own flesh and blood; she likely hadn’t held back much against an Alpha she found interesting.

“Are you… hurt?” She placed the thick book on the desk and tried asking.

Perhaps it was because she owed the other girl a small favor for the catch, or perhaps it was because she had suddenly found a comrade-in-arms against Shu Yu’s bullying.

In any case, Zhao Qinglan keenly noticed that the hedgehog-like spikes the person in front of her usually wore had suddenly retracted.

The words “I’m fine” were swallowed back down.

Zhao Qinglan stared into those beautiful, lake-like eyes under the soft room light. Her throat moved, and she gave a silent nod.

Shu Youzhan thought for a moment and said, “Wait here. We have medicine in the house. I’ll go ask where it’s kept—”

Walking to the door, she turned back, gripping the doorframe. Her dark, slightly curled hair fell across her face, and her eyes held a hint of embarrassment.

“Um…”

“My mother didn’t do it on purpose. She just likes interesting opponents. You saw how she was quite nice to you before you differentiated. Today was just a whim; she wasn’t intentionally bullying you.”

She sounded as if she were pleading: Please don’t go home and tell on us; today was an accident.

Zhao Qinglan found it amusing and nodded in agreement.

Shu Youzhan hadn’t expected her to be so easy to talk to. She blinked blankly for a good while before remembering to leave.

It was rare to see her show such silliness. Like a kitten retracting its claws to reveal soft paws, Zhao Qinglan looked toward the door and suddenly felt that her earlier compromise was worth it.

After getting the medicine from the butler, Shu Youzhan went to the living room and found that guests had arrived—it was her cousin’s family.

Shu Mi had been acting very reserved, sitting with her brother in the nearby gaming area. Now, seeing Shu Youzhan, she hurried over to cling to her: “Sister! Were you in your room just now? Come out and play with us!”

Shu Youzhan held the medicine, looking at her curiously. “It’s not the weekend. Why are you all here?”

The warm smile on Shu Mi’s face faltered, and her gaze drifted for a moment.

A figure stepped up from behind her, grabbing her shoulder and pushing her aside. A boy with a buzz cut glanced at Shu Youzhan, and a heavy scent of rum hit her like a wave.

Aggressive, with a predatory intent—it was an Alpha pheromone.

Shu Youzhan stood her ground.

Shu Mi made a pleading gesture toward her brother from the side, trying to smooth things over with an explanation, though her voice grew smaller: “It’s just… Brother has differentiated. According to the Shu family rules, he should come and… report it to Little Aunt.”

Shu Youzhan looked calmly at the floor.

“Oh…” she responded.

“Reporting” was a pretext; proving that their child had the capability to compete for the next head of the family was the reality, she thought.

Shu Hua brazenly released his pheromones and smiled at Shu Youzhan: “You can’t blame us for this—”

He said: “You differentiated late yourself; you’re useless. You can’t occupy the throne without doing anything forever, right?”

Shu Youzhan’s emotions stirred. She was about to speak when she noticed her own pheromone scent leaking out. The effect of the patch on her nape must have weakened after being on for so long.

Now, stimulated by the Alpha pheromones, her own pheromones were spilling out uncontrollably.

She didn’t want to lose face here.

Shu Youzhan wanted to reach up and cover her neck, but that action would reveal the fact that she had already differentiated.

Furthermore, with an Alpha’s keen sense of smell, no amount of covering would help at this distance.

She could only turn away expressionlessly, pretending to have no interest in continuing the conversation, tossing back a light remark: “You’re the first person to describe the position of the Shu family heir in such a disgusting way.”

“Unfortunately, I haven’t lowered my standards enough to consider a strange piece of garbage like you as a competitor.”

“Report if you want to report. You can come every day for all I care. If there ever comes a day where you can actually surpass me, then it won’t be too late to talk trash.”

She took a few steps away.

The buzz-cut boy suddenly barked: “Stop right there…”

Shu Youzhan didn’t stop.

Shu Hua took a large stride to chase after her. Sensing the rum pheromones closing in—

Shu Youzhan’s heart skipped a beat!

Then!

A weight settled on her shoulder. Warmth draped over her from behind. Her eyes widened slightly as she heard a raspy voice ring out playfully in her ear, the sound vibrating against her ear canal: “You said you’d help me with the medicine, but you’ve been dawdling for so long. Are you testing my self-healing abilities?”

As she spoke…

That powerful, pungent scent of rum was silently walled off from their vicinity.

Shu Youzhan stared blankly at the pale, well-defined hand resting casually on her shoulder. Just by touching her, the other person had constructed an absolutely safe, unthreatened world for her.