What Should I Do If My Ex-Girlfriend's Pheromones Smell Too Good? - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Vinegar Scent. Did You Delete Me as a Friend?

Shu Qiong opened her eyes in the infirmary to an unfamiliar ceiling, unfamiliar bedding, and a familiar grumpy face.

“…”

Yan Xiangyu was peeling an apple. Seeing Shu Qiong awake, she placed the fruit plate on the bedside table and slightly lifted her eyelids: “Awake?”

Her tone sounded like she was cleaning dirty laundry with a cold face. Shu Qiong was mortified.

As the memories of fainting flooded back, Shu Qiong’s first reaction was embarrassment, and her second was to salvage her integrity—

“I really didn’t enter the rut because of your pheromones!”

An unfamiliar voice came from not far away, with a clear note of amusement: “What is this child thinking? This student isn’t an Omega…”

Noticing the presence of a third person, Shu Qiong retreated under the blanket.

The school doctor pulled back the curtain and checked Shu Qiong’s temperature: “You’re fine. It’s a common low-grade fever during the rut. You can leave once the IV drip is finished.”

Beds in the infirmary were limited. Theoretically, a condition like Shu Qiong’s didn’t require overnight observation. A rut? Just give an injection of suppressants, right? Which Alpha hasn’t gone through it this way?

The main reason was that the accompanying Alpha’s aura was too strong. When she rushed in holding the person, her expression was terrifyingly grim. The doctor thought the fainting student had some incurable disease.

As a result, after one injection of suppressants, Shu Qiong woke up in two minutes, as quickly as if she were faking it.

After checking a few basic indicators, the doctor confirmed: Well, she is an Alpha from the Mecha Department, as strong as an ox.

“You two aren’t messing with me, are you?” The school doctor seriously emphasized the scarcity of medical resources at the military university. “Young people can date, but please don’t occupy medical resources.”

Shu Qiong felt smoke coming out of her head from the accusation.

“No…”

“Shu Qiong, I know you.” The school doctor saw her file, her expression softening, and her tone became gentler. “I trust your character. I’ve just encountered some bad incidents of people seeking thrills in the infirmary before, so I said a few extra words. All right, you rest first.”

“I apologize, Doctor. The responsibility lies with me,” Yan Xiangyu stood up, her tone surprisingly sincere. “It happened suddenly. I didn’t think it was a simple rut.”

Concern had clouded her judgment, and she acted foolishly when her blood rushed to her head.

The school doctor walked away feeling reassured: “All right, all right, you are both sincere good children. I don’t blame you.”

The “good child” Shu Qiong felt awkward being stared at by the “good child” Yan Xiangyu.

Even though the school doctor proved that it wasn’t Yan Xiangyu’s Alpha pheromones that induced her rut, the explanation that “the rut was prematurely triggered because of excessive emotional fluctuations from being teased by her ex” was equally embarrassing!

She quietly assessed her rapidly diminishing integrity, closed her eyes, hardened her heart, and pretended to sleep by forcing a yawn.

After a long time—so long that she actually started to feel genuinely sleepy—a soft chuckle came from beside her ear. It sounded quite cheerful.

Shu Qiong instantly sobered up.

A blush spread from her earlobe.

“I wasn’t laughing at you,” Yan Xiangyu reassured her.

Shu Qiong didn’t believe it.

She decided to stop pretending: “Then swear it.”

Yan Xiangyu was silent.

Shu Qiong: “…” She closed her eyes again, calmly playing dead.

Yan Xiangyu: “At least I’m sincere.”

Not making false oaths, only speaking the truth.

Shu Qiong felt completely unconsoled.

Yan Xiangyu suddenly pulled her chair closer and leaned forward. Shu Qiong, with her eyes closed, felt her breath getting closer and closer.

A familiar scent approached. This time, it wasn’t pheromones but a very familiar faint laundry detergent smell, mixed with a hint of shampoo. Shu Qiong used to love it and would often bury her face in Yan Xiangyu’s shoulder to inhale deeply.

The blush on her ears could no longer be contained and was spreading to her cheeks at a visible speed.

Yan Xiangyu’s breath stopped at a certain point, hovering there.

She was adjusting the flow rate of Shu Qiong’s IV drip.

In the intertwining of breaths, vision was deprived, but hearing and smell were magnified and tormented. Every minute and every second stretched infinitely.

Shu Qiong couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted to lash out.

She felt like going “Alpha” on her wouldn’t be so bad at this moment.

Ugh, forget it. She wasn’t the kind of irresponsible Alpha who would flirt and then run. She chickened out again.

Yan Xiangyu did not immediately return to her seat after adjusting the drip. Instead, taking advantage of Shu Qiong’s inability to see, her gaze brazenly lingered on her face.

Her pale forehead, slightly trembling eyelashes, beautifully curved nose. Her sight trailed downwards to the bright, full lips.

As if sensing the unsettling gaze, Shu Qiong’s lips immediately tensed, clearly reflecting her tension.

Yan Xiangyu leaned back, finally returning to her original position.

She immediately noticed Shu Qiong’s facial muscles relax considerably.

So, she couldn’t help but let out another laugh.

How could she be so cute?

Just not very resilient to teasing.

Sure enough, Shu Qiong abruptly opened her eyes and glared fiercely: “No laughing!”

“This time, I really am laughing at you,” Yan Xiangyu was, as expected, very honest.

Shu Qiong felt this honesty was completely unnecessary.

She suddenly realized how passive she was in this emotional tug-of-war. How could this be!

So, she instantly tossed aside her embarrassment, braced herself, and prepared to retaliate.

“Yan Xiangyu.”

She hadn’t called her name directly like that in a long time. Her emotions were complex, but her heart was excited because of the impending counterattack. “Is your pheromone Longjing tea? Slightly astringent with sweetness, a long-lasting aftertaste. It smells great. I really like it.”

She flashed her signature smile, staring directly at Yan Xiangyu, trying not to let her smile seem too smug.

Then, she was satisfied to capture Yan Xiangyu’s averted gaze.

Haha, two years later, Student Yan hasn’t improved much!

Shu Qiong suddenly felt confident. It’s her, it’s her, it’s Yan Xiangyu, who still can’t handle a direct approach.

Shu Qiong was full of momentum and felt she had done enough! The conversation should stop at this “Xiao Qiong MVP” moment—

“Since you like it, I’ll send you a few bars of handmade soap later. Green tea scented.”

?

Shu Qiong’s mouth hung open, utterly astonished by Yan Xiangyu’s thick skin.

Unbelievable.

At the same time, the repeatedly confusing question became mysterious again: So what was the green tea scent she smelled in the bathroom from? Pheromones or soap?

Also, is it not too narcissistic to shower with soap that smells like your own pheromones?

She even wants to send her ex-girlfriend soap that smells like her pheromones.

Shu Qiong was speechless and chose to be a silently dignified person.

This round-robin match finally reached an absurd conclusion thanks to Yan Xiangyu’s shamelessness.

It was now Student Yan’s MVP moment, but she was gracious enough to share the championship with Xiao Qiong.

“If, and I mean if,”

Yan Xiangyu was uncharacteristically hesitant, though her tone was firm, “you feel stressed, uncomfortable, or annoyed interacting with me, please tell me immediately.”

Shu Qiong was slightly dazed. This kind of tenderness from Yan Xiangyu was unbearable.

“Shu Qiong,” Yan Xiangyu called out, “Promise me, okay? I don’t want to make things difficult for you.”

Shu Qiong gave a composed “Mhm,” her voice barely a whisper.

The two of them shared the fruit plate in the cubicle, a rare moment of warmth, until the last drop of fluid in the IV bag ran out. Only then did they return to the dorm.

Only an hour had passed since their “heart-to-heart” in the hallway.

Shu Qiong was utterly exhausted. The first day of school wasn’t even over, and she felt like she was half-dead.

It’s too intense. She couldn’t handle it.

The moment she opened the door to 406, Shu Qiong was unexpectedly enveloped in a strong hug: “Waaah! Daughter, you scared your mom to death!”

“…” Shu Qiong was speechless and wrestled free from Jin Yan’s bear hug. “Sorry, sorry, my friend is a bit simple-minded. Everyone, please be tolerant…”

The gorgeous female Alpha with the flamboyant blonde waves, completely out of character, glared at Shu Qiong: “Daughter, why are you so heartless! Do you know how worried your mom was when I couldn’t reach you! I thought your pheromone…”

“Cough! Cough!”

Shu Qiong fiercely pinched the talkative girl.

If she revealed her hidden medical condition in broad daylight in front of everyone, her precarious integrity in front of her ex-girlfriend would be completely gone!

Although she didn’t know what bug had gotten into Jin Yan for her to start playing mother-daughter roles, Shu Qiong knew this person was consistently unreliable. She grabbed her arm and pulled her into her room.

Before closing the door, she didn’t forget to pat Yan Xiangyu reassuringly: “Student Yan, don’t forget what I told you earlier!”

Her relationship with Jin Yan is stainless steel chopsticks straight. No stupid jealousy!

Shu Qiong suddenly felt like an exhausted mother who owned both cats and dogs and was desperately trying to be fair to both.

Yan Xiangyu expressionlessly watched the person who had just been speaking softly to her with a red face now pulling and dragging another female Alpha into the room.

Two lone Alphas, one of whom was in the rut, locked themselves in a room, and they even locked the door for good measure, clearly intending to discuss some intimate secrets.

Yan Xiangyu “hmphed.” Women’s mouths are the devil’s lies.

She sat down on the small sofa in the living room.

Gu Tiantian proactively tried to lighten the mood, explaining the situation: “That beautiful Alpha who claims to be Shu Qiong’s childhood friend came after you went to the infirmary. She looked really anxious.”

Su Heyi nodded: “They seem to have a good relationship.”

Gu Tiantian quickly changed the subject: “But Shu Qiong must be closer to Student Yan.”

Su Heyi disagreed: “Tiantian, harmonious roommate relations are important, but we shouldn’t deny people their years of childhood friendship, should we?”

“…” Gu Tiantian desperately wanted to scream at Su Heyi to stop adding fuel to the fire. Couldn’t she see that Student Yan’s expression had turned from sunny to cloudy, then to a thunderstorm!

Student Yan was genuinely jealous this time, not in the playful way she teased Shu Qiong before.

Because she suddenly realized that she had not only missed the beautiful year of Shu Qiong’s youth after their breakup, but for the decade and more before her adolescence, other girls had also been by her side.

Miss Jin, when not talking nonsense, was quite intimidating. If Yan Xiangyu was like cool, elegant white porcelain, then Jin Yan was like a richly colored, splash-ink embroidery—completely different types, but both very attractive.

Student Yan suddenly felt insecure. Although no one knew Shu Qiong’s aesthetic preference better than her, what if?

Yan Xiangyu felt a bit down. Right now, even her jealousy felt unjustified. Expressing dissatisfaction as an ex-girlfriend?

That sounds utterly idiotic.

Yan Xiangyu silently sulked and analyzed the situation for a while. She couldn’t sit still and stood up to return to her room.

But just as she stood up, Shu Qiong opened her room door, with Jin Yan behind her wearing a look of disgust, as if she had swallowed a fly.

Yan Xiangyu immediately sat back down.

Seeing her, Jin Yan’s expression twisted even more. She quickened her pace, wanting to escape this volatile place.

At the door of 406, she paused. Considering the presence of others in the room, she grabbed a lock of her blonde hair and chose to leave in silence.

Shu Qiong found it amusing. She didn’t know why Yan Xiangyu and Jin Yan were always at loggerheads when they met. Perhaps it was a natural incompatibility, like cats and dogs.

She comforted one, then the other, and livened up the dorm atmosphere: “Haven’t we added each other yet? Let’s exchange contact info.”

Su Heyi and Gu Tiantian readily agreed. When it came to Yan Xiangyu, neither of them spoke.

Finally, Yan Xiangyu broke the silence, asking in a volume only Shu Qiong could hear: “Did you delete me as a friend?”

Shu Qiong: “…No. You?”

Yan Xiangyu: “…Didn’t delete you.”

She paused, then couldn’t help but ask: “Did you block my updates?”

Shu Qiong looked at her speechlessly: “I just haven’t posted an update in a year. Is that so rare? You haven’t either, have you?”

Yan Xiangyu’s ears were slightly warm: “I blocked you every time I posted an update.”

“…Ha?” Shu Qiong inexplicably felt she had been outdone. She gave a fake, self-deprecating laugh: “What did you post? Let me see.”