The four proposals were fastened at the corners with paper clips. Page after page unfolded, carrying a faint scent of paper and ink.
Yan Yi knew Lu Shangjin worked with extreme efficiency. Whenever he was focused, his concentration was absolute.
As Yan Yi’s fingertips traced the lines of rigorous wording and tightly structured logic, he could almost imagine the alpha sitting in his study all night, treating Yan Yi’s seemingly absurd idea with the same seriousness as a formal contract.
He read the proposals carefully twice.
Then quietly put them into a drawer, pressing them down over the ring, and walked downstairs in soft plush slippers.
Lu Shangjin was seated at the dining table scrolling through news on his phone. Two bowls of noodles sat on the table, still steaming.
“Hand-pulled noodles…?” Yan Yi lifted a few strands with his chopsticks. The thickness was even, the broth made from simmered marrow bone turning a milky white. One side of the bowl was topped with leafy greens, the other with beef meatballs.
The alpha’s cooking skills had clearly improved; there was almost nothing to criticize anymore.
Lu Shangjin told him he had already separated his company from Lu Lin’s control. Members of the Lu family who had once been loyal to Lu Lin had defected, and from now on no funds would ever be traceable back to him again.
“Before… I never really gave you money, or a house, or a car…” He pulled out two bank cards and a set of car keys and pushed them toward Yan Yi. “Because Lu Lin could track the flow of funds. I just didn’t want you to be tied to him. But I didn’t think things through back then.”
“I know this probably looks like I’m keeping you, but that’s not what I mean. You also don’t want to marry me right now… I just want to give you these. All of it. Even my salary card.”
He finished speaking and gave an awkward laugh at himself. Even in business meetings, he was sharp-tongued, but when it came to feelings, he became clumsy.
Yan Yi took the two cards and looked at them. The passwords were both his birthday. That was exactly the kind of thing a practiced player would do—precisely the kind of gesture that would make someone feel happy.
But that alone was enough.
Yan Yi pushed everything back toward Lu Shangjin. “Give me back the previous card too.”
Lu Shangjin pressed his lips together and looked at him. “You misunderstood.”
“The proposals… are good. I’ll take them.” Yan Yi avoided his gaze slightly, lifting his eyes only halfway. “Money and weapons, I can get them myself.”
Lu Shangjin raised a brow and studied him again.
He placed all the greens into Yan Yi’s bowl. “Don’t push yourself too hard. If you run into trouble, come to me anytime. I’m your alpha.”
Yan Yi said softly, “You too…”
“Hm?”
“Nothing.”
Lu Shangjin pulled him to the sofa, hands resting on his waist as he hesitated. “Can I touch the baby?”
Yan Yi stiffened slightly but did not stop him. Yet the moment Lu Shangjin’s hand touched his lower abdomen, his body still tensed instinctively.
Lu Shangjin noticed immediately. He withdrew his hand and instead took Yan Yi’s hand, kissing his neck in apology. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“I’m going to the bathroom.” Yan Yi gently pushed him away and slipped into the restroom.
Lu Shangjin sighed softly, picked up Yan Yi’s phone from the sofa—it was unlocked. The screen showed photos from Yunnan.
He glanced toward the half-closed bathroom door, then quietly transferred all the photos of Yan Yi onto his own phone, zooming in to look at them carefully.
Still his wife looked best.
Outside, the season had already warmed, though a faint chill still lingered indoors.
Assistant Xiao Ning placed a document on the desk, wiping sweat from his forehead.
“This is the account audit you asked for.” He hesitated. “Madam and the others… raised one billion in a month.”
Lu Shangjin’s hand paused mid-page. He took the file and glanced at Xiao Ning. “Did Yan Yi rob a bank?”
As he flipped through the pages, his furrowed brow gradually relaxed. He leaned back into his chair and let out a low laugh.
“My wife… is pretty impressive.”
Xiao Ning instinctively retreated a few steps, forced into a stiff thumbs-up by the rare smile of his boss.
Yan Yi leaned against the bar counter in a nightclub, answering more than a dozen calls in succession, calmly recording equipment shortages without any sign of panic.
Tan Meng jumped onto a barstool with her laptop and showed him messages—omega clubs in Australia and France had sent joint applications.
Yan Yi rested his hands behind him on the bar and flicked his rabbit ears. “Take it slow. Don’t make too much noise. Alpha families will come after us.”
Tan Meng smiled confidently. “Leave the alphas to Bi Ruijing. That’s his problem for marrying me.”
A knock sounded at the door—three light taps.
Everyone looked over.
Xia Jingtian stood outside with Gu Wei, arm around his neck, holding an address slip. “Is Sister Meng here? We want to talk about a strategic cooperation.”
He turned to Gu Wei. “Is that how you say it, dog?”
Gu Wei pushed his face into the door and walked in with a guitar. “I have something to say about the anti-hunting omega organization.”
Tan Meng gestured for him to continue while struggling to open a can of oranges. The lid wouldn’t budge, her fingers turning red. She pushed it toward Yan Yi. “Too tight. Use your key.”
Yan Yi tried for a long time but failed. Xia Jingtian reached out to help, just as Cang Xiao’er came down from the gym.
“I’ll do it.” The little hamster’s eyes lit up. He took the cans, shook them vigorously, and opened four in a row, then drank half of one himself.
“So refreshing. Today’s workout was wasted again.” He wiped his mouth and leaned against the wall—then noticed two alphas in the room. His smile slowly froze, tail curling in.
Xia Jingtian stared at him.
Gu Wei scratched his chin. “Where was I again…”
That evening, Yan Yi returned home later than usual. At 7:30, he messaged Lu Shangjin that he wouldn’t be coming back for dinner.
Lu Shangjin sat at the dining table, frowning at the message.
He had left work early and cooked several new dishes, even remaking them because he wasn’t satisfied.
He tasted each dish—too salty.
The house was brightly lit, but still felt like something was missing.
He called Yan Yi.
The background was noisy, like a hotel. Many people were there.
“Anything?” Yan Yi asked.
“Where are you? I’ll pick you up.” Lu Shangjin leaned back in his chair.
“They’re still eating. I might stay at Tan Meng’s place.”
Lu Shangjin rubbed his brow. “You’ve been running around for a month with no rest, now you don’t even come home for dinner? Can you make me worry less?”
Yan Yi’s voice turned colder. “I go home every night. Missing dinner occasionally isn’t a problem. Why are you so worked up?”
Lu Shangjin raised his voice without meaning to. “You’re pregnant! Do you have any awareness of that? Running around everywhere—do you think that’s safe?”
Yan Yi responded calmly, “Mm.”
The call ended shortly after.
Lu Shangjin stared at the table for a long moment, then started packing the food away. If Yan Yi wasn’t coming home, he might as well eat leftovers tomorrow.
When he came back out, he froze.
Yan Yi was sitting at the table, eating quietly.
“You said you already ate.” Lu Shangjin walked over.
“I didn’t eat enough.” Yan Yi’s eyes curved slightly.
Lu Shangjin sighed and warmed the food again.
Later, Yan Yi was working at his desk. Lu Shangjin fed him a strawberry.
“Did you get the funds?” he asked casually.
“Yeah. Easy.”
“How much?”
“Twenty billion.”
Lu Shangjin paused. “Wasn’t it ten?”
Yan Yi looked up. “You checked my accounts?”
Lu Shangjin coughed. “I was worried you’d do something illegal…”
Yan Yi’s organization plan was spread across the desk.
Lu Shangjin leaned over and made a correction. “This land conflicts with someone I know. Let me handle it.”
Yan Yi’s eyes lit up and immediately marked it in red.
Before they could continue, Lu Shangjin checked the time, turned off the lights, and lifted him to bed.
“Ten o’clock. The baby needs sleep.”
The room filled with water-lily pheromones, soft and steady.
The baby reacted to the alpha’s presence, pushing a small bump against Yan Yi’s stomach.
Lu Shangjin reached out instinctively, then stopped just before touching.
Instead, he lowered his head and kissed the rounded belly gently.
Later, lying in the dark beside Yan Yi, he finally asked in a low voice:
“Does the water-lily smell really disgust you?”
Yan Yi paused.
“Not really.”