GBROTAH CH1

Chapter 1: Pheromone Disorder

7 p.m., A University of Science and Technology, athletic field.

Floodlights blazed around the track, drowning out the stars. Fresh-faced freshmen sat cross-legged on the grass, waving their phones with flashlights on, creating shimmering trails of light.

There were no speakers, no accompaniment — just a dozen instructors in olive-green short-sleeved uniforms standing at the front stage, leading the crowd in a military-style song.

Xie Yuanxing quietly slipped out from the back of the formation, crouching low as he left. He didn’t join this farewell event that moved many to tears.

The mood was high, the crowd too absorbed to notice a few people slipping away. Even so, Xie Yuanxing kept his head down until he exited the field. Only then did he straighten up and let out a slow breath.

So exhausting. Finally over.

Right now, all he wanted was to return to the dorm, take a shower, and get a good night’s sleep.

With that goal in mind, Xie Yuanxing’s steps quickened.

What should’ve been a ten-minute walk took him only six or seven at a brisk pace. But when he reached the dorm building and approached the elevator, he slowed down again.

There were three or four students already waiting at the elevator. Xie Yuanxing pulled his military cap lower. His long bangs already obscured most of his face, and now he buried himself further beneath the brim.

Ding—

The elevator chimed crisply as it reached the first floor. After the others entered, Xie Yuanxing stepped in last.

He pressed the button for his floor and shuffled into a corner.

The other four students looked like they were from the same dorm — laughing and joking around. When they got off on their floor, one of them commented just before the doors closed again:

“Weren’t the freshmen assigned to Building C? What’s one doing here?”

“Guess there are too many new students this year. Not enough dorms. Since this building has empty rooms, a few got assigned here.”

“Tsk, having to live with upperclassmen right from the start — that sucks.”

College wasn’t like high school. You didn’t spend the whole day with the same class. Some students couldn’t even remember their classmates’ names after four years. But your dormmates? They were the ones you knew best.

In university, you attended class, hung out, and made friends mostly through your roommates. Dorm life was where cliques formed.

And joining a dorm that already had its own dynamic? Awkward, to say the least. Making friends became way harder, especially for introverts — some might go their entire college life alone.

But none of this mattered to Xie Yuanxing.

The dorm he’d been assigned to only had one other person, even after he moved in. He didn’t need to blend into any group, and as for making friends — that was irrelevant to him.

He stepped out of the elevator. It was 7 p.m., and the hallway was bustling. His camo uniform drew more than a few glances.

Lowering the brim of his cap even further, he slipped his hand into his pocket and fiddled nervously with his key.

Xie Yuanxing hurried to his dorm room, quickly unlocked the door, and shut it even faster behind him.

Starting tomorrow, he wouldn’t have to wear this uniform anymore. He also wouldn’t have to walk back every day under so many prying eyes.

That thought eased the tension in his shoulders a little.

The dorm room was quiet. He walked slowly to his desk and pulled out the chair.

Taking off his cap and setting it on the desk, he slumped into the chair — first sitting upright, then slowly leaning back, his body relaxing more and more until his neck rested on the chair’s edge, head tilted lazily back.

He sat there with his eyes closed, his slightly damp hair falling backward, revealing a clean, smooth forehead.

Click.

The bathroom door opened with a soft sound. Xie Yuanxing didn’t notice — he remained still with his eyes shut.

The oversized uniform hung loosely on him, making his exposed wrists look even thinner.

With his face uncovered, the mole beneath his eye was clearly visible under the fluorescent lighting. His usual gloomy aura softened, replaced by a kind of pale vulnerability.

The man who walked out of the bathroom paused, his hand still towel-drying his hair. He also froze halfway through pulling the door shut.

At that moment, Xie Yuanxing opened his eyes, sensing something. He turned his head, slightly surprised, and quickly sat up straight, awkwardly brushing his bangs back over his forehead. “You’re here?”

He thought the room was empty.

“Yeah.” Shen Bianye’s voice was curt. He gave a simple response, face dark and unreadable.

He held a towel in one hand — a large, strong hand with faint veins visible across the back. His arm muscles were firm and lean, radiating strength.

His upper body was completely bare. Water droplets ran down his sharply defined abs, flowing along the curves of his waist and disappearing into the towel wrapped around his hips.

He casually ran the towel through his black hair again, then reached back and shut the bathroom door, trapping the steam inside.

The soft thud of the door closing pulled Xie Yuanxing’s gaze to the bathroom — then back to Shen Bianye.

Seeing that he had already showered, Xie Yuanxing stood up and opened his wardrobe to grab his sleepwear.

“Sleepwear” was just an old T-shirt so worn it had turned pale and soft from repeated washing. Xie Yuanxing had long since repurposed it for sleeping.

He stuffed the shirt into a plastic grocery bag, then crouched to retrieve a soapbox and shampoo bottle from the cabinet below. With everything in hand, he headed for the bathroom.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but now, standing at the bathroom door and opening it, a strong smell immediately hit him.

Like paper scorched by flames — acrid and aggressive — mixed with the strange, smoky scent of burning wood.

It was Shen Bianye’s pheromone.

Xie Yuanxing coughed twice from the irritation, stepped back a little, and frowned. Instead of walking in, he opted to brush his teeth first.

At some point, Shen Bianye had come to stand on the balcony, silently watching him.

His cold face was unreadable. With his towering height — over 190 cm — and impassive gaze, he had a naturally intimidating presence.

Xie Yuanxing was bent over, brushing his teeth, but caught the stare from the corner of his eye. The moment their eyes met, he lowered his head further.

He didn’t want to revisit the uncomfortable topic of why he could smell Shen Bianye’s pheromones.

In this society, there were not just men and women, but a second gender that emerged around age eighteen:

Alpha, Omega, and Beta.

Alphas had the strongest physical traits — dominant, strategic, and powerful. Omegas were beautiful and biologically matched with Alphas, bound by their pheromones.

And Betas… were the most ordinary of all. Their secondary gender didn’t change anything. They were just average people.

Betas weren’t supposed to smell pheromones.

And Xie Yuanxing was a Beta.

He didn’t know why he could smell pheromones. His differentiation at eighteen had failed—he really was a Beta.

Besides, up until now, he’d only ever smelled Shen Bianye’s pheromones. No matter how you looked at it, he couldn’t possibly be an Omega.

Xie Yuanxing had already explained this to Shen Bianye the first time he caught that lingering scent of burning embers. But clearly, the other wasn’t willing to let it go.

He was really tired. And really hungry.

To save money, Xie Yuanxing had skipped dinner, thinking that since today was the last day of military training, it wouldn’t be that intense.

Now, having held out until this point, he didn’t have the energy to argue with his roommate about a problem he couldn’t explain.

Shen Bianye’s pheromones didn’t affect him. At most, it just meant he constantly smelled like burnt embers. So Xie Yuanxing easily pushed the matter to the back of his mind and didn’t bother digging deeper.

Because digging meant interaction with Shen Bianye—and all Xie Yuanxing wanted was to stay far away from him.

He lowered his head to avoid the gaze, but Shen Bianye spoke: “Xie Yuanxing.”

Xie Yuanxing gave a vague hum of acknowledgment, put down his cup, and turned into the bathroom, making sure to close the door behind him.

Outside, Shen Bianye’s expression darkened completely. He stared at the closed bathroom door for a moment, then sneered coldly and walked away.

Separated by the door, Xie Yuanxing stood under the shower in a bit of a daze. He slowly hung the plastic bag on a hook on the wall—probably left by some senior student years ago—then began to undress at a leisurely pace.

Water trickled from the showerhead, soaking his slightly long hair. Droplets slid down his pale, almost translucent skin.

The ember scent in the bathroom had dissipated, replaced by the milky scent of his soap, which gradually mingled with the steam and clung to Xie Yuanxing’s skin.

He wanted to wash slowly, to stretch out the time.

At least until Shen Bianye went to bed, so he could avoid another interaction. But with his water usage budget constantly on his mind, he couldn’t afford to be indulgent.

No matter how reluctant, and no matter how much he dragged his feet putting his clothes back on, he still stepped out of the bathroom half an hour later.

When he came out, Shen Bianye was sitting in his chair assembling one of his collectible figures.

Xie Yuanxing had overheard someone from next door say that figure cost six figures and was a limited edition—so rare, not even money could buy it anymore.

Xie Yuanxing didn’t quite understand how something so small could be worth so much, but when the young master only gave him a fleeting glance and then returned to fiddling with his figure, he felt relieved.

Let him play with whatever he wants. As long as he didn’t talk to him, it was fine.

The figure on the desk was only half assembled. Shen Bianye’s long, slender fingers were slowly rotating a tiny sword meant to be placed in the figure’s hand.

Anyone familiar with him could see he was distracted. After looking at Xie Yuanxing, even the simplest part of the assembly was going wrong.

The scent of embers grew stronger in the dorm room.

Xie Yuanxing, holding the plastic bag, walked toward his bed. The scent made him wrinkle his nose slightly. Faced with the choice to speak or stay silent, he once again chose the latter.

Honestly, it didn’t smell bad. He was nearly used to it. After a while, he could even detect the unique woody fragrance hidden within the burnt smell. If it was strong, so be it.

He was trying to avoid him, but as he passed behind Shen Bianye, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Xie Yuanxing: …?

He tried to pull away, but couldn’t break free from the grip that felt like iron shackles. Resigned, he stopped struggling and asked flatly, “What is it?”

Shen Bianye asked, “What’s that smell on you?”

Xie Yuanxing looked puzzled. He lowered his head and sniffed himself. “Probably the new soap I used.”

He used bar soap when he showered—just three yuan a bar, very cheap.

The downside was it didn’t last long. He had to buy a new one every month. But compared to body wash, it was still more economical.

Shen Bianye frowned, his eyes scanning the Beta in front of him.

The damp T-shirt clung slightly to his thin frame. His waist was narrow, flexible, and delicate—like you could almost taste the faint milk scent seeping from his skin.

Xie Yuanxing said, “Can you let go now?”

“I’m really tired. I want to rest.”

His wrist was still struggling in Shen Bianye’s grasp, but that only made Shen Bianye tighten his hold. After being ignored twice, now even with the person in his grip, he was still being brushed off—that set him off.

“I said,” Shen Bianye’s voice came low and sharp, full of malice as he tightened his hold:

“Your body’s so weak, and you’re some freak who can smell pheromones—what, are you actually an Omega? What’s your scent? This cheap milk smell?”

“Pretending to be a Beta just to live with an Alpha. What, hoping to seduce someone?”

“Didn’t you already submit a dorm change request to the counselor? What, realized I wasn’t falling for it and now you’re looking to bait someone else?”

Xie Yuanxing’s hand at his side clenched tightly. His neatly trimmed nails dug into his palm, causing a dull sting.

He took a deep breath and tried to speak as calmly as he could:

“I said, I’m a Beta. I can’t smell anyone else’s pheromones either.”

“Instead of holding on to me, maybe you should consider whether there’s something wrong with your pheromones.”

“Or, why don’t you move out?”

“If you move out, I won’t be around to bother you. No need to request a room change. My cheap soap smell won’t reach your nose either.”

“Renting a place shouldn’t be a problem for you, right?”

Shen Bianye’s grip loosened like he’d touched something scalding. For a brief moment, he was speechless.

The dorm fell silent—so quiet you could hear breathing.

Xie Yuanxing was a little dazed. Had I really gotten that angry? Only then did he realize that heavy breathing wasn’t his.

It was Shen Bianye.

He was… angry?

But why?

It was just a suggestion for him to move out. He hadn’t even said it harshly. Was there really a need to get this mad?