I’m Allergic to Pheromones - Chapter 35

“Sis! Wait for me, wait for me!”

A whirlwind blew past, and Nan Ju found herself face-to-face with a little blue-haired girl. Wearing ripped jeans, a skull-printed oversized T-shirt, and a fluorescent green vest, Nan Xing—who had changed her hair color yet again after just a few days—stood defiantly with her hands on her hips, finally cornering Nan Ju outside the company building. She demanded indignantly, “Sis, did you forget about me?”

Nan Ju suddenly fell silent.

She hadn’t been to the office for days, shuttling between home and the research institute, and had indeed completely forgotten about Nan Xing.

“Who are you?”

The baffled question made the girl stomp her feet in frustration. Nan Xing stared at Nan Ju in shock, feeling as though snowflakes were drifting and bitter winds howling around her, her heart chilled to the core.

Her lips instantly quivered, and fat tears welled up in her eyes as she threw herself at Nan Ju’s leg, clinging desperately. “It’s me! Didn’t you used to say I was your sweetheart? How could you turn your back on me now?”

Nan Ju suddenly felt drenched in the absurdity of an old-school melodrama, deeply regretting her decision to tease the girl even for a second.

People were coming and going—Nan Xing might not care about her dignity, but Nan Ju certainly did.

“Get up!” Nan Ju ground her teeth in warning. “I’m wearing stockings today—don’t pull on them!”

Nan Xing only clung tighter, looking up with shameless directness. “I’m not a dog, what are you scared of? Sis, have you finally remembered me?”

“Yes, yes, it’s you—our little green-vested parking attendant, little Nan Xing. If you don’t get up right now, I’m going to smack you.”

“Fine, since you’re sincerely apologizing, I’ll reluctantly forgive you.” Under Nan Ju’s icy glare, Nan Xing smoothly and swiftly scrambled to her feet, her messy hair sticking up in all directions. She peeked cautiously at Nan Ju’s cold, indifferent face before sidling up to her again.

“Sis.”

“Don’t touch me—we’re not that close.”

Nan Ju coldly put some distance between them, mentally entertaining the wild thought that maybe the parking attendant position was too cushy after all. Right now, she felt the company entrance could use a security guard.

She shouldn’t have walked these few steps today—she should’ve just had the driver take her straight to the parking lot.

Completely unaware that she was one small step away from a demotion, Nan Xing rubbed her slapped hand and pleaded pitifully, “Sis, I’ve been stuck in the parking lot for almost half a month.”

“So, you want to transfer to a construction site? Or apply for a security guard position?” Nan Ju raised her wrist and tapped her watch mercilessly. “It’s 8:45—time for you to go collect parking fees, little vest.”

“I don’t want to go there—I just want to follow you.” Nan Xing shamelessly trailed after her, her expression screaming that she’d throw a tantrum if Nan Ju refused.

Nan Ju frowned. “Why are you so insistent on following me? Didn’t you say you wanted to conquer the stars and the seas?”

After the last time Nan Ju had disciplined her, the girl had stopped provoking her like their first encounter. But Nan Ju still couldn’t figure out why Nan Xing had suddenly become so clingy—it was suspicious.

Seeing Nan Ju’s reluctance, Nan Xing hesitated before confessing the truth.

“My mom said I have to listen to you from now on, or she’ll slap me.” She hastily raised two fingers in a vow. “I’ll behave! I promise!”

As the workday approached, employees rushed into the building at the last minute. Nan Ju had no intention of staying to be gawked at any longer. Raising an eyebrow skeptically, she asked, “Promise you’ll listen to everything I say?”

Nan Xing quickly agreed, “As long as I don’t have to collect parking fees, I’ll do whatever you say!”

She couldn’t believe Nan Ju would actually sell her out.

After a moment’s thought, Nan Ju nodded decisively. “Fine, come with me into the company.”

“Thanks, sis!”

–

“Good morning, Young Miss.”

“Morning, Young Miss.”

…

From the elevator to the office area, waves of employees greeted Nan Ju one after another, leaving Nan Xing dazzled and increasingly dumbfounded.

Watching her sister’s tall, poised figure, Nan Xing felt a complex mix of emotions, along with a sudden surge of confidence: I could totally do this too!

The office door clicked open. Nan Ju took off her jacket and slung it over her arm—she’d been eating a bit too well lately, and the snug fit made her chest feel constricted.

“Sis, are you heading to a meeting?”

Nan Ju casually draped the jacket over the back of her chair and undid a button on her blouse without looking up. “Mhm.”

Nan Xing perked up. “Can I come with you? I’ll be your assistant!”

Nan Ju: “You?”

Her gaze was light. Tall and wearing heels, she always looked down slightly at people, which would have been elegant if not for the faint hint of mockery and disdain when her expression was neutral.

Nan Xing shrank back but couldn’t resist challenging, “I could totally handle it. It’s just giving some pep talk to a bunch of people, signing a few things, and clapping along, right? Those idiots couldn’t possibly do better than me.”

For good measure, she added a smug, “Hmph.”

The beta assistant who had just opened the door to remind Nan Ju about the meeting shut their mouth and fell silent.

Such bold words—Second Young Miss is something else!

Nan Ju was also silent, mentally updating her assessment of Nan Xing’s foolishness.

She coldly eyed the girl with her chin raised, looking like she thought the whole world was full of idiots except herself, and couldn’t help but miss Bai Cha waiting obediently at home for her return.

Cats were indeed far more well-behaved than huskies.

“Take off that vest. It’s blinding.”

The fluorescent green parking attendant vest Nan Xing was still wearing was particularly eye-searing under the bright office lights. Nan Ju glanced at it once before looking away, unwilling to subject herself to another look.

The assistant at the door cleared their throat, finally seizing the chance to speak. “Young Miss, the meeting starts in ten minutes.”

Nan Ju gave a noncommittal “Mhm,” bent down to open a desk drawer, rummaged around, and pulled out a notebook and pen. She beckoned her blue-haired sister over.

“Take these. Sit next to me during the meeting and jot down all the important points.”

Not receiving the grand responsibility she’d imagined, Nan Xing deflated a little, a couple of her cowlicks drooping. But before Nan Ju could say anything, she seemed to think of something and perked up on her own. “Leave it to me! Don’t worry—I’ll take notes faster than Liu Xiang could run!”

This was her first real chance to get involved in the family business. Starting as a note-taker must mean Nan Ju didn’t want her to shoulder too much pressure at such a young age.

Nan Xing thought naively: My sister is so good to me.

Nan Ju was also pleased: My silly sister is so easy to fool.

The entire meeting became much more peculiar with Nan Xing’s presence. People couldn’t help but glance at her repeatedly—looking down, then raising their heads again two minutes later in this erratic pattern. Nan Ju, sitting at the head of the table, noticed everything but made no move to stop it.

She habitually tapped the table with her index finger, signaling the current presenter to wrap up, then called Lin Guoguo’s name.

“Lin Guoguo, give us an update on the Sky Garden project.”

A girl with shoulder-length center-parted hair stood up, slightly bowing her head to organize her documents while unable to resist stealing a curious glance at the punk girl sitting beside Nan Ju from the corner of her eye.

So weird. Let me look again.

Still so weird!

Yet Nan Xing sat ramrod straight, her posture as upright as a young poplar tree, wearing an expression of solemn righteousness. Her black pen moved swiftly across the paper as she took notes, looking for all the world like a stenographic prodigy—until Nan Ju peeked over and saw her drawing a winged turtle.

“Ahem.”

She quickly picked up her cup, pressing the rim to her lips to suppress a laugh.

“That’s enough for today. Lin Guoguo, you stay.”

As everyone filed out, the sound of frantic scribbling became conspicuously audible in the spacious meeting room.

Propping her chin on one hand, Nan Ju asked softly, “Not bad, Nan Xingxing. You’ve learned to draw penguins now.”

“That’s clearly a mandarin duck!” The girl retorted indignantly before snapping her notebook shut, looking sheepish. “Sis, you’re done with the meeting?”

Nan Ju gave her a cool sidelong glance, her eyes glimmering faintly. “So? Still want to work at the company?”

Nan Xing’s face fell immediately as she surrendered: “Waaah no way, just let me be a lazy, freeloading rich second-gen!”

She hadn’t understood a single word of the damn meeting—it might as well have been ancient Greek. If this was daily office life, she’d rather die. Her capitulation came faster than Liu Xiang’s sprint.

“Big sis, just support me!”

Nan Ju remained unruffled.

“What about your Black Empire then?”

“It’ll exist in my dreams!”

“Your sea of stars?”

“I think one should be more down-to-earth.”

“Those ‘bro, just take one swing’ fair-weather friends of yours?”

“Waaah ever since I dropped out to become a parking lot attendant, they stopped hanging out with me! Mom and Dad froze my cards too.”

Nan Ju’s lips curled in pleasure. The irritation from dealing with this punk all morning suddenly dissipated.

She leaned back lazily in her chair, crossing her long legs as wavy hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her beautiful features still carried traces of amusement.

“I’ll give you monthly allowance, and you won’t have to be an attendant. But you must tell me everything in advance and always listen to me, deal? To prevent regrets, we’ll sign an agreement later.”

Not one to sign blindly, Nan Xing considered carefully before asking earnestly, “How much allowance?”

Nan Ju held up a number.

Five hundred a month—more money than Nan Xing had ever seen in her life. Her eyes widened as she tearfully agreed without a second’s hesitation; any delay would have been disrespectful to cash.

“Sis, you’re so generous.”

Nan Ju, feeling something was off, looked at her sister’s moved expression and decided not to break the news about the monthly allowance being cut to just 50 yuan for now.

With Nan Xing’s matter settled, Lin Guoguo, who had remained in the conference room, sat uneasily in her seat.

The young mistress seemed a bit terrifying!

Just as Nan Ju turned her head, she suddenly asked, “I recall the Sky Garden project stalled at the payment stage half a month ago. Why hasn’t there been any progress? Is Finance holding up the process?”

Lin Guoguo’s heart skipped a beat, standing up like a student called on by a teacher, too nervous to meet Nan Ju’s gaze.

“N-no, it’s my fault. I accidentally delayed it.”

“Speak clearly, don’t stammer,” Nan Ju said coolly, her tone sharpening as she eyed the petite girl who kept her head lowered. “I entrusted this project entirely to you, but are you slacking off now?”

The conference room tensed in silence. Oblivious Nan Xing glanced around before wisely hugging her tattered notebook and keeping quiet.

No one spoke. The girl’s tears began to fall, pattering onto the open project proposal on the desk, dampening the pages.

Choking back sobs, she forced out, “I can’t handle this proposal, Young Mistress. Please assign someone else.”

“Why? Give me a reason.”

Lin Guoguo wept silently, shame and humiliation burning in her chest as her fingers gripped the edge of the desk until her knuckles turned white.

Fresh out of college two years ago, she had been thrilled when fate brought her to Nan Ju’s attention and handed her a project lead role.

In her heart, she idolized Nan Ju. Both Omegas, she lacked confidence and was timid, while Nan Ju was bold and proud, shining like a diamond.

She had never seen an Omega like her—and she envied it.

“My heat is coming in ten days. I’ll need a week off,” Lin Guoguo blurted, wiping her tears roughly. “My partner says I’ll never measure up to Alphas, that I’ll never get promoted or a raise before others. He told me to hand the project over and quit for an easier job.”

Nan Ju frowned in disappointment. “The project can be reassigned—that’s not the issue. I just want to know: Are you willing to give up the proposal you worked so hard on?”

Lin Guoguo bit her lip, hesitating before shaking her head resentfully.

“But my partner says I’ll just cause trouble for the company and others.”

“Is he your dad?” Nan Xing scratched her head, unbothered by the stares from the other two. “Did I say something wrong? Controlling like that—just like our dad. Annoying.”

“Listen, sis, Alphas are trash.” Nan Xing marched over and slung an arm around Lin Guoguo’s shoulders, earnest. “You can’t be such a pushover. This is clearly p—p-what was it again?”

Nan Ju: “PUA.”

“Exactly, he’s totally gaslighting you.” Nan Xing was comforting someone for the first time, feeling both novel and a heavy sense of responsibility. She racked her brains trying to analyze: “Does his family have a throne to inherit? Or maybe a gold mine? If you quit your job and couldn’t find work or had low pay, could he support you like my sister spends fortunes to raise me?”

Lin Guoguo listened in confusion, instinctively replying, “No, he just stays home playing games doing account boosting all day. I even pay the rent.”

Nan Xing clicked her tongue and shook her head: “So he’s just a freeloader? Why are you even with him?”

Lin Guoguo looked bewildered: “We’ve known each other since childhood. After differentiation, we went to the hospital for pheromone matching and the compatibility was high, so we got together.”

Nan Xing was thoroughly disgusted: “What a scheming Alpha! Sis, don’t you think so?”

In this world, Omegas would gradually seek suitable Alphas after differentiation, with relationships basically being marriage-oriented. There were many like Lin Guoguo who rushed recklessly into relationships.

Nan Ju listened calmly to the whole story and said, “Don’t make decisions based on others’ opinions. I’ll keep the project for you—come back and continue working on it.”

Lin Guoguo was stunned: “I…”

Nan Ju raised a hand to interrupt, “The company does not allow harsh treatment, discrimination, or dismissal of Omega employees due to heat cycles. This rule is written on the first page, first line of the employee handbook. If you’re unwilling, no one can arbitrarily take away the fruits of your labor. At least in my company, no one can do that.”

“One more piece of advice—I suggest you change partners before your next heat cycle.” Nan Ju curled her lip, her face showing the same disdain as Nan Xing’s. “Please don’t go digging for partners in the trash.”

“Sis, I think you’re so cool.”

On their way home from work, Nan Xing gazed at Nan Ju with puppy-dog eyes, praising her loudly.

Nan Ju glanced at her lightly, recalling Nan Xing’s words to Lin Guoguo earlier and how she’d signed the agreement without batting an eye. For once, she found her sister somewhat agreeable—even the unruly cowlick on her head seemed cute.

“What’s so cool about me?”

“Dunno.” Nan Xing shook her head honestly, then thought hard. “I always thought you were just good-looking and nothing else, but I didn’t expect you to be so good at talking sense.”

Nan Ju…

The moment of warmth lasted only three seconds before the illusion shattered completely. With a dark expression, Nan Ju snorted coldly, “Seems like you’re great at nitpicking. Let’s have an all-fish banquet tonight.”

Nan Xing was horrified.

She was allergic to fish!

Brimming with confusion, Nan Xing huddled pitifully in the corner. After a while, she couldn’t resist making her presence known again: “Sis, who’s the person you’re taking me to meet? Do I know her? Why does she even live in your villa?”

Nan Ju: “You don’t know her. She’s around your age—just keep her company when we get there.”

Nan Xing pouted: “Is she a three-year-old that she needs someone to play with? You have a dog—even it could do that job.”

Nan Ju gritted her teeth in frustration.

After leaving the orphanage, Bai Cha had settled into the villa.

Worried that her sensitive and delicate nature might make it hard to adapt to the new environment, Nan Ju had taken several days off to stay home with her.

By the time the bandages on Bai Cha’s fingers could be removed, the timid kitten who’d only dared to wait under the crabapple tree for Nan Ju to return home had gradually begun exploring her new territory.

However, there were never any playmates of the same age in the villa, which Nan Ju always felt wasn’t ideal. So, she thought of having Nan Xing stay for a couple of days.

Before arriving, she didn’t think it would be a big deal, but as they approached the doorstep, Nan Ju couldn’t help feeling a twinge of regret.

This kid really had a mouth on her.

But since they were already at the doorstep, it wouldn’t be right to turn her away.

She pressed her temples and calmly looked over: “Keep your mouth in check, and don’t bully anyone, got it?”

Nan Xing whimpered and wisely made a zipping motion over her lips with her fingers.

–

The car stopped outside the villa. Nan Ju got out and walked inside, passing through the front yard planted with crabapple trees. From a distance, she didn’t see the familiar figure standing at the entrance of the main building, which struck her as odd.

It was already late, and suddenly, sharp, whimpering sounds came from inside the villa, growing louder and echoing eerily in the night.

Nan Xing hid behind her in fright, peeking out with a messy head of hair after a while: “Doesn’t that sound like a dog barking?”

Nan Ju didn’t reply, thinking to herself: It really does sound like that silly dog of ours.

The two walked through the shadows of the flowers to the porch in front of the main building, where Xia Duo, dressed in green, greeted them: “Miss, you’re back. And the second miss too.”

Standing before the main building, the whimpering grew even louder, wailing and howling as if trying to pierce through the thick walls and spread for miles around.

Nan Ju didn’t even bother changing her shoes, preoccupied with the sound. Frowning, she asked, “Is that Bai Wan crying? What’s it howling about at this hour?”

Xia Duo knelt to place the shoes on the ground, her expression turning peculiar. “Bai Wan’s been crying all day. This afternoon, Miss Bai Cha and Bai Wan got into a fight.”

“A fight?” Nan Ju was shocked, then immediately looked worried. “Is Bai Cha okay? Was she bitten?”

“No,” Xia Duo replied, unsure how to explain. She turned to look inside the house with a complicated expression and said earnestly, “You’d better see for yourself. They’re both waiting for you in the living room.”

Nan Ju hurried inside.

As if sensing its owner’s presence, the already loud whimpering grew even more pitiful. Nan Ju frowned and quickly stepped inside, instinctively looking toward the source of the noise.

Bai Wan was crouched in its lion-shaped cushion inside a cage, gnawing furiously at the bars with its teeth, letting out continuous whimpers.

Upon closer inspection, Nan Ju noticed its eyes were swollen from crying, its face puffed up like a steamed bun soaked in brown sugar.

Honestly, it was downright embarrassing.

“Hey, why does this dog look bloated?” Nan Xing, having changed her shoes, followed her in and was startled at the sight. She instinctively moved closer to Nan Ju. “It’s so ugly. It didn’t look like this last time I was here.”

The overlapping figures of the two—one tall, one short—made Bai Cha’s eyes burn red.

She had made a mistake earlier and had been anxiously waiting for Nan Ju to return, wanting to apologize and admit her fault immediately. But when Nan Ju came back, her first glance was at the dog, and her second was at someone else.

The smaller girl was clinging intimately to the black-haired Omega, her messy blue hair wild and unruly, her ripped jeans exposing her ankles, and her skull-print T-shirt showing off her navel—a bizarre fashion sense. Bai Cha gritted her teeth, glaring furiously: Where did this gremlin come from?

By sheer misfortune, Nan Ju wasn’t looking this way. She just kept her head bowed, speaking to the girl with helpless eyes that perfectly mirrored the look of love.

Bai Cha flushed red with anger and came running over, pitter-patter, before crashing straight into Nan Ju’s arms and clinging tightly to her—quite “accidentally” shoving Nan Xing aside in the process.

Startled to suddenly find a kitten in her embrace, Nan Ju instinctively wrapped an arm around the other’s head to steady them both in case she lost her balance. Her voice was tender with concern.

“What’s wrong, little kitten? Why are your eyes all red?”

Bai Cha was at a loss for words. She glanced sideways at Eight Million, who was still putting on a pitiful act of wailing inside the cage, then stole a look at the dumbfounded little fairy. Her eyelashes fluttered as she lowered her head in apparent grievance.

“Woof, the dog is bullying me.”

Even a dog would fall silent hearing such words.

Eight Million froze instantly, then doubled down on the hysterical crying with full force, tears streaming endlessly as if determined to flood the entire villa.

The deafening cries filled the air. Nan Ju held the coquettish Bai Cha in her arms while looking at Eight Million’s swollen face and Nan Xing’s increasingly strange, shocked expression. She suddenly felt mentally drained, with only one thought crossing her mind: Oh no, I forgot cats and dogs are natural enemies.