Big Shot Ch.182

Chapter 182: The Scent of an Alpha’s Pheromones

“It’s none of your business—”

Before Fang Heng could finish his sentence, a cold voice sounded from behind.

“Fang Heng.”

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Fang Heng’s body stiffened instantly, and he turned around at once.

The moment he turned, he saw Shen Xiu walking out of the cabin with an expressionless face.

“Mr. Shen.” Fang Heng stepped toward Shen Xiu, stopping three steps away from him, and greeted him respectfully, “You’ve arrived.”

Fang Mo also heard Shen Xiu’s voice. His hand, which was holding the binoculars, paused. Before he could react, he heard his elder brother greeting Shen Xiu.

Fang Mo: “…”

Come on, bro, that reaction speed was way too fast!

It just made him look even more like a crude brute in comparison.

Sure enough, back when he was causing trouble in Basat, Mr. Shen had said he didn’t know his elder brother. That must have been because of his antics dragging his brother down. Mr. Shen didn’t even want to acknowledge his brother anymore.

Now, hearing Shen Xiu’s voice again reminded Fang Mo of those past events, making him feel even guiltier. As he finally came to his senses, he dared not delay further. Just as his brother’s greeting finished, he quickly put away the binoculars and turned around, speaking up at the same time, “Mr. Shen—”

But he only got one word out before catching a glimpse of Shen Xiu’s still faintly fierce expression. Instantly, he was overwhelmed by the aura and forgot the rest of his greeting.

Shen Xiu was dressed in a black suit, with a wine-red tie patterned in dark gold. His hair was slicked back, revealing his sharp, handsome features, and the aura he gave off was even more intense and imposing.

When met with those cold, emotionless black eyes, Fang Mo felt a suffocating tightness clutch at his heart.

He didn’t know what was wrong with him—he just felt that today, Shen Xiu’s presence made it hard to even breathe.

Shen Xiu waited a few seconds, but when Fang Mo didn’t say anything further, he frowned in confusion.

Seeing Shen Xiu frown only made Fang Mo, already uneasy, even more nervous.

Catching a glimpse of his younger brother’s nervous state from the corner of his eye, Fang Heng quickly gave a couple of deliberate coughs as a reminder.

“Cough, cough…”

The sound jolted Fang Mo back to his senses. Bracing himself, he forced out a greeting.

“Hello, Mr. Shen…”

After speaking, he quickly lowered his head, heart pounding wildly with panic.

He was terrified that his earlier hesitation had made Shen Xiu, who already didn’t think much of him, even more displeased.

Shen Xiu: “…”

So after nine seconds of waiting, that was all Fang Mo had to say?

Shen Xiu wasn’t close with Fang Mo to begin with, and was more used to speaking with Fang Heng. He responded indifferently, “Mm.”

After that short acknowledgment, Shen Xiu instinctively turned to Fang Heng. “Handkerchief.”

Fang Heng immediately pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to him.

Shen Xiu took it and wiped his hands.

Back when he was still a host under the system’s control, each time he returned from a parallel timeline, he had to spend seven days in the forbidden zone.

Now, if he wished, he could still choose to rest for seven days there before returning.

But this time, something unexpected had happened in the timeline he just left. Things hadn’t gone exactly as planned, causing a delay. After completing the task in that timeline, he hadn’t managed to stay the full seven days in the forbidden zone.

He had barely finished the mission when, in the very next second, he stepped into the forbidden zone—and immediately selected the coordinates Fang Heng had prepared in advance, landing directly on the yacht out at sea.

Because of that, there was still a lingering scent on his hands from firing a gun in the previous timeline.

Although he had already washed his hands before coming, the scene at the time had been chaotic—bullet holes everywhere, shattered glass, red wine spilled all over the floor. He hadn’t had time to change clothes, and there was still a trace of gunpowder residue on his cuffs and clothes. Shen Xiu didn’t like that smell, so wiping it off was a habitual gesture.

After handing the handkerchief back to Fang Heng, Shen Xiu swept a glance over the sea.

Though he had already done a quick scan of the waters out of habit when he arrived—knowing that, apart from the cruise ship hosting the Golden Crow Awards, all other nearby yachts belonged to him—he still didn’t quite know what to say when faced with the sheer number of them.

He had only asked Fang Heng to bring a yacht out to sea today, not this many.

That was on him for not giving clearer instructions.

Shen Xiu raised his wrist and glanced at the watch that matched today’s outfit.

There were ten minutes left before the banquet started.

He turned to Fang Heng. “Coordinate with them. Bring the yacht closer.”

Fang Heng nodded. “Yes, Mr. Shen. Please wait a moment.”

Before Shen Xiu arrived, Fang Heng had already done a thorough background check on everyone aboard the other yacht.

He had not only the contact details for those on the cruise ship, but also had already established communication with them—making coordination easy.

A minute later, Fang Heng hung up the phone and ordered the crew to bring the yacht closer to the cruise ship.

Even from a distance, Shen Xiu could still make out silhouettes standing on the deck and at the windows of the lower cabin rooms.

So as the yacht neared the other ship, Shen Xiu quietly turned around and walked back inside.

Being seen by a whole crowd almost arriving late? Absolutely mortifying.

He had to hide and sneak onboard quietly, keeping the embarrassment as low-key as possible.

That way, aside from the core team from New Life, no one would know he had been late.

Fang Heng and Fang Mo were both well aware that Shen Xiu was a cold and quiet person by nature.

So they weren’t the least bit surprised when he chose to return inside the yacht.

—

On the yacht.

The Golden Crow Awards ceremony was being held on the top deck of the cruise ship. Since it hadn’t officially begun yet, the artists and creative teams were either taking pictures together, standing by the railings enjoying the sea breeze, or gossiping while glancing curiously at the surrounding yachts.

When they saw one yacht slowly approaching, the gossip ramped up even more.

“A yacht’s heading toward us—come take a look!”

“What’s that logo on the side? Damn it, why didn’t I bring binoculars?!”

“It’s getting closer… SX?!”

“Case closed—it’s Shen Xiu.”

“No wonder we didn’t see Shen Xiu with the New Life team when they boarded.”

“He was probably tied up with something important. Otherwise, knowing Shen Xiu’s style, he definitely would’ve boarded with the New Life crew. I’ll bet on it!”

“Those rookie actors in New Life are so lucky. I heard they were all personally recommended by members of The Galaxy. Their resources from now on definitely won’t be as limited as before. If they can’t latch onto Shen Xiu, can I still try to build connections with those Galaxy members?”

“It’s too late. Everyone’s in this for Shen Xiu, and trust me—they all know better than to bring it up in front of him.”

“Well, that’s because some of them can act—they were just waiting for the right opportunity. If you’ve got no acting chops, don’t even think about it.”

“The word jealousy doesn’t even cut it—my envy is literally drooling down the side of my mouth.”

“Tell me—why is it that no one can ever remember the abominations from New Life?”

“I don’t get it—why don’t you ask Director Shen later?”

“Forget it. The moment I see his eyes, I don’t even dare go near… but I still can’t help sneaking glances.”

“Hahaha, who isn’t like that?”

…

There were lots of people talking on the deck, saying all sorts of things.

As the chatter continued, the yacht drew closer to the cruise ship.

The cruise ship rented by the event organizers was quite tall. The entrance was at a lower level, and each deck below the top level had decorative structures that obstructed the view—so those standing above couldn’t see the entrance below.

As a result, even when Shen Xiu boarded the cruise ship, people could only guess—it wasn’t something they saw with their own eyes.

When Shen Xiu passed by Fang Heng on his way in, he instructed him, “Keep this one yacht here. Send the others back.”

Fang Heng replied, “Understood, Mr. Shen.”

After watching Shen Xiu’s figure disappear from view, Fang Heng and Fang Mo finally went back into the cabin and gave the order to send the other yachts away.

—

Once inside the cabin, they had only walked a few steps when Fang Mo suddenly paused mid-stride, just a few paces from the sofa.

“Wait a second…”

Fang Mo, realizing something a beat too late, grabbed Fang Heng’s hand. He looked hesitant and a little bewildered as he stared at his older brother.

Fang Heng frowned and shook off Fang Mo’s hand. One glance at his brother’s expression was enough to guess what he was thinking. He said bluntly, “It’s just the two of us here. Say what you want—don’t hold back.”

Only then did Fang Mo, looking uneasy, finally speak his mind.

“Bro, don’t you think it’s weird? We checked everything, and yet… how did Mr. Shen get on the yacht in the first place? It just doesn’t make any sense!”

“This is seriously creepy!”

Because of Shen Xiu’s special identity, Fang Heng was always extremely cautious.

Anywhere Shen Xiu was going—whether it was the car, yacht, cruise ship, or hotel room—everything had to be thoroughly checked three times beforehand.

Fang Heng said, “…You’re slow to react—again.”

That Fang Mo only realized something was off now left Fang Heng momentarily speechless.

Fang Mo muttered, “…Bro, you’re my real brother. Must you be so brutal?”

“I really don’t know why,” Fang Heng admitted honestly, looking Fang Mo straight in the eye. “And you’d best not ask why either. To Mr. Shen, this kind of thing is completely normal.”

“You only need to understand this: Mr. Shen is, in the truest sense of the word, capable of anything.”

Hearing this, Fang Mo opened his mouth, wanting to argue. But when he thought of how wholeheartedly loyal his big brother was to Shen Xiu—and then recalled Shen Xiu’s unchanging appearance, despite his age—he found the words caught in his throat. Suddenly, there was nothing left to say.

“…Brother,” Fang Mo swallowed hard and mumbled, “I get it now.”

Fang Heng: “Mm.”

With a soft hum of acknowledgment, he added, “Fang Mo, not only are you slow to react, but your nose is also failing.”

“You didn’t notice? Mr. Shen smelled faintly of gunpowder residue.”

When Shen Xiu passed by, Fang Heng had clearly picked up on the cold fragrance of his cologne—subtly laced with a trace of lingering smoke.

Once a gun has been fired, it always leaves behind gunpowder residue.

Particles of propellant and metal from the discharge don’t just cling to the weapon—they remain on the shooter’s body as well.

Although Shen Xiu was known for his ruthless decisiveness and cold-blooded efficiency, he strongly disliked the smell of blood and gunpowder. Even after washing his hands and showering, he had a habit of wiping himself down again.

Fang Mo: “!”

“Bro, I feel like an idiot.”

Fang Heng patted him on the shoulder. “Good. As long as you know.”

Fang Mo: “…”

Are they even real brothers anymore?

—

On the cruise ship.

The organizer of the Golden Crow Awards walked ahead of Shen Xiu, leading the way.

The moment he picked up Shen Xiu and felt that sharp, overwhelming aura, he was already nervous. He didn’t dare turn around to look at Shen Xiu and didn’t want to let the atmosphere fall into silence either—worried Shen Xiu might think the event organizers were being cold or unfriendly.

After all, Shen Xiu wasn’t just Director Shen. He was Shen Xiu. And everyone knew that the name Shen Xiu carried weight far beyond just film.

Leaving a good impression in front of him was second nature—not just for the organizers, but for most people. After all, who wouldn’t want to be favored by Shen Xiu, like the members of The Galaxy?

Racking his brain for conversation, the organizer blurted out a random comment: “Mr. Shen, may I ask what brand of cologne you’re wearing? It really suits you.”

Shen Xiu: “…”

Funny thing—though no one would probably believe it—what he was wearing wasn’t cologne. It was the scent of an Alpha’s pheromones.

Which, inconveniently, took a full seven days to fade.

So for the next seven days, in this worldline, he was basically an oddity in the truest sense.

The organizer: “…”

Five seconds had passed and Shen Xiu still hadn’t replied. Was his choice of topic that bad? Was Shen Xiu so uninterested that he couldn’t even be bothered to respond?

But… help! Just knowing Shen Xiu was walking behind him made him feel utterly crushed by the pressure. His brain was buzzing—he couldn’t think of anything interesting to say. All he could do was comment on what he smelled.

Not wanting to make things awkward, Shen Xiu, slightly embarrassed for a moment, finally replied in a soft voice:

“It’s not cologne. It’s the scent of Alpha pheromones.”

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