CAADTB Chapter 1

When Lin Yan returned to the dorm, Shi Qi had just woken up from a nap.

His fluffy head was buried under the blanket, with only a few wisps of platinum blonde hair visible. Hearing the noise, he reluctantly lifted his head. From his half-lidded eyes, Lin Yan could see he was still drowsy.

“Did I wake you?” Lin Yan asked apologetically.

“No,” Shi Qi replied. “I was already waking up.”

“…Don’t tell me you slept straight through till now? It’s already five in the afternoon.” Lin Yan asked him suspiciously, “Did you have insomnia again last night?”

Shi Qi pressed his lips together, which counted as an admission.

Since his differentiation, Shi Qi had developed a rare condition: his Omega pheromone levels were far below average, and they kept declining with age. If it continued, his glands would eventually degenerate to the point that he became a Beta.

The glandular deterioration not only threw his heat cycles into chaos, but also brought bouts of insomnia and the risk of further complications.

Current medical treatments had no effect on this rare disease. The only known cure was to bond with a highly compatible Alpha.

Because of this, Shi Qi’s family had been hoping he would fall in love and get married as soon as possible. But to Shi Qi, their constant reminders were just background noise. He found Alphas unbearably boring, and none of them even smelled good to him.

“Come on, I’m taking you out to eat,” Lin Yan said energetically, worried Shi Qi might fall back asleep. “I made a reservation at this viral restaurant! You know what their gimmick is?”

“?”

“Pheromone companionship!”

“You get to choose the type of pheromone you like, and the restaurant will assign a matching server. During the meal, they’ll release some pheromones, chat with you, and take care of you to enhance the experience.”

Shi Qi remarked, “Doesn’t sound like a proper restaurant.”

Lin Yan grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ve been there. Totally legit.”

“I even asked the Alpha if I could pay extra for a date. Offered this much.” Lin Yan held up a number with his fingers. “He politely declined and said they only offer dinner companionship.”

Shi Qi: “…”

He was at a loss for words.

A few days earlier, Shi Qi had dyed his hair platinum blonde. With his snow-white complexion and the decadent aura from his flipped sleep schedule, he looked like a little vampire.

Seeing him so ghostly, Lin Yan declared, “Let’s go, let’s go. I’ll request the most handsome Alpha for you—guaranteed to reignite your passion and help you reinvent yourself!”

“Yeah, right.” The little vampire sneered. “Ten of them together still wouldn’t beat me in looks.”

“…” Lin Yan looked at his face, delicate as a porcelain doll, and found it hard to argue.

After sleeping the whole day, Shi Qi was indeed a bit hungry. Upon hearing that the restaurant had delicious desserts, he got out of bed swiftly.

On the way there, Lin Yan was still clinging to hope. “From what I’ve observed, the most popular Alpha at that restaurant… what’s the word? Oh right, their ‘poster boy’, is probably your type.”

Shi Qi let out an “Oh” and lazily asked, “What type do I like?”

“Don’t you like guys who look like scumbags? Pretty, flirty, and preferably with a bit of an edge,” Lin Yan said. “Like that senior whose contact info you tried to get.”

“Too bad Senior Duan Jiayan is an Omega. And already taken.”

At that, Lin Yan couldn’t help but laugh.

Usually, it was always others chasing after Shi Qi. The one time he took the initiative, he failed miserably. The funniest part was that, after finally convincing himself that dating an Omega was fine and that maybe one day he’d turn into a Beta, Shi Qi had agonized over it, gathered the courage to ask for the senior’s contact, only to find out he was already in a relationship.

Shi Qi said expressionlessly, “You knew and didn’t tell me on purpose.”

“His partner’s kind of a big deal. You just don’t pay attention to what’s going on around you—they’re a well-known couple.” Lin Yan consoled him, “Don’t worry, baby. That senior had no clue what you were after; he just thought you were a junior from the same club. The heartbreak is known only to you and me.”

The whole contact thing had happened last semester, so Shi Qi didn’t actually care anymore.

But Lin Yan’s smug laughter made Shi Qi want to punch him. Just as Shi Qi was about to snap back, his phone buzzed. A new message popped up.

From an unknown number:

[Shi Qi, it’s Fu Siyue. How much longer are you gonna keep my main account blocked??]

Shi Qi replied with a question mark: [?]

Apparently not expecting a response, the messages kept pouring in:

[My family’s forcing me to contact you. It’s driving me nuts. I didn’t even want to reach out.]

[My mom keeps saying we’re highly compatible, and since our families know each other well, we should spend more time together. You blocked me, so now I can’t explain myself.]

[Don’t get the wrong idea, this is all my mom’s doing. I’m not interested in you at all.]

After reading the messages, Shi Qi decisively blocked that number too.

Lin Yan asked curiously, “Who was that?”

“A dumbass.”

“…”

–

The restaurant Lin Yan mentioned was called “Huijian.” It was a creative cuisine spot with a modern Chinese aesthetic, occupying an entire building in the high-priced real estate district of the CBD.

Lin Yan had made a reservation in advance. After they entered, the head waiter greeted them with a smile and asked, “Would you two like to dine together or separately?”

Shi Qi was about to say “together,” but Lin Yan cut in first, “Separately, of course.”

“?”

“We don’t like the same pheromone scents.”

Shi Qi had been planning to say he was just here to eat, so whether there were pheromones involved or not didn’t matter to him. The head waiter turned to him and asked, “What kind of scent do you prefer?”

Shi Qi hesitated for a moment. “Something sweet, I guess.”

The head waiter smiled. “Would you like us to assign an Alpha attendant?”

Shi Qi asked curiously, “Can it be an Omega?”

“Of course. Our core offerings here are gourmet food, pheromone scents, and companionship,” the head waiter explained. “These days, more and more people dine alone—some feel lonely, others just find solo meals boring. Our attendants keep them company, make conversation, and provide a soothing pheromone scent, like being wrapped in a warm fragrance. Many guests find the experience very comforting.”

“If you’d prefer chatting with an Omega, we can absolutely arrange one for you.”

So the waitstaff were basically like chat companions? But they also provided pheromones and maybe helped serve the food?

“No no, Alpha!” Lin Yan interjected. “Give him your poster boy!”

He leaned in close to Shi Qi’s ear and whispered, “Their poster boy is amazing at this. Scumbag vibes, totally your type!”

Shi Qi: “…”

Shi Qi: “I think I’ll just eat alone. It’s weird having someone watch me eat.”

Lin Yan: “Don’t worry, it’s fun! Just think of him as an NPC eating with you, like those hot ghost NPCs in amusement parks.”

Unable to resist Lin Yan’s persistent pushing, and since the meal was on him, Shi Qi didn’t object in the end.

“By ‘poster boy,’ do you mean Lan Li?” The head waiter said apologetically, “He’s off today. Would it be alright if we assigned someone else? He’s also very experienced, and his pheromone scent matches your friend’s preferences.”

Shi Qi hadn’t felt anything after sleeping all day, but after all this conversation, he was actually starting to get hungry.

His mind was now fully on food, so he replied without much thought, “That’s fine.”

“Alright, then please head to your private room. An attendant will be with you shortly and will assist you throughout your meal.”

The private room was equipped with a control system to adjust the pheromone concentration in the air, in case guests weren’t used to it.

After Shi Qi placed his order, the attendant arrived. He was a young, handsome Alpha, wearing a sand-colored fuzzy sweater. Compared to the typical image of a waiter, his look was more casual, making him seem more approachable.

When the Alpha saw Shi Qi, his eyes lit up.

“Is this your first time here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

There was a faint scent of pheromones on him, something like hazelnut cream. He sat down directly beside Shi Qi.

Shi Qi frowned slightly.

“I actually wanted to try a hair color like yours before, but I always felt I couldn’t pull it off,” the Alpha said with a smile. “It looks great on you, like someone out of a manga. Good looks really do make any color work.”

Shi Qi didn’t respond. The Alpha seemed to take his silence as shyness and leaned in closer.

“Judging by your appearance, you must still be a student?”

As he spoke, the air gradually filled with his pheromones.

Though the Alpha maintained a proper social distance, the scent was like cheap perfume, making Shi Qi’s head spin. The longer he inhaled it, the more nauseated he felt.

“Alright,” Shi Qi interrupted, “how about you leave?”

“?”

Apparently not used to being rejected by customers, the Alpha’s expression changed slightly.

He forced a smile. “Did I say something wrong? If you don’t want to talk about that, we can switch topics.”

Shi Qi shook his head. The Alpha asked tentatively, “Then should I still keep you company?”

“No need,” Shi Qi said. “I’d rather eat alone.”

“You really want to kick me out?” The Alpha gave him a look, pretending to be pitiful. “No one’s ever canceled on me before.”

Shi Qi remained unmoved. “Well, now someone has.”

“…”

In the end, the Alpha stood up and left, looking somewhat reluctant.

Compared to most people, Shi Qi had a much more sensitive nose, especially when it came to pheromone scents.

Even after the Alpha left, the room still seemed filled with that cloyingly sweet hazelnut cream smell. Shi Qi endured it for a while, then decided to step outside for some air.

The private room opened onto a courtyard. At some point, a light rain had begun to fall.

The cool breeze swept in, clearing away the lingering scent and making Shi Qi feel much more at ease. Only then did he notice someone standing under the eaves not far away.

The person didn’t seem to mind the cold. Although winter was approaching, he wore only a loose white sweater, with small holes at the collar and hem, revealing a portion of a tattoo near his collarbone.

It was a simple black-and-white tattoo; the specific design was unclear, but the lines were light and graceful.

Shi Qi instinctively looked at his face.

A high nose bridge, fox-like eyes. The corners of his eyes and brows naturally carried a flirtatious air, yet at the same time, there was a contradictory sense of cool detachment.

If Lin Yan had been there, he definitely would have cried out: Damn! This guy doesn’t look like a good person at all. He’s exactly your type!

The stranger cast a discerning glance toward a corner of the courtyard.

Shi Qi followed his gaze and saw a luxurious, vividly colored decorative screen with twelve panels.

“That screen doesn’t look good there,” Shang Sui said.

On the other end of the call, Jiang Yan sounded horrified. “Huh?! That thing cost me a fortune to ship back! It’s supposed to be the soul of my courtyard—are you saying my soul is ugly?”

“You’re sure it doesn’t look good there? I thought it added some nice layering!”

“It’s a mess—looks like your storage room.”

“…”

Jiang Yan argued for a while before finally accepting his fate and asking dejectedly, “Alright then, what should I do?”

“What else?” Shang Sui laughed. “Move it, or throw it out.”

After he ended the call, someone blocked his path.

Shang Sui was very tall, and Shi Qi had to tilt his head slightly to look up at him.

“Are you a guest here?”

Their eyes met, and Shi Qi faintly sensed a flicker of surprise in his gaze, followed by a heavy, unreadable expression.

Being stared at like that felt as though he were under the watch of some cold-blooded reptile.

But that indescribable sense of danger quickly vanished the moment Shang Sui spoke.

His voice was slightly husky, not too deep nor too soft—the kind of tone Shi Qi liked.

“No.”

Not a guest. So, he must be staff.

He was wearing a sweater too. The style was a little tattered, but maybe each staff member wore a different uniform.

Could this be the poster boy Lin Yan had tried to book? Maybe he had come in to cover a shift?

“Alpha?”

Shang Sui nodded.

Great, even the gender matched.

Even though ten minutes ago Shi Qi hadn’t imagined being into an Alpha, he had always lived by the principle: “If you want it, go for it.” Besides, switching chat companions wasn’t a big deal.

With that in mind, he stepped forward.

“What do you smell like?”

Shi Qi’s eyes were an uncommon shade of deep gray, clearer than most, with the outer corners slightly upturned, reminiscent of a feline.

He did resemble a cat: completely unaware that his actions might come off as harassment.

Staring at the unfamiliar Alpha’s face, Shi Qi thought about it and decided he could overlook the scent of his pheromones.

He asked directly, “Can you accompany me?”

---

Author’s note:
A cat has invited you to play