I’m Allergic to Pheromones - Chapter 41

“Ye Qiumian? Why are you looking for her?”

In the corner booth, Su Wei’s expression subtly shifted, as if hearing that name had stirred something unusual within her.

Nan Ju kept her head down, stirring the liquid in her glass with a straw, missing this fleeting reaction. When she looked up, the other woman had already resumed her usual detached, unflappable demeanor.

“I want to ask her if I can bring down the Ye family.”

Su Wei choked on her water, causing the glass to shake violently and spill over her fingers.

Nan Ju blinked in surprise, quickly grabbing several tissues from the table. “Are you okay?”

Fortunately, it was just water that had gone down the wrong pipe. Su Wei shook her head as she accepted the tissues, setting down her phone to wipe her hands. Her normally cool complexion took on a faint flush from the incident, her long lashes glistening with moisture.

She never wore makeup, naturally possessing the striking features of an aloof beauty, but now she displayed an unusual hint of color.

Watching this, Nan Ju wondered if she’d been too blunt and added, “Just kidding earlier. I’m planning to deal with Ye Qiushuang and wanted to check if Ye Qiumian might cause trouble for me afterward.”

“She won’t.” Su Wei answered decisively, then immediately realized her mistake as she saw the intense gaze fixed on her.

Nan Ju narrowed her eyes: “You seem to know the Ye family’s eldest daughter?”

Su Wei stiffened slightly, her gaze instinctively shifting away. “Not well. We’ve met a few times before.”

Coming from prominent families themselves, such connections weren’t unusual. Nan Ju relaxed: “That’s good.”

She couldn’t tolerate scum like Ye Qiushuang and Xu Zhiyi prancing around under her nose and planned to deal with them both, but didn’t want to invite unnecessary trouble for herself or her family.

Ideally, after she handled them, the Ye family’s legitimate eldest daughter—who’d left Flower City years ago—might return to take over. That way, Nan Ju could “coincidentally” meet her and rebuild ties between their families.

Unfortunately, she’d never met Ye Qiumian and had no idea where she was now.

“Uncle Wang told me the Ye family’s eldest daughter left Flower City ten years ago. Since you know her, do you know where she is now?”

Su Wei hesitated before answering indirectly: “Why are you looking for her?”

Nan Ju nibbled her straw, leaving an indent on her full lips. The alcohol moistened her mouth, making it glisten like a rose steeped in desire in the dim bar light.

“No reason. I just wanted to ask if she’d be interested in a small business partnership.”

Su Wei fell silent…

Her mind filled with images of her office overflowing with stink-flowers, and the detailed expense reports from the research institute that arrived every few days. She lifted her eyes to give Nan Ju a look.

“Trying to scam another patsy into funding your research institute?”

“Cough cough! How crude! We scholars prefer the term ‘mutually beneficial collaboration’,” Nan Ju released the straw, covering her mouth as she coughed. The corners of her eyes turned pink as she shot a watery glare at her financial angel, completely shameless: “We’re splitting profits fifty-fifty! And while the inhibitor isn’t ready yet, the scent-blocking patches and automatic pheromone-detection chips are nearly complete.”

Su Wei raised a delicate eyebrow slightly but said nothing more.

Perhaps because this world was originally just a simple fanfiction focused on steamy scenes, essential ABO items like scent blockers and suppressants hadn’t existed. Nan Ju had seized this loophole early on, pouring funds into the research institute to expedite their development.

Scent blockers could mask pheromones, while the chips could be installed at key entry or exit points of large public venues. A brief one-second scan would measure an individual’s pheromone levels, allowing for early intervention if they exceeded safe thresholds—preventing sudden differentiation or unexpected heats.

For the most part, these two innovations were nothing but beneficial.

Su Wei could already imagine the staggering profit figures she would soon see.

“With these two in place, are you still planning to develop suppressants?”

Nan Ju shrugged indifferently, her tone cool. “Why not? Only a fool would pass up easy money.”

She had never forgotten her true nature—she was human, not some harem fanfiction protagonist.

Even if she couldn’t choose her designation, she would still strive to surpass every Alpha, even as an Omega.

As for the trouble these inventions might bring? That didn’t scare her.

“What? Are you afraid?”

Su Wei suddenly laughed, her sharp features shifting in a way that, for the first time, revealed a hint of edge in front of Nan Ju.

“Afraid?”

The atmosphere grew tense, but before long, a bouquet of dew-kissed bellflowers interrupted their standoff.

Ming Lian, dressed in a flamboyant pink-and-white rose-patterned suit, held out the flowers, her vibrant orange-red short hair as bold as ever.

Nan Ju blinked in surprise, her gaze lingering on the bellflower tattoo on Ming Lian’s hand before settling on the bouquet. “For me?”

“Didn’t you say you liked flowers last time?”

Ming Lian nodded, her smile smooth and practiced, as if this wasn’t her first time doing something like this.

“Don’t believe her. She gives flowers to every pretty Omega who walks into the bar.” Su Wei watched coldly, ruthlessly undercutting Ming Lian the moment she finished speaking.

Ming Lian’s face fell instantly, and she shot a glare in Su Wei’s direction. “Have you ever stopped to think about why you’ve been single for 30 years?”

Unfazed, Su Wei tilted her head slightly. “Probably because I’m too rich.”

She rarely joked, and Ming Lian took three exaggerated steps back in shock before catching herself and stepping forward again to hand the flowers to Nan Ju. Turning to Su Wei, she said solemnly, “Did someone hack your account?”

Su Wei shot her a frosty look, and Ming Lian immediately raised her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay! Three drinks as penance for my recklessness?”

After a few rounds, the mood lightened considerably. Nan Ju sat in the corner, idly toying with the blooming pink bellflowers, when her phone screen suddenly lit up.

She glanced over, quickly picking it up and typing rapidly—clearly replying to someone.

The restless Ming Lian had long since disappeared into the dance floor to flirt with pretty girls, leaving only her and Su Wei at the booth.

Once she finished her message, Nan Ju checked the time and stood to leave.

“It’s getting late. I should head back.”

She had already gathered the information she needed. Now, she had to return and tutor a certain little kitten.

Su Wei nodded. She had been silent since earlier, but as Nan Ju prepared to leave, she suddenly remembered the question she had meant to ask last time.

“Wait a minute, you still haven’t told me why I can’t smell the pheromones on you anymore?”

Nan Ju lied without blinking: “I wore scent blockers.”

Su Wei: “Last month when you came to see me, I already couldn’t smell anything.”

Scent blockers had only been officially developed in the past few days – Nan Ju was clearly making up nonsense again.

“Uh…”

Careless mistake!

Nan Ju awkwardly rubbed her nose. Seeing Su Wei’s determined stance demanding a reasonable explanation, she wrinkled her face and came up with a new excuse.

“Listen, here’s the thing—I think I’ve developed a pheromone allergy.”

…

At 3 AM, the long street stood empty except for a dark Maybach parked roadside. The car window was down, a cigarette-holding hand extended outside as wisps of smoke dissipated in the wind, the ember glowing intermittently.

The white-shirted woman sat inside, her black hair framing a cool demeanor with one shirt button undone. She absently rubbed her thumb against the phone in her hand.

Su Wei never expected to hear Ye Qiumian’s name from someone else’s lips after all these years.

She remained silent so long that the burning cigarette butt eventually stung her fingers, snapping her from her thoughts. Frowning, she set down the phone and pulled a wet wipe from beneath the seat to wrap her smarting fingertips.

Wind swirled fallen leaves upward. Su Wei lifted her gaze to the kapok trees lining the street—their fiery blooms burned as brightly as flames.

Her fingers moved, opening a contact untouched for ten years.

Su Wei: The kapoks have bloomed. When are you coming back?

–

Before a secluded private residence, a red car parked.

A woman with long crimson curls stepped out carrying grocery bags, smiling warmly at the drowsy girl waiting on the front steps.

“I’m home, Tang Ou.”