I’m Allergic to Pheromones - Chapter 37

By the time she woke up, the contents of her dream had already faded, hazy like a fluttering veil of soft gauze that settled over her memory and sank into oblivion.

Bai Cha climbed out of bed, opened the door, and dashed out, tiptoeing to peer over the railing in the hallway before immediately pursing her lips and running back inside.

In the dining room, Nan Ju was already seated at her spot, distractedly watching the fleeting glimpse of brownish-yellow outside while wiping her cutlery. “How long did Eight Million cry last night?” she asked.

A steaming bowl of braised beef noodles and crispy scallion pancakes were brought to the table by a servant. The rich aroma wafted over, and Nan Ju gave Nan Xing—who had stormed back to the main house early in the morning and was now sulking with her lips pouted—a complicated look.

“Eating something so heavy in the morning—won’t you feel bloated?”

Nan Ju preferred lighter flavors; her usual breakfast consisted of soft toast, boiled eggs, and a cup of warm milk, which was more than enough for her. She had never seen anyone eat braised beef noodles first thing in the morning and was genuinely at a loss for words.

Nan Xing picked at the thinly sliced radish in her large bowl with her chopsticks, unwilling to engage with Nan Ju, her lips pouted so exaggeratedly they could’ve held an oil jug.

“I just want to eat this.”

“Fine, as long as you’re happy.” Nan Ju didn’t indulge her, simply taking the glass of milk from the table and cradling it in her hands, looking perfectly at ease.

Her silence, however, quickly became unbearable for someone else.

Nan Xing glared at her indignantly, her voice thick with grievance. “You’re not even going to comfort me? Last night, you kicked me out before I could even eat dinner and made me stay with the dog!”

Nan Ju shot her a sidelong glance.

“Don’t make it sound like I actually abused you. The servants went with you. That guesthouse has been kept clean and fully furnished—isn’t it an honor to have such a big place all to yourself?”

Of course, there was some honor in it. After all, the first time she visited the villa, she had envied her sister’s grand house.

“But you still can’t just abandon me like that! And Eight Million stole my bed! It cried on my bed all night!”

Nan Ju couldn’t help but laugh, entirely unapologetic.

Nan Xing glared at her fiercely, dark circles under her eyes, looking utterly aggrieved. As the dog’s owner, Nan Ju did feel a twinge of guilt—but only a twinge.

“Then I’m sorry. But I am curious—how did it end up on your bed? It has its own crate and bed.”

“W-well, obviously I let it out of the crate myself.” Nan Xing stammered, blinking rapidly, not daring to admit that she and the dog had spent the entire night in the guesthouse cursing Nan Ju’s name.

This girl was terrible at lying—her eyes darted around, her face screaming guilt. Nan Ju let out a soft hum but didn’t press further.

Just then, Bai Cha, who had overslept, came running down the stairs in her creamy-yellow kitten pajamas, the wooden steps thudding under her feet.

“Sorry, I slept in.”

“It’s fine. I told Xia Duo not to wake you. Next time, don’t rush—it’s dangerous if you fall down the stairs.”

Bai Cha’s face flushed as she realized how impolite her earlier behavior had been. “Got it,” she murmured softly.

After a night apart, the two peers met again, both cautious around each other.

Nan Xing was still holding a grudge. Sitting two seats away, she glared at Bai Cha with piercing eyes and blurted out something shocking: “Sis, is this someone you’re keeping in the villa?”

The phrasing sounded ambiguous, making Nan Ju choke on her milk. The corners of her eyes grew damp with reflexive tears.

“Don’t talk nonsense! This is Bai Cha. She’s two months younger than you and will be staying in the villa for now.”

“So, she is someone you’re keeping in the villa, isn’t she?” Nan Xing repeated, confused. “What did I say wrong?”

Nan Ju was so exasperated by this troublesome child that she pressed down her anger and said coldly, “If you know how to talk, then talk more.”

Nan Xing instantly cowered, the rebellious tuft of hair on her head drooping.

With the troublemaker silenced, Nan Ju finally revealed the plan she had been considering for days: “Later, a few tutors will come for interviews. Both of you will choose together. Tell me your picks when I get back from work.”

“Tutors?”

The Nan family’s repeat third-year middle schooler had a sharp radar for certain words, and her ears immediately perked up.

“Sis, are you hiring tutors for Bai Cha?”

Bai Cha, who had been quietly eating her breakfast, also froze. She didn’t even notice Nan Xing had already started calling her by her full name. Holding half a boiled egg, she looked utterly bewildered.

“Tutors… for me?”

“I said ‘both of you.’ Don’t play dumb with me. You’ve both fallen behind in your studies.” Nan Ju narrowed her eyes dangerously. “At this age, if you don’t go to school, how are you any different from illiterates?”

Nan Xing: “…”

Bai Cha: “…”

The two underachievers exchanged a rare glance, momentarily setting aside their previous biases, and thought in unison: That might be a bit insulting to actual illiterates.

Children from the orphanage did attend school. Bai Cha had previously gone to a welfare school—four and a half days a week, with Wednesday afternoons off for self-study or free activities. But her mind had never been on books, always finding ways to sneak out or do something else.

In terms of grades, Mo Chuiliu had been the best among them. Tang Ou was slightly worse, barely making mid-tier, while Bai Cha perennially ranked at the bottom, failing every subject.

Bai Cha felt that if she were to attend school now, she’d lose all face in front of Nan Ju. Hesitantly, she ventured, “Sis… can I not go to school?”

Seizing the opportunity, Nan Xing chimed in, declaring that if Bai Cha didn’t go, neither would she—her ulterior motives plain as day.

Nan Ju didn’t even glance at her foolish sister. Instead, she frowned slightly and looked seriously at Bai Cha, who was gazing up at her nervously, her eyes still clear and innocent.

“Why don’t you want to go? You can’t stay in this villa forever. I know you wouldn’t want that either.”

The villa was beautiful, but Nan Ju would never use it to cage her little cat. She wanted Bai Cha to live boldly and freely, leaving traces of herself in every corner, growing up here—yet also standing tall on the walls, curious and adventurous about the world outside.

She wouldn’t leash Bai Cha. She only hoped to remain a rational observer, watching as this little white cat grew into someone beautiful and clever.

From the very beginning, this kitten was never meant for a cage.

Being gazed at with such soft yet puzzled eyes, Bai Cha felt her heart softening again, her scent gland at the nape tingling slightly with an itchy sensation.

After wrestling with herself for a while, she blurted out the blunt truth: “Studying takes too long and is boring. I want to grow up quickly.”

She wanted to mature faster, to stand by Nan Ju’s side sooner than anyone else—this was Bai Cha’s stubborn determination she’d never easily relinquish.

“But what will you do if you don’t study?” Nan Ju felt a headache coming on, never having imagined Bai Cha would refuse school. “What do you want to do?”

Bai Cha hesitated before answering: “Make money?”

Such naive persistence, reflected in those clear, innocent eyes, made it impossible to laugh at. Unwilling to directly point out how flimsy and childish this idea was, Nan Ju softened her tone further, her gaze tracing every inch of the girl’s still-youthful face. Her eyes curved into crescents, genuinely delighted.

“Does my kitten want to earn money to support me? That’s so cool!”

Bai Cha instinctively puffed out her small chest, the ears hidden in her black hair secretly turning slightly red.

But then Nan Ju’s tone shifted again, tinged with melancholy: “But I’m very hard to support. I’m expensive—do you know how much it costs to maintain an S-class Omega?”

The girl froze, nodding at first but then quickly shaking her head.

She’d witnessed how aristocratic families pampered their Omegas, yet instinctively felt such extravagant treatment still wouldn’t be worthy of Nan Ju.

She ought to look down upon everyone from her lofty perch, indifferent to glittering jewels, with diamonds and pearls scattered at her feet. The queen’s skirt would unfold like an opulent canvas as she gazed coldly at all, her features lush and vibrant like a fully bloomed quince, exuding desire’s nectar.

She was too poor—she couldn’t afford Nan Ju.

This sobering realization made Bai Cha blush with embarrassment at her earlier impulsive declaration. Forget making money—she didn’t have a penny to her name now! What nonsense was she spouting?

Suppressing laughter, Nan Ju offered an out: “Making money is for adults. At your age, you should focus on studying. I like smart children.”

Flushing, Bai Cha nodded: “Then I’ll go to school.”

Nan Xing looked between Nan Ju and the swiftly capitulating Bai Cha, hesitating: “Then… should I go too?”

Nan Ju shot her a cold glance: “You have no choice! If you don’t get into the city’s top school, you can keep collecting parking fees. We’re short-staffed anyway.”

Severely discriminated against, Nan Xing felt utterly heartbroken.

Thus began the arrangements for hiring tutors. After quashing both girls’ school-dodging ambitions, Nan Ju hurried off to work, leaving only Bai Cha and Nan Xing in the villa besides the servants.

Instructed to wait for the tutor’s interview, the two now sat—one upright, one sprawled—on lounge chairs beneath the flower trellis, eyeing each other awkwardly.

Bai Cha broke first under the strange tension, striking preemptively: “You’re not an academic failure, are you?”

“Impossible! I have tons of stationery—I’ll definitely test better than you!” Nan Xing tumbled off her chair in outrage, yelping “Ow!” before scrambling up to retort: “I should ask you—why do you call my sister ‘sister’?”

Bai Cha was slightly shorter than her, but her presence was no less formidable. She curled her lips coldly and said, “I don’t mind.”

The two of them were like naturally incompatible small animals, observing each other across a clearly drawn boundary before starting to bicker again.

Nan Xing: “She’s my sister! You’re not allowed to call her that!”

Bai Cha responded with a disdainful snort, turning her head away with full sarcasm.

Suddenly, a familiar bark rang out. Both turned to look—on the garden path, the still-swollen Eight Million was being led by a servant, paws frantically scratching the ground in obvious fury.

Seeing their nemesis, their eyes blazed with anger. Remembering last night’s humiliation of being ousted from her bed by the dog, Nan Xing impulsively grabbed Bai Cha and bolted outside.

“You wanna stay and fight?”

They dashed through the garden like the wind, all the way to the front courtyard filled with crabapple trees. Panting heavily, Bai Cha quickly shook off the hand gripping her wrist.

“Don’t touch me!”

Nan Xing rolled her eyes and sat down on the stone bench under the tree with stubborn dignity. “Fine, I won’t.”

A cool breeze drifted through the quiet courtyard. Both sulked, refusing to acknowledge each other. Nan Xing, whose stamina was terrible, sprawled across the stone table like a dead dog until she suddenly lifted her head. “Do I hear a car?”

The front yard was very close to the gate. Bai Cha often waited here under the tree for Nan Ju to return from work, recognizing the sound of her car immediately.

The visitor now was likely the tutor Nan Ju had invited.

Fear of academics instantly overwhelmed everything else. Bai Cha nervously licked her lips, glancing at the dead-dog girl. “You go?”

“No way!” Nan Xing shook her head so vigorously it seemed her head might fall off.

Left with no choice, Bai Cha went out alone.

As the gate opened, a short-haired woman in a black military uniform holding a brown paper bag frowned. “Who are you? Why are you in Xiao Ju’s house?”