SMS CHAPTER 8

Whenever Yan Chengfeng wore that almost-smiling expression, it meant he was truly, utterly furious.

The revelation that Zhen Ning had ultimately differentiated into an omega had been an enormous shock to Yan Chengfeng yesterday. He had struggled to believe it. He had mulled it over late into the night until he could finally process it.

How could it be possible?

The person who had once tossed him aside without hesitation, whose heart had seemed as cold and hard as stone, had now differentiated into an omega?

Yan Chengfeng could choose not to trust Zhen Ning’s words, but pheromones didn’t lie.

The sweet apricot scent emanating from Zhen Ning had triggered an uncontrollable restlessness in Yan Chengfeng’s blood. His physiological instincts delivered an undeniable answer—

It was the scent of omega pheromones.

Zhen Ning had… differentiated into an omega.

After finally pulling himself together, Yan Chengfeng recalled Zhen Ning’s final words: “Please try to keep some distance from me from now on.”

An inexplicable anger surged in his chest.

Just moments ago, as he stood at the door of the training room, he had watched Zhen Ning struggle to drag the chair to the corner. Zhen Ning had chosen to sit in that dusty corner rather than take the empty seat next to him. Yan Chengfeng’s anger finally reached its peak.

Yan Chengfeng was someone who strongly resisted things that went against his will.

Yes, he hated Zhen Ning. Initially, he had planned to make things difficult for him after their reunion. But what Yan Chengfeng hadn’t expected was that, before he could even act, Zhen Ning had already begun avoiding him, as if trying to escape first.

Why?

Why had Zhen Ning been able to leave so easily back then, disrupting Yan Chengfeng’s entire life trajectory, only to return now as if nothing had happened? And why did he think he could make such an absurd request: “Please keep your distance from me”?

Yan Chengfeng lowered his head, his gaze falling on Zhen Ning’s hand, which still gripped the back of the chair tightly. The anger he had barely managed to suppress surged uncontrollably once again.

With a sneer, Yan Chengfeng said, “Let go.”

Zhen Ning didn’t reply, but neither did he release his grip.

The longer Zhen Ning stood there in silence, the hotter the fire in Yan Chengfeng’s heart burned, so intense that even his breaths felt scorching.

“You’re not letting go, huh?” Yan Chengfeng nodded and said, “Alright.”

At first, Zhen Ning didn’t understand what Yan Chengfeng meant by “Alright.”

Just moments ago, they had been standing on either side of the chair, locked in a silence so tense that even the drop of a pin would have been audible.

But in the next instant, Zhen Ning sensed something. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Yan Chengfeng—

Yan Chengfeng was releasing his pheromones.

A wave of overwhelming, mature alpha pheromones filled the air. The rich, potent scent of white tea surged toward Zhen Ning with an unstoppable force.

Normally, alpha pheromones had a calming effect on omegas, as long as their release was moderate and controlled. But Yan Chengfeng clearly had no intention of stopping. His intentions were clear: he was forcing Zhen Ning to let go of the chair he was gripping.

For any unmarked omega, enduring such an intense release of pheromones was impossible.

Zhen Ning’s face went pale in an instant.

His limbs weakened, and the glands at the back of his neck throbbed and burned uncontrollably. Instinctively, he wanted to retreat, but Yan Chengfeng had already anticipated this. Leisurely, he stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

The alpha’s pheromones saturated the room, brimming with aggressive intensity.

Zhen Ning kept backing away until his lower back hit the hard edge of a computer desk behind him with a dull, heavy thud.

His breathing quickened. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Zhen Ning gritted his teeth and snapped, “Yan Chengfeng, you’re crazy…”

“Do you remember how we used to talk about what our pheromones might smell like after differentiation?” Yan Chengfeng studied Zhen Ning’s expression. “I always thought woody scents were cooler. But who would’ve thought I’d end up with something as boring as tea?”

“You know, I’ve always hated tea,” he whispered. “But now, this scent doesn’t seem so bad after all. Don’t you think?”

Zhen Ning stared at Yan Chengfeng in shock and fury.

After a moment, Zhen Ning closed his eyes and turned his face away, panting softly. He avoided looking directly at Yan Chengfeng and made sure not to utter another sound.

As Yan Chengfeng watched Zhen Ning’s face, a fleeting sense of confusion flickered through him.

This old friend of his—who had always been calm and detached no matter the situation—was now losing his poise and composure over a little pheromone release. He had even gone so far as to curse him harshly.

Though Zhen Ning was clearly at his limit, his expression remained restrained. However, the faint redness of his cheeks and the glistening in his eyes betrayed his true feelings.

Yan Chengfeng had never seen such expressions on Zhen Ning’s face before. It added a surprising liveliness to his otherwise cold and beautiful features.

For a brief moment, Yan Chengfeng found himself staring in a daze.

When he finally snapped out of it, an unfamiliar and subtle feeling began to stir in his chest.

Zhen Ning was now an omega.

After abandoning him without a second thought, Zhen Ning had gone to the United States—the land he had claimed was full of limitless opportunities—only to differentiate into an omega.

Realizing this, Yan Chengfeng felt a sudden tremor in his heart. For the first time, it seemed he had found a small sense of balance in the three-year-long bitterness of “I was abandoned by my best friend.”

Yan Chengfeng’s gaze fell once more on Zhen Ning’s hand resting on the chair. The hostility in his eyes didn’t fade. After a moment, he sneered.

Zhen Ning couldn’t understand what had gotten into Yan Chengfeng this time. Struggling to steady his already erratic breathing, he began to step back, intending to put more distance between them.

But before he could move, Yan Chengfeng’s firm hand clamped down on his shoulder.

With one hand pulling the gaming chair that had been standing between them and the other gripping Zhen Ning’s shoulder, Yan Chengfeng shoved him forcefully into the chair!

Startled, Zhen Ning cried out in pain, “You—!”

The suppressive effect of the alpha pheromones left Zhen Ning completely powerless. He couldn’t fight back or stand up, pinned to the chair by Yan Chengfeng’s unyielding grip.

Yan Chengfeng’s features were already sharp and striking, but at this moment, as he cast a disdainful glance at Zhen Ning with a faint, almost imperceptible smile, his handsomeness took on an unsettling edge.

He loomed over Zhen Ning, inching closer bit by bit.

“From today on, you’re only allowed to sit here.”

Leaning in close to Zhen Ning’s ear, Yan Chengfeng added, “If you dare sit somewhere else, I’ll just swap seats with whoever’s next to you.”

“If you sit beside Xu Minghe, I’ll switch with him. If you sit beside Tao Luo, I’ll switch with her. As long as you don’t mind embarrassing yourself, I certainly won’t mind the trouble,” he whispered.

Zhen Ning’s body stiffened slightly.

“Zhen Ning,” Yan Chengfeng called his name, his voice sounding unnervingly gentle. “From the moment you chose to abandon me, to when I begged you to stay and you still walked away, and now, when you’ve decided to return—”

“We were never going to be able to treat each other like strangers again.” After a brief silence, he added emotionlessly, “Not a chance.”