Chapter 6

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A loud bang.

The heavy sound of the door slamming woke Chi Xun from her drowsiness. She opened her eyes, finding the room plunged into darkness. She tried for a long while to remember when she had turned off the lights but could recall nothing.

Sitting up against the sofa, Chi Xun felt something slip from her body onto the floor. Picking it up, she realized it was a set of blankets… had she covered herself during sleep?

Why was there no memory of it at all?

Rubbing her eyes, she rummaged through the wardrobe for a change of clothes to prepare for a shower. When she placed the towel by the sink, cold water splashed onto the back of her hand, causing her to shiver. Only then did she notice the temperature display:

[Constant temperature 27℃]

Huh? It had been 43℃ this morning.

Chi Xun poked the screen, but there was no response. She tapped it twice more, still nothing.

She circled the bathroom, checking every corner, but found no control panel for adjusting the temperature. In fact, the number on the panel had dropped by one degree to 26.

“小 Xu, little Xu, the bathroom water is very cold. Do you know where to adjust the temperature?”

Chi Xun took a photo of the panel and sent it to Zhuang Qu.

Within half a minute, her assistant Xu You replied.

“Probably a smart control malfunction. I’ll have someone check it tomorrow.”

Tomorrow… then what about her shower now?

Chi Xun turned on the shower, hesitantly stretching half a foot under the water. The moment the water touched her toes, a chill crept up like a snake.

She quickly withdrew her foot, suddenly feeling that Upper City was far from developed. At home, her baths were always prepared in advance by Chi Xun, with the water temperature perfectly regulated through all seasons.

Looking down at her dripping toes, she sniffled quietly.

When Chi Xun returned, she’d definitely punish him by making him prepare foot baths for a month.

...

Next door.

A bright red graffiti lampshade hanging over the bed swayed with each toss and turn of the sleeper beneath it, casting flickering shadows across the room.

After another restless turn, Xie Shisheng finally sat up, pacing the room.

He couldn’t understand what could possibly be done to fill Chi Xun’s room with Song Yao’an’s heavy Alpha pheromone scent. Could the two have secretly marked the space behind his back? But how could two Alphas mark territory?

Wait — did Song Yao’an actually prefer men?

How could such a thing happen in the team?

Xie Shisheng felt genuine disdain.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. He walked over with a dark expression and opened it.

Outside stood a boy clutching a large bundle of clothes, his round eyes peering above the pile. Xie Shisheng froze, his jaw tightening slightly. A faint blush crept onto his annoyed face.

“The blanket was just handy—”

“Excuse me—”

Both spoke at once. Chi Xun couldn’t catch what he said: “What?”

Xie Shisheng looked away, crossing his arms. “Nothing. What do you want?”

He wore only athletic pants, his crossed arms conveniently covering the subtle chest region but leaving his firm lower abdomen exposed, revealing a row of sharp, black conical navel piercings.

Wouldn’t it hurt to brush his arms against them when undressing?

Chi Xun thought for a moment, then looked away. “May I use your bathroom? The smart control in my room is broken — only cold water comes out. The assistant said someone will fix it tomorrow…”

“Taking a shower?”

Chi Xun nodded.

“Ten minutes, no more.”

Xie Shisheng stepped back with a sour look. His eyes fell on the boy about to step in. The back of his neck was pale and unmarked by bites.

Glancing at his ankles, Xie Shisheng noticed the hideous women’s slippers Shi Heng had picked out for Chi Xun.

Recalling Chi Xun’s recent frivolous behavior, he said coldly, “Didn’t Song Yao’an tell you that the most helpful person on the team is Shi Heng, on the third floor? Why didn’t you ask him?”

Chi Xun blinked lightly, clutching her clothes and seeming to ponder feasibility. “Is that so… I’ll try him.”

Xie Shisheng: “?”

“Sorry to bother you.”

The door closed.

Staring at the closed door, Xie Shisheng genuinely thought Chi Xun’s mind worked differently. Couldn’t she tell he was joking?

He gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and leaned his head against the door.

Usually, the door was poorly soundproofed, but today it felt unusually solid. Perhaps the person outside had little to say, for only faint noises could be heard.

Xie Shisheng guessed the answer was no.

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He knew Shi Heng’s temper well enough. Though usually polite and humble, Shi Heng was a family-trained human machine with strict boundaries. Whenever he was home, his door was always locked, and he wouldn’t even allow others into the downstairs pool changing room while using it.

Just then, the door creaked open slightly.

Shi Heng’s cold voice followed.

“Come in.”

Xie Shisheng: “...”

*

The door closed behind her. Chi Xun locked it and pressed the handle to make sure it was secure before turning to survey the small space.

It was the same layout, but Shi Heng’s bathroom looked far more luxurious and immaculate.

The floor and wall tiles were dark gray marble patterns; the sink counter held neatly arranged skincare products with brands she didn’t recognize. The single bathtub had been replaced by a larger, round black one.

By the tub, a flourishing potted plant thrived. On a shelf nearby sat an unfinished, alien-shaped Rubik’s cube.

It was probably the only irregular item in the room.

Chi Xun put down her clothes, quickly washed her hair and body, then used his hairdryer to dry her hair.

When she came out, the room’s owner was sitting at a desk reading. The only sound was the flipping of pages, and she felt a little awkward breaking the quiet.

Click, click, click.

Shy footsteps approached, a warm presence drawing near. Stopping beside Shi Heng, he lowered his eyes, seeing the boy standing about a meter away and the small dog print on his black pajamas smiling foolishly at him.

Chi Xun’s hair was still damp, resting softly over her brows. Her eyelashes were wet, and her cheeks, nose tip, and full lips glowed with healthy pinkness. She radiated softness.

“Thanks, Captain. I’ve cleaned the bathroom again.”

Shi Heng’s thin lips parted. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m going back to rest now. Good night.”

Her footsteps quickly faded away, reminiscent of a soaked puppy running home through the rain, leaving footprints on the floor.

Shi Heng didn’t check the floor for marks but recalled the faint scent on Chi Xun as she approached — the same shower gel scent he used.

Yet his own gland’s faint green grape fragrance had completely vanished.

...

Suddenly dark rooms, fluctuating water temperatures, and a tiny four-legged mechanical creature resembling a toy car.

Chi Xun looked at the silver tin turtle outside Shi Heng’s door, which was nearly climbing onto her toes, and thought, have there been too many supernatural events today?

They stared at each other for a few seconds. The turtle seemed to suddenly realize something and was forced to retreat rapidly, but resisted the movement, stretching its neck to desperately crawl toward her.

Soon, the whole turtle began spinning rapidly like a top in place.

Chi Xun watched with a pang of sympathy.

She bent down, picked up the turtle, and met its green bean-shaped eyes. “Don’t burrow; you’ll ruin the floor.”

The electronic turtle seemed to understand, retracting its neck slightly into its shell.

Chi Xun gently stroked its back. “Are you lost?” She glanced at the two firmly closed doors. “Who is your owner?”

The little creature’s eyes darted around but refused to look at her.

She sensed a hint of guilt.

“Well then, I’ll take you back.”

She shook it gently as if warning it.

At first, she only meant to tease it, but the little turtle was surprisingly affectionate, like a kitten rubbing against her fingers. It was light too, easy to hold with one hand.

So Chi Xun leaned against the bed, placing it on her lap to play with. She stroked its smooth shell, poked its tiny feet with her fingertips, murmuring, “At first glance, you look odd, but upon closer look, you’re pretty cute.”

The turtle seemed to enjoy the praise, nimbly rolling over.

“Is this an invitation to pet you?” Chi Xun’s finger gently touched it, feeling the uneven texture. Surprised, she said, “You even have abs.”

Moreover, the turtle’s belly wasn’t cold but warm, its matte texture pleasant to touch.

“One, two…” she yawned.

Meanwhile, in another room.

Someone bit their teeth, muffling their ears with a pillow, trying to block out the sound, but it was futile. The sensation on his lower abdomen seemed magnified a thousandfold.

Xie Shisheng could even feel how Chi Xun’s soft fingers were tracing circles up and down, sliding bit by bit toward the bottom of his abdomen. The realistic feeling left him frozen in the middle of the bed.

After a few minutes, flushed with shame and anger, he threw the pillow aside, revealing messy blue hair and ears reddened as if bleeding.

He had been molested by a teammate!

He vowed to kill Chi Xun!

Xie Shisheng jumped out of bed, gulped a mouthful of cold water, and stormed to the door, only to hear a new conversation.

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“The turtle is nocturnal too, right? Do you need to recharge?”

“Or maybe you can stay here and sleep with me tonight.”

Chi Xun’s voice sounded softer and lighter than usual, like a girl whispering coquettishly in his ear, making his whole body tense.

Damn it.

What was going on?

Xie Shisheng closed his eyes, trying to breathe deeply to forget her words. But in his mind gradually appeared the silhouette of a long-haired girl turning around, revealing Chi Xun’s smiling face.

“...”

He sat back on the bed, a sneer playing at his lips.

No way.

Chi Xun was less likely to be female than to be a Beta.

*

[If room pheromone levels exceed the limit for more than 24 hours, the smart control will automatically activate body cooling assistance mode.]

[Have you been injecting your suppressants on time recently?]

Two unread messages lay in his neural interface, both sent by Zhuang Qu at 3 a.m.

Pheromone overload? Could it be that she had been using too much green grape perfume?

Did pheromone overload really mean being forced to take cold showers? Chi Xun curled her lips. Had she joined a boy band or a military boot camp?

Opening the fridge, she saw six shelves fully stocked with nutrient drinks, but no fruit or snacks.

Chi Xun was certain now — she had really come to a military training camp.

After drinking two nutrient drinks, her hunger only grew.

Perhaps the intense training these days made her get hungry quickly. She scanned every corner of the fridge carefully and finally found a small box of grapefruit cake on the top shelf.

She finished it in just one minute.

Reluctantly licking the last bit of cream from the spoon, she rubbed her still-empty stomach and stood up from the table, only to collide head-on with someone at the doorway.

She stepped aside, but the person remained frozen in place, not moving forward.

“Excuse me…”

A faint, mosquito-like voice came.

“Did you just eat my cake?”

Chi Xun was momentarily stunned.

Looking up, she saw a stranger — a silver-haired young man in a simple white shirt. Though tall, he gave off a pale, fragile aura.

He didn’t look at her when speaking, instead staring at his own toes, his hands curled nervously at his sides.

Chi Xun was sure the empty cake box had already been thrown to the bottom of the trash when he arrived. She looked around but saw no signs of surveillance in the dining room.

“Sorry.”

She paused, curious. “But how did you know I ate it…”

“Because I can see scents.”

“...Huh?”

Lin Zhao’s fingers curled tighter as he babbled nervously, “No one believes me… I know… but…”

“No, I just think this ability is fascinating. What other scents do I have on me?”

Lin Zhao was taken aback.

He timidly raised his eyes to meet the boy’s bright, trusting gaze — rare trust, not mockery.

“…Egg, cream, grapefruit, green grape, mint, bergamot.”

Chi Xun nodded as she listened. Besides the cake, the rest were the scents from her pheromone perfume and yesterday’s use of Shi Heng’s shower gel and shampoo. His senses were truly sharp.

“Coconut milk.”

“?”

Now it was Chi Xun’s turn to be stunned. Before she could think further, the boy named the last scent:

“Lavender.”

Wait...

Chi Xun instinctively stepped back half a pace, her face warming.

Wasn’t that the scent of her underwear detergent?