Chapter 36: Pheromones

Shen Han received a delicately wrapped cream cake in the bedroom.

The cream on the cake trembled precariously, exceedingly abundant, and seemed incredibly sensitive.

Before taking the first bite, simply approaching the cake allowed Shen Han to smell the fresh fragrance emanating from the cream.

She squinted her eyes contentedly, her nostrils flaring slightly, then parted her lips.

Her movements were gentle as her sharp canine tooth sank into the cake’s surface, piercing the tender cream layer, from which the strawberry sauce inside seeped out.

At the same time, Shen Han’s dominant, ice-cold pheromones flooded into the fresh, sensitive cake.

Even with ample mental preparation, the pain of being bitten still crashed over the cream like waves.

Su Mi, who held the cake, instantly tensed up and shuddered all over.

Bone-chilling coldness injected into the cake’s surface and rapidly spread throughout the entire cake.

She trembled uncontrollably, likely heartbroken over her own cake, and let out a low whimper, yet she didn’t dare move. She still cradled the cake, her little mouth unconsciously agape, her teeth chattering. But she didn’t dare retaliate by biting the indented shoulder hollow right in front of her.

The coldness kept pouring in endlessly, as if the cake had been thrust into a rapid-freeze device. Its surface clung to a sheet of frost, while the one holding her burned abnormally hot.

Due to the pain, the entire cake instinctively curled up slowly, trying to shrink into the only source of warmth in this frozen wasteland ahead of her.

Her hands, which had been hovering loosely behind Shen Han’s back, flailed helplessly in the air, clenching and unclenching for a moment before hesitantly wrapping around the shoulders.

Sliding upward along the taut muscles of the back, her pale hands slowly gripped the straps of the nightgown.

Sensing this force, Shen Han’s arm, which had been gently patting Su Mi’s back, tensed slightly. She then hugged the omega in her arms even tighter, crossing her hands to pin her firmly in place—like shackles, or the only warm nest in this frozen wasteland.

The susceptible period alpha, having suppressed her urges for most of the night, finally found a complete outlet for her wave-like ice-cold torrent, and it poured forth endlessly.

She savored the delicious cake before her.

The pain in the bitten cream surface faded quickly. Soon, the sticky cream transformed into sweet, comfortable nectar.

The discomfort from being broken and consumed was extremely brief. On the contrary, the top alpha’s chill soon permeated every pore of the cake, conquering it entirely. If the cake had nerves, every nerve ending had been occupied.

The cold yet rich pheromones filled the cake until it felt dizzy. The curled tip of the cake slowly uncurled, then curled again.

After all, it was the cake’s first time being eaten. The originally fragrant, soft, warm, and sweet little cake was completely overtaken by this domineering chill, its body washed until it trembled almost human-like.

Not almost—it truly quivered gently.

The cold sensation spread from the bitten spot across the entire cake, its presence overwhelmingly obvious, as if the batter itself had frozen.

Yet the cake lay in a furnace, surrounded and filled internally by scalding, inescapable heat. It was as if the cake simmered in high heat while immersed in a bone-piercing icy pool.

Poor little cake, on the verge of melting away entirely.

Unlike the previous gentle licking of the surface cream, which brought sweetness only to the tongue and palate,

this time, as the cream was eaten, the chill invaded the whole body. The cake nearly melted into soft sweetness under this enveloping cold and warmth. Buried in Shen Han’s neck hollow, she panted in small gasps, wanting shamefully to close her legs in her duck-sitting position, yet too afraid to move.

She didn’t know how much time passed—long enough for the cold scent to permeate the cake from inside out—before Shen Han let out a stifled gasp and released her canine tooth.

The tight embrace shackling the cake also loosened.

Shen Han stroked along Su Mi’s sweat-dampened back like petting fur.

Her lips, however, didn’t leave the cake. What was once pale pink cream had turned red. The cream swelled slightly, as if bruised, bearing a clear tooth mark, though the strawberry sauce had been licked clean.

Shen Han lingered, gently licking the cream and fragrance on the cake, taking it into her mouth and swallowing. The reassuring chill blanketed the cake, hastening the disappearance of the obvious bite mark.

Of course, there was also the alpha’s possessive desire to seal her scent inside the cake.

Su Mi was unaware of these thoughts. As the gentle soothing continued, the previous discomfort gradually receded.

Having held the same position too long, she felt numbness in her neck and chill throughout her body.

Feeling somewhat aggrieved, she rubbed her head against Shen Han’s shoulder.

Shen Han tilted her head over and glanced down.

She found the strawberry on the cake and ate it deftly.

Her mouth still held traces of the strawberry sauce from the cake.

Su Mi, entwined by the rusty scent for a second, twisted her head away in discomfort. “It smells bad…”

The alpha, immersed in eating the strawberry, paused. Her eyes narrowed darkly as she repeated, “Smells bad?”

Su Mi didn’t grasp that the unclear-headed Shen Han interpreted this as disliking her pheromone scent. Before she could open her mouth, suddenly, the entire cake was laid flat on the pure black bedsheets.

The cake rolled twice on the sheets before being slowly and methodically pinned down by the alpha.

Shen Han ground her protruding sharp tooth, her cool fingertip pressing into the cake’s soft cream, circling and kneading for a moment before deliberately pressing down harder.

The cake’s cream was warm and soft-smelling, exuding a fresh, sweet aroma. With the pressure, the cream nearly melted at her fingertip, like a waterlogged sponge overflowing.

And this cake emitted not just its inherent fresh fragrance, but also Shen Han’s dominant chill.

The latter tightly enveloped the sweet, grassy scent, like a declaration of ownership.

…The only thing that dissatisfied the alpha was how quickly her scent dissipated.

Shen Han narrowed her eyes and rasped, “Smells good.”

With her kneading motions, the cake shuddered as if struck by electricity.

Su Mi jolted but hadn’t resisted—or struggled, though she knew it was futile—when she heard Shen Han’s evaluation.

In her daze, the alpha leaned down again, sniffing the cake contentedly and fondly. Her sharp tooth gleamed as she gently bit into the cake once more.

The cake’s batter, which had just warmed a bit, was invaded by cold again.

The alpha ate the cake very gently, and this time, the cake had already been tasted once.

Unlike the first time, when the sweetness came with pain, this time the cake’s flavor was even sweeter—a thorough sweetness.

The cake nearly got devoured in one bite. The alpha ate earnestly, bite after bite, savoring deeply, each one a large mouthful.

Su Mi couldn’t help but want to raise her hand to stop her. Eating the cake like this was too much!

Her hand lifted only an instant before a slender, distinctly jointed hand covered the back, interlacing every finger and pinning it down unrefusably.

As everyone knew, temporary tasting couldn’t preserve the cold sensation deep in the cake’s structure for long.

The alpha clearly felt the chill dissipating inside the cake, so the SS-grade alpha’s pheromones poured in repeatedly, as if they were worthless, trying to make the cake’s texture even fresher and more delectable.

Before removing the suppressor patch, Su Mi had thought letting the alpha take one bite of the fresh, tasty little cake would soothe her susceptible period restlessness.

But things didn’t go as planned.

After one taste, the alpha couldn’t stop, greedily wanting to claim the entire cake as her own.

Time and again, she consumed the cake with her chill, sucking away the cream, almost like unbearable torment.

She didn’t know how much time passed—Su Mi felt on the verge of transcendence—before the whole large cake was soaked through with the cold, damp pheromone scent.

Dawn was breaking; a cold blue light appeared outside the window, and the chirping of birds grew more distinct.

Su Mi finally seized an opportunity and touched the suppressant that had been shifted to the pillowside multiple times.

Seizing the first proactive kiss of the entire night… she jabbed the suppressant into the outer side of Shen Han’s arm.

The alpha’s eyes flashed with bewilderment between clarity and haze.

The suppressant took effect swiftly. Soon, Shen Han fell into a deep sleep beside her.

She should have slept long ago. No educational article mentioned any alpha’s susceptible period lasting this long or involving so many bites!

Su Mi lay on the bed, recovering for a good while herself.

She tried to get up.

…Her waist ached, neck hurt, head spun, and her whole body felt disassembled.

As the pheromones’ effects faded, Su Mi lay there a bit longer, sobering up somewhat, though her mind remained a mess.

Fortunately, some instincts remained. Supporting her waist, she climbed off the bed and groped her way to the bathroom to splash her face.

She checked the time: already four o’clock. Sure enough, dawn was near.

She stared blankly into the spacious bathroom mirror.

Two big characters flashed in her mind: Done for.

…Not entirely done for.

Fortunately, Shen Han wasn’t the deep-kissing type. Her neck, arms, and thighs bore only shallow kiss marks, likely to fade by the next day.

But her face and neck were especially… horrific.

Su Mi glanced once and averted her eyes.

She rummaged briefly; Shen Han’s bathroom was meticulously organized by category, and she found a brand-new treatment device.

Su Mi used it in front of the mirror to erase the marks on herself.

She re-tied her hair and straightened her clothes. Apart from her slightly red eyes and face, she looked fine now.

She returned everything to its place, walked out to the bedside, and picked up the star-shaped barrier earring and suppressor patch. Then she heard a muffled murmur from Shen Han, who was deep asleep on the bed.

Su Mi looked up nervously. Shen Han was buried in the covers, her brows tightly furrowed.

She seemed trapped in a nightmare.

People with strong mental power projected emotions powerfully.

Su Mi merely stood by watching for a moment before biting her lip, feeling an oppressive heaviness surge in her chest, as if it were unbearable.

The emotion hit too fast. Knowing she couldn’t linger, Su Mi pinched her palm and turned toward the balcony.

She picked up the fallen suppressant from the floor, double-checked that nothing else was left in the room, and activated the room’s fresh air exchange at full power before hurrying downstairs.

Southern Garden Villa still slumbered; even when driving out of Southern Garden, the gate guard was absent, still relying on entry smart recognition.

On the way back to the Su Residence, Su Mi’s mind was nearly blank, filled only with the bold, capitalized word: Fucked.

She parked haphazardly in the underground garage and slipped along the front yard’s edge, quietly opening the Su Residence’s main door.

Inside was also deathly quiet.

Rounding the entryway, Su Mi’s steps halted, her heart leaping to her throat.

On the sofa, Su Ciyu—startled awake by her entrance—rubbed her temples and threw off the blanket.

From her appearance, she had evidently waited until late night before barely falling asleep.

But before looking up, the hand pressing her temple froze.

Su Ciyu smelled the dominant, rich alpha pheromones on Su Mi.

Ice-cold, aggressive, pungent, instinctively repulsive.

Su Ciyu inevitably frowned, then quickly smoothed it, her face stiffening instantly.

The instinctive repulsion came from familiarity.

The pheromone scent of her former boudoir friend bore eight parts similarity to this.

Recalling last night’s conversation about Shen Han’s susceptible period.

Su Ciyu closed her eyes briefly and continued pressing her temple to calm herself.

When she looked up again and saw Su Mi, guilty and hesitant to speak, Su Ciyu masked her complex expression.

“No rush to explain,” her voice was hoarse from just waking; she coughed twice. “Sit for a bit. I’ll get you some water.”

Su Ciyu had Su Mi sit on the sofa, then slowly headed to the kitchen. En route, she activated the living room’s fresh air system. While pouring water, she tried to recall various adolescent education guidelines she’d read.

Come to think of it, after Su Mi’s differentiation, she rarely looked at those anymore.

Her fingertips got wet from the overflowing warm water. Su Ciyu paused, poured some out, wiped her hands, and walked out of the kitchen.

Su Mi sat in the living room, at a loss.

Her gaze inevitably fell upon the sofa where Su Ciyu had slept the night, the dent and blanket on it deepening the guilt in Su Mi’s heart.

She truly hadn’t expected her mother to wait until late at night.

The guilt in her heart was overwhelming, and Su Mi couldn’t help but blame herself, feeling like a selfish person who never considered the consequences, who lacked any brains, and who was utterly terrible.

Even doing tasks had turned out like this, and getting along with family had become like this. Now everything was a complete mess.

As an Omega who had received a temporary mark, her mind was at its most sensitive and anxious state.

Her thoughts in turmoil, Su Mi several times considered just giving up.

She didn’t deserve everything she had obtained anyway.

She got it, and then she grew greedy.

When she looked at the original plot, she always felt the original host was bad—never satisfied with the present, ambitions reaching the heavens, doing things that hurt others.

But when it came to herself, she didn’t seem to have done much better than the original host.

She always seemed to disappoint Shen Han, unlike the original host who could always win her favor, and she even made the original host’s family sad.

One should know contentment.

Su Mi told herself.

She shouldn’t covet things she didn’t deserve. She shouldn’t be greedy. She should focus on what she had now—what she truly possessed, what truly belonged to her—which was earnestly completing the tasks.

If she finished the tasks, she could continue living in this world and live out her life. If she got even luckier, she could maintain some ties with the original host’s family. That would already be a tremendous blessing for her.

Footsteps sounded from behind her. Su Ciyu handed a cup of warm water to her palm and sat down beside her.

Su Mi opened her mouth and softly said, “Sorry.”

Su Ciyu asked, “Sorry for what?”

Su Ciyu said, “Why the long face? You agreed at the time—if you broke curfew, this household rule, you’d make breakfast for us for a week. Are you accepting the punishment?”

Su Mi hugged the cup and nodded, waiting for the next round of judgment.

A pair of warm hands rested on Su Mi’s head and ruffled her hair.

Su Ciyu said with a somewhat sour tone, “Back then, Shen Han’s mom asked me several times whether we should arrange a child betrothal between you and Shen Han. I thought free love was better and nearly rejected her to the point of falling out. Their family waters run deep, and their pheromones are so cold. If we really set a child betrothal, wouldn’t that just make my precious daughter suffer?”

The warm hand moved to Su Mi’s eye corner and wiped away a tear that was about to fall.

Su Ciyu asked in a measured tone, “Ya Ya, tell me honestly—what do you really think about Shen Han?”

Perhaps she and Wen Zisu had misunderstood all along. They always thought their daughter simply liked the glamorous world around Shen Han. She was still young, and they were busy with work, so having Su Mi follow reliable older peers to gain some experience wasn’t a bad idea.

Plus, Su Mi had taken the initiative to become her god-sister—wasn’t that just family?

Su Ciyu and the others had never thought of it any other way.

Su Ciyu said, “If you like her, then while Old Madam Shen is in Prime City, we’ll go to their door tomorrow and settle the marriage. What do you think? Sounds good?”