SCOM - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
The banquet had already ended at 10:30 PM. By the time Zuo Luohuan arrived, all the guests had long since left. From a distance, only the cleaning staff remained.
Going over directly now...
Zuo Luohuan glanced down at the blood-soaked clothes at her waist. Clearly not an option.
She opened the car window, took a picture of the Ji residence, then sent a message to Jiang Hong via her optical computer: [Which room does Ji Yuezhi live in?]
Jiang Hong: [...It's his coming-of-age ceremony today, what are you planning?]
He didn't ask about what happened earlier. Anyway, Zuo Luohuan still had the mind to ask about Ji Yuezhi now. But was his Jiang family's information just for her to use like this?
Zuo Luohuan, already impatient from the pain, asked again: [Which room?]
Jiang Hong: [Third floor, second room on the left.]
Zuo Luohuan looked up at the room Jiang Hong mentioned. Seen from the window outside, it was pitch black inside. Right, after the coming-of-age ceremony, he would probably spend some time with his family. At this moment, Ji Yuezhi was likely with his parents.
She picked up the blue, black, and gold gift box beside her, decided to bypass the Ji family guards, climb straight up the building, intending to slip in through the window and silently leave the gift.
The Ji residence guards were noticeably more vigilant than those outside the Armament Database building, but still considerably less skilled than the guard who had injured Zuo Luohuan. It wasn't too difficult for her to sneak in.
Reaching the third floor, Zuo Luohuan glanced down at the guards about to patrol past below, quickly pulled open the window, and slipped inside.
In the darkness, Zuo Luohuan straightened up, preparing to casually place the gift on the nearby table. It was 11:50 PM; the coming-of-age day wasn't over yet.
The expensive gift box made a soft sound as it landed on the table. Just as she was about to climb back out the window, she suddenly sensed something and spun around abruptly.
...
After the coming-of-age speech, Ji Yuezhi didn't stay long at the banquet, quickly returning to his room to rest. Not only because of the discomfort from the differentiation period but also because that person had left early. During her coming-of-age ceremony last year, they hadn't seen each other. This time, at his own ceremony, they had only exchanged glances from afar.
Perhaps due to his mood, the gland at his nape also felt faintly swollen. Ji Xixiu came by twice to check on him, finally turning off the light for him, telling Ji Yuezhi to rest well.
Ji Yuezhi lay sideways on the bed, not asleep. The aching throb of his gland, and the image of Zuo Luohuan raising her wine glass in salute earlier, replayed whenever he closed his eyes: compared to everyone else, she was dressed quite casually, in simple black clothes, as if she wasn't attending a banquet. Even so, standing among the formally dressed crowd, she shone so brightly that others dimmed in comparison.
She never liked attending banquets; her presence was already unexpected. In the darkness, Ji Yuezhi's long lashes trembled. He consoled himself: seeing her even once made him happy.
This self-consolation didn't last long. Soon, Ji Yuezhi sensed movement outside the window. His eyes snapped open, his expression instantly turning ice-cold. Before the window was pulled open, he rolled off the bed, quickly grabbing the light gun from under the nightstand and aiming it at the window.
At this juncture, was it an assassination attempt or a kidnapping?
Ji Yuezhi's eyes fixed on the window, rapidly filtering through recent Federation news. Perhaps his differentiation might obstruct someone's path.
However, all his calculations and strategies vanished the moment a pair of hands appeared outside the window. Ji Yuezhi watched the person pull open the window and climb in. Moonlight clearly illuminated the person's profile. His previously tense arm subconsciously relaxed, and his fingertip on the trigger loosened involuntarily.
The moment he relaxed, the person by the window instantly sensed the change and spun around sharply towards Ji Yuezhi.
Perhaps affected by the electric drill-like pain in her head, Zuo Luohuan's alertness had dropped significantly. Initially, she hadn't noticed anyone in the room. She turned to look at the gun near the edge of the bed and the half-revealed, handsome, familiar face: "...Ji Yuezhi."
Ji Yuezhi stood up and turned on the light, his tone indifferent. "What are you doing?"
Zuo Luohuan took a few seconds to regain her composure, leaned against the table, casually picked up the gift box again. "Delivering your coming-of-age gift."
"Delivering a gift by climbing through the window?" Ji Yuezhi held the light gun in one hand, the other hand clenched tightly behind his back, though his face showed no abnormality.
"It's late, worried about disturbing you." Zuo Luohuan could lie through her teeth, and this time there was even a hint of truth. Her gaze shifted down to Ji Yuezhi's hand, and she let out a very soft laugh. "Nice gun. Just now... thank you, our Yuezhi, for showing mercy."
Just now, Zuo Luohuan hadn't detected anyone in the room. If Ji Yuezhi had fired, she definitely wouldn't have dodged it.
"A return gift." Zuo Luohuan walked towards Ji Yuezhi, stopping right in front of him. She held out the gift. "Aren't you going to open it and see?"
She wanted to see his reaction when he saw the neck lock. It would surely be... interesting.
Neither of them was in good condition today. So, only when Zuo Luohuan got close did Ji Yuezhi finally sense something amiss. He suddenly looked up, meeting Zuo Luohuan's eyes. "You!"
It was the scent of pheromones!
Frigid ice and snow, carrying an illusion of suffocation, rushed towards him. This was Zuo Luohuan's pheromone. Most people would find breathing difficult after smelling just a little. Yet, when Ji Yuezhi smelled this icy pheromone, an unusual pale blush gradually spread across his face. The gland at his nape throbbed and heated up, and another pheromone scent quietly emerged in the room.
Zuo Luohuan clearly sensed something was wrong too. The sudden appearance of this pheromone in the room momentarily stunned her: Where did the Omega pheromones come from?
Sickeningly sweet iris mixed with frigid ice and snow, filling the air. The two pheromones neutralized each other, transforming into a clear, sweet fragrance carrying moisture, like the scent of a forest after spring rain.
A differentiated Alpha and an Alpha still differentiating react vastly differently to Omega pheromones. Zuo Luohuan's first reaction was that Ji Yuezhi was deliberately using Omega pheromones against her. However, before she could react, Ji Yuezhi opposite her suddenly went limp. Seeing him about to fall, she instinctively caught him.
Pressed together, Zuo Luohuan finally realized something was wrong. This sickeningly sweet iris scent emanated from Ji Yuezhi's nape gland. She could smell it even through the patch, completely different from the fleeting scent in class the other day.
These were the pheromones of an Omega nearing the end of differentiation.
Ji Yuezhi was already unsteady. Now leaning against Zuo Luohuan, he felt as if covered by endless ice and snow. His body felt soft and hot, his thoughts chaotic. He wanted to struggle upright, but it seemed more like nuzzling against her face. After much effort, he finally managed to lift his face. The corners of his narrow eyes were tinged with the blush of a peach blossom. His voice trembled as he managed a sliver of clarity: "Your pheromones... retract them."
Zuo Luohuan was also losing control. Her hand around Ji Yuezhi's waist inevitably tightened. Her eyes, usually carrying a hint of amusement, were now bottomless pits. She hadn't released any pheromones from start to finish, so how could she retract them?
No, it wasn't her releasing pheromones; it was the minuscule amount carried in her blood.
Zuo Luohuan's side was grazed, and her clothes inevitably stained with blood. How could she have known Ji Yuezhi would differentiate into an Omega? She had brazenly climbed through the window and approached him openly. A top-tier Alpha's pheromones brought not only absolute suppression but also immense temptation for an Omega.
Figuring out what happened, Zuo Luohuan's face darkened. Doing this on his coming-of-age night was simply...
Zuo Luohuan decisively placed him on the bed, intending to find a stabilizer. Ji Yuezhi on the bed was already barely conscious, instinctively clutching her hand, not letting her leave.
At this moment, Zuo Luohuan's expression was no better than when her head was pounding earlier. She tried to pull Ji Yuezhi's hand away, but subconsciously used less force. However, his grip was extremely tight, as if afraid he'd never find her again if he let go. "I'm going to get a stabilizer."
He loosened his grip slightly but still held on tightly.
Zuo Luohuan covered his hand with her other hand. "Be good, Ji Yuezhi."
Ji Yuezhi lay on the bed, his fringe damp with sweat. He forced his eyes open, stared fixedly at Zuo Luohuan, and finally released her hand.
Zuo Luohuan immediately opened the nightstand drawer, breathing a sigh of relief. As expected, it contained everything needed for an Omega during the differentiation period. She took out an Omega stabilizer and a nutrient shot and helped Ji Yuezhi inject them.
Ji Yuezhi lay on the bed, his previously pale face flushed faintly red, his eyes moist. He quietly watched Zuo Luohuan administer the injections into his arm.
Zuo Luohuan inadvertently met his clear, moist eyes. Her throat tightened, and her gaze instinctively shifted away. "After the stabilizer, get some good sleep."
Ji Yuezhi was still looking at her. Zuo Luohuan couldn't resist leaning over and covering his eyes with her hand. "Close your eyes and sleep."
When she removed her hand, Ji Yuezhi had indeed closed his eyes.
With the stabilizer, Ji Yuezhi's condition would gradually stabilize. But as long as Zuo Luohuan remained, she was a potential risk. She turned on the room's circulation system; soon, the pheromones here would be vented out.
Now she had to leave this bedroom quickly.
Zuo Luohuan bent down, tucked Ji Yuezhi in, placed a glass of water on the nightstand, then stepped back a few paces, turned off the room light, and whispered in the darkness, "Sorry."
From climbing out of the third-floor window to getting back into her car, Zuo Luohuan couldn't even remember how she got out. The pain in her head and side had long been forgotten; her mind was now just a chaotic mess.
Zuo Luohuan rested her hands on the steering wheel, seemingly still able to smell the sickeningly sweet iris scent clinging to her.
...Ji Yuezhi actually differentiated into an Omega.
This fact hit Zuo Luohuan hard. How could he possibly be an Omega? Wasn't he supposed to differentiate into an Alpha?
After recovering for a long time, Zuo Luohuan finally remembered one thing: she forgot to take the gift back.
Before, sending the neck lock was just a special return gift. But now that Ji Yuezhi had differentiated into an Omega, this gift was completely inappropriate.
She hadn't meant the neck lock to imply she hoped Ji Yuezhi would differentiate into an Omega. Back then, she assumed he would differentiate into an Alpha.
Zuo Luohuan couldn't help but recall Ji Yuezhi in his military uniform at school, radiating a cold aura. How did he react upon learning he had differentiated into an Omega?
Going back to retrieve the gift now was too late; it would only risk triggering Ji Yuezhi's pheromones again. Zuo Luohuan leaned back in the car seat, pressing her fingertips hard against her temples. Everything tonight had been completely unexpected.
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