Chapter 6: The Name

Wen Xi remained silent for a moment before taking a foldable waste scooper from her small handbag. With practiced movements, she unfolded it, extended the handle, lined it with a plastic bag, and scooped up the Doberman’s mess, tossing it into a nearby trash can.

Cheng Si’s eyes widened slightly. He hadn’t expected Wen Xi to do such a thing herself.

Wen Xi loved cleanliness. Even though she liked dogs, she rarely allowed them to get too close, let alone deigned to scoop their waste. This subtle change made Cheng Si feel a pang of heartache and discomfort.

“He doesn’t usually do this,” Wen Xi said. “He usually goes in his designated spot.”

Cheng Si shook his head: “It’s fine.”

Today, Wen Xi wore a white T-shirt paired with grey casual trousers. Without the structure of the elaborate school uniform, she seemed less like an untouchable noble and more like a girl with a streak of free-spirited nonchalance.

The Doberman, seemingly afraid its owner would blame it for its earlier behavior, wagged its tail ingratiatingly at Wen Xi. But when it turned toward Cheng Si, its nose twitched, and it resumed its posture of high alert.

A dog’s sense of smell is far more sensitive than a human’s. Given how abnormally the dog was acting, Wen Xi also seemed to catch an unusual scent coming from Cheng Si. A hint of bitterness wafted through the air.

“Are you about to differentiate?” Wen Xi guessed. “That’s probably why he’s reacting so strongly to you.”

Cheng Si touched the back of his neck; the skin there was indeed noticeably warmer than the surrounding area. “I should be entering the differentiation phase.”

The differentiation phase usually lasts about half a month. During this time, the organs associated with gender characteristics gradually mature, while those no longer needed begin to atrophy. Heat in the glands and leaking pheromones are just the initial symptoms.

“No wonder,” Wen Xi clicked her tongue. She retracted the leash to a fixed length and started walking toward the park exit.

“You’re not going to ask why I’m here?” Cheng Si walked naturally by her side.

“Do I need to ask?” Wen Xi said flatly. “It’s obviously one of Wanran’s tricks.”

“I asked her for the address,” Cheng Si said. Luo Wanran had just helped him; he had no reason to let her take the blame from her friend.

Wen Xi let out a short, dry laugh.

Cheng Si pointed at the Doberman, shifting the subject with a bit of guilt: “So the ‘new puppy’ you mentioned… is him.”

“…” Wen Xi coughed awkwardly into her hand. “Whoever it is doesn’t change what I said.”

“Yeah, I know.” Cheng Si hadn’t expected much, so he accepted this relatively calmly. He looked at the Doberman, which was still shooting him the occasional glare. “What’s his name?”

Wen Xi went quiet for a beat. “He doesn’t have one.”

Cheng Si: “Then how do you usually call him?”

Wen Xi’s expression turned strange. She pressed her tongue against her back teeth, considering whether to make up a name on the spot. Just then, an enthusiastic middle-aged woman walked toward them, holding a piece of dried chicken breast. She was clearly an acquaintance. “Young lady, out walking the dog again?”

Wen Xi felt a bad premonition.

Sure enough, the auntie immediately beamed at the Doberman and called out: “Xiao Si-zi, come here! Auntie brought you some meat!”

Cheng Si: “.” Wen Xi: “…”

At the sight of the chicken, the Doberman whined and turned to look at Wen Xi for permission. After receiving a nod, it wagged its tail and trotted over to eat the treat from the woman’s hand.

The auntie patted the dog’s head. “All gone! Auntie will bring more next time.” She waved goodbye to Wen Xi.

Wen Xi stood there expressionless, feeling a strong urge to just disappear. Great. Is it a trend to ruin my cover today?

The corners of Cheng Si’s mouth twitched, and his eyes lit up. His voice dropped into a low, gentle tone: “His name is Xiao Si-zi?”

Wen Xi: “Is it a crime to call him that?”

Cheng Si pursed his lips: “It sounds a bit like the title for a palace eunuch.”

Wen Xi sneered: “He’s been neutered. He is a eunuch.”

Cheng Si: “…”

Cheng Si asked with some concern: “A dog this big must be hard to control, right?”

Though Wen Xi was taller than the average Omega, she still looked far too thin. Large dogs could be incredibly powerful when excited; often, owners couldn’t hold them and ended up being “walked” by the dog instead.

Wen Xi: “No, he’s very obedient.”

As they spoke, the “eunuch” in question suddenly nudged Wen Xi’s hand with his head. When she ignored him, he nudged again.

Wen Xi: “What now?”

Xiao Si-zi looked longingly ahead. A little boy was walking by, holding a marinated egg and eating with great relish.

Wen Xi: “…You want to eat that too?”

Xiao Si-zi whined and wagged his tail. Wen Xi paused, then said unsympathetically: “Eating it won’t help. You can’t grow them back.”

Xiao Si-zi whimpered, his eyes widening as if struck by lightning.

His dignity apparently crushed by that comment, Xiao Si-zi sat down firmly and refused to move. Wen Xi gave the leash a tug, but he didn’t budge. She took a deep breath and tugged again. Still nothing.

“He’s very obedient?”

Cheng Si repeated those words slowly. When he met her eyes, he let out a very soft laugh. But the smile vanished as quickly as it appeared; he felt like he didn’t look good when he laughed—it made him look a bit stupid.

A moment later, Cheng Si’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice was slightly raspy as he couldn’t help but say to her: “I think… I’m more obedient.”

Wen Xi: “…”

As the sky darkened, the temperature began to drop. Wen Xi’s hand tightened unconsciously on the leash. Her dark eyes were slightly hazy in the evening breeze, and the bitter scent that had been lingering around her nose grew more distinct, even taking on a slightly aggressive, spicy edge.

The pheromones during the differentiation phase can’t be accurately identified as a specific gender yet. It was like a reminder to her that, logically, no Omega’s pheromones should be this aggressive.

“Get up,” Wen Xi said, her tone irritable as she conceded to Xiao Si-zi. “I’ll buy it for you, okay?”

The dog understood, springing up instantly and wagging its tail to lick her. Wen Xi, finding her hand covered in drool, used a wet wipe to clean each finger with a look of disgust. Then, she walked toward a convenience store, dropping a sentence to Cheng Si: “Hold him for me. I’ll be right back.”

Man and dog stood obediently on the spot, like they were waiting for their mutual master, ignoring each other.

Wen Xi returned quickly, tore open the marinated egg, and fed it to the dog, frowning as she did: “Junk food. Don’t eat too much of it.”

Cheng Si watched this scene thoughtfully, his usually slow brain reacting quickly for once. So, acting like a brat gets you fed? Noted.

While he was lost in thought, Wen Xi pulled a small box out of her eco-friendly shopping bag and handed it to him. Cheng Si took it and realized it was a box of gland suppression patches.

“Wear these for the next few days,” Wen Xi said expressionlessly. “Don’t let me smell it.”

Cheng Si blinked. It was normal to be unable to control pheromones during differentiation, but few people chose to use patches. Pheromones during this period were like perfume—just a scent that was hard to identify, not yet functional or overly intense. Most people didn’t mind.

Unless… even if it was just a “perfume” effect, she hated smelling his pheromones.

Cheng Si lowered his eyes, tore open the packaging without a word, pulled out a patch, and pressed it onto the back of his neck.

Her phone suddenly vibrated. It was Luo Wanran.

“Hello,” Wen Xi answered.

“I have some bad news,” Luo Wanran said. “Auntie Chen can’t come today. She was in a car accident on the way; her leg is injured. She just called me from the hospital.”

Wen Xi hummed: “As long as she’s okay. Tell her to rest well.”

Luo Wanran asked: “Then what are you doing for dinner?”

Like lunch, their dinner was usually prepared by nannies from either the Wen or Luo families who came to the City of the Scented Sea. Since Xu Linshen got married, Wen Xi had moved out of the Wen estate. She couldn’t stand hearing him and his Omega partner arguing in the middle of the night; the things they said were revolting.

Those two were a textbook case of a business marriage—glamorous on the outside, at each other’s throats on the inside. “Incompatibility” was a polite term; they were more like enemies. Xu Linshen couldn’t change the situation for now, so he bought Wen Xi a large apartment to make her school life easier. Luo Wanran happened to live right across from her.

The family staff would arrive punctually at noon and in the evening to cook and tidy up. Wen Xi hated eating out, so she fell into silence at Luo Wanran’s question. If she had known sooner, they could have sent the Luo family’s nanny instead. Wen Xi checked the time; it was past 7:00 PM. By the time someone arrived from the Luo estate, it would be 10:00 PM before she could eat.

“I’ll just have to eat out,” Wen Xi mused. “Didn’t you want coconut chicken? Let’s go today.”

“Ah?” Luo Wanran sounded conflicted. “But I already ordered takeout.” “What did you order?” “…Butter hotpot.” “…Goodbye.”

Wen Xi couldn’t handle spicy food. As she prepared to hang up, Luo Wanran shouted: “Wait! I’m not finished!” “What else is there?” “Is Cheng Si with you?” “What. Do. You. Want. To. Say?” Luo Wanran cleared her throat: “I can’t join you, but Cheng Si can.”

Wen Xi: “?” She didn’t exactly need company.

Wen Xi hung up and prepared to search for the nearest coconut chicken place. When she turned her head, she unexpectedly caught those narrow eyes watching her.

Cheng Si had clearly heard the conversation. His throat tightened, and he said awkwardly, “If you don’t want to eat out, then don’t.”

Wen Xi was losing her patience: “If I don’t go out, are you going to cook for me?”

The wind ruffled the stray hairs on the girl’s forehead, revealing eyes that had shed a bit of their disguise—they were dark, heavy, cold, and irritable, lacking their usual distant politeness.

At that moment, Cheng Si realized clearly: The person standing before him was the ill-tempered, occasionally malicious Wen Xi, not the elegant, poised student representative on the podium. This was the Wen Xi of his memory. Real and vivid.

So, Cheng Si gathered a rare courage—the kind meant to move mountains and cross chasms to reach for the moon. He nodded seriously: “Okay. I’ll cook for you.”

Wen Xi: “…You know how to cook?”

Cheng Si slowly curled his lips. His deep voice sounded like it had been polished by sandpaper, carrying a seductive magnetism: “I remember you used to love my mother’s cooking. I learned everything from her. Do you want to try it?”

Wen Xi remained silent.

But Cheng Si felt he had his answer. He asked tentatively: “Then… will you take me home to do it?”