You smell really nice

Yuan Chen finished his conversation, pushed open the door, and walked in. He immediately spotted Shen Yi waiting by the entrance.

"Shen Yi, next Wednesday's schedule..." His question cut off abruptly. Yuan Chen had been about to give instructions as usual, but froze the moment he saw Shen Yi.

Shen Yi looked puzzled. "President Yuan, what's wrong?"

"What happened while I was away?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Oak from the Medical Foundation came to pay his respects."

Although he appeared composed, Shen Yi's face was indeed a little pale. An ordinary person would never have noticed such a slight change, but it did not escape Yuan Chen's keen eyes.

He sighed. Wasn't this exactly what he had expected? Fortunately, Shen Yi was not someone who wavered easily.

"Oak? Was there anyone else?"

"He was the only one who came looking for you."

It seemed others had been watching from the shadows. Yuan Chen could easily imagine what had happened in his absence.

This was only the beginning. An unpleasant feeling rose in his chest, but there was nothing he could do. This was something Shen Yi had to face himself, just as he was doing now.

Even so, Shen Yi remained composed and professional, which deserved praise. It was precisely his appreciation for that resilience that had led him to choose Shen Yi as his executive assistant all those years ago. To this day, he still believed he had made the right decision.

"Let's go. We'll talk on the way."

It was rather abrupt, but it would be better to get Shen Yi out of here early today.

The unexpected instruction brought a rare look of panic to Shen Yi's face. "The event only started an hour ago."

"I know."

"Leaving this early is bound to upset people..."

"When have I ever cared about that?"

Yuan Chen strode straight ahead on his long legs, leaving Shen Yi no choice but to hurry after him. Others might find it hard to understand, but "playing by the rules" had never been in Yuan Chen's vocabulary.

As the elevator descended smoothly, Shen Yi rested his heavy head against the cold wall. The cool touch eased his headache a little.

Although he could not understand why Yuan Chen wanted to leave before the event ended, he was honestly relieved. Despite his determination to persevere, he was already close to his limit. If he stayed any longer, he might genuinely be ill tomorrow. Even now, his limbs ached from the excessive tension.

Shen Yi closed his eyes to rest, trying to settle his nausea. As he took a deep breath, a faint fragrance drifted into his nose.

Strangely, the scent gradually eased his tension. He could not help taking another deep breath. The fragrance, a blend of grass and lemon, quietly soothed his agitated nerves. Its bitter, sophisticated notes kept drawing him in.

Following the source of the fragrance, he unconsciously shifted a step to the side. His shoulder bumped the arm of the man beside him, and Shen Yi froze amid the lingering scent. If even he was this startled, how would Yuan Chen react?

"What are you doing?"

"What?"

"What you just did."

"..."

How was he supposed to explain? He had to say something quickly. He couldn't let this awkward silence drag on.

"You smell really nice..."

"..."

"It's bergamot, isn't it? I've heard it's often used in perfume, but you never wear perfume, President Yuan. Haha, not that you need it anyway..."

Shut up, Shen Yi. Please, just shut up!

His brain and mouth seemed to have parted ways. As he babbled on, Yuan Chen did not reprimand him, merely looked down at him as though he were some strange creature.

"I'm sorry. I'm not feeling well right now, and I'm a little out of it."

After finally admitting his own weakness, he wished the floor would swallow him whole. Fortunately, the elevator reached the lobby just then, bringing the awkward situation to an end.

On the drive back, Shen Yi sat in the passenger seat and silently picked up his phone. He could not make sense of what had just happened, no matter how much he thought about it. This situation definitely called for an expert opinion.

[Professor, I just smelled President Yuan's pheromones, and they felt very different. Is something wrong with me?]

After sending the message to Professor Hu, he gripped his phone tightly. This was no small matter. Whatever happened, he hoped to find a solution as soon as possible.

About an hour later, Professor Hu called him back. Exhausted, Shen Yi had collapsed on the sofa without even changing his clothes. The ringtone startled him into sitting bolt upright.

"Hello, Professor."

"Shen Yi, let me ask you something first."

"Please go ahead."

"What exactly did you feel when you were exposed to Yuan Chen's pheromones?"

Uh... well... Shen Yi struggled to recall. To avoid the embarrassment of saying outright that it had felt "really good," he first described his experience at the event that day and how physically unwell he had felt.

"So, in short, you felt much better after smelling Yuan Chen's pheromones?"

"When you put it that way... yes, I did. But it definitely wasn't because I had any other intentions."

"There's no need to worry so much. This is perfectly normal." Professor Hu's laughter came through the speaker.

Holding his phone, Shen Yi listened attentively to his explanation.

"You were exposed to other alphas' pheromones today, weren't you? Under those circumstances, Yuan Chen's pheromones can have a soothing effect. The closer and more trusting the relationship, the more comforting that person's pheromones will feel. Just like family."

"I see..."

"So there's nothing strange about it at all. It's the same for Yuan Chen. You're more tolerant of his pheromones, and the reverse is true as well."

"So I haven't gone crazy..."

"Of course not. You're perfectly normal."

Shen Yi pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a long breath. "Thank you, Professor..." he murmured, his voice full of gratitude.

Professor Hu laughed again. "It sounds like you've been through quite an ordeal. In other circumstances, I could prescribe something for you, but your case is rather unusual. Still, have people these days all lost their minds? How can they abuse pheromones as a means of attack like this? Does Yuan Chen know about it?"

"I didn't tell him, and there's no need to. I can handle it anyway. It's fine."

"What if it happens again? I'll have to have a proper talk with Yuan Chen. Without suitable medication, making you just grit your teeth through it is inhumane. At the very least, if he takes you to an occasion like that, he should take responsibility. Come to think of it, will he even answer my call? That boy often ignores my calls..."

After ending the call with Professor Hu, Shen Yi lay back down on the sofa. His first official engagement since returning to work had certainly been a trial by fire.

If he had not been an S-rank omega, he probably would not have made it through an occasion like that. Fortunately, Yuan Chen's pheromones really did help...

"You did well. Thanks for hanging in there." He praised himself for persevering to the end, then loosened his tie.

Ugh, what a fucking day. Time to get some sleep. He still had work tomorrow.

With a resigned sigh, he got up to wash.

After the meeting ended, Yuan Chen settled into the back seat while Shen Yi took the driver's seat. The car doors slammed shut, cutting off the noise outside and leaving the interior quiet.

Shen Yi fastened his seat belt and glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror. Yuan Chen had already picked up his tablet and switched into work mode.

"President Yuan, what would you like for lunch?"

It was already past two in the afternoon. The meeting had run longer than expected, and lunchtime was long over.

Yuan Chen lifted his gaze from the screen and met Shen Yi's eyes in the mirror, answering casually, "Just find somewhere suitable on the way back."

Where would be good... Shen Yi tapped lightly on the steering wheel as he considered it. Lately, he had begun figuring out Yuan Chen's food preferences. Chinese food every day was getting tiresome. How about some Western food?

He simply turned sideways and looked toward the back seat. "How about steak?"