She Acts Like a Big Shot [ABO] - Chapter 2

Before she could even react, Xia Ke felt her wrist seized tightly. A strong force yanked her into a scorching-hot embrace. Her eyes flew open—she was being held.

So hot! This person’s body is burning!

First, she felt the intense heat radiating from the man clinging to her. Then, almost immediately, she noticed the scent filling the air—something strange and out of place.

And familiar.

Xia Ke had definitely smelled this before.

The entire restroom was now thick with that unique fragrance.

It wasn’t a single, simple scent. It was hard to describe—something complex and wordless.

Xia Ke actually liked the smell a lot. It reminded her of a bitter cold wind, rising through a thorny forest in the dead of night—piercing and sharp, yet laced with a strangely enticing cedarwood note.

In short, it was… pleasant.

But when that scent gathered densely in a tight, enclosed space—it wasn’t quite so enjoyable anymore.

She felt the man bury his face in the crook of her neck, nuzzling lightly. A small shiver rippled through her—goosebumps prickling her skin.

The moment she smelled it, she realized. Years of sniffing perfumes made this her favorite “scent.”

It was Chu Xiangmo.

Xia Ke instinctively began to struggle the moment she was pulled into the hug—but the man only held her tighter.

She’d known Chu Xiangmo was tall, but this was taller than expected.

It felt like her feet were about to lift off the floor.

His scent was strong and overwhelming. Even though Xia Ke couldn’t feel any typical pheromone suppression, she still found it hard to believe this kind of presence could belong to a Beta.

What kind of monstrous pheromones did those Alphas—who were supposed to appear later in the story—have if this was just Chu Xiangmo?

Xia Ke twisted her head, trying to see his expression, but the man seemed unwell. He kept his face buried in the crook of her neck.

She tried to speak, though a bit awkwardly. “Mr. Chu… Chu Xiangmo… Senior Chu, are you okay?”

She called him several times, but he didn’t respond at all.

A flicker of worry sparked inside her.

“Chu Xiangmo, are you alright? Let go of me, I’ll go call an ambulance—”

“Don’t.”

He finally spoke.

His voice was low and hoarse, laced with weakness. As he spoke, his warm breath tickled her neck, making her flinch slightly and shift uncomfortably.

And strangely… the scent in the air grew even stronger.

While Xia Ke mentally categorized it as just another perfume note she liked, she had to admit—no wonder the original novel described him as the only Beta with a unique pheromone signature. The richness and intensity of it could absolutely rival that of any Alpha or Omega.

In this world, unlike Alphas and Omegas—who are highly sensitive to pheromones and produce them in abundance—Betas are the exception.

Though Betas make up the largest portion of the population, they don’t occupy positions of real power in society.

Compared to Alphas, who are born dominant and natural leaders, and Omegas, who are rare and considered valuable, the average, unremarkable Beta seems dull in every way.

They’re like worker ants in a colony—indispensable in function, yet individually forgettable.

What’s more, Betas are naturally insensitive to pheromones. While they do produce pheromones of their own, they hold no appeal to either Alphas or Omegas.

This has only further entrenched the rigid gender hierarchy—most common relationships fall into AO or BB pairings.

But Chu Xiangmo was a notable exception among Betas. Likely because he was the main character of this world—and naturally, protagonists always came with “special traits” meant to pique readers’ interest.

Chu Xiangmo was a unique Beta: he was as sensitive to pheromones as any Omega and possessed a scent that was incredibly attractive to Alphas.

Which, of course, explained why he was constantly subjected to… those kinds of things.

Xia Ke was still idly musing over this when Chu Xiangmo suddenly spoke again.

His voice was hoarse, as if laced with something deeply suppressed.

“…My pheromones. Are they… strong right now?”

Xia Ke nodded instinctively without thinking, then realized he might not be able to see her and added aloud, “Yeah. Are you feeling sick? Were you affected by that Alpha who lost control out front? If so, we should really get you to a hospita—”

“Xia Ke.”

Her name, spoken so softly yet so steadily, made her freeze.

The grip around her loosened slightly, and as she looked down, she found herself locking eyes with a pair of dark, stunning eyes—so intense, they nearly made her flinch.

But perhaps it was just her imagination. A moment later, all she saw in those star-bright eyes was pain and weakness.

“…Help me,” he said.

Xia Ke’s face filled with panic. “Huh? W-what do you mean ‘help you’?”

Please don’t tell me he wants me to temporarily mark him or something—

She couldn’t!

She had no idea how to do that!

And besides—they barely knew each other! Was this really the kind of thing you could just do on a whim?

Without her realizing it, Chu Xiangmo’s large, warm hand had slid up to the back of her neck, gently brushing against it. But Xia Ke, too distracted by his plea, didn’t even register the motion.

To be fair, Chu Xiangmo did look incredibly good right now, vulnerable as he was.

It wasn’t the first day Xia Ke had met him, but his beauty still momentarily stunned her—and in this kind of setting, her cheeks inevitably began to flush.

The striking young man’s dark eyes shimmered with weakness and unease. His eyes were lined with a delicate red flush, and his high-bridged nose framed his lips—slightly parted and stained a deep crimson from uneven breathing. There was a faint scent of alcohol on his breath. The emotional tide surging behind those eyes felt like it could drown her.

This was the first time Xia Ke had seen this side of Chu Xiangmo.

Damn it.

If she didn’t already know he was going to become a 0—no, an Omega—she might not have been able to hold herself back.

When she didn’t answer, his eyes seemed to dim just slightly. But Xia Ke, oblivious to the nuance, simply assumed he must be feeling even worse—especially since his arms tightened around her again.

Fortunately, the restrooms at LIE had an advanced self-cleaning system and air purification units. The floor, the marble countertops—every corner was spotless. That was part of why Xia Ke didn’t push him away.

She knew that people who experienced pheromone overload often acted out of character. Judging by the state Chu Xiangmo was in, she was starting to suspect that the man she saw earlier at the bar—the one who had looked just a little too familiar—had been him all along.

It seemed he had also been affected by Sheng Jun’s pheromones.

Xia Ke claimed she understood the basics of this world—but the truth was, her grasp on things was still pretty shaky.

Take her Beta disguise, for example. Everything she “knew” about Betas came from her own rough interpretations.

In this world, Betas couldn’t mark others, nor could they be marked themselves—due to a completely different gland structure from Alphas and Omegas.

She had assumed that Chu Xiangmo’s pheromone overload could be solved with a temporary mark or by having him mark someone else. But she’d completely forgotten that Chu Xiangmo wasn’t just any Beta.

He was the most unique Beta in this world.

No one really knew what a Beta was supposed to do during a pheromone overload.

Suddenly, Xia Ke felt a firm pressure against the back of her neck.

“Ow!” she yelped quietly—her body had no gland at all, so the touch didn’t hurt much, but it startled her. She turned toward the man, ready to question him—but was caught off guard by the look in his eyes. There was something like flickering fire in those dark irises, leaving her momentarily speechless.

The next moment, his arms locked tightly around her waist.

Before she could react, she felt her body jerk forward as he pulled her into him.

He scooped up the petite girl effortlessly and staggered deeper into the restroom. Though his steps were shaky from physical distress, the girl in his arms remained securely cradled, untouched by the imbalance.

Chu Xiangmo practically collapsed onto the sanitized toilet lid, weakened to the point of exhaustion. Perhaps the air filtration system had started clearing the lingering pheromones, because the scent no longer felt as overwhelming to Xia Ke.

Only then did she realize—he had sat her down right on his lap.

Xia Ke: ???

From outside the restroom, faint noises of chaos still echoed—shouting, movement, maybe even someone searching for them.

But there was no time for her to think further. The man’s low, raspy voice reached her ear again.

“Stick it on for me.”

Xia Ke tensed. “S-stick what?”

She didn’t notice that at some point, his large hand had returned to her neck, and his other arm was firmly wrapped around her waist, holding her tightly in place as if afraid she might run.

His deep, swirling black eyes stared into hers with burning intensity. Though his breathing was heavy, he still sounded clear-headed.

“In my shirt pocket.”

Xia Ke quickly reached up to check. In her rush to find the item, her fingers accidentally brushed against him.

The light touch was intimate—almost a caress.

And in response, she heard a low, breathy sound escape from the man’s throat—half a sigh, half a groan.

Xia Ke: …!

Xia Ke: Did she just do something she absolutely shouldn’t have?!

She decided this had to end—now. No need to even look to know that her current position probably looked… quite indescribable.

She had zero interest in her girlfriends, okay?!

From Chu Xiangmo’s pocket, Xia Ke pulled out a pheromone suppressant patch. She’d seen her coworkers use these before. Without wasting a second, she tore it open with quick, practiced hands, fully intending to just hand it to him.

But then she saw him.

He was staring at her—eyes intense, unwavering. Not moving an inch.

“Help me,” he said firmly.
A Beta, lacking aggression by nature, yet at this moment, utterly commanding.

Fine, she thought. Clearly, Chu Xiangmo wasn’t in his right mind right now.

If he snapped out of this later and remembered how he looked at her just now, would he beat her to death in shame? She didn’t know. But one thing was certain—the usually cheerful and easygoing young man, now wearing such an alluring and sensual expression, was far too much for any sane person to handle.

Bracing herself, Xia Ke slowly lifted her hand.

She leaned forward, body rising slightly, reaching around to the back of his neck. Her slender, fair fingers held the patch as she caught sight of his nape—his gland, faintly reddened.

Beta glands weren’t usually visible. Even for someone as unique as Chu Xiangmo, there wasn’t much to see. Maybe it was because he was trying to restrain himself—but his gland looked more like a blush, a subtle mark, rather than anything truly exposed.

That cool, clean cedar scent lingered in the air. Xia Ke couldn’t help herself—she took a slow, deep breath.

God… it smells amazing.

Then she heard a quiet cough.

Startled, she blinked hard and realized what she’d just done. Her face flushed even redder, and she hurriedly pressed the patch onto his skin.

Meanwhile—

Outside, Wang Yu had worked hard to fend off the Alphas gathering at the restroom door. And the moment he stepped inside, this was what he saw:

A tall, handsome man leaning against the toilet, visibly restraining himself, his elegant face tinged with vulnerability. And on his lap—a petite woman, sitting so close they were practically one body. Her head was tucked into his neck in a position so intimate, it looked straight out of a restricted scenes only drama.

Wang Yu: …!

Wang Yu (mentally): What the hell did they do to my bro?! Let him go!!