I’m Addicted to your Pheromones from the First Moment We Met - Chapter 32

Yu Zhouyao and Mu Mingyue slipped out of the school gates and strolled casually through the food street nearby.

“Miss Mu, there are so many milk tea shops here. Just pick whichever one you like,” Yu Zhouyao said.

Mu Mingyue smiled. “It’s rare to see you actively relaxing. Are you finally giving up on nutrient solutions for the day?”

“Well, it’s rare to be out! Might as well enjoy it.”

“Heehee.”

Mu Mingyue led her back and forth along the street several times before finally settling on an unremarkable-looking shop. Yu Zhouyao realized it was the same place where she had previously scored a free drink from her friend.

“Wasn’t it this shop where you took that photo you sent me?” Mu Mingyue asked.

“It was.”

“Great! This is the one then. Zhouyao, do you have any recommendations?”

“Not really! I don’t exactly spend much money out here.”

“No matter. You order, and I’ll just have whatever you’re having.”

Yu Zhouyao approached the counter where her overworked friend, Eric, was standing. “Yo, long time no see. How’s it going?”

Eric looked up and shrugged. “Same old. What can I get you, Boss?”

“Whatever’s good. What do you recommend? How’s the job?”

“The Peach Oolong is the bestseller. I recommend zero sugar. As for the job as you can see, I haven’t run away yet. Now that I’m a permanent employee, the pay is finally enough to fill my stomach. It’s the kind of physical labor where you don’t have to use your brain there’s a certain purity to having unpolluted thoughts.”

Yu Zhouyao called out, “Miss Mu, is Peach Oolong okay?”

“Anything is fine!”

“Two Peach Oolongs, then. One zero sugar, one 30% sugar. No ice for both.”

“Impressive, Boss,” Eric muttered. “A few months away and your milk tea knowledge has skyrocketed.”

Yu Zhouyao nudged him and lowered her voice. “Busy lately? I need a small favor if you have time.”

Eric ducked his head, his voice muffled by his afro. “Busy. Working.”

“Just need you to look up some data.”

“Boss, I’m not an information broker. You’re barking up the wrong tree.”

Yu Zhouyao glanced back at Mu Mingyue. “You’re the one who knows databases best among the Borderland crew. Who else would I ask? Why else did I bring you to Dawn Planet? Besides, I paid the lion’s share of that 300,000 medical bill. Relax, it’s not illegal—just some study materials.”

“You sure?” Eric asked suspiciously.

“Yes, strictly study materials.”

“Last time you said ‘study materials,’ it was a guide on making portable starship weapons. The time before that, it was how to corrode aircraft hulls. The time before that…”

“Alright, alright! This time it’s just about piloting mechas. That can’t be illegal, right?”

The afro bobbed. “Boss, nothing you give me is ever safe. That flight to Dawn nearly got us jailed.” He straightened up and set the drinks on the counter. “I’ll ping you on the optical computer later.”

Yu Zhouyao brought the drinks back to the table. “One zero sugar, one 30% sugar. Which one do you want?”

Mu Mingyue made a show of being undecided. “Oh dear, they both look so interesting even though they’re the same. A lady should watch her figure… so I’ll take the 30% sugar one!”

Yu Zhouyao laughed. “Why not the zero sugar?”

“Because zero sugar isn’t enough to make a person happy.”

“True enough. Shall we?”

Mu Mingyue stopped her. “Wait! Photo first. We’re finally out; I have to document this.”

Click. The moment was recorded. Mu Mingyue took a large gulp of the pink drink, her face lighting up with joy. Yu Zhouyao watched her and couldn’t help but smile too.

The brief interlude ended, and they returned to the grind of academy life. Yu Zhouyao increased her efficiency, squeezing more time out of her nights for research. One Thursday, she sat dejected in the engineering workshop.

“What’s wrong, Yu Zhouyao? You look drained,” Teacher Zhai noted, adjusting his glasses.

“I’m fine, Teacher.” She blinked and returned to the massive mecha skeleton before her. As she manipulated her mental power to join the components, a thought struck her. “Teacher Zhai, does an engineer’s mental state affect the mecha they assemble?”

“Good question.” Zhai Shiming walked over. “Engineers infuse their work with their own mental ‘flavor.’ Mine is ‘Stability,’ so my mechas have resilient internal structures. Yours… I’d say is ‘Creative.’ Just look at this structure you’re building, it’s completely top-heavy.”

“So, the engineer and the pilot should have similar styles?”

“Exactly. That’s why high-level mecha engineers are so scarce in the military. Thinking about your career path already?” Zhai Shiming laughed.

New intel, Yu Zhouyao thought. Ideally, every mecha should be custom-tuned. She suddenly had the urge to modify the school’s training units.

“Will we learn mecha modification later?”

Zhai Shiming’s gaze deepened. “We’re learning it right now. Modification requires absolute familiarity with the base structure. You start by adjusting weapons or armor. Do you have some ‘bad’ ideas, Zhouyao?”

“Never, Teacher! I wouldn’t dare!”

“Get the basics down first. This week’s homework: finish this assembly and memorize all common mecha weapon types. I’ll quiz you next week.”

“Ugh, nooooo—”

After finishing her mountain of homework, Yu Zhouyao snuck into the mecha classroom and booted up Grandma.

“Yo, Yu Zhouyao. You have the nerve to show your face? You little brat, skipping class on Monday…”

Yu Zhouyao curled up in the pilot’s seat. “You aren’t the teacher, Grandma. Why are you so stressed about it?”

“Tsk. Why are you here then? If you want to sleep, go somewhere else.”

“Just two minutes. Homework is killing me.”

Yu Zhouyao closed her eyes. Her eyelids were heavy, but her mind was hyper-active. In the “Deep Sea” of her consciousness, she swam all the way to the bottom—a desolate, quiet area. She sat on a cold rock like a mermaid and eventually drifted off within her own mind.

Her breathing leveled out. Maintaining this deep, tranquil state, she slowly opened her eyes and activated the machine.

“Whoa, Yu Zhouyao. Your mental fluctuations dropped so low I thought you’d died. You’re awake? How do you feel?”

“Clear-headed,” Zhouyao whispered. “Everything looks sharper.”

She piloted the mecha, soaring through the classroom. She practiced every move she knew—flight, combat, transitions. The movements were so light they almost made her feel dizzy. She landed softly.

“Grandma, why do I feel a bit light-headed?”

“Dummy, your mental frequency is too low. It can barely support the mecha’s flight. You’re naturally running out of steam.”

Yu Zhouyao froze. “Wait, what did you say?”

“Your baseline is already low, and now you’ve lowered the frequency even further. It’s reckless, you idiot.”

That’s it.

The pieces clicked. Grandma’s nagging suddenly sounded like music. Yu Zhouyao had been trying to move in the wrong direction.

If Mu Mingyue needed to suppress her mental power to reach stability, Yu Zhouyao didn’t need to learn how to amplify it. She needed to learn how to reduce it. She had stumbled onto the answer by accident.

“Grandma… I think I found the way to help Mu Mingyue. This state I’m in isn’t it like ‘Reverse Mental Blood-Burning’?”

“Is it? Let me see… huh! You’re right. Your mental power is 20% weaker than your usual baseline. I knew you’d figure it out.”

Yu Zhouyao let out a long breath, covering her eyes with her arm. There was finally hope for the problem she’d been obsessing over. She could repay the Mu family, and Mingyue might finally suffer less.

“Alright,” she whispered, a determined grin spreading across her face. “Let’s practice this a few more times!”

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