Chapter 39

Their sweet cohabitation had lasted less than half a month when Li Xi needed to travel abroad for work.

The business trip would last about a month.

Once an Omega is lifetime-marked by an Alpha, their resistance to other Alphas—even high-match ones—strengthens, but so does their dependence on the marking Alpha’s pheromones.

Considering that Li Xi would face an unfamiliar climate and a busy schedule abroad,

Ying Zhiyu and Li Xi hadn’t engaged in their usual nighttime activities that week.

For a highly matched, lifetime-marked AO pair, frequency increases dependence; a break triggers withdrawal reactions.

To prepare for the upcoming “pheromone withdrawal,”

this week’s post-dinner activities moved from the bedroom to the gym.

Li Xi had a disciplined fitness routine: morning workouts combining cardio and strength for 40 minutes to an hour, plus weekly private boxing, gun training, equestrian lessons, and other activities.

Ying Zhiyu, by contrast, worked out irregularly—three or four times a week if he remembered, sometimes none if his lab was busy.

During strength training, Li Xi wore a quick-dry T-shirt.

Sweat clung to his chest and abdomen, revealing defined muscles to Ying Zhiyu.

Shamefully, as an Omega, Li Xi maintained perfect eight-pack abs no matter how much he ate.

Ying Zhiyu, an Alpha…

cough.

After half an hour on the treadmill, he slowed down, walking while sneaking a glance under his own shirt.

He counted multiple times.

No matter how he counted—up, down, left, right, back and forth—he had only six-pack abs.

Genes couldn’t help, and he had to lift his shirt to check; under a T-shirt, nothing was visible.

Beaten by reality, he sighed lightly.

Before he could finish, a sweat-drenched arm appeared in his view.

Before Ying Zhiyu could react, the next moment he was yanked off the treadmill.

Li Xi disengaged the treadmill’s safety lock with one hand and grabbed Ying Zhiyu with the other, heading for the gym exit.

Only when they were near the bedroom did Ying Zhiyu realize Li Xi’s intention.

Uh…

He grabbed Li Xi’s hand before being dragged in.

“You leave for the trip tomorrow. We should still…”

He never finished. A pair of furious eyes stopped him mid-sentence.

Li Xi glared at the Alpha pretending to be innocent.

After teasing him so long, what was the point of holding back? One month abroad was not enough to abstain!

Ying Zhiyu, trying to stay rational, wanted to reason, but the next second, Li Xi covered his mouth.

Ying Zhiyu blinked: “……”

Seeing the prince’s reddened eyes, he realized how addictive a 91% match could be.

The next day, Ying Zhiyu drove Li Xi to the airport.

After last night’s indiscretion, he had taken two hours off early to personally see him off.

Li Xi’s private plane meant they didn’t enter the main terminal, going straight to the FBO lounge.

Ying Zhiyu accompanied him until the FBO lounge, even sipping coffee while the flight butler processed Li Xi’s exit documents, before finally leaving.

Ten days into the trip, Ying Zhiyu received an invitation to an evening event from Yan Jue.

He didn’t immediately reply, instead replying cautiously that he needed to check with Li Xi first.

Yan Jue, used to high-society masks, was momentarily speechless.

In their circle, everyone played a role.

Even “freeloader” Alphas or young heirs restricted by family finances rarely admitted needing approval for an action.

Yet Ying Zhiyu openly stated he must ask his Omega first?

Yan Jue admired him: “No wonder the Third Young Master Li dotes on you so much!”

Ying Zhiyu smiled: “Maybe I just use him as a shield?”

Yan Jue choked: “……”

Indeed, the “capital’s number one son-in-law Alpha” lived up to his reputation.

Ying Zhiyu wasn’t using Li Xi as a shield to refuse others.

It was that sensitive time—Li Xi was abroad, and a married Alpha attending an unfamiliar social event could easily end up in the headlines by midnight.

Though only high-society knew Li Xi was married, mainstream media had already learned but held the news out of respect for the Li family.

Ying Zhiyu could bet: if he went out tonight, by midnight the hashtags would explode:

#Cheating# #SecretMeeting# #Restless# #Freeloader# #TrueColorsExposed# …

With countless eyes in the capital watching, Ying Zhiyu could foresee the media storm.

Even Li Xi, far abroad, wouldn’t be happy learning about it from the news.

So, Ying Zhiyu checked the time, estimated the time difference, and decided to give Li Xi an international call.

After learning the full situation, Li Xi was silent for a long moment.

The line stayed quiet before he asked, “Where did he invite you?”

If it was a commune, clubhouse, or club, sitting down for drinks would rarely be just about drinking.

Ying Zhiyu replied, “Racing on the mountain road.”

Most of Li Xi’s sports cars had keys left at the penthouse in the city center.

Tomorrow being Sunday, Ying Zhiyu could indeed go back to grab a car.

After another pause, Li Xi said, “Your hand…”

Regarding Ying Zhiyu’s hand, a psychologist had visited multiple times for consultation, and Li Xi had even accompanied him to the sessions.

Li Xi also kept copies of Ying Zhiyu’s physical and mental health reports.

Physically, his left arm functioned perfectly; his dexterity and control were fully normal.

As for the psychological issues, the doctor concluded that they were likely triggered by certain memories and would not affect daily life if similar situations didn’t recur. Medication wasn’t recommended.

Most psychiatric drugs affect brain function—slowed reactions, memory issues, etc. Ying Zhiyu was still conducting research in a biomedical lab; taking medication would mean taking leave from school unnecessarily.

After hearing Li Xi’s words, Ying Zhiyu hesitated, then asked bluntly, “You don’t want me to go?”

Thousands of miles away, across the ocean, Li Xi’s answer in his heart was clear: of course he didn’t.

How many Alpha gatherings in this circle were purely innocent?

Which young Alpha heir hadn’t brought a pretty Omega in his passenger seat?

Everyone was watching, waiting for Ying Zhiyu to slip up. Even if Yan Jue didn’t intend harm, Alphas were young; one moment of temptation could ruin everything…

No need for words—silence said it all.

“I won’t go, then,” Ying Zhiyu said immediately.

Before Li Xi could respond, he added, “But let me make this clear. I’m not going because I’m worried about temptation. Whether I go or not doesn’t matter. Since you don’t want me to, I won’t.”

Li Xi pursed his lips but couldn’t help letting out a quiet sigh of relief inside.

He couldn’t openly tell an Alpha to go, no matter how much he trusted Ying Zhiyu’s character.

Even imagining the Alpha possibly picking up another Omega’s pheromones made him uneasy.

A month later, Li Xi returned to the country.

Their overseas lab work had inspired new product research ideas, and Li Xi invited Yan Jue to assist in experiments at their own pheromone research lab.

Yan Jue readily agreed and drove his flashy sports car to the LI Capital lab headquarters.

Li Xi noticed his spring-in-his-step expression and asked, curious, “Got some good news lately?”

Yan Jue’s perfectly modeled face brimmed with pride.

He arched an eyebrow, glancing at Li Xi with a teasing look.

Li Xi: ?

Yan Jue said, “You two are like walking money magnets. One just gave money, and the other comes to give more.”

Li Xi then realized that, as an uninvited gesture of apology, Ying Zhiyu had recommended a few stocks to Yan Jue.

In less than a month, all had risen, making Yan Jue a tidy profit.

Li Xi recalled that their family office CIO had once reported that Ying Zhiyu had entrusted his post-marriage 30 million fixed living allowance to the office.

When transferring the funds, the Alpha casually suggested some domestic and international stocks, funds, and bonds.

After risk assessment, the CIO allowed his team to invest a bit—every choice turned profitable.

Li Xi couldn’t help but think: “Stock god?”

Ying Zhiyu humbly replied, “I just know a little.”

In reality, because of his rebirth, he knew the performance of every security he had ever tracked over the next eleven years.