I’m Addicted to your Pheromones from the First Moment We Met - Chapter 28

The weekend following the accident, Yu Zhouyao, Mu Mingyue, and Pei Xian held a long meeting.

They didn’t meet at the hospital this time. Instead, they gathered in the classroom where Yu Zhouyao took her engineering courses. Mu Mingyue had approached her with a slight frown, asking if they could borrow the space since the matter was both urgent and required strict confidentiality. Yu Zhouyao had agreed immediately, despite the clutter of mecha parts strewn across the floor.

Dr. Pei arrived shortly after, hauling a massive set of equipment.

“So many devices?” Yu Zhouyao asked, surprised. “Are we running a hundred tests today?” Dr. Pei shot her a deep, unreadable look but offered no verbal answer.

“Mingyue told me what happened in your mecha class,” Dr. Pei began once the door was sealed. “Neither you nor I believe Mingyue has Pheromone Disorder. The accident in your class essentially proves that conclusion. It’s impossible for everyone in that class to have Pheromone Disorder. If everyone is ‘sick,’ then no one is.

Based on the characteristics of existing cases where the patient loses control of their mental power first, followed by their pheromones, I’ve found a massive number of similar cases in the medical database. They are labeled with all sorts of causes: Pheromone Disorder, Mental Instability, even high blood sugar or car accidents. Until now, no one has synthesized these into a single phenomenon.

Zhouyao, I admit your hypothesis was bold. It was a ‘malicious’ speculation that managed to string together many loose details. You assumed that the loss of mental control is what triggers the pheromone collapse.”

Dr. Pei pulled a new chart from her folder. “This is a map of Mu Mingyue’s mental power and pheromone fluctuations over the past year. My previous theory was that mental instability led to physical imbalance, which then caused pheromone issues. But this chart clearly shows that the amplitude, timing, and degree of both fluctuations are positively correlated. In other words, Zhouyao, your hypothesis matches reality better.”

Yu Zhouyao rubbed her temples, unsure of what to say. She looked at Mu Mingyue. The person at the center of the storm was the most silent, sitting there as if they were discussing someone else entirely. Seeing her like this—like a fragile, broken doll—made Yu Zhouyao’s heart ache.

“Dr. Pei, I… these were just guesses. They need verification,” Yu Zhouyao finally managed to say.

“Well, that’s why we’re here,” Dr. Pei replied, tapping the machine. She gestured for Yu Zhouyao to come over. “This device is from the Mu family, authorized by the Head of the House. Put your hand in this slot. Yes, like that. Now, release your mental power.”

The test was quick. Within minutes, the screen displayed: Test complete. Generating data.

The wait was agonizing. Every second felt like a potential bringer of bad news. As Dr. Pei immersed herself in the data, Yu Zhouyao sat down next to Mu Mingyue. “Is it okay if I sit here?”

The young miss only gave a faint “Mm.” Her energy was at an all-time low. Yu Zhouyao racked her brain for a topic, but the words died in her throat. Smooth talk, truths, lies—nothing seemed capable of reaching Mu Mingyue right now. Yu Zhouyao cursed her own clumsiness.

Mu Mingyue looked down and spoke weakly, as if to comfort Zhouyao. “It’s okay. It’s been so many years; another moment won’t hurt. I’m just… tired.”

Yu Zhouyao felt a bitter pang in her chest. “It will pass. Mingyue… is it okay if I call you that? Do you remember when I was searching for info in the library? Even though it was hard, we found something.”

Mu Mingyue hugged her knees tighter, her voice trembling. “You knew back then? You’re so mean, keeping it all from me.”

“I’m sorry,” Yu Zhouyao soothed. “They were just guesses. I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure. I was afraid I was wrong and would give you and Dr. Pei the wrong idea. But I found something about the ‘Mental Blood-Burning’ state. I suspect we can find a way to perform a ‘reverse operation’ on that state.”

Dr. Pei looked up, surprised. “That’s a first for me.”

Mu Mingyue looked up, her blue eyes fixed on Yu Zhouyao. “A new guess is good news. At least it’s a direction to move in.” The despair in her eyes had been replaced by a familiar, stubborn resilience.

The machine beeped three times. The report was ready. Yu Zhouyao pulled Mu Mingyue up. “Come on, Miss Mu. Let’s look at the data.”

Dr. Pei spread the charts out. “Zhouyao, this colored one is your mental power report. Just as we thought, your mental power curve and pheromone curve are a perfect match. Low values, low fluctuations, high stability.

Mingyue, yours is on the right. High values, high fluctuations, poor stability. These charts confirm it: you don’t have Pheromone Disorder. You have pheromone collapse as a secondary effect of mental power loss.

My advice, Mingyue, is to consciously control your mental power to reduce fluctuations and keep it below the threshold of instability. As for how… I’m not an expert in mental control. The medical system doesn’t have an effective method for this. In surgery, we just keep the patient alive until they recover naturally. We’ll have to look into the military’s methods. Zhouyao’s ‘Reverse Blood-Burning’ idea is a good lead.”

Mu Mingyue seemed to have fully recovered her spirit. “I understand, cousin. I’ve heard the ‘control your mental power’ advice a thousand times. I did so many useless trainings as a kid. I guess I’ll just have to keep trying. Maybe one day I’ll just… get it. Wish me luck!”

Yu Zhouyao felt a massive weight lift from her shoulders. She didn’t know why she was so invested in someone else’s business, but seeing Mu Mingyue smile made her genuinely happy. The Eldest Miss should always be that sharp, thorny flower of the high society, not a dejected patient.

I am definitely, 100%, absolutely in too deep, Yu Zhouyao thought.

They stayed in the classroom for a while longer, discussing the feasibility of experiments based on the “Mental Blood-Burning” theme. Yu Zhouyao suddenly remembered her encounter at the hospital base where they claimed she “lacked the possibility of Mental Blood-Burning.”

“Dr. Pei,” she asked, “you said mental power is calculated by a formula, not directly detected. Why were the people at the base so certain I couldn’t activate Blood-Burning?”

Dr. Pei blinked, momentarily stumped. Mu Mingyue answered instead. “Zhouyao, I just checked some files. It says ‘Mental Blood-Burning’ is only used in the military system. Maybe they checked your background and decided you had no way of learning it?”

“Maybe… but I’m still suspicious,” Zhouyao muttered. “I’ll look into it,” Dr. Pei promised.

As evening fell, they prepared to leave. Yu Zhouyao stayed behind to finish her engineering homework. A few minutes later, there was a knock.

“It’s me, Zhouyao.”

Mu Mingyue stood there holding two cups of milk tea. “Sorry, I was in a rush and just grabbed these from the shop by the gate. If you don’t mind.”

Yu Zhouyao smiled. “I’d never mind someone feeding me. Want to come in?”

Mu Mingyue didn’t answer. She set the tea down, walked up to Yu Zhouyao, and slowly wrapped her arms around her. She buried her head in the crook of Zhouyao’s neck and whispered, “Thank you.”

The two simple words made Yu Zhouyao feel like she was catching fire. A jolt of electricity shot through her limbs and spine. Mu Mingyue let go and, seeing Yu Zhouyao’s stunned, wooden expression, burst into a giggle.

“I won’t come in. Finish your homework. Goodnight!”

As Mu Mingyue walked away, Yu Zhouyao stood frozen in place before finally squatting down and covering her burning face with her hands.

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