What to Do if I Am Noticed by the Straight Guy Next Door?

Su Bin still hadn’t made a decision, but Sun Yujie had already picked up the sample bottle of the vervain perfume and sprayed a little on his wrist. Then, he took a deep breath at an arm’s length and said, “The scent is nice, very refreshing.”

Su Bin also caught a whiff of it. Their etiquette teacher back in China, during their IELTS training classes, once said something about perfumes – in Western countries, especially in Europe, going out without wearing perfume is equivalent to being naked.

This statement may sound exaggerated to Chinese people who haven’t experienced perfume culture, but Su Bin discovered after coming abroad that it was indeed the case. Even men wear perfume!

In fact, Western “perfume culture” is still based on “respect for others”. Most Westerners have a stronger body odor than Easterners, and if they don’t wear perfume, unpleasant odors can arise when they sweat in public… It’s like some Chinese people taking off their shoes and picking their feet in public, which is a very uncivilized behavior.

Therefore, most men use perfume not to “attract attention” but to mask their own odors.

Over time, a culture of using fragrance products developed among the Western masses.

If ladies’ preference for perfume can add personal charm, then men’s choice of perfume can showcase their taste.

Good-quality mid-to-high-end perfumes are expensive, but the fragrance is definitely not overpowering or unpleasant. Moreover, after coming into contact with the skin, the perfume can undergo a chemical reaction with the user’s own sweat under the influence of body temperature, creating a unique scent that belongs to that person. That is why the same perfume can smell different on different individuals.

When Su Bin bumped into Allen on the stairs that day, he caught a faint and unique scent on him.

As an Asian with less body odor, it’s enough to shower daily. But Su Bin suddenly remembered that he sweats when he takes Alexander for a walk every day, and even someone like Yang Chengzhe, who seemed like a refined scholar, seemed to use a “gentleman’s body spray” with a milder scent. So he was somewhat tempted now…

It’s not that he must use vervain to ward off certain things, really…

Su Bin gave himself a mental pep talk and said to the salesperson, “I’ll take a bottle.”

“Sure.” The salesperson enthusiastically took a new bottle of perfume, carefully wrapped it, and handed it to him. “If you find it good after using it, feel free to fill out our feedback form. We have a small gift for you.”

After making the purchase, Su Bin returned to the school to take Alexander for a walk, and as expected, he ended up sweating.

Thinking of the newly purchased perfume, Su Bin took it out, opened the exquisite packaging, and planned to spray some on himself. However, before doing so, he suddenly felt a bit apprehensive…

What if Allen doesn’t like or even hates the scent of vervain? Would it be awkward when they meet?

Suppose Allen is really a vampire and does indeed dislike vervain. Would she sense that “he has figured something out” and decide to preemptively attack him to silence him?

Hmm… Su Bin quickly shook his head and tried not to think too much. It’s just a coincidence, a coincidence, a coincidence…

Come on, vervain perfume — “Pshh, pshh, pshh…” Transform!

…Huh? This scent feels a bit tangy and refreshing (⊙o⊙)…

Su Bin waited for the perfume to undergo a full chemical reaction with his sweat, but after a while, he realized something was off. Why did he suddenly develop a strange odor on his body, like sour pickles gone bad? -_-#

Avoiding Alexander at a distance: “Get away from me (→A→)…”

Su Bin: “…” Uh, did I get the order wrong? Maybe I should have sprayed it after showering?

After returning Alexander to Professor’s house, Su Bin hurriedly went back to take a shower, carrying the unpleasant and unbearable strange odor on himself.

On the way, he continued to anxiously imagine how Allen would react…

Yang Chengzhe had told him that it is impolite to suspect Allen of being “non-human” without any evidence, but under the subconscious influence, Su Bin still ended up buying the vervain product for vampires…

But Su Bin really didn’t want to think of himself as a despicable person, so he kept reassuring himself along the way — I didn’t purposely buy it, right? Wasn’t there a discount and a recommendation? The perfume scent is not bad (?)… Yeah, that’s it!

When he arrived at his doorstep, Su Bin took a deep breath, putting on a natural expression.

But as soon as he entered, Su Bin ran into Allen…

Allen happened to be tidying up her boots near the entrance, and before seeing her, Su Bin smelled her “scent”… When he recognized that it was Su Bin, the expression on Allen’s face at that moment was truly indescribable.

Su Bin: “…” He seemed to have seen a black line instantly appear on Allen’s forehead…

That’s probably how it went (||￣_￣||)…

Allen looked at him and straightforwardly said, “It smells bad. You need to take a shower.”

“I know…” T_T

Su Bin rushed upstairs at the fastest speed and took a shower, instantly feeling refreshed. He took out the newly purchased body wash and the bottle of perfume, placing the former on the bathroom counter so that Allen could see his sincerity in “cohabitation” when she came in. As for the perfume… Su Bin’s mind was engaged in a fierce internal struggle.

The brave part of him looked at the cowardly part with disdain. “Tsk tsk, how despicable!”

The cowardly part raised its fist angrily. “Coincidence, coincidence, coincidence!”

Su Bin: “…”

Okay, let’s give it another try. Let’s just assume Allen is not a vampire, so it shouldn’t matter what perfume he uses, right?

This time, Su Bin carefully sprayed a tiny amount on his neck and collarbone, rubbing it in vigorously. He then stayed in his room for a while, waiting for the scent to dissipate a bit before heading downstairs.

Allen had finished cleaning her boots… He seemed to really like wearing leather shoes and boots. Half of the shoe cabinet in the entrance hall belonged to him.

At the moment, Allen was sitting on the couch, reading his black book titled “Compendium of Poisons.”

“Michael,” Allen greeted him as Su Bin came downstairs. “Come over and talk.”

“… ” Su Bin didn’t really feel like chatting. He wanted to go to the kitchen to prepare dinner. But for some reason, he couldn’t refuse when Allen spoke in an authoritative tone. Before his brain could react, his body had already walked over on its own.

Su Bin took a deep breath nervously, trying to make sure his perfume scent didn’t come off as too deliberate.

But after sitting down, he noticed a slight frown on Allen’s face, although he didn’t say anything.

“Uh…” Su Bin broke the silence. “What do you want to talk about?”

Allen started asking him about his part-time jobs and the specific working hours. Su Bin didn’t dare to hide or lie, as he was an honest person and confessed everything truthfully…

As a local, Allen told Su Bin about some potential issues that could arise in regular part-time jobs, advising him to be cautious.

Su Bin was somewhat surprised by Allen’s concern for him and even touched.

However, in reality, his mind wasn’t focused on the part-time job issue. He was observing Allen’s expressions, trying to see if the scent of his perfume was causing any discomfort… but it didn’t seem like it. Allen spoke to him calmly throughout the conversation.

At this moment, the cowardly part of Su Bin had retreated to a corner, feeling guilty, while the brave part waved its arms and claimed dominance, shouting, “Idiot! Idiot!”

Su Bin: “…”

Taking a deep breath, Su Bin was about to let go of all his guards and get along well with Allen. However, Allen suddenly asked, “Did you spray perfume?”

Su Bin’s heart rate instantly skyrocketed to a hundred and three. He hurriedly explained, “Um, the body wash in the bathroom is running out, so I went out today and bought a bottle of the same brand as the one you used… I saw they were selling perfume in the store, so I bought a bottle.”

Allen leaned closer and sniffed. “What scent did you buy?”

Su Bin tilted his neck slightly and weakly said, “Vervain…”

Upon hearing this, Allen lowered his eyes. Then, in a more exaggerated manner, he leaned even closer, unexpectedly bringing his head near Su Bin’s neck…

Su Bin: “Q口Q!!!”

Su Bin didn’t remember where he read it, but it was said that animals would instinctively raise their fur when they were scared, excited, or aroused to increase their body size, believing that a larger size would bring courage. For example, a cat’s fur standing on end when scared or a peacock’s display during courtship. Humans also use expressions like “hair standing on end” or “goosebumps rising” to describe their fearful emotions.

Despite humans having lost their body hair during the process of evolution, the piloerector muscles still respond to signals from the brain, just like in Su Bin’s case. He could clearly feel all the hair on his body standing on end in an instant!

However, it was all in vain. Despite his well-developed piloerector muscles, Su Bin still fell short in height compared to Allen, who was a head taller than him.

Allen leaned in closer to Su Bin’s neck and took a gentle breath… His nose almost touched Su Bin’s skin, and the warm breath sprayed onto Su Bin’s neck when he exhaled.

Su Bin: “… ” QAQ Brother Cheng ~~

Three seconds later, Allen straightened up and raised an eyebrow. “It doesn’t smell good.”

“… ” Su Bin was so scared that he couldn’t speak.

Allen glanced at the stupefied Su Bin and said, “You don’t need to worry about the body wash anymore. I’ll take care of buying it when it runs out. I don’t like the perfume you’re using right now, so don’t spray it anymore. Just make sure you’re clean, no need for perfume.”

“… ” Q_Q Su Bin, who was greatly stimulated, remained frozen…

The cowardly part of him had risen to the occasion the moment Allen approached him, waving its flag while crying out fiercely, “Run away! Run away!”

…

The next day, Su Bin took the bottle of perfume and brought it to school to give it to Sun Yujie…

“Huh, what’s wrong? Is it not good or are you allergic?” Sun Yujie asked.

Su Bin awkwardly replied, “My roommate doesn’t like this scent.” Q_Q

Sun Yujie couldn’t understand. “Why would your roommate interfere with what perfume you wear?”

Su Bin touched his neck, still covered in goosebumps, and thought to himself, “You wouldn’t understand…”

Sun Yujie looked at the perfume Su Bin handed him, his eyes flickering, and said, “Don’t you know that giving perfume has a deep meaning?”

Su Bin: “Huh? What deep meaning?”

A blush appeared on Sun Yujie’s face. “It’s a declaration of love…”

Su Bin froze for a moment, his eye twitching as he snatched back the perfume. “Give it back to me!” It seemed he could only take it back and give it to Chen Xiaotian…

“… ” Sun Yujie was speechless for a while and then proceeded to educate Su Bin on the etiquette of gift-giving in country B. “Here, only people with a very close relationship would exchange toiletries like soap, body wash, or perfume…”

“Really?” Su Bin suddenly asked, “Is giving body wash also a declaration of love?”

“That really depends on the relationship. You have to be very close to exchange that kind of gift…” Suddenly, Sun Yujie thought of something and asked Su Bin, “Wait, could it be that the body wash you bought yesterday was meant for a foreigner?”

Seeing Su Bin’s instantly pained expression, Sun Yujie felt like he had hit the mark. “Then he would definitely misunderstand…”

Su Bin: “…”

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