I’m Allergic to Pheromones - Chapter 42

Several days later, it was Ye Qiu Shuang’s birthday.

Nan Ju had received the invitation early, but she was too lazy to look at it. It wasn’t until the evening of the banquet that she finally asked Xia Duo to dig it out for her.

The invitation was crimson, sealed with wax, and adorned with a fiery red kapok flower. Nan Ju carefully pried it open with a letter opener, and a rectangular piece of stiff cardstock slipped out.

Xia Duo, standing behind her, also saw the contents and asked, “Will the young lady be going alone or bringing someone? Should we prepare an outfit now?”

The birthday banquet allowed each guest to bring one companion. Attendees—whether Alpha, Omega, or Beta—were required to wear a flower on their collar, hair, or wrist, as per the event’s rules.

Hua City, named for its flowers, was a place of blooming beauty and vibrant competition. Little customs like these were often adopted by wealthy socialites to elevate the exclusivity of their grand gatherings.

Nan Ju had no intention of bringing anyone. After reading the card, she tossed both it and the invitation back onto the table. “I’ll go alone. No plus-one.”

Xia Duo nodded obediently.

“And tonight’s outfit?”

“Just pick something at random—”

Before she could finish, a small black head peeked in through the door crack. Spotting it, Nan Ju changed her words mid-sentence. “Actually, I’ll choose it myself later. Go check if Uncle Wang has brought the car back yet.”

Xia Duo acknowledged the request, greeted Bai Cha as she opened the door, and left.

The car in question was the red Rolls-Royce that had been scratched up by Eight Million. Ever since the foolish dog had vandalized it, the vehicle had taken on a special significance in Nan Ju’s heart.

That wasn’t just an exorbitant repair bill—that was her money!

“Come here. Did you need something?”

Nan Ju beckoned, and Bai Cha, who had been lingering at the door, stepped inside. She kept her hands behind her back, hiding something, looking somewhat hesitant.

Nan Ju, with her inexplicably thick rose-tinted glasses, found the bashful little kitten utterly adorable.

“What are you hiding?”

The girl in front of her flushed red and pulled out the test papers she had been concealing, pressing her lips together shyly. “It’s the homework the teacher assigned. I can’t figure out the last big problem.”

The two A4-sized test sheets still had large blank spaces. Bai Cha had only filled in a few multiple-choice and short-answer questions she knew, leaving about 70% untouched. The sight left Nan Ju momentarily speechless.

She had never imagined that Bai Cha was, in fact, an academically challenged kitten.

But then, almost immediately, she thought of Nan Xing—another hopelessly dense individual, so spectacularly inept that she had driven away three tutors in three days—and sighed inwardly: Thank goodness I sent her back to the main house early. Otherwise, I’d still be suffering.

“It’s fine, I can help. I’ll teach you when I get back from the banquet, okay?”

Bai Cha nodded, then glanced at the invitation on the table and asked curiously, “What will you wear tonight, Sister?”

She had arrived just in time to overhear Xia Duo’s question and couldn’t help but feel a little eager.

“Can I help you pick?”

Nan Ju had originally been hesitant about whether to bring Bai Cha along, given her intensive tutoring schedule. But hearing this, she paused, then smiled faintly.

“Alright, little kitten. I’ll wear whatever you pick for me tonight.”

Nan Ju’s skin was pale as the first snow of early winter, pure and soft. As an Omega, she had been pampered at home since childhood. When silent, she gave the impression of a beautiful, tranquil flower of wealth—her eyes, brows, skin, and bones naturally exuding a decadent allure.

A woman like her would look stunning in anything.

Bai Cha tiptoed around the walk-in closet before finally selecting a cheongsam.

Red, satin, sleeveless, and embroidered with a full pattern of crabapple blossoms, the slit wasn’t too high, likely reaching just below the calf. As Bai Cha held it up by the hanger, it resembled a branch of flowering quince in full, breathtaking bloom.

“You want me to wear this?”

Bai Cha nodded earnestly, straining on her tiptoes to keep the hem from dragging on the floor. “Sister looks gorgeous in this. You’ll steal the show.”

Nan Ju couldn’t help but laugh.

It wasn’t even her birthday banquet—why would she need to steal the show? But then again, upstaging Ye Qiushuang and humiliating her in front of everyone wasn’t a bad idea.

“Fine, I’ll wear this. I’ll go change. Little kitten, could you pick out some shoes and jewelry for me?”

Bai Cha nodded.

Like an eager kitten exploring every corner, she searched the room for the most beautiful treasures for her beloved sister, yet nothing seemed quite right.

Nothing was good enough for Nan Ju. Every choice felt flawed.

Kneeling on the floor, she frowned in frustration until Nan Ju’s voice drifted over—light, casual.

“Little kitten, come help me with the back buttons. I can’t reach them.”

“Okay.”

Bai Cha saw nothing unusual about the request and answered cheerfully. But the moment she turned and lifted her head, she froze.

Nan Ju stood before a tall, full-length mirror, her back turned as she fiddled with the front buttons of the cheongsam. Her long hair, not yet styled, was loosely pinned up, stray strands brushing her neck and cheeks—an image of delicate beauty.

Yet the cheongsam was so vivid, its brilliance accentuating the creamy softness of Nan Ju’s skin, making her radiate an irresistible allure.

Bai Cha stared dumbly at the curve of Nan Ju’s back, her face flushing crimson.

The zippers and tiny buttons of a woman’s dress were always the trickiest. Nan Ju finally managed to thread the red bead through the loop of the cheongsam’s button and glanced up into the mirror, noticing Bai Cha standing motionless behind her.

She turned her head and smiled. “Why aren’t you coming over?”

Bai Cha walked over stiffly, her limbs uncoordinated.

“Should I sit down? Or do you need me to get a stool?”

In the mirror, the beauty lowered her lashes, her dark hair cascading softly as she waited for help with the buttons. Bai Cha’s height made it awkward—she had to tiptoe and tilt her head up, careful not to stumble into Nan Ju, fumbling several times.

Hearing Nan Ju’s amused tone, Bai Cha puffed her cheeks and muttered, “No need.”

One day—one day she’d grow tall too!

The warm light in the room cast overlapping shadows of the two figures, their feet touching, inseparable.

There was no denying Bai Cha had impeccable taste.

Nan Ju arrived fashionably late, her fingers brushing the red crabapple blossoms in her hair as she stepped into the Ye family mansion. The breeze stirred the layered petals, and with a single smile, she captivated every gaze in the room.

The birthday girl, surrounded by everyone and about to cut the cake, froze with a stiff expression, her eyes burning with fury that could practically set someone ablaze.

The mischievous culprit who had deliberately arrived late took one look at Ye Qiushuang’s livid face and burst into even more dazzling, ostentatious laughter.

“Sorry I’m late.”