Toxic Pheromones of a Scumbag Alpha (GL) - Chapter 1

【Host, are you okay?】

Ji Yao stood frozen, holding a glass of champagne, stunned for quite a while before she finally came back to her senses.

She said calmly, “I’m fine. Let’s keep looking.”

Yes—Ji Yao had been reborn. And the very first thing she wanted to do in this new life was find the only family she had left: little Tan Zishu. She was the young girl Ji Yao had adopted back then. Ji Yao didn’t know how she was doing now, or whether her life had turned out well.

What she hadn’t expected was to be reborn ten years later, in a world where everything had changed. That once-rebellious little girl had now become a famous star.

Back then, Ji Yao had gone out of her way to pave the road for Tan Zishu’s future. But the girl had shown no interest in acting at all. She’d stubbornly claimed that being a celebrity was a waste of time. Ji Yao and she had fought countless times over it.

Who could’ve predicted that ten years later, Tan Zishu would choose this exact path—becoming a star.

Sure, becoming a celebrity was a legitimate career. But how could Tan Zishu turn out like this?

Now, Tan Zishu was a red-hot A-lister. She had few impressive works to her name, but carried all the worst traits of stardom—arrogance, carelessness, and a scandalous personal life. Worst of all? She was playing at being a sugar mama.

And not just any sugar mama—an infamously heartless one.

As an S-Class Alpha, Tan Zishu rotated through lovers like seasonal accessories. She’d replace her so-called “canary” every month without fail. Not a single one lasted longer than thirty days.

She didn’t even try to hide her behavior. Despite being a public figure, she flaunted her “love for novelty” in front of the media without the slightest shame.

When Ji Yao saw that interview video, she had to look away, teeth clenched. It was humiliating—and heartbreaking.

In the video, Tan Zishu leaned lazily against a chair, face indifferent. A reporter asked,
“There are rumors that your pheromones are toxic. Would you like to clarify that on camera?”

Tan Zishu raised a hand, glanced at the camera, and said bluntly,
“There’s nothing to clarify. It’s true.”

Looking at that familiar yet distant face, Ji Yao nearly choked on her own anger. She quickly scrolled through the video’s comments, where the top one read something like:

“Tan Zishu’s pheromones are toxic. They desensitize Omegas to Alpha pheromones, leaving them unresponsive—and possibly infertile.”

Ji Yao: “…”

This little brat—she’s become a walking disaster!

How could she be so reckless?

In her past life, Ji Yao had been a celebrity herself. Even in her busiest years, she made time to adopt and raise Tan Zishu. She worked hard to bring her up right. Afraid the girl would go astray, she’d patiently lectured her day and night.

And what happened? After Ji Yao’s accident, with no one left to watch over her, Tan Zishu completely lost control and turned into this bold, reckless person.

Ji Yao hadn’t originally planned to find her so soon after being reborn. But after watching that infuriating video, she couldn’t hold back for even a second. She immediately pulled some strings to attend the same banquet—hoping to stop that girl from doing something she’d regret.

As fate would have it, tonight was the first of the month, the day Tan Zishu usually swapped out her latest “canary.” Ji Yao navigated through the crowd under the pretense of mingling.

And right then, her eyes met Tan Zishu’s across the room.

Ji Yao had imagined their reunion countless times.

In her mind, they would meet again on a warm summer afternoon, sunlight pouring down, and they would embrace with joy and relief—not like this, in a place so suffocating and vulgar.

The banquet, a playground of fame and fortune, glittered with flashing cameras. Even the lights and air shimmered with golden brilliance. And yet, Tan Zishu stood off to the side like none of it concerned her, enveloped in an aura of black and white. It was as if she had stepped straight out of a luxury fashion shoot—cold, untouchable, lifeless.

Only when her sharp, narrow eyes landed on Ji Yao did something flicker to life within them. She paused, startled, then stepped out of the shadows.

So this… is Tan Zishu ten years later.

Ji Yao stared at her face, stunned, barely able to hold onto her glass of champagne.

Just then, the system chimed in with a new prompt:

【Host, your assigned role this round is to become the next “canary” that superstar Tan Zishu has her eye on. You must persuade her to take you home within ten minutes. Failure will result in all your points being reset—and your immediate termination.】

Ji Yao was speechless. She’d come here today to settle accounts with Tan Zishu anyway. Even without the system’s interference, she was planning to drag this girl home and keep her on a tight leash—no more running around causing trouble.

So what if she was a celebrity? Ji Yao had raised her for years. If she wanted to smack her and give her a lesson, she absolutely had the right.

At least, that was the theory.

But now, standing face-to-face with this grown woman, Ji Yao found she couldn’t say a single harsh word.

It had been so many years. That once-small girl had grown so tall.

As Ji Yao was lost in her thoughts, Tan Zishu raised her glass and clinked it lightly against Ji Yao’s in a polite toast.

Her narrow monolid eyes curved slightly with a lazy smile.
“Hello. I’m Tan Zishu. May I ask your name?”

Ji Yao’s lips curled into a cold, sarcastic smile—so she didn’t recognize her.

Calling her an ungrateful brat would be too kind. When Ji Yao died in her past life, Tan Zishu had already been fourteen—old enough to remember faces. Even if her memory was fuzzy, surely there were old photos. How could she not recognize her at all?

Apparently, not even once in all these years had she thought of Ji Yao.

A bitter thought crossed Ji Yao’s mind: Maybe she threw out all my things after I died. Maybe forgetting me was easy for her.

Ji Yao murmured, almost to herself,
“My name…”

Then she raised an eyebrow and looked Tan Zishu directly in the eye.
“Why don’t you guess? If you get it right, I’ll tell you.”

The tone was flippant, bordering on sarcastic—offensive, even. She made no effort to be pleasant.

As expected, the great celebrity Tan Zishu lost interest immediately. Without a second glance, she turned and walked away.

Ji Yao fumed, crossing her arms and stewing in place, silently arguing with herself.

Then, the system popped up again with an icy countdown:

【Host, time remaining until on-site death: four minutes. Countdown—240 seconds… 239 seconds…】

Ji Yao: “…”

She was so stunned by this ungrateful brat that she forgot all about the mission.

Setting down her champagne glass with a cold expression, Ji Yao quickly caught up to her.

“My name is Ji Yao.” She hadn’t even changed her name—hoping it would spark Tan Zishu’s memory immediately. If not? Then she’d make sure Tan Zishu paid the price later.

“Ji… Yao…”
Tan Zishu paused mid-step. As she turned around, she let out a soft chuckle.
“That’s such an old name. You know, it’s exactly the same as someone I used to know.”

Someone she used to know?

Was that what she was now?

Ji Yao had taken her in from the orphanage when she was just seven, raising her with care until she was fourteen. Seven years of effort and love—reduced to “someone I used to know”?

And “an old name”? After all these years, had she really not thought of her even once?

Ji Yao took a deep breath. At this rate, Tan Zishu was going to kill her—from sheer rage alone.

【Gentle reminder: you have 125 seconds remaining… 124… 123…】

Ji Yao forced a smile—so fake it was practically a crime.
“Is that so? Well, what an honor. So… does Miss Tan have any plans tonight?”