Powerful Investment Chapter 8: Strawberry Scent

Chapter 8: Strawberry Scent

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Lu Yao deliberately didn’t touch Ji Jin’s lips.

He still pressed Ji Jin firmly against the wall. As an Alpha, he understood how terrifying the pull of pheromones could be, so he wanted to make full use of Ji Jin’s most irrational moment.

“Is it Senior Naisi?” Lu Yao’s tone carried a teasing, seductive edge. “Is the one you like… Senior Naisi?”

Though it was just a question, the thought of Ji Jin possibly nodding made Lu Yao feel as if his heart were being squeezed tightly, aching deeply inside.

“No…” Ji Jin felt dizzy, his mind muddled. The pheromones seemed to control him, dragging him deeper into a swamp of desire.

He wanted something—something only the person in front of him could give.

Lu Yao’s heartbeat skipped a beat at the answer. He immediately grasped Ji Jin’s wrist, using his body to form a barrier so Ji Jin could go nowhere.

His precious treasure, lost for three years, was right in front of him—but he still couldn’t hold on.

Ji Jin’s reason tried to break free, but the Omega’s body craving rough treatment betrayed his logic, refusing to escape.

The tingling sensation between their lips made Ji Jin let out a faint whimper. The sweet plum wine scent grew stronger, his tongue tingled, and his whole body grew numb.

Just being held by Lu Yao was enough to satisfy his body and soul; he didn’t want to be anywhere else.

With mating season approaching, reason was too easy to lose.

Lu Yao looked at the Omega in front of him—eyes reddened, every inch of skin begging for mercy—and his heart melted, turning into a puddle of spring water.

The damp kiss quickly made Ji Jin’s whole body wet. He could hardly stand. If not for Lu Yao supporting his waist, he probably would have collapsed right then and there.

“What exactly do you want to do…” Ji Jin finally gasped when he was barely able to breathe. Lu Yao loosened his hold just a bit, but Ji Jin’s body still half-leaned against him, restrained by the Alpha, unable to move.

“There’s no one else around you.” Lu Yao said this like a statement of fact.

Why did it sound like a statement? Because Ji Jin didn’t catch the meaning behind it. If “someone by your side” meant a lover, then indeed, he had no one else.

But what did that have to do with Lu Yao?

“Ji Xingxing’s father isn’t with you either.” Lu Yao’s voice was steady, devoid of extra emotion.

The alley was quiet, only a sliver of light filtering through the cracks. Ji Jin looked up at Lu Yao, trying to read what he really meant from his expression.

“You’ve been abroad for three years, and you probably don’t have much money on hand.” Lu Yao’s voice dropped lower and lower, inside him a wild beast roared, struggling fiercely against restraint, desperate to claim the man before him completely.

He had seen that shabby rental room, the fridge full of inhibitors, and the cross-stitch pieces used to make money.

He hadn’t wanted to take advantage of Ji Jin.

But now, the man in front of him was Ji Jin.

Ji Jin felt his heart sink; he already guessed what Lu Yao wanted.

“As long as you want, I can give you money.” Lu Yao bent down and kissed Ji Jin’s cheek. The light filtering through the cracks bathed Ji Jin’s skin, making it appear peculiarly pale—

Pale and tempting, irresistible to kiss.

“Ji Xingxing doesn’t have a residence registration yet, right?” Lu Yao paused before continuing, “I can take care of that. The best kindergartens, the best elementary schools—I can connect you to all of them.”

“You’re an Omega. You have needs like this too. What we agree on can help stabilize your heat cycle, which is good for your team, for the competition, and for your own body.”

“As long as you’re willing, any condition is fine.”

Lu Yao knew what he was doing was wrong. He shouldn’t have forced Ji Jin to make such a choice. But he couldn’t help it—the wild beast inside his heart was roaring, desperate to get close to Ji Jin. Fear flooded through his veins and spread across his body.

He couldn’t bring himself to recall that day when he went back to the rental apartment, only to find that Ji Jin and Ji Xingxing were both gone. At that moment, he nearly lost his mind. He thought he would never see Ji Jin again, that Ji Jin would hide away for many more years just to avoid him.

Thankfully, Ke Yu told him that Ji Jin had signed with MOE.

But he couldn’t accept the possibility that one day Ji Jin might disappear again. So he had to act. He had to bind Ji Jin to himself so that he could always see the man in front of him.

“No.” Ji Jin’s first reaction was rejection. His voice was hoarse but resolute. Though the sudden kiss had muddled his mind, just hearing that one word made him sober up a lot.

One side offered flesh, the other money. Wasn’t this just trying to keep him as a kept man?

Those words felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over him. Ji Jin was now completely clear-headed. He suddenly shoved Lu Yao away and instinctively ran toward the alley exit. His body was weak, and he staggered a few steps as he ran.

Luckily, Ji Jin’s physical condition was decent, and he soon regained full control of his limbs.

The quiet alley was left with only Lu Yao standing there, watching Ji Jin’s disheveled retreating figure, but not daring to chase after him.

He knew his demands were too much—like a rat in the gutter, scheming to get what he wanted through trickery. He knew what he did was wrong—

But Ji Jin never once gave him a straightforward chance.

Emerging from the alley, Ji Jin stumbled all the way back, trying hard to appear normal. The plum wine scent clung to him, drawing curious glances from passersby.

Finally, he reached the dorm. By now, it was quite late. As soon as Naisi opened the door, he was hit by the overwhelming smell of plum wine.

“Where did you go? Why do you smell so strongly?” Naisi instinctively steadied Ji Jin. Though he had never smelled Ji Jin’s pheromones before, he knew it couldn’t just be plum wine.

But whose plum wine pheromone was it? He couldn’t recall at the moment.

“It’s nothing.” Ji Jin waved his hand and went straight into the bathroom.

Only when the warm water cascaded over his body did Ji Jin feel his mind truly return and his muscles relax. At this moment, he felt utterly exhausted and sore, with barely any strength left.

Lu Yao.

Lu Yao.

Lu Yao.

Lying in the tub, Ji Jin silently repeated the name, hoping to find some inspiration from it to solve his current problems.

But obviously, he had no better solution—for now.

Especially the things Lu Yao said, every word hit Ji Jin’s heart sharply: Ji Xingxing’s household registration, kindergarten, and survival education in City B—these were all things that could only be arranged once the team developed further.

But that wouldn’t happen anytime soon.

And his body… Ji Jin felt a slight headache. It had been too long since he’d been with an Alpha, and without being marked, he had gotten pregnant first. His heat cycle had been delayed too long, and recently he often felt a surging heat inside him.

Just like… right now.

Ji Jin’s expression slightly changed.

Perhaps because he had just been exposed to Lu Yao, his body had absorbed too much Alpha pheromone. Suddenly, the plum wine scent he had been craving wrapped around him again.

Even the sweet strawberry scent from himself started to drift out.

In this world, only Alpha and Omega were the perfect match. Heat cycles could only be resolved when the two came together. Although inhibitors could barely get one through, they were no true substitute for an Alpha’s intimate fulfillment. Overuse led to tolerance.

And once an Omega had tasted an Alpha’s scent, most found it hard to comfort themselves with just inhibitors again. Some, like Ji Jin, would almost lose control just thinking about the feeling.

His Alpha… their pheromones were that sweet.

Ji Jin took a deep breath, as if the air was filled with the scent of Alpha pheromones. He instinctively sat up and pressed his legs tightly together, as if Lu Yao had been holding him all along.

The inhibitor bracelet he had just taken off lay not far away on the washbasin, but those few steps made Ji Jin hesitate. His breathing became rapid and uncontrollable, his cheeks flushed slightly, and even the mole by the corner of his eye looked unusually enticing.

His slender, pale hand was tinged with red, veins bulging, as he barely managed to support himself against the cold wall and stand up a little from the bathtub — only to slip and fall back because the tub was slippery.

At that moment, even the softest, most delicate water felt rough, tormenting Ji Jin’s body.

The air was thick with white mist, making it possible only to vaguely glimpse the bathtub inside.

After struggling repeatedly, Ji Jin finally managed to reach the inhibitor bracelet. Like a child about to drown, he quickly put the bracelet back on, and only then did the storm inside him calm considerably.

He finally exhaled deeply, though the sticky feeling lingering behind him made his whole body uncomfortable.

Ji Jin cleaned himself up again, breathing slowly for quite some time. Only when the bathroom no longer smelled of plum wine or strawberry did he step out.

He opened the bathroom door, and the faint scent of sweet milk floated outside. The first thing he saw was Ji Xingxing sleeping soundly on the big bed, smacking his lips in his dream — maybe dreaming about the little yogurt.

Naisi sat on the sofa nearby, arms crossed over his chest, staring straight at Ji Jin as he came out.

Only then did Ji Jin remember that Naisi’s pheromone scent was sweet milk.

Although the smell was a bit faint, the whole room was filled with it — it must have been released because the Alpha had been stimulated.

“Ji Jin,” Naisi said, his expression not very good. Ji Jin looked at his friend Naisi with sincere eyes.

“You never told me you were an Omega.” Seeing Ji Jin’s gaze, Naisi’s face darkened even further.

 

Author’s note:

Xiao Lu: Since we can’t win over God Ji by conventional means, we have to use unconventional ones.

God Ji: So young and already learning to play the CEO’s sugar daddy game? Get a grip!

Ji Xingxing: Uncle Naisi and Uncle Lu Yao — which one’s my dad? Today’s the day I don’t appear at all, ╭(╯^╰)╮

 

 

 

 

 

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