What Should I Do If My Ex-Girlfriend's Pheromones Smell Too Good? - Chapter 80

Chapter 80: Deduction

Leaving the Ou Encounter Bar, Shu Qiong was still a bit dazed.

Lin Mi asked hesitantly, “Aren’t you staying for lunch?”

Shu Qiong politely declined the invitation. Lin Mi looked up somewhat wistfully as she watched Yan Xiangyu follow Shu Qiong out of the room.

Lin Yuan shook her head slightly, took a sip of her coffee, and offered some seasoned advice: “You’ll have plenty of time to get along in the future. Be a bit more sincere; you might still have a chance.”

Lin Mi looked up at her aunt. “Were you like me when you were young? Is that why you never caught—”

“Pffft! You—” Lin Yuan nearly choked. She said with a complicated expression, “No, quite the opposite. I was too sincere back then and suffered for it.”

Lin Mi gave an unsurprised and bored “Oh,” remembering the nickname her aunt’s subordinates used for her in private… what was it? “Lin the Bramble”? Thinking of the people her aunt must have hurt with her bluntness when she was younger, Lin Mi felt her own situation was still salvageable.

Inside the room, the aunt and niece fell into silence. Lin Yuan put down her ceramic cup and expressionlessly wiped her lips with a tissue, finding today’s coffee exceptionally bitter.

Shu Qiong and Yan Xiangyu had just reached the stairs when they encountered the overly familiar bar owner again. Ou Ye seemed to have clairvoyance; she always managed to time her appearances perfectly.

She had changed into a neutral brown leather jacket with her shirt collar wide open. Her signature red hair was tied back loosely. She swung a key ring on her index finger, the metal clinking against her rings.

“Going somewhere? Want a lift?”

Shu Qiong glanced at her knuckles and didn’t refuse. Ou Ye’s car matched her personal style perfectly; Shu Qiong figured she and Jin Yan would have plenty to talk about.

The tall Ou Ye leaned against the car door and snapped her fingers for them to get in. With narrowed eyes and a relaxed posture, she made the flashy, aggressive car look like a tamed wild horse.

“If you’re ever bored, come find me at the bar,” Ou Ye said with a smile as she started the hovercar, throwing a wink toward the back seat. She added suggestively, “Even outside business hours is fine~”

Shu Qiong gave a dry laugh and agreed. Yan Xiangyu looked toward the driver’s seat. “You seem to have a good relationship with Aunt Lin. Are you two old friends of the same generation?”

Ou Ye’s eyebrows twitched. “Little sister, I’m not even thirty yet.”

Yan Xiangyu’s expression and tone were flat, but a hint of provocation could be detected. “You look very mature and sophisticated.”

Ou Ye, who was used to casual flirting, wasn’t angry at being rebutted. Instead, she agreed with a sense of pride: “True. How can a little sister take care of people as well as a big sister can?”

“…”

Yan Xiangyu’s subtle “green tea” remarks were instantly outmatched by Ou Ye’s blatant, thick-skinned narcissism. Seeing Yan Xiangyu lose a rare verbal battle, Shu Qiong stepped in to smooth things over: “Boss Ou, your car is quite unique. I have a friend who loves this style of interior.”

Ou Ye looked interested. “Bring her along next time.”

Shu Qiong thought for a moment. “If it doesn’t interfere with your work, I think she’d love to.”

Ou Ye laughed heartily. “I’m a hands-off boss; there’s usually nothing for me to do. Come anytime; I’ll personally host you.”

Shu Qiong tested the waters: “As a member of the military, don’t you usually have special missions?”

Ou Ye glanced at Shu Qiong in the rearview mirror and suddenly laughed. “I thought I was acting the part pretty well. How did you figure it out? Yes, I am indeed part of a special unit.”

“I’m from Mecha Squad 124, ‘The Flame.’ Our team was seconded to Group Leader Lin to assist the Procuratorate with the investigation.”

The Flame Squad… Shu Qiong’s gaze lingered on the woman’s voluminous red hair. She laughed. “You wear so many rings to hide the calluses from firing guns, don’t you? And that tattoo below your collarbone—is it to hide a scar?”

Ou Ye said frankly, “Oh, no. Those are purely my personal preferences.” Seeing Shu Qiong go quiet, Ou Ye arched an eyebrow. “Smart people tend to overthink, but you happened to hit the mark anyway. …Wait, are my calluses really that obvious?” She stole a few glances at her own fingers.

Shu Qiong nodded and then shook her head, smiling. “Actually, you hid it well. When we saw Senior Lin, you deliberately called her ‘Boss’ just for us to hear, didn’t you? To make us guess you were with the Procuratorate?”

Ou Ye went silent. Shu Qiong stopped smiling and asked softly after a moment, “Did I… overthink again?”

Yan Xiangyu comforted her: “Even if the reasoning was wrong, at least the result was correct.” Then she gave Ou Ye a pointed look. “Mhm, Senior Ou has a talent for being an undercover agent.”

Ou Ye sighed with a complex expression. “No wonder the higher-ups said I was suited for this mission, praising my ‘beastly intuition’…”

Shu Qiong changed the subject: “So the bar is actually a designated contact point?”

Ou Ye snapped back to reality. “I really am the owner. Opening a bar was just a personal hobby, but Group Leader Lin found out and thought the location was discreet. They renovated the basement to upgrade security and used it as a temporary contact point. It works well—this way, the cost of running the shop can be applied for as a mission subsidy.”

This bit of workplace “white wolf” maneuvering was something Shu Qiong and Yan Xiangyu hadn’t encountered before. They felt a subtle sense of admiration.

Once everything was out in the open, the atmosphere in the car became more harmonious. Since Ou Ye was a senior after all, the three of them chatted quite well for the rest of the trip. Before getting out, Ou Ye taught them how to use encrypted communication and added their contacts.

“I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.” Ou Ye waved goodbye and watched the two walk side-by-side into the gates of the Alliance Military University. She noticed their hands brushing against each other—almost holding hands, but not quite. Thinking of something amusing, she leaned back and restarted the car. “Tsk, how green…”

Back at the long-missed university cafeteria, it was still early, so it wasn’t crowded. Shu Qiong looked around, her eyes lighting up as she pulled Yan Xiangyu toward a corner.

Chang Xichun had just sat down with her meal and was on a video call. She was gesturing toward the screen: “Is that balloon crooked? Wait, didn’t I order the pink series? …Ah, holy crap!”

“Senior Chang!” Shu Qiong popped up in front of her, scaring Chang Xichun so much she nearly dropped her wristband.

“…You guys handle it, we’ll talk via text,” Chang Xichun said hurriedly to the person on the call before hanging up. She looked at Yan Xiangyu with a silent question in her eyes.

Yan Xiangyu lifted the hand that Shu Qiong was using to grip her wrist. “She’s strong.”

“I’m not asking you to show off,” Chang Xichun said, exasperated. “Didn’t you say you might not be back until tonight?”

Yan Xiangyu explained calmly, “Something came up, so we came back early.”

Shu Qiong looked between them, suspicious. “What are you two doing behind my back?”

Chang Xichun leaned in with a laugh. “Nothing, Junior. I was just thinking about you—you know, absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

Shu Qiong picked up her chopsticks and then put them down, leaning back slightly. “Senior, you’re being a bit too obvious.” Her question had been casual, but the shift in topic was far too clumsy. She looked at Yan Xiangyu.

Yan Xiangyu sat down normally, tilting her head with a look of perfect confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Shu Qiong turned her head back, still suspicious. Seeing her look away, Yan Xiangyu began to eat with refined poise.

Something was wrong. Extremely wrong. Shu Qiong glanced under the table; Yan Xiangyu hadn’t even nudged her or tried to get clingy! Her hand was already open and waiting!

Knock, knock.

The tabletop was tapped twice, and a familiar figure appeared. Jin Yan swaggered over with her tray, bumping Chang Xichun to the side. “Mind if I join?”

Chang Xichun joked about her not respecting seniors but moved to sit opposite Yan Xiangyu. Jin Yan looked back and forth between Shu Qiong and Yan Xiangyu. “You two… look like you’ve had a great few days?” Both of them were practically glowing. What kind of supplements had they been taking? Didn’t they say they were going to exhaust themselves fighting villains? Now they looked like they had been on a private vacation for two.

Shu Qiong ate perfunctorily, trying to figure out what the others were hiding. She ignored the Young Miss Jin. Jin Yan feigned tears. “Daughter, our bond has weakened. Your current attitude breaks my heart.”

Shu Qiong finally looked up at the drama queen. She ignored Jin Yan’s acting but noticed the extra-large duck leg on Jin Yan’s tray—one more than everyone else.

“Why do only you have a duck leg?”

Jin Yan bragged, “Got it from the second-floor window. It was the last one.”

Shu Qiong slowly put down her chopsticks. “Why did you get food on the second floor but come down to the first to eat? You knew I was down here, so you came specifically to join us?”

Yan Xiangyu and Chang Xichun both looked up at Jin Yan. Jin Yan was stunned. “This… I… It’s just the chemistry and intuition built over years of friendship, okay?!”

Shu Qiong sneered, not buying it at all. “Chemistry? Do we even have that?” Her gaze swept over the two people who had suddenly lowered their heads to avoid the conversation. She began to analyze: “Based on where Yan Xiangyu and I stood after getting food, Yan Xiangyu was closer to this table. Her observation skills are as good as mine; there’s no reason I should have been the one to spot Senior Chang first. Combined with your bizarre dialogue just now, and Chang Xichun’s abnormal reaction of hanging up as soon as she saw me… Hmm, were Senior He and Senior Qin on the other end? What are you plotting behind my back?”

Chang Xichun was stunned. She felt she should say something to save the situation. Yan Xiangyu stopped eating too. She’s even using full names now…

Shu Qiong looked back at Jin Yan. “And you. Chang Xichun told you I was back and eating on the first floor, which is why you brought your tray all the way down here. Or rather, you were part of that call with Chang Xichun just now… Tsk, you’ve never been this affectionate with me before. In conclusion, the performance was too forced. Tell me, do you guys have a secret group chat without me?”

Jin Yan was flabbergasted. She had only bragged about snagging the last duck leg!

A strange silence fell over the table. But before long, two more voices broke the quiet.

“Good afternoon.”

“What a coincidence! Junior Shu, Junior Yan, you’re both here!”

Qin Liang and He Xuchou approached one after the other, greeting them with their trays. The former had an expression that was 60% surprise, 30% astonishment, and 10% guilt.

The four people already at the table looked at the trays in the newcomers’ hands. They saw a large duck leg on each of their plates.

“Heh.”

“Sss…”

Shu Qiong’s ambiguous laugh and Jin Yan’s sharp intake of breath rang out simultaneously.

He Xuchou and Qin Liang were clearly unaware that a brainstorm had just concluded, nor did they know Shu Qiong had already exposed their secret group chat. Seeing the others sitting stiffly, Qin Liang asked, “Why are you just sitting there? Eat!”

Shu Qiong asked with a smile, “Did you guys come down from the second floor too?”

A “Yes” had just started to leave Qin Liang’s mouth when Jin Yan covered it and shoved her into a seat.

But Shu Qiong had already heard enough. She reached the final conclusion of her analysis: “It seems you’ve hidden a ‘surprise’ on the second floor. Is it related to me?”

“…”