Her Pheromones Smell Like Sparkling Water (GL) - Chapter 17

“Damn…” Shang Ranzhu groaned softly, the pain forcing her to clench her teeth.

With Shang Ranzhu’s soft hand protecting her head, Shen Tingjun looked up in disbelief at the girl now lying on top of her. Her determination filled those dark brown eyes, and the sudden burst of her creamy-sweet pheromones firmly shielded Shen Tingjun beneath her.

This silly little Alpha hadn’t even considered the consequences before throwing herself forward to take that hit for Shen Tingjun.

“Ms. Shen, are you okay?” Shang Ranzhu asked, wincing as she held the back of her head and frowning as she looked at her.

“I should be the one asking you that,” Shen Tingjun replied, anxiety swirling inside her. She quickly lifted a hand and began checking Shang Ranzhu’s head carefully, brushing over every inch to feel for any injuries.

“It hurts a little,” Shang Ranzhu admitted with a grin. She reached up, took Shen Tingjun’s hand, and guided it to a specific spot on the back of her head. “Right here—it really hurts.”

As her fingers touched the bump, Shen Tingjun could feel the injury under her palm, and it pained her more than if she’d been the one hurt.

Her palm was warm and slightly damp as it pressed gently to the spot. Her movements were feather-light, soft, and careful, like a tender caress.

Shang Ranzhu held Shen Tingjun’s hand tightly. The electric tingle ran wild across her skin, starting from the back of her head, racing down her neck, and spreading everywhere. It made her ears buzz and her heart thump.

She stared at Shen Tingjun. She found herself drawn to her once more.

If she could… Could she grab Shen Tingjun’s hand, pull her down, and kiss her right here?

Even if she didn’t have permission—even if Ms. Shen got mad and slapped her afterward—just one kiss would be worth it.

A sudden breeze swept through the space, carrying the scent of pine and bamboo from Shen Tingjun’s body and mixing it with Shang Ranzhu’s creamy pheromones. The layered aroma pressed down on her like a weight, silently reminding her—

The person in front of her was an Alpha, just like her.

Shang Ranzhu snapped out of it like waking from a dream. She panicked and quickly let go of Shen Tingjun’s hand.

“What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?” Shen Tingjun asked with concern.

“No…” Shang Ranzhu averted her eyes. Her heart was completely thrown into chaos.

What the hell had she been thinking just now?

“Tingjun! Ranzhu! Are you two okay? Are you hurt? Can you move?” Before either of them could say more, Xu Yiren and the staff hurried over, fussing from all directions and gently separating the two.

“I’m fine. Shang Ranzhu hit her head,” Shen Tingjun said while holding her arm protectively, trying to push through to get back to her.

Xu Yiren noticed her gesture and quickly stopped her. “Let me check your arm first. What happened here?”

A glaring red scrape had appeared along Shen Tingjun’s pale forearm. Her delicate skin had been torn open by the rough, unpadded wall, mixed with dirt and tiny stones. Just looking at it made one frown.

Xu Yiren had always been extra cautious with beauty. The moment he saw the injury, he panicked. “Come on, we’re going to the hospital—now.”

But Shen Tingjun had no intention of going. She brushed Xu Yiren’s hand off without hesitation. “It’s just a scrape. I’ll put on some ointment. Focus on Shang Ranzhu first—her injury is worse.”

Xu Yiren paused. He’d worked with Shen Tingjun more than once. She was always polite and composed and kept her distance. He’d never seen her this visibly concerned about someone else.

Just then, Shang Ranzhu pushed through the crowd between them and blindly reached out to take Shen Tingjun’s hand. “I’m really okay, Ms. Shen.”

Her hand was enough to calm the storm in Shen Tingjun’s heart. Her gaze cut through the crowd—there was Shang Ranzhu, sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking completely unbothered and grinning at her like nothing had happened.

Shen Tingjun bit her lip softly, her heart aching more than she’d expected.

“Jiejie, I didn’t mean to! Are you alright?” Zhu Lin stepped out from the crowd, eyes red and brimming with tears, looking like the picture of sorrow.

Coach Zhao had immediately tracked her down the moment the incident happened. Zhu Lin had sobbed through her explanation, and although she was a Beta, she appeared as frail and delicate as an Omega who needed protection. Coach Zhao, his Alpha instincts kicking in, brought her along to apologize and plead for a second chance.

But Shen Tingjun wasn’t fooled for a second.

One glance, and she saw it clearly—Zhu Lin was bitter over being scolded and embarrassed in front of Shang Ranzhu. So now, she was trying to get back at them.

But she was still too young, too naive, with no thought for consequences. She’d wanted mutual destruction but hadn’t expected her plan to backfire and injure someone else instead.

And these tears—they weren’t for Shen Tingjun. They were a ploy, just like the one she’d used on Coach Zhao, hoping to trigger Shang Ranzhu’s protective instincts as an Alpha.

Realizing this, Shen Tingjun’s hand clenched slightly.

“Please forgive me,” Zhu Lin sobbed as she clung to Shang Ranzhu’s hand, collapsing to her knees like she was about to melt into a puddle.

But to her surprise, Shang Ranzhu shook off her hand and looked at her with icy calm. “Shouldn’t you be apologizing to someone else?”

Even though she wasn’t as sharp as Shen Tingjun when it came to details, it wasn’t hard to notice how suspicious that medicine ball had been. It wasn’t even part of today’s training. That thing had clearly been placed there by Zhu Lin—set up deliberately to hit Shen Tingjun.

“Shang-jie…” Zhu Lin faltered, still sniffling, calling her name like she always did when she was trying to act pitiful—but it wasn’t working.

“Haven’t I told you not to call me that?” Shang Ranzhu’s voice was cutting. “We’re not that close.”

“Miss Shang, Xiao Zhu didn’t mean to…” Coach Zhao tried to smooth things over.

“What do you mean she didn’t mean to?” Shang Ranzhu’s voice grew sharp. “Are you saying Shen-laoshi and I deliberately stood in the path of that ball? Could you please clarify when we started incorporating medicine balls into this training?

“That…” Coach Zhao was momentarily speechless.

“Couldn’t such an incident be considered attempted assault?” She pressed on.

Coach Zhao laughed awkwardly, trying to brush it off. “Let’s not go that far—Miss Shen’s fine, isn’t she?”

The way he used Shen Tingjun’s safety as an excuse to get away. Shang Ranzhu was furious. She didn’t care how many people she might offend; she said bluntly, “She’s fine because I was here. What if I wasn’t?”

“Just because nothing happened doesn’t mean we pretend it didn’t. Why isn’t anyone asking how this happened? Why aren’t we looking into it seriously? You want to just cover it over with a ‘she’s okay, so let’s move on.’? You think that’s acceptable?”

Coach Zhao’s expression darkened. As the strongest Alpha on set, he was used to commanding respect—nobody ever dared speak to him like this. But this fiery little newcomer had just thrown it in his face.

He narrowed his bull-like eyes at Shang Ranzhu and released a powerful burst of his musky Alpha pheromones. “It’s acceptable to me.”

The entire room instantly fell under the weight of his pheromones, the oppressive authority of an Alpha that is hard to resist.

Shen Tingjun, especially being sensitive to alpha pheromones, was overwhelmed. Unlike the comforting scent from Shang Ranzhu, this musk made her dizzy, nauseous, and weak all over.

“No. Not to me—it’s not!”

Shang Ranzhu, burning with anger, pushed back with her pheromones, exploding into the space like a tidal wave of heavy cream. In a breath, the cloying sweetness overtook the musk, drowning the entire training hall in its overwhelming scent. At first, it was soft, almost seductive—like the most beautiful cake in a glass case.

But the longer it lingered, the more crushing it became, like being trapped in a dazzling river of sand, unable to move.

Coach Zhao’s face turned even darker. He had been an Alpha for over thirty years, but this was the first time someone had overpowered him. He stared at Shang Ranzhu in disbelief, completely at a loss for words.

“I treat Shen-laoshi like she’s the most precious thing in the world. I won’t let anyone lay a hand on her!” Shang Ranzhu roared.

In that moment, something struck deep in Shen Tingjun’s heart. She looked up at Shang Ranzhu, watching her stand against another Alpha—someone far larger and more dominant—just to protect her. Her eyes were filled with something unfamiliar, something tender.

Wrapped in Shang Ranzhu’s pheromones, Shen Tingjun felt something shift. Even though the scent was thick enough to send any Alpha or Omega reeling, she found it comforting. The rapid pounding of her heart—aggravated by Coach Zhao’s pheromones—finally began to slow down.

From the open windows came the sound of approaching sirens. Xu Yiren quickly stepped in and pulled the two apart, trying to mediate. “Please, both of you, settle your pheromones. The ambulance is here. Ranzhu, shall we proceed to have you examined at the hospital?

But Shang Ranzhu’s eyes were still burning. When Xu Yiren tugged her sleeve, it was like the fire transferred directly to him. That unshakable Alpha dominance sent a shiver down his spine.

She’s a lion, he thought. A lion who’s just been provoked.

Shen Tingjun knew Xu Yiren wouldn’t be able to calm Shang Ranzhu. She squeezed Shang Ranzhu’s hand, trying to regulate her own emotions, and said softly, “Let’s get you checked first. As long as I’m here, I won’t let them brush the matter aside.”

Her voice was soft like wind through a bamboo forest, wrapping gently around Shang Ranzhu’s heart, and in an instant the fire in her eyes finally began to fade.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Shang Ranzhu slowly reined in her pheromones and nodded. “Alright.”

With the help of the staff, she made her way down the stairs. Just before reaching the ambulance, Shang Ranzhu stopped and looked up toward the fifth-floor training room.

There, standing by the window, was Shen Tingjun.

The moment their eyes met, Shen Tingjun gave her a smile—bright and beautiful, like a blooming red rose.

Was she standing there this whole time, waiting for me to look back?

At that thought, something bloomed inside Shang Ranzhu’s chest—something just like that made her smile.

She realized then she had never cared about anyone this much before.

She had been willing to throw herself in harm’s way for her. Willing to confront authority, even risk offending everyone around her, just to protect Shen Tingjun.

Shang Ranzhu lifted her head and looked at Shen Tingjun behind the glass.

A smile just for her.

And that’s when she realized—she was falling for her.