Delicate, Yet Shamelessly Freeloading [Quick Transmigration] Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Alpha with Pheromone Disorder (13)

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“Forget it.” Qu Jiuchao furrowed his brows, realizing he wouldn’t get an answer from Shui Que. There was no point humiliating himself further. He let go of the other and turned away to retrieve the review materials he had organized the night before.

 

Due to the lack of a proper education system in his past world, Shui Que struggled with academics here. He had heard that the base offered general education courses, but as a test subject in the research facility, no one had bothered to educate him.

 

His biology, however, was quite strong. Occasionally, kind-hearted researchers had explained concepts to him, and sometimes volunteers from the outside would bring books and treats.

 

Unfortunately, after a new lab director took over, he was placed in complete isolation. That was when everything started going downhill.

 

The good news was that he now had Qu Jiuchao’s review materials.

 

The bad news—

 

System 77: [Host, I think your susceptibility period has arrived.]

 

Typically, Alphas in their susceptibility period experience emotional instability, often feeling depressed, and in severe cases, becoming irritable and prone to lashing out indiscriminately.

 

Shui Que felt fine. His emotions seemed stable enough.

 

He grabbed the materials and was ready to leave, his back cold and indifferent.

 

Qu Jiuchao caught his wrist. “If you have any questions, you can ask me.”

 

Shui Que nodded perfunctorily.

 

Yet, Qu Jiuchao didn’t seem inclined to let him go.

 

Shui Que waited until his patience ran dry.

 

He shook his wrist. “Let go.”

 

“Is there no reward?” Qu Jiuchao stared at him. Seeing Shui Que’s displeased expression, he added in a casual tone, “I mean, I don’t even have your contact information.”

 

Even Lu Fengchi could call him on WeChat, yet he himself hadn’t even added him.

 

“Ah… oh.” Shui Que pulled out his phone from his uniform pocket, swiped a few times, and motioned for Qu Jiuchao to scan his QR code.

 

The other took his time, making Shui Que a little impatient.

 

Qu Jiuchao: “….How much do I need to transfer to add you?”

 

Shui Que was momentarily confused and glanced at his screen. Turns out, he had mistakenly opened his payment QR code instead of the contact one.

 

A bit embarrassing…

 

Under normal circumstances, Shui Que would have admitted his mistake. But today, he was oddly irritable and blurted out, “One hundred thousand!”

 

Qu Jiuchao merely nodded and tapped on his screen. “The single transaction and daily limit is fifty thousand. Can I add you first and transfer the remaining fifty thousand later?”

 

“Huh?” Shui Que blinked, dumbfounded.

 

He had just said it on a whim. Did Qu Jiuchao actually intend to pay him?

 

Seeing his hesitation, Qu Jiuchao reassured him, “Don’t worry, I won’t default on it.”

 

Even after Shui Que reluctantly approved the friend request, he was still processing how someone could be this gullible.

 

Then Qu Jiuchao transferred the remaining fifty thousand.

 

The system notification pinged, and Shui Que’s ‘soft rice points’ skyrocketed.

 

Initially, he had considered rejecting the payment, but upon hearing that notification, he accepted without hesitation.

 

Hmph. With this much money and such a habit of clinging to others, he was clearly not a decent Omega. He was practically born to be scammed by a scoundrel like himself. Shui Que swiftly accepted the money to teach him a lesson!

 

Feeling quite pleased, he kept admiring the digits, his ‘soft rice points’ tally growing. He was beyond satisfied.

 

Suddenly, a cup of water was thrust into his hands. Someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him away. “Class has been over for ages. I even got you water. Why are you still here? You’re going to be late.”

 

A tall guy, sporting deep blue earrings, shot Qu Jiuchao a cold glare, snatched Shui Que’s books, and led him downstairs.

 

Lu Fengchi took the stairs in quick, impatient strides, his posture radiating frustration. Shui Que struggled to keep up with his pace and got annoyed. “Slow down!”

 

Grudgingly, Lu Fengchi slowed, then asked, “Why is he always hanging around you lately?”

 

“How would I know…” Shui Que deflected casually.

 

He couldn’t exactly say, ‘Maybe he’s worried I won’t keep up with the plot, so he’s proactively throwing himself into my arms?’

 

Lu Fengchi, acting like a rebellious teen who just had his boyfriend stolen, glared at Shui Que but held his tongue. “Don’t get too close to him. He might seem like a model student, but he smokes and drinks in private…”

 

It would have been fine if he hadn’t said anything, but the moment he did, Shui Que became furious. He had worked so hard to cling to Lu Fengchi for so long, yet the storyline progress hadn’t moved forward at all! If it weren’t for Qu Jiuchao, his progress would still be stuck at a miserable 30%!

 

At this moment, Shui Que completely forgot who had been the one tirelessly fetching water and meals for him, even borrowing a bicycle during lunch breaks on rainy days to ride three streets away just to buy him milk tea.

 

He slapped Lu Fengchi’s hand away and walked off. “You’re not allowed to interfere with me.”

 

Lu Fengchi could only watch helplessly as Shui Que stormed off, his back radiating frustration.

 

Shui Que had always been confident that he wouldn’t be affected by his susceptibility period.


Looking at things now, it had indeed affected him—but not by much, he told himself.

 

Outside the villa, a car slowly pulled in and came to a stop. A cane touched the ground, and a man in a well-tailored suit stepped out of the vehicle with practiced ease.

 

“Shui Que is back?” Song Qin glanced at his watch. The dial showed it was already seven in the evening.

 


He had been caught up in yet another urgent meeting today, causing him to be late.

 


Song Qin knew that Shui Que didn’t like it when he worked overtime, but usually, he would still wait until he came home so they could have dinner together.

 

The butler approached with a concerned expression, hesitating before whispering a few words.

 

Song Qin frowned. “Get the key and take me to him.”

 

Why had he locked himself in his room the moment he got home?


 

Was he upset because he hadn’t been waiting at home for him as usual?


 

Or was it because he had been on a business trip during the sports event and had missed the closing ceremony, leaving Shui Que without a guardian present?

 

Song Qin didn’t open the door right away. He knocked. “Shui Que, are you in there?”


There was no response.

 

He took the key from the butler, inserted it into the lock, and turned it. Instead of pulling the key out, he simply pressed down on the door handle.


Click. The door opened.

 

The butler called out tentatively, “Young Master?”


Song Qin stopped him. “I’ll go in first. Let me calm him down.”

 

Although he had personally chosen and arranged all the furniture and decor in the house, he had never actually stepped foot into Shui Que’s room before.

 


The layout wasn’t as messy as one might expect from a typical teenage boy. The desk was neat and organized, the space clean and minimalist.

 


A school bag sat on the ergonomic chair in front of the desk.
But Shui Que was nowhere to be seen.

 

The only thing that stood out was a large cardboard box in the corner—taller than a person.


The butler noticed it too. “That’s strange. Young Master mentioned wanting a new bookshelf, so I placed an order. Earlier today, I called the furniture store and had them deliver it to the study. But I distinctly remember telling Xiao Cui to leave the packaging in the hallway so we could dispose of it later.”

 


He frowned. “How did it end up here?”

 

“He’s in here.” Song Qin crouched down in front of the box, lowering his voice. “He’s asleep.”

 

Shui Que was curled up at the very bottom of the box, hugging his knees with his head buried against them. The weather had warmed up recently, so he had changed into summer pajamas. His small face pressed against his bare knees, squishing his cheeks slightly.

 


Perhaps because the air inside the box was stuffy, his face was flushed pink, and his lips were slightly pouted from the pressure.

 

His side profile was smudged with dust, making him look like a little gray kitten curled up inside the box.

 

He looked… very kissable.

 

The thought surfaced so suddenly that Song Qin immediately stopped himself.


Why had he thought that?

 

Like lifting a child, he slid his hands under Shui Que’s arms and carefully lifted him up. Shui Que stirred at the movement, waking from his dream in a daze. Half-asleep, he nuzzled against Song Qin. “Brother…”

 

“Mm.” Song Qin lowered his eyes. “I’m your brother.”


He told himself: You are his brother.

 

Shui Que rubbed his eyes.


…?


Wait a minute!

 

The person in front of him wasn’t the childhood friend he used to play hide-and-seek with in his dreams.

 

His memories snapped back into place, clearing his mind in an instant. His gaze shifted to the cardboard box on the floor.


“……”

 

He had no idea why, the moment he saw that box, it had felt so right to drag it into his room.


And even that hadn’t been enough—why had he immediately felt like crawling inside?

 

This was bad.

 

As a grown Alpha, at an age where he should be standing tall and strong, his susceptibility period was already starting to interfere with his daily life.

 

Song Qin said, “You’re awake? Let’s eat dinner first. Then call Wei Qing over and let him know Shui Que’s susceptibility period has started.”

 


The last sentence was directed at the butler.

 

Here is the complete translation while keeping the natural flow and essence of the original text:

 

The butler nodded in understanding, then added with relief, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Eldest Young Master this happy.”

 

“……”


Song Qin lowered the corners of his lips, which had been slightly raised ever since he discovered the cardboard box.

 

Later that evening, Wei Qing came over and administered an inhibitor injection to Shui Que, leaving behind additional medication to help stabilize his pheromone levels.

 


“From what I can see, having your Alpha susceptibility period arrive on schedule is a good sign. It means your pheromone imbalance is improving. After all, if I recall correctly, your medical records show that your susceptibility period was completely absent for over half a year, right?”

 

Shui Que nodded along with Wei Qing’s words.

 

Wei Qing added, “However, during this time, you need to be extra careful—don’t go messing around in AO relationships.”

 

Shui Que stiffened under the doctor’s scrutinizing gaze, his nod turning rigid.


Did he… somehow find out about Qu Jiuchao?

 

Fortunately, Wei Qing didn’t press the issue. It seemed like just a friendly warning, nothing more.

 

That night, Shui Que didn’t sleep well, but at least the medication proved effective. By morning, when he saw Xiao Cui dragging the cardboard box away to be disposed of, he only felt a slight reluctance—at least he no longer had the urge to crawl back inside.

 

Across from him, Song Qin sat reading a newspaper, now wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He took a sip of black coffee, then glanced at Shui Que through the lenses. His grip on the newspaper tightened slightly, leaving a crease in the paper.

 


“You don’t like the food?” he asked.

 

Breakfast had been prepared by Song Qin.

 

Since it was peak strawberry season, he made strawberry toast with milk. The bread slices were carefully cut into bear shapes—something that, if served in a kindergarten, would have kids clamoring for seconds and thirds.

 

“It’s delicious. I like it,” Shui Que said as he swallowed.

 

Song Qin pushed the glass of milk toward him. “Don’t choke.”

 

“Mm-hmm.” Shui Que obediently took a sip.

 

His gaze fell on Song Qin’s plate.

 

Unlike Shui Que’s neatly shaped bear-toast, Song Qin’s breakfast consisted only of the leftover crusts and edges that had been cut away. The hollowed-out portion on his plate was a perfect bear shape, and some of the edges were even slightly over-toasted.

 

But… Song Qin had never mentioned liking bread crusts.

 

“I don’t feel like going to school today.” Shui Que wiped his mouth with a napkin and spoke carefully, a bit apprehensive.

 

“Mm. Given your susceptibility period, it’s better to stay home for observation,” Song Qin agreed without hesitation. Then, he added, “But—what should you be calling me?”

 

After finishing breakfast, Song Qin moved to the entryway and reached for his suit jacket on the coat rack.

 

Shui Que followed him, obediently lifting the sleeves to help him put it on. In a quiet voice, he murmured, “Thank you, Brother.”

 

Song Qin replied, “Mm. If you feel unwell, have the butler call Wei Qing.”

 

“Got it.”

 

“Victory!” Shui Que maneuvered his keyboard and mouse, his snake on the screen colliding with the only remaining Snake King. At that moment, the game’s countdown timer at the top of the screen hit 0:00.

 

[Just Playing Snake made him happy, Mommy’s heart is melting.]

 


[So amazing! Shui Shui is so hardworking. There were two days last week with no streams, I thought you weren’t going to stream anymore.]

 

Shui Que glanced at the chat and said a little sheepishly, “There was a sports meet last week, and I was too exhausted to stream.”

 


It was only when the system reminded him that his streaming hours were too low that he made time to make up for it today.

 

[A sports meet! Shui Shui, are you an athlete?]


 

[I can already picture the streamer in a tank top and shorts, soft white skin with a hint of pink… Mommy’s heart is melting, Niu Niu is hardening.]

 

[Was it the competition that made you so tired, or…?]


 

[Baby was definitely a cheerleader, right? The moment he stepped off the field, I bet a whole bunch of tall, tanned athletes surrounded him, completely oblivious to the fact that Shui Shui wasn’t happy anymore, just blocking his way and demanding their victory rewards…]

 

[Don’t give them anything!]

 

The chat was moving so fast that Shui Que couldn’t even read it, so he simply switched to another game.


”Snake Battle is too easy. Winning every time is no fun at all,” he boasted smugly, looking proud of himself. “Let’s play something that actually takes skill.”

 

The new game was called N-Personality. The developers had previously reached out to him for a promotion for their latest version and even paid him for an ad.

 


As a rookie streamer, Shui Que never expected to land a sponsorship deal.

 

Maybe they recognized his raw talent in Snake Battle and Tetris at first glance.

 

After quickly going through the tutorial, Shui Que understood that it was a 4v1 asymmetrical survival game.

 


There were four human survivors and one hunter.

 


The survivors’ goal was to repair power generators, distract the hunter, rescue captured teammates who were tied to chairs, and ultimately escape the manor by repairing five generators and opening the exit gate.

 


As long as three out of the four managed to escape, it was considered a win.

 

Got it.

 


Easy.

 

Two minutes later, Shui Que stared at his match results—zero seconds of distraction time.

 


”Why did I go down after just one hit from the hunter?”

 


”And why isn’t anyone coming to rescue me after I got tied to the chair? Isn’t this supposed to be a team game?”

 


He grumbled under his breath.

 

In the end, he just sat there until the countdown on the chair reached zero and he was eliminated—zero game experience.

 

[Idiot streamer, you actually dared to vault a window with the hunter right next to you? You got hit with a terror shock—one hit counts as two! Clearly didn’t pay attention to the beginner tutorial!]

 


[A zero-second distraction time, feeding the hunter a free down, and teammates who abandoned you without a second thought—this is exactly what my games look like…]


 

[Don’t worry, I did the same thing when I was new. The only difference is my random teammates all followed the “Huluwa saving Grandpa” mentality and rushed in one after another to rescue me—only to get completely wiped out in the process. :)]

 

“It’s just that I’m really good at Snake, I just haven’t gotten used to the new game. You should encourage me more,” Shui Que retorted, still trying to test out the live stream’s lottery feature. “I’ll do a lottery for a fan to play with me, I promise I can carry them.”

 

[Translation: Stupid streamer desperately needs fans to carry them.]

 

[I, I, I’m in! A veteran player of that small broken game N-Personality, I’m going to log into a new account right now (lol).]

 

Shui Que tried setting a limit for the lottery. “You need to be a fan to enter, and if you’re not playing this game, don’t click to sign up for the lottery. I’ll ask for your game ID through private messages. If you don’t send it, I’ll redraw.”

 

[User Xiang Xun sent Catnip x10000]

 

[Yo, the top donor is here.]

 

[Such a generous boss! Taking care of my wife, unlike me, just sending comments with nothing in my pockets TvT.]

 

Before Shui Que could thank him, the one-minute lottery time ended. “Let me see… Congratulations to the lucky user… Brother Xiang Xun?”

 

[The streamer even called him brother, is that the charm of the top donor? /cry]

 

[Reasonably suspicious that XX boss bribed the lottery system.]

 

[The pinyin abbreviation for XX earlier, I thought it was the streamer Xiang Xun from the Glory Game next door.]

 

[Same world, same wall…]

 

[Me too, I was a fan of his career, but then he retired, my youth ended. But hasn’t he not streamed in almost a month?]

 

[Wasn’t he supposed to inherit the family business? Maybe he’s taking it over recently?]

 

“Thank you for the catnip, Brother Xiang Xun, um… do you have a game ID?” Shui Que asked.

 

It might be because he was blocked after sending a photo of his abs before, so Xiang Xun was more cautious. Recently, they only chatted casually about daily life, and he consistently sent money every day. In short, he was an easy-to-please but rich boss.

 

A WeChat call came in, and Shui Que opened the computer backend to answer it.

 

“I’ve sent you the ID,” a young voice, deep and hoarse, came through. “Log in.”

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Huge shoutout to @candycorns2 on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.

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