Toxic Pheromones of a Scumbag Alpha (GL) - Chapter 21

“Jie, you’re really the sweetest,” Tan Zishu said sincerely. “There’s no one in the world kinder than you.”

Ji Yao got goosebumps from the sheer cheesiness of that line.

Tan Zishu was the very definition of blind trust—like someone viewing her through ten layers of filters.

“I finally understand what goes on in the minds of those hardcore fans,” Tan Zishu reflected. “I’ve never had much about me that was worth being proud of. Even after all the scandals and bad press, there are still fans who support me unconditionally, without question. I never really understood them. I mean, I’m the one benefiting from it, but honestly, I never thought it was healthy.”

Ji Yao rolled her eyes. “I wish your fans could hear this ungrateful nonsense.”

“It wouldn’t matter,” Tan Zishu replied calmly. “Even if you sent them the audio clip, they’d just convince themselves I was forced to say it, or say it was edited out of context… They’d always find a reason to forgive me.”

She smiled. “Just like I do with you. No matter what you do to me, I’ll always find a way to make excuses for you.”

“Okay, stop right there,” Ji Yao raised a hand, cutting her off with a mix of exasperation and amusement. “Don’t use me in that comparison. I haven’t done anything to hurt you.”

“I was just speaking hypothetically.” Tan Zishu looked her in the eye, a soft smile on her lips. “But if—just if—one day you realized you’d done something terrible…”

“Don’t jinx me.”

Ji Yao sighed. This little brat never thought about anything positive—and now she was turning that negativity toward her?

“Relax.” Ji Yao’s face darkened a little, but her voice stayed firm. “Even if I ever did something terrible, I’d never hurt you.”

Tan Zishu replied calmly, “I never doubted that for a second.”

Ji Yao gave her a light smack. “So why are you still talking nonsense? You trust me, and then immediately go fishing for a scolding?”

Tan Zishu yelped and ran off laughing, while Ji Yao stood with her hands on her hips, catching her breath.

Three hours passed.

Finally, Ji Yao received the results of her third attribute compatibility test. She blinked in surprise—it had arrived much faster than expected. After making sure Tan Zishu hadn’t doubled back, she opened the report carefully and seriously.

…Just as she expected.

No surprises at all—she still hadn’t differentiated. Just like in her past life, she belonged to the small group of late-stage undifferentiated individuals. The doctor’s recommendation was to stay under observation for a while and then undergo surgical activation of the third attribute, because otherwise, she would remain unable to perceive pheromones.

Ji Yao didn’t really mind.

She had never had much affection for the third attribute anyway. Like she’d always said—this kind of trait wasn’t some kind of human advancement. If anything, it was more like a step backward—something that brought out a wild, hard-to-control side in people. If humans couldn’t manage their own impulses, then what separated them from animals?

So not differentiating… might not be a bad thing.

Just as she was about to put her phone away, she noticed a push notification from one of her apps.

It was a news alert.

Normally, Ji Yao wouldn’t bother clicking on these kinds of flashy, clickbait headlines. But her eyes happened to catch one by accident—and the title stopped her cold.

—Shocking! The Real Story Behind Tan Zishu’s Romantic Conquests—A Living Version of “Substitute Lover” Fiction!

Ji Yao: “…”

She swore she hadn’t meant to tap it.

It was her hand. Her hand had betrayed her. Moved on its own. Totally out of her control.

Once inside, the content was about what she expected—cheap, sensational fluff from some low-tier gossip account. Ji Yao tried to be patient and read a few lines…

…then was completely speechless.

[So, what exactly is the story behind Tan Zishu’s romantic history? Many are already familiar with Tan Zishu’s dating past, but what’s the truth? Let’s take a closer look together.

Tan Zishu’s romantic history is, well, a romantic history. But why is it like this? That’s the big question.

Some readers might be shocked. How could Tan Zishu’s love life turn out this way? But that’s just how it is—surprising, even for us!

And that’s all for today on Tan Zishu’s dating saga. Isn’t it fascinating? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below! (End.)]

Ji Yao: “……”

She was thoroughly disappointed. Just as she was about to close the tab, her phone—clearly learning from her recent behavior—pushed her another article, “The Unspoken Truths Between Tan Zishu and Her Guardian.”

This one wasn’t as flashy. The title was calm, almost intriguing. Ji Yao, a little more curious this time, clicked it open.

But the moment the page loaded, she was hit in the face by a flood of explicit ads.

Ji Yao scowled, frustrated, and tried to exit. But as expected from a scummy site, it was easy to get in—and near impossible to get out. The “X” button kept moving around the screen, hidden behind dozens of bouncing pop-ups. It felt harder than playing hide-and-seek with a child.

Flustered, she tapped around wildly—and, of course, ended up getting stuck inside yet another news article.

Thankfully, this one wasn’t total nonsense.

Ji Yao skimmed the page and noticed that, surprisingly, the analysis was actually quite detailed and structured. It listed all of Tan Zishu’s rumored “kept lovers” over the years, complete with background details, appearance breakdowns, and even some oddly professional academic data to support the claims.

This article, surprisingly, was actually well-written. Exactly the kind of thing Ji Yao had been curious about.

She skimmed through it, glanced over the images, and noticed something odd—those so-called “canaries” all looked… somewhat similar. She couldn’t quite say what it was—just that there was something familiar in their faces.

Ji Yao frowned slightly. “Hmm…”

Then, at the end of the article, a familiar photo popped up—a still from one of her old dramas.

And the editor had added a caption under it.

That’s when Ji Yao realized what the real “common trait” was—all of those canaries looked a bit like her.

Ji Yao: “……”

Great. No need to keep reading now—she got the point.

She opened her chat with Tan Zishu and sent her a meme.

[fist clenching.jpg]

Tan Zishu replied, confused:

[Jie, you’re still upset? We should go pick up your test results now.]

Ji Yao: [No need. I already received the digital copy.]

Tan Zishu asked: [How is it?]

Ji Yao thought about it. It wasn’t anything serious, so she told her everything was fine.

As they exchanged a few messages, Ji Yao decided to go back and look over the article again more carefully. But by the time she reopened the tab, the news had already been buried beneath a flood of pop-up ads.

Ji Yao sighed.

Those women… they were just unlucky. Because they happened to look a bit like her, they ended up being pulled into Tan Zishu’s mess. Maybe the relationships were consensual, maybe no one felt taken advantage of—but Ji Yao still felt uneasy. A little guilty, even.

She figured she should do something to make it up to them, somehow.

When she was reading earlier, she had noticed something interesting. She wasn’t sure if it was because Tan Zishu had gotten lazy with choosing people, or if it was for easier control—or maybe it was just pure coincidence—but all of the girls she’d picked happened to be in the entertainment industry.

That made things much simpler.

Ji Yao thought to herself: I can’t just stay idle forever. Maybe it’s time to go back to what I know best… back to the screen.