The girl just looked at him like that.
In that instant, Gu Wujin felt as if his heart was squeezed hard by someone, then tossed into a jar of honey—painful yet sweet.
He reached out and placed his hand on the back of Ji Huaixiang’s head, then leaned in and pulled her straight into his arms. His tall, broad, and powerfully built body completely enveloped her.
“Hey, I really can’t do anything with you.” Gu Wujin murmured lowly beside her ear, the sharp, perfectly shaped corners of his lips lifting high. Right after he spoke, a cool, ethereal fragrance suddenly drilled into his nose—light, like orchid mixed with cherry blossoms.
Gu Wujin was stunned. He thought he had smelled wrong, so he pressed the tip of his nose closer to the side of her neck and inhaled again.
The scent surged into his nose once more. This time he smelled it very carefully. The rich, clear fragrance carried an extremely gentle yet seductive charm—bewitching, almost demonic. The scent seemed to flow, brushing over skin like red lips wet with moisture kissing the flesh, raising waves of tingling numbness. It was the aroma of raw carnal desire, seductive to the absolute extreme.
Gu Wujin was wearing a black shirt; the open collar revealed the slightly prominent line of his collarbone. Moving upward, his distinct Adam’s apple slid once, carrying a silent, potent sex appeal. Ji Huaixiang’s face flushed red; she quickly looked away. She softly leaned against the man’s chest. Sure enough, just as she had imagined—Gu Wujin’s embrace was scorching, hard, solid, and vast. The provocative heat passed through the thin fabric and reached her. She felt very hot, yet she couldn’t bear to leave even a little.
Suddenly, Ji Huaixiang was abruptly pushed away by the man.
“Jin-jin?” Ji Huaixiang looked bewildered and stunned.
The tips of Gu Wujin’s ears on both sides were bright red, almost dripping blood. His handsome face looked terrible, tinged with a trace of embarrassment.
“What’s wrong?” Ji Huaixiang tilted her head up to look at him.
Gu Wujin took several deep, secret breaths. His low, elegant voice had become hoarse: “The smell on your body… why did it change?”
Ji Huaixiang understood. She gave a soft laugh. “I saw doctors before. They couldn’t find the cause either and only gave two guesses. One was that my body might be influenced by some estradiol compound, causing a bad odor that changes as the body develops over time. The other was butyric acid esters—maybe too much of that substance in my sweat caused the stench.”
In her previous life, the bad body odor completely disappeared on her eighteenth birthday. So she had been waiting for this day all along.
Before this, she had been afraid that her foul smell would ruin their intimacy and destroy the mood, so she never dared get too close. Now that the unpleasant odor was gone, she could finally be intimate with Gu Wujin.
She lowered her head and sniffed herself. The stench was gone. Instead, there was a faint,幽 deep fragrance. She didn’t know exactly what kind of scent it was, but she was sure it smelled better than any perfume she had ever created. Ji Huaixiang’s dark eyes looked at the man with delight. She moved closer. “Do you like it?”
However, Gu Wujin’s body suddenly jerked backward. He stopped her: “Don’t come too close.”
“Hm?”
The smile on Ji Huaixiang’s face froze instantly. She suddenly remembered—Gu Wujin couldn’t stand fragrances.
“Jin-jin, are you… allergic to the smell on my body?” Ji Huaixiang’s thick, curled lashes trembled. She felt a little lost.
Seeing the girl looking like she was about to cry, Gu Wujin sat up straight. He pulled the coat beside him over his lap. His voice was hoarse and low: “Yeah.”
Ji Huaixiang’s rosy lips instantly lost some color. What now? Was she never allowed to get close to Gu Wujin again?
“It really is an allergy.”
Gu Wujin tilted his head slightly. A thin flush spread across the base of his ears. Damn it, who could tell him why—when he smelled the fragrance on Ji Huaixiang’s body—he got such a strong, violent reaction? Right now the tight, throbbing pain in his lower body clearly told him that he actually… actually…
Ji Huaixiang looked at him sadly. “So you can’t hug me anymore?”
The girl’s eyes were so beautiful they seemed to have little hooks, scratching at his heart. The space inside the car was narrow. That fragrance, faint yet persistent, kept drifting into his nose. His lower body swelled even more.
Why did the scent on her body affect him this much?
Gu Wujin helplessly closed his eyes, then yanked the little vixen back into his arms again. He ground his teeth, fierce, ruthless, and said: “It must be that Heaven can’t stand seeing me too perfect, so they sent you to punish and torture me. Ji Huaixiang, you’re literally trying to take my life.”
The fragrance on the girl’s body was incredibly seductive. It felt like a fire had been lit in his chest, burning wildly. “I can hug you. Ji Huaixiang, you have no idea—I’m literally using my life to hug you right now.” Gu Wujin’s entire body was taut; the pressure below felt like it was about to explode.
Ji Huaixiang was held so tightly that the iron arms around her waist kept tightening, making her ribs ache a little. She blinked in confusion, not quite understanding what Gu Wujin meant. She lifted her head to look at him. His sharp jawline had a faint stubble—refined yet sexy—and was clenched tight. “You’re uncomfortable?” The veins on his neck were bulging.
“Uncomfortable. Uncomfortable to the point of dying!”
Gu Wujin’s face was flushed red. The girl in his arms was soft and fragrant, like a sweet ball of cotton candy. Her skin carried a cool, moist warmth. He wished he could press her directly into his body.
His eyes were pitch black, so deep it seemed ink could drip from them. He sighed: “It’s not easy for me to fall for someone even once, and the one time it happens, I meet a little demon like you.”
The man’s hot, impatient breath sprayed against her neck, raising a layer of small goosebumps. Ji Huaixiang lowered her lashes, blinking rapidly. Pure joy overflowed from her chest. She seemed to have heard the man say… that she was fatally likable to him?
“Where exactly are you uncomfortable?” Holding back the secret happiness bubbling inside, Ji Huaixiang asked. She was afraid he was only forcing himself to endure the sensitivity to fragrance in order to hold her.
Gu Wujin rubbed her head, then released her. In one motion he threw off the coat covering his thighs, stretched his neck, and said hoarsely: “See for yourself. My life is throbbing hard for you right now.”
Ji Huaixiang blinked.
Gu Wujin’s entire body went rigid. He stared at Ji Huaixiang for several long seconds before awkwardly pulling the coat back over his lap. “I reacted to the scent on your body. So, don’t just ask for hugs anytime you want—otherwise, you’ll have to deal with the consequences yourself.” He still didn’t understand why smelling the fragrance on the girl didn’t make him sneeze like usual, but instead triggered such an intensely powerful reaction—stronger than any aphrodisiac perfume he’d ever encountered.
It took Ji Huaixiang quite a while to snap out of it. Slowly, a blush crept up her cheeks. In her mind’s eye, she could still see the prominent bulge at the front of his trousers. He was…
She had only ever heard that sexual pheromones could influence basic human behavior, drawing men and women toward each other, even allowing couples to experience sexual satisfaction purely through scent. But she never imagined the natural fragrance of her own body could arouse Gu Wujin so strongly.
Her dark eyes sparkled brightly. The smile on her fair little face simply wouldn’t fade. So did this mean… she didn’t even need to tease or seduce him—he would still react to her? Did this mean she held real allure for him?
“What’s with that look on your face?”
Gu Wujin’s heartbeat stuttered under the girl’s appraising gaze.
Ji Huaixiang smoothed down her slightly wrinkled skirt hem. The corners of her eyes lifted in a subtle, seductive curve. “I’m just glad you’re not actually allergic to my body scent.” She didn’t tease him any further. She settled back into the passenger seat to give him some breathing room and changed the subject. “Where are we going next?”
Gu Wujin let out a quiet breath of relief. He pulled out two invitation cards. “There’s a perfume exhibition today. Want to go?”
“This is… the Olfactory Scent Exhibition?” Ji Huaixiang couldn’t hold back her delighted exclamation.
She knew this event well. It was held only once every two years. The exhibition featured all kinds of limited-edition, discontinued, haute couture, niche, classic vintage, and even century-old ancient fragrances. The guest list was exclusive—only internationally renowned perfumers, major perfume houses, professional fragrance evaluators, and deeply knowledgeable perfume connoisseurs were invited. It was truly a feast for the sense of smell, and it was never open to the public.
“Want to go?” Gu Wujin raised one eyebrow and asked. The flush at the base of his ears had already faded, and the swelling in his lower body had gradually subsided. His refined features had returned to their usual calm, effortless composure.
“Yes, yes!” Ji Huaixiang was a little excited. “Jin-jin, you’re so good to me.”
“A boyfriend is supposed to be good to his girlfriend.” Gu Wujin lifted his chin slightly. “Don’t worry. I’ll be the most outstanding boyfriend you could ever have.”
“You already are.” Ji Huaixiang’s eyes shimmered with starlight as she gazed steadily at him.
“I know. Now buckle your seatbelt first.” Gu Wujin felt the tips of his ears heating up again.
The perfume exhibition was held on the top floor—the 30th—of the Xinweiduo Building. At the entrance to the grand lobby stood several tall, muscular security guards checking guests’ invitation cards.
Gu Wujin normally walked at a brisk pace, but with Ji Huaixiang beside him, he deliberately slowed down. “Tired?” He glanced down at the high heels she was wearing—white strappy sandals that wrapped around her slender ankles, leaving her round, tender toes exposed. They looked soft and adorable.
“Not tired.”
Ji Huaixiang shook her head. Today she had chosen wedge heels. Gu Wujin was so tall; at 168 cm, she only reached his chin. She wanted to look beautiful standing next to him, so they would appear more perfectly matched.
After a quick glance around, she asked, “Are you coming in with me?” The air inside would be filled with all kinds of overlapping fragrances. She was worried his nose wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Gu Wujin pressed his lips together. Without a word, he took her hand, handed their invitations to the security guard, and walked through the checkpoint. Once inside, he pulled a black face mask from his trouser pocket and passed it to her in a lazy drawl. “Help me put it on.”
Ji Huaixiang looked at him in confusion.
“You’re not leaving me outside while you go in alone. No way.” Gu Wujin arched one sharp, handsome brow.
Only then did Ji Huaixiang understand. She took the black mask, leaned in close to him, and said softly, “Of course not. You and perfume are both my greatest loves—I can’t have one without the other.”
Her slender, fair fingertips held the sides of the mask. With gentle care, she hooked the loops over his ears. Just before pulling her hands away, she deliberately gave his flushed ear tip a light pinch. “So handsome.”
Today the man was dressed entirely in black. His cool, strikingly handsome features were sharp and distinct—devastatingly good-looking. Now, with the black mask covering the lower half of his face, none of his overpowering charisma was diminished. His deep, piercing eyes were fully exposed, carrying an almost suffocating aura of mystery.
Beneath the mask, Gu Wujin’s thin lips curved into a high, satisfied smile.
He knew it—this woman was completely obsessed with his appearance. She loved it to death.