The bedroom had been fitted with a new set of warm yellow curtains. The tiny floral embroidery looked playful and cozy, with clusters of blossoms surrounding a fluffy little white rabbit whose ears were pinned with a small flower.
Yan Yi sat against the headboard, running his hand over the curtain fabric. It was soft and finely textured.
He guessed Lu Shangjin’s assistant had probably been replaced; the new one seemed more attentive, carefully decorating the bedroom while considering the omega’s current physical condition.
Footsteps sounded upstairs beyond the bedroom door. Yan Yi rolled over and lay down, turning his back to the door and closing his eyes.
Lu Shangjin pushed the bedroom door open a crack. Seeing Yan Yi asleep, he lightened his steps even further. Holding two potted cacti in his arms, he paused in the corner to assess the placement, then set one on the windowsill and the other on the desk.
He also personally brought a bowl of warm, thickened white fungus soup and placed it on the table before sitting by the bed to watch Yan Yi.
“If you can’t sleep, get up and drink some white fungus soup.” Lu Shangjin gently tapped him. “What do you want for lunch? I’ll make it.”
Yan Yi opened his eyes and said flatly, “I don’t want anything.”
“Carrot-stuffed pastries, got it.” Lu Shangjin said while leaning on the edge of the bed, making a note to himself. “And for vegetables—stir-fried water spinach or tomatoes?”
“I said I don’t want to eat.”
“Ah, water spinach it is.” Lu Shangjin recorded it anyway.
Yan Yi suddenly sat up, his pale gray hair messy, half covering his little rabbit ears.
“Are you especially happy right now?” Yan Yi asked coldly with a faint smile. “Using the child to tie me down—you think I’ll just stay trapped by your side? Seriously, your methods are disgusting. Do you treat the child like a bargaining chip? Is there anything more important to you than yourself?”
Lu Shangjin calmly released soothing pheromones to stabilize his emotions. A pregnant omega could become unusually volatile and irritable, especially when his little rabbit was still emotionally wounded.
“There is.” Lu Shangjin said as he stirred the white fungus soup and handed it over. “I just cooked this for two hours and it still didn’t thicken. What’s going on?”
Yan Yi casually stirred it. “Isn’t it already pretty thick?”
“It kept refusing to thicken, so I added some lotus root starch. That’s supposed to be sticky.” Lu Shangjin touched his chin, looking like an overexcited husky trying to proudly report after cleaning up a mess.
Yan Yi: “……”
“Why aren’t you at work?”
“It’s Saturday. Eat it while it’s hot, baby.” Lu Shangjin said, then suddenly lifted Yan Yi’s bare ankle—his curled toes tucked under the hem of his pajamas—and kissed his soft foot. “There are only two people more important than me: you and the baby.”
“Let go!” Yan Yi forcefully pulled his ankle free, and Lu Shangjin had already gone downstairs to knead dough.
Yan Yi lay there for a while. The more he thought, the more suffocated he felt. Suddenly, he got up, pulled out a shirt from the wardrobe, changed clothes, grabbed his keys, and went downstairs.
Lu Shangjin stood in the dining room kneading dough with his left hand. His forearm and shirt were covered in flour. When he saw Yan Yi dressed to go out, his expression stiffened for a moment.
Then he noticed Yan Yi hadn’t packed any luggage, and his tense nerves eased slightly.
“Where are you going? I’ll drive you.”
Yan Yi lowered his head, picking through the drawer for car keys.
“Are you coming back for lunch?” Lu Shangjin asked, walking to the entrance with both hands still covered in dough, wearing a light blue apron. “If you’re bringing friends, I’ll hire a chef.”
“Eat by yourself.”
The door slammed shut coldly. The chill from the stairwell hit Lu Shangjin’s face, and the cheek that had once been slapped by Yan Yi at the hospital seemed to burn faintly again.
He went to shower, leaving the messy kitchen behind, then sank into the sofa and stared at the clock. Each movement of the minute hand felt like torture.
He eventually picked up his work laptop to pass the time.
An unsigned email appeared in his inbox.
Lu Shangjin narrowed his eyes, staring at the signature: Shao Wenjing.
The meeting location was set at a restaurant. Shao Wenjing sipped tea and smiled faintly when he saw Lu Shangjin arrive, his peach-blossom eyes curving slightly.
When the two alphas met, there was a brief exchange of pheromones. Shao Wenjing could tell the other’s composure was only masking exhaustion, his rigid dignity refusing to accept any slight.
Lu Shangjin could also sense a faint trace of illness hidden within the other’s pheromones—like a wounded, cunning spider.
“President Lu, what would you like to order? This place has excellent dishes.” Shao Wenjing pushed the menu over with a friendly smile. “My treat.”
Leaning back in his chair, Lu Shangjin said coldly, “Business in overseas territories isn’t going well anymore?”
“Let’s not talk business today. How about something else?” Shao Wenjing ordered a full table of signature dishes, clearly accustomed to guessing the preferences of predators.
After several rounds of drinks, Lu Shangjin pressed his brow.
Shao Wenjing poured another glass, though his hand slightly missed the cup. “We met once before on your uncle’s yacht. I understand why you came last time. The person you’re looking for—I’ve found him. You can send someone to pick him up in a few days.”
He was one of Lu Lin’s trusted subordinates, one of the few who knew the truth—someone Lu Shangjin had been searching for.
Shao Wenjing continued, “I injected poison into his brain. No interrogation needed—you can extract everything from him.”
“You’ve gone to quite some effort.” Lu Shangjin’s lips curled slightly. “Originally, I could have let you go. Raising a child alone is never easy. But you touched my person—this won’t pass.”
“This is a misunderstanding,” Shao Wenjing said apologetically. “I admire Yan Yi. I couldn’t help myself. You have to admit your omega is very charming.”
Lu Shangjin raised a brow slightly.
“I came today mainly to explain something. The reason I took him without regard for consequences before was because I couldn’t bear it.”
“At that time, he was covered in blood below and hiding in the closet, terrified. You know rabbits are easily frightened.”
“When I opened the closet, he looked at me fearfully and said…”
Lu Shangjin could no longer maintain his calm indifference. He looked up sharply. “Said what?”
“Uh… he said, ‘Brother Jin, someone is bullying me.’” Shao Wenjing coughed awkwardly. “I think he mistook me for you.”
Lu Shangjin’s pupils trembled. His left hand under the table clenched tightly, knuckles turning white. Yan Yi’s frightened, helpless expression flashed uncontrollably through his mind. His nails dug into his palm until it bled, and the crushing regret made it hard for him to breathe.
He stood up and left.
Shao Wenjing followed him to the door. “President Lu, for the sake of me still having a child to raise, please show some mercy.”
Over the past months, his company had been thrown into chaos, orders and clients lost, while the mafia kept a close watch. He had to return to headquarters constantly, yet every time he left the country, he was intercepted and hunted.
A little investigation made it clear it was Lu Shangjin’s doing—and others were even eager to curry favor by helping.
If it were only that, Shao Wenjing could handle it himself. But he worried that with Lu Shangjin’s ruthless methods, things might escalate to targeting Wen Chi.
Exhausted, Lu Shangjin said nothing and told the driver to turn back.
When asked where to go, he pressed his aching temples and hesitated before dialing Yan Yi’s number.
At that moment, the phone in Yan Yi’s pocket suddenly vibrated. He pulled it out, glanced at it, and guessed it would be another harassment call from Lu Shangjin. He muted it and let it ring.
Tan Meng, driving, asked, “Why aren’t you answering?”
Yan Yi rested his elbow on the window, sipping yogurt through a straw.
“He doesn’t deserve it.”
Tan Meng laughed while steering. “Exactly. Don’t spoil alphas. They get too arrogant too easily.”
The car stopped outside the airport.
Tan Meng put on sunglasses and got out, sending a voice message: “Have you landed? The two most handsome omegas at Changhui Airport are waiting.”
The car’s heater was too warm. Yan Yi stepped out to get some air.
“It’s not that cold today. Your friend is lucky—it was below freezing yesterday.”
An omega walked out of the airport exit wearing a black leather jacket and a milk-tea-colored scarf, dragging a suitcase covered in tags as he ran over excitedly to hug Tan Meng.
He removed his knit hat and sunglasses, revealing a pale, delicate face and dark eyes.
“My name is Cang Xiaoer, a hamster omega. Milk tea hamster.”
Yan Yi froze for a moment.
“…Yan Yi. Lop-eared rabbit omega. Mutated teacup lop-eared rabbit.”
Realizing what he said, he awkwardly covered his face. Why was he even introducing species?
Cang Xiaoer laughed so hard he nearly collapsed against Tan Meng.
“Go have fun?”
The omegas occupied a billiards table. Yan Yi leaned over the table, guiding the cue ball with his fingers.
One shot went in. Tan Meng sat on the table, brushing chalk onto his cue. “Let me show you a trick shot from a dead angle.”
Cang Xiaoer nudged Yan Yi lightly. Something felt off—like he might be disliked.
After a bath at the club’s hot springs, the three went to a bar.
Cang Xiaoer ordered an iced cocktail. He asked Yan Yi what he wanted, and Yan Yi only took a room-temperature juice.
Tan Meng sat in a single armchair typing on a laptop, snacking while updating his novel.
At the bar, only Yan Yi and Cang Xiaoer remained chatting. Both were outgoing, and they had already become familiar after a day together.
Their conversation turned to PBB serial numbers. Cang Xiaoer mentioned escaping PBB surveillance by switching to a low-level gland transplant, only to be abducted by an alpha who planned to perform a gland replacement for his lover. He had been sedated at the time and didn’t reveal his rank.
“It almost succeeded, but then they suddenly stopped. I tried to find a backer but couldn’t, so I ended up fleeing overseas. All that acting was wasted.”
Yan Yi’s fingertips stiffened. “…Gland transplant?”
“Yeah. The alpha who found me was the president of the Flying Eagle Group. Have you heard of it?”
“….”
Yan Yi tightened his grip on the glass. His helpless smile reflected faintly in the clean surface. Then, strangely calm, he let go and chuckled.
“So that’s how it is.”
Cang Xiaoer nearly choked on his drink.
“Lu Shangjin is exactly that kind of person,” Yan Yi said, ruffling his hair and leaning lazily on the bar. “He does whatever he wants, however he wants. He should probably spend a few years in prison…”
The alpha he once loved so intensely—how did he become like this?
“Senior…” Cang Xiaoer moved closer, unsure how to comfort him.
Suddenly, he screamed as someone grabbed a tuft of milk-tea-colored fur from his tail.
Behind him stood two alphas.
One pinched Cang Xiaoer’s chin, smiling playfully. “How about playing with us?”
The other reached for Yan Yi.
Alpha pheromones flooded the bar. Yan Yi immediately shielded his abdomen and pushed the hand away. Even without his A3 gland, his trained combat skills were enough to handle a few thugs.
He grabbed Cang Xiaoer and tried to leave.
Then the bar door opened.
A heavy M2 alpha presence flooded in.
Lu Shangjin stepped inside with the cold wind, walking straight toward Yan Yi without looking at anyone else. As he approached, surrounding alphas backed away, clearing a path.
He took the juice from Yan Yi’s hand and pushed it aside, leaning over the bar counter.
Only then did Yan Yi notice the faint flush of alcohol on his face.
Lu Shangjin grabbed Yan Yi’s hand and pressed it against his chest. He looked awake, yet his eyes were hazy and unfocused.
“Wife… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”