Back at the table, Lu Shangjin explained that the boy had drunk too much and had been sent home, while several familiar friends chatted with him about Bai Chunian’s background.
They had heard that this child was an orphan picked up from the fighting ring. Bi Ruijing rolled up his sleeves, revealing a lean, muscular forearm marked with a bluish tattoo: PBB-000026. Lifting his glass, the hand with his wedding ring tapped lightly on the table.
“My son seems obsessed with Bai Chunian ever since finishing the ATWL exam. I wondered what kind of kid he must be. My son’s quiet and reserved, but sharp. Outwardly he does well at Anfia School, yet in his heart he looks down on some of the noble classmates. I spent an entire night talking with him about it.”
Bi Ruijing was the alpha father of Bi Lansheng, a retired lieutenant from the PBB Special Forces, holding a seat in the International Business League with authority that carried weight.
“There’s nothing to discuss. A child being proud and ambitious isn’t bad,” Lu Shangjin said.
The nearby Xia Pingtian, current head of the Hong Ye Xia clan, chatted with him. “Yan Yi really trusts him—he’s even put in charge of the training base.”
Though the boy’s background had been investigated early on, Lu Shangjin didn’t like others questioning his judgment.
“Be careful what you say,” Lu Shangjin tilted his head. “Don’t say this in front of my second son. His pride is fragile.”
Bi Ruijing laughed, clinking glasses with him. “Then let your second son take good care of our Lansheng.”
“Of course,” Lu Shangjin replied.
After a while, Lu Shangjin raised his glass casually. “We’ve been discussing the 109 Research Institute. What Yan Yi proposes is what I agree with: old friends retiring or enjoying themselves can become inattentive, so we gather early. A toast to everyone.”
He leaned back easily, his broad shoulders and narrow waist as sharp as in his youth—maintained by daily discipline. Though he had tempered his once cruel tendencies after reconciling with Yan Yi, he still carried an undercurrent of imposing presence. He was the only A3-level alpha at the banquet, and all guests showed him respect, both for rank and social standing.
The implication was clear: while the Omega Alliance had some voice at international conferences, it lacked decisive power. If the International Business League intervened, Yan Yi’s words carried weight.
Guests stood and toasted in response.
After the banquet, Lu Shangjin’s driver took him back to the villa. Feeling a little foggy from the alcohol, the driver intended to accompany him inside, but Lu Shangjin noticed the warm yellow light still on in the bedroom window and waved off the help, entering quietly. After washing up and changing, he tiptoed to the bedroom.
Yan Yi was curled up on a single-seater sofa, rabbit ears covering his eyes, a tablet still resting on his stomach with open files.
Lu Shangjin slipped off his slippers, quietly retrieved the tablet from Yan Yi’s lap, set it on the table, scooped the omega’s legs into his arms, and laid him in bed. He turned off the lights and climbed in behind him, wrapping his arms around Yan Yi, pressing his nose gently against the glands on the back of his neck, inhaling the soft, creamy scent of his pheromones.
Yan Yi stirred, instinctively placing his hand over the alpha’s on his waist. Their ring fingers, adorned with wedding bands, brushed together.
“How much did you drink? I can make some tea to sober you up.”
“No need. Not much.” Lu Shangjin closed his eyes. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
“I was thinking about the upcoming international conference. We have to propose banning the development of new experimental subjects, while recognizing the independence and rights of existing ones. As president of the Alliance, it’s my responsibility,” Yan Yi said, exhausted. “But we also need to ensure they remain like Xiaobai—without killing or feeding instincts.”
“Mm, that’s a good thing,” Lu Shangjin said, kissing his ear. “Have you told Xiaobai? He’ll be happy.”
“Not yet,” Yan Yi sighed. “This isn’t something done overnight. I worry he’ll be disappointed.”
Currently, Bai Chunian was a public Alliance operative, with his personal rights protected by the Omega Alliance. Once he left, there would be many who wanted to exploit his glands and abilities, and even his strength couldn’t match numerous well-equipped armed forces.
“It’s okay. I support you. Do what you need to do.”
“Mm.” Yan Yi turned, gently grabbing Lu Shangjin’s waist, burying his head in the alpha’s neck. “What about a birthday gift for the little rabbit?”
“I asked him what he wanted—don’t want to buy the wrong thing,” Lu Shangjin said. “He wants a helicopter. How does a little omega constantly want such solid things?”
“Did you buy it?” Yan Yi asked drowsily.
“Of course. A big one. One isn’t enough, so I got a set and brought two designers along. Whatever exterior he wants, we’ll make it.”
“You’re going to spoil him eventually,” Yan Yi teased, flicking his rabbit ears at Lu Shangjin.
“Raise a little alpha with frugality, an omega with luxury—that’s how it should be.”
“Fine.” Yan Yi closed his eyes to sleep, then asked, “You didn’t let Xiaobai drink too much, right? He’s still young and responsible at the table.”
“Halfway through, Lan Bo took him away, jabbering a string of foreign words. Sounded like he was scolding me. That little guy—pretty fierce.”
“The two of them…” Yan Yi’s concern was endless. “Lan Bo’s a natural leader, and Xiaobai isn’t very open with others. I don’t think it’s appropriate. Spending too much time together, Xiaobai will end up with many injuries.”
“Liking someone means it’s meant to be,” Lu Shangjin murmured as he held him to sleep. The bedroom was thick with the soothing pheromones of Christmas roses.
The city of Aphid was quiet at night, neon lights flickering along the bustling streets where cars and pedestrians moved endlessly.
On the gleaming glass exterior of a skyscraper, a blue-glimmering mermaid clung like a gecko, moving quickly along the wall. Lan Bo’s hands discharged electricity to cling to the building’s steel framework while his mouth held Bai Chunian’s collar. His long, slender tail coiled around the alpha’s body, anchoring him securely.
Bai Chunian was heavily intoxicated, but after some exposure to the cold night air outside, he felt considerably better, clinging tightly to Lan Bo, their bodies pressed together.
His head spun as he opened his eyes to the hundred-meter drop below. He murmured softly, “Honey, I’m afraid of heights. Kiss me.”
Lan Bo’s expression remained indifferent. Holding the collar in his mouth, he mumbled, “You weren’t afraid before.”
“I am now! From this moment on!” Bai Chunian protested.
Lan Bo, exasperated, leaned in to kiss him. The moment his mouth released, the alpha slipped free from the coiled tail, smashing through two steel billboards.
Lan Bo descended quickly, tail wrapping around Bai Chunian’s legs just before he hit the ground, pulling him back into his arms, still holding him with his mouth.
Bai Chunian’s body automatically activated his J1 ability, hardening his skeleton. Though he had punched through the metal signs, he remained unharmed.
“That was thrilling! Let’s do it again,” Bai Chunian exclaimed. “I want to take you to an amusement park—like this! You’ve never done anything like it, and neither have I. Roller coasters—siusiusiu—everyone screaming, I’m not scared, but I want to scream too.”
“You idiot! Almost dropped me, you headless fool!” Lan Bo swatted him lightly with one hand.
A moving truck passed beneath the building. Lan Bo dampened his electricity, holding Bai Chunian gently against the truck’s roof as they rode back to the apartment.
He tossed Bai Chunian at the doorway, then quickly dove into the fish tank to cool off. Cold water enveloped his overheated body. Lan Bo lay at the tank’s bottom, exhausted, the moist bandages around his body loosening to reveal reddened, swollen skin. A few scales had been scorched off his tail, exposing raw flesh, sensitive to even a touch.
After ten minutes, his body temperature stabilized enough to climb out, soaking wet. He dragged Bai Chunian to bed, clumsily stripping his smoke- and alcohol-scented clothes and tossing them into his fish tank. Then he pushed Bai Chunian into the tank as well.
Lan Bo rested on the tank’s edge, hands submerged, clothes and dirt purifying automatically. Bai Chunian emerged sparkling clean.
Pulling him out was the hard part. Lan Bo had to drag and lift him from the water, wrap him in a towel, and place him back in bed, then hang the cleaned clothes on the balcony drying rack.
Bai Chunian lay on his back, his toned arms covering his eyes against the bedroom light. His lower body was under the blanket; his upper body revealed sculpted muscles, a long stitched scar running from chest to waist.
Lan Bo noticed a black cord around Bai Chunian’s neck—new jewelry he hadn’t seen before. He traced it and held the pendant against Bai Chunian’s chest. His skin was pale, fine hairs almost white, giving a delicate impression.
The pendant was a black pearl with a bluish sheen, adorned with a small blue fish scale. Previously discarded pearls had seemed worthless to Lan Bo, just secretions without value—but Bai Chunian always picked them up carefully, keeping them in his pocket.
Lan Bo held the pierced pearl between his fingers, studying it. In the sea, such trinkets were common; mermaid infants produced countless pearls, and a heartbroken mermaid could fill a room with them. Even his own people didn’t value a king’s tears—but this one felt different.
His heartbeat shifted, unlike before. Sitting on the bed, he touched his chest in a strange, unfamiliar way. Previously, giving favor to handsome mermaid alphas never caused this.
Bai Chunian turned, curling up and pressing his lips together to continue sleeping.
Lan Bo lay down too, fingers lightly brushing Bai Chunian’s eyes. His lashes quivered under the light, shadows dancing beneath them.
“Milayer… like my little baby before,” Lan Bo whispered, releasing soft, calming pheromones.
Bai Chunian stirred, suddenly wrapping his arms and legs around Lan Bo, holding him like a body pillow.
Lan Bo’s burned spots still hurt from the alpha’s body heat. Now wrapped so tightly, it felt like being pressed into a flame.
“Ouch… let go…” he muttered.
Bai Chunian buried his face into the omega’s neck, relying on him like a child. But now, his size and level brought a searing heat far beyond what it used to be.