His Pheromone Smells Like Catnip Extra 1 part 1
After graduating from university, the four-person internship group successfully became full-time employees at FREE. Bai He secured a position in the planning team. After more than a year of diligent hard work, he slowly rose from a regular employee to Associate Director. Working conscientiously and steadily, it could be said he truly deserved the title.
On Friday after work, Bai He got ready to go home. Qin Yao was attending a highly authoritative event and hadn’t returned yet, so Bai He didn’t go up to the office. Finding the car keys on his desk, he carried his briefcase downstairs, his footsteps toward the garage gradually slowing.
It was autumn weather; the climate wasn’t as sweltering as it had been recently. With such rare leisure time, why not take a walk?
No sooner said than done. He turned around briskly. The briefcase wasn’t heavy; it contained a tablet, some documents, and a book on preparing for pregnancy.
Bai He had bought a full set of books, and there was still a stack at home. Qin Yao didn’t know about this.
There wasn’t a precise reason why Bai He bought these books, but it wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision either.
He had been mentally preparing himself.
Bai He didn’t dislike children; he actually liked cute human cubs. It was just that the reproductive concepts formed over his first twenty years made it somewhat difficult to immediately shift his mindset regarding men giving birth.
Childbirth is a great thing.
Naturally, this required psychological preparation.
A year ago, Bai He might have worried. If he really had a child, could he raise the new little member well? He would have had many concerns, worrying about his ability to be a father, worrying if he could provide the child with the correct emotional value.
Married to Qin Yao for a year, these worries had found their answer.
Qin Yao loved him very much. The love given to him over this past year almost overflowed. In such an environment, all of Bai He’s uncertainties and anxieties were easily resolved. He believed in Qin Yao, and he believed in himself.
They could have a little life, and they could do their best to give that little guy all their love.
It was just that while the mental holdups were removed, he still had to overcome the physiological concerns.
Bai He bought so many pregnancy preparation books and carried one with him every day, taking it out to read whenever he had free time, just to get used to it through constant exposure, letting those insecurities in his heart slowly dissipate.
He needed his subconscious to understand that this wasn’t difficult. An Omega’s reproductive cavity was the same principle as a female’s uterus; giving birth was the same principle too. It was just a difference in human anatomical structure…
Bai He kept chanting these things in his brain, several times a day. But after thinking it over and over, nothing seemed to change. He was still worried about childbirth. To be precise, there was even some fear.
Stopping his slow steps, Bai He reached out to touch the gland at the back of his neck. After the permanent marking, there had always been a faint trace of Qin Yao’s pheromones in his world, which brought some relief to his gloomy mood.
“Forget it, I won’t think about it.” He smiled helplessly and strode forward.
***
Qin Yao wasn’t home, so Bai He bought groceries and made dinner himself. Over the past year, he had learned some simple dishes, credit for which had to go to Qin Yao’s repeated teaching.
That big cat actually hadn’t planned to teach him. Every time Bai He proposed learning, Qin Yao would nervously say that phrase: “Xiao Bao, you want to learn to cook? Can the food I make no longer hold onto your stomach?”
Bai He had to coax the other into teaching him every time. Back and forth, he gradually learned quite a lot. Occasionally, when Qin Yao was too busy, he would cook. This was good too.
After dinner, Bai He took a shower and returned to the living room in his pajamas. He turned on the TV and found a random channel to play. When he was alone at home, he was used to creating a little noise; it seemed to make things livelier.
Curling up on the sofa, he read documents for a while. Time ticked by. After finishing the documents, he leaned back to stretch his neck and slowly lay down on the sofa, right next to the pregnancy preparation book.
His fingers gently stroked the book cover. He opened a few pages, reading only a few paragraphs before he felt a bit drowsy, his consciousness gradually fading.
Reading really was the best hypnosis. Bai He didn’t know when he fell asleep. He could faintly hear some sounds by his ear, seemingly a phone ringtone, or maybe not. It wasn’t until his body was lifted into a warm embrace that he slowly opened his eyes and realized Qin Yao had returned.
Qin Yao hadn’t had time to change out of his suit yet, carrying a cool outdoor scent, while his Brandy pheromones soothingly surrounded Bai He.
He had messaged Xiao Bao when he was almost home. After sending two messages with no reply, he thought Xiao Bao must be asleep, so he didn’t continue sending them.
He went upstairs and opened the door, moving very lightly. When the door opened, he found the living room lights were still on. In his daze, he saw Bai He curled up on the sofa without even a thin blanket covering him.
Qin Yao felt both joy and worry—happy that Xiao Bao was waiting for him to come home, but worried that Xiao Bao would catch a cold. Only then did he change his shoes, go over to pick him up, and head toward the bedroom.
Just as he placed Bai He on the bed and was about to pull away, his wrist was grabbed.
“Qin Yao?”
Bai He’s voice was sticky and sounded very sleepy: “…You’re back?”
“En.” Qin Yao knelt on one knee by the bed. He reached out to brush away the hair from Bai He’s forehead and kissed Bai He’s eyelid: “I’m back. Sleep.”
Helping Bai He pull up the thin blanket, Qin Yao then turned to go take a shower.
The sound of trickling water drifted out. Lying on the bed, Bai He turned his head to listen for a while. His sleepiness faded slightly. He opened his eyes and slowly sat up, hugging his knees in a daze, thinking about something. He slowly buried his head to look at his pajamas, reaching out to undo the top two buttons.
Then he continued to listen to the water sounds from the bathroom, staring blankly.
Qin Yao still wasn’t finished washing. It was taking so long…
He hesitated, then threw off the thin quilt and got out of bed. He went to Qin Yao’s closet to find a piece of clothing, shed his own pajamas and pants, put Qin Yao’s clothes on his body, and climbed back into bed, covering his bare legs with the duvet.
A short while later, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped. Bai He listened carefully to the movement outside.
Qin Yao pushed open the bathroom door, heat surging out with him. He was wearing only a pair of loose pants, water still trickling down from his waist and abdomen. He went to the bar counter to get some water to drink, then turned to switch off the lights in the living room. Suddenly, he glimpsed an open book on the sofa.
He narrowed his eyes, walked over, bent down, and picked up the book. After closing it, he saw the large words **”Preparing for Pregnancy”** on the cover.
Qin Yao’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated. He stared at the book cover for a long time, then flipped through a few pages. Serious notes had been taken on them; it was his Xiao Bao’s handwriting.
Suppressing the surprise in his heart, he placed the book on the coffee table, organizing it together with Bai He’s documents. Then he turned off the living room light and walked toward the bedroom in a trance.
The room lights weren’t on. Qin Yao fumbled his way forward carefully, trying to minimize the noise.
He felt for the edge of the bed and sat down. The mattress dipped. Qin Yao lifted the quilt, but before he could lie down, he was gently embraced by Bai He. He froze for a moment, then subconsciously reached out to wrap his arms around the other, asking softly, “Why haven’t you slept?”
“Waiting for you.” Bai He buried his head in the crook of Qin Yao’s neck, pondering for a long time, then slowly rose to sit on the other’s lap. “What were you doing in the bathroom? I waited for a long time.”
Qin Yao held Bai He’s waist, his breathing instantly becoming disordered. “Xiao Bao, aren’t you sleepy?”
Bai He shook his head. “Not sleepy.”
As soon as the words fell, their positions swapped. In the darkness, Bai He saw Qin Yao’s silhouette, those deep blue eyes seeming to glow.
“Not sleepy? Then let’s do something else.”
Bai He gave a very light “En,” giving his permission. The little bird of joy in Qin Yao’s heart couldn’t be suppressed. He turned on the bedside lamp and saw clearly that Bai He was wearing his clothes. Immediately, his mind went wild. He got up to get something but was held back by Bai He. His body stiffened abruptly as he looked back at Bai He, who was nestled in the bedding with mist-filled eyes.
“Xiao Bao?”
Bai He’s fingers flinched as he whispered, “Don’t wear it.”
“…Then should I take pills?” When Qin Yao said this, he felt his throat was unprecedentedly dry. Even though he had just drunk water, the image of the book he saw on the living room sofa kept flashing through his mind.
He saw Bai He shake his head, speaking in a muffled voice, “There are no pills at home. No need to take them.”
Qin Yao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He came back and cupped Bai He’s face. “My Xiao Bao, are you…?”
He didn’t know how to ask. Qin Yao’s heart was beating very fast, as if it were about to jump out. Even though they had been married for over a year and had been intimate countless times, this feeling, akin to passionate new love, made him burn with desire.
“I…” Bai He looked at Qin Yao, his face a bit hot. He reached out to cover his face. “Anyway, just don’t wear it. Listen to me.”
“Then what if you get pregnant?” Qin Yao kissed Bai He’s hand, pulling the other’s arm away to gaze into those beautiful eyes.
“Just tonight… it might not be that accurate, right?”
He wasn’t questioning Qin Yao; after all, conception was a probability issue, not guaranteed in one night.
Qin Yao laughed upon hearing this and didn’t refute. “I meant, what if.”
“If, by chance, we do,” Bai He said very seriously, “we’ll raise it, okay?”
“Xiao Bao, have you thought this through?”
Qin Yao’s gaze was deep. He quietly watched Bai He’s eyes, as if trying to read something from those watery depths. He saw Bai He looking back at him just as seriously, nodding. “I’ve thought it through. Actually, I’ve been preparing for this for a long time.”
His fingers gently pressed against Qin Yao’s chin, rubbing it twice as he spoke sincerely, “I might not be very good at expressing love to a child, but you can teach me. You treat me and the child very well. I believe in you.”
Perhaps it was this sentence that made Qin Yao, who had been holding back, suddenly feel a rush of blood. His brain felt dizzy from the congestion, and his body felt light. He kissed Bai He deeply, saying “I will” over and over again.
That night, Qin Yao was exceptionally diligent. Bai He, who had adapted to Qin Yao’s level of exercise for almost a year, nearly fainted. Fortunately, the next day was Saturday, and both happened to be resting at home.
***
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