Her Pheromones Smell Like Sparkling Water (GL) - Chapter 15

Shen Tingjun was leaning heavily against Shang Ranzhu as the two of them slowly made their way back to their dorm room on the first floor.

Because of the suppressant, Shen Tingjun’s pheromones couldn’t be released at all, while Shang Ranzhu’s faint scent was endlessly magnified by her heightened senses and constantly tormenting her.

“You really shouldn’t drink if you can’t handle your alcohol,” Shang Ranzhu muttered, while completely unaware of the suffering Shen Tingjun was going through. She only felt an overwhelming heartache seeing her in such a state.

Shen Tingjun tried to distract herself by talking, hoping to stay conscious. “It’s not the alcohol. I’m fine to drink. It’s just… today happened to be my sensitivity period.”

“You’ve been an Alpha for this long and still forget your own cycle? Seriously, I should’ve just left you upstairs and let the others laugh at you.” Shang Ranzhu grumbled with a scolding tone but still tightened her arm around her.

Shen Tingjun didn’t catch the teasing in her voice and took it seriously. She clutched Shang Ranzhu’s shirt tightly. “Shang Ranzhu, don’t you dare.”

Shang Ranzhu panicked at being held so tightly. “Shen-laoshi, come on, let go. How could I possibly leave you? Didn’t I say I’d cover for you from now on? I’m your boss now; I’ll keep you safe.”

Shen Tingjun loosened her grip and leaned against Ranzhu’s shoulder while letting out a faint “mm.” Her warm breath brushed against the back of Shang Ranzhu’s ear, subtly and deliberately teasing her nerves.

From the moment she touched Shen Tingjun earlier, Shang Ranzhu felt something stirring deep inside her—some primal Alpha instinct was being awakened.

She was… reacting to Shen Tingjun.

The realization hit her suddenly. Her eyes went wide, and in her panic, she accidentally let go of Shen Tingjun—who toppled forward into the door. Instinctively, Shen Tingjun grabbed her to steady herself, and the two of them tumbled through the doorway, landing squarely on the dorm room carpet.

The room was dark. The narrow space was sealed in heavy shadows, lit only faintly by the hallway behind them. Shen Tingjun felt like she had fallen into a murky, chaotic world. Her unreleased pheromones surged and writhed inside her, like fire licking at the last thread of her self-control.

Shang Ranzhu was still stunned from the impact. As she raised her head, she realized that Shen Tingjun was practically hovering over her.

Shen Tingjun herself had no idea just how deadly she looked right now while trying so hard to hold back.

This… wasn’t “not okay.” This was very okay.

That’s when Shang Ranzhu clearly felt it.

Shen Tingjun pressed against her stomach.

I thought we were sisters. And now you’re trying to get on top of me?

I’m a top-tier Alpha—how could I possibly let myself be the one underneath?

Her throat worked as she battled between desire and dignity.

In the end, she bit the bullet and decisively separated from Shen Tingjun.

With a deep breath, Shang Ranzhu hoisted Shen Tingjun onto her shoulder.

It was the only way to avoid meeting those eyes—those eyes that made her forget everything and give up on staying the number “1”.

But hanging upside down like that only made Shen Tingjun feel worse. She clung to the last threads of her reason, pounding weakly at Shang Ranzhu’s shoulder. “Shang Ranzhu, what the hell are you doing?! Put me down!”

Her fists were so soft and powerless, like a kitten pawing at a pillow. They made Shang Ranzhu’s heart ache… and itch.

She swallowed hard. Her pheromones were about to break loose. She felt there was no way she could remain calm in this situation.

But Shen Tingjun was only like this because she was drunk and she was in her sensitivity period. Meanwhile, Shang Ranzhu was still fully sober.

They were both Alphas. What the hell would it even mean if they got tangled up like this?

With great difficulty, Shang Ranzhu managed to drop Shen Tingjun onto her bed. Watching her lie there, flushed and dazed, a wave of envy hit her—envy for whoever would one day become Shen Tingjun’s partner.

“No. No way. Two Alphas—this isn’t right.” Panicked, Shang Ranzhu jumped off the bed, ran to the bathroom, pressed herself against the door, and attempted to reason with herself.

Her heart was pounding out of her chest. Her knees were shaking, and she could barely stand upright.

“This is too much,” she muttered while splashing a handful of cold water on her face.

She looked down.

Little Bamboo was… still full of spirit.

How the hell was she supposed to calm down now?

Shang Ranzhu let out a long sigh. She never imagined that after five years of being an Alpha, she’d get so thoroughly seduced by another Alpha that she’d be hiding in the bathroom like this.

How pathetic could she get?

She sat down quietly on the toilet seat, pulled out her phone, and started playing the Great Compassion Mantra on loop, waiting for Little Bamboo to shrink back to size.

The long night passed quietly. There was no wind and no rain. Thick clouds blocked the moon. Layer upon layer of desire quietly filled the tiny dorm room, making the entire world feel frozen in time.

Time passed. 

Sunlight now filled the room, chasing away the darkness.

When Shen Tingjun finally woke up, it was already noon.

Dragging her sore body off the bed, she still felt incredibly uncomfortable. The pheromones stuck inside her continued to burn and dissolve into her bloodstream, unable to escape.

She rubbed her temples, sat down at the desk, and made herself a cup of nutritional drink. The silver spoon swirled in the warm beige liquid, and as she watched the white foam spiral on the surface, her mind wandered.

This suppressant was from a completely new series. She hadn’t participated in the clinical trials at all. If it hadn’t been for the fact that her heat was fast approaching, she wouldn’t have risked injecting it on her own.

But she had. And it nearly cost her.

She almost exposed everything.

She picked up her phone and called Shen Li.

“Mother.”

“What is it?” Shen Li’s voice was as cold as ever.

“I need you to send me the experimental data and product analysis for the 16-series suppressant,” she said without hesitation.

“Did it cause a reaction?” Shen Li asked sharply.

Shen Tingjun, ever the one to downplay her pain, brushed it off. “Nothing serious. I’m fine now.”

“I’ll send you the contact info of Xiao Li, the person in charge of this project. You can talk to him directly. When you’re free, come back and have Dr. Zhao run a check-up on you.” As she spoke, Shen Li issued it like an order, but at the end, she added a soft, almost tentative, “Alright?”

Shen Li rarely spoke to Shen Tingjun in such a gentle, negotiating tone. Shen Tingjun couldn’t bring herself to refuse and simply replied, “Alright.”

Their relationship had always hovered in a vague space—neither close nor distant. With nothing more to say, Shen Tingjun took the initiative, “I’m hanging up.”

“Wait a moment, Tingjun,” Shen Li hurriedly cut in.

Shen Tingjun gave a soft “Mm,” waiting to hear what else her mother had to say.

Shen Li bit her lip lightly before awkwardly reminding, “The weather’s getting colder. Take care of your health.”

Stunned for a second, Shen Tingjun found herself at a loss. This kind of ordinary concern between mother and daughter was extremely rare for her, so rare that it left her unprepared.

She stiffly nodded, “Okay, I got it.”

“Let’s talk more when you come back,” Shen Li said before ending the call. Shen Tingjun stared at the contact name “Shen Li” on the screen—so distant and formal.

After a quick lunch, not wanting to fall behind in her training, Shen Tingjun freshened up and headed to the training facility.

Today was move-in day for the new semester. The campus was bustling with traffic and noise. Shen Tingjun walked against the flow of people toward the training building, her demeanor starkly at odds with the world around her.

The training studio was on the sixth floor. When she stepped out of the elevator and opened the door, the room was already filled with energy and enthusiasm. Shen Tingjun’s eyes scanned the crowd until she spotted Shang Ranzhu in a far corner.

She was dressed simply—white T-shirt, black shorts and her dark hair was tied into a high ponytail. She looked clean, confident, and full of youthful energy. She was standing by an old square glass window, laughing and chatting casually with a few others, sunlight pouring over her like she was a small sun herself.

No one knew what joke had been cracked, but suddenly Shang Ranzhu pulled at her shorts and, with impressive agility, performed a split on the spot—neat and sharp.

She lifted her chin proudly and her expression was full of confidence.

“Whoa, impressive!”

“Ranzhu-jie, I didn’t expect you to have such hidden skills!”

…

Soaking up the praise, Shang Ranzhu turned her head—and spotted Shen Tingjun standing in the light not far away. She was wearing shorts and a thick-looking jacket, her long pale legs were straight and still.

Her knees still bore a faint, ambiguous pink—reminding Shang Ranzhu of the moment yesterday when Shen Tingjun had straddled her side so abruptly.

She’s here.

When did she get here? Did she see that split I just did?

As Shang Ranzhu stood there flustered, Shen Tingjun walked over—only to be cut off by someone else before she could speak.

“Ranzhu-jie, you’re so cool!”

A woman with a high ponytail and a bright smile walked over like an old friend and quickly stood by Shang Ranzhu’s side—beating Shen Tingjun to it.

“Who’s this?” Shen Tingjun asked, narrowing her gaze at how close the woman was standing. Tall, lean, plain-faced—definitely not a crew.

Shang Ranzhu introduced casually, “This is Zhu Lin. You weren’t here this morning, so she filled in and practiced choreography with me.”

Shen Tingjun stood in the shadows, her expression was unreadable and her voice was calm: “Well, now that I’m back, Zhu-laoshi can leave, right?”

But Zhu Lin refused with a smile, “Shen-laoshi still needs to catch up on the moves she missed this morning. I think it’s best that I continue partnering with Ranzhu-jie this afternoon.”

Shen Tingjun’s hand tightened slightly in her pocket. With a small smile, she replied, “Alright.”

Zhu Lin suddenly felt a chill—like a cold gust of wind had blown past her. While outside, a dark cloud had drifted in, covering most of the sun.