Chapter 42: The Smell of the Old A’s
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
[Heard that you took a leave. Is it because of a severe pheromone stress reaction?]
Half an hour later, Xu Xingran sent the second message.
[Are you in the hospital?]
The third message was just sent: [Worried about you, but I feel it’s inappropriate to call your parents for information at this time. Please reply to me when you can.]
An Lan quickly called back.
Xu Xingran answered promptly, “Hello, An Lan?”
The gentle voice of the Class Monitor sounded, instantly making An Lan feel guilty.
“Class Monitor, I’m fine. Don’t worry. I just…”
“Just what?” Xu Xingran’s voice contained a faint smile.
“Just overslept. Woke up and it was already dawn. Going back to school would be awkward, so I just made up an excuse to take a day off and study by myself.”
An Lan didn’t think of lying to Xu Xingran; he just skipped class, not committed a crime.
“You’re with Gu Liyu, aren’t you? He didn’t come to class today either.”
“Yeah… actually, that’s right. I made an appointment to go to his house to play yesterday, and then I woke up… time flies.”
Xu Xingran was amused by his “time flies,” and the soft laughter blended with the radio waves, making An Lan’s ears tickle.
“You went to Gu Liyu’s house. What could you guys possibly do together?”
Class Monitor, what else can we do when we’re with you Boss Alphas? Do you think we’re playing chicken dinner?
No, no, no, we are playing with pheromones. It’s so thrilling and exciting.
“I saw a very interesting medieval book at his house, telling stories about medieval wizards, alchemy, and various formations.”
“Is it because of the story of Helar?” Xu Xingran said.
An Lan was stunned, “Class Monitor, how did you know?”
“Because that story is considered the origin of abo gender research in medieval humans. Helar’s most outstanding son was an omega and the most prestigious Templar knight at the time. However, his name was not officially recorded. Instead, the church, which had been calling wizards to be killed, subtly recorded his name.”
“What’s his name?” An Lan became interested.
“Lucien, bestowed by the god who gave the child the first ray of light.” Xu Xingran’s voice was very distinctive, mellow and calm, making it easy for people to immerse themselves in his world.
“Such an omega should be what you all aspire to, right?” An Lan asked with a smile.
“For the people, he is a dazzling light in the chaos. But for the king, he is more like a deep abyss leading to destruction. The king succumbed to himself but could never fathom Lucien’s depth, only losing himself in endless desire for him.”
“So… is this the tragedy of every alpha?” An Lan asked cautiously.
Xu Xingran, however, laughed, “It’s tragic to strive with all one’s might for something that can’t be obtained. So I never expected to meet a Lucien. What I want is my own Helar. I’m willing to face obstacles and betray the world for him. He’s willing to give up his resistance and hostility to the whole world, dim his brilliance, and spend a peaceful life with me.”
“It will happen, Class Monitor. It will definitely happen.”
“Thanks for your auspicious words. If you come to class tomorrow…”
“I’ll bring you breakfast.”
When An Lan returned home carrying the shooting suit, his mom hung it up carefully.
“Oh, this must be expensive. The feel is different. Take good care of it!”
An Lan returned to his room and placed the paper strip brought back from Gu Liyu in a book.
The next day, he brought breakfast for Xu Xingran and Xiao Chen.
“Class Monitor, freshly steamed soup dumplings, scallion oil mixed noodles without cilantro, and freshly ground soy milk.”
Xu Xingran showed a hint of a smile and said, “Thank you.”
Then, he took out a small paper box from his drawer.
“What’s this?”
“Shrimp and avocado rice ball.” Xu Xingran smiled and turned away.
An Lan opened it and saw plump rice, smooth avocado, and pink shrimp mixed together, topped with Katsuda sauce. After eating a bowl of instant noodles, An Lan suddenly felt hungry again.
At this moment, Xiao Chen, with a single shoulder bag, walked to An Lan’s table and knocked on it. “Where’s breakfast?”
An Lan quickly presented a plastic bag, reporting the dishes like a waiter, “Steamed soup dumplings, scallion oil mixed noodles without cilantro, and freshly ground soy milk!”
Xiao Chen reviewed it, “The packaging looks cheap.”
“…”
If you don’t want to eat, I can finish it all by myself.
“But it sounds delicious. Reward for you.” Xiao Chen unexpectedly took out a box of handmade dessert similar to red bean pudding from his backpack and placed it on An Lan’s table.
The key was that this dessert obviously wasn’t bought from outside but was handmade.
An Lan subconsciously began to imagine the school bully wearing an apron, pouring milk and red beans. It was too much for the eyes, so he quickly erased the thought.
“My sister made it,” Xiao Chen said.
The implication was that since my sister made it, you must eat it very seriously and gratefully!
An Lan felt relieved. If big shots like Xiao Chen cooked dessert… it would definitely be poison.
When Gu Liyu came in, Xu Xingran and Xiao Chen were already eating steamed soup dumplings and scallion oil mixed noodles.
He was holding a thermos bottle in his hand, placing it on An Lan’s table.
“You’ve been craving Matsutake Chicken Soup Noodles, right? No noodles, but here’s the soup.”
After saying that, Gu Liyu returned to his seat as if nothing had happened.
An Lan looked at the thermos bottle and suddenly felt that he should light incense, pray, and devoutly open it after bathing.
He didn’t immediately eat but waited until the break of the second class.
Like a precise biological clock, An Lan got hungry.
He opened the shrimp and avocado rice ball; the rice was chewy, the shrimp was sweet, and the avocado was smooth. He then opened the thermos bottle, and the chicken soup was steaming hot. He had already skimmed off the foam, leaving only the fragrance of Matsutake and chicken. An Lan took a sip of the soup, had a bite of Matsutake and chicken, and made Qiao Chuluo next to him extremely envious.
“Why am I eating Oreo, and you’re enjoying Michelin?” Qiao Chuluo asked unhappily.
After all, An Lan wasn’t that heartless. He prepared a rice ball and a mouthful of chicken soup for Qiao Chuluo.
After finishing the rice ball and chicken soup, An Lan took out the red bean pudding brought by Xiao Chen from the drawer – refreshing, delightful, and a perfect ending to the meal.
“F*ck… you have rice balls and chicken soup, but why do you even have dessert after the meal?” Qiao Chuluo couldn’t help but envy.
“Life… is full of surprises.”
Qiao Chuluo sent a message to An Lan: [Do you know what everyone is talking about?]
An Lan: [What are they saying?]
Although An Lan never cared about what others said about him, some envy and jealousy might evolve into big trouble.
Qiao Chuluo: [An, it’s not a bad thing. Everyone thinks that if they want to copy homework from those three, they should look for you.]
An Lan was stunned: [I’m not their workbook. Homework isn’t written on me. What’s the use of looking for me?]
Qiao Chuluo: [Don’t believe it? Try saying you don’t know the last question of the comprehensive reasoning mock exam, and do you believe they will take pictures of the solution steps and send them to you?]
An Lan: [But I don’t need to try, I already know the answer to the last question.]
Gu Liyu helped him with it, and it would be hypocritical if he claimed not to know.
Qiao Chuluo: [Can you share it with your Qingmei?]
An Lan silently took out the mock exam from his backpack and handed it directly to Qiao Chuluo, instantly making Qiao Chuluo the envy of the whole class.
At noon, An Lan’s parcel arrived. With excited hearts and trembling hands, he and Qiao Chuluo received the parcel from the security guard.
“What should we do? I don’t want to wait until after school. Evening self-study is still a long time away!” Qiao Chuluo suggested that he wanted to open the package right away, sniff the mock scents of several big shots.
But bringing these scents into the classroom to unpack would be impossible with the sensitive sense of smell of alphas noticing.
“Let’s go, get some KFC.”
An Lan and Qiao Chuluo, determined, immediately scanned the code, hopped on shared bikes, and headed to KFC.
Today wasn’t a rest day, so the KFC at lunchtime wasn’t too crowded.
An Lan and Qiao Chuluo found a relatively secluded corner, prepared to open the parcel. An Lan searched for a long time but couldn’t tear off the tape on the parcel. Qiao Chuluo couldn’t wait and said, “Let me do it,” then took the parcel away.
He directly stabbed the tape with a key, opened the parcel with a wild style, and inside were small samples of mock scents wrapped in layers of foam.
“Is it necessary? They’re not real anyway.” Qiao Chuluo continued with the grand opening ceremony of the package.
After much struggle, they finally opened everything, and they looked at the three small samples on the table. Qiao Chuluo couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t the shipping fee probably more expensive than these three small samples?”
“No, no, don’t underestimate the pheromones of alphas. The shipping fee is still not as expensive as them.” An Lan said earnestly.
“Okay, the first one… I want to smell Class Monitor’s scent!” Qiao Chuluo’s eyes almost sparkled.
Then, they embarrassingly discovered that these three small samples had exactly the same packaging. Even the label on the outside only had the word “sample,” and there was no indication of what scent it was.
“How are you going to distinguish… which one is the Class Monitor’s scent?” An Lan asked.
Qiao Chuluo collapsed, “I should have placed the order. You’re a fool in online shopping.”
“Let’s go one by one.” An Lan had no objection to being labeled as an “online shopping fool.”
Qiao Chuluo picked up one sample, sprayed it into the air, and both of them leaned in to smell.
The fragrance was rich and stimulating, with a long-lasting aftertaste.
“Isn’t this… the six yuan and eight cents a bottle…” An Lan started but didn’t finish.
Qiao Chuluo bluntly continued his words, “Six yuan and eight cents a bottle of floral water.”
Yeah…
Qiao Chuluo raised his hand and fanned, “With such a strong scent, it must be Xiao Chen’s scent!”
An Lan remembered that online, it was said that the information pheromones from the Xiao family had the scent of musk.
“No, no, this shouldn’t be Xiao Chen’s scent.” An Lan still remembered the red bean pudding Xiao Chen gave him; he looked arrogant but was actually very delicate.
And this scent was too unrestrained.
The two of them each had a hamburger, finally suppressing the overpowering scent.
Qiao Chuluo picked up the second bottle, sprayed it into the air, and both of them leaned in again.
The strong scent invaded their senses, numbing their olfactory organs.
“What is this scent? Don’t tell me this is the Class Monitor’s scent?” Qiao Chuluo coughed.
“It probably… isn’t the Class Monitor’s scent. The Xu family claims to have a top-grade amber scent… It is said to have a wise feeling of layers and layers… This scent…”
“Ha…” Qiao Chuluo sighed, “Similar to Li Zhennan’s silly style, wise my *ss.”
At this moment, Li Zhennan sneezed three times in a row, almost blowing the cola in front of him onto the face of the omega opposite.
“Come on, the third one, let’s open it!”
An Lan and Qiao Chuluo didn’t expect much from the remaining sample.
They opened the small bottle, sprayed it into the air, and then leaned in.
At this point, quite a few customers were looking at them with strange eyes.
This time, the fragrance was relatively light, even very elegant, probably because the alcohol content was a bit high, and the aftertaste carried a hint of coldness.
“This must be Gu Liyu’s scent.” Qiao Chuluo said.
“No.” An Lan answered with certainty.
“Why are you so sure?” Qiao Chuluo opened his eyes and looked at An Lan.
“Anyway… the alpha scent from the Gu family is said to be a top-grade ambergris scent. It’s spiritual, restrained, and has a slow release… It captivates your patience with its accumulated charm over the years. This scent… it doesn’t linger long enough.”
“Have you smelled ambergris?” Qiao Chuluo looked at An Lan with a cold gaze.
“No, I haven’t. It’s what I read online.”
“Tsk, poser.” Qiao Chuluo was obviously very disappointed with these three bottles of low-quality samples.
“Ambergris also has high and low quality. The higher the grade of ambergris, the longer it needs to accumulate and air dry. It eliminates impurities naturally and leaves behind that kind of balanced fragrance. However, inferior ambergris… can even be very fishy.” An Lan recalled the faint fragrance that emanated from Gu Liyu’s wrist that night.
Hard to figure out, blending various spiritual scents.
The burgers were finished, and only ice cubes were left in the cola. Qiao Chuluo stretched lazily, “Forget it, let me do it next time. I guess these samples are all fake. I’ll save money to buy genuine ones.”
“What genuine ones?”
“Class Monitor’s pheromone scent — woody amber scent. Warm, elegant, wise, and mellow.” Qiao Chuluo said.
“Oh, how much is it?”
“A few thousand yuan per small bottle. The Xu family is well-known in the diplomatic circle, and the Xu family’s amber scent is very special. It’s not the kind you can smell in ordinary fragrances. It is said…” Qiao Chuluo narrowed his eyes.
“Said what?”
“It’s very alluring.” Qiao Chuluo squinted his eyes.
An Lan paused for a moment. He used to be skeptical about the idea that alpha pheromones were alluring. However, when he inadvertently recalled the almost nonexistent fragrance from Gu Liyu’s wrist, it felt like waves surging into his heart, layer upon layer, enduring.
“Let’s go, let’s go back. Do you still need these samples?” Qiao Chuluo asked.
An Lan shook his head, “No need. Feels like they’re fake. And they don’t even have the mosquito repellent effect of floral water.”
The two of them showed a very disdainful expression towards these three sample bottles.
They rode back to school.
As An Lan entered, Xu Xingran, who was reading a book, raised his head, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.
Before Xu Xingran spoke, it was Xiao Chen in the back row who spoke first, “What’s the smell on you two?”
An Lan and Qiao Chuluo exchanged a glance: Cr*p—they thought their noses were too sharp. They smelled like KFC fried chicken, and they had been riding bikes in the wind for so long. How could they still be smelled?
“…the smell of KFC…?” Qiao Chuluo stubbornly insisted.
“Is the smell of your KFC so pungent? A strong scent of cheap perfume. Have you two been spending money where you shouldn’t?” Xiao Chen raised his eyebrows.
An Lan didn’t dare to say that he bought simulation scents of their pheromones; otherwise, Xiao Chen would jump up and kick him out of the classroom.
“Is it… very cheap?” An Lan said awkwardly.
“It’s even too low-end for foot odor.” Xiao Chen said, “Do you two like these kind of dubious women?”
An Lan suddenly understood Xiao Chen’s meaning. Xiao Chen thought he and Qiao Chuluo went out in the middle of the day to find…
Boss Xiao Chen, we thought there was a part of your scent in this “dubious” smell.
Xu Xingran coughed lightly and said, “Did you pass by the perfume section of the mall?”
“Ah… probably.”
Deep inside, An Lan was deeply grateful for the lifeline that Class Monitor had given them.
“Is that so?” Xiao Chen was a bit skeptical, leaning more towards associating them with “dubious” women.
Xu Xingran smiled, “They… don’t you think it’s more reasonable to believe that An Lan and Little Qiao are in a relationship than to think they’re looking for women together?”
Xiao Chen touched his chin, “Yeah.”
After all, an almost alpha plus a little omega, going out to spend money to find… that scene is too kinky, right?
At this point, the bell for class rang. An Lan and Qiao Chuluo quickly sat down.
In his phone, Xu Xingran sent a text message: [Why are you suddenly interested in perfume?]
After some thought, An Lan could only reply: [We were just curious about the difference between men’s and women’s fragrances.]
Xu Xingran: [Then next time, I’ll give you a bottle of our family’s men’s fragrance. Woody amber, not too ostentatious.]
An Lan was stunned. He should have told Xu Xingran earlier that he was curious about men’s fragrance, why did he have to spend money on cheap samples?
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
