Chapter 30: “I’ll Only Make This Exception For You Once.”
The hotels in Taiya that accommodated foreign officials were all located in the protected coastal area.
The snowflakes falling outside added a touch of brightness to the azure sea. Inside, the warm and comfortable room was like a bottle of Taiya’s special sweet pear snowflake soda that had been opened, the sweet pear fragrance bubbling like sparkling water.
Ming Fei, dumbfounded by the question, felt her brain short-circuit.
After discovering she had a pheromone scent, she had spent almost a week learning to control it.
She had formed her dissenting opinion of the Ole Empire’s alienation of omegas early on, so… she hadn’t been very attentive in her basic physiology class.
But even so, she was fairly certain that she had learned to control her pheromones, and she was currently wearing a suppressor patch to prevent them from leaking.
Therefore, after reacting, Ming Fei was skeptical of Zhu Yiqiao’s question. But Zhu Yiqiao was not someone who spoke nonsense. With a belief in seeking truth from facts, Ming Fei began to carefully perceive the pheromone scent in the room.
There wasn’t any…!
Wait?!!
Eh! There really was a pear scent?!
As her thoughts raced, Ming Fei’s ears turned crimson.
The undeniable fact overturned her certainty, causing her, who had no intention of provocation or courtship, to feel so embarrassed and awkward that she wanted to flee the planet.
“…Jiejie.”
She apologized in a low voice: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it in either of those ways. Maybe there’s something wrong with the suppressor patch, and my learning isn’t perfect yet. I haven’t reached the level of complete control.”
“Sorry.” Her eyes were clear, her red lips slightly pursed. “I really didn’t do it on purpose.”
Zhu Yiqiao closed the encrypted electronic document and looked at her with her chin resting on one hand.
“Control it now.”
The Chief Judge, who liked both eating pears and the scent of pears, didn’t say whether she forgave Ming Fei or not: “A new rule will be added to the marriage agreement, which must be followed—no releasing pheromones at will in front of Party A.”
Ming Fei understood: “Okay, I will carefully abide by it.”
After saying that, she tried to control her pheromones, a blush creeping up her porcelain-white cheeks.
However, perhaps the more nervous she was, the harder it was to accomplish. At this moment, she was like a mischievous student, not only unable to control the release of her pheromones, but also making them even stronger.
Ming Fei was almost mortified by her own stupidity, the blush on her cheeks even spreading to her neck.
“…I’m sorry.”
She didn’t even dare to look at Zhu Yiqiao: “Jiejie, I’ll go to the bathroom to control it and then come back out.”
After saying that, without waiting for Zhu Yiqiao’s reply, she quickly darted into the bathroom like a rabbit burrowing into a hole.
The steam in the room hadn’t completely dissipated. Ming Fei first cupped some cool water and washed her face. After quickly cooling down her cheeks, she tried to calmly control and reduce the pear scent.
The control methods described in the physiology class were very vague.
Because glands and pheromones were things whose specific differentiation causes hadn’t been traced yet, and the teachers who went to the orphanage to teach were mostly perfunctory, most of them using courseware that hadn’t been updated in decades, or often just reading from textbooks.
So, Ming Fei’s memory of the control methods was very fuzzy.
She tried, but couldn’t quite grasp it, like trembling pear blossoms on the verge of falling.
…What was going on?
Even if there really was something wrong with the suppressor patch, why couldn’t she control the leakage of her pheromones? Ming Fei wondered in confusion.
As she tried again to control the surging pheromones, and the pear scent in the room intensified, Ming Fei heard a knock on the door, followed by Zhu Yiqiao’s voice.
“Ming Fei, come out.”
Ming Fei was a little worried about offending Zhu Yiqiao again, after all, Zhu Yiqiao adding that rule was hinting at her disapproval. She didn’t open the door immediately, but insisted,
“Jiejie, I haven’t controlled my pheromones yet. Going out will offend you.”
Whether in countless battles during her service or in countless tasks after retiring and being transferred to the Trial Court, Zhu Yiqiao had always been the one giving orders without a second thought. She was in a high position, her orders were absolute, and she never repeated any command she had already given.
Faced with this situation, however, she repeated her request to Ming Fei for the first time.
“—Come out.”
The stalemate lasted only a moment before Ming Fei opened the bathroom door and walked out to face Zhu Yiqiao. Her dark almond eyes seemed to have absorbed the moisture from the bathroom, appearing even more gentle and harmless.
Zhu Yiqiao said, “I remember you saying that you took basic physiology classes in the Ole Empire.”
“Mm.”
Ming Fei, a teacher herself, felt a little embarrassed: “I sat in the last row during class and didn’t listen very carefully.”
Hearing this, Zhu Yiqiao didn’t show any reaction, just led her to the large double bed. She sat on the soft edge of the bed and then asked Ming Fei to sit on the single chair in front of the bed.
The single chair was much lower than the double bed, and the five-centimeter height difference between them didn’t bring them to the same level.
Zhu Yiqiao looked down at her, her reddened ears, cheeks, neck, and those eyes filled with embarrassment, shyness, and helplessness made the alpha in front of her seem completely harmless.
This didn’t conform to the Ole Empire’s training for alphas at all.
Just as there were training standards for omegas, the Ole Empire had very uniform training standards for alphas of all levels. In the standards set by the Ole Empire, alpha represented strength, aggression, charge, dominance, danger, and loss of control.
No alpha would be associated with the words gentle and soft.
And no alpha’s pheromones… would be a sweet, alluring pear scent.
But—
The former Princess Eloris had also been such an exception.
An omega’s pheromones and face, like their personality, should be gentle. But Princess Eloris had a very aggressive face, her indifferent personality like a glacier that could freeze people, and even her pheromones were the woody scent rarely found in omegas.
Cold, aggressive, rebellious, and ambitious, these traits formed the complex Eloris.
So, Zhu Yiqiao didn’t find it strange or surprising. On the contrary, because of these traits that shouldn’t appear in an alpha, she wasn’t as resistant and disgusted by Ming Fei’s alpha identity as she had been initially.
The pear scent in the room was tinged with a slight sourness and bitterness. Ming Fei looked at Zhu Yiqiao, who was expressionless, and asked, a little puzzled,
“Jiejie, why did you ask me to sit here?”
Zhu Yiqiao said, “After Lan Lubai reviewed your personal information according to procedure, she kept telling Min Man and me that you are very good at learning. She even speculated that you must have been a good student who sat in the first row and listened attentively in class.”
Her face still showed no expression, and no emotion could be detected in her clear, spring-like voice.
“So, I didn’t expect Teacher Ming to be distracted in basic physiology class.”
Hearing this, the blush that had just faded from Ming Fei’s face surged back with unstoppable force. She couldn’t hide her embarrassment, all her thoughts clearly written on her face.
“…Everyone has moments of inattention.”
She tried to defend herself, but found the excuse weak, especially since it was a fact that she hadn’t paid attention in basic physiology class. She quickly gave up struggling.
“It’s my fault.”
Zhu Yiqiao asked calmly, “Then do you want to learn again?”
Ming Fei looked up in surprise: “How can I learn?”
“—I’ll teach you.”
Ming Fei’s mood brightened. She really wanted to learn how to completely control her pheromones, and her awe of Zhu Yiqiao was greatly dispelled by her willingness to teach.
She asked, “Is it convenient for you, Jiejie?”
Zhu Yiqiao pushed the question back to her: “This is a reward for you shooting Bai He tonight. Do you want it?”
Ming Fei was honest: “I do.”
Because of the lessened reverence and awe, she didn’t even realize that this was one of the few times she had expressed her own desire. She looked at Zhu Yiqiao earnestly, even taking out her phone to take notes, as if she had become a good student again.
“Sit properly,” Zhu Yiqiao said. “This is a one-time exception.”
Ming Fei sat up straight: “I will learn seriously.”
She had originally planned to take notes, but everything that followed made her cheeks burn even hotter, and she couldn’t focus at all.
Zhu Yiqiao walked to the bedside table and took out a pair of white gloves, putting them on. Returning to the edge of the bed, Zhu Yiqiao didn’t sit down, but stood directly to Ming Fei’s right, lightly touching the edge of Ming Fei’s pheromone suppressor patch with her index finger.
Instantly, Ming Fei felt her pheromones surge faster.
She didn’t question it, choosing to trust Zhu Yiqiao, and remained obediently seated in the single chair.
Through the suppressor patch and the white gloves, Zhu Yiqiao’s calluses were almost imperceptible. She didn’t look at Ming Fei’s gland, but observed the changes in Ming Fei’s expression, and said,
“The Differentiation Center once uploaded a research report.”
“If a differentiated alpha or omega cannot fully control their pheromones, there are only two possibilities. One is that there is a problem with the gland, and the other is that they haven’t fully developed control after differentiation and need some stimulation of the gland to fully release the pheromones before the situation can improve.”
Ming Fei understood.
The methods to stimulate the gland were simple. Besides licking, biting, and marking, the most common method used in hospitals was to touch it with special medical instruments. This ensured the safety of the gland and also ensured that the stimulation was within a tolerable range.
However, ordinary citizens of the Ole Empire couldn’t afford such expensive medical instruments, and the Independent State of Yi Meng, after her transmigration, didn’t have such facilities or conditions. At this moment, Ming Fei completely understood Zhu Yiqiao’s method.
“—After the release, focus your attention and try to control it using the methods taught in physiology class.”
Ming Fei nodded, trying to focus her attention.
As the pear scent in the room reached its peak, the pheromone bracelet on Zhu Yiqiao’s wrist flickered.
The bracelet’s pheromone suppression function was stronger and more effective than the patch, and it could detect the pheromone concentration of the wearer and the surrounding environment at all times, as well as other bodily functions.
She glanced at the readings, took a step back, and let Ming Fei try to control it herself.
The sweet and slightly bitter pear scent gradually faded, but Zhu Yiqiao felt her own pheromones expressing reluctance.
In contrast, her pheromones… seemed to like the pear scent belonging to Ming Fei more than she did, as joyful as withered seedlings encountering spring.
But she had always been self-controlled and aloof. After taking off her white gloves without a change in expression, she increased the bracelet’s detection function by another level and left the room.
By the time Ming Fei was sure that her pheromones were no longer overflowing, the time on the display screen had reached zero.
She smiled, a small dimple appearing on her right cheek.
The pear scent in the bedroom had completely disappeared. Ming Fei pushed open the door and went out. In the living room, she saw Zhu Yiqiao standing by the French window, seemingly admiring the snowy seascape outside.
Ming Fei approached her and thanked her sincerely: “Jiejie, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Ming Fei walked to her side and finally couldn’t help but ask, “Can I ask a question?”
“Ask.”
“Why did you agree to a contract marriage with me?”
At first, she thought Zhu Yiqiao needed a suitable fake partner for various social occasions, or for the annual public opinion polls. But the attack at St. Gesali tonight made her reconsider this question.
She seemed to have oversimplified the matter. She thought.
Zhu Yiqiao’s gaze rested on the rocks being beaten by the waves. There was a medical patch on the graze on her jaw, which would heal completely without leaving a scar in a day or two.
She said, “You should be able to guess the other reasons. The most important reason is the research institute, like tonight.”
“You are the only one who can successfully match with me genetically, and vice versa. I am also the only one who can match with you.” Her gaze grew colder. “If the research institute can plant spies to steal the genetic samples of victims, they will definitely find out about this. Then, you will become a living experiment.”
“Marriage is protection, and also another form of deterrence.”
Ming Fei understood, but was still surprised by the existence of the research institute. She asked, puzzled,
“What do they want?”
Zhu Yiqiao initially chose to keep it a secret so as not to disturb Ming Fei’s life too much or make her constantly worried. Because she had already deployed the highest level of protection in the Independent State of Yi Meng, not even a bird could approach the villa area where the three of them lived.
But things had come to this point, and the research institute’s affairs would be revealed to the public soon, so Zhu Yiqiao didn’t mind letting Ming Fei know these upcoming news in advance.
She replied, “New humans.”
“We have very little information. According to the confessions of all the captured spies and agents, the research institute defines the virus crisis a hundred years ago as a divine gift. They believe it was an evolution bestowed upon humanity by God, but humanity didn’t reach a perfect evolutionary state after this divine gift, so they attempt to eliminate genetic rejection through human experimentation and create invincible, perfect new humans.”
Ming Fei’s pupils constricted. She understood the dangers of human experimentation, but she hadn’t expected the research institute to go this far. If these truths behind the scenes were made public, the citizens of all countries would definitely think the research institute was a group of madmen.
“Don’t worry, both I and the Independent State of Yi Meng will provide you and Zaozao with the highest level of protection.”
Zhu Yiqiao said coldly, “Within a year, the research institute will disappear from this world.”
Ming Fei didn’t speak, as if pondering something, until the service robot in the living room issued a sleep reminder—
“Time for bed~ Time for bed~ Detecting that two guests haven’t rested yet. Please note that good sleep is essential for maintaining a relationship~”
Ming Fei immediately put the robot into sleep mode.
She offered, “Jiejie, I’ll sleep on the sofa tonight.”
“Are you planning to sit all night?”
“…It’s fine, I’ll make do.”
Zhu Yiqiao finally looked at her: “Sleep on the bed together.”
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