How Can Two Scummy Alphas Fall in Love - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“That had better be true,” Han Fufu’s smile returned.

Qin Qiao let out a helpless laugh on the other end of the line. “What did you say to her? Her manager said she was crying when she left the stable.”

“Are you calling to question me?”

“No, I’m just enjoying the drama.”

“I merely told her you belonged to me and to stop bothering you.” Han Fufu said, opening the door of the changing room locker. She switched her phone to speakerphone and placed it on top of the locker. She pulled down her zipper, preparing to change clothes.

The crisp sound of the zipper traveled through the air, through the line, and into Qin Qiao’s ear.

“Changing your clothes?” Qin Qiao’s voice deepened.

Han Fufu continued changing. “Yes. I’m going to the company soon and then inspecting the research institute I own tonight.”

“So busy. I’ve been busy too, which is why I haven’t contacted you.” Qin Qiao spoke, then heard no sound from the phone’s end, only the rustling of fabric and faint breathing.

“Fufu, talking to me like this is almost like changing clothes in front of me,” Qin Qiao teased.

Han Fufu, who had just pulled on long socks, felt a jolt at Qin Qiao’s words.

It felt as though Qin Qiao was standing right behind her, watching her change with keen interest.

“We used to bathe together when we were kids. What’s the big deal?” Han Fufu pretended to be calm, using their childhood as a shield.

Qin Qiao retorted meaningfully, “The last time your clothes got wet in my office, why didn’t you change in front of me?”

“Oh, you! There were outsiders that day,” Han Fufu put on her jacket and picked up the phone from the locker.

At that moment, Qin Qiao’s voice became husky. “Then next time, when it’s just the two of us, I hope you won’t be a stranger.”

“You’re impossible. I have to work. Goodbye.” Han Fufu’s earlobes felt hot. She quickly hung up the phone.

Her schedule was packed, and Han Fufu hanging up on Qin Qiao was purely for the sake of her upcoming work.

After leaving the stable, Han Fufu stopped by the company for lunch. She needed to lose weight for the period piece, which required a lean look, so she only ate a few bites of her low-fat meal in the cafeteria.

After lunch, Han Fufu went into her office to review files and reports, working straight until it was time for a meeting.

Cong Sheng followed Han Fufu with a stack of documents, adjusting his glasses as he caught up. “CEO Han, won’t you rest a bit before the meeting? It’s at least two hours long.”

Han Fufu glanced at the time. “Let’s start early. I still need to visit the research institute tonight. If we don’t start now, it’ll be too late.”

Cong Sheng had no choice but to let Han Fufu rush non-stop to the meeting.

The meeting ended within Han Fufu’s expected timeframe. She immediately told Cong Sheng to drive them to the next location.

Cong Sheng hadn’t eaten dinner, his stomach rumbling. He remembered his boss hadn’t even had any main courses at lunch and must be hungrier than him.

“CEO Han, let’s have dinner before we leave.”

“I’m skipping dinner. I need to lose weight before next month.” Han Fufu glanced at her assistant, opened the car door, and slid inside. “If you’re hungry, grab some snacks in the car. Don’t ruin your health.”

“CEO Han, you, you’re the one who needs to take care of your health,” the assistant said.

Han Fufu nodded, but the advice didn’t really register.

The research institute owned by the Han family was located in the northern suburbs. It took an hour and a half to drive there from the city center. Han Fufu was tired and took a short nap in the car.

When they arrived, Han Fufu was still asleep.

The assistant gently called her name a few times before she finally opened her eyes.

“CEO Han, are you feeling unwell?” the assistant asked.

Han Fufu got out of the car. “I’ve just been a bit tired lately. Let’s go.”

A line of staff members waited for Han Fufu at the institute’s entrance. The lead man, visibly older, immediately walked toward Han Fufu when he saw her arrive.

“CEO Han, your visit is a great honor for our institute,” the man smiled, wrinkles visible at the corners of his eyes. Coupled with his gold-rimmed narrow glasses, he clearly looked like a shrewd person.

Han Fufu returned the smile. “Director Liu, you look healthier than ever.”

“Oh, that’s just because the institute takes good care of us. I’m just hoping these old bones of mine stay strong so I can contribute more to medical research.” Director Liu’s smile was benevolent.

Speaking of pharmaceutical research, Director Liu recalled something and led Han Fufu to a less crowded area. “I have good news. I’ve developed a palliative drug for CEO Qin’s pheromone addiction disorder.”

“I’m truly grateful that the Director is concerned about this condition.” Han Fufu responded.

Pheromone addiction disorder was a rare condition only discovered in recent years. Although not life-threatening, it was an incurable disease that left people helpless.

Anyone who contracted this disease had only two ways to cope: the first was to marry a partner with a highly compatible pheromone match; the second was to constantly seek contact with Omegas to draw pheromones, like Qin Qiao.

Director Liu spoke mysteriously. “The problem is that this drug is difficult to make, and all the ingredients are rare. Actually, for CEO Qin to fully recover, she just needs to marry a highly compatible Omega.”

“Highly compatible matches are hard to find. And while marriage might be possible for me, she…” Han Fufu lowered her voice. “Not only does she not want to date, but she also seems to dislike physical contact with people.”

“Oh, oh… I see.” Director Liu smiled awkwardly, daring not to say more.

So, the esteemed CEO Qin had a hidden difficulty in that area.

Han Fufu saw Director Liu’s awkwardness and felt a mischievous sense of triumph. She smiled and walked into the institute.

The director followed closely. A group of people trailed behind Han Fufu as she inspected the work.

When they reached the last room containing equipment and instruments, Director Liu began introducing the latest ventilator, which he claimed could change the scent of pheromones through the device.

“Hm? What does that mean?” Han Fufu didn’t understand.

Seeing Han Fufu’s interest in this newly developed instrument, Director Liu stopped to explain. “Some patients develop an allergy to a certain type of pheromone during their illness. To prevent the patient from smelling the scent and having an allergic reaction, wearing this device can change the scent. For example, if a patient is allergic to floral pheromones, wearing this ventilator might change the floral scent into something else, like a fruity scent or another smell.”

“That’s amazing?” Han Fufu stroked her chin thoughtfully. An idea suddenly popped into her head. “Director Liu, can this instrument be improved?”

“CEO Han, what suggestion do you have?” Director Liu adopted an earnestly humble expression.

Han Fufu hesitated for a long time but finally voiced the daring idea in her mind.

“Is there a way to turn Alpha pheromone scents into Omega pheromone scents?”

Director Liu was startled. After a moment of blankness, he quickly smiled. “This… doesn’t seem to have much profit potential, CEO Han. What purpose would such research serve?”

Aside from AA or OO pairings, which were frowned upon by society, no one else would need such a thing.

Based on Han Fufu’s words, could it be that she had fallen for some Alpha? Did she want to change that Alpha’s scent to an Omega’s to deceive her own orientation?

My goodness, what a forbidden scandal.

Director Liu’s internal thoughts were slightly visible on his face, which Han Fufu noticed.

To prevent the director from having any strange ideas, Han Fufu quickly added, “It’s like this: Qiao Qiao is constantly being harassed by careless Omegas, and having Omegas cling to her is annoying. I thought, if I could substitute those Omegas to provide Qiao Qiao with pheromones, it would save her a lot of trouble. Director Liu, please don’t overthink it; I’m just thinking for my best friend.”

“That’s… an awful lot of trouble to go through. My newly developed drug will suffice for relief. Why go to such lengths, CEO Han?” Director Liu felt that if a drug could provide relief, there was no need to invest heavily in researching equipment.

Han Fufu insisted, “Every medicine has some toxicity. Director Liu, I still hope you can develop it. Money is not an issue. Just ask me for whatever you need.”

“This…” Director Liu deliberated but agreed. “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”

With the matter settled, Han Fufu had toured most of the institute, understood the projects, and discussed the necessary issues.

While Han Fufu was resting and drinking tea in Director Liu’s office, she noticed a document placed on the very top of his desk.

Black printed text bore the name of Qin Qiao’s father.

“Hmm? Why is Uncle Qin’s medical record placed so prominently? He passed away so long ago. Is there a problem?” Han Fufu wondered.

Qin Qiao’s father had developed glandular cancer years ago and spent a long time in the ICU. During that time, he received the most advanced medical treatment, with the chief physicians and medications coming from the Han family’s enterprises.

The elders of the Han family were close friends with Qin’s father, so they naturally paid close attention to his illness.

Both families tried their best to save Qin’s father, but the treatments were ultimately insufficient to overcome the disease.

“This…” Director Liu showed a look of regret. “The drug for glandular cancer had issues back then. I’ve been trying to fully develop it over the years. Miss Gu visited the institute recently to discuss a project, and the topic came up. She said she wanted to see CEO Qin’s father’s medical records from that time, so I took them out. Since I’m also researching the drug these days, I’m using them as a research sample.”

“Gu Xue’er was here. That makes sense. She’s Qin Qiao’s cousin, so it’s natural for her to be concerned about Uncle Qin’s past.” Han Fufu didn’t dwell on the matter and continued drinking tea with Director Liu.

The inspection concluded, and most of the institute’s employees had gone home. When Han Fufu walked out, she only saw a few overtime workers still busy in the labs.

Passing one of the labs, she saw a pair of researcher spouses discussing a project inside. Their conversation soon turned affectionate; they clearly looked very much in love.

Han Fufu walked straight ahead, but the look of envy in her eyes still betrayed her longing for love.

Just then, a text message popped up on Han Fufu’s phone.

Qin Qiao: “Let’s go to the stable together tomorrow.”