Please note that at the end of the chapter, the author’s note left a spoiler. It’s up to you guys to take a peek or skip it~
By the time Yan Mu arrived at the bar, the two young men were already drinking. They booked a booth, and there weren’t others around.
Wen Da and Qu Xiao were both alphas and as soon as Yan Mu came in, they caught a scent lingering on him. “Why do you have an omega’s scent on you?”
It must have left some pheromones while he changed clothes and made contact with Jiang Zhihuo earlier.
Yan Mu had no intention of answering, and took a seat in a vacant spot. Wen Da filled his glass with wine.
To have a scent, they must have been close. It was hard to imagine that Young Master Yan, who usually didn’t allow anyone to touch him, could be so close to someone. Qu Xiao leaned over to discern it more carefully. “This pheromone smells like alcohol, isn’t it? I can tell if it’s just wine or a fruit wine.”
Alcohol scent?
Wen Da instantly thought of someone and asked, half surprised, “You found him?!”
Yan Mu tilted his head and drank the glass of wine, then answered, “No.”
Wen Da and Qu Xiao ordered the drinks with low alcohol. Since they were just coming out of age, they were drinking casually. The drinks swirled in the transparent glass, the deep red color reflected the backs of their hands.
“Alright.” There were many pheromones with a similar scent, but since it wasn’t, Wen Da also didn’t press further. Young Master Yan didn’t like being questioned too thoroughly. He raised the glass and said, “It’s been a long time since we last saw each other.”
“Yes, ah!” Qu Xiao also raised his glass.
The three of them hadn’t gotten together for quite a while. Yan Mu and Wen Da knew each other for a long time, while Qu Xiao was a classmate from junior high. After they started high school, they didn’t see each other often.
At this age, they shouldn’t be hanging out in a bar; it’s too chaotic. However, this bar belongs to Qu Xiao; it was a gift from his older brother for his coming-of-age ceremony.
Qu Xiao’s older brother was twelve years older than him, and he extremely pampered his younger brother. Qu Xiao, who had been indulged and spoiled, was wild among his peers; constantly talking about ‘my ge, my ge’ all the time. Only someone with a naturally aloof existence could shut his mouth. Qu Xiao had been pampered since he was young, was simple-minded, and hadn’t thought much, so Yan Mu didn’t say anything regardless. Being pampered wasn’t necessarily a good thing for children from wealthy families.
The three of them were just chatting during the gathering. Wen Da and Qu Xiao weren’t likely to talk about studying; they mostly talked about girls. The two of them went to the same high school, a school where one used money to get in. Those who could enter the school were wealthy, as their future paths were already arranged by their families. They didn’t necessarily have to take a college entrance exam, and the girls at the school were incredibly beautiful.
Qu Xiao pulled the two people aside as he talked about his ex-girlfriend. His relationships never lasted long, and always ended for bizarre reasons. “My ex-girlfriend was all about looks. She loved handsome guys. She didn’t flirt or anything, just liked to stare at them. She even did it right in front of me! I’m not ugly, am I? Ha! How could I not feel uncomfortable? So, of course I broke up with her!”
Wen Da laughed. Isn’t there an extremely handsome guy in front of him? He said, “It’s a good thing that you didn’t bring her out to meet Young Master Yan before. Otherwise, do you still dare to compete with Young Master Yan?”
“No, no, I wouldn’t dare,” Qu Xiao waved his hand, then filled his glass again and drank in one gulp. “Speaking of handsome guys, our bar has a new bartender who’s also an alpha. My ex-girlfriend said he’s incredibly good-looking.”
Wen Da chimed in, “I’m really curious to see what someone who’s supposed to be that incredibly good-looking actually looks like.”
The two of them glanced over at Yan Mu while talking. Yan Mu calmly swirled his drink and met their gazes with an indifferent expression.
Qu Xiao said, “Compared to Young Master Yan, that guy is even cooler and has a strong presence. Many girls are attracted to him. I sometimes wonder how he perfectly maintains that ‘stay away’ vibe.”
Half of what Qu Xiao said was meant to tease Yan Mu, who didn’t react. Wen Da laughed and said, “Hearing you describe him like that makes me really want to meet him.”
Qu Xiao said, “He’s not on the schedule these days, but I’ll let you know when he’s back.”
After finishing this topic, Qu Xiao refilled Yan Mu’s glass, raised his own hand to clink glasses with the other party, and steered the conversation back. “Young Master Yan, you still haven’t told us where this scent of pheromones comes from?”
“It’s nothing important.” Yan Mu responded, lowering his head to fiddle with his phone as he casually unbuttoned the first button.
As his collar opened slightly while he lowered his head, a bright red mark became visible on the right side of his neck.
“What the heck?!” Wen Da, who was sitting on the right side, saw it clearly. Why is there a mark? Where else could it come from???
Qu Xiao’s eyes lit up immediately. “It’s very obvious!! It’s…”
“Bitten by a mosquito.” Yan Mu replied to a message before he turned off the screen, and answered unhurriedly.
“Huh?” This remark was clearly a provocation to Qu Xiao, the love expert. “Young Master Yan, I admire you, but I’m not blind!”
Wen Da also asked, “Is it the school beauty? You’ve been pursuing Bai Yujun for a while now, right?! Did it work out?”
“No.” Yan Mu couldn’t explain clearly, so he simply denied everything. “Don’t make wild guesses.”
As he was talking, the phone screen lit up again. When Yan Mu saw the message on the lock screen, his temple twitched.
Jiang Zhihuo: I! Am! Hungry!
He initially planned to ignore it, but Jiang Zhihuo sent another message.
Jiang Zhihuo: Friend, the fourth rule?
Yan Mu: “……”
The fourth rule of the agreement—Fourth, Yan Mu must keep his device on all the time, respond within five minutes, and be available on call.
Yan Mu pretended as if he had just noticed: Didn’t you just eat?
Jiang Zhihuo: I’m feeling a bit hungry. Can you bring me something when you come back later?
Yan Mu: ……
Yan Mu rarely chatted. Even when he did reply to messages, he would quickly put down his phone. However, this time he held onto his phone for a long time. Qu Xiao and Wen Da exchanged a glance and quietly moved closer to him.
However, Yan Mu was using a private screen, so they couldn’t see a thing.
Unable to see, they could only ask. Wen Da said, “How is it going with the school beauty you are pursuing?”
“Same as always.”
Yan Mu wasn’t in the mood to talk about this. He had just asked, ‘What do you want?’ when Jiang Zhihuo started ordering food without hesitation, causing Yan Mu’s phone to vibrate continuously.
Seeing Yan Mu like this, Qu Xiao also joked, “Back then, I really thought Young Master Yan would stay single forever. Do you remember that time when a girl got rejected and kept pestering you, demanding a reason? What else could the reason be?”
“It’s just a case of not getting along. The reason Young Master Yan gave was pretty clear too.”
Qu Xiao imitated Yan Mu, furrowing his brows, and said, “You can’t compare to him…”
“Damn, I was stunned at that time! He was so decisive and effective at dealing with unwanted attention. Absoluetly stunning!”
Qu Xiao didn’t feel anything when he was speaking, but after he finished these long strings of words, he realized the atmosphere at the table was a bit off. The moment he looked up, Yan Mu wore a cold expression on his face and remained silent while Wen Da was winking frantically at him, signaling him to stop talking.
Qu Xiao wasn’t aware, but Wen Da was. Yan Mu had been hiding a report all along. The report stated that the pheromone had the scent of alcohol, and the name at the top was also pleasing, called Yun Zhou.
You can’t compare to him; it wasn’t an excuse, yet such a person truly existed.
Wen Da didn’t understand the specific details, as Yan Mu had never talked about it. However, since Yan Mu had finally moved on and started pursuing a girl, Wen Da didn’t want Qu Xiao’s words to push the other party back into the past. He quickly tried to smooth things over. “Is this the time to reminisce about the past? You should call her sister-in-law now! When will you bring the school beauty over?”
After Jiang Zhihuo finished ordering the dishes, he didn’t bother Yan Mu anymore. After they were done with their drinks, Wen Da and Qu Xiao wanted to go out and have some fun. When the two young masters started playing, they would go wild. Qu Xiao mentioned it, and Wen Da immediately contacted the driver to go to a nearby destination. He also checked the distance, and a day was enough for a round trip.
Yan Mu waved his hand and said, “I can’t go.”
“Why?” Wen Da asked.
Yan Mu glanced at the time; it had already been over two hours since he left home. He said, “I’ve got something to do.”
When Yan Mu finished buying the things Jiang Zhihuo wanted and got home, the person who had been saying, ‘I’m hungry, I want to eat from one end of the street to the other.’ was already lying on the sofa, fast asleep.
Alone in the place, Jiang Zhihuo hadn’t turned on the air conditioner but had opened the windows for ventilation. The location was good, and in the mid-afternoon, the breeze was cool, gently lifting the thin curtain that hung to one side.
Yan Mu didn’t bother with formalities and patted Jiang Zhihuo to wake him up, tossing a pile of food onto the coffee table.
Jiang Zhihuo: “…You really bought it?”
Yan Mu closed the windows and turned on the air conditioner. “Weren’t you the one who asked me to buy it?”
Jiang Zhihuo had just woken up and his mouth was dry. After taking a sip of water, he said, “I was just testing you. You’re a good child who keeps the promise.”
“……..” Yan Mu gave him a sidelong glance.
Jiang Zhihuo asked for the price, transferred the money, then unwrapped and arranged everything. “Shall we eat together?”
“I’m going to take a shower.” Yan Mu said.
When Yan Mu came out, Jiang Zhihuo was only halfway through his meal, with his phone propped up watching a show. Hearing the sound behind him, he leaned his head back to look at Yan Mu and said, “I need to go home to get my luggage later.”
“Oh.” Yan Mu didn’t really care where Jiang Zhihuo was going.
Jiang Zhihuo added, “What I mean is, tidy up your bed and share it with me.”
Yan Mu’s mouth twitched downward, and with a ‘bang’, he shut the door. “…….”
Jiang Zhiho chuckled for a while, that expression was too amusing. Then he went to knock on Yan Mu’s door. Finding it unlocked, he opened a crack, and asked, “What are your plans for tomorrow?”
Yan Mu: “Doing the questions.”
Jiang Zhihuo: “That’s perfect. I’m going out tomorrow.”
Yan Mu: “Oh.”
He was here to show off. After all, the person in front of him was his love rival. Tomorrow, he would be going out with Bai Yujun, while his love rival could only stay at home and do the questions.
Thinking of this, Jiang Zhihuo’s mouth curled up wildly. “Guess where I am going tomorrow?”
Yan Mu: “What does that have to do with me?”
Jiang Zhihuo’s grin widened. “I’m going on a date!”
Sure enough, Yan Mu reacted and turned his face. “With whom?”
“Who else could it be?” Jiang Zhihuo said, “I’ll go out with whoever I ask.”
The only person Jiang Zhihuo wanted to date was Bai Yujun. Yan Mu said, “I’ll go too tomorrow.”
Jiang Zhihuo didn’t expect Yan Mu to say this so directly and asked in surprise. “Why are you also going?”
Yan Mu: “I’m chasing her too.”
“So what?”
“I’m going too.”
“Ha, no way.” Jiang Zhihuo shut the door and walked out of the room.
Yan Mu glanced at the time and said nothing.
Three minutes later, Jiang Zhihuo burst through the door again, stumbling and lurching forward. He grabbed Yan Mu’s shoulders, almost hanging his whole body on the other person.
Yan Mu’s lips arched up into a cold smile. “Do you think you can go out like this?”
“What the hell?!” Jiang Zhihuo simply wanted to kill the person in front of him. “Didn’t we agree not to interfere with each other?!”
Yan Mu maintained the same expression. “I’m chasing her in my own way, and you’re arranging your dates. There’s no interference.”
Jiang Zhihuo: “You are such a jerk.”
Yan Mu: “Can you let go?”
Jiang Zhihuo: “No, I won’t.”
Yan Mu narrowed his eyes, pinched Jiang Zhihuo’s chin, and let a bit of pheromone seep out, just enough to tease the other party without touching his lips. “Tell Yujun, okay?”
Jiang Zhihuo took a deep breath and gave Yan Mu a thumbs-up.
Alright, that’s fine. You’re really something else.
Just wait.
：）
The author has something to say:
It’s not overly dramatic.
Of course, Yun Zhou is right in front of us.
