I’m Addicted to your Pheromones from the First Moment We Met - Chapter 37

Young girls always have so much on their minds.

Since returning from the Mu residence, Yu Zhouyao had been haunted by an indescribable sense of unease. In particular, whenever she caught Dr. Pei watching her with those lingering, unreadable glances, her instinct was to flee the scene.

What was Dr. Pei trying to say? As Mu Mingyue’s cousin, her own attending physician, and a pillar of Shuguang Hospital, what was her stance and attitude toward Zhouyao?

It was distressing.

Even worse, Mu Mingyue seemed to be drawing closer. The physical distance between them was shrinking; they had already progressed to holding hands. The Eldest Miss had made it a habit to lean in and naturally take her hand whenever they met.

It wasn’t that Zhouyao hated holding hands, but her heart would race. Her body provided involuntary positive feedback, like the slow creep of a flush across her cheeks.

Yu Zhouyao was truly defenseless against the Eldest Miss. From initially not knowing how to handle her to now…

What could she do? She wasn’t quick-witted enough to outtalk her, and she always forgot to physically pull away. By the time she realized their dynamic had become subtle and complex, she had already missed every opportunity to say no.

To put it bluntly, wasn’t she partly responsible for this? Some idiot kept breaking her own rules, repeatedly provoking the Eldest Miss despite being “all bark and no bite.”

“Ugh, this is so annoying! What is wrong with me?”

Yu Zhouyao slapped her cheeks, trying to snap herself out of it.

Mu Mingyue seemed the same as ever, hidden behind her ever-changing social mask. Her attitude hadn’t shifted; she was always smiling.

What was the Eldest Miss thinking? How did she view Zhouyao? A clumsy top student? An interesting pet to keep her entertained?

The thought made Zhouyao feel miserable. She didn’t want to be a tool that was summoned and discarded at a whim.

Lost in these swirling thoughts, she even began to lose her drive during training.

Another Thursday arrived, bringing with it the dreaded Engineering class.

She momentarily spaced out, only to be caught by Mr. Zhai a second later. “Student Yu Zhouyao, please do not daydream.”

Yu Zhouyao straightened up, trying to focus. “Sorry, I lost my train of thought for a moment.”

“It’s best not to let your mind wander in my class. Or perhaps, Student Yu, you feel the difficulty and content of this course aren’t satisfying enough for you?” Zhai Shiming adjusted his glasses.

Yu Zhouyao cried out in despair, “No! Not at all! Mr. Zhai, please have mercy!”

Zhai Shiming gave a sinister smile. “It seems I haven’t given enough homework. Yu Zhouyao, your assignment this week is to complete this laser cannon and modify it onto a mecha.”

Yu Zhouyao’s wailing intensified.

But crying was a waste of time. The merciless Dean of Education would never forgive a daydreaming girl.

In the end, Yu Zhouyao had to pull all-nighters with a cold face, adjusting blueprints, testing parts, assembling weapons, and modifying the mecha day and night. She worked herself to the bone just to squeeze out half a day to see Mu Mingyue.

Mu Mingyue was incredibly perceptive. After grasping the basic method during their first session, she successfully entered “Reverse Mental Bloodburn” every single time.

Step by step, little by little, the Eldest Miss was making progress.

Two or three weeks passed, and Mu Mingyue had become quite proficient. She could now stably maintain a ten percent reduction in mental power frequency for two hours. She was already starting to make up for the classes she had missed.

Standing at the edge of the training field, Yu Zhouyao clapped for her. “Congratulations!”

“Hehe, it’s all thanks to Teacher Yu’s excellent instruction. I’m finally catching up with the rest of the group. If I don’t work hard, I won’t finish my assignments, and I can’t keep dragging you down.”

Yu Zhouyao touched her hair. “Ah, you mean the virtual competition.”

They were referring to the Mecha class final project: virtual competition practice. At the start of combat training, Professor Colin had informed the class that everyone had to enter the virtual pods for a competition. Students would work in pairs, and the goal was for the team to earn a total of five thousand points.

Because of Mu Mingyue’s condition, Yu Zhouyao had proactively teamed up with her. Her original plan was that even if Mu Mingyue just focused on flying the mecha, she could work hard to cover the combat score. If they put in enough time, they could eventually reach five thousand.

Mu Mingyue climbed down from Luna. “There isn’t much time left to grind for points, only three weeks. Zhouyao, I’m definitely holding you back.”

Yu Zhouyao shook her head. “No, you aren’t. We still have three weeks.”

While her words were reassuring, her heart was screaming.

God, I almost forgot! Why is there still this assignment? Only three weeks until the deadline, and my engineering homework is never-ending. Professor Colin, where am I going to find five thousand points for you?

The Eldest Miss suggested, “Zhouyao, I’ve mostly mastered those attack techniques. Time is short, so should we go grind for points next week?”

“Yes, okay.”

“Then… for now, will you practice with me for a bit?”

“Let’s do it.”

The two boarded their mecha and began to spar.

With such a brutal schedule, Yu Zhouyao couldn’t find any time to research the virtual competition.

Mu Mingyue was considerate and offered to explore it first. “It’s okay, Zhouyao. I’ll go test the waters by myself. You focus on your other homework.”

Yu Zhouyao bit her lip. “I’m a little worried. If you go alone, make sure to rest and don’t overexert yourself.”

Mu Mingyue smiled. “I will! Thanks for the concern, Teacher Yu.”

Yu Zhouyao yawned.

This damn assignment. I have to finish this pile of junk today.

By the time she staggered from the classroom back to the dormitory, the sky was so dark only the twinkling stars were visible.

Mu Mingyue sent her a message with the latest intel on the competition.

A Round Moon: Zhouyao, this is so hard. A Round Moon: The virtual competition is a tower-climbing mode. The higher the level, the harder it gets. There are single-player and multiplayer modes. A Round Moon: I only did the first two maps today. It took forever just to figure out the terrain the first time. A Round Moon: I heard the maps are fixed. Maybe we can check the forums for info.

Welcoming the God of Wealth: I’m back. Welcoming the God of Wealth: You must be tired. Get some good rest.

A Round Moon: Mm, I’m in the shower. A Round Moon: The first level took me over an hour. And! Do you know what the most frustrating part is? A Round Moon: After finishing the first level, the system only gave me eight points! A Round Moon: EIGHT! POINTS! A Round Moon: I’m gonna cry. (╥╯^╰╥)

This was unexpected for Yu Zhouyao. Only eight points for clearing a level? That seemed unreasonable.

Welcoming the God of Wealth: It’s okay! It’s the system’s fault!

A Round Moon: (T ^ T) I’m going to throw a tantrum at the virtual pod.

Welcoming the God of Wealth: ￣ω￣= Welcoming the God of Wealth: It’s fine. I’ve faked my way through the other homework. I’ll go grind points with you tomorrow.

A Round Moon: Yay!

Racing against the deadline, Yu Zhouyao had to sharpen her focus and handle things with two hundred percent efficiency.

According to the forum data, every year of academy students had to complete a virtual competition point-grind for their final project. Generally, first-year students needed five thousand points, second-years needed twelve thousand, and third-years needed twenty thousand.

The pods would record the pilot’s biometric info and assign a standardized mecha to everyone to ensure fairness.

The system would automatically generate levels for PVE combat. The goal was to eliminate a set number of “strange creatures.” Most likely, these were just mammals or arthropods with twisted, bizarre bodies.

Yu Zhouyao took a breath.

Strange creatures, huh? That’s the specialty of our border planet. I know them well. I just hope the Eldest Miss isn’t scared of bugs.

She read on. After completing a level, the system would award points based on certain criteria. For levels one through thirty, the points usually fluctuated between five and twenty.

Opening the forums and searching for “point grind” revealed a sea of students wailing about the scoring mechanism.

“Virtual pod! I hate you! I played all night and didn’t even get eighty points. I’m about to faint.” “How do you beat level thirteen? Waiting for a guide, URGENT.” “Why did I only get eight points after level twenty? Crying…” “That damn five thousand points. I’ll be done in another four hundred hours!”

Yu Zhouyao had a rough idea of what to expect.

The task was heavy and time was short. Plus, with the Eldest Miss’s mental condition, they had to stop and rest every two hours.

She thought about it and decided to try acting cute and pitiful to Mr. Zhai, hoping for a homework exemption for the next three weeks. So far, no response.

Mu Mingyue led Yu Zhouyao into the virtual pods to begin their group assignment.

The connection in the virtual pod felt very different from a real mecha. As soon as she entered, it felt as though she were surrounded by seawater, and the mental link established immediately.

“Greetings, Student Yu Zhouyao and Student Mu Mingyue. Welcome to the virtual battlefield. Multiplayer mode has been automatically selected. Please choose the level you wish to challenge.”

“Level one, then. That way the Eldest Miss can lead me,” Yu Zhouyao said.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. I found this quite difficult. I’ll still have to rely on Teacher Yu.”

Yu Zhouyao facepalmed. Teacher Yu? Where did she get that name from? Fine, as long as she’s happy.

While they chatted, the system automatically loaded the map.

“Welcome to Dragon Roar Canyon.”

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