Toxic Pheromones of a Scumbag Alpha (GL) - Chapter 12

There was no way Ji Yao didn’t feel pain after hearing all that — but for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond to Tan Zishu. Saying “I’m sorry” felt too light, too hollow. But saying anything else… might hurt her even more.

“I…” Ji Yao opened her mouth, then sighed. “Can you stop using those suppressant patches for now? Medicine always has side effects, and that stuff doesn’t look healthy… If you’re really struggling, I… I wouldn’t say no.”

Tan Zishu rested her head on Ji Yao’s lap, voice low and muffled. “I don’t need your pity. Forcing it won’t help either of us.”

Oh, really? Was this the same person who just days ago was crying and begging her not to leave?

Now that Ji Yao had agreed to stay, she suddenly changed her tone — even demanding that Ji Yao love her?

“Keep dreaming. You already got what you wanted. I’m not pitying you — I pity stray dogs,” Ji Yao said, giving her shoulder a light slap, her voice sharp. “Stop pretending. Do you want it or not?”

“I…” Tan Zishu hesitated.

Ji Yao cut her off, “Think carefully. If you say no, don’t go crying about it later.”

“…Okay.” Tan Zishu knew Ji Yao was the type to mean what she said. She didn’t dare act coy any longer and quickly buried her head back into Ji Yao’s lap. She still tried to keep her pride, muttering, “I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable…”

“Well, aren’t you considerate,” Ji Yao said through clenched teeth. Her fingers reached down and scratched lightly under Tan Zishu’s chin like she was teasing a cat. “Fine. Whatever you say.”

Tan Zishu, knowing when to stop pushing, tilted her head up just slightly, letting Ji Yao pet her more comfortably — like a smug, obedient cat.

“Power’s back. Want me to turn on the lights?”

Ji Yao started to move, reaching for the lamp by the bed, but Tan Zishu quickly pulled her back, holding onto her arm and refusing to let go.

“As long as you’re here, I’m not afraid of the dark,” Tan Zishu said sweetly, now fully adjusted to the shift in dynamics — even taking the chance to act a little spoiled. “The sun’s almost up. Stay with me a little longer.”

Ji Yao didn’t reply, letting Tan Zishu play with her fingers in silence.

In the half-light, Tan Zishu absentmindedly twirled Ji Yao’s fingers, her gaze dimming.

Even though she’d technically gotten what she wanted… things hadn’t gone the way she’d planned. Originally, she had carefully staged everything — wanting Ji Yao to come to her door. She’d assumed Ji Yao would be too embarrassed to admit her identity, and that as long as Tan pretended not to recognize her, she could maintain the upper hand, keeping Ji Yao under her roof and control.

She had even — darkly — considered that if Ji Yao never exposed the truth, she could continue “bullying” her without consequence. After all, the version of herself she showed Ji Yao wasn’t exactly a saint. Why not lean into it completely?

But then—

In the middle of her thoughts, she suddenly felt a warm rush at the back of her neck and flinched — hard. Like a naughty cat caught mid-mischief, Tan Zishu froze, eyes wide as she instinctively gripped Ji Yao’s hand tightly.

Ji Yao brushed back her hair and looked down at her neck. “Where’s your gland?”

A strange sense of danger crawled up Tan Zishu’s spine. I’m an alpha, she thought, of course I don’t have a gland! It’s not like I’m an Omega who needs to be marked. She stiffened.

“…Alphas don’t have scent glands,” Tan Zishu replied in a soft, almost flirty voice, trying to play it off. She even smiled up at her. “Are you disappointed, jie?”

“No. I’m not. Just… asking,” Ji Yao said quickly — but her tone noticeably dropped.

“I just thought… maybe you could be marked too.”

Tan Zishu: “…”

Why… did that scare her a little?

What Ji Yao was really thinking was:
If Alphas could be marked, I’d mark this little brat myself — save the world from her wreaking havoc on anyone else.

But unfortunately, Alphas couldn’t be marked.

What a shame.

Ji Yao asked again, just to make sure: “Are you sure it’s impossible? What if in the future there’s some genetic mutation or something, and Alphas can be marked and claimed?”

Tan Zishu, sweating bullets, pointed to her neck. “I really don’t have a gland. I can’t be… marked.”

That last word slipped out barely above a whisper, falling off her tongue like a quiet defeat. She nearly bit her own tongue trying to say it.

But Ji Yao didn’t care. Despite the protest, she leaned in and bit gently into the smooth skin of Tan Zishu’s neck — not hard enough to break skin. Her fingers rested softly on Tan Zishu’s shoulder, comforting in a way that felt like a white-gloved med student practicing an injection on a nervous rabbit.

Tan Zishu didn’t move, patiently waiting.

Ji Yao’s hair brushed against her neck and shoulder, tickling her skin. Tan Zishu couldn’t see what was happening — all she could do was stay still and feel. It had been years since she let anyone get this close. Even casual touch made her flinch. So now, as Ji Yao’s breath ghosted across her skin, her whole body trembled — with pleasure, with fear… she couldn’t tell.

On the outside, Tan Zishu looked calm. One of her hands slowly curled around Ji Yao’s knee, warm and steady — like a snake coiling around its prize, silently declaring ownership.

She felt like she was being held by a vampire — at once entranced and terrified. She admired Ji Yao’s beauty like it was something unreal, and deep down, despite the unease, she clung to one fragile hope:

That maybe this woman could love her too.

Ji Yao, meanwhile, hadn’t really meant anything by the bite. She wasn’t trying to mark her — she didn’t even know how to. She just wanted to try… to indulge in a little curiosity.

And because she didn’t want to hurt her, the first bite didn’t land quite right. So Ji Yao shifted slightly, chose a different spot, and tried again — her tongue brushing briefly against Tan Zishu’s cool skin.

…Not bad.

In that moment, Ji Yao suddenly understood why so many Alphas liked this primal, almost brutal way of marking someone. When emotional satisfaction outweighed physical need, all the usual rules of civility fell apart — and people simply did what felt good.

A look, a voice, a scent — all of it designed to seduce.
Who wouldn’t get lost in that?

The first light of dawn spilled into the room, cutting through the silence and casting soft beams over the entangled figures on the bed.

Ji Yao finally pulled back, clearly satisfied. “Well, I guess it’s not so bad not having a gland. This way, no one else can claim you by accident… Since you said it’s fine, I figured I’d try a bite. Just to see how you taste.”

Tan Zishu: “…”

It’s not “fine,” it’s “impossible!” she wanted to yell — but gave up.

Maybe Ji Yao still thought of her as that kid from before. Maybe she hadn’t caught up to how things had changed. Tan Zishu could only comfort herself with that thought.

Still… she had to admit, after that bite — the edge of her heat symptoms did ease a little.

She had long since learned to rely on suppressant patches to get through her susceptibility periods, enduring them like some sort of self-imposed punishment. Over time, suffering became routine. Tolerating it became second nature.

Once, while filming, a sleazy investor tried to corner her during a heat episode. He thought her Alpha status would make her vulnerable.

He was wrong.

She had beaten the guy half to death.

Tan Zishu still remembered stepping on him and saying coldly:
“Alphas in heat aren’t like Omegas — we don’t go weak and helpless. I’m the kind who vents through violence. Next time you try something, stay far away — unless you want to die.”

Years of pain and endurance had turned her into something close to a monster. Anyone who wandered too long through loneliness and suffering would lose part of their humanity — and she had done it over and over, for what felt like centuries.

Each rebirth was real — not a dream or a shortcut. She couldn’t fast-forward through time. She had to live it all. Awake. In pain. Day after day.

It was like dying by a dull blade — slowly, excruciatingly.
And just when she was half-dead, the punishment would begin again.

It hurt too much.

This punishment wasn’t something even death could free her from.

Because every time Tan Zishu gave up, she would return to the day she lost Ji Yao — that birthday cake left outside the door, cold and untouched, like it was celebrating her return to the endless cycle of suffering.

Every time, she’d go back to her 14th birthday, open the door, and eat that little cream cake — the only sweet moment she got after living through another lifetime of pain.

But now, Ji Yao leaning close to her on her own… that was sweeter than any birthday cake she’d ever had.

Tan Zishu, having tasted it once, was hooked. She held Ji Yao tightly, unwilling to let go.

“Huh?”

Ji Yao looked down, puzzled, and found Tan Zishu clinging to her like a child desperate for love.

Ji Yao tried to pull away. “Time to get up.”

Tan Zishu argued, “You promised me — no waking me up too early in the morning.”

Ji Yao paused. Did I…? When was that again?

As if reading her mind, the system chimed in:

[Task #2: Fulfill her requests.]

“Oh,” Ji Yao said, then asked the system, “Could you repeat all of her requests for me?”

The system replied in its usual calm, robotic voice:

“Stay with her during her susceptibility period. Avoid being photographed by the media. Don’t wake her up too early. Don’t interfere with her personal habits. Try to be available whenever she needs you. Don’t lock the bedroom door after 10 p.m.… And try not to annoy her.”

Ji Yao replied without hesitation: “No problem.”

She wasn’t afraid of going back on her word with Tan Zishu — but she was wary of the system’s strict enforcement. If she crossed a line, she’d be punished. No exceptions.

At first, she thought Task #2 meant signing a formal contract. But now she realized it was simpler than that — it was just about keeping the verbal promises Tan Zishu had asked for.

And thankfully, those promises didn’t include the contents of that ridiculous ten-year agreement.

Good thing I asked for clarification, Ji Yao thought. Otherwise, I really would’ve been trapped by that contract.

She went over Tan Zishu’s verbal “terms” again — things like: let her sleep in, stop nagging, keep the door unlocked at night, be nearby, and don’t interfere.

Honestly… they sound like something a spoiled kid would say.

But they weren’t hard to follow.

“Fine,” Ji Yao drawled, “as long as you actually sleep, I don’t care if you stay in bed till noon — if you don’t have work during the day.”

Tan Zishu: “…”

Thanks, but yeah… my schedule is packed.

Ji Yao plugged in her phone and casually turned off Tan Zishu’s silent mode. “Sleep, then. I won’t bother you.”

She gently cradled Tan Zishu’s head and lowered it onto the pillow.

The moment her head touched it, sleep began to wash over her.

Maybe it was because her heart finally felt lighter. After days of tension, her nerves could finally rest.

Maybe — just maybe — this morning, she’d get a real, peaceful sleep.

Lou Juan stared at her contact list, restless, debating whether or not to make the call.

She took off her glasses, her wine-red hair falling softly across her shoulders. Her expression was troubled.

Having gone through multiple cycles with Tan Zishu, Lou Juan had seen firsthand how mad she could become. Every time Ji Yao came back, Tan Zishu would latch on like she couldn’t let go — threatening, manipulating, taking what she wanted by force if needed. There was nothing she wouldn’t do, no method she wouldn’t consider.

At first, Lou Juan had tried to stop her. But not only had she failed — she’d made Tan Zishu angry.

Now, she could only stand by and watch.

This time, Tan Zishu had come up with a new trick: exaggerate her flaws, then lure Ji Yao in like she was some poor, pitiful creature in need of saving.

“…It’s not even Double Ninth Festival yet,” Lou Juan murmured, watching the sky gradually brighten.

Ji Yao usually returned around that time. But this year… she came early.

Lou Juan hadn’t figured it out herself — someone else had told her. So when she personally went to Tan Zishu’s house to drop off that contract, she could hardly believe it.

She’s really back this early?

If that’s the case… maybe this time would be different.

Clinging to a tiny bit of hope, Lou Juan stared at Tan Zishu’s contact on her phone.

Tan Zishu was so intense, so overbearing — and Ji Yao, for all her strength, was kind and straightforward.

How is she supposed to deal with someone like that?

Sigh…

After thinking it over for a long time, Lou Juan finally found an excuse… and dialed Tan Zishu’s number.