I’m Allergic to Pheromones - Chapter 45

The locked door clicked open again as a graceful figure stepped out calmly from Ye Qiushuang’s room.

Nan Ju held a begonia blossom with scattered petals in one hand, pausing at the stair landing to adjust her shoe while leaning against the wall. She’d walked quite a distance tonight.

Ye Qiushuang’s scheme had backfired spectacularly—by luring all guests to the garden to trap Nan Ju, the main building stood eerily empty and silent.

Waiting patiently in a blind spot, Nan Ju soon witnessed Wen Qiao approaching from the opposite corridor. The man barely hesitated before twisting the doorknob and entering eagerly.

Even from halfway down the hall, Nan Ju caught whiffs of Ye Qiushuang’s pheromones—a nauseating stench reminiscent of unwashed socks festering in a boys’ dorm for three years.

“Ugh, what questionable taste.”

Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Nan Ju waved her hand dismissively, her beautiful eyes reflecting not an ounce of guilt but perfect serenity.

Trash belongs with trash, doesn’t it?

Having effortlessly orchestrated the trio’s downfall, Nan Ju contentedly retraced her previous escape route. Passing the storage room she’d once hidden in, her high heels made no sound on the thick corridor carpeting.

Rounding a corner, her elegant stride abruptly halted. She immediately ducked back, peeking furtively from the edge.

At the hallway’s end, Ye Qiumian—whom she’d met briefly before—had Su Wei pinned dramatically against crimson kapok-patterned wallpaper, teeth sinking into the younger woman’s neck.

Nan Ju stared, stunned, unable to decide whether the flamboyant wallpaper or this brazen public display between the older couple was more blinding.

Under warm lighting, the taller Su Wei faced the wall in submission, bent slightly at the waist with obscured expression. Nan Ju only noted her uncharacteristic vulnerability and those slender fingers splayed against the surface.

How scandalous. These two really went all out—from garden to main building, their audacity knew no bounds.

Shaking her head philosophically, Nan Ju mused: This senior’s ferocity is impressive. Su Wei’s quite fortunate.

Being a proper person unwilling to spectate further, Nan Ju turned away when blocked. She missed how Ye Qiumian released Su Wei’s shoulder the moment she left, revealing the younger woman’s glistening, beautiful eyes.

“What now? Your fiancée saw us.”

The gland-biting stimulation left Su Wei breathless, eyes slightly reddened, her usually cool complexion flushed. Removing her hand from the wall to touch the mark, she rasped:

“I told you—ex-fiancée. The engagement was called off years ago.”

“No more ‘senior’ then?” Ye Qiumian teased, straightening Su Wei’s crumpled tie with a smirk. “After all these years, have you finally learned to tie this properly yourself?”

Su Wei stared unblinkingly at the Beta standing before her. Even after ten years, Ye Qiumian remained as unrestrained and irreverent as ever. Yet when the other finally appeared, Su Wei realized with a start that she was the one who had fallen deepest.

From the night of her coming-of-age ceremony, the name Ye Qiumian had clung to her like an unshakable mist, its tendrils wrapping around her without ever fading.

Unable to resist, Su Wei grasped the other’s wrist—far more slender than most Betas’.

“No, you’ll tie my tie for me tomorrow.”

Ye Qiumian’s fingers stilled. Tilting her head to meet Su Wei’s heavy gaze, the moisture in her eyes overflowed uncontrollably.

Late at night, in a quiet villa room, an online confrontation reached its climax.

Bai Cha sat rigidly at her square desk, clad in butter-yellow duck pajamas, arms crossed. With icy indifference, she spat out a single word: “Scram.”

Before her stood a phone, its screen displaying Nan Xing’s face zoomed absurdly close to the camera as an angry voice erupted.

“Ha! That’s my house—why should I scram?”

Bai Cha retorted calmly, “This is Nan Ju’s home, which makes it mine too. She let me live here.”

“Bullshit! Nan Ju’s my sister, so her house is mine!” Nan Xing’s furious cursing escalated until she actually rolled up her sleeves mid-call, ready to charge from the main residence for a duel to the death.

Just as she huffily moved to hang up, Bai Cha—who’d been quietly observing the tantrum—suddenly said, “Don’t want those test answers anymore?”

The bouncing figure onscreen froze instantly. Nan Xing’s magnified face recentered in the frame.

Within seconds, she’d adopted a posture of utmost humility, kneeling on her chair: “I was wrong, Daddy.”

If Bai Cha would write her exam answers, Nan Xing would gladly change her surname to Bai on the spot.

“I’ll provide answers and solutions free of charge—on one condition. You’re forbidden from coming to the villa.”

Nan Xing was utterly baffled.

“What difference does it make? Whether I visit or not, you’re still helping me. We might as well study together and save on tutoring fees.”

She genuinely didn’t understand. That her half-sister Nan Ju preferred distance made sense, but Nan Xing knew she’d been treated fairly—tutors arranged, high school entrance exams enforced, all for her benefit. Even past grievances like being forced to work as a parking attendant had long been forgiven.

So why did Bai Cha reject her too?

Weren’t they both reformed slackers? Was academic awakening license to bully from moral high ground?

Indignation swelled in Nan Xing’s chest.

“I’m three days older than you. Show some respect.”

Bai Cha: “?”

Utterly lost, she frowned slightly, voice chilling. “No visits. Otherwise, no answers.”

Nan Ju’s tutors were merciless—failing scores meant reteaching weak points until mastery. This didn’t faze Nan Xing, who’d spent childhood outmaneuvering educators. No one could salvage an unwilling slacker.

She had it all figured out—what was the point of studying anyway? Wouldn’t it be better to just be a carefree rich second-generation heir? After all, her sister was soft-hearted and would never actually make her work in some factory. She could just mooch off her sister forever.

But she never expected Nan Ju would have their mother’s teacher supervise her, smacking her palms whenever she failed—once, twice, with a third strike meaning the ruler would come down.

Nan Xing’s palms ached just remembering the teacher’s ugly expression when wielding that ruler.

Three days of this torture, and not a single soft heart in the house—the old man sipped tea and listened to operas as if she were air, her own mother was Nan Ju’s biggest fan, and if she dared slack off, Wang Qing would be the first to slap her silly.

Truly, she was pitiful, weak, and helpless.

“Is your answer even right? You’re not tricking me, are you? Weren’t you a slacker too?”

As if you’re worth the effort.

Bai Cha swallowed the sarcasm on the tip of her tongue. “I just didn’t bother studying back then. I’ll scan the test for you—just don’t copy everything or you’ll get caught.”

Nan Xing scratched her messy hair. “Deal. I won’t go to the villa, but you’ll do all my homework from now on.”

Bai Cha: “Mm.”

A few minutes later, Nan Xing received a scanned math test—every answer and step meticulously filled out, the kind of work only a top student could produce.

Had Nan Ju been there, she’d have been stunned. The handwriting was identical to the test Bai Cha had completed before she left.

Under the cold moonlight, Bai Cha sat on the porch steps in a thin coat, waiting. Finally, she heard a car pull up outside the villa.

She couldn’t wait—bundling the chill into her sleeves, she rushed out and collided with Nan Ju at the door.

“What are you doing out here so late?”

Nan Ju scolded instinctively, pressing a hand to Bai Cha’s forehead. Only when she felt warmth did she relax.

“I told you to wait inside.”

Bai Cha looked up at her, eyes bright. Standing on the steps, she wrapped her arms around Nan Ju’s waist and nuzzled into her chest.

“You took so long. I missed you.”

Guilt washed over Nan Ju.

She’d forgotten—Bai Cha hadn’t fully passed her differentiation phase yet. Kittens were always clingy and sensitive during this time.

“Sorry, I got held up. It won’t happen again.”

Bai Cha was easy to placate, not angry at all. “Did something happen at the birthday party?”

Nan Ju took her hand. “Nothing much. Though I wish it had.”

They returned inside. At this hour, the staff had all retired—after purging the villa’s servants, Nan Ju had set strict working hours. She preferred quiet, disliking the idea of people wandering around like ghosts in the dead of night.

Once Nan Ju had showered, Bai Cha brought over her disastrous math test.

Patient as ever, Nan Ju sat beside her, breaking down each problem and feeding it piece by piece into the kitten’s stubborn head—no ruler in sight.

The night was deep with heavy dew, the sheer curtains hanging to the floor swayed gently in the breeze. Nan Ju, with her long hair cascading down, wore a French-style mid-sleeved nightgown. Between her slender, pale fingers twirled a ballpoint pen, looking utterly captivating.

Bai Cha couldn’t help but get distracted as she worked on her problems. She caught a faint whiff of lavender from Nan Ju—the same scent as the shower gel in her bathroom.

As she wrote, her cheeks flushed uncontrollably.

Nan Ju, oblivious to Bai Cha’s unusual reaction, lazily spun her pen while glancing at the gradually filled test paper. “I’ll be traveling to Haicheng next week to meet someone,” she remarked casually. “Make sure you attend your classes properly while I’m away.”

The pen on the paper came to an abrupt halt.

Bai Cha’s jumbled thoughts instantly cleared, replaced by a dull ache in her chest.

Why wasn’t she an adult yet?

So jealous.