What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 52

Chapter 52 – Omega Pheromones

A dream is just a dream.

Reality is reality.

Sheng Yunze wouldn’t abandon his sharp-tongued nature just because Duan Yi had become his boyfriend.

The moment he saw Duan Yi, his razor-sharp retort followed like a shadow, “I waited for one hour, twenty-four minutes, thirty-one and fifty-six hundredths seconds. Is this how you show you missed me?”

Duan Yi: =口=!

“Damn it, how did you even calculate it down to two decimal places? What kind of watch are you wearing?” Duan Yi had left the house with Xiaoduan Mom’s scarf wrapped around his neck, covering half his face and leaving only his nose and eyes visible.

The dark scarf made his face appear even paler.

Sheng Yunze’s fingers itched. He tugged at the scarf, pulling it open to peek inside.

A fair neck, a small red mole on his collarbone—Sheng Yunze stared as if he’d discovered a new continent, taking in the sight and filing it away in his mind.

If anyone else had done this, it would have been blatant sexual harassment.

If Duan Yi were a girl, Sheng Yunze’s actions would have been no different from pulling open a girl’s bra to peek at her chest.

But Sheng Yunze acted with such nonchalant ease, as if he were simply opening a plastic bag to check what Duan Yi had bought, then closing it again.

Duan Yi had always thought Sheng Yunze was a bit like the Lin Daiyu of cats.

He was relentless when he was right, sharp-tongued and quick-witted, and fiercely curious—especially about anything involving Duan Yi.

The key was his venomous tongue and tendency to throw little tantrums.

His behavior was just like a cat’s: your own cat has a bowl but insists on dipping its paw into your water glass, stirring it around for no apparent reason.

Sheng Yunze was exactly like that.

He yanked Duan Yi’s collar, and Duan Yi had no idea what this sudden move meant. His intentions were impossible to decipher.

And he was also a somewhat chuunibyou, hard-to-please cat.

Duan Yi: “What are you doing?”

A cold wind rushed into his clothes, making Duan Yi shiver, but he didn’t stop Sheng Yunze.

He was overly indulgent of Sheng Yunze’s childish antics, and Sheng Yunze knew it, which only made him push the boundaries further.

“Just looking,” Sheng Yunze said, unapologetically. “You’re dressed like a ball.”

Duan Yi had to admit he was wearing too many layers.

Duan Yi refused to wear long underwear that morning, but Xiaoduan Mom caught him red-handed. Even at seventeen, she pinned him to the bed and stripped off his pants, leaving him utterly humiliated.

He had no choice but to wear the long underwear, followed by a pair of jeans.

Duan Yi’s legs were slender, but his thighs were fleshy. When his legs were pressed together, only a barely visible gap remained—tight and soft.

Embarrassed by the teasing, he protested, “Why do I look like a ball?”

He retorted, “My mom made me wear all this. I wouldn’t have dressed so warmly otherwise.”

Sheng Yunze smirked. “Oh, so you’ve gained weight?”

“Bullshit!” Duan Yi nearly jumped up. “Gained weight? I haven’t even been eating properly lately!”

He quickly checked his face and patted his stomach. His abdomen was still flat—thankfully, he hadn’t gained any weight.

Sheng Yunze had already brazenly slipped his icy hand inside Duan Yi’s shirt.

He felt the wool sweater Xiaoduan Mom had tucked into his pants—it was surprisingly soft. Sheng Yunze chuckled for a long time, thoroughly embarrassing Duan Yi.

With a swift motion, Sheng Yunze lifted Duan Yi’s sweater and the innermost layer of his short-sleeved shirt, his cold hand settling on Duan Yi’s slender waist.

Duan Yi hissed, “Your hands are freezing.”

Sheng Yunze replied, “I’ll warm them up here.”

Duan Yi retorted, “Do you think I’m a microwave?” He yanked his hand away.

Sheng Yunze now stood behind him, wrapping his arms around Duan Yi’s waist and pressing him down so he couldn’t lift his head. “Stop leaning on me! You’re too heavy!”

“No.”

Duan Yi struggled with all his might, but when he realized he couldn’t overpower Sheng Yunze, he gave up in exasperation and trudged forward with his massive human-shaped weight clinging to him.

“Sheng… Yun… Ze… you’re… poisonous!” Duan Yi gritted his teeth. “You’ve completely ruined your image, you know that?!”

Sheng Yunze’s eyes lit up. “What do you think you look like right now?”

“If you even mention Pigsy carrying his bride, we’re breaking up today!”

Sheng Yunze hesitated, then remained silent.

Duan Yi stared in disbelief. “Are you even human?! You were actually thinking that? I’m walking into the river right now—we’re going down together!”

Sheng Yunze straightened up, and Duan Yi felt the sudden release of pressure.

His boyfriend nuzzled his cheek. “You smell so good.”

Duan Yi: “Frog Prince Baby Cream—want to try it? I’ve got some in my backpack.”

Without warning, Sheng Yunze pinched his cheek. “Try again. When your boyfriend says something like that, you’re supposed to blush and bury your face in his chest.”

Duan Yi: “Are you trying to be awkward?”

Xiaoduan Mom had insisted on applying the cream to his face before he left that morning.

Even at seventeen, she still clung to some of his childhood habits, like applying Frog Prince Baby Cream every morning.

It wasn’t expensive—just a few dollars a bottle. Xiaoduan Mom loved the brand and the scent, convinced by some WeChat article that it would ensure her son’s health as he grew up.

Absolutely ridiculous. Duan Yi had been using it since he was three.

He’d sound like a mama’s boy if anyone found out, so he kept it a secret.

He pulled out the Frog Prince Baby Cream, unscrewed the lid, scooped out a generous dollop, and smeared it all over Sheng Yunze’s face while he wasn’t looking.

The familiar fragrance filled the air. Seeing his prank succeed, Duan Yi nearly doubled over with laughter.

Then Duan Yi took off running, his arrogant laughter echoing down the street. He didn’t see the snowdrift ahead, his foot slipped, and with a “Damn!” he faceplanted into the ground, earning himself a glorious fall.

Sheng Yunze wordlessly wiped the remaining face cream from his face, watching Duan Yi sprawled face-first on the ground, his face pressed against the snow.

He sighed.

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

What am I supposed to do if my wife is such an idiot?

Tears welled up in Duan Yi’s eyes from the pain. Sheng Yunze pulled him up, Duan Yi hooked his arm around Sheng Yunze’s shoulder, and Sheng Yunze hauled him into his arms. “You think you’re happy?” Duan Yi asked, his voice tinged with resentment.

Sheng Yunze brushed Duan Yi’s hand away. “Let me check where you’re hurt.”

Duan Yi had scraped his nose. Sheng Yunze went to the pharmacy for a bandage, dusted the snow off him, and suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of paternal responsibility, as if he were taking care of his own wife.

He was instantly speechless at his own thoughts.

“You think I’m embarrassing?” Duan Yi asked. “Are you secretly laughing at me?”

“No,” Sheng Yunze replied. “I’m trying to think of a way to ease the awkwardness.”

Duan Yi’s fall had been a disaster. The bandage on his nose, while covering his small mole, gave him an unexpectedly youthful look.

Duan Yi gritted his teeth, his cheeks puffing out, making his baby fat even more noticeable.

How cute, Sheng Yunze thought.

“Have you thought of anything?”

Sheng Yunze replied flippantly, “If you trip on flat ground on the way, you could kowtow all the way to Tibet. That should alleviate the awkwardness.”

Duan Yi: =口=!

“Are you even human?!”

Their playful antics on the way to school nearly made them late.

Upon reaching the school gate, Duan Yi hadn’t forgotten their “early romance” act.

Monday was Old He’s shift at the gate. Duan Yi had been locked in a two-and-a-half-year battle of wits with the old man, practically memorizing all his habits.

He could smell Old He from two hundred meters away and insisted on separating from Sheng Yunze.

As he put it, “Love isn’t about instant gratification. We need to play the long game for sustainable development. When dealing with class enemies like Old He, we must possess the unwavering resolve of winter frost.”

In short, they were keeping their relationship underground.

Sheng Yunze didn’t get a chance to say much more to Duan Yi. As soon as he arrived at school, Bei-ge, the physics teacher, summoned him to the office.

Duan Yi cleared his throat guiltily and strode toward the school gate with an air of righteous indignation.

Old He had always kept a close eye on Duan Yi. The moment Duan Yi appeared at the school gate, Old He’s gaze locked onto him.

School ID: Check.

Uniform: Check.

Hair: Not past his ears, no dye.

Ears: Good, no earrings today.

Principal He, pleased with the smooth start to the new week at Second High School, magnanimously allowed Duan Yi to enter.

Having passed this hurdle, Duan Yi barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief before running into Jian Qiao.

His steps faltered, then slowed to a deliberate pace.

It had been a long time since the music festival when he last saw Jian Qiao.

Jian Qiao was in Class Four, while he was in Class One. Without deliberate effort, meeting on the sprawling campus of Second High School was no easy feat.

Duan Yi knew exactly why Jian Qiao hadn’t sought him out.

Because of Sheng Yunze.

Their unexpected encounter left Duan Yi breathless. Jian Qiao’s gaze lingered on his face for two long seconds, and he felt his breath catch in his throat.

His lips moved soundlessly, as if trying to form words, but ultimately nothing came out.

Duan Yi lowered his head, tugged at his backpack strap, and prepared to walk past Jian Qiao.

But Jian Qiao stopped behind him, standing tall and composed with her back to him. “Don’t you have anything to say to me?” she asked softly.

“I…” Duan Yi stammered.

“Fine,” Jian Qiao said. “If you have nothing to say to me, then I have something to say to you.”

The next moment, before Duan Yi could fully recover from his melancholy, a sharp pain shot through his neck, cutting off his breath. Jian Qiao, standing at 165 centimeters, had locked her arm around his 178-centimeter frame, choking him.

Duan Yi let out a strangled “Augh!” The pent-up frustration in his chest suddenly dissipated.

“It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts like hell!” Duan Yi yelled.

“You still feel pain?! If I hadn’t come looking for you, you would have just cut me off, wouldn’t you?” Jian Qiao, usually so demure, was now furious.

Duan Yi hastily pleaded, “No, no! I was just too ashamed to face you…”

“You know you should be ashamed! Do you think your pain is worse than mine?”

“No, no, no…” Duan Yi blurted out, “Sister, can you please let go first? This position isn’t exactly conducive to a proper conversation!”

“Sister?” Jian Qiao snapped. “I’m your grandmother!”

“Grandma, Grandma, Grandma, enough already!” Duan Yi squawked wildly.

Jian Qiao glared at him before finally releasing her grip.

Duan Yi’s neck was finally free. He looked at Jian Qiao, and she looked back at him. Suddenly, the girl burst out laughing.

“What’s with that face? You look like you’re the one who wronged me,” Jian Qiao said.

“Aren’t you angry?” Duan Yi asked.

He didn’t specify what he meant, but they both knew exactly what he was talking about.

“Of course I’m angry,” Jian Qiao replied. “At first, I was so embarrassed. In a fit of anger, I even confronted Sheng Yunze, but all that did was make me feel even more humiliated.”

Duan Yi felt a pang of guilt.

Jian Qiao clapped her hands. “But then I calmed down and stopped being angry. I figured, since he doesn’t like me anyway, and he’s with other girls, I’d rather be with you. It gives me this weird sense of spiritual victory—like, even though I lost, Sheng Yunze’s taste is clearly flawed.”

“Is that how you talk about me?” Duan Yi grumbled. “Do you have any feelings at all?”

“I just don’t understand,” Jian Qiao said. “I chased Sheng Yunze for years without success, but you managed to win him over in an instant. Did you slip him some kind of love potion?”

Duan Yi: …

“Do you really think I’d do something like that?!”

“But thinking about it later, I was still really angry,” Jian Qiao said.

Duan Yi looked at her. “Do you think I look down on our relationship?”

Duan Yi swore to the heavens, “No way!”

“Then why didn’t you come find me? Did you think I’d end our friendship over Sheng Yunze?”

“Seriously, no!” Duan Yi insisted.

Jian Qiao patted his head with a smile. “You better not.”

Duan Yi felt like today was going well.

He started to explain, “I didn’t think that way. I just…”

“Never mind,” Jian Qiao interrupted, ruffling his hair again. “Let’s just forget about it. We’ll still be best friends, okay? Don’t hold any grudges.”

Duan Yi was still confused.

Jian Qiao pinched his cheek and said something cryptic, “Duan Yi, you don’t even understand yourself.”

“She just said that out of nowhere. What did she mean?”

In the Third Year Class 1 classroom, Duan Yi solemnly gathered his trio—Jiang Wangshu and Hao Shanshan—for an emergency family meeting.

Though their “family” had been shattered by Duan Yi’s affair, Hao Shanshan had readily accepted her new stepmother, and Jiang Wangshu was used to being the “abandoned spouse”—from Nan Yi to Sheng Yunze, it had become a habit.

Jiang Wangshu’s inspirational quote, “If life insists on squeezing you dry, slip it a condom.”

Jiang Wangshu stroked his chin and repeated the exact same words, “I think Sister Qiao is right. Don’t underestimate yourself.”

Duan Yi: “?”

Hao Shanshan, knitting away, sighed dramatically. “Dad, with your IQ, you’re better off figuring out how to convince New Mother to give me a little brother instead of trying to understand what people are saying.”

Duan Yi: “I’ve been meaning to ask since you got here—what’s in that bag?”

“Yarn,” Hao Shanshan replied, shaking the paper bag. “It’s a tradition at First High School. Supposedly, if you knit a scarf for your crush in December and they accept it, you’ll end up together.”

Duan Yi frowned. “What does First High School’s tradition have to do with us at Second High School?”

Hao Shanshan explained, “It’s part of the Mac City High School Community of Shared Destiny cultural exchange program this year. Second High School started adopting it last year, but it’s really taken off this year.”

Duan Yi finally grasped the point. “You’re knitting a scarf? Shanshan, do you have a crush?”

Hao Shanshan blushed. “Let me think… I’ll put myself on the waiting list and tell you later.”

Duan Yi: ……

Sheng Yunze had been called away by the physics teacher, and Duan Yi’s attempts to bother him were unsuccessful. He ended up dozing off at his desk for half an hour during morning study hall.

The classmates’ monotonous recitation of English vocabulary was practically hypnotic.

When he woke up, the classroom had inexplicably erupted into a chorus of “Oohs” and “Aahs.”

Duan Yi was startled awake, only to realize he was the target of the commotion.

A girl stood at the doorway, wearing the uniform of Second High School, a backpack slung over her shoulder, and her hair tied in a ponytail. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing a stretch of milky-white arm. She stood silently with her head bowed.

Her striking appearance was undoubtedly the cause of the uproar.

Despite the deafening cheers, she showed no reaction whatsoever.

Jiang Wangshu: “Holy shit, Duan Bao! You’re a legend! Cheating on your husband while still married?”

Hao Shanshan: “Dad, who’s this? Did you find me a new mom again?”

“What?” Duan Yi was still half-asleep.

Jiang Wangshu: “That girl said she came to find you. She’s holding a uniform and said she wants to return it.”

Duan Yi’s mind froze. Then, a memory surfaced, he recognized her as the Omega who had been bullied that day, the one Scar had been with.

Jiang Wangshu continued, “She looks kind of familiar. Hey, Shan Bao, does she ring any bells for you?”

“Isn’t she the girl who’s been hanging out with Li Yuan a lot lately…?”

Duan Yi didn’t hear the gossip behind him.

He quickly stepped out of his seat. The girl with the ponytail returned his uniform, her voice soft, “I didn’t know your name and searched for a long time to find you. I didn’t have time to return it earlier, but I’ve already washed it.”

Duan Yi took the uniform. “Oh, no problem. Did Scar give you any trouble?”

The Omega shook her head without speaking.

Duan Yi felt there was nothing more to say and waved. “Alright, I’m heading back.”

Suddenly, the Omega spoke, “Senior—”

She’s younger than me, Duan Yi thought.

The Omega whispered, “Be careful of Scar…”

Duan Yi paused. “Huh? Oh, what’s wrong with him? Don’t worry, he wouldn’t dare retaliate against me, and he doesn’t have the ability to.”

The Omega said nothing more and silently left Class One.

Duan Yi stared after her, finding her behavior a bit odd. He shook out his uniform and put it on.

The Omega’s pheromone lingered on the fabric, making Duan Yi feel uncomfortable. Like a madman, he ripped off the freshly worn uniform.

When he turned around, he saw Sheng Yunze standing at the front door, having been there for an unknown amount of time.

Duan Yi: “……”

Sheng Yunze’s face was cold. He let out a dry chuckle. “Having a nice chat?”

Duan Yi replied righteously, “I believe I’m entitled to a 140-character explanation.”

Sheng Yunze frowned. “Throw away the uniform.”

Is she crazy? Sheng Yunze thought irritably. Did she deliberately get her pheromones on the uniform? If Duan Yi were an Alpha, this would be blatant provocation.

Duan Yi didn’t throw away the uniform; he just shoved it into his drawer and didn’t wear it. He hadn’t slept well the night before, and spent the morning correcting test papers. Duan Yi simply slumped onto his desk and slept through the entire morning.

In his dreams, he kept catching faint whiffs of an Omega pheromone that wasn’t his.

When he woke up groggily at noon and looked for Sheng Yunze, he was nowhere to be found.

This is the downside of dating a top student, Duan Yi grumbled inwardly. You never see them.

After forcing down a few bites of lunch, Duan Yi returned to the dormitory in the evening to sleep. Jiang Wangshu, soaking his feet, remarked, “Duan Bao, are you feeling unwell?”

“No, just sleepy,” Duan Yi mumbled. “I’m going to sleep.”

“What did you do on Sunday to exhaust yourself like this?” Jiang Wangshu teased. “You’ve been sleeping all day and still look tired.”

Duan Yi yawned, climbed into bed, and rubbed the back of his neck. The suppressant had sealed all his pheromones inside his body.

His glands felt a faint stinging sensation. Before drifting off, he sprayed another dose.

It’s still a while until my next heat cycle, he thought hazily. I probably won’t be this unlucky.

Author’s Note: You’re exactly that unlucky. Pushes up glasses.