Chapter 1

When Lin Yan returned to the Dormitory, Shi Qi had just woken from sleep.

His furry head was buried in the quilt, only a few scattered strands of pale platinum hair visible. Hearing the noise, he lifted his head reluctantly. In his half-lidded eyes, Lin Yan saw a trace of weariness.

'Did I wake you?' Lin Yan apologized.

'No,' Shi Qi said. 'Just woke up.'

'...You didn't sleep straight through till now, did you? It's already five in the afternoon, dude.' Lin Yan asked suspiciously. 'Did you have insomnia again last night?'

Shi Qi pursed his lips, a tacit admission.

Ever since the year of his Differentiation, Shi Qi had developed a rare condition: his Omega Pheromone levels were far below average and kept decreasing with age. If things continued this way, his gland would keep degenerating, eventually turning him into a Beta.

The effects of glandular degeneration, besides a chaotic Heat Phase, included occasional insomnia and potential complications.

Existing medical treatments were ineffective against this rare disease; only bonding with an Alpha of high Compatibility Index could cure it.

Because of this, Shi Qi's family hoped he would start dating soon, preferably get married quickly. Yet Shi Qi treated all their advice as background noise, finding Alphas utterly boring—not a single one even smelled good.

'Come on, come on, I'll take you out to eat.' Afraid he'd just fall back asleep, Lin Yan said with animated excitement, 'I booked a restaurant that's blowing up online lately! You know what their selling point is?'

'?'

'Pheromone companionship!'

'You can choose your preferred Pheromone category, and the restaurant will assign you a server that fits the requirements. During the meal, they'll release a small amount of Pheromone, actively chat with you, take care of you—enhance the dining experience.'

Shi Qi commented, 'Sounds like not a very proper restaurant.'

Lin Yan grinned. 'Don't worry, I've been once already. It's perfectly proper.'

'I asked that Alpha guy if I could pay extra for a date—I offered this much.' Lin Yan held up a number with his fingers. 'He politely refused, said they only do meal companionship here.'

Shi Qi: '...'

Shi Qi was speechless.

A while ago, Shi Qi had dyed his hair a pale platinum blonde. Combined with his snow-white complexion and the languid aura of a messed-up sleep schedule clinging to him, he looked like a little vampire.

Seeing him in this half-dead state, Lin Yan declared, 'Come on, come on, I'll order you the hottest A. Guaranteed to reignite your passion, rebuild your sense of self!'

'Yeah, right,' the little vampire scoffed. 'Ten of them together wouldn't be as good-looking as me.'

'...' Lin Yan looked at his face, delicate as a doll's, and found it hard to refute that point for a moment.

But having slept through the whole day, Shi Qi was actually a bit hungry. Upon hearing that the restaurant's desserts were delicious, he rolled out of bed with practiced ease.

On the way, Lin Yan persisted. 'Based on my observation, the most popular Alpha at their place... what's it called, the face? Yeah, yeah, their "face" should be your type.'

Shi Qi let out an 'oh,' asking lazily, 'And what type is that?'

'Don't you just like the ones who look like fuckboys? Pretty and flirty, preferably with a bit of personality.' Lin Yan said. 'Like that senior you asked for contact info.'

'Too bad Senior Duan Jiayan is an Omega, and he has a partner.'

Lin Yan couldn't help but laugh at this point.

It was always others chasing Shi Qi; the one rare time this guy took the initiative, he suffered a crushing defeat. The funniest part was, after Shi Qi thought being an Omega was fine—maybe he'd turn into a Beta someday—and after hemming and hawing, finally overcoming his shyness to ask for contact info, he abruptly learned the guy had a partner.

Shi Qi said expressionlessly, 'You knew. Why didn't you tell me sooner?'

'His partner is seriously impressive. You're just too indifferent to the people and things around you. Those two are pretty famous.' Lin Yan consoled him. 'It's fine, baby. The senior had no idea what you meant, just saw you as a junior from the same club. The heartache is known only to you and me.'

Asking for contact info was last semester; it didn't matter anymore.

But Lin Yan's cackling laughter was really asking for a punch. Just as Shi Qi was about to trade insults, his phone buzzed, showing a new message.

From an unknown number:

[Shi Qi, it's Fu Siyue. How long are you going to keep my main account blocked??]

Shi Qi sent back a question mark: [?]

As if surprised he'd responded, messages from the other side started popping up one after another:

[My family's forcing me to contact you. It's so annoying, I didn't even want to reach out.]

[My mom keeps saying our Compatibility Index is high, our families know each other well, we should interact more. I can't explain it if you have me blocked.]

[Don't get the wrong idea, it's all my mom's demand. I'm not interested in you.]

After reading the messages, Shi Qi cleanly blocked this number too.

Lin Yan asked curiously, 'Who was that?'

'An idiot.'

'...'

—

The restaurant Lin Yan mentioned was called Huijian Restaurant, a creative cuisine spot with a new Chinese aesthetic, occupying a whole building in the prime CBD district.

Lin Yan had a reservation. After entering, the head waiter asked with a smile, 'Will the two of you be dining together, or separately?'

Shi Qi was about to say together when Lin Yan cut in first: 'Separately, of course.'

'?'

'We don't even like the same Pheromone scents.'

Shi Qi was about to say he was just here to eat, Pheromone enhancement was irrelevant. The head waiter looked at him: 'What type of scent do you prefer?'

Shi Qi hesitated. 'Something sweet.'

The head waiter smiled. 'Shall we arrange an Alpha server for you, then?'

Shi Qi asked curiously, 'An Omega is possible too?'

'Of course. Actually, our main offering here is fine food, scent, and companionship.' The head waiter explained. 'More and more people dine alone these days. Sometimes one feels lonely, or finds eating alone boring. The server can chat to pass the time, plus there's a preferred Pheromone scent—like bathing in a warm, fragrant aura. Many guests find it quite fun.'

'If you'd prefer chatting with an Omega, we can certainly arrange a suitable one.'

So the servers here were essentially like paid conversationalists? They just provided additional Pheromones and might help with serving dishes?

'No, no, an Alpha!' Lin Yan answered. 'Arrange your "face" for him!'

Lin Yan leaned close to Shi Qi's ear, whispering emphatically, 'Their "face" is really good at the job, total fuckboy face! Your type, through and through.'

Shi Qi: '...'

Shi Qi: 'I'd rather be alone. Someone watching me eat is weird.'

Lin Yan: 'It's fine, it's fun! Just think of him as an NPC accompanying your meal, like a good-looking monster NPC at an Amusement Park.'

Unable to withstand Lin Yan's forceful recommendation, and since the other was paying, Shi Qi ultimately didn't object further.

'The "face" you mentioned—would that be Lan Li?' The head waiter said apologetically. 'He's off today. May we arrange another for you? Also a very experienced staff member, and his Pheromone happens to match your friend's preference.'

Originally, having slept all day, he hadn't felt much, but after all this chatting, Shi Qi was genuinely a bit hungry.

His mind was entirely on the food; he answered without thinking. 'Fine.'

'Very well. Please proceed to the private room first. A server will join you shortly to accompany your meal.'

The private room had adjustment devices to control the Pheromone concentration inside, in case guests were uncomfortable.

Shi Qi had just finished ordering when the server entered. A young, handsome Alpha, wearing a fuzzy, light sand-colored sweater. Compared to the traditional image of a server, it was a more casual, approachable style.

Seeing Shi Qi, the Alpha's eyes lit up.

'Is this your first time here? I haven't seen you before.'

A faint Pheromone scent, reminiscent of hazelnut cream, emanated from the Alpha. He sat down directly beside Shi Qi.

Shi Qi's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

'I wanted to dye my hair a color like yours before, but always felt I couldn't pull it off.' The Alpha said with a smile. 'But it really stands out on you, like someone from a manga. Good looks really suit any color.'

Shi Qi didn't answer. The other seemed to interpret his silence as shyness, leaning closer to speak.

'You look like you're still a student?'

Along with the Alpha's voice, the surrounding air gradually became occupied by another person's Pheromones.

The Alpha maintained a distance from Shi Qi, still within normal social range. But to Shi Qi, the other's scent was like dizzying, cheap perfume—prolonged exposure even made him slightly nauseous.

'Look,' Shi Qi interrupted him. 'How about you leave?'

'?'

Probably rarely rejected by guests, the Alpha's expression subtly shifted.

He forced a maintained smile. 'Did I offend you somewhere? If you don't want to be asked these things, we can talk about something else?'

Shi Qi shook his head. The Alpha ventured, 'Then... shall I still accompany you?'

'No need,' Shi Qi said. 'I want to eat alone.'

'Really going to send me away?' The Alpha glanced at him, putting on a pitiful act. 'I've never been sent back before.'

Shi Qi remained unmoved. 'Well, now you have.'

'...'

The Alpha finally stood up, leaving with some reluctance.

Compared to most people, Shi Qi had a much keener nose, and was especially sensitive to Pheromone scents.

After the Alpha left, he still felt the room retained a sickly sweet, cloying hazelnut cream odor. Shi Qi endured it for a while, then decided to step out for some air.

This private room connected directly to a Courtyard at the back. Unnoticed, a light rain had begun outside.

Cold air rushed against his face, but it also carried away the heavy atmosphere inside. Feeling much lighter, Shi Qi finally noticed a person standing under the eaves not far away.

Seemingly not afraid of the cold, with winter approaching, the person wore only a loose white sweater, its collar and hem even frayed with holes, faintly revealing a section of tattoo near the collarbone.

It was the plainest black-and-white tattoo. The exact shape was unclear, but one could make out light, graceful lines.

Shi Qi instinctively looked at his face.

High nose bridge, fox-like eyes. The corners of his eyes and brows naturally carried a teasing air, yet also displayed a contradictory coolness.

If Lin Yan were here, he'd definitely gasp.

Holy shit! This guy looks like trouble, exactly your favorite type of face!

The stranger was gazing at a particular spot in the Courtyard, a critical look on his face.

Following his gaze, Shi Qi saw a magnificent, colorfully painted folding screen with Shi Er panels.

'The screen doesn't look good here,' Shang Sui said.

On the other end of the call, Jiang Yan was aghast. 'What?! That thing cost me a fortune to ship back. It's supposed to be the soul of my courtyard, and you're saying my soul isn't good-looking?'

'This placement really doesn't work? I thought it added layers!'

'It's a mess, like your family's storage room.'

'...'

After arguing for a while, Jiang Yan finally conceded, asking dejectedly, 'Fine, then what should I do?'

'What else can you do.' Shang Sui laughed softly. 'Move it, or throw it away.'

After he hung up, someone blocked his path.

Shang Sui was very tall; Shi Qi had to tilt his head back slightly to look at him.

'Are you a guest here?'

Their eyes met. Shi Qi faintly sensed a flicker of surprise in his gaze, followed by a viscous, inscrutable stare.

Being looked at by him felt like being watched by some cold, reptilian creature.

But soon, this indescribable sense of crisis dissipated again when Shang Sui spoke.

The voice that reached his ears was slightly raspy, neither high nor low. A timbre Shi Qi liked.

'No.'

Not a guest, then he was an employee.

And this person was also wearing a sweater, even if the style was a bit ragged—maybe everyone's uniform was different.

Could this be the 'face' Lin Yan wanted to order, coming in for a shift?

'Alpha?'

Shang Sui nodded.

Good, gender matched too.

Even though ten minutes ago, he'd never imagined being interested in an Alpha, Shi Qi always practiced the principle of 'if you want it, go get it.' Besides, switching a conversational companion wasn't a big deal.

Thinking this, he took a step forward.

'What do you smell like?'

Shi Qi's eyes were a rare deep gray, more translucent than most, with slightly upturned outer corners, reminiscent of a feline.

He really was like a cat, completely unaware he was essentially harassing someone.

Looking at the strange Alpha's face, Shi Qi thought for a moment and decided he could overlook the Pheromone scent too.

He asked directly, 'Can you accompany me?'