SCOM - Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Because of that fleeting wisp of pheromones, the thought that the scent patch on the back of Ji Yuezhi's neck was fake left Zuo Luohuan with no mind for the lecture.
He was the young master of the Ji family, after all. How could he keep buying counterfeit goods?
On second thought, Zuo Luohuan figured that since he had always lived in the capital, despite his talent and strength, he was too naive in practical matters and easily deceived.
By the time she came to her senses, the class was nearly over. Zuo Luohuan watched the person in the front row get up and leave, then suddenly hurried after him. Beside her, Jiang Hong turned his head and, not seeing her, paused in confusion. He scanned the area and just barely caught a glimpse of her disappearing back at the doorway.
“Ji Yuezhi.” Zuo Luohuan followed him out and subconsciously reached out to pull him aside. “Go to your next class later.”
The force on his wrist was a little lighter than the other day, but since Ji Yuezhi was currently in his differentiation period, it didn't feel much better. His dark eyes stared at her quietly. “Do you want to fight me again?”
Zuo Luohuan had many quirks. Once she decided to do something herself, she had to do it perfectly. Her deliberate provocation that day was merely to get the measurements for the neck lock; she hadn't given the fight a second thought. Only now that he mentioned it did she remember. She was about to make a teasing remark, but classmates were starting to file out from behind them.
“I need to talk to you about something. No fighting.” Zuo Luohuan wasn't so shameless as to pick a fight with someone during their differentiation period. She pulled Ji Yuezhi directly toward the infirmary. If she remembered correctly, there should be emergency scent patches there.
The First Military Academy had a self-service infirmary in every building in case of emergencies, so the two arrived quickly.
Zuo Luohuan led him inside before finally letting go. Leaning against the door, her gaze swept over his neck. “Ji Xixiu picked you up to go home, but he didn't prepare proper scent patches for you?”
Hearing this, Ji Yuezhi pressed his lips together, seemingly pondering her meaning.
“Change to a better scent patch. I smelled your pheromones in the classroom.” Zuo Luohuan jutted her chin toward the shelf behind him, then turned, left, and closed the door.
Although they were both Alphas, the differentiation period was ultimately a private matter. It wouldn't be right for her to watch Ji Yuezhi change it, so she stepped out. Once the door was closed, Zuo Luohuan thought that since she had given her warning, there was no need to wait for him, and she started to walk away.
After taking two steps, Zuo Luohuan stopped again. Forget it, I'll just wait for him to finish. For specific reasons, the infirmary door couldn't be locked. If someone else went in while his pheromones were unstable from differentiation, an accident could happen, and that would be bad.
Inside the infirmary, Ji Yuezhi lowered his head, his eyes downcast. He finally understood what Zuo Luohuan meant. She thought his scent patch was of poor quality, causing his pheromones to leak.
The scent patch was a special hospital-grade one; there was no way it could leak pheromones. A certain possibility occurred to Ji Yuezhi, and the back of his neck suddenly grew hot. After a long moment, he slowly turned and took a new scent patch from the shelf. He stood before the mirror on the wall, turned sideways, and removed the patch from the gland on his nape, replacing it with the new one.
After doing this, Ji Yuezhi stood in place, composing himself for a long while before opening the door.
Hearing the door open, Zuo Luohuan, who was standing by the railing, turned her head. “Took you that long to change a scent patch?”
She moved closer, raising a hand to check if Ji Yuezhi had applied it correctly. She suspected he didn't know how to use the infirmary's scent patches. Tsk, still the same delicate and precious young master of the Ji family. Ji Xixiu spoils his son too much.
But before she could touch him, Ji Yuezhi slapped her hand away. His voice, as distant as ever, reached her ears. “Thank you for the reminder.”
Zuo Luohuan glanced down at her hand, and the faint, unintentional smile in her eyes vanished. Yet, the corners of her lips curved up. “No need to thank me. I just don't particularly want to smell your pheromones.”
Alphas generally disliked the pheromones of other Alphas. When the two scents met, one was bound to be suppressed. Her words were perfectly ordinary and reasonable, a common sentiment among Alphas.
This time, Zuo Luohuan turned and left without any further delay. She departed so quickly that she missed the sudden change in Ji Yuezhi's eyes, nor did she ever notice the packaging of the scent patch in the trash can behind the open door, on which was written: ‘For Omega Use’.
The fact that the two of them had left the classroom together was seen by some students. Later, during other classes, someone keenly noticed that the scent patch on the back of Ji Yuezhi's neck had been changed to a blue one—the kind used for emergencies in the infirmary.
【I heard she dragged Senior Ji away right after class and fought him, knocking his scent patch right off.】
【Outrageous! Will Zuo Luohuan ever stop? Bullying someone during their differentiation period!】
【That's wrong. I heard from someone in their class that they didn't fight, but Zuo Luohuan shamelessly tore off Ji Yuezhi's scent patch to smell his pheromones and see who was superior.】
【So shameless! His pheromones are unstable during differentiation, and she'd still do something like that?】
“Did you really do that?” During lunch, Jiang Hong looked at Zuo Luohuan, hesitating to speak. “You didn't have to be so provocative. He's still differentiating.”
Zuo Luohuan shot him a cold glance. “Why would I smell his pheromones?”
Jiang Hong: “...But he changed his scent patch.”
“What does that have to do with me?” Zuo Luohuan shoved her plate away with a blank expression, startling Jiang Hong.
“If you didn't do it, you didn't do it. Why are you so angry?” Jiang Hong muttered, finding it novel. Zuo Luohuan was someone who usually wore a smile and hid her emotions well. Only during the period right after her own differentiation had her temper been so volatile and her feelings so exposed.
“Can I sit here?” Yan Yan, with a chicken leg dangling from his mouth and two trays in his hands, was looking around for an empty seat. When he finally found one, he realized it was with Zuo Luohuan and Jiang Hong and asked indistinctly.
“Sit.” Zuo Luohuan pulled her plate back, a smile playing on her lips as she asked casually, “How's the food in the cafeteria?”
Jiang Hong, beside her: ... She changes her expression so fast.
Yan Yan put down his trays and took a bite of the chicken leg. “Delicious.”
“I heard you joined the gourmet club.” Zuo Luohuan picked at the food on her plate and looked at Yan Yan. “Why not join the Disciplinary Committee?”
“Why would I want to join the Disciplinary Committee? Those people are so pretentious, it's annoying just looking at them. They never do any real work, just sneak around checking if people's clothes are worn properly,” Yan Yan said in a muffled voice.
Zuo Luohuan leaned back in her chair, resting one arm on the back, and chuckled. “The Disciplinary Committee does more than just that.”
Yan Yan buried his head in his food without replying, clearly unconvinced.
Just then, Jiang Hong's optical computer chimed with a notification. He looked down to read it, then pulled a yellow wheat ear badge from his pocket and carefully fastened it to his chest. He then picked up his tray to leave, but paused. Looking at Yan Yan's collar, he aimed his optical computer at him and scanned it. “Untidy uniform. Two points deducted.”
Yan Yan, who hadn't even swallowed his mouthful of food, looked up with wide eyes. “...”
Jiang Hong waved to Zuo Luohuan. “On duty. I'm off.”
“Him... you!” Yan Yan was dumbfounded, never imagining a member of the Disciplinary Committee was right beside him. He stared at Zuo Luohuan. “Are you also from the Disciplinary Committee?”
Zuo Luohuan gave a slight shrug. “I don't have a wheat ear badge.”
It was common knowledge that the yellow wheat ear badge represented the Disciplinary Committee. Although Yan Yan believed her, he still fastened the button below his collar. The thought of the two points he had just lost was enough to give him a heart attack.
The longer they spent at the academy, the freshmen quickly discovered that academic credits were the hard currency of the First Military Academy. You needed credits for everything.
Starting from the day he changed his scent patch in the infirmary, Ji Yuezhi took leave again and didn't attend classes.
A normal differentiation period wouldn't require such frequent absences, unless it was nearing its end. But it had been too short a time since his differentiation began.
Many at the First Military Academy believed it was due to Zuo Luohuan's provocative actions. Others said the Ji family didn't want any accidents during Ji Yuezhi's differentiation. But whatever the reason, he never returned to class.
“If his differentiation is really this fast, I wonder if we'll see him at his coming-of-age ceremony,” Jiang Hong mused. “But it seems like there hasn't been much commotion from the Ji family's side.”
The instructor hadn't arrived yet. Zuo Luohuan leaned against the wall with her eyes closed, resting. In her mind, she traced the layout of the Military Armaments Database building over and over. On the twenty-eighth, the day of Ji Yuezhi's coming-of-age ceremony, most people's attention would be on the Ji family. As long as nothing went wrong, a trip to the Military Armaments Database would go unnoticed.
Hearing no response, Jiang Hong turned and nudged Zuo Luohuan. “Have you prepared Ji Yuezhi's gift?”
Interrupted, Zuo Luohuan showed no sign of annoyance and simply said, “Where's the stuff?”
Jiang Hong: “...”
He passed something to Zuo Luohuan under the desk, his voice low. “Door card, fake pupils. If you get caught, don't drag me into it.”
Zuo Luohuan put the items away. She thought of the ‘gift’ she had made herself and hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't change her mind.
The Ji residence.
A doctor had just given Ji Yuezhi a nutrient injection. Seeing him silently gazing out the window, the doctor couldn't help but offer some comfort. “No one can predict what will happen during differentiation. Things are different now than they were in the past. Everyone can do what they want to do; the differences aren't that great.”
Ji Yuezhi looked back. “I know.”
The differentiation period consumed a great deal of nutrients, and timely nutrient injections helped accelerate the process and restore physical strength. Because he was well-nourished, Ji Yuezhi's lips were a rosy red, which looked somewhat suggestive against his pale, cool face. “Please go and rest for now. I'll have to trouble you again later, Doctor.”
“You should get some good sleep too.” The doctor held the test report, sighing inwardly. Who could have expected this kind of differentiation result?
After hearing the doctor close the door, a moment passed before Ji Yuezhi slowly curled up under the covers. He gradually wrapped himself into a ball with the blanket, the words ‘I just don't particularly want to smell your pheromones’ replaying in his mind.
Did his pheromones smell that bad?
Ji Yuezhi sniffed the scent on his blanket. Since it was his bedroom, it was inevitably tinged with the smell of his pheromones. But his differentiation wasn't fully complete yet, so even his room only had a very faint, light scent.
But... his pheromones hadn't been leaking that day. He had a scent patch on, yet she could still smell them. Besides the possibility that her rank was so high it made her sense of smell abnormally keen, there was only one other explanation.
Lying under the white blanket, Ji Yuezhi's thoughts spun. His long lashes trembled, his usual icy demeanor completely gone, leaving only the tips of his ears, peeking from under his dark hair, gradually turning red.
—Only someone with a one hundred percent pheromone compatibility could smell such a faint, almost imperceptible trace of pheromones.
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