Suppressants come from various manufacturers, and Liang Yan was able to recognize them at a glance because it was a brand he had taken from his father’s office, which was difficult to find on the market.
After all, other brands of suppressants either had more severe side effects or were in higher demand.
Liang Yan didn’t take his eyes off Ji Qiu for a moment, even through the bright glass.
Ji Qiu appeared silent and serious; when he wasn’t speaking, he reined in all his flamboyant traits. There were no strange remarks or incomprehensible actions; the experimental materials in front of him were clearly his top priority, making him look focused and incredibly charming.
Liang Yan’s phone in his pocket vibrated twice. He quickly silenced it, ensuring that Ji Qiu hadn’t noticed him, and then hurried downstairs.
Yin Tongguang noticed him approaching and asked curiously, “Why did it take you so long? Did you finish in the restroom?”
“…Yeah.” Liang Yan replied, feeling a bit guilty, not daring to mention that he had been preoccupied with watching Ji Qiu.
Throughout the entire experiment, Liang Yan felt somewhat out of it.
It wasn’t that there were any errors or basic mistakes; it was simply that his experimental time had stretched out considerably. What usually took an hour to complete ended up taking him two hours to finish slowly.
Even as Liang Yan struggled through the afternoon and finally walked out of the classroom, his mind was still occupied with this matter.
An Omega who doesn’t inject suppressants during their heat and can still leave the scene with steady steps sounded like a fairy tale.
Moreover…
Liang Yan recalled the sweet scent lingering on his fingertips at that time.
He had merely touched a piece of glass; if it were real pheromones, how could it possibly remain on his hand for so long?
So the answer was actually quite obvious.
—Ji Qiu hadn’t been in heat at all.
To be more specific, he had been lying to himself from the start, even the pheromones were fake. That day, claiming that his heat had arrived was probably just a cover-up for some unexpected incident; the scent simply couldn’t be concealed.
This realization left Liang Yan somewhat dazed.
What puzzled him even more was that after he grasped this fact, his first reaction wasn’t anger but curiosity about why Ji Qiu had chosen to hide it from him.
An Omega who doesn’t inject suppressants during their heat and can still leave the scene with steady steps sounds like a fairy tale.
Moreover…
Liang Yan recalled the sweet scent lingering on his fingertips at that time.
He had merely touched a piece of glass; if it were real pheromones, how could it possibly remain on his hand for so long?
So the answer was actually quite obvious.
—Ji Qiu hadn’t been in heat at all.
To be more specific, he had been lying to himself from the start; even the pheromones were fake. That day, claiming that his heat had arrived was probably just a cover-up for some unexpected incident; the scent simply couldn’t be concealed.
This realization left Liang Yan somewhat dazed.
What puzzled him even more was that after he grasped this fact, his first reaction wasn’t anger but curiosity about why Ji Qiu had chosen to hide it from him.
Perhaps he wasn’t that way to begin with?
Was there some hardship, or some difficult-to-discuss secret?
He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting shadows over his slightly darkened gaze.
“Yan Yan, Yan Yan?” Yin Tongguang patted his shoulder, “What’s wrong?”
It was only when Yin Tongguang reminded him that Liang Yan realized he had been lost in thought for quite some time.
“It’s nothing,” Liang Yan casually made up a reason, “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Oh, no wonder I noticed you weren’t very energetic during today’s lab class.” Yin Tongguang nodded, not thinking much of it.
“By the way…” Surrounded by a bunch of questions, Liang Yan couldn’t help but speak up, “Can I ask you something?”
“Hmm?”
“Have you heard of… any spray similar to pheromones that can cover up one’s own scent?”
“Ah?” Yin Tongguang didn’t expect him to ask that, “Yeah, why? Are you thinking of buying some? I know a few Betas who buy this stuff. Oh, and some Alphas buy it too. As for Omegas… there aren’t many at school, but I’ve heard some do buy it—if you want, I can connect you with someone trustworthy.”
“…I was just asking.”
Yin Tongguang took Liang Yan’s refusal as shyness, maintaining an attitude of never being judgmental towards his friends, and continued, “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. A senior in his third year sells this; the bottle looks just like a perfume, and there are many scents to choose from. He said that as long as you don’t use too much, it’s generally not easy to be detected. But I’ve only heard about it; after all, I can’t smell regular pheromones. My few Beta friends bought this purely for novelty and ended up putting it aside after a few uses.”
Liang Yan curled his index finger, unconsciously resting it below his nose: “So, what do those Alphas and Omegas who already have pheromones buy this for?”
“You didn’t know that?” Yin Tongguang looked at Liang Yan suspiciously. “Then your pheromones must smell really good… I didn’t mean anything by it, don’t overthink it, Yan Yan.”
Liang Yan said he didn’t mind: “So what?”
“Many people are dissatisfied with the scent of their own pheromones after they differentiate. Although there are suppressants and such now, if they accidentally leak out and smell bad, it can be a bit awkward.”
Thinking of this, Yin Tongguang couldn’t help but say more: “Honestly, I’ve seen several Alphas who look big and strong, but their pheromones smell like ammonia or durian. Sometimes when their sensitivity phase hits, the whole place is filled with the scent of durian—it’s quite comical, really.”
Liang Yan’s eyelids twitched.
“So similarly, if an Omega has a smell like snail powder or rotten eggs… no matter how delicate and cute the Omega is, when they go into heat, even their own Alpha would have to cover their nose…”
“Hey, after saying all this, I feel pretty good about being a Beta,” Yin Tongguang said approvingly to himself in a very self-satisfied manner. “So, Yan Yan, are you going to buy it?”
Liang Yan cleared his throat lightly: “No, thanks.”
The two walked toward the elevator, and Liang Yan subconsciously looked up toward the eighth floor.
Is Ji Qiu still up there?
“Yan Yan, hurry, the elevator is coming!” Yin Tongguang waved his hand, signaling Liang Yan.
He took two steps over, pressed the button to go down, and with a ding, the elevator doors opened.
The person he had been mulling over all afternoon suddenly appeared before him.
Ji Qiu had already changed into casual clothes, and his hair was a bit messy, probably from being cooped up in the lab for too long. However, when he saw Liang Yan, he greeted him enthusiastically, “Yan Yan, what a coincidence! Did you just finish your lab class?”
Ji Qiu kept his finger pressed on the door open button to prevent the elevator doors from closing, releasing it only after Liang Yan stepped inside and then pressed the button for the lower floor.
Liang Yan responded with a “hm”: “Thanks.”
“No need to be polite.” Ji Qiu smiled, looking completely refreshed, “I was just doing an experiment for Dean Liang upstairs and didn’t expect to run into you.”
“Oh, right,” Ji Qiu said as he took out the suppressants from his pocket, “I didn’t get to use this last time, so here it is. Thanks!”
Liang Yan looked at Ji Qiu’s smile, and Yin Tongguang’s words echoed in his ears.
Some Omegas’ pheromones smell like rotten eggs or snail powder…
Liang Yan began to uncontrollably imagine it: the flawless features and sunny, gentle personality of Ji Qiu, and the overwhelming scent that would hit him during his heat…
Is this why he uses pheromone perfume?
Ji Qiu’s eyes were curved with a smile; he indeed looked like someone all the Alphas in school would like.
And he still carried a faint sweet scent.
Liang Yan’s expression became slightly strange.
Thinking of this, he took the suppressants, his gaze carrying a hint of pity: “No need to thank me.”
He decided to keep this secret for Ji Qiu.
1You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️ -TL: Ysiad
