Chapter 2: What is a Pheromone?

Chapter 2: What is a Pheromone?

The meeting was paused, and the staff members who supported the original protagonist, Gong, started whispering among themselves—

"No wonder Secretary Song is impressive. He delivered a blow right from the start."

"Even without saying a word, Secretary Song had the second young master wrapped around his finger."

"If you want to provoke President Jian, you'll have to step over my dead body, hmpf."

Song Ruochen: "..."

Did I agree to let you step over me? Huh?

Also, is the volume of your so-called whispering a bit too loud? This isn't whispering; this is a loud conspiracy.

Jian Yuheng finally pulled his scattered gaze together and scrutinized the person in front of him seriously. Song Ruochen didn't answer his question but instead coldly lowered his eyelashes, as if he didn't consider him worth his attention at all.

To provoke him like this right from the start, without any fear. Is he really that capable?

With such a handsome appearance, and being a 'white-cut-black' character, would dealing with him be more interesting than usual opponents?

Song Ruochen's inner thoughts were screaming loudly.

"He's glaring at me, quick, quick, hurry up," Song Ruochen said, "Rewind, rewind."

"Ultimate move is on cooldown."

"Resets at midnight."

Song Ruochen: "..."

"Maybe I should just be honest and beg for mercy?"

Without having taken the regret medicine, Song Ruochen could only nervously raise his head.

"Sorry, Second Young Master," he said, "It wasn't aimed at you, it's a misunderstanding."

Although this misunderstanding didn't give you any face at all.

"If it's a misunderstanding, then it's fine," Jian Yuheng turned to Jian Feng, "No matter how different our opinions are, we're all considering the Xiao Shi Group, so let's not ruin the harmony, what do you think, Brother?"

"Yes," the original protagonist, Gong, Jian Feng, said, "That's right, it's all for the company's good."

"How about this," Jian Yuheng said, "Empty talk is useless. Let's have your team and mine each come up with a plan, and we'll compare the feasibility item by item in a meeting."

"Alright," Jian Feng said.

Jian Yuheng's fingers moved slightly, and the assistant handed over a fountain pen. He jotted down a simple schedule on an A4 paper and passed it to Jian Feng.

Jian Feng's fingers moved, but after half a minute, not receiving the pen, he glanced at Secretary Song who was in standby mode, took Jian Yuheng's pen, and marked a few lines on the paper, writing something.

"Next week at this time, gather the leadership and have another meeting," Jian Yuheng said.

The meeting felt like an exam with questions beyond the syllabus, where you don't know the answers but still have to sit until the paper is submitted. After enduring the meeting, Song Ruochen dashed out and grabbed some small snacks from the cafeteria, taking them back to his small office to relieve his hunger.

"The small snacks in this ABO world are quite delicious," Song Ruochen chewed away.

By the way, since I've transmigrated into an ABO world and am an omega, shouldn't there be pheromones?

"System, what's my scent?" Song Ruochen sniffed his wrist.

"I don't have a nose."

Song Ruochen: "."

"There would be a faint pheromone scent on the glands at the back of the neck, why not try?"

"Try or... die trying?" Song Ruochen asked, "It's at the back of the neck, do I need to lose my head to smell it?"

"..."

Clang, a knife fell on the table.

"Is this to silence me?" Song Ruochen asked.

"Blood has a scent too!"

Driven by curiosity about this pheromone thing, Song Ruochen took the knife and gently cut his finger.

Ring ring ring, the intercom in the secretary's office rang.

"President Jian, something the matter?" he asked.

"Secretary Song," the other side said, "We're preparing to head out for tonight's banquet."

Song Ruochen was about to refuse: "I don't—"

"A 10,000 RMB bonus for Secretary Song's attendance at the banquet."

"I'm not sleepy anymore, you should've said that earlier," Song Ruochen said, "I'll be right there."

He grabbed a tissue, casually wiped his fingertip, and dashed to the elevator.

The mirror in the elevator reflected his face and figure, which were no different from his original appearance.

As for this extra omega attribute, he didn't feel any impact for the time being.

Transmigrating is just that, in front of a resilient male college student, it's not a problem at all. As long as the protagonist Gong and Shou get along well and don't quarrel, he wouldn't have to die to protect the protagonist Shou from being kidnapped by cannon fodder.

As long as he kept a low profile and stayed under the radar, Jian YuHeng wouldn't target him.

Just some minor difficulties, nothing that couldn't be overcome.

-

At the underground parking lot of Xiao Shi Group.

"I'm in the same car as Jian YuHeng?"

"Am I driving?"

Song Ruoxin was stunned.

"Assistant Gong is tied up tonight and can't make it to the banquet," Jian Feng, the main protagonist, said over the phone, "I'm driving Yan Chen there first. You take my brother, will you?"

Jian Feng: "Any issues?"

Jian Feng: "Secretary Song, my brother just has a mind of his own, it doesn't mean he's unfriendly to me. Him parachuting into Xiao Shi makes him your superior."

"I'll add an extra 2000 for you," Jian Feng said, "That's settled. I'm meeting a friend."

"Let's go, Secretary Song," the passenger window rolled down, revealing Jian YuHeng's face, "Drive steady, I'm taking a nap."

Jian YuHeng: "Or is it that you really have some prejudice against me?"

"Actually..." Song Ruoxin said, "We could just take a cab."

"Drive." Jian YuHeng said.

The evening breeze brushed against the omega's bangs. Song Ruoxin, head slightly lowered, looked even slimmer in his wind-blown white shirt. He pressed his lips pale, then silently opened the car door and sat in the driver's seat.

Jian YuHeng's lips curled slightly. He didn't think he had a penchant for forcing people, but he had to admit, the sight of the usually aloof Secretary Song, now slightly frowning, was rather pleasing to the eye.

The omega's slender fingers pulled the black seatbelt across his chest and clicked it into place.

For now, the embarrassment from the meeting earlier in the afternoon was somewhat avenged. Jian YuHeng turned the air conditioning temperature lower.

"Drive," he said, "I'm closing my eyes for a bit."

Song Ruoxin: "..."

First, his driver's license was obtained at 18, and he hadn't touched a car in the year after getting it.

Second, the cars in this ABO world seemed different from the ones he learned on.

Third, driving was something he was more suited to doing in documents.

Fourth…

Oh well, he'd drive.

He honked the horn (presumably), shifted gears (presumably), and stepped on the gas (presumably).

The seat clicked and fell back, sending Jian YuHeng lying flat as the car reversed out.

Jian YuHeng: "?"

Song Ruoxin: "..."

The alpha reacted swiftly. In just a few seconds, Jian YuHeng unbuckled his seatbelt, sat up, and hit the emergency brake.

"Second Young Master Jian, are you alright?" Song Ruoxin asked politely.

Jian YuHeng: "I'm fine."

"I wanted to close my eyes," Jian YuHeng said, "Not close my eyes for good."

"Get out," Jian YuHeng said, "I'll drive."

This secretary, cold-looking and stubborn. Wasn't it just driving him around? Was there a need for an 'attack'?

Song Ruoxin, with an apologetic look, moved to the passenger seat.

"Spare change," he asked the system in his mind, "Can the rewind function only be used once a day?"

"Not exactly."

"The system's value depends on the host. If you work hard, I can level up too."

"How?" Song Ruoxin asked.

"Increase Xiao Shi Group's revenue by 10 percentage points."

Song Ruoxin: "Hoping for a dragon?"

"..."

"...Growing the relationship points between the original protagonists in the book works too!"

"Song Ruoxin," Jian YuHeng suddenly spoke up.

"Hmm?" Song Ruoxin exited his chat with the system.

"Did you cut your hand?" Jian YuHeng asked.

"Work injury?" Song Ruoxin asked hopefully, "Will there be compensation?"

Jian YuHeng was silent for two seconds: "...No."

Song Ruoxin: "Oh, then it's not cut."

"Then you're asking for nothing."

Come to think of it, he lowered his head and glanced at the knife wound on his fingertip. A scab had already formed, and he quietly sniffed it. The smell was very faint, too vague to make out what it was.

The car stopped near the hotel. Before even getting out of the car, Song Ruichen spotted the original book's protagonist receptor standing by the roadside through the window.

Yan Ci was wrapped in a luxurious coat, standing in the wind, shivering.

"Madam," Song the secretary appeared, "Why aren't you going in?"

Yan Ci pressed his lips together, shook his head embarrassedly.

Song Ruichen remembered that in the original book, their marriage was an accident. Their backgrounds were worlds apart. In front of the protagonist top's upper-class friends, Yan Ci was often overwhelmed by feelings of inferiority, thinking he wasn't good enough for the protagonist top, and would torment himself.

Faced with the original book's protagonist top's group of admirers, Yan Ci was even more at a loss.

"It's cold outside," Song Ruichen said, "I'll escort madam inside."

Jian Yuheng parked the car and turned around, only to see Secretary Song pushing his brother-in-law towards the banquet hall.

A bit of red was on the car's steering wheel, probably from Secretary Song's cut fingertip. His finger pad was also stained red, and he took a tissue to wipe it off.

Clink, it sounded like a coin dropping on the ground.

Jian Yuheng didn't see any coin. He locked the car and closed the door.

Inside the banquet hall, the sensitive and insecure protagonist receptor was having a breakdown.

"They said I'm not good enough for him," Yan Ci's eyes turned slightly red, "That I don't deserve to marry him."

For some reason, these past two days, Secretary Song had given him the urge to confide.

Secretary Song had his eyes on the small cakes. Hearing this, he rummaged through his bag, handing a stack of papers to Yan Ci.

"I'm going to grab a bite of cake," he said, "If anyone says anything, give them one of these."

Yan Ci: "?"

What is this?

"It's a photocopy of your marriage certificate," Song Ruichen said, "Trust me, the toxic fans only break down in front of the real madam."

Enjoying free food and drinks at the banquet, Song Ruichen picked small cakes one by one on a tray.

When Jian Yuheng arrived, he saw Secretary Song standing next to the couch where Yan Ci was sitting, being hit on by an alpha man.

"Secretary Song," the alpha man asked with an affected voice, "Want to have a drink?"

The man was a business partner of Xiao Shi Group. He had met Secretary Song a few times but had never felt the desire to hit on him until now.

"Secretary Song is an omega, what's your pheromone?" the alpha man asked, "Any plans to get married?"

Song Ruichen was in the middle of eating a small cake and was annoyed by the interruption.

Without thinking, he replied, "Formaldehyde."

The alpha man: "..."

Yan Ci: "..."

Jian Yuheng: "..."

Jian Yuheng's mouth twitched slightly.

It was obviously grape.