Marked by an Enigma After a Pheromone Disorder - Chapter 1

“A scent this sweet has to be incredibly fragrant. Our streamer is the perfect Omega of our dreams!”

“This outfit today is exactly my style. Time to lick the screen!”

On the monitor, an Omega appeared wearing a white, slim-fit mock-neck shirt paired with a short pleated skirt. The outfit revealed a slender, tight waist and skin so pale it looked like fresh snow, making it impossible to tell if it was the result of a beauty filter or his natural complexion. The sight was captivating enough to keep every Alpha behind their screens from looking away.

The Omega delicately licked his rounded, glistening lips and tilted his head with a soft expression. “Big brothers, Xiao Tang’s pheromones aren’t sweet at all. They don’t smell good, I promise.”

“I really want to mark Xiao Tang baby.”

“He must be so juicy and sweet.”

“Xiao Tang, can I see more?”

User ‘Tang Xiao Tang’ has blocked this user.

User ‘Tang Xiao Tang’ has banned this user from speaking.

Tang Shi stared intently at the scrolling comments, his heart racing with anxiety. Even though he was telling the truth, the people flooding his live room continued to scream for him, acting as if they wanted to jump through the screen just to taste his scent gland.

He was cursing them out internally, yet his voice remained frantic. “Please stop sending those messages! If you keep going, you won’t be able to see Xiao Tang baby anymore.”

He had warned them that such comments would get the room banned, but those Alphas simply wouldn’t listen. Ironically, the angrier Tang Shi appeared, the more aggressive the comments became. It was as if they wanted to feel the little Omega’s emotions through the screen, even if it was just to tease him.

Your broadcast has been suspended due to a violation of regulations.

Tang Shi sighed and slumped back, dropping his mouse in frustration. He hooked his fingers under the hem of his ultra-short skirt, revealing a glimpse of white underwear, before pulling off the lustrous black wig. He reached into his shirt to remove the chest pads and tossed them onto the keyboard in a fit of pique. “They’re all dogs. I don’t want to play with them anymore.”

He had chosen this specific outfit to fit the Omega persona, but it only seemed to make the Alphas push their luck even further.

Ji Zhicen, who had been monitoring data on another phone, let out a couple of coughs before looking up. “But Brother Tang, you look so… easy to bully when you wear that.” He sighed again, shifting the subject. “The twenty thousand we just made was split fifty-fifty with the platform. When are we going to hit a million so we can finally sign a proper contract?”

The platform required a streamer to earn a million in “natural” revenue before offering a contract. While the bar was high, signing meant a massive jump in earnings. Tang Shi was certainly built for the internet with his striking, ethereal looks, but his chat was always full of creeps. To truly make a living, he would have to rely on wealthy “Gold Fathers” sending gifts privately.

However, those supporters always demanded to see his gland, his legs, or even more inappropriate things. Some even went as far as starting rumors that Tang Shi was interested in them. He saw through their intentions every time and used any excuse he could find to turn them down.

Now, the screen showed a seventy-two-hour ban. It was the fifth time this month alone.

After finishing a cigarette, Tang Shi’s thin chest rose and fell slightly as he choked on the smoke. His eyes were bright and watery as he looked at his friend. “Zhicen, do you think there’s any chance that I’m actually a young master from a wealthy family?”

Ji Zhicen wasn’t really listening; he was busy checking the packages sent by fans that day. By his fifth count, he still couldn’t figure out where five extra packages had come from. They all seemed to be from the same sender and were addressed clearly to their specific apartment unit.

“Brother Tang, you have a stalker fan. They sent a package… do you want to take it?”

Tang Shi was baffled. He had never exposed his home address, so how could a stalker have found him? He washed the thick makeup off his face and threw on a heavy coat. “Wait here. I’ll go get it.”

Only when his face was bare did Tang Shi show a hint of an Alpha’s rebellious edge. However, because his features were so delicate and his skin was as smooth as porcelain, he often looked more like a ceramic doll trying its best to act tough.

The fact that the packages arrived repeatedly and with such precision meant the sender had a clear motive. He couldn’t let Ji Zhicen go; the boy was still a minor, and Tang Shi wouldn’t be able to live with himself if his friend got frightened or hurt.

When Tang Shi arrived at the delivery point and opened the package, he realized with a start that it was from his mother. Inside was a genetic testing report with a few words highlighted in bold.

99% Sheng Family Bloodline.

Tang Shi’s pupils dilated instantly. He stood in the freezing wind for nearly twenty minutes, his numbed fingers flipping through the pages repeatedly. No matter which page he looked at, the dense data all pointed to the same conclusion: he was not Mrs. Li’s biological son.

“How can this be? What is Mrs. Li thinking, actually admitting I’m not hers!”

He tried to call her for an explanation, but the line was busy. When the phone finally rang back, he answered it frantically.

“Is this Tang Shi? I am your mother,” a cold, detached voice said from the other end.

Tang Shi froze, completely unsure of how to handle the situation. His mind raced through every melodramatic “switched at birth” story he had ever heard, unable to believe it was actually happening to him.

The woman seemed to anticipate his shock. She let out a short, dry laugh before getting straight to the point. “Return to the Sheng house first. The driver will be there shortly.”

She was so domineering that she didn’t even give him a chance to refuse. Before he could even mentally prepare himself, a car was already waiting downstairs. A conspicuous Rolls-Royce sat in the middle of the neighborhood. The driver, dressed in a sharp black suit, stepped forward to block Tang Shi’s path as he approached.

“Little Master, please come home.”

Tang Shi pulled his bulky down jacket tight and zipped it all the way to his chin, leaving only his wide, bewildered eyes visible. “You… you have the wrong person.”

The driver remained strictly professional, looking as though he might physically force Tang Shi into the car if necessary. Tang Shi took a large step back in alarm. Did this man not realize he was an Alpha? Alphas were supposed to be aggressive, yet the Sheng family’s staff seemed entirely indifferent to that fact.

“Don’t come any closer,” Tang Shi warned. He knew he couldn’t let anyone touch him, regardless of the driver’s intent. “I’ll go pack my things first, alright?”

Taking the opportunity to pack, he explained the situation to Ji Zhicen. As a frail Beta, Ji Zhicen remained remarkably calm as he helped fold clothes. “Brother Tang, are you going to forget about me once you’re rich?”

Tang Shi wanted to knock some sense into him. “The Sheng family having money has nothing to do with me,” he whispered. “It’s not like I actually want to be their young master.”

“Oh, so you just want the money then,” Ji Zhicen noted dryly.

Tang Shi didn’t argue. They were desperate for money, and he knew he couldn’t stay with Ji Zhicen forever. His pheromones were unpleasant to live with, and Ji Zhicen was showing signs of secondary differentiation. If his friend turned out to be an Omega, it wouldn’t be right for an Alpha and an Omega to live together.

He handed all his remaining cash to his friend. “I might be inheriting a fortune soon, so you keep this.”

*****

The Sheng family had only recently made a name for themselves in Jiang City, largely by building ties with the older, established clans. The head of the Sheng Group was the father Tang Shi had never met.

When he entered the Sheng estate, he was stunned. The architecture was a fusion of Chinese and European styles. As night fell, the wall lamps under the eaves and the crystal chandeliers inside created a dazzling display that made it hard for Tang Shi to keep his eyes open. He looked around like a bewildered puppy, taking in the opulence.

As soon as he stepped through the door, he was hit by the oppressive, exclusionary pheromones of other Alphas. A group of people sat in the living room, watching the seemingly timid “Omega” with great interest. Tang Shi couldn’t tell who was who, but the scent of icy mint in the air made him feel physically uncomfortable.

He immediately spotted a woman sitting on the sofa with bold red lips and her hair tied in a low bun. From the way she appraised him, he knew she was his biological mother.

“He Xiangyi, is this your sickly Omega son?” another woman asked with a cold sneer.

Because Tang Shi rarely went out and often wore makeup, his skin was incredibly pale and his lips had a natural, watery tint. When he looked up, his clear, cat-like eyes were enough to evoke pity in anyone. Combined with his small frame, it wasn’t surprising that they mistook him for a frail Omega. He did look a bit unwell, but that was strictly from the late nights he spent streaming.

“Who wants him?” his mother asked, her expression cold as she pursed her lips.

Tang Shi blinked in confusion. His mother gestured for him to come closer, though she seemed to be frowning at him. She glanced at the Alpha beside her, and the icy mint pheromones vanished instantly.

“A son should be raised by his own parents,” someone chuckled. “Or do you think your ‘Alpha’ son is still actually yours?”

“Aunt Xiu, give him to your son then,” He Xiangyi said.

The long-haired woman beside her looked indignant, her face contorting with anger. “Why should—” She seemed to lack any real authority and swallowed her words, turning instead to a servant. “Go get A-Sheng.”

Soon, the quiet sound of rolling wheels echoed through the hall.

Tang Shi’s spine stiffened instantly. A sudden wave of pheromones washed over him, making his skin crawl with an inexplicable dread. He didn’t understand what he was feeling, but it carried a weight that felt as though it could crush his throat. He turned around to see a man with features so sharp and exquisite they looked like a high-definition film still.

The face was perfect, but the man’s gaze was like frost, warning anyone against looking at him for too long. Tang Shi wondered frantically if the man would tear apart anyone who dared to get close.

He Xiangyi glanced at the blanket covering the man’s legs. “Your courtyard is so quiet. How about letting Tang Shi stay with you for a while?”

Only then did the man turn his gaze toward the “obedient” Omega. Beneath thick lashes, his deep eyes locked onto the small figure instinctively shrinking into a ball. He remained silent.

Seeing that he didn’t respond, the woman gave Tang Shi a nudge. “Tang Shi, call him ‘Little Uncle’.”

Tang Shi stared at his uncle for a full minute, feeling as though he were being pulled into those deep brown pupils by some strange magic. It took a long moment for him to realize he had essentially been discarded by his mother.

Standing before the man, he offered a soft, placating greeting. “Little Uncle.”

******
Notes:

In the context of BL (Boy’s Love) and the Omegaverse (A/B/O) genre, an Enigma is a rare, “super-tier” secondary gender that sits at the very top of the biological hierarchy—even above Alphas.

While a traditional Omegaverse consists of Alphas, Betas, and Omegas, modern web novels (especially Chinese) often introduce the Enigma as a “mutation” or a legendary rank.

They are The “Alpha of Alphas”.

An Enigma is essentially a more powerful, dominant version of an Alpha. They possess stronger pheromones that can suppress or overwhelm even the most headstrong “Dominant Alphas.” In many stories, an Alpha’s natural instinct is to lead, but when faced with an Enigma, that instinct is often crushed, forcing the Alpha to submit.

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