Chapter 7 SJC

The baby clung to Shen Jinnian like sticky rice, wrapping his arms around his neck while greedily inhaling his pheromones. The sight left the nanny utterly stunned.

If Shen Jinnian had to describe it, the baby looked like a starving ghost reincarnated.

He had seen people devour food when they were starving, but he had never seen a baby, just a few months old, sniff pheromones so fiercely and aggressively.

Even more shocking than when he first picked up the little one.

Holding the child in one arm, Shen Jinnian slumped onto the sofa, letting the baby take in his scent as much as he wanted. Only when the child was finally satisfied and drifted off to sleep did he hand him back to the nanny. "I’m going to take a shower first."

The nanny took the baby with a relieved sigh.

She glanced at the child’s tear-streaked face with pity and couldn't help but gently advise, "Mr. Shen, if possible, maybe you should ask the baby's mother to come visit... He’s always crying and getting sick like this—it’s not a good situation."

"Mm… I’ll try to get in touch," Shen Jinnian replied with a troubled expression.

All he could do was hope that the baby’s parents would grow a conscience soon and take back their abandoned son.

"Should I take a picture of the baby and send it to his Omega mother?" the nanny suggested in a hushed tone. "No parent can truly not love their child. Maybe if she sees him, her heart will soften."

Shen Jinnian thought for a moment. "Alright, I’ll consider taking one."

"No need to consider! Trust me, you’ll definitely win your wife back," the nanny insisted.

"Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind." Shen Jinnian flashed a bright smile. "You’re so kind. If I do get my ‘wife’ back, I’ll give you a big red envelope!"

On the surface, he was all smiles.

But deep down: help me.

When he hired the nanny, he had wanted to keep things simple, so he never mentioned that the baby was abandoned. He had only said that his Omega had run away, leaving their child behind, and now the poor baby was suffering from pheromone deficiency syndrome.

The nanny had believed him completely.

Not only that, but she was incredibly enthusiastic—she even asked about the baby's Omega mother’s personality and gave him tips on how to please an Omega and strengthen a couple’s relationship.

Shen Jinnian, who had no clue about any Omega, had simply described Gu Yan’s temperament to her instead.

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The thought of Gu Yan suddenly sent a wave of chills down Shen Jinnian’s spine, making his skin crawl.

The more he thought about it, the more disgusted he felt.

Especially since Gu Yan’s pheromone scent still lingered on him—it was as if he had been marked.

He couldn't stand it for even a second longer.

As soon as he finished talking to the nanny, he rushed into the bathroom and scrubbed himself down with body wash three times over, spending a full two hours washing away every trace of the scent.

Only then did he finally feel refreshed.

His stomach, which had been empty all day, took the chance to grumble in protest.

Shen Jinnian went to the kitchen and made himself some instant food for breakfast.

The steaming hot wontons, along with the broth, warmed him up and washed away the stress and frustration of the past few days.

Just as he was about to wash the dishes, the nanny hurried out of the nursery, her brows furrowed and her face was full of concern.

"Mr. Shen, the baby woke up again and won’t stop fussing. Can he smell your pheromones again today?"

Shen Jinnian put down the dishes. "I’ll go check on him."

Just as the nanny had said, the little one was restless. But what was surprising was that, despite being only a few months old, he wasn’t crying loudly—he was just silently shedding tears, looking pitiful.

Shen Jinnian picked him up from the crib and released a small amount of pheromones.

The baby sniffed, seeming to notice that something was off.

Instead of calming down, he immediately burst into loud sobs!

Shen Jinnian: "?"

He released more pheromones.

The little baby, nestled in Shen Jinnian’s arms, paused for a moment, breathing in deeply, trying to pick up any other scents mixed with the familiar strawberry fragrance. But no matter how hard he sniffed, he couldn’t detect anything else.

That meant there was nothing left—not even a trace.

The little one felt miserable.

His chubby hands clutched at Shen Jinnian’s shirt as he sobbed uncontrollably. The more he cried, the worse it got. Tears rolled down his thick lashes, trembling as they slid down his cheeks. His tiny face turned red from holding back sobs, and at his most distressed, he even choked on his own breath.

The two adults were completely stunned.

Shen Jinnian had no idea why his pheromones had suddenly stopped working. But… the baby had been clinging to him happily when he first got home.

Thinking quickly, Shen Jinnian grabbed the clothes he had thrown into the laundry but hadn’t washed yet and covered the baby with them.

The little one snuggled against the shirt, rubbing his chubby face against the fabric. As soon as he caught the scent he was looking for, he finally settled down.

The nanny stared in surprise. "What’s going on?!"

Shen Jinnian shook his head. "Maybe I washed too much today. The scent of the body wash is too strong."

"I didn’t know sick babies could be this sensitive," the nanny murmured, still amazed.

She had never seen a baby so picky about pheromones before.

Shen Jinnian wasn’t sure either.

After calming the child down, he thought for a while and decided to go back to the hospital. He registered with the same gossipy doctor as before.

Sure enough, the doctor remembered him well.

Before Shen Jinnian could say anything, the doctor spoke first, "How’s the baby doing now?"

Frowning, Shen Jinnian described the baby’s unusual behavior in detail.

"This is normal," the doctor said confidently. "Babies with pheromone deficiency tend to have unstable emotions. Crying and fussing are common."

Then he added, "Also, just supplementing with your pheromones isn’t enough."

Shen Jinnian blinked. "Huh? So I need to give him omega pheromones too?"

"Of course. Why do you think it’s called ‘dual-parent pheromone deficiency’?" The doctor tapped his knuckles on the desk.

"Where am I supposed to find an omega for him?" Shen Jinnian felt even more overwhelmed than the baby.

"You’re his father, so obviously, you need to find his omega mother," the doctor said, looking genuinely surprised. "You seem like a smart guy—why aren’t you getting this?"

Shen Jinnian: "I’m really not his dad."

"Normally, babies at this stage only respond to their parents’ pheromones," the doctor said, giving Shen Jinnian a pitying look, as if he were a hopeless case. "The fact that your pheromones can soothe him is the best proof of that."

Shen Jinnian was speechless.

The world was full of strange things.

Somehow, he—a completely innocent and unattached man—had ended up stuck with a tiny, clingy little troublemaker.

Shen Jinnian felt numb.

Deciding to change the subject, he asked, "Does frequently releasing pheromones affect your rut periods?"

"It might," the doctor replied, waving a hand dismissively. "But at the level you’re doing it, it won’t affect your rut period."

Well, that was ridiculous.

Yesterday, he had suddenly entered his rut period two months early, with no warning at all. And what was even stranger—an alpha’s rut period lasted at least three days.

But this time, it had only lasted one night.

The doctor took a sip of tea, fell silent for three minutes, then finally spoke.

"Have you considered the possibility… that it wasn’t actually a rut period?"

Shen Jinnian suddenly had an epiphany.

Yes!

Feverish, parched throat, weak limbs, and an overwhelming craving for someone else’s pheromones…

Besides a rut period, there was one more possibility…