Wei Chen sprinted through New Huaxia City's morning bustle, his heart pounding like a K-pop drumbeat. The neon signs of noodle shops and KTV lounges blurred past, but his mind was stuck on his reflection—a chiseled, smoldering stranger where his nerdy self used to be. His too-tight hoodie strained against new muscles, and his glasses, now useless, dangled in his pocket. "This is not how biology works," he muttered, dodging a vendor hawking spicy skewers. His phone buzzed—Li Mei again: Hurry up, dork! Ur late.
At New Huaxia High School, the courtyard buzzed with students. Wei hesitated at the gate, his new face feeling like a stolen mask. He took a deep breath and stepped inside, hoping to blend in. Big mistake. Xiao Lan, the queen bee who'd mocked him yesterday, froze mid-gossip, her eyes widening. "Who… is that?" she whispered, her clique turning like a flock of starstruck pigeons.
Wei's new voice, a velvet growl, betrayed him as he mumbled, "Just… heading to class." The sound rippled through the crowd. A girl dropped her bubble tea, another clutched her heart, and even Zhang Wei, the basketball jock, stared, confused. "Yo, Four-Eyes, you get plastic surgery or what?" he called, but his tone lacked its usual bite.
Before Wei could escape, Xiao Lan sauntered over, her usual sneer replaced by a coy smile. "Hey, new guy," she purred, twirling her hair, her fingers brushing his arm. Wei's skin tingled, his body reacting with a heat he didn't understand. "I-I'm not new!" he stammered, backing away, but the crowd closed in, their stares turning his morning into a nightmare.
Wei bolted to his chemistry classroom, hoping for sanctuary. The room smelled of chalk and antiseptic, a nerd's paradise—until today. As he slid into his seat, the class went silent. Li Mei, scribbling notes in her leather jacket, glanced up and did a double-take. "Wei?" she hissed, her eyes narrowing at his chiseled jaw. "What the hell happened to you?"
"I… uh… new skincare?" Wei lied, his deep voice making a girl in the front row giggle. Before Li Mei could grill him, Ms. Zhao, their stern chemistry teacher, entered. Her glasses fogged up as she spotted Wei, her usual scowl softening. "Mr. Chen," she said, her voice oddly breathy, "stay after class. We need to… discuss your potential." Her hand lingered on his desk, her fingers grazing his. Wei's face burned, his nectar-fueled body sending sparks he couldn't control.
The lesson was a disaster. Girls passed notes with hearts drawn on them, boys whispered about Wei's "glow-up," and Li Mei kept shooting him death glares. When Wei stood to answer a question about covalent bonds, his tight jeans drew gasps, and a girl fainted dramatically. "This is insane!" Wei whispered to Li Mei, who rolled her eyes. "You're causing a riot, dork. Fix it."
As class ended, Xiao Lan cornered him at the door, her perfume overwhelming. "Join us at KTV later," she cooed, her hand sliding up his arm. Wei's pulse raced, his body betraying him with a flush of heat. He mumbled an excuse and fled, Li Mei hot on his heels. "You're explaining this now," she snapped, but the hallway was about to get a lot more dangerous.
Outside, the school courtyard was a zoo—students snapping selfies, whispering about Wei's transformation. He ducked behind a vending machine, Li Mei at his side. "I drank something at the lab," he confessed, his voice low. "Some glowing stuff called Nectar X. Now… this." He gestured at his abs, visible through his torn hoodie. Li Mei's eyes flicked down, then away, her cheeks pink. "You're an idiot," she muttered, but her tone softened.
Before Wei could explain further, a black van screeched to a halt beyond the school gate. Three women in skintight suits emerged—Agent Lotus, a cool beauty with a katana; Agent Jade, a bubbly blonde twirling a glittery gun; and Agent Orchid, a nerdy techie clutching a tablet. "Target located," Lotus said, her eyes locking onto Wei with a mix of duty and… hunger.
Li Mei grabbed Wei's arm, her touch sparking another jolt. "Who are they?" she hissed. Wei's mind raced—had his lab screw-up caused this? "I don't know!" he yelped, as Jade giggled, "He's even cuter in person!" Orchid tapped her tablet, muttering about "nectar signatures."
The agents advanced, students parting like the Red Sea. Lotus's katana gleamed, but her gaze lingered on Wei's lips. "Hand over the nectar, pretty boy," she purred. Wei's body tingled, his allure making her pause. Jade, meanwhile, blew a kiss, her glittery bullet grazing his shoulder with a jasmine scent. "Run!" Li Mei shouted, dragging him toward the school's back exit. The courtyard erupted—students screamed, teachers gawked, and Wei's nectar aura turned the chaos up to eleven.
Wei and Li Mei sprinted through New Huaxia City's alleys, the neon-lit night market a blur of sizzling stalls and blaring K-pop. Wei's new legs were fast, but his mind was a mess. "Why are they after me?" he panted, dodging a cart of steamed buns. Li Mei, wielding a metal pipe she'd grabbed from a dumpster, shot him a glare. "You drank glowing lab juice, genius. What did you expect? A Nobel Prize?"
The agents were hot on their trail. Lotus leaped across rooftops, her katana flashing under neon signs. Jade's glittery bullets zipped past, one bursting into a cloud of pink mist that made Wei's skin tingle dangerously. Orchid's drone buzzed overhead, its camera zooming in on him. "His nectar levels are off the charts!" Orchid squealed, her voice cracking with excitement.
Wei tripped over a stray noodle bowl, landing in a pile of lychees. A vendor's daughter, wiping her hands on her apron, leaned over. "Need help, handsome?" she purred, her fingers brushing his chest. Wei's body flared with heat, his nectar aura making her eyes glaze over. "Not now!" he yelped, scrambling up as Li Mei yanked him away. "Stop charming everyone!" she snapped, but her grip on his arm lingered a second too long.
They ducked into a crowded KTV lounge, the air thick with karaoke wails and cheap perfume. Wei's allure didn't help—waitresses stared, patrons dropped their mics, and a drunk auntie tried to pull him into a duet. "This is your fault," Li Mei growled, shoving him behind a velvet curtain. But the agents were closing in, and something else was coming—something far less human.
As Wei crouched behind the curtain, the KTV lounge's lights flickered. A gust of peach blossoms swirled through the air, carrying a scent that made his head spin. A woman appeared—Yuelin, an emissary of Xiwangmu, goddess of desire. Her barely-there robes clung to her curves, and her golden eyes locked onto Wei with predatory delight. "Mortal," she purred, her voice like silk, "you've stolen divine nectar. It's… intoxicating on you."
Wei's body betrayed him, heat flooding his veins as her fingers grazed his cheek. "I didn't steal anything!" he stammered, his deep voice making a waitress nearby swoon. Li Mei shoved Yuelin back, her pipe raised. "Back off, sparkly lady!" she snapped, but Yuelin just laughed, her presence amplifying Wei's allure. The lounge descended into chaos—patrons fought to get near him, and even Li Mei's glare softened for a split second.
The agents burst in, Lotus's katana slicing through a karaoke machine. "He's ours!" Jade squealed, firing a glittery bullet that exploded into petals. Orchid's drone sparked, malfunctioning in Yuelin's aura. Wei grabbed Li Mei's hand, their touch sending a jolt through him, and they bolted for the exit.
As they spilled into the neon-lit street, Yuelin's laughter echoed. "You can't run from desire, mortal!" Wei's mind raced—what was this nectar? Why were assassins and a goddess after him? And why did every touch feel like a spark?