As noon approached, the recreation area at IOA headquarters began to fill up. More and more alphas entered the swimming pool, and almost every alpha who walked in would first sniff the air—it was filled with the pleasant scent of an omega. Driven by instinct, the alphas followed the trail of white rose pheromones, their gazes all turning toward Lan Bo.
The omega, sitting by the poolside and chatting cheerfully, wore only swim trunks. His wet blond hair was tied into a loose knot at the back of his head. He sat leisurely with one leg crossed over the other, his muscular lines and proportions as perfect as a sculptor’s masterpiece.
If Bai Chunian hadn’t been sitting beside this omega, the Alphas asking for his contact information would likely have already filled up his address book.
Bai Chunian was increasingly aware that Lan Bo was the center of attention. Glancing around, he immediately spotted Dr. Zhao from the Medical Association’s Forensic Department, Section Chief Xu from the Armaments Division, Old Dai from the Legal Affairs Department, and Qi, the armory manager. These departments were far from the East Recreation Area; usually, they worked out with equipment in the West Recreation Area. There weren’t many Alpha staff members at IOA headquarters to begin with, and you rarely saw any of them walking around. Goodness, it seemed as if every Alpha in the entire headquarters had gathered at the East Recreation Area swimming pool.
People flocked over to greet Bai Chunian. He’d been working here for four years, but he’d never been this popular with the Alphas before. The Alphas seemed to be making small talk with Bai Chunian, but in reality, they were surreptitiously checking out the handsome Omega’s face out of the corner of their eyes.
“Come on, let’s go. We shouldn’t stay here too long.” Bai Chunian seized a moment when no one was nearby, grabbed Lan Bo’s wrist, and ran off.
Bai Chunian darted into the Alpha changing room, and Lan Bo followed him in without even glancing at the sign on the door.
Inside the changing room, several Alphas were changing into their swimsuits. When they looked up, their eyes met Lan Bo’s unabashed gaze.
Lan Bo scanned each Alpha’s body as if surveying merchandise on a store shelf, until Bai Chunian turned back, covered his eyes with his hand, hoisted him onto his shoulders, and hurried into a private cubicle, locking the door behind them.
“Damn it, why did you follow me in here? It’s full of Alphas.” Bai Chunian was utterly speechless, cupping Lan Bo’s face and scrunching it into all sorts of shapes. “And you had to check them all out—did they look good?”
“Not as good-looking as you.” Lan Bo grabbed his wrist, his gaze fixed intently on Bai Chunian’s body, his fingertips tracing the sharp, defined V-line along the Alpha’s hips. “I sculpted this body with my own hands; of course it’s better-looking than a human’s.”
Bai Chunian reached out and covered the gland at the back of Lan Bo’s neck, using his own scent to mask the white rose pheromone on Lan Bo’s body.
Seeing Bai Chunian’s slightly tense expression, Lan Bo deliberately took two steps forward. Bai Chunian signaled for him to back off with his eyes, but Lan Bo paid no heed, instead shoving Bai Chunian against the wall with a thud.
Bai Chunian cursed under his breath: “I just managed to calm myself down. Don’t mess with me. Don’t toy with me and then leave me hanging. There are colleagues all over the place. If you dare to tease me here, I’ll make sure you’re paralyzed from the waist down tonight—you won’t even be able to crawl back into your fish tank. Believe it or not.”
Lan Bo hadn’t intended to take it seriously, but upon hearing those words, he suddenly felt a strong urge to rebel. He clenched his fist hard against Bai Chunian’s swim trunks.
“Damn, that hurts.” Bai Chunian nearly got squeezed out of his skin by that black-handed fish. He reached out to grab both of Lan Bo’s wrists, flipped him over, and shoved him into the corner. He pressed his knee between Lan Bo’s legs, pinning him in place. “What’s wrong with you? I feel like you’ve gotten more and more arrogant ever since you grew legs. Don’t force me to fuck you right here.”
“The higher the degree of mimicry, the closer the behavior becomes to that of humans.” Lan Bo, held fast and unable to move, slowly unfolded his human hands, now devoid of webbing. “Maintaining this form allows me to temporarily set aside my responsibilities and dignity as a king, to relax a bit, to be more authentic.”
“I’m not exactly a proper king,” Lan Bo said flatly. “I told you long ago that I’m a tyrant and a lecher. So you only liked the pure, saintly Siren. I get it—young men cherish the idealized image of their first love. I really shouldn’t have shattered it.”
Bai Chunian watched as Lan Bo’s expression grew somber. The way he spoke was more serious than ever, like a heartbroken elder who had finally raised a child only to be rejected by them for being too old.
“Oh, come on.” Bai Chunian pulled him into his arms, leaning down to whisper soothingly into his ear, “My dear King, from now on I’ll hold myself to Daji’s standards. I’ll even livestream my showers for you—you can even watch me while you eat.”
Lan Bo finally lifted his eyelids and replied softly, “Okay.”
Outside the changing room, a few Alphas who had just entered asked in confusion, “What’s going on? I smell an Omega scent in here.”
Bai Chunian rummaged through the cabinet, pulled a tube of pheromone blocker from the corner, twisted off the cap, and dabbed it on Lan Bo’s nape gland, muttering under his breath, “ “Cover up your scent. This won’t do. When you were a fish, you were too otherworldly—those Alphas didn’t even dare to fancy you. But things are different now. You’re too handsome. We’d better not let anyone smell that you’re an Omega.”
Lan Bo looked down affectionately, letting him apply the cream. He never refused his little Alpha’s requests.
“Put this on for now. I got this from the closet in my office. Our builds aren’t that different, so it should fit. I don’t usually wear formal clothes anyway. I bought it two years ago and have only worn it once or twice—it’s practically brand new.”
Bai Chunian handed him a white suit—not a particularly formal business suit, but a more casual style.
Lan Bo took it. A faint scent of brandy pheromones lingered on the clothes.
Bai Chunian’s own outfit was more casual; just before coming over, he’d grabbed a bright orange long-sleeve T-shirt and a denim hoodie from his office closet, dried himself off, and slipped them on.
When Bai Chunian finished getting dressed and looked up, he saw Lan Bo still burying his face in the clothes, inhaling the scent.
“Ugh, stop dawdling. Get dressed.” Bai Chunian draped a towel over Lan Bo’s head, pulled a clean pair of his own underwear from the closet, and tossed it onto Lan Bo’s lap.
Lan Bo hooked his fingertip around the corner of the black briefs, propped his chin in his hand, and asked, “Randi, how do you put these on?”
Bai Chunian, hands in his pockets, studied him. “Are you really clueless, or are you just pretending?”
“I really don’t know.”
“Give them to me.” Bai Chunian crouched down and held up the waistband of the boxers. “See the two holes up there? Put one leg through each hole.”
A snow-white foot slipped inside, accidentally stepping on Bai Chunian’s knee. The briefs hung on his smooth, jade-like calf, like a spiderweb drifting on ivory.
After the briefs came the pants, then the socks and shoes. Bai Chunian helped him get dressed until his mouth went dry,
When Lan Bo withdrew his foot, the tip of his shoe inadvertently brushed against Bai Chunian’s wrist. Bai Chunian instantly realized that clothes like these were meant to be stripped off, not put on.
As they stepped out of the changing room, Lan Bo’s omega pheromones had been completely blocked by the inhibitor. Without pheromones, it was nearly impossible for strangers to discern his gender by appearance.
They left the lounge just as the lunch break was ending, and the hallway was gradually filling with people.
Bai Chunian walked ahead, munching on an ice pop he’d bought on his way out of the gym, while Lan Bo stepped out of the elevator with his hands in his pockets. Black trousers hugged his straight, slender legs, and over his white shirt he wore a casual white blazer; he raised his hand to gently loosen his tie.
Instantly, the gazes of countless Omegas in the hallway turned toward Lan Bo in unison, their intense stares sweeping back and forth like laser pointers.
Working in various departments at IOA headquarters, everyone had heard of Bai Chunian, the head of the Investigation Division. Although he had captured the hearts of countless Omegas over the past three years, everyone now knew that Section Chief Bai was married—to a mermaid Omega who was both exceptionally handsome and talented. The young Omegas’ fantasies about Bai Chunian had long since faded.
But where had this blond-haired, blue-eyed, tall, and lanky hunk come from? Not a single whiff of pheromones could be detected on him. Amidst the many scumbags who liked to use pheromones to lure young Omegas, he stood out as utterly refined. Could such an ascetic Alpha really exist?
“Um, are you… a new colleague? Which department are you in?” A bold omega approached him directly. “We’ll be coworkers from now on. Would you mind exchanging contact info?”
Lan Bo stopped in his tracks, hands in his pockets, and looked down at the little omega who’d approached him. It happened to be a petite squirrel omega with chestnut-colored curls and two fluffy ears sticking up from his hair. The tufts of fur on the tips of his ears twitched, so Lan Bo reached out and gave them a gentle stroke.
The little squirrel omega’s face flushed instantly, and his fluffy tail curled into a tight ball.
Bai Chunian stood to the side, popsicle in mouth, watching as Lan Bo was surrounded by a circle of little Omegas. From Lan Bo’s expression, it was clear he knew full well they thought he was an Alpha—but he just wouldn’t say anything.
To prevent his dear colleagues from being teased by this fish, Bai Chunian, filled with a sense of justice, pushed through the crowd, placed a hand on Lan Bo’s shoulder, and said with a smirk, “I’ll be blunt: my brother is a player. You guys better watch out.”
At his words, a few of the young Omegas hesitated. While everyone liked handsome guys, character was also a crucial factor to consider.
Lan Bo turned his head to look at him, and Bai Chunian chuckled softly in his ear: “What’s wrong? The King of the Sea—short for ‘Sea King.’ Did I get that wrong?”
“You didn’t get it wrong.” Lan Bo shot him a look, then leaned in close to the Squirrel Omega’s ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Kid, I like Alphas. You’re too skinny—you don’t have enough oomph.”
The Squirrel Omega froze on the spot.
He widened his eyes, his gaze slowly shifting from Lan Bo’s face to Bai Chunian’s, then drifting downward. Sure enough, he spotted a blue, fish-shaped mark on Bai Chunian’s neck. The Squirrel Omega’s eyes betrayed a look of utter disbelief.
Bai Chunian asked, “What’s the matter? Why are you staring at me like that?”
Lan Bo wrapped his arm around Bai Chunian’s neck and said casually, “Let’s go, baby.”
“Oh.” Bai Chunian followed him, puzzled.
A group of stunned, petrified little Omegas were left behind.
——
Back in the office, an email from Han Xingqian had arrived in his inbox.
“Xunxun received an anonymous tip. It states that Research Institute 109 will be carrying out a mass destruction of a batch of test subjects on the 18th of this month at the Walwa Pharmaceutical Factory in Hongli City.”
There were two attachments. The first was a high-resolution scan of the tip-off letter; the text was in print font, so no handwriting could be discerned. The second attachment was a blurry, poorly taken photo showing numerous test subjects crammed into narrow but sturdy transport containers as workers loaded them onto a truck for transport.
“Did Xiao Xun receive it?” Bai Chunian thought for a moment, then forwarded the email to the head of the Special Operations Unit and the Chairman, adding the note: “We cannot rule out the possibility of a phishing trap; action is not recommended.”
Lan Bo moved closer to Bai Chunian, staring intently at the blurry photo to make out the details. His fingertips clenched silently, digging into his palm until it turned red, yet his expression remained impassive.
“I’ve checked. There are no pearls inside.” Bai Chunian gently pried Lan Bo’s hand open from under the table and took his hand.
Lan Bo rested his head on his hands, leaning on the table, and tapped Bai Chunian’s palm lightly with his fingertips: “You don’t need to worry about me.”
“The institute’s funding has dried up. Destroying some of the immature test subjects to control costs is to be expected.” Bai Chunian thought for a moment, then sent an order to the technical department:
“The Puppet Master might still be within the country. Find a way to make sure he sees this email.”
After issuing the order, Bai Chunnian leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs.
“Didn’t they come to the Medical Association under the guise of rescue to seize experimental subjects? Now that there’s an experimental subject in need of rescue, I’ll see if they’ll actually go and do something reckless.”