The Maybach hadn’t been gone for long before it returned. The door silently swung open, and Jiang Wan sat inside, wearing a pheromone-suppressing ring, seated stiffly. He glanced at Dou Ming.
Without a word, Dou Ming climbed into the car.
The sleek black suppression ring perfectly concealed Jiang Wan’s pheromones. Dou Ming finally understood why he had never smelled Jiang Ge’s pheromones before.
As for the rough voice, it wasn’t hard to guess—it had to be a voice changer.
Dou Ming spoke, “I’m sorry, I didn’t handle things well. Maybe it was my pride acting up. My dad owes you a lot of money, and I didn’t know how to face your true identity.”
Jiang Wan gave him a surprised look. “Who was it before, talking about asking Jiang Ge to buy a piano? And now you don’t know how to face the truth?”
Dou Ming’s plan to play the sympathy card—Plan A—failed.
Looking out the window at the swiftly passing trees and streetlights, Dou Ming continued, “I was thinking, once I get into university and can be someone you can rely on, then we could talk about it. Otherwise, we’re too different. I don’t deserve you.”
Jiang Wan chuckled, “And who was it, holding me tight a few days ago, apologizing for being too possessive?”
Dou Ming’s attempt at sympathy—Plan B—also met with failure.
He had no choice but to face Jiang Wan honestly. With sincerity, he said, “I’m sorry. I was wrong. I did want to tease you, but I just… I just wasn’t mature enough.”
Seeing Dou Ming admit his immaturity, Jiang Wan couldn’t stay angry. Dou Ming was younger than him, after all. What was wrong with being childish? He himself was still childish, pretending to be a high schooler and all.
When Jiang Wan thought about how Dou Ming had known his real identity all along while he shamelessly played the role of a younger student, he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
Alright, Jiang Wan realized the truth—he wasn’t really angry with Dou Ming. He was covering up his own awkwardness.
It’s not the act of being cute in front of high school students that’s scary. What’s scary is when they know your real age!
And even scarier—they still accept your act of being cute!
Jiang Wan, thick-skinned as he was, felt suffocated when he thought about this.
As a result, Jiang Wan became too embarrassed to say another word. When they got home, he didn’t say anything to Dou Ming and just dashed straight to his room like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
Naturally, Dou Ming thought Jiang Wan was still angry. He made a slight move to follow him, then hesitated, standing still. His head hung low as if shrouded by a dark cloud. Though his face showed no visible signs of dejection, anyone looking at him could sense the gloomy air around him.
Seeing that Jiang Wan had dropped his facade, Gang Ya and Du Yanlong finally showed up openly.
“Don’t worry, Xiao Dou,” Gang Ya said. “Our big brother’s temper is just like that. He throws fits, but he’s not the type to hold a grudge. At most, he’ll stay mad at you for a couple of days, but he’ll cool off soon enough. Chances are, you won’t even last as long as he does—he’ll probably crack first. You have no idea how obsessed he is with your face and pheromones.”
Du Yanlong slapped a hand over Gang Ya’s mouth. “Sorry, he doesn’t know how to talk.”
Gang Ya was confused. What? I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?
Breaking free from Du Yanlong’s grip, Gang Ya added, “Oh, right, and your body too!”
Du Yanlong: “…”
You idiot! Who wants to hear that their Omega only likes them for their body?!
“Do you even have a brain? If you don’t know how to speak, just say less!”
Gang Ya huffed, “What? I’m just speaking the truth!”
But Dou Ming’s eyes lit up with renewed hope. He asked Gang Ya, “So, did Jiang Wan come to our high school in the first place because of me?”
“To be precise, because of your pheromones!”
Du Yanlong was so furious he kicked Gang Ya. “You don’t need to be that precise!” Then he turned to explain to Dou Ming, “Think about it, if it wasn’t love, who would willingly go back to senior year and solve all those math problems again? Our big brother really had it rough, having to pick up a pen again after so many years and tackle quadratic functions and arithmetic sequences.”
Dou Ming nodded thoughtfully. “You’re right.”
His easy acceptance left Du Yanlong stunned for a couple of seconds. Tentatively, he asked, “You’re not angry? At first, he was only interested in your… your pheromones.”
Dou Ming responded matter-of-factly, “If he didn’t like me, why would he only want my pheromones and not anyone else’s?”
Du Yanlong was speechless. “You two really are a match made in heaven!”
“Thanks for the compliment,” Dou Ming replied humbly. Then, seeking advice, he asked, “Based on your knowledge of Jiang Wan, if I go up there now, will he get angrier or forgive me?”
Gang Ya whispered, “Brother, tell me honestly, aren’t you a little mad? After all, our big bro did lie about his age and had some ulterior motives from the start.”
Dou Ming smiled, a hint of shyness in his eyes. “But it’s because he likes me so much.” Even if Jiang Wan had done something wrong, he couldn’t be angry at his own Omega. Besides, all of Jiang Wan’s “mistakes” had been because he wanted to be close to him.
Caught off guard by this sweet dog food, Gang Ya lost interest in the conversation and sulked off to the kitchen to check on the chef’s cooking.
Before leaving, Du Yanlong gave Dou Ming a “go for it” look. “You already know he likes you. What are you waiting for?”
Dou Ming nodded. “Thanks.” Without further hesitation, he headed upstairs.
On the second floor, he bumped into Xue Ma, who was cleaning.
Xue Ma nodded toward Jiang Wan’s room and gave him a thumbs-up. Seeing that even Xue Ma had accepted him, Dou Ming couldn’t help but feel a bit overjoyed.
But he was there to make up with Jiang Wan, so he couldn’t go in looking too happy. Standing outside the room for a while, he calmed himself before carefully knocking on the door.
Jiang Wan’s voice came from inside immediately, “I already said, no cleaning my room today! Xue Ma, take a break and leave me alone!”
Dou Ming glanced back at Xue Ma. She shrugged, showing that she was used to it. Despite Jiang Wan’s seniority and his public success, at home, he was just a kid at heart.
Dou Ming spoke in a deep voice, “Jiang Wan, it’s me.”
There was a brief pause inside. “Who are you?”
Dou Ming hesitated for a second, then said, “Wanwan’s favorite?”
Jiang Wan, who had been lying on the bed sulking, felt his whole body heat up the moment he heard Dou Ming call him that nickname. Instinctively, he reached up to touch the suppression ring on his neck, feeling a bit safer. Just hearing Dou Ming call him by a pet name made his heart race—if Dou Ming’s pheromones got in, wouldn’t he go into heat right on the spot?
“Have the driver take you home.” After a long moment, Jiang Wan finally squeezed out this one sentence.
Dou Ming smiled bitterly at the door. “How could I go home without seeing you first?”
Jiang Wan’s scalp tingled, and he jumped out of bed to crack the door open. “Dou Ming, don’t use that tone with me! You know, I’m in my twenties, not a high school student. Don’t try to sweet-talk me like I’m your little boyfriend.”
The moment he spoke, Dou Ming squeezed through the crack in the door, grabbed Jiang Wan’s wrist, and pinned him against the door.
“Aren’t you my boyfriend?” Dou Ming pressed his forehead to Jiang Wan’s, his gaze dangerously intense. “Aren’t you?”
Jiang Wan’s suppression ring could block his own pheromones from getting out, but it didn’t stop others’ from getting in. Trapped between Dou Ming and the door, Jiang Wan was instantly enveloped in the scent of cedarwood, and his body instinctively went limp.
Dou Ming tilted Jiang Wan’s chin up. Without waiting for a response, he kissed him.
The kiss was so heated, it nearly melted the crisp cedarwood scent filling the room.
In just a few moments, Jiang Wan was dazed by Dou Ming’s kiss. With his lips still tingling, Dou Ming whispered in his ear, “Take off the suppression ring, okay?” Jiang Wan, his head foggy with desire, nodded and replied, “Okay.”
Then he started rummaging around the room for the key to the suppression ring.
That’s right, Jiang Wan, worried that he might lose his head under Dou Ming’s irresistible charms, had specifically chosen a ring that required a key to unlock rather than a fingerprint.
The problem was, he had forgotten where he’d hidden the key.
Dou Ming helped him look, and soon they were pulling out a book titled The Complete Guide to High School Romance and a scrap of paper that said, “Dou Ming, let me have a whiff of your pheromones.”
As they searched, it turned into a game of Jiang Wan chasing after Dou Ming, shouting, “Don’t look at that!”
“Don’t look at this either!”
Finally, they searched every corner of the room but couldn’t find the key. Dou Ming then turned his attention to the space under the bed.
Jiang Wan froze for a second, then immediately protested, “There’s nothing under the bed! I’m such a neat freak, why would I leave anything under there?”
His reaction made it obvious that something was definitely under the bed. Dou Ming, seriously said, “We should check, just in case.”
“No!” Jiang Wan rushed over to block Dou Ming, but Dou Ming had already crouched down and quickly pulled out a beautifully crafted wooden box.
The box had been sitting under the bed without collecting a speck of dust, a testament to how clean Jiang Wan truly was.
Jiang Wan let out a wail, “It’s all junk in there! Don’t open it!”
He lunged to grab the box, but he was too late.
Dou Ming lifted the lid and saw various items of different lengths and sizes inside… and he paused for a moment, lost in thought.
Jiang Wan silently withdrew his hand and slowly backed away.
Dou Ming picked up one with a raised surface and pressed a button. With a soft vibrating hum, the item shook, emitting the scent of hawthorn flowers.
He turned off the switch and picked up another one, this time engraved with a pattern. He pressed the button, and it vibrated as well, but this time it gave off the scent of cedar.
Just as Dou Ming reached for a third, Jiang Wan could no longer stand it and shouted, “We’re both adults! What’s wrong with using a few little toys!” Actually, he hadn’t used them in a long time. Even though they could simulate Alpha pheromones, now he wasn’t interested in any scent other than Dou Ming’s.
Dou Ming glanced at Jiang Wan, who was trying to act composed, then looked back at the box of toys. With a heavy heart, he said, “I’m sorry. I kept saying I had to wait until I graduated… it must have been hard on you. But I’m ready. I may not have much experience, but I’ve learned some techniques.”
As he spoke, he took off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt.
Jiang Wan was momentarily distracted by the sight of Dou Ming’s beautiful collarbone. The next second, he realized Dou Ming had already taken off his shirt, revealing his toned upper body—complete with an impressive set of abs.
Jiang Wan averted his gaze and muttered softly, “Th-there’s no rush. We can wait until you graduate.”
