I’m Addicted to your Pheromones from the First Moment We Met - Chapter 23

Humanity constantly attempts to overstep the authority of the gods, striving to become creators of new species and masters of their own destinies and those of others.

At this moment, Yu Zhouyao couldn’t resist the urge to become the absolute master of the machinery before her.

She fully released her mental power, imitating Teacher Zhai’s technique, and let it sweep across the mecha’s frame. Unlike the small mechanical arm from earlier, the structure of a complete mecha was incredibly complex. As her mental power delved into the machine, she felt as if she had entered a labyrinth. The interlocking gears were like monsters lurking in the maze; one lapse in concentration, and she risked being “consumed” by the complexity.

Yu Zhouyao controlled her mental power, thinning it into fine threads to pass through the gaps where components joined, gradually scanning the entire structure. After a long while, fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead before the scanning work was finally complete.

She wiped her brow with her school uniform and dove back into the task. Adjusting her breathing to maintain a steady output, she gently twisted the junctions of the mecha’s central frame. Click, the three limbs of the mecha detached and fell.

With the core losing its support, it threatened to crash down. Yu Zhouyao frantically used her mental power to stabilize the cockpit and the power core. “Phew that was close.”

Operating under tough conditions, she used her uniform as a rag to wipe away the sweat. Although her steps differed from Teacher Zhai’s, she believed that the result was what mattered most. After all, she had successfully detached them.

She surveyed the scattered parts of the giant machine with a sense of accomplishment. After a short rest, she continued the daunting task. Following Teacher Zhai’s movements and remembering the Grandma Mecha’s warning, she lowered her power output, wrapping small streams of mental energy around the mechanical arms.

She treated her mental power as an extension of her senses, performing “surgery” on the mecha. She slowly felt for the mechanical parts, “cutting” through the metallic flesh to extract the metal components within.

Time ticked by. Yu Zhouyao was drenched in sweat.

Don’t let Teacher Zhai’s effortless demonstration fool you; doing it herself made her realize how complicated dismantling a mechanical body truly was. If the difficulty of the classroom teaching was a “one,” doing it alone without external help was a “hundred.”

She chuckled bitterly to herself, finally understanding why her seniors complained about this course being “hardcore.” Teacher Zhai certainly had high expectations of her to assign such a difficult task in the first week.

She didn’t dare slack off.

Her mental energy “fish” split into smaller fish, then into tiny shrimp, swimming through the crevices of the metallic waters. Realizing her efficiency was low, she had a flash of inspiration: she split her mental power into multiple strands, working on different sections simultaneously to strip away the mechanical shell piece by piece.

Drip, drip. Sweat hit the floor. Her uniform was soaked through and clinging to her skin. She held her breath, making her mental power her only outlet, meticulously separating the tightly meshed gears.

The bell signaling the end of classes had long since passed, but Yu Zhouyao remained unfocused on anything but the work at hand. As the sky grew dark, her mental and physical energy were nearly depleted.

Finally, with a final click, the last of the parts hit the floor.

“Mother of Mechas… it’s finally done! I thought I’d finish this in my next life! Teacher Zhai is truly heartless!”

Too tired even to wipe her sweat, Yu Zhouyao collapsed onto the floor. She panted for a long while before regaining her strength. Shakingly, she stood up and began the sluggish process of categorizing and storing the parts of the arms and legs.

Night had fallen completely; she could see the campus streetlights glowing through the window. She decided to relax for a moment before heading back. Opening her optical computer, several messages from Mu Mingyue popped up.

A Full Moon: Zhouyao, my class is over! A Full Moon: What about you? A Full Moon: Oh, right! Let me treat you to fruit tea. (#^.^#) A Full Moon: Hmm? Why no reply? A Full Moon: Zhouyao, you can’t still be in class, can you? A Full Moon: Yu Zhouyao? Yu Zhouyao?

Yu Zhouyao tried to type a reply, but her hands were trembling so much she couldn’t hit the keys. She had to use voice input instead.

Welcome Wealth: [8s Audio] (Sorry, sorry! I just stopped. I only just saw your messages.) Welcome Wealth: [13s Audio] (Mhm, I’ve been in the classroom doing homework… ha… so tired.) Welcome Wealth: (。＿。) I’m sorry~

A Full Moon: Wow, did you finally finish? A Full Moon: Heavens, how did you stay there for so long? A Full Moon: How do you feel?

Welcome Wealth: [3s Audio] (Pretty exhausted.)

A Full Moon: …Oh dear, the fruit tea has gone cold. It’s not really good enough to bring over now.

Welcome Wealth: [5s Audio] (Mhm… it’s fine. Thanks for the thought.) Welcome Wealth: [6s Audio] (Haha, it’s really okay, I’m not picky. I’m actually dying of thirst right now.)

A Full Moon: Then… should I bring it to you?

After resting a bit more, Yu Zhouyao regained enough strength to type manually.

Welcome Wealth: Really? That would be great! Thank you! A Full Moon: You’re welcome. I’m coming right now.

Yu Zhouyao sent her the room number. She sprawled out like a pancake on the floor, slowly recovering her stamina. Soon, a knock came at the door.

“Come in.”

Yu Zhouyao, still lying on the floor, looked up toward the door. A beautiful figure stepped in, backlit by the hallway lights. The footsteps approached and stopped in front of her. Mu Mingyue crouched down.

Setting the drinks aside, Mu Mingyue lightly touched Yu Zhouyao’s forehead. “So cold,” she chided gently.

Yu Zhouyao curled her lips in a weak smile. “Collapsed from exhaustion. Miss Mu, this course is actually impossible.”

Mu Mingyue cupped Yu Zhouyao’s ears with her hands. “There, there. Zhouyao is the best. I’ll blow on them and you won’t be tired anymore. Phew—”

Mu Mingyue leaned down close to Yu Zhouyao’s ear. Her long hair fell naturally, brushing against Zhouyao’s face. For a moment, their breathing intertwined—inhaling and exhaling together. Their hair tangled—gold strands over black, sticking together.

Yu Zhouyao’s breath hitched. The young miss let out a shallow laugh.

Yu Zhouyao turned her head away, not daring to meet Mu Mingyue’s eyes. Her face felt hot again, as if all the warmth in her body had rushed to her head. She was certain she didn’t have a cold.

Mu Mingyue didn’t call her out. She followed the turn of Yu Zhouyao’s head and gently blew on the other ear. “Phew— phew—”

Yu Zhouyao felt the fine hairs on her ears stand up. She didn’t want to think about how red her ears were. “Okay, okay, Miss Mu… I think I feel much better now,” she pleaded.

Mu Mingyue tilted her head with a look of innocent wonder. “Is that so? Yu Zhouyao, your face is so red. Do you have a fever?” As she spoke, she reached out to touch Zhouyao’s cheek.

Yu Zhouyao had no choice but to throw her arm across her face to block her. “No. No fever. Redness is a natural physiological phenomenon,” she mumbled. Afraid Mu Mingyue would keep going, she added, “Thanks for the concern. I’m just tired. Let me lie here for a bit and I’ll be fine.”

Mu Mingyue let out another soft laugh. “Alright then, since Zhouyao says so…”

Yu Zhouyao was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear. By the Mecha above, I am never taking the initiative to provoke Mu Mingyue again. I’m so outclassed.

After a good amount of mental preparation, Yu Zhouyao finally sat up. Mu Mingyue handed her two drinks.

“Zhouyao, one is rose-flavored, the other is jasmine. Which do you want?” “Either is fine. I’ve never had them.” “Mhm, then jasmine for you.” “Thanks.”

Yu Zhouyao took the drink and sat beside her. The jasmine tea was light and fragrant. One sip left a lingering, enchanting aftertaste. For a split second, she felt the tea was exactly like Mu Mingyue: seemingly non-aggressive, yet everything was under her control. Once you fell into her rhythm, it was impossible to fight back. And yet, she couldn’t stop herself from being drawn in.

They chatted idly until the tea was finished. Recharged, they left the classroom together and said their goodbyes at the dorm.

“Goodnight.” “You too, goodnight!”

The next morning, Yu Zhouyao woke up aching everywhere. Fatigue seeped from her marrow. She yawned, downed a few bottles of nutrient solution, and managed to power through her other electives before hiding away in the library.

Mu Mingyue hadn’t messaged her, which felt odd. While working on her other assignments, Yu Zhouyao felt a nagging sense that something was wrong. At 4:30 PM, her device chimed.

It wasn’t Mu Mingyue. It was a notification from the school app.

“Little Dawn reminds you: Your selected course ‘Individual Combat Training’ has started. You are fifteen minutes late. Please head to classroom XXXX immediately.”

Individual Combat Training? It sounded familiar.

Yu Zhouyao bolted out of the library and sprinted toward the classroom. How could she have forgotten? The app schedule hadn’t shown it! The “Demon Instructor” was going to kill her.

She flew through the building, skidding to a halt on the sixth floor. She didn’t even dare to knock. She pulled the door open a tiny crack, peering in and hoping to slip in unnoticed.

But luck was not on her side.

A furious roar erupted: “YU— ZHOU— YAO—”

Caught. Yu Zhouyao forced a smile at her dismal fate.

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