The Dangerous Omega Who is Good at Disguising Always Wants to Hook Me! - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Must Not Repeat the Mistake

Qi Yan was usually sharp, but this time he failed to notice the change in his neighbor. He was staring doubtfully at his own right hand, as if trying to verify something.

His long fingers slowly splayed out the joints were distinct, well-proportioned, and powerful. He clenched his fist tightly, causing the veins on the back of his hand to bulge slightly. There were no scars; everything felt natural and smooth.

But why did he have that phantom sensation of his hand being broken?

He felt he was being utterly absurd. He looked up at the neighbor and saw him with his head slightly bowed, holding the glass in one hand and pinching two straws with the other, sipping the drink he had just mixed. Under the spinning, brilliant lights of the bar, that beautiful face appeared as pale as paper, and even his fingertips were trembling slightly.

Qi Yan paused, setting aside the hallucination from a moment ago. He asked in a small, cautious voice: “Is it really that bad?”

From the looks of it, the neighbor had been struck by how terrible the Mojito was, yet felt obligated to finish it because of his confident words earlier. He looked as if his complexion had turned sour, instinctively wanting to gag but forcing himself to endure.

His eyelashes fluttered twice. The neighbor slowly raised his gaze; his lenses reflected the white light, and one could faintly see a glimmer of moisture in his eyes.

Great, I’ve made him want to cry because it’s so bad, Qi Yan thought.

No, it’s very good.

The neighbor pursed his lips, the moist liquid wetting his pale mouth. His gaze was somewhat erratic, his lowered lashes masking his eyes, though they occasionally flickered over Qi Yan’s long, powerful right hand.

Qi Yan sighed and pushed the cold water toward him: “Thanks for the kind words, but you don’t have to be so nice. I know this drink is terrible; don’t force yourself like this.”

“Brother Qi, could I trouble you for a hand?” Coincidentally, Ye Chengcheng from the next station walked over with a sheepish expression. “Several types of liquor are out. Brother Chen put them too high; I can’t reach them.”

“Sure, which ones do you need? I’ll get them for you.” Qi Yan gave his neighbor a quick nod before heading over to help.

The neighbor bit his lip and turned his head to look. It was too close.

He bit down on the straw and lowered his eyelids. They were standing too close.

Qi Yan reached up to take the bottles from the high shelf. Standing beside him, Ye Chengcheng looked up at him, reaching out to take the bottles with a sweet smile. The dimples on his cheeks were faintly visible. From the neighbor’s perspective, they looked incredibly intimate.

Especially when the other man chatted with Qi Yan with a grin he said something that made Qi Yan chuckle. Those peach-blossom eyes gazed at Ye Chengcheng with a gentle, lingering look, appearing exceptionally affectionate.

Qi Yan leaned against the shelf, bowing his head to speak to him. The two moved even closer. If Qi Yan wasn’t so tall and Ye Chengcheng wasn’t significantly shorter, they likely would have kissed if they had moved just a bit closer.

And at such proximity, Qi Yan would be tainted by the other’s pheromones.

The fingers gripping the straw tightened unconsciously. His long lashes trembled violently, and his pale fingertips clutched the glass with a slight quiver.

He drank the cocktail; the cold liquid mixed with crushed ice entered his mouth and was swallowed down, carrying a faint metallic taste of blood. His glasses slipped slightly, and his dark, venomous gaze could barely be hidden.

No, I must calm down.

Must stay calm.

I cannot repeat the mistake.

The ice at the bottom of the Mojito had melted, but there was still plenty of crushed ice at the top. He picked up the glass and consumed the liquid along with the ice and mint leaves. He didn’t chew; he swallowed them whole, his Adam’s apple bobbing like a snake devouring its prey.

Under the lenses, his cold eyes stared fixedly at them.

Still talking, still laughing.

His lips were stained with moisture, appearing strikingly vivid. He licked his lips, tasting a hint of sweet, metallic blood from where he had bitten them. The pheromone isolation collar tightened slightly; a sharp pain pulsed from his gland, and the pheromones inside his body began to churn. His temples throbbed with pain, reminding him to be calm—reminding him that he could not allow the jealousy and rage in his heart to be unleashed.

He forced himself to look away, pushed his glasses up, and pulled several bills from his wallet. He pressed them under the glass, stood up, stumbled for two steps, and left quickly.

“Brother Qi, thanks for the help.” On the other side, Ye Chengcheng put the liquor away and smiled sweetly at Qi Yan.

“It was no trouble at all, don’t mention it.” Qi Yan helped him bring down the last bottle. There was about half a meter of distance between them; they weren’t very close.

He was always very mindful of the distance between Alphas and Omegas. Even with acquaintances, he wouldn’t get too close. By the time he finished and returned to his spot, the neighbor had vanished.

“Huh? Why did he leave so fast?”

Qi Yan scanned the surroundings but saw no sign of the neighbor. The Mojito was drained completely not a single shard of ice or mint leaf remained. The cold water to the side was untouched.

Did he pour it out?

Qi Yan took back the glass. No one would actually eat the mint leaves and ice cubes. It seemed the neighbor had been acting out of politeness earlier and didn’t want to say it directly; once Qi Yan left, he had secretly disposed of it.

He really gave me a lot of face.

Qi Yan smiled, not thinking much of it, but he hesitated as he picked up the several bills under the glass.

Before leaving earlier, Qi Yan had specifically told the neighbor not to pay. After all, his drinks were so bad that paying for them was like paying to suffer. He hadn’t expected the other party to not only pay but to give far too much.

“…Should I return it to him when I go back?”

No, better not to get too close to an Omega.

Especially one like this neighbor.

Although he appeared kind on the surface, the arrogance in his bones was too difficult to hide. Qi Yan happened to be very familiar with people who looked down from a high position; he knew this man wasn’t as approachable as he seemed.

So, forget it. He’d see if an opportunity arose later.

The bar’s operating hours strictly followed regulations. When 2:00 AM arrived, the doors closed punctually.

It had been a lively night. As soon as the band finished performing, the bassist was hauled away by several people. The crowd had been ready to “rescue” him, but the lead singer explained that those were bodyguards from the bassist’s family. The crowd dispersed in an instant it turned out to be a melodramatic story of a young master abandoning a fortune to pursue his dreams.

“Brother Qi, those bodyguards actually ordered drinks from me earlier.” Ye Chengcheng was delighted by the spectacle and came over to tell Qi Yan excitedly.

Qi Yan was helping pack up. Hearing this, he thought to himself that his intuition hadn’t failed him.

He had felt those men weren’t simple at the time. Since they were bodyguards, it made sense; no wonder they were so vigorous when waving the light sticks they were cheering for their own young master.

Chen Buqian walked over, yawning: “Old Qi, you’re definitely going back to school for experiments tomorrow, right?”

“I have something to do tomorrow morning. I’ll head over in the afternoon.” Qi Yan tucked the documents he got from Brother Xu into his backpack.

After changing his clothes, he left through the bar’s back door. Chen Buqian and Ye Chengcheng headed back to the dorms, but since Qi Yan didn’t live on campus, he walked with them for a bit before splitting off to head home.

The bar had been crowded. Most people kept their pheromones well-restrained, and legitimate bars added a suitable amount of pheromone neutralizer to the indoor ventilation to prevent accidents. Still, Qi Yan felt somewhat uncomfortable. Upon returning, he used a large amount of pheromone neutralizer spray and took a shower, ensuring not a single trace of pheromones remained on his body.

Whether it was someone else’s pheromones or his own, he was entirely untainted excessively clean, even to an abnormal degree.

It is said that the more “top-tier” an Alpha is, the better they can control their pheromones to avoid exerting pressure on others. But even a top-tier Alpha shouldn’t be as strange as Qi Yan. Any normal Alpha would have at least a thin layer of pheromones on them to display their charm; it was an innate instinct.

Especially after waking up or sweating from exercise, clothes easily picked up a faint scent. Yet Qi Yan controlled himself perfectly at all times, living like a Beta without any pheromones clinging to him.

His close friends had found this strange and asked how he could control his pheromones so well asking if it was true that outside of his rut, when he might lose control, he never let any pheromones leak.

Qi Yan replied that it was pretty much the case. Since ruts couldn’t be controlled, he had simply made it a habit for all other times.

That strange habit had been carved into his soul at some point, causing him to do it unconsciously.

Deep in his subconscious, it felt as though someone were telling him: You must never let your pheromones leak, or something terrible will happen.