I’m Allergic to Pheromones - Chapter 18

Being hit really hurts.

Bai Cha was shoved to the ground, her face cut by the sharp edges of wild grass, droplets of bl00d rolling down her cheeks. When Tang Ou came charging over in a rage, the situation quickly escalated into a chaotic brawl.

Two frail girls were no match for a group of tall, strong boys—some of whom were Alphas. By the time Mo Chuiliu, who had heard the commotion from afar, inexplicably charged in like an angry calf, the fight had grown even more intense.

Children from the orphanage weren’t particularly skilled fighters. Mo Chuiliu, for instance, was usually all talk—shoving and pushing was about the extent of it. After all, they all relied on the orphanage for survival, and no one wanted to risk being expelled for serious misconduct.

But Bai Cha was different. She was no pushover. When she fought, she aimed for the face—small but strong, targeting spots that hurt the most without leaving obvious marks. She was a master of dirty tricks.

In the end, it took the arrival of the orphanage director, who had been resting in her office, to calm things down. Bai Cha’s side—three against seven—was clearly at a disadvantage. Among the three, Bai Cha bore the most visible injuries: her face bruised in several places, her lips and cheeks split and bleeding.

Her skin was pale, usually kept covered, but now, after the frantic scuffle, her limbs were covered in wounds, making her look especially pitiful.

The director was a sixty-year-old female Omega with plain features, her hair completely white, dressed in loose nun’s robes. Perhaps because she spent so much time with children, she carried a gentle aura.

Frowning, she looked at the three disheveled, injured girls, then turned to the group of scowling, defiant boys standing nearby, and fell silent.

In her thirty years as director, this was the first time she’d seen boys lose a group fight against girls—and lose so badly despite outnumbering them.

“Why were you fighting?”

No one spoke.

Tang Ou didn’t know the reason for the fight, but that didn’t stop her from rushing to her friend’s defense. Furious, she raised her hand and glared at the boys. “They pushed Bai Cha to the ground first!”

Mo Chuiliu, clutching his jaw, chimed in, “Yeah, yeah!”

The boys immediately protested, but amid the shoving and muttering, no one gave a clear reason—not even the Alpha boy who had led them.

He had taken a sharp elbow from Bai Cha and was still crouched on the ground, clutching his side and sucking in pained breaths, unable to speak.

Damn girl. She fought dirty—hitting him right in the kidney.

The director rubbed her temples, her head aching from the noise. “Quiet.”

Everyone immediately fell silent, even the Alpha boy who had been crouching dramatically against the wall, now standing obediently in line. Bai Cha kept her head down, her long lashes casting shadows over her face, appearing fragile and subdued.

The small, slender girl stood by the wall, her back slightly hunched, her messy hair hanging over her cheeks and shoulders. Her pale, doll-like face was drained of color, making the director sigh inwardly.

This child… after all this time, she’s still like this.

“Bai Cha,” the director said, “tell me—did Lin Wang Yang and the others push you first?”

Bai Cha lifted her head, her dark eyes flicking toward the boys, making the tall Alpha shrink back slightly.

Pressing her lips together, she answered coldly, “Mm.”

Chaos erupted on the opposite side. Lin Wangyang was so furious his teeth itched, desperate to expose Bai Cha’s sneaking out of the orphanage. But the moment he opened his mouth to speak, Bai Cha’s gaze locked onto him.

Clear, dark, and piercing—her stare sent chills down one’s spine.

He immediately shut his mouth.

With so many children in the orphanage, conflicts were inevitable. The headmistress raised her hand to quiet them and quickly announced the punishment for the fight.

“Everyone must clear the weeds in the yard today, with no dinner. The instigators from both sides will forfeit their adoption opportunities next Saturday.”

Next Saturday was when potential adoptive parents would come to choose children—a major event everyone knew about. Lin Wangyang, who had been cowering earlier, immediately jumped up at this. “Headmistress, why cancel the opportunity? I’ve already presented, and I wasn’t the only one fighting!”

His eyes reddened with desperation, fists clenched, his chest heaving violently. The uncontrolled pheromones of the underage Alpha instantly filled the room, making it hard to breathe. The children who had gathered around him scattered in fear.

Only Bai Cha remained unfazed. She lifted her eyelids slightly, gave him a disgusted look, and leaned back against the wall.

The headmistress was quite elderly. Having had her glands removed in an accident during her youth—which allowed her to become a nun—she was nearly unaffected by pheromones. Lin Wangyang, still a minor with only a B-grade talent, couldn’t rattle her with mere hormonal agitation. She merely frowned, calmly observing the impulsive boy. “Did I not punish Bai Cha as well?”

Lin Wangyang stomped in frustration.

“But she can’t even present! She’s the oldest in the orphanage—she’ll be eighteen next year. Whether her chance is canceled or not, no one would adopt her anyway!”

The headmistress’s expression darkened instantly.

By the end, Bai Cha no longer remembered what they were arguing about. She only recalled the many eyes on her—some disdainful, some indifferent, some concerned…

When they finally left the headmistress’s office, she was kept behind alone. The headmistress asked her one last time if Lin Wangyang had thrown the first punch.

Standing by the desk, the fading sunlight streaming through the window pooled at her feet. She looked down at the light but refused to step into it.

“I didn’t throw the first punch, but I did call him an idiot first.”

Instinctively, Bai Cha wanted to tell Nan Ju this.

Nan Ju, who had been massaging her sore wrist, paused. “Huh? What did you say?”

She had just finished applying medicated oil to the unlucky girl and was pulling a T-shirt over her head, missing Bai Cha’s words.

The car’s AC was on, but after the thorough rubbing, Bai Cha felt too warm to notice the chill. She adjusted her clothes, hugged the bouquet of flowers, and sat up straight, looking at Nan Ju with clear, deliberate words: “I said I didn’t start the fight, but I was the first to call him an idiot.”

Nan Ju fell silent, taking in Bai Cha’s reddened eyes…

No wonder you got beaten to a pulp.

“And you’re proud of that?”

She gritted her teeth but couldn’t resist giving the brat a light smack on the head. “You could’ve called me.”

The slap made Bai Cha’s hair fall loose, only to be gently tucked behind her ear by a hand so flawless even the nail beds were perfect. She tilted her head instinctively, nuzzling against Nan Ju’s fingers.

“I can win.”

Nan Ju clicked her tongue and leaned back in her seat, lazily massaging her wrist as she spoke with casual ease: “Alright then. Next time you lose, remember to call me.”

“Why?”

“To call in parental backup. I’ll have your back.” Nan Ju turned her head to look at her, eyes sparkling with playful delight: “When kids lose fights, they always call their parents for support.”

She looked particularly eager, giving Bai Cha the fleeting illusion that she genuinely would stand up for her.

Bai Cha’s gaze trembled slightly, her fingers tightening around the bouquet of crabapple flowers in her arms. After a long pause, she finally responded with a soft “Okay.”

In that moment, Bai Cha decided she would never tell Nan Ju the truth—that she had indeed thrown the first punch.

She hadn’t lied. It just hadn’t been this time—it was last time.