Limited First Love Chapter 55
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 55 Fragrant Wife
Seeing his brows furrowed, Guo Wei clarified, "I didn't mean to say it was bad! It's just... very... very surprising!"
Ruan Yiyun smiled at him, still silent, with no hint of joy in his expression.
"I also want to curse but you cursed for me, so I feel quite relieved!" Guo Wei emphasized heavily.
"Is that so," Ruan Yiyun said, "I wish I had known to curse a few more times."
"Still not enough. He seems quite pleased too," Guo Wei said.
Ruan Yiyun raised his hand and lightly flicked his forehead. "Stop thinking about it."
Guo Wei reached up to touch his own forehead, then looked at Ruan Yiyun. "Then you stop thinking about it too."
He could tell Ruan Yiyun was very unhappy, just holding back from exploding.
The maggots in the gutter were jumping too joyfully, and it was affecting them.
That stolen photo gave him the creeps. Just the thought of someone lurking in the shadows, secretly observing him, made Guo Wei feel uneasy in the pit of his stomach.
"The fact that he couldn't recognize your voice means he's not familiar with you, so we can't narrow it down to people around us," Ruan Yiyun said. "But if we broaden the search to the entire school, it's too vast. And... we can't even be sure if he's really from our school."
"Why are you still dwelling on it!"
"I'm afraid he'll come back to harass you," Ruan Yiyun said.
Indeed, that pervert might be reveling in his actions right now. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before he couldn't resist repeating his antics. With so many loopholes in modern information security, anyone determined can easily find someone's contact details. Besides the usual messaging apps, Guo Wei had also registered on some social media accounts. Who knows from which corner this person might pop out next? He couldn't simply abandon social media altogether to avoid harassment.
Not only that, the fact that the person was lurking around him meant he could be spied upon in any public setting.
The thought of having a pair of eyes, bearing illicit and vulgar interests, staring at him from the shadows at any given moment sent shivers down Guo Wei's spine.
Not thinking about it could only serve as a temporary escape.
But in the current state of helplessness with no further clues, evasion might as well be a way to pacify his emotions.
Guo Wei desperately needed to absorb some positive energy to dispel the oppressive negative emotions weighing on his chest.
"Give me a kiss," he said, his pouted lips inching closer to Ruan Yiyun.
Ruan Yiyun squinted, tracing delicate patterns on his soft cheek.
Guo Wei smiled.
After tender moments, the atmosphere turned sweet again. Just as Guo Wei was about to reciprocate, the phone that Ruan Yiyun had set aside earlier chimed with a crisp notification sound.
Guo Wei's body tensed up instantly.
Seeing him frozen, Ruan Yiyun reached out to unlock the screen, then sighed.
"Oh no," he said.
Guo Wei was horrified. "Again, again..."
"No," Ruan Yiyun showed him the phone screen. "It's your mom, isn't it?"
Guo Wei's breath hitched as he looked at the words "Mom" on the screen.
True to form, his parents were indeed furious upon seeing his report card.
Guo Wei hunched his shoulders, repeatedly emphasizing how diligently he had studied, only to carelessly fill in the wrong answers. He assured them he could easily pass the makeup exams, but it only led to more nagging.
His mother started by recounting the time when he once ran to the wrong door and cried loudly because he forgot his own house number. She then went on to talk about what to do if he made a mistake in filling out his employment contract in the future, causing the company to lose a huge amount of money and eventually end up bankrupt.
Guo Wei felt utterly speechless, only able to offer vague acknowledgments.
But there was a silver lining to this. With Ruan Yiyun right beside him, able to hear the voice on the other end of the phone, they both laughed throughout the call. The oppressive atmosphere from earlier, caused by the pervert, gradually dissipated.
As they were about to hang up, his mother asked if he had mentioned inviting his boyfriend over for dinner.
"Yes!" Guo Wei answered, instinctively glancing at Ruan Yiyun beside him. "He agreed. After my exams, I'll bring him over."
"You'll be staying for another week, what about him?" his mother inquired.
"Of course, he'll be staying with me!" Guo Wei replied.
"You really know how to cause trouble," his mother teased.
"Not at all," Guo Wei replied with a straight face, "he's willing to accompany me."
After hanging up, he quickly noticed the faint yet familiar scent lingering in the air.
"Why does it come and go in waves?" Guo Wei sat on the bed, surveying the room. "Is your air freshener on a timer or something?"
Ruan Yiyun reached out, pulling him into an embrace and holding him tightly. "What air freshener?"
"It's this fragrant scent," Guo Wei said, "You always have it on you and in your home, sometimes strong, sometimes faint."
Ruan Yiyun seemed puzzled, as if not understanding what he was saying, and looked at him quizzically.
"Not perfume? Last time you said it wasn't shower gel either... then what exactly is the smell. It's so pleasant," Guo Wei mused, also puzzled.
"What smell?" Ruan Yiyun asked in return.
"What smell?" Guo Wei repeated.
The two stared at each other blankly.
Ruan Yiyun turned his head, sniffing the air with a growing look of confusion.
"Can't you smell it?" Guo Wei also imitated his serious expression and sniffed for a moment. "It does seem faint... it was quite distinct just now."
"What kind of smell is it?" Ruan Yiyun asked.
Guo Wei tilted his head, attempting to describe, "It's sweet but not overwhelming, quite refreshing, a bit like jasmine tea, very refreshing!"
"...So intricate. Are there even top notes and base notes?" Ruan Yiyun chuckled, "I don't use perfume, and you've seen all my bath products."
"But you always have this scent on you!" Guo Wei said, hugging him and burying his face in his hair, taking a deep breath. "Even though it's very faint now, it's definitely there!"
After a moment of contemplation, Ruan Yiyun asked, "When was the first time you smelled this scent?"
Guo Wei carefully recalled. "It was the day we got together, outside the restaurant entrance, when you hugged me, I smelled it then."
Ruan Yiyun seemed thoughtful.
"I've always said you smell good!" Guo Wei remarked.
"I thought... I thought that was just a figure of speech," Ruan Yiyun said.
"It's true!" Guo Wei insisted, then thought of something. "Could it be your natural scent?"
This setting, previously only seen in literary works, didn't seem out of place when applied to Ruan Yiyun.
"It might really be me..." Ruan Yiyun lowered his gaze in thought for a moment before looking back at him. "Perhaps... it's the scent of liking you."
Guo Wei blinked in confusion.
Ruan Yiyun put on his clothes, got off the bed, and walked to the desk. He took out a slim small box from the bottom drawer.
Returning to the bedside, he opened the lid of the small box and handed it to Guo Wei. "Is it this scent?"
Guo Wei sniffed it and immediately nodded. "Yes, yes, yes!"
Seeing this, Ruan Yiyun first paused briefly, then smiled, his eyes narrowing into slits. The previous displeasure vanished in an instant, as if something monumental had just happened.
"What's this? A sample of perfume?" Guo Wei asked.
Ruan Yiyun closed the small box and casually tossed it back onto the desk. Then, he pounced on Guo Wei, pressing him down forcefully.
He continued to smile, his breath wafting over Guo Wei's neck, making him squirm with ticklishness.
"What's wrong?" Although Guo Wei was puzzled, seeing him like this, he couldn't help but smile too. "Why are you so happy?"
"...That's my pheromone sample," Ruan Yiyun said.
Guo Wei was dumbfounded. "What?"
Pheromones, to a Beta, was a familiar yet abstract concept. He knew what pheromones were, what they represented, and their function, but theoretically, he would never truly come into contact with them in his lifetime.
Betas were supposed to be physiologically insulated from pheromones.
"Am I not a Beta?" Guo Wei exclaimed in surprise. "Did I just have a late differentiation?"
"Perhaps?" Ruan Yiyun kissed his cheek. "But... it's more likely that this is fate between us."
Guo Wei was puzzled.
"Some people who have undergone secondary gender differentiation may have a lingering condition," Ruan Yiyun said. "I didn't mention it to you before because I thought it wasn't important for us, and it wouldn't affect us."
Guo Wei nodded quietly, waiting for him to continue.
"I can't use inhibitors, but I can be discharged freely and return to school because... my pheromones have almost no effect on Alphas or Omegas," Ruan Yiyun explained.
Guo Wei's eyes widened in astonishment.
"The redifferentiation affected some of my gland functions," Ruan Yiyun continued. "I still emit pheromones, but theoretically, they can no longer be perceived by humans."
"...I can smell it," Guo Wei said.
Ruan Yiyun smiled again, nodding. "Hmm."
"You're implying that I'm not a human."
"......"
Ruan Yiyun turned his head and bit his earlobe forcefully.
"Ouch!" Guo Wei gasped, pleading for mercy. "I was just kidding!"
He lifted his arms and embraced Ruan Yiyun, burying his head in his shoulder, then turned his head to earnestly smell the scent emanating from Ruan Yiyun's body.
That faint yet sweet fragrance reappeared.
Guo Wei whispered to himself, "This is the scent of someone who liked me."
Every time Ruan Yiyun became fragrant, it was either when he was looking at Guo Wei or thinking about him.
"Alphas and Omegas can't smell it," he asked softly, "Is it something that all Betas can smell, or just me?"
"Just you," Ruan Yiyun said.
"How do you know?" Guo Wei asked.
"Because when I'm with other Betas, I don't emit pheromones. And there's never been a second person who's been this close to me," Ruan Yiyun explained.
That was a bit of a non-answer.
But Guo Wei liked that response.
The truth, it seemed, didn't need to be verified at all.
"I'm just that special person to you!" Guo Wei said.
Ruan Yiyun smiled again. "Yes, you're my good luck charm."
"Then... since I can smell it, will it also affect me?" Guo Wei asked.
It's common knowledge that Omegas are sometimes forced into heat by Alpha pheromones.
"That's for you to find out," Ruan Yiyun said.
Guo Wei wasn't sure. Sometimes the scent made him feel comfortable and happy, but other times it made him feel dizzy and confused, making him involuntarily think about all sorts of things.
Like now.