Chapter 39

Without the thin straps securing it, the apron loosened on both sides and drooped forward.

“You forgot to take it off.” Lu Wei spoke just as the apron slipped.

Lin Si quickly responded with an “Oh.”

But Lu Wei’s movement of pulling the strap was too sudden. Lin Si had already been leaning forward, and when he instinctively pressed the apron against his chest, he took a step, almost bumping his forehead into Lu Wei’s chin.

Unexpectedly, Lu Wei stepped back first.

Lin Si thought Lu Wei was still uncomfortable with being close to him. He clutched the apron, took a small step back as well, and said, “Sorry.”

Realizing that Lin Si had misunderstood his reaction, Lu Wei frowned slightly. He controlled his breathing and spoke in a low voice, “It’s not that I don’t want to be close to you.”

“Huh?” The words carried an inexplicable hint of ambiguity, leaving Lin Si confused and dazed. “W-what do you mean?”

“Lin Si,” Lu Wei said from across the dining table, “I can smell your pheromones.”

In the brief moment those words took to settle, Lin Si’s fingers clenched the pocket of his apron.

Lin Si had limited exposure to physiological knowledge and lacked the typical sense of embarrassment like ordinary people. Instead, he was filled with excitement at that moment.

All he could think was—Finally, someone can smell my pheromones!

His eyes lit up as he eagerly asked Lu Wei, “Mine or yours?”

“Yours,” Lu Wei replied.

Lin Si let go of the apron, touched the back of his neck, and sniffed the air, but caught nothing. “What does it smell like?”

Lu Yan answered briefly, “Milk.”

Lin Si couldn’t smell anything himself, so he kept pressing for details. “Does it smell good?”

Lu Wei was silent for a long moment before finally saying, “Yes.”

“Really?” Lin Si looked overjoyed, gripping the edge of the table, the loose apron still draped around his neck. “Does it smell really nice?”

Lu Wei had never imagined that he would one day have to repeatedly praise an Omega’s pheromones. If this had happened half a year ago, he might have picked up the Omega and thrown them out the door.

Perhaps an Omega wouldn’t have even been able to get close to him back then.

“…Yes,” he said.

Lin Si’s eyes curved into crescent moons, his whole face glowing with joy, as if he had just fallen into a jar of honey. His smile was sweet and unrestrained.

“Can you describe it in more detail?” Lin Si asked eagerly. “Is it just milk? Nothing else?”

Without getting any closer, he turned his back to Lu Wei, revealing the nape of his neck as he tilted his head in anticipation. “Can you smell it better this way? Do you pick up any other scents?”

After a long silence, Lin Si turned back—only to see Lu Wei gripping the edge of the table, his knuckles white as if restraining himself.

Realizing that exposing his scent gland to an Alpha like this was too forward, Lin Si quickly covered his neck and said, “Oops, sorry! I forgot you’re an Alpha.”

“…There’s another very faint scent besides milk,” Lu Wei said after a pause. “I can’t quite place it.”

Lin Si leaned forward slightly and suggested, “Freesia?”

“…Yes.” Lu Wei’s voice was tense.

Lin Si grinned. “Thanks! Now I know!”

“Lin Si.” Lu Wei called out to him.

“Huh?”

Lin Si was still thinking about blending the two scents together to see what the combined fragrance would be like.

“If I can smell your pheromones, that means—” Lu Wei said, “your heat might come in the next few days.”

Lin Si’s joy instantly turned into confusion. He murmured, “But Dr. Li said I wouldn’t go into heat for another six months…”

“False heat,” Lu Wei replied.

Lin Si frowned, recalling the moment when Lu Wei had injected the suppressant into his arm. Suddenly, his entire arm felt like it was on the verge of being useless.

“Don’t go out for the next few days,” Lu Wei continued. “If I can smell your pheromones, other Alphas can too.”

“Oh,” Lin Si responded. “I wasn’t planning to go out anyway.”

“I’ll tell the housekeeper not to come over for cleaning in the next few days,” Lu Wei added.

“Oh,” Lin Si repeated.

He raised his hand, hooked his finger around the apron strap at his neck, took it off, and absentmindedly walked back to the kitchen to hang it up.

But staying home wouldn’t solve anything… Was he supposed to let Lu Wei inject him with a suppressant again?

Maybe he could wrap himself up and have Liao Ji send him to the hospital to get an injection from Li Jicheng.

But last time, Li Jicheng had advised against using suppressants anymore…

Lin Si ruffled his hair in frustration. What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t possibly ask Lu Wei to mark him.

As he thought about it, he absently rubbed his lower back with his hand.

Lu Wei didn’t seem inclined to continue discussing heats or pheromones. He simply sat upright at the dining table, sipping his soup with perfect posture, as if he were tasting some divine elixir. His manner was so refined that Lin Si wondered if he should have prepared a napkin for him.

“Do you want to watch TV?” Lin Si asked.

If it was just the two of them sitting there in silence, the atmosphere would feel a little too stiff.

Lu Wei used a voice command to turn on the television.

Lin Si faced the screen, sipping his soup. He finished half a bowl just as Lu Wei emptied his. Stretching out his hand, Lin Si asked, “Do you want some rice?”

“Give it to me.” Lu Wei took his bowl. “Fill it up, yeah?”

Lin Si nodded.

After Lu Wei went to the kitchen, Lin Si propped his chin on his hand, feeling that even with the TV on, having a meal with Lu Wei was still awkward.

Especially after just discussing pheromones.

Since moving into 2501, he had been constantly troubling Lu Wei. Yet, despite all that, Lu Wei had unexpectedly apologized and seemed to want to get along with him peacefully.

Lin Si had thought about it—if they had met as regular neighbors, he might have seen Lu Wei as someone cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Their relationship might have been much better than it was now.

The ceramic bowl touched the dining table without making a sharp sound, probably because Lu Wei placed it down gently. Lin Si murmured a “thank you.”

Originally, he had wanted to treat Lu Wei to a meal, but since he couldn’t go out, he had to cook it himself.

The TV was still on the finance channel, discussing a technology segment that had been going on since Lin Si left to film ‘Missing You 66′ and was still unfinished after he returned. Every day, it was just analysis upon analysis.

When the topic shifted to hyperreality projects, Lin Si tilted his head and glanced at the screen.

“What is it?” Lu Wei asked.

Lin Si said, “I took on an endorsement before, for a social app called Bubble. At first, I thought it was just a regular social networking app, but I didn’t expect its virtual world to be so much more advanced than that. I feel like if they marketed it as a virtual world rather than just a social app, it would attract more users.”

Lu Wei finished a piece of tofu, set down his chopsticks, and said, “The virtual world is, after all, a hyperreality project. Bubble is the first in the industry to take this path, meaning every step they take is unprecedented. They’re not using the virtual world as a main selling point because, if any irreversible flaws appear during its early stages, they can still abandon it and cut their losses in time.”

He added, “A decentralized promotional approach, relying on word of mouth from users, gives the project breathing room.”

Lin Si asked, “What kind of irreversible flaws could there be?”

“In the virtual world, players take on another identity and live a different life. They form new social circles, relationships, and achievements. If things don’t go their way, they can simply discard their account and start over with a new identity. While it’s not a perfect substitute for reality, it’s easy for people to become addicted.”

Lu Wei looked at him. “If someone’s reliance on the virtual world surpasses their connection to real life, or if they become so enamored with the virtual world that they reject or even resent reality, the consequences could be unpredictable.”

Lin Si thought about what he had seen and experienced in the virtual world. He had only entered twice, but he could already feel how easily time slipped away in there.

People in the virtual world don’t feel tired or need rest. They just monitor their stamina levels and return to a recovery point to stand by before their stamina hits the lowest point. After a few hours of recovery, they can set off again.

“A single person’s utopia turning into a collective one would lead to an attack on the real world,” Lu Wei said. “That’s why the virtual world is designed in the form of a small town. Moreover, the system-controlled upgrade processes are meant to distinguish between reality and the virtual world.”

Lin Si was so absorbed in listening that he forgot to eat.

Lu Wei pushed the crispy salted shrimp toward him. “What I said is unlikely to happen. Bubble’s virtual world hasn’t developed to that level yet. The developers just intend it to be a casual social game, but there are many things to watch out for along the way, so they’re being extra cautious.”

Lin Si opened his mouth in admiration. “You’re amazing.”

Lu Wei paused for two seconds while picking up food before placing the lotus root cubes in his bowl. “Do you like these high-tech products?”

“Um… not really. My manager always complains that I play outdated games. I like those games because they all have similar pass-through modes, so I don’t have to spend too much time and effort figuring them out,” Lin Si said. “As for high-tech products, I probably only like small robots.”

“Yeah,” Lu Wei said. “Small robots.”

Lu Wei’s sudden, brief response made Lin Si feel a bit unaccustomed. But upon reflection, he realized this was probably the first time Lu Wei had talked to him so much, even more than when Lu Wei was forced to say a few sentences to comfort him during his false estrus episode.

“Lu Wei,” Lin Si curved his lips into a smile. “Thank you for helping me. I heard from Liao Ji today that without that parking lot surveillance record, it would have been difficult for us to clarify the rumors this time.”

Lu Wei gave his usual response: “No problem.” Seeing Lin Si’s expression, he added, “There’s always a solution — it’s just a matter of time.”

Lin Si gently shook his head. “Even if I deny it personally, the rumors will still spread.” Holding his chopsticks, he continued, “Actually, we didn’t have to push Bai Fan forward, but the team realized that the other party had spent almost half a year targeting my mistakes, so they decided to handle it seriously. Fortunately, the company didn’t object.”

“Any idea who did it?” Lu Yan asked.

Lin Si thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Liao Ji said it was Li Zhong this morning, but the earliest photos in the timeline… Li Zhong hadn’t been reassigned by you at that time.”

“The license plate numbers have been checked,” Lu Wei said. “The paparazzi’s car is fine, and Bai Fan’s car is also his own. But it drove out of the Binjiang Hotel around 3 p.m.”

Lin Si asked, “Where did it go?”

“I don’t know,” Lu Wei replied.

Lin Si responded with a simple “Hmm.” He hadn’t really expected to immediately find out who orchestrated the whole thing.

He took a bite of his food and heard Lu Wei’s shift in tone. “However, Binjiang Hotel belongs to Liu Shenyan.”

Lin Si chewed for a while, then looked up at Lu Wei and tentatively said, “I think I understand now.”

“Li Zhong, Liu Shenyan—anyone else?” Lu Yan asked.

“Qin Xiao,” Lin Si said. “I think Bai Fan may have initially considered stirring up a CP (couple pairing) with me for publicity. He had the intention but hadn’t acted much on it yet. Then Li Zhong, who Bai Fan relied on, was reassigned. After Li Zhong jumped to Hangji, he became determined to go head-to-head with Shengshi Entertainment. Bai Fan became a useful pawn. However, the only reason that could get Liu Shenyan involved must be Qin Xiao.”

Lu Wei vaguely knew about Qin Xiao. When Lin Si declined the lead role in ‘Missing You 66, Qin Xiao’s team immediately seized the opportunity.

Lu Wei raised an eyebrow, waiting for Lin Si to continue.

Lin Si noticed the raised eyebrow and couldn’t help staring.

“What’s wrong?” Lu Wei asked.

Lin Si awkwardly averted his gaze. “Nothing. I just rarely see you make that expression. I wasn’t staring on purpose.”

“It’s fine. My secretary said the same thing recently.”

“Oh,” Lin Si chuckled. “That’s a good thing, right?”

“Yeah,” Lu Wei tapped his middle finger on the table and said, “Let’s eat first.”

Lin Si focused on his meal. After finishing a bowl, he went to serve himself half a bowl of soup and slowly drank it.

Seeing that Lin Si had eaten enough, Lu Wei asked, “Qin Xiao?”

“Oh, Qin Xiao has a close relationship with Liu Shenyan,” Lin Si said. “And I…” He hesitated, debating whether to reveal the details of Qin Xiao and Liu Shenyan’s connection, but in the end, he held back. “I offended Qin Xiao over some matters.”

Lu Wei, more perceptive than Lin Si had expected, remarked, “An Alpha and Omega being close.”

Realizing that Lu Wei had guessed the truth, Lin Si blew on his soup in silence.

After the meal, Lu Wei cleaned up the dining table. Lin Si sat on the sofa, watching him through the glass window, feeling a rare sense of warmth.

It was the first time since he’d moved in.

After placing the dishes in the dishwasher, Lu Wei washed his hands and rolled down the sleeves of his loungewear.

Lin Si stood up and pointed to his bedroom. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to my room.”

Lu Wei looked him in the eyes and nodded.

As the door closed, Lin Si exhaled involuntarily. His interactions with Lu Wei weren’t as difficult as before but still not entirely relaxed.

Out of habit, he sniffed his own wrist—there wasn’t the faintest hint of a milk scent. He crawled into bed, sealing every gap around him. Only when he was on the verge of sleep did he emerge and hurriedly pull the covers back up.

After messaging Y that he would be online soon, he dove back under the covers and took a deep breath.

Still, there was no scent at all…

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Author’s Note: Ah, I’m late! I wrote a version last night but wasn’t satisfied, so I rewrote it.

But don’t worry! There will still be a midnight update tonight—no ghosting!

T/n: Poor Si baby really want to smell his own pheromones but he can’t 😞😰 don’t worry ur future hubby’s gonna compensate u with his own pheromones 😏😏😏🤔🙈😂 Stay tuned guys ❤️🥳 if you want to support me you can buy me a Ko-Fi or go to my paypal page. Happy Reading 🤩❤️