TMDP CH 19

Chapter 19: Flower Season – 1

Flower Season — The First Meeting

“Come on, come on, go with me to take a look,” Wang Siwen begged, pressing his hands together in a pleading gesture. “There are a few freshmen this year who are really beautiful. I have to get a girlfriend before I graduate. I heard it’s even harder to find one after graduation.”

“You should help me out. Get Mingxiu to come with us. All the good ones are snatched up by him,” Li Mu, who was sitting beside him, quickly typed away on his keyboard and rolled his eyes.

“Then you’re come with me,” Wang Siwen suggested.

“I can’t,” Li Mu replied. “If Miaomiao finds out, it’ll be bad for me.” Miaomiao was the girl Li Mu met at the freshman orientation the previous year. After pursuing her for a year, he finally managed to win her over last month, so he certainly couldn’t risk her finding out he was out looking for new freshmen this year.

“Mingxiu…” Wang Siwen turned back to plead with Han Mingxiu.

“Ugh, you’re really noisy,” Han Mingxiu grumbled, clearly frustrated. “Did you finish the report the professor asked for?”

“The professor’s abroad, and the report isn’t due for two weeks. Can you relax a bit?” Wang Siwen, equally exasperated, replied. “You’re a few years younger than us, but you act like our big brother. We’re all a mess, and the professor gets annoyed when he sees us. Only you manage to get on his good side.”

Li Mu suddenly stopped typing, looking at Han Mingxiu with a strange expression. “Mingxiu, you don’t seem quite right today. What’s up?”

“I don’t know either,” Han Mingxiu replied, frustrated. “I just feel uneasy, like I can’t sit still or stand still. It’s like I can’t calm down.”

“Then go out for a walk,” Li Mu suggested after a moment’s thought. “Miaomiao’s coming over soon.” He hesitated before continuing, “Is it that time for you? I can smell it a little.” Li Mu, a gentle Alpha, could detect the faint but strong scent of Han Mingxiu’s pheromones.

“Huh? Really?” Han Mingxiu was surprised. “I just took the suppressants this morning, and my cycle shouldn’t be due until next week.” He was puzzled. “I don’t know why it’s been off these past few days. I’ve just felt really restless and a bit dizzy.” He pulled a scent blocker from his backpack and sprayed it on himself several times. “Sorry, is it better now?” He asked Li Mu.

“Mm,” Li Mu nodded. “It’s gone now.”

Wang Siwen, who was standing nearby, asked, “What exactly is that smell? I’m really curious.” Wang Siwen was a Beta, so he couldn’t smell their pheromones.

“It’s a woody scent,” Li Mu replied. “Right? I don’t know what kind of wood it is.”

“Cedar^[1],” Han Mingxiu answered.

“Cedar? I don’t know what cedar smells like,” Wang Siwen asked again. “Li Mu, what about you?”

“It’s a floral scent, like wild lilies, but very faint. It’s a very light fragrance,” Han Mingxiu said.

“Lily fragrance? An Alpha giving off a lily scent?” Wang Siwen burst out laughing. “Or maybe Miaomiao is actually the Alpha?”

“Shut up, you two, get out!” Li Mu stood up and shoved both of them out of the research room. “I’m a rhododendron^[2],” Li Mu muttered as he slammed the door behind them.

“Does rhododendron even have a scent?” Wang Siwen asked, confused.

Han Mingxiu shook his head. Never mind. Since they had already been kicked out of the research room, he agreed to Wang Siwen’s request and went with him to check out this year’s freshman welcome event at the sports hall.

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On the way to the sports hall, they passed by the school’s Moon Lake, where a variety of moon roses were planted. Moon roses were the school’s symbolic flower, in every color imaginable. They bloomed every month, creating a colorful display with a strong fragrance. Han Mingxiu usually avoided walking near the lake.

But today, amidst the rich fragrance of the flowers, he detected a fresh, sweet scent. Unlike the overwhelming fragrance of the roses, this fresh sweetness stood out, rising above the floral scent. He was drawn to the fragrance and found himself subconsciously walking into the flowerbed.

“Hey, hey, hey, where are you going?” Wang Siwen called out from behind.

“Shh!” Han Mingxiu held his finger to his lips, signaling for him to be quiet.

Walking through the flowerbed, Han Mingxiu saw someone ahead, walking toward the lake. The person stopped under a tree, looking around anxiously. When the person saw Han Mingxiu and Wang Siwen approaching, their expression shifted to one of nervousness.

Han Mingxiu and Wang Siwen stopped about ten steps away from the person. Han Mingxiu raised his voice and asked, “Hey, are you a freshman? Are you lost?”

The person looked at him warily, pursing his lips without speaking. Wang Siwen, being the outgoing one, stepped forward: “Hey, don’t worry, we’re students here too, in International Business, second-year graduate students. I’m Wang Siwen, and this is Han Mingxiu.”

“Hello, senior. I-I’m also in International Business, first-year.” The person hesitated, then, after a moment, introduced himself, “I’m Xia Ye.”

Han Mingxiu furrowed his brow as the sweet, fresh scent grew stronger. At that moment, Xia Ye suddenly lost his balance and stepped back, tripping over a tree root. Fortunately, there was a tree behind him that caught him, preventing him from falling completely. Han Mingxiu intended to step forward to help him, but Xia Ye sharply said, “Stay where you are, don’t come over.”

Han Mingxiu stopped in his tracks. After thinking for a moment, he turned to Wang Siwen and said a few words. Wang Siwen nodded, then turned and ran off. Han Mingxiu continued walking toward Xia Ye.

Xia Ye, in a panic, realized that the Alpha had dismissed his friend, and now it was just the two of them by the lake. He tried to make his voice sound stern: “Did you not hear me? Stay where you are.” However, to Han Mingxiu’s ears, his voice was as soft as a cat’s meow.

Han Mingxiu walked up to Xia Ye, who was already losing his strength. His body softened, and he was about to collapse onto the grass, but Han Mingxiu caught him, making it look like a couple leaning into each other.

“Don’t do this, I don’t want this.” His head rested on Han Mingxiu’s neck, and the air was filled with Han Mingxiu’s scent. Xia Ye frowned and pushed weakly against Han Mingxiu’s chest, but his strength was insufficient.

“Are you an Omega? Didn’t you realize you’re in heat?” Han Mingxiu was also feeling a bit uncomfortable from the scent. He wanted to use his own pheromones to wrap around the Omega, to prevent his scent from attracting more Alphas. But he had just sprayed a scent blocker, and there was no trace of his pheromones left. Han Mingxiu was growing anxious.

Xia Ye shook his head. “It’s not my cycle. Your pheromones triggered it. I kept smelling your scent just now, which is why I took a detour into the flowers. Who knew you’d follow me here?” Xia Ye sounded a bit angry. “Stay away from me.” His words were soft, almost pleading, asking Han Mingxiu to move away, yet his body subconsciously leaned toward him. His hands instinctively wrapped around Han Mingxiu’s neck. Xia Ye’s breath became more rapid, and he tried to suppress it, but the effort only caused him to inhale more of Han Mingxiu’s scent.

“No, it’s me who smelled you first. Your scent drew me in… Wait a minute,” Han Mingxiu’s breathing became heavier than Xia Ye’s. “You can smell me? I just used the scent blocker.” Han Mingxiu could feel the sweet, heated, and unintentional allure of the Omega against him, writhing closer, not even aware of what he was doing. Han Mingxiu was about to lose his mind. But his reason was still intact. From Xia Ye’s words, he knew that he wasn’t willing—his enthusiastic response was just his body acting on instinct.

Han Mingxiu didn’t want to overstep. He placed his hands gently on Xia Ye’s waist, trying to protect him, not to invade or take advantage. Han Mingxiu was very glad that he had taken a preventive suppressant earlier that morning before leaving, or else he wouldn’t have been able to maintain any self-control now.

“I also used a scent blocker,” Xia Ye muttered, still twisting in Han Mingxiu’s grip, frustrated. “You’re lying. How could you smell me?”

“I’m not lying. You smell like watermelon—sweet, like watermelon,” Han Mingxiu gritted his teeth. “What do I smell like?” He pinched Xia Ye’s waist, demanding an answer.

“Wood, cedar wood,” Xia Ye gasped, his lower body unconsciously pressing closer. Han Mingxiu quickly moved away.

“Sorry.” Xia Ye apologized awkwardly. He didn’t want to be in this situation, but the truth was, even if he threw himself at this Alpha, it seemed like Han Mingxiu wasn’t interested in him.

“Yeah, cedar. Not many people get it right on the first try.” Han Mingxiu smiled, but the discomfort from his body, the swelling pain and burning sensation, made his expression look somewhat fierce. “We both sprayed scent blockers, and I even used a suppressant this morning, yet we’re still smelling each other’s pheromones so strongly. And it seems like nobody else can smell it. Do you know what that means?” Han Mingxiu glanced around. Based on how strongly their pheromones were affecting each other, they should have been attracting other Alphas and Omegas, but there was no one else nearby, indicating that the effect was only happening between the two of them.

Xia Ye shook his head, unable to focus on anything other than the overwhelming sensation. He looked up, breathing heavily, but couldn’t escape the pervasive scent of cedar wood.

“Because our pheromones are highly compatible, and neither of us has encountered a higher compatibility before.” Han Mingxiu continued, his breathing heavy. “I’ve read that if the compatibility is over 85%, it can lead to this kind of forced matching.” Xia Ye’s scent grew sweeter, like watermelon so juicy it seemed about to drip. Han Mingxiu felt a wave of dizziness, but managed to finish speaking.

“Dammit.” Xia Ye, still clinging to Han Mingxiu, muttered a curse. He knew that as long as their pheromones weren’t clashing, two people would naturally get along. He’d heard that if the pheromone compatibility was above 60%, it was considered fate or destiny. But he never expected to encounter such a bizarre situation with compatibility over 85%. Beyond cursing, he felt utterly helpless. His body couldn’t resist offering itself to a stranger, and what frustrated him more was that, even though Han Mingxiu was also affected by the pheromones, he remained unmoved. Xia Ye was angry with himself, his eyes red with frustration. “Since no one else can smell it, then just ignore me. Once you leave, I’ll be fine, right?”

Han Mingxiu didn’t move. Xia Ye grew impatient. “Let go of me.”

Han Mingxiu sighed and reluctantly opened his hands. Only then did Xia Ye realize that it wasn’t Han Mingxiu not letting go; it was him holding on so tightly that he wouldn’t release his grip.

“Ugh…” Xia Ye let out a self-deprecating groan, burying his face into Han Mingxiu’s chest, too embarrassed to face anyone.

Han Mingxiu looked down at the person in his arms, his face hidden except for his pink ears, and felt his body tense even more. The painful pressure made him frown, but the sight of the shy person clinging to him made him want to laugh. He gently patted Xia Ye’s head and rubbed his back, comforting him. “It’s okay, let me hold you a little longer. I’ve already asked my friend to go back to the lab to get a suppressant, he’ll be here soon.” Han Mingxiu noticed that Xia Ye was starting to tremble, so he held him even tighter. “Sorry for the inconvenience, just hang in there.” Han Mingxiu carefully avoided any contact between their lower bodies.

He took a deep breath, the sweet and fresh scent of melon filling his lungs, the small molecules transferring through his body and making him feel a calming satisfaction. Han Mingxiu let out a soft sigh of contentment.

(Flower Season to be continue…)

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– End of chapter –

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