A Short-Lived Cannon Fodder Alpha Just Wants to Be a Salted Fish - Chapter 21

Considering the large crowds on Qixi (Chinese Valentine’s Day), Wen Yuan planned to buy movie tickets in advance.

There were two movies premiering on August 2nd: a literary romance and an anime. Wen Yuan assumed Chu Yihan would want to see the romance, but upon asking, she discovered it was actually the anime.

This suited Wen Yuan perfectly, as she felt nothing for the male lead of the romance film. She chose a cinema close to Chu Yihan’s house, checked the showtimes, and sent a screenshot to her.

CenturyEggPorridge: “I checked, and all the sessions after 3:00 PM are sold out. There are still plenty of seats for the 1:00 PM show. How about that one?”

Chu Yihan: “Okay.”

Wen Yuan clicked into the 1:00 PM session, but in the short time it took to decide, many more seats had vanished. She scrambled to pick the last two remaining seats in the back row near the edge, paid immediately, and then sent the confirmation screenshot.

CenturyEggPorridge: “The seats aren’t great, but if we waited any longer, we wouldn’t be able to see a movie at all that day.”

Chu Yihan: “As long as we can watch it, it’s fine.”

Immediately afterward, Chu Yihan transferred the money for the tickets.

Wen Yuan didn’t accept it. “No need. You gave me so many souvenirs; consider this a return gift. Your spending is on my tab today. Think about what you want for lunch.”

It was a fairly “alpha” declaration, but Wen Yuan paired it with a particularly goofy “I have money” meme. Chu Yihan couldn’t help but laugh and stopped arguing about the transfer. “What do you want to eat?”

Wen Yuan sent another picture—a photo of an Omurice restaurant near the cinema. Hanging prominently over the door were three characters:

— Little Lamb —

CenturyEggPorridge: “Let’s eat here. The reviews are good, they have vouchers, and the name is nice too.”

Chu Yihan suspected Wen Yuan was teasing her. Her fair face gradually flushed crimson. She bit her lip and replied with a simple “Okay.”

CenturyEggPorridge: “Then let’s meet at Entrance No. 1 at 11:00 AM. We can beat the lunch rush, walk around a bit to digest, and then head to the movie. Sound good?”

Chu Yihan: “Sound good.”

After the chat ended, Chu Yihan rolled over on her bed. She opened her calendar and stared at the word “Qixi” under August 2nd for a long time.

Why are there still four days to go…

Time flies—at least for Wen Yuan, whose sleep schedule was completely flipped; it felt like she just slept a few times and Qixi arrived.

When she heard Wen Yuan was going out for Qixi, her mother, Fang Jingbai, couldn’t help but worry again. “Are you in a relationship?”

“No, it’s just that classmate who helped me study,” Wen Yuan replied, frowning as she picked out clothes. “She wanted to see a movie and had no one to go with, so I’m accompanying her.”

Fang Jingbai let out a long, knowing “Oh.” “And those Bali souvenirs were from her too?”

Even if it wasn’t a “date,” it was Qixi, so one had to look nice. Wen Yuan chose a “sweet-cool” style shirt-dress she hadn’t worn since her differentiation and gave a simple “Mm.”

As Wen Yuan finished grooming herself and prepared to head out, Fang Jingbai handed her a very girly pink bag. “Give this to that classmate.”

“What’s this? More health supplements?” Wen Yuan peeked into the bag, but the contents were wrapped.

“Chocolate,” Fang Jingbai said. “Imported from Belgium. A colleague helped me buy it; I originally intended it for you.”

Wen Yuan: “…” Whenever Chu Yihan is mentioned, my mom stops being my mom!

“Did you bring your suppressants and blocking patches?” Fang Jingbai asked worriedly.

“I did.” Wen Yuan paused for two seconds, then grabbed an extra set of patches and an Omega suppressant to put in her bag. After a final check, she waved goodbye. “I’m off, bye!”

“Stay safe and have fun!”

The location wasn’t far. Wen Yuan rode her small electric scooter to the destination. After parking, she headed to the meeting point and saw Chu Yihan standing by Entrance No. 1 from a distance.

She was wearing a modified qipao (cheongsam). The lines of her neck and shoulders were exceptionally graceful. Her long hair was tied into two fresh, playful buns adorned with flowing ribbons. She looked fresh and sweet—a solitary, beautiful landscape.

Wen Yuan approached and asked, “When did you get here?”

“About a second before you,” Chu Yihan replied, handing a single rose to Wen Yuan. “Happy Qixi.”

An image of fair, beautiful hands holding a bouquet of fiery red roses suddenly flashed through Wen Yuan’s mind. Another memory from her past life. She cleared her head and took the single rose.

Her fingertips held the stem where there were no thorns. Chu Yihan watched the flower twirl and felt a sense of vertigo herself.

“Did you buy this?” Wen Yuan asked casually. She had seen many flower vendors on the way.

“When I walked in, a little girl wouldn’t stop pestering me, so I bought it.” Chu Yihan tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She kept her head down, her tone carrying a trace of nervous testing. “Is it too… ambiguous to give this?”

“It could be,” Wen Yuan said, deliberately acting serious. “It might cause misunderstandings.”

Chu Yihan’s heart skipped a beat. She looked up in a panic, only to catch the smile Wen Yuan couldn’t hide. “Then give it back!” she huffed.

Her tone was soft—less like anger and more like a coquettish pout. Perhaps “like attracts like,” for the little lamb’s temper was becoming more and more like Wen Yuan’s.

Wen Yuan chuckled and relented. “Actually, it’s fine. It’s just one flower.”

Chu Yihan still looked a bit unhappy. Wen Yuan tucked the rose into her bag and handed the pink bag to her. “Mine is even more ‘ambiguous’.”

“Huh?” Chu Yihan tucked her disappointment away and hugged the bag curiously. “What is it?”

“Chocolate.” Fearing a misunderstanding, Wen Yuan explained, “My mom knew you bought me souvenirs and insisted I give this to you.”

Chu Yihan looked surprised, but she adapted quickly. “Tell your mother thank you for me.”

“I’ll tell her you said ‘you’re welcome’,” Wen Yuan replied smoothly.

Chu Yihan’s bright eyes curved into crescent moons. Wen Yuan caught her radiant smile, and a ripple of warmth stirred in her own heart.

“Let’s go eat. I heard there’s a boutique here that just brought in a new type of scent blocker,” Wen Yuan said as they walked. “We can check it out after lunch.”

“Okay.”

After having Omurice at the “Little Lamb” restaurant, Wen Yuan and Chu Yihan found the boutique.

A scent blocker is different from a patch; it uses another scent to mask pheromones. Being a new product, not many places sold it. The shelf was crowded.

Thanks to the mutual repulsion between Alphas, Wen Yuan could immediately tell the Alphas were clustered on the right. She pulled Chu Yihan into the Omega crowd on the left.

Once inside, Wen Yuan realized the blockers were separated by scent. The Alpha side had sweet, Omega-like scents, while the Omega side had cold, Alpha-like scents—complementary scents designed to both neutralize and provide comfort. It was quite a “wicked” concept.

Wen Yuan was the first to squeeze into the Omega section, drawing the attention of several nearby Omegas. She didn’t notice; she was focused on the blocker in Chu Yihan’s hand: “Fresh Grass After Rain?”

“Didn’t you say you like the smell after it rains?” Wen Yuan said. “I’ll buy it for you.”

There were tester strips. Chu Yihan picked one up, sprayed it, and took a sniff.

“How is it?” Wen Yuan asked.

“It smells good.” Chu Yihan sniffed again, then held it under Wen Yuan’s nose. “It really does smell like you, though a bit lighter.”

It really was similar to her pheromones. But that description… Wen Yuan felt as if her heart had been lightly brushed.

Chu Yihan stole a glance at her, the corners of her lips curving almost imperceptibly.

Wen Yuan looked toward the other side. “Wait here. I’ll see if there’s one that smells like your pheromones.”

After Wen Yuan left, a nearby Omega gasped. “You can play it like that?”

“Buying a blocker that smells like your own pheromones for your partner… oh my god.”

“Sister, your Alpha is so smooth.”

“Why doesn’t my Alpha have that kind of romantic flair?”

Chu Yihan lowered her head and bit her lip, her slender fingers tracing the words on the bottle. To others, she looked shy, but in her heart, she was sighing—Unintentional intimacy is the hardest to resist.

When will this silly bird finally realize?

A moment later, Wen Yuan returned looking quite disappointed. “It’s all fruit scents. The florals are only Freesia and Rose. What a pity, none of them smell like you.”

Her tone was so genuinely aggrieved that Chu Yihan laughed and comforted her. “It’s okay. There will be one in the future.”

As much of it as you want.

Wen Yuan picked up the “After Rain” blocker. “Anything else? Let’s go pay.”

“I need a suppressant,” Chu Yihan said, looking around. “I was in such a hurry today I forgot to bring one.”

The store was too crowded, blocking the shelves.

“Oh, that? I brought one.” Wen Yuan pulled a suppressant from her bag and pressed it into Chu Yihan’s hand. “Keep it safe. Go wait for me outside; I’ll find you after I pay.”

Chu Yihan froze. The suppressant still held Wen Yuan’s body heat. As she held it, warmth flowed from her palm to her heart. An Alpha carrying suppressants for their Omega was something many couples couldn’t even manage.

An Omega standing nearby, who had accidentally overheard everything, pinched her boyfriend’s ear. “Learn something from them!”

the boy laughed mischievously. “I won’t bring one for you. That’s the only way I can mark you.”

Chu Yihan raised an eyebrow and looked at Wen Yuan’s retreating back, letting out a soft sigh of relief.

After checking out, Wen Yuan found Chu Yihan in the corner and handed her the bag. “Here, the scent you like.”

Chu Yihan’s lashes trembled as she took it. The bag contained more than just a scent blocker; it held her racing heart.

“I wonder how effective it is,” Chu Yihan said casually. “Can I try it?”

Wen Yuan teased, “You really are an Academic God—always wanting to test the results immediately.”

Chu Yihan smiled, her voice rising with a hint of a pout. “Can I…?”

“You can.” Wen Yuan looked at a nearby sign. “There’s a restroom ahead.” Her tone held a tenderness she didn’t even notice herself.

Outside the stall specifically for suppressant injections, Wen Yuan went in to help, considering it was hard for Chu Yihan to reach her own back.

Chu Yihan peeled off her blocking patch, revealing the slightly protruding gland. A faint, elegant gardenia scent leaked out, swirling around the tip of Wen Yuan’s nose and tugging at her heartstrings.

Wen Yuan closed her eyes, focused, and—following the instructions—sprayed the blocker twice onto the gland. The scent of fresh grass after rain covered the floral notes, gradually soaking in and merging.

Just like the day she marked her.

Wen Yuan’s heart shivered, and her pulse skipped a beat.