“What did you say! Did I hear that right?” Yu Siqi on the other end of the phone almost jumped up. “You slept with someone? Was it the kind of zero-distance contact, deep-communication sleep that I have in mind?”
Ji Xingjian pinched the leftover piece of bread with his fingertips and answered with a blank “Yeah.”
“Holy shit, the iron tree is finally blooming! Who made the first move?”
“It seems to have been me.” Although it was under the influence of pheromones.
Yu Siqi got excited for a long time and impatiently pursued the questioning, “Is the other person an Alpha or a Beta? Is he handsome?”
Above his head, the calls of the seagulls were incessant. Ji Xingjian felt a wave of irritation rising, and he threw the bread in his hand far away. The seagulls scrambled and chased after it to grab it. Only after regaining some quiet did Ji Xingjian answer his question, “A top Alpha. I was affected by his pheromones at the time.”
“A top Alpha capable of affecting you is extremely rare. Have you considered developing a long-term relationship with him?”
Ji Xingjian lowered his eyelids. “No. I said it was an accident.”
“Then you just need to turn the accident into true love.” Yu Siqi’s voice was bright and cheerful. “With your looks and talent, as long as you seize the opportunity and take the initiative, you can easily win over even a top Alpha. As the old saying goes, sleeping with someone is a profit. There are piles of people in this world who fall in love after spending time together; who knows, maybe after a few more times he will be completely unable to extricate himself from you. As long as you like him, something like pheromones is worth jack shit.”
Yu Siqi rambled on and on for a long time, sounding even more naggy than his master’s wife. “Besides, as long as you have an Alpha’s pheromone on you, your master’s wife definitely won’t arrange any more blind dates for you. Think about it carefully.”
After hanging up the phone, Ji Xingjian wearily pinched the bridge of his nose, let out a low sigh, and stared blankly at the purplish-red marks on his wrist.
From a physiological perspective, an Omega with a genetic defect like his could not satisfy an Alpha’s pheromone demands during the rut. Unless the Alpha’s self-control was strong enough, staying together would inevitably turn into a tragedy.
What Ji Xingjian wanted was an Alpha who was gentle, loyal, mature, rational, and not easily swayed by pheromones at whim. Huo Chengye obviously did not meet those criteria.
The sky gradually transitioned from a brilliant orange to a gloomy red, and more and more people came to the seaside to date and take walks.
Ji Xingjian reached out to feel his side, but his hand grabbed empty air.
The dog was missing again.
He actually was not in a hurry. This kind of situation had happened many times before; he did not need to search the whole world for it. He just needed to honestly stay put, because the dog would come back to find him on its own.
Having undergone socialization training, the Border Collie possessed extremely stable emotions and would actively detour around children or people who feared it, making people very friendly toward it.
Therefore, even if Ji Xingjian got lost, the dog wouldn’t. That was probably the benefit of raising a Border Collie.
Unflustered, Ji Xingjian turned on the location tracking app on his phone, which showed that the straight-line distance between the dog and him was still five hundred meters. At its current speed, it would take about four minutes for it to appear.
During the wait, his phone rang again.
It was a friend request without any remarks or notes attached.
Previously, Ji Xingjian had added a stranger who immediately started recommending adult novelty products to him. Ever since then, he chose to ignore anyone who did not state their identity or explain their purpose.
Not long after, Ji Xingjian, who was resting his eyes with his back against the bench, heard a panting sound.
Lowering his head to look, he saw that blue-and-white Border Collie wagging its tail happily at him.
“Where did you go to play this time?” Ji Xingjian stroked its head.
The Border Collie sat obediently in front of him, offering a small, unopened eco-friendly bag it was holding in its mouth to Ji Xingjian with a look that seemed to invite praise and claim credit.
Ji Xingjian opened the bag in puzzlement and took a look inside. There was an unopened pack of beef jerky, boneless chicken feet, and two packets of weird-flavored potato chips.
Ji Xingjian wore a look of helplessness. “Didn’t I tell you not to take things from other people? Who gave it to you this time? Was it the auntie at the convenience store or Grandpa Wang’s grandson?”
The Border Collie barked a couple of times, signaling Ji Xingjian to look up and toward its side.
Only then did Ji Xingjian notice that the leash on its neck was pulled taut, and someone was standing right beside it.
For no reason at all, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The next second, a slightly low voice with a smile rang out, “Yo, if it isn’t Professor Ji. I was just about to call you, but I didn’t expect we would meet again so soon.”