Her Pheromones Smell Like Sparkling Water (GL) - Chapter 7

At midnight, the darkness blurred everything together. The residential area was shrouded in shadow, lit only by the scattered glow of streetlamps. In the distance, one small villa still had its lights on—bright white, from the first floor all the way up to the third-floor attic.

The house was eerily quiet. In the small living room just outside the attic, three people sat facing each other—Shang Decai, Liu Lihua, and Andy.

Inside the closed room across from them, Shen Tingjun was trying to figure out how to get Shang Ranzhu to let go of her shirt.

Just earlier, when everyone had worked together to carry Shang Ranzhu upstairs, the girl had instinctively grabbed hold of Shen Tingjun’s shirt—and refused to let go.

Shang Decai had tried to pry her hand open, but her grip was too strong. Even Liu Lihua’s attempts to loosen her wrist with gentle pressure didn’t work—she just wouldn’t let go.

After a while, Shen Tingjun told everyone to stop wasting their energy. She instructed everyone to leave, choosing to remain alone at the bedside with Ranzhu. When the girl relaxed, she’d let go on her own.

The room was quiet. Shang Ranzhu had fallen asleep; her hair was messy, and her breathing was soft. Shen Tingjun reached out and gently brushed the strands away from her face. Her long, thick lashes lay like soft little brushes across her cheeks, fluttering slightly with each touch.

Combined with the faint flush on her face from the alcohol, she looked almost… cute.

Her lips were a rich red, slightly glossy, soft, and full.

She resembled her appearance from earlier that afternoon on the film set.

Shen Tingjun wondered—if she kissed her now, would it feel the same?

Almost without thinking, she let her fingers trace down from Shang Ranzhu’s cheek to the corner of her lips, finally resting lightly against the plump center of her bottom lip.

So soft.

“Mmm…” The touch tickled. Shang Ranzhu stirred, waving her hand sleepily in protest.

She smacked the back of Shen Tingjun’s hand—hard.

Shen Tingjun had pale, sensitive skin, and the redness bloomed instantly.

Shang Ranzhu, still asleep, had no sense of control.

In no time, Shen Tingjun’s hand was bright red, marked with indistinct finger-shaped welts.

Her face darkened slightly—rare irritation showing as she looked at her hand. She muttered, “Little wild cat.”

That smack had come from the very hand still clinging to her shirt. But thanks to the impact, it finally let go. She was about to get up and leave—

“Shen Tingjun!” Shang Ranzhu suddenly called out.

Shen Tingjun’s heart pounded. Was she awake? Had she realized what Shen Tingjun just did?

Was she going to mock her for it?

“I’m not a kid!” Shang Ranzhu mumbled, still fast asleep.

“I’m an adult now. I can take you on, fair and square.”

“You can,” Shen Tingjun replied softly, even though she knew it was just sleep-talking.

“You may be pretty, but I’m no worse. I’m the most beautiful in the world!”

“Mm.”

“And I’m going to pin you down and make you all %#$%#￥………”

Before she could finish that R-rated sentence, Shen Tingjun’s face darkened completely. Without hesitation, she grabbed the blanket and tossed it over to Shang Ranzhu’s entire body, burying her head and all her nonsense under it.

This wild cat really didn’t know how to behave—even in her sleep.

When Shen Tingjun finally came out of the room, she overheard Liu Lihua and Shang Decai asking Andy some questions.

“So they really just met recently?” Liu Lihua asked.

“Yes, Auntie. They’ve only known each other a short while,” Andy confirmed, nodding.

“Ai, really? I thought our Zhuzi had made something of herself,” Liu Lihua sighed.

“I told you, it couldn’t have happened so fast,” Shang Decai muttered. “You didn’t believe me.”

Just then, Liu Lihua looked up and saw Shen Tingjun standing in the doorway. No one knew how much she had heard. Remembering how she and her husband had dragged the poor girl home, examining her from head to toe without letting her say a word, Liu Lihua flushed with embarrassment.

But Shen Tingjun didn’t look upset. She waved it off politely and said, “Don’t worry, Uncle and Auntie.” Then, curiously, she asked, “But I’m a little surprised. Why would you think I have something going on with Ranzhu? Does she talk about me a lot at home?”

“No, not really. She doesn’t tell us much now that she’s grown,” Liu Lihua replied with a shake of her head. “But when she was little… she used to point at the TV and say she’d marry you one day.”

Liu Lihua’s face lit up with the memory. Back then, Shen Tingjun had just debuted—barely eighteen, stunningly beautiful, radiant, and graceful. Even Liu Lihua, an already married Omega, had been moved by Shen Tingjun’s performance on screen.

If such a beauty could join their family…

No—if she could marry their daughter.

Now that would be good karma from lifetimes past.

Unfortunately, Shang Ranzhu had differentiated as an Alpha, and Liu Lihua’s small hope of marrying her daughter to Shen Tingjun had been crushed.

Still, seeing the two of them standing together tonight, she felt maybe two Alphas could work out too.

Liu Lihua was open-minded, free of bias, and more than happy to play matchmaker. She quickly tried to put in a good word for her daughter: “Actually, Zhuzi really likes you. Don’t believe everything you read online. She really regretted what she said that day.”

“Really?” Shen Tingjun maintained a polite smile and her voice was gentle. Only Andy could tell—it was the kind of smile she used for work. The kind that meant nothing at all.

She had been in the industry long enough to tell if someone was being sincere or not.

Especially someone like Shang Ranzhu—who hadn’t even bothered to apologize.

How could regret exist if not even a hint of guilt showed?

“Of course,” Shang Decai nodded in agreement. The couple exchanged a look and smiled, having understood each other.

Shen Tingjun didn’t expose their little calculation and simply followed along. “Ranzhu seems like the straightforward type. She threw up all over me just now and insisted on using your sparkling water as compensation.”

“Oh dear, you must’ve been so uncomfortable! Do you want to take a shower? We have hot water,” Liu Lihua offered, immediately getting up to guide her to the bathroom.

“No need, I’ve already changed clothes.” Shen Tingjun pulled her back down to the sofa with a light touch.

“Are you sure?” Liu Lihua asked, still worried.

“Really,” Shen Tingjun smiled and shook her head.

“I’m really sorry then,” Liu Lihua said, rubbing her hands together with a sheepish smile.

Her daughter, honestly—of all places to vomit, she had to pick a person! And such a well-known one, too. She made a terrible first impression.

But Shen Tingjun had her own agenda. Since her subtle hints hadn’t worked, she simply laid her cards on the table: “No big deal. But if you really feel bad, how about giving me a bottle of sparkling water to make up for it?”

“Of course, of course!” Shang Decai nodded repeatedly. He went to the fridge, took out two glass-bottled sparkling waters, popped the caps, and poured them into glasses filled with ice. He even carefully added two lemon slices to each glass.

The sparkling water was pristine, with tiny bubbles forming around the ice and lemon, rising up with a gentle fizz.

Shen Tingjun accepted the cool glass and sipped through the straw.

The water was cold and refreshing, accompanied by a subtle hint of mint.

It didn’t taste like any sparkling water she’d ever had before.

And then…

She glanced at Andy, who had taken a sip as well. Andy’s expression mirrored her own—a flash of surprise and delight.

This taste… was nearly identical to her own pheromone scent.

“It’s really good,” Shen Tingjun said softly. There’s a flicker of joy in her voice. After all this time, she’d finally found it.

Hearing the compliment, Shang Decai and Liu Lihua both beamed. “If you like it, take more! Didn’t you say earlier that Ranzhu offered sparkling water to pay for your dress?”

“Then I might have to take your entire stock,” Shen Tingjun said gently, but her tone was a little too calm for a joke.

The couple froze for a second.

Then Shen Tingjun pulled out her phone and played a recording. Though there was some background noise, Ranzhu’s voice came through loud and clear, making that very promise.

“… Nineteen million, eight hundred thousand,” Shang Decai muttered to himself, doing quick mental math. How many bottles would that be?

At five yuan per bottle…

396,000 bottles.

“I’m not trying to make things hard for you,” Shen Tingjun said with a smile, putting her phone away. “I won’t take them all at once. Let’s just keep a tab and take it slow.”

Liu Lihua’s mind turned faster than Shang Decai’s. If Shen Tingjun started showing up frequently to “claim her debt,” then Shen Tingjun would see Ranzhu more often. Invite her to stay for dinner, maybe even sleep over. And since they didn’t have a guest room, well, she’d just have to share with Ranzhu.

With more visits, wouldn’t feelings naturally develop?

Forget the 396,000 bottles—if Shen Tingjun became their daughter-in-law, sparkling water would be free for life.

A pretty good deal, really.

Liu Lihua slapped her hand on the table. “Deal!”

Shang Decai blinked. “Huh?”

Liu Lihua gave him a meaningful look and whispered, “Trust me—this concerns our Zhuzi’s future happiness.”

“…Okay.” Shang Decai was a little slow, but he always listened to his wife.

“Then it’s settled. It’s getting late; I should be going,” Shen Tingjun said. She’d accomplished her goal and didn’t plan to linger.

Liu Lihua hurried to grab a few bottles of sparkling water for Shen Tingjun. She stood slightly in front of the fridge door, awkwardly blocking Shen Tingjun’s view, and quickly pulled out six bottles before shutting the door again.

Shen Tingjun saw the whole thing and smiled faintly.

As the group walked her and Andy downstairs to say goodbye, the third-floor attic quieted down once more.

Only muffled sounds of struggling could be heard from Ranzhu’s room.

Inside, Shang Ranzhu was on the verge of suffocating before she finally wrestled her way out from under the covers. She wiped her forehead—drenched in sweat.

She’d just had the most chaotic dream.

In it, there was a beautiful Omega fairy in white; her scent was a soft blend of pine and bamboo. She stayed close by, smiling gently, and her graceful figure was glowing—absolutely enchanting.

Ranzhu was just about to push her fairy down when—poof—the fairy vanished.

In her place appeared a terrifying black mountain demon in a dark cloak, smothering her. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t escape.

She panicked.

Her fairy was still in the demon’s clutches! She had to go save her!

Ranzhu sat on her bed, staring at the thick Doraemon blanket beside her.

So the demon was just… a blanket?

But then where was her fairy?

Grieving the loss of her dream girl, Ranzhu let out a dramatic sigh and kicked the evil blanket away.

“Mom! Why did you cover your adorable daughter with something so suffocating?” she muttered, stepping out of her room.

The upstairs lounge was empty except for two half-finished glasses of sparkling water—one large, one small.

“Dad?”

“Maa?”

…

She called out a few times, but no one responded.

Ranzhu, parched from being under that blanket, grabbed the fuller glass and drank it all at once.

Ah—sweet relief.

She set the glass down on the small bar. Under the white overhead light, she noticed two lipstick marks on the glass—one was hers, and the other…

Definitely not her mom’s.

And certainly not her dad’s, who reeked of cigarettes.

Did they have a guest over?

Her head throbbed. Slowly, the memories started to piece themselves together.

She’d been drinking.

Who brought her home?

Chen Ming?

She checked her chat history—no calls or messages.

There were only four people at the dinner: herself, Xu Yiren, Chen Qiangwei, and… Shen Tingjun.

As the flashes of memory returned, she remembered storming out of the private room, throwing up on someone…

Shang Ranzhu remembered everything.

Panic surged. She rushed to the window, hands clasped in prayer.

Please let it be a dream.

Please don’t let it be Shen Tingjun.

She leaned against the window, only to be met with the heartbreaking sight of that all-too-familiar black van parked out front. Her parents were standing by the door… chatting with none other than Shen Tingjun, now dressed in a white shirt and draped in a black plaid shawl.

Even without seeing her face, Ranzhu knew—from that graceful posture alone—how much her mom already liked her.

Mom, how could you?

Your daughter is suffering!

Her forehead pressed against the windowpane. At that moment, Shen Tingjun glanced up.

Bathed in moonlight, her face was soft and stunning—just like the fairy from Ranzhu’s dream.

Their eyes met.

Shen Tingjun’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile.

Thump, thump…

Ranzhu’s heart pounded wildly.

Whether it was guilt from being caught spying or something else entirely, she ducked like a startled snail, clutching her chest as she slid to the floor.

The fairy in her dream… was Shen Tingjun.

And that lipstick mark?

Also Shen Tingjun’s.