ACBAM 11: Scent

Su Shijin almost thought he had misheard at that moment.

But when he saw Gu Weiyang sit down, roll up his sleeve to reveal a solid forearm and rest it on the blood-draw cushion, then turn his head to look at him—with that look in his eyes.

Su Shijin then felt that he probably hadn’t misheard after all.

After a moment of hesitation, Su Shijin reached out his hand and loosely held it in front of his eyes, without actually touching his skin.

“It’s really just the moment before the needle goes in that’s scary. Just think about something else to distract yourself,” Su Shijin’s soft voice landed in Gu Weiyang’s ear, like a gentle breeze passing by.

That small gap of barely an inch couldn’t block anything. If Gu Weiyang wanted to turn his head, he could easily avoid the hand.

But Gu Weiyang didn’t move.

It was as if that small hand, despite the distance, had somehow held him in place, calming him completely.

Gu Weiyang could smell the faint scent of hand soap on Su Shijin’s hand—he couldn’t quite tell what it was, only that it was light and subtle, just like Su Shijin himself.

Gu Weiyang was sure this wasn’t Su Shijin’s pheromone because his glands hadn’t reacted at all.

If it had been Su Shijin’s pheromone, he probably would’ve needed to head to the restroom to calm himself down before coming back.

Gu Weiyang pressed his lips together in a small smile and followed Su Shijin’s lead to shift the topic. “So, what do you feel like eating for lunch?”

Of course, he wasn’t actually afraid of needles—he was just using it as an excuse to get a little closer to Su Shijin.

From the moment they met, he had sensed that Su Shijin preferred to keep his distance from him.

That distance wasn’t about physical space, but rather an intangible, hard-to-define sense that Su Shijin hadn’t yet considered him as one of his own.

Gu Weiyang felt that he needed to gradually blur that boundary.

Sure enough, Su Shijin responded along with his lead, “I’m fine with anything.”

“Chinese? Western?” Gu Weiyang thought for a moment. “There’s a new Thai place next door—want to give it a try?”

Su Shijin had tried Thai food before—there was a curry chicken dish and tom yum soup that really suited his taste. Now that he thought about it, it had been a while since he last had it.

“Sure, Thai it is.” Su Shijin remembered that Gu Weiyang had paid last time during their blind date, so this time it was only right for him to treat. “It’s on me.”

Gu Weiyang didn’t argue. As he felt the needle prick into his vein, he paused deliberately, pretending to react, then replied, “Alright, next time’s on me.”

Just like that, Gu Weiyang naturally secured their next meal together.

After the blood draw, the nurse pressed a cotton swab to the injection site and pulled out the needle. Her gaze flicked back and forth between Gu Weiyang and Su Shijin, and even with her mask on, the auntie-like smile on her face was practically visible.

“Press here, just until the bleeding stops,” the nurse said.

Su Shijin withdrew the hand that had been in front of him, his expression calm, as if nothing had just happened. Gu Weiyang naturally turned his head, took the cotton swab from the nurse with a thank-you, and stepped aside to make room for the next person.

After tossing the blood-stained swab into the medical waste bin, Gu Weiyang pulled down his sleeve and straightened the cuff.

“Let’s go. How about we take my car to the restaurant?” Gu Weiyang asked.

Su Shijin thought for a moment, then nodded.

Same starting point, same destination—taking two separate cars felt a bit too deliberate.

—

Gu Weiyang drove a Cayenne, which, compared to the assets he had inherited, was considered a relatively low-profile car.

Su Shijin only regretted it after getting in the car because the interior was filled with the scent of an alpha’s pheromones.

The scent was like strong liquor, making his head feel a little dizzy. The glands on the back of his neck seemed to stir from the heat, reacting restlessly to it.

Gu Weiyang also only remembered the issue after getting in. When he was alone in the car, he didn’t deliberately suppress his pheromones too much, since doing so would put unnecessary strain on his already damaged glands.

Seeing that Su Shijin looked a little unwell, Gu Weiyang furrowed his brows and said, “Sorry, I forgot the pheromones in the car hadn’t dispersed yet. I’ll take you back to your car.”

Su Shijin let out a slow breath and shook his head. “It’s fine.”

He raised his hand slightly as a gesture. “I’m wearing a suppressant ring.”

That brief moment of dizziness and the faint heat from his glands had actually just been his own imagination.

He was simply a little anxious about reacting to Gu Weiyang’s pheromones. After all, it was a scent that could make him go into a false heat even from a distance.

But with the suppressant ring on, unless he had very close physical contact with Gu Weiyang, even a 100% compatibility wouldn’t cause him to go into heat just from breathing in the same space.

The last time he had experienced a false heat was only because he hadn’t been wearing a suppressant ring or using any suppressant patches.

Su Shijin slowly exhaled, rolled down the window, and turned his head to look at him. “I opened the window—is that okay?”

Of course, Gu Weiyang had no objections.

He told Su Shijin to wait in the car for a moment, then went to the trunk and brought back a clean, still-sealed blanket to hand to him. “It’s new—no scent.”

Su Shijin thanked him, opened the packaging, and unfolded the blanket to drape over himself.

The early spring weather was indeed a bit chilly. Cold wind rushed in through the open window, making Su Shijin squint slightly as it blew against his face.

At a red light, Gu Weiyang glanced over in his direction and thought that, at this moment, Su Shijin looked especially like a cat lazily leaning against the car window, basking in the sun and letting the wind blow through its fur.

—

By the time they arrived at their destination, the scent in the car had mostly dispersed. As Su Shijin got out, he discreetly reached up to touch the back of his neck and felt that the suppressant ring was indeed working—he didn’t feel any discomfort at all.

If that was the case, then even if he and Gu Weiyang ended up living together after a contract marriage, he wouldn’t have to worry too much about being affected by the other’s pheromones.

Feeling reassured, Su Shijin followed Gu Weiyang into the newly opened Thai restaurant.

The restaurant didn’t have private rooms, but each table was separated by beautifully patterned curtains, creating a sense of personal space. Other than being able to hear conversations from nearby tables, there weren’t any real drawbacks.

When it came time to order, Gu Weiyang let him go first, and Su Shijin didn’t hold back.

After all, he was paying today.

So Su Shijin ordered a few dishes he particularly wanted, then handed the menu over to him.

Gu Weiyang glanced down at the items he had chosen, then casually added two more dishes before passing the menu to the server beside them.

While they were waiting for the food, Gu Weiyang asked, “If our compatibility rate is high, would you marry me?”

Su Shijin was caught off guard by the bluntness of the question, but he had indeed said earlier that he would give an answer after the pheromone compatibility test.

Although the results hadn’t come out yet, chances were their match wouldn’t be low.

He had already made up his mind, so there was no reason to keep avoiding the question.

After a brief pause, Su Shijin held the cup in front of him and gently rubbed his thumb along the smooth surface. “If the compatibility rate is high, then yes.”

“And also, if after we’re married you need help with pheromone desensitization training, I can do that too.”

Gu Weiyang was caught off guard by that last sentence just as he was pouring water into his cup, nearly spilling it on himself.

He set down the pitcher and took the napkin Su Shijin handed over to wipe the water off the table. His tone turned a little strange as he asked, “You’re saying… you would help me with desensitization training?”