Chapter 23: “The Whole House is Filled With Your Pheromone Scent.”
“—Ming Fei.”
“—You’re an alpha, aren’t you?”
When she first heard these words, Ming Fei’s brain completely froze. The impact of this question was far greater than being suddenly restrained by Zhu Yiqiao’s handcuffs.
She dazedly pondered the question.
…Chief Judge Zhu, Zhu Yiqiao.
How could she know that she was an alpha?
Or, how could Zhu Yiqiao even know about the existence of alphas?
Whether it was the extensive information gathering at the beginning of her transmigration, or the in-depth research in the eight years since, she was absolutely certain that this world didn’t have ABO differentiation characterized by glands, pheromones, and so on.
Therefore, she had even worried about complete failure when she first tried genetic matching.
…Wait.
Genetic matching?!
Her frozen brain slowly began to reboot. Ming Fei’s eyes widened in disbelief, her dark pupils fixed on the person in front of her. As their eyes met, Ming Fei saw her own reflection in Zhu Yiqiao’s blue eyes.
Black hair, blue eyes.
Genetic matching.
Joined the army eight years ago.
Alpha…
The bug causing the freeze was completely fixed. Ming Fei connected all the clues and arrived at a realization.
Time flowed by, as hazy as the moonlight tonight.
Lost in thought and verification, Ming Fei didn’t notice how much time had passed, so much so that 0619, somewhere in the house, announced the time according to its programming, and the person in front of her tightened her grip on Ming Fei’s chin, silently urging her to answer.
So, Ming Fei suppressed the surprise in her eyes, and as she gave her reply, she also asked uncertainly,
“…Yes, I am.”
“Then… what about Jiejie?”
Perhaps it was Ming Fei’s imagination, but she felt the surrounding air grow colder after her answer. A chill filled the living room. Zhu Yiqiao didn’t reply, continuing to look down at her, her hand still gripping Ming Fei’s chin.
Ming Fei felt a little lost, because she had honestly admitted her identity, shared her biggest secret with Zhu Yiqiao, and even softened her tone, changing her address to “Jiejie.”
But… Zhu Yiqiao didn’t seem to appreciate it.
Troubled, Ming Fei’s thoughts raced, and she couldn’t help but start guessing what Zhu Yiqiao might be. But as soon as she tried to recall things from before her transmigration, she felt that such speculation was offensive and intrusive.
Because no matter what she had differentiated as before, Zhu Yiqiao was still Zhu Yiqiao.
And, if Zhu Yiqiao was really a transmigrator like her, then at the beginning of her transmigration, Zhu Yiqiao must have suffered a lot like her. Even more so, Zhu Yiqiao, who joined the army and faced death countless times on the battlefield, must have experienced far more hardship and suffering than her.
Thinking of this, she stopped speculating and felt even more respect for Chief Judge Zhu, who had received the highest honor and ten medals of the Independent State of Yi Meng.
“Chief Judge Zhu, I am indeed an alpha.”
She softly requested, “Could you please let go of my—”
Before she could finish, Zhu Yiqiao released her hand and sat back down.
The distance between them closed again. Ming Fei moved her still-cuffed right wrist. The cold silver handcuff was like a snake’s tail, automatically tightening around her wrist.
Before the atmosphere could fall into an awkward silence, Ming Fei tentatively asked,
“How did you find out?”
As soon as she finished speaking, a flicker of doubt crossed Zhu Yiqiao’s eyes. The question was almost like burying one’s head in the sand. The whole house was filled with the faint scent of pear, a gentle and light fragrance, but anyone who had taken a physiology class after differentiating would be able to recognize it as an alpha’s pheromone scent.
The bracelet on her right wrist lit up. Zhu Yiqiao glanced at the data on the display and asked impassively,
“Do you really not know?”
Ming Fei blinked in confusion: “Sorry, I really don’t know.”
Because she had attended Q University’s centennial celebration tonight, Zhu Yiqiao had already removed her pistol. Otherwise, when Ming Fei answered this question, she would have directly pointed the gun at her gland, making her reconsider her answer.
Because no matter from which perspective, this unrestricted release of pheromones, coupled with an innocent claim of ignorance, could be considered an extremely rude offense or provocation. And before her transmigration, during her time at the Southern Military Academy, no alpha dared to provoke her like this.
Seeing Zhu Yiqiao’s aura growing colder and colder, the entire living room feeling like a frozen wasteland, Ming Fei quickly explained,
“I’m sorry, Chief Judge Zhu.”
“The previous personal information was indeed fabricated, but I really was an orphan before I transmigrated.” Her voice was calm. “I lived in the remote eastern border of the Ole Empire. The educational conditions in the orphanage there were limited. I only took basic physiology classes. After differentiating, I hadn’t had time to study specialized physiology courses before I suddenly transmigrated.”
She didn’t hide anything, continuing, “Before I transmigrated, I was classified as a defective alpha. You should know that defective alphas don’t have pheromones and can’t sense the pheromones of omegas or other alphas. My situation is the same as a beta, so I really don’t know how you found out.”
However, in the next moment, Zhu Yiqiao announced a fact that shocked Ming Fei.
“Ming Fei.”
“The whole house is filled with your pheromone scent now.”
Ming Fei, her eyes widening in shock, subconsciously turned to look at her gland. She had clearly checked her gland while taking a bath, and it looked no different than usual. Why did she… suddenly have a pheromone scent? Was the faint fragrance she smelled in the bathroom, bedroom, and living room her pheromone scent?
Ming Fei began to ponder the reason, bewildered and confused, but her knowledge in this area was truly lacking, so she could only turn to the frosty Chief Judge for help.
She subconsciously said, “I’m sorry, Chief Judge Zhu.”
Although she didn’t know much, she also knew that such behavior was tantamount to provocation and invasion. But the truth was that she had no such malicious intent. Whether before or after knowing the truth, she respected Chief Judge Zhu from the bottom of her heart.
“Sorry,” she said anxiously. “I don’t know how to suppress this. Do you have any solutions?”
“If you know how to solve this, could you please help me?”
After saying that, she stared at the person beside her, trying to find a flicker of softening in her indifferent expression. But Zhu Yiqiao, just like that day before signing the marriage agreement at the Trial Court, let this trapped prey worry, feel helpless, and be nervous.
After noticing that the pheromone scent in the room seemed to have intensified, Zhu Yiqiao suddenly stood up and said casually,
“Follow me.”
The silver handcuffs on their wrists hadn’t been unlocked yet. Only the owner of these military handcuffs from the Trial Court knew how to unlock them. But Zhu Yiqiao didn’t seem to have any intention of unlocking them, so Ming Fei could only follow her, her right hand maintaining a distance of ten centimeters from Zhu Yiqiao’s left hand.
They took the elevator to the third floor, and Ming Fei followed Zhu Yiqiao closely into the study.
This was the first time she had entered the study on the third floor. She didn’t let her gaze wander around, just glanced at it and politely looked away. The layout of the room was completely different from the second floor. She almost knocked over an expensive collectible when she walked past the sofa.
The person in front stopped.
Ming Fei also stopped.
“Turn around.”
Ming Fei obediently turned around: “Okay.”
An electronic unlocking sound came from behind her. If there was a switch to control her hearing, Ming Fei, with her eyes closed, would want to temporarily turn off her ears at this moment. She waited quietly, her tall figure reflected on the floor, intertwined with the shadow of the person behind her, yet it wasn’t jarring at all, but rather harmonious and complementary.
After a while, Ming Fei heard instructions from the person behind her.
“You can turn around now.”
“Okay.”
She turned around, and a silver box came into view. The box didn’t contain any priceless jewels, but rather something Ming Fei found familiar and as precious as a treasure – pheromone suppressor patches.
Rectangular, colorless, and odorless.
Ming Fei was both surprised and delighted: “Are these yours?”
Zhu Yiqiao said, “They’re yours now.”
After saying that, she opened another darker silver box, revealing a black bracelet inside: “This is a pheromone suppression bracelet. Put on the patch first, then wear this.”
Ming Fei didn’t know why Zhu Yiqiao had these things that didn’t belong to this world at all. But she couldn’t think too much about it now. She only knew that Zhu Yiqiao in front of her had indeed helped her.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you very much.”
Then, holding the box, she softly requested, “Chief Judge Zhu, can you unlock the handcuffs now?”
The silver handcuffs that bound their wrists together automatically detached with a beep. Ming Fei moved her stiff wrists, preparing to thank her again and leave with the box when Zhu Yiqiao spoke first.
“Put them on in the bathroom.”
“Okay,” she said sincerely. “Thank you.”
“The handcuffs were to prevent your pheromones from going out of control.” Zhu Yiqiao looked at her for a few seconds and said in a low voice, “I am responsible for the citizens of the Independent State of Yi Meng.”
Ming Fei’s eyes were clear: “It’s okay, I understand.”
She smiled, not minding being handcuffed, because she truly understood Zhu Yiqiao’s reaction at that moment. Moreover, Zhu Yiqiao hadn’t hurt her, and now she had even helped her again.
After saying that, Ming Fei took the box and went into the bathroom, quickly putting on the patch and bracelet. After making sure everything was secure, she cupped some warm water and washed her face before leaving. When she came out again, she could feel that the scent in the room seemed to have faded a little.
Feeling even more grateful, she quickly walked to Zhu Yiqiao’s desk.
“Chief Judge Zhu, thank you very much.”
Zhu Yiqiao didn’t speak, her cold gaze fixed on the document on the desk.
Thinking of something, Ming Fei mustered her courage and asked, “Chief Judge Zhu, if it’s convenient, could I ask what my pheromone scent is? Maybe because I’m a defective alpha, I can’t identify my own pheromone scent yet.”
Zhu Yiqiao’s gaze fell on her through the warm light.
“Pear.”
In a flash, Ming Fei, who had never been particularly fond of pears, suddenly thought of Zhu Yiqiao’s favorite fruit listed in the official Trial Court document—the water-snow pear from Dongqing City in the Independent State of Yi Meng.
Before she could politely thank her, Zhu Yiqiao immediately answered her first question.
“—And, I’m an alpha.”
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