Pheromone Deficiency Syndrome chapter 31

Pretend

The next day when Gu Jinyi woke up, it was raining outside, and the window was slightly open. The room was temperature-controlled, so it didn’t feel cold. Instead, the damp floral scent mixed with the cold rain drifted in, freshening up the room.

Xie Huaizhou sat at the bedside, wearing the black bracelet Gu Jinyi gave him on his left hand, holding a screen and looking at something. There was also a cup of coffee beside him. Perhaps he saw something unsatisfactory, as his brows were slightly furrowed, and his profile was especially sharp in the dim light, making him seem unapproachable.

Gu Jinyi’s head felt a bit heavy, but he woke up without saying a word, just curled up in the blanket, looking at Xie Huaizhou.

After a while, Xie Huaizhou noticed that he was awake.

At the moment Xie Huaizhou looked at him, Gu Jinyi instinctively smiled.

“Good morning, happy birthday.”

He reached out from under the blanket and gently hooked Xie Huaizhou’s hand.

Xie Huaizhou looked at him for a moment, then lowered his head and kissed him on the forehead.

“Good morning.”

Even though it was Xie Huaizhou’s birthday, he never liked grand celebrations. When Shang Li was alive, she used to organize birthday parties for her son every few years. But since her death, Xie Huaizhou had never held one again.

So there weren’t many people at the Shang residence that day, just Xie Huaizhou’s cousin and her family bringing gifts.

Xie Huaizhou’s cousin was named Shang Xiaomin, an omega. She was the granddaughter of Shang He’s younger brother. She didn’t look much like Xie Huaizhou, but there was an inexplicable resemblance in temperament.

But she smiled more than Xie Huaizhou did. Her husband was also a gentle alpha named Gong Ying.

Their son was seven years old, named Shang Yin, still too young for differentiation, and looked very quiet and gentle. But because he was handsome, Chu Xiaonian noticed him when Xie Huaizhou held him in his arms, and ran over.

Shang Yin looked at Chu Xiaonian with a reserved gaze for a while. Chu Xiaonian was only four years old, much younger than him. His chubby face was delicate, with a milky scent, round and plump like a little dumpling, looking at him expectantly.

Shang Yin couldn’t resist this look and took Chu Xiaonian’s hand, leading him to play with the puzzle fortress.

Shang Xiaomin watched from behind, marveling, “It’s strange, Shang Yin usually doesn’t like to play with others, but today he seems to have changed.”

But since the two children had found their own playmates, the adults didn’t need to take care of them anymore. The nanny prepared children’s meals for them, and they sat down to have lunch themselves.

Shang Xiaomin and her husband had only come for a short time, so they could only stay for an afternoon.

After lunch, Shang He played chess with Xie Huaizhou, and Gong Ying watched.

Shang Xiaomin sat on the sofa chatting with Gu Jinyi.

Although it was their first meeting, Shang Xiaomin was a very friendly person. She was an archaeologist and had traveled to many places, publishing several archaeological monographs.

Gu Jinyi listened with relish as he held his milk tea, listening to her talk about her experiences in archaeology.

Shang Xiaomin patted him on the back. “I’ll give you two copies of my materials later, which others don’t have.”

Gu Jinyi smiled and agreed.

His smile was infectious, and even Shang Xiaomin, as an omega, was stunned for a moment.

She asked Gu Jinyi curiously, “How did you and Huaizhou meet? This kid doesn’t reveal anything. Suddenly, he got married, and he wouldn’t let us see you. He hid you very tightly.”

She didn’t mean to offend with her words. The fact that Xie Huaizhou suffered from “pheromone deficiency syndrome” was confidential, known only to a few people who needed to know.

Shang Xiaomin had a good relationship with Xie Huaizhou, but they both had their own careers, so they rarely met. Xie Huaizhou hadn’t told her about it.

So in Shang Xiaomin’s eyes, Xie Huaizhou was still an alpha who couldn’t get his act together a few years ago. He didn’t even glance at the omega she introduced him to, and she hadn’t heard anything since then, and Xie Huaizhou suddenly got married.

And it was to an omega she had never seen by Xie Huaizhou’s side.

When she first learned about this, she was so scared that she sat up in bed, quickly dialed Xie Huaizhou’s communicator, and asked if he had been kidnapped and forced to marry someone.

Thinking of this, she felt a little embarrassed.

But Gu Jinyi didn’t know how to answer this question.

His relationship with Xie Huaizhou was not a conventional romance leading to marriage; even their “acquaintance” began with a contract.

Even now, they couldn’t be considered “together.”

He glanced at Xie Huaizhou, who was playing chess, and it seemed like they had a telepathic connection as Xie Huaizhou also looked up.

Their eyes met in the air.

Xie Huaizhou mouthed, “What’s wrong?” and Gu Jinyi smiled and shook his head.

Although there was nothing special about their actions, Shang Xiaomin felt like she had eaten a ton of dog food.

She didn’t want to hear Gu Jinyi’s answer anymore. Forget it, as someone who had been married for many years, she didn’t want to hear the new couple’s lovey-dovey talk.

Shang Xiaomin opened her Ipad to find the documentary she had filmed during her archaeology expeditions for Gu Jinyi.

She had just been to an area called the “Sapphire Curse” in the first half of the year, diving into the depths of the sea to excavate an ancient city that had been asleep for thousands of years.

Gu Jinyi was very interested in this, especially in seeing the ancient jewelry they had excavated.

While Shang Xiaomin was looking for information, she said to Gu Jinyi, “Actually, I was quite shocked that Huaizhou got married so quickly. I originally thought that he, with his demeanor, would end up alone. We had an omega in our circle who matched him very well, with a compatibility rate of about 85%, and he liked him very much. He even confessed to him, but Huaizhou didn’t leave any room and rejected him.”

“In today’s age, an 85% compatibility rate is already quite high. That omega didn’t have any flaws, and he was handsome. At that time, I was thinking, if he didn’t want someone like that, what kind of person was he planning to find?”

Shang Xiaomin smiled at Gu Jinyi. “But now I know what he likes.”

Gu Jinyi felt a little embarrassed.

But Shang Xiaomin nudged him with her elbow and asked curiously, “Your compatibility with him isn’t low, right? What’s your compatibility rate?”

Gu Jinyi scratched his face: “It seems so, 99%.”

In terms of compatibility, this was the highest it could get.

The air inexplicably quieted for a second.

Shang Xiaomin: “…”

She felt like she was about to burst. No wonder Xie Huaizhou quickly got married. With such a high compatibility, was there any need to hesitate? Encountering something like this was purely a stroke of luck.

She sincerely said, “I’ve lived this long and it’s the first time I’ve heard of such a high compatibility. It’s unbearable. My husband and I are 90% compatible, and I already think that’s high.”

She refused to eat any more dog food and stopped trying to inquire about any details of Xie Huaizhou and Gu Jinyi’s relationship, focusing solely on finding her own documentary on the Ipad.

But as she searched, she discovered something else and forgot her earlier vow.

“Look what I found,” she smiled and moved the Ipad in front of Gu Jinyi, “This is a video of Huaizhou’s training at eighteen. He learned all his combat skills from his grandfather. When he was fifteen, he could only take a beating, but by the time he was eighteen, he could take on his teachers single-handedly.”

At first, Gu Jinyi found it quite interesting. Xie Huaizhou in the video was dressed in black, sparring with three teachers simultaneously. He was tall and not light in build, but each move had a kind of “lightness,” even when surrounded by three people, he didn’t appear flustered, and he didn’t care about getting hit; instead, his attacks became more and more fierce.

But as Gu Jinyi watched, his smile gradually faded.

He didn’t know if he was being oversensitive or what, but he found Xie Huaizhou’s fighting style very familiar.

He had seen it on another person before.

Shang Xiaomin didn’t notice Gu Jinyi’s change of expression. She didn’t know that Gu Jinyi had studied in the Command Department, and she was still introducing him, “It’s a pity that Huaizhou didn’t enter the military area like his grandfather. Look at Huaizhou’s moves; they’re the Morell defense style, and this one is the Tarrison combat technique. Even military academy students rarely master them; they’re considered the threshold for genius selection.”

Gu Jinyi’s gaze fell on the figure leaping and flipping, a little absent-minded about Shang Xiaomin’s words.

“He’s always been quite impressive,” he murmured.

Just then, Xie Huaizhou stopped playing chess with his grandfather and came over to where Gu Jinyi and Shang Xiaomin were sitting.

“What are you two watching?” he asked.

Shang Xiaomin moved aside a bit to let Xie Huaizhou see the Ipad clearly.

“Showing Xiao Gu your heroic past,” Shang Xiaomin said smugly, “Oh, right, I just told Xiao Gu about your past romantic history. Are you ready to kneel and apologize tonight?”

She was deliberately teasing Xie Huaizhou.

Gu Jinyi’s gaze shifted from the Ipad to Xie Huaizhou’s face.

Xie Huaizhou saw his own training video, but his expression remained unchanged.

“What romantic history do I have? Stop spreading rumors,” he calmly looked at Shang Xiaomin, “Be careful, or I’ll tell your husband that when you were in high school, you fell for his buddy first, not him.”

Shang Xiaomin quickly rushed over and covered his mouth.

“You little rascal, dare to say that and I’ll kill you,” Shang Xiaomin threatened through gritted teeth, “I clearly fell in love with my Gong Ying at first sight.”

Xie Huaizhou raised an eyebrow, unfazed by her threat.

Gu Jinyi withdrew his gaze and looked back at the Ipad.

The video on the Ipad had reached its end. Xie Huaizhou and his teacher were sparring with weapons for the last time, using a slender single-edged sword, with a silver-white blade like the moon and a jet-black handle engraved with the emblem of the Shang family.

…………

Shang Xiaomin and her husband left the Shang residence after dinner.

The gift they gave Xie Huaizhou was a pair of antique ornaments, also counting as making up for the wedding gift they didn’t get back then.

She beckoned Shan Yin, who had played with Chu Xiaonian for an afternoon, and Shan Yin was actually a bit reluctant, slowly carrying Chu Xiaonian out.

He lifted Chu Xiaonian up and asked Shan Xiaomin seriously, “Can I take Xiaonian home?”

Shan Xiaomin was stunned, then burst into laughter, “I’m afraid not.”

Shan Yin’s disappointment was evident.

But before he could try again, the sturdy arms around him carried Chu Xiaonian away.

Xie Huaizhou let Chu Xiaonian sit on his arm and looked at his nephew without much warmth. “This is our little friend at home. He won’t be going with you. Stop dreaming.”

Shan Yin was so angry he couldn’t speak.

He had never gotten along with Xie Huaizhou, and today he felt that this uncle was even more detestable, just like the antagonist in an animated film.

It was Gu Jinyi who came out to round things off and let Chu Xiaonian say goodbye to Shan Yin.

“It’s okay, you can come to Baidi Star to find Xiaonian in the future,” he said with a smile. “Xiaonian can come to find you too.”

Shan Yin felt a little better and after bumping fists with Chu Xiaonian, finally left with three backward glances.

Chu Xiaonian also felt a little down, lying on Xie Huaizhou’s shoulder.

But Xie Huaizhou patted his back and comforted him unreliably, “It’s okay, if you like Shan Yin as a playmate, I’ll have someone find you a few more later.”

Then he took Chu Xiaonian to have dessert after dinner.

Gu Jinyi listened from behind, always feeling that Xie Huaizhou’s way of soothing was very problematic.

….

They were going back to Baidi Star tomorrow afternoon, so after Shan Xiaomin left, he and Xie Huaizhou chatted with Shang He for a while before returning to their room.

Because they had been busy all day and were a little tired, after washing up, Gu Jinyi went to sleep without saying a few words to Xie Huaizhou.

Xie Huaizhou held his hand from under the covers and slowly closed his eyes.

But when his breathing became steady, Gu Jinyi, who was supposed to be asleep, opened his eyes.

The room was pitch black, and he stared at the ceiling for a while.

He wasn’t actually asleep. In the afternoon, the training video Shan Xiaomin showed him was still in his mind, playing back frame by frame like it had been put on slow motion.

He knew “Morell Defense Style”, and 90% of the military academy students had learned these moves, but very few had succeeded in the end.

It was not surprising that Xie Huaizhou could do it; he was a genius.

But even Fu Chen, who came from a nameless star even more backward than G6, and had not received orthodox education, could do this move.

At that time, he didn’t believe it, but Fu Chen demonstrated it in front of him and even tried to teach him.

But he was already very weak at that time and couldn’t learn at all. Fu Chen had to give up and taught him a few easier moves instead.

At that time, he had a blind fondness for Fu Chen. Clearly very tired, he would sit on the deck chair with a blanket in the morning, watching Fu Chen exercise in the garden.

After watching for a long time, he became familiar with Fu Chen’s movements.

Thinking of this, Gu Jinyi’s heart ached.

He couldn’t think of this person; every time he recalled, it felt like a dull knife cutting into flesh.

But he couldn’t drive this person out of his mind.

He stared at the ceiling for a long time, then sat up very slowly.

He gently withdrew from Xie Huaizhou’s hand, got up, put on a robe, and took the Ipad to the balcony.

The night outside the balcony was very quiet, the stars were like scattered diamonds in the night sky, the early summer night was not cold, and the light and gentle breeze brought in the moist fragrance of flowers.

He turned off the sound and found the public information about Xie Huaizhou participating in combat competitions at the Imperial Academy on the star network.

Although many of the competitions between military academies were not public, there were also some that were open to the whole society, and the videos of these competitions could be viewed directly.

Gu Jinyi glanced back at the room. Xie Huaizhou was still sleeping soundly, unaware.

He didn’t know why, but there was a very light sourness in his chest, spreading little by little from the bottom of his heart.

He sat for a while before finally opening the video, playing it at the slowest speed.

He played the video, almost frame by frame, carefully examining it.

He didn’t know exactly what he wanted to see.

But after watching one video, he clicked on the next one, repeating mechanically.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Xie Huaizhou, who was supposed to be asleep, had opened his eyes at some point.

He looked at Gu Jinyi, who was sitting on the balcony in the dark. The light from the screen illuminated Gu Jinyi’s face, becoming the only source of light in the night.

Xie Huaizhou’s excellent alpha vision allowed him to clearly see the expression on Gu Jinyi’s face.

But he didn’t do anything, just silently watched, like countless other nights of watching.

Then, before Gu Jinyi returned, he closed his eyes again.