ABMSI Chapter 17

“Do you want to crash at my place tonight, and maybe… teach me how to control my pheromones?”

Duan Wei stood on the street. After running a few steps, he felt cold again and hunched his shoulders.

Before the gang fight, he had already learned the truth of the office theft from Peng Yan, and he also knew that Fu Duqiu had been working with Old Tong on the investigation these days. Because of that, Duan Wei’s resentment toward Fu Duqiu had lessened a bit.

And considering how suddenly everything happened tonight, with Fu Duqiu running around with him the whole time, it did seem inappropriate to let him stay at a hotel.

But Fu Duqiu didn’t answer right away. He just stood there, and the screen in his hand slowly dimmed with time.

Seeing that the other didn’t reply for so long, Duan Wei thought Fu Duqiu didn’t want to stay at his house. Just as he was about to speak, Fu Duqiu suddenly took off the coat he had put on earlier. The next moment, darkness fell over Duan Wei’s eyes, and the scent of white rosin instantly filled his nose.

“Let’s go.”

Fu Duqiu tossed the coat over Duan Wei’s head, then walked over to his side. In the brief moment when Duan Wei couldn’t see, Fu Duqiu quietly smiled.

He thought Duan Wei was right—he really did need to remind him of a few things about Alpha–Omega interactions.

For example, when an Omega invites an Alpha to stay over, what exactly does that mean.

“You…”

Duan Wei pulled the coat off his head and saw that Fu Duqiu was already walking off in another direction.

Even though that road led straight to Duan Wei’s house, he still chased after him, calling out, “Wait for me! If I don’t show you the way, how would you know where I live?”

At that, Fu Duqiu gave him a glance but said nothing.

The two of them walked along the street until Duan Wei pushed open the iron gate, climbed up to the third floor, and unlocked the door with his key.

But as soon as the door opened, he smelled a strong scent of gunpowder.

The house was very quiet, with only the living room light on. The TV on the wall was still on but muted, and from behind the sofa two heads were visible. At the sound of the door, two pairs of eyes turned toward him at once.

“Where have you been? It’s been over an hour since evening self-study ended—your phone, phone calls unanswered, texts, no reply. I leave you alone for one day and you’re already about to launch into the sky like a rocket, aren’t you?!”

Qiao Ying stood up with her hands on her hips and stormed over, scolding him without even looking at the person standing behind him.

Father Duan followed as well. He didn’t speak, but the reproach in his eyes pierced right through his glasses as he looked over his weak son.

Meanwhile, Fu Duqiu just stood behind him quietly, as if watching a show.

“Mom, mom… calm down, calm down.” Duan Wei handed her the medical report he had prepared. “Take a look at this.”

“What is this—” Qiao Ying snatched the paper, and Father Duan leaned in as well.

The two of them froze instantly, and the more Qiao Ying read, the wider her eyes grew. At last she muttered, “Oh my god…”

Seeing that she’d cooled off, Duan Wei softly added, “Grandma’s probably asleep by now, maybe wait until tomorrow to tell her?”

But Qiao Ying didn’t seem to hear him. She looked at the report, then at Duan Wei, back and forth several times, until finally she said in disbelief, “You’ve turned into an Omega?!”

“Yes.”

“…”

The hand holding the report began to tremble, and Qiao Ying’s eyes instantly reddened. Tears welled up as she covered her mouth with her hand, looking as though she would burst into tears the next second.

Duan Wei, who had only wanted to escape a scolding, panicked and tried to comfort her: “Mom, it’s okay. I can handle being a beta or an Omega, you don’t have to be upset—”

But before he could finish, Qiao Ying grabbed Father Duan’s hand and, crying with joy, exclaimed: “Old man, we finally have an Omega son!”

Duan Wei: ???

“At that time your mother’s health wasn’t good. She always wanted an Omega, but ended up giving birth to a Beta. Later she couldn’t get pregnant again, and it made her sad for a long time.” Father Duan gently patted Qiao Ying’s shoulder to comfort her.

Hearing this, Qiao Ying nodded in his arms, then looked at the words on the paper and said: “Omegas are so soft and delicate, how adorable!”

Watching the two of them cooing at each other right in front of him, Duan Wei was, for once, left speechless.

Father Duan turned to look at Fu Duqiu, who was standing to the side, and said to Duan Wei: “And this is…?”

“Oh, this is my deskmate.” Duan Wei remembered Fu Duqiu was still standing in the room, and introduced him: “He just went to the hospital with me.”

“I know that. Teacher Qin already mentioned it to me,” Qiao Ying wiped the tears from her face. “Your surname is Fu, right?”

At that, Fu Duqiu nodded and smiled: “Yes, Auntie. Fu Duqiu.”

He was tall and handsome, exuding the aura of a model student. If he deliberately restrained himself, he looked every bit the picture of a well-behaved, serious boy.

That smile of his hit the auntie’s heart directly. She frowned and said: “Child, why are you wearing so little?”

After saying that, Qiao Ying paused for a moment, glanced at the clothes on Duan Wei that clearly didn’t belong to him, and immediately understood. Sternly, she said: “Where’s your own jacket? It’s freezing cold—give his clothes back to him!”

“…”

Looking at his mother’s completely different attitude, Duan Wei suddenly felt disoriented. Anyone who didn’t know better might think Fu Duqiu was her son.

He glanced at his father beside him and whispered: “Dad, do we still have a spare room? My classmate needs to stay over for the night.”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Father Duan nodded quickly. “I’ll go tidy it up right now.”

Fu Duqiu followed along politely: “Sorry to trouble you, Uncle, Auntie.”

“Not at all, not at all!” Qiao Ying smiled as she turned the heater up, then pulled Fu Duqiu over to sit on the sofa. After that, she told Duan Wei: “Go help your dad make the bed.”

“…Oh.”

After all the fuss, it was nearly midnight. Once Duan Wei had finished tidying the room, he was exhausted and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Meanwhile, Qiao Ying had led Fu Duqiu into Duan Wei’s bedroom. He walked around for a bit—the quilt was still thrown back the way it had been in the morning, clothes scattered everywhere. It was a bit messy, but still fairly clean.

On the nightstand stood a photo frame showing eight-year-old Duan Wei with Father Duan and Qiao Ying. Fu Duqiu stepped over a big pile of books on the floor, picked up the frame, and studied it thoughtfully.

No one knew how much time passed before Duan Wei, having finished washing up, came into the room. He pulled a set of pajamas from the wardrobe, tossed them onto the bed, and said: “Hurry up and take a shower. I’m dead tired.”

Fu Duqiu unfolded the clothes and gave them a look. “Too small.”

“Then either squeeze into them or sleep naked.” Duan Wei rolled his eyes inwardly. “I’m not going to spoil you like my mom does.”

Hearing that, Fu Duqiu just smiled, picked up the clothes, and said: “Your parents are pretty cute.”

That’s only because you haven’t lived with them for over ten years!

Duan Wei impatiently urged him toward the bathroom, staying behind to straighten up the bedroom alone.

He carefully folded Fu Duqiu’s jacket and placed it by the bed, then stuffed a plastic bag full of inhibitors into the cabinet.

Sitting in the chair, Duan Wei drifted off for a moment before getting up to open the door. After confirming that Fu Duqiu was still in the shower, he closed the bedroom door tightly.

He sat on the bed and tried to control his pheromones. Holding his breath, panting lightly, he somehow managed—without guidance—to feel his pheromones slowly seep out of his body. Before long, the room was filled with a faint honey-orange scent.

At this, his heart leapt with joy. He tried to draw them back in, the way one might retract a release—but after sitting there in vain for ages, the scent not only failed to recede, it grew even stronger.

Frowning, Duan Wei’s breath came faster, and the feeling of losing control surged up again.

Just as he had no idea what to do, the door suddenly opened.

Fu Duqiu stood in the doorway, wearing Duan Wei’s pajamas. The set was a button-down style: on Duan Wei it was a little loose, but on Fu Duqiu it was quite small. The pants didn’t fully cover his long legs, leaving a bit of ankle exposed.

The moment he stepped inside, the heavy scent of pheromones hit him. He frowned: “You—”

He hadn’t finished speaking when Duan Wei cut him off halfway. Bracing himself on the bed with both hands, Duan Wei said urgently: “Hurry, hurry and tell me how to pull them back…”

The heater was running high in the room. Duan Wei wore only a thin jacket, his collarbones faintly visible at the neckline. Because of the pheromone loss, his pale face was tinged with a soft flush.

Seeing this, Fu Duqiu paused for a moment, then stepped forward and released a bit of his own pheromones to stabilize him. He swung a long leg onto the bed, sat beside Duan Wei, and placed one hand on the back of his neck where the gland was.

The boy’s freshly-differentiated gland was still faintly warm. At the touch, Duan Wei trembled all over and blurted: “What are you doing?”

“The source of an Omega’s pheromones is the gland. If you want to control your pheromones, you have to control the gland first.”

Fu Duqiu’s voice was calm behind him. “Close your eyes. Feel it carefully.”

Duan Wei was about to complain that it all sounded way too abstract—but Fu Duqiu’s words, mixed with the white-pine-resin scent of his pheromones, calmed him irresistibly.

Following his instructions, Duan Wei slowly closed his eyes. He could clearly sense his pheromones spreading like mist through his body. Fu Duqiu’s cool hand moved over his gland, and Duan Wei went from initial discomfort to a faint sense of reliance.

His gland was hot, his body soft; he tried to hold himself up, but couldn’t manage it, finally collapsing backward. Fu Duqiu, seated behind him, easily caught his limp body and braced him with a hand on his knee.

After a while, Duan Wei finally felt his pheromones stop leaking. Opening his eyes, he sat up a little, delighted by the change, and turned to look at Fu Duqiu.

The moment their gazes met, Duan Wei had just opened his mouth to speak when—click.

The door opened.

Qiao Ying stood there, holding two cups of milk. The intermingled pheromones in the room were so thick she coughed several times.

Then she saw the two of them on the bed.

Duan Wei: “…”

Fu Duqiu: “…”

She froze for a moment, then put the milk down on the desk. With a stern face, she said to Duan Wei: “You—come out with me.”