Chapter 6: Another Alpha Pheromone…
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Ji Xiao stood in the back and realized that the man in front of her was her Alpha cheap dad²* in this world, Ji Qingyun, the hypocrite who betrayed his friend's trust and stole the inheritance his friend left for his daughter.
*1. adoptive/step father, a man who married a woman who already has a child or who got pregnant by another man.
2. Instant father/family, in transmigration novels, the father or family of the original owner which the MC now has to take as her new family even if they're really not related.
Ji Xiao glanced sideways at Wei Qingyu, observing her calm gaze yet detecting a hint of resentment in her turquoise eyes. After a neutral greeting, Wei Qingyu remained silent and, while carrying her school bag, went straight upstairs without saying another word.
Ji Xiao watched Wei Qingyu leave, feeling a little uncomfortable for some reason.
"Xiaoxiao, did you come back with Qingyu today?" Ji Qingyun didn't notice Ji Xiao's psychological changes and asked with concern.
Ji Xiao looked at the man in front of her, filled with disgust toward him, not wanting to bother at all. However, because of her current status, she had no choice but to respond, "No, I ran into her when I came back."
"So, that's how it is. Just now when I saw both of you coming in together, I almost thought we had returned to your childhood." Ji Qingyun smiled, his tone holding some regret.
Ji Xiao was somewhat surprised. From Ji Qingyun's words, it seemed that the original owner and Wei Qingyu had some connections during childhood, and their relationship should have been quite good.
It makes sense, considering Ji Qingyun is such a close friend of Wei Qingyu's parents. Therefore, the original owner and Wei Qingyu must have known each other since childhood.
But why did the relationship become what it is now?
Ji Xiao tried hard to remember but to no avail.
Ji Qingyun sat next to her very naturally: "Dad only heard that you fired Xiao Ai and Xiao Ci when I returned home today. What's going on? Did they make you unhappy? Tell Dad about it.”
Ji Xiao stiffened when she looked at the strange man sitting next to her.
Big brother, aren't you a little too close?
And who are these Xiao Ai and Xiao Ci?
Could they be Maid A and Maid C?
Thinking of these two people who had pushed her into trouble, Ji Xiao felt somewhat speechless. Without lifting her head, she casually said, "It's nothing, I just got annoyed."
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Ji Xiao realized that her behavior and tone were a bit disrespectful. After all, the person opposite her was her cheap dad.
Ji Qingyun frowned upon hearing this, paused for a moment, then waved his hand, saying, "If you're bothered, then change. Tomorrow, I'll have Aunt Wu select good ones for you to use."
He didn't care at all about Ji Xiao's disrespect for him.
Ji Xiao was momentarily stunned, only then recalling that in the original story, Ji Qingyun was a daughter-slave.
He lingered among flowers* but never married for her daughter’s sake, doting Ji Xiao to the point of being lawless, arrogant, and haughty.
*indulging in casual dating
Ji Qingyun: "This time I picked two better ones. Your Aunt Sun just picked a few high-quality maids to come into the house in the past few days. They are all very good and they are just suitable for you.”
Hearing Ji Qingyun's words, Ji Xiao hurriedly waved her hand: "No need."
In the original text, this Aunt Sun was the only woman known to have a surname* by Ji Qingyun's side.
*close enough to be named/be introduced
Although she is a Beta, she became the person who stayed by Ji Qingyun's side the longest due to being most favored by him throughout these years.
Regarding the individuals Aunt Sun selected to come into the house, Ji Xiao could easily guess what kind of people they were.
As a law-abiding underage Alpha, she couldn't enjoy such blessings.
Ji Qingyun was puzzled, "Why? You don't trust the people on Dad's side? They are all the best."
Ji Xiao shook her head and politely declined, using an excuse: "Recently, I want peace and quiet. I don't like having so many people in the house. This villa only has two and a half floors; we don't need that many people."
Ji Qingyun appeared to suddenly understand and nodded, "Alright, Xiaoxiao has grown up, and you have your own ideas now. Dad doesn't object."
He took out his phone from his pocket, multitasking as he spoke, "So, I'll raise your monthly allowance to 300,000. You can decide what you want to eat or play; your happiness is the most important."
Ji Xiao heard in her mind the sound of coins clinking into her pocket; she felt that she might not ever see this much money in her lifetime.
Is this the life of wealthy people?
Seeing Ji Xiao's lack of response, Ji Qingyun seemed to understand something, "Hmm... 300,000 might be a bit low; let's make it 666,666, it's lucky*."
*in Chinese culture, the number 6 "liu" (六) is generally considered lucky as it sounds like (流 - liú). which is similar to the word for "smooth" or "flowing" As a result, it's often associated with smoothness, success, and good fortune.
Ji Xiao was just recovering from the shock of the huge sum of three hundred thousand. Now she almost stumbled into the sixes Ji Qingyun mentioned. As an ordinary college student, she could barely spend more than three thousand in a month. She was truly unable to make use of so much, hastily trying to stop him, saying, "Dad, I really can't use this much."
Ji Qingyun felt somewhat surprised by Ji Xiao's abrupt refusal. He thought that his daughter had grown up, and learned to save for herself, and this deeply touched him. Without any hesitation, he transferred the money to Ji Xiao, saying, "Xiaoxiao, you don't need to save money for Dad. Everything of mine will be yours in the future. Spend your own money without being so polite. The market has been good lately, and our new projects at home have earned quite a bit. Spend it without worries."
Ji Xiao, seeing Ji Qingyun's generous gesture, couldn't help but tug at the corners of her mouth.
Dad, this new project is actually the inheritance from Wei Qingyu's parents, right?
Aren’t you having nightmares at night, occupying the magpie's nest, and spending someone else's money?
Just as Ji Xiao was complaining about Ji Qingyun in her heart, Aunt Wu walked over and said, "Sir, Miss, dinner is ready."
"Alright then, let's have dinner first." Ji Qingyun nodded and asked with concern, "I heard today was the placement exam for the new school year. How did Xiaoxiao do?"
Ji Xiao felt as if a sword pierced her heart. Following Ji Qingyun, she replied half-heartedly, "It was so-so."
As Ji Qingyun heard this, he placed a hand on Ji Xiao's shoulder, softly comforting, "Don't stress too much. You're still young and have just differentiated. Don't burden yourself too much with studies, take it slow.”
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
The man's hand was a bit heavy, resting on Ji Xiao's shoulder, which was damp with warmth. Coupled with Ji Qingyun's mix of tough and tender demeanor, it made her feel particularly uneasy.
Ji Xiao nodded, walked a few steps quickly to the dining area, and sat down.
Ji Qingyun just thought that his daughter was hungry and didn't take it seriously, and sat opposite Ji Xiao.
Soon, the maids set up dinner. Ji Xiao looked at the two sets of tableware on the dining table and, inexplicably, glanced at the tightly closed door on the second floor. Her mood felt somewhat complex.
No one at home cared whether Wei Qingyu ate or not. But after such a high-intensity and fast-paced day of exams, she herself felt extremely hungry, not to mention Wei Qingyu, who was an Omega.
She probably wouldn't be able to endure skipping dinner.
Ji Xiao glanced at Ji Qingyun sitting across from her. It didn't seem quite appropriate to call Wei Qingyu down to eat in this situation.
She would find an opportunity later to send someone up with some food for her.
Ji Xiao made a silent decision and picked up chopsticks to pick a shrimp for herself.
However, Ji Qingyun spoke at that moment, "Aunt Wu, why not ask Qingyu to come down for dinner?"
Aunt Wu made an excuse, "Miss Wei seems to be feeling unwell."
Ji Qingyun frowned, "Even if she's unwell, she should come down for dinner. Go, set another place setting, and ask her to come down."
"Yes, Sir." Aunt Wu nodded slightly and, under Ji Xiao's gaze, went upstairs.
Ji Xiao looked at her father sitting across from her and suddenly felt that he still had a bit of a conscience.
In no time, the door to Wei Qingyu's room on the second floor was opened, and Aunt Wu's voice echoed, "Miss Wei, Sir is calling you down for dinner."
Wei Qingyu looked down at the two father and daughter figures seated in the dining area downstairs and furrowed her brows slightly. "I'm not feeling well. I won't go."
Aunt Wu smiled, "Sir said precisely because Miss Wei isn't feeling well, she should come down for dinner. If you're unwell and don't eat, how can that be alright?"
Wei Qingyu was speechless. She knew Ji Qingyun had made up his mind that she must come down. She released her grip on the doorknob and followed Aunt Wu downstairs.
The solid wood stairs made a faint creaking sound. As Wei Qingyu walked behind Aunt Wu, she reached behind and pressed the suppressant patch more firmly against her gland.
"Qingyu, it's been a while. Sit down and have dinner." Ji Qingyun looked at Wei Qingyu as she descended, his expression softening a bit more.
Wei Qingyu uttered an “Mm," disregarding the deliberately placed tableware beside Ji Qingyun, and instead sat in the seat next to Ji Xiao.
Ji Qingyun wasn't upset, offering himself a way out, "It's good that Qingyu gets along well with Xiaoxiao."
Upon hearing this, Ji Xiao tugged at the corners of her mouth, feeling both surprised and anxious at Wei Qingyu's unexpected and unsettling presence beside her, unaware of the situation.
She looked at Wei Qingyu, silently eating beside her, not understanding why someone who seemed to despise her so much would sit next to her.
The table was somewhat quiet, with Ji Qingyun mostly talking by himself. Ji Xiao didn't have much fondness for him, indulging him out of obligation. Wei Qingyu didn't even raise her head. Every time Ji Qingyun tried to engage her, she mechanically put food into her mouth, ‘in time’, as if she was an emotionless eating machine.
At some point, the atmosphere at the table gradually turned peculiar. At a particular moment, Ji Xiao even caught a sudden and oddly conspicuous scent.
It was like the musky scent of a stag, but with a lower purity, somewhat nauseating.
Ji Xiao felt agitated for no reason as if she had been provoked by someone.
She raised her head with a puzzled expression but noticed the unscrupulous smile on Ji Qingyun's face as he looked at Wei Qingyu.
The low-purity stag musk smell emanated from him.
The unsettling scent that agitated Ji Xiao was Ji Qingyun's pheromones.
There's mutual repulsion among Alphas, so smelling another Alpha's pheromones often irritates. This can often escalate into a brawl.
Ji Xiao forcefully suppressed her irritation and finally understood why Wei Qingyu preferred sitting next to her rather than beside Ji Qingyun.
Her cheap father who looks like a human being is actually a pervert who covets his best friend's daughter!
And he didn't care about the Alpha daughter sitting right in front of him! Scumbag! Pervert! Dirty scoundrel!
I thought you came here with good intentions just now, turns out you were waiting here!
Ji Xiao was silently cursing Ji Qingyun in her mind, but she heard the sound of chopsticks tapping against the plate. Wei Qingyu lowered her head, her long hair falling to cover half of her face. Her right hand resting on the table held the chopsticks weakly, her slender fingers slightly trembling.
Ji Xiao knew she was affected by Ji Qingyun's pheromones.
Ji Qingyun: "What's wrong? Qingyu, you seem really uncomfortable. How about Uncle takes you to the hospital?"
Ji Xiao's heart immediately tightened. She wasn't sure what Ji Qingyun was thinking.
This bastard wants to take Wei Qingyu out and do evil things!
With that said, Ji Qingyun was about to get up and take Wei Qingyu away who was unable to resist. When Ji Xiao saw this, she quickly raised her hand and held Wei Qingyu's arm.
“Where exactly do you feel uncomfortable? Why didn't I notice anything," Ji Xiao raised her voice.
Wei Qingyu struggled to lift her head and glanced at Ji Xiao. Her turquoise eyes were filled with cold vigilance, stunning even Ji Qingyun.
Ji Xiao cleared her throat awkwardly and continued stiffly, "Hey, stop pretending to be pitiful here! I still have some questions about today's exam to ask you! You have to explain every single problem to me clearly! Don't think you can fake illness to get away!" Ji Qingyun was confused by his daughter's intentions, and gently asked, "Are you really okay, Qingyu?"
Ji Qingyun's pheromones heavily influenced Wei Qingyu's thinking, making it difficult for her to discern Ji Xiao's intentions behind her words. However, compared to going with Ji Qingyun to the so-called hospital for a physical examination, she preferred being forcibly stayed by Ji Xiao in the more familiar environment of her home.
Wei Qingyu forced her voice and said “Mm" in the usual tone.
Ji Xiao breathed a sigh of relief when she saw this and said: "Why don't you go back to your room and get ready! I don't have the patience to wait for you to think about it before you explain to me."
"Okay." Wei Qingyu gritted her teeth and stood up from the chair.
As an S-level Omega, she was highly susceptible to Alpha pheromones. Now, she feels weak, and every step she takes requires tremendous effort.
Wei Qingyu held on to the stairs leading to the second floor, although affected by Ji Qingyun's pheromones, she found this time wasn't as terrible as before while walking, even though it was still challenging.
After being away from Ji Qingyun's pheromones, she quickly recovered, and now most of the anguish in her heart had dissipated.
Wei Qingyu subconsciously touched the suppressant patch on the back of her neck, finding it only slightly dampened. She had never experienced a situation like this before.
It's as if there's another Alpha pheromone inside her body, struggling against Ji Qingyun's pheromones, guarding herself from being affected by him.
Another Alpha's pheromones...
Wei Qingyu fell into contemplation and inadvertently stepped into a space.
She felt her feet slip, and a sensation of weightlessness crossed her chest, almost causing her to fall backward.
The next moment, a pair of delicate hands landed on her waist, securely holding her in an embrace.
It felt as if she suddenly plummeted onto a soft cushion, releasing the scent of hidden peach brandy within. Ji Xiao looked at Wei Qingyu expressionlessly and said, "For the sake of you helping me with the questions, I'll come upstairs with you and set a boundary for you."
