A cherry blossom petal landed on Luo Wenchuan’s head, but he seemed completely unaware.
Chi Yu stared at Yun Xingze, unable to believe that the person before him was the same boy who had once followed him around, eager to please. His heart felt riddled with holes in that moment.
As Yun Xingze turned to leave, Chi Yu could no longer restrain his emotions. He reached out and grabbed Yun Xingze’s shoulders with both hands.
“I won’t let you leave me.” Chi Yu’s large hands gripped with forceful intensity, trembling with agitation. His voice carried an unrestrained, overwhelming affection, mixed with a hint of anger. “Xingze, both the Chi and Yun families think we’re just going through a rough patch. Your family is still waiting for us to reconcile.”
Luo Wenchuan sensed something amiss and turned to look at them, his brow immediately furrowing.
“Let go,” Yun Xingze gritted out. “Do you want to get hit?”
“I won’t let go.” Chi Yu tried to pull Yun Xingze into his embrace. “Xingze, I won’t hold your past mistakes against you, and you shouldn’t dwell on mine either. Let me take you to rebind our pheromones.”
Just as Yun Xingze raised his fist, ready to strike.
A tall figure appeared behind him.
A broad hand gently but firmly covered Yun Xingze’s eyes. The next second, a sharp, violent punch landed.
“BAM!”
Before Yun Xingze could even process what had happened, the hands on his shoulders loosened from the pain.
Chi Yu staggered back several steps from the blow, crying out in agony.
Luo Wenchuan remained composed, his left hand still shielding Yun Xingze’s eyes as he calmly retracted his right fist.
His deep, clear voice sounded from above Yun Xingze:
“If it annoys you, then don’t look.”
Yun Xingze froze.
The punch had landed squarely on Chi Yu’s nose, sending blood gushing out. But more unbearable than the pain was the overwhelming jealousy burning in his chest.
“Luo Wenchuan, have you lost your mind?!” Chi Yu lunged forward, ready to retaliate, only to be met with a swift kick that nearly sent him crumpling to the ground.
“I suggest you abandon any thoughts of forcibly rebinding pheromones with him,” Luo Wenchuan’s voice was icy enough to freeze bone. “Otherwise, I won’t mind kicking you a few more times.”
Yun Xingze’s heart inexplicably raced.
The large hand covering his eyes was slightly rough with calluses, yet its touch was gentle. Shielding him from the bloody scene and blocking out Chi Yu’s detestable face.
Yet the speed of his punches and kicks was in stark contrast to that gentle hand. Even though Yun Xingze couldn’t see, he could feel the chilling murderous intent radiating from the movements.
“Luo Wenchuan! Who the hell do you think you are?” Chi Yu glared at Luo Wenchuan, all his previous humiliation and sorrow now transformed into burning rage directed at this interloper. “What’s your fucking relationship with Yun Xingze? What right do you have to interfere in our matters?!”
The passing students were stunned by this dramatic confrontation.
Pretending to just walk by, they slowed their pace, stealing continuous glances at the trio from the corners of their eyes.
“And you,” Luo Wenchuan lifted his gaze to meet Chi Yu’s, his voice icy, “what exactly is your relationship with him?”
Yun Xingze was taken aback by Luo Wenchuan’s blunt question.
Chi Yu immediately realized Luo Wenchuan had overheard their earlier conversation, filling him with bitter frustration.
But he maintained his composure, countering with a cold sneer:
“Luo Wenchuan, my pheromone compatibility with Xingze reaches 89%. Jealous? Too bad you’re fucking allergic to Omega pheromones; destined to die alone without a mate.”
Yun Xingze’s eyes widened in shock upon hearing this Luo Wenchuan was allergic to Omega pheromones?!
He had absolutely no idea!
Then he noticed the fingers covering his eyes stiffen slightly against his skin.
In this moment, with his back pressed against Luo Wenchuan’s chest, Yun Xingze could feel the warmth of the other’s breath against his ear and the solid strength of the arm draped protectively over his shoulder.
Luo Wenchuan… allergic to Omega pheromones?
“Xingze, now you understand only I can make you happy in this world.” Chi Yu glared jealously at their intimate posture and continued, “No one will ever match you better than I do!”
Luo Wenchuan pressed his lips together as whispers and stares multiplied around them.
“Wait, Luo Wenchuan’s allergic to Omega pheromones?”
“No way, is that actually true?”
“That’s so tragic.”
But he paid no mind to the murmurs. His deep voice carried unwavering conviction when he addressed Chi Yu: “No matter how high your compatibility is, Yun Xingze isn’t your property.”
Chi Yu froze momentarily before scoffing, “What, are you jealous? I bet you’re just bitter about our match percentage while you’re doomed to die alone.”
Yun Xingze slowly reached up, grasping Luo Wenchuan’s slightly feverish hand to lower it from his eyes. His cold gaze settled on Chi Yu’s bloodied nose as he stated flatly, “Chi, I never want to see you again. Stop harping about compatibility even if you were the last person on earth, I’d never be with you.”
Chi Yu stood paralyzed, mouth opening and closing soundlessly.
He never expected Yun Xingze to be this ruthless not even their high compatibility could win him back now.
Luo Wenchuan remained behind Yun Xingze, the younger boy’s hair brushing against his nose as the ten-centimeter height difference between them became apparent. The warmth of Yun Xingze’s hand over his sent his heartbeat spiraling out of control again.
“Let’s go.”
Yun Xingze released Luo Wenchuan’s heated palm and turned to face him. “Want to grab dinner together?”
Luo Wenchuan glanced at Chi Yu, whose face was gloomy, then curled his lips slightly:
“Alright.”
The two walked side by side past Chi Yu, leaving him behind. The surrounding gazes directed at Chi Yu were filled with sympathy.
Chi Yu stood frozen in place, gritting his teeth, his fingers clenched tightly into fists.
After leaving the dormitory area, Yun Xingze said to Luo Wenchuan, “There’s a noodle shop in our school’s third cafeteria that’s pretty good. Let me treat you?”
Luo Wenchuan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. “Treat me?”
“Yeah,” Yun Xingze nodded. “Thanks for helping me earlier. Though I don’t have much money right now, so I can only repay you with a bowl of noodles for now.”
Luo Wenchuan gave a low hum of acknowledgment.
Yun Xingze was used to Luo Wenchuan’s habit of replying with just one or two words. But then, he suddenly heard Luo Wenchuan add, “Then I should eat more.”
Yun Xingze blinked in surprise.
He hadn’t expected Luo Wenchuan to make a joke. When he looked up at him, Luo Wenchuan’s face remained expressionless.
“…Sure,” Yun Xingze said, snapping out of his daze as a smile broke across his face. “I can afford that much.”
When they arrived at the noodle shop, Luo Wenchuan indeed ordered an extra-large portion of Tonkotsu ramen.
While waiting for their food, Yun Xingze recalled Chi Yu’s earlier words. He looked at Luo Wenchuan and cautiously asked, “So, you’re really allergic to Omega pheromones?”
Luo Wenchuan didn’t answer directly, which was as good as confirmation.
Yun Xingze remembered how Luo Wenchuan had held an umbrella for him in the heavy rain that day. At the time, he’d only noticed that Luo Wenchuan seemed uncomfortable, as if struggling to endure something.
Now it made sense. He must have been reacting to Yun Xingze’s pheromones?
“I’m sorry, I had no idea,” Yun Xingze said, scratching his head. “So, when you helped me that day and seemed unwell, was that because of the pheromone allergy too? I guess I caused you trouble.”
Luo Wenchuan’s fingers, wrapped around his water glass, paused briefly. After a moment, he took a few sips before meeting Yun Xingze’s gaze and saying slowly, “Actually, it’s not all Omega pheromones.”
To be more precise, in this world, Yun Xingze’s pheromones were the only ones he wasn’t allergic to.
That day, Luo Wenchuan’s discomfort hadn’t been because of an allergic reaction. It was because Yun Xingze’s rose-scented pheromones had triggered an intense physical response in him.
If he hadn’t restrained himself with all his might, he might have marked Yun Xingze right then and there, with unimaginable consequences.
“Oh, really?” Yun Xingze was taken aback. He hadn’t realized Luo Wenchuan’s allergies were selective.
After a pause, Yun Xingze couldn’t help asking curiously, “Then, are you allergic to my pheromones?”
Luo Wenchuan looked at Yun Xingze for a long moment before shaking his head.
“That’s good,” Yun Xingze sighed in relief. “I was afraid I’d harmed you.”
The fact that Luo Wenchuan wasn’t allergic to Yun Xingze’s pheromones carried another layer of meaning. But just then, a robot server brought their noodles, and the aroma distracted Yun Xingze before he could ponder the deeper implications.
Luo Wenchuan ate his noodles with refined elegance, though when he was with Yun Xingze, he seemed to make an effort to let go of some of that restraint.
Yun Xingze liked to twirl his noodles around his chopsticks into a neat bundle before eating them.
Noticing this, Luo Wenchuan tried to imitate the motion, but his attempt was less successful. The noodles unraveled halfway through, nearly splashing broth everywhere.
Yun Xingze glanced at him with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.
Luo Wenchuan coughed twice to hide his embarrassment and proactively changed the subject to divert Yun Xingze’s attention: “How’s your mech modification coming along?”
“I asked my roommate to calculate the win rate for me,” Yun Xingze replied. “It’s about 26%, still needs improvement.”
Luo Wenchuan paused and asked, “Your psychic level is still at B-rank, right?”
“It’s B+ now, already at 90% of the B-rank progress bar,” Yun Xingze said.
The gap between 90% of the psychic progress bar and the next level, though only 10%, could take a long time to bridge sometimes even years, depending on luck. Some people never managed to break through.
“Between B+ and A-rank, the difficulty isn’t extreme, but it’s not something you can achieve overnight either,” Luo Wenchuan said, a hint of concern in his voice. “If you keep modifying your mech, the pulse device’s load will exceed A-rank levels.”
Yun Xingze knew what Luo Wenchuan was worried about. He also stopped eating his noodles and frowned. “But with only a 26% win rate, I’m still at a huge disadvantage against He Haoming…”
“For a battle between B+ and S+, 26% is already a miracle,” Luo Wenchuan said slowly, watching Yun Xingze. “If the mech overloads, you won’t be able to pilot it.”
Yun Xingze fell into thought.
