Toxic Pheromones of a Scumbag Alpha (GL) - Chapter 4
“I thought removing the trial period was already the greatest show of trust between us,” Ji Yao said calmly. “Miss Tan, you’re a famous celebrity. The fact that you brought me home without hesitation shows you do trust me a little, doesn’t it?”
“Of course.”
Tan Zishu stood and walked over to her, taking Ji Yao’s hand and leading her toward a chaise lounge at the side of the study.
“If you’re already talking about extending the contract, I don’t mind drafting a new one.”
Ji Yao tried to resist, but to her surprise, Tan Zishu, despite her slender frame, had a firm grip. Ji Yao struggled briefly, but it was useless—she couldn’t break free.
“Why do you even have a chaise lounge in your study?” Ji Yao asked, glancing at the flashy piece of furniture with clear disapproval.
Little Tan Zishu used to have a ton of bad habits. She was never focused when reading and had terrible posture. Ji Yao had tried correcting her many times, only to be met with the same excuse:
“If you keep nagging, I won’t read at all.”
But whenever Ji Yao caught her reading while lying down or slouching, she would still scold her.
So now, seeing a chaise lounge planted right in the study, her first thought was naturally: She’s still lying down to read.
“In the study…” Ji Yao began instinctively, about to start lecturing again, “It’s not good to read like this.”
“Oh, that?”
Tan Zishu gestured for Ji Yao to sit down, while she slowly walked halfway around the lounge. Her slender fingers trailed lightly across the edge of the seat as she smiled faintly—a smile full of meaning Ji Yao didn’t like.
“What do you think this thing is used for?”
Ji Yao’s heart suddenly tensed. She had a bad feeling about what was coming.
She looked up—and their eyes met.
Tan Zishu was standing behind her now, one hand resting on Ji Yao’s shoulder, the other slowly wrapping around her waist. Then she leaned down, speaking in a hushed, intimate voice, her posture protective—too protective.
“Beds are boring. I prefer it right here.”
Ji Yao’s expression changed instantly. She pulled away sharply, frowning as she put distance between herself and the chaise lounge, choosing silence over confrontation.
“Relax, it was a joke,” Tan Zishu said with a laugh, clearly amused by Ji Yao’s reaction. She sat down on her own, and without missing a beat, called toward the door:
“Come in.”
Her assistant, Xu Xiyan, entered cautiously, holding out a packet:
“Miss Tan, here are the suppressant patches you asked for.”
This again…
Ji Yao’s temples began to throb.
Now she truly understood—grown-up Tan Zishu was a nightmare to deal with. Just… impossible.
What had happened to her?
This had once been such a good kid. How had she grown up to be like this? Willing to use underhanded tactics just to achieve her goals—nothing direct, always indirect, always manipulative.
While it wasn’t exactly coercion, it was close enough.
Having the assistant conveniently mention suppressants, or asking “Do we need to go to the hospital?”, or now delivering patches—all of it was calculated.
The unspoken implication?
“With me here, do you really need that stuff?”
Which would make Ji Yao look like the one taking the initiative, like she was eager for Tan Zishu’s attention.
How shameless.
Ji Yao was deeply disappointed.
Tan Zishu, she thought bitterly, you really didn’t need to put yourself on a fake moral high ground. You’ve already forced things this far. At this point, the only thing left is to see whether the “canary” knows how to play along.
Ji Yao had never been so disappointed in Tan Zishu—not even when she’d tried to make her sign that ridiculous contract.
The contract was just bad judgment, a sign of poor character. But this… this was something else entirely. It showed she was deliberately and shamelessly walking down the path of becoming a selfish, manipulative Alpha.
When someone chooses to fall that far, no one can save them.
“Forget the suppressant patches. I’m here, so you won’t need them.”
Even though she understood exactly what Tan Zishu was doing, Ji Yao still took the bait.
Because she couldn’t stand to watch her fall deeper into this mess.
If Tan Zishu insisted on going down this dark path, then Ji Yao would go with her—not to follow her, but to stop her from hurting anyone else.
She lowered her eyes, took the patch from Xu Xiyan’s hand, and said quietly,
“I’ll take care of it.”
Something about her felt off. Tan Zishu exchanged a confused look with her assistant, then silently gestured for Xu Xiyan to leave the room.
“Do you want the patch?” Ji Yao asked as she sat beside her, peeling it open.
“Will putting it on make you feel better? Or would it make you happier if I didn’t?”
Tan Zishu didn’t understand.
Wasn’t Ji Yao staying?
If she’d already agreed to stay, why was she still talking like this? Why was she still clinging to the idea of playing roles, acting through the patch ritual?
“No need—” she started to say, but she flinched when the cold patch touched her neck. She reached up and grabbed Ji Yao’s wrist.
“It’s fine now,” she said quickly.
Ji Yao didn’t pull her hand back. She looked Tan Zishu straight in the eye, her voice cold:
“You’re just looking for someone to sleep with.”
She used the exact tone she used to scold her when she was younger—sharp, disappointed, and serious.
“Since you’ve already made yourself the sponsor, why bother pretending? Why fake decency when it clearly doesn’t mean anything to you?”
Tan Zishu immediately sensed danger. She sat up straight, her expression alert.
She knew this time—Ji Yao was genuinely angry.
“I’m sorry.”
The apology came suddenly, with no explanation.
Ji Yao: “…”
That familiar, offhanded apology—just three light words, but every time she heard them, they made her completely lose steam.
Like a cannon about to fire that suddenly misfired, burning up from the inside before even launching.
“Can you get me a drink?” Tan Zishu asked softly. She dropped her usual flippant tone and looked serious.
“Let’s sit down and talk. I was rushing things. That’s my fault.”
Now that she finally looked like she was willing to talk properly, Ji Yao held back her anger and went to get the drink.
As soon as she left, Tan Zishu let her body relax completely. She lay down beside the lounge chair, covering her eyes with her hand.
She still couldn’t believe it.
Ji Yao had really come back. She was here. With her.
She hadn’t changed—still direct, still hot-tempered, and still always thinking of others.
Even her kindness was exactly the same as before.
Tan Zishu gave a bitter little smile.
Just as I thought. The moment I gave up, she came.
She didn’t know if this was the right thing to do, but she’d already made up her mind.
She’d set everything up, just so Ji Yao would see what she needed her to see.
She’d been waiting for this moment for so long. So long, it had nearly driven her mad.
Thankfully, Ji Yao came to her before she completely lost herself.
Tan Zishu hated people who used others’ kindness for their own gain.
And now, she’d become one of them—using Ji Yao’s kindness just to keep her around.
She hated herself for it.
She’d hated herself for ten years, living every day in regret and guilt. She didn’t even know when it started, but somewhere along the way, her feelings had twisted.
She didn’t just want Ji Yao to come back from the dead.
She wanted her to stay—forever.
As someone she loved.
From now on, no one else could use Ji Yao’s kindness.
Because kindness like that… could truly destroy a person.