Chapter 28

That night, the Bio Institute’s lab group had a big dinner.

Ying Zhiyu’s advisor, Academician Xia Xianru, personally paid to book four full tables at a well-known boutique hotel restaurant in the city center.

Their project group included not only PhD students like Ying Zhiyu, but also professors and lecturers from the institute.

Once everyone arrived, Ying Zhiyu didn’t make himself the center of attention. Aside from pouring tea for the senior members of his table before the meal started, he kept his presence low.
He listened. He didn’t interrupt.

But after several rounds of drinks, even professors from top universities were still ordinary people who went home to everyday lives.

Inevitably, the conversation drifted from work to real-life matters.

Someone brought up marriage and family, and soon the topic shifted from the married to the unmarried.

By then, Ying Zhiyu had already mentally prepared himself—he probably wouldn’t escape this round.

Sure enough—

Someone joked, “Xiao Ying, you’re what—mid-twenties by now? I watched you grow from this tall to someone ready to start a family.”

He had gotten into the university’s accelerated youth program at fifteen.

Alphas matured late; he didn’t shoot up in height until after fifteen.
The professor wasn’t teasing—he genuinely felt like he had watched a child grow up.

Ying Zhiyu nodded. “Thank you for taking care of me all these years.”

The professor waved him off. “Our institute’s prodigy—don’t thank me. Thank Academician Xia for picking you out.”

His advisor smiled. “He’s good seedling material. Even without me, he would’ve grown well anywhere.”

Everyone knew how much Xia Xianru valued his prized student.

In a complicated academic circle like the capital’s Biomedicine University, it was thanks to Xia Xianru’s backing that Ying Zhiyu, young as he was, had achieved such recognition. Otherwise, with his family background, no matter how capable he was, it would’ve taken at least twenty years to climb up.

Then, half-jokingly, someone said, “Academician Xia treats him like half a son. If only he had an Omega granddaughter—Xiao Ying would be the perfect grandson-in-law.”

Xia Xianru was sixty-nine. He had a daughter but no granddaughter. His grandson, an Alpha, had just differentiated this year.

Another Alpha PhD chimed in, “If not Academician Xia, doesn’t Professor Ma have a daughter?”

Everyone knew Ma Congya sometimes brought her daughter along on work trips.

This Alpha was thirty—strong credentials, got into the program after returning to academia—but he and Ying Zhiyu had almost no interaction.

The post-doc in Ying Zhiyu’s lab, however, did know he was dating someone. Seeing the topic drift the wrong way, she cut in quickly.

“Talking about sons, grandsons—you’re messing up the generations. And besides, Xiao Ying already has a girlfriend. No need to worry for him.”

She even winked at him.

She’d seen the flashy Ferrari at school the other day, assumed the person inside must be his girlfriend, and that was that.

Ying Zhiyu didn’t bother correcting her yet. He simply smiled.

Xia Xianru wasn’t one to meddle in matchmaking, but hearing that his student had a “girlfriend” did surprise him.

“You’re dating?”

To him, Ying Zhiyu still felt like a child—how did he suddenly have a secret relationship?

But the answer he got was even more unexpected.

In front of everyone, Ying Zhiyu reached into his collar, pulled out a necklace, unfastened it, removed the blue-gray ring hanging from it…and slowly slipped it onto his left ring finger.

“It’s not a girlfriend,” he said. “I’m married.”

—

An hour later, he called Li Xi.

“Hello?” Li Xi picked up while shopping with his sister.

Ying Zhiyu sounded a little floaty. “Director Lì… think you could come pick me up?”

Li Xi froze, then realized—he must’ve been drinking.

“You drank?” He stood from the sofa outside the fitting room and headed toward the exit.

A muffled gulp sounded on the other end. “I drank. Not drunk.”

“Send me the address.”

Conveniently, Li Xi was already near the hotel.

He pulled up to the entrance and called again.

The background was noisy—lots of voices.

“Can you come down, or should I send the driver up?” Li Xi asked.

“…Can you come up yourself?” Ying Zhiyu asked.

Li Xi went quiet.

Wasn’t he supposed to be keeping their marriage private at school?
He thought Ying Zhiyu didn’t want him showing up like this.

When he didn’t answer, the Alpha repeated softly, “Can you?”

This time, Li Xi didn’t hesitate. “Okay.”

When he reached the restaurant floor, he expected a drunk Alpha collapsing somewhere.

Instead—

Ying Zhiyu stood perfectly fine by the elevator.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Li Xi paused.

Ying Zhiyu smiled, extended a hand. “You’re here.”

Li Xi stepped out instinctively, walking toward him.

As the elevator closed behind them, he took Ying Zhiyu’s hand—and noticed the ring.

He stared at it for a moment.

“My advisors want to meet you,” Ying Zhiyu said. “Would you be willing?”

Li Xi didn’t answer right away.

“You don’t have to,” Ying Zhiyu added gently. “I asked you up because—”

Before he finished, Li Xi lifted his eyes. “Which banquet room?”

A beat of surprise. “…I’ll take you.”

So the two walked back hand-in-hand.

Li Xi, heir to a global business empire, hated socializing.
But when he had to, he handled it more smoothly than anyone.

Before Ying Zhiyu could even introduce him, Li Xi was already greeting every professor, lecturer, and student with poise, introducing himself by name—perfectly composed.

He didn’t even need to give his name—someone had already recognized Li Xi.

He was simply too famous.

Research on pheromones was closely tied to biology, so even the older scholars who didn’t follow business or finance knew who he was.

Li Xi turned his head and asked quietly beside Ying Zhiyu’s ear, “Where’s your glass?”

Ying Zhiyu pointed at an empty seat at the dining table.

Li Xi walked over and poured wine into the vacant glass.

“Zhiyu’s not feeling well today, so I’m taking him home early. Here’s a toast to everyone—thank you all for looking after him in the past.”