I’m Allergic to Pheromones - Chapter 59

The final semester of ninth grade passed swiftly amidst the gradually intensifying cicada songs, leaving less than two months remaining. The once vibrant hues of the flowering quince on the branches had faded, leaving only lush green foliage.

Summer arrived with fervor, the faintly sour lemonade aroma of cola bubbling “glug-glug” into the air, tiny bubbles vanishing slowly under the sunlight.

On the day the high school entrance exam results were released, the skies were clear with scattered clouds beneath a blazing sun. The broad, lengthy asphalt road baked under the heat, invisible waves of warmth rising, creating a sweltering discomfort for anyone passing by.

Nan Ju walked along the sidewalk under a red parasol, her stiletto heels clicking softly. The tilted umbrella revealed only her sharply defined chin, pale as a cluster of snow.

“My car broke down, so I’m walking over.”

In broad daylight, the bar’s neon sign glittered brilliantly. The characters for “Elegance” were rendered with slightly upturned strokes, perfectly mirroring the establishment owner’s free-spirited nature.

Closing her parasol, Nan Ju arched her foot to step onto the slightly elevated entrance, the slit in her skirt parting to reveal plump, fair thighs. Her recent sedentary lifestyle and increased appetite had inevitably added some weight.

The bar staff clearly remembered this distinctive patron. As soon as she entered, someone took her umbrella and guided her to a corner booth.

Inside the booth, three people were engaged in a game of Landlords. Su Wei and Ye Qiumian sat shoulder-to-shoulder, having just defeated the landlord (Ming Lian) with a royal bomb combo, leaving her green-faced.

“I quit! Ganging up on me as a couple—that’s unsportsmanlike!” Ming Lian huffed, throwing down her remaining seven or eight cards. Her ample chest bounced noticeably with the motion—an Alpha with such pronounced curves inevitably drew attention. Nan Ju found it astonishing no matter how many times she saw it.

“Airplane.” Su Wei leisurely placed down her cards, long slender fingers resting on the table as she coolly declared: “You lost—no excuses. I want that top-shelf Lafite from the wine cabinet.”

Ming Lian’s expression soured further. Her hair remained that signature messy short cut, now dyed silver-gray, giving her the appearance of a college student—if one ignored her chest.

“Unfair! You two definitely peeked at each other’s cards!” she grumbled evasively, conspicuously avoiding any mention of the wine bet, her eyes darting about as she clearly contemplated reneging.

Nan Ju’s heels tapped rhythmically against the ornate ceramic tiles as she approached—a crisp, pleasant sound devoid of any harshness. Her beauty and elegance were perennial, unlike fragile blossoms that wither after momentary splendor.

All eyes naturally followed this radiant beauty as she moved through the space.

“What’s unfair?” Nan Ju asked with a soft smile, her eyes curving charmingly. Her jet-black hair was pinned up with a dark wooden hair stick adorned with two small reddish-yellow tangerines.

Ming Lian looked up in surprise, scooching over to make room while seizing the opportunity to complain. Jerking her chin at the pair opposite, she whined: “Beauty, come settle this—these two teamed up to scam my precious wine!”

Ming Lian had a fondness for beautiful people, regardless of gender. Ever since she met Nan Ju once, she’d been utterly smitten and became extremely familiar with her. Nan Ju didn’t dislike this personality trait, so she let Ming Lian call her whatever she pleased.

The so-called “big treasure” referred to the entire liquor cabinet near the bar counter, filled to the brim with alcohol. If even one bottle went missing, Ming Lian would fight tooth and nail to get it back.

Having visited the bar a few times, Nan Ju couldn’t help but glance toward the bar area upon hearing this. The crowd was dense, making it hard to see clearly, but she caught sight of a large bouquet of bellflowers obstructing the view.

Ming Lian adored these flowers. Every booth in the bar had a vase with a beautiful arrangement of bellflowers.

A glass of clear, plain water was placed on the table. Nan Ju instinctively looked across the table—one glass was white, the other red. She couldn’t help but chuckle softly, the little orange ornament on her hairpin swaying gently, looking both pitiful and adorable.

In ancient times, women would adorn their hair with tassels, dangling hairpins, and other ornaments. Aside from aesthetics, another purpose was to maintain poise—keeping the tassels from swaying wildly and the earrings from jingling, embodying an air of elegance.

Nan Ju wasn’t so particular, but she naturally exuded a graceful demeanor. She wouldn’t do something as crude as swinging her hairpin wildly to hit her face. Every smile and frown was like a painting—refined and perfectly measured.

“You have so many ‘big treasures,’ what’s the harm in giving one away?” Nan Ju picked up her glass and swirled it gently. The transparent water rippled along the sides before she took a sip, tasting a faint hint of lemon.

Once, she had remarked that plain water was too bland, so Ming Lian started adding lemon to it. None of these people were sticklers for rules, yet every time she visited, they unanimously forbade her from drinking alcohol. It was rather infuriating when she thought about it.

Ye Qiumian sat across from her, sporting fiery red waves, long and upturned eyeliner, and a short black sequined slip dress that barely covered her bottom. Her long, pale legs were crossed, yet she had thrown on a black jacket over her shoulders—an odd mismatch.

She was as fiery as ever, her nails painted a vibrant red. Her slender fingers held a wine glass, and a ring engraved with some floral pattern adorned her index finger as she watched Nan Ju with keen interest.

After a while, she remarked calmly, “Truly beautiful.”

Last time at the Ye residence, everything had been rushed, and she hadn’t gotten a good look. Now, under the bar lights, the beauty only grew more striking the longer she looked.

Nan Ju was baffled by the compliment and instinctively turned to look at Su Wei beside her.

The young lady was, as usual, dressed in a buttoned-up shirt and trousers, the top button fastened all the way. A glass of plain water sat untouched in front of her—cold, aloof, and utterly solitary.

Such a reserved, ascetic woman actually had a fiery, hard-drinking girlfriend. Nan Ju was practically green with envy.

“Does Sister Ye like alcohol?” she asked casually.

Ye Qiumian nodded. She was the oldest among them, and though she was a Beta, her personality and presence were anything but timid. She carried a straightforward, no-nonsense attitude that Nan Ju quite admired.

“I do. You all go ahead and enjoy yourselves—I’m going to grab something.” Ye Qiumian replied succinctly before standing up, intent on raiding Ming Lian’s liquor cabinet right then and there. As she rose, she shrugged off the black jacket and tossed it at Su Wei, grumbling, “Take your jacket back. It’s hideous.”

She was dressed to kill—that short skirt, that sultry makeup—she wanted to be seen, damn it! What was the point of covering up? So old-fashioned!

The fiery red-haired Beta swayed her hips as she walked away. Ming Lian covered her mouth, giggling as she watched Su Wei get smacked in the face with the jacket.

Watching an old house catch fire—she found it utterly entertaining.

Su Wei pulled the jacket off her face, her hair slightly disheveled. Her expression remained icy, showing no trace of embarrassment as she neatly folded the jacket and placed it in the corner before shooting Ming Lian a glare.

The latter shrank back guiltily, glancing away—only to suddenly clutch her chest and wail, “Oh no, my dear ancestor! Not that bottle!”

Nan Ju followed the sound and saw Ye Qiumian already climbing the ladder to the wine cabinet with surprising agility.

She chuckled, shifting her legs to the side to make way for Ming Lian to rush past.

Having lost the card game, there was no saving the wine now—especially with the fiercely protective Su Wei around. Even if Ye Qiumian wanted to take the entire wine cabinet home, Nan Ju wouldn’t be surprised if Su Wei not only applauded the idea but also volunteered to handle the shipping.

Nan Ju watched with amusement, her mood light as she idly tapped the rim of her glass.

“Ye Qiushuang is pregnant. She and Wen Qiao got married. That Xu Ruyi—or whatever her name was—Qiumian asked me to tell you she sent her off to the mines.”

“Xu Zhiyi,” Nan Ju replied softly, her expression indifferent, showing neither softness nor hesitation.

The original owner had been close with these two childhood friends, so she couldn’t intervene directly. Before Ye Qiushuang’s birthday banquet, she had already coordinated with Su Wei. Whatever punishment they received was well within her expectations—she certainly felt no pity.

If not for the law holding her back, she might have gone even further.

Xu Zhiyi had been driven out of Huashi, her bright future ruined. Ye Qiushuang had been reduced to an ordinary life, forced to bear a child for a freeloading Alpha. The very things they feared most had now become their reality.

Nan Ju felt nothing but calm. She couldn’t even be bothered to mention them further—it was a waste of breath.

“Tomorrow, I’ll pick out two bottles of wine and send them to your place. Thank Sister Ye for me.”

Ye Qiumian was six years older than her, so it was only natural for Nan Ju to address her as “sister.”

Between smart people, few words were needed. Su Wei nodded in acknowledgment before silently returning to her glass of water, her gaze occasionally drifting to a certain red figure in the distance.

When you truly like someone, your eyes can’t help but chase after them—like clouds chasing the moon.

Nan Ju couldn’t help but think of Bai Cha. Lately, the girl had left her at a loss—so much so that she had fled her own home in broad daylight just to avoid her.

Since finishing her exams, Bai Cha had changed. She was clingy—but not in the same way as during her unstable post-differentiation phase. This clinginess was… unnerving.

After a brief silence, Nan Ju couldn’t resist asking someone with experience.

“You and Sister Ye got together when you were teenagers, right?”

She had heard some gossip—these two had been involved in their youth, separated for ten years for some unknown reason, only to reunite later.

Su Wei hadn’t even batted an eye at the mention of “your place,” so she saw no reason to hide this old history.

“We only confirmed our relationship after coming of age.” She glanced at someone currently dancing with Ming Lian in the ballroom, emphasizing that she hadn’t committed any crimes.

To be honest, it was Ye Qiumian who made the first move back then. She was incredibly alluring, and Su Wei, young and impulsive, couldn’t resist. But she couldn’t say that now—if she did, she’d be sleeping on the couch tonight.

Nan Ju pressed further, “You were only eighteen or nineteen back then. Didn’t you ever have thoughts of straying?”

Su Wei: “?”

Nan Ju fell silent, her expression stiff.

Su Wei: “Did something difficult happen? Is someone in their late teens pursuing you?”

It was commendable that she could speak such a long sentence in one breath, but Nan Ju couldn’t answer a single word.

Still silent, Nan Ju lowered her head and pretended to drink water, avoiding the topic.

She couldn’t bring herself to admit that Bai Cha had bitten her scent gland.

Her neck was covered with multiple layers of scent-blocking patches—four or five of them—hiding the swollen gland and the teeth marks. Nan Ju instinctively reached to touch it, and even through the thick protection, her fingertips brushed against the spot, sending a shiver through her.

Her long lashes lowered as she couldn’t help but recall that absurd afternoon.