Chapter 5

Ying Zhiyu thought Li Xi should wear a hat too.

Someone like Li Xi, with his aura and presence, was far too conspicuous on a university campus.

A person born to stand at the top of the pyramid looked oddly out of place in everyday settings.

Even so, glancing at the large group of Alpha bodyguards behind him, a hat would do little to disguise him.

“I need to grab my ID from the dorm to register,” Ying Zhiyu said after a moment’s thought.

Li Xi was momentarily taken aback.

Ying Zhiyu headed toward the bike rack.

“Ying Zhiyu,” Li Xi called.

He looked back at his watch: “The civil affairs office closes in an hour. What’s the point of waiting until I get back?”

His tone was casual, a question without room for negotiation—as if he already knew Li Xi’s answer.

“There are too many students here; driving is tricky. Let’s meet at the main Biology Avenue entrance ahead.”

Before Li Xi could respond, he watched the young Alpha push away a shared bike and walk off.

Li Xi: “…”

Panda, following slightly behind Li Xi, also watched the direction the Alpha had gone.

Originally, today at the School of Biomedical Sciences was just an LI-hosted seminar about the “Soother.”

When Assistant Zhang came in to report, the third young master was practicing with his firearm.

Through his goggles, he gave Zhang Jingrui a glance, as if to say, “No need to report this.”

But Zhang Jingrui reminded him, “Ying Zhiyu is at this school.”

At that, the third young master paused mid-shot. After a moment, he murmured, “Mm,” and continued firing the remaining rounds.

Not long after the assistant left, the young master, who had planned to practice boxing that afternoon, told Panda to prepare the car for an outing.

“Panda,” Li Xi’s voice pulled him back.

“Go to Biology Avenue,” the meeting point Ying Zhiyu had mentioned earlier.

Panda lowered his gaze and replied obediently, “Yes.”

When the vehicle arrived at the intersection of Biology Avenue, Ying Zhiyu hadn’t arrived yet. Panda, in the front passenger seat, hesitated but couldn’t resist asking, “Third Young Master, are you really going to register your marriage with that Alpha?”

Li Xi didn’t respond immediately.

After a pause, he asked unusually, “Do you think he’s suitable?”

For the past three months, they had been investigating Ying Zhiyu.

High intelligence, top academic record, harmonious family, clean background.

Even the so-called Omega girlfriend was actually his older sister, and their relationship was affectionate. The Alpha returned home weekly and always brought gifts for the Omegas at home.

Still, Panda replied, “He’s dangerous.”

A bodyguard’s instinct told him that this Alpha was not ordinary.

There was no overt pheromone pressure, yet he exuded an inexplicable sense of danger.

The unknown is dangerous.

Li Xi was silent for a moment.

Ying Zhiyu was indeed extraordinary.

He was unquestionably the most suitable candidate for marriage. Even if this Alpha had a girlfriend, Ying Zhiyu’s qualities alone meant Li Xi could compel a divorce and choose him as his mate.

With over 90% pheromone compatibility, his genetic potential for the next generation alone made him superior to everyone else.

Li Xi considered that a headstrong young Alpha might get angry.

But more likely, he would dare not speak out. Judging by Ying Zhiyu’s past handling of authority, the young Alpha was sensible despite his age.

The higher the level of the school, the more pronounced the academic clique.

To willingly give up a patent he should have led, to stay calm, patient, and understand the value of discretion—at just 21 years old, he was remarkably mature.

Li Xi had even considered that Ying Zhiyu might negotiate terms with him.

Smart people maximize their benefits within limited options.

Li Xi could offer many promises.

Yet he never expected the other party to propose registering the marriage first.

On the other side, Ying Zhiyu’s thinking was simple.

Li Xi was so busy—he didn’t think the man would come to campus without a purpose.

Compared to his previous life, it was much better now: no gun threats, and no last-minute appearance at the civil affairs office to sign papers.

Ying Zhiyu believed the subtly suggestive two words, “prosperous mate,” had done their job.

After getting his ID, Xu Kuo, playing a game in the dorm, removed his headphones.

“Dinner together tonight—tell Lulu to bring a few friends.”

Xu Kuo’s current girlfriend, Ni Lu, was an undergraduate Omega in the university’s Foreign Languages Department. With so many attractive Omegas there, Xu Kuo seemed to be trying to set Ying Zhiyu up.

Ying Zhiyu opened his dorm door without turning his head: “I already have an Omega.”

…………………..

Biology Avenue wasn’t far from Ying Zhiyu’s dorm.

Exiting the graduate dorm area, Ying Zhiyu scanned the intersection, quickly spotted Li Xi’s vehicle, and walked over to tap on the window.

Once inside the car, an Alpha was seated in the driver’s seat, with Panda in the front passenger seat.

Li Xi watched as Ying Zhiyu closed the door and casually asked, “How did you find this car?”

Li Xi was certain that when they had parted ways at the library entrance, this vehicle had never been within Ying Zhiyu’s line of sight.

Ying Zhiyu calmly fastened his seatbelt and replied naturally, “There were bodyguards both in front and behind. The car with the more discreet license plate was probably the one.”

Anyone accustomed to high society would notice that those who flaunted wealth or cared about trivial symbols of status were usually nouveau riche with shallow foundations.

True super-wealthy individuals traveled low-key in daily life.

For a top-tier magnate like the Li family, whose influence alone could move the core of the national economy, the less conspicuous, the better.

Today, Li Xi’s car was a seemingly ordinary Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Up close, however, one would notice it had been fully armored and fitted with high privacy glass.

After hearing Ying Zhiyu’s explanation, Li Xi didn’t ask further.

Instead, Panda in the front passenger seat stole another glance at Ying Zhiyu through the rearview mirror.

Though events hadn’t gone exactly as planned, registering the marriage after investigating Ying Zhiyu had always been part of Li Xi’s plan.

Li Xi pressed a button on the rear center console, causing a display screen to appear in front of Ying Zhiyu’s seat.

While Ying Zhiyu had gone back to the dorm to get his ID, Li Xi had already instructed Assistant Zhang Jingrui to send over the prenuptial agreement.

“A copy has also been sent to your email. The lawyer will be at the civil affairs office; note any questions so we can review them together on arrival.”

This procedure was very familiar to Ying Zhiyu.

In his previous life, he had signed a prenuptial agreement before registering the marriage—but back then, Panda had been beside him, gun in hand.

Ying Zhiyu, slightly nearsighted, squinted at the front seat screen, then opened his email on his phone instead.

The agreement was identical to the one from his previous life.

It was roughly divided into sections: separation of pre-marital assets, protection of post-marital assets, and supplemental clauses on loyalty, health, and penalties. He had never triggered any of these in the past.

After skimming through it, he tapped his phone screen to close it.

Li Xi had been observing him all along.

When Ying Zhiyu put his phone away, Li Xi said, “If you have any questions or conditions, you can raise them now.”

From Li Xi’s perspective, since Ying Zhiyu had proactively suggested registering the marriage, he must have been prepared.

But the young Alpha simply shook his head. “None.”

Li Xi furrowed his brows. “Prenuptial asset separation means all my current assets and any future gains will not be considered marital property.”

He pointed to a clause on Ying Zhiyu’s screen: “Party B agrees to waive any claims or dividends from ‘LI’ and its subsidiaries.”

“This means you’ll be barred from engaging in any LI-related business after marriage, and in case of divorce, you won’t receive any shares or dividends.”

Li Xi paused, stating plainly, “These clauses mean that if you divorce, you might get nothing at all.”

Ying Zhiyu glanced at him.

He wanted to say that if he didn’t die this life, divorce wouldn’t happen.

He knew Li Xi well: all he wanted was a stable family to support his career.

Since Li Xi wouldn’t seek a divorce, Ying Zhiyu wouldn’t either.

“One million fixed monthly living allowance, increasing each year. If the marriage lasts over ten years, I’ll have ten million a month in discretionary funds.”

One million per month, increasing by one million per year, capped at ten million. He had already reached that cap in his previous life.

He calmly looked at Li Xi. “Plus the annual luxury allowance, and control over all properties in your name worldwide for the duration of the marriage.”

“If I sell luxury goods or rent out properties, a conservative estimate of monthly income exceeds 250 million. This doesn’t include private islands, estates, art exhibitions, planes, or yachts for rent.”

“I’m satisfied with this amount,” Ying Zhiyu said.

Of course, he didn’t actually plan to rent them all out.

Li Xi was speechless.

The global asset list in Li Xi’s name alone spanned over seventy pages. Ying Zhiyu had quickly scrolled through and estimated their total value and potential rental income.

Li Xi was silent for a long while.

Ying Zhiyu realized his behavior might seem unusual.

But after eleven years of marriage in his previous life, he knew how smart Li Xi was.

With intelligent people, pretending doesn’t work; it only raises suspicion.

So Ying Zhiyu gave Li Xi a polite smile.

“What I can gain from this marriage is spelled out in black and white in the agreement, and I have no objections. And whatever you need from your Alpha in this marriage, I’ll fully cooperate.”

“We’ll aim for fair exchange and mutual benefit.”

He looked at Li Xi and spoke honestly.

The car entered an intersection near evening rush hour and slowed in traffic.

Li Xi studied Ying Zhiyu, then suddenly narrowed his eyes.

Before Ying Zhiyu could react, Li Xi swiftly retrieved a gun from a safe beneath his seat.

“The car behind on the right isn’t right. Have the lead car return.”

This was addressed to the two in the front seats.

The Alpha driver, also a core member of Li Xi’s security team, immediately steered the car sharply.

But at the turn, a loud bang sounded—another car collided from the side.

Traffic instantly became paralyzed.

After the first collision, Li Xi warned Ying Zhiyu not to release his seatbelt.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a second collision occurred.

This time, it was a motorcycle.

The motorcycle was unmanned, and when it struck Li Xi’s vehicle, sparks flew immediately.

In truth, there were likely several other motorcycles as well, but they had been intercepted by the security vehicles following Li Xi’s car. This was the only one that had slipped through.

At the same time, Ying Zhiyu heard the sound of something hitting the rear window.

—It was a bullet.

Li Xi immediately glanced at the rear windshield.

The surrounding area was full of tall buildings, many offering excellent concealed sniper positions, making it difficult to quickly pinpoint the source of danger.

Li Xi lowered his brows but kept his tone calm to reassure the young Alpha beside him, clearly inexperienced in such situations: “The car is bulletproof. Don’t worry.”

Ying Zhiyu gave a short, calm “Mm,” listening to the sounds without panic.

This wasn’t his first encounter with an attack; in his previous life, he had been through an assault with Li Xi as well.

But that had been during their fourth year of marriage.

Back then, the seating arrangement had been similar: Li Xi held the gun in one hand, his other hand pulling open his shirt collar to expose his long neck, calmly ordering Ying Zhiyu in the right rear seat to bite him.

The memory cut off abruptly there.

Panda, in the front seat, exchanged a few words with the driver, confirming that their car was no longer drivable after the recent impact.

Panda also had his gun ready, already cocked: “Third Young Master, we need to get to the lead car ahead.”

Li Xi nodded.

Though the car was bulletproof, the enemy had the element of surprise, and their weaponry was unknown. Remaining in the disabled car would have been equivalent to sitting ducks.

Li Xi turned to Ying Zhiyu, as if considering how to position him safely.

Then he said, “Follow Panda. Run forward when the time comes. Don’t look around—just run. Panda will ensure your safety.”

Panda in the passenger seat frowned and opened his mouth to speak: “Third Young Master—”

Li Xi cast a sharp side glance at Panda.

Panda immediately fell silent.

The Alpha driver said, “I’ll go with Third Young Master.”

The first person to exit the car was the most vulnerable; if a sniper were lying in wait, they could easily become a target.

Li Xi arranged the exit order: Panda first, the Alpha driver second, himself third, and Ying Zhiyu fourth.

As Panda reached for the door handle, Li Xi suddenly asked Ying Zhiyu, “Can you use a gun?”

Gun ownership was strictly prohibited in the capital, but “LI” carried special exemptions.

Every member of the Li family knew how to handle firearms; Li family children were familiar with guns and ammunition almost from birth.

Ying Zhiyu was self-taught, his marksmanship average, but he could indeed handle a firearm—taught personally by Li Xi in their previous life.

He nodded. “Yes.”

There was no time to question why the Alpha’s profile had never mentioned firearms. Li Xi immediately instructed Panda to hand a gun to Ying Zhiyu.

Panda, already dual-wielding, complied without hesitation and passed one to the back seat.

Ying Zhiyu took it, and Li Xi gave him another glance, saying nothing further this time.

He only called, “Panda,” signaling that Panda should exit the car first, per the original plan.