Her Pheromones Smell Like Sparkling Water (GL) - Chapter 19

Shen Tingjun braced herself against the door as she and Shang Ranzhu stood locked at the entrance. Her eyes were dark, with lips tightly pressed together; she refused to meet Shang Ranzhu’s eyes.

The scene when the door had opened was too much for her. Shang Ranzhu had been pinning Chen Ming down so dominantly, and Chen Ming was struggling, and they looked more like lovers roughhousing than anything else.

Something slammed hard into Shen Tingjun’s heart, sending her mind spinning so fast that she unconsciously dropped the fruit basket she’d been holding.

No matter how hard she tried to shake off Shang Ranzhu’s grip, she couldn’t. Her voice turned cold as she ordered, “Let go.”

However, Shang Ranzhu had not yet had the opportunity to explain—how could she possibly let go? She clung tightly to Shen Tingjun’s wrist and quickly said, “It’s not what you think!”

“Mhm, got it. Can you let go now?” Shen Tingjun nodded faintly; her mood was clearly awful. She didn’t want to waste time circling back and forth.

Shang Ranzhu didn’t need to look closely to know that Shen Tingjun didn’t believe a word of her explanation. “You don’t get it. You misunderstood—we were just fighting.”

Shen Tingjun glanced past her to the mess on the floor—the comforter and pillows were scattered everywhere, bedsheets twisted up, and Chen Ming’s coat tossed onto the bed.

She turned away with a soft breath and said coldly, “There’s no need to explain. As your senior, I’ll just remind you—if you’re going to do something like this again, remember to lock the door.”

“We weren’t—”

Just as Shang Ranzhu tried to explain again, Chen Ming was still confused. She sat up while rubbing her lower back, cutting in, “Ugh, my back. I’m telling you, Shang Ranzhu, can you not press down so hard next time? We’re not kids anymore! Someone help—”

Lifting her head mid-complaint, Chen Ming suddenly froze. The two women at the door were staring at her with such intense fury that it felt as though they could consume her completely.

Shang Ranzhu was about to explode.

What the hell had Chen Ming just said in front of Shen Tingjun?!

“Can you not press down so hard next time?”—what kind of implication was that?! It made it sound like she’d done something… indecent!

She was supposed to be a manager—a professional! Did she always talk like this? Did she always lack a filter?!

Chen Ming, catching Shen Tingjun’s icy glare, gulped hard.

It was over. She’d just made things worse.

“Hi, Miss Shen,” she greeted awkwardly.

Shen Tingjun offered a polite smile. “Sorry to interrupt. I’ll leave now.”

Chen Ming, hoping to be a good wingwoman, quickly said, “What’s there to interrupt? Join us, Miss Shen!”

Shang Ranzhu was already feeling desperate trying to explain, and now Chen Ming was making it sound like she’d been caught in the act and was now inviting Shen Tingjun to join a—what? A group activity?!

Was her brain fried?!

Ranzhu’s face went pitch black, and before Chen Ming could say anything worse, she turned around and yelled, “Shut up!”

“Me?!” Chen Ming looked confused and wronged, not really understanding what she’d done.

Shang Ranzhu had no time to soothe her. She grabbed Shen Tingjun’s wrist and forcefully pulled her out, saying, “Miss Shen, come with me.”

The hospital corridor was brightly lit and utterly silent. There’s no soul in sight. Their hurried and chaotic footsteps echoed loudly in the hall.

Shen Tingjun had always been low-key, never one to draw attention. In places like this, she was especially cautious—because you never knew which patient might step out of a room and see two women in a messy tug-of-war situation. Then recognize them as Shang Ranzhu and Shen Tingjun. It would not be surprising that the next day, it’d be all over entertainment tabloids.

She’d had enough of those headlines when she rose to fame.

“Shang Ranzhu, let go! This is a public place. We’ll get recognized,” she warned in a low voice, trying herself to be free from the strength of an adult Alpha.

But Shang Ranzhu acted as if she couldn’t hear her, dragging her forward stubbornly without pause.

From the end of the corridor came the clack clack of rolling wheels. The silhouettes of two nurses wearing white caps were coming from the corner—patrolling with a medical cart, heading straight toward them.

“Shang Ranzhu, someone’s coming,” Shen Tingjun hissed, panicking a little. Where the hell was she taking her? Was she truly intending to drag her through the hospital in this manner, without considering her professional image?

The shadows were growing clearer. Shen Tingjun could even hear the nurses chatting and laughing now. Her breathing grew heavy, and her body became stiff.

Then, just before the two parties met, Shang Ranzhu suddenly pulled her into a room.

In the darkness, Shen Tingjun was pressed against a cold wall and held carefully but firmly by the girl in front of her.

Just like that afternoon at the training ground—shielding her from harm, protecting her head with her soft palm.

“There’s no one here now. Will you let me explain?”

The silence of the small room made Shang Ranzhu’s every breath seem louder. She hadn’t even caught her breath yet. She was too focused on explaining everything to the one standing before her.

*****

Shang Ranzhu’s hair was a mess, clinging to her face after their chaotic, runaway-like escape. Shen Tingjun was still catching her breath. Through those strands of hair, she saw a pair of stubborn eyes that made her heart tremble.

“You can talk,” she said softly.

“Don’t listen to what Chen Ming said just now. She’s always had a big mouth since we were kids. Nothing happened between us—we were just fighting. It got a little rough, but I swear, I’d never like her.”

The girl’s persistence burned in Shen Tingjun’s eyes like a fire, melting away all her earlier doubts and misgivings.

Unable to help herself, Shen Tingjun reached out and gently brushed away the hair that was covering Shang Ranzhu’s face. Her cool fingers slid past her slightly damp ear, and she said in a soft voice, “I believe you.”

Under the glow of the green emergency exit sign, Shang Ranzhu looked into Shen Tingjun’s eyes, which shone faintly golden like warm amber. All the tension from earlier at the hospital door vanished. Feeling a weight lift from her chest, Shang Ranzhu exhaled deeply and gently rested her forehead on Shen Tingjun’s shoulder.

She was exhausted. It had been a long time since she’d felt this tense.

No gossip, no slander, no media frenzy could compare to that one moment—when Shen Tingjun didn’t believe in her. That was what had truly terrified her.

Shen Tingjun felt Shang Ranzhu’s warm breath brushing over her shoulder and gently stroked her back. The coarse texture of the hospital gown under her fingers twisted her heart with guilt. “Don’t run like that again,” she murmured. “You’ve still got an injury on your head.”

Shang Ranzhu didn’t nod. Instead, she raised her head and gazed intently at Shen Tingjun, exuding a fearless confidence.

“If next time you still walk away without listening, even if my arms and legs are broken, I’ll still drag you with me.”

Shen Tingjun was a little stunned by her determination. She lowered her head and let out a faint laugh. “You’re such a reckless little brat. How can you be so careless with your—”

Before she could finish, Shang Ranzhu pressed a finger against her lips.

“Shhh—”

She leaned in slightly, signaling her to stay quiet.

The sudden intimacy made Shen Tingjun uncomfortable. Even though Shang Ranzhu wasn’t releasing any pheromones, the faint creamy sweetness naturally surrounding her still caught Shen Tingjun’s nose and coiled around her already racing heart, throwing her completely off balance.

Her limbs nearly went weak. She tried to push Shang Ranzhu away, but the girl only hugged her tighter. Her voice, half-commanding and half-gentle, fell softly over her head: “Don’t make a fuss.”

A jolt ran through Shen Tingjun, electrifying her scalp. Her entire body went numb. Perhaps it was an Omega’s instinctive submission to an Alpha, but she went still, leaning quietly into Shang Ranzhu’s arms, letting her hold her.

Her heart was pounding thump, thump, thump, as if it might break through her chest.

Just then, a young nurse peeked into the emergency exit, her round face pressing up against the frosted glass with confusion.

“What’s up, Xiao Zhao?” Another nurse joined her.

“I thought I heard something in there.” Xiao Zhao squinted, trying to check what was inside.

“Probably just your imagination. The lights aren’t even on—who’d be in there?” The other nurse tugged at her sleeve. “Are you still shaken from that patient earlier?”

“Maybe,” Xiao Zhao said, taking one more look inside before stepping back.

“I’m telling you, taking on a job as a temporary test subject for something that is risky and high-paying is a terrible idea. I overheard Dr. Li telling some beautiful lady that the Sixteen Series inhibitor development hit a big problem. Some subjects can produce pheromones but can’t release them.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“Super dangerous. In extreme cases, it could kill you. Xiao Zhao, don’t even think about trying the Sixteen Series.”

…

Shen Tingjun stood stiffly with her fists clenching in her sleeves.

She knew exactly who that “beautiful lady,” the nurse, was about. It was her.

Before coming to visit Shang Ranzhu, she’d gone to see Dr. Li, the person in charge of the Sixteen Series inhibitor development, for an examination.

Dr. Li had told her that her body had even greater resistance to the new inhibitor than current test subjects. Using it now would be extremely dangerous for her.

His recommendation was simple: find a reliable Alpha to temporarily mark her to help her get through this trial phase until the final version of the drug was safe.

That was the real reason why Shen Tingjun had been so irritable earlier. The weight of this decision gnawed at her constantly.

Letting herself be claimed by another Alpha—even temporarily—was something she couldn’t accept.

She would not be anyone’s marked Omega.

“…Miss Shen?” Shang Ranzhu noticed she’d gone quiet and gently shook her.

A small object fell from Shen Tingjun’s shallow blazer pocket as she moved—an injector with a vial of white fluid. It rolled across the floor and came to a stop beneath the emergency exit sign, catching the light and casting a blinding white reflection toward Shang Ranzhu.

Curious, Shang Ranzhu bent down and picked it up. She slowly turned the object toward the light to read the label, which was printed in faded black English text:

Sixteen series of test origin inhibitors.

Her pupils contracted.

Her English wasn’t great, but she could still recognize the most important word—inhibitors.

“Miss Shen,” she asked, eyes trembling slightly, “why do you have an inhibitor?”