After evening study, Chu Tao brought the remaining two pieces of cake home.

Song Mian prepared a nutritious beef, carrot, and corn soup for them.

Since evening study sessions started in senior year, Song Mian didn’t feel the need to supervise their studies closely anymore; with both kids’ grades steadily improving, she didn’t want to disrupt the balance.

When the beef soup was reheated and served, it filled the room with a delicious aroma. The broth was a light, delicate orange, with bright yellow corn, and chunks of carrot and beef settled at the bottom, vibrant and enticing.

Chu Tao scooped up a piece of beef, blew on it gently to cool it, and took a cautious bite.

This pot of beef had been simmering for five or six hours, making it soft and tender, with the tendons chewy yet smooth. The beef had a subtle sweetness from the carrots and a hint of freshness from the corn.

Chu Xingning picked up a piece of corn and nibbled it slowly. The kernels had absorbed the broth thoroughly, blending two textures. With each bite, sweet juice burst on her tongue, and even though her stomach was already quite full, it started growling again.

“This is delicious, Mom. Thank you for your hard work,” Chu Xingning said, smiling warmly at Song Mian.

Song Mian leaned on the table, watching them contentedly. “As long as you both enjoy it, that’s what matters. This is such a critical time, so you need to stay healthy. Especially you, Xingning—you’re already on the frail side, so try to eat more meat.”

Chu Xingning held up a spoonful of beef and waved it playfully in front of Song Mian. “I am eating! I had plenty at the cafeteria, too.”

Song Mian smiled, clearly pleased. After a moment, her gaze turned toward Chu Tao, and she softened her tone. “Tao Tao, you need to rest too. Just because you’re strong doesn’t mean you should push yourself too hard.”

In truth, Song Mian wasn’t too worried about Chu Tao’s health; he was unlikely to get sick just from schoolwork.

But she felt he shouldn’t stay silent in situations like this.

The incident with Shen Hongfang had served as a wake-up call, reminding her to be more attentive to Chu Tao.

Chu Tao, a bit surprised at her attention, looked up and paused with his spoon in mid-air. “I’m fine.”

Song Mian nodded, taking a deep breath. She felt that the atmosphere had been good, with no awkwardness in their exchange.

“Oh, by the way, Shen Hongfang is back in class. He just started today, so he may have a bit to catch up on. Maybe you two could help him out.”

Song Mian had suggested to Tang Lingmei that Shen could take a few more months to recuperate, perhaps even repeat a grade and take the college entrance exam next year.

But Tang Lingmei was unwilling, feeling he didn’t need to lose a whole year in high school. Plus, once Shen Hongfang was in college and the pressure was off, it might actually be beneficial for him.

And Shen Hongfang also didn’t want to repeat a grade; he wanted to take the college entrance exam with Xi Xun and apply to the same university.

After stabilizing his condition with medication, he started picking up his studies again. He hadn’t forgotten much from the test papers.

Chu Xingning said, “I told Xi Xun that if Shen Hongfang needs anything, he can come to me.”

Chu Tao lowered his head and said, “I don’t have anything I can help him with. Since he’s back, it means he’s figured things out. His grades will improve eventually.”

Actually, for students at their level, asking teachers questions is much more useful than discussing with classmates.

Shen Hongfang’s foundation wasn’t bad. His performance had been affected by emotional issues related to his relationship with Xi Xun, which led to repeated underperformance.

Now that Aunt Tang didn’t try to stop them, there was no more pressure.

Song Mian sighed, “Well, Shen Hongfang is really devoted. That Xi Xun is also a good person.”

Chu Xingning instinctively lowered his eyes, his gaze drifting as he lightly bit the spoon.

His nervousness didn’t escape Chu Tao’s notice, who, by contrast, was much more at ease.

It might be because of spending so much time with Jiang She; his skin had grown thicker.^[1]Not sensitive anymore

“By the way, I still have two pieces of cake left.” Chu Tao opened the cake box and placed it on the table, pushing it toward Chu Xingning. “Here, have some.”

Chu Xingning liked sweets too but couldn’t help asking, “Why did you buy so much? You can’t even finish it.”

Chu Tao raised his eyebrows slightly, stirring the carrots in his soup with his spoon, and sighed, “Today, an Omega gave me a cherry cake. I think he likes me, but I didn’t eat it. I gave it back to him. But I got a little tempted, so I went out of school and bought a few pieces.”

Song Mian was shocked and immediately straightened her back. “What’s wrong with today’s students? So bold, giving cakes like that! You’re in your senior year; why don’t you have more important things to focus on!”

Chu Tao lowered his eyes, pursed his lips, and said, “He told me he checked, and our pheromone compatibility is 99%.”

Chu Xingning stopped eating the cake and looked at Chu Tao in surprise.

In such a small school as Huainan No. 1 High, meeting someone with such a high compatibility rate was rare.

Song Mian widened her eyes. “99%?”

Song Mian and Chu Jiangmin’s compatibility was less than 90%, but back when they were first dating, the pheromone attraction had been pretty strong.

Chu Tao’s pheromone compatibility was almost a perfect score, which meant that once their pheromones collided or if any intimate gestures were made, there was a high chance they would both develop feelings for each other.

After all, the attraction of pheromones was something no one could resist.

Chu Tao set his spoon down completely, leaned back in his chair, and frowned slightly, as though he was recalling that person: “I was surprised when I heard about it, and this classmate, well, his experience with relationships is pretty vast. He’s quite good-looking, the cute and glamorous type, and he likes to dress up.”

Chu Xingning couldn’t help asking, “Who is it?”

Chu Tao answered seriously, “His name is Su Jingtong. Have you heard of him?”

Chu Xingning’s expression became a bit hard to describe: “Him?”

Song Mian quickly asked, “What’s wrong?”

Chu Xingning took a deep breath and hesitated before answering, “He’s pretty famous among the Omegas. It’s said that since middle school, he’s had more than ten boyfriends. He doesn’t really study, and he often dresses up in eye-catching outfits to attract the attention of alphas. He doesn’t even like to use suppressants.”

“Anyway, classmates don’t have a great opinion of him, but some alphas like that sort of thing. How did your pheromone compatibility with him end up so high?”

Song Mian felt a heaviness in her chest, as if a large stone was pressing down on her.

“This child… what’s wrong with him? Tao Tao, listen to your mom. We’ll definitely meet other Omegas with a high compatibility in the future. You absolutely can’t be attracted to him.”

Chu Tao furrowed his brows and questioned, “It doesn’t seem that easy to find someone with 99% compatibility, right?”

Song Mian paused for a moment, feeling uneasy. She then gently advised, “Sometimes pheromones and appearances are secondary; character is what really matters. Your father and I aren’t that perfectly matched, but we’ve still been together for so many years.”

Chu Tao seemed to have taken it in, nodding hesitantly. “I think what you said makes sense. What I like is the most important thing. But I’m just afraid I’ll regret it in the future—what if I miss my chance?”

Chu Xingning curiously observed Chu Tao, feeling that his words seemed a little strange today.

Chu Tao wasn’t the type of person to be constrained by pheromones, let alone someone like Su Jingtong, the Omega who would be hard to forget.

Song Mian didn’t think much about it and immediately said, “How could that be? Once you’re in college, with so many excellent people around, you’ll definitely meet someone better.”

Chu Tao gave a serious “Hmm,” his expression a little sad. “Even though this is the first time someone likes me and the pheromone compatibility is so perfect, we didn’t meet at the right time, so I’ll just have to miss out. When I meet someone good in the future, no matter who they are, I’ll stick to it.”

Song Mian looked at Chu Tao’s expression with a bit of sympathy.

Since childhood, it was always Chu Xingning who had so many admirers, and no one had really heard of Chu Tao having any romantic interests.

Now, someone had finally confessed and even gave him a gift. As an alpha, he must have been especially happy.

The pheromone compatibility was so high, and maybe Chu Tao really had developed feelings for him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought it up tonight and even bought himself some cake to mourn the situation.

It was indeed sad to let him give up like this.

Song Mian’s heart ached, and she said with extra tenderness, “When you graduate, no matter who you fall in love with, I’ll fully support you. No one will oppose it.”

Chu Tao asked again, “What if you and Dad still don’t agree with the next person?”

Song Mian smiled. “How could we? We don’t want you to become a monk.”

Chu Tao lowered his gaze, keeping his voice steady, “Mom, you better remember, I’ve listened to you this time and let go of someone who liked me.”

Song Mian immediately felt like she owed Chu Tao something and repeatedly promised, “I remember. As long as you don’t end up with someone older than me, I’ll be fine with it.”

Chu Tao smiled slightly, then leaned back, finishing the last of his soup in one gulp.

“I’m full. I’m going to take a shower.”

Chu Xingning raised an eyebrow slightly, taking a bite of cake.

The cake was sweet, with the durian flesh mixed with cream, melting in his mouth.

He glanced up again, looking at the logo of the cake shop.

The cake at this shop is a bit expensive. In the past, he and Chu Tao had also gone there together, and each time, they hesitated for a moment before always ordering the cheapest blueberry one.

The durian mille-feuille was five yuan more expensive than the blueberry cheesecake. Because of their family background, both of them had developed a habit of saving money.

The cake was probably not something Chu Tao had bought for himself.

Song Mian quietly asked Chu Xingning, “Did I upset your brother again?”

Chu Xingning hesitated and replied, “I don’t think so.”

Song Mian finally let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t want the people around her to think that she was being partial or indifferent to Chu Tao.

Chu Tao went to his bedroom to change into pajamas and then took his phone into the bathroom.

He placed the phone on the washing machine, locked the door, and started undoing the buttons on his pajamas in front of the mirror.

He had only come in to take a shower, and had just casually buttoned one button. He easily undid the top of his pajamas.

With the collar open, a large area of his pale skin was exposed.

Chu Tao took off his top and tossed it aside, his upper body completely exposed to the air, with his pores tightening slightly.

He glanced at himself in the mirror. His face was delicate, his collarbones clear, his chest wasn’t especially broad but still healthy and firm. The smooth lines of his body ran from his ribs, curving down to his tight waist and abdomen, where faint abdominal muscles appeared with each breath.

He leaned one hand against the sink and rested the other on the corner of his phone.

The phone spun slightly under his fingertips, its black screen reflecting the shadow of the bathroom.

After a moment’s thought, Chu Tao put his pajamas and pants on top of the washing machine, then turned to start the shower.

The warm water ran down his skin, washing off any remaining suppressants, and the air in the small space filled with the fresh scent of peach blossoms.

After cleaning himself, Chu Tao wiped his face, turned off the shower, and stood in front of the mirror with his wet body.

The mirror was covered with a thin mist, making the reflection somewhat blurry, though not completely indistinct.

Chu Tao turned on the exhaust fan and waited for a while. Once the mist cleared a bit, he picked up his phone, carefully wiped the lens, and took a photo of his still-damp body.

He tapped the phone screen with his finger and sent the photo to Jiang She, followed by two words:

“Apology.”

Soon, Jiang She sent back a voice message.

Chu Tao hadn’t brought his earphones into the bathroom, so he pressed his fingertip against the speaker to block the sound. He turned the volume to its lowest and cautiously opened the voice message.

Jiang She’s deep, hoarse voice rang out in the small bathroom. He said:

“Clean the mirror properly, let me see clearly.”

Chu Tao’s ears turned pink, water droplets still hanging from his soft earlobes. He raised his damp eyes and, with his palm, wiped the mirror a few times. The mist turned into droplets, sliding down the mirror.

His throat bobbed as he bit his lip and took another photo.

When he sent it, there was a sense of frustration: “Is this good enough?”

Jiang She chuckled mockingly, with an unkind tone: “Mm, this will be enough for me tonight.”