That was the scent of He Xingzhou’s pheromones.
Xiao Can held it in his hand, bowed his head, and sniffed it delicately, almost becoming addicted.
The various discomforts in his body wouldn’t dissipate so quickly, but as the faint scent filled his lungs, Xiao Can felt a strong sense of relief and satisfaction surging in his heart.
At the same time, he felt a slight disgust towards himself.
This behavior was akin to that of an addict.
If the mark couldn’t be removed, would he be forever unable to escape the craving for He Xingzhou’s pheromones?
Xiao Can held the pendant in his palm, furrowing his brows, feeling his heart sinking.
A few days ago, Tan Zhen had shown him the specific instructions for using the pendant.
This was a very popular couple pendant nowadays. After placing an order, the merchant would send materials needed to collect pheromones. The operation was very simple, requiring only twenty-four hours of attachment to the neck glands.
Afterwards, seal and return the materials to the merchant. They would then use the collected pheromone samples to create various hollow craft ornaments, with a variety of styles to choose from.
For most couples, wearing such ornaments was merely symbolic. After all, the amount of pheromones in the pendant was very small, and the concentration even smaller.
Unless in Xiao Can’s current state—marked and extremely thirsty—it was difficult to perceive.
According to the product page, the pheromones in the pendant could last for more than six months.
If that were true, Xiao Can wouldn’t have to worry about it for a long time, which was a great help.
As for the future, he could only take it one step at a time.
At that time, Tan Zhen wouldn’t be able to help either.
Tan Zhen said he would break up with He Xingzhou. Xiao Can had tried asking a few days ago and learned that he hadn’t done so yet, the reason being this pendant.
Xiao Can was curious, wondering how He Xingzhou reacted when Tan Zhen proposed such a couple pendant, and whether he hesitated before agreeing.
These thoughts would only exacerbate his restlessness, so he always forced himself to redirect his attention and not dwell on them.
With the pendant, Xiao Can’s days became somewhat better.
While he was troubled by his physical condition, his career was thriving, and he received new collaboration invitations almost every day.
Cai Yawen would neatly organize all the relevant materials, including detailed information about the collaborators, and send them to him in a spreadsheet, making it easy for Xiao Can to review.
Xiao Can was very satisfied with her performance.
They got along well, exchanging work-related phone calls every night, and occasionally chatting.
Xiao Can had probed about some matters related to He Xingzhou, and if it was trivial, Cai Yawen was happy to gossip with him.
But when Xiao Can asked, “Has He Xingzhou ever had a relationship?” Cai Yawen tactfully told him, “In the future, if I provide services to others, I will keep any of your privacy information strictly confidential.”
Xiao Can could only laugh it off, saying he was just asking casually.
But he was indeed curious.
After recording the program, He Xingzhou never contacted him again. He didn’t send the photos of Charlie as promised, nor did he fulfill his offer to let Xiao Can taste his cooking.
Xiao Can guessed that this might be related to their awkward experience that night.
Perhaps after sobering up, He Xingzhou remembered something and thought his behavior was inappropriate, showing poor character, and not worth associating with.
Whenever Xiao Can thought of this, he would feel regret and embarrassment but would persuade himself that it wasn’t a big deal. As long as He Xingzhou didn’t spread the word, it wouldn’t affect him.
Even Tan Zhen hadn’t mentioned it to him, indicating that He Xingzhou was tight-lipped and wouldn’t easily reveal anything, so he was safe.
Therefore, it wasn’t worth worrying about.
It would be better to think about how to improve his update frequency and deal with the persistent and annoying Xiao Yi.
The evasive tactics couldn’t be used forever.
His cousin Xiao Yi persisted, bombarding him with messages every day, occasionally sending him a few new videos and asking for his opinions.
Xiao Can clicked to watch and found one of them quite interesting. He praised it casually as encouragement. Xiao Yi was excited to receive the praise and asked if he could share it.
Of course, Xiao Can was unwilling. What he found interesting was only in comparison to Xiao Yi’s other videos, which were still crude and amateurish, not worth showcasing.
After struggling with it, he chose to spend money to ease the situation.
Xiao Can sent Xiao Yi some money, suggesting he invest in upgrading equipment, and use the rest to buy some traffic.
Xiao Yi was grateful for the money, saying he could barely afford to eat, so it came at the right time.
After all, they were relatives. Xiao Can pitied him and even sent him more money, advising him that if buying traffic didn’t yield results, he should find a part-time job first to fill his stomach before considering his dreams.
After the communication, he immediately called home, stating that he had spent a lot of money to support his dear cousin Xiao Yi, causing a significant loss, so he wouldn’t be able to provide living expenses for this month and the next.
Xiao Can wasn’t really reluctant to part with the money; he just hoped his parents would learn from this and not cause trouble by giving him more.
His mother was quite upset, grumbling but helpless.
Half a month passed like this, during which Xiao Can received an invitation that excited him greatly.
A well-known platform in China was preparing for a web drama and wanted him to audition.
Naturally, Xiao Can was very interested.
Although it was just a web drama, if he could successfully play even a supporting role, his identity would undergo a formal change.
Xiao Can now understood that he couldn’t become a singer. Occasionally singing as a hobby was fine, but making it his goal was beyond his capabilities.
But he might have a chance to become an actor.
He was somewhat confident in his acting skills, but so far, he had only made self-directed short videos, which didn’t hold much weight.
With a month before the official audition, he decided to put his updates on the platform on hold and invested heavily in a one-on-one acting class for more systematic learning.
He vented his frustration in the comments section of Baitao. To appease his fans, he posted a daily Vlog as consolation, mentioning the upcoming variety show and inviting everyone to watch.
As for the show, Xiao Can had some concerns.
After all, he and He Xingzhou appeared very intimate in it, and coupled with various interactions with Tan Zhen, their relationship seemed quite peculiar. He imagined that after it aired, it would inevitably attract various speculations, some of which he wouldn’t want to see.
However, having discussions was better than being ignored. To become a public figure, being able to withstand pressure was a basic skill. Xiao Can was relatively open-minded about this; he had prepared himself mentally.
After all, no matter how much speculation arose, it would only be baseless guesses. Increasing discussion could raise his popularity, and those who liked him wouldn’t easily waver, so it wouldn’t affect his work.
During this time, he had experienced too many miscellaneous things, and his spirit had become quite resilient.
Just when he thought he was firm enough and wouldn’t easily be shaken by anything other than setbacks in his career, he heard some terrifying news.
The night before the incident, Tan Zhen called him and said he planned to break up with He Xingzhou the next day.
Because Xiao Can objected to him revealing the truth, he made up a ridiculous and humorous excuse that sounded absurd.
He said that when he asked He Xingzhou for a sample of his pheromones, it was to avoid any potential misunderstandings. He didn’t say it was for making a pendant but claimed that his parents were very superstitious. Besides birthdates, star signs, and blood types, they also wanted to test the compatibility of their pheromones to feel at ease.
He Xingzhou cooperated very well and quickly provided his pheromone sample, which Tan Zhen then took and made into a pendant to give to Xiao Can.
Now, he planned to tell He Xingzhou that their pheromones were completely incompatible, indicating that they weren’t suitable for a long-term relationship, and it was time to reevaluate their relationship.
“If he has any objections, I’ll tell him, ‘I smell your pheromones, and they smell like fermented corpses,'” Tan Zhen said.
Xiao Can held his phone in one hand and played with the pendant emitting a pleasant scent in the other, saying, “I wish you success.”
“You should also be prepared,” Tan Zhen said.
“Huh? What’s it got to do with me?” Xiao Can was puzzled.
Tan Zhen’s tone was very certain. “After we break up, he might come after you.”
“We haven’t had any contact during this time at all,” Xiao Can said. “He’s never reached out to me.”
“For some reason, he’s been very reclusive lately, staying at home every day and not going out,” Tan Zhen said. “Actually, I’m a bit worried…”
“Are you worried about him?” Xiao Can asked.
“Worried, yes. Although I don’t have that kind of affection for him, but… he’s a good person,” Tan Zhen said, “even if just as friends, I still care a bit.”
Xiao Can fiddled with the pendant without saying anything.
“If you’re also concerned… maybe after tomorrow, you can go check on him, ask him what’s wrong,” Tan Zhen said.
Xiao Can understood. Tan Zhen wanted to advise him to comfort He Xingzhou, who seemed to be inexplicably depressed.
Would the reason for his depression be related to me? Xiao Can subconsciously thought, but quickly woke up and told himself it was too presumptuous.
“Let’s talk about it later,” he said. “Don’t think too much for now, just focus on tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Tan Zhen said, “provided everything goes smoothly tomorrow.”
Xiao Can thought, if things don’t go smoothly, it must be because He Xingzhou has developed feelings for Tan Zhen, unwilling to let go.
That’s normal too; Tan Zhen is indeed a charming Omega.
The restlessness suppressed by the pendant surged from the bottom of his heart.
“Wish you all the best,” Xiao Can said.
The next afternoon, just as Xiao Can was about to leave for acting class, he suddenly received a message from Tan Zhen.
The content was only two words.
— It’s bad.
Xiao Can’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly replied.
— What happened?
There was no sound from the other end for a while.
Could it be that He Xingzhou confessed his love to him, and tearfully begged him not to break up?
Xiao Can thought about calling Tan Zhen but hesitated, struggling. In the midst of this, his phone rang.
After answering, Tan Zhen’s voice on the other end was very low, sounding secretive.
“I’m calling you from the bathroom right now. You have to be mentally prepared; something big has happened,” he said.
His tone didn’t sound as simple as being unable to break up, and it was obviously related to him as well.
Xiao Can felt uneasy. “What happened? Just tell me.”
“Just now the police called him, saying the hard drive has been repaired and asked if he wants to watch the surveillance footage,” Tan Zhen said.
Xiao Can was instantly stunned.
“It seems that because of another case, the police went back to repair the hard drive to find clues, and then they happened to check the surveillance at his door at that time and found other people coming in and out, so they asked him if he wanted to confirm,” Tan Zhen’s voice trembled, “What do we do?”
“Can you find a brick and hit him from behind?” Xiao Can licked his lips.
“Um… I’m not sure if that’s feasible…” Tan Zhen hesitated.
