Part 1: Little dogs shouldn’t be disobedient.
Pei Yuan was not quite sure why Cen Zhixu liked to call her a little dog.
Frankly speaking, she believed that she and creatures like dogs had absolutely nothing in common.
Dogs were loyal, obedient, sat when told to sit, lay down when told to lie down, and would happily wag their tails the moment someone rubbed their bellies. She possessed none of these traits.
She felt she was more like a python, a wild wolf, or a hyena: sharp-toothed and rather difficult to tame.
Still, it did not matter.
Who made Cen Zhixu her Boss now? If the Boss said she was a little dog, then she would temporarily be a little dog.
Cen Zhixu walked back to the opposite side and sat down, her legs crossed, the cuffs of her trousers sliding up to reveal a slender stretch of ankle.
A milk-like color, slightly protruding ankle bones, fine lines, and taut, thin skin, with a few faint cyan veins hiding beneath.
If grasped in the palm of a hand and squeezed with just a bit of force, it would easily leave behind several striking, light rose-colored red marks.
Pei Yuan silently lowered her head. Cen Zhixu pushed the stack of contracts, thick enough to crush someone, into the middle of the table.
Considering that you basically did not read the content I drafted, she flipped through the documents, I need to reiterate.
Pei Yuan leaned back against the sofa, her hands crossed behind her head, lazily pulling out a smile.
Ah, that is truly wonderful. Even though I do not have to work today, being kept behind individually by Miss Cen for eight hours of one-on-one contract clause tutoring.
She stared at the ceiling, her voice sincere and moving, overflowing with a sense of happiness:
Goodness, I am truly the luckiest person in the world!
Cen Zhixu: (Laughs)
Cen Zhixu could not be bothered to entertain her and pointed at one of the clauses in the contract:
Simply put.
You need to satisfy all my demands, such as pheromone soothing, temporary marking, rut period companionship, emergency responses during sudden instability, and so on.
Cen Zhixu turned another page. The paper dropped with a rustling sound, her voice gentle and clear.
Because of my illness, my pheromones are unstable and will fluctuate repeatedly in a short period of time, which means:
Cen Zhixu paused her actions, offering a faint smile that was gentle, proper, and flawless:
My sexual demands are relatively high.
Pei Yuan stiffened. She had just been slouching lazily against the sofa, but suddenly she straightened up, her posture becoming much more proper.
She submissively nodded: Right, right, right, I will work hard.
Cen Zhixu flipped the page and continued inquiring: Have you had a fixed intimate partner before?
Pei Yuan shook her head: No.
What about non-fixed intimate partners or temporary pheromone exchanges? The common terms are friends with benefits and one-night stands.
None.
Marked anyone before?
No.
Been marked by anyone?
Huh? Neither.
Cen Zhixu glanced at her. Her gaze was not sharp, yet it made Pei Yuan sit on pins and needles.
She shrank her shoulders slightly, her earlobes growing faintly hot: Miss Cen, is there a problem?
Nothing, Cen Zhixu said indifferently. It just proves that your experience in this area is quite lacking.
Pei Yuan: (Silence)
Tsk.
Cen Zhixu closed the documents, her tone calm: Since that is the case, I suggest you supplement your relevant knowledge as soon as possible in order to fulfill your duties.
Pei Yuan swallowed. The trace of agitation teased out by her fingertips had not completely dissipated yet.
Her voice was very small: Understood.
Cen Zhixu folded her hands, sinking back into the sofa, cold and noble: My part ends here. Now let us talk about you.
What do you want to get from me?
Pei Yuan blinked and put on her signature honest-person naive smile: It is like this.
She said with great feeling: I deeply cherish the opportunity to enter White Tower City. I want to live well here, work hard, and reside here for a long time:
Get to the point.
Cen Zhixu cut her off.
Pei Yuan gave a dry laugh. Actually, I want to understand a bit more about the Eye of Order.
Cen Zhixu raised her eyelashes.
Pei Yuan immediately raised her hand, speeding up her speech: Do not misunderstand. I do not want to pry into core secrets. You know, I am just an outsider who understands nothing.
I just want to know roughly how the Eye of Order operates and how it determines a person’s identity.
She said with utmost sincerity: I am just afraid that if one day I sneeze and get judged as a dangerous element, being driven out of the city without knowing why, how unfair would that be?
Cen Zhixu exchanged her crossed legs, the tips of her boots shaking slightly to kick up a hint of faint light.
Reasonable concerns.
She said unhurriedly.
Regarding the Eye of Order, residents only know that a safe and efficient monitoring system exists in the city, protecting every citizen at all times. That is all.
As for its architecture, computational logic, how much it can see, and to what extent it can function, very few people know.
What a coincidence.
Cen Zhixu chuckled softly.
I am one of them.
The sunlight slanted obliquely through the glass, cutting a line of cold white light right across the center of the table.
Pei Yuan’s heartbeat skipped a beat.
She gambled right.
Ever since she obtained the compatibility report, Pei Yuan had been constantly piecing together the identity of this mysterious woman.
Information blockade, strict guards, motorcade escorts, everything pointed to the same answer: Cen Zhixu held a high and powerful position within the White Tower.
Therefore, Pei Yuan risked her identity being exposed and the danger of being hunted down to accept Cen Zhixu’s proposal.
Because this was the only crack leading to the Eye of Order that she had found so far.
And behind that crack, was it an exit or a trap?
One had to walk inside to find out.
Cen Zhixu looked at her, her voice soft: Only, Miss Pei, all secrets have a price.
And they are very expensive.
Her silver hair swayed slightly, light flowing among the strands and accentuating that pair of jewel-like, gray-blue eyes.
She smiled like an elegant and lazy white peacock, her knuckles bending as she knocked against the stack of thick contracts.
Make me satisfied, little dog.
And I will give you a little reward.
After signing the agreement, Cen Zhixu had matters to attend to, so Pei Yuan returned to her rented apartment by herself.
She packed her things, dragged her small suitcase, and hauled it all the way into Cen Zhixu’s residence with a clattering noise.
She knew Cen Zhixu lived inside the White Tower, but she had not expected the other party’s dwelling to occupy an entire floor, designed in a duplex structure.
The cloud ladder opened, and Pei Yuan stood frozen in place.
Super large.
So large that Pei Yuan’s entire apartment was only big enough to fit into one corner of the living room.
The space was dominated by light gray and white tones with a minimalist style. The floor was covered with a thick layer of milk-white long-pile carpet, and several potted green plants sat on bookshelves and decorative cabinets.
Tidy, clean, and well-organized.
The little assistant rambled off a long list of precautions while Pei Yuan kept her hands in her pockets, not letting a single word enter her brain.
When registering her iris, Pei Yuan casually asked: Speaking of which, has Miss Cen ever had an intimate partner before?
The assistant said dismissively: Chief Zhixu is busy to death. Where would she have the leisure time for romance?
The White Tower has tried screening Alphas for her, but unfortunately, most do not even have 60 percent compatibility. Wanting to get close to Chief Zhixu? In your dreams!
Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, cooperating by leaning down to let the scanning light sweep across her pupils.
Is that so?
My respected, lovely, Chief Cen.
After the assistant left, Pei Yuan enthusiastically wandered around. Aside from the locked bedroom, study, and other restricted areas, she toured everywhere else.
She even found an indoor swimming pool, a hot spring, a gym, and a small screening room.
Truly luxurious.
Pei Yuan sighed with emotion.
However, although the recreational rooms were kept spotless, they also clearly lacked signs of use.
Cen Zhixu was indeed, just as she appeared, a thorough workaholic.
Pei Yuan curled back up on the sofa and fished out the black card Cen Zhixu had given her after signing the contract.
The card flipped back and forth between her fingertips, emitting a low-key, expensive, cold hue.
Pei Yuan twirled the black card, her eyelashes suddenly curving as she revealed a mischievous smile.
The system spoke quietly: Host, based on your expression, I deduce that you are plotting some form of high-risk behavior.
High risk?
Pei Yuan clamped the black card and shook it.
I am merely an honest little employee. What kind of bad ideas could I possibly have?
The night was already deep, the moon hanging among the clouds and casting a hazy ring of silver radiance.
The cloud ladder rose silently and stopped steadily.
Cen Zhixu stepped out.
A hint of fatigue lingered between her brows. She bent down to kick off her long boots and stepped barefoot into the soft long-pile mat.
Cen Zhixu raised her eyes, habitually sweeping a glance across the living room.
The next second.
Her expression changed.
The living room seemed normal at a glance, but a closer look revealed that any movable small ornaments, small green plants, and small throw pillows had all been sneakily moved or rotated anywhere from one to three centimeters.
Everything was still in its original place, yet clearly not in its original place.
Cen Zhixu took a deep breath, her voice raising slightly:
Pei Yuan?
Movement came from not far away as Pei Yuan walked out of the kitchen.
She wore a sharply tailored black suit, straight shoulder lines, a narrowed waistline, and a dark gray tie knotted in a precise Windsor knot around her collar.
Her black curly hair was swept back, exposing a well-defined face. Her brow bones, bridge of the nose, and jawline were sharp and handsome.
Yet no matter how proper her posture was, the smile in her eyes still leaked out, making her look just like a little dog that had just finished making mischief and was still wagging its tail while waiting for praise.
Pei Yuan put her hands behind her back and executed a standard butler bow.
Good evening, Miss Cen.
Her smile was impeccable: Welcome back. In order to make your life more comfortable, I have conducted a thorough cleaning and organization of the house.
Would you like to have fried eggs, creamy mushroom soup, or pan-fried little lamb chops tonight?
Cen Zhixu stared at her.
Pushed to the extreme, she ended up laughing instead.
A suit worth five thousand star coins, Miss Pei really does not hesitate to spend money.
Pei Yuan straightened her tie and said with a chuckle: On the first day on the job, I naturally have to dress decently so that I can make Miss Cen satisfied, no?
Cen Zhixu stepped on the floor mat, walking toward her step by step. Her stride was large, her long hair lifting behind her.
Pei Yuan kept a smile and stood in place without moving.
Cen Zhixu stopped in front of her, raised a hand to grab Pei Yuan’s tie, and unceremoniously yanked it downward.
Pei Yuan was forced to lean down.
Cen Zhixu lifted her chin, her fingers hooking and winding around the tie as she leisurely looped it around her palm once.
Tumbling the house into this state and still daring to stand in front of me and act well-behaved?
Cen Zhixu abruptly tightened her grip and pulled.
Their brows pressed against each other, and her gray-blue eyes gazed out from beneath her long eyelashes, deep and gorgeous.
Truly disobedient.