FIO CH28

Chapter 28: Pheromone Out of Control

“Ah…” Jiang Mingyi nodded, his fingertips gliding across the surface of the large stone table. “Got it. You go ahead with your business.”

After hanging up the phone, Lu Fangchi looked at him, raising an eyebrow inquiringly. Jiang Mingyi looked up, took a sip of wine, his tongue tracing his lips, and replied, “Yu Yao’s brother has been exiled to the countryside by the old man to participate in a transformation program.”

Oh? Lu Fangchi had only met Yu Yao’s brother a few times. In his memory, he was a carefree omega, with blonde hair, ear piercings, lip rings, and ripped jeans, yet he had an innocent face and was quite adorable. He would tilt his head and call people “brother,” which always left Yu Yao with no way to deal with him. It seemed he had finally been disciplined.

Lu Fangchi raised his glass, took a sip of wine, and nodded. In the dim light, a narrow hallway was walked through by an omega wearing a crop top, with smoky makeup and blowing smoke rings, who seemed to accidentally stumble towards Lu Fangchi’s direction. Lu Fangchi quickly shifted his body. Seeing that he was about to miss and fall flat on his face, the omega bit his lower lip and closed his eyes.

The expected pain didn’t come. The omega opened his eyes a slit and saw a handsome face smiling at him. Unlike the other’s cold and delicate appearance, this man had a casual, lazy smile with a gleam in his eyes.

“Watch your step, little beauty,” the alpha said, helping the omega steady himself and brushing the dust off his clothes with a smile. The omega’s eyes lit up, and he quickly handed his business card to the alpha.

The alpha took it with a smile, but as the omega turned to leave, he casually tossed the card aside without a second glance. Lu Fangchi shook his head slightly, feeling somewhat helpless as he watched Jiang Mingyi’s flirtatious behavior. They got along well, except for their differing views on relationships. But that didn’t really affect anything.

Jiang Mingyi opened a pack of cigarettes, took one out and put it between his lips, then offered one to Lu Fangchi. He pinched it with his fingers, and they leaned their heads together to light the cigarettes with a lighter. As he exhaled a ring of smoke, Jiang Mingyi said nonchalantly, “Yu Yao is barely holding on himself. It’s strange that he could come.”

“Oh?” Lu Fangchi looked puzzled.

Jiang Mingyi flicked the ash off his cigarette with his index finger, his expression indifferent. “He broke up.”

“Ah?” Lu Fangchi’s face showed clear surprise, his eyebrows furrowing. “They’ve been together for seven years. How could they suddenly…”

Jiang Mingyi shrugged, his face obscured by the smoke. “Seven years may sound long, but when the wind blows, nothing is left.”

Lu Fangchi felt a pang of sorrow and his lips moved slightly. “I had no idea…”

Jiang Mingyi chuckled, looking up at him. “Would you have known? Your soul has been captivated by some little sprite, hasn’t it? If I hadn’t threatened to cut ties with you to get you out here today, would you have come?”

Lu Fangchi’s ears grew hot as he spoke. He raised his hand and pinched his earlobe. Lately, he had indeed been quite infatuated, to the point of neglecting his friends. After confirming their relationship on New Year’s Eve, Zhou Zheng quickly and naturally stepped into the role of a boyfriend, always wanting to cuddle and hug, and constantly practicing to improve his kissing skills.

Zhou Zheng’s strong desire to learn had rapidly elevated his skills to a level of proficiency, occasionally matching Lu Fangchi’s. They hadn’t gone all the way simply because they hadn’t agreed on who would take which position. Recalling how Zhou Zheng had pouted unhappily by the door before he left, clearly expressing his stance—that he didn’t want Lu Fangchi to go out—Lu Fangchi felt a strong urge to just stay home and be lovey-dovey with Zhou Zheng. It was almost as if he had decided to indulge in domestic bliss and neglect everything else.

“Can you stop smiling so disgustingly?” Jiang Mingyi’s tone, laced with disdain, interrupted his thoughts. He frowned, his face showing extreme discomfort as he exaggeratedly shivered, feeling goosebumps falling all over the place.

“Speaking of which, what’s with the smell on you? You’re completely soaked in it,” Jiang Mingyi changed the subject.

Lu Fangchi pulled at his collar and sniffed. “There’s a bit of a tea scent?”

“Bro, it’s more than a bit,” Jiang Mingyi said with an expression of disbelief. “What’s the difference between this and a puppy peeing to mark its territory? Don’t you have any pride?”

Lu Fangchi raised an eyebrow, thinking to retort that the analogy was too vulgar, but then he reconsidered and said, “But his pheromones have indeed been…”

Before he could finish his sentence, his phone started buzzing loudly, like a busy bee, and the screen lit up with dozens of message notifications. Jiang Mingyi saw it all and gave a thumbs-up with an admiring look.

Lu Fangchi swatted away his gesture, took his phone, and unlocked it to check.

Xiao Zhouzhou: When are you coming back?

When are you coming back?

When are you coming back?

When are you coming back?

When are you coming back?

…

Lu Fangchi: …

He took a drag on his cigarette and replied: I just got out…

Before he could finish typing, the messages started flooding in again: I miss you.

I miss you.

I miss you.

Miss you.

You.

The sourness of being in love meant that seeing such cheesy messages didn’t feel nauseating at all; instead, it made Lu Fangchi’s heart flutter, and he couldn’t suppress the upward curl of his lips: In a little while.

Xiao Zhouzhou: How long is a little while?

Xiao Zhouzhou: I’m not feeling well.

Lu Fangchi: What’s wrong?

Xiao Zhouzhou: I don’t know, I have a headache, nausea, and I want to throw up.

Is he sick? Lu Fangchi pursed his lips, thought for a couple of seconds, and looked up at Jiang Mingyi. Without even needing to speak, Jiang Mingyi waved his hand, urging him to leave: “You’d better go. I’m about to have a night of passion.” The omega with smoky makeup, who hadn’t received a reply for a long time, kept edging closer.

“Alright.” Lu Fangchi got up, picked up his coat, patted Jiang Mingyi’s back, and said, “Next time.”

After leaving the bar, Lu Fangchi called a designated driver, handed him the keys, got into the back seat, and said, “No. 889 Qingfeng Road. Please hurry.”

The driver nodded and replied, “Sure thing, I’ll get you there quickly and safely.”

Lu Fangchi nodded, lowered his eyes, and started typing: I’m heading back now.

All the way until the car pulled up to the building, Zhou Zheng didn’t reply.

After paying the driver, Lu Fangchi headed upstairs. He got off the elevator, opened the door with his fingerprint scanner, and was greeted by darkness and an overwhelming tea scent that took his breath away.

What’s going on? This smell is too strong, more than ten times worse than a few days ago.

This is not normal; it feels like a pheromone release out of control. Lu Fangchi pursed his lips and held his breath, stepping inside, preparing to find Zhou Zheng and take him to the hospital.

Following the source of the pheromones, Lu Fangchi found Zhou Zheng in the bedroom. He had made a mess of the bed, piling clothes from the wardrobe into a small mountain around himself, and was sitting in the middle, huddled under the quilt, looking up at Lu Fangchi with a pitiful expression: “I feel terrible.”

His eyes were red, his nose was red, and his lips were downturned, showing an expression of having suffered a great wrong, yet the pheromones emanating from him were strong and overpowering, pressing down on Lu Fangchi.

Lu Fangchi’s brow furrowed into a frown, and a bead of sweat formed on his temple. Seeing Zhou Zheng’s obvious nesting behavior, he couldn’t help but understand.

“You’re in your sensitive period. I’m going to call the control center,” Lu Fangchi said, struggling against the pheromone assault, and turned to twist the doorknob.

As soon as he opened the door a crack, the tea scent from behind enveloped him. Zhou Zheng wrapped his arms around Lu Fangchi from behind, placed a hand on the door, and protested in a low voice, “I don’t want to go to the control center.”

So close, the warm breath mixed with the tea scent assaulted Lu Fangchi’s senses, making his head spin. He turned to face Zhou Zheng with difficulty.

Even closer, Zhou Zheng in his sensitive period was overwhelmingly intense. His dark eyes were burning, and Lu Fangchi looked down, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Be a good boy,” he said.

Zhou Zheng lowered his head and moved even closer, forcing eye contact with Lu Fangchi. He pressed his nose against Lu Fangchi’s, his charming eyes captivating: “Can we not go?”

Lu Fangchi shifted uncomfortably, his back against the door with nowhere to retreat. He pursed his lips in silent refusal.

Zhou Zheng’s eyes reddened even more, and a glistening tear rolled down his face, falling onto Lu Fangchi’s face as it slid down his nose. He looked up at Lu Fangchi with red eyes and pleaded, “Brother.”

Lu Fangchi closed his eyes briefly.

“Please,” he said again, another hot tear falling.

It cracked open a gap.

Lu Fangchi felt himself nod slightly.