Chapter 15

Jiang Wu exhaled in relief and immediately replied, “Understood, Young Master.”

Only after stepping outside did Jiang Wu realize his back was drenched in cold sweat.

He knew Pei Siyue was an enigma, but the man usually controlled his pheromones exceptionally well, rarely revealing the traits typical of an enigma.

Only after stepping outside did Jiang Wu realize his back was soaked through with cold sweat.

He knew Pei Siyue was an enigma, but the other man usually controlled his pheromones so well that he never projected the oppressive aura typical of enigmas. Over time, Jiang Wu had forgotten this fact.

Today’s incident had brought it all back.

It seemed he should stop prying into Pei Siyue and Ruan Shuyang’s affairs. Less asking meant fewer mistakes—an employee shouldn’t constantly gossip about the boss.

Still… when he went to fetch the omegas invited from the bar, his curiosity couldn’t be contained.

Earlier, when Pei Siyue had asked him to find a few omegas willing to serve drinks at the bar, he’d been baffled. He’d thought they were hosting a proper corporate event—why would they need omegas to serve drinks?

Now he understood. Holy crap, they were actually for his own little brother? How thoughtful of the big brother to even take the initiative to send omegas to his sibling?

And he brought several at once—didn’t he worry the kid would be overwhelmed?

No matter how Jiang Wu thought about it, he just couldn’t believe it.

Probably another scheme.

But that wasn’t his place to question as an employee—he was only responsible for carrying out his boss’s orders.

After Pei Siming led Ruan Shuyang into the banquet hall, they were greeted by Dong Huaijin, the General Manager of Ruiji Technology’s domestic branch—a male Alpha in his forties who had long passed the age of pheromone-induced impulsive outbursts, appearing mature and gentle.

Pei Siming had thoroughly researched Ruiji Technology’s background and knew this general manager oversaw their domestic operations. As for the chairman and president, they were reportedly foreigners who resided abroad long-term, rarely made public appearances, and didn’t participate in domestic management.

Therefore, in Pei Siming’s view, Dong Huaijin before him held the authority to decide on domestic project collaborations. His smile grew polite and gentle.

Behind Dong Huaijin stood the group’s vice president, Liang Qiang—a male beta in his thirties. After Dong Huaijin left to attend to other guests, Vice President Liang remained by Pei Siming’s side. He gestured for the two omegas standing behind him to approach. One bold female omega pushed past Ruan Shuyang, and wrapped his arm around Pei Siming’s.

Pei Siming frowned. Truthfully, he had a mild case of OCD and disliked being touched by strangers, which was why he’d avoided physical contact with Ruan Shuyang until recently.

Faced with the omega Liang Qiang had brought, he was about to refuse when Liang Qiang smiled and said, “Let’s step into the next room to discuss the project.”

Hearing this, Pei Siming found it hard to refuse. He only hurriedly turned to Ruan Shuyang and said, “Wait here for me. Don’t wander off.”

After entering the adjacent room with Liang Qiang, Pei Siming gently withdrew his hand from the omega’s grasp. Noticing Liang Qiang pouring drinks, he offered to assist. As he poured, he realized the liquor wasn’t the usual red wine served at banquets, but baijiu.

He frowned subtly while pouring and remarked, ” Since this concerns business, Mr. Liang, it’s best we discuss it privately without others joining us for drinks.”

Liang Qiang smiled outwardly, but his heart felt bitter.

What business matter? His assignment was to bring two omegas to drink with Pei Siming, delaying him—ideally getting him drunk. There was no project involved.

Seeing Pei Siming’s dislike for others joining the drinking, he couldn’t find a good excuse to keep the two omegas around. He dismissed them and personally took over the task of conversing and drinking with Pei Siming, initiating a conversation that could be summarized as: keep it brief, the key is to find the crucial question.

By the end, both men were staring blankly, reeking of alcohol.

**

In the banquet hall, Ruan Shuyang watched Pei Siming leave with the two omegas. He felt no disappointment, but rather a sense of relief. If Pei Siming stayed by his side, he feared the other might repeat what happened last time.

Yet after Pei Siming departed, he stood alone in the banquet hall, feeling somewhat lost and at a loss.

Public records suggested Pei Siyue himself seemed to have no connection to Ruiji Technology.

Yet Ruan Shuyang felt Ruiji Technology belonged to Pei Siyue. Even if not, Pei Siyue must hold a high position within the company. Thus, coming here today felt like stepping onto Pei Siyue’s turf.

He hadn’t shared this realization with Pei Siming.

The banquet was held in the main building of a suburban estate. Resembling an ancient European castle, the three-story structure occupied a vast area. The first floor featured a thick cashmere carpet and a banquet hall spacious enough for hundreds. Its classic circular design made the space feel exceptionally open; looking up revealed a soaring dome. where crystal chandeliers poured light down, illuminating the space as bright as day.

The second and third floors featured more secluded galleries, where occasional figures could be glimpsed passing by.

Just as he was unsure what to do, a message from Pei Siyue suddenly appeared on his phone.

Pei Siyue: Go to the second room on the left.

Ruan Shuyang hesitated for a moment but instinctively trusted Pei Siyue. Following the instructions, he walked to the second room on the left. Upon reaching the door and opening it, he saw Jiang Wu standing inside.

Jiang Wu made a “shh” gesture, then turned to open a hidden door behind him, motioning for Ruan Shuyang to follow.

Once Ruan Shuyang stepped through the concealed entrance, Jiang Wu locked it behind them and led him all the way up to the third floor.

Pei Siyue stood beside a stone pillar in the third-floor gallery, positioned so discreetly that he was completely hidden from view when looking up from the first-floor banquet hall.

After delivering him there, Jiang Wu departed via another exit.

The first floor roared with the clamor and din of the banquet, while the third floor remained eerily quiet—as if two worlds apart.

Seeing him ascend, Pei Siyue took a few steps forward to approach him. But as he drew near Ruan Shuyang, Pei Siyue caught a distinct scent of sour lemon. He pressed his lips together, his expression unconsciously turning cold.

Just like previous encounters, Ruan Shuyang immediately shivered from the chill. He had no idea what had triggered Pei Siyue again, how his pheromones had turned into freezing water, cold enough to freeze the blood.

But moments later, the freezing sensation vanished, replaced by a cool, refreshing water that unknowingly washed away the sour lemon scent from Ruan Shuyang’s body.

Ruan Shuyang looked up at Pei Siyue standing before him, straining slightly to meet his gaze.

Pei Siyue was truly tall; Ruan Shuyang could only reach his chest, feeling as though he could be completely enveloped.

The other stood before him, looking down with darkened eyes, an expression of haughty indifference.

Ruanshuyang instinctively sensed Peisuyue was in a bad mood and whispered, “Did something happen?”

Why else would he be in a bad mood?

“No.” Peisuyue merely shook his head and told Ruanshuyang, “Come with me. I’ll examine you.”

Ruan Shuyang recalled the stomachache. It wasn’t particularly severe now, just a mild ache he could endure.

He sensed something weighing on Pei Siyue’s mind and tentatively suggested, “My stomach doesn’t hurt much. If you have something to do, you can go ahead.”

Pei Siyue only looked at Ruan Shuyang and repeated calmly, “Come with me.”

Ruan Shuyang stopped resisting and obediently followed him into a room on the third floor.

To his surprise, the room contained an ultrasound machine.

After entering, Pei Siyue washed and disinfected his hands under the faucet, then instructed Ruan Shuyang to remove his shoes and lie down on the bed.

Ruan Shuyang removed his shoes and lay flat on the bed, his toes curling uncomfortably. Summer clothing was thin; Ruan Shuyang wore sheer stockings, and under the bright incandescent light, his pale, plump toes were faintly visible.

After thoroughly washing his hands, Pei Siyue donned the white coat hanging nearby. He approached the bed, tapped the area around Ruan Shuyang’s hipbone, and whispered, “Pull your pants down to here.”

It was a perfectly reasonable request. Ruan Shuyang recalled that during his last ultrasound, his pants had been pulled down to this same spot. Though he felt uncomfortable undressing in front of Pei Siyue, he complied and lowered his pants to his hipbones.

He knew it was for an ultrasound, yet it still felt odd. He had this sense of being exposed in front of Pei Siyue.

Meanwhile, downstairs in another room, Pei Siming was being plied with alcohol, completely unaware that his fiancée was lowering his pants in front of his older brother.